Paper Crafter's Library – A world of creativity at your fingertips

Paper Crafter’s Library Re-Opening Soon!

Hey there friends!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve typed and then re-typed this sentence. I’m feeling emotional and kinda tongue tied right now.

I have a long story to share, but I’m not even sure where to start.

For now I’ll say this….

Many of you who know the drama that’s transpired over the last 24 hours – I am grateful to report that the Paper Crafter’s Library domain and blog is back under my ownership.

If you are interested in the details of what happened you can read about it HERE.

Over the next few weeks I will be working on updating and revamping the blog. So very soon you’ll be seeing a “coming soon” page.

Although I won’t be re-opening the PCL membership site, I will be re-launching this blog.

With Love and Creative Blessings,

Andrea

Paper Crafter’s Library is Officially Closed!

I’ve heard it said that “all good things must come to an end.” Although I’m not sure I really believe that saying, for Paper Crafter’s Library, it is unfortunately true.

Launched in 2011, serving thousands of customers around the world, both the Paper Crater’s Library Membership site – the largest and most comprehensive library of paper crafting video tutorials in the world – and Paper Crafter’s Library itself …..is now officially closed.

You will be able to find me – Andrea Walford – on www.andreawalford.com – blogging about art, faith, entrepreneurship and life in general on www.andreawalford.com (the site is currently down for maintenance).

Trend Watch – 2015 Year in Review

What an awesome year 2015 was! And after all the good things and a few not so good things, I get to do the 2015 round up of paper crafting awesomeness we all experienced and participated in this year.

This is a pretty daunting job. I have never been one to be brief when I could include everything. There are so many fun trends that began this year and some that have resurged from the past or spilled over from last year.

As a disclaimer I often get the pull back from my husband when we have a party. I always want to do something special and have signature dishes that I know will appeal to my friends and family. That means that we have tables full of food that everyone can’t possible eat in one day. But I love to show the people I love how much I care.

I’d like to show you how much it has meant to me to be on the the Trendy Tuesday reporter team for over a year now. I have loved that it was my ‘job’ to troll Pinterest and find cool things to share with you. I appreciate the comments you have left me and your patience as I break out yet another bad pun. You all have been wonderful. So as my Christmas gift to you, enjoy the awesomeness that 2015 brought to us!

The trends I thought were the most fun or intriguing this year are: Layered Flowers, Planners, DIY Backgrounds, Foiling, Food Treats, Tags, Die Cuts, Messy Watercolor, Wreaths, and Coffee. Not in any particular order

Now most normal people would showcase a few cards from each of these areas. But I though it might be fun to show cards that combine a few or multiple techniques and trends in one card. This is part of the over the top thing I can’t help but do but hey, it is fun! So here we go.

The first card is just so awesome. I love it in so many ways. Die cuts just went crazy this year. If you could die cut it, there was a die for that. From image dies, to word dies to cover dies, we saw so many fun things that give paper crafts such a nice finished look. Look at the effect Amy gets by die cutting the balloon image multiple times and using it as background. Seriously cool. And she used the word die and distress inks to give herself the perfect color for her message. The combination is very striking.

card by Amy Rysavy photo courtesy of Prairie Paper and Ink

While I didn’t note it in this article, have you all noticed the white on white background trend with die cuts? It looks so swank. Yoonsun also layered several hello die cuts together in several colors to make the sentiment pop.

yoonsunhur-20150809-sss-hello011

card by Yoonsun Hur photo courtesy of Rejoicing Crafts

Tags were super hot this year. And when coupled with a steamy hot cup o’ joe you have one smoking hot paper craft. This one is adorable.

tag by Erin photo courtesy of Homemade Cards by Erin

We saw several wreaths this year as well. There are great stamping techniques you can use to create your own wreath as well. I love the open look of this wreath. And also check out the background color that Maria created to finish this cool wreath off.

card by Maria F. photo courtesy of Rieslingmama

The background on Isha’s card is simply stunning! I love the shiny goodness and the texture that the paste provides. I love the big script die cut word too.

card by Isha Gupta photo courtesy of Imagine Crafts

So this card combines awesome foiling and a trendy wreath. I saw so much foiling this year but didn’t quite get around to getting a machine. I know there are several ways to achieve the foil look too. So many techniques, not enough time. The contrast that Heather gets between the white and the silver is very classy.

card by Heather Pulvirenti photo courtesy of Witty Title Here

I love the idea of just taking a blank page and using several techniques and coming up with something that is as awesome as this. Wow. This card has it all: messy watercolor, repeat stamping and if you look closely, you can see the word joy sticking out in the middle. Super clever and very beautiful.

card by Isha Gupta photo courtesy of New Ideas by Isha Gupta

In my mind, alcohol counts as a treat. Am I wrong? I chose this card to inspire you for the new year and its super saturated gold foil color. Also it is a treat I hope you will enjoy at the end of the month.

card by Rachel Tessman photo courtesy of Stamp Your Art Out

Cupcakes are definitely a treat and I just love this tag. Combined with the scripty happy lettering, it fits several of our trends for the year.

tag by Jeanne Jachna photo courtesy of A Kept Life

Again, I like the wine treats too. Plus anything that makes you giggle is just a good idea. This chicken is so cute and I love the expression. This tag would be the perfect accessory for a hostess gift over the holidays.

tag by Kim O’Connell photo courtesy of Paper Perfect Designs

I’m in love with shaped cards too and I like the variety of having a wreath actually on a door. The punched leaves are so pretty and petite. Super cute.

card by Kristen Swan photo courtesy of Creative Me Inspired You

Have you purchased any of the flower sets where you build a stamped flower with shading and contrast and everything just by stamping a different image? They are so lovely and the cards they make look like art. Check out this beautiful one from Iwona.

card by Iwona Palamountain photo courtesy of Random Acts of Creativity

Do you see what I mean? This is art! How gorgeous is this wedding card from Laura. It looks like wrapping paper. The colors are perfect too.

card by Laura Jane photo courtesy of After Hours Ink and Flowers

So if I count alcohol as a treat, do I have to count coffee too? I’m not a coffee drinker but it seems like the world has discovered that it is not only delicious to smell and drink but it is great to craft with. There are several stamp sets with coffee cups and punny little expressions. This one combines a sweet treat with the famous brew.

card by Claire Brennan photo courtesy of Waltzing Mouse Makes: Hope it Tickles

I am not quite organized enough to have a planner but I can appreciate how pretty they look. There are several stamps you can buy and systems that you can use. I also appreciate people who get in there and make something that works for them. WaiSam made her own tabs and if you use the link below she has a how to.

journal tabs by WaiSam photo courtesy of Happie Scrappie

Jennifer is partial to her favorite journaling system but look how completely she can transform a page with stickers and washi tape and the cutest bow clip ever.

journal page by Jennifer photo courtesy of My Purpley Life

Are you still crushing on donuts? I kind of want one right now. Plus they are just ripe for a pun which I am always interested in hearing. This one is as delicious as it is punny.

card by Amy Sheffer photo courtesy of Pickled Paper Designs

I am still in love with the shaker but I included this beautiful tag because of the wreath, ever so pretty, and because it is a tag. I am not sure if I’d want to give this one away.

tag by Jocelyn Olson photo courtesy of Red Balloon Cards

So I know I have shown you a lot and I appreciate your patience. Do you have a favorite of the trends for this year? Are there any you think I have missed?

I would like to wish you and yours the happiest of holiday seasons and a bright, brand new year.

I hope you craft a great one. So go ahead… make something pretty.

Trend Watch – Christmas

It’s almost Christmas! And well, what a nice subject for a trend watch. I didn’t find a specific style that really sums up this years Christmas card trend. I think everything is allowed, and that’s one of the things I like about Christmas cards. There are so many options! You’re definitely not restricted to gold, red and green. The last years blue, purple and silver are used more and more on Christmas cards. Even the subjects have a wide variety. From just a sentiment, to trees or cute animals. Everything is possible. So today I want to share a couple of beautiful cards I’ve seen in the past weeks. No matching styles but all centered around one trend theme that returns every year: Christmas.

Let’s start with this card from Heather. It uses more traditional colors and you immediately get a ‘Christmas feeling’ when you see it. This card has a lot of textual elements but I love that it’s still centered around the words ‘Peace, love, joy’.

Peace, Love, Joy by Heather, image source Houses Built of Cards

Another thing that works well with Christmas is to add a little bling. Glitters, gold, silver, this is the time of the year to use it! Embossing powers are great for these cards, as you can see on this card from Simone Naoum.

Merry Christmas by Simone Naoum, image source Designs by Simone

And, as said before, you don’t have to limit yourself with a special color palette or something like that. Virginia made this beautiful card with yellow, orange and a touch of gold. Non traditional colors but still a great Christmas card! (I could imagine this are great colors for the countries that don’t have a cold and snowy Christmas)

Joyeux Noel by Virginia Lu, image source Yes, Virginia

CAS cards are beautiful for Christmas too. I love the serene feeling this card from Jacquie has. It’s really matching the message on the card. Do you know that feeling when you look out of your window after a night of snow? I think it perfectly resembles that feeling of the crisp untouched snow that gives the whole world a beautiful white look. (we don’t get snow that often here in the Netherlands so it’s a really special feeling for us, as long as I don’t have to leave my house haha)

Peace on Earth by Jacquie Southas, image source What did I do today?

When talking about snow, a snowman couldn’t be missing from this trend watch. I love this cute snowman with his large scarf. Monika made a beautiful winter Christmas card with him.

Jolly Christmas by Monika, image source M.A.D. Stamper

Last, but not least, another card in traditional colors but with a very special touch; a pop up card. I think this scene is beautiful for a Christmas card and the pop up part makes it extra special.

Happy Holidays by Tya Smith, image source Lori Whitlock

And of course I’ve found some supplies for you!

Holly Jolly Christmas Clear stamps at Sweet ’n Sassy Stamps

Simple Stories Claus & Co paper pad at A Cherry on Top

Merry Christmas Die at Simon Says Stamp

Happiest of Holidays stamp set at Winnie and Walter

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed 2016!
Enjoy the holidays and I hope you’ll have some time to get crafty!

– Lucinde

Trend Watch – See the trees for the forest

I just love trees. I have pictures of trees on my walls. I like watching the leaves turn and I like the look of the snow and ice on the branches. And now that it is officially Christmas time, for those who celebrate, there are trees everywhere. Maybe it has something to do with the symbolism of the tree. They last for generations and almost seem wise with all of the changes they have seen over the years. They also have growth and changes we can see in the leaves and branches as well as what we can’t see underground. There is so much to love. So enough of my love affair with trees. Let me show you some of the cool cards and tags I have found that feature one of nature’s awesome wonders.

Appropriately, I am going to start with Winter. Well, at least a card that shows off nature’s splendor at its best. Check out this card from Tamara. This Stampin Up! stamp allows you to capture the bones of the tree (bare branches and trunk) and you can dress it up for any season you choose. The contrast with the white snow and snowflakes against the dark brown of the tree is so nice.

card by Tamara Bertram photo courtesy of Tamara’s Paper Trail

Next is another take on the same stamp with a blue stormy sky background. I love how different the looks are with the same stamp in the same season.

snow tree

card by Lisa Brown photo courtesy of Ink and Inspirations

I just love how cleverly Diane combined her embossing folder and the tree stamps. I need to remember this sometimes that it is a great look together.

card by Diane Dimich photo courtesy of DDstamps

You don’t even have to have tree stamps to make a great tree card. Look what Jessica created by using a craft knife and two colors of green card stock. Its a great look, right? If you check her blog, she also has a pattern there you can download.

card by Jessica Jones photo courtesy of How About Orange?

geometric-holiday-card

card by Jessica Jones photo courtesy of How About Orange?

Becky takes us into fall with this awesome Stampin Up! stamp and you can see the versatility in it by using different colors you get this warm look.

card by Becky Roy photo courtesy of Artistic Embellishments

In addition to shaker cards, I am obsessed with acrylic in cards. I like the peek a boo look in Paula’s Christmas card.

card by Paula Reid photo courtesy of Yellow Bear Stampin

And look at this next peek a boo acrylic card. Alanna used the tree as a background so the banner on the front of the card acts as garland too. The present in front is super cute too.

card by Alanna Wharf photo courtesy of Sleepless Stamper

Jo’s tag is just gorgeous. I love the look of craft she brings in the the tag and in the background of her trees. It adds nice texture.

tag by Jo Nevill photo courtesy of Rambling Boots

I love Dorota’s style and this card shows off the many winter white and blue trees she uses so well. You can almost hear how quiet and peaceful the scene is that she created. Just gorgeous.

winter scene

card by Dorota Kopec’ card courtesy of Handmade By Dorota Kopec’

It took me a second to realize that Laurie used the die cut she created and the negatives to make it look like there are several more trees in her scene. How clever. I love the way this turned out.

card by Laurie photo courtesy of Stamping Up North

Using a cute style can also work really well with trees too. The sweet polka dot layered look of this tree is so sweet.

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card by Lucy Abrams photo courtesy of Lucy’s Cards

Trees are such an evergreen trend (just had to work in a pun) that you can incorporate them any time of the year and especially this season. I have found a few products below you can look to for inspiration or just raid your stash to create your own version of a tree.

So go ahead… make something pretty.

Mama Elephant stamp set from Simon Says Stamp

Hero Arts stamp from Simon Says Stamp

Paper Smooches tree die set from Simon Says Stamp

Stencilgirl Windswept tree stencil from Simon Says Stamp

Sheltering Tree stamp set from Stampin Up!

Trend Watch – Snowflakes

Growing up in northern Minnesota, I have a certain fondness for snow. I love how it blankets the world in fresh, white sparkle, and how you can appreciate the beauty of individual snowflakes as they fall on your mittens and coat. I think snowflakes will always be on-trend in the paper crafting world. There are always lots of gorgeous products out there. Let’s take a look at some of this season’s gorgeous snowflake cards!

One thing I love about snowflakes is that they can be used for the entirety of winter, not just for Christmas. Latisha’s card could easily be used for any winter celebration, like a winter birthday or New Year’s Eve.

Cheers by Latisha Yoast, courtesy Lawn Fawn Blog

Lin really captured the sparkle of snowflakes with the glitter paper and sequins. Those stitched snowflakes are so classy!

Let it Snow by Lin Brandyberry, courtesy sending hugs

This Christmas card by Dawn features a very on-trend Polaroid frame. My science brain loves how the frame is filled with a microscope-like view of the snow falling on her dry-embossed background. The delicate stamped snowflakes are so elegant.

Merry Christmas by Dawn Olchefske, courtesy DOstamping with Dawn

Kay creates beautiful clay snowflake ornaments, and this year Kay and Reverse Confetti have designed a die set that allow you to create a paper version of Kay’s snowflakes! Stop by her blog to see her beautiful clay ornaments that inspired this die. She is so talented.

Let it Snow by Kay Miller, courtesy My Joyful Moments

Kay also designed this cheery card, featuring snowflakes, a winter hat and mittens, and your favorite tasty, warm beverage. This is another card that could easily be sent any time during the winter months. The coordinating patterned paper ties the card together really well.

Warm Wishes by Kay Miler, courtesy My Joyful Moments

Virginia used this fun snowflake as the focal point of her cards. She used a transparent sheet behind the vellum to create some extra shimmer behind the snowflake, and it’s just perfect!

Snowflake by Virginia Lu, courtesy Yes, Virginia…

Lawn Fawn recently came out with this great scripty border, tying together all things on-trend, as they are often known to do. Nichol’s card really sets off the border and also has such gorgeous little hanging snowflakes. The sequins and sparkles come together to complete the design.

Let it Snow by Nichol Magouirk, courtesy Lawn Fawn Blog

Wanda used a very fun die to create this beautiful shaker die card. Snowflakes and sequin shaker cards seem like they were just meant to go together!

Merry Christmas by Wanda Guess, courtesy A Blog Called Wanda

Here are a few of the snowflake products that were used by the ladies featured in this post:

Simon Says Stamp Christmas Token Wafer Die

Reverse Confetti Layered Snowflake Die

Also, check out these fun Winter Flurry sequins from Simon Says Stamp.

Hopefully you can take a minute to enjoy the snowfall the next time it happens near you and find some inspiration for some beautiful snowflake paper crafting projects!

Meowy Christmas – Simon Says Stamp Feature

Happy Monday everyone! I just wanted to pop in and share a video tutorial for a card I created for the Simon Says Stamp blog using their adorable Christmas Cats stamp set.

This card is loaded with a variety of different techniques including creating a sponged Distress Ink night sky background using a double masking technique, using embossing paste and embossing glitter with a stencil and then coloring with Copic Markers.

For your convenience, I have embedded the video I created for Simon Says Stamp below:

Leave a comment on the Simon Says Stamp blog post for this video and you’ll be entered to win some blog candy. See you over at Simon’s!

Trend Watch – Where in the World Are you? Globes and Maps

For many of us, this is a very busy but satisfying time of year. It is worth checking in with yourself and loved ones to find out how everyone is doing and even where they are. So I thought it would be fun to show you some of the cards that use maps and globes and sometimes both to check in. Maps and globes can make great miss you cards, gifts and home decor reping your state, country or town, and also make great masculine cards.

So join me in taking a look at the talented folks that show this trend off so well.

First up is an awesome take on a super fun birthday card. It has so many elements I love. The colors and shading make it perfect for a gender neutral or male card and there is a shaker involved. And if you look closely on the shaker portion of the card you can see an awesome encouragement sentiment “Now go change the world” so there is also a pun factor involved too! Love this card.

card by Melissa photo courtesy of Crazy Paper Freak

Check out the gorgeous shading in this card. It is perfect for the men in your life. The double map and globe combination works well with this design too.

card by Lynn Weiss photo courtesy of LW Designs

Kathy’s card is bright and clever as well. I love the airplane clip and the heart on her globe. Combined with the map cordinate indicators (what are those called?) and the sentiment “Go Go Go” it is just adorable. It could make a great I can’t wait to see you or safe travels card.

card by Kathy Martin photo courtesy of Card Blanc

The world looks so striking in black and white. I just love the treatment Mandy uses in this card. I feel like the hearts in the background is a love wish for us all. Great card and much needed in the world now.

card by Mandy Starner photo courtesy of Maya Road Blog

As a California girl myself, I was drawn to this card. In addition to it being lovely and colorful and well put together, it gives a shout out to one of my favorite states.

card by Maile Belles photo courtesy of Simply Stamped

Another great way to rep your state is to include it as a background to the globe. This is a great way to create a customized card for a loved one. There are usually regionally representative papers in smaller craft stores in your area.

card by Lisa Addessa photo courtesy of I’m in Haven

The dimension in Kelly’s card is great. Again, super clever to include a map in making the globe die image.

card by Kelly Courtney photo courtesy of Back to the Drawing Board

I just love how the roads and highways have double meaning in Jen’s card. It is simple and so meaningful at the same time.

card by Jennifer Rzasa photo courtesy of Our Change of Art

Another take on heart and home is great card by Carol. She includes her map of her city right inside her heart and adds another heart. The addition of tickets and maybe personal memories from times there is such a good idea too.

card by Carol photo courtesy of Our Little Inspiration

Off of the page, you can use maps in the shape of states that have meaning to you and create personalized art for your home. How cute is this idea? It would also make a great gift for newlyweds or college students getting their first job.

picture by Kayla Danelle photo courtesy of Kayla Danelle

I love how Allison turned her whole card into the shape of the world. This is such a cute miss you card.

card by Allison Okamitsu photo courtesy of Nice People Stamp

I love that wherever you are you can bring a big of the local into your paper projects. You may even have a few maps from trips you have taken somewhere in your stash now you can use. If not, I have found a few things blelow that might inspire you in your creativity. So go ahead… make something pretty.

Metal die from Reverse Confetti

Tim Holtz Sizzix metal die from Scrapbook.com

PaperHouse Productions Road Trip paper collection from Scrapbook.com

Scrapbook Customs France paper collection from Scrapbook.com

Rubber stamp by Deep Red Rubberstamps from Scrapbook.com

Featured Company: Graphic 45 – 11 27 2015

We are happy to bring you this week’s Featured Company: Graphic 45. We are so excited to be featuring them regularly on Paper Crafter’s Library!

Graphic 45 Designer – Joanne Bain

Our Graphic 45 Guest Designer for this week is Joanne Bain who is part of the 2014 Graphic 45 Design Team. You can see Joanne’s fabulous project below, but first, here is a little more about her.

I am Joanne Bain from Queensland, Australia. I am a very proud mother of 2 and I am happily married to my best friend and have been for 22 years. He is the best husband a girl could ask for and is very supportive of my paper crafting. Most of my inspiration for this craft comes from my wonderful family and friends and also the beautiful array of products that are now available. When I am not scrapbooking, I am kept busy with all activities involving raising a happy family and I like dabbling around with photography which is perfect as I always have something to scrap.

We live in sunny Queensland Australia along with our 2 dogs and more pet birds then I can count. I have been a scrapbooker for 14 years since my daughter was the age of 3 and then 9 years ago along came the other special boy in my life my gorgeous son, many of my creations tend to feature them. From as far back as I can remember I was always doing some form of craft. I have sewed, crocheted, knitted, painted and scrapbooked throughout my teenage years without even knowing it….lol. However paper crafting is my absolute favourite of all crafts and I would have say I am slightly addicted.

My preferred scrapping preference is 12 x 12 layouts and creating off the page/altered projects. I am not locked into a specific scrapping style, as I am happy to give anything a go but I would describe my style as structured with lots of layers, fussy cut paper cutting, detail and dimension.

I do love to embellish my pages with chipboard, flowers and bling but sometimes I just love to let the gorgeous patterned papers available take centre stage in my creations. I am at my happiest with my scissors and beautiful patterned papers that beg to be fussy cut to create layers and dimension for my creations.

Steampunk Tag

I am super happy today to be able to share with you a tag I created using the stunning Steampunk Debutante collection from Graphic 45. Have you ever had one of those paper collections come around that you just love but for reasons out of your control you can’t get it, well for me it was this collection. I have loved the Steampunk Debutante Collection ever since its first release but had a really hard time getting it here in Australia so when it arrived for me to create with I was certainly doing a little happy dance. I was in fussy cutting heaven as this collection has the most amazing images. For my project I decided to create a very large tag full of detail and dimension, this collection just lets my imagination run wild and makes creating with it so much fun.

We hope you have enjoyed today’s feature. We want to extend a sincere thank you to Joanne Bain for her fabulous project and Graphic 45 for sharing their company with us. Be sure to visit Graphic 45 to see more of their products and their blog for some inspiration!

Happy Crafting!

Featured Company: Bella Blvd – 11 25 2015

We are happy to bring you this week’s Featured Company: Bella Blvd.

STEPHANIE SMOKOVICH founded Bella Blvd in 2008. What started in the upstairs level in her parents’ home, rapidly grew in a thriving company, and now is an established brand in the craft and hobby industry. Throughout the years, Bella Blvd has steadily expanded its product offering, becoming known for bright and graphic design. At the core of Bella Blvd’s products are the essentials: patterned papers and stickers. These essentials combined with beautiful embellishments encourage the art of scrapbooking. Bella Blvd is humbled to be a small part of such a large community that captures memories and preserves them.

This week we are giving away Tiny Text alphabet stickers. These adorably small alphabets include three lowercase typewriter sets, two uppercase sets and a circle alphabet in the center! Unique to Bella Blvd’s signature color palette, and made to match popular collections (new and old) you’re sure to want every single one and add to your Bella Blvd alphabet stash! Swoon with us over Tiny Text alphas. (Details at the end of the post.)

Bella Blvd Designer – Laura Vegas

Today we welcome Laura Vegas. We are so excited to have her showcase her work today on Paper Crafter’s Library. You can see Laura’s fabulous project below, but first, here is a little more about her:

I’m Laura Vegas, from Northern California, where I live with my husband Joe, and my two gorgeous daughters, Alyssa (19) and Sarah (16). I have been scrapbooking for over 22 years now. I started shortly before my first daughter was born, and have not slowed down since. I scrapbook mostly about my girls and our family, but like to mix it up now and then by scrapping photos and stories about my daycare kids and family friends as well. I have been fortunate enough to design for some amazing manufacturers in the industry over the last 10 years, and have also had my work published in a variety of publications for the last 12 years. I was also a proud member of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Creating Keepsakes Dream Team. I am currently serving as the Creative Team Coordinator for Bella Blvd, designing for Kerri Bradford Studio, and am a member of the 2013, 2014, and 2015 Scrapbook & Cards Today design team.

Family

For my first layout, I used Bella’s Family Frenzy collection, along with the new Clear Cut transparencies and Tiny Text alpha stickers. The Clear Cuts come in a wide variety of colors, as well as patterns – confetti dots, chevron, stars, and hearts – that coordinate with all of Bella’s paper collections. I’m a simple girl at heart, so my favorite Clear Cuts to use, and the ones I turn to the most, are the white patterns.

When laid over patterned papers, they help tone down the busier patterns and really stand out against the simpler tone-on-tone patterns. The floral patterned paper along the bottom of my layout isn’t necessarily that busy of a pattern, but by laying the white chevron Clear Cut transparency over it, it softens the look of it.

The Clear Cuts also work perfectly in die cut machines. I used my Silhouette Cameo to die cut the word “family” from both patterned paper and the white heart Clear Cut, and layered them together for a really cool looking title.

Bella’s new Tiny Text alpha stickers, which are 12×12 sheets, come in 10 different styles – 8 sheets that contain 5 different colors in 2 fonts, 1 sheet of all white in 2 fonts, and 1 sheet of all black in 2 fonts. These tiny alpha stickers are perfect for adding subtitles to your title work, or adding additional little details to the page.

Supplies

Family Frenzy: Here We Grow, Borders, Treasures & Text; Color Chaos: Orange Strandz, Blueberry Strandz; Clear Cuts: Heart White, Chevies White; Tiny Text Alpha Stickers: Pretty Boy, Pumpkin Spice, Rainy Day

All Mine

For my second layout, I also used the Family Frenzy collection, along with the new Clear Cuts transparencies and Tiny Text alpha stickers. Our newest patterns for the Clear Cuts are chevron, stars, and hearts, and I wanted to show all three of those on this layout.

Bella Blvd is known for their great tone-on-tone patterned papers (usually found on the B sides), and they are the patterns that I turn to the most. I pulled out several patterns that coordinated with the Clear Cuts that I wanted to use. By layering the same color patterned paper and Clear Cut together, it keeps with the tone-on-tone look, and doesn’t overwhelm the page.

I cut strips of each patterned paper and Clear Cut – the green chevron Clear Cut over the green striped patterned paper, the aqua star Clear Cut over the aqua confetti patterned paper, and the red hearts over the red dotted patterned paper. For adhering the transparencies, I try to add my adhesive to places on the Clear Cut that I know will be covered, so that the adhesive doesn’t show. I also use my sewing machine, and machine stitch around the edges to really secure them.

I also layered the white heart Clear Cut over my white cardstock, to add even more interest to the page. I love to use white cardstock, but often feel like it looks to plain. Adding the white transparency on top gave it a whole new look. I’m also a fan of adding mist to my white cardstock, so I simply did my misting ahead of time, and then layered the Clear Cut over the top once it was dry.

Supplies

Family Frenzy: A Lot Going On, Here We Grow, Donut Day, Borders, Treasures & Text; Color Chaos: Blueberry Strandz; Clear Cuts: Chevies Pickle Juice, Stars Ice, Hearts McIntosh, Hearts White; Tiny Text Alpha Stickers: Black, Festive, Pretty Boy; Ciao Chip Elements: Borders, Hearts & Stars; Enamel Dots: Oreo Black

We hope you have enjoyed today’s feature. We want to extend a sincere thank you to Laura Vegas for her fabulous project and Bella Blvd for sharing their company with us. Be sure to visit Bella Blvd to see more of their products and their blog for some inspiration!

In order to enter the give-away to win the prize shown above, please leave us a comment in the comments section of this post. The winner will be announced next Wednesday.

Happy Crafting!

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