Picture Perfect in San Francisco - My Creative Scrapbook

 Hello everyone!

I'm sharing my fourth layout with the beautiful January Main kit from My Creative Scrapbook. This awesome kit features the American Crafts Go The Scenic Route collection by Paige Evans. But did you know that each month you also get access to fabulous cut files from PearTree Cut Files? I used two more cut files on this layout, the Snowflake Heart and the Picture Perfect with Camera. I still hadn't used the Prima Color Spray that was included in the kit, so once again, I created a mixed media background with this spray. It's different from other spray mists I've used. I didn't soak into the paper right away as I expected. I used no gesso. It dried with this really cool shine and mottled effect. I added some blue spray mist splatters for interest.

I cut the picture perfect cut file out of black cardstock and backed it with pattern papers. It's an awesome cut file for travel photos. I am definitely going to use this one again to document another trip.

I cut the snowflake heart out from pattern paper. I love the variegated blue/green tones. I wanted to use a photo that complimented those colors. This one of my daughter from a trip to San Francisco was perfect. 

This chinatown mural is amazing! I matted the photo in multiple layers of pattern papers that help to emphasize those colors and tore the bottom edge.

I embellished with chipboard stickers, creating a triangle to draw the eye around my layout. The San Francisco colorful Thickers I pulled from my stash.

This was another really fun layout to create. You can watch my process here.

Supplies: American Crafts Go The Scenic Route collection - http://shrsl.com/2pizr Fineline glue bottles - https://amzn.to/3cGaVbx American Crafts Cardstock - http://shrsl.com/2nugm Cutter bee Scissors - https://amzn.to/2YdgXei Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat ,Black - https://amzn.to/2BamtXJ Silhouette Cameo 4 - https://amzn.to/3ddGqeU

Thanks so much for stopping by.
~Marcia

You Are My Sun, My Moon, & All Of My Stars - Cocoa Vanilla Studios and Faber-Castell

Hello blogging friends!

Today, I am so excited to share a fun Cocoa Vanilla Studios Colour Me Happy layout with you today where I played with my Faber-Castell gelatos to create a bright mixed media background. My inspiration for this layout was this cut apart card with a quote I absolutely love; "You Are My Sun, My Moon, & All Of My Stars". I have really been enamored with using suns and or sunshine on my layouts lately. It is finally Spring in the USA where I live and after a long winter I am enjoying the sun! Here is my layout...

 

I used a very simple technique to achieve my background. First paint gesso where you want to blend your Faber-Castell gelato colors. Once it is dry, pick out three or four colors. I went with 2 shades of yellow and 2 shades of orange on my layout. Then just scribble color over the gesso. You seriously don't need much. Wet your finger and spread the color where you want it blending with the other colors. I like using my finger because you really don't need much water. A paint brush holds too much water which might cause your paper to curl more. Want more color? then just add more scribbles and blend some more. The color is vibrant and it is so fun to see how beautiful the result is. After my color was applied, I used an embossing paste and a stencil to add the stars over the top.

 These awesome encouraging words of tiny text are also from the Colour Me Happy Cut Aparts.

 

I played up the sun, moons, and stars on my layout. I created a stitched garland with little suns and moons and added a lot of star sequins from the Tis The Season collection.

 

I did a little fussy cutting too with some of the floral pattern paper and layered one of the awesome Colour Me Happy flair buttons on top.

 

I hope you will give this technique a try with some Cocoa Vanilla Studios Colour Me Happy and Faber-Castell gelatos. It is quick and easy, but most of all it is so fun!!

 Thanks for stopping by!
 ~Marcia

Honor - JustNick Studios and Simple Stories

Happy Memorial Day blogging friends ... well at least if you are in the USA.

I am posting a patriotic layout using the new JustNick Studios Bits and Pieces Star background cut file. You are getting a sneak peek today ... This file is hitting the JustNick store on Friday ... so please check back then. I was a little too enthusiastic to use it on a Memorial Day layout.

This layout features my husband. He is a former Marine and now volunteers his time with fellow police officers from the Minneapolis St Paul Airport Police Department on their Honor Guard. They attend funerals of police officers around the state, but they also volunteer to stand guard over our fallen soldiers coming back from overseas to their final resting place.



Instead of backing each of those tiny squares with different pattern papers, I opted to selectively fill portions of the negative space to mimic our American flag ... with the colors reversed as that is what I had for patriotic pattern paper. I used the Simple Stories Hero Collection Simple Set with a few embellishments thrown in from other collections. Then I added some stars with modeling paste painted with acrylic paint.





I love the overall look. I didn't want to ruin the star focus, so my journaling was done around the edge of the die cuts.



Here is the cut file I used today. Stop back on June 4th to purchase from the store.



Thanks for stopping by today! Stop by the JustNick store to check out all the awesome digital cut files.

~Marcia

Morning Glory Box Card - Imaginisce

Hello blogging friends! I have an Imaginisce Heartland Farm box card up on the blog today.

I LOVE Morning Glories! I plant them every year so that they climb up my mailbox. When I saw a morning glory box card digital file at SVGcuts, I knew I had to make it. 

The Imaginisce Heartland Farm papers were perfect. I used my I-Rock and a mixture of  metallic gems and crystal rhinestones to bling up my flowers. The I-Rock is such an easy tool to use and a few gems can turn an ordinary card into an extraordinary card. 

 

and of course there is a coordinating envelope too.

Supplies:

Imaginisce : Pattern Papers, wood token, enamel dots (Heartland Farm),  I-Rock, metallic gems in gold, crystal rhinestones

American Crafts: Cardstock

Paper Smooches sentiment stamp

Prima bee stamp

SVGcuts Country Market digital cut file

Xyron adhesives

Thanks for stopping by!

~Marcia

 

Drumline Drills - Cocoa Vanilla Studios Made of Awesome

Hello blogging friends!!!

I am enjoying the Cocoa Vanilla Studios Made of Awesome collection so much.  It's perfect for scrapping photos of my teenage son. You know... not too little boyish. I just love the colors and the patterns. This photo of my son is from his senior year of high school. He played snare drum for the marching band. His senior year he was the section leader! Band practice was hard work in the summer heat, but it looks like he had some fun too....

What I love about all Cocoa Vanilla Studio collections are all of the coordinating embellishments; ephemera dies cuts, stickers, alphas, charms, wood veneers, flair, sequins, and vellum die cuts. Just take a peek at how I used a few of these...

I really love this die cut with the quote, "Anyone can be cool, but Awesome takes practice."

 

 Made of Awesome and Teenage Boys... What an awesome combination! 

 Thanks for stopping by today! 

 ~Marcia

Oh Boy - Cocoa Vanilla Studios

Hello blogging friends. I continue to pinch myself every time I get out my Cocoa Vanilla Studios papers. This Australian based paper company created by the very talented Zoe Pearn is definitely going to make an impression. Her first two collections; Sugar & Spice and Flying High are so fabulous. Take a look at this layout I created with the Flying High collection....

My inspiration for this layout came from a Page Drafts sketch by the very talented Em Stafrace. I really love her sketches. The banners here are very eye catching.

That is my son Trenton in the photo. He received that football uniform for Christmas one year and loved it so much I had difficulty getting it off him to wash it. I wanted to play up the stars in the collection so I used a stencil and ink to add some to my background. Then I sprinkled some cork stars and star stickers over the top.

The flair button echos my title and sets off my photo perfectly. I layered more stickers here too.

For once I journaled directly on my layout! 

Isn't this collection perfect for sport photos! Actually perfect for all things Boy! 

thanks for stopping by. 

~Marcia

Just My Type - Top Dog Dies

Hello blogging friends. I have a Top Dog Dies card to share with you today...

I am easily distracted when cleaning through my stash.... found a Crate Paper typewriter die cut and this fabulous typewriter paper from the Crate Paper DIY collection and knew I had to make a card with the new Top Dog Dies Typewriter Alphabet die sets. I also used the Top Dog Dies Bella Doily die here too. Doilies are great for layering. The strip of alphas was cut with boxboard where I left the letters intact and then I layered black cardstock without the letters over the top. I like using boxboard (think cereal box) with my dies to give my cards a little more dimension.

Supplies
Top Dog Dies Bella Doily
Top Dog Dies Typewriter Upper Case Alphabet Set
Top Dog Dies Typewriter Lower Case Alphabet Set

Thanks for stopping by!
~Marcia

For Your Confirmation - Cardabilities reveal

Hello blogging friends. I think Spring has finally arrived! 50 degrees is expected today! I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will melt the rest of the snow here. Yes, there is still snow on the ground here :(

I have another card I made for Cardabilities.  Here is the fabulous sketch by Karan Gerber ...

This challenge is sponsered by Pickled Potpourri Designs. You can find them here... Facebook or here... Pinterest. 

Pam from Pickled Potpourri was sweet enough to send me some digital stamps to work with for the reveal. I chose to use the Cross. With Spring right around the corner I was thinking about the First Communions and Confirmations at our church. They always seem to coincide with Easter. My intent was to make a masculine Confirmation card as I have a nephew that will be getting confirmed. A masculine card with this sketch and the digital stamp just wasn't working for me though. Instead I came up with this...

Definitely a feminine card. I like the yellow with the peach color combo. To me it says SPRING! I am not huge on coloring either so left my cross plain. There is enough color on this card already, don't you think.
Be sure to check out the other designer takes. They always WOW me with their talent. If you would like to work with Karan's sketches, Cardabilities and Sketchabilities are having DT calls. 

Enjoy what's left of your weekend!
~Marcia

You & Me - Page Drafts "Love is Everywhere" Release

Happy Friday!!! I am so excited to be a part of the Page Drafts "Love is Everywhere" release.

I am a big fan of Emma's and her fabulous sketches. Did you know there is a challenge for this release? You can find out the details on the Page Drafts blog or Facebook wall.

There are 5 awesome sketches in the release. Here is the sketch I used...

Here is my take on it using Echo Park's Beautiful Life collection. These papers were also part of a past My Creative Scrapbook kit. I've been organizing my stash and trying not to hoard so much. I came across these corrugated hearts that I've had for a couple years now and knew I had to use them. I got a little carried away with the paint. Not sure I like it that much. What do you think?

This is my daughter Naomi and my soon to be son-in-law Aaron :) They announced their engagement at Christmas.

Supplies:
Pattern Paper, Stickers : Echo Park  Beautiful Life collection
Dies : Cheery Lynn French Pastry, Large Fanciful Flourish, Anastasia border, and small French Pastry
Cardstock : Cut Cardstock
Chipboard: Want 2 Scrap
Corrugated Hearts : Jillibean Soup
hemp
Flowers : Prima
Silhouette
Sewing machine
Coats and Clark Thread
Ink : Ranger Distress Ink in Vintage Photo

This Saturday I am picking up my daughter Colette to spend the day with her. It was her birthday this past week. She's 22 years old now. So hard to believe. Hope you all have a great weekend.
~Marcia

It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas - Scraptown Lady

Ok, I know its not even Halloween yet. I just couldn't help myself when I saw the gorgeous Authentique Peaceful collection that Cheryl at Scrap-Town-Lady sent me. Those papers reminded me of the first snowfall of the season. Fresh white snow where you can still see the green grass, just a little. And a little snow in December just gets me in the mood for all things Christmas; shopping, baking cookies, decorating the house. Does it inspire you in the same way?
I wanted to scrapbook a photo I took last winter of the first snowfall; the view out my front window. This was no ordinary first snowfall, we got 14" of snow here in Minnesota. BTW, it still looked like this in April.
I thought spring would never come.

I played up the snowflakes and the pine sprigs to embellish my layout. The snowflakes are a Tim Holtz die and the pine sprigs were a Silhouette cut. I used this sketch from Heather at Bird Is The Word. I flipped a portion of it to suit a horizontal photo. The latest word is Inspire, which I used in my journaling.

There are a lot of background details. I created negative space with a punch, and then used those punched out snowflakes to layer on top.

Some little wood veneer birdies were a must too.

Then I made a Z-Fold gift card holder with my scraps...

It's tied shut with this pretty Hug Snug Ribbon. When its open, it looks like this. Each section is a 4x4 square. Super easy to make.

I used a blanket stitch around my gift card insert to keep that card secure. A hole punch in the middle makes it easier for the recipient to get that card out. Instead of a gift card here, you could place a photo instead and use it as a Christmas card.

ScrapTown Lady Supplies:
Authentique Peaceful Frost
Authentique Peaceful Solitude
Authentique Peaceful Chill
Authentique Peaceful Cozy
Authentique Peaceful Freeze
Impression Obsession Bare Tree
Bazzill cardstock in Black
Ranger Distress Ink in Peeled Paint
Prima Chalker in Black Coal
Hug Snug Ribbon in Black
Glue Dots  
Scrapbook Adhesives  Foam Squares  
Scotch Quick Dry Glue

Other supplies:
Martha Stewart Snowflake punch
Tim Holtz snowflake die
Spellbinders scallop die
Silhouette
hemp
Prima wood veneer birds
Crafter's Workshop template tree
Cosmo Cricket alpha stickers 
Sewing machine
gesso
Core'dinations cardstock

Are you ready for some snow yet? Be prepared. Stock up on scrapbook supplies in the Scrap-Town-Lady store so if you are snowed in, you can scrap away :)
~Marcia