Clique Kits Design Team Blog Hop

Clique Kits  Design Team Blog Hop  

Hello there!

I am so excited to welcome you all to my blog today (you have just come from Candace's blog). It is still so surreal to realize that i am part of the Clique Kits design team 2016-2017, working with their awesome kits, and the rest of the talented designers.  

Most of you are wondering who i am.  Well, let me introduce myself in a few words by answering a few fun questions.

My name is Nathalie DeSousa,  I am a stay at home wife/mom of two teens and a dog.   I love my God-given life, my family and friends, photography, crafts, reading, good coffee, and soccer.  HEre are some other fun facts:

1.  What is my favorite color?...    I love black.  There is something about it that makes it elegant, yet mysterious.  I love how it can complement and contrast all colors.  I just love it!

2.  What's your favorite song right now?...  This one is  a bit tricky for me, but can I say anything Adele.

3.  Who inspires you?...  I find inspiration everywhere, but if i had to define it... I would say my mom is who has inspired me to become the person that I am today.  We are so similar, yet so different, but I have always admire her.

4.  Favorite book?...  I love to read.  So it is hard to pick a single book, however I can say that I read my Bible every day, and i have been known to binge read the Harry Potter series a few times a year.

5.  Favorite Movie?...  There are so many movies i love, but one of my all time favorites is a Spanish movie (Spanish is my native language) called, "El Hijo de la Novia" - The Son of the Bride.  If you ever run into it, watch it, you will love it, too.

6.  Favorite Snack?...   This is an easy answer:  Dark chocolate (the darker, the yummier!), and gummy bears.

7.   What is your favorite food?...  Another easy one:  Ecuadorian food in general, and carrot cake, in no particular order.

8.  Where would you like to visit someday?... It has always been a dream of mine to go to Australia, and New Zealand.   My wanderlust has a soft spot for those countries.

9.  Who got me into scrapbooking?... I think I got myself into scrapbooking as I became a mom.  As a child, my mom took pictures of us (but they were destroyed when they were stored in a humid environment), so I chose to document my kids in a way that i could preserve all memories forever.

10.  How many years have you been scrapbooking?... I have journal my life since I can remember, but started scrapbooking when my kids were born -though time was limited then-.  It was once they got older that I started to spend more time surrounded by pretty paper.

11.  Favorite Manufacturer?...  I really don't have a favorite manufacturer,  I simply love pretty paper!


 Now I get to share some inspiration with you!  I have created a few layouts with the beautiful
  Pink Paislee's Take Me Away collection available  in the Clique Store.   For this page, I am documenting my niece's 8th birthday celebration by trying to recreate the cupcakes we shared on her celebration.

I used the Clique Kits's XOXO kit cut file to create the cupcakes that surround the picture; however, I did not use my digital machine to cut the paper, but chose to cut each piece using the printable version of the cut file.   I have created this video to show you how I built the layout:

Here are a few more close ups of the project:

I love the combination of texture and dimension in this cluster of cut-outs and fussy cut pieces.

A close up to the detail in the cupcake cut-outs.

Here is the second project created with the same paper collection, Pink Paislee's Take Me Away.   This page documents my daughter and niece after enjoying some ice cream on Easter Day.

I used a cut file from Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine, and vellum to soften the layout.  The cut-out was backed with papers from the collection using foam adhesive (also available at the Clique Store) to ensure dimension to the layout.  Here are a few more close ups of the layout:

I love to add dimension to my pages.

A close up of the picture in the layout.

I am so thankful to God, and all the Clique Kits's girls (Gia, Lacey, Erica & Nicole) for the opportunity.  I look forward to sharing with all of you my work as I get to document memories with these beautiful kits.

Don't forget to leave comments in the blogs as you continue to visit the rest of the Design Team, there is a prize for a lucky comment.

You can always find me on social media as Tachita55 (my nickname since birth), i would love to hear from you!.


See you all soon!

Now you are off to visit Melissa's Blog.

In case you missed any of the DT members, here is the line-up for the day:

Clique Kits http://www.cliquekits.com/
 Maryam Perez-Chile http://maryamperez.blogspot.ca/
Audrey Yeager-New York http://audreysreflection.blogspot.ca/
Caroli Schulz-Chile www.carolinaschulz.com
Candace Perkins- http://findingeverydayperfection.com/
YOU ARE HERE  -->> Nathalie DeSousa-Canada http://tachita55.blogspot.ca/   <<--

 Melissa Elsner-Washington http://theprofoundbrunette.com  <<<NEXT STOP

Magali Le Luc-Canada http://blogladybird.blogspot.ca/
Dani Brown-California https://danibscraps.wordpress.com/
Enza Gudor-Washington https://creativefindingsblog.wordpress.com/
Steph Gold-Arizona http://goldensimplicity.com/
Nicole Martel-Maryland http://nicolemartel.blogspot.com

Happy Haunting

Scrapbook Layout created for The Cut Shoppe   - Happy Haunting -

a close up of the layout

Hello dear friends!

A few days ago, Ashley Horton - the owner of the Cut Shoppe - created a new digital/printable collection for the Etsy store.  "Ghost Town" is a beautiful Halloween collection full of traditional and non-traditional patterns and colors (some of the patterns can be used in non-Halloween related pages... YAY!!).  It comes with beautiful coordinating alphas, cut apart cards, ephemera, and cut-outs; and for the first time the store will also be selling coordinating wood veneers and acrylic pieces.  But above all, the best part of this collection is that you get to print what you need at your convenience.  Just click here to be taken to the store, and you can see the collection closely.

Since, I cannot resist pretty paper, I went to Staples and had the entire collection printed in large format card stock, so I can use it right away  ( I have a large catalog of pictures that have yet to be documented).  I have put together a small video on how the layout came together:

To create this layout, I started by using the Wicked Fun cut file from the Cut Shoppe, and welded a few of the bat  images together.  I backed the cut-out with papers from the collection.

A close up to the cut-outs, and the pretty papers

I mounted the cut-out on the beautiful wood grain paper from the collection (it is one of my favorite papers), and just added my picture, and pieces of ephemera from the collection.  Since the entire collection was printed in a laser printer, it was so easy to foil some of the pieces of ephemera.

For the title, I used one of the large cut-outs from the collection.  I choose not to cut it with the Cameo, but instead fussy cut it, so I could keep the letters together.

Finally, I just added a few details to the page, as well as my journal lines.  Here is the completed page:

I really love this Halloween collection, "Ghost Town", from the Cut Shoppe.  It really is beautiful and innovative, as well as easy to work with.  To get your copy just visit the Cut Shoppe Etsy store.

As always, let me know if you have any questions about the layout.

Take care!

Materials Used:

Black cardstock - American Crafts

Ghost Town Digital collection - The Cut Shoppe

Cut file - Wicked Fun - The Cut Shoppe.

#Besties

Scrapbook Layout created for  The Cut Shoppe  - #BESTIES -

Hello everyone,  

I am back on the Cut Shoppe blog this week, with this layout that combines some of my favourite things:  cut files, stitching, and black & white pictures.   Here  is  small video on how the layout came together after the stitching was finalized:

When Ashley send the Design team, the new cut files coming to the store, I knew that the Oodles of Doodles will become one of my favorite cutfiles.   This time, I chose to use the curl shape to create the background for this layout.  I welded a few of the curls together, and used the sketch pens to draw them on white cardstock.  An offset was added to make sure all the curls were cut in one single image.  I used my paper piercer to create the holes of my stitching guide, and used a few hours of Netflix to stitch away.

I used thread that matched the colors in Pink Paislee's Fancy Free collection.

For my title, I used the Friends Forever cut file, and some gold glitter paper to cut the "#", "BESTIES", and "heart" shapes.  I double cut the word and #, and glued the two cut-outs together.

I used the heart shape cut-outs as part of the ephemera clusters around the picture.  

After adding a few details around the page, i chose to write my journal around the entire shape of the cut-out.  Here is the final layout:

I hope this serves as inspiration to see the possibilities of a cut file.  Don't forget to visit the Cut Shoppe Etsy store to see all the cut files available.

Till next time,

Keep crafting!!

materials used:

Cut files - The Cut Shoppe

Patterned papers -  #1,4,8,10 - Fancy Free collection - Pink Paislee

Puffy Stickers, ephemera - Fancy Free collection - Pink Paislee

Chipboard Stickers - Me and My Big Ideas

America Crafts POW gold glitter paper

Rubber Shape - Life Noted collection - Pinkfresh Studio

Word phrase sticker - Felicity collection - Pinkfresh Studio

Always Be Yourself

Scrapbook Layout  created for The Cut Shoppe - Always Be Yourself -

Hello everyone,

It seems that time is flying by; we are ready to start a new school year here in Canada.   It is  a bittersweet time in our household, as our daughter will be attending to High School, she is not a little girl no more!.   This sentiment inspired this project; here is the video of how the project was created:

For this layout, I used my favorite collection from Illustrated Faith, "She Blooms".   Using the Cut Shoppe's  Open your Heart (only one of the hearts was enlarged and manipulated to just cut the folding side of the heart), the large folding 'heart' shape edge was cut.  To add interest to the cut out, one of the shapes in the  Oodles of Doodles  cut file was welded together to create this firework/lace paper that was layered under the cut-out part of the heart.

Machine stitching adds texture, and secures the pieces together.

The folded edge of the heart was also stitched to the page,  Using  an exacto knife, part of the design of the page was cut to create a pocket where the picture could fit.   I added paper pieces, stickers, and chipboard stickers from the collection to form all the clusters around the picture.

I made sure the heart dimensions and placement allowed the picture to fit
in this corner of the page.

To convey the  encouraging sentiment to the page, the title was created by isolating part of the Quick Quotes cut file.  Once cut,  the edges were drawn over with a thin black marker.

The title was attached using foam glue dots, ensuring the words are lifted off the page.

To finish the layout, a small prayer was added inside one of the white lines below the picture, and some small details added around the page..  Here is the final layout:

I love the final look of  the page, and my daughter has already framed it in her cork board...  I hope this inspires you to create using the beautiful designs from the Cut Shoppe.

Till next time,

Happy Crafting!

Materials Used:

Patterned Paper collection, She Blooms,  Illustrated Faith

Paper pieces, stickers, chipboard stickers, She Blooms collection, Illustrated Faith

Heart enamel stickers,  Illustrated Faith

Cut files:  The Cut Shoppe

Good Times

Scrapbook Layout created for Creative Scrappers (sponsored by The Cut Shoppe) - Good Times -.

Hello all!,

It is so exciting to be able to share this layout (it has been ready for over 6 weeks) with you all...  The Cut Shoppe is sponsoring Creative Scrappers this month, and we -the design team- got to work with an amazing sketch  (#297) by putting our style into a layout.

Creative Scrappers Sketch #297  - used in this  layout-

It was fun to use the sketch to create a layout about my daughter and god-daughter when they were little girls, and love to play around the house.   Since I knew that i wanted a very girly design, i chose to use  the Flower Power cut file  in replacement for the circles in the sketch.  In addition, i used the linear division of the sketch to combine papers of the Bloom collection to  achieve the same look.   Please enjoy this small video on how the layout was created (I don't like voice overs, and trust me after 25 ++ years in Canada, I still haven't lost my Spanish accent)...

I stayed true to most of the sketch for the picture portion of the sketch, but replaced the stars and the journal tag with lots of flowers from the Bloom collection.  The title was created with the Let's Talk Summer cut file.

My beautiful little girls are framed by the title and lots floral cut-outs

Since i added a lot of stitching to this piece, i decided to replace the bottom circles from the sketch with stitched journal lines...

To finish the layout, I replaced the stars with butterflies from the same Crate Paper collection.  Here is the layout i have created using Creative Scrappers sketch #297 as inspiration...

My layout was created using Creative Scrappers Sketch #297 ...

I really loved this layout, and i hope you also find inspiration on the cut files designs from The Cut Shoppe, and  sketches from  Creative Scrappers...

Materials Used:

cut files :   The Cut Shoppe

Patterned Papers:  Moments, Lizzy, Flutter, Blossom, Sweet Rose,  Bloom Collection - Crate Paper.

Ephemera and chipboard stickers:  Bloom Collection  - Crate Paper.

White cardstock - American Crafts

Gold carstock -title- American Crafts

Great News!!

I am part of the designing team for the upcoming term.

Hello you all!!

To say that I am excited and floored would be an understatement.   As of July 1st, I will be also designing for The Cut Shoppe.  I have been a huge fan of Ashley Horton (the owner and designer of the Cut Shoppe) and all her cut files; in fact i own quite a few of her designs in my cut-file library. 

Now I  am gonna have the opportunity to work hand in hand with these amazing ladies and lovely products that the Cut Shoppe have in their Etsy store.

I am so thankful to God first and foremost for all that he does in my life, and then Ashley for taking a chance on me...  

So there will be a lot of designs being added to the blog and hopefully they will inspire you to create.   

See you soon!!