Bella Blvd Spotlight

Today on the Paper Issues blog we are checking out all of the new Bella Blvd beautiful collections.  I added Illustrated Faith Delight in his Day and Popsicles & Pandas with a bit of Secrets of the Sea.  I love how Bella Blvd and IF can work together on a single layout!

Look at details and quality of embossing and color on the new Bella puffy stickers.  Check out the panda's glasses! These are such a favorite of mine.  The cloud puffy sticker looks like sprinkles are on it!

The ephemera pieces from Illustrated Faith Delight in His Day and Bella's Secret of the Seas  I cut apart strips of paper from the borders paper for the bold blue polka dots and the gingham Picnic paper to add layers to the busy and fun panda patterned paper. My sewing machine got a work out with stitching everything down for added pattern and texture.

How sweet is this saying from the Daily Details paper?  I loved layering it with the die cut palm tree.

Here's the journaling up close and also, how fun is that "I can't even" sticker.  Totally love saying that about this little guy!

I hope you stopped by the Paper Issues blog to see more in depth looks at other collections and projects made with everything Bella!  The design team was able to put these fun collections to use to document so many fun things!

Save 20% at Paper Issues with code: Stacie as you shop for Bella and everything else you need!

Have a lovely Spring day, friends!

My Mind's Eye: Palm Beach

Today at Paper Issues we are showing you all of the new My Mind's Eye collections.  I went with Palm Beach because I just got my spring break pictures back and they were perfect for this collection!

Here are a few details to check out:

Always getting out the pop dots for some dimension.  The ephemera die cuts pack is a must. There are so many awesome title pieces and layering pieces.  There are several with gold embossing.

 The sticker sheets had great sayings for travel or tropical vacations. The sticker set includes alpha stickers that I included below my photo, but there is also a larger colorful font included.  There are shapes and labels. I love that there is lots of variety included for many projects. The enamel dots have the sweetest colors.

The puffy stickers have great icons, sayings, and I love the dimension they add to an embellishment cluster.

Go grab it all!  The new lines from MME are on point and so different that you need them all for different projects and pictures! Save 20% in the store with code: Stacie

Swag Bag

Get your hands on a new swag bag from Paper Issues.  Cassie curates these bags of bliss each month and they are ahhhhmazing and so full of possibilities with your projects.  I used the February swag bag for this design of my oldest son, Ethan totally loving our donut breakfast mornings on vacation!

A few closeups:

                                      Check out the grouping of everything sweet! Maggie Holmes puffy hearts and Doodlebug layered donuts or enamel shapes.

Get the same Amy Tangerine On A Whim Donut Thickers!  They are so cute with the donut embellishments.

See you online at the Spring Online Crop!  There's still more time to try a challenge or many of them!

Roll the Dice March

Today it's Roll the Dice with Rachel on the Paper Issues blog.  This month her boys rolled a 3 for washi and a 2 for number of photos.  I am always up for a washi challenge as I love to collect it and hardly ever use it.
I used new pictures from last week's Spring Break.  I love having new photos to scrap with!  I bought the new pack of Amy Tangerine On a Whim washi tape, so that was easy to decide on what collection I would be using!

My children love the ocean. They adore running in and out and squeal in delight as the waves catch up to them as they are running away!  Since we live so much farther away from the ocean, I am always on a mission to capture them when we are on vacay!

And this guy.  Yeah, he's an awesome 5 year old now.  Amy Tangerine tropical bliss right here.  It was fun to layer up her patterned papers from On A Whim and use chipboard LOL Thickers and stickers from the sticker booklet and 6x12 stickers from the collection.

A few closer looks.

These watercolor resist tags are such a fun thing to play with.  I love to see the image come to life after painting the tag! 

Shop now at Paper Issues and save 20% with my code: Stacie 

Mix It Up Monday: March

Hello and Happy Monday!  It is back to work after a week of Spring Break and it sure inspired me to get out some summer pictures!  Today is Mix It Up Monday on the Paper Issues blog.  The challenge for March is to use texture on your page with mixed media.  I opted for texture paste and I loved how Heidi Swapp's pink metallic texture paste was the perfect match for Amy Tangerine's On a Whim pink foil stickers and ephemera!

Layers of On A Whim patterned papers and my fave Amy Tangerine foam phrases Thickers from a past collection.  I started with gesso, then added the texture paste in a circle over the Heidi Swapp stencil.   I overlapped spots to create more texture and pattern.  When that dried at used the packaging technique with watercolors splatters in greens, blues, and lastly the pinks.

I love the pink foil ephemera and stickers.  They really accentuated my picture with my bright pink sweater.  It was documenting an amazing dinner by the river in historic Stillwater, MN.  In the lower part of the layout you can see the tear-away strips from three On A Whim papers which I added stitching to each one.

Thanks for taking a peek today,  I hope your week is off to a grand start.  Here's to hoping Spring is truly around the corner and that here in MN that means this new snow melts quickly!

Save 20% in the Paper Issues store with code: Stacie

Don't forget about the online Spring Crop with PI in the Facebook group this week Friday-Sunday.  We can't wait for you to see all of the challenges and join us online!

Cut It Up March

This month is all about lucky stars!  Check out the PI Blog for the inspiration for Starry background.

I was inspired to create this background after looking at my stars loading into my Starbucks app.  Creative vibes can strike even when all you have is coffee on the brain!

I went with Shimelle's Little By Little collection to add to the starry vibe!  I love when I can create a messy mixed media background for my nighttime sky and build the layers above it.  The title has openings making it perfect for papers or mixed media to peek through.

I originally thought of cutting the file into rectangles and having parts of the file be near the right and left edges.  In the end, I went with the triangles to bring out the pointy star design and help accentuate my photo.  Messy packaging technique and splatters added to the mixed media layers of colors added over the gesso.

I used some of the single stars included in the title cut file section, to pop up with foam adhesive and layered puffy stickers above that.  The Little By Little foam phrase Thickers include many stars which are perfect for using in the title or scattered over the cut file.  I added teal stitching over the cut file border to add texture and color.

My journaling totally went wonky over the gesso and bumpy surface on the cardstock/mixed media.  I am ok with it not being my fanciest writing.  It is a quick message to my son telling him how he was the ultimate snuggle bug of all of his siblings.

Head over to the Paper Issues free files section to get this month's file and download the others you need.  I like to cut the files in bulk, so when I get the chance to scrap things are all ready for me!

Tag Paper Issues on social media so we can send some love your way.  I love seeing your creative uses for the cut files.  Link your PI cut file projects to the Cut It Up Facebook album.  It is fun to see how you are able to use these free cut files.  Try making a card, pocket page or layout, super size one star and stitch around it.  Use the offset button to create a border around a single star.

Save 20% with my code; Stacie at Paper Issues.

See you all online next weekend for the Spring Crop March 17-19th.

Pawsitively Pets March

Pawsitively Pets is on the blog at Paper Issues for the March challenge.  We are all about the pets and we used the paw print cut file that is free in the PI store.  I used Heidi Swapp Magnolia Jane for the outdoorsy feel of this pic of Ryan and Ranger.

 Ranger is our "cousin" dog.  Ryan  loves when he gets to play with Ranger.  I love when photos have lots of negative space.  I was able to layer part of the title in the evergreen trees and then the Maggie Holmes gold puffy alpha worked perfectly against the snowfall.  Check out the vintage and distressed Dashing green background paper from Heidi Swapp.

I love to pop things up for dimension and this layout was no different!  I popped up with foam dots the paw print and layers of the photo mat are popped up.  I forgot to pack mist or watercolor paints along on vacay when I made this LO, so I had to improvise with the journaling pen scribbles on packaging and lightly misting it to give me marker droplets to work with!

You can find all of the cut files in the Paper Issues store.  Go grab them all and use them in your next project.  I can't wait to see what you create!

I can't wait to see what you make with your favorite pet pics--don't forget they could be a stuffed animal or zoo picture as well!!
 Go check out all of Heidi Swapp's Magnolia Jane.  It is so beautiful to work with!  Save 20% on it all with code: Stacie

Product Spotlight:Magnolia Jane

Today's Product Spotlight at Paper Issues is all about Heidi Swapp's new collection: Magnolia Jane.  It is a stunner!  I love the colors she mixed in this one and the variety of patterns and prints.  I went with a classic gray Antebellum paper and pink color scheme here.  It takes me back to growing up and this was my favorite color combo!  That is fitting as I am documenting a pic of my sister and I. We hadn't lived in the same state since college, so photos like this were so special!  Now, we live down the street from each other, so we can see each other way more often!

I added foam adhesive under the open hearts cut file to add dimension and cast a slight shadow onto the soft Blushed watercolor paper. The paper is gorgeous!  I think this may need to be bought in bulk as a nice alternative to white!

 I added tone on tone enamel dots and the love you phrase is a cut file from PI free files. I used this to balance out the photo in the upper corner and the date stamping along the diagonal down to the Love You cut in black cardstock.  This repetition of black helps the eye to move around the page.

The Heidi Swapp acetate script words in gold are so beautiful.  I think I need more of these since I just used three words for my title! They were so easy to use. I added a little liquid glue behind parts of the gold lettering and they are stuck down!

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I hope you click around on the links above and check out all of the Heidi Swapp Magnolia Jane items in the store, I am so excited for her letter boards that are arriving soon!  Get all of the goodness for 20% off with code: Stacie

Take 5 Tuesday: Love & Live Today

It's such a fun challenge day!  Take 5 Tuesday is on the Paper Issues Blog.
I am always inspired to play along with Mary Ann's list of options for the month.
 Here's what you can choose from for March:



Here's my take:  I used 4. cardstock, 6. stickers from Dear Lizzy, 10. patterned paper from Dear Lizzy Lovely Day, 11. flowers, 13. stripes, and 15. a title with three words.

 It's all about baseball season which is right around the corner.  This pic is the two of us at a Twins game this past summer.  So much love for date day at the stadium!

Baseball season LOVE!  I took this picture of us on the angle as I wanted to capture the row of flags out in center field.  I love the rose gold foil that is scattered throughout this collection 

The ephemera pack has bits that are perfect for so many projects. 

The Tag You're It patterned paper made for a great layering paper.

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I love layering the ephemera and 6x12 stickers with foam to create dimension and shadows.

More of a close up on the diagonal design and the clusters of embellies that framed the photo.

Save 20% off of Dear Lizzy Lovely Day or any of the gorgeous things in the store at Paper Issues.  Use code: Stacie for 20% off all the things you need.

Notable Quotable March

The quote is a fun one to study, ponder, be inspired by, and create something that speaks to you!  Check out the Paper Issues blog today to see Michelle's post for the month of March!  I was so inspired by the paint colors on the quote and the message of growing up.  I'd love my littlest who just turned 5 to stay little just a bit longer!

I used lots of Cocoa Vanilla Studio Make A Wish on top of my ombre painted background.  I started with one color of acrylic paint and just added more white as I went along down the page.

  The Make  A Wish wood veneer are super versatile and work for more than just birthday pages.

The cut apart Party Mix paper is still available in the store.   I used that for the "So Much Fun" card and a few more places in layers for this page design.

Check out the Paper Issues store it is full of new items.  Be sure to fill up your cart and enter the code: Stacie to save 20% off your total order.