JuSt Do iT! Week #4

Hi Ladies... It is another Layout-A-Week and this time I'll show you how not to be afraid to cut your papers... Don't think they are precious.... Just do it!!

Some times we just have our papers to admire but at the end they became old and we never use it.. this time I encourage you to use your most precious papers!!!

Always use layers.. that give to your project volume! 

You also can stamp.. Stamping in neutral colors is easy to combine.

Using the fussy cutting technique you can add several layers of paper .... 

Cut the frames of the tags and use it as picture frames ... even if they don't fit your pictures.. Just Do it!! You will love the results.

Add some texture using different materials.. 

Supplies Used:

Xyron Mega Runner

Westcott - Titanium Non Stick Scissors

Wescott - Cutter

Bella Blvd - Enamel Dots

Duck Tape - Adhesive Borders

Day of the Dead - Week #41

Hi Ladies!

Today I'm going to share my layout and it is all about the "Day of the Dead"  and a little of what is this Mexican holiday.

Day of the Dead or Dia de Muertos.. is a holiday we celebrate in Mexico in particular the Central and South regions.. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died and help the support their spiritual journey.. Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called "Ofrendas" honoring the deceased using sugar skulls marigolds and the favorite beverages and food of the departed, also visiting graves to be with the souls of the departed.. the intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them.. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

Jose Guadalupe Posada created a famous print of a figure he called La Calavera Catrina.. as a parody of a Mexican upper-class female..

I went in 2012 to Guadalajara Mexico and as I said in central Mexico they decorate everywhere with paper mache Catrinas.. I took some pictures and some I use in my layout..

We always can use papers even if they are for a different occasions.. This paper is Christmas paper but I think it was perfect for my layout!

 This iron transfer was my inspiration for this Layout... As you know I love fussy cutting so I cut the Iron transfer with my excellent Westcott Craft Titanium non stick scissors!!! and was perfect to embellish my layout!

This is a simple-easy layout and I use 3 photos! 

 

The Catrina Skull is a great embellish and I add some pearls with my Pearl Pen.. 

Also I add some Molding Paste and Embossing powders from Color Box to give more color.. Day of the dead is also a lot of color!

I just did my Title with my lovely Sakura White Pen.. some flowers from my stash and ready!!! 

I hope you get some inspiration and see you next Tuesday with another fabulous Layout-A-Week!

Supplies:
Westcott Brand - Craft Titanium Scissors, Self healing cutting mat, TrimAir Trimmer
Fancy Pants "Oh Deer" Paper Collection
Crafty Chica - Day of the Dead Iron-on transfer
Pentart - Pearl Pens " Lilac, Morning Glory and Poppy
Aleen's - Turbo Tacky Glue
Color Box - Embossing Powders
Golden - Molding Paste
Sakura - White Pen

WEEK 24 - FOR THE LOVE OF THE BEACH

Hi everyone!  Here is my layout for the month of June.  I live on an island (albeit a very large one) and the part that I LOVE the most about that is having such easy access to the beach and the ocean at anytime I want.  I find visiting the ocean to be the most relaxing and stress-relieving thing in the world and whenever life gets to me... that is where I go.

This photo is from earlier in the spring but the message is how we all love the beach and that the weather has now improved so we can go again.  Don't get me wrong... we go year round here (and are grateful for that) but being able to go and be warm and not worry about layers is awesome. As is walking in the surf or day-dreaming on a log.

Here is my layout:

I wanted to keep this layout fairly simple although I will confess I had planned to use a heart stencil and modeling paste to add a few hearts or some texture behind my layers.  Oh well! I did however want to tone down my background paper so I applied a fairly liberal coat of gesso to it (thus the curly edges, sorry!).  I used a scraper to put it on and as it dries pretty quick I layered it on as I went just working from top corner to bottom corner and once I went back up to the top it was dry enough to add a bit more. I think I added it about 3 times to get to this level of opacity.

I also, as you can see in the video, used my very old Heidi Swapp distress tool on the edges of the top and bottom strips. I just didn't want them to be too flat.

And a few close ups:

And a video!!

Supplies List:
Patterned Paper: Webster's Pages Ocean Melody
Cardstock: Michael's
Vellum Frames and Tags: Webster's Pages Ocean Melody
Embellishments: Stickers -Webster's Pages; Puffy Stickers - Evalicious; Wood veneer - Evalicious; Burlap hearts - Simple Stories; Fabric hearts - Amy Tangerine; Enamel hearts - Lilibee Design; Arrows - Crate Paper.
Alphabet: Thickers - Alyx.
Pen: Project Life.
Date Stamp: Heidi Swapp.
Mist, Ink and Paint: Color Shine - Gold; Ranger - Pumice Stone distress ink; Ranger - Cracked Pistachio distress pain; Making Memories - Banana, acrylic paint.
Tool: Heidi Swapp - Edge Distressor.

WEEK 20 - OUR STORY: ME AND MY MOM

Hello again everyone and thanks for joining me for my reveal of my Layout-A-Week layout for May.  This month we were asked to look at the theme of Mom's as it is Mother's Day this month.  I decided to go WAY back to how I made MY mom a mom.

For this layout I decided to step out of my comfort zone of colours and use more vintage-y themed products and also use some more feminine touches of ribbon and flowers.  I am really quite pleased with how it turned out and think it really compliments the photo well.

SUPPLY LIST:
Vellum
Patterned paper: Pink Paislee
Alphas: Thickers, Pink Paislee
Mist: Heidi Swapp Color Shine Gold, Bronzer, Seafoam, Mint Green, Tea
Other: Ribbon, Flowers, Enamel dots, Ranger: Gesso

You can also find me at my blog:

http://scrapsbyjen.blogspot.ca/

Or on Instagram as "ScrapsbyJen"

WEEK 18 - BACK TO SCHOOL

I thought that in honor of school almost being out, I would get this layout done from my sons first day of school this year.  I try to always make their own scrapbook layout to go in their Project Life School Albums.  I got Caleb's done, but I never got around to Jacob's.  So I told myself I had to finish it before this school year was finished, which for my boys is next week.

I came across this grid patterned paper and I loved it.  I love a grid looking layout.  There is something so clean about the way it looks to me.  I loved most of all the little sections on this paper, and I decided the ones I didn't care for the most I could cover up or embellish.

 I made myself some notes in pencil as to which ones I wanted to add photos to.  I also added some information that was perfect in some of the sections.  There was a spot with the days of the week listed, and since the kids have an nontraditional schedule, I thought this was a perfect spot to put this in there.

Another thing I always make sure to do on each of the kids school layout is their grade, school name and teachers name.  Then I make sure that somewhere on the page I have them hand write their name.  I love this element, so that we can compare each year to how their writing changes.  I always have them write it in pencil first and I carefully trace over it in pen.  Especially if they are writing right on the layout itself, this has saved us some major disasters a few times for sure.  

I printed the photos I wanted to use from thier first day so that they would fit in the boxed I wanted them to go in.  I love this too because it makes it look like they now have perfect borders around the photos. 

For the rest of the boxes, I tried to just add some basic embellishments that went with my back to school theme.  I added some word stickers all together to form somewhat of a subway art look, which I love.  I added some text stars, because to me anything with text says school and the same with stars.  

I die cut a 4 from some yellow grid patterned paper that matched the rest of the layout, and the "th" and "grade" using black cardstock and attached those right in one of the boxes. 

I finished off the last of the final touches with some yellow ruler washi tape on each photo, to give it the look that the tape was holding on each photo, and a small tiny paper clip on the top left card, that I also added to the layout.  I added a little journaling in a box that was lined and that completed my layout.  

I am excited to be able to add this to his school album and maybe this coming year I can get it done before he is about done with the school year.  

~NICOLE

You can always find me on my blog HERE at RANDOM RAMBLINGS.