Let's Celebrate

Today I am sharing the last of my Paper Camellia June projects.

My baby girl turned 12 a couple of weeks ago, and that, of course called for a page in her honour.  

The June Paper Camellia kit was packed with so many gorgeous Pink Paislee chipboard pieces that I built my page entirely around them.  

Layering and more layering was the recipe for getting as many fabulous little pieces onto one page. How fun it was to mix so many patterns too.  It's easy to do if you keep everything in moderation, not using competing patterns in close proximity.

If you look close enough here you will notice that the photos were printed just a tad smaller than the frames.  The layering and added embellishments, both hide the empty space, and add to the fun and flow of the design.

To keep the top frame cluster level I used a few 3D foam adhesive pieces underneath, they will help hold the bulk securely in place.

Lots of journaling on this page.  I really wanted to share the story of my girl at 12, and the way she fits so perfectly into our lives with her sweet, silly girl, funny self.

I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to be a part of the Paper Camellia team over these past 6 months.  Ria and Amy have been wonderful leaders and super supportive of the decision I've made to take an early departure from this wonderful team.  This girl of mine, her two sisters, and their dad are needing me to be a little more free around our home.  It has been a whirlwind of a season around here, lots of changes for all of us, including my going back to work full time.  It's pretty incredible the way a life can change so dramatically within 6 months.  Thank you Ria for inviting me into your fold, and allowing me to show off your gorgeous kits.  I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to show off your kits, and for the trust you placed in me to do so well.

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Meeting Les Twins

I am sharing the tutorial on how I created this layout up on the Paper Camellia blog today.

Théa was so stoked to have taken a last minute class last summer with 4 of Beyoncé's back up dancers.  Les Twins are HUGE, in the dance world, seriously look them up on Youtube, they will amaze you with their mad skills.

I will never know how the last minute class was arranged with this generous group of dancers the night before Beyoncé's big concert here last summer, but it was pretty exciting to watch my kid moving and grooving right along with the challenging routines she was learning.  Watching the freestyle portion at the end was a blast.

Everyone was kind enough to hang around after the workshop for photos and autographs. Les Twins said she had skills, and loads of talent.  Pretty amazing of them to say being who they are and who they work for.  Can't believe it's taken me so long to document the event.

Hop over to the Paper Camellia blog to get the basket weave tutorial and see close up shots.

Hope you're in for a great weekend friends.  Thanks a bunch for stopping by today! Pin It

Wonderful Us

This guy is my favourite guy in the whole world and pages with him in them always come together quickly.  I really do think it's a gift we give our kids when we document the relationship we have with their father.  Years from now they will be realize that we were more than just parents to them, but friends also, people who actually enjoyed spending time together doing things other than cooking, cleaning, and driving them where they need to be.

Every once in a while I get the urge to create on a smaller canvas, and pull together bunches of my favourite elements and layer away.

I chose to document my journaling on a tag that I've tucked behind my photo cluster.

These clear Amy Tangerine stickers are so versatile, I love how they look so much like real doodling.  When it comes to dressing up a page, I'm all about clustering embellishments in various sizes.  Who's to say only a few will do you?   In my scrappy world, it's the more the merrier.

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Fun Together *Paper Camellia*

The June Kits are now available in the Paper Camellia store.  This month showcases a little Pink Paislee Citrus Twist, and a little Amy Tangerine, to name a couple of the papers, and it's jam packed with coordinating embellishments too.

I was so excited to see all the fun brights of summer in this kit.  Although I am usually a lover of all things muted and toned down this kit really got my creative juices flowing.   I grabbed the most recent photo I had taken and went to town coordinating matching papers and embellishments to document my weekend away with one of my favourite people.

This page from Amy Tangerine was perfect to use on a page documenting getting away to our church Women's Retreat with someone I don't get to see nearly as often as I would like.  The font is fun, and the phrases are perfect for good friends.

The acrylic words in the kit are gorgeous, almost too much so.  I contemplated hanging on to this Summer phrase for another layout later in the season that may scream summer more so than this one.  But, I feared I would forget about it, and chose to use it up on this layout.  It was easy peasy to adhere by using simple white craft glue, and it dried in no time.

What are you waiting for?  Hop over to the Paper Camellia store to check out the Main & Add on Kits for yourself. Pin It

We Are Fans

My hubby and I are huge NHL fans, especially when it comes to our home team, the Winnipeg Jets.  This year marks the first year since their return to the city 4 years ago that they made the playoffs.  Needless to say it was a big deal for the city.  We were lucky enough to secure tickets to the 2nd home playoff game, so of course the event called for some staged photos and a layout.

The Paper Camellia May Add On kit if full of the fun and playful Amy Tangerine & Elle's Studio papers and embellishments, I decided that I wanted to mix as many elements together as possible to create a quick and eye catching layout.

 I hand cut some of the Amy Tangerine clear stickers and backed them with some smooth white cardstock to help them stand out from the fabulous woodgrain background.

 I then took the fun Fancy Pants Designs alphabets, and chalked up the edges a bit with some Tim Holtz ink, and a blending tool, then popped a couple of them off the page using 3D foam adhesive.  I like a big bold title, from time to time.

And those tear strips from the bottom of some 12x12 sheets are fantastic to use as embellishments.  I rarely throw mine away, and try hard to incorporate them into my projects.  I think of it as getting 2 for 1.

How have you been using your May kit?  Would love to see your creations in the Paper Camellia Gallery.

You can see all this Add On kit, and all the May kits still available here in the Paper Camellia store.  And don't forget about the May sketch.  Play along for your chance to win a gift certificate to the store.

Thanks for stopping by today friends!

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Beautiful Banff

The May Kits are live and selling fast in the Paper Camellia store.

This month is full of fun, bright colours: pops of bright pink, and yellow are just what my eyes need after this long dreary winter here in the center of Canada.  Needles to say my first layout uses a few more of the softer tones, as I have been hanging onto this photo for about 2.5 years.  We have friends who live close to Banff, Alberta, home of the Rockie.  The captured this shot a couple of Springs ago, and were kind enough to give me a copy to scrap.  The beauty of nature: God's handiwork never, ever gets old.  It is our dream to one day live near the mountains.  Waking up and seeing the mountains out my window, would make my heart sing each and every morning.

Here is the May Main kit with all it's goodness.  

You can see the Add On kits, and the Everyday Life kit here in the store.

Ready to jump on board and subscribe?  You can get all the info you need on that here.

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Oh Happy Day

The big chunky die cuts in the Maggie Holmes Confetti ephemera package are so fun to use.  I love the font, and the gold foil.

These photos were perfect for the sentiment.  I usually use very thin double sided tape to adhere these types of cuts, but thought it would add a fun touch to the design to use my sewing machine to stitch straight through it instead.

One of the best things about Paper Camellia kits is that you can usually combine left over items from one kit with the next kit you receive.  Those gold Heidi Swapp numbers are a perfect example, with touches of gold in the April kit, it made it easy to decide what I had in my stash to use to add the date.  And those gold stickers from the My Mind's Eye sticker pack are so versatile.  I've used them in a few different way on my layouts this month.   Here I've added some 3D foam adhesive to the underside to give them some dimension off the page, then topped them with some enamel dots from my stash.

Clustering is possibly my favourite way to design a page.  Gathering little groups of randomly sized pieces create the perfect clusters.  The key to great layering, is to ensure each piece is a different shape and size from the rest.  In this section alone you can see 7 different layers.  Had I used 8 different layers of the exact same shape my cluster would look more like a bulky mess than this, simply because rather than creating movement to your page, your eye remains fixed, as though it is trapped in that one bulky spot.  

If you struggled with layering, perhaps this is the help you need to break out and try it again. Be sure to share you work with us in our Gallery, we'd love to leave you a little love.

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Celebrating Thirteen

I have a teenager.  A second one, in fact.  When did I become so old?  I don't feel it (at least not most days), but it's a fact my sweet little Bean turned 13 recently.

She chose small and simple.  Five friends and bowling, followed by cake and gift and a sleep over.  It was easy peasy, my favourite kind of party.  My girls will not grow up remembering the amazing parties I threw them as they were growing up.  No, but the will hopefully remember the way I loved their friends.  They way I encouraged them to make our home their home.  And these 5 girls were no exception.  Théa has made such great decisions with her friend choices.  These girls are sweet, and kind, and respectful, and just enough crazy and loud for her personality.  Having them over for the night was a no-brainer.

I recently spoke about my rule of how to create great layers that work.  Here is another example: six layers that don't add a lot of bulk to my page because they are different sizes and shapes.

I have found that a great way to adhere the acetate sentiments is to add thin strips of double sided adhesive behind the thicker portions of the font, so it is completely invisible from the front.  In this case I used one that is a 1/8" width. It' super tacky, so therefore I really didn't need too much to ensure a good hold to my patterned paper. 

My layout is based on the April Sketch.  You still have a little time to link up your own take in the comments on this post for your chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the Paper Camellia store.

Thanks for stopping by today friends!

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You 2 Lovelies

The April Kits from Paper Camellia are now available in the shop.

I just had create something using that gorgeous woodgrain background paper straight away.

I just love the way our neighbour girl loves my girls.  So glad her mom captured this photo of them together.  She told me later that her little one had told her how much she wishes she had a sister.  She has two super cute big brothers in her life, but I get the desire for a sister, at 41, I have a great younger brother, but I still have that same desire for a big sister in my life.

I used a Jillibean Soup pocket, and a tag from my stash to record my journaling, and tuck it behind the photo cluster. 

The April Main Kits, are another gorgeous collections of pretty papers and embellishments.  I especially love the Craft Market chipboard stickers.   

There are still a few April kits left. You can get your hands on one by hopping over here.  But don't wait too much longer or they will be gone for good.

Check out all the kits and Add On right here on the paper Camellia blog.

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On Pointe

I have been holding onto this photo that my daughter snapped one day while watching her friends practice before Pointe class.

This photo perfectly sums up why it is that so many little girls want to grow up to become ballerinas.  There is just something so attractive about pretty, pink pointe shoes.  Pair them with a beautiful tutu, and we're sold.

The colours in the Paper Camellia March Kit are so soft and feminine it was finally time to scrap this memory.  I used some 3D adhesive to pop the tiny close up photo off the page, and added a little chipboard butterfly and gemstone to embellish it, making it stand apart just a bit.

I am a sucker for seam binding , and love the Ria includes it so frequently in her kits. Here all I did was weave a piece of thread through it with a needle and gathered it a bit creating a pletes.   I used my sewing machine to stitch it down.  I am only sad that I did not place it a little further down from the base of my photo, I miscalculated how much of the pointe shoes would be covered once the ribbon was stitched down.  Live and learn right?

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Our Summer Thing

The March Kit from Paper Camellia was full of the fabulous new I AM collection by Simple Stories.

I just love the colours and the textures of the chipboard elements. The journaling in the layout pretty much says it all.  I love musicals, and we are lucky enough here to have a fantastic amphitheatre that draws world wide talent to the city every summer to perform 2 different musicals over July and August.  I am thrilled that my girls (and even the hubs for the most part) love the singing and dancing as much as I do.  We try hard to make it to at least one show of the summer.  It's a little on the pricy side but so worth the money for a musical filled family night in Winnipeg.

I don't know about you, but I am still a sucker for banners, and this chipboard banner is no exception.  To prevent the adhesive from wanting to lift I added just a little machine stitching to the white portions of the pennants.

It was way to perfect a match to not add this gold doily from my stash to the chipboard cluster at the top of the page. And I kind of wish I had a lifetime supply of those perfect gold sparkly Heidi Swapp alphabets.  That way I could hoard some and use the rest.  I know you know what I'm talking about.

The March Add On Kits may be sold out, but there are still a few March Main Kits available in the store, you can get your hands on one right here.

This layout was based on the March Sketch.

Did you know that you can play along for a chance at a $10 gift certificate to the Paper Camellia store?  Link up your take on this sketch in this blog post.

Thanks for stopping by today friends!

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The Many Faces of Belle

The Paper Camellia March Kit is full of the beautiful I Am collection by Simple stories, complemented by some of the brand new Jen Hadfield accests.  For my first layout of the month, I chose to shine the spotlight on this funny kid.

I loved all her whacky faces while capturing her beauty the last time she let me take photos of her.

I layered a few of the chipboard pieces here to create some dimension and balance out the layout somewhat.

Once again I created a design that didn't allow for me to journal anywhere.  Hence the journaling down the side.  It actually worked out nicely, as I was going to put a thin piece  of cardstock there anyhow.  The ink worked nicely as a substitution.

And there you have it.  The March kits, and my girl, with her multitude of faces.  If you have yet to get your hands on one of the March kits, both the main and the Add on are still available right here in the Paper Camellia store.

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The Beard

My husband has never been able to grow a full beard.  Ever.  This year, much to his surprise he was actually able to start a pretty decent one, there were still some bald spots but it was filling in nicely enough for him to want to give it a real effort.

Me, I am not a beard girl.  I don't love the scratchy-ness of it.  And the fact that it's not even a real beard, makes it somewhat pathetic, in my opinion.  Needless to say he couldn't go more than 4 weeks, it just kind of stopped growing, much to my delight.

This scruffy looking face is now my clean shaven hubs once again.  It's a win-win situation really.

I love the look of these We R Memory Keepers cork embellishments on the Hall Pass wood grain paper by Webster's Pages.

Hop over here to the Paper Issues store and have a look at all the coordinating elements, of the Websters Pages Hall Pass, and Beautiful Chic collections.  The We R Memory keepers goodies can be found right here, many of the pieces work so nicely with one another.  

There are a TON of new goodies in the Paper Issues store, including Simple Stories I Am and Say Cheese II, Heidi Swapp Memory planners goodies, and Lawn Fawn dies.  

Feel like a little retail therapy?  Use my code at checkout and save 20% off your entire purchase.

Thanks for stopping by today friends!

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Everyday Valentine

I am up on the Paper Camellia blog today with this layout featuring two of the sweetest seniors I know.

I snapped this quick pic of my in-laws on the little train that travels the Wildlife Sanctuary in Busch Gardens.  A quick and easy layout using the February Main Kit.  I just loved the combination of Crate Paper, and We R Memory Keepers papers in the kit.

I grabbed this freebie Silhouette Cameo cut file by Nicole Nowosad and set to work combining several of the fun elements in the kit.  Easy Peasy.  I just love working with kits, takes all the thinking out of combining all the different elements you want on a page.  Ria has such a great eye, and always offers the latest and greatest in scrappy product.  Her kits are excellent value for the price.  Hope over to the blog to see detail shots and read a little more about how this layout came together.  If you are ready to get your hands on this quality goodness month after month, hop over here to get your name on the subscription list.

Thanks for stopping by today friends.  Be sure to pop back tomorrow, I have a super exciting bit of news to share. Pin It

The Month of Love

It's reveal time at Paper Camellia.  February is of course, the month of love. Filled with products from Crate Paper and WeR Memory Keepers, this month is sure to offer many options when documenting the many loves in our lives.

It was obvious that the number 1 person in my life be the one first documented.

I love being married to this man.  We are far from perfect together, and still have the odd mis-communication here and there, but there is no one I'd rather journey this life with than him.  He keeps me sane, he makes me laugh, he is a wonderful dad to our girls, and he's such a great example of the man we hope our girls end up with someday.

I just love ephemera and sticker packs, they are perfect for popping off the page, or layering into your mix of patterned papers.  And how gorgeous are those gold foam stickers?

 That sweet little tag came in my kit already dressed up with those teeny tiny hearts, all I did was use the ribbon from the kit, add a glue dot, and voila, super cute embelly.

See how much depth you can get just by adding a little bit of 3D adhesive?  I kind feel I may need 1 or 2 more packages of those alphas, they are the perfect size and font for my style.

The Main Kits are already sold out (only took 1 day), but the Add On Kits are still available for purchase right here on the Paper Camellia blog.  If you're interested you should hurry as these will soon be gone also.

I promised you a winner to the giveaway I posted a couple of weeks ago.  And I have one for you.  I asked the hubs to pick a number between 1 and 25.  Lucky #3 is the winner of all the embellishments goodies from the January Main and Add On kits.  The colours go perfectly with this months kits also, making it a double win.

Congratulation to Charlotte Brochu!  Please contact me with your snail mail, so I can get your goodies out to you asap.  Thank you to all those who entered.

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