The Cut Shoppe Guest Designer

Good morning everyone! I'm so excited to be the guest designer over at The Cut Shoppe today! I love using cut files on layouts, and The Cut Shoppe has so many beautiful designs! I created 2 layouts, and they were so fun to create! Here is a little glimpse of the first one, using the Funky Floral set:

...And here's a preview of the second one using the Heart to Heart background. This one I tried something different, I used my sketch pens in the silhouette to draw the cut file and then cut out the petals in all different papers. The look is so different and fun, I love it!

Be sure to head over to The Cut Shoppe blog today to check out the layouts and the full post!

Also, leave me a comment here and enter for a chance to win the Funky Florals cutfile set I used in my first layout!

 I will draw the winner on Saturday March!

Thanks so much for stopping by, don't forget to leave me some love and check out The Cut Shoppe! Happy Monday everyone!!

I'm still here!

Oh my goodness, I know, I know. I have SERIOUSLY neglected my poor blog in the past months. But in my defense, life can get pretty crazy, amirite? I have something to share next week, but I thought I would just pop over here today and, first of all let everyone know I'm still alive, and second of all share a couple layouts I've created recently. One of big goals for this year is to really dive into my stash, STOP HOARDING and get it on the page. I'm like the worst hoarder ever, seriously I'll buy paper and just put it on the shelf, take it out and look at it every once in while but never bring myself to cut it. The first cut definitely is the deepest isn't it. It always seems I try to save my favorite things for a "special" page but then I realized something, isn't EVERY page special. Doesn't it seem like the pictures you love, and you want the page to be perfect are the hardest to put together? Eventually, truth be told, I forget about those things I just couldn't use and they end up sitting alone and unloved. BUT, hoard no more! In this layout, which I LOVE (it was all about not overdoing or overthinking the paint. Stroke, stroke. DONE.) I used my favorite wood veneer, on the first layout I made with this beautiful collection. Crate Paper, they get me everytime.

When I bought that flowery paper I said to myself "I shall cut out every single flower on here and use them somehow, because they are so stinkin' gorgeous!" That's exactly what I did. That was totally the right call with this one. Love love.

Remember that first one with the paint? Yeah? ok good. I tried to recreate that. But it was an epic fail. I said, don't overthink it. You know what? Totally overthought it. Layered behind this sweet cutfile from the silhouette store totally saved it I think :)

Ok, last one. This is the first layout I made with the Studio Calico February kit. It is also currently the only layout I've made with the kit. Speaking of, I better get crackin' on that bad boy since the new kit is going to ship in a few days! anyway, this one was all about those sweet heart files. Ok, and a sweet little girl. If I'm being truly honest this was totally not taken on a Monday. But Monday sounded so much better then Tuesday. ha!

So that's all for me today, but stop by next week, I have something fun I can't wait to share!!

A few favorites...

oh my goodness summer is flying by! I can't believe its already the end of July. Ok, I don't want to believe it. I realize I haven't shared here in quite some time, but in all fairness summertime is so busy. I feel like I barely have any time to scrap let alone blog. Summer is birthday season at our house, we've got May, June, July and August, so that always makes for a busy summer. My oldest son just turned 7 last week. Someone pinch me. That sweet baby boy is already 7. He is so witty, charming, and handsome. Gosh, love that boy. Anyway, I thought I would share some of my favorite layouts I've made in the past while. 

 I created this one for Paige Evans class "Make It Big" over at Studio Calico. I find it so wonderfully relaxing just cutting out paper. Not to mention it was kinda fun to bust out all my old papers from old kits and put them all together! I adore the way this turned out, honestly probably one of my fav layouts I've ever made. Here's a few close ups...

This was another one for a lesson in Paige's class. Another one of my favorites. Surprising since it was one of those layouts where it was totally perfect, and then you have an idea. And once you execute said idea you step back and say "oh crap. what did I.just.do." I had the whole thing laid out but felt like that map was missing something. some interest. So i pulled out my water colors. But when I put the paint to the page the paper absorbed the color in a very strange way causing streaks and not the watery look. Not to mention the paper buckled like crazy. I could've put down gesso first but I didn't want to mute the map print of the paper. In the end I used gelatos, no water and blended blended blended. I love the end result even tho the buckled paper annoys me. The beautiful photo of my husband and daughter evens it out. :) all the supplies for this page are from Studio Calico.

next up....

 Not to much to say about this page, I had a ton of fun making it that's for sure. I started with a stencil I created in the Silhouette studio and used it as a mask to create a polka dot background with acrylic paint. Then I just layered a bunch of papers from the Amy Tangerine Rise & Shine 6X6 pad in colors that matched my daughters bathing suit. Fussy cut the circles from an that same pad, circle punched some pink vellum, created a fun ribbon flower with some old ribbon, a few other little embellishments from my stash and the word beautiful is cut out from a Heidi Swapp acetate card. I love the interest, dimension and textures on this layout. my daughters beautiful blue eyes also help.

 This layout was my effort to use up that Rise & Shine washi tape pad. I have such issues with using washi  tape. I can't tell you how many strips I have put on layouts only to pull them off. I can never make it work. So this whole layout is washi. No paper, just washi. It was alot of fun to put together and the end result is so different. Other then the washi strips, I sewed across a couple of them for some texture, and lets face it none of my layouts are ever without some machine stitching.  a bit of gelatos to peek from behind the picture, a few embellishments from this collection and it was done!

 Ah the Maggie Holmes Confetti collection. I freaking love it. It's almost like I planned our family pictures to match it. But that would be crazy. Or would it? Anyway, however it happened it matches beautifully. I used the 6X6 pad to create this gorgeous starburst effect. I also layered on some of the star vellum and plain vellum to add some more interest. Sewed each strip done and pulled up the edges for dimension. I played around for a long time on which way to put the paper, I initially wanted the starburst on the left side but somehow it just didn't feel right. When I put it on the top it was perfect. Like little red riding hood, it was juuuuust right. Some chipboard, acetate, a tassle, a few stamps and splatter and done. Love this one, it's on display on our gallery wall.

 Last but not least is my most recent layout. I used a cutfile from The Cut Shoppe for the background and the patterened papers are all from the most recent Studio Calico kit. Ok, confession. Whenever I'm working with a color scheme I like to have one paper that brings all the colors I'm working with together. So, I really struggled here. All the papers are beautiful, but there isn't really ANY paper that brings all the colors together other then the grid paper. So, I used a few bits of the acetate that had a blue and red flower on it to help bridge the colors. This could totally just be the perfectionist in me. Possibly. Anyway, the rest of the bits are from the main and the 2 add-ons I got. I sewed through each triangle and outlined them with a black pen to give them a bit more definition. In the end, I love the way it turned out.

Thanks for stopping by, and listening, or reading rather, to me ramble. Hope you'll stop by again, I'm going to leave you with this super sweet picture of my daughter. She turns 2 in 2 weeks, someone hold me. She is just the cutest, I think I bought these adorable glasses just to take a picture of her in them, ha! I want to blow this up to 12x12 I just love it. Bye guys!

Fuse Tool fun!

I finally got to play with my new fuse tool! I know making diagonal pockets is really nothing new but it's the first time I've ever done it! The fuse tool is alot of fun to use, you just need to get used to it. Once you figure out what works best for you (how hard to push, what type of ruler, towards you or away from you ect) it is really slick to use! I used the Craft Market paper pad and a other bits some from Studio Calico and some from my stash. Here's a closer look, thanks for stopping by! 

Wild & Free

Hey! I just wanted to share a quick layout today! I created this with the new Maggie Holmes Confetti Collection. It is totally hoard-worthy. Working with beautiful new supplies is always so fun but difficult. For me, I don't get to scrapbooking stores basically ever. Usually I only ever get things from Studio Calico because it's definitely the most reasonable shipping to Canada. So, when I get something brand new and beautiful and I know I won't be able to get it again it is SO hard for me to actually USE it. That background paper is my favourite of the collection. Cutting into it was not very easy, ha! Using these things is difficult as well because I want to make it stretch. I don't want to use it all on one page, but also I do! *Sigh* It's a mental battle. The struggle is real you guys! I adore the way this turned out and am so glad I cut up that paper and didn't tuck it away for the never-to-be-found perfect layout!

I adhered that paper on and used my favourite stencil and clear heavy gel to get that subtle shiny texture. I smudged in some gesso and used some watercolours on top 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Project Life share

Hey! I'm sharing a few project life spreads today using mostly the Carolina Moon kit and some new Dear Lizzy goodies! Honestly, it's taking me a while to get into the swing of doing monthly project life instead of weekly. At first I found it really difficult to know what photos to put where, and felt to constricted to the weekly format. I have definitely loved that its more free flowing. If I have more photos I just do another spread, and it doesn't matter if I have 5 spreads for the month or 3. Its also been nice to be able to match colors in the photos. So, lets say you have a stack of photos covering a few weeks in May, you just pick and choose the ones that go together and it doesn't matter what week its from. That's something I struggled with last year doing the weekly spreads. Sometimes the color tones and clothes the kids wore or what not just did NOT go together, so chances are some photos just didn't get used because it just didn't look right. There's always black and white of course, but I send my pictures out to be printed so when you get them back, lay them out you see the colors that clash and there's just not much you can do. SO anyway, onto the spreads!

 I totally covered up the "books" part of that coffee+books=bliss. As much as I loved reading when I was younger, I just am not into it anymore. I guess life is so busy when I do have a few moments there are so many things I want to do, reading is pretty low on the list. That and I never have a clue what I would read. So if you have any good book suggestions, please feel free! I mixed in some of the midnight core kit in this one. (or the "little black dress" of project life kits)  

 I've really been trying to do more stamping, I always love the stamps, but somehow they don't make it on alot of layouts. 

 On this layout I used that 4x6 chipboard May 2015. I simply painted it white and distressd the edges slightly so it wasn't to perfect. A few of the cards are this months Studio Calico kit, some are cut aparts from the new Dear Lizzy collection, like the Life is Sweet card. That red matches those chipboard hears so perfectly. This is a pretty journal heavy layout, May is a busy month around here! This year I've really simplified my spreads, less is definitely more when it comes to project life!

And that's it! Thanks for stopping by!

eight.

next week my husband and I celebrate 8 years of marriage. Seriously? Where has the time gone! It seems like yesterday, on our very first anniversary, we told each other on our 10th Anniversary we would renew our vows, and go on the honeymoon we never had. Hard to believe that's only 2 years away now. We've been through alot together and we've overcome alot of odds. Here we are, still crazy and in love, building a pretty wonderful life together. I tell ya, I'd marry him all over again. Anyway...

I resurrected an old collection from my stash. My very favourite collection of all time mind you. Dear Lizzy's Daydreamer. Gosh, I bought every single piece (minus those gorgeous puffy hearts because they were never ever in stock. curses!) I put together this little mini documenting our 8 years to give to my husband, and since he's going to be out of town for work on our day I let him see it already. I'm impatient like that. 

For the cover I used washi tape to tape diagonally across a piece of chipboard and just painted it with acrylic paint. thickers. eight. done. 

Here's a look at the inside, tags, throwback photos, hidden love notes and a whole lotta love

 for this one I created a pocket and tucked tags inside with throwback photos, from when we were dating, engaged, newlyweds. 

some close ups... .

That's about it! This is my first ever mini album and I just love it. I see more of these in my future...Thanks for stopping by!