Crate Paper Heritage Layout

The Heritage line from Crate Paper by Maggie Holmes has exquisite colors and I tried out a modern design to highlight them. 

Notice the curved shapes in the background. I custom-matched watercolor to match the paper in the Heritage collection. 

STEP ONE: Hand cut your shapes from three colors of patterned paper. Stitch around the shapes. Lay them on the background without adhering to get an idea where to add your watercolor splotches. 

STEP TWO: ADD watercolor in curved shapes around the background to coordinate with the patterned paper shapes. 

STEP THREE: Add the photo and embellishments as shown above, and journal on the back or facing page if you like. 

Thanks for visiting today, and happy crafting! 

Leigh

Wildflower and Honey: Last Layout as a Vicki Boutin Design Team Member

Hello Vicki Boutin fans! Leigh here, sharing my final layout as a member of the Vicki Boutin Design Team! I have thoroughly enjoyed my time this past year! Just think, I used to think mixed media wasn't for me! For a whole year, I completed a mixed media project every week, and have learned so much along the way! I am so thankful for the opportunity to play with these amazing products.

For my final layout, I chose to feature many of the beautiful patterns in the Wildflower and Honey collection! Look at all the different patterns on one page, and you can see how gorgeous the whole collection is together! The red, orange, and yellow waves are thinner, and the waves get wider as they go down the page. Don't be afraid to hand cut your patterns into shapes for a layout! 

I layered each color on a glass mat, and free-hand cut them into wave shapes. By layering one color under the other, I could make sure there was enough paper to cover the white background card stock. Once the waves are all cut, you can stitch around each piece with white thread to create some texture. Then, I adhered each wave piece with a thin strip of red-line tape along one edge , so the paper could be bent up to create more dimension.  I then stamped the honeycomb from the new Wildflower and Honey collection stamp set onto a scrap of White Foundations Art Paper.  I followed the colors of the wave pieces to match up the art crayon colors with the honeycomb stamp. 

I added the photo and a long strip of computer journaling over the Foundations paper. The packaging from the Wildflower and Honey Embellishment Die Cut pack creates a mat for the photo. The Wildflower and Honey honeycomb washi tape holds the photo and repeats the honeycomb pattern stamped around the edge of the art paper. 

The layered vellum butterfly stickers are spaced in three different areas around the layout to lead your eye and create some interest. I bent up the wings on the butterflies to show a hint of the watercolor underneath. By adding the vellum butterflies to the edge of the white foundations paper mat, you can soften the strong line between the rich colors of the background, and the white neutral of the mat. The honeycomb stamping also accomplishes this.

The gold washi tape at the top of the White Foundations paper serves as a grounding spot. I zig-zag stitched through the tape once the layout was all adhered. Once you have all the pieces attached to the background, you can bend up the edge of all the patterned papers to create more dimension. I hope you get the chance to play with the brand new Wildflower and Honey collection, and share your creations in the Vicki Boutin Mixed Media Community on Facebook! 

 Thank you for all your support and encouragement during my time on the Vicki Boutin Design Team! 

SUPPLIES:

Vicki Boutin Wildflower and Honey Papers

Vicki Boutin Wildflower and Honey Chipboard Thickers

Vicki Boutin Wildflower and Honey Ephemera Die Cuts

Vicki Boutin Wildflower and Honey Washi Tape Set

Vicki Boutin Wildflower and Honey Ephemera Embellishments

Vicki Boutin Wildflower and Honey Vellum Butterflies

Vicki Boutin White Foundations Mixed Media Art Paper

Vicki Boutin Art Crayons (Warm and Cool)

The New Wildflower and Honey Collection on a Summer Layout

The brand new Wildflower and Honey collection by Vicki Boutin is shipping to retailers today, July 10th!!! Hooray! This collection has a fresh new mix of rich palettes and textures for all your paper crafting projects!! Let's take a look at how I used it on this summer layout!

These colors work so well for summer, or any season! I picked the red-orange, orange, yellow, and blue-green colors from Wildflower and Honey for my summer layout. 

Look how rich the blue-green looks next to the red-orange! These colors are opposite one another on the color wheel, which makes them complementary colors. Using colors opposite each other on the color wheel intensifies the look of each color. So I chose to punch squares of each color, and create a grid.

Start by punching 12 squares at 2 and 1/8 inches. I chose to add hand-stitching to a few of the squares to add textural interest. You can pierce the paper squares with a grid mat to get even spacing for your stitches. The diagonal stitches and the grid stitches remind me of pool tiles, so they repeat the elements and the feeling of the page. Add some splatters with a Vicki Boutin Water Brush and the color Blue Hawaiian Watercolor Marker to coordinate with this page. 

I spaced out the square colors to have a yellow, red-orange, and blue-green square on each row. Two of the squares have a two inch photo placed on top. The photo can serve as your color for that row! Two of my favorites, my daughter, and these red-orange Lillies are the focal point of the photos. 

You can see the layers of chipboard, die-cuts, and vellum butterflies are placed on top of the squares to add more texture and interest to the layout. I love the vellum butterflies, and placed three different sizes on three different squares. You can bend up the wings, so that the pretty ink splatters underneath show, if you like! The die cut title is placed on a square as well. I machine stitched with variegated aqua thread through the spaces between the squares. 

This close up shows more detail on each square. Have fun layering up the embellishments, and journal on a label die cut to finish off the page. I stamped the date on the banner die cut below the label. I added stitching to the top of the blue-green heart die cut, so that it coordinates with the hand-stitching below. I can't wait to see what you make with the gorgeous Wildflower and Honey collection!! Share it in the Vicki Boutin Mixed Media Community on Facebook! 

Click THE PHOTO above to watch the You-tube video:)

Vicki Boutin Wildflower and Honey Papers

Vicki Boutin Wildflower and Honey Chipboard Thickers

Vicki Boutin Wildflower and Honey Ephemera Die Cuts

Vicki Boutin Wildflower and Honey Ephemera Embellishments

Vicki Boutin Wildflower and Honey Vellum Butterflies

Vicki Boutin Wildflower and Honey Stickers 

Thank you for watching and visiting today! Have fun with your new Wildflower and Honey supplies!!Leigh

Masculine Layouts with Vicki Boutin Mixed Media

Hello Vicki Boutin fans! This week, the Design Team is focusing on Dad layouts. I chose to start with the mixed media Ready to Use Paper Pad, and create a large title. The Ready To Use Paper Pad allows you to quickly start your layout, and I usually place my page elements over the mixed media area already on the page. 

The large title is fitting, since my Dad is 6 feet and 7 inches tall! I used some generic gold poster stickers for the title, and traced around the sticker onto the Vicki Boutin Color Kaleidoscope paper (Odds and Ends). This pattern has a retro masculine look, and I love the strips it features. I then backed the Vicki Boutin paper letters with the gold stickers to tie in the gold media splatters on the page.

Step One: Create the title. Step Two: Add the strips of torn edge patterns over the pre-printed mixed-media area. I folded up the bottoms of each strip to show the pattern on the back. This adds lots of texture to your page. I chose patterns that felt masculine, and the colors coordinate with the colors in the photos.

Step Three: Add photos and embellishments. I added the fussy-cut cameras, and the journaling die cuts in a vertical meandering line to highlight the photos. I tilted the embellishments at different angles since the photos are also tilted. 

Step Four: Add your journaling and word strip stickers from the Vicki Boutin Color Kaleidoscope Sticker Book. I trimmed some of the word strip stickers to fit on the die cuts. The fussy-cut cameras are a nod to my Dad's love of photography. It is so important for me to treasure the connections and relationships in my life. I hope you get to create a page about the Dad figures in your life. Thanks for visiting today, and happy crafting! 

SUPPLIES:

Vicki Boutin Color Kaleidoscope Collection: Patterned Papers

Ready To Use Mixed Media Paper Pad

Vicki Boutin Color Kaleidoscope Die Cuts (journaling)

Vicki Boutin Color Kaleidoscope Sticker Book

How to Watercolor Your Own Floral Page Elements: Video Tutorial

Hello friends! I have a new video tutorial, featuring the American Crafts Sparkle City collection by Shimelle!! I love her tone-on-tone patterns! Below, see how I used watercolor Markers from Vicki Boutin to create custom page elements!

I was inspired by my Mom’s favorite colors, and I painted her the floral truck watercolor painting on the left for Mother’s Day. I wanted a soft color palette, so I created my own custom page elements using watercolors. This technique is easy, and you can recreate it even if you have never painted with watercolor. I found a package of the half circle felted wool embellishment from Amy Tangerine and thought they wound be perfect at the bottom of the paper strips, like a beaded curtain, or a wall weaving. 

The watercolor florals are gathered at the top like a floral swag. I piled them over and underneath one another to create lots of texture and dimension on the page. The watercolor leaves are added in at organic angles to create movement on the layout. I will show you how to easily shade the flowers with the watercolor markers in the video below. 

You can see here that each color of the florals coordinates with the patterned paper below it. I love the tone on tone patterns in the Shimelle Sparkle City collection, because they are patterned enough to create interest but subtle enough for the photos and florals to take center stage. I added lots of embellishments from the Sparkle City Collection too.

In this close-up, you can see how I added some of the holographic circle Thickers from Shimelle’s Sparkle City under the embroidery floss stitching. The stitching went very quickly because it is basically just one long stitch in multiples over the patterned paper. There are eleven large stitches on the page.  The vehicle die cuts add the unexpected element, and repeat the truck in the photo.

This is  a fun way to create custom page elements, in any color you desire. I coordinated the splatters by using the same watercolor markers as I used on the florals. I also added more watercolor splashes near the bottom of the paper strips to create the ombre effect that matches the ombre colored embroidery floss. 

Grab a cup to sip on, and enjoy the start to finish process video below. Thanks for visiting today, Leigh.

SUPPLIES:

Shimelle Sparkle City: Patterned Paper (#351351, #351349, #351346), Sticker and Washi Book Folder (#351332), Card Stock and Lenticular Shapes (#351333), Sparkle Thickers (#351328), Dear Lizzy Clothespins (#346497), Vicki Boutin Color Kaleidoscope Patterned Paper (#351091), Amy Tangerine Wool Half-circle Stickers (#341897), Vicki Boutin So Fun Stamps (#351106), Vicki Boutin Mixed Media Watercolor Markers (#348216), Vicki Boutin White Foundations

How To Create A Travel Layout With The New Pink Paislee Horizon Project Pad

Hello friends! I have a new project to share using the brand new Horizon Project Pad from Joann Stores! This new Designer Destination line has lots of different designer collections to choose from, with something for everyone's taste. I made a layout about my daughter's favorite city from our first ever cruise this past summer.  I chose the Paige Evans Horizon line because of the beautiful travel and floral elements, and the beautiful mosaic style patterns.

The elements in this Paige Evans Horizon collection are so beautiful! It was easy to create a color scheme and add in the floral die cuts and the bicycle elements to portray our day in Amsterdam. Everywhere we went, there were people on bicycles, and flowers, and water canals. I feel like the finished page gives you the feeling of a day spent in Amsterdam.

You can see the layers of mixed media, then hand cut leaves and punched leaves, and floral die cuts. Lots of layers add interest to the right side of the layout. I added quite a few different varieties of the die cut sprigs, some of them are from the Tim Holtz Garden Greens Dies (#661206). The watercolor splatters extend past the piles of greenery to soften the edges.

I layered the blue mosaic pattern (Paper 5) and the quilt pattern (Paper 12) under the photo layers. Then I added the photo frame die cuts and a tag for journaling under the two photos. Another flower die cut from the Ephemera pack and a hand-cut leaf peaks out from behind the photo frame die cut. The Paige Evans Thickers are the perfect size to add the title below the photo cluster.

I added different stamped phrases from the  Paige Evans Horizon Stamps in blue around the edge of the greenery. The top left cluster has more mixed media watercolor under the die cuts, stickers, and punched leaves. I added the pink florals around the bicycle die cut to add more of the pink color to the top left area of the page. This was a fun page to create, and I loved playing with the gorgeous Paige Evans Horizon Collection!


Thank you for joining me, and happy crafting!
Leigh

SUPPLIES:

Horizon collection at Joann Stores:

Floral Embellishment pack 

Horizon PRoject Pad 

Horizon Ephemera Pack 

Horizon Stamps

Horizon Stickers

Damask Love Wild Card Scrapbook Layout: Paper Cacti

Hello friends! Leigh here, with my very first scrapbook layout using the brand new Damask Love paper collection called Wild Card! This collections is so fun and colorful! I LOVE it!! 

I love the patterns in this collection, and chose to create paper cacti with the gorgeous double sided 12x12 card stock patterns. I first added a layer of Vicki Boutin Gesso to the background paper (Let's Chill) and after it air dried, I added the watercolor with Vicki Boutin Watercolor Markers, and paints. 

Up close, You can see the hand-stitching on the hand cut paper cacti I created. You can hand-cut the cacti shapes easily with a craft knife or scissors. I cut several of the same shape so that I could layer them. After adhering the layers over each other, I stitched and folded up the top layers so that I could trim them down. Trimming down the top layer to a smaller width allows you to view the layer beneath. I added cross-hatch stitching to the hand-cut Prickly Pear shaped cacti. 

The stickers, sequins, and ephemera packs have plenty of options for easy embellishment on your layouts, or any paper craft! I cut three of the smaller cacti from the cut-apart 12x12 patterned card stock. The other small cacti I from the Ephemera Pack! I love the bright and clean rainbow colors in this collection! 

I added the card stock sticker "Hello" for the title, and also added a few sticker words throughout the layout. You can use the new American Crafts Wild Card by Damask Love collection for any bright and happy paper craft you can imagine! Love!! 

CHECK JOANN STORES NEAR YOU

See more info about this collection and the designer, Amber, at Damask Love.com

Thank you for visit today! 

Leigh

The Reset Girl Creative Team February: Treasured Collection Scrapbook Layout

Hello Friends! I have a brand new scrapbook layout featuring the Reset Girl Treasured Collection! You can find it here at The Reset Girl Shop

This layout started with the story of my childhood dream of becoming a Vet and having as many pets as I could take care of in my home when I grew up! :) I used to sit on my bed, and dream of the day I could have my own family to love and care for! I began the layout with the hand stitched aqua thread using the We R Memory Keepers Happy Stitch Pen.

I piled on lots of different fussy cut and punched images from The Reset Girl Treasured Collection. ALL of the embellishments on top of the stitching are from The Reset Girl except the two metallic gold chipboard words and the two hearts. I love adding all the shapes and cutting the photo into a tag shape to coordinate with the design. All the house images are just the cutest! Foam dots are my friend when adding lots of layers.

The left side of the layout was made with the punched circles from the Treasured Collection and a title from Dear Lizzy. The background paper is from Dear Lizzy's brand new It's All Good collection releasing this March. I added a The Reset Girl word sticker the top pinched circle.

I added Nuvo Glitter Drops and Translucent Drops to the page for a different texture and embellishment. Thank you for visiting today, and happy crafting!

Leigh

American Crafts February Scrapbook Project: Shimelle Head In The Clouds Layout

Hello friends! I have a new layout to share about the love I have for my kids. I love the colors in this Head In The Clouds collection and chose to showcase several of them with a plethora of punched hearts! The idea behind this layout is to tell the story of opening every day like it is an envelope full of hearts, ready to flutter and land among us. We just have to pick them up and appreciate them. 

I decided to tilt the envelope on the page, to make it seem as if it fell open and all the hearts scattered around me. I love the patterns that Shimelle includes in her collections, as they are SO EASY to create with!! 

You can see the hand stitching created with the We R Memory Keepers Stitch Happy Pen. Lots of different tone on tone patterns are used to add interest to the page. The leafy punched bits reiterate the pattern on the envelope, and the plants in the photo.

The journaling is hand-written, and added to the Head In The Clouds Die Cut. I love the rose gold glitter Thickers used to create the title. It says "Love You, Today and Every Day". 

Here is a process video if you would like to watch how this layout came together. 

Thank you for visiting today, Leigh.

American Crafts Snow Scrapbook Layout December 2018

Hello friends! I have a new layout using the American Crafts Dear Lizzy Collection, called New Day. The line has beautiful magenta and teal tones, for a fresh color palette.

The teal background helps the photo pop, since the photo was taken in the snow. I placed the poinsettias in a wandering vertical line to point your eye to the photo. 

You can see the dimension created by folding the poinsettias, a little tip I learned from Jeniffer Gallacher. The three spots of magenta on the layout help lead your eye to the photo as well. I added punched snowflakes to two of the poinsettias. 

 I like the metallic shine of gold with the magenta and teal colors on the page. There are several spots where the metallic gold is repeated throughout the layout. This helps unify the page. Have you tried a new color scheme lately? Give it a go! :)

In this close-up view, you can see the white gel pen journaling . It finished off the page, and ties in the white from the flowers and the photo. I piled embellishments from the New Day collection near the bottom right of the photo.

Thank you for joining me, and happy crafting! 

Leigh

Brand New Vicki Boutin Field Notes line with American Crafts

I LOVE the new Field Notes line by Vicki Boutin!! It is stunning!

As soon as I saw the Take Flight paper, I knew those rainbow moths had to be the focal point of a page. I went hunting for some rainbow yarn, inspired by the colors in the Field Notes line. I actually created this entire layout at the Scrap Gals Retreat in Seattle, and it was sooooo fun! 

 Close up, you can see the little splatters made with the Vicki Boutin Water Brushes and her Art Crayons. I love to make watercolors with the art crayons, and they coordinate with all the Vicki Boutin papers! Love!

Look at the beautiful die cuts and washi tape, and some paper from the Field Notes line- gorgeous!


Thank you for visiting today, and happy crafting!
Leigh

American Crafts Vicki Boutin Field Notes line at Scrapbook .com : vicki+.html

International Scrapbook Day 1pm/ 11am Pacific Challenge - Easy Watercolor 3-D Paper Flowers Challenge

Hello fellow Scrappy friends! Today is a holiday to celebrate this memory-keeping hobby we all love, and I am so happy to be hosting the 1pm Challenge! 

CHALLENGE: Easy Watercolor 3-D Paper Flowers Page with Leigh

I have created a free download for you, and a Process Video to show you step-by-step how to create the flowers for this challenge. I show the pink flower on camera-  but the steps are the same for the hibiscus flower(glue each petal around a punched yellow circle).

The free printable download is on the left in the photo above and some of the supplies I used, from the Brooke Kit by Felicity Jane. 

 The photos are 1.75 inches square, and the Brooke Puffy Alphabet was used for the title.

Close up of your 3-D paper Flowers! 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE PDF

I hand-painted the artwork above for you, and then vectorized it in Adobe Illustrator. It is a High Quality PDF at 300 DPI for printing if you click the download link and not right click on the image. 

I tried the printable on Avery clear Sticker paper, Staples White Sticker Paper, and Hammermill Digital Copy Paper 32lb. and on normal and best settings and the printable came out clear and crisp. I appreciate all the positive and encouraging comments I receive from everyone in this Scrap Community, and hope you enjoy my little gift to you:)

1. STEP 1: If you would like, use a sponge dauber and ink-blend the border of your background card stock and set it aside to dry. (I used VB pigment inks, but use what you have on hand like distress inks to blend the border around the page)
2. Cut raindrop shapes with a FLAT top from the crepe paper ribbon (AKA streamers) 5 petals for each flower you would like on your page. I made three.
3. Watercolor with diluted color at first the curved edge of each petal. Then add a touch of more concentrated color to the wet edge and it will blend up into the crepe paper to create a slight ombre look. Lay aside to dry.
4. Watercolor the edges of some hand-cut leaf shapes with green color and set aside to dry. 
5. Start on your pink flower (plumeria) and use tracing paper on your printable or use a sunlit window to trace onto the patterned paper of your choice. Once again 5 petals for each flower. I made two large and one three petal flower to tuck underneath the hibiscus. 
6. Ink blend the round edge of each pink petal. 
7. Punch a yellow circle for the center of each flower and small leaf or branch shapes for the stamen of the hibiscus. I used a 1inch for the hibiscus ( crepe paper) flower, and a 3/4 inch for the pink flower.
8. Assemble your pink flowers as shown on the video, bending each down the middle first and creasing with your thumb nail, then gluing one side down to the circle. 
9. IF your crepe paper petals are dry, begin assembling them. I glued the bottom-facing side so the glue would not show and adhered each petal around the circle. Tuck the yellow stamen in before adhering the last petal.
10. Free-hand cut some palm leaf shapes from turquoise paper and trim little snips along each long edge to resemble palm fronds. Punch 6 tiny hearts to create a 6 petal small flower if desired and adhere to a base circle as with the other flowers.
11. Add die cuts and enamel dots or puffy shapes as shown and to the left of your photo add some journaling and the date.

Click the photo to view the video.

Thank you so much for joining me today and have fun with all the challenges at The Scrap Gals FB Community!!!