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

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.

New American Crafts Scrapbook Layout Unicorn Page

Have you fallen in love with all things unicorn? Here is a new American Crafts Design Team scrapbook layout with a unicorn dreamcatcher and hand-cut feathers too! Watch the process video below to see just how this page came together.

See the full layout and more photos at American Crafts here:

Greeting Card Value Pack Projects

Thank you for visiting today!

Leigh 

American Crafts Travel Layout and Process Video

Hello Friends! I felt like a kid with a new box of crayons when I opened the new American Crafts Box Of Crayons line by Shimelle! I used it to make a travel layout with two photos and journaling on the We R Memory Keepers Typecast Typewriter.

Just look at all the colorful new styles of embellishment! All the details are below in the process video if you would like to see more:)

Thank you for visiting today :)

Inspiration Weekend at Shimelle.com

Tons of inspiration at www.shimelle.com for her 

Inspiration Weekend!! 

SUPPLIES: American Crafts Shimelle True Stories, and Starshine collections and Studio Calico title sticker, crochet thread for hand stitching.

Head on over to www.Shimelle.com for more info and tips on how to take an inspiration piece and make it your own. 

Thank you for stopping by,

Leigh

Inspiration Weekend at Shimelle.com

Tons of inspiration at www.shimelle.com for her 

Inspiration Weekend!! 

SUPPLIES: American Crafts Shimelle True Stories, and Starshine collections and Studio Calico title sticker, crochet thread for hand stitching.

Head on over to www.Shimelle.com for more info and tips on how to take an inspiration piece and make it your own. 

Thank you for stopping by,

Leigh

Happy Fourth of July 2016 Layout: Shimelle Design Team

Happy Fourth of July friends! 

Hope you have a blessed and fun filled day with your loved ones today!

I had so much fun seeing how many stars I could get on the page for this week's "Go Overboard with Stars" Challenge. 

For the first layer of stars, I used Whipped Spackle texture paste, and a Silhouette cut file to create a star stencil. 

Then I layered several other textures in star shapes as shown. Think vellum, patterned paper, stamps, stickers, and embellishments like the acrylic stars from Shimelle. In the photo above I used an X-acto knife to trim around the acrylic star, and don't you love how it is adhesive backed like a sticker? I do! 

Next, I wanted to create more dimension, so I used the Counting Stars cut file from the Cut Shoppe, and backed it with Shimelle True Stories, and Starshine papers. Making sure to leave some of the stars open, adds another layer of interest.

Using the Minc Machine to add gold foil to the Shimelle cards created more texture on the page and repeats the star shape.   Going for lots of repetition here! 

Stamping near the three embellishment clusters around the page in navy, and aqua for another layer of stars!

Here you can see a close up of the title and photo layers. The Shimelle Fitzgerald Thickers are a favorite font of mine.

Stitching down the vellum stars with a zig zag stitch, and adding the punched cork stars, gave lots of interest to the page with a variety of textures.

Choosing to add the stars in different textures around the page was a lot of fun! How many different layers of this repeating shape can you get on your layout? 

I can't wait to see what you all have to share, and your take on this challenge!

Have fun!

Hugs,

Leigh

Shimelle Design Team Layout #4 High Roller

Happy National Scrapbooking Day Weekend!

There will be so much scrapping going on this weekend,

Starting today!

My Shimelle 2016 Design Team Layout for the Arrow Challenge at Shimelle.com

goes live today!

This was an amazing challenge!

My project title is "High Roller" and that's our local landmark Ferris Wheel (Observation wheel).

 For the Arrow Challenge this week and theme of local landmark, I wanted to use a photo of our local landmark the High Roller. Looking at the photo, I knew I wanted to try circles as a design element to highlight all the circles in my photo. I found the sunburst background cut file at the Silhouette Design Store and thought the rays mimicked the cables on the wheel. So now, before I even started the page, I had a direction for the layout. 

 

   

When I cut the pattern on my Silhouette, I forgot to change the depth, and it didn't cut all the way through my paper. It was a happy accident though, because it led me to use an Exacto knife to cut out every other ray on the design. This gave me fewer rays to fill with punched circles and worked out better as far as how many colors I wanted to showcase. You can use 5 different sized circle punches to  punch out different Shimelle Starshine and True Stories papers. It was so fun to pick from the large variety of patterns you get in each color. Arrange them behind each ray. I used quick dry glue to adhere just a part of each circle and lifted up the edges for added dimension. 

I stitched around each sun ray that was backed with circles, and around the edge of the Starshine Mariner paper. Fold down the top portion of the blue patterned paper and  pick cut apart strips to add around your journaling block. The title in white glitter Thickers makes sure that the colors on the layout stand out and adds another texture and sparkle!

Did I forget about the arrows? No, I added arrows to point to the photo on the sun rays without the circles. You can add enamel shapes or any Starshine Embellishments you like in between rays. 

I added mine on the edges of the stitching to give more texture and interest to the layout.

Add a doily or other circular paper behind your photo and pop it up on dimensional foam. Then stitch underneath the title, and you have a completed page. 

I like to try to think of new ways to use my supplies, and I hope you enjoyed this variation on the sunburst design. What ways can you think of to use cut files other than they were intended? 

Happy crafting and Happy National Scrapbook Day Weekend! 

Hugs,

Artful Leigh

Shimelle Online Scrapbooking Weekend March 5-6, 2016

Shimelle.com has a super fun

online scrapbooking weekend for us on March 5-6, 2016!

Here is my challenge entry for the Map and Globe Challenge

 Supplies: PP from the Shimelle True Stories 6x6 paper pad, and 3 chipboard circles from Studio Calico (March 2015 Odyssey PL Kit) , tissue from Target, card stock  Studio Calico, Gold Thickers( Shimelle- Fitzgerald)  White Thickers(Amy Tangerine- American Crafts), stamps from Shimelle Starshine, and map stamp from Papertrey Ink.

Those little mini clothespins are from Target Dollar Spot

This layout was inspired by a beautiful layout by Emma_KW on IG, and here is a direct link to her lovely page:
http://www.studiocalico.com/galleries/180590-hi

The stamps are from Shimelle's new Starshine line from American Crafts. 

Thanks for stopping by, and visit Shimelle.com for lots of inspiration and challenges this weekend. 

You have a full week to join in and add your entries to her blog with Inlinkz

Shimelle Contributing Designer 2016 Layout #2 and Process Video

Loving all the inspiration and weekly challenges at 

Shimelle.com

Have you joined in yet?

This week's challenge is to be inspired by maps and globes.

For the my feature blog post and tutorial, please visit Shimelle.com

and link up your creation there as well!
I love to see your comments on my post at Shimelle.com!

Here is the process video, leave me some love,
and thank you for stopping by!
Leigh 

Shimelle's Weekly Challenge, Go Monochromatic

For this week's challenge at 

Shimelle.com

we're going monochromatic. 

Pick one color, 

(neutrals like black, white, gray, and brown don't count of course, because they are NOT colors and aren't on the color wheel) 

and scrapbook with tints and shades of that color.

Blue-green is my fave, so obviously that was my choice!

Using Kellie Stamps new March 2016 Release "Go See Do" and American Crafts Shimelle Starshine paper. Simply used the digital stamps set from Kellie Stamps to create custom patterned paper using the "Road Trip" stamp and color matched it with the eyedropper tool in Photoshop, so that it would coordinate with the Shimelle Starshine paper. Starshine papers used: Galileo, Phoenix, and Rosetta.

This layout is based on a layout from Geralyn Sy at Studio Calico:

http://www.studiocalico.com/galleries/182770-pdx-scrapbook-kit-only 

Just a few embellishments from my Clique Kits Feb. Kit.

Close up view of the title, cut on my Silhouette Cameo, using a digital stamp from Kellie Stamps March 2016 set "Go See Do". 

Thanks for visiting today, and happy crafting!

Leigh

Shimelle Contributing Designer 2016 Layout #1 Process Video

Yay! It' another Fri-yay Video Day!

So excited to share my first Shimelle DT Layout Process Video!! 

 Thank you for watching, and please thumbs up and subscribe! 

Hugs, 

Leigh

Shimelle Laine Contributor Reveal and February 1 Challenge

So unbelievably excited to announce...

I made the 2016 Design Team for Shimelle Laine!! 

Feel as though I could jump over the moon right now! 

 The first challenge is live  now!! Check it out at http://www.shimelle.com/paper/2114/weekly-challenge-scrapbook-a-selfie/

There are eight Contributors (Designers), that will each be posting on Shimelle.com about once a month. They are 

 Meghann Andrew, May Flaum, Heather Leopard, Gina Lideros, Nicole Nowosad, Leigh Odynski, Sheena Rowlands, and Kirsty Smith.

I am so grateful and honored to be on this team, and like most of you, I have been a fan of Shimelle Laine for ages!!! 

Supplies: Shimelle Starshine patterned card stock, Heidi Swapp September Skies card stock ( top striped paper), American Crafts White Card Stock, Shimelle True Stories Wood Buttons, Shimelle True Stories Tags with Vellum, tracing paper for photo mat

Join in this the fun challenge at 

Shimelle.com

Hugs, Artful Leigh