Free File Friday:Sailing

Hello!  Happy Memorial Day long weekend for those of you celebrating! It's almost summer vacay here, so naturally my focus was past summer trips!  I am up on the Paper Issues blog today with a fun way to layer your cut files as a texture and design element!

The Vicki Boutin Color Kaleidoscope paper pad had this

 blue toned water color background that was perfect for my base.

  I added more watercolor drops and splatters from other colors

 to add more splashes in the background. 

I sewed on the free cut file:

 Sailing into Summer waves and splattered some more!

My little dude showing his shaka sign- hang loose, especially when you're sailing in Hawaii!

Add sewing machine to stitching lines for more movement and texture to the background.

I can't wait for you to try a cut file in a new way. 

Maybe it is taking a smaller cut file like these waves

 and altering them by welding them together to create a longer strip of waves.

  Another idea would be to use a cut file in a repetitive way

in your background. Try painting or stenciling a background

 with a cut file or altering it with mixed media. 

Cut the cut file out of colored cardstock.

Try backing it or paper piecing a cut file!

Hope you are playing along with the May challenges 

that are posted in Paper Issues Friends and Fans!  

Save 20% on all the things you need from the Paper Issues store!  

There are so many new collections, free cut files,  and PI kits to try out!

April Showers: Dream and Wonder Wanderlust

Here's a look at the April Showers challenge this month at Paper Issues. I was inspired by this challenge to find some fluffy clouds and document a sweet moment with my littlest!

I love when you find the paper that coordinates with your photo, looks like you got messy, and really all you did was color match embellishments.  The Vicki Boutin watercolor background is so beautiful!

My littlest was fascinated with the sea birds that were landing and flying near the beach, so he decided to follow them for miles down the beach and back.  My friend and I ran behind him and captured so many sweet pictures.

I wanted to go for lots of textures to bring in the soft clouds and the mix of water along the beach, so the torn paper edges, messy threads, and soft color palette was my mission!

I love the Vicki Boutin Color Kaleidoscope mixed media paper pad and that was the perfect watercolor base for this beach photo. The colors were so much fun to coordinate threads in several blues, paper layers, and soft vellum to back the cut file clouds from the PI free file: Sky's the Limit. 

I used the April Paper Issues Bohemian Rhapsody kit for the sticker title Wanderlust and for paper mat layers! The PI kits always have just the perfect embellishments or papers that I need to finish off so many design projects!

Thanks for stopping by the blog today. 

I hope you join in on the final days of April challenges and

 post them  in the Friends and Fans FB group. 

Have you shopped at Paper Issues?  If not, go check it now for new kits,

 free cut files, and lots of new releases!

Save 20% with my code:

Stacie

Tag us on Social Media--we love seeing what you create!

If you use a PI cut file, use #picutfile and #PaperIssues 

Here's what I used:

Sky's the Limit cut file

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

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