American Crafts: Back to School with Shine On

Hello, crafty friends! This week on the American Crafts blog I shared a Back to School layout using the Amy Tangerine Shine On collection.

Sometimes we create a page that we love, but something about it doesn’t feel quite right. Most of the time when I am feeling that way about a layout, I find that it is usually because all of the elements I have used up to that point are flat.

That’s my cue to look for a dimensional embellishment that I can add, even in just a few places, to step things up and make the design POP.

American Crafts is always coming up with fun and clever accents for our pages, and today I’m featuring my latest favorite embellishment on this layout.

I LOVE the Inflated Ephemera Hearts in the new Shine On collection by Amy Tangerine. When I first saw these hearts, all I wanted to do was purchase 5 more packages and hoard them. Haha! They are ADORABLE!!! I resisted, and instead used most of them on this page of my daughter on the first day of school.

I used a punch to create 1.5″ circles of various patterned papers and then arranged them randomly around the page, Next, I added the inflated hearts to several of the circles. The variety of patterns were cute on their own, but the fun dimension and shine the hearts added took it to the next level!

I cut a title from Black 12×12 textured cardstock and then added a flower cluster and camera that I fussy-cut from The Good Life and Remember patterned papers. Two bud vases and a word block accent the lower right corner of my pictures.

Next time your page feels like it is lacking something, try adding a dimensional embellishment or two. Or, challenge yourself to use an entire package of dimensional embellishments as a feature on your page. It will add immediate pizzazz to your project, and I promise you will have fun doing it!

SUPPLIES:

“Back to School” cut file by Skyla Design (#267310 in the Silhouette Design Store)

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Echo Park Paper: A Trio of Hocus Pocus Cards

My favorite thing about Halloween is having all of the trick-or-treaters come to the door and seeing their cute costumes. The Hocus Pocus collection by Echo Park Paper has it’s own cute set of trick-or-treaters and I couldn’t wait to feature them on this set of Halloween cards!

I love how this first trick-or-treater has removed his skeleton mask … isn’t that what always happens on Halloween night? As you go about your route, it’s a bit hard to see where you are going, so you end up taking off the mask. Haha! He also reminds me a bit of my teen son … I think this card would be perfect for him!

This next card looks like we have walked right into a Halloween Costume party. The skeleton is showing off his best dance moves to his friend, the ghost, with a spider dangling overhead.

This mummy isn’t going to let Mr. Skeleton have all the fun! He has his own set of dance moves!

At the bottom of this card, I’ve added a die cut witch hat and boots from the Hocus Pocus die set. I had fun adding dimensional details, like the jewel on the hat and the laces for the boots.

What are your party plans this Halloween? Why not use a trio of trick-or-treater cards to invite your friends over for a celebration?

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Happy Haunting!

Simple Stories: Boys Rule

It’s rare that you find a collection for boys that can span all the way from when they are toddlers to teens and the Simple Stories Lil’ Dude collection does just that! Today I have a birthday layout to share with you using this darling new collection.

The 4×4 Elements paper played a big role in this design. I not only used one of the squares for my title …

… but also as page elements scattered below the title. Here you can see where I fussy-cut the speech bubbles from another one of the 4×4 Elements, as well as how I punched out the circle journaling block.

I also punched the “It’s a Boys World” from the 3×4 Elements paper to use as a page accent.

At the top of the page, I used a smaller circle punch to punch the “So Rad” circle from the 2×2 Elements paper.

After I placed the larger pieces, I came back in with the die cuts from the Bits & PIeces pack and the puffy stickers to fill in the spaces.

I love how this design grabs your attention at the top of the page with the title and the photos and then leads your eye down the “waterfall” of page elements through the journaling and then finally ending on the photo at the bottom of the layout.

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Thanks for joining me today! I hope you felt inspired to create a scrapbook page of your own.

See you next time!

Echo Park Paper: Bewitching Halloween Home Decor

Hello!I’m back with another papercrafting project for your home! This time, we are looking forward to Halloween … my favorite!

Today I am working with the brand new Bewitched collection by Echo Park Paper. This collection features the prettiest, sweetest witch you have ever seen and I couldn’t wait to feature her in my design!

You have probably seen the wood block decor that looks like the blocks are mounted on a candlestick with a knob adorning the top … well, I came across a cut file by MyScrapChick.com that mimics that look except every piece is made out of paper instead of wood! I couldn’t wait to give it a try!

I cut the base for each piece using Carta Bella Ebony Black Felt Designer Cardstock. After assembling, I used a white ink pad to give the edges a spooky and distressed feel.

The larger block is decorated with the adorable witch sticker from the Bewitched collection. She is flying her broomstick over a circular moon cut from the Trouble Brewing paper. I used the Happy Halloween die set to add a few bats to keep her company.

At the bottom of the witch block I added the “Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet” phrase sticker. I tucked in a floral sticker, the witch’s broom and a spooky cauldron.

The smaller block features the witch’s best friend, a black cat! I own a black cat myself, and so I love to add black cats in my Halloween decor as much as possible! This sweet little guy is peeking out of from a friendly Jack-O-Lantern sitting next to the jar of candy. I used flower stickers and a shiny, black satin ribbon on both blocks, tying them together visually. The sides of both blocks are also both decorated with panels of Witch Hats paper.

Do you have a favorite Halloween icon you like to add to your decor? For me, it is witches, black cats, and jack-o-lanterns … and I was so happy to be able to include all three on this project!

SUPPLIES:

 

Cut File: “Pedestal Sign Wood Knot” by MyScrapChick.com

See you again soon!