May 31, 2018

Dream Big


Scrapbook Layout created for Simple Stories  -  DREAM BIG -






Hello Simple Stories Friends and Fans!
Nathalie with you today with a new project that is all about color and GOOD VIBES.  I love taking pictures of my kids and their little cousins together, especially since they get along very well despite the large age gap between them.   Sometimes it is hard to document these pictures, but  the new Simple Stories' GOOD VIBES collection was perfect to convey the feel of this memory.



I wanted to use as many of the papers and colors of this collection, so my choice was to create a large title using a JustNick Studio cut file, and then used papers from the Good Vibes collection to back the letters.



To have all the details pop on the page, a bit of mixed media -Vicki Boutin's Art Crayon- was added to the b-side of a Sn@p! Birch/white grid paper. 



Once the title was added to the page, it was time to start embellishing!  Since there are so many fun and colorful icons, I chose to color block the clusters so that they match the colors in the background.




The picture was then backed with one of the papers from the collection, and placed next to the title.   Once again color block clusters were created around the picture.   Just love all the icons and how perfect they work in these color clusters.




Totally loving the GOOD VIBES on this page.  I hope this serves as inspiration to check this new Simple Stories collection.   You are going to love how fun and versatile the new Simple Stories' GOOD VIBES collection can be!

Til next time!








Materials Used:
#2847    Sn@p! Basics  Birch/white grid 12x12 designer cardstock
Good Vibes collection:
#10080    Collection Kit
#10081    Combo Sticker
#10084   You Got This paper
#10082    Be Amazing paper
#10085   3x4 elements paper
#10086   4x4 elements paper
#10089    Chipboard Stickers
#10090    Bits and Pieces
#10091    4x6 Cardstock Stickers



May 30, 2018

Beach Memories


Scrapbook Layout created for Scrapbook Nerd  - BEACH MEMORIES -




Hello everyone!

It is time to share my bit of inspiration for Scrapbook Nerd.   With the weather being so hot here in Toronto, all i have been thinking is of our last vacation to Ecuador, so I pulled one of the pictures to create this page showcasing Bella Blvd's  Island Escape collection.



It all started with recreating the colors of the beach using some mixed media, for this I used some white acrylic paint and Distress Oxides.   I played with the inks so that they  had the definition of sand and water.




Next,  i pulled a cut file from the Silhouette Store, and back the letters with papers from the collection. A bit of foam adhesive helps with adding that extra dimension to the page.  The Acrylic word just completes the title.






Using the embellishments from the collection, I added  a few clusters around the page, very simple clusters as there is so much color and designs already there.




Love how this turned out!!!  Remember to stop by Scrapbook Nerd to check all the materials used here.   There are so many new items at the store.

As always let me know if you have questions on how this came together.

Til' next time!

May 29, 2018

My Personal Journal - week 21





Hi there!

I don't know how the weather is on your little corner of the world. but Toronto is feeling like Summer, and we have not yet even experienced Spring.   It is amazing how fast time runs, and we don't even realize it at times.  It is life, I guess, always being on the run; so it is always good to stop and smell the roses, or in my case  capture and document small moments.  With that being said, let me show you this week's entries on my personal journal.






I am a stamp lover, and could not pass up a few new releases from Feed Your Craft; so  as soon as i received them, I put them to use in some of my tn entries along with my Citrus Twist Kits goodies.







This week i was drawn to having a full spread per day ( a few extras included), so i chose to go for a few hybrid additions to some of my entries -using Studio Calico and In a Creative Bubble digital files-







This month's Citrus Twist Kits PL kit featured Crate Paper's Wild Heart collection, and one of the papers in my selection was this large graphic one.  Gotta say that i love how easy it was to combine it with pictures and stamps to create a sweet page about my baby.






Well that is all for me for this week. I hope these serve as inspiration to take a few minutes a day to document your memories in whichever format of your choice.

have a safe week!

XO

May 26, 2018

On The Go - Junque Journal

Junque Journal entry for Vicki Boutin DT  - ON THE GO -





Hi there!  It has been a while since I shared a new entry of my Junque Journal.  But to be honest it is my first time working with this format, and I love it!  My approach is that of a mix between art journal and scrapbook page.  So with that being said, let me show you how I created this entry:




For this entry, I am using one of the Junque Journal’s Mixed Media paper inserts, and   gesso just the inside of the insert. 



I wanted to create a heart made up of blocks, so I pulled a cut file from JustNick Studio, and cut it from a foundation paper.  I used this heart as a guideline when creating the background.   Using a pencil, I lightly marked the corners of the heart on the insert, and then used a stencil brush, the script stencil, and art crayons to add the first layer to the background.  Once I was happy with the inside heart, I used a baby wipe to clean up the stencil on the cover flap of the insert, so that I can have a unified idea throughout the project.




Next, using the heart cut out as a stencil, I dragged Matte Acrylic gel on top of the stenciled script background, and set it aside to dry completely.




Once the gel dried completely, a baby wipe was used to take away some of the extra art crayon that surrounds the stenciled heart.  The baby wipe does not completely take the color away, but it does soften the color and definition of the script. Then this was set aside to dry.




Now it is time to add a bit of color to the page, so I diluted Blue Hawaiian, and Juicy Pear acrylic pop paints with water, and used a brayer to move the color around the insert.  I chose to keep most of the blue to the side where the heart is placed.    Once the paint was on, I used a baby wipe to clean the paint off the heart’s blocks, so that the paint only rests on the groves between the blocks.




Once the paint dried completely, I used Vicki’s markers to add extra definition and shading around the cut out.  This makes the heart details just pop from the page.




To finish the inside of the insert, the same cut out was used to add another heart to the inside flap of the insert.   This time, I used a bit of art crayon and the stencil brush to create the design in the flap.




Now that the entire inside of the insert was completed, I set it aside to dry and set for just a little bit before tackling the front flap of this insert.  Got to love all the texture and colors of the inside part of this entry.




I kept the front flap pretty simple, so first I added some stamping to the already stenciled script background.    The circle stamp and the brushstroke phrases in the set were added to the paper using the cool wheel ink set. 



Next, I used art crayons and the stencil brush to add color to the cut out, trimmed to fit the flap, and then used glue to attach it to the stamped page.   The title of the project was then added using the Chipboard alpha and glitter foam thickers from the All the Good Things collection.




To finish this page, I used ephemera and rub ons to add some interest to the inside of the insert’s flap.   I also added my lines of journal here.




Next I used some ephemera and frames to add some interest to the picture before gluing it complete to the blocked heart.   A combination of cardstock and watercolor stickers create a small cluster at the bottom of the picture which is enough to complete this page.
I honestly started this page with no plan in mind, just to play with mediums, and ended up with a pretty cool looking page.  The following video will give you a better look at how this was created.



I hope this inspires you to pull your Vicki Boutin’s products and play with them.   Sometimes inspiration just comes when you start playing with the mediums.
As always let me know if you have questions on how this came together, and don’t forget to pick up Vicki’s products.  They are amazing!

XO








Materials Used:
All the Good Things Collection:
Ephemera pack – icons and frames
Finishing embellishments
Cardstock stickers
Watercolor stickers
 Rub-ons
Chipboard Alphas
Glitter foam thickers

Mixed Media collection:
Foundation paper
Junque Journal
Mixed media inserts for Junque Journal
Gesso
Art Crayon – cool and neutral sets
Matte Acrylic Gel
Mister
Water brushes
Acrylic Pop Paint – Iced Daiquiri and Juicy Pear
Script Stencil
Stencil Brushes
Markers
Stamp and Die set – circles
Color wheel – cool set


May 24, 2018

My Personal Journal - Week 20




Hi There!

we are gearing towards the middle of the year! Amazing how fast time is passing by.  I have continued capturing my every day -it is a habit, now- and using the pictures to create my visual journal for 2018.  Well, with that being said, here are the entries for the past week on my Traveler's Notebook:





A couple weeks ago, I found TN inserts at Michaels, and decided to give this grid insert a try.  Though my choice is always white pages,  I gotta say that i am loving having the grid to help achieve the straight lines when gluing things to my TN.




This week, I chose to use some of my PL and scrapbook kits from Citrus Twist Kits to create some of the entries.  Having the option of using the digitals to create some hybrid pages speeds the documenting process a bit.





That is  all the entries to my personal journal for the past week,  I really hope you are also documenting your days!

 See you soon!


May 22, 2018

Reworking Backgrounds



Hello everyone! Hope you are all enjoying this new week!  It is time for a new tutorial, and this time i wanted to show a way to rework those layouts we some-and/or-many times we end up not loving after they are completely finished.

 

This is the original layout i had created for this tutorial, i wanted to show you a quick and easy mixed media background, but i think i got carried away, and ended up not loving the finished product.  So i set it aside for a while, and played with a few ideas, but i knew that it was not up to my liking, so i decided to rework it.  So please enjoy the following video that will show you how this layout yielded two new layouts:




 How about those layouts!!  Let me just give you  a bit more information on what i created with that salvage layout.



   


 This new layout is similar to the original one created.   The major difference is all that extra gold stenciling that run diagonally across the opposite side of the picture.


   


   This layout has a more refined background, and all the elements of the previous page (i kept them all as they were featured in the first page).  With this simpler design, the picture is the focus of the page, and all the embellishments (all from Pebbles' Patio Party Collection) shine without being overtaken by the background.  Now onto the next page:

 


   This layout features the background of the original page.  The choice to cut circles out of the original lbackground takes away the busy pattern that all that extra stenciling created on the page.

    


 A bit of a watercolor brings a new clean canvas for all those background circles.  Due to the bold pattern of the circles, just a few of them are enough to complete the page, and add dimension to the layout at the same time.

   


   To balance the bold pattern in the circle, the rest of the layout's embellishments were kept simple, so that the picture becomes the focus of the page. I am sure some of you might think that reworking a background into other pages might be a bit of a stretch, and i completely understand.  But  this might serve as inspiration to create your own patterned paper (so you could create shapes out of it), or to try a simple mixed media background.    It is completely up to you!

 As always please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.  I would love to help you, it at all possible.  Remember to stop by Scrapbook Nerd  to check all the materials used in this page.

 XO