Christmas Joy

Scrapbook Layout created for Scrapbook Nerd  - Christmas Joy -

Hi there!

It is the first of the month, which means it is time for a new free cut file at Scrapbook Nerd.  This time, i got to design the cut file, "Winter Joy", and i was inspired by the upcoming Holiday season.    The cut file comes with the background as seen on the page, and individual shapes so you can create your own project.

I started by cutting the background out of white cardstock, and used foam adhesive to attach it to the background - a paper from the Winter wonderland collection from Simple Stories-.

To bring the festive colors of the season, I used the "Oh What Fun" collection and embellishments from My Mind's Eye.

I added small clusters of embellishments from the collection to frame the picture, and then to decorate the page.  Here is the final layout:

I just love the soft snowflakes as a background for the picture of my niece.   I hope this serves as inspiration for your holiday crafts.   Remember to stop by Scrapbook Nerd store to pick up your free copy of the cut file - just click here to be redirected to the store-.

Take care guys, see you all soon!!!

Sweet Charm

Scrapbook Layout -  Sweet Charm

a close up of the layout details

Hello everyone!,

I love cut files, and Scrapbook Nerd has just released a new cut file, "X to my O", designed by the Cut Shoppe.   Since I can resist using them, I chose to create a sample to go along with the published cut file image.

To start this layout, I traced the cut file, and set the machine to perforate the XO in the design (i removed the circle out of the design for  the moment.   I then used embroidery floss to complete the background of the page...

the colors match those in MME's On Trend 2 collection

  I chose to cut  the circle out of another patterned paper, making sure to shrink it a bit.  Using foam adhesive squares, I attached it to the stitched background.  

a close up to the cluster on the picture

Since there is a lot of color on the page, i picked to use a black and white picture of my niece on her 8th birthday, and anchored it to the lower right side of  the page. I added  a few clusters around the picture (all materials come from the same collection).

For the title, I picked the mirror stickers from the collection and placed them on the opposite side diagonally to the picture.

Finally I added some small details (enamel dots) and my journal lines along the page.  Using a black fine marker, I create a small border along the edge of the circle, as to give the impression of stitching-.  Here is the final layout:

I am so happy with the results, and have started finding ideas on how to use the cut file differently.  Do not forget to stop by the Scrapbook Nerd Store to pick up your FREE copy of the cut file,  just follow this link.   

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

See you soon!!

Materials Used:

Cut file, X to my O, Scrapbook Nerd

Patterned Papers,  On Trend 2collection - My Mind's Eye

Chipboard Stickers, On Trend 2 collection - My Mind's Eye

Ephemera pieces, ON Trend 2 collection - My Mind's Eye

Stickers,  On Trend2 collection - My Mind's Eye

Mirror Stickers - On Trend 2 collection - My Mind's Eye

enamel dots - On Trend2 collection - My Mind's Eye

My Personal Journal

Traveler's Notebook spread created for Clique Kits  - MY PERSONAL JOURNAL -

Hello again!!

This is the second spread of my travel journal that is being featured at the Clique Kits blog.  This time, I am using a large picture, and pieces from the Spring Card Kit and Pool Party kit.

After enlarging a picture (make sure there is lots of negative space on it!), i trimmed it to fit on a TN  spread.   I made sure to use strong adhesive to glue the picture to the notebook.  Pieces from the card kit were easy to combine with the exclusive printables from the Pool Party kit to create clusters at two diagonal corners of the picture.  Here are the final pages:''

This has to be one of my favorite pages from the trip!.   And it was a breeze to put together.using a combination of pieces from past CK kits.  I hope you are inspired to check the kits in the Clique Kits store.  There are so many beautiful goodies to chose from.

Remember to contact me if you have any questions on how this came together.

Thanks for stopping by!



Materials used:
Clique Kits - Spring Card Kit

Clique Kits - Pool Party

Pink Fresh Studio Stamp
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

MOM

Scrapbook Layout  - Mom -   created for Scrapbook Nerd's Summer Camp.

The title of the layout

Hello all!

 We are in full Summer Camp over at Scrapbook Nerd;  for the past weeks all our members (you can join us, just click on this link http://scrapbooknerd.com/ to be taken to the website, all information is on the forum or at the Facebook page)  have been challenged to create projects based on Summer camp ideas.  They have the entire summer to finish and upload them to the site.


This layout is all about "LET IT SHINE" -the name of my challenge-,  as i used lots of shiny stuff to create it.   I had this idea for the layout, since the day I took the picture, so it came together rather fast.    It all started after I foiled a Heidi Swapp MInc collection paper.  The paper was then cut into even strips of about 0.6 in.  The strips were then attached in sequential order using the sewing machine onto patterned paper.

After stitching, both edges were slightly raised  on each of the strips.

The strips were placed so that there was a 4 in gap on the middle of the page.  Here I placed the picture, surrounded by lots of glittery flowers and leaves.  Some ephemera was tucked in between the flowers;  a few word stickers were also added to the picture.  For the title, i used a cut file from Studio Calico;  this time i printed it and trace it straight onto vellum and color it with a gold paint marker.

I added some gold centers to the flowers using a bit of gold paint

To create a visual triangle, a smal cluster of tags and ephemera was added to the top left corner of the page (i added my journal in one of the tags in the cluster).  Since the paper strips lift up,  the cluster was tucked in the strips.

I used gold as the main focus color of this layout.

Finally, I added a few butterfly cut outs, a few drops of black liquid ink, and  made sure all the strips were slightly creased.  Here is the completed layout:

Though it is full of shiny elements, they workin harmony due to the choice of color.

I really like how the layout turn out at the end, and it fits the "Make it Shine" theme perfectly.

If you would like to join the challenge, head over to http://scrapbooknerd.com/.

As always let me know if you have any questions.

See you soon!!

Materials Used:

Floral patterned paper,  MInc Collection, Heidi Swapp

Champagne Foil, MInc Collection, Heidi Swapp

Cut file - Mom,  Studio Calico

Patterned paper, layout mat - Hello Today Collection, Heidi Swapp

Floral cut outs - Ephemera pack, Open Book Collection, Maggie Holmes, Crate Paper

Ephemera - Market Street collection, and  All Things Gold collection ,  My Mind's Eye

Chipboard Sticker,  Me and my Big Ideas collection

Word Stickers,  Heidi Swapp Memory Planner collection, and Soft Spoken collection -MAMBI

Cut-outs - Flutter patterned paper, Bloom Collection, Crate Paper

Sweet

Scrapbook Layout  - Sweet -

a sneak peak of the layout

Hello all!

it is no secret, I love a good cut file and so does my Cameo.  Fortunately the Cut Shoppe  design exclusive  cut files for Scrapbook Nerd (I happen to design for both companies, so major YAY!!)...  For the summer, a new cut file called Camp Glamp is available in the www.scrapbooknerd.com store,  THEY ARE FREE, so  go and get your copy.

In addition, we over at Scrapbook Nerd, have started a new series on how to use the Silhouette products and the software.  So, hop onto the blog (http://scrapbooknerd.com/)  to see my first attempt at a video  (I rather enjoy photography, but my IT guy -i.e. my son- has been hired as a producer) about the basics of using a cutfile.

For this project I only used the pinwheel element of the cutfile.  I cut two of this  pieces of the same dimensions, and backed the cut-outs using MME On Trend2 papers.

I used the sewing machine to stitch in each triangle to the cut-out

I wanted to add some color to the background, so I used some Heidi Swapp color shine to create a water color effect on the 11x11 in. mat.

lots of ink droplets on the background.

The two cut-outs were attached along the diagonal line of the mat, and the picture was placed at the intersection of the two cut-outs. 

The title and all embelishment come from the On Trend2 collection

I added my journal in one of the triangles of the top cut-out, and chose not to trim the cut-out to fit within the page, instead i opted to keep it overlapping the layout.

a close up to the  top of the layout.

Finally I matted the layout on top of  a paper from the same collection, and added some enamel dots to the layout.  Here is the final look:

The paper collection is beautiful, and works perfecty with the cut-file

I hope you enjoy the layout, and  if you want to obtain a copy of the cutfile here is the website link: http://scrapbooknerd.com/xencart/index.php?main_page=products_new

As always feel free to contact me with any questions.

Take care!!

Materials Used:

Cut file - Camp Glamp, ScrapbookNerd.com

Patterned Paper - On Trend2 Collection, My Mind's Eye

All Embelishments - On Trend2 collection, My Mind's Eye

Background - Colorshine in blush, mustard, sea foam, coral, mint, pink, navy and gold, Heidi Swapp

Project Life Week #16

PL Week 16

Hello there!

 It has been a rather busy week in our household.  Between soccer, guitar, deadlines, and renovations, there has been very little time for anything else.    However, I have squeezed some time to capture our everyday life, not as detail as other weeks, but at least the week's highlights.

With all those pictures in hand, I was able to create an entry for this week's Project Life album using mostly cut-outs from My Mind's Eye old collections.

This week's layout

I hope you are also documenting your every day, even if it is a handful of pictures.

See you soon...

Sweet Joy

Scrapbook Layout - Sweet Joy -

A close up of the layout...

Hello everyone,

I have been putting my creativity to good use this week.   I have so many beautiful pictures to document, and not enough time in the day...  

This particular picture is a favorite of my entire family, as it is my youngest sister (she has autism, so she socializes differently than the average teenager) leaning on my husband shoulder and actually smiling for the camera - A miracle on both sides!!-.  

 I have been meaning to dust off my mixed media skills, so I channeled my inner artist for this layout.  I started by adding splashes of shimmering pink and mint watercolor on some white cardstock. I was drawn to  a cross pattern for all the splashes of color.

the lack of gesso caused the paper to buckle a bit during the process.

Once the color splashes had dried, I added a few stamped hearts -i used black ink to create some contrast-.  To add texture,  I use a polka dot stencil with white shimmer paste just on the outer corners of the cross pattern.

A close-up of  the mixed media details.

While the paste dried, I went ahead and started working on building the layers for the picture.  I used papers from Craft Smith's Mint and Pink collection from Michaels. 

I added a gold acetate 6x4 card as the mat for the paper layers.

Another look at the layers  of  the layout...

Using staples adds dimension to the layers

For part of my title i used some water color paper to cut a banner using my Silhouette Cameo.  The Joy banner comes from Paper Issues.  Once I cut it, I used gold acrylic paint to add shine to the banner.

I chose to enlarge the banner to be the same size as the paper cluster...

Once all the  parts were ready,  I went ahead and printed the picture in black and white ( this way it creates a lot of contrast to the rest of the layout).  And started assembling the page.

A side look of the paper cluster

To complete the title I used a cut-out from All Gold Things collection from MME at the top of the picture.  This also helps to balance the  large banner at the bottom of the page, and frames the picture at the same time.

A scalloped tag on the background softens the straight edges of the paper cluster.

Finally  I added a few sequins and some star shaped confetti to complete the piece..

I am so pleased with the end result. I hope you like it, too.

See you soon

P.S.  Remember April is Autism Awareness Month, i would invite you to get some information on how this chromosomal disability can affect kids and adults and their families.  We love our little sister, and her disability -autism- is one of the biggest blessings our family ever received.

The completed layout...

Materials used:

Cut file -Joy Banner-,  Paper Issues.com

Banner cut-out,  water color paper

Gold Acrylic paint, Heidi Swapp Marquee Collection

Patterned Paper,  Mint and Pink collection, Craft Smith, Michaels

Ephemera and title, All things gold collection, My Mind's Eye

Shimmer water color,  Artist Loft, Michaels

Mint and Pink Color shine, Heidi Swapp

Heart stamp, Recollections, Michaels

White screen paste, Heidi Swapp collection

Polka dot Stencil, Heidi Swapp Collection

Tag,  Recollections,  Michaels

Unique Spirit

Scrapbook Layout - Unique Spirit -

Hello Everyone!,

April is  Autism Awareness month, this is a cause very close to our hearts as my youngest sister was diagnosed with autism at age 2.  After many years of therapy, patience and much love she is able to communicate with us and live a "normal life".  I have to say that my dad and his wife have done a tremendous job trying to make sure she enjoys life to the fullest; she is now turning 19 in a couple weeks, and is ready to go on her high school graduation trip to New York for  her b-day.

To us, Michelle radiates innocence, sincerity and much, much love.    So how do you capture that in a layout?  My answer color... Since the sign for autism is a puzzle piece, i opted for using a puzzle background  cut-file from the Silhouette Store, and backing every puzzle piece in a different colorful paper from the Jubilee collection from My MInd's Eye.

The details of the top right corner of the layout...

I printed the picture in black and white to make sure it was highlighted in this sea of color...  I used some of the same papers to mat and layer the picture.  A few pieces of ephemera and stickers were all that was needed to bring some attention to the piece

I introduced wood details to add more texture to the layout.

I added my journal lines inside one of the puzzle pieces, and added a few details along the layout in order to balance the layout.  I love the results, but most of all I enjoyed seeing the piece come together.  I am sure she will love it, as she loves color...

The finished layout...

Before I leave, I would like to invite you all to read about autism, and how these children interact with the world.  Autism can present differently in each child it affects, as it has a very wide behavioral spectrum.  Once you inform yourself about autism, you will understand that these souls are just like you and me, the only difference is how they process information and relate it back to you.  In our case, Michelle is a blessing in disguise that teaches us all about unconditional love, patience and the power of GOD's love.

See you soon...

Material Used:

Cut file, Silhouette store

Patterned paper, Jubilee Collection, My Mind's Eye

Ephemera, Stitched collection, Amy Tangerine

Chipboard stickers,  Jubilee Collection, My Mind's Eye

Title - foam letters-, Thickers

Wood veneer shapes and words,  Recollection, Michaels

Project Life Week # 12

PL Week 12

hello everyone,

We have just celebrated Easter, and spring is rapidly coming.  Fortunately, I keep on documenting along with the season changes and holidays.  Here is my Project Life layout for this past week.

This small page protector works perfectly
to add pictures to a weekly layout

As always, when the holidays roll around, family always comes together and memories are created.  I had so many pictures to chose from this week, so i printed them in black and white so that I could use a pastel palette for all the cards used.

Some of the cards come from cut-apart patterned papers from different collections

Whenever I purchase a new paper collection, I try to get a double sheet of the cut-apart page, this way I can always use them in my PL layouts.   All the pastel cards come from different collections:  Dear Lizzy's Serendipity collection, Amy Tangerine's Stitched collection, Kaiser Craft's Blackberry collection, and Dear Lizzy's Neapolitan Project Life collection.

Here is the first two pages of the past week..

This week, I used a third page to document our Easter Sunday.  For this layout, I used an old patterned paper for My Mind's Eye from my stash, and cut it into the 3x4 card size.  I enlarged one of my favorite pictures of the day, and used it as the center image for the page....  I love the results, and might start to use this format for at least one of the monthly layouts...

I love the color  of the paper, and some simple embelishment were enough to complete the page...

I hope you are also documenting your life... See you soon...

Choose Joy

Scrapbook layout  - Choose Joy -

Hello everyone,

It has been a while since i have posted one of my current layouts on my blog.  It is not that i have not been scrapbooking, but I am designing for Scrapbook Nerd and Quirky Bits-N-Pieces for reminder of the year, so I have been busy creating projects for them... Soon I will be posting them...

As always i have a folder full of pictures to scrapbook,  this one is a favorite.  As always my daughter and niece posing for the camera, but in this one they recruited my sister, too.  Since I wanted to keep it girly and fun,  I chose pastel colors and this beautiful cut file from Studio Calico (Camelot XO).

Only some of the cuts are folded and glued to the mat.
The shadow that the cut produces adds dimension to the layout.

I chose this beautiful purple Marble paper from Mambi's Love collection to create the cut-out, and backed all the cuts with MME papers from older collections.  I like printing my pictures in black and white, as it helps with the colors and it brings them out  on layouts.  

The title came from an old chipboard sticker page.
Since the background is rather busy, I chose to add my journal inside of the cutout pieces

Since I have a rather busy background, i chose just a large cluster of embelishments for the picture.  I tried to combine the different pieces with the colors of the layout.  So I picked from different sticker collections.

I love to keep cards, little envelopes, etc.; the purple tag is one of this year's
Valentine's Day cards from Starbucks...   Let's just say I am a good customer...

Finally i just added a few chipboard stickers around the cut-outs and a few drops of purple smooch spritz...  I love the colors, the cut file and the picture; together they make the perfect combo... I hope you like it too..

See you soon..

The finished layout...

Materials Used:

Cut file,  Camelot XO, Studio Calico

Pattern paper -main cut-out- , Love collection, MAMBI

Pattern paper -cut-out backing-, My Mind's Eye

Title - chipoard sticker -,  Recollections, Michaels

Hear Tag - Valentine's Day Gift Card - Starbucks

Ephemera -Circle "Hi"-,  MInc collection, Heidi Swapp

Chipboard Stickers, Mambi collections

Chipboard sticker -arrow- ,  Wonder collection, Crate Paper

Label,  Maggie Holmes collection, Crate Paper

Ink splatters - Frosted Grape, Smooch Spritz.