Let's Get Digital | Amanda Baldwin

Hi CTK Friends! 

Amanda here, sharing a super fun Fall layout for today's Let's Get Digital post!

I have used the FREE Leaf Frame file with my Silhouette Sketch Pens for a really fabulous mixed media look! 

Here's what I created....

"Small Things, Great Love" 

CTK Supplies | Little Things Pocket Life Kit, Little Things Scrapbook Kit, October Pattern Paper Play Kit, Leaf Frame Digital Cut File, Pinkfresh Studio Liquid Watercolors. 

Isn't this gor-jus?!! All the Fall fabulousness here! 

I have featured the Little Things Pocket Life Kit, and combined it with wood veneer from the Little Things Scrapbook Kit, as well as fussy cut butterflies from the Vicki Boutin paper in the Pattern Paper Play Kit. 

But it's the Leaf Frame File that really makes this layout! 

The Leaf Frame file has been designed by our very talented Nathalie DeSousa, 

& looks like this....

So awesome!!!

You can download the Leaf Frame Digital Cut File from the CTK Store HERE. 

I enlarged this file so it would frame around edge of my 12 x 12" cardstock base, & then used Silhouette Sketch Pens (Orange & Red ) to draw the enlarged digital file.

I loosely paint the leaves with the fabulous Pinkfresh Studio Liquid Watercolors in Candy Apple, Clementine, Sunshine & even a tiny amount of Lavender! I love the flow and vibrancy of these liquid watercolors! 

Here's a closer look for you.....

Sketch Pens are water soluble, so I use this 'ink bleeding' to my advantage,  & blend to create a little tone within my messy water coloring. I also add a few inky splatters for good measure. So cool! 

Here's another view for you....

Sketch Pens are really good fun, and combined with the Pinkfresh Studio Liquid Watercolors, they're super effective too! 

Those fussy cut butterflies are such a pretty adornment too! 

The laugh veneer from the Scrapbook Kit coordinates perfectly with both the Fall, outdoorsy theme of my layout.

It's also a pretty accurate descriptor of the story in my photo too! Aren't they just the cutest?!

I layer my favorite Fall photo onto that exclusive PL journal card, and then layer die cuts and 6 x 8 pattern paper beneath it all. 

Super simple creating that's tons of fun, and looks super effective! 

And there you have it! My fun take on this month's Let's Get Digital highlight! 

I hope you'll download this FREE file (and more) from the CTK shop HERE, and get a little creative too! 

Thanks so much for visiting, 

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days, Amanda xo 

Gratitude Wreath by Wendy

Hello everyone and happy happy Wednesday!

Wendy here to cheers with you to the Fall season for all things pumpkin spice, comfort food, and just feeling gratitude + thanks for a beautiful season!  Although I must admit, Fall is not so much in the air where I live on the Gulf coast in Florida.  Summer is still speaking to us in a big way with her temps and sunny blue skies! However, the "change in season" always makes my heart swell with reflection and love for what I have and just to be thankful for the blessings in my life.

Something in the air gives me the DIY bug to create something seasonally fresh and new.  I was recently on a Target run and bought a Fall wreath for our front door from the Magnolia Hearth & Hand collection that released on Nov 5th.  Oh man, I love a good wreath.  Even though we have palm trees in the front yards around here, I have a bit of Fall welcoming guests at our front door.  So, I was inspired to bring a touch of the wreath love to my 9x12 layout share for you today.

Let's DIY this shall we....

To design out your wreath, you can use the elements from the November 2017 Main and Pocket Life kits.  The element packs in those kits this month are ON.POINT.  I hope you were able to grab them up for the month.  If not, don't miss out on December!  

I love the gold foil elements and berry colored florals in the element packs.  So, I drew a large circle very lightly on my background paper.  Then, I started to play around with the placement of the florals and interchanged stamping from the The Is Life "Gathering" stamp set for November (also available over in the CTK shop). The floral sprigs in the stamp set coordinate perfectly with the elements in the November kits.  

Feel free to randomly play play play with the curves of the elements.  Did you know you can take the CTK stamps and curve them a bit on your acrylic block when stamping?  I used this technique when stamping around the curve of the wreath shape.   

Also, check in your CTK stash for any past shapes that can coordinate with this project.  Remember these wood veneer floral sprigs from a past CTK kit?  Yep, a past kit that works great with this month's kit too! The beautiful thing about CTK kits...timeless and interchangeable . 

Super fun cork leaf shapes in the November kit too! I added a finishing touch with a CTK exclusive puffy sticker ("gratitude") and stamped ledger + phrase (from a past CTK stamp set).

Feel and share your gratitude this season (and maybe in squeeze in a fun DIY project too)!

Hope you enjoyed my project!

Wendy 

Tuesday Tutorial with Kelly

Hello friends! Today I am going to be sharing with you how I determine which papers to use when I back my silhouette cut files. For this layout I used the gorgeous  November "Stories" kit. The cut file that I used is from the Silhouette store and was designed by Paige Evans.

Stitching has always been something that I have loved to add to my pages, whether it be by hand or machine. It really helps to make the cut file the stand out and adds a bit of whimsy. Fussy cutting the scalloped blue paper by Maggie Holmes further adds to the whimsy of the page by repeating elements and shapes found elsewhere on the page. 

The gorgeous exclusive orange floral was my jumping off point in choosing the patterns. After choosing that paper, I then chose the aqua triangle and the yellow and white diagonal striped papers to go on either side. Both the aqua and yellow are in the floral paper, so it ties the papers together seamlessly. Finally, the pink-ish coral paper finishes off the edge of the pumpkin and gives it an overall balanced look, plus it pulls in colors found in the photo. 

One of the wonderful things about kits is that you know the colors will work well with one another. The Thicker title Smile is just gorgeous, and I love how it looks on top of my photo. The embellishments in this cluster are perfect for this photo. Anyone that has tried to get a picture of two toddlers looking at the camera at the same time recognizes the struggle...for real!

Thanks so much for joining me today. I've included a link to my process video if you'd like to take a peek at just how this layout came together. Have a wonderful day!

Sweet Fun

Hello! I don't know about you, but I am so excited that we have made it to September!  In my neck of the woods, Southern California, the temps have been in the high nineties and a new month means we are a bit closer to having some cooler weather. Yay!  September is certainly a transitional month as we head into a new season and I think the September "Twin Falls" Scrapbook kit really reflects this sense of change that is happening and I am happy to share to my first layout that I made with it:

What I really love about this kit, is that it works for documenting my summer stories while giving me that taste of fall that I am craving. The orangey red in the diecuts from Pink Fresh Studio and the bright yellow exclusive patterned paper is just what I wanted. 

The white foam Thickers are pretty great also and the fun, gold foiled butterfly (also from Pink Fresh) is a new fave. 

Now how about you? What kind of crafting products are you dreaming of right now?  I know that for many, thoughts of Christmas crafting seems to be trending right now and a little part of me is right there with them. However, fall is most on my mind and this kit is certainly making me even more excited!

Michelle