Altenew May 2017 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway



Hey everyone,


I am here today as part of the Altenew May 2017 Blog Hop. I am so honoured to be able to take part with such an amazing group of creatives and get to play with the new May release stamps and embossing powder, alongside using the beautiful Reflections Kit.


If you are wondering more about the new releases which you can purchase here, here is what I was sent to play with:


I used mainly the Halftone Hearts Stamp set, the Crystal Clear embossing powder and of course my fave Reflections Scrapbook kit.

Here is what I created: #myworld

The main layout design was inspired by the Map paper in the Reflections kit. It may be a surprise but I do love a white background so because the paper had a cream base I decided to fussy cut it out and add it to a piece of textured white card stock. I then took inspiration from the world map to decide on my title "#myworld" and the photos and story that I wanted to document on this page. 

Here is the process video for the page:



And some detailed images:

The alphas in the Reflections kit were the perfect contrast and pop against the white card stock background. I added my typewritten journaling in strip form under the title. I finished the title area with some embellishing of a fussy cut flower, a chipboard arrow (both from the Reflections kit) and a stamped heart which I embossed with the Crystal Clear embossing powder. 

For my stamping today on this layout I used the Halftone Hearts stamp set, coloured inks from my stash, the Altenew Jet Black ink and the Crystal Clear embossing powder. I was able to apply the embossing powder directly to the stamped image and love the shiny effect it gave to the images.  I embossed hearts in a variety of colours and sizes and some of the sentiments from the set. They were perfect in assisting me to tell the story of this layout. 


I just adore the way the stamped hearts and sentiments compliment this story and design. 


I was able to add many colours into this page as the paper which I used behind the photos was a rainbow striped pattern. I tried to add the pink hearts near the pink part of the paper, orange hearts near the orange and so on. 


I hope that you have been inspired by my contribution to the hop today. I had so much fun using the new May releases along with my Reflections kit. 


You may be wondering where the details for the hop are, check out all the info below!


Prizes:To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to THREE lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew blog by Thursday, June 1st at 11:59 pm EDT for a chance to win. The winners will be announced on the Altenew blog on Saturday, June 3rd.


PLUS: Bonus draw!!

You can also enter a draw to receive a $30 gift certificate by commenting on this post! I'll announce the winner here on June 2nd!

Here is the full hop order:

Raquel

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7,364,160 minutes with you - Pink Paislee

Hey everyone, I'm here today sharing a layout as part of Anniversary week on the Pink Paislee blog.

For today’s layout I used the Fancy Free collection by Paige Evans. I have chosen a design to go with the symbol of love: hearts. I also wanted to get a little creative with the title of my post and the subject which I will go into detail further into the post today.

Here is the layout I created:
How many hours, minutes or seconds have you spent with your loved one? Learn how Raquel documented an anniversary in a unique way in todays post. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #fancyfree
Here is a process video of the layout:




For the main layout design I used a heart cut file and backed it with a mix of photos and 6×6 patterned papers. I chose patterned papers for this particular layout as I wanted the patterned designs to be in smaller prints. I also printed my photos into 2×3″ and framed a couple of those behind the hearts.

How many hours, minutes or seconds have you spent with your loved one? Learn how Raquel documented an anniversary in a unique way in todays post. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #ppfancyfree
So let’s get to the anniversary part of the post shall we. 2016 marked my husband and I’s 14th year of being a couple. I wanted to document this in a different way. So instead of having a title as simple as ’14 year’s I decided to get a little creative. Online in the website timeanddate.com there is a Duration Calculator. This calculator allows you to input two dates, your starting date and end date. I inputted our anniversary details and found out the following:
Hubby and I have been together:
5114 days
14 years
441,849,600 seconds
7,364,160 minutes
122,736 hours
730 weeks and 4 days
How cool is that?!? I went with the minutes figure to document in this instance as you can see below.
How many hours, minutes or seconds have you spent with your loved one? Learn how Raquel documented an anniversary in a unique way in todays post. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #ppfancyfree
Hearts are a hard shape to frame photos within, and I still had a little trouble even though I printed my photo smaller. In the image below the photo was actually too small on the left hand side. Nothing that a cute puffy flower won’t fix.

How many hours, minutes or seconds have you spent with your loved one? Learn how Raquel documented an anniversary in a unique way in todays post. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #ppfancyfree
The layout is mainly of a vertical design, however I created three clusters of embellishments to help balance the page. This cluster below is made up puffy stickers and buttons from the Fancy Free collection.

How many hours, minutes or seconds have you spent with your loved one? Learn how Raquel documented an anniversary in a unique way in todays post. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #ppfancyfree
The photos I chose to frame in the cut file design had to be ones that had the subject more off center. This is because otherwise, the center of the heart would be going through heads. It took me a little while to find photos of hubby or hubby and I that were suitable. But I am so glad I took the time to find them as I am pleased with the result.

How many hours, minutes or seconds have you spent with your loved one? Learn how Raquel documented an anniversary in a unique way in todays post. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #ppfancyfree
Due to the background being white and the cut file being white too, they need something to help distinguish them from each other. When creating layouts with designs such as this my go-to technique is to place a foam adhesive under the cut file. This gives the layout a little depth and dimension and also creates a shadow, helping us to see the edges of the cut file away from the background. I love doing this, it is such a subtle but effective technique.

How many hours, minutes or seconds have you spent with your loved one? Learn how Raquel documented an anniversary in a unique way in todays post. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #ppfancyfree
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! 

Jot Magazine May Moodboard

Jot Girl Leanne has pulled together an amazing Autumn inspired mood board for the month of May. Have you checked it out yet? 



Just take a look at those rich, warm colours – teal, mustard, orange, scarlet and grey.





The May Mood Board sponsor is Nat May from Imaginarium Designs who is donating a voucher.
Make sure you visit Imaginarium Designs for awesome chipboard embellishments. Check out their website here>>SaveSave

And check out Jot Magazine for some design team mood board inspiration and details on how to enter.

Real Life - a stamping layout with Pink Paislee

Hey everyone, I'm with you today sharing a layout as part of Stamping week on the Pink Paislee blog. I decided to have some fun with the Oh My Heart stamp set and embossing powder to create my own patterned paper.

Here is the layout that I created:
Join Raquel on the blog today as she creates her own patterned paper using stamps. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #stamping #embossing #ppohmyheart
For this layout I decided to document a story about my little man. The cut file I used was a free download here, it came with both the pie chart and title ‘real life’ which was just perfect for documenting this photo and story of ‘the look’. ‘The look’ is something that my little man does to me whenever I ask him for a photo, it’s a ‘seriously mum, more photos?’ look. I was glad I managed to capture it so I could document this story.

Join Raquel on the blog today as she creates her own patterned paper using stamps. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #stamping #embossing #ppohmyheart
So let’s get onto the stamping shall we? For this layout, as I mentioned above, I decided to pull out the Oh My Heart stamp set. I looked at all the images and words on the stamp set and decided on the text ‘today’. I chose to use the stamping technique of embossing and pulled out my Zing Charcoal embossing powder to do this.

Join Raquel on the blog today as she creates her own patterned paper using stamps. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #stamping #embossing #ppohmyheart
I wanted to create my own patterned paper that I could use to back a portion of the pie chart. For this layout I chose to use the green tones of the Oh My Heart patterned papers with pops of black and white prints. Using the ‘today’ stamp and the charcoal embossing powder I was able to create my own patterned paper that complemented the papers and embellishments that I have chosen to use. I finished backing the remaining parts of the cut file with other 12×12 papers in the collection.

Join Raquel on the blog today as she creates her own patterned paper using stamps. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #stamping #embossing #ppohmyheart
To create the patterned paper I simply stamped the sentiment multiple times with versamark ink and applied the embossing powder to it. I then heat set it with a heat gun. I didn’t worry too much about perfect alignment of the stamp and just embraced the randomness of it. I love the result and want to do it again! So fun!

Join Raquel on the blog today as she creates her own patterned paper using stamps. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #stamping #embossing #ppohmyheart
To document the story of the layout I used my typewriter and also cut out the ‘note to self’ sentiment from one of the 6×6 patterned papers.

Join Raquel on the blog today as she creates her own patterned paper using stamps. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #stamping #embossing #ppohmyheart
Some of the icons and phrases in the cut apart Paper 16 in the collection were the perfect addition to this layout, both in colour and also the images on them.

Join Raquel on the blog today as she creates her own patterned paper using stamps. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #stamping #embossing #ppohmyheart
I am a big lover of lots of layers and detail within clusters. This cluster was made up of lots of bits and pieces from that same paper (Paper 16). I cut some of the paper strips into banners by cutting a fishtail into the end.

Join Raquel on the blog today as she creates her own patterned paper using stamps. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #stamping #embossing #ppohmyheart
To finish the layout I added some splatters of black Heidi Swapp colour shine and also added detail by stitching around the main edges and sections of the cut file.

Join Raquel on the blog today as she creates her own patterned paper using stamps. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #layout #12x12 #stamping #embossing #ppohmyheart
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have enjoyed this post and that I have inspired you to pull out your stamps and embossing powders and get creating!

Raquel x

#Fun Times - a You Rock layout for Cocoa Vanilla



Hey everyone, I'm here with you today sharing another layout as part of the ‘For the Boys’ week that is running currently on the Cocoa Vanilla blog. Of course to create a layout for this theme I just had to use the latest CVS collection You Rock and scrapbook my spunky little man.

For this layout I am documenting the real times in our life with Mr Jack; the tears and the tantrums feature on this particular layout. This photo and story just had to be told, don’t you think?

Here is the layout I created:
If you are wanting to see the process for how this layout came together you can check out the process video below:



For the overall layout, I stuck to a somewhat vertical design with patterned paper strips bordering either edge. For me those edge strips serve a purpose of drawing your eyes inwards towards the photo.

I printed my photo in 4×6″ size as I wanted it to really stand out. To accompany the photo I used a cut file which I downloaded for free from Paper Issues to create the title ‘#fun’ and added the word ‘times’ from the Made of Awesome collections letter stickers. I enlarged the file so that it spread across the width of the photo and backed it with a combination of patterned papers in the collection. I just adore how this really pops off the page. Of course I had to add some extra dimension to it by adhering it to the page with foam adhesive.
I used my typewriter to document the story I wanted to tell and adhered this to the page in strip form. The rubber charm ‘that’s my boy’ was perfect for this story too!

As I mentioned in the process video, I love working in clusters on my layouts, mainly three in total forming a visual triangle. My first embellishment cluster is on the top right of the page and is comprised of a label from the cut apart sheet, stickers, ephemera and rubber charms. Those charms were the perfect addition to that space on the top of the photo. I have found a liquid adhesive works best when adhering these down.

I created a small cluster to the left of the title which only has a flair button and smaller embellishments; the star, swiss cross and an enamel dot. It’s a simple cluster but due to the statement impact of the title, it really is all that is needed.

I hope you enjoyed the process video and my take on the ‘For the Boys’ theme for Cocoa Vanilla. In a market that is oversaturated with more girly collections I must say I am just loving documenting my little man so easily. The layouts I have created so far have just fallen together which is purely since this collection is so amazing.



Thanks for stopping by,

Raquel x

Hearts Gallery - Jot Magazine Issue 17

Hey everyone, today I am here to share with you my layout from the 'Hearts' gallery that can be found in Issue 17 of Jot Magazine. The theme of hearts really is so broad that I had to pinpoint the direction I wanted to take for this layout first. I decided to make a feature of a heart printed patterned paper that I loved from the 'Hello Love' collection by Crate Paper, I will explain in more detail what I did in this post. 

Here is the layout I created:

I added an embellishment cluster to the top left of my photo which included multiple heart embellishments too of course. Most of these embellishments were ephemera or stickers. 


For the actual 'heart' feature on the page, I cut out extra hearts from the patterned paper. I then stitched them on top of the hearts on the page and bent them inwards to add a nice detail and feature. I really like how this turned out. I also created a small embellishment cluster to the bottom left of the page to help balance and give my page a visual triangle. 


To the right of my photo I created a large cluster of embellishments, lots of tags, ephemera and hearts layered here. Oh and that Crate Paper tassel! Aren't they gorgeous! 


There are so many layers and a lot of dimension to this page it can be sometimes hard to capture it on the camera. 

This was one of those 'just because' layouts from a recent little photo shoot my kiddies had done. I just adore each and every photo taken by Splash of Life photography - I am sure I will have more layouts featuring the photos from the same shoot soon to share.  


Thanks for stopping by my blog today, don't forget to check out Jot Magazine to read the latest issue! 

Raquel x

A Diamond Party Favour - using Pink Paislee and Sizzix

Hey everyone! I'm here sharing my latest project with you as part of 6×6 Paper Pad week on the Pink Paislee blog. Anyone that knows me well knows that I love to decorate and throw my kids theme parties. So for today’s post I decided to have a go at creating a party favor box. Decorating the diamond box with the 6×6 paper pad was simple, it looks effective, and it’s oh so fun!
Create a bright and fun party favour box with Raquel in todays post. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #project #craft #ppohmyheart
These boxes are so enjoyable to make and I love that it is easy to customise the patterns used on the outside of the box based on the 6×6 paper pad. To construct these boxes I used seven paper designs from the 6×6 paper pad, a Sizzix Thinlits Diamond Box die (661701), some white cardstock, glue, scissors, seam binding, and some lollies to fill.

Create a bright and fun party favour box with Raquel in todays post. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #project #craft #ppohmyheart
Once I constructed the actual box and folded along the score lines I was ready to embellish and decorate it with the patterned papers. I love that the patterns in the 6×6 paper pad are smaller, meaning that the designs are perfect for this size project. I used the die to cut one patterned paper to get a smaller template of the inner row of the box. I then cut that smaller again so that when I adhered it to the box, a white border was visible. I used those pieces as a template and cut the remaining 6 patterned papers to the same size and adhered them all to the boxes surface.

Create a bright and fun party favour box with Raquel in todays post. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #project #craft #ppohmyheart
I adhered the box together but prior to the final seal I added some sweets. However, a box shaped like this could be used to store a small gift or even used as a decorative hanging piece. I pierced a hole in the top of it and threaded through some seam binding and tied a bow. This allowed me to hang it if I choose to.

Create a bright and fun party favour box with Raquel in todays post. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #project #craft #ppohmyheart
I hope you have enjoyed this fun and simple project which showcases the 6×6 paper pad and Sizzix Diamond box die! Thanks for stopping by!

Cards using the Oh my Heart Collection by Pink Paislee



Hey everyone, it was ampersand week over on the Pink Paislee blog a couple of weeks ago and I created two cards inspired by the theme. I decided to use ampersands in two different ways. The first way, using its intended purpose and meaning and for the second card using it as a background design element.

Here are the two cards that I created which are featuring the fun Oh My Heart collection:
See how Raquel uses ampersands on cards in two ways on the blog today. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #cards #cardmaking #ppohmyheart
For the first tag the ampersand is used for its given purpose, to signify an ‘and’ in text. I cut an ampersand out of one of the 6×6 patterned papers and turned it into a tag and stapled some soft seam binding to the top of it for added detail. I embellished the card using more of the patterned papers from the collection and ephemera pieces. I also softened it a little with a doily.
See how Raquel uses ampersands on cards in two ways on the blog today. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #cards #cardmaking #ppohmyheart
If you read this card it says ‘you are so sweet’ & ‘it’s your day’. This card is the perfect card to give someone for their birthday. I love that I was able to use the sweet ephemera too!
See how Raquel uses ampersands on cards in two ways on the blog today. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #cards #cardmaking #ppohmyheart
For the second card I am sharing today I cut an ampersand out on my die cut machine and I simply used it on this card as a decorative background. The ‘and’ itself doesn’t serve any purpose in terms of meaning.
See how Raquel uses ampersands on cards in two ways on the blog today. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #cards #cardmaking #ppohmyheart
I embellished this card with layers of patterned paper and vellum and finished it off with a hand cut title from Paper 09 and a fussy cut flower.
See how Raquel uses ampersands on cards in two ways on the blog today. @raquelLbowman @pinkpaislee #pinkpaislee #cards #cardmaking #ppohmyheart
I hope these cards have inspired you today. It is always fun to be given a theme and to challenge yourself to create two completely different projects with it!

Raquel x

Some new Sizzix Creations - A layout and some planner fun!


Happy interNational Scrapbook weekend everyone! 

In honour of this special weekend I thought I would get creating with two of my fave companies. The beautiful Crate Paper and Sizzix

For the first project I am sharing with is a layout, I teamed the beautiful 'Chasing Dreams' collection with the sweet Sizzix Scallop Hearts Framelits (657562) and Tiny Bow (661797) dies. The subject and topic of this layout is a love and wedding inspired page. The products together were the perfect combination to create another layout for my wedding album.

Here is the layout I created:



The title of the page came from the chipboard Thickers mixed with a phrase sticker. I love the versatility of the tiny word phrases and sentiments. I also added some short but sweet journaling using my typewriter. I didn't add anything detailed as my wedding album really does not need very detailed journaling. This album is really showcasing the photos, but at times I like to add more of my heartfelt thoughts. 

To create the main feature of the page the hearts - I cut multiple hearts on the Chasing Dreams patterned papers and vellum using the Scallop Hearts framelits dies. I love that I was able to create my own embellishments by layering the various sizes and stitching through the centres for added detail. The Chasing Dreams stickers and chipboard shaped in hearts were a perfect finishing touch too. I love the dimension they were able to bring to the page. 


I also tucked in some florals and fussy cut butterflies into the clusters. There is nothing like hearts, butterflies and flowers right?!? The vellum heart layers add a nice soft touch to the page. 


To embellish the heart on the top right of the page I used the new Tiny Bow die 661797. I love how small and sweet this turned out. It was the perfect size for the centre. 


I matted my photo with the three papers that I used on the hearts also. The title was able to be placed on top of the photo as it had a lot of negative space on the bottom two thirds. 


You can really see in the image below the layering and dimension that was able to be achieved though creating my own heart embellishments. I love the end result. 


The final thing I wanted to share with you today was how I jazzed up my notebook with felt, hot glue and the Tiny Bow (661797) and Tassel-tastic (661716) dies. So cute and so simple to create my very own planner style clips and tassels. 



I hope you have enjoyed this post this evening. I have sure had fun creating these to share with you!
Raquel 

A is for Awesome - Featuring 'You Rock' by Cocoa Vanilla

Hey everyone, I'm here today sharing with you my first layout using the latest Cocoa Vanilla collection You Rock. Boy! Now this collection is truly amazing and perfect for scrapping those masculine layouts. I don’t know about you, but I am always on the hunt for funky and modern masculine collections and this one is utter perfection!

Here is the layout I created:
It is no secret that I love ephemera and this was the main embellishments from the collection that I chose to use on this page. A little tip I have is to use some kind of tray or bowl to store the pack in whilst you are creating. It makes it so much easier to see what pieces you have to work with. I think this star tray was around $2 at christmas time from kmart.
My page design has three main clusters of embellishments with the majority of them flowing in a diagonal direction. Let’s start at the top cluster. I wanted the ephemera pieces to look like they were flowing from one corner of the page to the other. To do this I adhered the frame ephemera piece over the edge. I then built my layers of embellishments, focusing on mixing the colours of embellishments used and also the shapes. I stayed consistent with using circular type embellishments and stars, this helps maintain the flow of the diagonal design.
The cluster below was the third embellishment cluster I created and this was added to give the page balance. When I create a cluster like this I aim to add a majority of the colours that can be seen on the rest of the page. I used this area to add the date that the photo was taken. I also added a touch of stitching for a fun detail and texture.
For the final cluster, which is also the largest I used quite a number of pieces from the ephemera pack. If I haven’t mentioned already, did I say how much I love ephemera packs?!? Again I used a lot of circular pieces and stars to help with the flow of the design. You can see in the image below I added a mixture of zig zag and straight stitching for texture.
This cluster also has a variety of dimension within each of the layers. Some of the pieces are also cut from the patterned papers. To add the variety of dimension I used foam adhesive, some of the embellishments even have two layers of the foam adhesive.
The journaling was typed on my typewriter. I kept it short and sweet as I think the picture I used of my little man speaks 1000 words.
The title of this page is ‘a is for awesome’ which was taken from one of the ephemera pieces. I loved this piece so I was glad to be able to make a bit of a feature of it on my page. I also backed the photo of my little man in a soft grey patterned paper. I adore the softer patterns of the b-sides.
I love adding smaller embellishments to clusters. For this page I have added some black splatters, they add a real pop to the page, and also a couple of the enamel shapes from the collection.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today, I hope you were inspired by my page.

Raquel xxx