On the 7th May we had a lovely scrapping day featuring the beautiful Lady Pattern Paper papers. And what better way to celebrate such a special day than to create a project life style layout, adding as much photos onto a page as I possibly can or want to, and of course featuring some gorgeous Lady Pattern Paper papers.

To create some cards for my pockets I used Lady Pattern Paper and added some sentiments to the paper to make my own Project Life style cards with a handmade twist of course.

 I love the simplicity of project life – it enables me to add lots of photos, capturing a special event with creative details, and I can add my own spin to it just the way I like it. And best of all I can use my Lady Pattern Paper papers to add those creative elements – everything I love all in one.

With my regular scrapbooking pages I have so many off-cuts and embellishments left over, and I can’t stand throwing them out, but instead of hoarding them like in the past they have found a home in my Project Life layouts. And so came to be the Lady Pattern Paper project life cards for this layout.

I wanted to keep the layout simple, classy and elegant and the So Buff and Onyx Black colour range of off-cuts worked perfectly.
Step 1 - I started off by cutting my papers to measure 4×6” and 3×4” and then rounded the corners. Cut as many as you want for the pockets that won’t have photos in them.
Step 2 - To add journaling to my cards I first drew up a text box in a word document and printed it onto white typing paper.
 Step 3 - Once I was happy with the placement I adhered the cut cards to the printed sample page using a sticky square to hold it in place temporarily.

Step 4 - I place the page into my printer again and sent the same journaling to print, but this time onto my pocket cards. And so I could quickly and easily add my journaling to my custom made Lady Pattern Paper cards. TIP: I added some hand doodling and borders around my journaling for added details. I used a few simple embellishments to dress up my cards.  Step 6 - Another two toned card with some embellishments and then some gold paint around the edges.
 And in true Lady Pattern Paper style this Basic Essentials range is perfect to mix and match in with Project Life cards and other embellishments. I love the clean and feminine look of this layout and it has mostly to do with the simple way of memory keeping and because I used the much loved basics from Lady Pattern Paper.

I simply love how the Lady Pattern Paper can work for anything! I have said it many times how versatile this paper range is. And to prove it, this week I took it upon myself to use it in a project life layout I have been struggling to finish for a really long time.I used the paper range to create some PL cards and a matching single page layout on the opposite side of the pocket page.

I include both my regular double page layouts and Project Life pages in the same album, so every now and again I end up creating a single page layout next to a pocket page.This makes the following pages easy to just do a regular double page layout.

step 3 - Position the stencil on your PL sized card cut from LPP and apply the paste in a smooth and even fashion. Apply the paste over the entire stencil design as desired.

step 4 - Carefully lift the stencil from your paper and leave it to dry complete before using it.
Add embellishments and other decorative elements to match your theme.

And there you have some awesome custom made PL cards for your album. This is a great way to use up all those LPP pieces left over from your other layouts.
I even used my smaller scraps to create matching photo matts for my single page.Layer your photo onto 2 or 3 pieces of LPP for a dimensional and colourful photo matt.

Happy Memory keeping.

Welcome to May – can you believe how time flies? With the cooler weather our way here in the South I am creeping deeper into my craft space and catching up on my Project Life album. I am so excited to be incorporating the Xyron Creative Station in my Project Life. It sure has made some things so much easier. Today I am sharing a nice and easy tip, making your life a lot easier.

Step 2 – Die-cut some borders out of white cardstock. Feed the borders through the Xyron to add the adhesive.

Step 3 – Peel away the top plastic protective layer after removing the die-cuts from the machine.

Step 4 – While the die-cuts are still on the backing from the adhesive sheet, use a sponge to ink the die-cuts.
I used two different colours of ink to ink my borders, and then used a black ink to stamp a small pattern onto the borders.
TIP: By leaving the die-cuts on the backing sheet, you can easily ink, stamp and alter the plain white cardstock into something really special.

Step 5 – Remove the altered borders from the backing sheet and adhere it to your photos or project.

Step 6 – Use your Chiswick scissors to cut off any excess of the die-cut from your photo.

Step 7 – Add any additional embellishments and decorations to your die-cuts, and then insert them into your Project Life sleeves.

I love how the Xyron can make something so simple even easier. In a few easy steps I could cut, add adhesive and ink my borders without any issues.
The Adhesive backing paper comes in really handy as an inking surface eliminating unnecessary transfers onto a craft sheet. Have you bought yourself a Creative Station yet? Well i think now is a good time to do so – the possibilities are endless.
Acid-Free Permanent Adhesive Refill Cartridge (18′) xt1605
5″ Creative Station Machine xr0510
Head on over to the website to view all the products in the Xyron family available from Chiswick.

Have you started your Project Life album for 2015 yet? Well for a change I have, and I even started it on the first which is so comforting to get right back into memory keeping – you know recording the little things in life.

 For the background of this card I used a combination of Prima Color Bloom sprays and stencils to create a fun effect. A bicycle sticker and rub-ons complete the look.

 A few more stickers and some words cut from Kaisercraft papers.

Here's how I created my fun dot accents
Step 1 - Use the “dot” runner to draw a quick line across the bottom of your PL card

 Step 2 - Sprinkle the glue line liberally with AC glitter

Step 3 - Shake off the excess glitter and decorate the card with journaling and stickers and simply pop into your page protector

I love the different effects you can create with the dot and tab runners. So ask your local craft store for these wonderful products by name, and make sure you don’t get stuck on creativity!

Every year we make loads of promises to ourselves to get more organized around the holidays and festive season. And each year we forget to take photos of the little moments, the big moments and life kind of just gallops away. 

 So this year I am getting all organized – yes I am on a mission! Since Christmas in South Africa is normally a fun festive and HOT occasion, I wanted to use summery colours, and the first thing that came to mind was the new Project Life kit “Hi Sunshine”. So I simply dressed them up to have a festive look and threw in some mixed media products to alter them with a little more personality and oomph. So now all I need to do is take those photos and get my pages done before Jan 1st!

 Card 1
For this card I used a Prima stencil and added the Opaque modelling paste through the stencil in the left hand corner of my card. The reindeer head is a jpg. image I cut on the Silhouette in smooth black American Crafts cardstock and then misted with Gold Leaf Color Bloom mist. Once the modelling paste was dry I inked over the top with a finger dauber and some brown ink to highlight the texture.

Card 2
For this car I added 3 little triangles using the modelling paste through a Heidi Swapp stencil. The bottom half of the card has a Christmas phrase and some red polka dot paper cut from another PL card.