The Write Stuff

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

 Hello Hello! I'm up on the Paper Issues blog today. I cannot believe this is my last post of the year!And what a crazy year it's been!  Thought I'd end on a good note. I used this week's sketch for a layout that made me smile. 


I'll say this sketch had me stumped! I couldn't find photos in the right orientation.Or even a combination of photos and journal cards to ephemera. That's when I decided to do my one thing. That always seems to work. I chose 3 vertical photos work with. So instead of a photo block, I now have 1 main photo and 2 supporting it. Still 3! 

Now the fun part. I have a bunch of Studio Tekturek papers, stickers and flair. I love them. The patterns are great, There are bold and muted, like this 3 stars/4 dots paper I used as the background. It looks like it's whitewashed! Cool right? I added a bit of tonal stenciling using Tumbled Glass Distress Oxides. I love the extra texture it gives the paper. I used the This Summertime cut apart paper for the ephemera. Labels-check, tags-check, snarky sentiments-yes please! I was even able to cut the Pencil,  A, B and C I used in the title. oh, and my line is horizontal across my page. Dare to be different is my motto!

So you see, the sketch is still there. It just looks a little different. That's the point of  sketch right? Be inspired!


Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today and all year. You deserve a treat for that! ! Grab yourself some Studio Tekturek,  new Elle's Studio , or whatever makes you smile ! Remember to use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. You have until Jan 3 to enter your projects for a chance to win a gift card to the Paper Issues shop. Add your projects to the December Album in our Facebook Group. See you next year! 

Like what you see? Follow me on Instagram @thebeachygal to see more of my creative view!




 

Shine Bright

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Hey there! Happy Holidays! Speaking of holidays, I'm on the  Paper Issues blog today with a project for the Light the Candle challenge. This challenge has my name written all over it, especially this time of year. We celebrate Hanukkah in our home so there are plenty of opportunities to light candles. 

This year I'm so excited to have PhotoPlay Festival of Lights Hanukkah papers and ephemera  to play with. The papers have several fun patterns, including one with candles and menorahs. Couldn't have been any easier to choose that one. 

I do a lot of paper straight across the page and thought why not do something different. So it's at an angle instead.   You know Ive talked about frames before right? Well guess what I used again? That's right, frames! I just love to use them to house all kinds of embellishments. Having some themed pairs today really made this page really was a piece of cake to put together. 


Thanks so much for stopping by today. Check out all of the December Challenges in our Facebook Group. You can grab all of your Holiday paper needs in the Paper Issues shop. Use Devra at checkout for 20 % off your purchase. See you next time. 



Quite the Spread

Friday, December 4, 2020

Hey there, hey there. It's my turn on the  Paper Issues Blog today.  I'm making lists of all the things I have...oh wait. Nope, scratch that. I'm sharing my layout for the Makin' a List, Checkin' it Twice challenge!  

So lists! I make them. Don't always follow them. Couldn't come up with one to save my life when I needed to for a scrapbook page. Ahhh, but then Thanksgiving rolled around. There was so much food. Why not list everything we made and ate! So that's what I did. Yep. We had a lot of food

Let me back up a bit though. Thanksgiving and the November kit were made for each other, but I couldn't find a background paper that made me happy, so I made my own. I know, I know, I have hundreds of papers and I couldn't find one? Anyway, Distress Oxides and Vicki Boutin Stencils to the rescue. I smooshed the background then layered darker colors over the stencil. After I painted, I cut, tore layered and glued papers and ephemera. And I have to say the Simple Stories frames were my favorite part of this kit! A little secret? I combined a few of the sticker words to make the word Thanksgiving. It's not perfect, but it works!


Thanks for stopping by today! Head over to the Paper Issues shop to pick up the December Kit and some Distress Oxides. Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. Join our Facebook Group to find this and all of the December challenges. See you again next time!





When September Ends

Monday, November 30, 2020

Hey there! I'm on the  Paper Issues blog today closing out November with a little This or That challenge. 


I actually really like this challenge. Sometimes it's a piece of cake, other times not so much. This is one of the easy times! Today I used Pumpkin, Orange, Thicker title, Leaves, Faux stitching, 3D bow, small hearts. Boom. 

I still cant get enough of this Amy Tangerine Late Afternoon. It's my favorite fall collection. I messed around with some Distress Oxides before I did anything. The way the background turned out kinda makes me think of falling leaves. But anyway, the hardest part for me was orange OR red! Stopping sticking with pumpkins kept me with orange. I used stickers and ephemera with leaves and hearts. I added Pretty Little Studio faux stitching and I tied a bow with twine. The Thickers were a no brainer. See? Easy!

That's about it for me today! You can enter November Challenges until Sunday Dec 6. December challenges will be revealed tomorrow in our Facebook group. Shop the store for Amy Tangerine and so much more. Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. See you next month!


Thankful for You

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Hey there friends! I'm on the Paper Issues blog  today with a project for the Ties That Bind challenge. So this challenge was bit more difficult than I thought. Yes, yes I know I could have tied a knot or a bow and called it a day but really that is not much a of a challenge for me? 

Well, enter the November Kit! As soon as I opened it the ideas come flooding! It's filled with Simple Stories Cozy Days and, oh, where should I start? How about these awesome chipboard frames! I tied some twine around the pumpkins stems, then a bow around the top of the frame. 

Maybe I should back up a bit...because before I could even lay down any paper, I had to make my background!Yes, that's right, I jumped on the Distress Oxide train. I mixed some colors through an Altenew stencil . I think I am never going to use a solid background again. 

Anyway, I trimmed, layered, tucked and tore a few papers and ephemera, then reconnected the two sides by tying them back together with more twine. And come on, I think we need to talk about how these two young men are the ties that bind, to each other and to me!


Thanks for stopping by today. Head over to the shop fast to grab yourself a  November Kit, some Distress Oxides and anything else that catches you eye. Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. Share what you make with us in our Facebook Group where you can find this and all of the   November Challenges. See you again soon!






 

Birthday Selfies

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Oh hello and welcome to my favorite day of the week. Yes that's right, it's Scraplift Sunday! I'm on the Paper Issues blog today sharing my take on Sindi's always awesome creativity. 

Do you ever feel like you are in a creative slump? Let me tell you, this scraplift was just what I needed to get me out of mine! I love the detailed simplicity of Sindi's LO. You know me though, I had to give it my own twist. 

I had put together my own little kit, if you will, made out of pieces from the July, August and September Swag Bags. Red blue and yellow? Yes please.  Love the triangles, so I trimmed a few of the papers into triangles. I felt like I needed more of a background, so I used Distress Oxides with the new Well Rounded stencil. Ahhh, that's better, or ummm, louder. i sifted through all the swag bag embellishments to find ones that fit my page. I scored with Dude, you & me and Birthday! Then I threw down some red splatter, (and yes I know red splatter is always a risk, but I did it anyway) added some Nuvo drops and called it a day!


Thanks for stopping by today! If you've never purchased a Swag Bag, It's time that you do! Seriously, what a time saver. Grab yours in the Paper Issues Shop along with all of your Ranger obsessed needs! Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase.  Join us in our Facebook group where you can find this and all of our November challenges. Share what you make for a chance to win a gift card to the shop! See you next time!




 


 



Inspiration is Everywhere

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Hello! I'm on the  Paper Issues blog with this weeks episode of Keep It Sketchy. Today's sketch is brought to you by the super talented Stacie. She  designed a beautiful sketch that I was super excited to play with. 



I love that this sketch shows some sort of background. The creative opportunities are endless, right?. Mixed media? Patterned paper? Stitching? Or you can do what I did and use one the FREE cut files available in the shop. 

I started with the Brush Stroke Background cut file.  I can't believe I've never used this before! Altenew Enjoy the Ride has been staring me in the face. I thought it would the right collection for these photos. 
I chose a piece of Vicki Boutin water color foundations paper to layer under the cut file that matched beautifully. I am not going to tell you how long it took me to decide which flowers to use, chipboard or fussy cut and then how I wanted to arrange them... Let's just go with way too long and leave it at that. 



Thanks so much for stopping by today! Head over to our Facebook group to see more sketches and all of the October challenges. It's crop weekend! Head over to the Paper Issues shop to get some Altenew Vicki Boutin  and so much more. Remember to use DEVRA at check out for 20% off your purchase! See you next time!


 


Diamonds are my Best Friend

Thursday, October 8, 2020

 Good morning ! I'm on the Paper Issues blog today. In case you don't know by now, baseball is my favorite sport. I live and breathe baseball season. That's why I had to tackle the World Series challenge!


No, you wont find any baseball themed products today! I got a bunch of new things I wanted to try including Distress Oxides and the PinkFresh Chevron Stamp!  I started with one of the Vicki Boutin water color backgrounds, then used the Faded Jeans over a stencil an several other colors with the stamp. Nope, its not a chevron! I took the smallest piece, stamped it twice to make a diamond shape. 

After I was sone with the background, I grabbed the new StudioTekturek  papers and embellishments. A page about 'diamonds' has to be girly right? Oh right! Baseball. See what I did there?  The background is so much I didn't add very much paper. I felt like it needed something else, so I covered some old wood pieces with Nuvo drops. Now it's done!


Thanks so much for stopping by today!  You can find this and all of our October Challenges in our Facebook Group.  Head over to the store! There is so much new stuff including Amy Tangerine !  Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase!  See you next time!



Eight Days a Week

Friday, October 2, 2020

Well hello and welcome to October. Yes, that's right. October! Wow. Where did the year go? umm, ok, we don't really need to get into that. Let's talk about the real reason we are here! I'm on the Paper Issues Blog today sharing my project for the Attachment Issues challenge. 

So here's the thing. You see these photos? I have more. This is a small sampling! I almost titled this page Attachment Issues! This boy of mine loves his snuggle time before bed. But let's be real. This boy of mine loves his mama and is pretty much attached to me all the time. Like I said, Eight Days a Week. Enough of that, time to move on. 

I'm a sucker for frames. I love them. Lucky for me the My Favorite paper is all frames. It's part of the PinkFresh Studio Days of Splendor collection. This is a beautiful and unique fall collection. I love it! I cut that page apart so fast. I created a wall of photos with the frames and ephemera, then added some stickers. They are hanging on the perfect backdrop, the Oh So Delightful paper. It kinds made me think of wallpaper. Is it just me?  I attached the photos to the 'wall' with brads and twine. Now, they really look like a gallery of photos!


Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. You can find me on Instagram @thebeachygal when I'm not here. Head over to Paper Issues to grab yourself some of this beautiful fall PinkFresh Studio Days of Splendor collection. Use DEVRA at check out for 20% off your purchase.   See you again soon, maybe sooner than you think!





Up One, Down Two,

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Hello there! I'm on the Paper Issues blog this finest of Scraplift Sundays! Oh my do we have a LO to lift today! Stacie created a masterpiece. Man, I don't know if I can do it justice, but I sure tried!

I don't know what is more striking, the background stitching or the fact that it's on a chalked black background...It's genius. All of it. I wanted to recreate it, but in my own way. Well duh, that's why it's called scraplifting... anyway. I thought of using paint, creating streaks with ink, even layers of paper. Then I saw these photos and realized I had to stitch, but in a different way. At the same time, my August Paper Issues Kit and Swag Bag arrived giving me my colors. 

I have a whole bunch of old stitch templates. I used several of those to hand stitch the background, as well as the Pretty Little Studio Clear Stitch Stickers. Once I was done stitching, the rest was fairly simple. As in Stacies, the background speaks for itself! I layered several swag bag papers under the photos adding a few select pieces of PinkFresh Let's Stay Home ephemera and Chipboard flair.  Really, deciding on the background was the hardest part! ok, maybe teaching my son to sew as, but we won't tell him that!


Yep. I think the monotony and isolation of this never ending quarantine has finally gotten to him. He's like me and cant sit and do nothing. He asked me to teach him how to sew. He came home a few weeks ago to visit and that's what we did. He found it calming and relaxing. Mission accomplished. 



Thanks so much for stopping by today! You can find KitsPinkFresh Studio and so much more in the Paper Issues shop.  Don't miss out! Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. Then make all the thinsgs and head over to our Facebook Group for all the fun, games and September Challenges. See you next time!








 

Stop, Drop & Read

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Well Hello there! Did someone say Books? Oh yeah!  I'm on the Paper Issues Blog today sharing this project for the Book Worm challenge.

There couldn't have been a challenge better suited to me. When he was a little boy, I would find him sitting exactly like this. On the floor, in the grass, in his bed, sitting the exact same way. 

Simple Stories Bro & Co couldn't have been more suited for this photo. I'd been waiting to use the So Rad paper for just the right photo. You should know by now I like to put paper to work for me. It makes putting a page together so easy!  Well, that is after I pushed the photo, ephemera and stickers around for an hour 😁 Those stripes! Could there have been a better place to house a title?!?!?  Every time I looked at the Level Up paper, all I saw were banners, so I cut it up! It ties in all the colors and adds some whimsy. Easy Peasy. It's simple, but detailed. 


Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I have all my projects on Instagram @thebeachygal as well. There is still plenty of time to join the September Challenges. You can find them and join all the fun and games in our Facebook Group . I think I have enough Simple Stories Bro & Co for one more project. It's still available in the Paper Issues Shop. Grab some for yourself and use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. 




Emmy Watch

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Hey there, I'm on the Paper Issues blog today and we are saying hello to September! A new month means a whole new group of challenges! September also means the return of my favorite TV shows and the arrival of new ones! 

It's Season Premiere time! Yep. That's the name of this challenge. My page is all about TV! I love the Emmy Awards. With so much time at home, I decided I was going to watch as many nominated shows as possible!  With a little help from PinkFresh Studio Let's Stay Home and the Binge Watch FREE cut file, I was able to show off some of my favorite shows so far. 

Speaking of favorites, I also love frames. LOVE. They are such a fun way to feature a photo. I like to embellish them with stickers and ephemera also fill them with embellishments. My last favorite thing today? PinkFresh has the best sentiments on their stickers. I found a sticker to match something about each show!


Thanks so much for stopping by today! Join the fun in our Facebook group where you can find this and all the new September challenges. Every challenge you play along with earns you a chance to win a gift card to the Paper Issues shop! Grab some PinkFresh new Fancy Pants and so much more using DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase! You'll be glad you did! See you next time. 

Be the Color

Monday, August 24, 2020

Hey there and welcome to the last week in August. Say what? Anyway, I'm on the Paper Issues Blog today with a project for the Let's Get Strip Faced challenge.   

Oh I had ideas for this challenge. Ok, one idea really and it involved rainbows, patterned paper and Swag Bags. Who doest love that? Let's talk about the Swag Bag for a sec. These papers are already cut into 3x4 pieces of paper. All I did was grab a handful of paper, 2 of each color in the rainbow, then cut them into strips. That's when the fun happened! I wove the 2 pieces together! Oh yeah, that was totally relaxing. Then I wove all the colors together. So cool! I didnt want to cover it up! But I did. I only added a few embellishments, some glittery Amy Tangerine hearts, some Shimelle Never Grow Up stickers and a variety of enamel dots and shapes. It really didn't need much else.  I really like manipulating paper to fit my needs. Try it sometime! its fun to do something different!



I'm so happy you stopped by my creative view today! You can find this and all of our challenges in the  August Challenges album in our Facebook Group.  You have until Sept 6 to play along for a chance to win a gift Card to the Paper Issues store!  Remember to use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase!  See you next time!







Everyday Adventures

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Well hello there! I'm on the Paper Issues blog again today bringing you another of our awesome sketches! Check this baby out! So many possibilities!


So let me tell you a little secret. I actually started this layout a while ago. If I remember, I got stuck, so I never finished it. I started again determined to finish. 

There was only one choice of paper for this photo. Vicki Boutin Let's Wander and watercolor foundations paper. Need anything else? Not really.  Want to know another secret? I wasn't feeling the big background circle. Nope. What I did have though were some scraps of the Beach Vibe paper that I have cut some circles out of. Wow. What an awesome background! I cut another paper, layering strips. Then I covered them with a bunch of ephemera, stickers and chipboard. That's all I did. Really. I see the sketch don't you? 


I do not take for granted that he will spend time with me. Not only that, he makes the time to spend with me. We went to one of our favorite spots, Snoqualmie Falls for a morning of fresh air. It's nice to get lost in our own backyard.

Thanks for stopping by today. Find this and the rest of my stuff on Instagram, @thebeachygal. You can find  Vicki Boutin and so much more in the Paper Issues shop. Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. Head over to our Facebook group to join this and all of our August challenges.  Even better, this weekend is our Summer Crop, you totally want to be there for fun & games and more than 20 new challenges.  Hope to see you there!



Buzzed Bros

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Oh Boy! It's a new month of challenges and I'm sharing my first one on the Paper Issues Blog today. Did I already say Oh Boy? I meant Oh Buoy! No, there will be no boats or anything nautical. This page is all boy! My boys and their freshly self done haircuts that is. 

I've been so inspired by Danielle and her mixed media mayhems that I decided to give it a try myself. I created the background using Vicki Boutin foundation paper, art crayons, both wet and dry and stencils. 

Once I had finished the background, I had to figure out the rest. Well, I had already chosen Simple Stories Bro & Co to use.I grabbed a couple of papers, mostly Live Out Loud. I even used both sides! I combined some Combo Cardstock Stickers and Journal Bits to created some cool embellishment layers. The Foam Phrase Stickers are ready made titles. Who doesn't love that? 


There you have it.  I hope I inspired you to try mixing the media! I loved it! Head over to the Paper Issues shop to get yourself the things I used here and so much more! Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. Find this challenge as well as many more in the August Challenge album in our Facebook group. We cant wait to see what you make!  See you next time!



So Cheesy

Thursday, July 30, 2020

Hey there! I'm on Paper Issues Blog the today with this little number I made for the Make A Splash challenge. Nobody said this had to be about the pool or ocean did they?  This is all about water, or in my case, watercolors. 

I've been sitting on my Dina Wakely gloss sprays. Do I know how to use them? Nope. Was I going to give them a try? Yup. And so I did. I sprayed at the top of Vicki Boutin Foundations paper, then used a paint brush to dribble the paint down the page. I wanted it to look like melting cheese. Cheesy right? 
Then I took some Vicki Boutin Art crayons and stencils to create the rest of the background. I was inspired by CassieBox and Kelly Feldman, the way they used the drips on their paper.  The only thing left was paper. What could be better than all the food themed pieces from you guessed it, Vicki Boutin's Let's Wander


This was easy peasy and so cheesy! Head over to the Paper Issues shop to get yourself all the things I used here and more! Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. Find this challenge as well as many more in the July Challenge Album in our Facebook group. We cant wait to see what you make!  Until next time....

Decade

Sunday, July 19, 2020

Hey there! I'm on the Paper Issues blog   on this favorite of days, Scraplift Sunday! Today we are lifting Kelly's bright cheerful LO.


I couldn't wait to lift this! Can you say awesome design?!?! You know what else? I was dying to cut into PinkFresh Let's Stay Home! Oh right. Let me get back to the design. Yep. Love it. But you know what? The photo I chose is bigger. So, automatically this was going to be different. But hey, that's why we call it a lift right? 

I started with the Hold On paper as the background. I mean why use plain white when you can use an awesome stripe?  I love the rainbow Better Things Ahead paper. I cut it apart to make my wonky strips. Remember I mentioned my photo being larger? Well, that meant I needed to simplify the layering behind it. Since this page is about my family and our house, I used some of the family oriented ephemera. And that was pretty much it. Oops, I almost forgot a title and some Nuvo drops. Now it's done. 



I can't believe we've been living here for 10 years. In a lot of ways it seems like a long time. In others it seems like yesterday. 

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. Head over to Instagram @thebeachygal to find more of my crafty projects. 

You can find this and all of our challenges in the July challenge album in our Facebook group . Shop Paper Issues using DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. See you again soon!




Walk With Me

Friday, July 3, 2020

Hey there and good morning!  I'm on the Paper Issues blog today sharing this project for the July This or That challenge . I always think oh, this is going to be so easy. Nope. That's why it's called a challenge.

So, This or That turned out to be not so bad! My secret this month? The Paper Issues Kit and Swag Bag. It had everything I needed (and didn't need!) to get this done.  I'll be honest, the hardest decision was red or blue! I had to start there. This kit was filled with red making that an easy decision, so red it is!. After that, the rest fell into place fairly easily. Polka Dots, Flair, Circle, Paper clip, Sequins and Stripes

I love when paper does the work for me. Starburst paper as a background is one of the best for that. It can stand alone, making design so easy! That's how I used it today.  Next, I used the Photoplay Stick Together cut apart paper for the polka dot strip and the clouds! Yep. I fussy cut them out of another strip! A Flair for Buttons is my favorite flair, so that was a no brainer. Sequins add some sparkle to the clouds. The circles and paperclips came from my stash. See? Easy.


Of all the disruption COVID has brought to our lives, one welcome disruption for me is being able to walk my dog every day. I enjoy the time to get outside, clear my head and spend some time alone, well, with my dog anyway. 

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. Head over to Instagram @thebeachygal to find more of my crafty projects. 

You can find this and all of our challenges in the July challenge album in our Facebook group . Shop Paper Issues using DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. See you again soon!



Master & Apprentice

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Oh hello! I'm up on the Paper Issues blog today sharing my layout for the Grill Skills challenge. 

We have so many jokes about grilling in my family. I couldn't pass this one up. We call my Dad the Grill Master, and my husband the Burn Master. 

This was the perfect opportunity to cut into Simple Stories Summer Farmhouse. I'm a sucker for anything with primary colors as it is. Throw in a summer theme and I'm all in! I started with the Sunnies and Sandals paper for the background. Woodgrain background? No brainer! I knew I wanted to make pinwheels out of the Simple Pleasures paper. So that's what I did. They worked perfectly as a border between the photos and the title! Speaking of the title, if you don't have any of the Simple Stories Foam Alphas, you are missing out. I have them in every color, I used navy today.  The finishing touches are layers of Journal Bits and Combo Cardstck stickers






Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. When I'm not here, you can find me on Instagram @thebeachygal. See you again soon!


 
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