Hey Hey it's never too late to celebrate Valentine's Day. Yes! Today it rhymes!  I love Valentines Day! To me it's a day to celebrate the people in your life that you love. I'm having so much fun with this on this month's LOVE themed challenges. 

Today I'm on the Paper Issues blog sharing a mini album I made for the It Started Out Small challenge. Yep, I am that dork Mom who sends homemade Valentine's to her son in college. This year I made 14 pages little cards, one for each day until Valentine's Day, then bound it into a mini album. I used pieces from Swag Bags and Valentine's Day Collections from Crate Paper and Pebbles.

I grabbed a bunch of 3x4 cards, and cut some more. Let me tell you about my favorite new tool-the 3 way tag punch! I think almost every card has a tag on it. If I didn't have an ephemera tag, I made one! I just layered hearts tags and other embellishments. Super simple, and a great way to mix and match old  and new things in your stash!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. You can find this and all of our challenges in the February Challenges album in our Facebook Group. Shop all new Simple Stories and Echo Park Valentines collections in the Paper Issues store. Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase! See you again soon!

Winter Wonderland

Hello there! I'm up on the Paper Issues blog today. You know Sunday is our favorite day of the week right? It's not just Sunday, it's Scraplift Sunday! This week we are lifting A bright and colorful layout by Manda Jane. 

I love a good diagonal design. There are so many ways to make one design look unique. That's exactly what I did. I lifted this design and made it my own. I narrowed it down to two photos, used stars as my primary shape, adding splatter instead of spray mist. It's a cleaner look, which is definitely my style! The best part for me is I don't have to think about a design. All I have to do is decide what paper I want to use!

We got a little unexpected snow a few weeks ago which meant I would have a chance to use Crate Paper Snowflake! I started with the Wonderland paper for my background.  I layered die cut ephemera and stickers all around and under the photos, then created a cascade of stars and snowflakes.  I even used some little bits from Swag Bags as well. 

Thanks so much for stopping by tmy creative view today. You can also find me on Instagram @thebeachygal where I post when I'm not here.  The Paper Issues shop is fully stocked on new releases from PinkFresh, Shimelle and Doodlebug. You can get all of that and more for 20% off when you use DEVRA at checkout. See you again soon!

Baking Spirits Bright

Hey there and good morning. I'm on the Paper Issues Blog today with my project for the Grid Lock challenge.  I really like using a grid design with my photos on my pages and do so often. Today I wanted to do something different. I mean why not. It's a challenge after all right? So, I created a grid as the base for my embellishments.

I started by cutting the Pretty Little Studio Frozen Sky paper using the December Tags cut file. I altered one of the tags that had an ornament in it, then repeated the design to created a grid. I layered the ornament paper over the Crate Paper Snowcapped paper. Yep. I purposely placed those snowflakes right in the center.

After giving it some thought, I realized I could make it look like a shaker card if I used pop tape. So that's what did.  I sprinkled some of the Pink Paislee Mixed Embellishments  in a few of the spaces, adding a few Crate Paper stickers. I drew a thin line around the grid using Nuvo Drops add a bit more color.

It really was that simple.

I love to bake and used the excuse of the holidays to over do it again this year. I find it so relaxing, The house smells so good, and they taste good too. I should bake more often. 

Thank so much for stopping by my creative view and for spending the last year with me here. I plan on continuing into next year. I hope you'll follow along with me here and also on Instagram @thebeachygal. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. 

She Believed

Hey there! It's been a while since I shared a page on the A Flair for Buttons blog.  Well, Here you go! I have so many projects in my head, I can't get them made fast enough.   This is one of them. I've been trying to get this done since June!

This layout is about my last day at work, and 10 days before I started my new job. I'd been wanting a change for a while. It took some work and perseverance, but I stuck it out and it paid off. 

I started with the She-Ra FREE cut file from Paper Issues. It's really the whole story right there. I thought the Crate Paper All Heart,  and some inspirational flair would bring the rest my story to life. It did. I didn't have to do much after that. I tucked and layered stickers and ephemera around my photo. I finished it off with flair from 3 different sets: Lovely Words 8, Lovely Words 3 and Girl Boss Gold. 

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I have a lot to share so come back again soon. You can also find me on Instagram @thebeachygal. 

Lovely Words 8

Lovely Words 3

Girl Boss Gold

Where the Wild Things Are

Hey there! I have a project on The Cut Shoppe blog today featuring the brand new Photo Album cut file. I kinda have a thing about frames right now and couldn't wait to use it!

This cut file is made for multiple photos, which is exactly how I used it today. We took a ridiculous amount of photos at a recent visit to the zoo. I chose 4 of my many favorites for this layout. First I cut the file out of a darker Crate Paper patterned paper. I backed all the frames where I was adding photos with the same 2 patterned papers.  I decided to embellish the center frame, so used another paper for that one.

I love having the extra space beneath the photos! I embellished the frames in a few ways. Clusters, sentiments, labels.. the possibilities are endless.

We always do something fun for my son's birthday. This year was our first trip to the zoo. It was a beautiful day, the animals were active and we all had a great time.

Thanks so much for stopping my creative view today. Check out all the new cut files in The Cut Shoppe today! See you Again soon!

Soar

Hey there! It's Sunday and you know what that means...It's Scraplift Sunday with Paper Issues. I'm  sharing my lift of Angie's page on the  Paper Issues blog today.  

I love the diagonal design in Angie's page!  You know what else I love? Crate Paper All Heart ! It's so inspiring! All the flowers, photos and girl power?  I just can't get enough. I started with the Wild paper as the background. I used one of the cut apart papers to create my diagonal design, filling in spaces with the Ephemera,  6x12 Stickers, and  Dreamer Thickers . I couldn't think of a better way to use the Girl Boss and Lovely Words A Flair for Buttons flair!  Seriously, this couldn't have been any easier. 

I've been really feeling like I need a boost of confidence. I chose a lot of these powerful words to remind me that maybe I don't. 

Thank so much for stopping by my creative view today. Come back agin soon, I've got more to share!  You can get Crate Paper All Heart in the Paper Issues shop for 20% off your purchase when you use DEVRA at checkout. 

Facebook Group May Challenges

Think Happy

Hey there! I'm on The Cut Shoppe blog today with this layout featuring the new Butterfly Wings cut file. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't planning on using it. I love this cut file. It's beautiful. My first thought was, 'but it's not me'.

Well, I sure proved myself wrong on this one. As soon as I got my hands on the Crate Paper All Heart, all I could think of was this cut file.  To me, the butterfly is inspirational. The papers are so feminine. They work harmoniously. Pink, flowers, butterfly. Boom. 

I used only patterned papers today. I cut the butterfly out of a small pink pattern, then backed it with 3 other papers. Varying the size of the patterns kept it from being too visually overwhelming.  I fussy cut a few flowers layering them over the printed ones, then added few stickers and sentiments, That's all.  Since the butterfly itself it the focus of the page, it didn't need much embellishing! It's too pretty to cover up anyway!

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. Check out this file as well as this weeks new releases and so much more in The Cut Shoppe. Come back again. I've got ideas coming to paper soon!

Love Like Us

Hey there and good morning! I'm on The Cut Shoppe blog today sharing this layout featuring the new In My Notebook cut file. All I can tell you is this one piqued my curiosity and I had to play with it right away. 

Well, my first thought was, "what do I love, what do I like?". Nope, that wasn't working for me. I scratched that right away and went with a more 'heartfelt' theme using a family photo instead.  I mixed a bunch of Valentine collections from Pebbles and Crate Paper to cut the file as well as back the words LOVE and LIKE. I even used the open space to the left of the photo to add some journaling strips. I feel like that space was made for journaling!

I cut the word US using the Open Letter Alpha and did the same thing, backing it with paper. I think it works pretty well!

The last thing I did was replace the center of the 'O' with a piece of A Flair for Buttons Just Hearts 1 flair. Perfect right? 

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. I have so much going on I don't know where to begin! Check back soon to see what Ive been up to. You won't be disappointed!  In the meantime, check out The Cut Shoppe for some great new Valentine cut files. 

Good Vibes

Hey there and good morning! It's Scraplift Sunday at Paper Issues and I'm on the blog sharing my
take on Kat's phenomenal page!

Oh I became giddy as soon as I saw we were lifting this page. I may have even squealed! I love the original so much I didn't wasn't to stray too far from it. Well. that was my intent anyway.

I decided to do some stashbusting, mixing some Crate Paper Good Vibes and Wild at Heart. I stayed with  black & white for the triangle pieces, adding color with the embellishments. The triangles are so large they don't need much else! 

My guys were digging' in the crates so the good vibes and high vibes sentiments fit this page well! 

Thanks so much for stopping by today. There is all kinds of new stuff in the Paper Issues shop. Hop over there to get some goodies for yourself. Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase!  See you again soon!

Stix are for Kids

Hey there! I'm on the Paper Issues  blog today sharing my project for the Rolling with the Punches challenge. 

Guess what. I wasn't feeling the punches. Nope. I was intrigued by the rolling part. I've used straws for something like this, but had never rolled my own paper. What a better time to try!  I grabbed some more Crate Paper Hooray. I mean really, it's not just for birthdays anymore.  I cut a bunch of strips out of several different paper, rolled them upon then glued them down. So easy. Time consuming yes, but easy nonetheless.  They look just like the candy sticks in the photo don't they. Secret? I did that on purpose.  In the end, I did break out one of my punches. It's a border punch that makes holes all the way across. I threaded the twine through it at the top and bottom of the page. 

These candy sticks remind me of my childhood. We used to get them at Disneyland and a local candy store. My sister and I loved them. We tried all the flavors and had our favorites. We weren't allowed a lot of sweets when we were little, so these were favorites because they lasted a long time. 

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. Ive got a couple more posts before the end of the year. Come back to check them out!  Head over to the Paper Issues Facebook Group  where you can find this and all the other December challenges. Shop the store for new products including the upcoming January kit. you wont want to miss it! Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase.

Birthday Balloons

Hey there and good morning! I'm part of today's Get It Scrapped blog article talking about different ways to scrapbook your favorite subject. 

I love to scrapbook my children. I used to scrapbook the things they did as they were growing up, such as going to the park, visiting the zoo, or playing with their friends. Now that they are older, there are fewer of these opportunities. I try to capture unique pieces of their personality through feelings and emotions.

Here I'm showing the pure joy these balloons bring my son year after year. The look on his face hasn't changed. I could share his joy in other ways, but his smile and reaction is genuine. I love to look at his beautiful smile knowing that is truly how he feels.  

I used the new Crate Paper Hooray collection emphasize the birthday event for this layout. The For You paper is a great foundation for all these photos! This also enabled me to play along with this months Take 5 challenge at Paper Issues . I used stripes, mint, stickers, wood pieces and fussy cutting. Patterned paper is a given! 😀

Every year on his birthday we buy our son a dozen balloons. Each year we do this, he realizes more and more it's a special day for him.

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. Check out the Get It Scrapped blog to see more examples as well as the Paper Issues Facebook group to see all the December challenges. See you again soon, I have more to share.

supplies: Paper, stickers, die cuts, alphas-Crate paper/American Crafts, wood pieces-Studio Calico, Pen and adhesive-EK Success

Here We Go

Hey there and good morning!  Our days are busy, so I've been spending some of my evenings crafting! Yay for me time. And Yay for completing the Pop, Lock and Drop it Challenge at Paper Issues.   This challenge is all about making things pop on your project. Make them 3D!  So easy for me. I do this all the time. 

I started with a sketch from PageMaps and some Crate Paper Here & There a. I needed a little extra mojo and this sketch was exactly the jump start I needed. Moving on, I grabbed ALL my embellishments, laid them out on my table and made a pile of what I thought wanted to use. that pile was massive. Oops. I pared it down to what you see here. A mix of stickers, ephemera, and chipboard. Oh, I cant forget the A Flair for Buttons Flair too!  I pushed everything around until I had everything tucked and layered in all the right places. What you see is what you get!

Traveling with my family is not always easy. It takes a lot of effort. It's always worth it once we get there though! This summer trip was no exception!

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. Come back again soon, I have more projects to share. Shop the Paper Issues store for new product and so much more. Use DEVRA at checkout for  20% off your purchase!

A Record Day

Hey there! Welcome to August. Wow. Where did June and July go? Well, it's a new month so that means there are a slew of new challenges at Paper Issues. Speaking of that, I'm on the Paper Issues blog today with this project for the new Oh $@#&% challenge!

Now don't worry, we aren't asking you to use foul language on you're projects. Well, you can if you want to. The idea is to use punctuation in a creative way on your projects. How fun is that.

I've already done a few pages with @$!# in my title and wanted to do something different. I also didn't want to throw a # in there and call it a day. No, no, no. I'm all about trying something new! I already knew I was using Crate Paper Wild Heart, which is bold and wacky. I also had already chosen a kraft background which can be dull and drab on its own. so, how do I work these little punctuation characters in...  I wound up taking a subtle approach to this challenge. I created a border for the page by doodling with a black pen, then adding asterisks, plus signs and exclamation points to the corners, mixing in some Nuvo drops, linking it all together. Ha! I love the way the page is framed, giving the background some fun details!

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. I have lots to share this month so come again soon. 

Well, now it's your turn. We want to see what you create with punctuation on your projects. You can find this and all of our challenges in the August Challenge album in our Facebook group. New stuff is always arriving in the Paper Issues store.  Shop using DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase.