Hello Summer

It's still been pretty nice here in SoCal so we have been going to the beach here and there on weekends so now I have another beach layout to share.   

I gave up on trying to make my own layout designs so I look to Pinterest for inspiration.  Here is my inspiration (linked to my Pinterest).  I tried to get to the original source but it no longer exists.  Sorry!  

Welp. here you go....

 

I've been finding a lot of free project life printables and other printables to incorporate into my layouts since  I've been steering away from paper piecing.  You can find my printables board on Pinterest here.  The Hello Summer and the Snap Shot prints are part of my awesome findings on Pinterest that I printed out.  The quality is great!  

Aside from printing elements I also used a new material on my layout that I have never worked with before.  Cork!  I won a Stack-a-holic challenge over at DCWV and part of their prize package included a 6x6 pack of cork board. I used it as the background for the picture.  

Two other techniques I haven't done in awhile was heat embossing and hand stitiching.  I did both on this layout.  I colored the heart in the 2013 with an embossing marker and then added sparkle embossing powder.  I heated it and voila...a pretty glittery heart that was once brown and boring.    As for the stitching, I pulled out my Sew Easy and one of the piercing heads I've never used before and I stitched away.  

The "May" stamp is from Unity Stamp Co.  (LOVE those stamps).  The paper is from DCWV's Surf's Up stack that I purchased from their DCWV Deals site.  I got the picture printed at Postal Pix which is an app you can download to your iPhone.  I know I said I'd review the app but I forgot!  Oops.  

Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend!!! 

Kasi

Insta-Love

Happy National Scrapbook Day!  Did you participate in any activities or events to celebrate?  I did!  Well, I only made a layout but I did something right?  

Today I made a layout for Elle's Studio Sketch Thursday challenge.  I believe I recently discovered Elle's Studio via Paper Issues.  Lately I've been wanting to participate in challenges to get me motivated to scrap.  it's been working! 

I printed some Instagram pictures using an app on my iPhone called Postal Pix.  This is my first go at printing Instagram pictures.  I'll give a review of Postal Pix tomorrow.  

Story of the layout

 

We went to the beach a few weeks ago (yes, it has been toasty in SoCal lately...sorry midwest and east coast ladies!).  I took plenty of pictures of my daughter *discovering* the beach.  She loved it until she face planted and literally ate sand.  Poor thing but it was pretty funny.

 

And guess what......I pulled out the sewing machine again!  I sewed on my layout again.  This time it came out great!  

*applause*   

Well, great to me since this is like the third time I have ever done this before.  The stitch came out pretty straight.  Yay me! 

I used DCWV's Surf's Up Stack and Recollections open stock paper.  I got the Polaroid frame from  LuScapandCrafts (a freebie!).  I had to convert the file to an SVG.  The stamp is Sandy Toes from Pink by Design.  I handcut the triangles on the banner.  Oh and I sewed them...yes I did!

Enjoy!

Kasi

Fun Beach Layout

Hi guys!!  It's been a long long time since I lasted posted anything here.  May was my last post and before that...uhhh...no clue.  I have a good excuse though.  I really do.  We welcomed a baby girl into our family earlier this month.  I pretty much lost all interest in crafting and all other hobbies I once enjoyed throughout my pregnancy.  I did a few pages here and there but not much else.  OK, enough about that, let me show you a layout I completed this week.

I'm still working on pictures from our last three vacations to Hawaii.  I finally got all the pictures printed now just working on getting pages cranked out so I can move on.

Ahem, I will not tell you which one I am....chunky or skinny chick.  

I used:

-Echo Park's Splash paper collection.

-The cute poxy buttons happen to be Epiphany Craft's Shape Studio Round 25.

-The stamps are from Unity Stamp Co. 

-I purchased the fishies that you see lined up in the center of the page from the Silhouette online store and printed them out so I can add some more cool Echo Park images to my page without having to cut up more of the pretty paper!

-Oh and I can't forget Trendy Twine!  I used the Sew Easy to stitch a teal border along the right top corner of my page (Did I just see a guide to sew in circles???  Wahhh?  Gotta have!).  I used Trendy Twine's new Tickled with Teal bakers twine.  Psst, they have a lot of awesome new colors in the store!   

There will be more posts up.  I promise.  I made a few other pages over the month that I haven't showcased yet. 

SVG Attic Design Team Project

I have been so excited all week about the news of me being selected for the SVG Attic design team (DT).  I couldn't wait to get started on my project.  This is my very first venture into the DT world.  I am now apart of a growing company and working with some amazing and super crafty ladies.  Let me tell you a little about SVG Attic.  It's a new company that specializes in SVG files.  The creative genius behind it is Jessica of Jessica's Crop Corner.  She creates the most adorable SVGs.  Go take a look for yourself.  I promise you won't be disappointed.

For my design team project I used quite a few of the SVG collections available so you get to see them in action (not literally...I'm not THAT good).  I have been on a paper doll kick lately.  In fact, when I first saw the files I wasn't sure what I could make out of them but then all of a sudden it dawned on me and now I can't get enough of them.  I just keep dressing them up in different clothes!  Oh, there's more up my sleeve with them (in a Santa suit maybe) but umm, I think Jessica would like me to steer clear of the dolls and try something new!  Haha!  OK, I promise I will for the next project.  I just needed one last hoorah with the dolls before I say my temporary goodbye's.  Hear that?  Temporary goodbye.  They will be back!

My project today features four sets from SVG Attic (list & links below) and staying true to summer, I made it colorful and fun like I did with my beach card that you can see HERE.  My inspiration?  Nope not my home state of California...think somewhere tropical with clear blue water (CA definitely does NOT have that...water yes, clear and blue?  No) keep thinking.  OK I'll tell ya....Hawaii!  And why is Hawaii my inspiration?  Because I want to be there at least 8 months out of the year.  That's not much to ask out of life.

Aside from me wanting to live there, this year is the first in three years that we are not vacationing in Hawaii.  I am so sad about it.  Oh if only money ran rampant in my household!  No luau's for me this year *sigh*.  I wish the stamp had an "I" instead of a "we" in it.  You'll see what I mean in a moment.  I guess for now I will just stare at pictures and my card and imagine I was there.  You can too....  

Luau...

 

I sure do wish I was there....

....drinking that pina colada....

...and watching her hula dance...

...while playing the ukelele...

....maybe even catch some waves the next morning.

I sure do wish I was there.

Can you hear the music?  Can you taste that pina colada (alcoholic or virgin, whichever your preference) or better yet, my favorite drink, the Lava Flow?  Can you feel the warm water on your toes?

I think that's enough.  I'm going to depress myself! 

On a non-depressing note, wouldn't it be cruel if I sent this to someone while I was in Hawaii and they were stuck at home?!  Haha....my sister better watch out...she may be getting this one day!

SVG Attic SVG Collections used:
 
I used the wide middle step card from the Step Cards SVG Collection.

The tiki bar, luau sign, drinks, torch, palm tree, ukelele, hula skirt, coconut bra, lei, and lanterns are all from the Luau SVG Collection.

The girl is from the Paper Dolls SVG Collection.

The surf board is from the Just Beachy SVG Collection

Measurements:

Base - 7.5" x 10" (7.5" x 5" folded)
Tiki bar - 4.5" x 5"
Luau sign - 2.5" x .75"
Girl - 2" x 4" her hula clothes were sized down to fit using MTC
Palm tree - 4.5" x 7.5" (this one is triple reinforced to stay up!)
Ukelele - 2" x .66P
Surf board - 3.8" x 1.08"


I embossed the trunk of the tree to add texture.  The yellow umbrella in the back left is actually a toothpick umbrella I had laying around from a party I had awhile back.  The lanterns are held up using pop up squares and strung using twine from Trendy Twine.  I stamped the sentiment in orange to match the paper it's stamped on.  In the background you can see a hint of the ocean.  If I had the embossing folders I received the day after I made this card I could have embossed the roof of the tiki bar.  I slightly inked and distressed the tiki bar to give it more character.  You can see an orange strip on the bottom of the card.  I glued that there so the card would stay folded up a little closer.  The "Surf" sign was cut from a pack of paper that I bought from Target's dollar bins.  Actually all the patterned paper used on this card came from the same stack with the exception of the tiki bar.  That paper where the lanterns are hung are from DCWV's Linen Closet stack.  I think that's all.  I hope you enjoyed my project!

You know you wish you were there too!  We can dream together.

Wait....one last look/dream!

It's beach time!

Well, guess who got their Silhouette this week?  Yup, this girl!  Wait, can a 30-something year old be considered a girl?!  "Yes", whispers  my readers.  Oh well, then thanks!

Back to Silhouette news.  Last night was the first night I got to really play with my new toy...*cough cough and a few others a bought cough cough*.  I got home from work and set out to make a card for two challenges.  Yes, two....kill two birds with one stone right?  Oh so cliche.  Before I show you the card, let me tell you how AMAZING the Sil is on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest (the need to clearly explain the scores of a scale was drilled into me in college!).  The Sil gets a 9!  The cutting ability far surpasses that of the Cricut but the cut width is it's downfall.  Maybe it's because I'm used to the full 12" of the Expression and not having to cut my paper down to size all the time.  Either way, the Sil is my new best friend and poor Mr. Cricky will be left on my desk to gather dust.

Now to my cool card.  It's beachy, it's colorful, it's fun.  It's perfect for this holiday weekend!  I am entering this card into two challenges.  One is for the Paper Dolls challenge which requires the use of a stamp.  Just a stamp and SVGs.  Super simple.  The other challenge is over at SVG Attic.  The requirement is to use the colors red, white, and blue and also use one of the way cute SVG files that Jessica has made.  It just so happens all but one of the SVGs in my card are made by Jessica at SVG Attic.  I seriously love her files!!

Pictures, you say?  OK OK, I'll stop blabbing now and show ya.  Be warned...you may get overloaded.

It's beach time!

Surfs up!

Stair step card

Dimension shot

Surfer chick

Surfer dude

Flipper

The end

It was a lot of fun making this card.  All the ideas that were floating around in my head!  I used SVG Attic's Just Beachy SVG collection for most of the elements and the Paper Dolls collection for the dolls (psst, that one is free...go grab that and a few other awesome SVG files!).  The dolphin came from SVG Cuts free files, DeWayne the Dolphin from 7/28/09.  

The card measures 5 1/2" by 11 and I scored the steps at 1.25", 2.5", 4.25", 6" and at 8.25".  I then folded the smallest step (1.25") down the folded the rest like an accordion.  This creates the stairs of the card.  I used kraft paper for the base DCWV Linen Closet stack for the sand and open stock paper from either Joann's or Michaels for the water and the front where the sentiment is.  For the doll's bathing suits I used paper from Me & My Big Ideas stack, Renee Argyle Green (part of their Renee Family collection I guess).  I picked this stack up at Marshall's for $6.99.  I love discount stores!  

Oh, I have to at least briefly mention my other toys!  I bought a Crop-a-Dile and used that to set the eyelets on the sentiment part.  I also bought Martha Stewart's scoring board which is what I used to score and make the creases for my card.  It made life so much easier!  Why didn't I buy this before?!  

Hope you enjoyed!  Now off to blog hop!