Gettin' By

& I love you too | Scrapbook & Cards Winter 2022

Well I definitely need to dust off the cobwebs around here and get a new post up since it's been about 9 months since I've blogged! (Just a side note - I'm always on Instagram and somehow it monopolizes all my allotted online time - so come find me there!) But I did get a surge of new followers after the SCT design team announcement, so I thought I should get back to posting...and the giant stack of layouts about to topple over on my desk pretty much guarantees I've got content for several months!

This layout was featured in the winter issue of SCT and makes me happy because it uses a lot of one of my favorite products: alphabets! I've been known to go through a pack of Thickers on a single layout, and this design was one of those that just about used up an entire set of lovely letters. And nope, I don't feel the least bit guilty ;)

S U P P L I E S :
Bazzill White Cardstock | Maggie Holmes Parasol Collection | Pink Ledger Paper | Pink Heart Paper | Pink Diamond Paper
Pink & White Floral Paper | Pink Marble/Floral Paper |  Parasol Thickers | Butterfly Ephemera | Parasol Buttons
 Square Punch | Creative Memories Scallop Border (similar) 

 

I began this design by cutting a 9.25" circle from cardstock to serve as my photo matte. Dinner plates or kitchen bowls are great templates for this if you don't have a circle cutting system! I then layered 1.5" squares of patterned paper (using this punch) atop the circle, trimming off anything that hung over the edges. The scallop punch is actually a straight border, but I cut it apart in 2-inch sections and adhered it behind the edge of my circle.

 

I then applied the alphabet to the outer edge of the circle, using the title of "& I LOVE YOU TOO" and a butterfly die-cut to fill the remaining space. I love that the letters coordinate with my patterned papers but they add dimension and texture to the design!

After adhering my photo and journal strips to the center, all this page needed was a few clusters of small embellishments. I created three groupings to form a visual triangle that frames my circle. This arrangement leads the eye through the design and creates a balanced feel to the page.

I hope you're inspired to use alphabets in a unique way and I'd love to see what you create! Happy Scrapping!

A Peek at The Process | Lovely Day

I often get asked about my process for designing a scrapbook page. Do I start with photos or product? Do I use sketches? How do I pick a design framework? And while I rarely follow the same process every time I scrap, here’s a peek into how this particular page came together!

S U P P L I E S :

Pink Ledger Paper | Pastel Floral Paper | Yellow Gingham Paper | Pink Gingham Paper | White Dot Paper
Teal Dot Paper | Gold LOVELY Sticker | Black Letter Stickers | Ephemera & Tags | Heart Sticker
Washi Tape | Gold Paper Clip | Foam Adhesive | Trimmer 

 

 

I began by gathering my photos and the products I wanted to use on this page. Since the layout is Mother’s Day theme, I selected a spring color palette with lots of fresh, feminine patterns. While I usually end up adding other pieces into my pages, I like starting with a limited selection of products to keep from getting overwhelmed by options.

 

 

Because many of my photos are taken on my phone and posted on social media, they are often cropped square. And square photos are perfect for a grid-based design! My photos were printed 3x3 and that’s a great size for a nine-square grid. It leaves plenty of space around the grid for border and each square is large enough to accommodate a few die cuts or stickers.  The lined card in the lower right corner was a perfect block my journaling, which I typed on my computer in a 2.5” square text box and then printed on a plain piece of white paper. Using temporary adhesive, I positioned the lined card over the printed text and then ran the sheet through the printer a second time to print on the card. After trimming it to a square, I have another block in my grid ready to go!

 

 

 

I played around with each of the squares in my grid and decided there was a lot of floral elements making the design too busy. I switched out some of the ephemera for other shapes like a die-cut house and a simple sentiment square. The new arrangement has one floral element per row which keeps it feminine without being overwhelming! Once my square designs were determined, I began assembling the layers starting with stitching around the edges of each block. I love the handmade touch this adds (and if you don’t sew, you can always draw on your stitches!)

 

 

 

With my grid pieces ready to go, I needed to decide on a background. Originally I had selected a pale yellow cardstock, but it felt a bit too plain. After experimenting with a few subtle patterns, I selected a pink ledger paper to use instead. It’s more interesting than a solid cardstock color, but subdued enough to not compete with my grid. Then each layer of the square is adhered with foam adhesive. The dimension this adds gives the design extra punch - I love the slight shadows it creates on each block! 

 

Thanks for stopping by today - I'd love to hear your comments on this layout!

Celebrate Besties | SCT Fall 2021

One of the easiest ways to make a page come together fast is with one big photo!  I love giving real estate to special shots, like this one that features Riely and her friends before their sophomore homecoming dance.

 

S U P P L I E S :
Bazzill White  |  Dark Floral Paper  |  Yellow Gingham Paper  |  Ephemera 1  |  Ephemera 2  |  Puffy Stickers 
Scallop Frame Cut File  |  Embroidery Thread  |  Pink Tickets  |  Silhouette Cameo

 

The photo takes center stage, framed with a scalloped border (a free cut file download from SCT!) This helps set it apart from the patterned background of floral and gingham papers. 

 

 

I created a border across the bottom edge of the photo using die cuts, stickers and chipboard, layering them across the whole page. I tried to pick shapes and icons that worked with the patterned papers, and that also worked with the teenage theme of the page. 

 

 

The pink tickets were not actual scrapbook products, but I love including ephemera that's relevant to the theme. In this case, they tie back to the homecoming dance tickets (but of course all these girls had the digital tickets on their phones, not actual paper tickets!)

 

Do you like using enlarged photos on your pages or do you find them challenging? I'd love to hear your thoughts on using this element in your layouts!

BSD Cut Files | Heart Wreath

There are so many variations of what I call the "wreath" frame and I always love this type of border for scrapbook pages.  The large circle frame provides a perfect space to incorporate your photos, title and journaling - or you could even include photos and ephemera as part of the border. My past layouts have used a wreath of circles, stars, leaves and most recently hearts - I love this cut file for all things Valentine's and love related!

 

 

S U P P L I E S :
Bazzill White  |  Bazzill North Sea  |  Bazzill Rain  |  Market Square Papers | Blue Ledger Paper
Lavender Floral Paper | Aqua Floral Paper | Blue Star Paper | Pink Stripe Paper | Navy Paper |  Vellum Florals
 BSD Heart Wreath Cut File  | BSD Whimsy Script Titles Cut File | Butterfly Stickers | Letter Stickers

 

The cut files include the outer frame as well as the inner portions of the hearts, so it's easy to create a complete page quickly! I cut the interior hearts from a variety of Maggie Holmes and Jen Hadfield papers, keeping the color palette to pinks, lavenders and blues. 

 

The interior of the heart wreath is the perfect spot for my photos and title - a mix of letter stickers and a BSD cut file (which is a part of a script title set that includes five other words perfect for everyday pages!)

 

As a soft embellishment, I added vellum florals in the page corners, along with some hat pins and butterfly stickers. They help create a diagonal visual line that leads the eye through the design!

 

I'd love to see how you'd use these cut files on your next page! If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to leave them below - and have a wonderful day!

A dog's Life | SCT Winter 2021

If you don't know my go-to page format is a grid design, then are we really friends?! It's a time-tested foundation I've used countless times on my scrapbook pages, because it just always WORKS! In the winter issue of SCT I implemented this technique on a page about our beloved canines, using rectangular blocks instead of square (because grids can be formed with any shape!)

 

S U P P L I E S:
Bazzill  |  Grid Paper  |  Floral Paper  |  Yellow Dot Paper  |  Butterfly Paper  |  Pink Tag  | Green Ticket |  Ephemera  | Journaling Tag  |  BSD Whimsy Title Cut Files  |  Stickers  |  Metal Clip  |  Gold Alphabet
Scallop punch | Heart Brads 

 

To create my grid, I used three photos (3.5 x 4.5) and three blocks of patterned paper. Pieces of ephemera, tags and my journaling were placed on the patterned blocks. If you can't find the perfect ephemera, cut images from patterned paper! Notice that the tags I used on all three block bleed off the edges - this helps the eye continue through the design rather that stopping at a border.

 

 

 

The center of the grid was a perfect spot for my title and also gives me the opportunity to connect all the blocks visually. I used a combo of block letters and a loopy script that overlaps several of the rectangles, making the blocks work as a unit rather than individuals.  Using a few elements that spill over the grid borders helps unify your page elements and is a great place to balance all out all the straight lines with a few curves!

 

I'd love to see your interpretation of the grid layout! And as always, if you have questions or comments about my layout, please leave a note below!

 

daily rituals | SCT Winter 2021

Scrapbooking provides a connection to our past and our history and helps us better understand those that came before us. I would have loved to see a glimpse into my parents and grandparents' daily routines (if only Instagram was around back then so they could snap the meals, gym workouts, outfits and outings that we do today!) Inspired by my assignment for the winter issue of Scrapbook & Cards, I set out to document some of my daily activities and this is the page that resulted!

S U P P L I E S :
Plaid Paper |  Pink Lined Paper  | Bazzill Mysterious Teal | Floral Paper  | Camera Paper |   Ephemera
Gold Alphabet  |  Stickers  |  Washi Tape  |  Scallop punch  |  Heart Brads  |  Mirror Stickers

 

I started with a base of plaid paper and lined paper onto which I stitched a large circle. You can trace a plate or bowl to get an outline to follow while sewing, but I usually end up going "outside the lines" with my stitching (it's easier and I actually like the messy result!)

I printed the snapshots of several of my daily activities at 2.25" square, and incorporated them on one half of the page, along with lots of little bits and pieces of ephemera. The flowers and leaves were fussy-cut from a floral paper (one of my favorite ways to use this type of patterned paper!).

 

 

So what part of your day could you incorporate into a scrapbook layout? From workouts to devotionals to carpool to meal prep, it's all fair game! I'd love to see what you create!

 

P.S. Have questions or comments about this page? Please leave them below! I regularly respond to post comments and would love to have a conversation!

SCT Cut Files | Home is Where the Dogs Are

I love a good cut file (and rarely create a layout without one!) and I especially love this free SCT cut file from Paige Evans! This versatile design could be used so many ways - on a housewarming card, as a colorful border a layout about a new house, or for any holiday gatherings at home. Here’s how I used this file and customized it for my page theme!

 

S U P P L I E S :

Bazzill Basics White | Bazzill Basics Kraft |  PhotoPlay patterned papers  | SCT Cut Files |  metal clip  | Silhouette Cameo | twine

 

Our home is filled with three Great Danes and usually an additional foster dog, so when I think of home, I definitely think of canines. (If you look closely, you’ll likely find a stray dog hair on my layout, too!) So I knew I wanted to incorporate this cut file with photos of the many dogs that we’ve shared our home with.

 

 

I filled the center hearts with photos of dogs and the remaining spaces were filled with various patterned papers from the PhotoPlay Autumn Greetings collection. To add additional texture, I added machine stitching along the borders of the cut file and glued baker’s twine along three of the heart edges.

 

 

Colorful buttons adorn the chimneys of each house and another layer of dimension to this cut file. You could also use brads, enamel dots or small chipboard accents instead of buttons.

 

 

Using the font Super Clarendon (one of my favorites for bold titles!) I cut the word home from white cardstock and centered it under my cut file. Then I printed a block of text onto cardstock, filling the text box with red and making the letters white. I cut the piece into a banner and it finished off my title.

 

 

So how would you use this cute cut file?  I'd love to see what you create!

 

Golden Birthday | Scrapbook & Cards Spring 2021

Ah, the birthday layout. I have always had a bit of creative block when it comes to documenting these milestones. Maybe because it's hard to capture everything about the celebration (especially when my kids were younger and the parties were a bit more, uh, complex??) Or maybe it's because I really don't like the theme-y products that are typically used for these pages.  Regardless of the reason, birthday layouts always challenge me. 

 

S U P P L I E S :
Bazzill White | Bazzill Dotted Swiss Dark Blue | Simple Stories Birthday Blast Papers | Stickers | Gold Thickers
Die Cuts & Ephemera |  Chipboard  |  Enamel Brads  |  Circle Cutter  |  Foam Adhesive 

 

So how do i deal with a creative challenge? Throw some circles at it! (or around it??) You probably know I'm a fan of circles in design for the bubbly energy and motion they add to to a page. So naturally, I figured they would be perfect for a birthday layout. Stacked circles are easy to create with a Silhouette Cameo or manual circle cutting system and they are great way to incorporate lots of color and pattern in the design.

On top of the paper circles, I added a variety of die cuts, stickers, chipboard and embellishments. Coordinated paper lines work great for these type of layouts, but don't be afraid to mix in other embellishments that may match the colors or theme. It's a great way to use up  the brad, button or jewel "singletons" in your stash!

So if birthday layouts tend to dampen your creative mojo, try a fun collage of circles! I'd love to see what you create!

 

 

BSD Cut Files | Diamond Grid

Hello there! I'm excited to share a new cut file in my etsy shop today....but not quite as excited as I am to see the AC repairman so I can quit sweating profusely while sitting at my computer. Ah, summer!

 

This interlocked background file is perfect for displaying tons of colors and patterns in your page design. The thin borders of the cut file help organize the design and provide the perfect spots for small scraps of paper. Here's a page I created to showcase it!

 

S U P P L I E S:

Bazzill White  |  Jen Hadfield Papers  |   Stickers  |  Die Cut  |  Square Punch
BSD Cut File  |  Silhouette Cameo | Foam Adhesive

 

 

 

 

To fill in the squares of this background, I used a square paper punch (but you could also use a paper trimmer to cut out squares as well!) I applied a liquid adhesive along the borders of the cut file and adhered each square to the backside.

 

 

With all the colorful patterns in the background, this pages didn’t need much embellishment. A few simple stickers and strips of journaling complete the page!

 

 

So are you inspired by the this patchwork technique? If so, I’d love to see what you create!

Spring Fever | SCT Delivered Spring 2021

I'm back today with another layout using the  SCT delivered kit, Beautiful Blooms! I've incorporated one of my favorite techniques - a circle frame - using the exclusive floral cut files that come with the kit. They make it easy to create a wreath-like design that's perfect for spring layouts!

 

S U P P L I E S :
Bazzill White  |  Bazzill Sparkle |  Blue Floral Paper  |  Aqua Floral Paper  |  Pink Dot Paper  |  Pink Stripe Paper
Lilac Floral Paper |  Ephemera  |  Thickers |  Gold Puffy Stickers  |  SCT Tags & Cut Files
Gold Charm  |  Twine  |  Silhouette Cameo  | Foam Adhesive  

 

After cutting the floral shapes from the kit cut files, I inked the edges of each cut piece with pink or aqua ink to create a bit of bolder edge. Then I  layered the pieces together with foam adhesive to create each individual flower. 

 

 

I arranged all the flowers in a circle on the page - I traced a 9" circle in pencil on the cardstock to help me align the florals in a perfect shape.  In between the flowers, i added puffy gold stickers that I cut from larger pieces in the sticker sheet. I love the sparkle they add!

 

Inside the circle I arranged my photos and title, as well as a journaling tag that slips behind the photos.  If you've purchased this kit from SCT, you'll have access to the full video tutorial that I created to show the process of this layout being made!  You can get more information right here.

Hope you are enjoying spring - both outside and on your scrap table!