March Kit Club and Creative Scrapbooker Sketchy Challenge

Hello, hello! Each month us gals her at Scrap Shotz have a great time playing with the monthly Creative Scrapbooker Magazine's Sketchy Challenge. I am using my March Scrapbook Kit to play this month and I am taking the sketch from what is a pretty traditional 12x12 size and style into a Traveler's Notebook (TN) layout.

The Creative Scrapbook Magazine, Sketchy Challenge for March is really, like all sketches, a jumping off point. You can take it literally and match the design exactly or you can use it to inspire your own layout or even just an elements of your project.

As I was taking my layout from this design into a TN I had to think about how I would incorporate the middle of the notebook into the design. With a shift of the two smaller objects on top from the centre over to the left I was able to stay true to the design while making sure I was not folding photos in half every time I closed my notebook.

Also for my design, I decided to use the journal spots implied in the sketch with the squiggly lines as a placef or my die cuts. The March Scrapbook Kit featuring the Simple Stories, Simple Vintage Traveler has so many amazing die cuts - I am coming up with every excuse to use at least a couple of them on every project this month!

Ok, ok, ok enough of this describing the project stuff ... lets see it!

To keep this design flowing from the others layouts I have already created for this project I added some journal pen 'stitching' around the edges, some tiny staples and the date stamped multiple times. I also added a few scattered X's just using my journal pen again around the die cuts almost in the same way you would embellish with enamel dots. Just a little something to break up the space.

For a peek at the other layouts I have created in this project also using the March Scrapbook Kit, check out my Simple Vintage Travelers Notebook blog post from the other day. I am aiming to complete these project in the next couple of weeks and then publishing a flip through video - stay tuned.

Oh and if you have not yet had a chance to see Lorraine's take on the sketch, pop on over to her March 2019 SS Vintage Traveler Scrapshotz Kit blog post. Lorraine is also using the March kit for the take she did on the sketch and she stayed true to the 12x12 format - its gorgeous!

Thanks for stopping by!

February Kit Club and Creative Scrapbooker Sketchy Challenge

Hello, hello! I am having an amazing time playing with my February 2019 Scrapbook kit. Much of the kit is inspired by the Pinkfresh Studio, Indigo Hills 2 collection and there is not a pattern paper or embellishment in the kit that doesn't bring me joy. Wow, I love the purples, blues and floral.

I have completed a few layouts now and they are all very feminine and soft, easy to achieve with this gorgeous collection. So I wondered if I should show the versatility of this kit by moving away from the soft feminine look and instead work on a project that is perhaps a little more masculine. To really show you how much one kit can accomplish for all the different photos and stories you have waiting to document.

For this project, I am starting with the Creative Scrapbooker Magazine, Sketchy Challenge for February. I love using sketches for inspiration. They give you enough detail to spark an idea for a page design but also give you so much room to really make the layout your own.

With a more masculine look in mind, I reached for the Pinkfresh Studio, Indigo Hills 2 - Valley pattern paper in the kit. One side of this paper is a gorgeous deep blue botanical pattern and the other is a cool grid with some paint brush stroke features. I focused my attention on the grid side of the paper.

I had 2 photos in mind to scrapbook. One of me and one of my sister sitting on the side of the headland in Scotland last summer waiting for the tide to go out so we could continue on our hiking route to the next town along the beach. But because I only had 2 photos, I needed to figure out what to do with the 2 other 'blocks' on the sketch. Hello cut file! For the 2 \blocks' on the right in the sketch, I instead cut out the below saying from the Cut Shoppe,

I kept this layout simple by focusing on only a few of the colours in the kit. The black/white of the grid and the muted orange colour embellishments which is a colour also featured on the grid paper. I also used black cardstock from my stash to really make the cut words pop!

As I was working on embellishing the layout though I noticed that the gold on the wood veneers were a bit too gold for this layout. They stood out too much in contrast to the rest of the muted orange of the stickers and cardstock phrases I was using. Recalling a tip Missy Whidden had mentioned on one of her YouTube videos and I am happy to pass on here to you all .. "too bright? just add gesso!"

I simply took some Liquitex - Basics Acrylic Gesso in white on the end of my finger and rubbed it over the wooden veneers I wanted to use on the page. You can see here the difference pretty clearly on the original bright veneer and the one that is now more muted thanks to the Gesso. The colour is still fabulous and you can see the gold - it is just toned down. This muted look worked so much better for the design I wanted for this layout.

I finished off the layout by cutting down the black cardstock on the left hand side beside my photos sort of messy like and adhering a strip of that same grid pattern paper behind to give a bit of balance to the big cut file words on the right. I would have loved to stitch along that edge but  (sigh) I do not have a sewing machine - so journal pen stitching it is. What is journal stitching? Where you use your journalling pen (white, black or whatever color) and make a line of little lines so it sort of looks like it was sewn. A bit of a cheat but it is keeping the sewing machine FOMO at bay!

I finally added some staples because I add those to nearly everything and then finally a little splatter here and there of the Heidi Swapp, Color Shine - Bronzer.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy crafting!

Focus on What Matters April 2017 Scrap Shotz Kit

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Hello and Happy Mother's Day!

It's Rosie and I have a couple of layouts to share with you using the Scrap Shotz April 2017 kit:

This kit features the brand new Vicki Boutin Mixed Media line including the Vicki Boutin patterned paper. For our sketch project we've chosen this sketch from Creative Scrapbookers Magazine:

I so love all the circles on this layout! Here is my interpretation of the sketch:

I have used a 2" circle punch, 3" circle punch and die cut circles to create the circle die cuts.

There are a number of steps in creating this layout so I will list them to make it easier to follow my process:

1. Cut Vicki Boutin Mixed Media Reactive Tissue with die cut circles in red, light green and blue.
2. Lay out tissue circles in desired placement, make note of areas.
3. Mist white card stock in desired placement areas with water, place tissue circles and mist with water.
4. While tissue dries punch patterned paper circles and one acetate "paper" circle, choose photo.
5. Discard dried tissue paper circles and heat dry to completely dry if necessary. Use the die cut circles used to cut tissue paper as templates to pierce card stock for hand stitching.

6. Hand stitch pierced circles in coordinating colour of floss.

7. Lay out patterned paper die cuts in desired placement, choose title Pinkfresh Studio puffy sticker and Vicki Boutin stickers for journaling.

8. Add your choice of Vicki Boutin card stock labels and kit Die Cut Shapes. Embellish with Pinkfresh Studios puffy heart and arrow stickers.

I hope you've enjoyed this step by step look at this kit project layout. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments and thanks for stopping by😊