Summer Fun | August 2021 Hip Kit

 

Hi everyone! Today I am here to share a new layout I created using my August 2021 Hip Kit from Hip Kit Club. This mixed media page features the main scrapbook kit combined with acrylic paint, a Distress Oxide, modelling paste and some stamping too. I also added a few small items from my stash - tissue paper, sequins, gauze, some phrase stickers, a flair button and a Charms Creations heart. (Yay for a bit of stash-busting!)

My inspiration for this layout was the Simple Stories 'Sunkissed' ephemera pack from the kit which is summer themed, and full of vibrant colours. I chose the photo of my daughter in the pool to go with it and also one of the subscriber exclusive Hip Kit Club cut files too. The cut file is called Target and was released alongside this kit in August 2021. For something different, I decided to cut it from a dark blue coloured cardstock (yay for more stash-busting!)

My background was created using a mix of Salvaged Patina and Salty Ocean Distress Oxides and a piece of kitchen sponge. This technique was inspired by fellow Cocoa Vanilla Studio DT member Josefine van der Hoeven.

I used papers from the kit to create layers under my photo, and I also fussy cut a few flowers from one of the Vicki Boutin papers. I included quite a few pieces from the ephemera pack, including the title piece. 

The sequins provided a nice shimmery touch and went well with the water theme of the page. I attached them using tacky glue in my fineline bottle. I also added handwritten journalling with a felt pen.

If you would like more details about this page, or to see how I put it together, you can watch my process video here:

That's all from me today, I'll be back with another project soon. Until then, happy scrapping! X

Super Totally Rad | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!

I've got a bit of a catch-up project to share today as it seems during my recent focus on the 'Daydream' collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio, that I overlooked sharing this page. Prior to the arrival of the new collection, my fellow design team members and I were all busy doing some stash-busting. So I decided to have a dig into my own stash and see what I could find to use up. I finally settled on the 'Totally Rad' collection. 

For those of you who have been Cocoa Vanilla fans for a long time, you might have some of this hiding in your stash too? And for everyone else who missed this range the first time around, you can now purchase it as a digital collection HERE

Here is my layout "Super Totally Rad"...

When it came to the background, I was limited with paper choices so I chose to use the sun burst style pattern on the Good Times paper from the 'Boys Rule' collection instead. I had a couple of photos from my boys 8th birthday a couple of months ago, and I thought the colours of the cake would make it a fun subject to pair with the colourful 'Totally Rad' collection.

 Based on the limited paper I had left to work with, I decided to go with a vertical design using a piece of the cute camera print Happy Snaps paper for the focal area of my page. Alongside that, I added a strip of the yellow chevron print which was the reverse side of the cameras. I also added a second strip of the chevrons along he right edge of my page. Because the photos I was working with were different orientations, I wanted to keep them contained on the vertical strip of paper and then fill around them.

The key to keeping this busy design cohesive, was to ensure that all the different elements I planned to use needed to be touching each other. This cascading arrangement meant that the viewer's eye was automatically drawn down through the design. I used a mix of die cut ephemera pieces, as well as pieces that I had fussy cut from the Mix Tape cut apart sheet. I also used a flair button and some enamel shapes.

I am not a huge fan of symmetry in my work, so to balance out how heavy my design was along the central line of the page, I added a small embellishment cluster in the bottom right corner of my page, along with my hand written journalling.

I finished off with some black ink splatters and by stamping the phrase happy birthday to you a few times around the page. I am really happy with the clean simplicity of this page, but also with the fact I got to bust some stash and re-visit a collection that I loved.

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

Adorable | Dust It Off Challenge | May Homemade Kit

Hi everyone,

It's not Kraft again, it's wood grain! Today I am sharing a simple layout I created from my homemade kit, which all started with that gorgeous wood grain paper from the Crate Paper 'Confetti' collection. In case you didn't already know, I love wood grain papers, so of course I wanted to keep this sheet intact and use it as my page background. I decided to document a collage of photos of my sister and I in our costumes for dress up night at our Sunshine Coast retreat last year. So. Much. Fun. 

In the interests of showcasing as much of that wood grain as possible, I kept my design simple. I used up as many small scraps from my kit as I could by creating a layered mat for my photo collage to sit on. Once I had chosen all my papers pieces and arranged them in order, I stapled the stack together and then attached it to the page.  

With all the papers fixed in place, it was then easy to go back and tuck extra bits and pieces into my layers. I included a large red and Kraft Heidi Swapp tag; and a couple of Crate Paper chipboard frames - one of which I cut in half and tucked in on either side of the stack. 

I used some Heidi Swapp die cuts, including a printed acetate heart (I sooo love acetate ephemera pieces!) I also used a Crate Paper chipboard banner (which came from the 'Confetti' chipboard sheet) and a flair button from D-lish Scraps. 

I finished off with the Crate Paper adorable vellum title piece and the small chipboard all day from a Vicki Boutin chipboard Thickers pack. A few splatters of white ink, and I was done!

This was a quick and easy page and a great way to use up some patterned paper scraps. Using a photo collage was also a great way to include multiple photos. Thanks so much for stopping by 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

Lucky You | Dust It Off Challenge | May Homemade Kit

Hi everyone! Today I am back to share another layout using my May homemade kit, and yes, it's another birthday layout! My wonderful hubby recently celebrated his birthday (just a quiet one at home), so I took the opportunity to snap a couple of photos of him with the kids when he sat down to open his presents.  

Here is my layout, "Lucky You"...

(Click on photos for a better view)

Besides creating a birthday page (so I could tap into some of the celebration themed embellishments in the kit), the only other idea I started this layout with was to use one of the sheets of Kraft cardstock I had included. (Yes, Tam Buckler - I used the Kraft!) I figured the best way to tackle the Kraft cardstock was by using the acrylic paints that were also in my kit. 

I used a spatula to smear some white, aqua and metallic gold paints randomly around my page, leaving some parts a little "chunky" for added texture, and then left my page to dry overnight. 

Once dry, I added some stencilled detail to the background using the Crazy Quilts Calm & Frenzy stencil from StencilGirl that I had included in my kit. I used a sponge dauber and some grey ink to add subtle depth, then I also added a little bit of stamping using black ink and my fave Doodle Dots stamp from Viva Las VegaStamps. 

I then began creating some papery layers, starting with a printed paper bag from my stash (it wasn't included in the kit but sometimes you have to take a little creative license, right?) It featured a gorgeous triangular pattern in shades of blue and I decided I had hoarded it for way too long! In addition to the paper bag, I decided to use tags instead of patterned paper on this page as this was also one of the items in the kit. I used a large foiled Kraft tag from Heidi Swapp, as well as some smaller printed tags from Rosie's Studio and Pretty Little Studio and tied the tops of each one using different coloured twines. 

To draw in some more gold onto the page and add extra interest to my layers under my photos, I also added a gold foiled chipboard frame from Crate Paper. Then, once my photos were in place it was simply a matter of adding my embellishments.

From the Crate Paper 'Confetti' chipboard sheet I used the large aqua balloon and the gold bow. From the Vicki Boutin 'Color Kaleidoscope' Thickers, I used the small memories tab, the circular arrow piece, the you are loved label, and the super cute teal bunting (which I cut into two pieces and placed either side of my bottom photo).

I also used a D-lish Scraps flair button; phrase stickers from a Simple Stories Carpe Diem sticker pack; a puffy heart sticker; and then finished off with the fabulous Studio Calico gold chipboard asterisks that I scattered around the page. Some quick handwritten journalling details and a stamped date and I was done!

So what do you think? Did I do the Kraft cardstock justice? 

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

Hooray | Dust it Off challenge | May Homemade Kit

Hi friends! I am back again today with another layout using my May homemade kit. (Yes, I know it's June but May totally got away from me with the kids at home, and I am determined to use this kit I put together!) For this layout I decided to focus on the 12x12" chipboard sheet I had added into my kit, which was from the 'Confetti' collection by Crate Paper and scrap a birthday themed page. As my daughter recently celebrated her 12th birthday, I had some fresh photos and thought I would document a couple of her with her birthday cake. 

One of the other items in the kit was acrylic paints, so I thought I would put them to work and create a quick background with them. Using a sheet of white cardstock and my brayer, I simply rolled on some paint working from top to bottom and allowing the paint to fade away naturally towards the bottom of the page. The colours I used were a Mont Marte Dimensional paint in 'Naples Yellow' (these are beautiful full bodied paints); and 'Aquamarine Dream' Flutter Colour paint mixed with some Naples Yellow to get that gorgeous sage green. I then allowed my paint to dry naturally whilst I started working on my layers. 

I gathered together a variety of Crate Paper patterned paper scraps from my kit and layered them up with a small paper doily to form the matt for my photos. I also added a little frayed gauze on top then stapled the whole stack to my page. 

To embellish my layout I used some stickers from a small Webster's Pages sticker sheet that had a celebration theme, which I tucked into my layers above my photos. I also used a few pieces from the Crate Paper 'Confetti' chipboard sheet, including the candles, small heart, and the numbers for my daughter's age.

To the left of my photos I used a handmade chevron embellishment from Charms Creations, which I topped with the big smile phrase from the chipboard sheet. To the cluster on the right side I also added a flair button from Cocoa Vanilla Studio and a printed acetate heart from Heidi Swapp.

To finish off my page I used the vellum hooray title from the 'Confetti' ephemera pack; a couple of die cut butterflies from my Reject Shop ephemera pack; a fussy cut butterfly; and some small Carpe Diem tiny phrase stickers. I then stamped the date and a few tiny black ink splatters.

I love how this birthday themed layout came together and the fact I got to use up some things that I have been hoarding for FAR too long! 

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

Darling | Dust it Off Challenge | May Homemade Kit

Hi everyone!

I've got another layout using my May homemade kit to share with you today. For this layout I decided to scrap another photo from a recent series I took of my daughter dressed in one of her Cosplay outfits. (I have no idea where she gets her love of dressing up from?! hehe)

Here's a look at my layout...

(Click on photos for a better view)

This page was a little different to my usual style, in that I opted for more dusty, muted tones to work with the vibe of the photo. I began with white cardstock, adding a little bit of pale pink / coral mist by spraying it onto my messy mat and then laying the cardstock over the top to pick up the colour. 

I then went to work on the papers. I chose the peach patterned paper from Crate Paper as the anchor for my design - cutting a piece to run vertically down my page and then layering it with a couple of other papers and a paper doily before adding my photo on top. I then fussy cut the large floral piece from a Heidi Swapp paper (from the 'Wanderlust' collection) and tucked it in under the left edge of photo as a feature.

With all the main components in place, it was then time to add the embellishments. I used a few die cuts from a pack I got from the Reject Shop (a discount store here in Australia, in case any of my international friends were wondering). 

I mixed these with some Heidi Swapp printed acetate hearts, and a Crate Paper vellum heart. The large acetate title that I ran along the bottom edge of my photo was from the Crate Paper 'Confetti' ephemera pack.

I finished off my layout with some tiny splatters of black ink.

And there you have it - two layouts down from my homemade kit and a number of items used that would have otherwise still been collecting dust in my stash. Winning!

Until next time, happy scrapping. X

Iso Hair | Dust it Off Challenge | May Homemade Kit

Hi friends!

Well it's official - after almost 9 very long weeks I was finally able to retire my teacher's hat and send the kids back to school yesterday. (I am not sure who was happier about it - them or me? hehe) So now I have the chance to get a bit of quiet time, it's time to get back to my "Dust it Off" challenge, and what better way than by getting stuck into a homemade stash kit?! 

So today I am sharing the first layout that I created from my May homemade kit, that I put together using Khristina Sorge's "For the Love of Homemade Kits" May recipe below. 

And here is my layout, "Iso Hair"...

(Click on photos for a better view)

I had these cute photos of my daughter with her dyed green "iso hair" to document, so I knew I had to use green to coordinate with them. I started my page with a sheet of white cardstock that I trimmed down to measure 11x11" then backed it with the My Minds Eye large grey spot paper to form a border. Next, I took my Dina Wakley 'Elephant' acrylic paint and used a wide brush to dry brush a small amount on my background.  

Now it was time to turn my attention to the papers in the kit, so I picked a variety of pieces to start creating some papery layers. The papers I used were a mix of Crate Paper, My Minds Eye and Heidi Swapp in varying shades of grey, green with a touch of pinky-peach thrown in. I cut the papers into an assortment of shapes and sizes and arranged them so the patterns and shapes were more horizontally dominant. I also added a grey paper doiley to my stack, then placed my photos on top and used some fussy cut chevrons to help draw the viewer's eye to them.

To embellish my page I used a variety of pieces from a die cut pack I got from the Reject Shop; a D-lish Scraps flair; and a tiny little banner from the Crate Paper 'Confetti' chipboard sheet.

I also added the Webster's Pages I'm so fancy sticker; a small flower button from the Cocoa Vanilla Studio 'Free Spirit' collection; and some Heidi Swapp acetate hearts (I used my tiny attacher to secure them to the page). I used two different Cocoa Vanilla Studio alpha stickers for my title and then added some tiny splatters of black ink and I was done!

If you would like a look at the full contents of my kit, you can watch my kit reveal video here:

That's all from me today, I'll be back soon with another layout to share.

Until then, happy scrapping! X