August Tecnique Class: Cut It!

Hello!

My name is Hilde, aka Scoobie, and I’m a paper junkie. As long as I have paper and clue, and a pair of good scissors, I’m happy! I admit it, those pre made embellies are soooo convenient, but to me it’s something about just paper.

I love colors and patterns and as soon as I have new papers in my hands I start thinking of how I can cut them. Do they hide any secret patterns? Can I make some coordinating, fun embellishments with them? Some papers require lots of fine cutting, but some of them are easier to work with.

Today I’ll share some ideas about how you can make embellishments of the Carta Bella Cherish paper you find in the August kit.

The probably most obvious is to cut circles from it:

But did you notice you can cut flowers, too?

And when you have cut flowers or circles you are left with some cute diamond shapes.

All these are easy to use on layouts, cards or altered items, just like  I did on this page.

Here is a little close up photo to show how I pimped up my flowers with some stickers from the sticker sheet in the kit.

Have you ever tried to make your own embellies from papers? Do you enjoy cutting as much as I do? I challenge you to study the papers in your kit to find new ways to use them.

Don’t forget to link back to our gallery when you are done so we can leave you some love!

Happy cutting!

Designer Showcase

Welcome Welcome!

Carol here, and today I've got some fun stuff to share with you ;)

There is so much inspiration out there in the scrapping world to be had and so I thought it was high time I tried a few new things. 

Our August kit is filled with the gorgeous new Carta Bella Beautiful papers.  Included in the kit were some fun rosettes and flowers.  It is a beautiful shabby chic collection.  Now this is a little bit out of my usual comfort zone, I'm typically a little more eclectic and whimsy in my taste.  But I love the colors and patterns in this collection and wanted to make them conform to my style.  

A fun way to show lots of pattern is to create a pie chart.  I've seen them done quite a bit but had never tried one myself.

So for my layout I started off with a pie chart using my favorite papers.  This may look totally random, but having never made one I decided a practice set was in order.  I took a white piece of paper and practiced cutting that out first before I started with my PP.  I attached all my pieces to a white piece of paper so I could move it around while planning my layout.

I also wanted to incorporate the different flowers but still wanted to keep my layout a little more edgy, a little less frilly.  To do that I decided to channel my inner Gina and try some paint.  I love the look she creates with paint and I though it would add the perfect touch.

I had never done this before but it was super easy.  Just throw down a bit of paint and use an old credit card to spread it around.

I added a few strips of paper, set my pie chart and created a pretty little collection of dainty things around the base of my photo.

To add a little more edge to the layout I threw in some random stitching around my pie chart and then some below my floral collection.

I was really happy with how it all turned out.  Took some elements that were a little out of my comfort zone, threw in a few new techniques and created a layout that is ME but new and beautiful all at the same time!

Won't you join me in trying some new things and incorporating them into your style to make it all uniquely you????  It's fun I promise ;)

Designer Showcase May 9th.

Hello everyone!

Katarina here with a very late edition of the the designer showcase post... I´m so sorry, I´ve been tangled up with the fun of May Movie Madness Crop.. And its so many beautiful creations to see in the Nook Gallery from the crop. Make shure you stop by and leave lots of love :)

Today I´m going to show you some beautiful work by our fantabulous designers.. using the absolutely gorgeous may kit and grab bag, feat. This & That by Echo Park... I hope you don´t miss out on this one bec its A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!

Just take a look at how versatile it is....

Hilde/scoobie
(May grab bag)

Carol

Lilith

Isn´t it gorgeous?? I just love it! If you want to purchase your own kit.. just swing by the Nook online store to get your own kit.. but don´t wait to long... Its a HOT kit :)

//Katarina

Designer Showcase

Carol here wishing you all a Happy Easter.

Hope you are having a beautiful and blessed day with your family and friends.

Today I have a little designer showcase for you.  

I wanted to share with you ways to find inspiration for titles on your layouts.

I love fun and unique titles and am always looking and listening for things that strike me.  

I also love to just say exactly what I think as a title.

As you might already know Pinterest is a wonderful place for inspiration.  

I love to search quotes and use them as titles.

Here are a few that I've used or am planning to use:

 Pinterest

layout

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest

I used this last one on a layout using the April kit with my son Jack.

The statement was perfect for these fun pictures of him, poses that he struck himself without any coaching from me ;)

Another great resource is music.

I'm always listening.

I love the way music lyrics express things so beautifully that I just don't think of.

For instance, this layout using items from this months grab bag and kit.

I heard these words from a song, which I failed to note....my apologies, 

but I believe it was a Taylor Swift song.

When I heard them I knew they would be perfect for a Hawaii picture from my trip this last January.

The title is a little difficult to see here on line, but it says
 "I flew across the ocean to see what I could see"

Other great song lyrics that I've used are:

From the music of West Side Story (and also my daughters favorite movie)

on this layout

"i feel pretty.....and I pity anyone who isn't me today"

From the movie Tangled

on this layout

words my children were actually singing at the time ;)

"i've been dreaming of a true loves kiss"

Remember to write down the little things that your kids say.....those make the best titles in my opinion.

Sometimes there isn't a story or a reason behind a photo you want to scrap.

Sometimes it's "just because"

or "because sometimes I just like to look at you"

For me titles are a fun aspect to my design and I love coming up with clever and original ideas.

They are all around you, just keep your eyes and ears open.

And have fun!

**********************************

For this challenge I'd love for you to find a great title and use it.

Then share with us your layout and where you found your inspiration.

I'll draw a random winner to receive a small RAK from me in 2 weeks.

Post your work over at the forum.....here ;)

March Designer Showcase: Repeated Patterns

Hello scrapping friends. How are you doing this Sunday?

In my part of the world, we still have winter at this time of year, and usually plenty of snow. But not this year! We hardly have had any snow at all, and the winter has been extremely mild. So it feels like spring outside, and the Nook March kit with the bright happy colors and fun patterns matches perfect this spring feeling.

Let’s talk patterns today! Or to be more precise: repeated patterns!

Did you notice the butterflies in the March kit? Well, honestly, how could you not. *lol*

Not sure how to use them: here are a few ideas for you:

Pimp up your wooden butterfly: use ink, embossing powders, stamp on it, doodle on it – or use the rubons and pins from the kit  to make it even more beautiful.

Rub a rubon butterfly to a piece of acetat (or as I did: I used the plastic bag the wooden butterfly came in), cut around and glue it down as a piece of embellishment. To give some depth to the  butterfly, I used some 3d foam under the wings

Here are some ways to use butterflies cut out from the patterned paper with all the winged beauties on:

Use them to add even more interest to patterned papers on you layout or card.

Make your patterned paper pop by adhering new butterflies on top of the ones in the paper.

Put them on a string:

And here comes the fun part: use them all on the same project:

Title: "Early Spring?" - Norwegian

By using a repeated pattern, the projects get a uniform look, even if it’s contains a lot of details. Try imagining the butterflies replaced with flowers or other embellishments – the layout would probably look a lot more messy.

I have another example for you. The design on the layout below has pretty much the same as the one above, but I have replaced butterflies with circles as my repeated pattern. The result is what I wanted: a uniform look.

My challenge for you is: use the repeated pattern technique on a project. Try out the butterflies or circles as I did, or explore some of the other patterns in the kit: the damask or the stripes. How far do you dare go?