Cut files and Swag Bag: Yay! Golden Birthday

It's a great day to play!
Here's my second layout made with my August swag bag.

Favorite Moments: Swag Bag October kit

Happy Monday! Are you rocking a "swag-ger" in your step today? Go check out the PI blog for all sorts of swag bag kit inspiration. 

 I dug right into the October kit which included so many awesome embellishments.

 Swag Bags are the perfect motivator to get you creating all sorts of projects.  

I love using them on layouts, but swag bags can be used for planners, pocket pages, paper crafts, traveler's notebooks, and so much more.

 The little mini flip book card from Maggie Holmes was the perfect spot for mini 2x3 photos of my parents with all of their grandkids. I used my Silhouette Cameo sketch pens for the journaling to document these special photos taken on my parent's anniversary.

After the journaling was set, I added gesso and gold acrylic paint with the packaging technique.  After it dried, I splattered green watercolor. I used my Cameo to cut the cut file daisy from the Rings of Life cut file to cut into the 3x4 cards which coordinated with the florals and my photo.  With the remaining scraps, I cut the little flowers from Made with Love.  How about that amazing Maggie Holmes bow?!  I love that it fit right below my wreath of flowers.

I love the Dear Lizzy Star Gazer big wood veneer paper clip that was so perfect for clipping down the Maggie Holmes Carousel interactive flip booklet of photos. Simply slide the clip over and look at the other photos. This would be the perfect spot for hidden journaling or having my kids write messages to their grandparents.

 The October kit was jam packed full of embellishments--including an entire set of mixed embellishments from Shimelle Glitter Girl.  I used the sequin stickers and enamel dots in the larger flowers around the page. I have already used the embellishments on another layout and still have more remaining!

 Nuvo glue was perfect for any flower or embellishment gluing. If you haven't tried Nuvo, you are missing out-- the small tip is perfect for precision glue jobs like cut files! I tied in the word "golden" into my journaling as I wanted to add to the sparkle that was prompted by the gold sequins in this kit along with the gold strip attached to the Maggie Holmes flip booklet.

So that's it! Get the new October Swag Bag kit that is new in the shop today!  Save 20% off with code: Stacie  You will not be at a loss at what to do--these fun embellishments can be used on so many projects.   Get yours before it sells out, and they usually sell out fast!

Happy In Hawaii

It's Scraplift Sunday at Paper Issues!  Stop by the blog and play along!  It's a fun way to incorporate multiple patterns and photos. Michelle created a fabulous design to lift.

I used Shimelle's Glitter Girl collection for my photos of Brooklyn

 having so much fun this past summer in Hawaii.  

Snorkeling with sea turtles for the first time and

 poolside with a flamingo floatie is what summer is all about.

I am crushing on these colors together. 

Teal, red, and pinks are so much fun paired with the ever so fave of mine- woodgrain! 

Glitter girl pattern papers worked so easily together--

I love when things just work out with your photos! 

I used the solid pink triangle from the one side of Make a Statement 

and the hexagons from the other side!  

The Embrace Chaos text paper is a great neutral to build a layout off of!

And so you ask, "Why should I glitter?"  Hello. Bokeh photos!!  

Seriously though.  Get that sparkle on.  Boys need some sparkle in their 

lives, too, think outside of the box and grab all of the sparkle included in this collection!

Grab all of the Shimelle Thickers teal words and woodgrain gold alpha.  

I also added the two tone red-pink Thicker alphas from the Valentine collections.

Here's a quick close up of my fave parts of this lift.  

The stitched seams and the enamel dots lining the paper edges. I also had to sneak in some tropical bliss, so I added Pebbles Sunshiny Day puffy stickers. 

 See those adorable hearts with gold edges?  

Those are new Valentine's Day collection from Crate Paper Main Squeeze.

This was such a fun lift.  Cut your papers at an angle and get playing along!  I hope you are inspired to mix it up and try some new products or actually cut into things you were hoarding like I was!

Save 50% currently on all Shimelle that's in the store. Use code: Glitter to save 50% (shop soon--I am not sure how long this sale will last!)
For all other items save 20% with code: Stacie  **One code per transaction.

Free File Friday: Boo! It's Halloween!

It's time for a Free File Friday at Paper Issues.  

It's all about the Boo factor!  

Show us your Halloween designs and projects or a festive fall page

using a Paper Issues free file.

Here's my take using new Fancy Pants Designs Spellbound and the web background cut file.

I love the scripty ephemera titles included in Spellbound and how the thin black lines mimic the lines on the spider web cut file background. I love the pops of orange in the pumpkins and in the polka dots which coordinate with the bricks.  The bats and Doodlebug Booville spiders are the perfect spooktacular little bits to add to the design.

The webs background cut file was cut in black cardstock are stuck down in just a few spots to give it dimension.

Join us online on the Facebook Paper Issues Friends and Fans group. Share your projects using free cut files, especially Halloween or Fall projects!  This month your challenge is to use leaf cut files or Halloween or Fall designs.
Save 20% using code: Stacie on all things in stock at Paper Issues.  As always, cut files are all in stock and FREE.  Download one, a few, or ten! Hope you are inspired to play along!

My Sweet Spidey

Boo! Happy Halloween! It's all about Halloween products today at Paper Issues.  

I used American Crafts Bootiful Night for my Sweet Spidey layout. 

 Ryan was Spider Man last year and it was so comical 

how his hand was always in our candy bowl waiting for

 trick or treaters to come to the door. 

He couldn't wait to answer the door for more "customers!"

Grab the holographic spider web from the Paper Issues store 

and have fun documenting Halloween with a fun shimmer.

It comes with a sheet of black cardstock in addition to the web. 

 I added the mixed media black India ink splatters to the background first and then popped up the web with foam dots.  The ephemera and Thickers were layered on top of the web. More foam adhesive pieces to add height to letters that fell between the web.

We hope you enjoy the Halloween sale (50%)
that is exclusive to this week and only on Halloween items
 in the Paper Issues store. Use code: Halloween to save 50%
on all Halloween items.

Pick of the Patch: Scrap Soup Challenge

It's another fun challenge up on the Paper Issues blog. Go check out the "recipe" for October's Scrap Soup and play along.
Here's my take on the recipe.

I used American Crafts Bootiful Night for the paper piecing with the Paper Issues cut files.

The gold Thickers with black foam were the perfect touch of shine for the title.  I love the black twine that was included in the tags from Fancy Pants Designs Spellbound Halloween collection.

Hope you'll join us and play along with scrap soup!  

It's the perfect time to pull out those fall photos and get documenting this season of pumpkins!

Don't forget to cut out some fun free cut file pumpkins to go with your photos!

Save 20% in the store with code: Stacie

Meeting Kariel: Mermaids Have More Fun

It's such a fun day! It's Try it Tuesday hosted by Amanda-Jayne.  

She's got a great challenge for October.  

Get your mixed media on your paper and then punch it out, 

cut it out, or use your scissors to create your page elements. 

Go check out the Paper Issues blog for all of the details.  

For my take, I used Shimmerz paints on cardstock and after it dried I ran the paper through the Silhouette with a free PI cut file for my mermaid scallops background.

Here are a few more views:

Bella Blvd Secrets of the Sea and Fancy Pants Hello Sunshine --that citron paper!!

Don't be afraid to paint, splatter, and get messy on your paper and then use a cutting machine when it's dry!  You may want to flatten the paper overnight before cutting it. Machine stitching or foam adhesive behind the cut file make it easier to deal with warping or uneven surfaces.

We hope you'll play along!

Free File Friday: Fall in Love with Leaves

Yay! It's FRIDAY and at Paper Issues we are all about the freebies--as in Free File Friday!  Go check out the PI blog for a round up of projects from the team showcasing various leaves that are offered in the shop!

I wanted the leaves to be layered around my fall photo and didn't even use white cardstock at all for the cut files.  I mixed it up with polka dot texture cardstock, kraft, and woodgrain! I love how it complements the small leaf background paper from Carta Bella Hello Fall. 

This project uses three Paper Issues free cut files: Autumn Blessings 

for the title, Boo Pumpkins for the orange leaves, and Fall Fun for the kraft leaves. 

Check out the One Canoe Two tiny text stickers 

from their Creekside collection by American Crafts.

Fall is definitely a fun season full of beauty if you live in

 an area that gives way to a free color-show! 

My son had so much fun collecting leaves of so many shapes and colors! 

It is definitely fitting to "fall in love" with nature!

The paper textures are my favorite part of this project.  Carta Bella has the thickest patterned paper and it has such a lovely texture to it.  It worked so well to sew it with a slight border left around it to wrinkle, fold, bend, and tear to give peeks at the lovely golden yellow "side B" of the paper.
The Pebbles, Heart of Home by Jen Hadfield dark espresso paper with sentiments is a must.  It is so sweet and perfect for documenting family!

Download the free files at Paper Issues and play along all month long!  

I can't wait to see what you create with leaves. 

Tag us online so we can find your work and send you some love!

Here are just a sampling of possible leaf cut files:

Use code: Stacie to save 20% each and every time you order!

Smile: Disney Aulani

It's all about Take 5 October today!  I love the fun prompt list and getting products out to use to meet the list that Mary Ann has posted each month. I used new Elle's Studio Family Fun for this project. The prompts I used: orange, blue, white, sticker, and enamel dots.

This striped paper is just bold and dreamy for background paper.  I loved matching up the ephemera shapes to overlap the color lines and swap the light to dark. 

Tone on tone is a favorite design technique.

 Puffy Stickers and enamel dots= instant dimension! Loving the white acrylic paint splatters to make the white stand out against all of the bold color.

Get Elle's Studio and much much more at Paper Issues online store.  

Use code: Stacie to always save 20% off of all the things!

Which Kraft? Beautifall Moments

Today it's all about a new issue at Paper Issues.  The new theme to play along with: Which Kraft? 

Go check out the Paper Issues blog for all of the details in what this issue is all about! 

 I was inspired to use the cork Thickers and a woodgrain cut file (as close to kraft paper as I got!). This photo of my crew is all about life in October.  

Falling leaves and sunny skies are our favorites in fall!

Here's my take using new Carta Bella Hello Fall and a PI cut file.

Carta Bella Hello Fall paper and woodgrain paper to use for PI cut file were the base to build this fall design. Lots of foam adhesive to pop up the cut file against the Shimmerz mixed media splatters. The wooden leaves were included in a PI swag bag kit from last fall. I was hoarding them for the perfect project. This sure worked!

 The cork-look Thickers worked for the new issue prompts to use cork, kraft, or other natural products. The Hello Fall papers were the perfect mix of patterns for backing the flower cut file.

 I hope your October is full of festive photos and moments that capture this beautiful season of changes!

Save 20% on everything that you purchase on Paper Issues.com

Code: Stacie can be used each time you order.