Bella Blvd | Keys...

Hello Friends! Today I have a bold and bright share using the Bella Blvd Addison collection. 

I created this layout with the idea of using all or most of my leftover scraps pieces that were sitting on my desk. The Addison collection is such a happy grouping of patterns and colours that I knew I wanted to use it in a celebratory way.

My daughter has recently passed her Learner's driving test which is quite a big deal for her! And I love that in this collection there was a die cut key!

I kept the photo black and white to allow the patterned paper to have a starring role. The strips of paper were also shaped to represent a city skyline with varying heights to create interest.

"Keys"

products used: cs - American Crafts; pp - Bella Blvd Addison; Alphas - Bella Blvd; embellishments - Bella Blvd: puffy stickers, paper pieces, stickers. other - staples, typewriter, paint.

The rest of the leftover paper strips have been layered with fussy cut images, stickers, puffy hearts or die cut paper pieces. My journaling was simply stapled to the bottom of the page and a few drops of paint complete the look of my layout. I am so glad to have now documented this milestone! Thanks so much for visiting..x

Sassy Scrapper | Tutorial...

Hello Friends! Up on the Sassy Scrapper blog today I am sharing three quick and easy step by steps on creating Project Life filler cards!

 

 

I hope you can pop on over for a visit!  Thanks ...x

 



Scraptastic Club | Heartbeats...

Hello Everyone!  It is almost the end of the year and  today I want to share with you a little super fast inspiration, using the gorgeous December Heartbeats kit from Scraptastic Club.

 

 

December is a really busy month in my household, but it doesn't necessarily mean I stop being creative!  To keep myself from going a little nuts during the holiday season, I love to play with pretty paper and shiny things!! And the Heartbeats kit has plenty of both.  But remember that part where I said December is really busy?  To keep myself from stressing even more (by starting something I can't finish!) I often take inspiration from a layout, to also create a card.  It's a two for one deal!

 

 

I've kept my layout simple, highlighting my photo with embellishments and layers.

"Love What You Do"

products used: Scraptastic Club Kit - Heartbeats; Add On - Heartbeats; Stamp Set - Heartbeats; Cut Aparts - Heartbeats; tools - hand stitching, typewriter.

 

The patterned paper guided my placement for the photo with it's vignette.  The darker grey around the outside edges, frames the photo.  Using a black and white photo takes away all the guess work when it comes to selecting a color palette.  I have chosen a complementary teal to work with the grey and then added bright pops of yellow for fun!

 

 

Hand stitching can sometimes be time consuming, but by using the Heartbeats clear stamps as a guide, I can quickly make the stamped image a feature.

 

I've finished my layout by journaling directly onto the Heartbeats cut aparts and mounting it onto foam dots for more dimension.

 

 

The clear stickers have been placed directly onto white cardstock and then embellished with puffy stickers from the kit.

 

 

After creating this layout, I had plenty of leftover supplies already sitting on my desk.  Instead of putting them away with my kit, I quickly used them to my creative advantage.

 

products used: Scraptastic Club Kit - Heartbeats; Add On - Heartbeats.

 

I've stayed true to the layout by using the same color palette and patterned papers.  But I've also adapted similar techniques, such as hand stitching, placing the clear stickers onto white cardstock and adding a triangle to the corner of the card. 

 

To create the hand stitched flourishes, simply draw some elegant swirls with a pencil and then pre-pierce the paper.

 

Thanks for joining me here today.  I hope I have managed to share a few simple ideas to keep you creative during this busy season..x

ps - all this information has just been repeated over at Scraptastic! Ha!  Word. For. Word.  I told you it was a busy, time consuming month and at the moment, I'm all for taking short cuts! *grin*  I hope you don't mind.
 

 



Sassy Scrappers Project Life | Week 45...

Hi Everyone! Up on the Sassy Scrapper blog today I am sharing my next instalment of Project Life Week 45, November 3 - 9.

 

This week I am playing with leftovers and focusing on all those stickers we have all been hoarding!

 

 

Head on over to Sassy Scrappers if you would like to see more detail.  Thanks for visiting..x

 



Sassy Scrappers | Project Life Week 44...

Hi Everyone!! Welcome to Monday!  I just wanted to pop in and share the link to my Project Life | Week 44.  It and the details of how I used my leftover scraps, is now live on the Sassy Scrapper blog.  I hope to see you there.

 

 

 

If you are keen to see more, please visit Sassy Scrapper.  Thanks for dropping by today..x

 

 



Jillibean Soup | Cards..

Hi Everyone!  Today I just wanted to share a few cards with you, created for Jillibean Soup.  Lately, I have a habit of creating cards from the off-cuts from my layouts!  *grin* Call it recycling if you must! But I just cannot abide to throw away healthy cardstock! LOL!!

This card is up on the Jillibean Soup blog today.  I had fun playing with this little double pinwheel.

 

"So Thankful"

products used: cs - Kaisercraft; pp - Jillibean Soup: Happy Camper Stew, Country Pumpkin Chowder, Soup StaplesII; other - Jillibean Soup: Soup Label, Beanstalks (orange twine); skewer, brads, ink.

These other cards are from last month!  whoops!  And again they have been made from the off-cuts of my 8.5" x 11" layouts.

"Many Thanks"

 

products used: cs - Kaisercraft; pp - Jillibean Soup; other - Jillibean Soup: Pea Pod Parts (die-cuts), Beanstalks (orange twine), Soup Labels, resin Sugar Pick; Kaisercraft pearls, ink; tools - embossing folder.

 

"Olivia"

 

products used: cs - Kaisercraft; pp - Jillibean Soup; alpha - Jillibean Soup: alphabeans; other - Jillibean Soup: corrugated shapes, Pea Pod Parts, Soup Labels; staples, ink; tools - corner rounder.

 

The extra bonus I get with creating from leftovers, is that the cards are small enough to slip straight into 4" x 4" Project Life pockets!  I've done this for Mother's Day, my children's birthdays and now Father's Day.  I love the personal touch  it gives my (very challenging to keep up-to-date) Project Life.  *grin*

 

Thanks so much for visiting and have a wonderful day...x

 

 



Jillibean Soup | Muddy Puddles...

Hi Everyone.  I have a quick post today to share with you this layout created for Jillibean Soup. 

 



"Muddy Puddles"

products list: cs - Kaisercraft; pp - Jillibean Soup; alpha - Jillibean Soup; other - Jillibean Soup: clear stamps (large butterfly), Pea Pod Parts, Soup Labels, Wise Words; Greatest View sequins, OA mist; tools - machine stitching, black pen.

I have a gone through my stash and used quite a few left over strips of patterned paper.  They were simply arranged in fading colour and machine stitched straight onto the cardstock.  I wanted it to look a little messy as the photo shows my boy jumping in the mud!  *grin* And with that thought in mind, I also added the splashes of grey mist to the page...

From the above photo, you can see that I've mounted the photo onto foam tape to add dimension to my layout.  The wings on the butterfly have also been bent, just to add that extra depth as well.  The butterfly is a new Jillibean Soup clear stamp, available through Hampton Arts.

 

Now, don't forget to visit Jillibean Soup to see what some of the other DT members have created.  Thanks for visiting me here.  I really appreciate reading your thoughts..x

 

 

 

Fancy That Dies...some cards

Hello Everyone!  I hope you are all having a wonderful creative day.  Today I want to share a little more Fancy That Dies goodness with some very simple three step cards.

 

 

Of course it also helps that I've used up some more of my off cuts!  *grin*  I love putting these extra bits of paper to good use.

 

 

I call these cards "three step" because well...,  there are three steps to creating them!  LOL! 

 

step 1.  choose and fold your off cut piece of cardstock. (being a 8.5in x 11in scrapper... I have a fair amount of 3.5in x 12in scraps in my stash!)

 

step 2.  add three sections/strips/blocks of co-ordinating scrap patterned paper.

 

step 3.  embellish with your dies.  I have used a selection from Fancy That Dies.  Check out the amazing range here!

 

 

You can't create cards any easier than this!  Trust me.  I've tried!  hee hee...

By the way, I love how these dies cut vellum.  It comes out perfectly.  And the little touch of vellum builds up the layers on my flower.  Got to love that!

 

products used: Fancy That Dies - butterfly quartet, sweet blooms, scalloped rolled rose, mixed leaves; cs - stampin' up, kaisercraft; pp - American Crafts Dear Lizzy, Jillibean Soup; other - Girls Paperie cardstock sticker, Greatest View sequins, vellum; tools - corner rounder.

products used: Fancy That Dies - photo corners 2, high in the sky, zippity do da; cs - kaisercraft, stampin' up; pp - American Crafts (Dear Lizzy & Amy Tangerine), Crate Paper, Kaisercraft; other - Girls Paperie cardstock sticker, twine, maya road clear stamps, close to my heart ink.

 

Notice on the middle strip of patterned paper (blue with white polkadot) I have used a die to create extra interest.  It is zippity do da and I love using this die in particular, to add to my layers.

 

Thanks so much for visiting today.  I hope you have fun creating a few cards out of your left over scraps of paper..x

 



Sunburst...

Hello friends. And Hello Spring!!! *grin!  The weather in Queensland, Australia is just so beautiful..even though it is still a little bit chilly in the mornings.  lol!

Remember this sneak?  Well even if the sun isn't shining in your part of the world today, here's a little tutorial to make it appear onto a layout or card.  :)

Step 1.  Gather your supplies...

 

 

Punch out a large circle from yellow cardstock.  Punch out a second medium circle also from the same cardstock.  Repeat the the process with the medium punch on scratch paper: (1 large yellow circle, 1 medium yellow circle, 1 medium scratch paper circle).

 

Step 2.  Layer the medium scratch paper circle on top of the reverse side of the large yellow circle.



Once it has been centered, trace around the outside with a pencil.  Mark sections (approximately the width of your pencil) on this outer ring. 

Step 3.  Trim alternate notches with sharp scissors to form the base layer of your sunburst..

 



Step 4.  Using a small punch, punch out a piece from patterned paper.  Discard.  Using a round template (I've gone for the inner section of the washi tape!) trace around the outside of the negative punched shape on the patterned paper.  tip: Use the reverse side of the paper when tracing with pen or pencil.  :)

Trim around the pencil line to form a thin ring.

Step 5.  Assemble your sunburst. 

 

 

Step 6.  Add foam tape between the base layer and the medium punched circle for extra dimension.

 



 

 

And there you have it!  A simple homemade embellishment that uses up a few more scrap pieces of paper.  So.. what do you think?  Please leave a comment if you create a sunburst from this tutorial (or are planning to!).  I would really love to see how you create with them. :)

 

 

Thanks for visiting..x

 

The little book of Art...

Hello Friends.  Lately I've been staring at the mountain of off-cut scraps of paper that have been piling up on my desk.  :)  As a 8.5in x 11in scrapper, these off-cuts can range from 12in x 3.5in in size to 1in x 8.5in and anything in between.  And being a thrifty scrapper I really have a hard time throwing these bits and pieces away.  *grin*

So what's a crafter to do???  Solution.  Make a "mini" mini album!!

"Little book of Art"

products used: cs - kaisercraft, bo bunny; pp - kaisercraft, jillibean soup; alpha - kaisercraft, jillibean soup, Heather Bailey; other - helmar glue, black pen (sharpie).

As you can see from the products list, there isn't a lot of materials involved.  Just a little bit of time and a willing participate who will draw some gorgeous keepsake art...

I found this wonderful tutorial from PaperVine on creating mini albums from one piece of paper.  Lowri has done an awesome job with the step by step. :)

So, keeping in mind that I wanted to use up my left over bits, I haven't added any photos.  My kids at the moment have been producing wonderful pieces of art, and I am having trouble documenting each and every piece! LOL!! (We are going through sooooo many sheets of paper at the moment - the printer tray is looking a little bare!!).

My idea was to fill in the pages with the white cardstock.  And the off-cuts are a perfect size to fit inside the album.  I have also left enough room on each page to document the title of the artwork and some extra information which I will find interesting at a later date.  For example, Cameron, aged three, "self portrait" - drawn with his left hand, 16.08.12.



I am quite happy with the outcome.  :)  It's simple and effective.  Now all I need to do is dive back into that growning pile of papers and see what else I can come up with!

Thanks for visiting..x