Creating Paper-Based Layouts | Scrapbooking Memories magazine

Hi everyone!
Popping in today to share a couple of older layouts that were included in my Creative Team 'Paper Play' article that was published in Scrapbooking Memories magazine (Vol 20 No 5). This article was about creating more "traditional" paper-based layouts, and techniques and ideas to include.
Sadly, as it turns out, this was the final issue of the magazine that went to print and it has since ceased publication.

This first page was created using the beautiful Cocoa Vanilla Studio 'Wild at Heart' collection and featured a photo of myself, my hubby and our best friends during a climb up Mount Beerwah.

I used lots of layering, and fussy cut some of the floral elements from the 'Memento' patterned paper to use as embellishments for this page.

I also used the coordinating chipboard accent stickers and Sparkles enamel dots from the collection to embellish my page.

I used paper tearing and the addition of some messy cotton thread to add texture to my page.

The second layout included in my article, was a 'stash-buster' that I created from one of my favourite older ranges - 'September Skies' by Heidi Swapp. I used up a variety of paper scraps I had left on this page, along with some coordinating ephemera pieces. (I may still be hoarding a few final scraps! LOL)

I even managed to use a photo of the kids that I had printed out long ago as well! #winning

 Extra embellishments included a limited edition flair button from Cocoa Vanilla Studio; dip dye tag and twine from D-lish Scraps; and some foam stickers from Pink Paislee.

Again, I used paper tearing and cotton thread to add texture to my page.

Don't be afraid to use lots of overlapping bold patterns and colours if it fits in with the theme of your photo. I love seeing these papers all layered over one another.

Thanks for stopping by today so I could share these with you. I will be back very soon with a new project to share with you. Until then, happy scrapping! X

You Are Loved | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone! 

Today I am sharing a design team page I created for Cocoa Vanilla Studio using the brand new 'More Than Words' collection. This collection is just SO pretty - full of beautiful pastel tones, gorgeous florals, sweet sentiments and perfect for just about any subject or occasion. As is usually the case when I get a new range, it took me a while to decide what to do because I didn't want to cut anything up! haha

When I started shuffling through all the beautiful papers, I found myself continually drawn to the Effervescent paper; with all its glorious overlapping watercolour bubbles. (I even love the paper name - how could you not love the word effervescent?!) I decided to use it for my background, but cut a third of the sheet away and then added in a piece of the wood grain pattern from the B side of the Precious paper. I then took the paper I had cut away and fussy cut some of the bubbles from it; which I adhered over the wood grain to "float" the pattern across.

Next, I created a layered photo mat where I wanted my photo to be placed. In keeping with the circular theme from the bubbles on the background, I used the tiny spotted print from the 6x6" paper pad; as well as a piece from the Collage paper that featured a larger polka dot pattern. I then added some cardboard to the back of my photo before mounting it on top. 

I then added my layout title, which was a large watercolour bubble fussy cut from the Treasure paper. I wanted to add a little dimension to help it pop from the background, so used some foam tape behind it and bent the edges up. To help balance my layout, I looked for two other circular pieces I could add to create my "visual triangle". 

The first piece I chose was the beautiful you make my heart sing chipboard accent sticker, which I placed to the bottom right of my photo. The third circular piece I chose was the love you so much sticker from the accessory sticker sheet. I added this directly to the left side of my photo using some foam tape.

I then added a few more pieces from the chipboard accent sticker sheet - the cute banner underneath my photo; an arrow; and some small hearts. I also added 3 butterflies that I fussy cut from the Collage paper. Again, I created a "visual triangle" using the butterflies, but slightly off-set it from the one I first created with my circular pieces.

To finish off my page, I used two stamps from the new Clear Stamp Set. (I am a big fan of stamps and think you can never have too many!) I really love this new set, it has really sweet imagery that will prove to be really versatile. I used grey ink to stamp the phrase the best randomly around my page, as well as the small cluster of hearts that I also stamped around.

Thanks for stopping by today so I could share this. I will be back again soon with another project to share. In the meantime, be sure check with your favourite retailer to see if they have ordered the new 'More Than Words' collection yet. It started shipping out to stores yesterday!  

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Born to be Wild | Viva Las VegaStamps

Hi everyone!

Popping in today to share my first project as an official design team member for Viva Las VegaStamps. (I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to say that!)

So I thought I would start with what I do best - a mixed media scrapbook layout featuring a fun SnapChat selfie.

To create this page, I started by laying down my background colour onto my cardstock using  Colour Blast Colour Artist Inks. (I used Berry, Oasis & Marine.) I first spritzed the cardstock with water, then used a small brush to apply the inks and a little more water to move the colours around, before drying it with a heat gun.

Once dry, I decided I wanted more hard water lines; so I went back and applied more ink & water to my focal area; as well as some splatters with a small, stiff brush; before again drying with the heat gun. 

Next, it was time to add some depth to my background. I used Staz On ink along with a couple of my favourite mark making stamps to add structure to my focal area:

- Row of Distressed Lines

- Punchinella / Sequin Waste Border

I also stamped a few quotes randomly around my page:

- Add a Little Whimsy

Next, I turned my attention to the focal piece of my page. I fussy cut my photo away from the background; and I also cut out two rabbit images I had previously stamped onto tissue paper to use on either side:

- Creepy Rabbit by Tera Callihan

I adhered them all to a piece of cardstock using acrylic matte medium, before cutting around them, leaving a white border. (You will note the tissue paper simply disappears into the background using this technique.)

To add a bit of colour to my gorgeous creepy little rabbits, I used Faber-Castell watercolour pencils, which I applied roughly, before blending them out with a water pen. Once coloured, I mounted my photo up on some cardboard to raise it from the background and then moved onto to putting the page together.

Underneath where my photo was going to be placed, I added a die cut glitter frame, that I had cut in half; along with some messy purple thread. 

I then added a few torn pieces of washi tape to my background, and also tucked a piece of paper doily in behind my photo before sticking it down.

I used a chipboard title from Kinder Kreations, which I coloured simply with black ink.

I then stamped some scattered stars using purple ink:

- Star Sliding 

To finish my page I added a wood veneer arrow (also inked black) to the left of my photo.

And to the right of my photo, I added a cute handmade rabbit embellishment from Charms Creations.

Here's a linked list of all the VLVS stamps I used:

- Row of Distressed Lines

- Punchinella / Sequin Waste Border

-  Add a Little Whimsy

- Creepy Rabbit by Tera Callihan

-  Star Sliding 

Thanks for stopping by so I could share this - I hope I have inspired you to get inky today! I will be back soon with another project to share. Til then, happy scrapping! X

I am a Girl | Flutterby Designs

Hi everyone!

Time again for another design team share for Flutterby Designs. I am still loving the recently released 'We Run the World' collection and couldn't resist creating another page with it. I had these fun Snap Chat selfies and thought they would work perfectly with this range. Instead of my usual messy mixed media however, I was instead drawn to create a more graphic style page. (Yes, it shocked me too!)

As you can see my page design features lots of straight lines, colour blocks and clean, white space. (OK, so there is a bit of a splash of mixed media, but it's very minimal.) 

Besides the photos, my main inspiration for this page was the I am a girl piece I used for my title. It was fussy cut from one of the 'We Run the World' Everyday Etc cards and I was really drawn to the brush stroke behind it.

I then pulled out the we run the world title card from the same pack, and fussy cut the words from it as well. Next, I sorted through the coordinating filler card pack and started pulling pieces that I thought would work well together. After that, it was simply a matter of shuffling pieces around my page until I was happy with the placement before I started sticking them down.

Once my photos and paper pieces were in place, I added some scrap cardboard under my photos and the we run the world phrase before using a small amount of liquid adhesive to stick it all down. 

Then it was time to add some embellishments. I wanted to layer some of the key words from the collection around my page on top of my paper strips.

At the top of the page I used the strong die cut from the Die Cut Bits & Bobs pack, which I mounted up using some foam tape to give it a little dimension. I also used the fierce from the Wood Veneer Bits sheet (which I coloured white using a Posca pen); and an opaque acetate brave word.

On the small square in the top right of my page, I added one of the flair buttons from the 'We Run the World' set #1; and a small heart from the die cuts pack. I also added a larger die cut heart to the square on the bottom right of my page. 

I used the empowered sticker from the 'We Run the World' Sticky Quotes sheet; along with a small heart. At the bottom of my page on top of the brick wall paper, I added the we can rock the world sticker from the same sheet.

To finish off my page, I couldn't resist a tiny amount of messy media. I used some watercolour pencils to add a couple of organic scribbles, which I then went over with a waterbrush to blend the colour out slightly. I also used a Colour Blast Colour Shimmer Cube to add a small splash of green on the right side of my page, and some tiny splatters around as well.

I was really happy with how this page turned out, and the fact I had used a different style. (And quite impressed with my ability to show restraint for a change! haha)

Thanks for stopping by today so I could share this with you. I will be back again soon with another project to share. Until then, happy scrapping! X

Brave Heart | Colour Blast

Hi everyone!

Sue Plumb here to share my latest Colour Blast design team project with you. Today I have a mixed media scrapbook layout to share, but I decided to mix it up a bit by creating an A4 sized page. I don't often create in this size, but as the photo I chose to work with was only 3x4", I thought it would work better on a smaller scale page. (And I must say, I liked the change!)

This page was actually inspired by the quote I used. It was one I found in a magazine quite a while ago, and I had cut it out and filed it away; but this week it really spoke to me so I wanted to create a piece using it.

I began my page by creating my background. I had an A4 sized sheet of cardstock, which I primed with White Heavy Gesso (I used an old gift card to get thin, even coverage); then once it had dried I started adding some colour. I used Steel Colour Shimmer Spray, which I applied simply by adding a couple of sprays very close to the surface (so it would pool rather than fan out). I then spread the colour using a wide brush.

Once the spray had dried, I then added some further colour to define my focal areas using Colour Artist Inks. The colours I chose were Barley; Rust and Soot as they worked perfectly with the small amount of colour shown in my photo.

To apply the inks, I sprayed a small amount of water first to wet the surface, before adding a few drops of Barley with a brush. I then added a little more water with my brush, which allowed me to move the colour around my page. I then used a heat gun to dry it before repeating the process with the Rust ink, which I also dried with a heat gun.

The next step was to add some depth and interest to my background by stamping with some of my favourite mark making stamps from Plate #1495 from Viva Las VegaStamps and Staz On ink.

Then, to add further depth and some texture to my page, I grabbed my Bling Colour Paste and a thin palette knife and spread small amounts randomly around my page.

I then used Soot Colour Artist Ink and a small, stiff brush to add some black splatters. (This ink makes the perfect splatters!)

Now it was time to add some focal images. In keeping with the steampunk style colour scheme I had used, and also because of the key word strength in my quote; I chose some images of the Viva Las VegaStamps Water Pipe Shutoff stamp that I had previously stamped onto tissue paper. (I used a small amount of matte medium to apply them, but you could even use a simple glue stick.)

I also added a couple of layers behind where my photo was going to go. I used a piece that I cut from white cardstock using a heart wreath die from Uniquely Creative; along with some frayed gauze for texture before mounting my photo on top.

After my photo was in place, I added a cute wood veneer frame from D-lish Scraps over the top.

I then added my quote, along with a wood veneer arrow from Cocoa Vanilla Studio.

Next, I added my Brave Heart title down in the bottom right corner of my page. This was also a Viva Las VegaStamps image that I had already stamped onto tissue paper using the Brave Heart stamp.

Finally, to tie in the heart theme and also to add some more dimension to my page; I added a handmade Charms Creations DIY heart embellishment with another wood veneer arrow mounted on top of it.

I am really happy how this one came together, and so pleased I was able to use the quote I had saved. (I knew one day it would speak to me!)

Here's a final look at some of the colours and textures on my page (look at that Bling Colour Paste shine!)

I will be back in a couple of weeks with another project to share. Until then, happy scrapping! X