Happy Adventures - PageMaps

 Happy New Year friends,

I am trying to come to grips with the fact that it is January 2022! But a new month means that there are new sketches to inspire you at PageMaps. I decided to do some stash bashing. Over Thanksgiving break, I started purging my scrapbook papers and came across what was left of my Fancy Pants Designs Dream Big collection. When I saw the open road paper I knew it was perfect for documenting a photo I've been wanting to scrap of my nephew and his girlfriend. About a year and a half ago they decided to hit the road in their 5th wheel camper and travel and work odd jobs when they needed money. They are currently in Washington state where my nephew is working cutting down trees and his girlfriend is teaching yoga classes. Here is my layout ...

and here is the sketch...

I followed the sketch pretty close. Instead of three photos though I used two since I wanted to include this horizontal photo of their camper.

You can catch my YouTube process video here along with the supply list.

Thanks so much for stopping by. 

~Marcia

Soak Up The Sun - Paper Issues

Hello blogging friends!

I am back today with some summer layout inspiration using the fun Fancy Pants Designs Hello Sunshine collection and a FREE digital cut file from the Paper Issues store. I love how bright and colorful the Hello Sunshine collection is. It's perfect for lots of summer photos including those beach pictures. I combined it with the FREE Sunburst Background and came up with this...

I did a lot of machine stitching on those sun's rays! I love the look of the white on white and with the ink splatters, it still feels like sunshine. I grounded my photo and embellishments using a strip of pattern paper.  All those fun tags and die cuts on both sides of my photo frame it so well. I especially love that flamingo!! Check out the detailed shots...

Here is the cut file I used today ...

I even have a YouTube Video for you to watch my process ...

There is a lot of fun new things in the Paper Issues store. Check it out and use my coupon code Marcia20 and save 20%.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Enjoy your weekend!

~Marcia

Like A Boss - Paper Issues

Hello blogging friends!

I am playing along with the Paper Issues Pinspire Me challenge. Here is the fun mood board for August ...

I was inspired by those bright colors and thought it would be perfect to scrap a recent family paint night. It was the first time my daughter Naomi has ever done one. She wasn't too sure she could paint very well or that she would even enjoy it. She LOVED it!! We painted Matisse's Cat with Red Fish. Here is my layout ...

I printed an 8x10 photo of the Matisse Cat that Naomi painted and cut it into a grid. I wanted to create a tiled pattern for interest. I embellished my layout with the Fancy Pants Designs Dream Big collection. I love the encouraging quotes like this one in the die cut ephemera pack.

You can play along with the Paper Issue challenges in our Facebook group. We welcome everyone. Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great week!
~Marcia

Don't Just Follow Your Dreams, Chase Them - JustNick Studios and Clique Kits

Hello blogging friends!

School is winding down here in the states and another of my nephews is graduating! I just received his grad party invite in the mail along with a photo and had to use the new JustNick Studios  Dreamcatcher_1 digital cut file to scrap it. The dreamcatcher is perfect for him as he is part American Indian.

I placed my title on the left side of my photo as I did not want to cover up too much of my dreamcatcher. Of course my title had to contain the word dream! To keep the dreamcatcher from being too busy I limited myself to just 3 different pattern papers.

This is my 5th layout with the May Clique Kit featuring the Fancy Pants Designs Attwell collection and I still have plenty of paper left for a few more layouts I think! I thought that feather pattern paper in the collection was perfect for the dreamcatcher. I also used the feather washi tape that was an add on.

Here is the Dreamcatcher_1 cut file I used...

I hope you snatched up the free cut files last weekend from JustNick Studios for International Scrapbook Day. This Dreamcatcher 1 file was one of the freebies.

Thanks for stopping by. 

~Marcia

Be The Change - Clique Kits and JustNick

Hello blogging friends!

I am back today with my 4th layout using the May Clique Kit Northern Lights. Since I am not a PL scrapper, I like to look for new ways to use those PL cards that are in every Clique Kit. This PL card stood out for me; 'Let your smile change the world, but don't let the world change your smile'. I knew I wanted to use it on a layout ... and lucky for me my daughter left this selfie on my phone, lol. Maybe the political campaign is getting to me as this layout reminds me of the Bernie Sanders commercial Together. He really does have the best political commercials out there.

I used a JustNick digital cut file called Bits and Pieces Heart. If you look closely you can see I cut apart another PL card and used it to fill my negative space behind my cut file. Since that Smile PL card contained blues and purples, I then choose blues, purples, white and black pattern papers from the Basic Grey Urban Luxe and Fancy Pants Designs Attwell collections to fill the remaining negative spaces.

 

I left the rest of my layout relatively simple. Because I wanted to keep the heart shape prominent, I added embellishments on top of my photo. That Hey Chica die cut also went with my color scheme. I added a few alpha stickers and a puffy heart sticker from the Fancy Pants Attwell collection. I tucked a tag behind my photo for my journaling.

 

I hope I inspired you to give those PL cards another look when using them on your next layout.

Thanks for stopping by.
~Marcia

Today Love Blooms - JustNick and Clique Kits

Hello blogging friends!

It's Spring and I have been out cleaning out my flower beds to prepare them for planting this year and my husband has already put my water fountain out. He gave me this fountain as an anniversary gift over 15 years ago. I could probably count the material gifts he has given me over the years on one hand, but when he does buy me something, he knows my heart. Keeping this fountain running is a labor of love for him, a gift he continues to give me each year. I can't tell you how many people have walked up to me while I was outside and offered to buy it from me straight out! No Way!!! That fountain is way too precious.

I thought I would use the gorgeous Fancy Pants Designs Attwell papers from my May Clique Kit to document this awesome gift along with some fabulous cut files from JustNick.



That background paper is so beautiful, but I did not want my photos to get lost. Framing them with the Spiral Background cut twice from white cardstock really helps keep them from blending into the background. The spirals are so similar to some of my floral die cuts too.



Some black Stems really pop against all that vivid color.



I used two different cut files to create my title; "Today" from the Today Forever Always cut file, and the "Love" from the Word 3 cut file.



Here are all the cut files I used today.

Thanks for stopping by.
~Marcia

Waikiki Beach - Clique Kits

Hello blogging friends!

I am so excited to be kicking off the May Clique Kit inspiration!! Have you see the kit? It features the Fancy Pants Designs Attwell collection AND the Basic Grey Urban Luxe collection plus lots of Clique exclusives. I LOVE it all!

 

Those Urban Luxe papers were talking to me. I thought they would be perfect for scrapping photos of Honolulu from our recent trip to Hawaii and what could be more urban luxe than Waikiki Beach ...

   

 My favorite pattern paper from the Urban Luxe collection is that floral background paper. I tore the piece of corrugated cardboard so the edges would be distressed. I added a little gesso to soften the edges. Then I placed another piece of pattern paper on top. I clustered two smaller photos in the lower left corner and placed a larger photo in the opposite corner.

 

This die cut is one of the Clique exclusive cut files this month. I love how intricate it is. The flair in the kit this month is part of the Attwell collection. There is even a fabulous roll of yellow chevron washi tape!

 

Here is another flair button from the kit along with these fabulous Richard Garay matte enamel dots. I used a couple of the tags behind my photos to hold my journaling.

   

 The heart is one of the Clique exclusive ephemera die cuts. I combined it with more enamel dots and a puffy arrow sticker.

   

 We recently had a user in the Clique Facebook group ask how to import the Clique cut files into the Silhouette software. She had just gotten a Silhouette Cameo!!  I wanted to share with you my method of storing my Clique cut files in my Silhouette library. I like to be able to browse through all my designs. It reminds me of files I might otherwise forget about. I created a folder just for my Clique Kit cut files. To create a new folder, right click on My Library, select New Folder. Give your folder a name (like Clique Kits). Then left click your new Clique Kits folder to select it. The right side should be empty (if you just created the folder).

 

To extract your downloaded files. Open up the zipped file and select which ones to extract and click the Extract button. If you do not have the deluxe software version that allows you to cut SVGs, you want to look for the Studio files.

 

Now open your download directory where your unzipped files are located. Arrange your windows so you can see both your downloaded files (on the left) and your Silhouette Clique Kits folder (on the right). Select one, (or a range of files you want to move) drag the files to the Silhouette Clique folder. I store my printables and cut files together.

   

 It's really that easy!  

 I hope I am getting you all excited to receive your May Clique Kit! Thanks for stopping by.

~Marcia

   

Hello Life - Clique Kits

Hello blogging friends!

I am back today with my fourth layout that I created with the January Clique Kit featuring the awesome Fancy Pants Designs Happy Place collection.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this kit!!! I still have lots of paper and embellishments left too, which is amazing because I love to use lots of pattern papers on my layouts. For today's post, I thought I would give you an idea on how to use some of those labels that came with the kit. I created this layout, documenting some of my 2016 New Year resolutions. I am also using one of the exclusive digital cut files designed by Lacey. I love this one because it reminds me of confetti. I really love how this one turned out even though it has a photo of me, lol.

 

It often amazes me that some people can be so happy-go-lucky and others are so serious. I am one of those serious people. This year I want to Smile More, Make Time for Me, Have Fun, Laugh Often, Spend Time with my Family, and Celebrate Every Day. I selected some of the puffy script stickers that were an Add-on and some of the ephemera die cuts. Then I decided to print the text I needed on vellum. This would allow me to move things around. For no show adhesive on the vellum, I used my Xyron Sticker Maker.

 

Then I arranged the vellum, stickers, and ephemera die cuts on the labels. I like how the stitching emphasizes my resolutions.

 

 

 There are so many awesome ephemera die cuts. I used another one for my title here.

 

Thanks for stopping by today. Clique Kits is having a clearance sale, making room in the store for some new purchases. Use coupon code Marcia10 and save yourself 10%. Also there is a new Anything Goes challenge up on the blog. No excuses... link up and join the fun!

~Marcia

Top 10 of 2014!

Hello blogging friends! I am sharing some of my favorite projects of 2014 in a fun hop with an awesome prize up for grabs that you can win just by commenting on the participating blogs. What prize you ask ...  why a $75 Gift Certificate to Paper Issues!!!!  The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. $75 can buy a lot of scrappy goodies that Santa didn't bring you!

Have we got an awesome hop for you, WOW! Take a look at this line-up.

Juliana Michaels   

Michele Kovack

Chantalle McDaniel

Christine Meyer

Mendi Yoshikawa

Kelly Holbrook

Laurel Seabrook

Katrina Hunt

Wendy Morris-Saponaro

Becki Adams

Suzanna Lee

Melissa Elsner

Monika Wright

Wendy Antenucci

Jen Matott

Marcia Dehn-Nix <----- you are here.

Ashley N Newell

Kathy Skou

Linda Auclair

Kelly Jean

Monique Liedtke

Rhonda Van Ginkel

Jennifer Haggerty

Cathy Harper

You should have arrived from the amazing Jen Matott's blog. If not, you may want to jump back to start at the beginning. I tried really hard to whittle my list down to 10, but settled on 14 instead, (14 for 2014) Here are my favorites in no particular order. Links to download free cut files are included on a few.

I created this layout for Creative Scrappers using sketch #271. The paper is Echo Park Splendid Sunshine and Simple Stories Fresh Air.

This layout I had published in the September issue of Papercrafts and Scrapbooking Magazine and was created with Echo Park's Fall Reflections. That chevron cut file was a freebie. You can download it from Creative Scrappers here.

Here is a card I created for Xyron using the Graphic 45 By The Sea collection. The wood veneer nautical wheel is from Creative Embellishments.

Here is a layout created with some Doodlebug Snips and Snails collection.

I created this layout for Imaginisce using a PageMaps sketch. It won me an awesome prize from My Creative Scrapbook. The papers are from the Perfect Vacation collection.

Another Imaginisce  project for Thanksgiving using the Bushel O' Fall papers.

This Imaginisce layout was to be published by Northridge Publishing, and now I fear I will never see it again. They never returned it to me along with 2 other layouts. The papers are from the Outdoor Adventure and Colors of Christmas collections. If you would like my snowflake circles cut file, it can be downloaded here. After I went through all the work of welding those circles and snowflakes together I figured others might as well benefit from it :)

I created this layout for Love My Tapes. It too is based off sketch #267 from Creative Scrappers and uses the Santa's List collection from Teresa Collins.

This Easter banner makes me happy with its colored burlap and whimsical Imaginisce Welcome Spring papers and die cuts.

Imaginisce has an awesome new collection called Family Fun that I used to create these cards...

I am in love with the trendy triangles, Pinkfresh Studio chevrons, and washi tape on this next layout I created for Clique Kits. Their October kit featured Basic Grey's Second City and was my favorite kit so far. Be sure to check out their store. They have a massive clearance sale going on right now. If you use coupon code Marcia10 you can get an additional 10% off the clearance prices!

I love this card I made for a Xyron and Spellbinders swap using some Little Yellow Bicycle from my stash.

This layout of my daughter and her Great Pyrenees was published in the Winter issue of Scrapbook and Cards Today using the Fancy Pants Timbergrove collection and Creative Scrappers sketch #259! So excited to say it was chosen as the editor's favorite!

I created this canning lid pumpkin for Love My Tapes, inspired by one I saw on Pinterest.

Let me know if you have a favorite.... Then hop on over to the very talented  Ashley N Newell's blog.

Thanks for stopping by
~Marcia