Nice, France Scalloped Mini Album

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

I've been in a mini-makin' mood lately and here is a new one featuring my 1st collection with Pink Paislee called Fancy Free and the scalloped mini album cut file from Silhouette!

In case you didn't know already... my Silhouette Cameo is my best friend :) It made this entire album come together so quickly! And I learned a really cool feature that Silhouette Studio can do in the process:
97% of the album is made with Fancy Free and the other 3% is from my stash or Oh My Heart.

I hand stitched or machine stitched across the bottoms of 9 of the 12 scalloped pages to give 'em some texture and make the album cohesive.

I alternated between a patterned paper and full photo throughout the book.

When it came time to embellish, I tried to keep things as simple as I could but also as interesting as possible. This is where I struggle and hopefully by practicing I will feel more comfortable making minis going forward!

You'll find lots of tangles of thread throughout - I love the homespun look messy string adds and the texture it creates.

I mixed hand written and typed journaling - the typed journaling was made either with a We R Memory Keepers Typecast Typewriter or I used a computer and the font Remington Noiseless.

On the top half of this spread I used the Oh My Heart flower stamp and made my own pattern with three colors of ink, and at the bottom I framed a collage of four mini photos with a chipboard sticker and added punched mini paper butterflies to the edges.

The top half of this spread is super simple with a bit of typed/printed journaling and a thread bow, and on the bottom I added clear sequins to the arch in the photo. Then I whipstitched around the scallops.

Subtle and pretty, shimmery and shiny!

This spread below might be my favorite, especially the bottom half. I don't think I've used the large plant box chipboard sticker before and I was so happy that it fit perfectly with this photo of the Hotel Negresco. I layered a bunch of other bits and pieces underneath the photo - the rest of the album isn't very bulky so I felt like I could get away with lots of layers here.

The bottom half is all hand stitched over Paper 02 from Fancy Free. It's probably my favorite single page in the entire album because I love hand stitching :)

A closer look at the layers:

The last spread includes a list of my favorite memories from the day and a full family photo. And that about does it!

To hold the album all together I used two 1" binder rings through the holes that were already die cut in the pages. I think I will go back and add some bits and baubles dangling from the rings.

From start to finish this album took less than 24 hours to make including 8 hours of sleep, eating meals, mommying, errands, etc. The Cameo did most of the work for me, it was just a matter of embellishing and assembling!

Here is a flip through of the album:

I hope you'll give this style of mini album a try and share what you make, I'd LOVE to see!

SUPPLIES: Patterned paper, die cuts, Thickers, chipboard, puffy stickers: Fancy Free by Paige Evans / Pink Paislee; Scalloped mini album cut file: Lori Whitlock; Cardstock, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark; Stamping ink: StazOn (black), Studio Calico (colored); Paint: DecoArt; Embroidery floss: DMC; Butterfly punches: Martha Stewart Crafts

Monochromatic Purple Layout by Missy Whidden

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

When Missy Whidden's email showed up in my inbox with this project I literally gasped out loud. For the love of PURPLE!! Who would have thought a page so beautiful could be created with a color that seems to be taboo :) Check this layout out, isn't it amazing?

Hey there friends! Missy here and this week we are focusing on monochromatic layouts. I decided on the color purple because I like a challenge :) I sorted through all the papers from the Take Me Away collection and found all sorts of purple shapes and images. I fussy cut them all out, including all those fun hexagons from Paper 16. I couldn’t resist using Paper 15 as my background - that gorgeous lavender ombre is just beautiful. My photos are of my youngest daughter swinging and I printed them in black & white so they would stand out against the soft purples. To add different shades of purple to my background, I used three different purple watercolors. I first coated the center of my paper with gesso in a vertical design then I used the packaging technique to apply the watercolors and used my brush to create some splatters.

I used all the fussy cut pieces as random layers. I cut a few windows from Paper 13, some 3x4 frames from Paper 24, and a few labels and lists from Paper 11. I also pulled a few pieces from the Ephemera Die Cuts. It was almost like putting a puzzle together with all the layering. I added the hexagons around the edges of the design in a random order. I did do some machine stitching in a few places with purple threads and I added a few sequins from my stash for extra pops of purple. I wanted to add a bit of sparkle to the page so I used a purple gelato to color the Fancy Free Glittered Foam Thickers. It’s super easy to do and you can customize them with any color you want. I just scribbled the gelato onto the sticker and rubbed it in with my finger.

Here you can see the texture on the background with the gesso and watercolors. Sometimes it’s fun to create a messy and artsy background - it can really enhance your photos and make them stand out. I added some adhesive foam under the pictures as well to give them some dimension. I like how the hexagons are very subtle and blend in with the background, yet they are still visible and add just the right detail.

I went light on the journaling and just printed a few sentences on my computer. One of my favorite things about this layout is that I was able to use bits and pieces that I don’t think I would’ve used otherwise. Using pieces like the windows and lists seemed like a challenge for me, but when I can work them in as layers it makes it a lot easier. You don’t always have to use certain images as they’re intended.

I hope this gives you some ideas on what you could do for a monochromatic layout. It limits what you can use so you’re able to really stretch your creativity!

SUPPLIES: TAKE ME AWAY: 12x12 Paper Pad, Paper 11, Paper 13, Paper 15, Paper 16, Paper 24, Ephemera Die Cuts, Buttons; FANCY FREE: Glittered Foam Thickers

Blog: littlenuggetcreations.blogspot.com Instagram: @missywhidden Pinterest: @missywhidden
Facebook: missy.whidden YouTube: Missy Whidden

Now I challenge YOU to create a monochromatic layout! Pull similar colored things from your stash and use them! The texture the color-on-color creates is always striking!

Easter 2017 Layout

Monday, June 19, 2017

Here is one of the layouts from my Paige's Pages 12 class at Big Picture Classes!

EASTER 2017 by Paige Evans
DESCRIPTION: I wanted to create a whole bunch of layered patterned paper flowers and use them on a layout and this is result!
JOURNALING SAYS: This is one of my favorite photos of you because you can literally tell you are so happy-go-lucky, carefree, and radiate true joy!
HOW TO: Check out Paige's Pages 12 to watch the start-to-finish process video!
SUPPLIES: Patterned paper, Thickers, puffy sticker, die cut: Oh My Heart by Paige Evans / Pink Paislee; Cardstock, brads, adhesive: American Crafts; Die cut machine: Silhouette Cameo 3; Flower cut files: Silhouette; Paint: DecoArt; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark; Font: Remington Noiseless

Question: How you do feel about "styled" photos like the one below? Do you love them? Hate them? Indifferent?

I'll be back to share my other three layouts from Paige's Pages 12 over the next few weeks with lots of other blog posts between :)

Altered Pink Cabinet

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Over the past couple years I have collected quite the random assortment of wooden things with good intentions of taking them from drab-to-fab with a shiny new coat of colorful paint! I've had the cans of paint for over a year... since we can't ship paint back with us and the movers come next week(!!!!), I had to get crack-a-lackin'! I've acquired a coat rack, tiered wire basket holder, printer's tray, and window shutters. Once the weather started warming up a couple weeks ago, I took the paint sprayer out of the box and taught myself how to use it! I was really proud of myself for learning something new without the help of Chris :) You can teach an old dog new tricks!

These objects were my "test subjects" in preparation for the big kahuna: a cabinet!

For my birthday Chris let me pick a piece of furniture which I found not from an antique store but rather from someone PCSing (army lingo for 'moving'). I bopped over to Weiden and brought this cabinet home with me! Here is the before and after:

I decided to go with raspberry pink - one of my very favorite colors. I went to our local OBI (the German equivalent of a Home Depot) and had them mix me a small can of paint. Eventually, hopefully, some day, I will have my own scrap room and this cabinet will go in it along with all the other scrapbooking bits and pieces I've accumulated throughout the years that are taking over the house. Because it's Europe, I only got a few parts of the cabinet painted before it started raining so I brought everything back inside. Looking good so far!

And then I ran out of paint and couldn't get more for a couple days because it was a holiday and OBI was closed. It's allll good. Patience is a virtue :)

About a week after starting, I finished! Did I mention, I think I did, hahaha, that I altered this all by myself?! I didn't ask for help from Chris once! Like a boss :) I did slice my finger open on the glass as I was taking it out, but a bandaid fixes everything.

I think I sprayed something like 3 or 4 coats before rounding it out with 2 thick layers of paint done by hand. I like the brush strokes and glossy finish.

Cabinet details.

A little drawer in the front - hmmmm, what should I put in here?

Some people may flinch at the idea of painting wood (like my dad), but I really really love how it turned out and now it's a one-of-a-kind piece of furniture that I plan to fill with all kinds of mini albums and finished scrappy projects!

I think one of the original wooden shelves has gone missing so there is one glass shelf, but hopefully my dad can make me a new one and I'll have to bring a little bit of paint with me back to the states in my suitcase so I can finish this 100%!

Now what should I paint!? I'm addicted!

Painted Wood Veneer Layout

Saturday, June 17, 2017

I have a new layout and process video to share with you today! I found a spot of free time and wanted to make as many videos as I can before we move. Here's one!

Raise your hand if you have more wood veneer than you know what to do with?! MEMEMEME! I have a whole box of 'em and so for this layout I decided to give a few of them a makeover by painting them for the "dipped paint" look and then use them as fun embellishments on a travel-themed page.

I started by digging through said wood veneer stash and pulling out all of the pieces that went with travel - maybe a few things were a stretch like butterflies and cats and cows... but hey, it's alllll good! With my chosen wood veneer I pulled out a roll of washi tape and covered a section of each wood veneer. Then I picked colors of Deco Art crafter's acrylic paint that matched my Take Me Away collection and spent some time giving each piece three coats. The paint dries quickly and has great coverage. Once dry I peeled off the washi and ta-da! Fun new embellishments! It's amazing what paint can do to things whether it's wood veneer, furniture, hair(???)...

Figuring out what to do with all of the wood veneer took some thinking, I wanted to use all of them since I had just spent a couple hours making them, so the best way I could think of was to use them in a large shape and a geotag seemed to fit with the travel theme. The layout came together and evolved from there which you can watch in the process video below.

I hope you are inspired to try painting your wood veneer and giving them new life!

SUPPLIES: Patterned paper, die cuts, epoxy paper clip, roller stamp: Take Me Away by Paige Evans / Pink Paislee; Wood veneer: Miscellaneous; Die cut machine: Silhouette Cameo 3; Vellum, adhesive, pen: American Crafts; Ink: StazOn

Summer Mini Album by Steffi Ried

Friday, June 16, 2017

I mean... seriously... 'I can't even' with this summer-themed mini album by Steffi Ried. It's just THAT GOOD.

Hello everyone! I love the summer! This is my absolute favorite season. I love it when it is warm outside and we can spend more time in the garden. When the sun is shining and you can eat delicious ice cream and go outside for a swim. And of course I also love to make a mini album about our summer. This is my 3rd annual summer album documenting our everyday life. Although the summer is just beginning, my album is almost full. We have already had many beautiful days during the last few weeks!

The floral acetate specialty paper from the Take Me Away collection fits perfectly with my album this year. I thought about how to make the book binding. Since I used book rings last year, I wanted to try something different this year.

So I used a "binder" binding. This is from an office supply store. First I tested on another paper to see if it was going to work. It did! I made a video of the process which you will find at the end of this post.

For the first page in the album I chose white so the colors in the transparency stand out. The "sunshine" sticker from the Take Me Away Foam Phrase Thickers is perfect for summer.

For the inside I used a lot of materials from all three of Paige's collections (Fancy Free, Take Me Away, and Oh My Heart).

I die cut the ice cream cones with my Silhouette Cameo. Quick and easy summer embellishments created from great papers!

Do you see the error? I glued the page with the glasses upside down. Haha :) I only noticed this while photographing. But I'll leave it for now. I fussy cut the glasses from Oh My Heart Paper 07.

For the page with the three photos, I used the rose gold foil mini hearts paper from the Oh My Heart 12x12 Paper Pad. On the left I hand stitched through an embroidery hoop Die Cut.