It’s time to get spooky, my friends! This Fall, I participated in an ATC (Artist Trading Card) swap with my VIP friends through Creative Scrapbooking Magazine. ATCs are out of my comfort zone, and this is only my second swap. But I was really inspired by the Halloween swap and had a blast designing these cute little cards. For those who haven’t made an ATC before, each miniature card measures 2 & 1/2″ by 3 & 1/2 inches. Such a small canvas to create on!
Here’s how they came together. I started by fussy-cutting four Halloween images from the Mintay PapersHalloween Book. It is full of whimsical images for creating cards, scrapbook pages, and many other creative projects. Each image was inked around the edges to add a distressed look. I wanted something different for the cards’ backgrounds and searched the Silhouette Design Store for an alternative. I decided that tombstones would be the perfect backdrop. I chose four separate designs for this purpose. Three of the backdrops came from Jillibean Soup – Halloween Tombstone (1 Design ID #384738, 2 Design ID #384737 & 3 Design ID #384739), and the last came from Lilium Pixel SVG – Days Til Halloween Tombstone (Design ID #386333). I resized each cut file to fit the ATC size requirements and cut them twice from BoBunny’s Fright Delight collection (12″ Fright Delight Spiders), and Doubledot Designs (12″ Licorice Journal). I trimmed the black tombstones away from the base of the cut file to mimic a stone foundation for each tombstone. Each stone base was adhered to the bottom of its respective tombstone.
Before assembling my cards, I splattered some black paint on the tombstones to further the distressed look. Once these backgrounds were dry, each image was adhered to a tombstone using Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares.
I placed a Halloween phrase at the bottom of each tombstone using Simple Stories Ephemera Bits and Pieces from their Simple Vintage October 31st set. For additional texture and Halloween fun, I added a bat from this same collection of ephemera, and glossy spiders from Doodlebug Designs Shape Sprinkles (Spooky Spiders). To complete the cards I added Glossy Accents to the eyes of each fussy cut image.
And there you have it, friends, my sweet and spooky Halloween post. To all those Trick-or-Treaters, may your baskets be full of your favourite treats and no tricks tonight. Wishing you all a safe and fun Halloween! Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!
I’m not sure about you, but I’m not ready to let go of summer just yet! We’ve had a wonderful summer and made countless memories that will surely warm our hearts during the cold winter months ahead. What’s better on a hot summer day than a refreshing popsicle? This layout will instantly bring back the feel of summer every time I look at it.
I used a Peartree cut file “Just Chill“, from the June 2025Pearscriptions files, as the inspiration to document this fun picture of my youngest grandson. I paired the cut file with patterned paper (Bright Side) from Cocoa Vanilla Studio’sSunkissed collection.
To accentuate the colours of the rainbow, I spent several hours stitching each colour with coordinating embroidery floss from DMC (347, 470, 743, 922 and 3848) and Anchor (066). I love the texture and layering it brought to the final product. Once the stitching was complete, the picture was adhered to the top left side of the layout.
I was looking for a bright and whimsical feel to this layout, so I backed the letters and shape in the cut file with coordinating colours of Bazzill cardstock to mimic the colours of the rainbow. To create additional dimension and texture, it was adhered to the layout using double-sided fun foam. The final element of interest was the addition of the ‘Stay Cool This Summer” tag. This tag is from Echo Park’s “Here Comes The Sun” Frames & Tags set of ephemera. It was a generous donation from Scrap ‘N Stamp to our crop bags at ScrapFest in Kitchener this past April. The orange twine at the top of the tag is Marigold Twistel. It comes from Making Memories and has been in my stash for at least 20 years. The cute colour-coordinated hearts on the tag come from a sticker sheet by Reflections, purchased at Michaels.
This layout was quite simple to create. It just took time and patience (6 hours) to complete the chain stitching on the background layout. Overall, I’m delighted with the final result. It’s just one of those layouts that is sure to make you smile every time you look at it.
Thanks again for stopping in. Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!
Happy Canada Day! I had fun documenting this fun picture from July 1, 2024. Taken at their home in Austria, my three grandchildren proudly display their Canadian heritage last July 1. I’m excited to share that they are moving back to Canada later this week! They have enjoyed many adventures in Europe over the last three years and come home with worldly experiences that will support them as they continue their education. I was excited and proud to have this layout published in the 2025 Summer edition of Creative Scrapbooker Magazine. You will find this design on page 49.
This layout came together very quickly using only a few items from my scrapbooking stash. I utilized two cut files from the Silhouette Design Store. First, I cut the red maple leaf and Canada title using cut file #11539. I scaled the wording to fit within the maple leaf. Second, I utilized the wording for the subtitle “It’s My DNA” from the “Canada, it’s my DNA” cut file, ID #356180. These two cut files, combined, provided the exact title I was looking for.
The maple leaf background paper has been in my stash for well over ten years. I am unsure of the manufacturer for it, but I am very pleased that I hung onto it. All the stickers and cardstock die cuts on the layout came from Photoplay’s O Canada collection. Some were adhered with pop dots to provide texture and additional whimsy to the design. I added the year the photo was taken next to the image using Doodlebug Designs white Alphabet Soup puffy stickers.
And that’s a wrap on this simple but fun layout. To all my fellow Canadians, I wish you a wonderful Canada Day as we proudly display our red and white today! Here’s to our great nation, and our talented citizens, past, present and future!
Thanks for joining me. Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!
Happy iNSD! For those not in the know, Happy International Scrapbooking Day! Yes, it’s a thing, and crafters are celebrating worldwide! Today, I’m sharing a page that came together quite simply. For me, scrapbooking is about sharing memories and events for my family to share and revisit. This photo is one that I can’t stop staring at. My daughter-in-law, Tanis, captured this amazing moment in time atop Roche Miette in Jasper National Park. Roche Miette is a 7,598-foot high mountain.
Imagine my heart when I saw my son running to the mountaintop edge! You can see their dog, Lillie, in the bottom right, keeping a keen eye on him too. But I must admit, who can blame him for wanting to get a better viewpoint? This view is spectacular and part of our exceptional Canadian landscape! With the enormous view, I chose to print the picture extra large (12″ x 9″) and let the picture tell the story on this layout.
I did not want to distract from this gorgeous photo, so I chose only a title to embellish this layout. Once again, I turned to Peartree Cutfiles to find the perfect title. The Exploring Nature title was just what I was looking for. After resizing the title to my page, I cut it on my Silhouette using white cardstock.
I searched through my patterned paper stash to find a paper that would complement the photo and support the word “nature” in the cut file. I found the match in paper F from Paper Rose Studio’sForest Trip collection. After manipulating the cut file and offsetting the letters in the word Nature to create the background, I positioned the new file on the patterned paper to cut along the colourful tree line.
I’m very pleased with how this paper complements the photo.
I added the location and date to complete this layout using Doodlebug Designs White Alphabet Soup Puffy Stickers. And there you have it—a simple yet visually effective layout that uses an oversized picture to tell the story.
Thanks for popping in today. If you’re a paper crafter, I hope you’ve found time today to enjoy our passion for creating. Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!
My oldest grandson, Owen, has a keen interest in history. During the Christmas holidays, his family traveled to Stockholm, Sweden, and visited the exhibits at the Armémuseum (Swedish Army Museum). Owen enjoys getting immersed in the events he’s learning about. I love this picture of him wearing an old army coat from the exhibit. This picture inspired me to create a layout to celebrate his love of history and discovery.
I enjoyed creating this layout and drew on ten brands for the final product. Unfortunately, some of the products used have been in my scrapbook stash for years and are no longer available for purchase. The Intrepid Explorer cut file for this layout came from Peartree Cutfiles. I cut it from black Bazzill cardstock and partnered it with rusty patterned paper from 49 and Market’sRust and Revs collection. The beautiful rusty patterned paper helped highlight the rust in the base paper. This background paper belongs to Mintay Paper’sTraveller collection. When I buy a collection, I often purchase the smaller add-on paper packs, which are handy for backing cut files or cutting additional items without wasting the large 12″ x 12″ designs. In this case, the rusty, dotted patterned paper had a slightly smaller and more variegated pattern. I loved the effect it brought to the layout. I also used a nested star die set from Sizzix to cut several star shapes from this patterned paper. The stars had slightly beveled edges, which I highlighted with a thin black Sharpie marker.
I stamped several different star images from the My Favorite Things, Stars Above stamp set to give the layout more depth and texture. This stamp set is an older release and is no longer available. The script stamp came from a 7 Gypsies stamp set called Avignon and is also no longer available. The wood veneer stars are also vintage and came from Studio Calico. I sprayed them with Tim Holtz’s Rusty Hinge Distress SPRITZ to highlight the background paper’s rusty tones. As seen behind the globe, the ticket came from 49 and Market’sTicket Essentials pack (Color Swatch Toast).
The phrases on the layout, “Never Stop Exploring” and “Oh, The Places You Will Go,” are rub-ons from the 49 and MarketWherever Ride Rub-on Transfer set. The detailed travel theme ephemera belongs to the coordinating Traveller paper die-cut package by Mintay Papers. I placed fun foam and pop dots behind some of the ephemera pieces to give the layout additional dimension. I added the location and date below the title to complete the design using Doodlebug Designs Alphabet Soup Puffy Stickers in beetle black.
I am happy with the final layout and its overall look and feel. I hope my grandson’s interest in history grows and he continues to learn and discover more about those who paved the way for us today. Thanks for stopping in today, and until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!
Happy Birthday to our oldest grandchild! Maddie turns 14 today! Where has the time gone? This young beauty is in her last year of German/English Junior High School in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, and I created this layout to document her school picture. The last two and a half years have been a lot of work for her. Not only was her family uprooted from Canada and their family and friends, but she was also required to learn German to be successful at school. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. You’d agree that this picture speaks volumes to her happiness and success. We couldn’t be happier or prouder of all her accomplishments in such a short time. Well done, Maddie!
I chose the gorgeous Photographer collection of patterned papers from Mintay Papers to document this milestone. The sizeable floral lens paper is paper number two in the collection pack.
Mintay has an Instagram presence (@mintaypapers). I enjoy learning from their talented design team. I followed one of their tutorials, which demonstrated cutting into the patterned paper to insert a photo. While initially nervous that I might ruin the paper, it was relatively easy to accomplish. I am delighted with the results and appreciate the tutorials they share.
Additionally, I used ephemera from the coordinating paper die-cut package and a phrase from the 6 x 12 paper stickers of words. I layered the ephemera cameras on the page using double-sided foam tape. I secured the “keep your focus” phrase using fun foam. I used Doodlebug Design’s Alphabet Soup Puffy Stickers in black to complete the wording around the outside of the lens.
I kept this design reasonably simple. I did not want to distract from the gorgeous patterned paper and oversized lens, which I feel draws your eyes directly to my granddaughter’s beautiful photo.
Thanks for joining me today as I celebrate Maddie’s special day! Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!
Oh, the magic of Christmas! Our hometown has record snowfalls, which gets me in the mood for all things Christmas. Last weekend, our youngest grandson, Ben, had a heartwarming visit with St Nikolaus at their city park in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. It was a truly special moment for him.
Folklore in Austria tells the tale of Krampus, a devilish-looking character who beats badly behaved children with a birch rod. Krampus is everything a nightmare is looking for! Ben is terrified of Krampus, as he reports his teacher told him that Krampus “steals” children! However, Ben also knows that St. Nikolaus rewards children who are good with gifts, so visiting with St. Nikolaus was a welcome reassurance that all will be well this Christmas.
I used various papers to back this cut file, including red and white glitter, cardstock, and different patterned papers from the Simple Stories—Simple Vintage ‘Tis The Season collection. Once I completed the cut file, I adhered it to the layout on white fun foam for added dimension. Small red enamel dots from Carta Bella completed the sleigh. The background paper for this layout comes from the Simple StoriesCountry Christmas collection. The specific page is called O Christmas Tree.
I wanted to mimic the Christmas lights in the trees surrounding Ben and St. Nikolaus. To achieve this, I modified the Garland cut file, Design ID #1233064, also found in the Silhouette Design Store.
I cut off the upper edge and loops of the design to achieve a more accurate likeness to the photo. I cut two copies of this file to reach the 12′ Garland length. I used silver cardstock, light gold cardstock, and vellum to complete the lights. Next, I added a few silver stars above the lights to enhance the feeling of the evening.
This trip to the iconic Prater Amusement Park was on my husband’s bucket list. A long-time fan of Orson Welles’ film The Third Man, this was a must-see item on his wish list. Fortunately for us, this gigantic Ferris Wheel resides in Vienna, Austria, and is only a quick trip from our daughter’s home. While we have visited the Prater more than once, these pages document Bill’s first trip to the incredible Riesenrad.
I resized and slightly manipulated the Just the Ticket cut file to fit our tickets from our ride on the Riesenrad, and I backed the Ferris Wheel cut file to mimic the ride’s look. The Ferris Wheel was positioned slightly off the page to accommodate the picture, and I carefully trimmed the excess away. Once I completed both cut files, I adhered them to the background paper using double-sided fun foam.
The beautiful papers in this double-page layout belong to Mintay Paper’s Traveller Collection. Specifically, the background paper is the back side of sheet 02. I purchased two collection packs to accomplish this. I backed the title, Just the Ticket, using the back side of sheet 04. I typically buy a coordinating pack of 6″ x 6″ or 6″ x 8″ patterned paper in a collection to use for backing cut files. I then use these papers to back my cut files, saving my 12′ x 12″ patterned papers for additional layouts.
Before I adhered my picture and cut file on the left-hand page, I wrote the journalling for this layout in Word. I wanted to print the story directly onto the patterned paper. I did a test run on a piece of vellum to ensure my positioning was correct before sending it to print. This test allowed me to overlay the vellum onto the patterned paper and make any adjustments necessary before printing directly on the layout.
For the final touches on this layout, I added some ephemera from the coordinating Traveller’s collection. This die-cut package contains sixty elements and will provide plenty of finishing touches to several future layouts.
That’s a wrap on my design process for this double-page layout. It is a special memory for me, as this experience meant so much to my husband. Thanks for stopping by today, and until next time, stay safe and well. Happy Scrapping!
Since the Ancient Greeks discovered that our world was round, our fascination with this beautiful planet has never waned. Finding out that our earth is a sphere has been one of the most important discoveries in history. From understanding our place in the universe and creating accurate maps to designing buildings and bridges that can outlast earthquakes, understanding the earth’s shape has scientific and practical purposes we apply daily.
We were delighted to visit the Globe Museum in Vienna, Austria, late last fall. This museum is unique in the world. It contains over 250 exclusive terrestrial and celestial globes, globes of the moon and other planets, as well as numerous astronomical instruments. It was a visually beautiful and highly educational experience. It has something for everyone. Seeing these fascinating spheres firsthand was a moving experience. The hardest part of creating this layout was deciding which globes to include!
I didn’t want my journalling to distract from the beautiful globes on the layout, so I created a hidden journalling pocket to accomplish this goal. The pocket and the journalling tag are 7Gypsies products I have owned for over a decade. I placed the title for the layout on the tag using blue Happy Life Thickers. The blue twine attached to the tag is a Macrame Jewelry Cord from The Beadery.
Additional embellishments on these pages included utilizing a couple of Chipboard Map Frames. I used some leftovers from the Everywhere collection, and they coordinated beautifully. The stacked suitcases and the New Discoveries word strip belonged to the Laser Cut Elements package. I backed the suitcases with dimensional fun foam. The Travel More circle and the airplane came from the Wherever Chipboard Bits package.
And there you have it! A relatively simple layout to come together. With patterned papers this gorgeous, you can use fewer embellishments. Did you see me peeking through the globes in the far right-hand picture?
Thanks for stopping in today, and until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!
Happy Valentine’s Day to one and all! This scrapbook page is my 2024 Valentine’s tribute to my loving husband and partner of 43 years! Thank you for making me stretch my skills and push through barriers I never thought possible. I will treasure this travel memory for the rest of my life, and I couldn’t have done it without you….
We’ve had the good fortune to travel quite a bit in 2023. Of all our adventures, this five-and-a-half-hour hike in Zermatt, Switzerland, is now considered epic in our memories. We planned a day to complete the Five Lake Trail, offering unforgettable views of the Matterhorn. Our original plans, as laid out by our hotel concierge, were to take the underground funicular to Sunnegga and then switch to a gondola to Blauherd. From Blauherd, we were to follow the hiking trails down the mountain, visiting the five beautiful lakes.
But all good travel plans can quickly go awry, and this day was no exception! The underground funicular was a quick and easy ride to Sunnegga. The gondola, however, had been shut down for the season just two days before our arrival. Not being travellers to be easily discouraged, we quickly rearranged our plans and decided that if we couldn’t hike down, we would hike UP! It seemed like a sensible decision at the time! With the original hiking time estimated at two-and-a-half hours going down the mountain, we estimated it would likely take us three hours to go up and around the trail. Amateurs! Ha! If we only knew, would we have started at all?
We did not plan nor pack a lunch for our hike. Armed with water bottles and a small bag of peanuts, we hit the trail confident that we would complete the journey as planned. My husband, who moves like a gazelle on the slopes, thoroughly enjoyed his day. I, on the other hand, have a severe fear of heights. The literature describing this hike identified the hike as “easy – with a few moderately difficult sections”. Hmmm, while there were some manageable sections, there were times we had to follow the “Alpine Trail”, with very narrow dirt paths, more switchbacks than Italy, and protruding boulders that made the path extremely narrow. Thank goodness for my husband and his patience and humour that kept me going step after step! I won’t lie; we did have moments when we wondered if we would ever find our way back.
Thank goodness for Google Maps and faith that the Sunnegga station would come into view eventually. As we got closer to the station, in quite a challenging section of the trail, we came across an elderly (80+ years old) gentleman and his daughter sitting on a lookout bench. The only way these two arrived at the lookout was to climb. How he managed it, I will never know. But I was so thankful to see him there. I knew then that I, too, would make it back! Our reward on arriving at Sunnegga (aside from the fantastic pictures we took along the way) was a fabulous bowl of pasta for lunch. Add in two Gaterades and two coffees, and it only cost us the equivalent of over $100 Canadian. Nothing in Switzerland is cheap! Quite frankly, I was starved and so relieved to be back that I didn’t care what it cost then!
For those interested in my design process, I turned to Paper Rose Studio’sArtsy Print collection for the layout’s background. This paper collection is stunning! I chose the title Off on a Wander from Peartree Cutfiles. It was a phrase that assisted me in poking a little fun at our lengthy hike!
After cutting the title in white cardstock, I created another in black cardstock, offsetting it slightly to help it stand out on the page. The letters in the title were ink blended with two shades of ink from Papertrey Ink (Tropical Teal and Hawaiian Shores). I was looking for a very bold title effect on this layout and chose to outline each letter with white and black twine to achieve this effect.
I triple-matted my photo to coordinate the colours in the image and the background paper. I utilized another cut file from Peartree Cutfiles, entitled Leaves Buildable 2. Two of the leaves in this cut file became the black anchor for the cluster of colourful leaves on the bottom left-hand side of the design.
I die-cut additional leaves using Die-Namics from My Favorite Things (Grand Greenery and Grande Greenery). I cut three leaves from felt to add visual texture and interest and die-cut the remaining leaves from coloured cardstock. Once the leaves were all cut and ready to assemble, I backed one of the larger black leaves with black foam from Scrapbook Adhesives. The leaves were then layered and adhered to the background paper.
I added some paint splatters using a Tim Holtz stencil entitled Splatters using Mermaid Lagoon and Peacock Feather Distress Inks. For the final touches, I included the Day Trip ephemera from 49 and Market’s Everywhere Laser Cut Elements and the enamel dots from a mixture of Carta Bella, Your Next Stamp Gumdrops and Doodlebug Designs Winter Assortment Sprinkles.
And that’s a wrap on how I’ve memorialized this epic vacation adventure! I have no regrets about taking on this challenging and fulfilling hike. I will be forever grateful for my husband’s patience, perseverance and love that helped me overcome my fears that day. Would I do it again? Not likely! My mountain climbing days are over until the next great adventure presents itself!
I wish you all the very best this Valentine’s and thank you for stopping by to read about our travel shenanigans. Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!
DDDesignz 