Cut It Up Saturday with Paper Issues

I'm so excited to be sharing one of my first projects as a Paper Issues Creative Team member. I started with Danielle's gorgeous snowflake background cut file as my inspiration. Sadly we didn't have a white Christmas, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from using the cut file.

For this layout, I used Pinkfresh Studio's Christmas Wishes collection and some enamel dots from my stash. If you love this cut file as much as I do, please stop by the Paper Issues store to download... Did I mention that it's FREE?! To see more lovely inspiration with the cut files, be sure to stop by the Paper Issues blog here. If you decide to do some shopping at Paper Issues, be sure to use the discount code, Sherry20 to receive 20% off your order! Happy shopping and Happy New Year!

When Scrap Challenges Push Creativity, Magic Happens!

This week's challenge at Hip Kit Club was a doozy... Create a layout with a white background, paint embellishments white, and then (the biggie) cut the layout to fit into divided page protectors. I only have 2 types of divided page protectors 6x6 and 4x6, so my options were a bit limited. The photos I selected were from the most beautiful snowfall we had last year. I thought they would pair well with the white aspect of the challenge. I laid out the die cut words on the page protectors to see which direction this layout would take.

To create interest and dimension, I grabbed my favorite snow stencil (Simon Says Stamps Falling Snow),Faber-Castell Whipped Spackle, and white cardstock. The wonderful thing about Whipped Spackle is that it dries so quickly.

For the painted elements, I chose wood veneer snowflakes, acrylic letters (I painted them on the backside, and added dots to the front with a white pen), and did a white-wash over the kraft die-cut frame and the cork piece. To play off of the gorgeous, golden sun streaming through on the photos, I decided to use a few gold elements. I was thrilled to find out that the Ranger Liquid Platinum embossing powder was a perfect match to the Amy Tangerine Love die-cut, so I embossed the heart on the frame.

In the end, I removed it from the divided page protector and converted back to 12x12. I truly LOVE this layout and it's all because of a fun challenge. Hip Kit Club offers weekly challenges (usually on Friday), be sure to stop by and check them out here. Not only are they a great way to get inspiration, you may even win a gift certificate for participating.