Inspired by Nature - Challenged by Paper

For the past month, I've taken many photographs of nature's beauty (mostly flowers), because the blooms and colors have been so breathtaking.

Last week, Melissa from Clique Kits, challenged us (Clique Kits Facebook group) to use the bold and beautiful Fancy Pants Attwell floral patterned paper. Although I love the paper, it's tough to use as a background because of the scale of the flowers and the explosion of color.

In my opinion, the best way to showcase patterns like this is to fussy-cut the flowers. That way, you get the effect of the big blooms without it taking away from your photos. I cut a few flowers out and played around with the composition until I was happy with it. Bold titles cut from these types of papers is another great way to let the paper shine- I'm thrilled with the impact it gives. I used a strip of photos so that your eye would still be drawn to the photos.

This is now my new favorite layout! ;) My advice is to take photos!!! Eventually inspiration or a challenge will come along and you'll be ready for it! Thanks for stopping by my blog! ♥

Sugar & Spice

Today is Product Spotlight at Paper Issues blog and we are working with the gorgeous Pink Paislee C'est La Vie collection. I was inspired by the soft pink, black, and white color combination and found the perfect photo to use with it.

I love the dotted circles on the paper but wanted to add some dimension, so I used a circle punch and popped them up on foam. Lately, I can't complete a layout with hearts, so I punched some small hearts and scattered them over the layout. The puffy stickers from the collection are beautiful and added a touch of hot pink and softness to the layout.

Be sure to check out Pink Paislee in the Paper Issure store... Use discount code, sherry20, to save 20% on your entire purchase. Thank you for stopping by my blog; have a lovely day!

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!

Favorite 15 in 2015

Happy New Year! Today I'm participating in a blog hop with Paper Issues... We are sharing our 15 favorite layouts created in 2015. This is the first year that I've struggled to narrow down the favorites (I'm actually thrilled with that because it means I'm happy with what I'm creating!) I think I will start with my most recent layouts and work my way back.

2015 was a great (scrappy) year for me; I truly feel like I'm creating my best work and I'm having a blast doing it! Getting involved in Paper Issues has not only inspired me, it's also such a fun place to hang out. Be sure to stop by the blog, shop, and the FB group for all your scrappy needs! Click here to check out the rest of the participants in the blog hop!

Thanks for stopping by, wishing you a blessed 2016! ♥

Love, Joy, and Coffee

My darling daughter has developed a love for Starbucks and she loves nothing more than holding that special cup of Mocha Frappuccino in her hand. My favorite for the fall and winter season is a Salted-Caramel Mocha (skim milk/light whip, please!) Of course the icing on the cake is a selfie WITH the cup in your hand. This selfie and the "Let Me Espresso My Gratitude" prompt at Paper Issues is what inspired this layout.

I saved the (controversial) red cup because it was our first cup of the season. How lucky am I that her sweatshirt was the perfect shade to match it. Of course I wanted red cup to be on the layout, so I used it as a starting point and built the layout from there. I painted the wood veneer coffee cup with Gelatos and a water brush - such a fun detail! A mix of Thickers and My Mind's Eye chipboard were used to create the bold title. I truly adore this layout. It's one reason I love prompts and challenges and Paper Issues is chock-full of them; be sure to check it out!

Wishing you all love, joy, and coffee during this most wonderful time of the year! ♥

My New Favorite Layout

This layout was inspired by the fall Starbuck's cup and a cut file from Hip Kit Club (designed by Kim Watson). Instead of creating a cut file, I used a Faber-Castell Artist Pen in my Silhouette Cameo to sketch the layout. I then used Distress inks to paint the wreath; using colors inspired by the collage of fall photos. I love the light and airy look this created. The Starbuck's cozy is the perfect embellishment to finish off the layout.

Inspiration is all around us, we just need to take the time to notice it! For more information about this layout, be sure to check out my YouTube video here. As always, thank you for stopping by my blog!

Listening to Your Scrappy Voice

Hello, friends! I know it's been a long time since I've posted on my blog. We have been consumed this summer with house projects and I haven't had much time to scrap. Last week (in the middle of total chaos during this project), I woke up with the urge to scrap. For a few minutes I squelched my scrappy voice and told myself to focus on the job at hand. I finally caved and entered my craft room and I knew I was a goner.

I started with the "Leaf It To Me" cut file from The Cut Shoppe and the weekly challenge from the Hip Kit Facebook group. Fall is my favorite time of year so the beautiful leaves instantly spoke to me. I had taken several Instagram photos of some of my favorite fall things and thought it would be fun to document them. Once the over-sized leaf was cut using my Silhouette Cameo, I grabbed some Webster's Pages (Family Traditions) from my stash and backed the cut file with an assortment of the papers. The Dear Lizzy wood-grain paper, from my Hip Kit, is the perfect backdrop for the leaf; the colors just pop off it. Part of the challenge was to use embellishments around a large cut-file, so I used various stickers, enamel dots, and wood veneer to surround the leaf. The title, "FALL" is also from the cut shop (The Tall Type Alpha).

This is definitely my new favorite layout; it may even crack the top ten ever! I'm so happy I stopped in the middle of a busy time and listened to my scrappy voice. Sometimes you just NEED to create! Autumn begins this week; take time to enjoy this beautiful, colorful season! ♥

Officially Ready for Summer!

Wow, school has been out for a month and I still haven't relaxed much! I haven't been doing as much scrapping as I would like, but I have been busy with fun projects. First up are some rusty chairs that I spray-painted. It's amazing what a little paint can do! Check this out...

When our daughter was away at camp, I completely transformed her room. It was lots of hard work but so worth it, seeing the look of joy on her face when she walked into her room. The chandelier used to have pink flowers and green leaves, it was transformed with spray paint! I'm trying to figure out what else needs an update around here. lol

I have managed to squeeze in a little scrapping, too. Here are a few of my latest layouts.

Now that summer is officially here (tomorrow), it's time to kick back and enjoy. Thank you for stopping by my blog, wishing you a fun-filled summer!

Random Layouts and Process Video

Now that I've started creating process videos on YouTube, I've been neglecting my blog. It's hard to find the time and energy to do it all. Today will be a quick post, sharing several of my latest layouts to prove to myself that I haven't been a total slacker. :) Most of the layouts were created for challenges on the Hip Kit Club Facebook forum.

I do have a process video for the first layout if you'd like to check it out. https://youtu.be/5YLtbDMYdzY

We are officially on Spring Break and Mother Nature is being a little obnoxious; we had a hard freeze last night. While I'm waiting for it to warm up today, I think I'll do a little scrapping! Happy Spring to you all! xo

My First Process Video

I'm so excited to be sharing my first process video with you! It took some time to work out the kinks, but it's finally here! A special thank you to my friend, Sheri, for some much needed information to get started. :)