Geek Lab: Typewritting with my Silhouette Cameo

Hell there!! How are you? Caroli once again with my last post of the month using beautiful Swan Lake kit, featuring Gather collection by Maggie Holmes.

Today I want to show you a simple trick that I am using a lot these days. Since I dont have a big scraproom and my crafting area is quite limited, I don’t have a 12×12″ typewritter. They are so cute and trendy, but I managed to have that typewritter look without a real typewriter by using my Silhouette Cameo machine.

For making this you have 2 options: you can use sketch pens or you can use the pen adapter holder. In both cases you will just use your Cameo for writting on your 12×12″ page, just like you would do with a typewriter.

You just have to use the text tool and write your journaling using a typewritter looking font, in my case I used a font named “Courier New”, which is very similar to a typewritter.

When sending the file to the machine, instead of cutting I chose “sketch pens” and write the words.

 

Here is the layout I made using this feature. As you can see, you need to design your layout in advance so as to make the available space to match with the text you will write.

My layout is super clean and simple and with a lot of white, I love it. I used this cute cutfile from Just Nicks Studio, and of course this gorgeous flower from the ephemera pack included on the kit.

 

 

Here you can see how my text came out perfect and exactly where I wamted it to be, isn’t that cool?

 

In order to make it fit precisely I recommend to make a test in another paper first, so you can check if elements in the page can be placed as you want or you need to move the text a little.  Here is another closeup of my typewritter wannabe text 🙂

 

I hope you like this idea and give it a try. We need to make the most efficient use of our resources so as to save money and can buy more pretty kits, LOL! Have a fabulous day!

XOXO – Caroli

Study Hall: Butterfly Cards

Hello everyone,

Welcome to Study Hall! Melissa here with you today and I’ve got two fun cards to share with you. Before I go on, I just want to say how much I love this category. We had Study Hall in my school days. I usually used it to goof off but, I always knew it was special to have some extra time to catch up on homework, get in some extra review and such.

So, for this post, I thought the Study Hall focus could be on “catching up” and getting in some good, card making review! I love making cards and I love experimenting with product and seeing how far I can make everything stretch.

One of those tools that help with making my products last as long as possible is my butterfly punch from Martha Stewart. I have had this thing forever! Thankfully, butterflies are timeless and can be used on many, many projects for years and years to come!

For this first card I’m sharing with you, I only used a couple of butterflies but, I can tell you about the overall design of this card. I love layering! And how fun is that corrugated paper??? By trimming a smaller piece and tearing one of the edges, I’ve just created some awesome texture for my lil’ ole card!

Here are a couple of close ups:

For this next card, I went all cray with my butterfly punches. I wanted to showcase all the luscious beauty of the Gather papers. SO pretty!!!

I love the whimsy that the butterfly trail provides.

Here is one more close up:

This may be review for some but, hey, this is Study Hall after all – when it comes to cards, think on a smaller scale when making your kit stretch. Small punch images, like my butterfly, help with that. Have fun layering and don’t be afraid to use “bulky” items like the corrugated paper. It will fit just fine in an envelope! More importantly, have FUN!

Thanks for joining me today! I know sneaks have started for the December kit already but, you can still snag some November kit items HERE.

Happy creating!

Locker Room: XOXO

Hello there!,

Nathalie here with a new layout created with this month’s beautiful Swan Lake kit.  I think we are all swooning at the lovely papers, and all the add ons on this kit.  It is the perfect kit to document memories regardless of the season.  It is just to versatile!

For this project, I pulled one of my favorite summer pictures ( I happened to catch my little nephew and my daughter in this lovely moment), and the papers from Maggie Holmes’ Gather collection were perfect to document this memory.  Here are a few close ups of the layout:

 

 

 

I was drawn to the “Kindred”, “Kate”, and “Sunshine” papers in the Swan Lake Kit.  I used the”Sunshine” paper as my layout mat, and i fussy cut the flower clusters in the “Kate” paper, and a few of the bird and branches from the “Kindred” paper.  I made sure to cut some of the images that were  along the edges of the papers, as I wanted to create sort of a branch design on my layouts.  There is a process video at the bottom of the page where you can see how this page came together.

 

 

Before gluing the fussy cut images, i used some Heidi Swapp color shine in gold, teal, and blush to create a row of ink splatters where i wanted to glue the images.  I used foam adhesive to add dimension to some of the fussy cut images on the branches.

 

 

I converted the picture to black and white, and simply layered some vellum (one of my favorite things!), and a few of the exclusive cards from the Swan Lake Kit.   I used a few of the die-cut pieces from the Gather collection, and also added some chipboard stickers from this month’s kit add-ons.  The mini tassels (included in the kit) were perfect to add some detail to the picture, I simply attached a piece of crocheting floss to them, and tied them to the ephemera piece on the picture.   To complete the page, I added the title using the Petals thickers in the Swan Lake kit, and a glitter arrow from the chipboard sticker.  Here is the complete layout:

 

 

My sister has asked if she could take this layout for her album (as I create albums for my littles -that is what we called my niece and nephew), but i love it too much to let it go.   It is like the Swan Lake kit was made solely to create this.     Here is small video on how the layout came together ( i just cut the part of me cutting all the flowers!)…

 

 

Don’t forget to visit the Clique Kits store to pick this month’s Swan Lake kit and all its add ons, plus you will find lots of products that will inspire you to document your memories.  You can always used any DT’s code to obtain 10% at checkout.

Thanks for visiting today, see you all soon!

Cut files and watercolors

Hello, Clique friends. I’m back today with a simple tutorial on how to use watercolors and cut files together. I’ve always loved the softness of watercolor paint. It is very versatile and you can obtain a different effect depending on how you use it. The November Swan Lake kit was perfect for the idea I had in mind.

I decided to use two of the exclusive November cut files:

For my first layout, I used watercolors to paint the cut out pieces so to match the tones in the Maggie Holmes Gather collection:

I then layered smaller and bigger flowers together to give more dimension to the page. The ephemera pieces included in the November kit are just lovely! I mixed up all the flowers I could find. Some I fussy cut from the patterned papers, others come from the add-on chipboard sticker sheet. The cut files this month coordinate perfectly with them.

I finished the layout with some colored twine to create a banner effect in the top left corner of the page.

I then added some of the same twine in the opposite corner to create continuity and achieve a cohesive look.

For my second layout, I used watercolors in a different way. My idea here was to create a backdrop of flowers to use for my daughter’s ballet picture.

First I used my Silhouette to create a stitching template for the vine kind-of-look. Then, I painted underneath the flowers to recreate the soft colors in the collection.

I kept my embellishments to a minimum as I wanted to draw attention to the background and picture.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my process. I would love for you to give these techniques a try and shows us your work in The Clique Facebook group. You can find the November Swan Lake kit and the awesome Prima Watercolor Set in the Clique store.

Thank you for stopping by!

Have a great day!

XO, Enza

 

PILES OF SMILES -Adding hand stitching to a layout

Hello!,  I am back today with a new layout featuring the beautiful Swan Lake Kit.  I love all the papers, die cuts and extras included in the kit, but mostly i am amazed at how versatile it is.

 

One of my favorite techniques to use, when creating a layout, is hand stitching.   There are many ways to create a “stitching guide/pattern” on  a layout, but when there is a lot of stitches to add, I use the Silhouette Cameo to do a big part of the work for me.

Here is the cut lines  of the leaf being used in the layout; note how they show as full lines as they are ready to be  cut

 

The key to creating a stitching guide with your Silhouette Cameo is to use the “PERFORATE EDGE” function when setting your cut style for your project.  As you can see in the picture below, the machine will not cut a solid line across the edges of the image; instead, the blade will  make small indentations/holes along the edges of the cut-lines which can be used to hand-stitch the design.

 

Once the image (Geometric Autum Leaf cut file from the Silhouette store) was perforated on the card stock (i am using water color paper for this layout), I used the Prima watercolor palettes to  fill the inside of the leaf image ( i tried to match the colors of the paper, “Beautiful” from the Swan Lake kit).  As soon as the watercolor dried, I used embroidery floss to hand stitched the perforated edges of the image.

 

 

The starting point for the stitching (it is easier to appreciate the perforations of the image once the paint has dried)

 

A close up to the finished stitching on the layout

 

To complement the colors of the leaf, the edges of the layout were trimmed, and the layout was then attached to the “Beautiful” paper from Maggie Holmes’ Gather collection  which is featured in this month’s Swan Lake kit.

My choice of a black and white picture for this layout was made mostly to highlight both the background, and my little niece and nephew on our Thanksgiving walk.  I used papers from the kit as layers behind the picture, as well as the Gather collection chipboard stickers, and exclusives to create a cluster around the picture.   Also, I picked the die cut pieces from Simple Stories Posh collection from the Clique Store, and used some of the pieces in the picture’s cluster.

To create the title, I cut the “Piles of Smiles” card from this month’s exclusive printables, and attached the small chipboard sticker frame (from the Swan Lake Kit add ons) to it.  I cut the small  top left corner of the chipboard, and placed a small chipboard heart from last month’s Sapphire kit.

To finish the layout, I scattered some of the sequin around the page, added my journal lines and a few black ink splatters.  Here is the final layout:

I really love the texture the stitching adds to this layout.  Trust me, the Silhouette Cameo is a great help when creating a stitching pattern, and the beautiful and soft papers in this month’s Swan Lake kit are perfect for  a bit of stitching.

Thank you for visiting today!  I look forward to seeing a bit of  hand stitching on your layouts.

See you all soon!

Yearbook: Great at Eight

Hello and happy Friday everyone! Do you have scrapbook plans for this weekend? As for me, I plan on keep on using my november kit Swan Lake, it’s oh so pretty, I surely wont leave a piece 😀

Today I want to share again a project documenting something special. As a mother of 2 i have realized how fast time flies, specially for kids. The girl I had one year before has nothing to do with the girl I have today, so I though that it would be nice to document how my princess is now, when she just turned 8 years.

I loved all the feminine feeling and soft color of this collection by Maggie Holmes, it’s simply perfect for this kind of layout.  I went for a grid design, a good way to use some of the pretty cards included on the ephemera pack.

I made a list with all her current faves: food, music, BFF, school subjects, etc. I think it will be fun to look at this in few more years and see the evolution of her personality 🙂

 

Love the acetate pieces also included on the ephemera, this wreath looked beautiful as a layer behind my Fuji instax photo.  Love the transparency effect ❤

 

I cut some words in golden cardstock so as to complement the title with the pretty Thickers included on the kit. The acetate ballerina is also so pretty, I had to include it on this layout ❤

 

I think I love this and i will start doing the same for my two kids on every birthday, it will be such a cool documenting tradition, don’t you think? Have a fabulous day!

XOXO – Caroli

This Makes Me Smile

Hello Clique Kits fans! Today, I want to show you a double page made with the Swan Lake kit… and my first video (I promise, I’ll be better next time!).

Over the next months, I’d like to add more journaling to my layouts, because I feel I need to share lot of stories. This one is about my son who loves to dress with Halloween costumes all over the year.

I’ve used the black This Makes Me Smile paper, as a guide for my sketch. This phrase is so perfect for my picture. Then I used the yellow dot paper to complete my layout with a bright color. This is were I’ve placed my photo and as you will see in the video, I’ve layered quite a lot of ephemera from the kit to frame my photo.

I printed my journaling over only half a 8 1/2 x 11 page.
This allowed me to have enough space to add a reminder of the left papers. It’s also where I’ve decided to put the title vertically. I’ve played with the stripes of papers to complete the left page.

You cannot see it in the video, but the word “Memories” is made with stamps.
That was the perfect solution to complete my title with the word Gather from the Maggie Holmes Chipboard Collection.

Before adding some little drops of paint, I’ve colored the K from the This Makes Me Smile, as my son first name is Kerwan. And as a reminder, I’ve colored the word “memories” as well.

Now time to watch the video. I hope you will enjoy it.

Some of you may be a little shocked by the “mistreatment” of the unicorn. I sincerely apologize for that!

Have a great day,
Magali
Find me there too: Instagram > Facebook > My blog

Enregistrer

Card Double Feature: Art Studio

Hi everyone,

Melissa here with you today and I’m sharing my process for prepping cardstock for paint. I love incorporating watercolors, ink splats and various other paints with my card making.

For this post, I’ve included a process video so, make sure to watch that for all the details.

Some tips:
– I use clear gesso so that the color of the cardstock shows through.
– Use something with a flat edge to spread the gesso. It creates a cool texture!
– A heat tool/gun works fabulous for drying a project quickly.
– Use at least an 80 lb. weight, smooth cardstock. For these cards I used Neenah brand. The heavier weight holds up to the paint and water mediums better.

Alright, to see the full process, check out my video below:

Here are the full photos of the two cards I created after using the watercolor cardstock.

Some design notes: I love how the watercolor cardstock gives just a touch of added texture to the card while not overpowering. The colors I chose were purposeful in that it would bring out the colors of the papers and embellishments.

How fun is that cluster of sequins??? I use to never know quite know how to incorporate sequins. Especially on a card. But, I’ve been experimenting and that is the best thing one can do. Experiment. Sure there will be some cringe worthy mistakes but, there will also be those fun little treats!

I love utilizing ephemera for my cards. The watercolor background helps to anchor the overall design of the following card.

How fun is that Wild about You card??? I used some mist, from my stash, to spray and bring out the words. These are included in the November kit and this one was begging to be used on a card!

While all product, with the exception of the paints and mist, are from the kit, I did throw in some enamel dots from my stash to help finish off the overall design of the card.

Thank you for joining me for this Art Studio post. Hope you get an opportunity to add some fun watercolors to your cards!

Go check out the gorgeous Swan Lake kit HERE. It really is stunning! I’m still creating with it!

Yearbook: Little Miss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello everybody, how are you? Caroli here again sharing a new project I made with the beautiful kit Swan Lake, featuring Gather collection by Maggie Holmes.

The lovely colors and feminine feeling of this kit are perfect or pics of little girls, so I decided to use it for documenting something really important for my little princess: her name.

When I was pregnant with my girl, me and her daddy spent a lot of time thinking about what name would be appropriate for her. It was a hard decision since we wanted a special name with a meaning. Once day I found at my Mom’s house a journal I wrote when I was 11 years, and in one of the pages I found my answer. When I was 11 I knew that I wanted to be a mom one day, and I wrote that if that baby would be a girl I would name her Isidora.  A lot of memories came to my mind in that moment, and I knew that was the name I wanted to give to my little girl 🙂

This is the story I document in this layout. Can you see how cool is to be able of documenting important and meaningful things like this through scrapbooking? We scrapers surely rock! 😉

 

 

I love the flowers in this collection, I’m a flower person 100%, so these pretty diecuts included in the ephemera pack were the perfect embellishment for this girly layout. Also, did you noticed the clear sequins?? Sequins are always one of my fave items on all CK kits, they are always so pretty and different!

I’m so in love with the fringe trend, and here I used it to fill the negative space of letter I cut as some kind of background for my layout.

 

I love you like this layout and get inspired to document something special today. Life is short and it’s full of memories, let’s treasure them today!

XOXO – Caroli

Hello, Love

Hello everyone,

Melissa here with you today sharing a card that is utilizing all the bits and pieces of your kit and papers! I love the challenge of using every piece of product to the last itty bitty piece. If my tape runner can fit, it can be used!

For this card, I wanted to use some leftover strips that were remnants from a previous card. I could easily throw them away but, no. I shall use them! Plus, I want to make a card that shows off the beautiful colors and patterns of this beautiful collection from Maggie Holmes. The Gather collection is so gorgeous and I can’t stop creating with it!

So, I used a scallop border punch and created some strips to layer on my card. Once I got them where I wanted them, I did some stitching which is always a fun, and easy, way to add some texture.

How fun is that? I love the look of stitching I think it just enhances the overall base design of this card.

The rest of this card flowed pretty easily. I cut out one of the polaroid shapes from the patterned paper and used it to frame the sentiment. By mounting it on pop dots, it added some awesome dimension, I think. And how cute are those paper clips??? Easy and adorable embellishing!

Here is the final product. I’m so happy with how this card turned out!

As always, thanks for swinging by today and I hope this has given you more ideas on how to use every single piece of your kit while showing off the beauty of it as well!