Hi friends, it’s Claire here with you today.

I have never scrapped a year in review sort of layout but this 12 section cut file inspired me to do just that. I had many ideas as to what I could do with this cut file and initially I was going to back each section with my photo.
Then I changed my mind and was going to back fill with some pretty patterned paper. And I finally settled on the idea of repeat stamping the month into each section. This helped identify the month of each photo.

Naturally I kept it chronological and had little 2×2 inch photos in a clockwise direction around the cut file. I used some foam adhesive under the cut file to give some shadow and dimension underneath. I then backed each photo with the same patterned paper and used some foam underneath half of each photo so it was at the same height as the cut file. 

Next I set about adding in chipboard, ephemera and enamel dots and I just couldn’t stop myself! I love how crazy busy this one is and just kept adding more and more until the page was almost full. 

Finally, the centre spot was perfect for the title placement.  You can see the layout come together here.

With love and colour

x

I’m over on the UK Scrap Addicts pages today with a layout for a challenge to use no cardstock.  I actually created this layout in the early summer when I had just escaped from hospital after my ankle surgery.  I couldn’t access my studio so I only had the two pizza boxes of supplies that I bought in the summer sales and that didn’t include cardstock so it was a perfect fit for the challenge.

I bought some of the Pink Fresh Be You collection from Lottie Loves Paper and mixed it with some of the puffy stickers and cardstock stickers with some of their other collections.  I paired up the dramatic dark paper in the top third with the gorgeous peach and pink paper in the bottom two thirds to perfectly match my rose lemonade cake.  I added a few of the matte enamel dots from the Pretty My Page shop which went perfectly with the colour scheme.

I was just about getting out of the house when this photo was taken but it was the day before the children broke up and I was really worried about how we would cope in the summer holidays with being being laid up.  We decided to try the new Art Deco cafe in our area, especially as I had seen this lovely looking cake in their social media.  But the popping candy on top didn’t pop and it wasn’t fresh as it should have been plus they were still cleaning up from the night before!

It may not have been the best cake but now that I am on a strict diet for my joints, I am desperate for a slice of anything!

With love and colour

x

Hi folks, Laura here.  Well, this was one of those layouts…

One where you question why you thought it was a good idea in the first place!!  I love the concept, the cut files, the papers… I just didn’t particularly enjoy the process.  Hugely ironic then, that the subject is patience! Let me walk you through it.

I still haven’t created a piece of artwork based on my 2018 word of the year Patience.  I started off playing in Silhouette Studio with the Blocks font.  I love this alphabet!  I created the definition and synonyms of my word by copy and pasting the letters I needed.

I cut them on a dark subtly patterned paper breaking away from my usual choice of plain cardstock.  I also cut just the outlines on some brightly coloured papers with small patterns.  Large patterns would be no good here as only a small amount will be showing.

     

Next came the job of sticking the dark alpha on top of the coloured shape… 113 times (if I counted correctly!)

   

Next, I played around with the layout.  It took a few attempts and a bit of shuffling to get the spacing right.  Instead of adding pencil lines to ensure I glued the alphas on straight I saw an opportunity for adding details.  I tore some white and gold dot washi tape in half and stuck it across the page.  I used the straight edge as a guideline to glue on my letters.

   

After I had them all stuck down I realised I didn’t have the word patience anywhere on the layout.  Oops!  I made an overlay using a 12×12 sheet of acetate so I could put Patience on without obscuring any of the definition.  I first tried to cut the letters out of my favourite rose foiled vellum but it really didn’t look right.  Before I took them off (and stored them safely for another layout) I poked holes around the edges.  I hand stitched the letters tying my threads as neatly as I could on the reverse.  The only issue with working on acetate is that you can see the front and the back of your work.

I sealed the knots with matte medium and trimmed the ends as close as possible.  It’s not perfect but I’m happy with it.  I worked out that my gold sharpie works well on the acetate so I’ll add some personal journalling and the date after sharing the layout.

Thanks for looking!

Laura

Terri here with my first blog post of 2019. I’m super excited to see what all the other DT have been up to this month with their cut files. My focus today is on one of the Pre cut Paige Evans Cut files available on the website. I chose to use the ‘Galoshes’ cut file in white card stock. You get a pair of wellies from the cut file, one boot with spots and one that is plain.
I chose to use the spotted one and back filled it with patterned paper from the Pretty Little Studio ‘Savannah Dreams’ collection. To make the wellie pop off the page I added ink using the packaging technique to the background cardstock. 3D foam was also added to the back of the wellie to create dimension on the page.
Black and White photos allowed me to use photos where the colours didn’t match the supplies I wanted to use (the coach was actually orange and green!). Mixing 3 different alphabet styles creates a funky title.
When using a large cut file as a focal point I don’t like to add too many embellishments. Sporadic raindrop embellishments add to the page’s story and theme. I’m really pleased with how this page turned out, it was exactly what I had envisaged in my head.
Thanks for joining me over on the blog today, there will be loads more inspiration shared throughout the rest of the year. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Happy Scrapping!
1515751650316_Signature.png

Hi everyone, it’s Claire here with an update on my December Documented.

I can’t quite believe that I have managed to finish my December Daily!  Every year I start and usually end up finishing it between July-December the following year so this is definitely an improvement.


I can honestly say that the reason I managed to get it completed within the month of December (well slightly into January if I’m being honest) is due to the foundation work that I put in before December started. This was partly down to the amazingly awesome cut files from Pretty My Page. I would have completed a whole album with just cut files if I could have done!!


I hope you like these snapshots of some my completed pages using the cut files. I used the “numbered Mugs” for some of the daily numbers. I even made one into a pocket by adhering them back to back around the edges.


There are so many different techniques to try with cut files and I think I used most of them in my album. I backed with paper, I backed with acetate and I even adhered to acetate to make a clear page too like this one using the “6×8 Diagonal Stars”.

You can see my full flip through on my video here.

With love and colour

x

Hi all, it’s Jane here today sharing my last layout completed in 2018.

Inspiration was taken from the Dairy Box challenge on For The Love Of Pretty Paper on Facebook and I started with some messy packaging technique and splatters in orange.  The photo is backed with some coordinating watercolour papers and the title uses the negative from the “Santa” cut file.


I wanted that part of the title gold and sparkly so it is cut in white and then embossed with gold.
The embellishment clusters are created from my own stash and I have used Speigel Mom Scraps sequins.  I finished with some Heidi Shine gold splatters and some stamping to complete the title and my last layout of 2018 is done.

With love and colour

x

Happy New Year scrappy friends!  Laura here today sharing my first layout of the year.

I’ve used the Paige Evans pre cut Origami Birds cut on white card.  You can find them here; they are also available in black or cream.

I’ve used black and white patterned project life cards from a recent Quirky Kit and added in a pop of colour with a green polka dot paper from Jillibean Soup.  I cut small pieces to back each of the openings making sure to vary the patterns.  When I tried to fit all 4 birds on to my 12×12 base I found I was running out of room.  In order to fit two photos and still keep the white space I crave I put one of the birds aside to use on a future layout or card.

After working out my placement I removed the birds and photos and added a few splatters to the background.  I went with green and yellow to tie in with the photos.  When they were dry I added the birds and photos back on top and secured with a little adhesive.  I left the edges free from glue so they could curl up slightly adding movement to the page.

Next up came my title…  I worked out on a piece of scrap if I had enough alphas left on my sheet of Jillibean Soup Alphabeans.  I didn’t, I was a couple of T’s short.  That was easily solved with a little alpha surgery – sacrificing a couple of J’s, a P and an L to piece together the T’s I needed.  It was a bit of trial and error to get the spacing right but eventually I settled on a layout I liked.

I ran a line of yellow sewing through the centre of each line of alphas to keep the secure.  I thought that was done but the more I looked the more I thought the lower half of the alphas needed a bit of help to stand out.  I hate outlining alphas as I always go over the edge, or smudge the ink, or mess up in some other way.  Taking it slow and steady I got there with just a few wobbles!

You can see the process video here.

Thanks for looking!

Terri here with my final blog post of 2018. This year has certainly had its ups and downs for me but a definite highlight was the Christmas trip to Vienna that my fiancé took me on. I used a pre cut Paige Evans ‘Geometric Stars’ cut file from black cardstock on top of a patterned paper from Crate Paper ‘Merry Days’.
 
 
I often use single photos on a layout but I have so many photos from our trip that I want to include in my pages that I added three to this single page. To give the cut file pride of place I added the photos and embellishments in a cluster to roughly the left hand third of the page.
 
The stars in the cut file work perfectly with Christmas lights and star on the tree. I added gold puffy stars to embellish around the cluster. Along with tiny word strips underlined in gold foil. Finally a sprinkling of white nuvo drops for added contrast.
Happy New Year!
1515751650316_Signature.png