This or That: Pretty Great Spring Break

I am blogging today with a fun choice challenge hosted at Paper Issues for March called This or That.

Check out the Paper Issues blog today to see more!

Check out the March challenge list on Facebook in PI Friends and Fans.

 Here's what I selected:

I started with the white cardstock background and added gesso. 

 I then used mist to layer using the packaging technique 

to bring out colors in the sunsets from the pictures.

The free PI cut file heart is from Stuck Like Glue and it was the perfect layer to add to the central focus sunset photos of the layout.

I brought my scrap supplies- (Hello, easy packing with Paper Issues monthly kits!!) along during Spring Break and this was the view when I was snapping pics!

I used ephemera, Pink Paislee alpha stickers, and papers from the Paper Issues January kit: She's a Rainbow.  I adore the colors and who doesn't love a good rainbow vibe?!  If you like to create with kits, be sure to grab them as soon as they are posted in the store each month.  They are amazing and include so much! It made this layout come together so quickly!

I doodled repeated lines for the border of the page for the last element of the this or that list.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today.

Hope you have time to play along with the challenges this weekend

and are inspired to try THIS or THAT after seeing how easy it can be!

Have you seen all of the new items in the Paper Issues store this week?

Stop by and shop- while you save 20%

Use code: Stacie

 Post all of your completed March challenges in the Paper Issues Facebook group!

Don't forget to tag us online when you use PI Cut Files!

 #picutfile #paperissues

Thanks for stopping by today!

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

Free File Friday: Sweet Moments

Hello! Deccember is flying by and it's time to document 

more sweet moments of the season. I am up on the Paper Issues blog today 

with a free file Friday post.

The December Paper Issues kit, Hard Candy is absolutely fabulous

 and so easy to create pretty pages or projects with! 

The Candy Cane Hearts cut file is the perfect addition

 to the sweet treats my son was decorating with in the photo. 

The Kaisercraft ephemera pieces are so lovely for layering

 and adding details to add to the holiday vibes!

How about the sweet gingerbread cookie ephemera?? 

 I mean how could I not add the perfect sized Amy Tangerine mini bow to the gingerbread person!?

Yes, you need mini bows.  They are so cute on everything!

The woodgrain paper included in the December kit was so easy to match up with this gingerbread themed page. I used machine stitching around the border to off-set the backgrounds with the powerful red polka dots behind this layer.

I released the compound path on the candy canes and created a solid layer for the candy canes. To tie in the white, I added the white acrylic paint splatters and the snowflakes for a visual triangle. The cut file snowflakes are from Snowflake Grid free file.

Thanks for stopping by the blog.  I can't wait to see how you use Paper Issues free cut files in your holiday projects.

There are so many ways to layer cut files, alter them, super-size the design... the ideas are endless.

Here's to hoping your Friday is fabulous!

Happy Holidays!

Stacie

Scraplift Sunday- Family

Hello!  It is Sunday, and that means there's an all new Scraplift Sunday to check out at Paper Issues.  Today I am showing my lift of Angie's amazing concentric circles!  I am up on the Paper Issues blog today with more on this lift including Angie's original.

Circles are a design element I am drawn to and I couldn't wait to change up the design slightly by using a circular cut file.  The Concentric Dotty Rings free cut file  was perfect for the base of this design idea. I used the Authentique floral paper from the November PI kit: Family Tradition to peek through the back of the cut file. It was a subtle way to add colors behind my background.

Check out the amazing  Jen Hadfield Patio Party woodgrain Thicker words, and I was drawn to how Angie used them in her design.  I lifted that immediately from the PI November kit (yes, the amazing wood-look Thickers are included!), and started pulling little leaves stickers, chipboard, and fall ephemera items.  This November kit includes so many it was easy to find enough to cover the entire space!

Stamps are something  I have so many of and yet, I rarely pull them out to add them to my page designs.  I adore how Angie had the Heidi Swapp word stamps sprinkled throughout her circles admist the ephemera pieces.  Since the cut file had so many holes, I limited the stamping to just a few in three spaces.  The handwritten stamp words by Heidi Swapp are a must to have if you don't already own them!

The gold mist was the perfect touch to add to the swirly effect of the fall leaves.  I added it at the end and love the added color it brings to the design.  The November Family Tradition kit made this design come together so quickly.  I also snuck in there the October kit: Uma Thurman's PLS Corn Maze paper for my photo mat.  It is definitely not just a Halloween kit. The double sided papers are so versatile for other projects.

We hope you are still playing along with this weekend's Fall Online Crop at Paper Issues Friends and Fans Facebook group. There are so many fun challenges to get inspired. Hope to see your entries in the crop albums!

This week's SLS will be posted in the November challenge album. Play along all month long on the November challenges.  This one is a great one to play along with and customize like I did by using a cut file, stamps, embellishments or stickers.

Shop at Paper Issues and grab the new November kits or new holiday collections!
   Save 20% off of your entire purchase! code to save: Stacie

Read It: Pinspire Me

Hello! A fun September mood board is ready for you in the 

Facebook Friends and Fans group. I was so inspired by the stack of books that

 I immediately set out to use my Silhouette to cut books and use them with my son's photo! 

Check out my blog post at Paper Issues to check out the moodboard and other details!

September's Mood Board:

For the book cut files, I grabbed my watercolors 

and chose colors that matched the Simple Stories Lil Dude papers.  

After drying it, I added fine line doodle outlines with my WE R ruler on each of the books 

to give the stack of books more definition.

I love the reflection of the book and my son in the countertop. 

 It was a fun picture to capture because usually they are 

hiding in their rooms when they read!  

I love the text overlay in the Thickers and in the patterned paper.

 It all adds details to the reading theme which is an extra bonus!

Tone on tone stickers and little enamel dots for pops of color.

  I hope you check out the September challenges on Facebook,

 especially the Pinspire Me moodboard challenge.

I have so many challenges I can't wait to try out!

Have you checked out the August kits? The swag bag and the kit of the month are beyond awesome and full of fun!

Blue Ain't Your Color is on my desk right now.  

There is so much included!

Get yours before it's gone!

Don't forget to check out the new cut files

 that are always free in the store.

Save 20% on all of your favorites in stock at Paper Issues!

code: Stacie

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Free File Friday: Paper Piecing using the Cameo

Hello! Today I am on the Paper Issues blog showing you a fun way to paper piece or pattern-block cut files in an easy way by having your Cameo or cutting machine do the intricate pieces (no hand cutting necessary!) Be sure to visit the Paper Issues blog to see my step by step tutorial on how to separate the pieces and offset them to a slightly larger size to back the cut file.

A few close ups:
The Amy Tangerine Sunshine & Good Times watercolor tags included the HOORAY title. It was super fun to rainbow watercolor these to match the background.  I added bits of Sunshine & Good Times ephemera (hello, holographic foil!!) and Thickers to complete the embellies. I kept it minimal as the background packs a punch with color! Love the repetitive rainbow background for a total burst of happiness. Who else loves the magic of seeing a rainbow??

Popping up a cut file from the background with foam dots is a great way to add some dimension and interest! Rainbow enamel dots, yes please! This rainbow was early in the morning during our hike up Diamondhead Crater on Oahu.  The mist and sprinkles of rain gave way to this beautiful double rainbow that we marveled in! A total Hooray!

Have a wonderful weekend, Paper Issues friends! Happy creating! I hope you fire up your cutting machine and try this technique out! Tag us--we'd love to check out your amazing work!
Save 20% off of all the things in the Paper Issues store:
code: Stacie

Post all of your creations in the August Challenge album on Facebook.

Sweet Moment

I am playing along with the new Paper Issues Challenge called PI Partners Up.  This month we are partnered with the CSI Scrapbook blog site.  They have fun "cases" each month to solve by creating something from the case file that inspires you.  The Hawaiian case photo or tropical beach image had me all inspired to pull out our Hawaii vacay pics!

The CSI Case #247 was a tropical scene and that screamed Hawaii to me!

I used lots of Amy Tangerine Hustle &Heart for this tropical scene.  How perfect is the Sweet Sensation pineapple paper for the border?! It fit the colors in the CSI scene.  The tropical pink flowers were a must to scatter throughout my design and pick up the photo included in the CSI case for February.

I used a PI free cut file for the pineapple and backed it with more AT Hustle & Heart papers.

I added acrylic paint splatters to tie in the white Thickers and cut file outline. 

Check out PI Partners Up this month and all of the February Challenges!

Save 20% if you stop by and check out Amy Tangerine's Hustle & Heart in the Paper Issues store.

Save on everything you need. 

Snow Day

I love Mary-Ann's mood boards and this month at Paper Issues is a new one to inspire! Today it's all about being Pinspired on the Paper Issues blog.

I love the snowy background!  I was inspired by the reds and light blues, obvi the snow, too!
I went with a new cut file for Paper Issues in the Free Files for my background.

Here's how the cut file snow grid background looked backed in Sweater Weather paper and stitched. I added the positive snowflake pieces in the openings.  I had to add snowflakes to go along with the mood board snowy images.

I added lots of Sweater Weather ephemera and chipboard from CP FaLaLa. The flair was from Fancy Pants holiday collection from last year.

I loved the soft blues in the moodboard and backed the snowflakes to mimic this element.

I love my little Kylo Ren-  he's such a Star Wars loving kiddo. I embraced the red and made that the "pop of" color for this design. Just a sprinkling of red just like the mood board images.

I hope you will play along at Paper Issues and create something sparked from this awesome mood board.  You have now through February 4th to submit your projects.  Simply add them to the posts on Facebook.

Fab You lous Today

Today it's all about the titles at Paper Issues.  Amanda set the challenge to use a banner in your title this month.
I love any reason to have to think of a title. I find that sometimes I am title-less lately and actually using a title as the design focus of a layout is quite fun! I think Fab-You-lous Today is fitting for this fun birthday layout.

I have hoarded this amazing woodgrain with grays and teals from the summer release by Pink Paislee Summer Lights. It was the perfect time to paint a Dear Lizzy chipboard word to match and pull in the Pebbles Happy Hooray text paper. It's pretty much tone on tone, but I love it with the black and white photos!

The Pink Paislee Summer Lights paper was also used in backing the banner.  It obviously was an easy choice as it complemented the background paper. The today title chipboard was painted using a gelato and watercolor mix to match the papers.

My husband's face by the third picture of Ryan attacking the candles--priceless. Oh, Ryan. Grab the free Paper Issues cut files.  This is a mix of fab you lous florals and the banner is from Merry Wishes.

We hope you'll play along! You have until February 4th to join the challenges at Paper Issues.

Smiles 4 Snowflake Season

It's time for a new Take 5 Tuesday at Paper Issues.  Mary Ann has a fun list of prompts to choose from for January.

I la la love Sweater Weather by American Crafts. It has bright and bold colors, but also ties in soft muted pastels to create some beautiful winter designs.

I love this font and the Paper Issues free cut file title using the winter weather words. It ties in the ephemera phrase and the words create a snowy cascade down the page.

I just want to hold on to these moments of our littlest before he is too big to be carried. No longer saying, "Do you want me to 'carry you up'?" as we have called it ever since our kids have been little. It's the little things I want to remember and cherish. The look of being content in his daddy's arms and the look of love back at me. The tassels on his cute winter hat.

I softened the look of the b & w photo with a layer of vellum. It gives that wintery white look that I was going for. Stickers, Thickers, and ephemera from Sweater Weather all made this design come together quickly.

GetGet  

Get all of the new collections being released this month or scroll through for remaining items that you need to complete your projects. Get your winter or holiday pictures printed and play along at Paper Issues.