On Trend :: Sequins

 Good morning! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. The Practical Scrappers On Trend Team has another trend for you to consider: SEQUINS! 

I was a little skeptical of this trend when it first arrived on the paper crafting scene. I had first seen them in an A Muse Studio catalog and decided to give them a try, ordering them in pearl. After creating with them, I am hooked. You can see some ways I've used sequins in the past here, here, here, and here. It's just like using a brad, pearl, or rhinestone! 

For today's On Trend Post, I wanted to share this layout I recently created using sequins to add just a few metallic elements to the page. I added the sequins with ZIG 2-Way Glue, but any tacky glue or glue dot would work great! I've added them throughout the layout, anchoring most to embellishments that were already on the page. 

The elements from this layout are all scraps from around my craft space. In the pictures I'm wearing a colorful, floral dress and wanted those same bright colors and bold patterns to be present on the page. These friends are the craziest, funniest, wildest people that I know. The pictures captured a calm moment between us that I had to document. A typical picture has Nick in Matt's arms, Rachael kissing my cheek, me insulting Matt, and Nick eating something.  

The title was cut using the Bebas font {which can be downloaded here} and my Silhouette Cameo. After adhering the letters to the page, I used a ZIG Writer to add black doodling. The arrows and chevron cards were cut from the Cameo as well... Leftover pieces from a recent project. 

Don't forget to head over to the Practical Scrappers blog to find even more sequins inspired projects! You're going to love what my fellow On Trend teammates came up with. I dare you to get your hands on some sequins and add them to all your paper crafting projects! Thanks for stopping by :) 

Dig Deep

Happy Saturday, friends! It's time for another S.W.A.T. Drill, and this challenge is made especially for all you hoarders out there! 

Don't worry... You are not alone. Let's be honest, we all have excess embellishments, paper, ribbons, and stamps! S.W.A.T. is challenging us to DIG DEEP into your stash and find that product you bought years ago and find a way to make it trendy and new! Here's the layout I created for the challenge:

The background papers are from the Weekend Market collection by Bo Bunny. I love, love, LOVE this collection. I needed to get my hands on every piece of it! When I did, I held on tight, hoarding every piece. The colors are muted, fall colors and the paper is a distressed style. To make it more trendy, I added some gold accents and arrows cut from my Silhouette Cameo.

After arranging the photos on the page, I realized I didn't have a focal point. Therefore, I added a mat to  the main photo and adhered it to the page with foam risers.

I had a lot of journaling, so I added a pocket with a pull out tag and wrote on both sides of the tag. I added a few embellishments to decorate it. 

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the title as well. Just love that machine! These photos were from a recent show I went to at the last moment with my roommate, Rachael. Her aunt called her the day of the show with 2 tickets. We found ourselves in the FRONT ROW of the Colin & Brad: 2 Man Show at the beautiful Weidner Center for Performing Arts in our city. If you're familiar with the show Who's Line Is It Anyway, then you know how much we did LAUGH at this show. Rachael was even called up on stage as part of one of the skits. What a wonderful evening!

Head over to the S.W.A.T. blog to see the beautiful creations my fellow design team members have created. They have turned old, forgotten products into beautiful, trendy treasures! Then dig deep into your own stash and create something. We'd love to give you a little blog love, but more importantly, you could possibly win this great pack of American Crafts goodies to replace your hoarded items!

Let's join the circus...

Have you ever wanted to run away with the circus? The ladies of the S.W.A.T. Challenge Blog sure have... At least you would think so with our newest challenge. You have one more day to play along with us. Upload your circus themed card by April 4th and you might win this great prize package from Graphic 45!

 

And here's the circus themed card I created for the post...

I originally was going to use an elephant or a lion, but then I remembered this journal card in by SMASH Book supplies. The card, from K&Company, was a piece that I never found a spot for in my scrapbooking. Because the circus is full of fun characters and wild ideas, I thought he would be just perfect. I paired him with some fun papers in bright colors, including this alphabet paper by BasicGrey. When I think of the circus, I can't help but imagine the posters. I have a complete love affair for typography and vintage circus posters is where it's at! 

I created a few flags for my sentiment; however, I didn't have just the right stamp to use. That's when I came across this sticker in my Snap letters. The color matches perfectly with the Mermaid Chevron paper from A Muse Studio. A little baker's twine and a vintage button complete the card! 

Don't forget to check out the S.W.A.T. blog for even more circus inspired cards! 

CARD SUPPLIES
Cardstock: A Muse Studio (Sage, Sugar)
Patterned Paper: Dear Lizzy (Neapolitan), BasicGrey (Hey You 6x6 Pad), A Muse Studio (Mermaid Chevron)
Baker's Twine: A Muse Studio (Cherry)
Sentiment: Simple Stories (Snap Studio Alpha)
Journal Card: K&Co (SMASH Pad Blank)

Unscripted Sketches :: Merci

Hello blogland! Today I'm sharing the newest sketch from Unscripted Sketches. We can't wait to see what you create with the sketch. But first, here's some inspiration to get your creativity jump started.

For this card, I used only two of the three blocks shown in the sketch. But I did add a large block of patterned paper down the left side to mimic the balance and weight of the three. Rather than a sentiment along the right side, I added two buttons to balance out the strips I did add. 

We can't wait to see what you create with this sketch as your starting point. Flip it. Rotate it. Go crazy. Don't forget to link up your creation by Friday at Unscripted Sketches. 

 CARD SUPPLIES
Cardstock: A Muse Studio (Sugar, Bubblegum)
Patterned Paper: A Muse Studio (Navy Chevron), MAMBI (Neon & Kraft Specialty Sheets), BasicGrey (Hey You 6x6 Pad)
Stamps: A Muse Studio (La Tour)
Ink: StazOn (Jet Black)
Twine: A Muse Studio (Vanilla)
Buttons: A Muse Studio (Bubblegum)
*You can purchase A Muse Studio products from my webstore.

Clean & Simple :: Make A Wish

Good morning! The A Muse Studio Challenge Blog has a fun, new challenge for you! We want to see your clean and simple cards using A Muse Studio Products! Let's take a look at what I created:

I used a Latte card base. It was a little hard for me to hold back from adding some faux stitching, bling, or more paper to the background. But Clean & Simple is the challenge! I used the Martha Stewart Circle Cutter to create the large circle out of matching patterned paper. The monochromatic color scheme really helps with the clean and simple look. The card was finished off with a simple sentiment from the Make A Wish Set. 

Head over to the A Muse Studio Challenge Blog today to link up your card. There's some great prizes up for grabs!

CARD SUPPLIES
Cardstock: A Muse Studio (Latte)
Patterned Paper: MAMBI Sheets (Neon & Kraft)
Stamps: A Muse Studio (Make A Wish)
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black)
*You can find A Muse Studio products in my webstore.