Celebrating baby sisters and single layouts

Hi there lovelies,

Have I told you that I just love my little sister? She is the best person I know. She is loving, caring and always puts the needs of her loved ones first. She has such a serving heart. That is just one aspect of her. She is also a deeply faithful girl of faith. She loves the Lord and everything she does, is to honour Him. She is also an artist and an illustrator and man, is her art amazing. She has a little personal blog you can visit here. 

I also love single layouts way more than double ones. I created this single layout to celebrate her. I used the Finesse Collection I designed for Ivytree Studio. I really enjoyed putting this collection together. This is the first of our collections that expanded into a variety of new products. The collection even has a chipboard set, stencil set and some cute flair buttons. It also sees the edition of our very popular Cute Cuts packs and Pretty Pocket card packs (pre-cut) cards. There is a Simply Pretty colour matched collection that includes some really pretty washi pages and border cuts and a lot of pretty simple patterns that is not theme-specific. 

I also wrote a Gracelilly devotional book in both English and Afrikaans that has its own Cute Cuts kit with it. This was a lot of work all in all but oh so worth it. I really enjoy playing with this collection and using it in all kinds of projects. 

Products used: Paper and elements from Ivytree Studio - Finesse Collection.

'Till next time!

Trying out albums

Hi there lovelies,

I don't know about you but making my own albums have not been high on my priority list. I would rather just buy an album and put my layouts in them. On the other hand, albums are so expensive these days so I end up having to store my layouts until I can afford an album and page protectors. They can get damaged if you don't store them properly. 

I love Project Life and because I am a cardmaker, I also love making little cards to use in my Project Life layouts. This layout was created using the Seize the Day collection I designed for Ivytree Studio. 

I wanted to do a whole album using this collection and I wanted to try and make a 12"x12" album from scratch. This was my first version and I'll share more about it later. I just wanted to do a quick write-up about what I learned from making my own album. 

First, trying to make a 12"x12" album as your first try is probably not a good idea. It is a large format so if you start with a smaller version, you might find it easier. I like a challenge and I learned so much from it.

Sizing is therefore important to note. Watching a couple of videos on Youtube might also help give you the basic ideas and perhaps you may find some templates or advice on sizing it out. 

Just start. Select your paper, chipboard and adhesives and just begin. 

Cut your spine and front and back covers and connect them using some broad masking tape. Start covering it with the base layer of pattern paper. Because this was just a test version, I used large A2 sheets of white cardstock so I had enough room to cover wide surfaces. 

Then you need a place to add pages. You will be adding a gusset to your inner spine. Click on the link here to see some ideas on Pinterest. 

Depending on how thick your layouts are, this will determine how many pages you can add to your album. 

You can create pages and then adhere them to your album. Or create pages inside your album as you go. 

What I have found through trying out making my own albums and from the research I've done, is that it can be really rewarding making an album from scratch and then filling them. 

I plan to make more albums in future. It is really not that difficult and using the same paper as you used in your layouts, can turn out to be a really fun way to start and finish scrapbook projects. 

You can do a year-in-review album or make an album for the year to come and then fill it out as you go. You can celebrate one particular event and make a full album on it all with the same paper. 

So, hope this post gets you thinking and helps you take the leap into album making. 

 Products used: Seize the Day collection from Ivytree Studio.

'Till next time!

Mixed Media Cardmaking

Hi there lovelies,


When it comes to cardmaking, I like to play around and use a variety of techniques.

Have you tried making these:

1. Digistamp cards - using images or drawings or digital stamps as a focal point on your cards. 
2. Die cut cards - using dies to cut elements and use as a focal point on your cards.
3. Mixed Media Cards - using a variety of art product and techniques on your cards.
4. Layered Cards - using a variety of elements and layering on your cards
5. Box cards - exploding box cards where you open the box and all the layered elements are revealed.

Can you think off more types of cards? Leave a comment to this post. 

Here is an example of a card I worked on recently. I don't have the final image availalbe but I thought to share the close-ups to show you the results of mixing mediums. 

Products used:

Paper from my stash and white cardstock

A variety of inks including my favourite Vegas Gold All Purpose Ink

Gold acrylic paint from our local brand Dala

Flower elements cut with Silhouette Cameo

Stitching pattern: Basic flower design

'Till next time!

Friends for Life Card published in Scrap Affairs

Hi there lovelies,

I created this card just for fun. I wanted to experiment with stitching designs I like. This design was a free share I found on Pinterest. Loved it.

I think I will start playing around with my own designs from now on.

Products used:
Ivytree Studio paper: I mixed collections: Friendship collection, Wild&Free collection, Seize the Day collection.

Publications:
Scrap Affairs Magazine

'Till next time!

Celebrate Family time Double Layout and more stitching

Hi there lovelies,

Just a quick share on a double layout I just completed. Still, need to add my photos, but I love how it turned out.

Products used:

Ivytree Studio paper: Hadeda Garden collection