cut files

Christmas Market Vienna

~ dddesignz ~ 2 Comments

Who’s ready to go on a ride with me?! On a recent visit to see family in Austria, we had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Christmas Market in front of Vienna’s City Hall (Rauthausplatz Christkindlmarkt). To say it was magical, would simply be an understatement. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the tastes – every turn was a new and exciting discovery. The roots of this market date back to the late 18th century and over 3 million visitors are expected to attend this year. I am so fortunate to count myself among them! A highlight for me was taking my grandchildren on this gigantic, two-tier carousel.

I am thrilled to share with you my second layout as a Guest Designer for Paige Evan’s 25 Christmas Cut Files! Paige’s Carousel cut file was perfect to help me document this wonderful moment. This cut file is part of the 25 Christmas Cut Files released this year. It can also be purchased separately in Paige’s shop at https://bit.ly/digitalcutfiles. To start this layout I cut the file from white card stock and backed it with several patterned papers from the Sugarplum Wishes collection.

The trees at the top of the carousel were fussy-cut from paper #11. They fit perfectly in the canopy. I included a bit of gold foil cardstock for the star medallions, pony poles and at the base of the carousel. Once I completed this step, I placed the cut file on my background paper and offset it slightly to the right. After trimming the cut file on the right, I adhered fun foam to the entire back to help lift it off the page. This technique aided in the illusion of being able to jump on the carousel. The stars adorning the canopy and at the base of the carousel were cut from red glitter fun foam.

The green enamel dots at the base of the carousel and the pink enamel dots on the noses of the ponies both come from the Sugarplum Wishes collection. Clear rhinestone dots were also used at the base of the carousel and at the top of the flag pole. The large glitter dots that fill in the hanging ornaments were purchased at a stationary store in Austria.

All of the embellishments on this page came from the Sugarplum Wishes Ephemera Die Cuts and the Floral & Snowflake Die Cuts packages. The word FUN! and the stars at the top of the page belong to the Foam Stickers sheet. The title, Christmas Market Vienna, was added using the multi-coloured alphabet stickers from the large Stickers package.

And there you have it! A special memory with my grandchildren that we will reflect on for years ahead! Thanks for stopping in today. I wish each one of you the Happiest of Holidays! To quote my Mom: “Go and make wonderful memories!”

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

The Best Gift

~ dddesignz ~ 1 Comment

I am extremely excited to share my first project as a Guest Designer for Paige Evans Christmas Cut & Stitching Files for 2023! Here’s where you can purchase each bundle: 25 Christmas Stitching Cut Files https://bit.ly/25christmasstitchingcutfiles, 25 Christmas Cut Files https://bit.ly/25christmascutfiles. Any of these cut files can also be purchased separately in Paige’s shop: https://bit.ly/digitalcutfiles. With the release of these beautiful bundles, Paige is releasing a free cut or stitching file every day from December 1 – 25th, so don’t miss out on all these beautiful designs. This stitching file is one of Paige’s freebies, and you can grab it from her Happy Scrappy Place Facebook Group.

Embroidery and cross-stitching have been part of my crafting adventure for decades. I jump at any chance to incorporate these skills into a scrapbook layout! This cut file is called Christmas Tree Circles for Stitching. And it’s yours free at https://www.facebook.com/groups/happyscrappyplace! To begin this project, I cut the plain white cardstock to 11 & 1/2″ x 11 & 1/2″, and cut the stitch cut file using my Silhouette Cameo. I chose non-traditional colours for the tree and selected coordinating hues of pink, red and white DMC pearl cotton floss to stitch the tree.

I used a simple back stitch technique, alternating the reds and pinks as I worked through the circles in this cut file. I used the white pearl cotton floss on the smaller circles and filled in the circles using a string art technique. To create a string art effect, randomly stitch your thread from one point to another, working in opposite directions and inserting in another point anywhere to create the effect. Make sure you pass the floss through each point in the pattern. I like the completed result. It made these circles look like 3D ornaments on the tree and integrated more texture into the overall layout. I used this same string art technique on the gold start at the top of the tree. I used a chain stitch in brown floss around the tree trunk. This stitch helped provide a sturdy look to the large tree.

I turned to Paige’s magical Sugarplum Wishes Collection to create this whimsical layout. Sugarplum Wishes transport me to a world of wonder and enchantment. How fitting for the Christmas Season! Once I completed the stitching I centred and adhered the page to the bright red candy cane paper (paper 7) from the collection. My photo was also matted on this bright, fun paper. To build the title for the design, I used coordinating Christmas Sweater Thickers and the red foil letters found in the generous sticker pack.

I used a combination of embellishments from the Sugarplum Wishes collection to complete this layout. In addition to placing several poinsettias from the Floral & Snow Flake Die Cuts package to frame the design, I used the Santa and sweater from the collection of Ephemera Die Cuts to add to the page. I love adding texture and dimension to my layouts, and one of the poinsettias and Santa were backed with fun foam to achieve this effect. I randomly filled the centres of the poinsettias with enamel dots from the Sugarplum Wishes collection and added a small white pompom to Santa’s hat to further enhance this effect.

The presents below the tree belong to the Sugarplum Wishes Foam Stickers sheet. I punched the number 25 found on coordinating patterned paper in the collection (paper 8) and adhered it to the layout using more fun foam. I “hung” the remaining ornaments (penguin, candy canes, gingerbread men & reindeer) on the tree using matching puffy stickers.

Be sure to visit Paige’s Happy Scrappy Place Facebook Group to collect the free Christmas Cut File each day (December 1 – 25)! Thanks for joining me today and I hope I’ve inspired you to try some stitching and playing with Paige’s fabulous products! Stay tuned for another one of my layouts from these incredible cut files next week. Until then, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

’round Venice

~ dddesignz ~ 2 Comments

This past June, we experienced the delight of travelling to Venice with our daughter and family. To say that it was a magical time would be an understatement! We soaked in as much of the old city as possible in our time together. My highlight was a gondola ride with my daughter and three grandchildren. The beauty and mystique of this unique city really come to life when you ride a gondola down the winding canals. This layout was a way for me to capture the highlights of our incredible trip all on one page. I was honoured to have this layout published in Creative Scrapbooker Magazine’s Winter 2023/24 edition (page 96)!

Trying to fit ten photos on one page was no small task. When I saw the Circles Within Circles cut file from Peartree Cutfiles, I immediately visualized a way to make it happen. My first step was to cut the file from white cardstock. Next, I imported the pictures I planned on using into my Silhouette software and resized them to fit into the designated circles on the cut file. The easiest way to ensure success with this technique is to use the “Bring to Front” option in the Silhouette software. Right-click on your cut file and select “Bring to Front”. Your photo(s) are now behind the cut file. Now, you can easily resize them to fit the section of the cut file you chose. Once sized and printed, I cut each photo with a circular die to fit each corresponding position on the cut file.

I turned to PinkFresh Studio’s Tourist Mode collection to design this layout. I focused on a monochromatic effect and chose blue to mirror the jewel tones of the water surrounding Venice. The next stage in creating this page involved backing parts of the larger cut file with blue-toned cardstock. I turned to the Silhouette software to assist in this task as well. By utilizing the “Fill” panel, I coloured sections in the cut file with corresponding shades of blue. Once I was happy with my selections, I copied, offset them, and cut them out using the Silhouette. Once all these pieces were adhered to the back of the cut file, the cut file was centred and secured to the background paper.

In preparation for completing the layout, I matted each photo on the page in blue cardstock with a slight offset for framing. Next, the strands of blue and white twine were secured to the layout, starting from the centre and ending at several pictures. This effect helps draw the eye to the photos and emphasizes the story of being all over the city. I secured each photograph to the page with a smaller piece of fun foam beneath. A small gap underneath the edge was filled by wrapping embroidery floss in coordinating colours.

The rest of the layout came together quickly with additional elements from the Tourist Mode collection. The title was adhered with Puffy Alpha Stickers. Items from the Ephemera Pack, Chipboard Stickers and Puffy Stickers were all selected to coordinate with the monochrome effect.

I really stepped outside my box to create this layout. I traditionally focus on one or two photos per page when I scrapbook. I am really thrilled with the results and hope you agree. One scrapbook layout that sums up our activities in Venice! Thanks so much for stopping by today. Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Have Bags Will Travel

~ dddesignz ~ Leave a comment

One of my favourite post-Covid activities is travelling! We are truly blessed to have family living in Austria that allow us to visit and use their home as a base to travel from. We made several trips overseas during the last twelve months, and have additional adventures planned ahead. I keep pinching myself that I should be so lucky! The picture in this layout is from Venice, Italy, where we met our family for more exploration and to make unforgettable memories together!

I chose the Tourist Mode paper collection and ephemera pack from PinkFresh Studio to document this romantic picture of Venice. I love how the colours in this collection complemented the beautiful colours of the canal.

The title cut file, Have Bags Will Travel, comes from Peartree Cutfiles. It perfectly encompassed my feelings for these great adventures we’ve been taking.

I was also attracted to this cut file because it let me personalize the suitcase. Many friends know I travel with a pink and red rosed suitcase with gold fixtures. This beautiful cut file allowed me the ability to mimic this look. I used an older sheet of patterned paper in my stash from Creative Imaginations called Prom Paper to recreate this look. I turned to gold foil cardstock to create the gold accents. 

To achieve the blue ombre effect in the title, I offset the letters slightly and cut them from white textured cardstock. Using Altenew inks in Blueberry and Winter Lake, each letter was inked to create the overall effect. Once I was happy with the overall tone and gradation of each letter, they were adhered to the back of the title. The entire title was secured to the layout using black dimensional fun foam for added texture and visual impact.

The bottom three phrase strips came from the Tourist Mode ephemera pack. The wording perfectly captured my thoughts and feelings on this trip. The origin of the “Are we there yet?” chipboard accent is unknown, as I have had it in my collection for many years.

The foam “Fav Photo” phrase and all the coordinated foam dots on the layout belong to Vicki Boutin’s “Loving This” thicker collection. The two additional pieces of ephemera belong to the Tourist Mode collection. Each piece of ephemera was inked along the edge with a colour-coordinated Altenew ink (Orange Sherbert, Orange Cream, Caribbean Sky, and Limestone). Doodlebug Designs teensy-type stickers were used to note the date and location.

I hope everyone finds an opportunity in their life to travel. For me, it is not only educational and enlightening, it is truly life-changing. Thanks for taking this trip with me today, and until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Happiness Right Here

~ dddesignz ~ Leave a comment

Oh, the pure bliss of swimming! And what could be better than swimming in the South Aegean off Naxos, Greece?! My daughter, son-in-law, and family vacationed in Naxos this summer; as you can see from the picture, it was a huge hit! Madison has always been a water baby, so this vacation was right up her alley. When I saw this picture I knew it was the perfect match for the Happiness Right Here cut file from Peartree Cutfiles. Peartree is celebrating its third birthday this month, and this cut file is free for the month of August. You can find the free version here. Come play along with the birthday celebration!

After cutting the file from white cardstock, the letters in the title were inked using Altenew’s Blueberry and Winter Lake inks. The lighter shade (Blueberry) was applied to the top of each letter and the darker (Winter Lake) was applied to the bottom to mimic the colours in the sea and the differences you see as the light hits the water.

I chose the backside of the Seashore patterned paper from Paper House’s At the Beach Collection to document this special moment.

The soft jewel tones and gentle waves of the sea in the picture drew me to the Waves Border cut file to compliment this layout.

Rather than cut the file from coordinating paper with my Silhouette, I chose to stitch it. My first step was to flip the file horizontally and use a sketch pen to draw the design on the back of the patterned paper. I then used a paper piercer to hand pierce the pattern in preparation for stitching. I then gathered coordinating jew tone embroidery floss to mirror the colours of the sea in the picture and began stitching. A total of 8 colours were used to complete this design (Anchor Embroidery Floss: 130, 131, 160, 161, 185, 186, 187, 188). A chain stitch was used and I randomly changed threads as I worked my way through the design. I purposefully choose lighter tones for the top of the wave, and darker tones for those below. This process took several hours, but the results were well worth it!

The final touches to complete the layout were adding the date and the location of the picture. These were done by using the Swimming Pool Doodlebug Designs Alphabet Sout Puffy Stickers.

I’m so happy to share in the celebration of Peartree Cutfiles 3rd Birthday. Their birthday challenge was a lot of fun and made me think outside of the box. Thanks for joining me today, and until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Soak Up The Sun

~ dddesignz ~ Leave a comment

My granddaughter, Madison, had a wish for her birthday. She wanted to be in the sun, in shorts, on her birthday. Now that her family lives overseas, a quick trip to Spain was quite doable. As you can see from the picture, she got her birthday wish! Now I won’t lead you to believe that the water was warm at the time, but nothing was stopping this girl from thoroughly enjoying the sun, sand and surf!

I used the Summer Lights patterned paper from Cocoa Vanilla Sudio’s Sunkissed collection for the background of this layout. It reminded me of the bright sunny days and beautiful sunsets on the Costa Del Sol. The title cut file, Soak Up the Sun, comes from Just Nick and is now, sadly, unavailable as she has shut down her shop on Shopify. Fingers crossed she will bring it back one day! I backed this cut file with coordinating patterned papers from Lawn Fawn’s Watercolor Wishes Rainbow collection. I liked how it mirrored the changing hues in the background paper.

Just Nick also created the cut file for the Layered Waves at the bottom of the layout. I wanted these waves to look as realistic as possible. I used the backside of the Tropical Paradise patterned paper from Reminisce’s Caribbean Cruise Kit to achieve this look. To add more depth to the waves, they were each outlined in coordinating blue ink. I adhered the bottom wave directly to the page and backed the top two layers with foam to replicate wave action. The tri-coloured small crystals of water droplets were splattered around the waves to enhance the feel of the waves even further. They are a product called Baby Tear Drops from The Robin’s Nest Creative team.

Some final details to complete this layout included adding beautiful crystals to the sun in the cut file. They are from an older set of embellishments from Prima Marketing called Say it in Crystals. The Happy Life, foam letter stickers, were used to identify the location of the picture and the date.

Warmer days are just around the corner for us now. It’s time for all of us to get ready to play in the sun! Thanks for stopping by today, and until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Happy Happy Day

~ dddesignz ~ 1 Comment

Oh, the excitement of turning 4! Ben waited in anticipation of his 4th birthday for many weeks. When the day finally arrived, it did not disappoint! You can see his excitement in all these pictures. In fact, it was quite contagious! It’s funny how we don’t get quite this excited about our birthdays as we get older. We truly should take a lesson from these younger folk, and get the most out of every special occasion. Carpe Diem, friends!

As I began to design this double-page layout, I knew I wanted something bold, bright and reflective of Ben’s excitement. Ben was wearing a T-shirt I made for his big day. Green is his favourite colour, hence the bright lime green T-shirt! I turned to an older Doodlebug Designs paper and embellishment collection called Dragon Tails to coordinate with his T-shirt. In addition to the patterned paper, I chose to add stencilling as one technique to help offset some of the white space and also to help create the mood of the layout. I chose 3 ink colours that coordinated perfectly with the paper to achieve this look. Using one of Vicki Boutin’s Radiate Stencils, from the Color Study collection, I randomly placed these colourful images across both pages.

I created my own cut file in Silhouette Studio for the number 4 and enlarged the cut file to fit within the borders of a 12′ x 12′ piece of white cardstock. Before cutting out the number, I used the offset function to highlight the outline of the number. This outline was then turned into a stitching file. You will find an excellent tutorial on turning your cut files into stitching files here. Once the cut file was completed, I stitched the bright blue border around the number 4 using DMC thread. I then selected 8 coordinating patterned papers from the Dragon Tails collection and cut them into 1/2″ strips. Using fringe scissors, I cut across the strips leaving a 1/4″ border free at the top. Double-sided tape was added to the back of each fringed piece along the 1/4″ top border. I cut a spare piece of plain paper slightly larger than the number 4 and began adding the strips to the spare paper, overlapping them to hide the plain 1/4″ border. The completed piece was then positioned and secured to the back of the cut file. I love the dimension this resulted in!

In addition to scrapbooking, I also make approximately 150 cards a year for family and friends. Nothing makes me happier than maximizing the use of my supplies across both these paper crafting passions. This layout is an excellent example, as I utilized several stamps and die sets to complete this design. These fun balloons belong to a Simon Says Stamp! collection created by Cathy Zielske called Balloon Greetings. All of the sentiments on the balloons belong to this set with the exception of the CELEBRATE sentiment. This sentiment belongs to a Concord & 9th stamp set called POP-UP PAR-TAY. Each balloon was then inked around its edges with coordinating ink.

The word WISH was created using a die cut from My Favourite Things. This die was also part of my card-making supplies. I chose 4 coordinating patterned papers from the Dragon Tails line to create this. Craft foam was glued to the back of each of the letters in WISH and all of the balloons to create more dimension in the layout. The final touches included adhering the small colourful Sprinkletz Embellishments (called Beach Balls) from Buttons Galore & More over both pages, and adding the present to the bottom of the page. The small Beach Balls were a perfect fit to coordinate with the stencilled images. The present came from the Dragon Tails coordinating odds & ends ephemera package.

Well, that’s a wrap on my design process for this layout. I hope I’ve inspired you to try a few new techniques on your next layout. May all your celebrations be as much fun as this one was! Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Hit the Reset Button

~ dddesignz ~ 2 Comments

I am so honoured to have a couple of layouts published in the Summer 2023 edition of Creative Scrapbooker Magazine! If you don’t subscribe, be sure to get a copy. This magazine is chock full of inspiration! This layout (found on page 122) is very special to me. It marked the official beginning of my son’s and his wife’s honeymoon last summer. They are avid campers and they headed to the mountains to decompress following their wedding. This little cabin in the woods was a perfect getaway for their first few nights away.

Peartree Cutfiles had the perfect cut file to complement this photo. The Hit the Reset Button was an excellent fit for the mood and feel of this layout.

I turned to Paper Rose’s Mountain Trek collection, once again, to create this layout. The background paper, Mountain Trek – B, provided the backdrop for this design. The cut file was backed with sections of Mountain Trek – D patterned paper. I love to incorporate stamping into my scrapbook pages and I turned to an older stamp set from Technique Tuesday, called Words We Love, to stamp the words EXPLORE and Adventure around the title. The Memory Misti is a perfect tool for stamping on your scrapbook pages. If you’re like me, you need a tool that allows you to stamp in the same place more than once!

I found some tri-coloured skeleton leaves in my scrapbooking supplies from at least a decade ago. I added a few of these leaves around the picture to help enhance the colours of the layout, provide a woodsy feel, and add some texture.

The final touches included fussy cutting the cabin and trees found on the coordinating Mountain Trek – C paper. They were simply glued directly onto the page. The date was added using Doodlebug Designs stickers.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about my process to create this layout. I am so grateful to have it included in the Summer 2023 edition of Creative Scrapbooker Magazine! Until next time, stay safe, stay well and Happy Scrapping!

Life is a Beautiful Ride

~ dddesignz ~ Leave a comment

When Canadian cousins get the opportunity to meet up in Austria, a good time is guaranteed! As the Nana to Ben, and the Aunt to Raquel, I have to tell you this picture gives me all the feels! It is so difficult being so far away from your family, but when you see them get together on another continent, and see the love and joy on their faces, it makes one’s heart burst! It certainly makes me count my blessings to be part of such a loving family.

If you are familiar with Peartree Cutfiles, you’ll know their tagline is “There’s a Cut File for That”. I can’t think of a better cut file for this photo than Life is a Beautiful Ride. This picture of Ben and Raquel was taken at the historic Prater Amusement Park in Vienna, Austria. (Photo credit to my talented daughter, Lindsay!) I cut the file in black using American Crafts Precision Cardstock. It was backed with gorgeous papers from Craft Consortium’s Ink Drops – Ocean collection. I loved how the hues and tones of this paper blended with the blue watercoloured background foundation page from Vicki Boutin’s Color Study Ready-to-Use Mixed Media Paper collection.

The rest of this layout came together quite easily. After adding a bit of journalling to describe the photo, I used Thickers from 3 of Vicki’s collections to embellish the layout. I pulled hearts, words, phrases, stars and an arrow from the Loving This, Stories of US, and Perfect Day Thicker collections.

Every time I look at this layout my heart, and maybe even my eyes, fill up! So much love, so much fun, so much to experience and share together. I am so thankful these two had the opportunity to make such great memories together!

Thanks for stopping in today. Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Tour – Salzburg

~ dddesignz ~ 1 Comment

I’ve been having so much fun creating these past two months! Today’s layout focuses on a photo my husband took in Salzburg, Austria. Although it wasn’t one of the best weather days on our trip, the colours and perspective in this photo instantly take me back to that moment every time I look at it. Most of you would know Salzburg from the musical “The Sound of Music”. This magical city is full of breathtaking discoveries around every corner.

Before I describe the details of creating this layout, I must give a shout-out to Lisa Furtney, owner of ScrapFest. Lisa owns and operates this event-based business and hosts large and small face-to-face and virtual events throughout the year with her wonderful team. I am a member of ScrapFest Connect – a virtual membership group of fellow crafters on Facebook. ScrapFest Connect offers members several virtual events a year, plus they run a monthly challenge open to all members. I was honoured to be the March Challenge Winner this year, and I used products from my prize package to create this layout. I have plenty of leftover products from my prize package, so you can expect more designs using them. Thank you Lisa and Team for this beautiful prize package!

My prize pack included the 49 and Market 12′ x 12′ Paper Collection Pack of Vintage Artistry Everywhere and several coordinating embellishments, including the Chipboard Set, Laser Cut Elements, Epoxy Coat Sticker Embellishments and Tag Set. Absolutely perfect for all the pictures we took on our recent travels overseas! I chose the back side of the Great Big World patterned paper for the background of this layout. Each patterned paper comes with a strip at the bottom that provides details on the brand and name of the paper. In this case, the back side of this strip had a coordinating row of tickets. I decided to keep this element in my layout and therefore trimmed off the top part of the patterned paper to fit the 12″ x 12″ layout.

I used two cut files to create this layout. The first cut file comes from Peartree Cutfiles and is entitled Travel Words. I find it very helpful to use the software in Silhouette Studio to size all my files and pictures before cutting or printing. For this layout, the cut file was reduced considerably to fit the space. I backed each word with a coordinating piece of cardstock to complete the title.

The second cut file comes from Bea Valint at My Shiny Studio and is appropriately titled World Map. Bea’s file is a free download from her blog. To replicate a perfect alignment of the cut file on my page, I cut the outline of the cut file from a 12″ x 12″ piece of vellum. The vellum was then positioned over the patterned paper and used as a template to secure the cut file in place.

To complete the design, I added some epoxy coat sticker embellishments on either side of the photo, and the geotag with the “Right Here” bauble to the world map to indicate Austria. Two rubons were added to the centre of the layout for added depth and texture. The large blue geotag, “On the Bucket List” and “A Perfect Day” banners were utilized from the Chipboard Set. The final embellishment is the set of binoculars that hang off the end of the word Adventure. These were found in the Laser Cut Elements package. The location of the photo was added using Thickers “Happy Life” foam stickers. And last, but not least, I included the date by writing it on the inside of one of the date stamps on the patterned paper. It can be found to the left of the photo.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope I’ve inspired you to scrapbook a few of your own travel pictures. Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!