Forgetful Me!

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I nearly forget that today is the last day for the Dreamin' "Perfect Pair"!  (Fanfare starts tomorrow, so I will hopefully be back with a fun project for that.)  So today I will share a Dreamin' project that I love.

I used one of the pretty patterns as the base for my layout, and balanced it out with a large solid "mat" where I placed my photos, title, etc.  Here's a layout I previously posted where I use the same technique (and posted tips for using this type of paper effectively):

You can see all of the projects I've posted using Dreamin' by clicking here.  The Dreamin' Perfect Pair includes the paper pack and the Harvest Charms.  You can see a couple the epoxy charm with the little bird in the photo above.  Here's a closeup of one of the word charms in the top layout:

For more details on the Perfect Pairs promotion, or to start shopping, just head over to my website!  Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Hope to see you again soon!

Soar with Mojo Monday

Yes I'm back with another challenge card! I loved the Mojo Monday sketch this week, so I wanted to be sure to play along; and I thought I might as well play along again with Color Dare #6 at Color My Heart just for fun.  Here's what I made this time:

I used the Live Out Loud stamp set again, this time using the "Soar" stamp.  The papers are from the Dreamin' paper pack, which will be in the featured Perfect Pair beginning tomorrow, along with the matching Harvest Charms.  For this, I chose to only use the blue patterned paper from the pack so I could use Smoothie instead of the gold & orange colors in the other patterns.

It's a little hard to see in the picture, but I added in some more Smoothie by coloring in the lighter colored diamonds on this paper with a marker.  I cut two of the butterfly shape on Art Philosophy at 1" and layered them with 3-D Foam Tape.  I blinged it up with some clear Sparkles. 

I also colored the Color Ready Seam Binding ribbon with a Crystal Blue marker to match the paper.  All of my paper edges are inked with direct-to-paper method using coordinating inks.

Don't forget, Dreamin' is part of the Perfect Pair for July 6-10!  Live Out Loud is available through the end of the month.

Using Heavily Patterned Paper as a Background

Many times, I have struggled with how to use a beautiful patterned paper without either overpowering the rest of the project or losing the effect of the images on the paper.  I've found what I think is a good way to solve this issue, and wanted to share  it here.

Yes, I made this beautiful layout for pics of our cat!

 

 

 This is the type of paper I struggle with - oversized images, beautiful "scenes", etc.  The images on this paper are so large, I didn't want to cut it down and use parts of it because it would lose the effect.  Solution: use it as the background.  HOWEVER, it's difficult to do this without it overpowering your photos, so there are tricks to use to BALANCE everything out.

First, a note.  I had two sheets of this awesome paper because this is from the Dreamin' collection from Close To My Heart; their paper packs always come with 2 of each pattern.  If you are working with another brand that has only single sheets, I will let you know how to work with that...

OK, how do we achieve balance?  In art, we talk about the visual "weight" of images.  This patterned paper is "heavy", so we need to balance it with a large chunk of solid color.  This is achieved by using a large block of cardstock as a mat for the entire area where we will have pictures, embellishments, etc. The color of the cardstock should be a color that is not heavily used in the pattern, but is there.  This is why I chose the orange/gold color as opposed to a blue shade.  (If you have only one sheet of pattern, you won't make an actual mat.  You will cut the pattern vertically into two pieces, like 8" and 4" wide.  Then layer them on a full sheet cardstock at the outer edges making the center your "mat.)

Next, to prevent a hard line, you want to transition from the solid to the large pattern for a smoother, softer feel.  This is accomplished by the introduction of some smaller patterns in coordinating colors.  Because my pattern was very dark on one side ad very light on the other, I introduced a small bit of the dark color on the light side by using a small strip of blue pattern.  Again, this helps to achieve balance because dark colors appear "heavier" than lighter colors.  Finally I framed in my mat with the same pattern on both sides.  The circles pattern is actually from a "zip strip" from one of the papers in the Dreamin' collection, and the scalloped piece is from the coordinating MyStickease cardstock stickers.  (If you are using one sheet of pattered paper cut down, make sure you leave these strips the full 12" length instead of cutting them down like I did.)

Now, when adding your photos, you can give even more weight to your matted area by matting the photos in a complementary color that will also help your photos stand out.  I also used some dark, coppery embellishments to pull in more of the brown from the pattern and to help pull the eye across the page.   One quick word about color - because my photos were rather monochromatic, I chose this simple blue/orange/neutral color scheme.  I knew I would want blue photo mats to help my golden-toned photos stand out more, so I chose the patterned paper from there.  It's much easier to get the effect you want if you start with your photos and work your way to the patterns last.

Supplies used in this project from Provocraft:

• Cricut Expression
• Opposites Attract cartridge
• Cricut Gypsy (to weld letters)

Supplies used in this project from Close To My Heart:

• Dreamin' collection Paper Pack and MyStickease  (available only until January 31)
• Harvest Charms (available only until January 31)
• Canvas Badge Buttons
• Cork Color-Ready Alphabets (I left mine plain)
• stamp pads in Goldrush, Chocolate, and Outdoor Denim
• On This Day stamp set (date on lower left)
• Treasure Life stamp set (flowers on badge button)
• copper frame & corners (no longer available)

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope to see you here again soon!

Birthday Dreams - Mojo Monday 222

My resolution for this year is to scrap more often, which I haven't done yet, but I also want to continue using my smaller bits for some great cards.  As luck would have it, my son turns 7 next week.  I don't know where the time has gone, but he is fast becoming a "big kid" instead of my little guy.  So, in planning to make his birthday card, I thought I would make him something a little more grown up looking,  because he likes to think he is such big stuff!  And when I saw the Mojo Monday sketch for this week, I knew it would work perfectly for the stamps I had in mind.  Be sure to go check out the sketch yourself, because this is contest week too.  It also works with the CR84FN45 color challenge - see the graphic at the bottom of my post for the inspiration!

Here's what I came up with - hope he likes it!

As my usual, this is a 5"x7" card.  I started with a kraft card base, and pulled out my Dreamin' paper pack from Close To My Heart.  This is a pretty flowery Fall collection, but since the papers are double-sided, I just chose the more "manly" designs for this card.  I distressed everything for a more masculine feel, including using the Edge Distresser on the blue & brown cardstocks, and ink swiping on everything.  I also spritzed my sentiment block with diluted Chocolate reinker in a spray pen.  I used a square punch to create the notch at the bottom of the "ribbon".

I cut my circles to match my stamps with my Cricut and the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge.  Since I knew I was using the limited edition Little Reminder stamp set, I cut the circles to the sizes indicated on the carrier sheet for the stamps.  Then I stamped the outer circle months and the inner dates, adhered the layers together, and circled the appropriate date with my markers.  I stamped my sentiment using a birthday stamp from my stash in Chocolate, and a sentiment from Little Reminder in Pacifica.  After lining up the blocks on my card front, I trimmed down the circle to fit rather than layering on top of it, because of the thickness.

I liked the idea of the flower in the sketch, and I made mine using the Art Philosophy cartridge again.  For a more masculine fell, instead of cutting a flower shape, I cut 4 layers of the 2 different starburst shapes in two colors.  For the center, I used a button shape from the Dreamin' MyStickease pack, adhered it to a round Dimensional Element, and inked the edges.  Finally, I added the line of Opaques Mocha adhesive gems.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to go check out Mojo Monday and CR84FN for yourself.  And don't forget, you can shop online 24/7 for all of the products listed just by clicking the links!

Super Simple Paper Scrap Bracelet

Would you believe that this pretty bracelet is made with only 3 items?  And one of them is paper?!  This was one of my Mom's Christmas presents, and I don't think she had any idea (shh!).

 

All you need to make this bracelet is paper scraps (mine are from Close To My Heart's Dreamin' paper pack), a metal bracelet blank from the jewelry department of your big box craft store (around $3-$4), and Liquid Glass/Glossy Accents (same product, different brands).

Here's how to make it: First, measure the openings of the bracelet sections and cut or punch pieces to fit.  Squares are easiest to start with as they can be cut more exactly.  Next, adhere the paper into each section using a small amount of Liquid Glass and let dry.  Finally, OVER fill each section with Liquid Glass so that it is rounded high above the top of the section's bezel.  As it dries, it will shrink down to be slightly rounded or even with the top of the bezels.  With a small bit of practice, you will be able to get each section the same, but if they are not even you can add another layer after the first is dry.

NOTE: if you are filling a larger or deeper area, you should fill it in layers instead of all at once to prevent cracking.

Here's what the bracelet looks like once filled:

And here's what it looks like once it is dried:

If you'd like to see a more complex jewelry piece, I've got one posted over on the Cutters Creek blog today using some gorgeous Graphic45 paper.