Free Layered Template for Digi Pages

Ok...so I have to admit that making digi pages is kind of fun! I was browsing through Oscraps today and found a link to this free Layered Template by Paislee Press. It's a super easy way to make a layout in Photoshop, especially with her fantastic tutorial as a guide. I added a texture and some brushes and it still looks way too "clean" for my normal type of layout. I like it though...


This is my friend's oldest daughter, Ashley. Isn't she beautiful?

Home Sweet Home

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Now that Christmas is over and things have begun to slow down a little, I thought I would share some of the projects I made this past month.

The first one is a home decor item made from a wooden board. I painted it and added the vinyl saying. Then I made the little houses to hang from each of the three decorative knobs. The base of the house started out as a die cut. Then I covered it with paper by Graphic 45, some trims, and other embellishments. I thought it would be fun to create a set of houses for each season and change them throughout the year.

Here's some extra houses that I turned into large tree ornaments:

Here's some mini versions (also made using an AccuCut die) that I used as gift tags as well as smaller tree ornaments. I love how they turned out and they added an extra special touch to everyone's presents.

I was thinking of this quote from Winnie the Pooh the other day and decided to make it into a hanging plaque for my friend. I created the print in PhotoShop and decoupaged it onto a small board. I thought it would look really cute hanging from a peg or shelf. She loved it!

I made some 8x8 calendars for the grandma's for Christmas. I will post those later this week. Thanks for looking!

My 1st Digital Page!

OK, so I'm still not sure this will become a habit, but I decided to try my hand at creating a digital layout to give to my husband for Christmas. There were parts of it that were frustrating (especially since I don't really know what I'm doing), but it was still faster than creating a paper layout.

I have been downloading free digi kits from 2 Peas and Oscraps and other places for a long time "just in case" I ever figured out what to do with them. Well, here is the result:

Embellishments: Erica Hernandez "Feeling Bookish" from 2 Peas in a Bucket; Paper: Erica Hernandez "November 2010 Freebie"; Frame and Paint Swatch: Jessica Sprague; Textures: Flickr; Fonts: Adler and Karabine.

I used a lot of the techniques I learned in my Jessica Sprague photo editing class...adding textures, masks, text, etc. It was kind of fun and I like how it turned out. The project was inspired by the StoryPeople quote shown on the page. I'm going to print it out in an 8x8 size and frame it for one of his gifts.

So, what do you think for my first attempt?

Porter's New Year's Day Crop

In between working, chasing kids around, Christmas shopping, baking, and a million other things, I have been helping to plan our big New Year's Day crop at Porter's.

I am so excited about the products we get to share in the paper crafting kits for that day! My Mind's Eye designed an exclusive paper pad that is not available in stores. It is one of my all time favs!! The colors are perfect and reflect something for every season. So as a design team, we decided to create some 1-page layouts AND an 8x8 calendar. It was so much fun to design!

Here's a peek at my part of the assignment:

Here's my 12x12 layout. The little quote says, "No matter the weather I'm glad we're together." I wanted to imitate all four seasons by using vertical strips of patterned papers across the top half of the layout. The swirl at the bottom is lots of fun and anchors the whole page. The little yellow heart is made from felt that is stapled into place. (Felt is my new favorite)!


Now, on to my 8x8 calendar pages. I made one set and then decided they were way too complicated for the short amount of time we had to create all of them. So I redesigned them to be more simple. The die cutting will be the most time consuming, and I will already have some of that done for our customers.

here's March...

June...
(It really needs a title. Mine is going to say "Relax." They can add whatever they want there).

September...

...and December. (More felt!!) :)

I'll post my "complicated" pages later.

If you are in the Idaho Falls or Rexburg area, please join us on New Year's Day. It will be so much fun and it's a great bargain too!

Free Scrapbooking Fonts!

I was searching for a certain font (PeaMissy) and just stumbled upon the motherload of free scrapbooking fonts! Have a look here.

Click on either the "Fonts for Peas" link or the "Free Scrapbook Fonts" link. There is a button down the right side of her blog where you can download them all at once or you can pick and choose which ones you want. Each of the two links has different types of fonts, so you can really stock up!

Have fun!

AMAZING Paper Piecing on Ebay!

Quick! Look at this amazing paper piecing on eBay before it's gone! This woman truly has a knack for details. I looked and looked at her photos but was still surprised with the tiny details still to be discovered after reading her descriptions of each page. It's a beautiful piece of art! I think it would be cool if this was photographed and made into a children's book with peek-a-boo flaps and hidden elements. It could keep a child busy for hours!

St. Nick is Here!

As promised, here's a look at some fun Christmas projects I made this weekend using Bo Bunny's St. Nick collection. I love the vintage Santas and the pretty patterns as well as the rich colors.

Maureen Wilson, a member of the Porter's design team, created a project last year using a wooden "Joy" and a mat and frame. I was assigned to make another one this year using a different collection of papers and stickers. Here's how it turned out:

Surprisingly, this project was easy to make and only took a short amount of time. You can easily alter the look by using different papers and stickers or changing the mat and/or frame.

My next project was this fun Christmas banner. (Check out the December issue of Simply Handmade for step by step instructions for making a similar one).

I love how versatile banners can be. You can create some for holidays, birthdays, and other family celebrations. Here's a brief overview of how to make one:

Start with a chipboard base and cut into as many triangles as you would like. I found the perfect triangle pattern on the Maya Road website here. (Just scroll down until you find the "Book Templates." Then click on the triangle shaped book and a PDF file will pop up that you can print out).

Decorate the chipboard with bits of patterned paper, rick rack, and ribbon. Die cut stars (or any other shape) and letters to spell anything you would like.

I discovered a super easy way to attach glitter to the die cut letters without making a big mess. First, die cut your letters from cardstock. Then, run them upside down through a Xyron sticker maker. This will attach adhesive to the front of the letter.

Then sprinkle them with glitter and shake off the excess. It's as easy as can be and virtually mess free! (I loved the Martha Stewart glitter for this project).

Attach the banner together with wire or ribbon. You can leave a little space in between each pennant for tying bits of lace and ribbon if desired. Attach part of a Christmas pick to each end and finish off with some more pretty ribbons.

(I apologize for the quality of these photos. They were taken in the basement of the store and the lighting there was horrible)!

My last project for today is a simple layout I made using some scraps of paper:

Bo Bunny's "Buttons and Bling" were perfect for creating this little tree embellishment. There were still plenty of buttons left over that I plan to use on some Christmas cards later.

Happy Scrapping!