What's App? Living that Starbs Venti Life

Hello and What's App?  I'm here today on the Paper Issues blog!  It's no shocker that I love coffee and of course, if you would ask me list my top 10 apps, my fave coffee apps would be on it!  The new Vicki Boutin Color Kaleidoscope mixed media paper pad had the perfect colors to document my Starbucks pic, gift card, and gold title details. I love a big circle swirl of paints!

I kept the photo full 4x6 size, for the sake of the purpose of this page, I wanted to show that the "starbs app life" is so convenient, as I can order ahead and pick it up at the drive thru! Simple as order ahead and instant bliss is waiting for you in winter or on all the days ending in y!! Coffee is life.

To balance all of the pops of gold, I added wood veneer embellishments-the Elle's Studio coffee cup, Shimelle wooden buttons, and mini hearts from a past swag bag kit. The gold Heidi Shine mist drops covered parts of my journaling, but you can still kind of read it. The ephemera is from Vicki Boutin's past collection and her current Color Kaleidoscope collection.

The cool cat clip just fit the colors and needed to be the focus of the upper cluster of embellishments. I love how it clips the layers together and brings the perfect burst of pink.  Layers and layers of VB Color Kaleidoscope papers from the March kit and available by the sheet in the store!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

I hope you will play along with all of the April challenges that are posted at Paper Issues!

Join us in the Facebook group for fun and inspiring daily posts!

Save 20% on all the things at Paper Issues online shop!

Get all the new things before they are gone.

code: Stacie

Puppy Pals: Kali and Ryan

Hello! I'm on the Paper Issues blog with the Secret Life of Pets
 is always a fun challenge to capture the cuteness!

My seven year old absolutely adores spending time with our friend's

 mini-petite golden doodle.  They definitely enjoy

 each other's company and all the extra attention that comes along with it!

The Carta Bella Our House woodgrain heart paper was the perfect color to coordinate with the focal point of a pet page--the puppy!  I also love that Carta Bella is such a thick textured paper that I could rough up the edges because what puppy doesn't like to tear stuff up! The rough stitched layered edges also bring in more texture and dimension to the page besides the heart cut file in the center!

If you haven't gotten a Paper Issues swag bag, be sure to check them out each month.

Be warned- they sell out quickly once they hit the shop!

  It made coordinating this page design come together soooo quickly. 

 I adore these monthly kits that are so full of items to use immediately! 

I used the February swag bag kit for the photo paper layers and the embellishments. 

The hearts in the Love You Hearts cut file were watercolored

 to match the variated striped Heidi Swapp Color Fresh paper border.

 I add watercolor, dry it with a heat tool, then reapply lighter

 and darker colors in various spots immediately drying

 to minimize warping. The final step was flicking water onto the paint

 and letting that do its magic of taking away color in those spots.

Have you tried it?  If not, get out those paints and play!!

  It adds such cool colorations and subtle design within the cut file. 

 Next, I used white cardstock that was painted using the packaging technique

 and then backed the cut file with it. I popped the whole cut file with foam dots.

I adore that I could tuck two 3x4 pics on this page and they fit right into the cut file hearts!

I love that the sweet wooden Pinkfresh alphas that are in the

  December Hard Candy PI scrapbook kit, and how they worked so well

 with this design.  I added some white acrylic paint splatters to

 the background and called this design done! 

I think it speaks to the sweetness of these two!

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you're inspired to get creating!

Stop by the Paper Issues Facebook group to play along with the

 Secret Life of Pets and all of the other March challenges!

While you are browsing the Paper Issues store, 

grab all of the new items that were just added and save 20% with code: Stacie

Together

Hi! I am up on the Paper Issues Blog today for the first scraplift Sunday challenge! 

 Stop by and check it out! 

 I was so inspired by Jen's colorful layered scallops design!

 Here's my take on the beautiful design:

Here's Jennifer's fabulous original design using Fancy Pants Yellow Door Collection:

I used lots of bits and pieces from Paper Issues Swag Bags and the January Scrapbook kit to embellish and create my titles.

I love adding stitching to my background to lift items up to create dimension in the layers. 

I went crazy with the acrylic paint splatters to bring in lots of the colors from the hearts. I mean why not make a party of paint splatters on your page every once in awhile?!

Happy heart month and happy scraplifting!! 

Post your challenge entries to our Friends & Fans Facebook group

 and tag Paper Issues on social media.

Grab the scrapbook kits each month in the store, 

just like I did to help your designs come together quickly! 

Save 20% your order with code: Stacie

Celebrate 14

Hello!  It's all about celebrating today!  I absolutely adore this month's swag bag kit from Paper Issues and couldn't wait to create a fun birthday page with it.  

April is my birthday month, so it's all about throwing the confetti around to whoop it up! 

 Evan my 14 year old may not love the colorful page design, 

but I went with the inspiration from the candles on his birthday pie!

Here's my rainbow confetti birthday celebration:

Here's a look closer at the colorful details:

I printed out a large number 14 from my computer to layer the paper strips over.  I then flipped it over to cut using the dark outline of the numbers as my cutting guide.

 Finished with the paper strips.  These are all from the 3x4 papers included in the April kit. 

 Plus, there are still several I didn't use in this design. 

Gotta love a swag bag and the ability to use it for several projects!

Layout with the "confetti" splatter- Nuvo mists from the Paper Issues store, Heidi Swapp Shine from past swag bags, and Shimmerz mists.I loved the ephemera piece that said "happy" to tuck in above the yellow birthday paper.

I loved the puffy glitter ephemera from Shimelle's Glitter Girl collection.  It adds the perfect dimension in the vertical stack of paper layers.

The Pebbles Happy Hooray chipboard banner stickers worked

 so well to create a banner across the entire middle of the design.

So that's my pop of colorful to start off your day.  I hope you are inspired to grab an April Swag Bag kit from the Paper Issues store and create your own "Party on a Page".

Save 20% off of all of your order at Paper Issues with code: Stacie

Dream It, Wish It...

Today I am up on the Paper Issues blog sharing my love for PI Swag bags!
Paper Issues monthly Swag Bag kits are so easy to create with!
Here is how I  used the February "Write It Down" kit

to create my second project.  For this layout, I was inspired by 

the numerous Vicki Boutin "All the Good Things" collection items. 

 I added mixed media paint stripes in the background 

to pick up the minty-blue hues in the butterfly and embellishments.

Here's a pic of the February Swag Bag- the kit I used was a variation of this as all kits are slightly unique!

Here are a few close up views of the mixed media and hand stitching that I added for the butterfly trailing throughout the background. I added Shimmerz watercolor paint splatters and painted the cork star to be color-coordinated.

I attached the butterfly in the center and lifted up the wings with foam pop dots to give it dimension. The background paper is Jillibean Soup. The thread was the perfect match to bring the color across the page!

Time at the hotel pool, means hours of swimming and pretending to be a mermaid.  

Yes, always a mermazing time at the pool!

All of the Swag Bag kit papers become layers and pops of color for the photo cluster.

  The Vicki Boutin ephemera, journaling cards, and bird clip added the perfect little touch at the top.

The bow pin balanced out the pops of black that were scattered throughout the design.  I love the gold paper clip embellishment to group all of the layers together.

Here's how I used the February Swag Bag the first time using a background 

cut file from Paper Issues and the brighter colored swag bag items. 

See how you can create such a different look with the same kit??? 

 I love the versatility of each month! The Jillibean Soup felt bow is adorable to clip on photos!

Guess what...I still have February Swag Bag items left after two layouts!  

This is why you totally need one or both of the kits available in the shop!

Check out the matching watercolor splatters! I loved the rainbow vibes from this kit!

If you are wanting to see more- here's the March Swag Bag kit called- I've Got This! It's so bright and bold! This kit will be so perfect for Spring Break photos or documenting spring fun!

I can't wait to see what you create!  Please share your projects on social media and tag Paper Issues or play along in the Paper Issues Friends and Fans Facebook group.  

Stop by Paper Issues to grab these new kits or shop all of the new collections in the store.  

So many new releases!  Save 20% on all the things with code: Stacie

XOXO Swag Bag

Swag Bag kits for January "All the Hearts" are in the house!  Check out the blog today at Paper Issues to be inspired on how to use these awesome swag bag kits. As it was such a kit full of heart, I went with it and used a PI free cut file to cut hearts out of the kit papers!

I started by splattering the acrylic paints in a ring shape on the Simple Stories woodgrain paper.

I cut the heart grid background cut file multiple times to use up the paper included in the kit.  I trial and error messed around with placement in the circle before adding a small amount of adhesive and sewing each heart down the middle so they could be lifted for dimension on the page.  See my workspace and the additional swag bag items I didn't use on this project!  So much to still play with!!

Cassie includes so many amazing embellishments with each month's kit.

 I love the tassel heart and rosette heart.  I still have the washi tape roll,wood veneer, and several more paper cards, paper scraps, ephemera, and sequins to use!

I challenged myself to use a lot of this gorgeous January kit in this project and I was successful.  But, honestly there is still always so many beautiful kit pieces left to use on other projects!

I really do "heart" you!  Thanks for stopping by.

Grab this kit before it's gone.  Save 20% off with my code!

I la la love it!  You will never be disappointed these swag bag kits, 

they are packed full each month!

Christmas Magic

For Try It Tuesday at Paper Issues today,

Amanda is challenging us to use party products in our design. 

I used a paper treat bag in the layers and a Christmas glittery gift tag is tucked inside

 to document my 5 year old Ryan and his list for the year.

Here's a close up of my "party or holiday party items" that I added to my layers.  I love that I can keep his list tucked into the page for reminding us years from now what he was interested in!

I loved working with Pinkfresh December Days.  The chipboard, puffy stickers, ephemera and wooden buttons were the perfect little bits I needed to layer this festive design.

The sequins were included in the Swag Bag kit for December.  Make sure you grab a PI swag bag kit when Cassie releases them as they are the perfect layout finishers!  I mean--it's the go to stash of items to add to those spots you need just a little something!! The epoxy black stars were included in Heidi Swapp mini packs of stickers.The PI store has the Heidi Swapp scripty stickers all in stock and they are adorable to add to pages!

We hope you will join us on all of the January challenges at Paper Issues.  They are open now through Feb 4th.  Don't forget to grab items from the Paper Issues store--it's always on sale and the shipping is fast. Cassie adds the best detailing with each order! Don't miss out!

Swag Bag December: The Magic

It's all about Santa and the magic of the season in our house right now!  We took our youngest two to see Santa this past weekend and I put the expensive mall photo to good use. The Paper Issues December Swag Bag kit was perfect for the page design! I still have so much of the kit left to use on another winter themed page that I will share in January. Check out the Paper Issues blog today for more Swag Bag inspo.

The Maggie Holmes Carousel starry background paper is the off-white cream color that picked up the gold tones of several of the embellishments and papers included in the December kit. I added mixed media to the background to soften the stars around the immediate design and photo cluster. I used the packaging technique to add sparkly green and gold layers.

The December Swag Bag rosettes added such fun depth and texture!  I love the snowy winter whimsy it brings to the design. I love the fun mix of sequins included in this month's kit. I used only the gold stars, but the crimson red,white, and other sequins will be used in another project--tis the season to sparkle!

If you have been wondering about swag bags, now is the time to try one! Cassie packs the kits full of fun possibilities.  This kit worked for the holidays, a visit with Santa, baking cookies, winter outdoors fun, sledding, not to mention perfect for your December albums if you are documenting each day this month!

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!