Tis the Season to Fa La La La

It's a new Working Title Challenge at Paper Issues.  Amanda is challenging us to use song lyrics in our titles this month.  I made it easy and used a free PI cut file  "Tis the Season" with holiday song lyrics on it.

I love that the cut file gives the design a starting shape and place to build the rest of the layout off of--it truly made this come together quite quickly when I pulled out all of my new Pinkfresh December Days collection!

I pulled out some older Pink Paislee Merry & Bright green paper to back the cut file letters.  I love that Pinkfresh and the Pink Paislee both coordinate with my son's winter hat.  He informed me he doesn't like hats like this anymore because some kid at school says it's babyish. *Sad face*

 The puffy sticker stars are my fave!  I love how they popped this background paper! The red and gold alpha stickers were a fun way to add interest to the "snow" area of my photo!

I hope you'll join along with the Working Title challenge this month at Paper Issues.  Also, go check out the Paper Issues store!  40isBetter will save you 40% for the next few days!

Try It Tuesday: Paper Strips

Today on the blog at Paper Issues it is Try It Tuesday! I love all of the fun ideas Amanda has to get us creating! For the month of December, Amanda wants us to create a design with strips of paper.

 I grabbed the Dear Lizzy Star Gazer collection and cut off a stack of paper branding strips/tear away strips to use with this brush stroke chevron background. I grabbed the Nuvo white glue and started sticking down paper strips in random placement! 

This is my littlest posing in Hawaii this summer. He loved trying to master the "shaka" hand in all of his pictures. He truly captured the spirit of ALOHA!  He is my little light and this colorful page captures his spunky heart of gold!

Close ups of this fun brush strokes chevron background so you can "try it" too!

I love the copper/rose gold detailing on the Star Gazer Thickers and Star Gazer ephemera.

 The flair included in the Star Gazer collection are so cute! The 6x12 stickers, ephemera, and Thickers are so easy to cluster and stick together.

Stitch around the border and add the finishing touches! I hope you are inspired to grab this brush strokes chevron cut file and use your branding/tear strips off of the paper from each collection. No trimming necessary (besides the length of the stripe) this cut file is the perfect width of branding strips to layer them!

I hope to see your amazing work online or in our PIFF Facebook group! Please tag us if you create with a Paper Issues cut file. #picutfile #paperissues #Paperissuesfreefile will help me find your creative work!

Join this challenge or any of the many challenges that are offered weekly on Facebook!

Shop Paper Issues now for all of the Dear Lizzy items you see here. 

It is a beautiful collection to create with!

Pinspire Me: Pastel Winter

Today on the blog at Paper Issues it is time for a new Pinspired moodboard made by Mary-Ann! I call it Pastel Holidays! Winter is usually white and soft here in MN, so pastels are the perfect partner!

I was inspired by all of the trees.  I created a tree farm cut file to use with Crate Paper Snow & Cocoa.

I cut the background cut file from white cardstock and then cut a background pieces of patterned paper for behind the openings and then cut a patterned paper tree from the cut file to layer and stitch together.  I was able to lift the layers for instant dimension to the trees.

Up close details of the layers. Crate Paper Snow & Cocoa chipboard, word stickers, ephemera, 12x12 patterned paper scraps & 6x6 papers.

 Side view of the tree dimension. I love that I could include so many of the cute patterned papers in one design without being too crazy looking! Pink and black splatters to fit the moodboard vibes.

 A bit of white twine to string the ephemera tags together.

Play along with this beautiful board now through December 31. Be pinspired by all of the inspiration images.  Maybe try a cut file with your design--there are 100s of free files in the PI store for instant download!

Don't forget about the Paper Issues sale going on right now!!

Free File Friday: Snow Thankful

Today we are up on the Paper Issues blog with a Free File post for you!  Snowy, winter, holiday titles! Check out all of the ways to incorporate a cut file word, title or quote into your project design.

I used the Circles and Snowflakes cut file for my title word "Snow" and the snowballs.  The added snowflakes are also from the same cut file.

Gesso and white acrylic paint to blur the edges of the cut file background.  Paint flicks of white all over the design and on the background. Snowy, messy, fun!

Grab this Crate Paper Fa La La La collection and more during the Paper Issues sale--happening now through the holidays!!

Play along with the Free File Friday now through Dec 31st.

Thankful: I heart Fall

Today it's all about math on Paper Issues--Add it Up challenge is live on the blog and you need 200 or more points on your projects.
I used Carta Bella Hello Fall and some PI free cut files on my project to get to 200 points.

Here's the chart to help you tabulate!


A few closeups:
Carta Bella Hello Fall was a must to coordinate with my guy's adorable rascal shirt.  The woodland critters had to be used!

Gold shimmer and fall is my favorite! Mist drops for fall leaves. Find the cut files for free in the free files section of the PI shop. I love the Fall is my Favorite cut file--my fave is the i (heart) fall script!

 Add all the fall colors of mist--packaging technique with gesso gold, Heidi Colorshine gold mist drops, tan and orange mist drops. Stickers, puffy enamel stickers, and enamel dots to add movement and dimension! I used the PI swag bag for November for several embellishments as well.

I hope you decide to Add it Up, too this month! Join us and play along!

There's always a sale at Paper Issues use a code and save!