Just Breathe | Kitaholic Kits May 2021

Hi everyone, 

Today I am sharing my fourth and final project created with the Kitaholic Kits May kit, and it is also my final project as a member of the design team. For this layout I wanted to focus on the Heidi Swapp goodies and play on the earthy tones of the kit, so I decided to document a photo I took at the Grand Canyon a couple of years ago. 

I started my page with a sheet of patterned paper from the Heidi Swapp 'Carefree' collection, which featured a soft, sketchy floral print. I wanted to add some extra warmth to the background, and also tone down the print in the centre of my page, so I applied some yellow and white acrylic paints using my brayer. 

For my papery layers under my photo, I also used pieces of the Heidi Swapp 'Carefree' papers, as well as one of the white paper doilies from the kit. I also added some frayed gauze for texture, then popped my photo up on some cardboard to help separate it from the background. I added a phrase sticker along the bottom edge of my photo, which is something I often do. 

I used papers from the kit to trace and cut my own tags, which I tied off with bakers twine and tucked into the layers behind my photo. My journal card came from the 'Carefree' ephemera pack and I tucked that into my layers as well. I added the wander far & wide vellum piece to my journal tag using a Kmart tape runner (which is my preferred adhesive for vellum pieces as it's virtually invisible). 

 To the right of my photo I created a cluster using more of the ephemera pieces and a wood veneer heart from a previous kit. Below my photo was where my title was placed and I used a combination of one of the die cut words from the ephemera pack as well as some of the raw chipboard Thickers from the kit. 

I finished off my page with some of the Bo Bunny enamel dots, a few stamped butterflies using the Pink Paislee stamp set, and a little bit of inky splatter.

If you would like to watch how I put this page together, you can watch my process video here:

I have really enjoyed the challenge of working with these kits, and am happy with the projects I made with them. I have no idea what is in store for me next on the creative front, but I'll be sure to keep you posted here.

Thanks for stopping by today, I'll see you again soon. Until then, happy scrapping! X

Unplug | Kitaholic Kits May 2021

 

Hi everyone, 

Today I am sharing another design team project I created for Kitaholic Kits using the May kit and mixed media add-on kit. The May kit is full of the beautiful Heidi Swapp 'Carefree' collection, which features a soft, muted colour palette. Whilst the mixed media add-on kit features a set of Vicki Boutin stencils and some of the new VB gel crayons, which are quite bright and vibrant. My challenge to myself was how to marry the two together on a layout whilst still achieving a cohesive design.

The first thing I did was to do some experimenting with the crayons to see how different methods of using them would achieve different looks. This is something I try to do anytime I receive a new medium to work with, because the best way to learn is to play! I tried a mix of wet & dry applications and different blending techniques until I finally settled on the method I wanted to use for this layout. 

I finally settled on a dry application, and used a mix of the pink and orange crayons to achieve the colour I wanted. To apply them to my page, I first scribbled them onto my non-stick craft mat, then used a foam blending tool to pick up the pigment and then gently blend it onto my page to give me a subtle result. 

For the next layer on my background, I used one of the new Vicki Boutin 'Color Study' stencils and some plain texture paste and just added some subtle stencilling over the top. I then used the gel crayons again, but this time with a wet application, by mixing some of the pigment with a little water and then using a paintbrush to add splatters on my page. 

 For the paper layers I used a mix of the Heidi Swapp papers, starting with a piece I had left-over from my previous project using the kit. I also used labels from the HS 'Carefree' cardstock sticker sheet to add extra interest to my layers. I had matted the main photo of the three that I had chosen for my layout, and used soft, messy cotton thread to add texture to the page.

My title came from the 'Carefree' ephemera pack, and I popped it up with some foam tape to help raise it up to the same height as my photos. I used a few other pieces from the same pack, including the cactus plant embellishment which I chose to use simply because the colours and shape worked on the page. 

A few extra stickers, a scattering of Bo Bunny Candy Dots, some stamped phrases and a final splatter and my page was complete.

You can see how it all came together in my process video here:

Thanks so much for stopping by today, I'll be back soon with another project to share.

Until then, happy scrapping! X

Together | Kitaholic Kits May 2021

 

Hi everyone, today I have another Kitaholic Kits design team project to share using the May kit and mixed media add-on kit. My inspiration for this project came from one of the Vicki Boutin stencils in the mixed media kit - the floral pattern. As soon as I saw this stencil it had a real "retro" vibe to me, and I knew I wanted to pair it with an old childhood photo. I found a photo of my sister and I and thought that the painted style paper from the Heidi Swapp 'Carefree' collection in the kit would work well as my page background. 

I used a sponge applicator and my Tattered Rose Distress Oxide to add some of the floral pattern through the Vicki Boutin stencil in three areas of my page. I love the way it added extra depth to the background paper and I was impressed with how the Distress Oxide looked on top of the colour variations on the paper.

Next, I moved onto creating some paper layers for the focal area of my page. I added some torn pieces from some of the other Heidi Swapp papers in the kit, and added a mat to my photo as well. I layered them together, adding a paper doily from the kit and some frayed gauze from my stash, before placing my photo on top. 

To the left of my photo, I used a gold foil edged journal card from the 'Carefree' Ephemera pack with my typed journalling on it; along with a circular gold foil phrase piece and leafy branch from the same pack. Along the bottom edge of the photo I added the gold foil happy with you phrase sticker.

To the right of my photo I added more ephemera pieces including a tag (which I tied with twine), gold foiled flower and small gold heart. I used the word together from the Cardstock Sticker sheet as my page title, adding some foam tape under it to pop it up from the page. The wood veneer heart was from a previous kit and I think the small splash of natural texture it brought to the page worked really well.

 I finished off my layout with some stamped butterflies from the Pink Paislee stamp set in the kit. I used Bundled Sage and Stormy Sky Distress Oxides for them. The final touch was splatters of Heidi Swapp Color Shine in Navy and Dina Wakley Gloss Spray in Mineral, plus a few stamped phrase using a roller stamp from my stash. 

If you would like to see it come together, you can watch my process video here:

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

Fresh Cut | Kitaholic Kits May 2021

Hi everyone,

Today I have a mixed media layout to share for Kitaholic Kits using the new May 2021 kit and mixed media add-on kit. For this page I was documenting some photos of one of my boys that I took just after he got his haircut; which I had collaged together to form a 4x4" square. Taking my colour cue from the photos, where the green grass in the background was the dominant colour, I decided to create a layout with green as the dominant colour.

So I began my page with a sheet of 300gsm white cardstock and some acrylic paints. The first one I started with was a Heritage Green from Kaisercraft. I used my Kmart silicone spatula to spread the paint over the background, then applied Mont Marte Titanium White over the top using a brayer to strip the colour back a bit in places. This also provided me an area where I could add some stencilling using one of the Vicki Boutin stencils and the green gel crayon.

The stencil I chose had (what I describe as) a basket weave style pattern, and I applied the colour of the gel crayon through it using a stencil brush. (You can see exactly how I do it in my process video below.) In addition to the stencilling, I also added some extra detail to my background using navy ink and some floral stamps from the Pink Paislee stamp set that is included in the main kit. 

For my paper layers, I used a mix of different paper from the Heidi Swapp Carefree collection from the main kit. I layered a few pieces that I had torn and distressed, along with a white paper doily that was also from the kit. On top of the paper layers I added some frayed gauze before sticking my photos on top.

For my page title, I used the raw chipboard Thickers from the kit, which I coloured using Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide, then added some stamped detail using one of the leafy stamps from the Pink Paislee stamp set. I love the way this tied them into the background detail. 

For my embellishments, I kept things relatively simple due to the how busy the layout was already from the papers and background. To the left of my photos I placed a handmade heart embellishment from Charms Creations, which I topped with a Heidi Swapp sticker and a few staples. I also added a few more stickers and pieces from the coordinating ephemera pack, including a phrase along the bottom and a tab above the photos; a small rainbow and some chevrons. I used a label for my journalling, adding simple handwritten details with a felt pen. 

I really love how this layout turned out, and despite how detailed it may appear, it came together pretty easily. If you would like to see how I put it together, you can watch my process video here:

If you do pop over to watch my video, I would love it if you could give me thumbs up, leave me a comment or subscribe to my channel while you are there. Having people interact with my content helps me to build my channel profile and it's also great to know that you like what I do and want to see more.

Thanks for stopping by today, and for everyone who continues to support me. Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Bloom | Kitaholic Kits April 2021

Hi everyone, 

Back again to share my final project for Kitaholic Kits using the April 2021 kit. This project was inspired by the Simple Stories 'Bunnies and Blooms' items that were in the kit, which had a very Spring / gardening vibe to them. I thought they would work well with some photos of one of my boys that I took when he picked his first homegrown strawberries. (He was so proud!)

I started with one of the Studio Light papers for my background featuring small spots in blue, pink and purple. I then pulled pink, blue and lilac papers (from Studio Light and Obed Marshall) from the kit to match and created some layers to go underneath my photo. I also added a piece of the teal paper to tie in with my son's shirt in the photos. Besides the papers, I also tucked in a blue paper doily and some frayed gauze from my stash. 

Once I had the papers in place, I pulled out some cut files that I had laying around. These were floral design ones that I had cut previously and had gone into my "miscut" pile. (Some had a bit of fraying, parts not cut properly, etc.) These were all subscriber exclusive cut files from a previous kit (I think November or December?)

I took the cut files and cut them into pieces with the intention of tucking them in amongst my layers. I first decided to colour them though, so I took the green Heidi Swapp chalk ink from the mixed media add-on kit, mixed it with a little water and used a brush to paint it on. I then tucked the pieces in to help frame around my photos.

For my page title, I used the large bloom word from the Simple Stories 'Bunnies & Blooms' Page Pieces pack, which I ran across the bottom edge of my photos. I then embellished around my photos using more of the die cuts from the same pack mixed with some of the coordinating 'Bunnies and Blooms' chipboard stickers. 

I also added some stickers from the Maggie Holmes 'Garden Party' sticker book and wrote my journalling on a small label in the bottom right corner of the page.

I really love how this layout turned out! (And most importantly, my son does too.) If you'd like to see how I created it, you can watch my process video here:

That's all for my April kit shares, I'll be back again soon with a fresh kit and some new projects. Until next time, happy scrapping! X

The Best Time | ANZAC Day Cyber Crop for Kitaholic Kits

Hi everyone,

Today I am popping by to share a layout I created for the Kitaholic Kits ANZAC Day Cyber Crop. My challenge to everyone was a "Mixed Media" challenge. Here's a look at my challenge criteria...

I decided to delve into some of my previous kits and pull together some items for my layout. I chose to document a photo that was taken at my retreat at the end of 2019 with the girls from my table on theme night. I so love these girls and cannot wait to get together with them again later in the year. 

I began my layout with my background, using a sheet of white cardstock and some acrylic paints. I used a dusky pink Kaisercraft one that came in a previous Kitaholic mixed media add-on kit, along with a Mont Marte dimensional paint and a couple of Dina Wakley paints from my stash. I used a combination of silicone spatula, rubber brayer and my fingers to apply the paints to the page, with each one giving a different effect and level of coverage.

I then used a grey ink and a brick pattern stamp from Viva LasVegaStamps to add some extra interest to my background. I also added splatters using Dina Wakley Gloss Sprays. 

The patterned papers I used were a mix of Vicki Boutin and Heidi Swapp. I cut, tore, and distressed the pieces to create layers under my photo, adding a grey paper doily from my stash. I also added frayed gauze for soft texture.

For my embellishments, I used a three fussy cut butterflies that I cut from a Vicki Boutin paper; and a mix of Vicki Boutin and Heidi Swapp stickers (both cardstock and clear). I particularly love using clear stickers over a mixed media background, as it still allows the layers underneath to show through.

For my journalling, I used my typewriter on a journal card from the Vicki Boutin cut apart paper. I finished off my page with some stamped phrases and a final splatter with some black ink.

You can watch my process video and see this page come together here: 

That's all for today, thanks so much for stopping by. Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Easter '20 | Kitaholic Kits April 2021

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing my third project using the Kitaholic Kits April 2021 kit and mixed media add-on kit. This time, I was inspired by the sweet little motifs in the Maggie Holmes 'Garden Party' sticker book, that had me thinking of sweet treats and Easter, so I decided to document some photos of my kids from Easter morning last year. 

The challenge of working with the stickers from this book on a 12x12" layout is that the stickers are a pretty small size, so I knew I had to scale things back on my page to suit them. I printed four photos, each one 3x4", to allow me to have multiple photos on the page without overwhelming it. I also knew I had to keep the focal area of my layout in relatively tight so the stickers wouldn't get lost. 

For my background, I used white cardstock and one of the Heidi Swapp chalk inks from the mixed media kit. I swiped the ink pad back and forth across my page, then used a wide brush loaded with water to blend the ink out. 

The stencilled detail was added later using a stencil from Obed Marshall (also from the mixed media kit), a sponge dauber, and my Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide.

Over the top of the ink I added a narrow, vertical piece of patterned paper to define the area where my photos would go, then tucked in some tags that I had hand cut from another paper (both of these were Obed Marshall 'Buenos Dias' papers). I also tucked in a mini doily and some small scraps of paper I had left from my previous project. My cardstock was also bordered with one of the Obed Marshall papers.

Besides the Maggie Holmes sticker book, the other embellishments on my layout were a mix of the coordinating Maggie Holmes 'Garden Party' Thickers, and gold Thickers - both also included in the kit. I finished off with some stamped phrases using a roller stamp from my stash and Teal Archival ink, and of course, a few splatters!

You can watch exactly how this layout came together in my process video:

Thanks for popping by today so I could share this with you. Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Hello Sweet Sunshine | Kitaholic Kits April 2021

Hi again everyone! It's time to share another project created for Kitaholic Kits using the fabulous April kit. For this layout, I was challenged to dust off some under-used tools from my stash so I pulled out a couple of border punches and an old stencil and combined them with my kit to create something new.

For this page I decided to document my huge love of coffee with a selfie that I took one morning with my favourite coffee cup. Because of the bold black tones in my photo, I started with the black and white checked paper from Doodlebug Design as the base for my page. I cut out a large piece from the corner that I knew wouldn't be seen and set it aside to use for another part of my page. 

Over the top of the black and white check, I added a large piece of the yellow spotted paper, which is from the Obed Marshall 'Buenos Dias' collection. I used an old Martha Stewart punch to punch the heart detail along one edge. 

For my sunburst pattern, I used the grey wood grain print from the reverse side of the black & white check. I used an old Studio Calico stencil as a template and traced the rays by hand. I then layered them over the yellow paper and positioned them so they would radiate out from the right side of my photo. Over the top of those, I used a scrap of the yellow paper and a Fiskars scallop punch to punch out some scalloped lines. These provided the lines for my gold title words, which were from the Maggie Holmes 'Garden Party' Thickers pack in the kit.

My photo was matted with a pale pink Obed Marshall paper to draw some pink into my colour palette and help soften it a bit. Behind it I added a charcoal coloured doily, and some frayed gauze for texture. Along the bottom edge I added the gold scallop to tie into the punched scallop pieces.

For my embellishments, I used a mix of the puffy icons from the 'Garden Party' Thickers pack, which included florals and the sweet little tea cup (which I figured was close enough to a coffee cup).

 I finished off with a few small stickers from the 'Garden Party' sticker book; some wood veneer hearts which I coloured black using a Sharpie; and some black splatters of Liquitex acrylic ink.

A bit of a different style for me, but I enjoyed the challenge of pulling out some punches, which is something I haven't done in a while.

If you would like to watch my process video for this page, you can see it here: 

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

Hey Bunny | Kitaholic Kits April 2021

 

Hi everyone! Today I am happy to be sharing the first of my projects using the Kitaholic Kits April kit and mixed media add-on kit. (If you would like to see the full contents of the kit, check out my unboxing video HERE.) This month's kit has some lovely pastel / Spring vibes that I thought would be perfect for documenting Easter, I decided to kick things off with a pretty Easter-themed layout documenting some fun selfies my daughter and I took together on Easter Sunday last year. 

I started my page by creating a mixed media background on a sheet of white cardstock (that I had cut down to 11x11"), using one of the Heidi Swapp chalk inks from the mixed media kit. I simply swiped the ink across my page randomly then used a wide brush loaded with water to blend it on the page. I then used a Distress Oxide from my stash (the new Kitsch Flamingo colour) and a sponge dauber combined with the floral design stencil from the mixed media kit to add the pattern over the top. I then topped it off by using a Dina Wakely Gloss Spray (from the March mixed media kit) to add some splatters over the top.

With my background done, I then mounted it onto the pretty lilac paper from Studio Light to form the border for my page. (I cut out the middle to retain it for another project.) I then created some layers using some of the other papers from the kit to go under my photos.

To embellish my page I used a mix of items from the kit that included the Simple Stories 'Bunnies & Blooms' chipboard stickers and die cuts; the Maggie Holmes 'Garden Party' sticker book and puffy Thickers pack.

I also used a pretty handmade heart embellishment from Charms Creations that I layered with the "XO" from the Thickers pack. 

I finished off my page with handwritten journalling, some stamped phrases and some black ink splatters. 

This page was a bit different for me - not only for the pink and purple colour palette I used, but also for the fact that I strayed from my usual "visual triangle" design and opted for a horizontal style flow instead.

If you would like to watch this page come together, make sure you check out my process video here: 

I'll see you again soon with another project. Until then, happy scrapping! X