Home Sweet Home

Hello Friends!

Today I'm sharing this layout with you that I made using a Free cut file from the Paper Issues Shop. Head on over to their shop (link found on the right of the screen) to find hundreds of free cut files!

I used the beautiful Doodlebug, Hello collection to make this page. I was inspired by a layout that Paige Evans made by putting the embellishments on top of the cut file instead of backing the file. Doodlebug went above and beyond with the embellishments and different elements in this collection. You literally get hundreds of small, intricate, colorful and beautifully designed ephemera and embellishments to work with. 

If you follow me, you know I love fussy cutting, so regardless of how many embellishments I get I will always find that one page I can fussy cut, and in this case it was the page with all the beautiful little flowers on.

I did a little bit of mixed media on the background, I used my ink blending tool to smooth out some blue ink onto the white paper to look like clouds. I wanted to give the illusion that the wreath and house are floating in the sky. I didn't want to cover up too much of that background so I matted my photo on some tissue paper. The two birdcages seem to be hanging from the wreath, I created the 'chain' effect with a boarder strip for the 12x12 sticker sheet.   

     

The rest is pretty simple really, I backed my entire layout on a very dark and busy pattern paper to balance out the floral cluster on the page. I also distressed the edges and stapled one of the corners to add some extra interest and texture. 

Remember, if you use my code LESLIE when you check out at the Paper Issues shop you will get 20% off you entire purchase!

If you love process videos, click on the link below for the process video for this layout.

Scrapbook process video no.17 / Doodlebug, Hello - Home sweet home

Enjoy!!

Life is Beautiful!

Hello!

I'm excited to share this layout with you that I made for the Paper Issues Design Team for a challenge called, What's going down. Head on over to their Facebook page, Paper Issues Friends and fans if you need inspiration to scrap your photo's.

The photo I will be scrapping today is of my husband and his sister, they must have been about 4 and 3 years old.

I used the new Carta Bella Spring Market collection, and thought that the page of a shop window would be perfect for my background. I wanted to create a large element on the page, so I pulled out my Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils and drew a flower pot and a poppy. I also created the poppy's cut file by drawing a basic outline of the flower and using my craft knife to cut it out. I used some of the pink patterned paper to back the little poppy cut file I created. To add some dimension and interest in the flower I colored it with some Inktense pencils and just added some water with a fine brush to smooth out the color. 

I also did a lot of fussy cutting for the page. I cut the sprigs next to the big poppy from one of the papers with the tags on and the small flowers from one of the other pattern papers. 

I really like fussy cutting as it stretches my embellishments and it gives me a lot more to work with and so I am able to be more creative. 

I also used some of the chipboard elements and the 12x12 sticker sheet.

Lastly I drew a faint doodle line around the edge of my page. 

Remember If you use my code LESLIE when you check out of the Paper Issues shop you will get 20% of your entire purchase!

And if you are a stickler for process videos like I am, here is a link to the video for this layout.

Scrapbook process video no.20 / Carta Bella, Spring Market - Life is beautiful

Enjoy!

Hello Summer

Hello friends!
Today I'm sharing this layout with you that I made for the Paper Issues Design Team, for the challenge called Free File. If you are in need of some stunning cut files, head on over to the Paper Issues Shop and find the Free cut files. There are literally hundreds of free cut files, how awesome os that?

I used a fair amount of mixed media on this layout, Twinkling's H2O's Majestic and then two Gelato's, Snow cone and Metallic Mint. I tried to create a gradient effect, starting with light blue at the top of the page moving to a darker and deeper blue to the bottom of the page. I did apply Gesso to my page before I applied the mixed media, I was not sure how much water I would apply, so I wanted to be on the safe side. 

I used the beautiful Island Escape collection from Bella BLVD. I thought it woud be the perfect collection to document this photo of me holding up a drink with the beautiful blue sky and shallow waters of the Arabian gulf. 

To make the two Monsterra leaves I scanned one of the ephemera pieces into my Brother scan and cut, and had the machine cut the leaf. I drew a border on the inside of the leaf and cut on the line, this created the two cut files that I chose to back with two of the patterned papers. The other three leaves are from the Paper Issues shop Free cut files, the file is called Tropical Palms 2.

The rest of pretty basic. I did some layering with a 4x6 card from the cut apart sheet and added some of the ephemera flowers behind the photo. Lastly I added some sequins from my stash which I tried to keep in the same colors as the blue gradient. To finish off the layout I outlined the layout with a yellow Copic marker and an extra fine black Sharpie.

Remember, that if you use my code LESLIE when you check out of the Paper Issues shop you will get 20% off your purchase. 

If you like process videos, here is the link to this layout's video!

Scrapbook Process video no.22 / Bella BLVD Island Escape - Hello Summer   

Enjoy!!  

Hand in hand - Bella BLVD, All people, All nations

Hello friends!

I was super excited when I got the assignment from the Paper Issues team, 'Put it on an angle'.

I immediately knew just what I wanted to do. I have had this new Bella BLVD All people, All nations, in my stash for a few weeks now, and I needed to use it. 

The collection is beautiful, with vibrant bright colors, showing off bold patterns and interesting designs. I knew that this collection would be perfect for my idea for the challenge.

I usually have a picture that I want to scrap and then I build a layout around the picture, however, this time it was different. I designed the layout first and then I went on the hunt in my photo stash for the perfect photo. 

I decided that I wanted to showcase the beautiful patterned papers in the Bella BLVD collection, so I tried to use all of them in this layout. 

Talking about killing a kit in one layout? 

Well, here you go!

I used some yellow/orange mist from my stash and Heidi Swapp gold color shine to create the background on American Crafts textured white cardstock. I 'painted' with the nozzle and also made some big splatters and swirls with the nozzles directly onto the paper. I did not apply Gesso as I knew I would not use that much mixed media. 

I then basically just went through the papers in the collection and placed them in an order that would be one busy patterns followed by a muted or monochromatic pattern. once I had found the combination I liked I just slapped some glue on the papers and glued them straight to the page and on top of each other at different angles. I distressed the edges of the papers with my fingers and nails, I have no idea where my edge distressor is, but my fingers did great. You will see on closer inspection that I used a lot of staples to hold the edges and corners of the distressed papers down, this also adds extra interest and texture. I also stapled the photo to the layout without using much glue. I decided that I did not want to do a lot of embellishing on this layout as the background and various patterned papers were already adding a lot of color and pattern to the page, I did not want it to get too busy. So I used a few of the 12x12 sticker sheet stickers and doodled around the edges of the photo and the layout. 

I really hope you take some inspiration from this layout and please don't be scared to kill a kit with one layout. If you have a kit that has been sitting in your stash for a while, do something drastic and try to think completely out of the box. It feels awesome once you get to use those papers.

Remember to use my code, 'Leslie' for 20 % off your next Paper Issues purchase.

If you are a stickler for YouTube process videos, you can find this process here!

https://youtu.be/0B4TZEB3290

Bye for now!   

Bloom with grace

Hello scrappy friends! 

It's me, Leslie on the blog today! 

I was so excited when I saw this month's sketch and that it had a sunburst on the background! I love making sunburst layouts.

However, with this layout I wanted to go a bit abstract, and less literal. 

So I got out some of my Mister Huey's Audrey, Sprinkler's Miss Mary Mack and some Heidi Swapp Gold Color shine because, why not!? A lot of splattering, splotching and smudging ensued, and I came up with my interpretation of a sunburst.

I chose to use the Crate Paper Flourish collection, because it is GORGEOUS! 

I fussy cut the butterflies from one of the 6x6 paper pad pattern papers, and I went through the copious amounts of die cuts and embellishments to frame my photo. Lastly I framed the layout with a frame cut out of one of the 12x12 pattern papers.

Head on over to my YouTube channel, Leslie Berner for the process video. 

https://youtu.be/i0vvmvmmQoo

Go and have fun with this sketch! There are endless summer layouts to be made with it's inspiration!

Oh, and don't forget, if you use my coupon code, Leslie, you will get 20% off your purchase in the Paper Issues shop!  

Priorities

Hi friends!

I haven't been very active on my blog lately, I have been trying to find my groove and get into a routine with my YouTube channel and posting at least 3 videos a week. It doesn't sound a lot, but believe you me, it takes time and work. But I like doing it, I just wish it wasn't so time consuming. 

But here I am! Yay! 

I'm going to try to get the blog post done for every video I upload from now on, and I'm going to try to catch up on the ones I have missed.

So today I'm going to share a layout with you that I made for a new series I started on my YouTube channel called, Stash Bash! I know, very original, but it is exactly describing what I want to do,
 I NEED TO GET INTO MY STASH AND BASH IT PEOPLE!
Yes, shouty capitals are absolutely necessary.   

Here is the layout....

So like I said, I needed to get my stash smaller, so I decided to go into my alpha stash and see what I can do. I hand cut my own 'cut file overlay'. It was really easy, hand cutting generic shapes without too much detail is really not that challenging. Try it!

The layering behind my photo is from my deep stash, I have no idea where I got them or who manufactured them.....Sorry....!

But I can tell you that the the cute book bag and pencil I got at a shop in South Africa, the lady that makes and sell these, uses her Silhouette, and you will be able to find the cute cut files in the Silhouette store. 

So yes scrappy people, that is it for this layout!

If you are a Process Video nut .....like MEEEEEEEEE...........

  https://youtu.be/_tszpQJSXMg 

Enjoy!