Toy Box: Sweet Dreams of Dinosaurs

A new product spotlight is on the blog at Paper Issues.  Go check out new Carta Bella Toy Box.  It is in the shop and the colors are bright and fun.  I also combined the new June Swag Bag with this as it had several papers from Toy Box.  I love adding the little bits that coordinated with this collection.  PI Swag bags for the win on embellies!

I added white gesso around the circle center before layering more circles and stitching. This helped to anchor my title onto a busy backgound paper and provided a white space for my journaling.  I used the PI swag bag for June to add the twine, stars, and layers of paper under the photo.  **Grab one now while it is still in stock.  I love a swag bag full of PI awesomeness each month!

Carta Bella has the most amazing paper texture.  It is truly thick and durable to add mixed media onto! The ephemera pieces helped to tell my playful story.

I can't wait to see how you use Carta Bella's new Toy Box collection.  I was happy to use it on a non-playing type of a page.  It worked to tell the story of Ryan's lengthy nap time at school and how he loves this particular spot in the room with the dinosaur protecting him!

Save 20% off Carta Bella Toy Box 

and everything else (including the awesome Swag Bag)!!  

Use my code: Stacie

Scraplift Summer Fun

Hello!  It's the first official weekend of summer! What are you up to?  We have fabulous inspiration to help kick off your Sunday!  Check out the PI blog for the beautiful original from Amanda and all of the design team takes!

I used Echo Park's Summer Fun collection and it was fabulous to create with.  I love the gray whitewashed woodgrain background paper for a fun alternative to white cardstock!  I need to buy more to use in a few more layouts!

  Check out the fun enamel shapes and words.  I love the mix of textures it adds. Also, can't you almost taste the Dole Whip?!  I love the pineapple frosty bliss!

Loving the tropical vibe the leaves bring to the design!

Grab all of this from Echo Park and more for 20% off at Paper Issues with code: Stacie

Free File Friday: Summer Vibes

We love cutting out files on Fridays!  Even better when they are FREE files to use from Paper Issues.  Check out our spotlight today on everything with a summer vibe.  So.many.ideas! Go check out the blog at Paper Issues for awesome summer page ideas.
I was at the lake when I worked on this project, so I naturally grabbed the whitecaps on the lake background.

I added Pebbles Sunshiny Day, Amy Tangerine On A Whim, Bella Blvd Secrets of the Sea, and gold title words from Crate's Oasis line.

 I added machine stitching for the waves in the openings of the cut file for a white on white effect. Grab the AT On A Whim water color resist tags,  as they are so much fun to customize!

 I used the Magical cut file word "smile" to add a wavy word and layer to the photo.

Thanks for checking out the up close details on my FFF cut file layout.  I hope you play along with this challenge and post your creations in the Facebook June FFF album.

Tag PI online so we can ooh and aaah over your amazing work with the cut files.

Here's a few ideas to get you going and downloading the files at Paper Issues:

Thanks for stopping by!

Swag Bag June: Hey Summer Vibes

It's time to get creative with the sweetest monthly kits! Have you tried a PI swag bag?  Cassie's cool kits arrive once a month and contain so many bits and embellishments to rock out multiple projects.  I dug into May's kit for this layout and there is still so much leftover to use!  I was inspired by Paige Evan's Oh My Heart square paper that was included in the PI May Swag Bag as a 4x6 paper.  The mix of colors and designs side by side prompted this fun take of overlapping paper layers.

I love that you can cut up the swag bag paper 3x4 or 4x6 cards and overlap them. I tucked some pieces under and over other layers. It became like a puzzle to spread out colors and patterns as well as paper sizes across the page.  I sewed the pieces down after using a little adhesive to temporarily hold the layers in place. My title became the summer vibes card that was an Echo Park Summer Dreams frame ephemera piece.

 I layered wood veneer, ephemera, messy thread, chipboard, and stickers onto the patchwork paper pieces.

Don't delay--go check out the Paper Issues store and grab June's swag bag for 20% off while there are still some in stock today. 

They always sell out, so do not miss out on your chance!

Use code: Stacie to save 20% on your swag bag and everything else that is in stock!

  New Fancy Pants collections just arrived, too! They all look amazing!

Friends-aversary Issue: Oktoberfest

It's an annual event and this was our third year!  Oktoberfest with friends and cousins meeting up at the State Fair grounds for the big event.  Pretzel necklaces are a must!! Pebbles Girl Squad was the perfect pairing for this photo! Have you checked out the Paper Issues blog for more takes on the PI Issue for June?

A few more close ups of the pretty new collection from Pebbles!  Go grab Girl Squad for all of your fun friend events and outings.  Hello foam script Thickers...totally a need for everyone!

Add all the little bits around the photo:  Girl Squad ephemera, puffy stickers, enamel dots, Pink Paislee Paige Evan's Take Me Away paper clips, Dear Lizzy Saturday clear stickers.

Always find a spot for an ampersand, lol!  Here's a close up of the layers and the pretzel necklaces-- the whole reason I needed this Girl Squad paper.

Have a great week ahead!  Make time to do something creative!  

We look forward to seeing what fun things you create this week.

Play along with the Friend-aversary issue!

  Post on Facebook or tag us on Instagram.

Save 20% each time you shop online at Paperissues.  Code: Stacie

Summer Fair Fun

Happy Father's Day to all of the amazing guys out there! Today we are celebrating and scraplifting an amazing design by Anna.  Here's my take using new Simple Stories Summer Days. Go check out Paper Issues blog post for everyone else's cool design variations on this scraplift.

A few more to get a closer look:

I was messing around with various stitches as Anna has stitching on her layout.  I was using the We R Stitch Happy machine and was not watching the tension settings--so I stitched a few times on some spots to make it look purposeful and messy!  Sometimes you just have to embrace the mess. I super love my new We R pink sewing machine! 

The photo's shadow angle from standing under the midway fair games tent gave the perfect design nod to an angled layout. It was fun to mix a bunch of Summer Days prints and papers together to go with the bright and playful photo of Ryan winning at Whac-a-mole!  I sprinkled ephemera pieces and stickers from Summer Days around to mimic Anna's Pinkfresh design elements.

Thanks for taking a peek!  

I have been missing playing with paper and

 was so happy I could play along with this week's scraplift!

Save 20% with my code: Stacie at Paper Issues

Free File Friday: It's all about the Guys

Head on over to the blog at Paper Issues to check out a new round of Free File Friday.  Today it's all about the guys in our lives. Here's a peek at the new free file:

I love circles and text circles are even more fun.  Here's my take using the new cut file.

I used the new Just the Guys file from the Paper Issues store. A large circular cut file in the background backed with Dear Lizzy's colorful watercolor paper was a fun way to start the page design and build off of it.

Have a great weekend and I hope it includes lots of time to work on new projects or maybe even get a Father's Day card made.  I can't wait to play along with the June challenges now that I am on summer break from school.  

Play along with any PI cut file on your guy themed page, project, or card.  I love seeing how you creatively use the cut files from the shop!

Shop and save 20% with code: stacie 

Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful

We are all about the quote on the Paper Issues blog today. A new Notable Quotable is posted for inspiration!

I was inspired by the actual quote for my daughter as she navigates being a tween. I also included the heart in my layout as I had been wanting to use the mega fringe heart cut file.

 

I used a watercolor paper by Ella & Viv that I purchased from the PI store this past autumn.  I love how it looks with all of the rainbow papers layered on top of it.  I stashbusted lots of embellishments to sprinkle on the fringe layers.

The American Crafts Hello Spring papers are perfect for more than just the bunny and Easter themed sides.  The colors are vibrant and fun for summer designs!

The fringe heart cut file was so easy to layer and use as a design element on my layout.  It was fun to hunt for tone on tone embellishments to stashbust for the fringe layers.

I hope you'll join us this month with notable quotable and show us how you've been inspired by the quote from Michelle.

Also, try a pair fringe scissors or fringe cut file for fun!  I'd love to see your take on this challenge!

Save 20% at Paper Issues with my code: Stacie 

Have a wonderful day!

One Little Word

We are all about the titles today to kick off June.  Just one little word.  Yes, one word to wrap up the sentiment of the entire layout.  Check out all of the takes on this idea on the Paper Issues blog hosted by Amanda-Jayne.  Here'e my layout using Cocoa Vanilla Studios Wild at Heart.  My little word is sweet.

The Cocoa Vanilla zig zag patterned paper was begging to be cut, so I chopped into it to create a layer to partner with the gray tone woodgrain. I love all of the fun chipboard stickers, cardstock stickers, and flair that I could add to the design without adding more words!  I stayed pretty true to Amanda's challenge!

A better view of my little word, sweet, on the corner of my photo.  'Sweet' because overall, life is pretty sweet when I pause and soak it all in.

Go check out the Paper Issues store for what's left of Cocoa Vanilla Studios' amazing lines and everything else that is in the shop waiting for you!  40% off sale for just a few more days! 

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