Circle Punch Border

I'm always looking for a quick way to dress up a layout and showcase beautiful patterned papers.  One technique I often turn to uses my trusty old circle punch.  It's a great technique for using up scraps of paper and livening up a layout. Simply punch circles from your coordinating scraps and layer them down the side (or top or bottom) of your layout for a quick and colorful border.  Add a block of photos, your title, and journaling, and you've completed another memorable layout.

These papers are from an older DCWV stack, Fun in the Sun Glitter Stack.  The title includes mini letters from Cosmo Cricket and American Crafts chipboard letters.

Try these ideas for working with paper scraps and punches:

Pinterest Board: Layouts with Paper Scraps

Pinterest Board: Layouts with Punches

This Week's Topic at My Creative Life 2014 is Punches!

If you're looking for even more ways to use punches and paper scraps in your scrapbook layouts, as well as use up more of your scrapbook stash, you'll want to check out my class at My Creative Classroom.  It's packed full of sketches, layout samples, and lots of ideas for digging into your creative supplies and using what you have on hand to create awesome layouts.  

Join me for Scrap That Stash! at MCC!

Vintage Sewing Pattern Paper Cards

I recently visited a friend who "unloaded" a bag full of old sewing patterns. I was happy to accept them and she was happy to get rid of them. I love the idea of mixing in the pattern papers with other items and couldn't wait to find a fun use for them.  I am currently in a "use what I have" mode and luckily remembered some older Cosmo Cricket papers with a sewing theme. (It's called Material Girl in case you're wondering.)   

Sew, (ba-dump-bump) after I returned home with my bag of sewing patterns, I found my papers and got to work making these 3 quick cards.  (How do you like the sewing machine??? This gem was my mom's.)

All the cards started with a kraft cardstock base and I used mainly the Cosmo Cricket collection I dug out.  I had kept the collection together and it included some chipboard stickers and fun borders and other paper elements.  For this first card I also used some Tiny Type letter stickers and a short piece of thread that I wound around the chipboard spool.  I love the piece of sewing paper against that gorgeous green vintage-inspired scrapbook paper.  The tape measure bit is also paper (which I crinkled up and inked). 

 For my next card I created a flower like embellishment with a chipboard button and a small piece of sewing pattern paper. A few more additional paper and chipboard pieces, SRM sticker border stitches and a stamped sentiment finished it off.

 My last card is a 5x7 size and this time I made a skirt for the patterned paper lady by gathering a larger piece of sewing pattern tissue.  With a little "belt" of sticker border and chipboard flower, she's all ready to go out.  The sentiment is from the CC paper and I added a bit of SRM sticker border stitches. 

I have quite the stash of patterns to play with now, so I'll need to think of some more ways to use it up.  I may make some fun tissue flowers next.  Fun, fun, fun!

Old Hunters, Sleeping Babies, and a Bit of Baby Love

I've got 3 very different projects to share with you today - 2 layouts and a quick door hanger.  The first layout is made with American Crafts new "Campy Trails" line.  These papers are CUTE!  The colors are wonderful and the patterns are so much fun.  I really like the wood grain and the cute critters.  We do not camp often, but these papers are great for all kinds of activities.  My family has a long tradition of hunting.  I came across this old photo of my husband's grandfather with a really nice buck.  The "Campy Trails" papers really played on the outdoors theme.  For this layout, I actually cut one 12x12 sheet, flipped it, and sewed it back together.  I love double sided papers!  The circle pattern and dark brown is from another single sheet.  I cut the title with my Cricut (Designer's Calendar Font).  The photo "frame"  was made with a Stampin' Up corner punch.  I didn't have a round journaling block stamp, but wanted to repeat the circle shape, so I made my own using a masking technique.  First I cut a circle from a scrap of paper.  I positioned the cut-out sheet where I wanted my journaling block to go and used a rectangle stamp (SU) to stamp my journaling lines.  With this technique, it's easy to get the lines perfectly in a circle (or whatever shape you'd like).    Super easy!  I added a few of the coordinating fabric brads from AC to complete the layout.

I had one more sheet of Campy Trails double sided paper and decided to go in a completely different direction just to show you that these papers aren't just for camping and outdoors photos.  I really liked the green and blue shades and the star pattern on the blue side gave me an idea.  I had a few chipboard stars lying in my stash, so I covered two with the green and blue patterns.  I adhered them together with glue dots, punches a hole in each star tip, and inserted a wire hanger.  I covered the wire with little bits of ribbon and also used more of the fabric brads.  I cut the "Nap Time" sentiment with the Baby Steps Cricut cartridge.  It turned out pretty cute - a nice little something to hang on the door of baby's room so everyone knows when the baby is sleeping.   

The last layout I'm sharing with you was made with papers from Cosmo Cricket.  I actually cut apart the colored circles from one sheet of patterned paper to create a grid on the base layer.  Before adhering all my pieces, I used distressing ink and a make-up sponge, as well as a grid-type rolly stamp for more distressing.  Some of the pieces are from a bunch of older CC pieces I had in a box and some are from the newer "Odds and Ends" line.  I love these sweet pics of my daughter and her baby dolls.  If you want to see these layouts and project in person, stop by the store where I got my papers: Scrapdoodles.  While you're there, check out the American Crafts and Cosmo Cricket lines - they will make you say, "Yummy!"

Fun with Cosmo Cricket

Cosmo Cricket has introduced several fun new lines. The colors are bright and the themes and patterns are just plain FUN! I picked up some double sided papers and the chipboard sheet (self-adhesive!) last week at Scrapdoodles in Fredericksburg and have had a blast playing with combining the patterns and oh-so-cute chipboard pieces. Here are 3 layouts I completed.
For the scalloped edge, I used my small circle punch to punch out starbursts from the "Sunday Picnic" paper and adhered them behind the border sheet.

Don't you love the e-i-e-i-0 border?

I had to use the chipboard chickies on a layout and figured our Easter egg hunt was an appropriate topic. I just cut skinny strips of paper and wove them in one corner to carry out the basket theme.

Check out the Cosmo Cricket blog for more great ideas with this line!