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!!

Mix it up Monday January

I love to push my messy side on mixed media and love when inspiration hits! 

Here's my take on Mix It Up Monday at Paper Issues.

 I was scrolling Instagram in December and saw this amazing Christmas tree done with green ribbon by Audrey Yeager.  

She mentioned her YouTube process video and ribbon cut file.  

I had the snowy tree pics which honestly is a favorite part of winter in MN.  

I love seeing the trees heavy with fresh snow!

I was super excited to use all of these fun trees, snowflakes, and Brr papers/blue-green paper from Crate Paper Snow and Cocoa.

Lots of pics below to show the process:  Using the tree cut file- added gesso above it. Added acrylic paint in layers using packaging plastic. Then I dried it before adding the white ribbon. Weaved the ribbon through the holes. (I should've watched her video again.  I made mine really full with ribbon as it was hard to know when to stop!!

 Added paint in layers-- added white, yellow, and blue paints--mixed varying shades of green.  I thought I would use the green ribbon in the picture--and then opted for the snowy white!

I threaded through all of the ribbon. I added the splatters of three colors of green mist. I decided the tree looked too messy with the excess green paint on the perimeter, so I added the hand stitching with white thread.

It was so much fun to dig through all of my Crate Paper Snow and Cocoa collection kit for this. I completely love this collection and really didn't get a chance to use much of it yet!

Also, how cute is that B &W mini flair from Feed Your Craft?!  I love it for my date!

 The title was so much fun to mess with and use the trees and snowflakes included on the sticker sheets, ephemera, and Snow and Cocoa chipboard.

 I thought the top edge looked boring so I added scraps and sewed them down.  These little banner pieces from the sticker sheet and cut apart paper worked well!

I hope you are inspired to try something new!  It is the perfect time to stashbust your ribbon, mixed media supplies, or collections of paper you haven't cut into yet!

Save 20% at Paper Issues with my code: Stacie

Brrr Snow Day

Snow and Cocoa from Crate Paper is definitely a favorite of mine for the winter season!  Check out the Paper Issues blog today as we spotlight this gorgeous collection!

Here are a few closeups of Snow and Cocoa by Crate Paper!  I hope you grabbed it early in the season as most of it is SOLD OUT!  You can still get our free cut files from the Paper Issues shop.

I added white gesso on the background to lighten and whiten the area.  I layered the cut files and photo mats on that area.

I added lots of stickers and ephemera from the collection.  The chipboard stickers are some of my favorites!

I love adding stitching to a layout and for this design I added pink machine stitching to the snowflakes and title.

Thanks for taking a look at my snowy girl design!  I hope you are inspired today and get a chance to check out the blog and Facebook post for more ideas!  Play along until December 5th for a chance to win a gift card to Paper Issues!

As always save 20% each time you shop with code: Stacie