Sunday, March 30, 2014

Creative Scrappers Sketch 265 | Friends

Welcome to a new sketch and reveal for Creative Scrappers!  Today, our sketch is from Kristine, and has an awesome grid design!  I was a little intimidated when I first saw this sketch, but once I pulled out A Charmed Life from Simple Stories to work with, everything fell into place easily!





A Charmed Life worked great with this sketch, because it has some fun square and rectangle cards that coordinate with the patterned papers.  They were perfect for filling the spaces on the sketch.  I used some of the chipboard pieces, brads, and stickers from the collection to embellish.  And I thought it would be fun to add a little hand-stitching, so I stitched around several of the square and rectangle areas on my page.

We would love for you to play along with us and you could win a Kit from our awesome sponsor, Scraptastic Club!


And make sure you stop by the Creative Scrappers Blog, to see how the rest of the Design Team used today's sketch!!

Supplies:  Patterned Paper, Brads, Chipboard, Stickers:  Simple Stories; Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye; Flair Button:  October Afternoon

Friday, March 28, 2014

Silhouette | Brother & Sister

Yay for Friday, but boo for my last post for Silhouette!  I decided not to return for the next term, even though I have loved working so much for Silhouette and with our awesome coordinator, Jeana!  And I really learned so much from the other Ladies on the Team...the CAMEO does amazing things, and I loved seeing everyone's inspirational projects!!  But, I will still be putting my CAMEO to work on all of my layouts.  It is most definitely one of my most essential tools!

Triangles are such a fun shape to use, and I made a cut out background for my layout, using one of the triangle shapes in the Silhouette Store.




I used a fun Silhouette product on this layout, the Chipboard!! I love using chipboard embellishments on my layouts and projects, so what could be better than creating your own!!  Chipboard is a great way to add dimension, without a lot of bulk.  And the great thing about Silhouette Chipboard, is that it is the perfect thickness.  You can make one cut, and still have a dimensional embellishment on your layout or you could make 2 or 3 cuts of the same shape and adhere them together, to get a much thicker look.

I wanted to use one of the “potty people” images on my layout to represent our son and daughter.  I found this cute shape in the Silhouette Store and cut it on the Chipboard.  I just snipped around the hand of the girl, once the full image cut and saved the extra pieces for a later day.  After the Chipboard was cut, I cut the same image on my patterned paper and just adhered it to the Chipboard.

If you haven’t tried the Chipboard yet, you will definitely want to add it to your wish list!  It will work with so many of the shapes in the store and you can happily create just the right embellishment you need for your next layout!
 
Shapes:


Supplies:  Kit:  Hip Kit Club March 2014 Hip Kit & Add-On Kits; Cardstock:  American Crafts; Patterned Paper:  American Crafts & October Afternoon; Stickers & Flair Button:  October Afternoon; Phrase Stamp, Stamps, Button, Enamel Dots: American Crafts:  Puffy Sticker:  Evalicious; Color Shine:  Heidi Swapp; Chipboard, Shapes, & Die Cut Machine:  Silhouette

 


Thursday, March 27, 2014

Hip Kit Club | I Love You Because You're You

It's time to share a new layout for Hip Kit Club, using the March 2014 Hip Kit & Add-On Kits!  I can't believe how many projects I created with this month's Kit - 6 layouts and 5 cards - and I still have a good bit of product left over to use on upcoming projects!  You can't beat the quantity of products included in each kit, for the value!!

First up, I am going to share my layout that is based on the March Mood Board challenge!!



 
The March Mood Board is full of so many inspiring ideas! I couldn't decide on just one thing, so I incorporated several ideas onto my layout. The Style Board paper from Crate Paper was a perfect match to the stamped pattern on the Mood Board. I used it as the background for my layout. I also used a Black and White photo and added some fussy cut feathers to my page, that were cut from the Girl Talk patterned paper from October Afternoon. And I can't resist stitching, so I hand stitched down the center of each of the feathers.

You can still play along with our challenge this month, and have the chance to win a grab bag full of goodies!  Just upload your layout based on the Mood Board to the Hip Kit Club Facebook page by March 31st.  For more details check out the Hip Kit Club Blog.


I love that you can use your Hip Kits to create a wide range of color schemes for all of your projects. I wanted to use the dark Gray cardstock from the Kit as my base, and pair it with the Yellow and Pink colors from the papers and embellishments. I layered one of the Pocket Cards from the Dear Lizzy embellishment pack with a die cut doily and used a few of the embellishments to finish up my card.



And make sure you visit the Hip Kit Club Blog, to keep up with all of the amazing projects the Design Team creates each week!!  You will definitely be inspired!

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Elle's Studio Green Challenge | So Rad

I was excited to see the March challenge at Elle's Studio, to use Green Elle's Studio products on your layout!  For some reason, Green is a color that I don't incorporate much into my pages, but lately I love Green paired with Yellow, Teal and Navy.  And one of my favorite papers in the Everyday Moments collection from Elle's Studio is the "Stars" paper, which is an awesome Green on the back side, with a tiny chevron pattern.  So I went to work pulling some of the Green items from my Elle's goodies and this is what I came up with for the challenge:



 
I wanted to use a patterned paper that had a neutral look for my background, and add a touch of Green using the new Citron Color Shine from Heidi Swapp.  I sprayed the Color Shine onto a piece of wax paper and then mixed in a little bit of water, and pressed my paper over the mist.  I also removed the nozzle from the Color Shine and splattered a few drops onto my background paper.  My design came from laying out several of the manufacturer tabs that are cut from the bottom of the 12x12 papers.  I never throw these away, if they have a fun design on them.  And since my photo was so cute, I printed two of them and just arranged them side by side.  The title letters were cut on my CAMEO using some of the adhesive backed cardstock from Silhouette.  I really like the outlined look, so I used the Outline Tool in Silhouette Studio, to cut the word Rad, and added some of the Elle's letter stickers to complete my title.

Supplies:  Patterned Paper, Wood Veneers, Stamps, Letter Stickers & Tags:  Elle's Studio; Color Shine:  Heidi Swapp; Spray Mist:  Studio Calico; Enamel Dots:  October Afternoon & My Mind's Eye; Flair Button:  The Paper Bakery; Die Cut Machine & Adhesive Backed Cardstock:  Silhouette America; Date Stamp:  American Crafts 

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Get It Scrapped! | Story Time

Glitter used to be one of those products, that really didn't appeal to me.  I have issues with sparkly stuff ending up...well, pretty much everywhere!!  :)  But recently Glitter has made an appearance in more OCD friendly ways, for people like me.  You can get pre-made products such as Thickers or embellishments or create your own looks with Glitter and double sided adhesives and heat embossing with Glitter.  Today, the Creative Team at Get It Scrapped! is sharing inspiration for using Glitter to add something important to your layout such as, theme, mood or texture.  




I wanted to add a quiet, night time effect to my layout, by using Silver glittered star shapes, which helped support the theme behind my photo.   I created and cut a star shape on my CAMEO, using Double Sided Adhesive.  After my shape was cut and adhered to the layout, I sprinkled over the adhesive with Silhouette Glitter.  The double sided adhesive cuts easily in the CAMEO, and the Glitter adheres very well.  This technique added just the right amount of sparkle to my layout and was an easy way to create a custom look with Glitter.

Make sure you stop by the Get It Scrapped! Blog to see how the Creative Team used Glitter for other techniques on their layouts!!

Supplies:  Patterned Paper & Tags:  Elle's Studio; Thickers, Flair Button, Date Stamp & Phrase Stamp:  American Crafts; Wood Veneers:  Studio Calico; Stamps:  Chic Tags; Color Shine & Stamp Pad:  Heidi Swapp; Enamel Dots:  My Mind's Eye; Glitter, Double Sided Adhesive & Die Cutting Machine:  Silhouette America

 

Monday, March 24, 2014

Hip Kit Club | Enjoy the Little Things

It's the beginning of a new week, and I am excited to stop in and share a new layout and card with you today for Hip Kit Club, using the March 2014 Hip Kit & Add-On Kits!  Both of these were really fun to put together, so let's get to the layout first!!



 
I am a big fan of patterned paper and I love to use it for the background of my layouts, but sometimes a pattern or the colors can be too overpowering when using the full sheet.  So I solved the issue of a busy pattern for this layout, by cutting my full sheet of paper to a smaller dose.  The Crate Paper Styleboard Blissful paper included in our March main kit, was one of my favorites. I used it as a full background on one of my layouts, but I wanted to use it in a more toned down version on this page. I cut two of the chevron sections and placed them on my white cardstock background, which gave me some pattern, without having a full patterned paper background. I can't resist hand stitching, so I stitched along every other line of the chevron pattern. I also added some stamping using our March Stamp Add-On Kit…I mixed the arrow, camera, and little abstract asterisk, which gave a fun flow to my page.



Did you know you can use the alphas included in the March 2014 Hip Kit & Add-Ons to make a big impact on your cards? For this card, I wanted to keep a clean & simple design using the lemon image from the Dear Lizzy Bits included in our March Color Add-On Kit. The Studio Calico Wanderlust Alpha Stickers were a perfect match to the yellow and teal on the die cut lemon, and they were just the right size to spell out the first part of my sentiment. The silver Cecily Thickers were perfect for the last part of my sentiment. I was able to overlap the “E” and the “N” in “lemons” by using small pop dots behind them – this gave my card a fun whimsical feel.

And just in case you missed any of our March Kits, make sure you stop by the Hip Kit website to check them out!!  You can also visit the Hip Kit Facebook page to see what will be coming up in the April Kits and keep up with all of the amazing work from the Design Team!

 

Friday, March 21, 2014

#Adorbs | Silhouette

I have a new layout to share with you today, that was posted on the Silhouette Blog earlier this week.  I normally work with square photos on my layouts and rarely use shaped photos, but when I saw this fun hexagon background in the Silhouette Store, I challenged myself to give shaped photos a try!




One of the things that really stood out to me when I saw this file, is the variety of ways it can be used.  You could add a smaller hexagon to the center of some of the ones that are filled in, to create more open spaces for extra photos or to add different patterned papers behind.  Or if you only had one photo, you could delete the outline of one of the larger hexagon shapes and have it cut without the center being opened.

I kept most of my design fairly simple, because I wanted my photos and the hexagon background to really stand out.  I cut some hexagon shapes, using the Corrugated Kraft Paper and used them to embellish the die cut background.  I would definitely have to say that fun backgrounds are my favorite files to look for in the Silhouette Store!  Make sure you keep an eye out for any new or interesting backgrounds and use them to create unique looks on your layouts!


Shapes:

Supplies:  Patterned Paper, Enamel Dots & Stickers:  My Mind's Eye; Thickers:  American Crafts; Wood Veneer Hearts:  Pinkfresh Studio; Color Shine:  Heidi Swapp; Stamp:  Chic Tags; Enamel Hearts:  Chickaniddy Krafts; Die Cut Machine, Shapes & Corrugated Paper:  Silhouette

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Hip Kit Club | Adorable You

It's time to start sharing layouts for Hip Kit Club, using the new March 2014 Hip Kit & Add-On Kits!!  I love creating with kits and getting completely different looks on each of my layouts and cards.  Since we have two daughters and one little boy, it's always important for me to have products that will work with feminine and masculine layouts.  So for my first layout, using this month's Kit, I used the kraft cardstock as my background and a mix of the patterned papers from the Kit, to create a cute masculine look on a layout with some photos of our little guy wearing a huge cowboy hat!



 
I wanted to go with an "out of the box" design on my first layout, using the March 2014 Hip Kit & Add-On Kits. I created a text background, by cutting the title "Adorable You" from the kraft cardstock, in the Cardstock Add-On Kit. After my title finished cutting, I used all of the different patterned papers in the March Hip Kit Main Kit, to back the letters, and backed the "O's" with my photos. I love that there are so many patterned papers in the kit...I was able to back each letter, without having to repeat a pattern! And the embellishments from the Main Kit and Add-On Kits, were perfect for completing the look of my layout. I used several items from the OA Daily Flash products that are included in the Kits, to embellish several of the letters cut from the background paper!

And if you would like to use the background I created, you can find the free Studio File HERE for download!
 
The multi-colored October Afternoon Washi Tape is such a fun item in the March Kit! I wanted to find a different way to use it, so I cut the sentiment from the front of my card on my Silhouette CAMEO. I trimmed a piece of White cardstock to fit behind the negative title and then I used three strips of the Washi Tape to cover it. Once I had the Washi Tape on the cardstock, I just placed it behind my title to create a cute rainbow look!




The full reveal of the March 2014 Hip Kit & Add-On Kits was posted on the Hip Kit Blog this past weekend!  Make sure you stop by to take a look at everything included in each Kit, and you can visit the Hip Kit website for purchase information or becoming a monthly subscriber!

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Hello Love & Echo Park/Top Dog Dies Blog Hop WINNER!

***Linked up at Paper Issues.***

Today I am popping in to announce the Winner of my giveaway from the Echo Park and Top Dog Dies Blog Hop.  Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by and left sweet comments and to all of you who are now new followers!  

CONGRATS HEATHER THOMPSON!!

Heather, please email me at ashleyhorton010675@gmail.com to receive info on your prize!  If I don't hear from you by Sunday, March 23, I will choose and announce a new winner. 


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It's nice to take some time to play along with challenges every once in a while, and I always love the sketches for the Sketch Thursday challenges at Elle's Studio.  I have been hoarding...I mean using...a lot of their new collections, Love You More and Everyday moments.  One of my favorite things about the Elle's collections, is that they are so perfect for creating layouts for your everyday photos, which are my favorite kind to scrap.  So one of my mottos is, "you can never have too much Elle's Studio, in your scrappy stash!!".  I used a mix of Love You More and Everyday Moments for my take on the Sketch, and I also incorporated some tags from the March Limited Edition Kit, as well as the March Cut Files.




http://www.shopellesstudio.com/blog/2014/03/sketch-thursday-2.html

Here's the story behind the photos on this page...the kids don't nap anymore, except for maybe an occasional doze when we are riding in the car.  Well, that's what happened with our little guy.  He fell asleep in the car, on the way home from dropping big sis off for her piano lessons.  He has always been a light sleeper, so I knew (or thought I knew) that he would probably wake right up as soon as we got in the driveway.  And he did, but only long enough to make it inside.  Then he plopped down in the hallway and I went into one of the other rooms for a few minutes.  When I came back out, he was still there.  I walked over to check on him, and he was fast asleep again, using his PupPup for a pillow!  HA!  I moved him to the couch and thought for sure that would wake him up, but nope, he went right back to sleep and ended up getting in an hour and a half nap!  Too bad all three of them won't do that everyday, anymore!  I am a big fan of naps!!  :)

Supplies:  Patterned Paper, Wood Veneers, Tags & Cut Files:  Elle's Studio; Enamel Dots:  My Mind's Eye; Date Stamp:  American Crafts; Phrase Stamp:  October Afternoon:  Chalking Ink:  Quick Quotes




Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Lucky Find

***Linked up at Paper Issues.***

I have to admit, in my 39 years of life, I have never found a four leaf clover.  And believe me, I have looked!  Well, this past weekend, I was outdoors with the kids and they were picking the little flowers that grow in the clover.  I told our middle daughter to look for a four leaf clover and within 5 seconds, she came running over and said she found one.  And much to my surprise, she certainly did!!  Leave it to a 6 year old!  :)  We had to document the occasion with a photo and even though it's the day after St. Patrick's Day, I am stopping in today to share the layout I created.




I used the Elle's Studio March Limited Edition Kit, along with the Everyday Moments collection.  The March Kit, had just the right tags to go with the clover/St. Patty's Day look on my layout.  I started off by misting the background with a touch of Citron Color Shine to add a little bit of Green to the background paper.  I layered several of the Elle's Studio tags behind my photo and also used some of the Elle's Studio March Cut Files to create positive and negative shapes to use on my page.  I knew I also wanted to use the "Hello" cut files in some way on my layout, so I cut the word in three different sizes and placed them randomly on my page.  Once they were adhered, I hand stitched through each word.  And I actually had my page finished, without the large stitched clover shape, and I kept looking at it and thinking it needed something to finish it off.  The idea of cutting a large clover shape from the cut files, popped in my head, and then I just traced it onto the background and stitched the shape.

We don't really celebrate or do anything special for St. Patty's Day, so I was happy to have a photo that would go along with that theme and work in the Elle's March Kit!

Supplies:  Patterned Paper, Tags, Stamps, Cut Files, March Kit:  Elle's Studio; Wood Veneers:  Pinkfresh Studio; Enamel Dots:  My Mind's Eye & Chickaniddy Crafts; Thickers:  American Crafts; Chipboard Stars & Phrase Stamp:  October Afternoon; Color Shine:  Heidi Swapp; Sequins:  Hip Kit Club 

Monday, March 17, 2014

American Crafts March Gallery | You & Me

I have a new March Gallery layout for American Crafts to share with you today.  The Plus sign or small cross shape, has become a popular design element on projects recently.  I always love incorporating fun new shapes into my layouts, so I just had to use this one too!  



 
I used the Dear Lizzy Daydreamer collection, because it has such a cute, girly feel and really worked with the photo of our daughters (not fighting, and acting like they like one another for about 30 seconds!!).  The Plus sign image was easy to add to my layout, using the Daydreamer 6x6 Paper Pad and the Icons cut file, found HERE, in the Silhouette Store.  And I wanted to add just a little something extra to the die cut Plus signs, so I stitched on several and used the heart stamp from the Dear Lizzy Acrylic Stamps, to stamp in the center of the icon.

Supplies:  Dodge Ball (366745) - Daydreamer, Acrylic Stamps (366797) - Daydreamer, Accent & Phrase Stickers (366778) - Daydreamer, Enamel Dots (366785) - Daydreamer, Pockets with Inserts (366790) - Daydreamer, Adhesive Badges (366795) - Daydreamer, Dimensional Embellishments (366785) - Daydreamer, Matte Puffy Accents (366777) - Daydreamer, 6x6 Paper Pad (366767) - Daydreamer, Kal Barteski (366831) - Thickers

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Creative Scrappers Sketch #264 | The Cutest Ever

It's time for our new reveal at Creative Scrappers for Sketch #264!  Jenny Evans created today's sketch and it was such a fun one to create with!  I loved the fun design of Jenny's sketch and the great options it gives you for layering!





Most of the time, my children do not want to cooperate for photos, but after much bribing and threatening, I can usually get one or two good photos!  But how can I resist snapping photos of them, when they are this cute??!!  All I can say, is they better just get used to it, because they have many years ahead with lots of photos to come!  HA!

Don't forget, that you can play along with us this month, for the chance to win a $30 prize pack from Chic Tags!!  Just make sure you link up on the CS Blog, and your layout could also be chosen for our weekly feature!  



And make sure you stop by today, to visit the Creative Scrappers Blog, to see all of the amazing layouts the Design Team created!

Supplies:  Patterned Paper, Tags, Alpha Stickers & Wood Veneers:  Elle's Studio; Thickers & Date Stamp:  American Crafts; Color Shine:  Heidi Swapp; Enamel Dots:  My Mind's Eye  



Saturday, March 15, 2014

Laugh Always

I wanted to stop in today, to share the layout I created for my guest spot with the Scrapping Everyday Miracles Challenge Blog.  Roberta Edmisten invited me to join in for the Scripture inspiration and the March Sketch.




 
Our children are always laughing or making us laugh, so I knew that using one of their photos would go right along with this month's theme, Laughter Is the Best Medicine, based on Psalm 126:2.  I had a cute photo of our middle daughter, which I snapped mid-laugh, while she was enjoying a game of tag with her brother and sister.

The sketch is really great, and can give you lots of different options for a starting point for your layout.  I loved the multi-photo aspect, but I chose to use just one photo to document on my layout.  Since my photo was portrait and not landscape, I rotated the sketch.  After rotating, I didn't change much in the way of the sketch design.  I layered patterned papers behind my photo and fussy cut a few of the circle shapes from the Pebbles From Me to You collection, to create an embellishment cluster near my photo. I placed the title right under my photo, since I rotated the sketch.  I finished my layout, by adding a little bit of spray mist, wood veneers, and a flair button.

Don't forget to stop by the Scrapping Everyday Miracles Blog and you can play along with this month's challenge!

Supplies:  Patterned Paper: Pebble Inc.; Flair Button:  Panda Eight Designs; Phrase Stamp:  October Afternoon; Wood Veneers:  Studio Calico; Color Shine:  Heidi Swapp; Tag:  Elle's Studio