CUT APART CARDS, LET’S USE THEM…

 

Hey Scrappy Nerds, it’s Gisele bringing you my mini album using cut apart cards, yes, the ones you get in collection and not sure what to do with them.

I used the SIMPLE STORIES  HELLO SUMMER collection to create a mini album. I must confess I had not made a mini album in a long time, but it seems everyone is getting some done lately.

Here are the some of the collection I used.

Some Pink Fresh goodies too:

I was inspired by a recent mini album Jen Schow did on you tube.

I have pictures for you and if you stay to the end, I have a video showing how I I incorporated these elements. So here we go.

First up is my cover, you can see I have used Pink Fresh puffy hearts and alphas. I mostly used yellow and peach/pink in the album so it’s a mixture but still goes well all together. The string is  cord and attached some bobbles I had in my stash. The flamingo came from some embellishments I got in the mail. Some gold sequins and Heidi Swapp colour shine throughout.

Now let’s look at the inside shall we, I have used mainly the Hello Summer collection, but added a few things from my stash. That’s what I like about mini albums, you can add all those yummy things you have been collecting/hoarding (ie: Pom Pom ribbon). Also used are doilies from Doodlebug plus some older products from Maya Road, flairs, and other Simple Stories stickers from past collections.

And here’s my video 

If you have not been been been to the store lately, then take a look, a lot of fall and other goodies have are coming in. So scoot over and take a look.

Creative Team Weekly Digest

Hi there!

Summer is rapidly coming to an end, and with it also go those long lazy hot days we all treasure so much.   While many of you take time off work to visit your cottages or travel, our design team has been busy bringing you some inspiration.

This week, we have asked the DT to create projects using Pink Paislee’s Auburn Lane collection, and  the projects are just beautiful, so let’s get started.  First up is Mari:

Mari cari created this layout using the color palette and collection pieces from Pink Paislee “Auburn Lane”. This collection has such a romantic/vintage feel…perfect for this wedding photo!

 

The Distress Oxide Inks used on the white background complement the colors from the collection. The JustNick Leaf Background cut file has texture paste added to it for some extra dimension on the layout. The florals and hearts are the perfect embellishments for this soft, pretty layout.

Love the soft tones and details in this romantic layout!  Beautiful page, Mari!  now it is Gisele’s turn to inspire us:

Gisele create this page with a picture of herself with her mother. Pictures those days were rare, and this is one of the very few she has of both of them. Circa 1953.

Her title is made of AC Thickers “Happy Life” and goes great with the gold in the page. She added a doily as a feminine touch and added sprinkles of Heidi Swapp Colour Shine in gold. In the upper left of the photo, she cut the ephemera frame in half and added both as corner embellishments. A few tags were added with a punch from her stash as well as the gold floss and the added heart charm

The play of patterns and that sweet picture make this a stunning layout!  Now let’s be inspired by Nathalie:

 

She created this page using fussy cut elements from papers from the collection.   This page was the focus of this week’s tutorial (previous post) that focused on adding fussy cut embellishments to your projects.

 

All those florals bring the page together by framing the picture of her family.   Beautiful page, Nathalie!

 

Well that is all for us this week!  i hope the DT projects have inspired you to take a closer look at Pink Paislee’s Auburn Lane collection.  This collection is available at Scrapbook Nerd, along with many of the newer liner releases.  So stop by to check what is new at the Store.

Have a great weekend!!

 

Fussy Cutting elements

Hi there!

This week, we have asked the DT to showcase the beautiful Pink Paislee’s “Auburn Lane” collection in their projects.   This collection has a fall color palette, modern designs, and some beautiful floral illustrations that are perfect to embellish a page.   The secret is to fussy cut each of the floral images so that they can be used as decorations in your page.

 

The floral images on  paper #3 and #6 of the collection were carefully cut (fussy cut) so that they can be used as layered embellishments that form a large cluster of flowers in the  page.

 

 

 

The secret to creating this embellishments is to detail cut the images from the paper.   In this case, paper #3  has a dark background, so each image was cut around its edge, so that none of the dark background shows in the image.  At the same time, paper #6 has a white background, so a very small white border was left around the image – this just helps to separate the images when layering them on the layout.  The following process video will showcase how this page came together:

 

 

All those fussy cut florals are the focal point of this page, and bring plenty of interest to the layout that minimizes the use of other embellishments.

 

 

Really love how this page turned out using the large fussy cut floral elements.   All the florals create the perfect background for this cherished memory of my family.

I hope this inspires you to create your own embellishments by fussy cutting embellishments off your patterned papers.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions on how this came together,  Remember to check all the materials used in this page at Scrapbook Nerd.

Take care,

 

Auburn Lane collection – Papers #3, 6, 9, 10, labels, Alphas, 6×8 paper pad, puffy stickers, sequin mix

Distress Oxides – Spun sugar, Tattered Rose, Tea Dyed, Fossilized Amber, Crushed  Olive, Peeled Paint

Heidi Swapp – Gold Lame color shine

Nuvo  drops –  crystal drops – Pink Bubble gum

Vicki Boutin – Gesso

 

Silhouette Savvy Series – Back to Basics

 

Hello everyone!

How is your Summer going?   We hope you are relaxing and enjoying the  wonderful weather.   Today’s tutorial is a bit of a  refresher / learning on a few basics on the Silhouette Software basics. The new updates to the Silhouette Software have made it easier to import and design cut files in their platform.

 

 

Just in case you missed any of the commands, here is small list of them:

To import cut files into the Silhouette Library

• Import and open the zipfile containing the cut file
• open your Silhouette Software, and set it on the Library tab ( you can easily create a new  file by right clicking  your mouse on the library file, under your user name account)
• open your recently unzipped cut file (you will have three images to chose from)
• click on the image that does not have a watermark on it, and use your mouse to drag it to the Silhouette library.   The software will automatically make a copy of the cut file in their library

To trace cut files in the Silhouette Software

• Open the cut file you want to use in the Silhouette Design window
• click on the Trace menu in the Design window (fifth image on the right hand side pannel)
• select trace an image on the menu
• use your mouse to select the are of the cut file you want to use
• on the trace menu click on “trace”,  the red lines will show behind the cut file once you have properly traced it.
• If there are part of another image you do not want to use, then highlight the entire image, right click on the mouse, and chose “release path” on the menu.   Delete all the unwanted lines  in the cut file, and then highlight all the image you want to cut (make sure you highlight all the little details inside the cut), right click on the mouse and select “create compound path”
• send to the Silhouette software to cut.

 

Once you have seen the video, you will realize how easy you can import and trace a cut file in the SIlhouette Software.  The one that was used for the tutorial comes from the Let Sunshine in and it  is featured in this Traveler’s Notebook along with  Doodlebug Designs’ Hello Collection.

 

As always please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions related to this tutorial.  I will be more than happy to walk you through the steps.

Take care,

 

Doodlebug Design – Hello Collection kit, Chit chat die cuts, cardstock stickers

Pinkfresh Studio – The Mix 1 collection – Gold shapes foam stickers

Simple Stories – Hello Summer Collection – Cardstock Stickers, collection kit

Webster’s Pages – Traveler’s Notebook insert

 

Let The Sunshine in Cut file

 

 

 

 

This week’s tutorial… sketches!!

Hey scrappy nerds, Gisele here with a tutorial about sketches, yup, I love them and use them all the time! I use them as my starting point and sometimes the page does not even look like the sketch, but I get pages done and that is what it’s all about! I often use Pinterest and have loads of them in a board there. I also like to use Kristine Davidson, Creative Scrappers, or one of our design team, Milena  or even some from Scrapbook and Cards Today. I also like Laura Whitaker sketches as well. After a while, you have your favs and often use those as your jump off point.

I almost always use sketches as my jumping off point to my layouts. I look at the pictures I want to use and then search for a sketch that inspires me. My complete layout is often time not exactly as the sketch, but I love to start with one. The sketches also give me ideas of where to embellish and size of embellishments I need to balance my page. When I first started scrapbooking I was always lost, but sketches are a very important part of my scrapbooking! Maybe the most important part! 

So in the following examples, I will show you what I have  created using some sketches. Do not feel you need to use the number of pictures that are in a sketch. You can adapt it to your needs ie: two 3×4 pictures can be a 4×6 picture. the embellishments are just ideas, you adapt those as well. Let’s look at some sketches now and what I did with them.

First up is a sketch from Milena, our Scrapbook Nerd sketch designer:

This is what I created from it: I followed the placement of patterned papers but added my twist to embellishments, ie not all circles. The circles are there to give you an idea where to possibly make clusters and sizes of embellishments.

In this sketch from Scrapbook and Cards Today I flipped the sketch (Page maps):

So flipping the sketch allowed me to get 2 portrait pictures and some papers as fillers. I also used a cut file from Silhouette and cut it in half to mimic the balloons in sketch.

This next sketch, a card one from Creative Scrappers: 

My version of the sketch using odds and ends in the collection hello from Doodlebug Designs. Also flipped this one, but only the direction of the card.

Lets see if I can give you another sketch and my design of it. Here’s one from Creative Scrappers, Kristine Davidson.  

I flipped this one too, by moving from left to right. Remember a sketch is helping you in your creativity. I did add more embellishments but it was a great starting point for this page using some Crate Paper.  I did not put any journaling in the top left corner, instead opted to add a banner. I put in more journaling next to picture instead.

So there you have it a quick overview of how I do my scrappy work. Hopefully you will try a sketch, either for a page or card. Remember, it helps you start or you can scrap lift the whole sketch. I have several sketches on my Pinterest board, you are welcomed to check me out. Or try out any of our own Scrapbook Nerd designer in our Facebook group.

Thanks for visiting my tutorial today, visit our online store for all your scrapbooking needs and wants. The shipping is really fast 🙂 Join our Facebook group, we would love to have you. PS: we are having an online crop very soon and we have prizes too 🙂 

All for now, until the next time, Gisele signing out 🙂

 

 

 

 

Free Cut File | TIME TO SHINE

Hi there!

We hope you had a fabulous Canada Day! ( July 1st is Canada Day, and since we are a proudly Canadian store, we hope you got to celebrate our country), and to celebrate (and because it is the beginning of the month)  we are releasing a new cut file,  Time To Shine. Our friends at The Cut Shoppe have designed this fun and summer filled cut file for us, and now it is available to download for free in the store.

Isn’t the cut file so much fun and filled with possibilities.   Well, then let’s see how some of our Creative Team has used the cut file in their projects.  First up is Nathalie.

Hi there!

Oh, the glorious days of summer are well spent at the pool!  well, at least my littles love to come over and spent their days at our pool, so the new Time to Shine cut file is perfect to document these precious memories.

I chose to use the large title in the cut file to express the sentiment of the page.  I made sure to enlarge the title so that it covers a large portion of this page, thus become the focal point of this page.

A few Distress Oxides and a stencil, the watery background was created on Marshmallow Cardstock from Bazzil.  While this dried, the title was backed with papers from the Poolside collection from Fancy Pants Designs.

To add dimension on the page, the title was attached with some foam adhesive, then it was all about embellishing the page!    The Poolside collection is filled with lots of die cuts and ephemera pieces that are perfect to document those pool memories, so it was a breeze to create clusters on the page.

This page was so much fun to create, but now I will pass it onto Joy so she can show you how she was inspired to use the cut file in one of her projects.

This card was fun & easy to create. Joy loves using Distress Oxide Inks to make blended backgrounds for cards. Inks used; Peacock Feathers, Fossilized Amber, and Worn Lipstick.

Joy then simply cut the Flamingo and the Sun tab from the Time To Shine cut file with black cardstock for some high contrast with her ink choices. The bold black on those colours looks awesome.  Joy typed out the sentiment on some white cardstock using her vintage typewriter and then glued all the pieces to the background.

This card is so fun and just screams summer. 🙂

Now Nathalie is back with you with a bit more inspiration using the Time to Shine cut file.  This time, I chose to show you how the designs can be used in a different format such as a Traveler’s Notebook.

 

For this spread, the ice cream cone of the design was cut so that it fits within the limits of a page of the TN.   The shape was then backed with papers from Doodlebug designs Cream & Sugar and So Punny collections.

 

 

To make the details of the cut-out pop, a piece of paper from Fancy Pants Joy Parade collection.  I chose to add the title of the page right onto the cut out using a combination of stickers and die cuts from both Doodlebug collections, and Pinkfresh Studio’s The Mix 2

 

 

In order to balance the spread, I chose to layer pieces from the Chit Chat ephemera pack from the So PUnny collection from Doodlebug, and use some of the papers to back the picture.   To ground the picture, I added a strip of the Fancy Pants design and a few more details from Paige Evans Stickers tablet.

 

I love how this turned out, and now it is your turn to put the cut file to work in a project of your choice.  Remember to tag @scrapbooknerdca whenever you are sharing projects created with the digital cut files on social media,  We would love to see what you do with the cut files.

Until next time,

Nathalie

REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT…

REPEATING shapes, colours, die cuts…

Hello everyone, Gisele here for a little tutorial on making your pages cohesive. Making your eye travel around the page, more visually appealing. This technique is similar to the visual triangle but goes beyond, it’s a continuity to help your card or LO.

In this example, I repeated the colour orange/coral and the 3 leaf shapes of same colour.

In this example the colour aqua/green was repeated around the card and also the circles are repeated with the die cut, the wooden buttons and the enamel dots.

The colour purple was the main repeating element in this page and the floral elements.

Here I repeated the cork elements and the brown in the mating of photos and the strip up top. The adding of the twine also continues the rustic feel of the page.

This next one, orange was my repeating element in the words, puffy heart and die cuts.

 

This LO, the  repeated stitching, the flairs and the yellow throughout are what makes this page unity.

 

This next example, the white from die cut, the title and enamel dots are the repeated elements. Also, the chipboard nature elements are repeated: butterflies and bird. You can also see I repeated some words or small phrases too.

 

In this last example, I have repeated the tags, florals and butterflies.

So when I am designing my pages or cards, I keep repeating either shapes, same colours , die cuts… It brings a cohesiveness to your page or card and more eye pleasing too. If you add all different elements they do not create unity as there is too many variables. I hope this short tutorial has helped you to create your next page or card.

Signing off for now, but visit our store as they have wonderful new items there and such quick delivery. And yes we are Canadian, so that is fantastic, supporting Canada. Have a great Canada Day to our Canadian scrappy nerds 🙂

Reinvent Patterned Paper Background

Hi there!

It is that time of the year when flip flops and sandals become our best friends, and the sun shines longer during the day.  YES!  Summer is here, and with that comes lots of new adventures and moments to document.  So it is fitting that this week’s theme for the DT is “Summer Days are Here”.

 

Well with that being said, let me show you how to work a quick and clever way to create a focal point in a layout just by reinventing/reworking a piece of patterned paper.

 

For this layout i chose to rework the Vista paper from the Wander collection from My Mind’s Eye.  The paper has a very geometric and visual pattern, but can be a bit hard to work with since the lines draw your eye in different directions.  So my choice was to cut each of the sections, and  reattach them onto white cardstock so that the vertices of all the triangles meet ( at their best) in one single point, thus creating the focal point of this page.

 

 

Once the paper triangles were in place, i decided to add some stitching around the edges of each triangle so that they secure the pieces together, but also so create the small arrows that guide your eye to the center of the page.  By working with the coordinating embroidery floss, the stitching also helps to harmonize the entire page.

 

 

Since there is a focal point set on the page, the rest of the page comes together easily.   Just a few clusters of ephemera and stickers from the collection around the picture frame the image.

 

 

 

Once again the lines in the background also help  with the positioning of the title .  For this i chose to create a large title using a JustNick studio cut file that was altered to fit in this page.

 

 

Finally to balance the page, a small cluster was added to the bottom right of the page.  This just  not only balances the page, but also helps to accent the directional lines of the page.

I hope you try this techique, which can easily be reworked with pieces of patterned paper or the both sides of a single sheet of patterned paper &/or one single sheet of patterned paper and cardstock.  If hand stitching is not your thing, then replace it by machine stitching or just leave it out completely.  The trick here is to create contrast in the triangles so that they define a focal point in the page.

As always let me know if you have questions on how this came together, and don’t forget to stop by Scrapbook Nerd to check all the materials used in this page, and all the new goodies arriving!

XO

 

My Mind’s Eye –  Wander kit collection

My Mind’s Eye – Wander collection – Die cuts 

My Mind’s Eye – Wander collection – Puffy Stickers

My Mind’s Eye – Wander collection – Chipboard stickers

My Mind’s Eye – Wander collection – Enamel Dots

Pinkfresh Studio – Let Your Heart Decide – Enamel heart stickers

Pinkfresh studio – Let Your Hear Decided  – Cardstock Stickers

Pinkfresh Studio – Life Noted – Epoxy stickers

Just Nick cut file – GO SEE DO

 

IT’S FRIDAY… THIS WEEK’S TEAM PROJECTS

Hello scrappy Nerds, it’s Gisele again with this week’s design team projects. We have some wonderful LOs  for you as well as a sketch. 

Let’s dive right in shall we? First up is our sketch designer, Milena
I like that you could use this sketch as a 12×12 but also in an 81/2 x 11.  Let’s see what Milena came up with. She used Rhapsody by Photoplay in her LO.

Nathalie is up next with this gorgeous page.

Nathalie created this page using Bella Blvd’s Island Escape collection. First she used Distress oxides to create a summer scene in the layout’s background. She then used a cut file from the Silhouette store, and backed it with papers from the collection. Just a few embellishments were then added to finish the page (all from the collection!). So glad Summer is about to start!!! and close-ups:

Love the Memories acrylic peace, it looks like it is floating on water.

Our next page is Mari’s, she created this layout using the Pink Fresh Be You collection. The background is a cut file cut from a 12×12 paper and then added onto a piece of white card stock. This layout is documenting the flowers Mari received from her son for Mother’s Day. The Be You collection has such a pretty and soft color palette; perfect for a spring themed layout.

Love the use of the cut file on her and page:

Lastly here’s mine using the Maggie Holmes Flourish collection and a Silhouete cut file, some flairs from my stash. The title is made up by Pink Fresh alphas as well as some AC Thickers(Together) and the grateful is from the sticker sheet from the collection. Other stickers, words are also from the collection. I punched some extra leaves from the papers and a bow with punches from my stash. Gold hearts and a couple of flair buttons  are also from my stash to repeat the gold in title and sequins. Top and bottom of matted photo are strips from Fancy Pants from my stash as well. Almost forgot the chipboard moth from AC Pick-me-up collection. Notice that I have backed some circles and hand stitched some circles to make your eye go around the page. The sequins are from my stash. I had fun creating this page and hope you like it as much as I do. 

There you are, hope these pages motivate and inspire you to create some scrappy goodness this week. We certainly had fun bringing these to you.  In case you missed my tutorial post earlier this week, check it out: it’s all about washi tapes. The store has plenty to choose from and some are on sale too! 

Until next time, visit our store for all your scrappy needs.

All for now, Gisele 🙂

 

 

 

 

WISHI WASHI, which one are you? LOL

Hello scrappy nerds, Gisele here with a little tutorial. Let’s talk washi. Do you hoard all of your washi tapes like they are gold or never buy them or not sure what to do with them?? Well I have been scouring Pinterest for ideas that might make you think twice about washi tapes.

• in this first example washi tapes were used to cover a frame, isn’t gorgeous?

• next up, cover some clothes pins that you could use to put up a banner, you could mix and match or have them all in one colour.

• we all have electronics and cords, so why not colour code them to distinguish who’s cord or for what electronic device.

• use washi on a background and then punch up some shapes. Flowers are all the rage, so here is an easy way way to create some unique ones.

• you might have containers that are not matching or you would like them another colour. Why not customize them to match your decor!

• making cards, covering small notebooks or pencils, so cute and personalized.

• your plain binder clips could use some colour or pattern, your washi to the rescue !

• you are using agendas or traveler’s notebooks, washi is great for these.

• how about journaling cards or Project Life cards, washi adds a splash of colour and enhances your card.

• feathers are quite popular and here’s a way of making your own. Using a toothpick in-between the layers of wash and making some slits, rounding off the top and bottom and voila, you have feathers.

• die cutting is also versatile with washi, in this picture, several washi of the same colours and using a heart die cut to make a customized heart or whatever die you are using.

• we all have storage containers and why not colour code the fronts of the drawers? to match your decor or to use as filing papers or embellishments of that colour?

• making your own paperclip flags, so cute and easy. Ideal for your agendas and traveler’s notebooks, a Project Life card or even a scrapbook page. So sweet.

• in this last example, I changed an old round night table by covering it with washi tape  a couple of years ago. I should have put a coating of modge podge or something on it, procrastination on my part LOL.  So why not try washi on your next project, you can find some in the store  here.  Good luck and why not show us your washi uses in our Facebook group. All for now, so until next time, happy scrapping 🙂