Fancy Free Mini Album


Tuesday, May 31, 2016

We just got back from an 8 day road trip through Italy! The whole adventure was planned around a class I was invited to teach in Tuscany, near the micro country San Marino. We hadn't been there yet so we decided to turn it into a family vacation and visit lots of places (Sterzing, Bologna, Florence, Pisa, Volterra, Sienna, and Assisi) - lots and lots of recaps coming soon :) Today I'd like to share the mini album I taught at Scrap2Days!
LOVE YOU MINI ALBUM by Paige Evans

SUPPLIES: Patterned paper, chipboard, die cuts, tags: Fancy Free by Paige Evans/Pink Paislee; Cardstock, Thickers, chipboard covers: American Crafts; Doilies: Wilton; Baker’s twine: Divine Twine; Watercolors: Loew Cornell; Spray mist: Heidi Swapp; Other: white paint, brush, needle, binder rings, sequins, thread, paper cutter, scissors, adhesive, dimensional adhesive, pen, pencil, stapler, xacto knife, eraser, (34) 2 ½” square photos, (6) 2” square photos, (1) 3” square photo

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Use a heart die cut as a template and trace it onto one of the chipboard covers then use a sharp craft knife to carefully cut it out. Paint the front and back chipboard covers white and let them dry. Drop black spray mist on the top right and bottom left corners and let it dry. Embellish the cover with a flower transparency on the top right, two strands of pink baker’s twine tied around the right edge, an “&” chipboard sticker with a “you” die cut tucked underneath, a puffy flowers sticker on the left side of the cut out heart, and three sequins on the bottom left side.

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The entire mini album is filled with pictures of things that I love :)

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Use the cover or the heart die cut as a template to lightly trace a heart in the center of a 6x6" piece of paper #10. Place “Love” Thickers in the middle. Journal around the drawn heart then erase the pencil lines.

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Trim a “colorful” chipboard word sticker in half and place the pieces in the middle. Tear off the right edge of a piece of 6x6" vellum. Cut a large doily in half and glue one half on the left edge. Layer a journaling card, photo, "play" die cut, and “make beautiful things” transparency die cut over the doily.

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Place a “celebrate today” transparency die cut and a hashtag Thicker behind the doily.

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Use an ampersand die cut as a template and trace around it onto a piece of 6x6” white cardstock using a pencil. Poke a hole every ¼” around the entire ampersand then erase the pencil lines. Use thread and backstitch around the ampersand. Watercolor inside the ampersand and let it dry.

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Trim paper #04 to 9 ½ x 6”, score 6” from the left edge, then fold the right edge over. Place a small doily on the center and staple on a “favorite” die cut to a round journaling tag and journal on the tag. Inside, mat (6) photos onto patterned papers then adhere them inside. Place “Favorites” Thickers between the pictures.

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Trim 6 photos and 6 patterned papers to 2” square then tuck them inside the photo sleeves. You could embellish the centers of the papers with chipboard stickers and/or die cuts.

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On a 6x6” piece of white cardstock, place a journaling tag in the center and add a chipboard potted plant at the bottom with a “best ever” die cut at the top. Journal on the tag. On the back, place a journaling spot in the center and glue a die cut plant on the left.

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Trim paper #11 to 4 ½ x 10 ½”, score 6” down from the top, fold the bottom up, then fold the top ½” of that flap down and staple/glue in place to create a pocket. Journal on a tag, tie a baker’s twine bow through the top, adhere a transparency heart die cut to the bottom, then tuck it into the pocket. Adhere a photo under the flap and embellish with a “routine” die cut and silver heart tab transparency die cut.

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Use the letters from the “LOVE” die cut as a template to trace and cut out letters and a photo. Place dimensional adhesive on the back of the word and add the papers/photo.

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Layer a small doily, tag, photo, and chipboard phrase on a white page and journal around the edge. Journal on the back with a heart die cut between paragraphs.

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Adhere four photos to the center of a 6x6” light kraft cardstock page and place “most favorite” puffy stickers in the center. Embellish the back with the other half of the large doily, a photo, tag, and chipboard flowers.

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Layer a frame die cut and a photo in the center and write journaling on the frame bottom. Add a plant chipboard sticker on the bottom right and a “live a colorful life” round die cut to the top left. On the back, adhere a photo at the top center and a “cherish the here & now” die cut at the bottom. Draw a border around the edge then journal around it.

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Trim paper #07 to 9 x 6, score 6” from the left side, then fold the right side over. Adhere a round “so happy” journaling spot to the center and journal on it.

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Inside, place a large doily in the crease then adhere four photos on top and embellish with die cuts and stickers. Journal in the center of the back.

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Trim patterned papers to 3” square, mat photos on top, then tuck them into the photo sleeves. Add a transparency “our happy place” to the bottom front photo.

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On a 6x6” white cardstock page, adhere a “favorites” journaling card to the left side and adhere three photos on the rest of the page. Journal on the card and journal on the back then embellish as desired.

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Trim paper #08 to 4 ½ x 6”. Adhere a photo to the middle then add a tag, “just be you” die cut, and a “selfie” and arrow chipboard sticker.

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Trim more papers to 6x6" and embellish with photos and die cuts and journaling.

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On a 6x6” white cardstock page, adhere a photo and lots of die cuts. Add a flower chipboard sticker to the center of the back and write “the end.” below. Connect all the pages together with binder rings. Binder rings are great because you can easily add more pages!

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I had so much fun teaching this mini album class!

Pink Paislee Big Titles Layout


Friday, May 27, 2016

It's BIG TITLES week on the Pink Paislee blog and here is the layout I made for the occasion:
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LOVE by Paige Evans

DESCRIPTION: I love hearts, I love hand stitching, I love using big'n'bold background elements, and I love a big title! So here is the layout I made combining all of these things I love!

JOURNALING SAYS: Everything you do is adorable! Cuz you're just the cutest little girl in the world and I love you!

HOW TO: I started by searching the Silhouette store for a big heart and found shape #61514. Instead of die cutting it, I replaced the blade with a pen and drew the love heart. Then I pierced a hole every 1/4" or so all the way around. To help the love heart stand out from the colorful polka dot paper, I painted it with several coats of white paint and let it dry. For the backstitching, I changed threads every 10 stitches using colors of thread from the colored polka dots in the paper. To define the love heart even more, I used a sewing machine with white thread and straight stitched once inside. Then came the trio of photos, embellishing with Fancy Free elements, and a bit of journaling!

SUPPLIES: Patterned paper, die cuts, puffy stickers, wood veneer, dimensional sticker, button, chipboard stickers, tags, journaling card: Fancy Free by Paige Evans / Pink Paislee; Love cut file: Silhouette; Die cut machine: Silhouette Cameo; Thread: DMC; Pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

DETAIL SHOTS:
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Big titles make a big impact and draw the attention right into your layout!

Afternoon Crafts Class at Big Picture Classes


Monday, May 23, 2016

I've got a new class up at Big Picture Classes today called Afternoon Crafts!
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Got some spare time here and there? In this class I'll prove that completing fun DIY projects doesn’t have to take a huge chunk of your time. We create three quick and easy projects - each of which can be made in a single afternoon. You’ll learn how to make use of the supplies you have on hand to create adorable projects you’ll love to display throughout the year! All of the lessons include start-to-finish videos so you can see exactly how to create these pieces.

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In the first lesson we create this layered paper frame duo - using Fancy Free of course!

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The second lesson is all about upcycling - this cupcake tin was doomed for the gallows when I decided to simply give it a facelift and now it's a lovely part of Jane's bedroom decor!

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And in the third lesson we create a mini album in a single afternoon - it CAN be done!

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So come on over and join me in Afternoon Crafts at Big Picture Classes!

Fox's Pre-School Graduation


Saturday, May 21, 2016

After three fun years (he missed the age cut-off to go to kindergarten this past year by just 6 weeks) Fox graduated from pre-school!!
All the kiddos walking in.

Yesterday there was a little ceremony and Chris even took the day off to come watch.
 16 boys and 3 girls - where my girls at?! :)
 Mrs. Wagner presenting Fox with his diploma and Mr. Napoleon helping out. 
 Fox gets so funny in exciting situations like this, it's hard to explain, he just acts a little cray cray :)
 WAY TO GO FOX!

Then we had sandwiches and cake in the cafeteria.

Cute decor!
 Cute cake!
 I ran to pick up Jane (a few rooms down) and she got to eat some cake too.
Hugs for my big boy!
Congratulations Fox, we're so proud of you and can't believe you're going to be in Kindergarten in just a few months!

Flossenbürg, Germany


Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Saturday morning looked like it was going to be beautiful so once again we high-tailed it out to go, see, do: Flossenbürg or bust!
Just a short 40 min drive away right near the Czech-Germany border is the little 1,600 person town of Flossenbürg. The town's roots go back to the year 948. Fox and his current smile, I love it so.
Up above the town are the ruins of the castle. Kids in a castle.
Construction on the castle began around the year 1100 and it was once a stronghold of the Hohenstaufen dynasty kings during the middle ages. 
Much of the damage to the castle came as a result of the Thirty Years War. 
Watch out for falling rocks!
Fox pondering the beauty of creation. Or most likely he was thinking about Ninja Turtles. Or Minecraft. Or some new iPad game.
The hike up to the castle from the parking area is only about 300-400 meters and is a pretty easy climb. By the time you get to the to top you have great views of the Oberfalz countryside.
The plaque marking the top of the castle.
Looking down over the town and out to the Czech Republic. It is just so pretty here. 
Ball and chain, lol.
Flossenbürg, both castle and town. 
Lovely Bavaria (or Bayern in German).
On the top of the tower ruins is a viewing platform with a cool marker pointing to various areas of interest. Even the Rauher Kulm was on it!

Pretending to be in jail.
We walked down from the top of the tower and explored the rest of the site. It reminded us of ruins around Ireland
Our family at Flossenbürg on Saturday morning May 14th 2016.
Jane and her "cane".
Aside from the castle, Flossenbürg is also known for the concentration camp that was here during the Second World War. The camp was opened in 1938 by the SS and served as a labor camp for the nearby granite quarries. Between 1938 and 1945 approximately 100,000 men and women from over thirty countries were imprisoned in the camp here.
The site has a small, well-done museum. This picture in the museum shows all the concentration camps and sub-camps that were set up by the Nazis.
 The washing room. Flossenbürg was a labor camp, not an extermination camp, so these showers were actually showers.
 A picture in the museum showing the camp run by the SS and castle ruins above it.
 A picture of the prisoners quarrying nearby granite from the hills.
 The site today as a solemn, peaceful memorial to those who were imprisoned or died here.

This was known as the "Valley of the Dead" because it was the killing grounds and the location of the crematorium. Today, a monument set up like a Christian "Stations of the Cross" path winds down into the valley. 
The plaque in front of the mound reads: "These are the ashes and bones from mass-burnings."
A Christian memorial chapel is situated above the valley near an old guard tower.
Inside the chapel plaques show country flags and the number of people from that land that were imprisoned here.
A stained-glass window depicting a colored triangle and number like all the prisoners were forced to wear.
A humbling morning for sure also filled with beauty and love.
Paige Taylor Evans © // Quinn Creatives DESIGN