Free File Friday Together

Hello, I am on the Paper Issues blog today with a new cut file design! 

I grabbed the new February PI kit and the Love You Hearts cut file to create this lovey-design! 
 I love that this cut file can stand out, but it isn't the entire background!

For this cut file, I wanted the mixed media colors to peek through the vellum layer on the cut file and be a splatter of colors around the edges.  I found acrylic paints that matched the Crate Paper background colors and watered them down to use the packaging technique. I couldn't resist and also added some gold Heidi Shine mist drops!  Gold makes everything sparkly and fun!

Hello, rose gold mini Pink Paislee alpha included in the February kit!!  I love how these can be used in small spaces such as on top of a cut file as a fun mini title or added dimension to your project!

Pop up your cut file off your background with foam dots.  This helps it to standout from a patterned paper background and adds a shadow effect that adds interest to a simple design! 

Have you checked out all of the new free downloads at Paper Issues??

 This new free PI cut file is Love You Hearts.

Grab this free cut file or any of the 100s of other ones from the Paper Issues store

 and hopefully you have this amazing February kit!! 

It is so easy to pull together a layout or project when you have all you need

 gathered up in one package!

 If you haven't tried a PI scrapbook kit or swag bag, you need them in your craft room!

 I can't wait for March's kit--it is going to be a beautiful blast of color! 

Have an amazing weekend! 

 Share what you create in our Paper Issues Facebook group or on social media!

 Tag our cut files with #PIcutfile and #PaperIssues so we can find you!!

As a thank you for stopping by the blog---

save when you shop!!

Free File Friday: Winter Wonderland or Winter Woes?

I am up on the PI blog today with a look at winter from a few perspectives!  I hope you are inspired to grab your cutting machines and download all of the free files that you need to get some memories documented this weekend!
I love this black text paper from American Crafts Sweater Weather and it was the perfect base for my wintery skiing pictures from last year!

Grab this winter title from the Very Merry Holiday file and the snowflakes from the Circles and Snowflakes cut file. Both in the Free File section in the Paper Issues store.

 I added stitching to all of the snowflakes scattered throughout the page as I love the white on white look! The added texture it brings the design is perfect.

I love adding mixed media to the background.  This is a mix of white acrylic paint and water to give a light transparent snowy look along with the more opaque drops for variation and depth.

Join us on Paper Issues Friends and Fans to share all of your latest creations.  

Enter your projects in the January Challenges for more chances to win the monthly gift card.

 I hope you'll play along with Paper Issues free files and add to our post full of projects. 

Tag us on social media so we can see your creative takes using free files!

Save 20% on all of your purchases at Paper Issues.

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!

Free File Friday: 3 2, 1...Happy New Year!

Today we are ringing in the first Friday of the new year with Free File Friday at Paper Issues. Use numbers with a Paper Issues cut file or use a number cut file to document the new year, past year, list of favorites from the holidays, goals for the new year, top three(five, ten) memories of the past year, use a cut file and layer number stickers or Thickers on it, coordinate a cut file with numbers...anything goes! 

 I played along with Sub Zero by Simple Stories.  My littlest is five and he is obsessed with getting his own skates to play hockey on the pond in our back yard. He definitely has had a countdown to winter of 2018 for months now. I converted the Celebrate 2018 cut file into a stitching cut file.  Grab one or both from the free files. The 'Countdown to' from Top Ten cut file made my title work along with the big numerals. 

Yay for new snow.  Excited for the flakes to fall!

This baker's twine is from the We R Memory Keepers Stitch Happy collection.  I used the baker's twine as the perfect thickness to stitch with!

I used lots of Simple Stories ephemera pieces, stickers and chipboard.  Sub Zero is such a fun collection.

Join us at Paper Issues and grab all of the free cut files while you are looking!  

They are always a free download.

Play along with this challenge and so many more now through Feb 4th.

Free File Friday: Holiday Joy

It's almost Christmas and we are sharing free files at Paper Issues Free File Friday! Get your holiday pictures documented with some fun cut files that are all instant download and free at Paper Issues.  This design is built on the stitching snowflake background and smaller snowflakes are from Circles & Snowflakes.
I adore this photo of my littlest and how he looked in his buffalo check Christmas jammies and how he loves the candy mustaches that I made for a fun treat/photo op!



I hand stitched it with silver and white baker's twine. I added messy silver threads for dimension under snowflake embellishments or cut files. I added more patterned paper from Falala to the grouping at the top and bottom border. The silver watercolor was a soft, subtle way to add shimmer and shine in the splatters!

I loved the buffalo check embellishments including the Joy stickers for my title. I finally used my stash of enamel dots that are glittery.

The cut file is attached to the background but I kept it as is  (lifted up) in some parts to add natural shadows and dimension. The snowflakes with the silver thread look like they could be floating down!

I love this buffalo check paper peeking out from the snowflake cut file.  It adds a vibrant pop of color against the white. The embellishments for Crate's FalaLa are so perfect.  I love the many tags and banners that were included!

So there you have it, turn on your favorite holiday music, NetFlix, or the Hallmark movies and pull out the Silhouette and start creating! Use any PI cut file to create a holiday or winter project.Play along as much as you are able now through Dec. 31st.
There's a huge year end sale at Paper Issues. Be sure to check the PI blog and Facebook rounds for the code to get the 50% discount.

Try It Tuesday: Paper Strips

Today on the blog at Paper Issues it is Try It Tuesday! I love all of the fun ideas Amanda has to get us creating! For the month of December, Amanda wants us to create a design with strips of paper.

 I grabbed the Dear Lizzy Star Gazer collection and cut off a stack of paper branding strips/tear away strips to use with this brush stroke chevron background. I grabbed the Nuvo white glue and started sticking down paper strips in random placement! 

This is my littlest posing in Hawaii this summer. He loved trying to master the "shaka" hand in all of his pictures. He truly captured the spirit of ALOHA!  He is my little light and this colorful page captures his spunky heart of gold!

Close ups of this fun brush strokes chevron background so you can "try it" too!

I love the copper/rose gold detailing on the Star Gazer Thickers and Star Gazer ephemera.

 The flair included in the Star Gazer collection are so cute! The 6x12 stickers, ephemera, and Thickers are so easy to cluster and stick together.

Stitch around the border and add the finishing touches! I hope you are inspired to grab this brush strokes chevron cut file and use your branding/tear strips off of the paper from each collection. No trimming necessary (besides the length of the stripe) this cut file is the perfect width of branding strips to layer them!

I hope to see your amazing work online or in our PIFF Facebook group! Please tag us if you create with a Paper Issues cut file. #picutfile #paperissues #Paperissuesfreefile will help me find your creative work!

Join this challenge or any of the many challenges that are offered weekly on Facebook!

Shop Paper Issues now for all of the Dear Lizzy items you see here. 

It is a beautiful collection to create with!

Free File Friday: Little Boo

It's time to check out some Fall Fun for November's new FFF at Paper Issues. 

 What fun things have you been up this autumn?  

 Any pictures from Halloween this year? Any trips to the pumpkin patch or apple orchard? 

We can't wait to see you document it with any of the free files at Paper Issues.

A few close ups of the details: I added the watercolor stems for the pumpkins after I stitched them. I then added more paint over the stitching to make it a layered, deeper green.  I love the Pebbles Midnight Haunting papers. The Pumpkin Patch background layered with the black EEK paper makes a  great "blackboard effect" to layer the pumpkins.

The swirly orange paper I layered with the cut file is Pink Paislee Spellcast.  

It's truly the perfect pumpkin color.

I hope you will share your Fall fun with us on the PI Friends and Fans Facebook group.  

Download the free files and start documenting your awesome autumn adventures.

Post your new projects between now and December 3rd.

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

Cut files and Swag Bag: Yay! Golden Birthday

It's a great day to play!
Here's my second layout made with my August swag bag.

Free File Friday: Boo! It's Halloween!

It's time for a Free File Friday at Paper Issues.  

It's all about the Boo factor!  

Show us your Halloween designs and projects or a festive fall page

using a Paper Issues free file.

Here's my take using new Fancy Pants Designs Spellbound and the web background cut file.

I love the scripty ephemera titles included in Spellbound and how the thin black lines mimic the lines on the spider web cut file background. I love the pops of orange in the pumpkins and in the polka dots which coordinate with the bricks.  The bats and Doodlebug Booville spiders are the perfect spooktacular little bits to add to the design.

The webs background cut file was cut in black cardstock are stuck down in just a few spots to give it dimension.

Join us online on the Facebook Paper Issues Friends and Fans group. Share your projects using free cut files, especially Halloween or Fall projects!  This month your challenge is to use leaf cut files or Halloween or Fall designs.
Save 20% using code: Stacie on all things in stock at Paper Issues.  As always, cut files are all in stock and FREE.  Download one, a few, or ten! Hope you are inspired to play along!

Free File Friday: Fall in Love with Leaves

Yay! It's FRIDAY and at Paper Issues we are all about the freebies--as in Free File Friday!  Go check out the PI blog for a round up of projects from the team showcasing various leaves that are offered in the shop!

I wanted the leaves to be layered around my fall photo and didn't even use white cardstock at all for the cut files.  I mixed it up with polka dot texture cardstock, kraft, and woodgrain! I love how it complements the small leaf background paper from Carta Bella Hello Fall. 

This project uses three Paper Issues free cut files: Autumn Blessings 

for the title, Boo Pumpkins for the orange leaves, and Fall Fun for the kraft leaves. 

Check out the One Canoe Two tiny text stickers 

from their Creekside collection by American Crafts.

Fall is definitely a fun season full of beauty if you live in

 an area that gives way to a free color-show! 

My son had so much fun collecting leaves of so many shapes and colors! 

It is definitely fitting to "fall in love" with nature!

The paper textures are my favorite part of this project.  Carta Bella has the thickest patterned paper and it has such a lovely texture to it.  It worked so well to sew it with a slight border left around it to wrinkle, fold, bend, and tear to give peeks at the lovely golden yellow "side B" of the paper.
The Pebbles, Heart of Home by Jen Hadfield dark espresso paper with sentiments is a must.  It is so sweet and perfect for documenting family!

Download the free files at Paper Issues and play along all month long!  

I can't wait to see what you create with leaves. 

Tag us online so we can find your work and send you some love!

Here are just a sampling of possible leaf cut files:

Use code: Stacie to save 20% each and every time you order!

Free File Friday: Super Star Soccer!

It's FriYAY! I am so excited to show you another week of Free File Friday and today we are releasing a new file called Having a Ball! Go check out more details on the Paper Issues blog!

I was excited to get to my niece's soccer game and snap some pics of her in action!  My kids are not soccer players so it's always fun to watch a new sport for a change!

I love how Paige Evan's new Turn the Page collection worked for her soccer pictures! Red and pink is  such a fresh color combo!

The red was definitely a fun color to scrap with. I think Turn the Page is a must have collection!  

The embellishments (hello, stars!!) and mini paper pads are adorable!

Save 20% all all the things in the PI store! Go shop now!