Hip Kit Club: Winter Wonderland!

Hi Friends!

Welcome back to the Happy Arty Days blog!

I am super excited to share my first project with the stunning November  2019 Main Scrapbook, Pocket Life & Cardstock Kits for the Hip Kit Club!

The November digital cut files are super pretty & I just couldn't resist using the Snowflake 1 cut file for my Winter themed layout! 

But enough chatter, here's what I created....

"Winter Wonderland"

Oh wow, wonderland indeed! 

Fall might have the most beautiful colors, but there's something really magical about Winter, snow & ice! So delicate and pretty!!!

Let's take a better look at this snowy delight!

Just gorgeous! So many beautiful layers and details!

I am absolutely swooning over the exclusive Make A Wish 12 x 12 patterned papers, so naturally,  I couldn't help but use a few of them for this layout. I started with the soft pink, reverse side, of Deck The Halls as my layout base. Next, I trimmed the reverse side of Silent Night to 10" x 10" and centered it over the pretty pink base. And last, but by no means least, I trimmed pattern paper White Christmas to 9 1/2" x 9 1/2" and layered it over the soft gray paper. 

To add more emphasis to the overall design and draw you into the center of the page even more, I decided to use the Snowflake 1 cut file. I cut it to a 10 inch size using the Bazzill Avalanche cardstockfrom the November 2019 Cardstock Kit. 

With the snowflake lining the center of the layout, I began to build up my page. The frame in the Make A Wish exclusive Chipboard Stickerswas perfect pop of bold color to draw further attention to my darling boy's picture. I positioned my framed photograph in the center of the snowflake, and adorned both sides of it with a variety of blue Christmas Tree Die Cuts.  

With these main embellishments in place, I was ready to add a few stamped snowflakes too!

The tiny snowflake from the Make A Wish Stamp included in the Pocket Life Kit was just the right size to repeat stamp, and it worked perfectly as an alternative to sequins or enamel dots. 

With snowflakes being a bit of a theme in my layout, I decided to add a few more of them with the fabulousChipboard Stickers! So good! I also added a few puffy sticker hearts & dots to complete the look.

For finishing touches, I used the Puffy Alphabet Stickersfrom the Pocket Life Kit to create my fun, Winter Wonderland title! 

And there you have it! 

A really lovely page that is super fun (& easy) to recreate! 

I hope I have inspired you to get creating with the November 2019 Hip Kits today! 

Thanks so much for visiting,

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo 

Pinkfresh Studio: Holiday Vibes Inspiration!

Hi Creatives! 

Welcome back for more Pinkfresh Studio: Holiday Vibes scrapbook collection inspiration! 

Today I have 2 very different but oh so stunning,

Christmas Cheer layouts to share with you! 

First up is this soft & subtle, snowflake inspired design...

"Ho, Ho, Ho!"

Pardon the pun, but this is Snow, much fun!

I just instantly fell in love with pattern paper, LET IT SNOW & knew I'd make a feature of it! I love how soft and pretty this is!

And how super cute is my mini Santa in the photo?! 

I use the LET IT SNOW  paper as the 12" x 12" base, and then layer it with an 11" x 11" white cardstock background. I then use more white cardstock to cut out the free cut file called Fancy Floral (it's from The Cut Shoppe), and back the outer ring of flowers with more LET IT SNOW paper. With such a geometric look to them, these 'fancy florals' make excellent faux snowflakes and look really effective! Using the same pattern paper, I also 'fill' the inner section of the cut file, and then adhere it to the white background. 

With such a soft look, I embellish the fancy floral snowflakes with WOOD & EPOXY BUTTONS, snowflake DIE CUTS, ENAMEL DOTS, a PUFFY STICKER & a few gold sequins (from my stash) to prevent them from blending into the background. Such a fun & decorative way to create interest!

 

I embellish the inner section with that very cool, Ho, Ho, Ho! CHIPBOARD ALPHAS STICKERS title - love the pop of bright blue against the icicle blue, LET IT SNOW! 

With the bright red Santa hat, my photo is easily identified on the page. To avoid over embellishing it & I decide to adorn it with a pale blue CHIPBOARD STICKERS frame and embellish with just the one WOOD & EPOXY BUTTON. 

Here's a better look at it......

What a cutie! 

 I scatter a few snowflake DIE CUTS & a CHIPBOARD STICKER around this sweet framed image. For finishing touches, I add the Just Believe CHIPBOARD STICKER sentiment. Simple. Sweet & oh-snow-Christmassy! 

Love it! 

Next up, I have this very festive layout with our gorgeous Holiday Vibes collection....

"Xmas Cheer"

O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree!

Told you it was festive!

This time I've created a really bright, bold & playful layout to celebrate the Season! 

Inspired by the Christmas Tree in my daughter's Christmas Parade artwork, & the trending layered 'flaps' look, I've created this stunning feature tree in the center of my page. I have used 1 1/2" wide strips of the B-sides of pattern papers LOVE & PEACE and VERY MERRY, & arranged them to resemble the 'triangle' tree shape. I stitch them into place with my sewing machine, and then use fringing scissors to create a Fir tree appearance. SO cool!  

I use the 25 ephemera DIE CUT for the base of the tree trunk, and then decorate the tree with all the Christmas trimmings! 

Let's take a closer look....

So many gorgeous details & embellishments!

From the gold star atop of the Tree, to the DIE CUT tree lights & ornaments, and those oh-so shiny EPOXY STICKERS and ENAMEL DOTS, this Christmas Tree is just divine! 

With such a striking main feature, I really needed to make sure that my sweet photos didn't get lost amongst it all! To help define them, I place both photos into CHIPBOARD STICKERS frames and position them on an angle to create extra interest. I also embellish them with those very sweet & super cute Winter birdy DIE CUTS. And lastly, to really attract your eye, I position the COLOR DIPPED WOOD ALPHA STICKERS titles above each frame so that you see the photographs as you read the title. 

Speaking of titles, how lovely is the banner subtitle, Christmas Family Traditions?!

 

I love the layered banners look, and just look at those packages under the tree!!!

Such a super fun & adorable layout! 

Whether you like the softer, more subtle, snowy Christmas or

 prefer the bright & bold festivities, the Holiday Vibes collection is bound to impress!  

Be sure to leave me a comment below to tell me which one was your favorite! 

Either way, I hope I have inspired you to start documenting the Reason for the Season

 and celebrate all the Christmas Stories! 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo 

Cocoa Vanilla Studio: Bohemian Dreaming of a White Christmas

Hi Creative Friends!

I hope you've been enjoying all the Christmas creations over on the Cocoa Vanilla Studio blog this week! 
I have to say, I enjoy sharing all the Christmas love,
but creating a Christmas layout with no Holiday collection was harder than I thought!
 I didn't realise just how much ephemera & embellishments I rely on for my designs, lol!
 But I finally got my act together and created this super pretty white Christmas inspired page -
 I hope you'll like it!

"Bohemian Dreaming of a White Christmas"

Oh how delicate and divine!
 Nothing says Winter bliss more than ice blue!
 I've used the gorgeous CV-BD002 GYPSY HEART (reverse side) paper for my base, and then used the very same pattern from the 6 X 6 PAPER PAD to die cut all those pretty snowflakes with!
It truly is the prettiest colour!
I've embellished those sweet snowflakes with sequins,
and that fabulous One of a Kind FLAIR BUTTON.

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

So super pretty!!! 

The FLAIR in all our collections are always en point and perfectly coordinated!

And let's not forget that fantastic title!
Those ALPHABET STICKERS are actually from our Free Spirit collection.
The grey with white polka dots pattern looks so much like snow that I just had to use them!
Perfect for all our Christmas themed creations (there's still a few left in the store HERE ;)  ) but they wont last for long now!

For my photo cluster, I've teamed up a couple DIE CUT EPHEMERA frames, tabs and even some leaves, as well as few ACCESSORY STICKERS to adorn my sweet photograph.
Infact, I get quite a bit excited with those leaves......

With their icy mint tone, the leaves really lend themselves to the icicle Winter Wonderland feel of the page. They also symbolize the holly &  greenery associated with Christmastime.
Love this small, but very pretty detail!
Oh, and if you look carefully you'll notice that some of those DIE CUT EPHEMERA leaves are actually VELLUM ACCENTS!
 It's all in the details! ;)

For that smaller sentiment, the sweetest, I actually used the Drama Queen banner from the DIE CUT EPHEMERA pack. Occasionally, there's a saying or phrase that just doesn't resonate with me - drama queen was one of these. She is just such a thoughtful and kind girl.
So waste not, want not!
I covered it with the sentiment from the ACCESSORY STICKERS,
and positioned it on my woodgrain frame.
What a great idea!

But it's those icy blue snowflakes that really have my heart.....

So very intricate and pretty!

This photograph and memory really has me "Dreaming of a white Christmas....."

May all your December days be Merry & Bright!

I hope my layout has inspired you to use the stunning Bohemian Dream collection for your Christmas creations!

Thanks so much for visiting,

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you all!

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo 

Paper Issues: December New Issue!

Hi Paper Friends!

Welcome back for more paper.crafting.awesomeness with Paper Issues! 

Today I am playing along with the new December Issue.....

Yay!

So much fun!

This month's issue is all about

Holiday Happenings!

Suggested ideas:

 December holidays

 Pictures of holiday décor (lights, tree, menorah, etc.), 

Favorite gift

 Holiday menu

 Cookie decorating

 Gingerbread houses

Winter activities

Here's what I created, 

"Believe" 

Oh isn't he just adorable?!!

Love this lil guy (& the cute story behind this darling photograph!)

The short version is that Mister A for Awesome discovered a love of peppermint candy canes last year - only he called them Santa's Walking Sticks! Lol, so cute!

I have used the fun and festive FaLaLa collection from Crate Paper for my 8.5 x 11" layout today. 

I drew on the reds in this line because of the candy canes, but also as it's his favourite colour. 

How gorgeous are the Die Cut snowflakes?!

I layered my die cut snowflake with a Chipboard Sticker snowflake - love how effective this looks!

& then repeated this look for my candy canes.....

Just gorgeous!

How awesome is that Tinsel Tassel embellishment?!!

Loving those snowflakes!

And there you have it! 

My take on this month's New Issue!

I hope I have inspired you to play along!

Need supplies? Visit the Paper Issues store HERE 

& REMEMBER: Use code AMANDA & you'll save 20% off too! Yay!!!

Looking for more inspirational ideas?

Visit the Paper Issues blog here

Thanks so much for stopping by, 

til next time,

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo 

Paper Issues: January Mix It Up Monday

Hi Happy Arty Days Friends!

Welcome back for more Paper Issues fun with 

Mix It Up Monday!

This month the challenge is to use both gesso, & acrylic paint on your layout.

As this is something I do regularly, 

I wanted to push myself outta my comfort zone and try a different approach....

Here's what I came up with, 

"Snowflakes"

Yep. I painted my own background paper - complete with cute penguin!
It's a lil too kitschy and cute,
but hey...
What a fun way to use your paints in your scrapbooking!
The birdy base coat is painted in both black and white gesso. The rest of the bird has been painted with watered down white acrylic, mixed with pastel watercolours to obtain that soft, washed out look.
I've teamed it all with the super cute Crate Paper Snow & Cocoa collection. Perfect!

Love the chipboard stickers in the Snow & Cocoa collection - I only have 3 left from the entire board! 

And how about that penguin paperclip?!! So adorable!

Super cute embellishments for such a sweet photograph and memory!

Love that fun penguin! 

What will you create for yours???

Need more ideas and inspiration?
Check out what our talented team created here

*REMEMBER: Use my code AMANDA to save 20% off every.single.time you
 order in the Paper Issues store here*

Thanks for stopping by today!
til next time,

Happy Arty Days, 
Amanda xo 

Paper Issues: Take 5 Tuesday

Hi Creatives!

Welcome back for more Paper Issues fun with this month's, 

Take 5 Tuesday!

This challenge is always one of my absolute favourites, and this month's is no exception!
Here's what the January list looks like....

So many awesome options to choose from that I ended up with 10!

I've used pink, cardstock, something silver, patterned paper, foam tape, star, chipboard, layers, tag, & winter! See if you can spot them on my layout......

"Winter Birthday Boy"

Oh how sweet is Mr 4!!! Such a happy birthday it was! 

I've used a Silhouette snowflake cutfile, Pink Paislee's Fancy Free 

& a whole lotta Crate Paper Snow & Cocoa! Love it!

Here's a few closer shots.....

How cute is that photo clip?!! Just adorable!

Lots of small details on this layout....

I love all the layering beneath my photo - it really draws you into that darling photo!

I used the Crate Paper Snow & Cocoa Thickers for my title - so bold!

Love this boy!

Such a wonderful memory, & a great challenge to scrap it with! Did you spot all my items? ;)

For more inspirational ideas, & to play along too, click here!

**REMEMBER: Use my code AMANDA to save 20% off in the Paper Issues store **

Thanks for stopping by today!

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo