Mood Board Inspiration

Do you love mood board inspiration as much as I do? Today, at Paper Issues, the February mood board is up and it's gorgeous! When Mary-Ann first posted it, I gasped and was instantly inspired by the colorful, whimsical hearts on the bottom right.

Since I knew I was be adding several mixed media layers, I started with Strathmore Acrylic paper, 246 lb. To keep it from warping, I taped it down to a board and also added a layer of gesso to prep the paper. For color inspiration, I used a photo of my cat, sitting on my lap in my craft room. I grabbed several paints, stencils (The Crafter's Workshop & Heidi Swapp), rub-ons, waterproof pens, stamps, and started playing.

At one point, I couldn't decide if I loved or hated it, but I kept pressing on and I'm so glad I did. Since the background is so busy, I matted the photo with patterned paper (Shimelle) and used the glassine bag from my Paper Issues Swag Bag. The Amy Tangerine foam Thickers were perfect for the layout but too white and clean, so I got messy and altered them. For the finishing touches, I added the ribbon clip from the January Swag Bag and the wooden arrow/heart from Crate Paper's Hello, Love collection.

I had such a blast getting dirty with this mood board! Although my scrap style is typically clean and photo-focused, it's fun to let loose and mix it up from time to time. I hope you're as inspired by this beautiful board as I was. Be sure to add your creations to the Paper Issues {Friends & Fans} Facebook page - you may win a store gift certificate! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments. To see more Pinspire Me creations by the Paper Issues DT, click here. Wishing you a lovely, creative day!

Our Everlasting Love

Today's spotlight, at Paper Issues, is the gorgeous Hello, Love collection by Crate Paper. My husband and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary a couple of years ago and I thought it would be fun to do a layout showing a photo from the wedding and our milestone anniversary. I started with the sweet, scattered hearts patterned paper as the background for my layout. The b-side of the paper is a black & white stripe which I softened with a piece of vellum over it.

With a few pieces of ephemera, the alphas, and a couple of things from my stash, the layout was complete. We are getting ready to celebrate our 32nd anniversary... Wow, those years flew by quickly, it's been quite the adventure. :) This collection was just re-stocked in the Paper Issues store, be sure to use the discount code, "sherry20" to get 20% off your entire purchase! To see more lovely inspiration, stop by the Paper Issues blog.

Love Is In The Air At Paper Issues

Today is the new issue at Paper Issues and the theme is, "Showered with Love". This encompasses so many fun things to jump-start creativity: Hearts, Baby, Showers, Rain, etc - as you can see, lots to choose from. This month we are fortunate to be teaming up with The Ribbon Resource (May Arts Ribbon retail store) and I received a bag full of beautiful ribbons to use on my projects. I love the ribbon so much, I completed two projects!

For the first layout, I drew dots on white cardstock to form a large heart. I then poked large holes in the paper (with my Crop-A-Dile) and wove the ribbon through all the holes to create a heart-shaped outline. I used Studio Calico Seven Paper as a mat for my layout. The black & white hearts compliment the ribbon. Once I put my square photo in the heart, I knew I wanted to fill the negative space with different sizes, textures, and colors of hearts. I used Crate Paper Hello Love and Maggie Holmes Shine chipboard and stickers. I also dug out heart-shaped enamel dots to add a different texture to the layout. The title came to me as I was filling the heart and the black foam Thickers (Shimelle) were the perfect match.

For the second project, I started with Bazzill's new ombre' cardstock and Lawn Fawn's Stitched Heart Dies to create a banner. I also used a mix of patterned papers to cut out additional hearts to string along the banner.

To see more inspiration, be sure to stop by the Paper Issues blog here. Be sure to share your projects in the Paper Issues {Friends & Fans} Facebook group for a chance to win PI gift certificates. The Paper Issues shop is loaded with new, hot-off-the-press CHA goodies, be sure to check it out. Use discount code, "Sherry20" for 20% off your entire purchase!