Peartree Cutfiles

Roarsome

~ dddesignz ~ 1 Comment

In late June, we travelled out west for our son’s wedding. My daughter and her family planned a few side trips while we were there, and Drumheller was their first destination. Drumheller, Alberta, is located northeast of Calgary. It is known as the dinosaur capital of the world, and it was a huge hit with our grandchildren!

I chose the Roarsome title from Peartree Cutfiles to showcase a picture from their trip. I loved the addition of the dinosaur on top and wanted to make it a bit whimsical as I designed the layout. The patterned papers in the title come from an older Carta Bella Paper Co collection aptly entitled Dinosaurs.

While I backed the words in the title, I chose to lift the pieces of the dinosaur by securing a piece of black fun foam underneath each piece to create dimension and the illusion of flight. I added green googly eyes to the dinosaur to enhance the whimsical feel of the layout. Once the title was complete, both the picture and title adhered to the fun background paper 12″ Life in Color Bricks. This background page also belongs to an older BoBunny collection called Life in Color.

The final elements of the layout came together quite quickly. The “vacay” puffy phrase and accent stickers came from a Vicki Boutin collection of Thickers called Loving This. The date and location of the picture were documented with Doodlebug Design Inc.’s teensy-type stickers.

And there you have it, a simple and whimsical page that focuses the attention on the picture and title. Thanks for stopping by today, and until next time, stay safe, stay well and Happy Scrapping!

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!

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!

All of Me Loves All of You

~ dddesignz ~ Leave a comment

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

~ dddesignz ~ Leave a comment
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!

Winter Moments

~ dddesignz ~ Leave a comment

This layout makes me smile for so many reasons. Last winter, my grandson hated winter. Every time my daughter bundled him up and took him out, he’d stand there, stiff as a board and with the saddest face ever! I’m so pleased to say that this winter is a whole new ball game! Ben is in love with winter. He enjoys everything about getting outside to play in the snow. A new world of winter activities has opened up for this young man. This layout celebrates that feeling!

The Winter Market collection of patterned papers, stickers, ephemera and chipboard accents by Carta Bella was used to create this page. The design process for this layout started with the cut file, Winter Moments. It was an exclusive January Pearscription cut file from Peartree Cutfiles. The first step in preparing the cut file for this layout was backing the word Winter with a patterned paper from the Winter Market collection. Next, I carefully punched holes approximately every 1/4″ on the snowflake to prepare it for stitching. Because the arms of the snowflake were not very wide, I used a sharp needle and three strands of white DMC floss to complete the straight stitch. This step did take some time and patience! At this stage, I set the cut file aside to focus on the lower section of the layout.

I planned on ripping patterned paper to create hills to rest the photo. However, I settled on cutting the paper instead. I made a template of the hill shapes first and then traced the designs onto the patterned paper. Each hill was inked on the top edge to add dimension and then stitched with white DMC floss to represent snow. I used six strands of floss and a chain stitch to create a strong effect.

I was aiming for the illusion of looking over rolling hills in this layout. I placed fun foam between the top two layers to help achieve this effect. This also provided a convenient place to tuck the photo and some of the accents.

The next stage in completing this layout was to adhere the Winter Moments title to the layout. Given the layered hills at the bottom, I chose to pop up the title as well. I used double-sided adhesive foam to achieve this effect. I feel this provides better balance and weight to the overall layout. For the smaller letters in moments and the arms of the snowflake, I used Taylored Expressions Foam Sticky Strips.

The final stage in completing this layout was adding the ephemera and accent pieces. Coordinating blue and green sequins were glued to the tips of each snowflake. Taylored Expressions Bits & Pieces Snowflakes were arranged and glued to the dark background paper and picture. I used several Chipboard Accents from the Winter Market collection and tucked them in the rolling hills for a fun, playful effect. The snowman figure was a sticker from the paper collection pack. He was adhered to fun foam to provide the same depth as the chipboard accents. The blue HAPPY SNOW DAY! square came from the coordinating Frames & Tags ephemera pack.

I’m really tickled with how this layout turned out. Every stage was a delight to create and I hope Ben thinks it’s fun as well! Thanks for stopping by and until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy

’twas the Night Before Christmas

~ dddesignz ~ Leave a comment

I couldn’t resist scrapbooking one more Christmas page. This picture is just far too cute to leave until next season! There’s nothing quite like the build-up to Santa’s big arrival for children. Christmas Eve was so special this year. The smiling faces of my grandchildren in this picture says it all – it was a wonderfully joyous evening! It was the first year our youngest grandchild Ben understood the concept of Santa Claus. He was very excited and, when asked what he asked Santa for this year, he’d always say “a Hammer!”.

I created this layout using three separate cut files from Peartree Cutfiles. The Snowflake Background cut file was cut from white cardstock to fill the entire page. I layered it directly on top of a piece of Twill cardstock from Bazzill.

Black cardstock was used to cut the outline of the title, ’twas The Night Before Christmas. I used coordinating patterned papers from Photoplay Paper‘s Christmas Cheer collection to fill the cutout letters. I chose to backfill the word “Christmas” and used Talyored Expressions‘ Foam Sticky Strips to adhere to the word “Night”. The result provided texture and dimension to the upper section of the layout.

The third cut file used is called Stockings. I downsized the file considerably to fit my project. Doing so made backing the presents a bit tricky, but not impossible. Before cutting this file, I completed a mock-up in Silhouette Studio to ensure I would be happy with the sizing. Glitter paper backfills each of the presents and holly in this garland.

The final touches on the layout included adding some strategically placed holographic snowflakes and a couple of stickers from the Christmas Cheer patterned paper collection. The stickers were dusted with baby powder to remove the sticky side and then glued to some fun foam for dimension. The holographic snowflakes were attached using small white brads.

I couldn’t be happier with the results of this layout. It is the first time I’ve utilized three cut files on one page. Thanks for stopping by today, and until next time, stay safe, stay well and Happy Scrapping!

Get Lost in a Good Book

~ dddesignz ~ 1 Comment

For as long as I can remember, I have loved reading. For me, the best part of reading is the ability to let your imagination paint the picture from the written word. I’ve yet to meet a movie that did a book proper justice. Reading and scrapbooking have a lot in common. Both hobbies take me away from the stress found in everyday life. I read before going to sleep every night, even when the light annoys my husband! It’s part of my nighttime ritual that helps me relax, unwind and put the troubles of the world aside.

For several years now, I’ve made a list of each book I’ve read within a calendar year. January 1st, I take a picture of all the books I’ve read throughout the previous year. I’ve always had grand plans of scrapbooking the photo, and this year those plans became a reality. I dug into my stash of patterned paper for this layout and used the 12″ Noel Joy paper by BoBunny for the foundation of the page. I’ve always loved the antique books on this patterned paper.

I chose the Get Lost in a Good Book cut file from Peartree Cutfiles to document my reading list from 2020.

I began by cutting the file in black cardstock and then backed the words with a gorgeous patterned paper by Bazzill Basics Paper called Antique Script. I love how the title stacks on top of a book. Because some of the books I read in 2020 were quite old copies, it is hard to see their titles in the picture. I wanted to include the book titles in this layout and decided on creating a little book from the book base in the cut file.

I started by cutting a duplicate book cover to mimic the front and back covers. Next, I cut multiple “pages” from heavy vellum to fill the book. I used these vellum pages to record the names of each book found in the picture. Using vellum tape, I adhered these pages together on the left-hand side and secured the second book cover to the top to complete the book. The result is a 3D embellishment that mimics a book.

To help balance the weight of the newly created book on the right-hand side of the layout, I mounted the picture on fun foam before adhering it to the background paper. I found coordinating stickers from the Photoplay Holiday Cheer paper pack to create the subtitle 2020 Reading List. The final touch was adding the three chipboard stars found around the picture. These stars also came from a very old paper collection in my scrapbook stash – My Mind’s Eye, Vintage Christmas.

And that’s a wrap on my first layout for 2022! I appreciate you stopping by and hope I’ve enticed you to look at cut files in new and different ways.

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