Sewing Layers

Hello again! Lately I've noticed lots of sewn strips and layers in my collection of lovely paper crafting pins on Pinterest. Sewing the layers to projects gives them some texture with the added bonus of keeping them affixed to your layout forever! 

As with all of my projects, I lay the layers in their general location and move them around until I am satisfied with the look. I typed out a favorite quote with our old typewriter, then cut it into strips. Next I sewed some ordinary crepe paper into a ruffle on my sewing machine, then sewed each element onto the layout individually. After each layer was sewn, I ran my finger along each edge to give it a little extra dimension. Finally I added the photos, some stickers and a few sequins to finish it off. 

"Be Kind" layout supplies:

Glitz Designs "Brightside" patterned papers: Butterflies, Bits & Pieces

Glitz Designs "Carpe Diem" patterned paper: Brocade

Glitz Designs "Brightside" 6x6 paper pad

Glitz Designs "Brightside" Alphas & Accents sticker sheet

Glitz Designs "All Dolled Up" washi - cherries

other: cardstock, vellum, sequins, crepe paper, heart punch

On Trend - Sunbursts

Hi there, happy Monday to you all! I love looking through internet galleries filled with inspiring ideas and trends. I've noticed a lot of beautiful pages using sunbursts or rays. I'm sure there is a proper name for the design, but that was the best I could come up with on the spot. Today I used some of the beautiful patterned papers from the newest Glitz Design collections to create a soft sunburst effect.

I'm sure there are a variety of ways to create "rays", the technique I use involves my trusty magnetic mat, ruler and a craft knife. After cutting each ray, I placed it on the background cardstock, rearranging pieces until I was satisfied with the layout. 

After all of the sunburst rays found their final resting places, I added the remaining layers covering the overlapping corners. To create more precise rays, mark a center point in pencil on the back of your paper, then draw lines with each running through the center point.

"Then & Now" layout supplies:

Glitz Design "Felicity" paper: Chevron

Glitz Design "Brightside" papers: Chunky Chevron, Bits & Pieces

Glitz Design "Felicity" 6x6 paper pad

Glitz Design "Brightside" Alphas & Accents sticker sheet

Glitz Design "Black & White" Alphabets & Words sticker sheet

Glitz Design "Black & White" puffy words sticker sheet

Glitz Design washi tape - silver glitter

other: cardstock  vellum, wood veneer people, sequins, chipboard ampersand  

Summer Parties

Hello there Glitz fans! With summer in full swing we have been crafting decorations for my daughter's 14th birthday party. I can hardly believe that she'll be a high school freshman in just a few months! Time continues to march on! 
 

My daughter asked for a up-to-date version of shabby chic decor. As the hostess of the party, I wanted to keep things simple and fun. The invitations were made by sewing a sequins filled vellum pouch, then layering a variety of "Brightside" papers from the 6x6 paper pad. Cutting strips allows for making several invitations with the same design but different patterned papers. 

I added a few party supplies by adding washi tape flags to straws, wrapping a little patterned paper around a favor box and taping a sentiment to a framed mirror. The garland included pom-poms constructed from white cupcake wrappers, and die cut butterflies. In just under an hour I was able to make all of the decorations we needed for her party.

"Modern Shabby-Chic Birthday Decor" supplies:

Glitz Design "Brightside" paper: Plaid, Chunky Chevron, Bits & Pieces

Glitz Design "Brightside" 6x6 paper pad

Glitz Design wash tapes - mint chain & cherries

other: kraft card stock, vellum, sequins, baker's twine, mini clothes pins

Lunch Adventure

While sorting through my favorite photos from the past few months I came across this photo of my daughter enjoying a bowl of soup with the afternoon sunlight streaming through the window. It's a simple snapshot of our daily life. The photo reminded me of a quote from one of my favorite authors. I decided to use the quote as my jumping off point.

In Photoshop, I layered the text of the quote over the photo in a light brown. To create the background I scattered a few pieces of punched heart confetti on the cardstock, then sprayed pink mist. After the mist was dry I removed the hearts. The cheery color pallet of "Brightside" complimented the sunshine in the photo. I placed the pink and yellow elements on the layout in visual triangles to guide the eye through the project. A variety of circle and heart punches highlighted some of the fun new patterned papers, and a few Glitz stickers finished it off nicely.

"Lunch Adventure" layout supplies:

Glitz Design "Felicity" papers: Honeycomb, Bits & Pieces

Glitz Design "Brightside" 6x6 paper pad

Glitz Design "Felicity" Alphas & Accents sticker sheet

Glitz Design "Brightside" Alphas & Accents sticker sheet

Glitz Design "All Dolled Up" washi tape - cherries

Glitz Design "Hello December" washi tape - plus

other: cardstock, plastic flower, mist, heart and circle punches

Wonder & Love

One of the things I love about Glitz Design is the variety of their lines. Last week I used a photo of my younger daughter and set it off with soft, subtle pastels. This week my oldest is surrounded by bright and cheery pops of color. The photos we both taken on the same day, but the patterned papers gave a completely different feel to each project. For this layout layered lots of "77" goodies, including the striped alphabet stickers. The stripes ended up being a little too busy against the other patterns, so I colored over the letters with a black marker to help them stand out. I added a few strips of black tulle to add subtle texture. 

"Wonder and Love" layout supplies:

Glitz Design "77" papers: Fringe, Stripe

Glitz Design "77" 6x6 paper pad

Glitz Design "77" Titles & Accents sticker sheet

Glitz Design "77" Alphabets & Words sticker sheet

Glitz Design "77" washi tape - Floral

Glitz Design "77" Giant Rhinestones

Glitz Design "Hello Friend" rubber stamps

other: card stock, vellum, heart punches, VersaMark ink, tulle 

Oh Happy Day

This week's Color Challenge incorporates a soft and feminine color pallet that fits right into my  girlie style. First, I used a makeup sponge to dab gold ink over a 12x12 stencil allowing the ink to fade out on the edges. Next I layered lots of light pink and light blue "Carpe Diem" goodies with vellum and strips of sheer ribbon. I secured all of the layers to the card stock by machine stitching a large gold heart over the layers. With a little smattering of finishing touches, the layout is complete. 

"Oh Happy Day" layout supplies:

Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" paper: Diamonds

Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" 6x6 paper pad

Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" Alphabets & Words sticker sheet

Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" Whatnots

Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" washi tape - Mint Chain

Glitz Design "77" Giant Rhinestones

other: gold ink, stencil, ribbon, heart punch, vellum

Glitter & Shine

Glitter is an easy element to add a little punch to your projects. On this project I used a ruler and light pencil lines to draw stripes in the opposite direction of the stripes on the patterned paper. I traced over these lines with glitter glue, then for a little extra pop added a little more glitter on top. I added a touch of glitter to the edge of one of the vellum sheets, then sprinkled hexagon glitter across the page for just a little more sparkle. 

"All Dolled Up" layout supplies:

Glitz Design "All Dolled Up" papers: Cherry Blossom, Bits & Pieces

Glitz Design "Black & White" paper: Stripe 

Glitz Design "Black & White" 6x6 paper pad

Glitz Design "All Dolled Up" Alphabets & Words sticker sheet

other: cardstock, stickler, glitter, glue, tulle, vellum, calligraphy pointed pen, silver gauche 

Say It With Roller Stamps

I've loved Glitz Design Roller Doodles for years. For this week's feature I decided to try my Roller Doodles on a medium I'd never tried before, tissue paper. I almost always have tissue paper on hand for wrapping gifts, so I thought it would be a great household supply to use for both paper crafting and gift wrapping. On both projects, I inked the Roller Doodle with watermark ink, then heat embossed the stamped images. Roller Doodles give you the flexibility of making your own patterned papers over and over again. Happy stamping!

Glitz Design Roller Doodles are now available at amazon.com!

"Beautiful You" layout supplies:

Glitz Design "77" paper: Feathers

Glitz Design "77" 6x6 paper pack

Glitz Design "77" Alphabets & Words sticker sheet

Glitz Design "Black & White" Titles & Accents sticker sheet

Glitz Design "77" Puffy Words stickers

Glitz Design "77" washi tape - Friday

Glitz Design "Black & White" washi tape - stripes

Glitz Design "Finnley" roller doodle - feathers

Glitz Design "Color Me Happy" giant roller doodle - woodgrain

other: tissue paper, watermark ink, embossing powder, white ink, sequins, white gel pen

Gold Chevron Gift supplies:

Glitz Design "Love You Madly" giant roller doodle - chevron

other: box, tissue paper, watermark ink, gold embossing powder

Seize the Day

Being a mom of girls, I have always had a soft spot for sweet pastels and woodland creatures. Glitz Design's new "Carpe Diem" showers projects with a fresh dose of whimsy. Just a couple of weeks ago our family had the pleasure of welcoming our new little goddaughter into the world. To commemorate one events from Claire's big debut, her baptism, I stitched several layers of soft patterns over the crisp white background then sprinkled it with hearts. Keeping the colors and patterns light and ethereal draws the eye right to that sweet baby girl in her baptism gown.

"Claire's Baptism" layout supplies:
Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" papers: Squirrels, Brocade Hearts and Bits & Pieces
Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" 6x6 paper pad
Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" Whatnots
Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" Titles & Accents sticker sheet
Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" Alphabets & Words sticker sheet
Glitz Design "77" Alphabets & Words sticker sheet
Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" Puffy Words stickers
Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" wash tape - chain
Glitz Design "77" Alphabets & Words sticker sheet
other: vellum, heart punches (Martha Stewart), sewing machine

Sweet Valentine

This is one of my all time favorite photos of my husband and I. To keep all of the focus on my favorite photo, I kept everything else a shade or two lighter. Using a variety of neutral colors kept the layout cohesive even when combining elements from seven different Glitz Designs lines. Grouping neutral colors together is a great way to creatively incorporate your scraps into your next project.

"Always" layout supplies:
Glitz Design "Color Me Happy" paper: Hearts
Glitz Design "Hello Friend" paper: Polka
Glitz Design "Yours Truly" paper: Motif
Glitz Design "Dapper Dan" 6x6 paper pad
Glitz Design "Dapper Dan" Titles & Accents sticker sheet
Glitz Design "Dapper Dan" Alphabets & Words sticker sheet
Glitz Design "Uncharted Waters" Whatnots
Glitz Design "Wild & Free" washi tape - tiny hearts
Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" trim
other: typewriter, vellum, sewing machine, cardstock

Snow Longings

Welcome to the second week of January! This week's Glitz Designs are focused on Winter. Although much of the U.S. is buried in snow, here in Washington we have only had rain. I picked through some photos from years past for a dose of snow-love. I wanted to keep the layout light and muted to convey the softness of the winter landscape. The loads of hearts falling like snow add to the lightness. If someone would like to send a little snow up to the Northwest, I would be quite grateful! 

"love, love, love winter" layout supplies:
Glitz Designs "Wild & Free" papers: Arrows, Horses

Glitz Designs "Wild & Free" 6x6 paper pad

Glitz Designs "Finnley" 6x6 paper pad

Glitz Designs "Finnley" Alphabets & Words sticker sheet

Glitz Designs "Wild & Free" Bits & Pieces

Glitz Designs "Hello Friend" crepe trim

other- card stock, vellum, heart punches

Wishes for the New Year

Happy New Year! I hope you had a fabulous Christmas season filled with family, friends and memories. Having my husband home for Christmas for the first time in 3 years was truly a blessing for our family. I tried my best to relish ever moment.

Looking ahead to the New Year, I chose both a Latin word and a Latin phrase as my 2014 goal: AMARE which means "to love" and AMOR VINCIT OMNIA which means "love conquers all things". This is my 2014 goal and wish, to love more fully in every area of my life. Happy 2014!

"Amare" Supplies:
Glitz Design "Dapper Dan" paper: Chevron
Glitz Design "Wild & Free" paper: Small Hearts
Glitz Design "Dapper Dan" 6x6 paper pad
Glitz Design "Finnley" 6x6 paper pad
Glitz Design "Wild & Free" 6x6 paper pad
Glitz Design "Dapper Dan" Alphabet & Words sticker sheet
Glitz Design "Finnley" Titles & Accents sticker sheet
Glitz Design "Finnley" Bits & Pieces
Glitz Design "Wild & Free" Whatnots
Glitz Design "Dapper Dan" Giant Rhinestones
Glitz Design "Wild & Free" Giant Rhinestones
Glitz Design "Hello Friend" Crepe Trim
Glitz Design "Love You Madly" washi tape - Love
Glitz Design "Beautiful Dreamer" trim
other: card stock (Bazzil Basics), green letters (Studio Calico), sewing machine

Gratitude & Thanks

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” -G.K. Chesterton

With Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays approaching I've been reflecting on the many blessings that make up my daily existence. I have come, in the end, to the pillars that I am truly grateful for, and they are faith, hope and love mixed with a healthy dose of prayer. Through all of the shifting tides of my life those have remained.  

For my project I decided to highlight a photo of my daughter with an heirloom family rosary with a burst of color against a dark background, as if a "light in the darkness". I embossed the "don't stop believing" stamp, from the "Hello December" stamp set, with watermark ink and clear embossing powder to give it a glossy look against the black cardstock. A little tulle, rhinestones and sequins to mirror the softness and shine dress and rosary in the photo.   

"Faith, Hope & Love" Supplies:
Glitz Design "Finnley" paper: Bows
Glitz Design "Wild & Free" paper: Arrows
Glitz Design "Raven" papers: Countdown, Triangles
Glitz Design "Finnley" Titles & Accents sticker sheet
Glitz Design "Wild & Free" 6x6 paper pad
Glitz Design "Wild & Free" Whatnots
Glitz Design "Finnley" Giant Rhinestones
Glitz Design "Dapper Dan" Giant Rhinestones 
Glitz Design "Wild & Free" washi tape - Plus
Glitz Design "Hello December" Rubber Stamps
other: VersaMark, clear embossing powder, sequins, tulle, wood heart (Freckled Fawn, sewing machine