Aussie Scrap Source

dies and punches: embossing dies

 

For this particular product challenge Louise N thought she would show you something just a little bit different. For this layout Louise has used one of the texture fades embossing plates [Cross Stitch] to emboss a pattern into texture paste on the layout background. This was then highlighted with the use of 2 different shades of mist.

 

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Kim has used the Sizzix texture fades bubbles and honeycomb set to great effect in this layout.  She has used the honeycomb pattern along the long cream strip to add texture to what would otherwise be a plain paper.  Kim has then lightly inked over the raised design so that it is more noticeable.  Kim has then used the other texture plate design (bubbles) on the punched stars which she used, along with the decorative brads from My Minds Eye, to create the eye catching strip between the two photos.  Kim has shown the flexibility of the texture plates and how adding texture to a layout adds interest to what might otherwise be quiet plain elements.

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Jane just loves using embossing on her cards because it gives them great texture and looks cool. One of Jane’s favourite methods with using them is to apply a water-based ink pad to one side of the folder and run it through with white card, in this sample she has used worn lipstick and the Chevron Textured Impression plate, it’s a great way to add colour and gives a slightly distress look. The same was done again using Distress Ink crushed olive and a section was trimmed following the lines of the design and added on top.

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Jane cut strips from the white embossed Chevron design and used them as arrows on her card, she then used a circular mask and covered an area on the white embossed Flourish piece. Glimmer Mist key lime pie was sprayed over it, a few extra drops were then added after the mask was removed.

 

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meet the design team! leeann pearce

The lovely Leeann Pearce is under interrogation this week – we hope you enjoy getting to know her better.

 

 

What three words best describe your personality?

Straightforward, humorous and lively.

 

What’s your worst habit?

Sneaking all the chocolate in the house.

 

What are you currently reading? 

The 2012 –2013 Scrapbooking Memories Masters magazine because I am in it – even better my daughter Storm is gracing the front cover. Yeah baby! I’ll be reading this for a while hehehehe!

 

Do you have any new years’ resolutions?

To live out loud!

 

What’s your favourite quote? 

Totally freck’in awesome – by Miss wally

 

What would be your theme song? 

“Welcome to the fun house” - Pink

 

Are you on pinterest? 

NO – not going there… I waste time as it is!

 

If you could go anywhere (real or not) where would you go?

Outer space.

 

How do you feel about garden gnomes?

Don’t go there… strange little things that pop up everywhere!

 

What part of creating do you enjoy most? 

From start to finish!

 

What sort of photos most make you want to scrap?

Photos of my girls

 

 

I am completely in love with Amy Tangerine paper collections. I also love all the embellishments that come with each collection. A little free style like. They are quirky and unique that’s the sort of stuff I really love. I love to mix and match a few companies as well – it so totally works for me.

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Another company I adore is Basic Grey. I had great pleasure in being on their design team in 2011 – 2012. I am completely smitten with their Soleil collection. Of course it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t throw in a few other bits and pieces form a few other companies like Hambly and Heidi Swapp.

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Share a favourite photo and how you would scrap it. 

 

This pic of the girls, one afternoon playing dress ups… I absolute adore it a thousand times. I have already scrapped this but I intend on scrapping it a 100 more times the next time I am going with pie charts, paint, layers and arrows.

Is your dress or decorating style similar to your scrapbooking style?

Yes a little random with pops of colour!

 

When did your style click for you?

I think that my style just keeps on evolving as I go. But I totally see what makes up miss wallys style!

 

What is your best piece of advice for starting out scrapbookers?

Don’t start it’s hard to stop…lmao!

 

What’s your current favourite scrapbooking trend?

arrows, cameras, confetti, chevron washi tape.

 

Can you share a couple of your favourite layouts from the last twelve months or so?

 

This is one of many pages I have created for Aussie Scrap Source and it happens to be a very big favourite. I absolutely adore the photo. I loved how this turned out. I used all my favourite products from a few companies too!

 

This is a more recent assignment I did for Aussie Scrap Source on mixed media techniques and I was thrilled to bits on how this turned out. The main challenge for me was finding the correct photo to work for this background. The end result is perfect and I just adore this!

 

Finally…

Facebook or Twitter? - Facebook

Harry Potter or Twilight? - Harry potter

Chips or Twisties? - Chips – salt and vinegar

Bath or Shower? - shower

Cheese or Chocolate? - Chocolate always, I told you earlier that I sneak it!

Coffee or Tea? - Coffee

Jeans or Skirts? – Jeans always

Christmas or New Years Eve? - Christmas

Ikea or Op Shop? - Ikea

Ninjas or Pirates? - Pirates

Pool or Ocean? - Ocean

Sunset or Sunrise? - Sunset

Phone or Text? - Text

Desert or Snow? - I don’t mind both.

weekend inspiration: prima

 

 

Stacey choose the stunning Firefly collection for her Prima creation today.  She took the bold pink/orange and yellow colours from the Firefly paper and matched them with her beautiful flower arrangement. Stacey choose to use a mask as a starting point on her layout and added some lovely touches of stamping and Shabby Resin pieces.

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Jill wanted to turn this fabulous mixed media book into words that inspire her.  Using a combination of paint and glimmer mist to give a theme to the softness of the book, she  has then stamped inspiring quotes onto each page.

 

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With 8 year old Abby in the family Nic Howard never has a shortage of cute photos, and the gorgeous pinks and neutrals of the Rondelle collection are perfect for girl pages.  she used a sketch which allowed her to choose one of her favourite photos and build an Anna Dabrowska inspired floral cluster around it by incorporating many of the new release flowers, Rondelle embellishments and some mistable canvas pieces.  Nic says she adores the new small crystals and loved finishing the layout off with the details they added.

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The above two layouts are kindly shared with us by Prima Design team member Steph Devlin.  She too has used the Firefly collection on both of these stunning designs.  It is amazing the colours you can take from this collection and Steph takes both colour combinations to the extreme.

meet the design team: suzanne tonga

 

This weeks deer in the headlights interviewee is our soft and elegant designer, Suzanne Tonga.

 

 

 

 

 

What three words best describe your personality?

Determined, Passionate, Caring

 

What’s your worst habit?

My friends would say – drinking too much Pepsi Max!

 

What are you currently reading?

I’m not reading anything at the moment but I am looking forward to my sister filling my kindle when I go home for holidays.

 

Do you have any new years’ resolutions?

I don’t usually make resolutions but it’s always a good time to reassess where I’m at in life. I guess if I have a resolution it’s to not stress about things I can’t change but do something about things that I can. I want to focus on the good things in our life.

 

What’s your favourite quote?

I love quotes! One of my favourites is by Maya Angelou – “Precious jewel, you glow, you shine, reflecting all the good things in the world.” It reminds me of the pure innocence of children and that we should do everything we can to preserve that.

 

What would be your theme song?

Gosh, I have thought long and hard about this question and haven’t come up with an answer. Is there a song about sunshine and rainbows? That’s what I would like my theme song to be. My life certainly isn’t all sunshine and rainbows but that’s what I would like to focus on.

 

Editors Note: You’re welcome

 

 

Are you on pinterest?  What’s your favourite recent pin?

I love Pinterest! I am forever pinning gorgeous creations like this made from felt or fabric in the hope that one day, I will have time to make some of them.

 

If you could go anywhere (real or not) where would you go?

Oh that’s a hard one, there are so many places to go! I have always wanted to go to Africa. I would love to work at one of the elephant orphanages. I would also love to go to Costa Rica and work at one of the macaw breeding and research facilities.

 

How do you feel about garden gnomes?

Mmm, can’t say I have a strong opinion about garden gnomes! Although I do remember my Mum and Dad having one in our garden, called Sam!

 

What part of creating do you enjoy most?

I love printing my photos and then selecting the products that go with it. I do love to stitch too! A page is never complete without stitching.

 

What sort of photos most make you want to scrap?

Portrait style photos of my kids and my nieces and nephews in the outdoors. I really love good family photos.

 

Can you share with us a couple of layouts using your favourite recent releases?

 

 

I am loving instagram at the moment and I decided to print photos of my daughter Lily, splashing around in the street outside our home.  I teamed the photos with the gorgeous whimsical collection, 5th & Frolic (Dear Lizzy). I adore everything about this collection, from the colours, patterns, images, to the amazing feather embellishments.  I love the clipboard images from one of the papers so these formed the main design feature for my layout. I decided to stick with the whimsical theme and attached eyelets through each clipboard image and then strung them across the page using embroidery thread. I used the chipboard pieces and feathers to embellish.

 

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I have long been a fan of Crate Paper designs and the new Acorn Avenue lives up to my high expectations! I love the chipboard sets from Crate Paper, they are such wonderful value for money as there are so many pieces. The nature theme of Acorn Avenue was the perfect compliment for my bird photos.  I have recently re-discovered my passion for wildlife photography and these are photos of baby butcher birds that I found in the bush behind where I live. I firstly found one baby perched precariously on a little tree overhanging the water.  Then I followed the squawking and found another baby hidden in long grass.  I re-united the babies and placed them in a safer position and was able to photograph the parents coming back to feed them. It has been a couple of months now and the parents still bring the babies into our yard to drink from our water bath. 

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Share a favourite photo and how you would scrap it.

This is pretty typical of the photos that I love to scrap. I love capturing candid moments instead of just everybody smiling at the camera. Don’t get me wrong, smiling photos are beautiful too! The great thing about outdoor photos is that they can be scrapped with most ranges of paper. I would just pick something that complemented colour-wise. I usually like to scrap more than one photos too, so I would choose maybe three photos from the same series and scrap them in a smaller size.

 

 

Is your dress or decorating style similar to your scrapbooking style?

I think so. I love lots of neutral with pops of colour and pretty things.

 

When did your style click for you?

Probably about a year after I started scrapbooking, I found my style and have pretty much stuck to that since then.

 

What is your best piece of advice for starting out scrapbookers?

Don’t feel like you have to have everything when you are starting out. Wait until you have discovered your true style. The other thing I often tell people is, don’t be afraid to try lots of different styles until you find the one that suits you. There is so much inspiration out there in the scrapbooking world.

 

What’s your current favourite scrapbooking trend?

I love the layered look that is around at the moment. Lots and lots of beautiful layers underneath your photos, including a few textures like vellum, patterned papers, acetate etc. Then beautiful clusters of embellishments. I also really love the instagram photos that people are including in their pages.

 

Can you share a few of your favourite layouts from the last 12 months?

 

 

It has become a tradition for us to take photos each Autumn, near some of the maple trees in our suburb.  Living in Queensland, there aren't too many Autumn trees so it really is a treat to see them.  I love the Crate Paper Brand.  The collections never fail to impress me.  I love the variety of colours and small prints, not to mention the gorgeous texture of the papers and of course, the embellishments.  Looking back, this is one of my favourite layouts. I really like the colour palette and the arrangement of embellishments and of course, I have included sequins and beads - my favourite embellishment!

 

Songbird is one of my favourite collections from Prima. The colours are soft and pretty and I adore anything nature themed.  The photos are of my daughter Lily, with a nest that her Dad found for us.  He doesn't get our fascination with birds nests but I love that he will still turn around to get one if he sees it on the ground!

 

And finally…

Facebook or Twitter? Facebook.

Harry Potter or Twilight? I actually love both sets of books but Harry Potter is definitely my favourite. 

Chips or Twisties? Chips

Bath or Shower? Shower

Cheese or Chocolate? Can I say both? I think I just love food in general, lol.

Coffee or Tea? ½ strength caramel latte please.

Jeans or Skirts? Jeans.

Christmas or New Years Eve?   Definitely Christmas Eve. I love Christmas. I love being surrounded by family with the excitement of the next day to look forward to.

Ikea or Op Shop?  Although I’d really love to say Op Shop, I am an Ikea girl.

Ninjas or Pirates?  Mmmm, I don’t think either is a good option!

Pool or Ocean?  Ocean.

Sunset or Sunrise?   Sunrise, although I don’t see too many, lol.

Phone or Text?   Text.

Desert or Snow?   Snow! I would love to see snow. How wonderful it would be to have a white Christmas!

weekend inspiration: jenni bowlin studios

 

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Jenni Bowlin's Wren collection was just irresistible to Danielle, always a fan of vintage book paper and similar designs! Combined with the new wired feathers and paint daubers. The black paint dauber has been used around the edges of the page for an inky look. Danielle also adores the skinny grey alphabet stickers and took advantage of the compact size to create a long title for her page, one of her favourite things to do!

 

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Jane instantly fell in love when she saw these mini Vintage deck cards, all the images are so adorable and she’s a sucker for silhouettes!! Jane even cut one of the smaller images from the packaging and layer it on one of the stamp perforated paper pieces, the pearl flower centres were added to the doily flowers and of course Jane loves them too as they look like they have been quilled, just gorgeous!

 

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We have the talented Ebony van der Starre for these 3 wonderful layouts featuring many of the Jenni Bowlin Studio patterned papers and embellishments, Ebony's wonderfully arty layouts show how versatile the JBS products are for all styles of paper crafting. Thank you Ebony.

 

 

This wonderful layout by Gina Rogers also showcases how versatile the JBS products are for all styles of paper crafting. Thank you Gina.

 

 

A big thank you to Natalie Elphinstone for allowing us to share with you her fabulous creativity with the Jenni Bowlin Studio papers and embellishments on her two layouts above.

 

 

Monique Liedtke, from The Netherlands, shares this page where she uses Jenni Bowlin products to great effect, combining boys and butterflies with creative style!

 

Tarrah McLean shares this bright and funky layout with us, using a variety of Jenni Bowlin ranges. Love the yellow!

dies and punches: edges and corners

 

 

 

Iris just loved how the new Martha Stewart Circle Edger works! It creates circle patterns on sizes of 6 inches to 12 inches! To keep the focus on the doilies created by the puncher, Iris built her page on a white paper and texturized it with mediums and stencils. She then added mists, distress inks, and pastel colors to create a soft, almost glowing effect on this page she made for her goddaughter Anika.

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Stacey admits that she doesn't own many punches but this Lace Heart punch has her wanting more.  It is extremely versatile but fits perfectly with the love theme.  She punched the bottom of her page and added the excess hearts and confetti dots into a plastic sleeve.  She stitched around the outside to create a shaker.  This was then a base for her layout and she created her layers from this point on.  She also created the fun medallions with the punch.

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Louise loves using border punches to add detail and interest to her edges and often highlights them with a light stroke of distressing inks. The little windows of colour that poke through from behind make the layers appear lighter and a mix of the right punches can make even a basic layout a bit special.

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meet the design team! leanne whitby

 

 

What three words best describe your personality?

Creative, Planner, Reserved

What’s your worst habit?

I feel it might be procrastination as I am known to over plan projects however my daughter tells me it’s worrying about everything too much.

What are you currently reading?

I never really seem to have time to read books at the moment but I am busy visiting my favourite blogs, discovering the world of Pinterest and looking through paper crafting ideas books.

Do you have any new years’ resolutions?

Probably just to keep pursuing my paper crafting dreams without neglecting my family (but that does not include housework!).

What’s your favourite quote?

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

What would be your theme song?

Absolutely no idea! I have a favourite song that motivates me to keep going though – I’m Every Woman by Whitney Houston.

Are you on pinterest? What’s your favourite recent pin?

Yes and loving it!  Way too many to decide what is fav.  Probably anything on my Christmas board.

If you could go anywhere (real or not) where would you go?

Mmmmm that’s a big decision.  Perhaps to the world beyond to see my darling Dad and Nanna.

How do you feel about garden gnomes?

I don’t really know and I don’t own any either but I adore the ones that flash their cute little butts at you from amongst the foliage.

 

What part of creating do you enjoy most?

The little finishing details to make the project complete while I am creating.  I also love watching the reaction on people’s faces when I give them something I have made.  I truly believe giving is better than receiving!

What sort of papers/embellishments most make you want to card make?

Generally ones that have blues and pinks in them, lend themselves to crafting in the shabby chic style and more often than not come from My Minds Eye.

 

Can you share some projects using your current favourite products?

 

 

 

 

My absolute favourite product to have on hand when I am card making is a 6x6 paper pad.  I love the way the 12x12 paper patterns are miniaturised making them perfect for my card making.  You also get a sample of the entire collection and some added bonus papers as well from time to time.   My favourite company is My Minds Eye (MME) and The Sweetest Thing and Lost and Found 3 are my choice for this project.  MME  paper pads have double sided papers which make creating even easier particularly when making your own flowers.  All the elements  co-ordinate across the collection and also work well with other collections that they release.  MME papers also work well with other companies embellishments as you can see here with my series of tags.

 

 

For this project I chose to make an inspiration board for my craft studio displaying a series of tags that showcased the elements that I absolutely love to include on cards and OTP projects.  I have a shabby chic style which has also led me to look at ways of repurposing embellishments and more recently creating different ways to display my creations/cards.  For this project I repurposed a photo frame by removing the photo matting, glass and backing board and replacing it with chicken wire making the perfect inspiration board to hang my tags from.  I’ve also sanded and distress inked the frame.

 

The tags showcase some of my favourite die cut flowers, punched foliage and doilies. Butterflies are also another favourite.  I love to finish them off with buttons, pearls or bling in the centre.  Three of my most loved trims are twine, lace and seam binding.  You can easily say my number one addiction after making flowers would be using seam binding!  I love to spritz and scrunch it to give it that shabby look.  TH Distress Ink is also my no 1 choice when I want to distress or change the colour of the seam binding to co-ordinate with my projects. 

 

 

Buttons, bows, pegs and pins also feature on many of my creations.  I will finish off my buttons with different twine tied in knots or bows – a button will never be on a project without it being threaded.  So by now you can probably guess I need to pay attention to the finer details on my creations.   By using edge distressing and inking techniques can “shabby up”  the project – nothing needs to be “perfect” which is just why I love the shabby chic style so much.

 

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These two cards are created from the Lost and Found 3 – Oliver 6x6 paper pad.  The cards highlight how versatile the collections are for card making as they lend themselves to both male and female cards.  They do also include many of those favourite elements I shared with you on my tags – butterflies, flowers, banners, twine and buttons!

 

And finally…

Facebook or Twitter?  Facebook

Harry Potter or Twilight?  Twilight although my family watch Harry Potter all the time so I feel I may be converting!

Chips or Twisties?   They are both equally addictive but I think Twisties win hands down.

Bath or Shower?  Shower

Cheese or Chocolate?  Cheese! I am not of fan of anything sweet, fruity or sugary at all.

Coffee or Tea?  Tea most of the time - unless I am out or the coffee machine at home is on for the weekend then I’ll have a latte.

Jeans or Skirts?  Jeans, but my dress and skirt collection is growing a little.

Christmas or New Years Eve?  Christmas most definitely! I love watching people open their gifts particularly if I have made it for them.

Ikea or Op Shop?  Ikea – love the prices and visiting their store always motivates me to be organised.

Ninjas or Pirates?  RRRRR I would have to say pirates me hearties! I met Captain Jack Sparrow at Disneyland and it was awesome!

Pool or Ocean?  Pool – not that I swim much these days.

Sunset or Sunrise?  Sunset! Great time to reflect on your day and life with a glass of red wine.

Phone or Text?  Text for the quick things but a phone call to catch up with friends and family is a must.

Desert or Snow?  Snow as long as I am not shovelling it off the driveway.  We lived in the US for 2 years and I think it is the No 1 thing I was not sad to say good bye to!

introducing: poppy stamps

 

Kim loved using the Poppy Stamps dies as she found they cut perfectly every time.  Although Kim does not often cut her photos into shapes, she loved the whimsical feel that the frame die added to this photo of her sister with her new husband.  The leaves are so fine and delicate and added that perfect finishing touch to the beautiful Prima flower.  The final die Kim used was the little bird which is perched on the heart at the end of the title.

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The Poppy Stamp Dies; Lorelai Leaf and Lorelai outline Leaf are wonderfully versatile. For this layout Louise N has used both in different configurations; small single leaves, cut from the original, as well as full branches.

 

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Creating thank you cards for Men can be a bit tricky, but Chris has shown us how to whip up a few cards that are not only very easy to make, but also suited for Men. These thank you cards for her daughters male teachers were created by punching out the Lorelai Leaf Poppy Stamp Die from a piece of white cardstock and then gluing some Bo Bunny Welcome Home pattern paper behind the die negative. She then mounted this piece onto a white card using 3D foam tape. The sentiment was stamped in matching coloured ink and using the Hero Arts Thank you stamp.

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The Poppy Dies are perfect for setting a little scene on your cards!  Chris has used the Carousel Bird Cage, Nested Bird and Ivy Tendrils to create this delicate, romantic card.  She added some Memory Box posie dies for some added dimension on the card.

 

               

 

 

 

Create your own embossing panel using Poppy dies.  Chris punched out 3 of the Lorelai Leaf dies from white cardstock and then adhered them onto some thick cardstock.  She ran this through her embossing machine along with a rubber shim to create an embossed background onto some plain cardstock.  Chris then swiped the background over with a little green ink to create this fabulous background for her card.

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Suz has used some gorgeous Poppy Stamp die designs in this lovely card.  The window box, window shutters and flowers are all super thin dies, perfectly proportioned for card making or a panel in a scrapbook page. Suz especially loves the shutters which feature each louvre in beautiful detail – she has inked and gessoed them to give a more distressed look. 

The flower die does come with flower tops but Suz has given her card added dimension by adding cute Prima embellishments.  Instead of a window die cut (and there even is one!) Suz decided to add a fun Studio Calico Polaroid, and backed with with mirror paper from Tim Holtz.

 

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weekend inspiration: creative imaginations

 

Shells, sand effects and beachy themes can easily become clichéd but Suz loved the colour palette of this gorgeous range from Creative Imaginations called, appropriately, Oceanside.  There are really delicate turquoise and violet touches which just lift the whole design.  With die cut embellishments and a little extra glitter and microbeads, a beautiful evening at the beach was recorded.

 

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Iris loves to make her own background papers. In fact she uses very little patterned paper in her pages and then loads them up with beautiful embellishments. The Existencils are perfect for Iris' style. The material is thick and sturdy enough to create crisp images even with several thick layers of art mediums. She created the background and the butterfly here with the Existencils from Creative Imaginations and she just loved the result!

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Iris was able to customize the colours of the album cover she made here because the assemblage papers from Creative Imagination comes with a resist pattern which you can ink, paint, or mist over.

The die-cuts from the same collection adds just the right amount of romance and whimsy - from flowers and blooms to butterflies...

 

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Alicia Giess is part of the talented design team of Creative Imagination. She shares with us today two of her amazing creations featuring the paintables paper and the Existencil line.

The first layout was created using the paintable papers. She spritzed the background with the Luminarte glimmering mist and then painted some of the florals/leaves on another paintable paper and cut that out for the embellishments on her page.

 

The 2nd page uses the butterfly existencils on the real wood paper.  She masked the butterflies and sprayed around the butterfly with the Luminartee glimmering mist.

If you want to see more of Alicia's beautiful creations with Creative Immagination, you can check out her blog.

dies & punches: decorative shapes

 

Punches and dies have long been one of the most economical embellishments out there – reusable and versatile – and you can change their look in as many different ways as you have scrapbook layouts. 

From EK Success and Martha Stewart punches, to Sizzix, Memory Box and Poppy Stamps dies, we have a host of them we’d like to introduce to you in our new blog series.  We hope to inspire you to find new uses for the punches and dies you already have, as well as perhaps stock up on a few new ones!

 

 

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Louise N just loves the delicacy and elegance of the Memory Box cutting dies, they suit her style perfectly. Whether you use them a lot or a little, they will still make a 'creative statement' on your project.

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Here Suz has created an ombre effect with one of her favourite Decorative Strip Dies – Autumn Gatherings by Tim Holtz.  She has combined it with a contrasting lilac colour palette and the Martha Stewart 3-in-1 Hydrangea punch to create this pretty double page layout.

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The key to beauty is simplicity and repetition in this gorgeous art journal cover by Jilly van Iperen.  She has decorated the cover of this journal by painting it with a rough layer of gesso and then further distressing it with sandpaper.  She has then replicated the simple butterfly shape in different patterned papers to create this soft and beautiful look.

 

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meet the design team! stacey young

We thought we’d start off the new year by getting to know our design team a little better, so with each post we’ll introduce a new designer and put them through a rigorous interview set of question!  Today’s victim interviewee is mother of three boys and still amazing on the flowery layouts – Stacey Young.

 

What three words best describe your personality?

Loving, Creative, Impatient.

 

What’s your worst habit?

Asking questions in a movie even though the movie has barely started and hubby couldn’t possibly know the answer. Pretty much just asking silly things.....but he still loves me!

 

What are you currently reading?

Reflected in You – Sylvia Day

 

Do you have any new years’ resolutions?

To stop being so shy and start teaching my scrapbooking style.

 

What’s your favourite quote?

“Life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away”.

 

What would be your theme song?

No idea what my theme song would be. “Brown Eyed Girl” perhaps, it was one of our wedding songs.

 

Are you on pinterest? What’s your favourite recent pin?

Yes here and anything with bunting on it.  Like this.

 

If you could go anywhere (real or not) where would you go?

The Bahamas or somewhere with castles.

 

How do you feel about garden gnomes?

I don’t own any now but I do remember when I was a teen driving around and collecting them and rearranging them in people’s yards (well the boys did anyway I was an innocent bystander)!!

 

What part of creating do you enjoy most?

It would have to be the part where everything is in it’s place and then I start to glue it all down. That feeling of knowing what you are creating is finally coming together is wonderful. I also love shopping for supplies, that is always fun. Giving a handmade gift to a friend or loved one is also an amazing feeling. I love to see the look on their faces.

 

What sort of photos most make you want to scrap?

Anything of my boys but certainly a beachy photo works a treat! I love close-up shots too and anything neutral gets me in the creative mood as you can add as many colours as you like .

 

 

I am very fortunate to have been part of the Prima design team for the past 18 months. Prima would have to be one of my favourite brands.  I have loved Prima from the very start and still have some "vintage" Prima flowers in her stash.  The flowers have always been my favourites but more recently the papers and embellishments all combine to make beautiful projects.

 

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Another design team I’ve  been proud to be apart of in 2012 is Pink Paislee.  Their papers are amazing and easy to work with along with the fun and cute co-ordinating embellishments.  I jump at the chance to work with anything Pink Paislee related!

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Share a favourite photo and how you would scrap it.

Loads of flowers, shells, bandage wrap, misting, masking, colour and netting.

 

 

 

Is your dress or decorating style similar to your scrapbooking style?

Yes, my house is full of colour, teal, lime etc. I have a rumpus room that we have recently redecorated and I went with a shabbier look of grey, teals and whitewash. I definitely love pretty things in my clothing so I guess that reflects in my scrapbooking too, I love pretty, feminine things like flowers! Even though I have 3 boys it just seems to work.

 

When did your style click for you?

Probably a few years back now, but looking back over my scrapbooking projects over those years it’s definitely evolved but it still has a “Stacey” stamp on it.

 

What is your best piece of advice for starting out scrapbookers?

Friends often say to me “but mine won’t look like that”, I have to remind them that I started somewhere too, my first scrapbooking page, 9 years ago, literally consisted of 3 photos and 3 pieces of ribbon. As long as you loved the process and fun you had creating that memory, everyone’s style is different, just enjoy where your creative takes you. There is no right or wrong, the possibilities are endless!

 

What’s your current favourite scrapbooking trend?

Bunting, Banners, Flags, Chevron, Shabby........the list could go on really.

 

Can you share with us a couple of favourite layouts from the last 12 months?

 

One thing I love to do is mix product.  In this layout I have combined a number of brands such as Prima, Pink Paislee, Hambly, Crate Paper and Studio Calico.  You will also find lots of colour in my creations!

 

 

This is a favourite layout that Stacey created for Summer CHA 2012 using the Prima collection "Rondelle".  I’m not normally one to use a dark background but this one came together perfectly for me and quickly became one of my favourites to date.

 

And finally…

Facebook or Twitter? Facebook

Harry Potter or Twilight? Twilight (Oh Edward)

Chips or Twisties? Chips

Bath or Shower?  Shower........Bath, what’s that? I haven’t had time to have one of them in years!

Cheese or Chocolate? Chocolate

Coffee or Tea? Neither

Jeans or Skirts?  Jeans

Christmas or New Years Eve? Christmas

Ikea or Op Shop?  Ikea – I just wish there was one closer to where I live.

Ninjas or Pirates? Pirates

Pool or Ocean?   Pool

Sunset or Sunrise?   Sunset

Phone or Text?  Text

Desert or Snow?  Desert (although I would love to see the snow one day I think I would die from the cold)

weekend inspiration: hero arts

 

Hero Arts has a fabulous range of garden and flower stamps that will allow you to create an ethereal background scene for your paper projects and photos. For this layout Louise has repeated stamped flower images using the Wildflower Garden stamp, to create a garden like look for her layout background.

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Chris has heat embossed the Hero Arts Magical Background cling stamp in clear embossing powder onto black cardstock for a subtle background and then stamped the flags from Studio Calico/Hero Arts Stamp set 'Hooray' onto pattern paper and mounted them in the foreground.  Simple, but stunning!

 

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Chris has longed to play with the Three Butterflies cling set from Hero Arts and so was completely delighted with the results of colouring in the large butterfly image with coloured pencils.  They make such a stunning accent on these cards which also feature 'Old Letter' cling stamp and 'To a special friend' wood sentiment stamp.

 

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Why not create a one of a kind gift bag with your favourite stamp set! Chris has used the Clear 'Sew me flower jewel' set with the small butterfly image from the 'Three Butterflies' cling set.  Stamp directly onto pattern paper and then cut out the images and use 3D adhesive to piece all the bits back together.  Finish off with a little Stickles by Ranger.

 

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The lovely Virginia Lu has shared with us her gorgeous card created using the Hero Arts Right at Home Clear Design set of stamps and Basic Grey Piccadilly range.  Here is a quick tutorial from Virginia on how to create this card: "Make card from card stock.  Stamp the house and clouds in assorted paper, cut out the images.  Tear a piece of green pattern paper and cut with the fringe scissor, curl up the “grass” with a toothpick.  Assemble the houses and clouds, adhere with pop dots.  Stamp sentiment in punch chalk ink , add pearl.”

Thank you so much for sharing your lovely homely card with us Virginia!

 

Lin Brandyberry shows us how to create a wonderful home decor item with any of the many flower stamps by Hero Arts.  Your vase of flowers is divine Lin, thank you for sharing it with us! Here is a video by Shari Carroll from Hero Arts showing you step by step how to create a beautiful vase of flowers!

 

To extend the use of your stamps why not take some inspiration from Heather Doran with this superb card and wrapping paper set!  Don't just stop at decorating a card, while you've got your stamps out create some one of a kind wrapping paper!!!  Heather has used Hero Arts Antique Engravings, Maple Leaf and It's a Day for a Cupcake stamps!  Thank you for your wonderful creations Heather!

 

Heather also shares with us these fabulous and totally cute Christmas cards using Christmas Reindeer, Very Merry Christmas and Magical Background stamps.  How super are those snowballs too!!!  Thanks Heather!

 

We just love this set of cards created by Barb Engler using the Sizzix/Hero Arts Bold Pop set and Clear design Good Friends set.  They are are such gorgeous cards, thanks Barb!

 

For this card Barb has used the Bold Pop set again, but in a different way, punching out the negative on the card base and then also pop dotting the butterflies over the top of the negative.  Stunning use of the set Barb!

 

Check out this fantastic multi-layered card by Cindy Tong!  Cindy has used the Wish you were here and Christmas Reindeer clear stamp sets to create this master piece!  And if you're wondering how Cindy created that fabulous little window, she used the Small Madison die from Poppystamps.  Thank you Cindy for this gorgeous creation!

 

 

Next we have this very creative Upcycled Autumn Goodie Jar by Anne Gaal.  Here's a little bit from Anne about creating this fabulous project "I stamped music from Hero Arts CG279 Musical Clef cling set onto the background using Tea Dye Distress Ink. Next I stamped a long botanical grass or willow image from Hero Arts CL428 Earth Flowers using Wild Honey Distress Ink. Then I stamped a spiky fern leaf from Hero Arts CL457 Real Leaves using Rusty Hinge Distress Ink. The “You are someone special” sentiment is from Hero Arts CL578 Good Friends and is stamped using Faded Jeans Distress Ink. The butterflies are from Hero Arts CL383 Antique Engravings and are stamped on Glossy Paper using Ranger Archival Ink in jet black."  For even more information about this project please see Anne's blog.  Thank you for sharing your inspiring project with us Anne!

 

 

What a stunning card this is created by Sharon Dunn!  Sharon has created this vase card using the small magical flower stamp and Heart Greetings sentiment.  Thank you for this fabulous inspiration Sharon!

weekend inspiration: we r memory keepers

 

We R Memory Keepers has an ever growing collection of products from punches, washi tape, twine, patterned papers and more. Leeann adores their twine and washi tapes in particular. On this page Leeann made her famous lasso's from twine, using them as a nest for her photo. She also used the washi tape as a border for the page and to cover some wood veneer triangle banners.

 

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Jane started this card by playing around with the placement of the stickers, she found that they were easy to unstick and replace elsewhere, then Jane decided to use one of the chipboard words and add black alphabet letters to create the sentiment on the card, she also trimmed one of the border stickers in halves and added them to the top and bottom layers of the paper to give more detail.

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As you can see Jane’s favourite product of WeR Memory Keepers is their embossed stickers! Once again Jane layered the stickers into a lovely arrangement and added black alphabet stickers to complement the occasion. Jane loves the papers in this range as well because they are soft and subtle in their designs which helps complement the embellishments. 

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Aly Dosdall is a design team member for WeR Memory Keepers and shares a couple of projects.This first project uses papers and embellishments form the Antique Chic collection.

 

And this Halloween jar has been decorate with washi tapes and twine.  Thank you so much Aly for letting us share a few of your inspiring projects.

 

 

How cute are these cards from the WeR Memory Keepers design team?  They have used the new Washi Sheets (12x12 sheets of washi paper) to create these fun and fabulous sheets.

 

 

Finally more Washi Sheet fun with the Anthologie collection and we spy some Lucky 8 punch action on this super cute page.