Planting Seeds Layout

 I don't do much scrapbooking any longer - I used to create many layouts but time has changed things. One in a while, though, there is an occasion that does call for a layout and this was one of those times. 

A former music student of mine invited me to attend a music festival where two of his ensembles were performing. I spent the day in Toronto with him and his groups - I had not seen him since June of 1997 when he finished grade 8. It was the most amazing experience - getting to know him as an adult and seeing him work with his students was so very rewarding. 

He has told me on many occasions that I am the reason he decided to teach intermediate music - and that alone warms my heart. As a teacher, that is what we hope for - that we make a difference in students' lives. 

I screenshot the post I put on Facebook along with his reply. This is why I became a teacher - this is truly what matters! 

Enjoy, 

Alyson

Grateful Layout

I haven't scrapbooked for quite a while but this situation really needed a layout! 

November is often a month when people like to do a gratitude exercise. A wonderful friend of mine decided to participate in an online gratitude challenge to post one thing each day for which she was grateful. Imagine my surprise when I opened Facebook and this was the first post in my feed. She had written about me... I was so honoured and this sure made me cry! The first thing that caught my eye was the picture of two of my cards - and then I read her beautiful message. I printed that as well as my reply for this layout. 

I used a blue and yellow theme to go with the colours on the cards. The tags along the side were cut from various patterned paper and I added ribbon to two of them. The background was lightly inked with Squeezed Lemonade DO ink and splattered with shimmer brushes. The flowers were stamped, stencilled and die cut and arranged around the pictures. I added some gold metallic thread, gold shimmer brush accents and gold stickles to the floral groupings. I decided to border everything - the photos and the entire layout - for more emphasis.

This warms my heart every time I read it - and it still moves me to tears. Thank you, my friend! I am so blessed to have you in my life. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Various Patterned Papers, White Daisy Cardstock, Carolina Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Lemonade Cardstock, Sundance Cardstock

Stamps: Feel So Blessed, In the Meadow stamps plus dies and layering stencils (Pink Fresh Studio) 

Inks: Carolina, Sapphire, Bluebird, Lemon, Sundance, Nectarine, Squeezed Lemonade DO Ink 

Accessories: Art Philosophy Cricut Collection, Stitched Simple Brackets Thin Cuts, Shimmer Brushes - Bluebird, Lemonade, Gold, Goldenrod Stickles, Corner Rounder, Gold Metallic Thread (misc.), Hole Punch, White Ribbon (misc.) 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Heart 2 Heart - Celebrate Connections

Welcome to the first May challenge at Heart 2 Heart! 

This challenge is titled "Celebrate Connections". May is also National Scrapbooking Month and Close To My Heart has released a stunning collection called You are Enough. the collection includes a gorgeous paper pack, coordinating cardstock with rose gold embossing, stamps, dies and some other goodies. I decide to use those products to create this layout. 

I don't do a lot of scrapbooking these days but I really liked this photo of a friend of mine. My doggie adores her, as I am sure you can tell from the photo. 

There is a lot happening on this layout... more than you see at first glance. I used a diamond stencil to add texture paste behind the photo. The wreath and doily were cut with my Cricut and I stamped and die cut the flowers and leaves. The butterflies were die cut from Sangria cardstock and holographic paper. The little details... Sapphire crochet thread, Liquid Pearls, Stickles, the Clear Shimmer Brush... I love how this turned out! 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret the theme Celebrate Connections. Your project does not have to be a layout - it can be anything as long as the theme is evident. 

You have until the end of May to link up your project. 

We can’t wait to see what you create! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: You are Enough Paper Pack, You are Enough Coordinating Cardstock, White Daisy Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Blue Belle Cardstock, Sangria Cardstock, Majestic Holographic Paper

Stamps: Mothers are the Best

Inks: Sangria, Ballerina, Blue Belle, Sapphire 

Accessories: Cricut - Basic Shapes Collection, Artbooking Collection, Art Philosophy Collection, Flower Market Collection, Mothers are the Best (Thinking of You) Thin Cuts, Layered Butterflies Thin Cuts, Friend Die (PPP), Stencil Sheets, Opaque Matte Texture Paste, Sapphire Crochet Thread, White Liquid Pearls, Stickles - Tiara and Diamond, Clear Shimmer Brush, Sharpie Marker

Enjoy,

Alyson

Blossom Blog Hop

Welcome to the Blossom Blog Hop!

This blog hop focuses on the products from the Blossom collection - there is a paper pack, two stamp sets (one with thin cuts) and some coordinating cardstock available.  

You should have arrived here from Brenda Lapp's blog. If you get lost along the way, a list of all participants can be found on Melinda Everitt's blog. 

I have two projects to share - the first is a card and the second is a layout. 

This card is very easy to create - it folds over itself and opens up to a 12" length. I used the Shower Flowers stamp set to stamp and fussy cut the flowers and greenery for the front. A sentiment was stamped and added to the front and the back panel was also stamped as part of it is visible when the card is closed. I added a few Stickles dots around the sentiment area and some Silver Glitter Gems that were coloured to match the front. 

This layout is a very different style for me... I rarely use water colours but I pulled those out and created a background using the same colours as in the Blossom paper pack. I simply painted strips of colour along the centre of the cardstock and then splattered some paint around the rest of the layout. That piece was trimmed and placed on an angle on a piece of Lagoon cardstock. I surrounded the photo of my dog with a Lagoon frame and added some of the zip strips along the bottom. I typed the journaling and printed it on one of the Blossom papers. The title was stamped in a Cricut cut banner. The little hearts were stamped - some on patterned paper and some on white cardsock so they could be coloured. They were spread around the layout and some tiny hearts were also stamped. Finally, I added some sparkles that were also coloured. A black journaling pen was used to draw a border around the layout. 

I hope you enjoyed my projects. 

The next visit on this hop is Lauren Moore's blog. I am sure she has something terrific to share with you! 

Products used are all Close To My Heart: 

Paper: Blossom Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock, Nectarine Cardstock 

Stamps: Shower Flowers, Happiness Lives Here, Jennifer's Hand, Wishing You Everything 

Inks: Lagoon, Nectarine, Smoothie, Glacier, Green Apple, Intense Black 

Accessories: Artbooking Cartridge, Artistry Cartridge, Wishing You Everything Thin Cuts, Stitched Fancy Brackets Thin Cuts, Watercolour Paints, Glacier Twine, Silver Glitter Gems, Sparkles, Bitty Sparkles, Tri-Blend Markers, White Shimmer Trim, Mint Stickles, Black Journaling Pen

Enjoy,

Alyson

Triangle Doggie Layout

I finally created a layout using an idea from a Close To My Heart live crop event. I love the triangles and the effect that is created. 

The background was splattered with Red and Lagoon Shimmer Brushes. The papers are from Sweet Safari and the Mix-In paper packs plus there are two colours of cardstock. Each is cut in a smaller size than the previous piece and then layered together. I chose a black and white photo of my doggie and added some flowers that were stamped and fussy cut. I also masked and stamped the sentiment plus added some stamped hearts and gold gems. The journaling was written using a Charcoal journaling pen so it would be a little lighter than using black. 

Products used are all Close To My Heart: 

Paper: Sweet Safari Paper Pack, Mix-In Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Sundance Cardstock, Lagoon Cardstock

Stamps: Every Bit of Wonderful, Hey, Hi, Hello, Wishing You Everything, Howdy Neighbour 

Inks: Candy Apple, Avocado, Lagoon, Espresso Pigment Ink

Accessories: Red Shimmer Brush, Lagoon Shimmer Brush, Sundance Shimmer Brush, Gold Embellishing Thread, Gold Glitter Gems, Charcoal Journaling Pen, Tri-Blend Markers, Heat Tool, Clear Embossing Powder

Enjoy,

Alyson

Baby Album - Little Girl

I just finished a complete baby album for the first year of a little girl. This was a real labour of love - 12 complete layouts plus a front and back page. 

The layouts were photographed outside in the shade but they still tend to be on the light side and often don't reflect the true colours or the vibrant appearance of the layouts... The order they are shown here is the same order they appear in the album. 

Many of the layouts have flip flaps added for additional photos. Some of the flip flaps may also have journaling options included that are not visible here. There is one layout where the journaling area is a slide-in piece.

I hope that the mother-to-be enjoys adding photos of her baby girl throughout the year! 

Products are not listed as the product list is far too extensive to include here. 

Enjoy,

Alyson

Love Layout

Some terrific friends of mine have the most precious little girl... she is the focus of this layout. 

I used a pre-created layout from the new Cricut Collection (via Close To My Heart) - it is called Everyday Moments. I actually even used the suggested colour scheme because it worked perfectly with these photos. The layout is a 2 page one although I used only the left side. I used a sheet of woodgrain paper for the background. There is a place on the back for journalling if desired. This will be framed as well. 

I added some embellishments to the layout - some Bashful Pearls, Gold Embellishing Thread, Mini Bows and I also brushed certain pieces using the Clear and Gold Shimmer Brushes. It's hard to see the difference in the brushes unless you look very closely... 

This is being given to this family as an (unexpected) gift - I truly hope they will cherish it! 

Products used are all Close To My Heart: 

Paper: Happy Times Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Ballerina Cardstock, Peach Cardstock, Smoothie Cardstock, Green Apple Cardstock, Peacock Cardstock, Mint Cardstock

Stamps: none

Inks: none

Accessories: Everyday Moments Cricut Collection, Gold Embellishing Thread, Bashful Pearls, Mini Bows, Clear Shimmer Brush, Gold Shimmer Brush, Thin Foam Tape, Foam Tape

Enjoy,

Alyson

March SOTM Blog Hop

Welcome to the March Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! 

This month, we are featuring the stamp set called Family Legacy. It is a terrific stamp set to coordinate with the new Yesterday and Today papers as it has a definite heritage feel to it. 

You should have arrived here from Lauren Moore's blog. 

If you get lost, a list of all participants can be found on Melinda Everitt's blog. 

That heritage feel is what drove my layout for this blog hop. My mom, who passed away just over 3 years ago, was a tremendous community advocate and she ran a second hand shop where all the proceeds were donated to charity. This photo was taken about 10 years before she finally shut down the shop as she didn't have the energy to continue running it. At the time this photo was taken, she had donated over $1,000,000 dollars (that's right - OVER 1 MILLION DOLLARS!) to various charities in her community. Much more was raised in the next 10 years. This photo was scanned from a newspaper article (it was on the front page and I didn't want the entire front page heading along with this photo) as my mom was named the town's Citizen of the Year for her charity work. She hated having her photo taken so this was a very unusual occurrence. 

I chose to use the new Yesterday and Today paper pack for the basis of my layout. I used one of the sheets as the background and a couple of the zip strips for the cross pieces. A few of the stamp images were stamped before adhering the photo and I also used the Strokes of an Artist stamp set to provide some additional background images. The original photo was scanned in black and white. I also edge and ink distressed some of the pieces as well as swiping the Espresso ink pad across the layout base. A few gold gems were added along with a small bow. 

I hope you enjoyed my project. 

The next blog to visit is Brenda Lapp's blog.

I am sure she has something awesome to share with you! 

Products used are all Close To My Heart 

Paper: Yesterday and Today Paper Pack, Toffee Cardstock, Espresso Cardstock, French Vanilla Cardstock 

Stamps: Family Legacy, Strokes of an Artist

Inks: Espresso, Toffee

Accessories: Art Philosophy Cricut Collection, Gold Glitter Gems, Tri-Blend Markers, White and Gold Skinny Ribbon

Enjoy,

Alyson

Every Little Thing Mini-Album

I recently saw a post in a Facebook group of a gorgeous mini-album created by Kelly Brandt. I wanted to do the same type of album and purchased the file to create my own. 

Many of the decorations were modelled on her album because I love what she did. 

I used the Every Little Thing paper collection along with the accompanying stickers and PML cards. Before I gave this beautiful creation to my awesome neighbours (they have a 3 year old daughter so it was a perfect gift for them...), I added photo placeholders. These photos were taken before those placeholders were added. 

I grouped each of the mini books into a collage to avoid posting dozens of photos here. There are two different type of mini books (2 of each) - one has a flip style photo holder and the other has multiple pages that cross back and forth. 

Here is the front of the album. 

And this shows each of the mini books within the album itself. 

Mini Book #1

Mini Book #2

Mini Book #3

Mini Book #4

This was very time consuming but a really worthwhile project. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated: 

Paper: Every Little Thing Paper Pack (with stickers), Black Cardstock, Sapphire Cardstock, Wisteria Cardstock, Julep Cardstock, Evergreen Cardstock

Stamps: none

Inks: Black

Accessories: Chipboard (not CTMH), Every Little Thing PML Cards, Sparkle Flourishes (clear and black), Black Sharpie Marker, Magnets (not CTMH)

Enjoy,

Alyson

You & Me Layout

A good friend has a birthday coming up and I wanted to do something special for her. She and her daughter spend a lot of time together and I just adore the two of them. The photo that I chose for this layout is one that was posted on Facebook - and she has no idea that this gift is coming her way! I am hoping that she will hang it in a special place in her home. 

I chose to use the Sweet Girl paper pack from Close To My Heart to create the layout. The papers coordinate perfectly and to avoid any conflict with the photo, I changed it to black and white. I also softened it slightly. 

The flowers were cut from the Flower Market Cricut cartridge, as was the title. Those roses... they take a long time to assemble! They were brushed with the Clear Shimmer Brush after being edged with Ballerina ink. It's a little difficult to differentiate between the Peach and Ballerina colours in this layout - since I hand stitched all around the edges, the layout didn't lay perfectly flat for me so it was easier to photograph it when it was mounted in the frame. The roses are Ballerina (very light pink) and the daisy tops are Peach, as is the background. 

There is twine running above the banner although that is almost impossible to see as I added silver glitter gems between each piece. I also went way back to find the sparkle flourishes to place beside the flowers as they add such a great finishing touch. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated:

Paper: Sweet Girl Paper Pack, Sapphire Cardstock, Peach Cardstock, Ballerina Cardstock, Fern Cardstock, Heather Cardstock

Stamps: none

Inks: Ballerina, Peach, Sapphire, Heather, Fern

Accessories: Flower Market Cricut Cartridge, Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, Cricut Basic Shapes (not CTMH), Silver Glitter Gems, Mink Twine, Silver Sparkle Flourishes, Foam Tape, Clear Shimmer Brush, Blue Embroidery Floss and Needle (not CTMH), Stitching Guide, Sponges, Sponge Daubers, Sharpie Marker (not CTMH) 

Enjoy, 

Alyson

H2H - Carefree Love LO

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge! 

It's all about celebrating this week - the theme is called just that: "Celebrate the Good Times". 

I was recently emailed a photo that I never thought I would never see - a photo of my father's parents. My father passed away in 2006 and if he was alive today, he would be 100 years old (soon 101 as his birthday was in August). This photo is a keepsake. His mother (my grandmother) passed away when she was in her early 30s. I only ever met my grandfather once - very briefly - when I was a young child. I don't remember him at all. 

The photo was in sepia wen I received it but I wanted it in black and white for the purpose of this layout. The date is unknown but I am guessing it is around 1910 - it was before they had any children and before the Depression. Life was pretty carefree at that time. 

I based this layout on a sketch I found on Pinterest. Texture paste was used to create the brick background to replicate the brick wall in the photo. I wanted to set the photo on a bright coloured background to bring attention to it and daisies and butterflies represented a carefree life to me. I added a few scattered pearls to finish it off. 

 Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you celebrate the good times. You have until the end of July to link up your project. Be sure to use some Close To My Heart products in your creation. 

We can't wait to see what you create! 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated:

Paper: Happy Times Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Charcoal Cardstock, Lemon Cardstock, Clover Cardstock, Carolina Cardstock, Bluebird Cardstock

Stamps: none

Ink: Bluebird

Accessories: Jasmine Cricut Cartridge (not CTMH), Flower Market Cricut Cartridge, Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, Artbooking Cricut Cartridge, Cricut Basic Shapes (not CTMH), Bitty Pearls, Grey and White Twine, Foam Tape, Thin Foam Tape, Texture Paste and Texture Tools, Stencil Sheets, Edge Distresser

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Happy Heart LO

Welcome to Heart 2 Heart's weekly challenge! 

This week, the challenge is all about hearts - specifically titled "I Heart Us". That is the name of one of the Close To My Heart paper packs - but it doesn't mean that you have to use that paper pack! That is one of the options, but this week's theme can be however you interpret I Heart Us - it really is about love and loving someone or something. 

I chose my precious doggie because I truly do love her! This layout is one that I found on Pinterest - my favourite place to find awesome creative ideas. I really wish I knew who the original creator of this layout was but there was no watermark or link to anywhere so I can't provide that information... 

I used the same photo in each section because I love the photo and it truly does make my heart happy :) All the paper is from the I Heart Us paper pack except the background sheet. That is from an older pack called Calypso. I wanted a Sweet Leaf background and there was no Sweet Leaf paper in this paper pack. There are now cut apart images in CTMH paper packs and I used a few of those plus I used the coordinating stamp set to stamp some images and cut them out with a white border around them. Some of those were used as embellishments around my doggie's face and others near the title. I added some coordinating sequins as well. This layout didn't take long as it is simple and easy. 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us your lovely heart-based creations this week! 

You have until the end of February to link up with this or any of the other February challenges. 

Products used are all Close To My Heart 

Paper: I Heart Us Paper Pack, Calypso Paper Pack, White Daisy Cardstock, Black Cardstock

Stamps: I Heart Us - Cardmaking

Inks: Lagoon, Thistle, Pixie, Raspberry, Sweet Leaf, Intense Black

Accessories: I Heart Us Sequins, ShinHan Markers, Corner Rounder

Enjoy,

Alyson

The Important Things LO

Welcome back to Heart 2 Heart! 

I hope you had an amazing Christmas holiday! 

Now it's time to get back into the swing of things here at Heart 2 Heart. 

The first challenge of the year is titled "The Important Things". Different things are important to people - family, friends, pets, heirlooms - something might be important to someone and it's not our place to determine what that is. Everyone has an "important thing" in his/her life. This week at Heart 2 Heart, it's time to celebrate those important things! 

I have some very important people in my life, but I can't possibly celebrate all of them in one post. I wish I could! However, for the purpose of this post, I chose to do this twofold. The family below is very important to me. They are from my church family and are such an inspiration. This layout was actually a Christmas gift and was framed for them. 

The papers in this layout were a real mix from a variety of paper packs... It was hard to find the right combination of papers to work with the colours in the picture. I had piles of paper packs piled up with sheets pulled from about 20 paper packs until I finally found what I wanted! 

I used watercolour paints to splatter the background - and I am still finding blue paint on my white studio furniture today as it was too cold to do that outside. It is amazing how far paint travels in that process! The title was stamped with pigment ink and embossed. 

The other little details were added after the photo was placed and the large Cricut cut pieces were adhered. I am so happy with how this turned out. 

Truly, the important things matter. Celebrate yours! 

Come and share your important things with us at Heart 2 Heart - you have until the end of January to link up you project. 

Products used are all Close To My Heart

Paper: Linen Cardstock, Espresso Cardstock, Ruby Cardstock, White Glitter Paper, Fresh Air Paper Pack, Boutique Paper Pack, Jack Paper Pack, Grateful Heart Paper Pack

Stamps: Grateful Heart Cardmaking, Chelsea Gardens Scrapbooking

Inks: Black, Espresso, Charcoal, Ruby, Sapphire, Sapphire Pigment Ink

Accessories: Flower Market Cartridge, Gold Shimmer Brush, Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Watercolour Paints, Paint Brushes, Thin Foam Tape, Foam Tape, Gold Pearls, Gold Flecked Gems, 3-D Foam Dots

Enjoy,

Alyson

H2H - Duly Noted

Welcome to H2H's challenge this week!

Our theme this week is titled "Duly Noted". Initially, all of our team members were hesitant with this theme because this is a difficult title... 

However, after a little thought, the ideas began to flow. 

- the Documented paper pack

- music notes

- lots of journaling

- documenting something

- a notebook edged paper from a notebook

- a mini book or mini album

- a layout or page with hidden journaling

- something with a list 

These are just some of the ideas that came about... there are many more! 

Creativity is limited only by your imagination. 

I chose to do something sort of along a couple of these lines. I am formally diagnosed with OCD and for me, it manifests itself in the form of perfectionism. I have lists and organizational items all over my home. They take the form of posters, white boards, rub off plastic boards, binders, my trusty electronic devices and a few others items as well. I rely on all of them at some time during each and every day. I photographed a few of them and created a collage of those pictures that I used on the layout below. My brain does not function without my organizational systems in place. Hence - the title - The OCD Brain. Everything else around that collage is chaos. I journaled around the edge of the layout. 

Come and join us at Heart 2 Heart and show us how you interpret the theme of Duly Noted. 

This is actually our first August challenge so you have an entire month to enter this challenge. 

Products used are Close To My Heart unless otherwise indicated:

Paper: White Daisy Cardstock, Charcoal Cardstock, Sorbet Cardstock, Glacier Cardstock, Pewter Cardstock

Stamps: Marker Alphabet, Jennifer's Hand Alphabet, Splash of Colour, Ink Blot (ret.)

Inks: Lagoon, Crystal Blue, Glacier, Charcoal, Sorbet

Accessories: Art Philosophy Cartridge (ret.), Artiste Cartridge (ret.), Artbooking Cartridge, Sharpie Marker (not CTMH), Silver Sequins (ret.), Florence Sequins (ret.), Glacier Twine (ret.)

Enjoy,

Alyson