We hope you're ready for a TON of inspiration this week! We thought it would be fun to have a week-long feature, revolving around challenges. Challenges having to do with pattern paper, to be exact. Paper is one product that every single scrapbooker has ... usually, in large amounts, right?!?! You can't create a layout, without using paper. We also wanted to invite a special guest designer, to help lead us in our challenges. When I think of a scrapbooker, who is super talented with pattern papers of all colors, patterns, and designs ... there is one name that immediately comes to mind. Let's get to know the talented Shannon Tidwell!
Hi, I'm Shannon! So here's the deal. I feel so silly talking about myself in third person, 'Shannon was a member of..blah blah blah'. Instead I'm going to give you the basics, honestly. I'm just a scrapbooker. I discovered 'scrapbooking' as we know it during the summer of 2000 in the check out line at Wal-Mart, thank goodness for long lines that day and a handy magazine rack. It was if the sky opened up and the angels sang. I then absorbed as much as I could, bought everything I could find, scrapped every spare moment I had. About a year later I was asked to join the Garden Girls Design Team at 2Peas. I've been lucky enough to stay on that team for the past 10+ years. I've taught several online classes at TwoPeas, complete with video tuturiols where I jabber like a goober. I got to be on the Better Homes and Gardens Scrapbooks, Etc. Creative Team in 2005. My favorite publishing accomplishment was having my son's photo on the cover, that's pretty cool. My biggest goal ... to keep enjoying and loving this HOBBY we call scrapbooking. And make a few pretty pages, to boot.
The photo I chose to share as my profile pic isn't anything fancy. It was captured with a phone camera. But it's a favorite because I remember feeling so cute that day. Don't you have days like that? Your hair is good, your clothes are good, and you're happy. Capture it, even if you feel silly posing in front of a crowd of people.
The non-scrapbooking stuff. I'm a mom, a room mom, a team mom, a wife, attempting to be a runner, and always a student of photography (and editing to fix my photography mistakes.) You can visit my blog HERE. It's a mix of shopping, scrapping and mommy talk. Enough talk, let's get on with the scrapbooking! Thanks so much to Stephanie, Laura, and Bella Blvd for inviting me to Guest this week!
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Monday Challenge: Use Cute Cuts On Your Layout
I love the Cute Cuts. Using them actually reminds me of the good ol' days when we had to cut out our lettering. I find the cutting therapeutic. The other great thing about Cute Cuts is that you get a lot of big embellishments for not much money, yay! Here are a few ideas for using Cute Cuts that I want to try:
- Create a scene, add a few pop dots to make it 3-dimensional
- Use one as a base for your title
- Add glitter or gems to dress them up a bit
- Punch partial images of the Cute Cuts for fun accents
"Attitude", by Shannon Tidwell.
And the idea I used for my layout is to create a patterned paper of sorts with the Cute Cuts. I started with a 4x6 photo and a 4x6 of patterned paper. I added the border below and then the title (which is also a Cute Cuts). Then I cut several of the circle designs from the Cute Cut and arranged them onto the patterned paper to create a bolder pattern. My biggest tip when working with circles, make sure you overlap some off the edges to keep the design balanced. I adhered the baseball circle with a couple pop dots to make it stand out.
For the bottom portion of the layout I added my journaling but still felt like it needed something else. But I didn't want to upset the 'top heavy' balance I was going for. So I opted for a pen-line border as well as a few sequins stapled on. I've said before that I think the metal staples adds a little masculinity to the sequins...at least that's the story I'm sticking with.
The talented Bella Blvd Design Team is participating in the challenge too! Here are their layouts.
"Dreams Are LIke Games", by Loredana Bucaria.
Hi everyone! Today is a Cute Cuts inspiration day and I want to share with you this page:) I have used a collection that you can imagine to use for a boy or a masculine theme and instead I used for me :) Ohh yes, because dreams are like games you have to believe in them hardly to make them came true! Don't you think? This picture was made by my iPhone and I love it. The cute cuts are sooo easy to use and they make a cool touch to my page :) I've added a lot of different embellishments and for this time I 've used one products line, is very fun to play with all kinds of materials from just one line :) Try to challenge yourself you will be so satisfied of the result!
Supplies:
Making The Team: Wall Of Fame, Cute Cuts, Borders, Alpha+Bits, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Ciao Chip; Mr Boy: Ciao Chip
"A Mild Winter", by Megan Klauer.
I am super bad about taking photos of my kids during the winter, and well this year we just haven't had much snow to play in. So, I decided that would be my focus for this page; a mild winter. I focused on how in January {in the midwest!} I was able to run outside to help reach a few goals. I used the "photo tabs" from two of the alpha+bits pages to create a simple pattern down the side of my design. I also decided to do most of my journaling on my computer as I knew it would be long. I still wanted to add some of my own handwriting, so I left a few pages to fill in a bit of information.
Supplies:
Winter Wonder: Ski Slopes, Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits, Just Write Stickers, Miniature Stickers
"Baby Boy", by Kim Arnold.
How cute is the elephant on the Cute cuts paper from the Baby Boy range? I just couldn’t resist cutting it out to include it on my layout. I also cut around his ear with a craft knife and popped it up with foam tape. I thought it (and the whole super cute Baby Boy range) was perfect to include on this layout where I finally got around to scrapping the ultrasound photos of my son.
Supplies:
Baby Boy: It’s A Boy, Cute Cuts, On The Go, Baby Blue, Wild About You, Miniatures, Ciao Chip Icons; Button Market: Stars
"You Need Froggy on A Cloudy Day", by Katherine McElvain.
{A Winter CHA Layout}
Sometimes a die cut perfectly fits a theme of a layout. The Cute Cuts Bella Frog, with its bulgy eyes, looked just like my daughters favorite stuffed animal. So I had to add him to this layout of her snuggling with her froggy when she was in a gloomy mood one day. To add the umbrella in Froggy’s hand (do frogs have hands? Not sure) completed the theme.
Supplies:
Spring Flings: Cute Cuts, A Tisket A Tasket, Sunny Sunday, Borders, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Chipboard Icons; Sophisticates: High Five Alphas (blue, green, yellow), Card Sentiments Miniatures, Punch, Ciao Chip Clouds; Designer Tape: Yellow Chevron; Flags: Floral
"Smile" card, by Kathy Martin.
With spring being my favorite season, I’ve really enjoyed creating with the Spring Flings & Easter Things collection. Any spring craft or celebration I can think of works with these colorful papers and accents! Both my son and I have spring birthdays and this versatile line is perfect for birthday celebrations too!
Supplies:
Spring Flings & Easter Things: Egg Hunt, Sunny Sunday, Borders, Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits; Sophisticates Miniatures: Card Sentiments; High Five Alpha Stickers: Green
"It's A Boy" card, by Kathy Martin.
I’ve lost count of how many scrapbook pages and cards I’ve created with this line! I can’t help myself, it’s so darn cute and fun to play with. I’m really smitten with these images like the animals and this adorable onesie!
Supplies:
Baby Boy: On the Go, Borders, Cute Cuts
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And now, we are going to ask you to play along with our challenge! This week, we will be featuring FIVE challenges. But it's not just about showing you what we came up with. We want to see your take on our challenges too. And we have a little extra incentive to get you creating and sharing.
We will be drawing one winner, to receive a prize package of $100+ worth of Bella Blvd products!
But this is different than our regular giveaways. You will have to participate in the challenges, in order to be entered in the drawing for that prize package. If you participate in one challenge, your name will be entered in one time. If you participate in three of the challenges, your name will be entered in three times. Make sense? And how about a bonus. If you participate in all five challenges, your name will be entered in not five times, but TEN times! We really hope you'll join in on the fun with us. Just click on the button below, to link us up to your completed projects. You have until Friday, March 2nd, to get your links added on. We will then announce a winner on Saturday, March 3rd.
Look at the variety of Cute Cuts! Love all these projects and inpsiring ways they were used! :)
Posted by: Kathy Martin | February 20, 2012 at 08:38 AM
What a great challenge! I loveeeeee what everyone created!
Posted by: julie Tucker-Wolek | February 20, 2012 at 08:38 AM
I'm assuming cards count right?
(great projects by the way! Shannon is adorable!)
Posted by: Silvia Diaz | February 20, 2012 at 09:06 AM
Sounds like a fun challenge and lots of great inspiration here! So, is it possible to enter something I've created that I pin on Pinterest? I don't have a blog and I've never entered a contest like this...
Posted by: Ruth G | February 20, 2012 at 03:48 PM
Loved this challenge! Just linked mine :-) x
Posted by: Kerys | February 20, 2012 at 04:05 PM
This is fun!! I'll play along this week!
Posted by: Danielle | February 21, 2012 at 02:47 AM
Much fun! I'm all linked up!
Posted by: Silvia Diaz | February 27, 2012 at 03:24 PM
I do not have any Bella blvd products and I had checked with Laura and she told me that I could still enter and if my entry is not valid, please feel free to remove it.
Posted by: Banu H | February 27, 2012 at 05:58 PM