Congrats | Dust It Off Challenge | May Homemade Kit

Hi everyone!
I am back again today with another layout created using my May homemade kit. (Are you getting sick of it yet?) You may remember I previously shared a page from this kit using a Kraft background and today I have another one! Kraft is not something I often use, and after being inspired by Tam Buckler, I had included two sheets in my kit so I figured I may as well use the second one up! I chose to document a photo of my daughter and some of her friends that was taken on their last day of primary school.

I decided to delve into the acrylic paints in my kit again as I loved the way the paint looked on the other Kraft page I had done. This time I stuck with only white, and then I used some Colour Blast by BeeArty 'Charcoal' Colour Paste with a Dusty Attic stencil I had also included in my kit. (I thought the jumbled numbers & symbols were a good match for a school themed page.)

I created a layered mat for my photo by stacking up some patterned paper scraps from the kit box, then stapled the stack together before adhering it onto my page. (This makes it so much easier than sticking paper pieces down one at a time.)

Into my paper layers I also tucked a paper doily, a Pretty Little Studio printed tag that I tied with twine, and a tag shaped sticker from Webster's Pages. I also added some frayed gauze for texture before popping my photo on top. To the left of my photo I added a chevron that I fussy cut from one of the Crate Paper scraps. 

To embellish the page I first reached for the Crate Paper 'Confetti' 12x12" chipboard stickers, as I thought this photo would work well with the celebratory theme of them (and I have heaps left to use too!) I added the cute little party hat above my daughter's head to help draw attention to her in the photo; then the fun pinwheel and congrats flag to the right of my photo. 

Underneath my photo I used the smile for the camera sticker from a pack of Vicki Boutin chipboard Thickers. I then added a variety of phrase stickers (Simple Stories, Webster's Pages) and a yellow enamel heart sticker.

I finished off by stamping the date and adding handwritten journalling.

Thanks so much for stopping by today so I could share this with you. I promise I am nearing the end of this kit...haha. But I am happy with the variety of pages I have made from this kit.
Until next time, happy stash-busting to you too! X 

Good Vibes | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!

Just popping in quickly today with a project I shared last month for Cocoa Vanilla Studio that I hadn't posted here yet. This layout was actually created quite a while ago, and I used the gorgeous 'Happiness' collection for it. I went looking for these photos of my daughter that were taken a couple of years ago, simply because I wanted to use that super cute bike that was on the cut apart sheet. 

I decided to use the fun spotty design of the Sprinkles paper as my page background – perfect for a page documenting a birthday present! I wanted a border through, so I cut the paper to measure 11×11″, distressed the edges, then mounted it on a sheet of blue cardstock.

I then took a scrap of pale blue and white striped paper I had left-over from the ‘Life is Beautiful’ collection (now available as a digital collection HERE); tore along the edge of it and added it horizontally across my page about 2/3 of the way up to act as the anchor point for my design. Underneath the torn edge I tucked some paper lace I had punched from the pink side of the Expressive paper, which I also added along the bottom edge in the right corner.

I then created some extra paper layers where I was going to place my photos using more of the Expressive paper, as well as pieces of the Good Vibes and Little Things papers. I also added a paper doily to add some extra texture. Once all my layers were in place I added my photos on top using some scrap cardboard to pop them up from the page. I then moved onto my embellishments.

I started by adding my title alongside my photo. (This is not the order I usually work in, but I knew I needed to get the title words down in the space before I filled it up with other things.) I chose the words good vibes from the Die Cut Titles pack, and also added a small heart from the Die Cut Ephemera pack. I then used a variety of floral pieces from the ephemera pack to create two  clusters in the diagonally opposing corners of my photos. I also added a few small paper flowers I had left-over from the ‘Love Always’ collection.

Next, I worked on my journalling cluster in the bottom right corner of my page. I added a torn scrap of the Good Vibes paper, more floral ephemera pieces and paper flowers, and the sweet little bicycle that I had fussy cut from the Little Things paper. I then added my journalling, a small die cut heart, and a phrase sticker from the Accessory Sticker sheet.

I finished off my page by adding a Flair Button and another heart to the left of my photo; a couple more phrase stickers placed above my title and finally, a butterfly that I fussy cut from the Bright & Beautiful paper.

Thanks so much for stopping by so I could share this with you. I hope I have inspired you to pull out some supplies and get creative today. Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Grads | Dust It Off Challenge | May Homemade Kit

Hi everyone!

Time has really been my enemy of late, so I am still catching up on sharing the layouts I created with my May homemade kit. (Yes, I know it's July, it seems I blinked and that happened?!) Anyway, onto the layout I have to share today. For this page I decided to document a sweet photo of my kids that was taken back in December 2017 at the boys' kindy graduation. (I held off scrapping this photo for so long, even though I looked at it every day as the screen saver on my phone for over 2 years.)

Here is my layout, "Grads"...

(Click on photos for a better view)

I began my layout with what can only be described as a "vintage" paper from Crate Paper. This pink wood grain was from the 'Random' collection that was released waaay back in 2011. I loved this print and I was happy to use it for my background paired with this photo.

I used a mix of scraps for the layers under my photo using some more Crate Paper, as well as papers from Heidi Swapp and My Minds Eye. I then added a paper doily from my stash and a Crate Paper printed chipboard frame before sticking my photo on top. 

I added a small feature to the top and bottom edges of my page by tearing the background paper, folding the edges back, and then tucked a scrap of another paper behind it. 

For my embellishments I used Crate Paper die cuts; Heidi Swapp printed acetate hearts; a Cocoa Vanilla Studio flair button and alphas; and Simple Stories and Webster's Pages stickers.

I am so happy I finally created a layout to showcase this photo! It was simple and came together fairly quickly, but at least it's getting some of that stash busted!

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

Life is Sweet | Scrap the Girls July Challenge

Hi friends!

Today I have another design team project to share with you, this time for Scrap the Girls. This month's challenge is called "Totally Sweet" and I am sure you can see why from the inspiration image and colour palette below...

As soon as I saw this board with the image of the girl in the candy-rimmed Lennon style glasses I just knew I had the perfect photo of my girl to scrap. The shot was taken by my friend Teresa from Purely Poetic Photography and provided the perfect centrepiece for my page.

Here's my layout, "Life is Sweet"...

(Click on photos for a better view)

My layout then began with paper selection. I really wanted to capture the tones of the colour palette which included a buttery yellow, candy pink, pastel blue and a pale lime. I went on a stash-busting mission, pulling out odd sheets and scraps that I thought would work. In keeping with the playful feel of the board, I aimed to include a range of contrasting patterns as well. 

I layered the papers randomly on my cardstock background to form a cascading design from top to bottom, shuffling the patterns until I thought they looked right. I added extra interest by using a punch along one of the strips, then added some black machine stitching for contrast.

I continued my stash-busting mission when it came to embellishing the page. I used a combination of some old Cocoa Vanilla Studio stickers; some Pink Paislee foam stickers; and die cuts from The Reject Shop. 

This was a bit different to my usual style - I mean clean lines, stitching and no "Sue Mess"?! What can I say? I like to keep people on their toes! hehe

To see what the rest of them team created for this challenge, head over to the Scrap the Girls blog HERE Our sponsors this month are my dear friend Gwen from Cut to You for our Aussie players, and Tanya Leigh Designz for our international entrants. 

Thanks for stopping by today. Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Best Ever! | StencilGirl

Hi friends!

I am popping in today to share my most recent project created for the StencilGirl® Creative Team. During May and June the Creative Team members worked with the theme of "Typography". Typography in artistic terms means using type as an intrinsic part of the artwork, or in some cases (particularly modern art), it may even be the artwork itself. For my piece, I decided to demonstrate how I often like to incorporate type on a scrapbook layout - as the basis of my background.

For my page, I chose to document a special photo of my daughter that was taken at her primary school graduation last year when she was awarded Dux (or Valedictorian for my American friends) of her school. This was the perfect subject to pair with a background featuring type. 

I began my project by adding some color diagonally across my cardstock. I used Mermaid Lagoon Distress Oxide with what I call the "smooshing" technique. (This is where the ink is mixed with water on a piece of plastic and then applied by smooshing it down onto the page to give a watercolor style effect - you can see it in action in my process video below.)

Next, I selected my stencils. I wanted to use two different types of fonts that I could layer on the page as part of my background. The first one I chose was the Wall of Words 9x12" stencil designed by Carolyn Dube. This stencil is full of words of wisdom, motivation, and laughter; and due to the uniformity of the text style, I thought it would be ideal as part of my background. The second stencil I chose was one of my favorites - Rembrandt's Words Small stencil. This stencil was also designed by Carolyn Dube and I thought the flowing script would provide a good contrast against the structured text of the Wall of Words stencil.

I used a small sponge to dab ink randomly through the Wall of Words stencil along the diagonal line of color I had created on the page. In some places, I overlapped lines of text to give a random, jumbled appearance. I then used Colour Blast by Bee Arty 'Deep Water' Colour Paste with the Rembrandt's Words stencil to add contrast and subtle dimension before leaving it to dry naturally for a short while.

I then returned to work on the textural layers that were going to go behind my photo in the focal area of my page. I used crumpled tissue paper, a paper doily, patterned paper, cotton thread, and frayed gauze to create a stack, then placed my photo on top. I then fussy cut some pieces from a Cocoa Vanilla Studio floral patterned paper which I tucked in under the diagonally opposing corners of the photo, further enhancing the flow of the page.

To give the diagonal design both a start and endpoint, I created two small clusters along the top and bottom edges of the page (which also helped to balance out the heavy focal area in the middle). I used a mix of patterned papers and embellishments from the same Cocoa Vanilla Studio 'Wild at Heart' collection that the floral pieces had come from. I also added some extra embellishments around my photo.

At this point, I decided my layout needed a little bit of something extra and I really wanted to tie in the gold color from the photo as well. I reached for my Military Style Stars stencil by June Pfaff Daley and some gold texture paste and stenciled some little gold stars across the page. I also added some splatters of gold mist and pink ink; and three fussy cut butterflies. 

And then I did something I don't usually do. I decided the background text on my page wasn't defined quite enough, so I went back in with the Wall of Words stencil and added some extra stenciled type. As soon as I had done it, I then felt it looked much better and my page was complete.

If you would like to watch exactly how it all came together, you can watch my process video here:

Thanks for stopping by so I could share this with you. Until next time, happy creating! X

A couple of "just because" layouts using Vicki Boutin supplies

Hi friends!
I'm popping in today to share a couple of "just because" layouts with you. I recently had a weekend away to enjoy some crafty time at my sister's place. The ability to spend a couple of days crafting with my favourite person, without any cries of "muuuum" or the inevitable distractions of everything that needs to be done around the house is just bliss!

I had very limited time when I packed for the weekend, and one of the things I grabbed was my treasured box of Vicki Boutin supplies. This included my stash of the "Let's Wander" collection, that I unashamedly admit I had been hoarding. To "break the ice" I decided to start with a quick A4 sized layout featuring my sister and I.

"Remember This Happened"...

(Click on photos for a better view)

I love this selfie of us that I took when we went to see Bohemian Rhapsody at the movies. We are both huge Queen fans, and love a good dress-up as well. (We've also been known to whip out moustaches and bust out Bohemian Rhapsody at random times.)

To create this layout I started by adding a splash of colour to my white cardstock using my Faber-Castell Gelatos. I simply scribbled the colour where I wanted it to be, then blended it out using a baby wipe. 

I then began to cut into my precious papers - adding a strip of the of the fun glasses print to the top and bottom of my page, and also a smaller strip of the navy abstract print. I then created a simple mat for my photo to sit on, adding a paper doily for extra interest.

I embellished my layout using a combination of die cuts and stickers; added simple typed journalling to tell the story and then finished with small splatters of black ink.
I love how it turned out, I think it's super fun!


Here is my second layout, "Grand Adventure"...



This time I opted for the same size and chose to document some photos of my hubby mountain climbing. I love these photos so much (I get way less scared seeing him like this now), and I love the tones of the sky in these shots that were taken at dusk. They also show some of the beauty of our local area.

Because of the colours in the photos, I was immediately drawn to the ombre style sheet of patterned paper from the 6x8" paper pad that I thought echoed them perfectly. Rather than cut into it, I decided to use it as a whole and simply used my brayer to add some Payne's Grey paint onto the cardstock before I stuck it down on top.

Not wanting to overwhelm the photos, or minimise the impact of the paper, I kept my embellishments relatively simple, again using a combination of stickers and die cuts. I created a small cluster in the top left corner of the page to include the quote that also doubled as my title.

With the exception of the title piece, I deliberately kept the remainder of my embellishments in black and white. This was to ensure that the colour photos and paper remained the focus of the page. I finished my layout by adding a simple doodled border using a Sharpie.

So there you have it - two "just because" layouts using my precious Vicki Boutin supplies. Now I have finally cracked into the "Let's Wander" collection I am keen to get stuck back into it. Stay tuned!
Thanks for stopping by today so I could share these with you. Until next time, happy scrapping! X 

Live in the Moment | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!
I know things have been a bit quiet around here, I have been super busy the past couple of weeks with lots happening with my boys' birthday, school holidays, etc. So today I thought I would kick off my catch up with a mixed media layout I created for Cocoa Vanilla Studio as part of the recent scraplift theme that our team did. For this theme we were challenged to choose a layout from all the International Scrapbook Day challenge entries to inspire us to create our own version. There were so many amazing layouts I found it really hard to choose, but I kept coming back to this super cool page by Rachel Dutko...

There were so many elements I just loved about this page - the textures of the torn, layered papers; the eclectic mix of embellishments; the use of white space; and the touch of mixed media - it just drew me in. For my scraplift, I really wanted to capture some of Rachel's main design features, whilst still creating a layout that was my own style. I even decided to re-visit one of my all-time favourite collections, 'Bohemian Dream'.

Here is my layout...
(Click on photos for better view)

I decided to create my page with a similar theme to Rachel's, by documenting a selfie and focusing on the message of being yourself and unique. (This pic probably accurately represents me...haha) I then grabbed some white cardstock and added a splash of colour, just as Rachel had on hers. I used blue and purple Distress Oxides, which I mixed with a little water and then applied to my cardstock to achieve an abstract watercolour background.

Next, I chose three patterned papers, which I tore and layered across my page. The papers I used were Dreamer; Gypsy Heart; and Abstract. I also added a few torn pieces of a washi tape sticker from the 'You Rock' collection and an extra paper strip cut from the reverse of the Dreamer paper.

Just as Rachel did, I used two layers of paper to mat my photo (these were from the 'Bohemian Dream' 6x6" paper pad); along with a small yellow paper doily and some frayed gauze for texture. I then began working on the embellishments to cluster around my photo. 

I had a sheet of the gorgeous floral print Abundant paper that I had already cut into previously, so I fussy cut three floral pieces to tuck into the layers around my photo, adding a couple of extra little leafy branches from the Die Cut Ephemera pack. 

Then it was time for a little stash-busting treasure hunt as I looked through my stash of Cocoa Vanilla embellishments for some extra bits and pieces. I found a couple of gorgeous blue paper flowers I had left over from the 'Hello Sunshine' collection that matched with my blue ink perfectly, so I added those to my clusters, tucking the edges under my photo. I also found some cute little blue puffy stickers from the same collection, so onto the page they went too. 

The one of a kind Flair Button that I added to the corner of my photo was from the 'Bohemian Dream' pack, and was perfect for my page theme! The small mint acrylic heart was left-over from the 'Free Spirit' collection; and I also used some blue enamel dots from 'Life is Beautiful'. 

Rachel had some pretty little butterflies on her page, so I had to include some on mine too. (I know, since when do I need an excuse for butterflies, right?!) I added a blue one from the 'Bohemian Dream' chipboard near the top of the page; then a smaller pink one from the Die Cut Ephemera pack near to the bottom. 

To finish off, I added the live in the moment sticker for my page title (popped up on a little foam tape), and a few small phrases from the Accessory Sticker sheet. A little splatter of some navy mist and I was done. 

A big thanks to Rachel for inspiring me with her fabulous layout, I am really happy with how mine came out. (Even though I am clearly incapable of showing the same level of restraint that I so admired about Rachel's page...haha)

Until next time, happy scrapping! X