Hello Hello! I have with my last project on the  Paper Issues blog today, and it's for the Treasure Map challenge. I always like challenges where I get to choose my design but have to use specific items!  This was definitely a challenge but so much fun. 

Today I used, White, gold, polka dots, frames, flair, ephemera and washi. Let me tell you, the two what were the hardest for me to stick to was the ephemera OR stickers and black or white. Want a tip on that one? Use a collection that has no black in it! This time of year it's a little easier. Summer collections such as the Echo Park Pool Party use navy instead of black. Ok, that problem solved. 

I started with the Sunbeam Stitching FREE cut file. I wanted to do something different with the sun part of it. That was the perfect place to create a little embellishment cluster using a frame and flair. I added some extra details with an Elle's Studio stamp and some gold sequins. It was really hard to use only ephemera, but that was the choice I made because I wanted to use the frames. I added some washi as one of the layers under the photo as the last treasure item on my map. Phew, I got them all on there!. Where is my treasure?

Bus Came!

Hey, what day is it? Oh right! It's Wednesday, or what we call at Paper Issues, Keep It Sketchy day!  Here is the first sketch of the month. It's a fun one and I'm sharing it on the Paper Issues blog today.

I took one look at this sketch and thought ,a cut file would be fun for this. It wasn't hard to find either. Have you seen the new Stacked Hexagons cut file?  It's such a great match for this sketch! 

Then the fun part. Paper. I had on my desk the new Bella Blvd To the Moon collection. On the fence about this one?Don't be. The best part of Bella Blvd is everything is primary colors and every paper has two sides. So you can do what I did which is use the non theme sides of the papers. The yellow paper is called Shoot for the Moon and has moons on the other side. I bought it for the yellow side! I'm telling you, don't let a theme stop you! There are plenty of stickers to use on the Doohickey Sticker sheet.  I mean, we all know stars are for every occasion! So are arrows and hearts!  So if you want awesome embellishments that go with everything, you will also need the Trinkets in all the colors. 

That's all I used to complete my page! Its a fun and easy sketch and even more fun when you have great paper to play with!

You can find all of the June Challenges in our Facebook Group. You have all month to join the fun and play along. your entries give you a chance to win a gift card to the Paper Issues shop! Speaking of shopping, use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your next purchase! Thanks for stopping by today. See you next time!

Bowtiful

Hey hey I'm on the Paper Issues Blog today! I rhymed! Anyway, in the month of everything Golden Girls, we have to talk about friends and all of the wonderful women in our lives right? My Thank you for Being a Friend project does just that.  My sister and I spent the day at Disneyland celebrating her birthday. It was the most incredible day and one of the best experiences I've ever had there. 

One of the things I like best about Amy Tangerine Brave & Bold is the color stories. There are pinks, greens, and reds and they all tie together with the patterns. There is also always black&white as well. I'm using reds, yellow and black because well, um,, Disneyland! Speaking of Black & White, that's what I used for the background paper. Next up Is the Full Bloom paper and yup, I used both sides! Man, I had to make sure cut it right or I'd have been moving to plan B!

I played with edges, and even broke out my sewing machine! Then the layering began. I have it all, ephemera, stickers, and foam Thickers. I found all kinds of sentiments and icons that were happy and cheerful, just like our day. I also used the stamp set. I love those flowers!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! If I were you, I'd head right over to the Paper Issues shop for some Amy Tangerine Brave & Bold. Use DEVRA for 20% off your purchase. You will be so happy you did. We always want to see what you create so join our Facebook group to join this and all of the May challenges. You have until June 4 to enter your projects for a chance to win a gift card to the shop!

See you next time!

 

Today Was Beautiful

 Hey hey its a favorite day! It's Scraplift Sunday! Boy are you in for a treat because today we are lifting a phenomenal layout by Jennifer McMurtrey. I'm sharing my take on the  Paper Issues Blog.

I gotta tell you I was really intimidated by this LO. It is so freakin' spectacular I wanted to do it justice!

Well, a few ideas began to swirl around in my head. There's rainbow colors, Ombré, decisions decisions... How about Vicki Boutin Color Study! It's bright and oh! oh! the Thumbnail paper is speaking to me. It says the colors will be pretty perfect for all of the photos I took at the tulips fields!  

My photos are vertical and a little larger, so I flipped the sketch. After sifting through all the flowers in the icon ephemera. I realized  there weren't flowers in all the colors in the paper. I've never been so happy that I purchased the Hello Stamp Set! I stamped a bunch of flowers in different sizes, then fussy cut them! Boom. Custom flowers! I tucked, layered and lifted them around the photos to mimic the effect that Jennifer created on her LO. I'm pretty happy with the result!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Head over to our Facebook Group where you can find all of our  May Challenges! Grab some Vicki Boutin  or some new Simple Stories  and the new Distress Oxide Salvaged Patina! It's 20% odd when yours DEVRA at checkout. 

Cheery Blossoms

Hey Hey I'm dancin' to a little Maroon Five, oops, I mean scrappin' to a little Maroon Jive  on the Paper Issues blogtoday! I was so afraid of this challenge. For Real. Maroon? What color even is that? Is it dark red? Well, let me show you what I did. 

The first thing I did was tear into the April Kit. I fussy cut a bunch of the mandalas from the 1Mandala paper, focusing on the ones with more reds and pinks in them. To get more maroon shades, I went to my inks, stencils and stamps. I mixed a couple of pink Distress Oxides for the foundation. then I used one of the pinks with the Vicki Boutin Chart stencil. To add more of the deeper red, I stamped some more dots using Vicki Boutin Hello Stamp set with PinkFresh Studio Inks. Aha! It even turned out the way I wanted it to!  I stamped the title with the Elle's Studio Medium Jane Alphas. There. I think I conquered my fear of Maroon! 

Thanks for stopping by today! Head over to our Facebook Group where you can find all of our April Challenges, and upcoming events. Shop the Paper Issues store for all new Vicki Boutin, kits and so much more. the best part is it's 20% off when you use DEVRA at checkout. See you next time!

Stay Salty

Hello Hello! It's Rainbow month at Paper Issues and I'm sharing my Somewhere Over the Rainbow project on the blog today. 

Rainbows. They are everywhere right now! In shapes, colors and design. I love adding them to my pages as embellishments and making them a featured part of my page. So, my first thought for today was, how do I make another rainbow page, but different? 

Well. I started with the Rainbow Clouds cut file. Instead of cutting it out, I converted the lines so I could stitch it. Oh wait. I've done that before too! Ooh, ooh! String art! Boy did that take a while. But it was so worth it. My plan all along was to cut it out, but I still wasn't sure how I was going to use it. 

Enter Amy Tangerine Brave & Bold. After sorting through all of the wonderfully whimsical papers, I landed on the Take Note paper for the background. That's when I thought, hmmm, how about flipping the rainbow upside down! Oh, after that decision, the rest was easy. I used both the Monarch and Brave&Bold papers under my photo. One of my favorite things about Amy Tangerine is how random her themes are. They go with any type of photo, story and idea. I grabbed some fun and funny sentiments out of the stickers, ephemera and Thickers, layering them around the page.  There are so many embellishment choices! And I'll tell you a little secret. I don't usually get along very well with multi colored alphas. I know! Call me crazy! But these Stories Alpha Thickers might have changed me. The colors are bright and, they really tied all of the colors together on my page!

We recently visited a small tourist town. It was a beautiful day and one of our first real outings in over a year. My sweet tooth took over when we saw a candy store. We walked in to find over 25 flavors of Saltwater taffy. Its an old favorite of mine so of course we had to buy some! (Don't tell my dentist!)

Thank so much for stopping by my creative view today. I've been sharing more on Instagram @thebeachygal. Join all the fun in the Paper Issues Facebook Group where you can find all of the April Challenges. Shop for all new Amy Tangerine , Echo Park and Vicki Boutin using DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase!  See you again soon.  

 

Waste Manager

Hello there!  It cannot be the last day of March already! Where did the month go?!?! Well, I'm on the  Paper Issues blog today closing out the month with this week's sketch. Look at how fun it is!

By now, you had to know I was going to give my own spin. Oh, dont get me wrong. This sketch is awesome. But I saw the chevron and got my own idea. I have the super versatile PinkFresh Studio Chevron stamp.  Im always thinking about different ways to use my supplies. So, for the stamp, why not flip it to create more of a patterned background! Same goes for Distress Oxides. I blended 3 greens all on the same stampto create a marbled look when stamped. I did the same with the 3 yellows. I also used textured cardstock so it looks a bit distressed. I stamped some extra images, then cut them out and popped them up for a little bit extra. 

Next? Paper.  PinkFresh Studio Keeping It Real. Why?  My favorite things are the stickers and ephemera. Come on, they couldn't be more perfect.  I didn't want to take away from the photos or stamping, so these little bits are enough! I even used my Tab Punch! I like using a sketch as a starting point as much as I like using it the way it was designed. I hope I gave you some ideas for both today!

Every day he watches and observes and absorbs everything around him. Lately, he has decided he doesn't like the trash can out so he is always trying to put it away. He figured out how to do it himself. Works for me. I wonder if I can teach him to put all the laundry away?

Like I said, I'm closing out the March Challenges. Never fear! April Challenges will be posted in our Facebook Group tomorrow AND, you have until Sunday, April 4 to enter your March projects for a chance to win a Gift Card to the Paper Issues shop! Head over there now to grab the PinkFresh Studio Chevron stamp or any of the new Simple Stories and Fancy Pants collections. Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. 

Thanks for stopping by today. Head over to Instagram @thebeachygal to see more of what I've been creating. 

For A Reason

Good morning! IIt's a beautiful day for some sunshine and flowers and  bright colors. Oh wait. Wrong challenge. What was I thinking. Today's project is for the Love to Hear Percussion challenge and I' sharing it on the Paper Issues blog.

I didn't get messy, but I sure did play with ink!  I made my background!  I mixed 3 different pink Distress Oxides Kitsch Flamingo, Spun Sugar, and Picked Raspberry, with PinkFresh Studio Layered Stencils. Can I say how much I love these stencils?!?! They are so easy use. I love the way the 3 colors blend. I cant wait ti try it with other color combinations!  

Even better, the pinks are an awesome companion to PinkFresh Studio Keeping It Real !  I think they blend beautifully with the Deep Breath floral paper and all of the Floral Ephemera. Seriously. The flowers. Get them if you don't have them. And phrase stickers. They are the best. I found a few that fit the mood of my page!

See, you don't always have to be messy playing with inks and paints! Try it my way. It's fun!  Grab some Distress Oxides, PinkFresh Studio  and more in the Paper Issues Shop! Its all 20% off when you use DEVRA at checkout. Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. Check out more of what Ive been creating @thebeachygal on Instagram.  See you again soon!

Snow Chill

Hey there snow there! Who's ready for a little Sunday Scraplifting? That's right, friends. Another Scraplift Sunday is upon us and today and I'm sharing my lift of Kelly's layout on the Paper Issues blog today.

I love a good vertical design and this lift did not disappoint! To be honest, there wasn't much I wanted to change up. I thought about flipping it horizontal, but where's the fun in that? I even knew how I would do the title!

It doesn't snow here regularly, so when it does, its always a huge ordeal. The upside is new photos! My dog loves the snow. LOVES. He prances and hops around all over. He digs with his nose then bites it too! It's so much fun to watch.  

The challenge for me today was paper!!! I have no wintery snowy themed paper right now. Nope.  I had to improvise. Enter PinkFresh Days of Splendor! Yup. It's a fall collection, so kinda the same thing right? I lied the cool minty colors on the Grateful Heart paper and the purples in the Ephemera were icy perfection.  Before I glued anything though, I made the background with distress oxides in Speckled Egg. I used Weathered Wood with a stencil to create the 'snowflakes' around the page. Oh, the most fun I has was making the title using the Elle's Studio Medium Jane Alpha stamps. I used both the Solid and the Outline stamps with PinkFresh Studio Urban Raincoat ink. Amazing and so much fun to layer. I highly recommend them!

Well, there you have it! Hope to see you playing along with us. You can find this Scraplift Sunday,  along with all of the other challenges in the March Challenge album, in our Facebook Group. Shop the Paper Issues store for new PinkFresh Studio and so much more, Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. Thanks for stopping by today. See you again soon

The Story Teller

Hello hello! Im on the Paper Issues blog today! It's still February and we are still working our way through all the things we love this month. For the Love of Books would you look at my reading list. oh wait. Right, Let me back up a bit. The challenge is For the Love of Anything but Pink and Red. That's right. No pink or red on this project. 

Now I can tell you about books! I love to read. eBooks are great, but there is still nothing like holding a book and turning the pages. Could there be any better match for this then Vicki Boutin Storyteller? I think not. I challenged myself to use the First Draft paper for the background. Who am I kidding this is the whole reason I bought this paper. I was still intimidated, but I powered through. I wound up layering the book ephemera, ending up with a stacked design, Appropriate yes? I struggled with how much more stuff to add. I didn't really want to over do it. So there are lots of pieces behind the photo, and a few heart stickers because, well, this is still about love. I couldn't decide what to do around the edges, so at the last minute, tore some holes txobreak it up a bit. And guess what. there is no pink or red!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you are inspired to try a background paper like this. You can grab it and so much more in the Paper Issue shop for 20% off  when you use DEVRA at checkout. Find this and all the February Challenges in our Facebook Group. You have all week to enter for your chance to win a gift card to the shop!  See you next time!

Valentine Mini Book

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!

Find Your Dreams

Hey hey hey, it's the 1st of February. That doesn't rhyme. I tried. Well, It's an exciting day around here. All new February Challenges are posted in the Paper Issues Friends and Fans Facebook group! This months theme is so Lovely. I'm starting the month off on the Paper Issues Blog   with the Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing challenge. This one has all kinds of options. Birds, music, musical notes, favorite songs.  

You know, we're in that weird time, impatiently waiting for new releases to arrive. So stash digging I went. Ohhh! I forgot I had some of this Vicki Boutin Wild Flower and Honey! Even better? There are owls in it! yay! Birds it is. I love rediscovering my stash!  I think the colors are great and the owls are perfect for a Graduation photo! I layered a bunch of everything! Paper, stickers, chipboard and ephemera. I have it all. There were so many inspirational sentiments this really came together quickly.

I highly recommend stash digging. It was so much fun. I wonder what else I have? You know what else I recommend? Shopping. There are some fun new embellishments and tools in the Paper Issues shop that can freshen up what you have on hand. I just picked up some Distress Oxide inks and new stamps!  Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase! Remember to share what you make in the February Challenges album for your chance to win a gift card to the shop! Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!

 

 

Don't Poke the Bear

Hello hello! It's my turn on the  Paper Issues Blog today.  I had so much fun playing games with all of the January challenges this month! I have one last game to play and it's a good one, Cards Against Humanity!  

This was a fun one. I went straight to my Swag Bag stash and grabbed a stack of 3x4 cards. I grouped some of the colors together then fanned them out like a deck of cards. Boom. Game over! Ok, ok, it was almost that easy. The hard part? Embellishing! So many colors and patterns. I would up using a few pieces of ephemera, also from Swag bags, a bunch of enemal dots and Nuvo Drops!. 

Speaking of poking the bear? I really wanted to sew around the edge, but he was asleep and I didn't want towage him! Would you if  your child slept like this? Next best thing is the Dritz Tracing wheel! I ran it through Hickory Smoke Distress Oxides and rolled it around the edge a few times. I like the wonky lines it created. Well, that's really me not being able to go in a straight line....

Thanks so much for stopping by today and for playing along with the challenges all month. February is right around the corner. Join our Facebook group for all the fun, challenges games and ideas! Get yourself a Swag Bag subscription in the Paper Issues shop. Use DEVRA for 20% off your purchase!  See you next month!

 

Elf Off the Shelf

 Hello Hello! I'm on the Paper Issues blog and yes, I know it's January, Christmas is long over, yeah, yeah, yeah...but I need to warn you! There's an elf on the loose! He wears a red & green sequin hat and never stops smiling while wearing... Ok, ok, Phew! I caught him! I'll be able to store him on this layout I made for the Jenga challenge. 

Jenga is a family favorite game. Stack 'em high and watch them..fall! Well, I went with a stacked design today using mostly Pretty Little Studio Christmas Cheer. It's a pretty simple page but you want to know the hardest part? Deciding which paper and how to place them! I lie. this one wasn't that hard. Staying in black and white made it easier. I added most of the color using colored labels   and other embellishments. I even used the title as one of the stacked layers, and it holds the photo too, An even 'square', just like the game.

Thank you for being here! This was a fun challenge! I encourage you to try it or any of the other January Challenges! You can find them all in our Facebook group! Start your year with some new supplies. Grab them in the Paper Issues shop for 20% off using DEVRA at checkout. See more on Instagram @thebeachygal

 

Wiiiiii

Hello and Happy New Year!  I'm  kicking off the all new 2021 challenges on the Paper Issues blog. Have you figured out the January theme? That's right! Games!  So let's get these games started already! First up is the Pictionary challenge. You can call it a mood board, I call it full of ideas! There are games, colors, shapes, pretty much anything!

I was giddy when I saw the Game Boy! Umm, maybe I still have one 😮 My son and I love to play Mario Kart, and yes we still have our Wii. I suck, but we always have fun and laugh while we play.

 I grabbed the last bits of Simple Stories Bro & Co. I never in a million years thought I would use the game controller stickers, but man was I happy to have them! I literally layered a bunch of scrap pieces under the photos, then tucked the few remaining journal bits I had as well. Oh and that banner?  I fussy cut from the Level Up paper! I wanted to make a fun light hearted page with these photos. Mission accomplished!

Thanks for starting the new year with Paper Issues. Join our Facebook group to find all the new January Challenges. Enter one or enter them all. Each entry gives you a chance to win a gift card to the Paper Issues shop! Grab your favorites in the shop and remember to use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. See you next time!