Free To Be Me

This month, CTMH celebrates National Scrapbooking Month with a brand-new paper packet! Free To Be Me is a beautiful collection of 6 sheets of 12" x 12" double-sided patterned papers, 6 sheets of cardstock with a glossy resist pattern on one side and 2 sheets of patterned vellum. It's gorgeous!

Best of all, Free To Be Me is only $5 with qualifying purchase!

Check out this layout I made with Free To Be Me patterned papers and cardstock as well as the stamp sets from Ivy Lane Workshop on the Go Kit and Designed Decor Frame Kit.

This layout was inspired by one I saw on Pinterest by Sherri Funk for My Mind's Eye.I loved the circles and the white space really lets the papers pop!

With a little help from my Cricut and a couple of fun stamps, this page came together quickly and easily.

A fun stamping technique used on this page is over-stamping. To create the canvas texture on the stamped ribbons, first I stamped the ribbons (or pennants or banners--whatever you like to call them) from the Ivy Lane WOTG stamp set in Whisper Ink. I stamped all three close together on a single scrap of Colonial White Cardstock. Then I stamped directly over all three ribbons with Slate Ink using the canvass stamp from the Distressed Backgrounds stamp set. From there, I just trimmed out the ribbons and added them to the page. Over-stamping is a quick and easy way to add a little extra interest to solid stamped images.

I also used the same canvas stamp to create the large photo mat. I simply cut a piece of Colonial White cardstock to size and stamped around the edges of the cardstock in Whisper Ink. The little bit of distressed texture it adds to the page is a great contrast to the sleek design.

Love this layout? I'll be offering it as a free make-and-take at the upcoming Saturday Scrappers, or if you would like to host your own Gathering, I can show you and your guests how to make this layout. Contact me today to book your Gathering before May 31st!

Be Inspired!

I love flipping through the Idea Book because it is full of beautiful pictures with ideas to take inspiration from. (Because it's an Idea Book, right!)

CTMH artwork pg. 126 of
Spring/Summer 2014 Idea Book

The layout on page 126 is one of my favourites and I'd been day-dreaming for a while as to what I could do along similar lines. There's lots to take inspiration from! The bright colours against a black background. The stitching. The shapes. The different uses of washi tape. The trims and dots. It's a simple page, but so crafty!

This page uses what I see as the best-kept secret in the Idea Book: the Paper Fundamentals Basics Assortments. This collection of 20 double-sided 12" x 12" sheets (2 each of 10 designs) have the same design on both sides, but one side has a glossy, resist pattern. It's great to use in smaller pieces as patterned paper, or a whole sheet as a background piece. The patterns are great too! Chevrons, hearts, houndstooth, stripes, quatrefoil--they're all right on trend.

The page I made uses the same black chevron background and bright colours (from the Dotty For You paper packet). I also stitched circles using the very handy Stitch Guide and brightly coloured embroidery floss. The banners are Dimensional Elements Banners dressed up with Lagoon Houndstooth and Gold Polka-Dot Washi Tape. Some Teal and Silver Shimmer Trim add sparkle to the page along with Durables Triangle Studs. The title picks up the bright colours. I used Lagoon and Hollyhock inks, stamping the title with Marquee Uppercase as well as a smaller alphabet.

I'm so pleased with the results! The colour contrasts really make the page pop!

Have you been inspired by something you saw in an Idea Book? Share it! Just head over to my Facebook page and post it on the time line. Remember to mention which Idea Book the inspiration came from and what you liked about it.