Echo Park Love Story 2-page Valentine's Day Digital Layout

Today I'm sharing a double page Valentine's Day layout I created for my 8x8 Shutterfly album several months ago.

I made this digital layout using Echo Park's Love Story collection designed by Lori Whitlock and a sketch by Allison Davis. I tried to pick a sketch that not only worked with my photos, but also with the embellishments in the collection without a lot of special masking templates and shapes I didn't yet own.

This layout was my first attempt at Digital scrapbooking and working on it was exhilarating.  I had a light bulb moment realizing with my simple (non-Photoshop) software I could fill any digital embellishment with the patterned paper of my choice.  

For my layout I used the following kits available for purchase at Snap.Click.Supply:

• Echo Park Love Story Element Pack #1
• Echo Park Love Story Paper Pack #2
• Echo Park Love Story Full Collection

Thanks for taking a look and for the sweet comments that have been left.  I know we are all so busy so they always mean so much to me!  :)

A Lawn Fawn Bee Mine Valentine's Day Card

For today's Love inspired project I have a card I made using Lawn Fawn's adorable Bee Mine mini stamp set, along with American Craft's XOXO collection from last year.

I made this card for a past magazine call asking for card ideas using every single stamp in a stamp set.  With that in mind I picked a small set, and heat embossed the scene onto chalkboard paper from Echo Park's Here & Now collection.  It was such a fun little challenge!  :)

Thanks for hanging with my today!  :)

"You Warm My Heart" Love Themed Hot Cocoa Card

Today I have a card to share that would be perfect for an everyday Winter "thinking of you" sort of card or even for Valentine's Day.

I created this one using a Silhouette Coffee Mug cutting file found HERE, substituting vellum steam from the Brr Hot Chocolate file found HERE.

For my sentiment I cut apart the "Warm Hearts + mug" cutting file found HERE and paired it with some of my favorite Ali Edwards stamps by Technique Tuesday.  I'm happy with how it turned out--Feels like a warm hug!  :)

Hope you have a wonderful start to your week!  

Jillibean Heart Healthy Red Bean Soup Valentine's Day Cards

Hello there!  I recently ordered some of Jillibean Soup's newest release called Heart Healthy Red Bean Soup and I couldn't wait to play and create some fun Valentine's Day cards with it!  :)

My first card uses one of my favorite images from the "Peapod Parts" set:  The darling FOX!  I just love him!  I paired him with speech bubbles which were fussy cut from the "Bite" paper.  To add a little interest I stitched around a couple and then popped up others with foam tape.

For my second card I used the balloons from the Peapod parts set which I tied with white twine to add a realistic look to them.  I love how the heart paper is perfectly sized to create a border for an A2 sized card!  I finished off my card with a sentiment and tiny tags also from the peapod parts set.  

Thanks so much for swinging by.  I hope you have an awesome weekend!  :)

Another Doodlebug Sweethearts Valentine's Day layout

Welcome!  I hope you all had an awesome weekend full of rest and relaxation!  :)  Today I have another layout to share using Doodlebug's fun new Sweethearts collection.  These papers are so hard to put down!

For this one I thought it would try and create an ombre look of sorts by diecutting the papers using Lawn Fawn's Heart Lawn Cuts.  It was my first time breaking them in and I can tell they will become a frequently used favorite of mine.  Such a great versatile set!

For my "Love" title I diecut the word using a Silhouette/KI Memories cutting file found HERE.

I thought Doodlebug's adorable mini love notes were the perfect embellishment for a layout celebrating my daughter's class party and their ceremony of opening Valentines!

A Doodlebug Lovebirds Valentine's Day Treat Box

Popping in to share a Doodlebug Lovebirds Treat Box that was published in the January 2014 digital issue of Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking magazine.  I made this based on their sketch for the month and it was so quick and easy to put together!

To match the sketch I created a compressed version of Lori Whitlock's 3D Tall Box (with no handle).  I simple shorted the length by squeezing the height measurements (this required I cut a rectangle to fit on the inside bottom to account for the shortened tabs that fold along the bottom, but otherwise it worked beautifully!

Thanks for stopping by.  :)

Paper Smooches Green Thumb Spring & Valentine Cards

Paper Smooches is looking for a guest designer for February so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to play with my darling "Green Thumb" set that has been begging to see some ink.  I decided to challenge myself to create a variety of cards using a single set to showcase these stamps amazing versatility!

For my first card, I couldn't fight the urge to immediately pull out my Copic markers and color all the vegetable images in this darling set.  I paired them with some old Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety papers that I haven't had the heart to part with.  I thought they complimented each other pretty well.

For my next card I took the gardening boots and turn them into cheerful, happy rain boots!    Can I just say I would love to have all these boots in real life?!  They totally make me happy!  I stamped them onto shrunken down 6x6 prints from Doodlebug's Fruit Stand collection and bordered my card with coordinating strips of polka-dot washi tape.  I also popped up the top boot from each pair with foam tape for a little extra dimension.

For my last card I wanted to go in a somewhat unexpected direction and make a Valentine's day card with the watering can and heart images (and patterned papers, ribbon, twine & button by Doodlebug).  Kim Hughes is the master of adorable, punny sentiments and this one is so perfect!  :)

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Make sure to swing by the Paper Smooches blog for loads of inspiring ideas using their fabulous stamp and die line-up!  :)

Doodlebug Sweetheart Valentine's Day Projects

Yesterday I had my first official assignment up on Doodlebug's blog using their newest yummy collection:  SWEETHEARTS!  I had seriously so much fun playing with it!!!

First up is an Ice Cream Soda card I created using a variation on a Silhouette cutting file found HERE.  For my ice cream I hand-cut Doodlebug's sugar coated cardstock, topping it with rhinestone sprinkles and pixie sticks as miniature straws!

Next up is a banner I created using Doodlebug's awesome new kraft treat bags and paper doilies.  I have a feeling these little bags are going to become a fast favorite of mine with all the different ways one can use them!

For this project I thought it would be fun to isolate all the pinks in the collection for a more monochromatic look.

For my next project I dressed up a simple white gift bag created using We R Memory Keeper's new gift bag punch board.  I added a little pocket to the front by folding a punched circle in half and stitching it down to hold some cute tickets from the collection.  My handle was made extra sturdy by braiding three strands of Doodle twine.

My last project features a layout from my daughter's kindergarten party.  I love how the kraft colors in this collection are a perfect match for the kraft bags the kids decorated to hold their valentines!

The new red XOXO's washi tape is another favorite of mine!  Such an awesome new width and so versatile! To form my border I layered various cardstock stickers and fussy cut hearts from the patterned paper, popping some up with foam tape for extra dimension.

Thanks for swinging by and allowing me to share my Sweetheart projects with you today!   I hope you will grab yourself some of this adorable collection and play along.  It's seriously addicting!

Lori Whitlock's Blog Hop with Birthday Calendar

Welcome to Lori Whitlock's January Blog Hop!  You should be arriving here from Corri's blog or if you're just joining in on the fun you can see the whole hop from the beginning at Lori's blog.  :)

With the start of a new year I thought it would be fun to create a perpetual Birthday calendar that I can use year after year using Lori's To Do List with Pen Holder cutting file.

I decided to decorate my cover with some of Lori's recently released birthday shapes (along with some happy papers from Doodlebug's Fruit Stand & Petite Prints collections). 

To create my title I spelled out my words using Lori's versatile Bubble Letter font (see below for a mini tutorial on how I created them on a curve.

For my interior pages I turned Lori's cutting file into a print-and-cut by typing within the shape, filling the name of each month with a color and then turning off the cut lines (for everything, but the exterior outline).

I thought it might be nice to take some screen shots during my design process to see some of the steps I took to create my little book (you can click on each of the images to view them larger).

For the words "Birthdays" and "Remember" I wanted them to curve with my mat so I created a large circle (slightly larger than my mat so that there would be a space between them).  I then typed my words (one at a time) and double clicked on them until the "+" sign appears.  Picking up the word by the plus sign and moving it the circle makes them mold to the shape you are attaching them to.  It's a super nifty trick.  I repeated it for each of the words.  Then when it came to adhering them to my project, I used the negative portion of the cut word to align them.  I used a glue pen to adhere the actual letters, lifting the negative piece off and discarding when I was finished.

For my interior calendar pages I sized my book so that I could fit two pages to an 8.5 x 11 sheet of cardstock.  Typing these out, printing each of them and then cutting them all took a bit of time (especially since the amount of text seemed to overwhelm the software), but now that I have them all saved they will go much quicker the next time I want to make more.  

In hindsight it probably would be quicker to create them in photoshop, import them and then insert Lori's cutting file over the top.  ;)

This last screen shot shows my cut lines and how only my exterior lines were set to cut out.

To create my calendar I used the following shapes available for purchase in Lori's shop:

• To Do List Pen Holder
• Birthday Balloon Bouquet
• Present
• Bubble Letter Font

In honor of our hop Lori is having a 30% off sale at her store as well as giving away a Snowflake Lace SVG cutting file at her blog!  :)

You're next stop on the hop is Natalie's blog!  :)

Lori Whitlock

Brigit Mann
Christine Ousley 
Corri Garza 
Mendi Yoshikawa  (You are here)
Natalie Graham 
Traci Penrod 

Chrissy Guido
Ashley Cook
Lorrie Nunemaker  
Smitha Katti
Stephanie Chavers 

Thanks so much for stopping by.  :)

A Technique Tuesday Layout with New Ali Edwards stamps

Technique Tuesday has a new Video up on their blog showcasing a few of there newest releases for Winter CHA.  I was lucky enough to play with two of them on this layout I'm sharing today!  :)

For my layout I used a wonderful Page Maps sketch by Becky Fleck and some fun papers from the Kate & Co. Cambridge Court collection by My Mind's Eye.  I just happened to have the Spellbinder Tags & Flags Shapeabilities dies Becky Fleck designed to match!  :)

These new stamps are so fun and versatile!  I can see myself using them over and over again!   Make sure to check out all the cool new things they are releasing this month!  So many cool  new stamps & dies!!!

To create my layout I used the following new Technique Tuesday sets:

• This Day Was by Ali Edwards
• The Weekly Review by Ali Edwards

You can see the full Technique Tuesday line up HERE.  Thanks for peeking.  :)

Doodlebug Design Team Projects & Introductions

My design team entry projects are up on Doodlebug's blog today!   I still can't believe they picked little ol' me to be on this incredible team.  I seriously feel like I've died and gone to scrapbooking heaven.  ;)

First up is a project I created using their Flower Box collection for a fun everyday themed gift bag (using a twist on Lori Whitlock's Gingerbread House Treat Box Silhouette cutting file).

Front View

Back View

For my next project I created a layout using their adorable Halloween Parade collection...

And finally a Father's Day Card using their ultra cute Day To Day collection...

Thanks for hanging with me today.  Make sure to head over to the Doodlebug blog to meet the rest of the team and see all their beautiful creations.  I have also been busy pinning my favorites to a pinterest board found HERE.

Lori Whitlock Valentine's Day Treat Boxes

I'm very excited to be shedding Christmas and sharing some Valentine's projects over on Lori Whitlock's blog today!

I thought it would be fun to make some treat boxes for my daughter's Valentine's Day gifts that I "surprise" them with each year.  Lori has so many (MANY) clever cutting files in this department that it was hard to narrow it down to just two!

For my first one I used her Heart Window Purse cutting file, using Doodlebug's super fun "Sweethearts" patterned papers and a leftover piece of acetate for the window.

To create a border along the bottom that followed the curve of the folded box, I duplicated the shape and used my knife tool to cut away the top portion approximately 1/2" from the bottom.  Afterwards I just created an offset of approximately .02 so that it would have a little extra room to go over the thickness of the original box.  It worked surprisingly well and was so much easier than trying to maneuver my paper around the angled shape later.

For my second treat box I used Lori's adorable Heart Lid Box.  I kept this one pretty straightforward and had fun embellishing it with rhinestones and ribbon.

Make sure to take a look at all the amazing 3D Boxes and Valentine's Day shapes Lori has to offer.  They will have your mind spinning with all sorts of ideas!  :)