Calgary Scapaganza 2025!

 Check out all the details on the Calgary Scrapaganza 2025 event 

HERE! 

Scrap Shotz Summer Challenge!

Hello Crafty Friends!

The Summer Challenge is now live in the Scrap Shotz Paper Crafting Facebook Group .

Your inspiration is this Spellbinders DIY Color Deck card:

I created this card based on the inspiration above:

To participate in the challenge, join the Facebook group and upload your paper project to the challenge album! Your entry gives you a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Scrap Shotz online store!

Paper Rose Botanical Blooms

Today I am sharing a bunch of cards that I created with the Paper Rose Botanical Blooms 6x6 Paper Pack.

I love the dramatic look of these papers and I used them in a variety of ways. 

I dug out my die cut shapes, frames and some embellishments. Some sentiments and embellishments that were already assembled and some that I put together. Ribbon, dimensional foam and foil cardstock were also used.

I used embossing folders and die cut sentiments from my stash, and twine to "tie" layers together.

Some of these bold prints are so bright and colorful that on their own they can be overwhelming. But grounding the patterns and adding things that I already had in my stash calmed them down and created a card layout that is pleasing to look at. It was a great opportunity to add some wax seals that I had been saving and even put a full panel shaker card in the mix.

Using one of the softer colored papers, I created a 5"x7" Mother's Day card. Even though the panels are only 6" high, matting it creatively allowed an unbroken image to be the highlight on this one. A bit of sheer organza ribbon and it's a card I would be proud to give.

I used over half of the package of 18 6"x6" paper, but still have a few papers that will come in handy for fast and pretty creations. I hope some of these have inspired you to look at those bright and bold prints with a refreshed idea! If there is any product that you are wondering about, just drop me a comment and I can let you know the specifics. 

Have a great day!

Simply Stated and Scorched Wood Cards

Happy National Name Yourself Day! What a funny national day to celebrate. It's also National Unicorn Day. I'm sure all the unicorns are so excited. I can hardly wait for Lost Sock Memorial Day...

The real reason I'm posting is to share some masculine cards that I created with the Craft Consortium Scorched Wood 6x6 paper pad, that you can pick up now in the Scrapshotz online store right here! All of the cards were created using "Simply Stated" ephemera pieces. I have a stash of these images and find them to be a simple way to create a distinctive card. Sandy has a selection in the store here of some different packs, but if you have a special request, she would be able to order for you. 

The Scorched Wood background is very versatile and goes with everything. I have used a bit of twine, ribbon and embellishments on these, and used foam squares to pop up the images and/or sentiments.

The images vary in size, so can take up as much or as little of the card front as you like.

I liked putting the images on a white base. They are all cut out with a white border, so putting them on white gives a more seamless look.

This last card background was created with the scorched wood framing an embossed panel. There are so many gorgeous embossing folders, and many are perfect for masculine cards. Check out the current Scrapshotz selection here.

I hope this has given you some ideas for creating masculine cards. They aren't always the easiest and it's good to have a stash of them on hand.

Have a great "Name Yourself Day!" 🤣 

I think I'm going to go with "Effa" today. Effa Manley is the only women member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame!(inducted 2006) 😉

Reminisce "Let's Play Hockey"

I have two hockey layouts to share with you today. The arena is where we tend to spend a fair bit of time watching our grandchildren play. 

This first layout tells a story. Vyda scored a goal and I created a semi-circle of the action photos showing the progression of events.  

The date tab at the top of the layout is a pull-out, and gives the opponent and the score.

I used 2 thicker dots to prevent the tab from disappearing behind the photo. They hold the pull-out perfectly.

The second layout is our grandson who was playing in his last regular season Minor Hockey game. 

It is a tradition for them to have their Mom's present them with a home jersey at their last game. It's a proud moment for the Mom's and signifies an end to an era in both their lives.

I used the yellow mats to highlight the photos. This brings out the color of the bottom of the boards in both the background themed paper and the photos. I used Thickers from my stash for the title and stickers from the collection for the top and bottom borders and the "proud mom" banner.

Thanks for stopping by! It feels like a long time ago that I had time to spend in my crafty space. (Perhaps too much time at the hockey rink? Lol!) I'll be back...

 

Bloom and Grow, Cocoa Vanilla

Are you ready to scrapbook bright and floral and fun? I know I sure am - something to take my mind off the cold rainy days here in Vancouver and bring on Spring in my happy scrappy space! So I reached for the Cocoa Vanilla Studio, Bloom & Grow collection from the Scrap Shotz shop! 

In classic Cocoa Vanilla fashion this collection has fantastic colours, great embellishments, woodgrain elements and more. Their collections are also so easy to play with for all kinds of memories. 

Fold Back

Feature two patterns with just one collection paper! 

For my first layout, I was inspired by the Floral Ephemera - 58 pieces of floral goodies in this one little pack of ephemera! I wanted to create a layout that sort of spilled out these beauties. 

So I picked a pattern paper with both an A and B side that would complement the florals to create a ‘fold back’ design. Super simple to achieve this design: 

1. Select your patter paper and cut a slice in the middle to about half way down the page 
2. Fold back the cut sides so it looks like an envelope or pocket (to show of the other side of the pattern)
3. Adhere down each fold (use pop up dots for some extra dimension) 
4. Cut off the excess paper of the each fold that are off the 12x12 page (or whatever size layout you are working with) 

Once I had my fold back adhered down, I added my photos (each backed with a couple pattern papers from the collection first) over the middle of the fold. Then I embellished with the Floral Ephemera so it looked like florals were spilling from the fold behind the photos. 

The title is from the collection’s Raw Chipboard Titles coloured to a complementing grey using Ranger Ink Distress In. And a few of the collection Accessory Stickers finished off the layout. 

Circle Anchor 

Use a large circle to focus the eye on your photos! 

This design another great way to feature two patterns and still keep your page focused on the most important thing - your photo. Simply cut one of the busier patterns in a large circle and drop into onto a simpler pattern (Cocoa Daisy woodgrain for the win every time). If you done have a machine or tool to cut a large circle, pop into the kitchen for a plate to trace!  

After dropping my circle down, I added some white acrylic paint splatters for my go-to grunge touch. Then I added my two photos - each with a few layers of collection patterns behind at a few different angles to show off a touch of each pattern.

The circle gives you a great anchor for embellishments. I like to go top left and bottom right for my clusters (the flow feels nice to me), or pick three spots around the circle (design rules are usually in three or a triangle) or tuck and layer all the way around the circle - have fun with it! Cocoa Vanilla has the BEST at Floral Ephemera so you cannot go wrong no matter how you do it.

A few stickers tucked here and there and finally the title ‘best friends’ painted white from collection’s Raw Chipboard Titles finished off this one.  

More Circles 

For my third layout, I kept going on the circle theme but this time making them a little smaller. I will admit, almost anytime I have floral embellishments to play, with I am drawn to circle elements as they flow together so nicely. That is especially true with Cocoa Vanilla florals.

I started this layout off with that fantastic tone on tone pink pattern - and added some white puppy paws using a stencil from Peartree Cutfiles and The Crafter’s Workshop - Stencil Butter Pearl White from the shop, and some white acrylic paint splatters. 

I used a circle tool to cut my photos in circles and a few from one of the collection pattern papers. Before adhering them down in a cascade on the left of the page, I distressed the edges a bit and outlined them in white journalling pen.

From there I literally just clustered some of the  Floral Ephemera beside each of the circles. I made one cluster a little bigger than the others so I could use it to anchor my title which is from collection’s Raw Chipboard Titles painted white. A few collection stickers and voila! 

Have you played with Bloom & Grow or other spring inspired collections? Show off your  projects so we can ohh and ahh over on the Scrap Shotz Paper Crafting Group on Facebook! 

Deck the Halls, Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Wow, I can’t believe it is almost Christmas!

I love embracing the holiday season so have all the Christmas inspired goodies on my scrappy desk including the new Deck the Halls from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. I am loving this collection - all the seasonal touches but in the soft colours and classy touches that Cocoa Vanilla is so good at! 

Present Inspired 

For my first layout I was inspired by the idea of a present - that first rip your make to pull back the paper and get a glimpse of that amazing surprise inside. 

To create this look you simply pick a pattern paper you like both the A and B sides of (like this one I picked from Cocoa Vanilla - beauty!). Then you fold it to show half of each but don’t fully press the crease down so you get on a little dimension to the page at the fold. Be sure to add a little adhesive to hold the crease down and cut off the small amount from the fold that goes over the edge at the bottom of the page. I like to adhere my folded page down on another coordinating pattern as my background -  like I did here - but it also looks great on white cardstock too. Really pops. 

From there you add your photos and your embellishments on top of that fold. I love when they look like they are sort of spilling out. For my layout I went for the cute little town scene using the Chipboard Sheet and Ephemera so layered a row of homes likes a little Christmas Village along the bottom of my photos. 

A few white splatters to reinforce that Christmas Village look and some stars in ‘the sky’ finished off the look. I added a few little pennants at the top right to balance the busy middle a little and finally a gold title from the Puffy Gold Title Stickers.

Classic Photo Cascade  

They say that designers aim to create ‘threes’ on a page - three embellishment clusters, three photos, etc - it draws the eye. I am not a designer but admit three photos feels very natural to me. Like I did here for this layout. 

I love to cascade three photos overlapping just slightly either down the right or left of the page OR across the ‘just above’ the middle space on the page horizontally. I back each photo with a couple of coordinating papers and then focus most of the embellishments around the photos too. 

For this one, I anchored my title on the fantastic Christmas tree from the collection, and focused on the present inspired embellishments from the Chipboard Sheet and Ephemera to tie into the Christmas tree feature. 

A few white splatters on the page and some of the cute little stars from the Puffy Stickers and a few phrases from the Accessory Stickers finished it off nicely.

White Space 

For my third layout I took a step back from all the pattern papers and instead used white space to focus my design. 

I printed my photos that were taken in quick succession to tell the story of this moment in black and white to balance the colour of the collection. I backed each with a couple patterns each and a couple patterns behind the horizontal clusters too. Before adhering my favourite photo of the bunch I popped it up on foam dots as my focal point. 

From there, I selected all of the Christmas decoration embellishments as my theme and cascaded those down the page - making sure to tuck a few in and around the photos. The Christmas tree from the Chipboard Sheet tucked beside my feature photo helped add further focus on my fav photo. 

To finish off the layout, I used some of the Puffy Gold Title Stickers for my title and a few of the Puffy Stickers in and around the decor. I also added a couple of phrases and hearts to the bottom left for balance using goodies from the Chipboard Sheet and the Accessory Stickers. 

Are you playing with the Cocoa Vanilla Studio, Deck the Halls collection? We would love to see! Pop over to the Scrap Shotz Paper Crafting Group on Facebook and show off your amazing projects!