Elle's Studio: April Sketch Day!

Hi Friends!

Welcome back to the Happy Arty Days blog!

I am so excited to share today's fabulous sketch for Elle's Studio!

It's such a fun design, and I've even made a process video of this one too 

but before I get too carried away, here's what the sketch looks like...

Told you it was fun! Love this!

Sketches are a great way to remove the 'I don't know where to start' vibes, or even loosen up a design block! They discourage overthinking, and allow us to just simply enjoy the creative process! Here's what I created,

"Love This"

Love this, indeed!

Elle's Studio Supplies: April Kit, April Labels, Beautiful Day Die Cuts, Office Label Stickers, Life Right Now Stickers, Lovely Puffy Stickers, & Flourish 6 x 8.5" Paper Stack. 

Other Supplies: Bazzill cardstock - avalanche, watercolors, sewing machine, cotton thread, & doily.

Here's a closer look at my layout....

Gosh, this is so pretty!!!

The colors and designs in the April Kit are really something!

When it comes to creating with a sketch, I always approach it with my photograph as the focus. For this particular layout, my photograph encouraged me to rotate the sketch by 90 degrees. You'll notice that my darling girl is positioned on the right hand side of my photo, & looking out to the left. By rotating the sketch I was able to compliment the movement in my photo, and flatter the directional flow. 

My photograph also dictated the color scheme for my layout too! 

When I looked through the April Kit note cards and the Flourish 6 x 8.5" Paper Stack papers I noticed that there were lots of coral & vermilion reds, peach, and mauve patterns which were not only really pretty, but also complimented my photo. The 'let the good times roll' sentiment card was the perfect descriptor of the memory associated with the photo plus it was also a clever camouflage to hide the join of the butted together pattern papers

 (A great trick for maximizing the 6 x 8.5" papers for 12 inch scrapbook pages).

At this point in my creating, I decided to 'mix things up' again and I rotated that sentiment card back to its original position. I diverted from the original sketch to make the design work better for me, and my storytelling. And that's the great thing about sketches - they get you 'started', but there's no rules and you can make it what you want! 

To add a bit more interest to my page, I machine stitched & foam mounted the mauve pattern paper layer. This soft and subtle texture really lifted the design. I also foam mounted my photo cluster for added dimension. Following on from the sketch, I embellished with lots of the Beautiful Day Die Cut florals, and Lovely Puffy Stickers. 

I mimicked the banner at the top of the original sketch with the floral banner note card, which I further embellished with more of the Lovely Puffy Stickers and some cotton twine. 

For finishing touches, I ventured away from the sketch once more. I featured a bit of journaling with the Life Right Now Stickers, and the Lovely Puffy Stickers and added lots of watercolor splatters to complete the look. 

For a more detailed approach including all the paper measurements, and to hear more of my thoughts on creating from a sketch, please watch my process video here: 

Or watch in Full HD HERE 

I hope you enjoyed watching my video and feel inspired to create along with today's sketch! 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo 

Citrus Twist Kits: Sunday Sketch!

Hi Creative Friends!

Welcome back to the Happy Arty Days blog!

Today I'm presenting this week's installment of the

Citrus Twist Kits Sunday Sketch feature!

This sketch is tons of fun, and I hope I can inspire you to play along!

So, without further ado, here's what this week's Sunday Sketch looks like...

Told you it was a fun one! Such a cool design, and really easy to take inspiration from!

Here's my twist on it...

"Weekend Happiness"

Isn't this pretty?!! 

As you can see, I have altered the sketch (Or kinda trimmed the right hand side off) to create an 8" x 11" layout page. That's the wonderful thing about sketches, you can edit them to suit your creative style! 

Plus, after creating quite a few projects this month I really didn't have any 3"x 4" cards left over to 'perfectly' follow the sketch. Realistically, I could have cut my own 3" x 4" card from one of the Best Of This Life Pattern Papers, or used one of the July 2019 digital printable 3 x 4 Journaling Cards but I still needed to fit the sketch into a smaller page size. So, I decided to use the 2nd photo as the card, and replaced the paper clip with an embellishment or 4! 

Here's a better look at my page...

Happiness, indeed! Ain't nobody loves the weekend like my sweet girl! In her own words, "Mondays be like, Meh! & when FriYAY calls I'm like, so there!" Ummm... yeah, teen lingo and whatever that means, lololol! 

Seriously though, such a super fun and playful page! 

I've used the Best Of This Life July Life Crafted Kit, the Life Crafted July 2019 Digital Cut Aparts & the Joyful Day Phrase Stickers (Pinkfresh Studio) from the July 2019 Scrapbooking Add On Kit. 

I have foam mounted the photo cluster to add a little more interest and some dimension to the design.

Speaking of clusters, how fantastic are all those embellishments in the top right of my photo?!

The puffy stickers in this month's kit are so fab! I'm loving the bright Summer colors and the sentiments are totally on point!

And let's not forget to mention my mixed title....

I have combined the bright colored WEEKEND ephemera with the Pinkfresh Studio Joyful Day phrase sticker, happiness to create my title. I love how effective this looks! 

You'll spy that I foam mounted the ephemera for added 'pop' against the phrase sticker. 

And there you have it!

Simple. Pretty. Lazy Sunday creating!

I wonder how you'll interpret this sketch?

Please be sure to add your projects to the Citrus Twist Kits Fan Page HERE so we can be inspired by your awesomeness too! 

We LOVE seeing what everyone creates with their Citrus Twist Kits! 

Thanks so much for stopping by today, 

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo 

CTK: Sunday Sketch Challenge!

Hi Friends!

Welcome back for more Citrus Twist Kits inspiration!

Today I am sharing my take on the awesome Sunday Sketch challenge! 

I hope you'll get some crafty time to play along too!

Here's the fabulous sketch we're being inspired with.....

Wow! What a terrific sketch! 

I love this design & can see it working for both scrapbook pages AND 

as a page for my Life Crafted Album!

So naturally,  I've created both pages to inspire you with!

First up is my scrapbook layout, "Sweet"

CTK Supplies: Life Crafted February Love Stories Kit, February Scrapbooking Add-on Kit.

Sigh! Isn't this divine! 

Such a young, fresh & feminine page of my daughter & niece! 

I just adore all those pretty pattern paper layers & colors! Gorgeous! 

With such a fabulous sketch, I really didn't want to alter it. 

I mean, seriously, that design rocks! So my layout follows it fairly closely. 

I especially loved the shipping tag feature, & just had to use the 4" x 8" cream tag that was included in the Love Stories Kit!

Here's a closer look at my layout....

I switched the messy thread in the sketch for the hearts, butterfly & acetate die cut. The larger hearts are fussy cut from one of the Crate Paper La La Love papers. That bright blue one coordinates perfectly with the puffy sticker heart & die cut butterfly, and really pops against the soft colors. 

And need I mention how amazing the acetate die cuts are in this month's Love Stories Kit?! Love!!!!!!

Here's a look at another acetate shape on my layout.......

Beautiful!

I use the crisp white Heidi Swapp Thickers from the Scrapbooking Add On Kit for my layout title, and embellish this cluster with more of those pretty ephemera butterflies, and puffy sticker hearts.

Oh.so.pretty!!!

For my Life Crafted Album page, I rotate the sketch 90 degrees so it will better suit my narrow 5" x 8" layout....

CTK Supplies: Life Crafted February Love Stories Kit, February Scrapbooking Add On Kit, February Subscriber Printables. 

Oh how beautiful!

I've used a similar color scheme, but this time I opted for warm red accents instead of mint green. I used one of the February Subscriber Printables in place of my layout title, & positioned my title where the journaling may have featured.

Those exclusive gold puffy alphabet are simply stunning! 

Such a sweet lil page for my Life Crafted Album! 

And there you have it - one sketch, two ways! 

I hope my layouts have inspired you to play along and 

get creating with your Citrus Twist Life Crafted Kits! 

Be sure to share your creations in the Citrus Twist Kits Fan Page HERE.

I can't wait to see what you create!

Thanks so much for joining me today, 

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo 

Elle's Studio: From Sketch To Finish Vol. 4 Inspiration!

Hi Happy Arty Days Friends! 

Have you checked out the fabulous 

Elle's Studio digital Sketch To Finish Vol. 4 PDF class yet?

 Like previous Volumes, this edition is jam packed full of fabulous sketches & inspiration to ignite your creativity and take the tricky out of the design process! 

Not to mention there's a ton of gorgeous sample layouts from a very talented array of paper artists! Trust me when I say, you need this Volume!

It's no secret that I LOVE a good sketch, it's kinda like an easy Sunday morning! 

Simply print out your fave sketch from the PDF, and go! 

Here's my take on Sketch 20 with our current November Kit and Add-ons.....

"Thanksgiving"

Elle's Studio Supplies: November Kit, Merry & Bright, November Labels, Thanksgiving Acrylic, Enjoying This Season Phrase Stickers, Navy Puffy Alphabet Stickers, Mixed Acrylic Hearts & Stars, Stars & Dots Puffy Stickers, Noteworthy Epoxy Stickers,  Family Fun 12 x 12 Paper Collection. 

So beautiful! 

I altered the sketch from it's 12" x 12" size to suit my 8.5" x 11" layout, and as such changed the dimensions of the layers beneath the photo too! 

Here's a better look for you.....

With a square photo, & the new Merry & Bright 6 x 6 Paper Stack being oh-so awesome, it seemed a no brainer to replace the layers beneath the photo with a 6" inch pattern paper square. 

I use the beautiful green leaves pattern paper from the Family Fun 12 x 12 collection as my layout base, and draw on both the colors and Fall feel of this paper to connect with my photograph, and the thankful / togetherness theme. 

How amazing is that gold mirror Thanksgiving Acrylic?!! Such a striking title (& statement piece) for any of your memory keeping projects! 

I love that despite being so shiny, it doesn't draw your eye away from my special photograph. 

This is ultimately due to the clever title placement in this sketch design - 

see what I mean about taking the 'tricky' out of the process?

 Love it! 

 

The top section of my photo cluster features lots of tucked in die cuts, labels and a few of the exclusive November Kit 3 x 4 cards. The pops of blue in this month's kit coordinate beautifully with all the greens, and the Puffy Alphabet Stickers are a definite fave of mine! 

Sunday morning scrapbooking never looked so good! 

Print a sketch, add a photo & your fave Elle's Studio products and you've got a recipe for paper crafting perfection! 

I hope I have inspired you to check out this fabulous digital class! 

You can get yours from the Elle's Studio Shop HERE 

Thanks so much for joining me today!

til next time,

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo 

Elle's Studio: Sketch Inspiration

Hi Everyone!

Welcome back for more gorgeous inspiration with the Elle's Studio May Kit & Add-Ons!

For today's post I am creating a layout from this month's sketch inspiration.

 It's based on the 'Yes Please' layout in our April Gallery & is by the super talented Susan Brochu.

Here's what the sketch looks like....

Awesome, huh?!

 I've followed the sketch pretty closely, 
but I'm adding my 'twist' to it by using super bright colors, & adjusting all the proportions. 

Here's my take on it,

"Good FUN"

Good FUN, indeed! 

This is my two darlings on Easter morning eating chocolate bunnies, for breakfast, no less! 

Living the (chocolate) dream for sure! 

The bright, playful colors in this month's kit were perfect for documenting this happy moment!

And nothing says fun better than an over sized FUN wood veneer title, right?!

That veneer is just awesome, and the woodgrain contrasts beautifully against the rainbow of tags and labels! 

I love Susan's clever use of flags in her design.  I twist this idea, by arranging tags and labels into the flag style. I coordinate mine into similar color groups, and align each group with the veneer title, for maximum impact!

You'll also spy a few pretties from our new Noteworthy collection, including that super happy, yellow stripe, pattern paper base. Possibly a new fave o'mine! 

**The typewriter font journal trim beneath my photo cluster is actually the reverse side of the barcode strip from that same pattern paper** 

 

I should note that the 'good' veneer is from our Title Builder Vol. 2 Veneer set, and coordinates beautifully with our May kit! 

That FUN veneer title is a such a stand out feature!  

Stretching it across the page and adding the Puffy Heart stickers between the letters really adds emphasis to this already BIG impact title! So cool! 

 

Speaking of Puffy Heart stickers, you'll also spot the Gold Shapes and Dots adorning my layout too! 

  

 My photo cluster and layers are created from the 3 x 4" and 6 x 4" tags in the May kit, and embellished with some pretty Add-Ons, including those fabulous Play All Day Phrase Stickers.  Beneath these layers, I add a little tissue wrap from my stash to create dimension, texture & interest. 

And there you have it! 

My fun take on this fabulous sketch using the gorgeous May Kit, Add-ons & Noteworthy collection. 

I hope I have inspired you to get creating with these beautiful products! 

Thanks so much for visiting!

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days,

 Amanda xo 

Paper Issues: May: PI Partners Up!

Hi Everyone! 

Welcome to a new month of challenges and tons of inspiration with Paper Issues! 

The first challenge that I am playing along with this month is....

Yay!!!
And the site we're partnering with for May is....

Who doesn't love a good sketch, right?!! 

Here's what it looks like......

Such a fun sketch!
I decided to rotate it for my fun take.....

"AWESOME"

Awesome indeed! How cool is this kid!?!!
I have used the fabulous Elle's Studio Noteworthy collection,
and a lil Shimmerz Paints Vibez in Jeni B Bleu. Love it! 

You'll spot Paper 2 - Grid as my base, as well as both sides of Paper 1 - Aqua Dot, and
Paper 5 - Cards.
Here's a closer look for you....

How fabulous are the Wood Veneers in this collection?!!

Loving the Epoxy Stickers as well!!!

Totally awesome! 

And there you have it! Good 'ole sketchy fun! 

Your turn now! 

Join us in the Paper Issues Friends & Fans Facebook Group HERE to play along! 

Visit Let's Get Sketchy for more details on this challenge HERE

Need supplies before you get started?

Visit the Paper Issues store HERE 

& REMEMBER: Code AMANDA will save you $$$ at checkout! 

Need Shimmerz Paints? Who doesn't?!! Shop HERE &

Type AMANDA in the comments section of your order & receive a FREE paint! Yesss!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! 

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo 

Paper Issues: December Sketchy Saturday

Hi Creatives!

Welcome back for the December edition of Paper Issues, 

I love Sketchy Saturday! 

Who doesn't love a good sketch to get their creativity flowing?!

Here's what we're playing with this month.....

Awesome! 

Here's my take on it....

"Hey Sunshine"

Oh isn't this fun!!!

Love hanging out at the beach with this cool girl! 

I have pretty much stuck to the sketch, but am so pleased with how it turned out!

I have used the new Pink Paislee, Wild Child: Girl Power collection 

& I am loving bright and playful it is!

You'll spot pattern paper 3 (Dots),  paper 5 (Flowers), 

and a sheet of two from the 6 x 6 Paper Pad.

There's also a ton of super cute embellishments from this line......

The Ephemera Die Cuts are always a firm favourite of mine, 

but I am also really loving those blue foiled Thickers! 

SO cool! 

Here's a better look at that awesome foiled title....

Magical, indeed!

Oh, and those pretty splatters?

Well there from Shimmerz Paints of course! 

It's Vibez: Jeni B Bleu - my favourite Vibez colour!

Love it!

And there you have it! 

My super fun take on this month's sketch challenge!

I can't wait to see your take on it!

Need supplies before you get started?

Visit the Paper Issues store here

& REMEMBER: Use code AMANDA & you'll save 20% off your total spend!

Looking for more sketchy inspiration?

See what our talented team has created here

Thanks so much for stopping by today, 

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo 

Paper Issues: November Sketchy Saturday!

Hi Creative Friends!

Welcome back for the November edition of 

I love playing along with this challenge, and today's sketch is a super fun grid!

Check it out....

Awesome, huh?!

Here's what I've created for it, 

"Stay Awesome"

SO cool!!!

I have used the stunning Pinkfresh Studio: Escape The Ordinary collection for my fun take!

So many fabulous patterns and colours in this line!

And it's not just their papers I'm in love with - 

Pinkfresh Studio have a way with words!

 The sentiment phrases and journal cards always resonate with my life stories perfectly.

Love it!

Here's a closer look for you....

LOVE this paper!!! 

It's called Chase and I have turned it 90 degrees,

 so I could feature those arrows at the top of my page. 

& how perfect are those coordinating arrow chipboard stickers?!!

So good!

"I am such a fan of you"

See what I mean about the sentiments? Perfect for my boy!

Lots of cool layers in each square in the grid design. 

You'll note that I still featured the tag on the first square of this sketch, 

but I also added my photo too!

The tag is from the Layered Tag set, there are so many fun tags in the pkt!

Here's a quick look at my large title....

Those alphas are the BEST!!!

Hope you liked my fun take on this sketch - now it's your turn to play along!

Needing some Pinkfresh Studio before you get started?!

Get yours in the Paper Issues store here

& REMEMBER: Use code AMANDA & you'll save 20% off your total spend! Yay!

Looking for a lil more Sketchy inspiration? 

See what the rest of our talented team has created here

Thanks so much for visiting!

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo