Hello Hello! I have with my last project on the  Paper Issues blog today, and it's for the Treasure Map challenge. I always like challenges where I get to choose my design but have to use specific items!  This was definitely a challenge but so much fun. 

Today I used, White, gold, polka dots, frames, flair, ephemera and washi. Let me tell you, the two what were the hardest for me to stick to was the ephemera OR stickers and black or white. Want a tip on that one? Use a collection that has no black in it! This time of year it's a little easier. Summer collections such as the Echo Park Pool Party use navy instead of black. Ok, that problem solved. 

I started with the Sunbeam Stitching FREE cut file. I wanted to do something different with the sun part of it. That was the perfect place to create a little embellishment cluster using a frame and flair. I added some extra details with an Elle's Studio stamp and some gold sequins. It was really hard to use only ephemera, but that was the choice I made because I wanted to use the frames. I added some washi as one of the layers under the photo as the last treasure item on my map. Phew, I got them all on there!. Where is my treasure?

Inspiration is Everywhere

Hello! I'm on the  Paper Issues blog with this weeks episode of Keep It Sketchy. Today's sketch is brought to you by the super talented Stacie. She  designed a beautiful sketch that I was super excited to play with. 

I love that this sketch shows some sort of background. The creative opportunities are endless, right?. Mixed media? Patterned paper? Stitching? Or you can do what I did and use one the FREE cut files available in the shop. 

I started with the Brush Stroke Background cut file.  I can't believe I've never used this before! Altenew Enjoy the Ride has been staring me in the face. I thought it would the right collection for these photos. 

I chose a piece of Vicki Boutin water color foundations paper to layer under the cut file that matched beautifully. I am not going to tell you how long it took me to decide which flowers to use, chipboard or fussy cut and then how I wanted to arrange them... Let's just go with way too long and leave it at that. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Head over to our Facebook group to see more sketches and all of the October challenges. It's crop weekend! Head over to the Paper Issues shop to get some Altenew , Vicki Boutin  and so much more. Remember to use DEVRA at check out for 20% off your purchase! See you next time!

 

Emmy Watch

Hey there, I'm on the Paper Issues blog today and we are saying hello to September! A new month means a whole new group of challenges! September also means the return of my favorite TV shows and the arrival of new ones! 

It's Season Premiere time! Yep. That's the name of this challenge. My page is all about TV! I love the Emmy Awards. With so much time at home, I decided I was going to watch as many nominated shows as possible!  With a little help from PinkFresh Studio Let's Stay Home and the Binge Watch FREE cut file, I was able to show off some of my favorite shows so far. 

Speaking of favorites, I also love frames. LOVE. They are such a fun way to feature a photo. I like to embellish them with stickers and ephemera also fill them with embellishments. My last favorite thing today? PinkFresh has the best sentiments on their stickers. I found a sticker to match something about each show!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Join the fun in our Facebook group where you can find this and all the new September challenges. Every challenge you play along with earns you a chance to win a gift card to the Paper Issues shop! Grab some PinkFresh new Fancy Pants and so much more using DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase! You'll be glad you did! See you next time. 

SonShine

I cant believe it's June already! Well, let's kick off the month right with this Monochromatic Fanatic project I'm sharing on the Paper Issues Blog today!

Who's got the blues? Not me! Well, ok, I guess I do now! All shades of blue! This challenge is so fun for me. I like digging into my stuff too find coordinating pieces!

I put my paper to work for me today. Yes, yes I do that every time I scrap. Anyway, first I cut the Stitching Star Galaxy FREE cut file. Then I layered it over an ombre blue Pink Paislee paper. Boom. That was easy. Now what? Oh yeah. All those blue bits and pieces I grabbed needed to find their way onto the page.  

I snuck a visit to my son on his birthday. I wanted to add pieces that make me think of him and this day. I used Pinkfresh So Cool, Shimelle Never Grow up, Pretty Little Studio and Cocoa Vanilla stickers and ephemera. It's exactly how I wanted it: Positive, Inspiring and BLUE. 

I forget sometimes to mix up my paper collections. The Monochromatic Fanatic challenge is a great reminder to do that! You can find this and all of our challenges in the June Challenge album in our 

Facebook Group. You can find all of your favorite brands including Pink Paislee, Shimelle  and so many more in the Paper Issues shop. Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. 

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I'll be back again soon. In the meantime, you can find this and all of my other paper projects on Instagram @thebeachygal. 

Cool Beans

Hey there! I'm on the Paper Issues blog today sharing this fun project for our Free File Free For All challenge. We have so many incredible FREE cut files sometimes it's hard to choose.  Not today friends. I've had this idea for quite some time. I just didn't take the time to do it, until today.

I started with 2 things.  The Rainbow Background  cut file and Nuvo Drops. Yep. That's my idea.  I filled in each curve with all the rainbow colors of Nuvo. Let me tell you, it was a painstaking process, but so worth it. It took some time to figure out the right amount of pressure to get the right thickness. Once I did, it went faster. Don't go too fast, mistakes happen. Ask me, I know.

Once it was dry, the rest was a breeze. I grabbed my newest Swag Bag and some Amy Tangerine Picnic in the Park ephemera. After layering behind the photo, I added a few more pieces of ephemera a few rainbow shaker slices and called it quits.

I love jelly beans. Jelly Bellys are my favorite, but I look forward to all the fun flavors available around Easter. Jolly Rancher jelly beans were a good find! I wonder what's coming next!

 Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. There are so many FREE cut files in the shop right now. There really is something for everyone. You can find all of the April Challenges in  Facebook Group. Shop the Paper Issues store for new Amy Tangerine and so much more. Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase.

Super Awesome Rad Cool Kid

Hey there! I'm on the Paper Issues Blog today with a little project for the Take 5 challenge. This is one of my favorite challenges, and from what I see in our Facebook Group each month, its a fan favorite as well!

Check out this month's board:

Well, let me tell you, I had a blast creating my page! For me it always helps when I have great photos to work with. Boy did I today. My son loves watching all the kids walking through the halls between classes. His excitement is all over his face!

I wanted something bright and bold to highlight these priceless photos.  Shimelle collections always deliver on that wouldn't you say? Today I used what I had left of Field Trip. I started with the Fashionista Frames cut file. They are wonky and wonderful! I love the Genius Thickers so much I bought 2 of them. How perfect are they here not only to describe my kiddo, but probably how he was feeling too! Between the frames and Thickers, this page was about done. I used some bits from the 6x12 sticker sheet, and some shaker slices to tie it all together. Since no page is ever finished without Nuvo, I decorated the striped paper with tonal drops. And there you have it. My Take 5 of Stripes, yellow, green, tabs and triangles. 

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. This is only one of the many new March Challenges. Head over to the Facebook Group for all the details and toms of fun. Grab some  Shimelle, some new PinkFresh, or Pink Paislee. Whatever inspires you, It's 20% off when you use DEVRA at checkout. See you here soon! In the meantime, catch me on  Instagram @thebeachygal

I'm Fondue You

Hello there!  I've been waiting impatiently to share this project on the Paper Issues Blog. Well, today's the day! Want to take a guess which challenge it's for? Well, I made this for the Sweet Talk challenge.

I'd been thinking about Conversation Heart Candy. I buy a box of them every year for my son. I have no idea if he eats them, but it started when he was little and he still smiles when he sees them.

Anyway, I wanted to have a pile of hearts on the page. Lucky for me, I found just what I was looking for with the  Mason Jar Fresh Picked free cut file. I got to work right away using Pink Paislee Lucky Us. OMG I love this Valentine collection. It's so happy. And colorful. In other words, right up my alley. I used 5 different papers, including Paper 10 for the background.  Then I cut the pile of hearts outline from of Paper 2, and filled them with Paper 12 and Paper 6. The best part was using and all the candy shaped stickers I could find on the  6x12 Stickers and Lucky Charm Phrase Thickers. With all of the colorful hearts, they were all the embellishments I needed to add.

We'd been talking about making a dessert fondue the entire month of December. For one reason or another we never did. We left it to that last possible moment to finally make it; the day we took him back to school. Better late than never right? 

 Mason Jar Fresh Picked

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. You can see more of what I've been up to on Instagram @thebeachygal. Head over to the Paper Issues Facebook Group to see all of the February Challenges . You can find more Free Files, Pink Paislee,  new PinkFresh Studio and more in the Paper Issues shop. Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase.

Yeti for Snow

Hey there! I'm sharing my first post of the year on the Paper Issues blog today. The Snow White challenge is one of the many all new challenges this we have this year.

Want to know what my first thought was when I saw this challenge? Disney's Snow White. That meant a Disney page. Well, I did go to Disneyland over the summer. Nah, not feeling it. What's next. Snow? We haven't had any this winter. Crud. I probably just jinxed myself. Oh well.

Hmmm, I do have Doodlebug Winter Wonderland I could play with, and I do live with a child who thinks he's part Yeti so why not?

Alrighty. I started with one of our awesome free cut files,  Drop Down Stitching Snowflakes. After I stitched them, I embellished them with patterned papers and the glittery stickers. Ok great. That part was done. Now what do I do? Well, I kept it pretty simple. I used the Snowflowers paper as a matte for the photos. I need to have a place to put the Yeti sticker!

Well, there you have it. My first blog post in the books. I appreciate you stopping by to see my creative view. When I'm not here, you can always find more of me on Instagram @thebeachygal. Head over to our Facebook group to see this and all of our  January Challenges. Remember to use DEVRA at checkout when you shop the Paper Issues store to receive 20% off your purchase. 

Baking Spirits Bright

Hey there and good morning. I'm on the Paper Issues Blog today with my project for the Grid Lock challenge.  I really like using a grid design with my photos on my pages and do so often. Today I wanted to do something different. I mean why not. It's a challenge after all right? So, I created a grid as the base for my embellishments.

I started by cutting the Pretty Little Studio Frozen Sky paper using the December Tags cut file. I altered one of the tags that had an ornament in it, then repeated the design to created a grid. I layered the ornament paper over the Crate Paper Snowcapped paper. Yep. I purposely placed those snowflakes right in the center.

After giving it some thought, I realized I could make it look like a shaker card if I used pop tape. So that's what did.  I sprinkled some of the Pink Paislee Mixed Embellishments  in a few of the spaces, adding a few Crate Paper stickers. I drew a thin line around the grid using Nuvo Drops add a bit more color.

It really was that simple.

I love to bake and used the excuse of the holidays to over do it again this year. I find it so relaxing, The house smells so good, and they taste good too. I should bake more often. 

Thank so much for stopping by my creative view and for spending the last year with me here. I plan on continuing into next year. I hope you'll follow along with me here and also on Instagram @thebeachygal. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. 

Thankful

Hey there! I'm on the Paper Issues Blog today sharing this project using our incredible FREE cut files. Yep. It's a Free File Free for All!

I used two cut files today. The first is the Leaves and Laurels for the leaves under my photo. I cut them out of 3 different papers from the Paper Issues kits, then layered them. It kinda looks like the photo is sitting in a basket of leaves. I love it! I cut the title, Thankful out of the Gorgeous Ovals .

I've been pretty obsessed with the Paper Issues kits. Here's what I love most about them: 1) They are a great value. There is so much in each kit! 2) They blend well from one month to the next! and 3) The vary in each kit is amazing!  Anyway, can you guess what I used on this page? Yep. I  mixed the October and November kits. I layered several papers behind the photo and added a bunch of the stickers and Nuvo Vintage drops.

Between the cut files and the kits, this was east and fun to put together!

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. When I'm not here, you can find me on Instagram @thebeachygal. Can't wait to show you what's next. 

Fall Wreath

Hey there! I'm on the Paper Issues blog today with a project inspired by the Aspiration challenge. I made something totally different than usual for me. I made a paper wreath.

Now, I probably should tell how how I got from a cake to a wreath right? Well, here goes. It's not really that big of a leap. I was inspired bu the circles, the stacked layers, and the navy blue accents. 

The fabulous Thankful 30 Kit had just arrived and I couldn't wait to dig in to it. It is filled with the best mix of fall papers!!! I was already working on my Thankful 30 project, and just in the grateful mood. I had seen a paper wreath last fall at a local craft store and decided to make my own. 

I grabbed all of the Simple Stories Fall Farmhouse  papers from the kit, cut all the strips, about 60 of them, then glued them into loops and layered them around a chipboard circle. My favorite part of this is the giant bow I made from the Polka Dot Heart & Bow cut file.  See! Circles, layers and navy blue. 

It's good to change things up a bit!  Sometimes getting our of my box sparks a little extra creativity. Now I cant wait to go make more things!

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. Catch more of my stuff on Instagram @thebeachygal. Join the fun in our Facebook group where you can find all of the November Challenges. You can get the Thankful 30 kit, Simple Stories and so much more in the Paper Issues shop. Use DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase.

Special Moments

Hey there! I'm on the Paper Issues blog today sharing my project for the Keep It Sketchy challenge. This is such a fun sketch with so many possibilities! Let me tell you, when I first looked at it, I most definitely did not see Halloween for my page. I had all kinds of ideas. 

I had a few outdoorsy photos of my son and I.  Vicki Boutin Wildflower and Honey was sitting on my desk. I love the large flowers and natural pieces in the ephemera! I kinda thought they were made for each other. But what was I going to use for the shaped part??? Ohhh, I thought I remembered there was a wood grain or tree something or other cut file in the shop. Yup. There are actually a couple! I used the Rings of Life  FREE cut file, trimming the edge off after I glued it down.  I've been playing around with sequins and Nuvo drops lately. I think they pair nicely. I like that there are so many colors to play with.  So there you have it. A super fun sketch that can be used in a bunch of different ways! How will you use it?

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. Catch me on Instagram @thebeachygal to see more of my stuff. Grab Vicki Boutin Wildflower and Honey and so much more in the Paper Issues Shop. It's 20% off when you use DEVRA at checkout. Join the fun in our Facebook Group where you can find this and all our  October Challenges. See you again soon!

Pure Honey

Hey there! I'm on the Paper Issues blog today sharing my layout for the Take 5 challenge. I was really looking forward to this challenge. So many choices! So many ideas!

Well, Let me start with my 5, well, 6 items from the list: Patterned Paper, Orange, Stickers, Stencils, Layers and Leaves. There. Now let me tell you how it came together. Vicki Boutin WildFlower & Honey has been staring at me since it first arrived in my hands. If you don't have this, I don't know what you are waiting for! Get it now while there is still some left!

Anyway, I kind of knew exactly what I wanted to do. That's not always the case!   First I used the stencils with some gelatos and art crayons to create the background. Next I cut the Bud Wreath cut file.  Then is was a matter of deciding which combination of flowers to use, ephemera or stickers, or well, both! I really can't decide if this collection fit the challenge or the other way around. A lot of the Take 5 items are in this collection. I guess it doesn't matter. I love the end result.

I finally had the chance to spend some time with my newest cousin. She was mush more interested in my sister than in me. That's ok. She's as cute as can be and I was happy to see her.

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. Head over to our Facebook Group to find this and all of the  October Challenges. The Paper Issues shop is fully stocked with your favorite Fall and Halloween goodies. Shop using DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. 

She Believed

Hey there! It's been a while since I shared a page on the A Flair for Buttons blog.  Well, Here you go! I have so many projects in my head, I can't get them made fast enough.   This is one of them. I've been trying to get this done since June!

This layout is about my last day at work, and 10 days before I started my new job. I'd been wanting a change for a while. It took some work and perseverance, but I stuck it out and it paid off. 

I started with the She-Ra FREE cut file from Paper Issues. It's really the whole story right there. I thought the Crate Paper All Heart,  and some inspirational flair would bring the rest my story to life. It did. I didn't have to do much after that. I tucked and layered stickers and ephemera around my photo. I finished it off with flair from 3 different sets: Lovely Words 8, Lovely Words 3 and Girl Boss Gold. 

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I have a lot to share so come back again soon. You can also find me on Instagram @thebeachygal. 

Lovely Words 8

Lovely Words 3

Girl Boss Gold