Home is where the heart is || Step-by-step for My Creative Scrapbook

Hello friends! Today I've got a step-by-step tutorial which I made for one of the layouts I created using the beautiful September Creative Kit from My Creative Scrapbook and one of the free subscriber cut files. This month the Creative Kit features the "Farmhouse Summer" collection from Carta Bella Paper/Echo Park Paper.  

Here's the layout I created the step-by-step for:

I started with displaying the products I had left over from the kit after creating three layouts already:

For this layout I cut out one of the free subscriber cutfiles from Pearttree Cutfiles called "Heart of the Home" (it's an old one from September last year) using my Silhouette and placed this on a sheet of dark green patterned paper called "Simple Summer Flower". I chose a photo of my daughter and her partner in their brand new home (and my youngest, as we were visiting):

From all four sides of the patterned paper I tore off thin strips of paper using a metal ruler to get distressed edges:

Next I matted the photo, but before adhering I distressed the edges of this paper as well:

I decided to hand cut some of the flowers from the "Blessed Blooms" paper:

Loving the soft colors of these flowers!

I filled the hearts of the cut file with the red chequered paper called "Fresh Picks" and already loved the result. The flowers and the house itself I left as is: 

After arranging and re-arranging my photo I came to the conclusion that I needed another small photo to place above my original photo. I printed one of our Cocker Spaniel, who was also visiting. 

I decided to place the green base of my layout on a sheet with small flowers, which is the B-side of the sheet called "Multi Journaling Cards". 

After adding lots of embellishments, my layout was more or less done. I just had to add some machine stitching and to write a few lines of journaling with a white pen. 

And that's it! 

Here are a few close-ups:

Hope you like it! 

Here's a photo of the June Creative Kit I used: 

For more information about this kit (and the other 3 kits of this month) please visit the My Creative Scrapbook website and if you want to see the photos of all projects created by the design team with the various kits, please visit the Design Team Gallery.

Wishing you all a wonderful day! 

xxx Monique

LOVE LOVE LOVE || Pretty Little Studio

Hello scrappy friends! I haven't yet shared this layout created for Pretty Little Studio with the beautiful Wildflowers collection. For this layout I chose a photo of me with my Cocker Spaniel enjoying a coffee break during a delightful soft spring afternoon walk. Here's what I made:

I used watercolor paper as a base for this page and used Distress Oxide ink mixed with water, to color the paper yellow. I matted this white watercolor paper on sheet of lilac ledger paper. The card with the stitched hearts on the left side of my photo is a 3"x 8" journaling card. 

Here are a few close-ups: 

Those large word die-cuts are my favorite kind! 

The little scalloped borders come from a card with 11 punch-out borders in different colors and are perfect to add a bit of interest to your page. 

I machine stitched around the layout twice and also over some of the die-cuts which adds a little extra interest. 

This is it! Thank you so much for stopping by our blog and please don't forget to check out this new and fabulous Wildflowers collection in the Pretty Little Studio store! 

Here's a list of Pretty Little Studio products I used: 

Wildflowers collection

Paper Pack | Wildflower 12x12 single sided, Wildflower 6x9 single sided, Ledger 12x12 single sided

Die-Cuts | Spring Mix, Whimsical Labels & Tags, Garden Blooms, Wildflower Stems, Joy Word, Sunny in May Words

Stickers | Delightful Spring Word (color)

Journaling | Hello Sunshine 3x8

Punch-Out | Tulip Border

Destination || Step-by-step My Creative Scrapbook

Hello friendss! This month I received the My Creative Scrapbook August Creative Kit featuring the Let's Go collection from Simple Stories, which I totally adore! I just love all travel collections and this one is definitely this year's favorite! As I just got back from a vacation to the south of France I had photos a plenty! 

Here's one of the layouts I created with this wonderful kit:

And here are a few photos of how this layout came together. Using a plate I drew a circle on a sheet of white cardstock.

I chose the tangerine colored map paper (called "Pack Your Bags") to mat the white cardstock with. From all 4 sides of the cardstock I tore off a small strip of paper. Using my sewing machine I stitched the cardstock on top of the patterned paper. Except for the sides I also stitched the circle, twice. Next I distressed the sides of the cardstock. 

I printed & matted a large photo of my kids just returning from an afternoon filled with swimming and jumping in the river. I decided I wanted the photo on the left side of my layout. 

Now all I had to do was to fill the circle with numerous stickers, die-cuts and chipboards.

This month's Creative kit is filled to the brim with embellishments; I had a hard time choosing and not just including everything! Below the photo I wrote a few lines of journaling and stamped the date. 

Last but not least I added a few drops of yellow ink.

And now I thought I was done, but when I put the layout out of sight for a while and looked at it a day later I decided it wasn't quite right. So I pulled some of the embellishments off and rearranged them, just a little. For example, the car wasn't right where it was, it was just too high and then there were too many die-cuts above the word "destination". So after a bit of pulling and tearing my layout now looks like this: 

What do you think? Do you like the first version better? of the second? Would love to know! 

Here's a photo of the August Creative Kit I used: 

For more information about this kit (and the other 3 kits of this month) please visit the My Creative Scrapbook website and if you want to see the photos of all projects created by the design team with the various kits, please visit the Design Team Gallery.

Wishing you all a wonderful day! 

xxx Monique

HERE, My Favorite Place To Be || My Creative Scrapbook Step-by-Step

Hello friends! I wanted to share another step-by-step tutorial which I made for the kit club My Creative Scrapbook for one of my July layouts. I used the truly awesome July Creative Kit, featuring the Life Right Now collection from Pinkfresh Studio. I love that this kit can be used for both photos taken at home as well as on vacation, like the photos I used in today's layout.

Here's the layout I created the step-by-step for:

For this layout I selected a few patterned papers and got out one of my favorite punches and punched seven borders in the colors of the rainbow. 

The punched borders measure 1.25" x 11". 

I placed these borders (in rainbow order) on a white sheet of cardstock and machine stitched them all:

Next I added several embellishments in similar colors: 

I placed the photos on top, with die-cuts on both sides and a title above. I also hand cut a few of the expressions from the sheet called "Social Hour" and adhered these on the photos:

I wrote the journaling beneath the borders, stamped the date above the title and added a few silver paint drops and I was done! 

Here are a few close-ups:

Here's a photo of the July Creative Kit I used: 

For more information about this kit (and the other 3 kits of this month) please visit the My Creative Scrapbook website and if you want to see the photos of all projects created by the design team with the various kits, please visit the Design Team Gallery.

Wishing you all a wonderful day! 

xxx Monique

Life is what you make it || Pretty Little Studio

Checking in to share another layout created with the beautiful Wildflowers collection from Pretty Little Studio. 

For this layout I chose three small(ish) photos of a day out with my friends. Here's what I made:

For this layout I started with the large wreath die-cut "Garden Rose" and placed this on a white cardstock sheet. The wreath is so beautitul it doesn't need a whole lot more.

I adhered each one of my three photos on a (stationary)tag, added a little string bow and placed them on top of the wreath. 

I added word stickers, die-cuts and on two of them a narrow scallop border die-cut and also a little tab for the stamped date. 

I connected two of the photos with this little rainbow. I just love all the rainbows in this collection. 

For the title I used a large die-cut which I adhered in the top right corner of one of the photos and over the little rainbow.

I wrote my journaling on two large (punch out) labels.

As always I machine stitched on my layout; along the sides and also over the die-cuts. Really loving the result.

This is it! Thank you so much for stopping by our blog and please don't forget to check out this new and fabulous collection in the Pretty Little Studio store! 

Here's a list of PLS products I used: 

Wildflowers collection

Paper Pack | Wildflower 12x12 single sided

Die-Cuts | Sweet Violet Tags, Sunny in May words, Garden Scallop Borders, 

Wreath Die-Cut | Garden Rose 11"

Stickers | Delightful Spring Word (white)

Punch-out | Double Raibow, Springtime Labels