Geek Lab with Hannah

Aloha!!

It’s Hannah with you here today. I am so excited to share this post. I am always thinking of fun ways I can mix up my kits. This month I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to use the cut files we get with our kits and cut my photo?!

This month Amy Horton gave us a cut file to use with the Traveler’s Notebook kit. The Sundance Traveler’s Notebook Kit features the Wish You Were Here collection by Pretty Little Studio and designed by Ashley Horton. It is colorful, travel themed and has some really fun and hip trees in it. I love this collection and this kit is so jammed packed and perfect for the Traveler’s Notebook.

I pulled out my silhouette and cut out the cut file with a couple of pieces of 4×6 patterned journaling cards from the kit. I also decided to be very brave. (I used a different cut file but we also offer digital files with our kits as well.)

I think one of the things about learning in scrapbooking is trying new things. Sometimes these things work out sometimes they don’t and you need to rethink your approach or try it a different way. This problem solving helps you grow as a scrapbooker. I also feel like if you are happy with the way you do things you shouldn’t have to change your style. But sometimes it is just good to try something new to remember why you love your style too.

All this for trying new things. I am cutting on my photo. I printed a big photo of Mt. Rainer from the zoo. I took it with my DSLR, did a simple edit on it. Printed in as a 5×7. This size a tad bigger than the Traveler’s notebook, but once I cut the cut file most of the extra stuff from the photo would be taken out.

If this is something you are wanting to do, I suggest using a photo you know most of the main stuff in the photo will get taken off. This should help pick a photo that can handle that. I choose a mountain image because it contained a lot of blue sky and then a different colored mountain. The mountain is easy and clear to see because it is way lighter than the sky. This difference in light and dark colors and solid less detail helps you see the image even though not all of it is really there.

Using a cut file on your photo can be so cool and a fun way to showcase the cut file and your photo.

This is what my photo looks like all cut,  not on my spread.

I left most of the hello off from the cut file. It wasn’t actually on purpose but in the end I think I would have cut it off anyway so there was less blue from the sky.

I love how the plane has the dark colors from the landscape around the mountain.

Like I mentioned I cut the file with patterned paper as well. This is something I do often. I really like how using different patterns make the cut files look completely different.

I used the really nice Fancy Pants Traveler’s Notebook from the kit this month. I decided to add both the photo and the patterned paper cut file on my spread. 

I kept the spread really simple. Leaving lots of room for journaling. using the washi tape for layers. This also keeps the spread pretty flat , which is something I have been thinking a little more about lately. I want to be able to get my stories in these albums without having to not use pages because I can’t close my notebook.  Using cut files and washi tape for layers I don’t need to add as many layers, though it still looks like I did.

I love the phrase and card stock stickers in this collection. They add some spunk to my spread.

I used a small paper bag that came with my Clique Kits as a place to tuck a tag threaded with colorful twine.

I finished off this spread with some heart die cuts with similar colors as my cut files. It really adds to my journaling without being really busy.

Be sure to head over to the Clique Kits Youtube Channel and watch my process video. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss any of the Design Team videos we post there.

Thanks for joining me today. I hope you check out the store and add your add ons, before the September Kits ship out. I can’t wait to see what you all make with you Traveler’s Notebook Kit this month!!

Geek Lab with Hannah

Aloha!! It’s Hannah here with you today.  The fresh and bold colors in the “Jelly Bean” April Kit have me thinking about Spring. Where I live it’s still pretty green and damp. It has me dreaming about my flower bed from the summer and all the beautiful colors they wore proudly. I knew this kit and the exclusive flower cut file would fit perfectly together to make an awesome layout.

Maybe by making a layout about my flowers will entice them to grow faster! If only scrapbooking brought on the season change and made the weather behave?!! While I dream about wearing old sneakers and dirty garden gloves, lets take a look at what I created.

I really wanted to go BOLD so I used my silhouette to cut the exclusive floral cut file with pattern paper. The cut file is really intricate so it really helps this busy paper pop. The flowers come alive. It will work well on my layout because I am using white cardstock that I made several stripes with dark grey acrylic paint. The color against the dark and white really help them stand out.

I cut one set of flowers big and left them open. I also cut a couple of other sets in plain white cardstock.  I like to use smooth cardstock with my cut files. I find they look better and the thicker quality helps them hold up better in the silhouette. These smaller sets I backed with some of my left over “Paint Me” patterned paper and some of the dotted vellum. I used some tiny staples in gold from my tiny attacher to attach and hold the paper together. I wanted to create shadows by attaching them this way. I wanted the cut file to lift up a bit from the paper to add dimension too.

To me this really helps makes an impact on a layout when you use dimension and shadows in your favor. The bright colors in this kit and paper really help with that as well.

I used 3 3×4 size photos that I matted with white cardstock. With all the color in the cut file and in my photos I didn’t want to go crazy. I also knew I would finish off the layout with some splatters of the Shimmerz Acri-tonez Paints.

I added a couple of the cut aparts from the “Daily Details” Paper for some extra layers. I love the writing on them it’s so fun and said perfectly how I felt. The gold foil on some of the cards is gorgeous and I couldn’t help myself not to use that on this layout.

I lightly embellished this page. The color and intricacy of the cut file really helped fill the page up. I used a few of the Freckled Fawn foam word phrase stickers. They are really fun. I also added some of the Bella Blvd Puffy Stickers and Epoxy Stickers from the Clique Store.  These stickers add just the right amount of extra color to tie my layout together.

For the title I used the Elle Studio White Alphas and one of the Heidi Swapp Acetate words in gold. I love when I have word phrases in my kits to help me with my title. I don’t really mind if I don’t have the most thought out title. As long as it helps capture the feelings I have when I see my photo that’s all that matters to me. I know I will have journaling somewhere on my layout eventually so my family and I can remember all my thoughts about these photos.

Though truth be told, I just really enjoy taking photos of my gorgeous flowers. They are all mine and they are beautiful! I just want to remember how beautiful they are, especially during the middle of the winter when it has been raining for ten days straight and you can see your breathe when you wake up in the morning. It’s times like this I want to remember there is color and beauty that grows right in my own back yard. I don’t need a fancy title this time for that!

To finish off my layout I added Freckled Fawn enamel dots and shapes around my cut file. That is intact what I want my eye to go to first when I look at this layout. I added the year for a date with more of the White Alphas by Elles Studio. Since the date really isn’t important I don’t need it to stand out. I also finished by adding splatters with the Shimmerz Acri-tonez Paints. I just let the paint fall out of the bottle as I lightly squeezed it. I really love the look it gave adding them this way. The paint made really raised spots around my layout and have great dimension. I made sure I put my layout off to the side while it dried so the paint didn’t get touched, or settle down.

I hope you are inspired today to create different looks using just one cut file. It really makes a cut file be versatile when you can get different looks just by changing a few things, like color, shape and what is behind the cut file itself.

Have a great day and I hope you are excited about playing with your April “Jelly Bean” Kit when it shows up at your door. When it does arrive be sure to tag us and share what you creating with your kit!!

Also Check Out my Process Video on the Clique Kits Youtube Channel for more details on how I made this fun layout.