Monthly Archives: February 2018

Valentine Mini | The Cut Shoppe

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Hey friends! Are you a fan of Valentine’s Day? I’m usually not a fan, but this year I was about all things pink and heart shaped. I seriously couldn’t get enough and I blame the scrapbooking industry! HA! There are so many cute, fun products available right now. I thought it would be fun to put together a Valentine’s mini album to showcase our Valentine’s festivities!

I used The Cut Shoppe XOXO Cut File and scrap chipboard/cardboard (it’s actually part of the packaging that is included in Scrapbook.com orders) to create the cover.  I embossed the cover using the Melody Ross Chip Art Stamps and then I painted the cover using acrylic paints and Mod Podge to give it more of a Valentine’s feel.

One thing I love about mini albums is it gives me a chance to use up a lot of stash and scraps, and because Valentine’s has a pretty traditional color scheme of red & pinks, I was able to mix a lot of my old product with new! A majority of the products I used throughout the album are from the Crate Paper Collections: Heart Day, Hello Love & Main Squeeze. I also tossed in some My Mind’s Eye – My Story, Crate Paper – Fourteen, Carta Bella – Devoted and Simple Stories – Adore.

For a majority of the journaling throughout the album I used my We R Memory Keepers Typecast Typewriter.

Another thing I love about mini albums is the ability to make them interactive! I used a white cardstock strip of paper and (4) 2×2 photos to create this accordion, which was inspired by the super talented Bea Valint. I just used a bow clip to hold the photos together when the album in closed.

One of the trickiest parts of putting this album together was making it fun without making it too bulky. I bound the album using the We R Memory Keepers Cinch Tool before I embellished. I used the largest rings I had, but I think I really could have went up another size.

That’s the great thing about cut files! They create a lot of fun and visual interest without creating a lot of bulk!

  

I also used the negative and positive pieces from the XOXO Cut File for additional embellishments.

Another trick I used to help to reduce bulk is to tear away layers of chipboard and remove the dimensional adhesive that is placed by the manufacturer.

I know I’ve included numerous photos of the mini album in this blog post, and believe it or not there are quite a few more pages that I didn’t share here. I recorded a flip through video so you can see the album from cover to cover!

Remember to head to The Cut Shoppe Etsy Store to check out the XOXO Cut File, A Banner Day Cut File, and The All the Things Cut File that I used for this mini album. There are so many fun cut files available in the shop so head there now!

This blog post contains affiliate links. This means I will receive a commission (at no cost to you) from items purchased from those affiliate links.

Books & More Books | The Cut Shoppe

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Hey friends! I’m back today with a new 12×12 layout that was recently shared on The Cut Shoppe Blog using the Squared Away Background Cut File.

This Squared Away Background Cut File was actually one of the very first cut files I ever purchased…long before I was a Design Team member. In fact, I think this paper is actually the very first time I had ever cut a cut file using my Cricut! I had started using this background many years ago, but it ended up not working with what I was creating at the time so I set it off to the side. It ended up going from the side of my desk into a pile, then that pile ended up in a drawer, and you know how the story goes! HA! I was recently purging/rearranging my craft space and stumbled upon it! I loved the splashes of the mixed media colors that were on the background and thought it would work well with the Pink Paislee – Paige Evans – Oh My Heart Collection.

All I did was add a sheet of light purple cardstock behind and the cut file and then adhered multiple book themed embellishments from the Oh My Heart Collection around the photo. The frame on the outside of the photo was actually from my stash. It started as a muted pink, but didn’t match the Oh My Heart Collection very well. So I altered the frame using acrylic paint to help it match the collection better. I had accidentally gotten a little paint on the “Books & More Books” die cut so I covered that area with a die cut bow from the Pink Paislee – Paige Evans – Take Me Away Collection.

I used the We R Memory Keepers Typecast Typewriter to add journaling to the journaling tag. I also added multiple stickers, including the rose gold foiled stickers, from the American Crafts – Paige Evans – Sticker Book.

I was so happy to finally be able to use the book themed embellishments from the Oh My Heart Collection. I’ve always loved to read, but I have a hard time finding books that I wanted to read. I’m very much a suspense/murder mystery reader, and I could wander aimlessly around a library or bookstore trying to pick something to read. The choices were just a bit overwhelming. Then I came across the Book of the Month Club and  LOVE it! There are 5 new books released each month, you can choose up to 3 books (from the current month or previous months), and they ship them directly to you…for FREE! Each book on their site has synopsis and is categorized into different genres so it is so easy for me to find the book(s) I want to read! This photo is of the first three books I received in my very first book box last month! I absolutely loved all three books! I just received my February box this week and have already dived into my first book!

Before I leave you today I want to give you a sneak peek of a few layouts (including the one I shared today). I mentioned in my last process video that I typically only scrapbook when I have a rapidly approaching deadline, but I actually scrapbooked just for fun (GASP!) recently. Lucky for me I use The Cut Shoppe Cut Files on almost every page I create so I will be able to use those “just for fun” layouts for my Design Team assignments. Win + Win!

Now you can take a look at my process video for the Books & More Books layout!

Thank you so much for spending part of your day with me!

This blog post contains affiliate links. This means I will receive a commission (at no cost to you) from items purchased from those links. The commission may be monetary or free product.