Girls Allowed

We are completely loving the new Echo Park collection This & That here at Gotta Craft. Clare took Graceful and discovered that it wasn't just for girls. Now I've found out that you don't have to be a boy to be Charming

Choose carefully, add some white and a couple of little extras and Charming goes girly. Girls are definitely allowed.

New from Echo Park......

You may have noticed that Sandra has been uploading lots of newly released papers and other goodies in the shop over the last couple of weeks. Amongst many things that have caught my eye were some papers from Echo Park called This and That, so I have been using  papers from the Graceful collection to make a layout and card.

I have used several of the patterened papers on the layout along with some of the matching brads, chipboard pieces and stickers.

I love the green and pink colour combination so I also made a birthday card, the bird cage came from the sticker sheet and I cut a little bird from patterned paper to perch on the outside.

 

Although there is a lot of pink in the papers there are also some more neutral colours so I think they could work with a slightly more masculine page too, watch this space!

Not Just for Girls.....

The February kit was full of lots of pretty papers and I have to say all of my layouts made with it up until to now have featured my daughter and have been very feminine and soft. Being that I have a son as well I decided to see if I could use the papers in a masculine way to scrap a photo of him, so I teamed the Echo Park papers from the kit with some extra  kraft card to make this layout.

I used the sides of the papers that featured the geometric patterns, and the 'starburst' design on the layout was inspired by this project that I saw on 2 Peas recently. The letter stickers are Thickers from American Crafts. Despite the temptation to add a couple of flowers I went for some banner type embellishments instead!

Cards vs. Layouts

Which do you do make first when you get a kit? Even though I love making both I probably go for layouts first and then see what I've got left over afterwards to make cards.

So following on from my layouts using the February kit I have some cards to share as well. For the first one I used one of the Glitz Design Whatnots from the kit with a pretty rose design, trimmed around it and then mounted it onto some card. I added texture to the white backing card with an embossing folder before colouring it with Distress Inks.

The next card I've already shared on the Gottacraft Facebook page, its a mix of pretty greys and greens and uses another one of the Glitz Design Whatnots. I used some plastic packaging for the centre of the frame which I embossed first.

This next card is quite simple, just some punched circles and a bit of patterned paper and finished off with some layered flowers. These were cut from plain card and then spritzed with some glimmer mists before adding some buttons from the kit to the centres. All I added was some kraft card from my own stash.

The last card is made up with some squares of the Echo Park papers left from the kit (there's not much of mine left now!) I added some sparkly vellum and used some punches to make a quick Anniversary card - I like to keep a couple of these at hand for those last minute panics!

I hope these cards give you some inspiration for ways to use the kit, let us see what you've created if you have been busy with your kits too. Thanks for stopping by!

This & That ... part 2

Yesterday I showed you the more girly side of Echo Park's This & That, latest collection and today ... here's the more rough & tumble one :)

This collection is called Charming ... and charming me, it sure is.  I adore the Rolleifex type camera image in it, as My Dad had one of those Cameras, so it brings back happy memories.  Anyway, here it is, oh and again, Echo Park has kindly done matching layered chipboard, chipboard accents and brads, which you can find HERE along with a collection pack, if you want it all ... and who wouldn't :)

Times & Seasons - Movember

We all love to check out the latest Gotta Craft kit; but it's definitely worth keeping an eye out for other new additions to the shop. Sandra has fresh stock arriving all the time.Recently she sent me some of the new Echo Park Times & Seasons - and it didn't take me long to decide how to use my pick of the papers, Spiffy Mustache:

I made a layout about "Movember". And because I couldn't persuade anyone else in the family to sport a tache for my photo - I added one to a picture of our hamster. It's silly, I know. But Movember is a wonderful cause and Gary was happy to lend his support.

Beard and hat both cut with the Slice

I used some pieces from the sticker sheet and some scraps of Glitz Vintage Blue which Sandra suggested as a great match. She's right - they go together perfectly!

Very Victorian.....

Echo Park have brought out another lovely range of papers called Victorian Gardens. The papers are fresh, bright and summery - perfect for those summer photos....

With a background of kraft Bazzill (something I can't live without!) I have used lots of different papers on my layout and used punches and die-cutting on them along with a Tim Holtz die for my layered flowers. There is also a sticker sheet and journalling tag sheet available for the finishing touches.

I used the same die but in a different way for the flowers on my card, I cut them from plain cream card and then coloured them with glimmer mists, scrunched them up and then layered them up when they were dry and finishing off with a pearl. The bird and cage are another Tim Holtz die, again coloured with glimmer mists.

You can check out the Gottacraft Facebook page for more ideas and inspiration with this range here.

Thanks for stopping by, Clare x

It's Just Scraps

So, it's nearly the end of the month. Have you finished up your kit yet? I have a few bits left:

 

and I've been thinking of ways to use up the scraps.

First, I pulled out a fresh sheet of white cardstock (next time I think I might need to order more matching colour - a great way to stretch your kit). Choose one photo only and cut narrow strips from what is left of your patterned paper, to the width of your picture.

Layer them up.

Add texture and interest to a simple design like this with stitching, punched shapes or what is left from that beautiful sticker sheet.

Finally, check for charm. It's the finishing touch. Look at your layout and see what there is about it to charm your viewer. Is there something to make them smile? Something to make them say "Ooh! Look!"? Add a special piece. Here I used a Bumpy Road punch to make the top of my page look like a frothy head of Guinness. Finished.

Reach For A Rosette (Or Two)

Your kits will be arriving with you soon, and I'm sure you've got plans for them! I used my scraps to make a few more rosettes and today I thought I'd show you how I did it. It's an easy way to add dimension to a page, and a great base to use for a bit of layering







To start, cut your paper into strips about 2 inches wide and 6 inches long (any longer and it becomes too stiff to cut through). Punch a decorative pattern along the two long sides, or use scalloped scissors. Leaving it plain looks good too, but the scallops make it easy to do your folding

Make concertina folds backwards and forwards evenly along the strip, then hold it folded in your hand and cut a little notch in the middle on each of the long sides. Make sure it's in the centre or your rosette will be lopsided

Tie string tightly around the centre of your folded piece using the notches as a guide, then gently unfold and open up your rosette. Form it into a circle and glue the edges together.

Now use your rosette as a start to create a unique embellishment, layering up stickers or little punched shapes. The Echo Park papers are double sided, so check which side you prefer before you start. The two in the background here are For The Record, the one in the front is with a thinner Jenni Bowlin paper which folds up really nicely. Try it!

Simple! If you decide to add one to a layout this month, leave us a link. We'd love to see.

For The Record - March's Kit

I loved this kit! I've been really looking forward to showing you what I made with the beautiful For The Record papers. And that sticker sheet? It's gorgeous. I layered up lots of stickers on my layouts, but I still have plenty left - it goes a long way. Let me show you..

I made this one:

For this one I handcut roses from a piece of patterend paper and layered them around my photos. I added a row of stitching to draw your eye to the embellishment cluster and used one of the stickers as a title.

and then I did this one:

I made room for lots of journaling on this one about a family newspaper I started many years ago

and because I didn't want to stop, I made this one as well. I think it might be my favourite!

On this one I layered up lots of stickers and added some dimension with that little rosette. Come back on Monday and I'll show you how easy it is to do

 What about you? What ideas do you have for your kit? I'd love to know..

Motivation to scrap part 3

Morning all. Today I thought we could explore colour combination and dimension on scrapbook layouts. I have always struggled with matching colours, although I have always known that 'red and green should never be seen' (unless at Christmas). I often find that if I buy a stack of papers in a pack then it is much easier to coordinate layouts. All the papers are deisgned to work with each other (duh....I only just realised this!). I love the Echo Park ranges that have been coming out recently as they contain some lovely pinks and greens - one of my favourite colour combinations. I also love grey and pink. Anyway, after having bought myself a colour wheel I am now completely clued up on what goes and doesn't. I would like to share this with you today and hope this makes choosing complimentary papers and embellishments easier and so make your layouts look good.

Colour wheel image taken from The Style and Beauty Doctor blog

So here's how it works: colors opposite each other (like violet and yellow), colors next to each other (like green and yellow-green) and colors that form right angles (like yellow and red-orange) are all colors that will look good together. Look at this card that I made yesterday, it uses colours that are at right angles to each other (yellow and blue). The colours contrast but don't jar:

 

Sorry about the shadow - I got the angle of the light wrong. The Prima blooms used in this card are from Gotta Craft. You'll see that the card base is orange and that works too because the yellow and orange are next to each other on the colour wheel. One thing you need to be careful of is using all three colours in the same proportions as this will mean that they are all competing with each other. You would be better selecting one main bold colour (blue) and then accenting with two others (orange and yellow). 

This can be a good rule of thumb too - if you select 4/5 colours that are next to each other on the wheel then this is also pleasing to the eye. One last tip with the colour combination is one I like to use a lot  - select one colour and use various tones. This is a great way to make your layouts look 'together'.

 This layout I did a few weeks ago shows how using patterned paper from the same range makes life easier (and cheaper in the long run). Layouts can look a bit more coherent.

 

 You can also use some of your own handmade embellishments like I have in the next layout in order to compliment the colours in your project

All of the papers in the layout above are by American Crafts and their Dear Lizzy range. It would seem that as I have used polka dot, floral and bunting style papers that all the patterns and colours would jar, but they don't. This is because all the colours compliment each other. So, next time you are looking for the perfect colour to match your favourite papers, look at the other papers in that range - the hard work has been done for you by the manufacturers. That said, if you want to go and choose individual papers then buy them with colour matches in mind. Refer back to the colour wheel above to help you when you are shopping on line. It might just save you frustration, time and money!
I think I'll save dimension for tomorrow as I have droned on a bit about colour today! See you back here tomorrow for more tips and ideas to help you get motivated and creating layouts that you like again!

New Design Team Member

Hello to you all - my name is Hannah and I am the latest member of the Gotta Craft Design Team. Sandra has asked me to introduce myself today, so I thought I would tell you all a little bit about myself. I am 30 and mum to two very precious little girls, Poppy and Lily Rose. They really are my motivation when it comes to scrapbooking. I am fascinated by every little thing that they do and say. I am terrified that I will forget all of these special moments and so I decided this year to make a real effort to record their funny sayings and relationships through a scrapbook. Here is a little taste of a layout that I completed this week using papers from Gotta Craft. They are all from the Echo Park Little Girl range and I have to say I really love it.

My scrap book style has developed over time and can be minimalist and quite graphic, but equally it can be completely over the top - it just depends on the photo I am scrapping and the mood I am in! I will usually go for quite a lot of dimension which makes it difficult to store my work sometimes. I do quite like putting some of my favourite layouts into Ikea shadow boxes and changing them now and then.
 While I like all things girlie, I have recently been trying my hand at black, white and grey layouts which I now love. I did this layout yesterday using some lovely chipboard alphas from the Gotta Craft sale

Anyway, I am delighted to be working alongside Sandra and the very talented Gotta Craft Design Team and look forward to sharing more of my projects and seeing some of yours too!

The Boy

Using papers that were in the December kit, Echo Park's Everybody Loves Christmas - I created this layout of my boy, with one of  his christmas presents ... you may just see the toy that he also received left all chewed up in the background, the squeak long gone!

Do take a look at the gorgeous papers here .... you'll find yourself using them not just for Christmas projects.