Author: dddesignz

Rainbow Vibes

~ dddesignz ~ 2 Comments

Well, life derailed me these past three months, but I’m happy to say I’m back in my craft room and starting to get creative again! After a few false starts, I’m pleased with the results of this layout. It seemed fitting to work on a layout about rainbows after the ups and downs we’ve been through lately. This fun picture of our youngest grandson, Ben, captures the joy he was feeling at that moment. And let’s admit it, who wouldn’t want to play on that rainbow xylophone?!

I was excited to use Pretty Little Studio’s Wildflowers collection to create this layout. The background paper is called Color Palette. I paired it with a cut file from Peartree Cutfiles called Rainbow Vibes. I used black American Crafts Precision Cardstock to cut the main title and backed it with coordinating cardstock colours matching the page’s rainbow. I took the liberty of adding a soft green to mirror the colours found in a rainbow. Once I reached this stage with the title, I set it aside.

The next step was to add stitching to the rainbow on the patterned paper. A paper piercer was used to punch holes in the small white channels found between each colour of the rainbow. Each channel was stitched with a separate colour using a simple straight stitch. Seven colours were used overall, including a soft green to bring continuity to the layout. The following DMC embroidery threads were used, moving from left across the layout (718, 3689, 725, 907, 3761, 0851, 554). One exception is the teal embroidery floss; it is an Anchor product. I love the bit of texture these stitched channels add to the design. After the stitching was completed, I placed the title and photo in their respective positions. The title was elevated slightly by using Taylored Expressions Foam Sticky Strips. These strips are highly flexible and come in both black and white options.

The final steps included adding ephemera from the Wildflowers collection. Three hearts and the rainbow phrase were added from the Chocolate Bunny Word Die-Cuts package. The pink and yellow hearts were included in the package, but the third heart, teal in colour, came as a black and white image. I used a Copic marker to colour the centre to coordinate with the Rainbow Vibes title and the rainbow on the patterned paper. Doodlebug Designs “my type” stickers were used to add “Storybook Gardens”.

To complete the layout, I used more ephemera from the Wildflowers collection found in the Spring Mix Die-Cuts package. These elements include the tab above the picture where the date was stamped and the two small flag banners in the bottom right-hand corner of the completed design. Foam Sticky Stips were used to raise these two small elements.

And there you have it! Such a fun layout to design and work on as I try to get back in my creative groove! I hope it’s brought a smile to your face today. Thanks so much for checking in.

Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Right Here Right Now

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Do you remember the joy of Springtime and the welcome change of activities from winter? Owen wanted a basketball for his birthday and was thrilled when his wishes came true this year. I turned, once again, to Cocoa Vanilla Studio’s No Limits collection to document this special moment. I love how the colours in the photo work so well with the colours in this collection. The background patterned paper for this layout is called Spark.

The Right Here Right Now title came from Peartree Cutfiles. I chose several coordinating papers from the No Limits collection to complete this title.

I backed the words in the cut file with four coordinating patterned papers (Stardust, Latitude, Nebula and Orbit) while I popped up the orange arrows (Spark) using fun foam. By doing this, I helped draw emphasis to the picture below.

The Always be Your Awesome Self phrase was cut from the Universal patterned paper sheet. I chose a coordinating green ink and inked around the edges of this 3″ x 4″ phrase for further emphasis. It was also backed with fun foam for dimension. Next, I chose two coordinating phrase strips from the 3″ x 4″ rainbow phrase block as seen on the Universal patterned paper. The edges of these phrase strips were highlighted in coordinating inks.

Before adhering any of the phrase elements to the layout, I took time to plan out the remaining embellishments I would use from this collection. The blue star, rocket ship, and blue ticket were all chosen from the coordinating Die Cut Ephemera package. The edges of the star and ticket were inked with coordinating blue ink. At this stage, all of the phrases and ephemera were layered and adhered directly to the layout. The final touch was adding the date for prosperity. Doodlebug Designs Inc., Teensy Type alphabet stickers, were used to do this.

Thanks for joining me today, I hope you’ve enjoyed learning how this layout came together. This is a wonderful collection of papers and ephemera for all the boys and men in your life. I hope you have as much fun creating with it as I did!

Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

You Rock My World

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I had the pleasure of scrapbooking with dear friends at ScrapFest this past weekend. It was a fun-filled weekend of shopping, cropping, connecting and creating! This is the first of two layouts I completed using Cocoa Vanilla Studio’s newest collection, No Limits. I purchased this collection from Scrapbook Your Joy, a Canadian online store with excellent products and customer service.

Big Bang is the name of the patterned paper base. I wanted to add texture and layers to the page, so I was inspired to stitch the rays on the page. Using a paper piercer to establish the start and endpoints of each line, I stitched them using coordinating embroidery floss. If a line reached the edge of a page, I wrapped the embroidery floss over the edge and secured it with tape. The embroidery flosses used in this layout were DMC 762 and 3848.

Once the stitching was complete, I added a random splattering of coordinating foil stars in teal and silver. The patterned paper had a ring of stars in this area, and I used the foil stars to highlight it and draw your eye to the picture. The picture was matted using teal cardstock and secured to a piece of fun foam for added texture and dimension before adding it to the layout.

I chose some of the random phrases from the No Limits coordinating sticker sheet and added them to the layout between the stitched rays. The remaining elements for this layout came from the No Limits coordinating ephemera, chipboard and puffy stickers. Some of the ephemera were backed with fun foam to provide continued texture and dimension. I added the date using white Doodbug Designs Inc Teensy Type stickers.

This is the first time, in a very long time, that I did not use an electronic cut file on a layout. I did not want to cover up any of the stitched elements on this page nor detract from drawing your attention to the picture.

Thanks again for stopping by, I hope I’ve inspired you to look at your patterned papers in new and creative ways. Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Hedgehugs

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Who needs a hug today? I know I will take one anytime, especially from this sweet boy! Today’s post celebrates my youngest grandson’s love for hedgehogs. One of his favourite stuffed animals is a hedgehog fondly referred to as “Hedgie”. For Christmas, I made him a t-shirt with a hedgehog and the word Hedgehugs on it. It was an instant hit! You can see the t-shirt throughout the layout.

The cut file for the shirt came from the Silhouette Design Store. It is a creation from Planeta Silhouette and is Design ID #212569. It became the inspiration for this layout! I used this cut file to create the title on the left-hand page and repeated it on the right-hand side of the design.

The hedgehog on the left is a cut file from Confessions of a Paper Addict (COAPA). It was a perfect fit for this page. I used coordinating cardstocks to complete most of the cut file.

To give it a bit more punch I used coloured glitter papers to back the flowers, leaves, heart and ear of the hedgehog. Once it was secured to the layout, pearl beads were added to the flowers on its head. The final touch was adding a large googly eye for some dimension.

The patterned papers used in this layout come from PinkFresh Studio’s Let’s Stay Home collection. It was released early in the pandemic.

The adorable hedgehog wooden shapes, found on the right-hand page of the layout, came from Craft Consortium and from a collection called Over the Hedge.

The final touches for this two-page layout included adding a few foam stickers from the Simple Stories Good Stuff collection and then doodling the lines around each page with a fine sharpie. The date was added with Teensy Type cardstock stickers in Blue Jean from Doodlebug Design Inc.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this whimsical layout celebrating hedgehogs and the all-important HUG! This double page layout also shows you how you can mix and match many of the papers, ephemera and embellishments you have in your crafting stash. Thanks for dropping by today, and until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Life is One Big Adventure

~ dddesignz ~ 2 Comments

I recently had the pleasure of going away for an extended weekend of scrapping time with several of my dear crafting friends. There’s nothing quite like time spent with those that share and encourage your crafting passion! It’s been far too long since we’ve had this opportunity, and I hope this is the beginning of many opportunities to come.

This layout was one of several I created during my time away. I chose beautiful coordinating papers from Vicki Boutin’s Fernwood collection to showcase this lovely photo. The colours were a perfect complement for the photograph, and I liked how the zigzag pattern mimics the mountain range in the photo’s background.

I used the Life is One Big Adventure cut file from Peartree Cutfiles for this layout. I chose three coordinating papers from the Fernwood collection to complete the title. I wanted a little texture in the title, so I backed the letters for the word BIG with double-sided adhesive foam and secured them on top of the cut file.

At this stage, I was still looking to add more texture to this layout. I sprinkled black paint across the page and title to create this texture. This effect strengthened the black elements in the layout and helped to enhance more of an overall masculine feel.

Once the paint dried, I added several chipboard elements to complement and complete the page. These chipboard elements belong to the Thickers, Beautiful Day collection, designed specifically for the Fernwood collection. The date was added in the bottom right-hand corner using Doodlebug Designs – my type stickers.

And that’s a wrap on this quick and easy page! Thanks for stopping in today, and until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Go Play Outside

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I can’t wait to see grass again! We’re at a stage where winter truly begins to drag for me. So working on this layout was an easy way to feel surrounded with warmer vibes. I’m in love with this fun photo of Ben snapped last Fall. It just makes me smile every time I look at it!

I used two collections by Shimelle to create this layout. The base paper belongs to the Never Grow Up collection, and the green, blue and yellow grass paper, Forward Thinking, belongs to her Field Trip collection.

The first step in creating this layout was to create the layers of grass. I used spare pieces of paper to make templates for these two layers first. Creating a template will ensure you are happy with the end result before you cut your patterned paper. Once the hills were created, I used fringing scissors to cut the top edges of the paper to mimic blades of grass. When the fringed edges were complete, I used a paper piercer to create the stitching lines for the green chainlink border. This border was stitched using six strands of DMC 907 embroidery floss. Once the stitching was complete, the two sections were added to the layout. TIP: I like to use my 12″ x 12″ MISTI to help align page elements such as these. Simply remove the foam insert and place your page in the very bottom corner of the Misti to get a perfect alignment of your edges. When these layers were complete, the photo was tucked into them to provide an extension of the grass border.

I wanted to add further stitching to this layout and to enhance an overall whimsical feel. To achieve this, I stitched the border and sun rays of the sun found on the base patterned paper with DMC 726 embroidery floss. To help balance the layout, I cut five separate cloud patterns from embossed white cardstock using Design ID #11654 found in the Silhouette Design Store. Using white DMC floss, I stitched around the borders of each cloud before adhering them to the layout using fun foam.

The layout was completed by adding the two butterflies and the frog from the Never Grow Up ephemera package, and the Go Play Outside title from the coordinating Let’s Play Foam and Cardstock Phrase Stickers by Thickers. The butterfly on the far right has a few small pop dots underneath to give the illusion of flight. The frog was secured with fun foam for dimension, and two googly eyes were attached to add to the whimsical element.

I hope I’ve inspired you to create a whimsical layout of your own! Thanks for stopping by today. Until next time, stay safe, stay well and Happy Scrapping!

All of Me Loves All of You

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Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! Today’s post comes to you in celebration of all things love and my three beautiful grandchildren who fill my heart to the top every single day! These three are so happy and full of joy it’s a pleasure to spend every moment with them. How lucky I am that all I have to do is walk across the street to see them!

The starting point for this layout was selecting two cut files from Peartree Cutfiles. The Snowflake Heart was an obvious choice for fitting with Valentines Day and the picture I chose. The title All of Me Loves All of You was the perfect fit for how I feel about my grandkids. It simply says it all! The foundation of the page is white textured Precision Cardstock from American Crafts. I opened both cut files in Silhouette software and sized them on the page to ensure I would have enough space to fit both. I slid the title off the cutting area to focus on the snowflake heart. Next, I traced the design and used the Release Compound Path function to allow direct access to all the design components. Finally, I removed the outside cutting line of the large heart before sending the file to cut. I did not want the cut file as a separate element but wanted it cut directly into the white cardstock.

I pulled beautiful Ali Edwards stamps from my stash to stamp around the base of the heart. I pulled from two of her collections for Technique Tuesday, Sweet Baby and Loving Words. My 12″ x 12″ Misti came in handy for this task. This wonderful tool allowed me to bend and wrap my stamps around the cut out design. Once the stamping was complete, I set about inking the blue hearts on the remaining background of the white cardstock. For this task, I used the Lots of Heart stencil from My Favorite Things (MFT). I liked the random whimsical look of this stencil, as it helped mimic falling snowflakes. I chose Tim Holtz’s Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink for the stenciled hearts. I liked the way this shade coordinated with the papers from Carta Bella’s Welcome Winter collection, which were chosen to complement my grandchildren’s snowsuits.

I then moved on to cutting and backing my title for the layout. I chose the Light Blue coordinating solid paper from the Welcome Winter line for the outline. I backfilled the word Loves with a finely dotted vellum from an old collection by Papertrey Ink called Sheer Basics. The completed cut file was then secured to the page before moving to the final stages.

I placed my photo on the upper right-hand side of the Snowflake Heart, behind the white cardstock. I then back-filled the entire background of the cut file with the Winter Wonderland patterned paper from the Welcome Winter collection pack. The remaining elements for this layout were a few chipboard accents from the same collection and a slew of die-cut snowflakes in various sizes and papers from coordinating vellum and solid patterned papers. The beautiful Snowfall Thinlits Dies belong to a set created by Sizzix for Stampin-Up! The final step was adding some enamel dots from the Welcome Winter collection to the large snowflake in the cut file.

This layout did take some time to complete, but I am so happy with the end result. Don’t be afraid to experiment and play while you create your scrapbook pages. It’s a fun way to complete a page, and to strengthen your paper crafting skills!

May your Valentine Day be filled with love and joy! Thanks for stopping by, and until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Moments Happen Everywhere

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I love impromptu pictures and how they capture precious moments in time. This picture speaks to me in so many ways. First, it captures the love these two hold for each other. Second, it shows that a great photo doesn’t have to be staged. And third, I love how the sun rays are wrapping themselves around these two. This photo gives me all the feels!

I chose the Hike patterned paper from Reminisce’s Take a Hike collection pack as the foundation page for this layout. It was a perfect fit for a picture from Sean and Tanis’ camping, hiking and climbing adventures last summer. I loved how the colours in the patterned paper and the photo matched so well. The long blades of grass on the left-hand side of the page mirror the sun rays coming in from the right-hand side of the photograph. Photographic background papers are a real asset when you wish to create a layout quickly. Not only do they fill the page, but they also help set the mood of the page right from the start.

The title, Moments happen Everywhere, also reinforced the impromptu photograph and the setting in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. The cut file came from Peartree Cutfiles as part of my September 2021 Pearscription. After resizing and cutting the file from black cardstock, I backfilled it with a patterned paper from the Simple Stories Snow Patrol collection that depicts the cross-section of a tree trunk. It was perfect for enhancing the woodsy feel of this layout.

I enjoy digging into my scrapbook stash to complete a layout. For this one, I pulled out embellishments and ephemera from Heidi Swapp’s Wolf Pack collection. They all fit perfectly and reinforced the outdoor, hiking focus of the layout. Mixing and matching paper collections and ephemera is a great way to use older products you don’t want to give up. The final touch was to add a couple of copper brads to the sign of the hiker on the trail post.

And that’s a wrap on today’s layout. Thanks for joining me and I hope you’ve enjoyed the warm walk down a hiking trail on this cold, snowy February day. Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

‘Tis the Season to Sparkle

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Christmas keeps popping back onto my scrapping desk! I fell in love with this beautiful photo of my granddaughter with the Christmas lights in the background. She was with her family as they took a walk through Victoria Park after dark to enjoy all the beautiful Christmas lights and displays. It was a fun evening that I wanted to document for her scrapbook.

This layout came together quite quickly. Peartree Cutfiles, Tis the Season to Sparkle, cut file seemed like the perfect fit for the dazzling Christmas lights in the photo. I chose to cut it quite large for this layout to emphasize this point.

The paper in this layout comes from the equally named Tis the Season paper collection by Pretty Little Studio. Specifically, I used the Jack Frost paper for the layout background and Tidings – Red paper to back the words.

All of the stars found in the title were cut from Lawn Fawn‘s Holographic 2.0 paper. They were added to the layout using small foam dots to provide dimension and emphasis.

All the ephemera used to complete the layout belongs to the Tis the Season collection. The gorgeous tree limbs, holly and pinecone came from the Holiday Greenery Die-Cuts sold with this collection.

And that’s a wrap on this quick and simple, pretty little layout! Thanks for checking in and until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Pink Ukulele

~ dddesignz ~ 2 Comments

Do you remember the excitement at Christmas and your dreams of that one gift you hoped and prayed would be under the tree? All my Granddaughter Madison hoped for was a PINK UKULELE. Imagine her delight when she unwrapped her pink ukulele on Christmas Morning! It was a sweet moment! She loves her ukulele and regularly practices on it.

I dug into my scrapbooking stash to make this layout. I chose the beautiful soft hues in Cocoa Vanilla Studio’s Midnight collection to document this precious moment. Midnight is an older paper collection, but you may still find some at your Local Scrapbook Store. The photo is backed with coordinating papers from this collection.

I found a ukulele in the Silhouette Design Store for this page. The cut file is Design ID #159757 by Doodlebug Designs, and the title is ukulele – fun in the sun. I did my best to match the finished paper ukulele to Maddie’s instrument. To create the 3D effect, I attached white brads to the head of the ukulele and tied black and white twine to each brad before securing them firmly in place. Using a wide blunt needle, I threaded each string through to the back at the base of the bridge. The strings were each secured with tape on the backside. Before adhering the cut file to the layout, I backed it with fun foam to provide dimension and enhance the 3D effect. I placed Couture Creations Diecut’N Bond adhesive to both sides of the fun foam, traced the shape and then cut the fun foam. This process provides a smooth, uniform surface to adhere the items to and guarantees that your page will not warp in your scrapbook over time.

The PINK UKULELE title for this layout was added using Mini Puffy Alpha Stickers from PinkFresh Studio‘s Just a Little Lovely collection (no longer available). The variegated colours in this collection were a perfect match for the Cocoa Vanilla Studio papers. I wrapped the letters around the curving body of the ukulele to pull the eye to this focal point in the design.

The final touches on this layout involved adding all the ephemera, stickers and enamel dots found on the page. While all the stickers belong to the Midnight paper collection kit, the coloured butterflies, grey heart, and enamel dots belong to Cocoa Vanilla Studio’s Unforgettable collection. I love how these collections can work and enhance each other.

And that’s a wrap on a layout that had me digging deep into my scrapbooking stash! Thanks for stopping by, and until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!