Swag Bag June: Hey Summer Vibes

It's time to get creative with the sweetest monthly kits! Have you tried a PI swag bag?  Cassie's cool kits arrive once a month and contain so many bits and embellishments to rock out multiple projects.  I dug into May's kit for this layout and there is still so much leftover to use!  I was inspired by Paige Evan's Oh My Heart square paper that was included in the PI May Swag Bag as a 4x6 paper.  The mix of colors and designs side by side prompted this fun take of overlapping paper layers.

I love that you can cut up the swag bag paper 3x4 or 4x6 cards and overlap them. I tucked some pieces under and over other layers. It became like a puzzle to spread out colors and patterns as well as paper sizes across the page.  I sewed the pieces down after using a little adhesive to temporarily hold the layers in place. My title became the summer vibes card that was an Echo Park Summer Dreams frame ephemera piece.

 I layered wood veneer, ephemera, messy thread, chipboard, and stickers onto the patchwork paper pieces.

Don't delay--go check out the Paper Issues store and grab June's swag bag for 20% off while there are still some in stock today. 

They always sell out, so do not miss out on your chance!

Use code: Stacie to save 20% on your swag bag and everything else that is in stock!

  New Fancy Pants collections just arrived, too! They all look amazing!

Scraplift Sunday: Things I Love

Today we are lifting an awesome layout by Amy Coose on the Paper Issues blog.  I was inspired by the use of the frames and little embellishment clusters.
 I had fun stashbusting Crate Paper Heart Day, Maggie Holmes, Cocoa Vanilla Studios embellishments, and more.  I had been hoarding the pink woodgrain paper from We R's Love Notes collection.  A picture of peonies and Starbucks were epic enough for me to bust out this pretty paper!

This LO was a two day adventure in placing items, moving things, adding embellishments, and then finally coming back to it to glue it down and commit to it!

It's such a sense of accomplishment when you can pull together multiple manufacturers and make products work together.  It was fun to stash bust so many random bits for this one. Crate Paper Heart Day for a non-Valentine's Day layout, sure did.   Love the phrase chipboard Thickers from Maggie Holmes' Chasing Dreams!  The Crafty Pocket flair was the perfect fit for this design.

 I loved pulling out Cocoa Vanilla Studios Make a Wish collection and using the florals and wood veneer.  A bit of AC Hazelwood got added in for this mash up of all things pink!

  I hope you get inspired to play along with the awesome challenges at Paper Issues. Scraplift Sunday is just one of my faves!  There are sooo many to try.  There's definitely something for everyone!  Post your projects now through June 4th.

Save 20% in the Paper Issues store with code:

Take 5 Tuesday

It's a new month and time for Take Five Tuesday at Paper Issues.  Mary Ann has lots of fun prompts for November.

Here's my take using lots of We R High Five.

   I used: 1. brown We R Vintage woodgrain paper 4. cardstock 5. chipboard leaves from Pebbles Warm & Cozy 7. plaid Epic paper by We R   9. a banner using stickers from We R High Five 10. stickers 12. bow from Bella Blvd 13. title- hand stitched around cut file

I made this cut file from a digital brush set at Studio Calico and stitched around it in coordinating colors of embroidery floss as the High Five collection.  It was fun to work on while watching football or while catching up on the latest tv series.

I am loving the Pebbles Jen Hadfield Warm & Cozy leaves for this autumn layout using my kiddos picture running along the wooden bridge at the local park near our home.

I layered the ephemera leaves and florals from the High Five collection and added stickers from the High Five 6x12 sticker sheet.  I love those sweet mini Bella Blvd bows.  I think the larger Bella Blvd bow would've been perfect here, too.  I was looking to tie in that olive green color again and it just fit!

I added the banner stickers above and stitched above it to tie it all in to the corner hand stitching. I added splatters of gold and light blue mist. I accidently got some right on my original photo on my son's face, so this photo of my kiddos is actually what I grabbed after messing it up by scratching his face when I tried (and failed!!!) to wipe the mist drop off his face. Some days are scrappy fails!

Hope you are inspired to makes something fun using the prompts for the Take 5 challenge!

When you shop at Paper Issues for any of these fun items I linked up, be sure to save 20% with my code: Stacie

Scraplift Sunday

Hello! Today we are lifting the amazing burst design by Ann.  Here's my take using We R Memory Keepers Urban Chic.  I added stickers from Dear Lizzy to destash my collection.

Summer is such a vibrant and fun time of the year.  The state fair is at the end of August and is a great culmination of the end of the summer season before school starts!  These papers were fun and that donut paper begged to be used with my mini donut photo!

I love to type journaling and add it in strips, but that takes an extra step! So, often I just handwrite directly onto my pages.  This trip to the fair was a different one as we only had two kiddos along while two vacationed with their grandparents!  My friend joined us and it was a total throwback to our younger days of going to the fair and eating french fries before a teen boy band concert.  We had many laughs thinking about life in 1989!!

I destashed and used stickers and chipboard from other collections to coordinate colors and make it a playful fair page instead of the intended girl power and travel vibe from Urban Chic!

The black alpha for the title were from We R last year and have the plastic reverse cut outs to use as well.

Have a spooktacular week ahead!

Save 20% at Paper Issues with my code: Stacie

Stitch on It

Today I'm up on the Paper Issues blog with the We R High Five collection with a focus on stitching.  I love how stitching whether it be sewing machine stitching, hand stitching, or faux stitching with messy threads can add interest and texture to your project.

The soft blue and gold made me pull out our fall pictures from last year where the golden leaves and rugged dock play off of this vintage vibe in the We R papers.  I love the flair paper and all of the fun sentiments.  They perfectly stated my sweet thoughts about this moment with Dad and toddler son!

The back stitching around the hexagon took a bit of time to do, so I tend to watch a tv show or listen to music. Once it is stitched, I like to make the rest of the page a faster process, which is why I love sticking with the same collection. Next, I backed the cut file openings with High Five papers.  I placed the similar photos-one in color and one in B&W.  I love to have both versions as it captures different feelings and ties in the colors of the page elements.

I love the variety of papers in We R High Five- from bricks, to wood, to plaid, and playful outdoor prints.  The 6 x 12 cardstock stickers are easy to layer and add throughout your project.  I finished the page off with watercolor splatters.

The We R flair, stickers, and ephemera made it so easy to create with a cohesive look.   It helps to coordinate and scrap with speed. I love when a page design comes together as you imagine it! I can't wait to see how you use stitching on your projects. We have fun free stitching cut files in the PI store to try this technique.  If you want these gorgeous We R High Five items, grab them all in the store with 20% off by using code: Stacie

Thanks for checking out the details on my layout.  Have a great weekend!

High Five Whale Watching

Today we are shining the spotlight on We R's High Five collection on the Paper Issues blog.  This collection is super fun to design with as it can be versatile for outdoor adventures or just everyday life pages. I love this golden map paper for travel layouts.

I went on a whale watching catamaran cruise with my daughter while visiting California.  We saw absolutely zero whales, but we got amazingly close to so many dolphins.  It was an incredible trip with her and no boys along!!  Hello Epic whale paper and all the whale bits and pieces!  The cardstock stickers have fun shapes to add details, too.

The ephemera pack had so many awesome little bits to add to the LO and give details to the story.  The cut file title is a freebie in the Paper Issues shop.

I love adding foam adhesive to add height and dimension on layouts that are more basic in design like this one.  I added light blue spray mist for the water splatters at the end.

I hope you can find time to create with High Five and post your creations on Instagram or PIFF so we can be inspired by you!

Save 20% in the Paper Issues store with code: Stacie

Turning 40

It's that dreaded "next phase", over the hill, fourth decade, 40. You know, the number that sounded so stinking old when you were a kid! I remember my mom despising it, too, telling my dad he best listen and not do a surprise party! Fast forward to the here and now, and I am freaking out (*just a wee little bit) that it is coming fast!

This phases of the moon paper perfectly goes with my sentiment of life change and "the next phase" of life.

I love the "let me count the ways"scripted on the paper.

The top corner is labeled young moon.

It shows the old moon at the lower corner. Love the way the paper works for the story!

So that's me, relishing in the last few days of 39, yet, ready to rock out a new decade! 

You Fill My Heart

I love these heart pie chart cut files from The Cut Shoppe called Pie Hearts . 

The bold polka dot paper is from the Beautiful Chic from Webster's Pages and the stripes are from the We R Memory Keepers line called Love Notes.

The alphabet stickers are from American Crafts Amy Tangerine Plus One. I sprinkled mist dots in pink, sea foam, and white. I also had a crafty fail (huge mess) with the pink mist. *see below

I added the yellow vellum behind the photo to make it stand out in the bold background. The colors and textures are loud and fun, just like my four children! 

Behind the scenes:

Here's the mess as I tipped over the pink, kind of Pepto looking!

Modern art via my kitchen floor canvas!

Instagram Mini Album

The We R Memory Keepers mini Insta Albums are perfect for small sized scrapping and documenting in a quick fashion.  I created this mini album while watching and completing the projects for Big Picture Classes: Inspiration Unlimited with Kelly Purkey and Amy Tan.  I used We R Memory Keepers vellum and metallic mini kit for some of the pages or 2x2 spots.  Amy Tangerine's Stitched collection 6x6 paper pad, enamel shapes, and Thickers were used throughout the book.  I tried techniques that Amy taught in the class.  I watercolored circles and stamped on top of them to create handmade mini papers.  I watercolor scripted the word family on the backside of the Plus One Collection by Amy Tangerine Today tag.  I also adore the Shimelle woodgrain embossing folder that I used along with leaf embellishments from Basic Grey.  I also incorporated the photo ID mini pictures from Costco.  I used sections of it for the 2x2 pockets to highlight other pictures from the same day.