Friday, March 20, 2020

Bloom - DT layout for Paige Evans

Hi lovelies,

I'm stopping by to share a new layout I've created for the Paige Evans Design Team with the gorgeous new Bloom Street collection!

Another photo I've had lying around my desk since last summer finally found its page ha! I often use black and white photos on my layouts so I don't have to worry about matching colors, but I won't turn a photo into black and white if the colors are important, for instance, it's a photo of flowers, like here! I'm super happy that I could finally scrap this picture!


I chose this lovely Doily Corner cut file (Design ID: 301137) and cut it from white card stock. I then backed it with various patterned papers in the middle, then some parts of the outer petals I left as is because I liked the rainbow striped background peeking through. I glued down the cut file, except for the big petals - I like a bit of dimension!


Since the background is pretty busy, I kept everything else simple. I cropped my photo and printed it in a circle shape. I added my title on top and stitched it down so it will stay put! I then added foam adhesive to the back and adhered it to the middle of the doily. 


I tucked some floral die cuts behind the photo and added a flower charm too. I poked two holes in the layout to attach this charm, because it's heavy and I don't trust any glue to keep it in place, ha! I layered a few die cuts and stickers on the right side too. Oh, almost forgot about the sweet bird die cut on one of the petals! I used foam stickers on some of these so they stand out more.


Last but not least, I wrote my journaling along the petals - if that makes sense?! Anyway, you see what I mean hehe!

That's it for today! I hope I could inspire you in one way or another!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

X

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Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Introducing the amazing Destination Japan collection by Lene Lok for Spellbinders

Hey guys,

Long post alert! :)

I'm so excited to share all these cards I've made with the wonderful new Destination Japan collection by Lene Lok for Spellbinders! I had the huge honor of creating these samples for the product packagings last year - so when you buy the dies, some of them will have these cards on them! How cool is that?! It makes me so happy and maybe a little bit proud too :)

I adore this collection. Every single die set. I think, to date, these are my favorite card sets I've ever made. I love the way each card works so well together within a set, due to the coordinating colors and theme.

I've made two sets, one is more modern, the other is more traditional - color wise I mean! First up the modern set!


I chose a pink-gray-white color scheme with red accents. I've used patterned paper scraps from various companies. 


On the first card, I've used the Shapeabilities Zen Garden Welcome Etched Dies set. I placed the  window die in the middle of an A2 size patterned paper panel and die cut it. I created my A2 size top folding card base (all my cards are top fold in this post), added a pink patterned paper on top. I popped up the window panel with foam adhesive. You could make great shaker cards with this panel actually! Anyway, I decided to do something else. I die cut a bunch of flowers using the Shapeabilities Sakura Blossoms Etched Dies set and placed them in the opening/behind the window. I gold embossed a sentiment on a white strip of paper and glued it in the opening too, so it's kind of floating. To create the lantern, I die cut the shapes multiple times, ones from patterned papers and a couple more times from white card stock. I did this so I have a sturdier and more dimensional piece. I glued the layers together and assembled the lantern. I added gold vellum behind the shape. I tied white twine at the top of the lantern and glued it onto my card front as if it were hanging.


For my second card I've used the Shapeabilities Sakura Blossoms Etched Dies set. Ahhh those flowers! I love them! I glued a gray/white plaid patterned paper on my card base. I die cut the floral panel from white card stock and glued it down. I then die cut lots of flowers and leaves from a variety of patterned papers and assembled them. I added pink crystals to their middles. Before adhering them to the card front, I stamped my sentiment in gray ink.


Next up, the Shapeabilities Pagoda Card Etched die set! This one is such a fun set, you can make shaped cards with it like I did here. But of course you can also just add the Pagoda to a standard card base if that's more your thing. I rarely make anything other than standard cards so I was really excited about making a shaped card! Isn't it cute?! I cut the front from 5 different papers and pieced them together like a puzzle. While this is time consuming, I always love the results! To finish off this card, I added a flower and a gold embossed sentiment.



My next card features the Die D-Lites Origami Etched Crane set. Don't you just love origami cranes? I know I do. The meaning behind it as well, as the Japanese refer to the crane as the bird of happiness. Did you know it was believed if one folds 1000 origami cranes, their wish would come true?  

Anyway, I die cut a circle from my card front, then die cut another circle from pink patterned paper. I also die cut a smaller circle from gray plaid paper and layered these up. You can of course omit the first step, I just like the indent the die makes in the paper and love the look of paper piecing. I added two strips of patterned papers at the bottom as well as some red twine. I die cut the crane from two papers and pieced them together on a heavy weight card stock - then fussy cut out the crane shape. I popped it up on foam dots in the middle of the circle. To finish off this card, I added some enamel dots.


On my next card I've used the beautiful Shapeabilities Waves Etched Die. I die cut the panel from white, pink and gray car stock plus pink patterned paper. I adhered the white one to my card base, then pieced the other colors back into their designated slots. I know these colors have nothing to do with waves but I never really cared about being realistic on cards. I love playing with colors most of all. Once done, I embossed my sentiment with gold embossing powder on a white paper strip and popped it up on the background. To finish it off, I added gray twine.


Here comes another favorite from this collection! While the Die D-Lites Kimono etched die set is technically not for creating shaped cards, I was so in love with the Pagoda card, I decided to try to create one anyway. Now, I made these cards last year so I don't quite remember what I did, but looking at the die, I think I probably die cut the kimono, then using it as a template, I drew around the shape, turned it around, lined up the top with the previous outline, then cut out the shape with scissors. I then scored it in the middle and my top folding, kimono shaped card base was ready! I then die cut the kimono from various papers and pieced it all back in place. Added some twine and a gold embossed sentiment, done!


Now we come to the second set of cards I made, these use more traditional colors. I actually had an old Basic Grey paper pad, called Konnichiwa, and the colors and designs were just perfect I think. 


For these two cards I die cut lots of origami cranes from several patterned papers as well as white card stock, then did paper piecing. I prepared my card bases, one has a patterned paper panel attached to it, the other an embossed white panel. The embossing folder I used is another favorite product of mine which I use over and over: Love Stripes.


I gold embossed my sentiment on a white paper strip and adhered it down at the bottom of my card. I then added two cranes equally spaced out, using foam adhesive, to create a dimensional design. I splattered some gold ink all over the card front, added enamel dots and twine.


On the second card I created sort of like a background pattern with my die cuts. I trimmed them off on the sides, added gold ink splatters, my sentiment, crystals and twine.


More kimonos! As you see, I kept these really simple, I just played with some patterned papers on the background and paper piecing on the kimonos. Gold embossed sentiments, some crystals, twine, done.


This gorgeous floral paper I used for my background here is actually my favorite from that paper collection!



Up next are cards with the Sakura Blossom and Waves die sets. 


This time I decided to make a shaker card. I added a patterned paper panel to my card base. I die cut the waves from white card stock as well as blue patterned paper. I adhered the die cut panel to acetate and cut it out. Here I suggest you use double sided adhesive sheets that you adhere to your white card stock then die cut your shape from it, because it's easier and quicker. I am almost certain that I glued this panel on top of another card stock, but only up to the point where I have the paper pieced design. I never found liquid adhesive that works on acetate so I must have added paper to the back to be able to piece the die cut shapes back in place. Then I added two layers of foam tape to the back and the wider sides of the panel. I placed some light blue gems and clear droplets on my card front and glued down the die cut panel. To finish off this card, I added gold ink splatters, a sentiment and some twine.


For my floral card, I did the exact same thing as before, only the placement of the white panel and the sentiment is different. Which colorway do you prefer? I can never pick favorites!


Last but not least, I have a couple of cards with the Pagoda and the Zen Garden Welcome die sets.


This time I also used the outline die to cut out the window, I felt like my background would have been too dark and sad otherwise. I backed this panel with a cheery lime green patterned paper which I thought was perfect; flowers, trees, birds, totally something you could see in a zen garden no? :) Using foam adhesive, I attached this panel to my embossed card base. I added a lantern that I created the exact same way as described earlier.


My pagoda shaped card is the same as the previous one, I just used different papers obviously. Oh and no flower this time!


That's it! I know this was a long post but I hope I could inspire you with my projects in some way! 

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Until next time!

X

Friday, March 13, 2020

#Birds - DT layout for Alexandra Renke

Hello there crafty friends,

I'm back today with a new layout for the Alexandra Renke Design Team!

Have you guys seen the brand new Bird papers in the AR shop?! Oh my goodness!!! They are all so beautiful and special! I can't wait to see what everyone makes with them!


For today's layout I chose one of my favorite papers from this collection, Designpapier Paradies große pinkige Spatzen, because well...colors! Am I right?! Such vibrant and happy colors, just like I like it!

So to start with, I fussy cut lots of birds (for future projects too) while I was watching some of my favorite series. Usually I do this when I'm not in a crafty mood! I just can't watch TV without doing something else though, so combining the two works great for me.

I then selected a bunch of papers that I thought matched the colors of the birds well:

Using the 3D feathers die (3D Federn), I die cut a bunch of feathers from the above papers.


For my background I chose the following paper:
Eventually I ended up cutting it up and combining it with white card stock to create my background. The white card stock I always use is this one:
I adhered the two pieces of papers to the background, then lined up all the feathers in an arch kind of shape. I glued them down in the middle, so that I could still bend up the edges.



I layered some tissue paper behind my photo and glued it all down on the left side of my paper.  I added my title, journaling, date.

Now the birds were ready to embellish my page! I used 3d foam adhesive to glue them down. Last but not least, I went through my enamel dots and pulled out some colors that went with my color scheme.


That's it! Easy peasy! What do you think?

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

See you soon!

X


Thursday, March 5, 2020

Favorite - DT layout for Paige Evans

Hi there crafty friends,

I'm back today with a new layout for the Paige Evans Design Team! The wonderful new collection, Bloom Street is finally in the house yay! The colors and patterns have me yearning for spring!

I don't know about you guys, but every time I work with a new collection, I'm completely overwhelmed. I want to use EVERYTHING, all at once, haha! It's very hard for me to decide on what papers to use, especially. I mean there are 48 beautiful designs to choose from, oh my gosh!

I do have a few favorite papers though. Like this one with the pastel stripes - I call them PJ stripes, not sure why, but this paper gives me retro PJ vibes hehe!

Anyway, so I chose this one for background, then looked for a few more papers that worked well with it.


I cut a few of the Leaf Wreath (Design ID: 274322) cut file from white card stock, in a small size. I backed all but one with patterned papers, the last one with my photo. I'd had this photo on my desk for years, I'm not even kidding. I generally don't scrap photos of things, just people, which is probably why I never scrapped this. But it's so full of color (it's a fruit/vegetable/flower stand in Taormina, Sicily), I really wanted to put it on a page and the photo I was going to use on this layout didn't work with these colors, so why not this one then?

Since, in my experience anyway, no glue will ever stick to a photo, I also stitched the cut file down with my sewing machine. The cut files are tiny, so I just stitched down the inner leaves, instead of the circle, if you know what I mean. 


I then figured out how I want to arrange the wreaths on my page. I added foam adhesive to all of them, then glued them down. I used a scrap piece of floral paper for my corner. I also used a border bunch on a pink paper strip, then tucked this behind the floral paper - as well as a small scalloped border that I cut off an ephemera piece. 


I added a few embellishments to the circles: ephemera, stickers, puffy stickers and enamel dots. For my title I chose a puffy sticker sentiment which I slightly tucked behind the punched border. Last but not least, I wrote my journaling next to it.


That's it, easy peasy! I hope I could inspire you today in some small way! I'll be back with another page soon.

Have a wonderful, sunny day!

X

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Tuesday, March 3, 2020

5th grade - DT layout for Alexandra Renke

Hey crafty peeps,

I'm sharing a new layout today that I've created for the Alexandra Renke Design Team!

I wanted to use some of the cute new papers from the "Lieblingstierchen" collection, but eventually only ended up using one of them:


I pulled my color combo from the fish paper - thankfully Alexandra has all those colors on several solids and patterned papers! Here's what I chose:
They go well with Maxim's pullover hehe!

Sooo, I die cut several circles from various papers. I cut larger ones for matting my photos. One of the striped circles I stamped and embossed using the following products:


For these tiny letters it's better to take super fine embossing powder (like the one I linked in), I actually used the regular because that's all I had. But as you see the details are not so clearly visible. Anyway, it doesn't bother me much, I still like the way it looks!


I arranged my circles on the background paper and once I settled on this arrangement, I adhered them down. I used foam adhesive for a few of them to add dimension.

I then fussy cut out five numbers from the following paper:
I added foam tape to them and glued them down too. I used some white puffy alphas to create my title. I wrote my journaling along one of the photos.


I stamped a few sentiments using roller stamps from my stash and popped these onto some of the circles. Last but not least, I splattered some black ink around my page:
Oh! Almost forgot about the enamel dots! These are from various brands and packages but did you see that Alexandra now has a lot of new Hero Arts enamel dots (same color in one pack in different hues)?! I need to get all of them haha! I can't help it. I'm a sucker for enamel dots!


Alright, that's it for today! I hope I could inspire you in some small way!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

X

Sunday, March 1, 2020

In the spotlight: Spellbinders Small and Large Die of the Month kits - March 2020

Hello there crafty peeps,

I'm stopping by today to share some projects with the lovely Spellbinders March 2020 Small and Large Die kits! Are you guys ready for Easter?! This month's kits are all about Easter! I'll be honest, Easter is not a big thing for us, we probably would not even celebrate it if we didn't have a child. Cos presents, of course haha! But I have several friends for whom Easter is a bigger event than Christmas, so...I was happy to work on Easter projects for a change, I rarely ever do otherwise!

As a reminder, Spellbinders have several monthly kits, which are really great! You can subscribe to:
You can find all necessary information about these kits here.

I'll start with the Large Die kit. This month you can create little Easter baskets with your dies! Aren't they adorable? I was actually going to create cards with them, but then I saw the baskets are not too small and would be great for Easter candy and such so I changed my mind.


Can you believe I only realized when I was editing the photos that I did not fill the baskets hahhaha. So now you'll just have to imagine the candy in there, sorrrry :D.



By the way, the patterned papers I used are from Paige Evans' new Bloom Street collection! I thought the lovely pastel colors work great for Easter.


What you can't see in these pictures, the bunnies actually have full bodies so you can totally use them without the basket too!


The baskets are very simple to put together but you get a pictorial with your dies every month, so no need to worry. These die sets often have a million small pieces and it can get overwhelming at first. This one was pretty straightforward though. There's some leaves and flowers too, to decorate your baskets with!


The Small Die kit is also Easter themed. There's a big carrot die with leaves and flowers as well as two different bunnies. Also included the "What's up?" sentiment die.


For these cards I chose some papers from Alexandra Renke. I think they go well with the theme.


These cards required quite a lot of die cutting (especially the little flowers and foliage...) but I'm always watching some show while I'm crafting so I don't mind :).


So what do you think about this month's die kits? Are you excited to get your hands on them?!

If you have any questions at all, just leave a comment below and I'll get back to you! I hope I could inspire you in some way with these projects.

Thanks for stopping by today! Happy crafting!

X