Cool in the Pool | The Cut Shoppe

Hey there friends! I have fallen so behind on blogging and will be trying to catch up over the next couple weeks. I want to share a summer themed layout with you today before it gets too cold!  HA! For this layout I used the FREE Cool in the Pool Cut File that you can download from The Cut Shoppe Blog.

12x12 layout using The Cut Shoppe Cool in the Pool Cut File & the Fancy Pants Poolside Collection.

The Cut Shoppe | Freebie FriYAY Cut File.

I wanted to use the Cool in the Pool Cut File as a focal point on the layout so I cut it really large on white cardstock. I then used a Rubber Brayer and light blue acrylic paint to add just a hint of color. The white cardstock background felt too white when I placed the cut file onto the background. I went through numerous mixed media disasters trials before settling on this light pink wash on the background.

12x12 layout using The Cut Shoppe Cool in the Pool Cut File & the Fancy Pants Poolside Collection.

Then came the embellishing! I used 6×6 Papers from the Fancy Pants Poolside Collection to back a majority of the open spots on the cut file. I then went through the Fancy Pants Poolside Die Cuts & embellished the layout! This collection just fits the photo so well! I’ve had this photo of my son & niece in my stash for so long! It was actually a photo my sister took & is my only copy! I’ve been holding onto it because I wasn’t exactly sure how I wanted to document it. This Poolside Collection couldn’t have been more perfect with the little boy & girl characters and all of the pool themed products!

12x12 layout using The Cut Shoppe Cool in the Pool Cut File & the Fancy Pants Poolside Collection.

I used my computer to type my journaling, cut it into skinny strips & added it in the center of one of the o’s. I thought at this point the layout was done, but the top & the bottom of the layout seemed bare. I cut a wavy strip from the white cardstock and added the Pooling Around Patterned Paper for an extra pop of color & then added stitching for more texture.

12x12 layout using The Cut Shoppe Cool in the Pool Cut File & the Fancy Pants Poolside Collection.

Even though fall is my favorite season, I’m a little sad that summer is coming to a close! I’m a seasonal scrapper & still have so many fun summery goodies to use. I don’t want to put them away quite yet! Be sure to check out The Cut Shoppe Etsy Store for the cut files & digital collections! I’ll be back again soon with a new layout and hopefully a process video too!

This blog post contains affiliate links. This means I will receive a commission (at not cost to you) from items purchased from those links.

Really?! | The Cut Shoppe

I recently attended a 12 hour crop at a local scrapbook store with a friend of mine and it was actually one of the first times in almost 2 years that I’ve scrapbooked a 12×12 layout without my camera recording. It was an odd feeling. I almost felt guilty for scrapbooking & not recording it for my YouTube Channel…how weird is that?! Videos have become such a large part of my process that I was actually contemplating whether or not I should use these layouts as Design Team projects because I didn’t have a video to correspond. But I ran out of time to make anything else & decided to share them! HA!

12x12 scrapbook layout for The Cut Shoppe using the Summer Vibes Cut File & the Pebbles Patio Party Collection.

This first layout from the crop that I’m going to share uses the palm leaves from the Summer Vibes Cut File. One of my favorite summer collections right now is the Pebbles Patio Party Collection so it seemed fitting to use it with this layout. There are a lot of brown tones in that collection and it paired perfectly with my 2 photos I used on the layout.

12x12 scrapbook layout for The Cut Shoppe using the Summer Vibes Cut File & the Pebbles Patio Party Collection.

I sometimes feel restricted or unmotivated when I attend crops because I don’t have all of my supplies on hand (even though I ALWAYS overpack!) & the creative environment is just so different than when I’m sitting in my normal craft space. When that happens I like to let the products speak to me. I loved the diagonal design of the Scattered Posies Patterned Paper and decided to use that as the basis of my layout. I splashed a little yellow on the background, and then using my Cricut, I cut 2 palm leaves from the Summer Dreams Patterned Paper. I tucked the palm leaves under my photos and then used Die Cuts and the 3D Flowers from the Patio Party Collection to embellish.

12x12 scrapbook layout for The Cut Shoppe using the Summer Vibes Cut File & the Pebbles Patio Party Collection.

These photos crack me up…well more the bottom photo than the top photo. I remember this age so vividly. It was like pulling teeth to get this kid to look at the camera and smile at the same time. I had to take every photo at least two or three (okay, maybe five) times to get a “good” one. It felt so frustrating in the moment, but looking back at it now…those “bad” photos are my favorite. It captures so much of his personality at that age…what 3 or 4 year old has time to pause and look at the camera?! HA! I came across these photos in a box in my craft room & just laughed out loud. Who would have ever thought these photos would now be some of my favorites?! I knew my title needed to be something to that effect. I know we were at the zoo when I took these photos, but the story I wanted to tell didn’t have anything to do with the zoo. It had to do with what I was feeling the moment I found these photos years later. I used the Alphabet Thickers from the Crate Paper Wild Heart Collection to spell out the only title that seemed fitting!

12x12 scrapbook layout for The Cut Shoppe using the Summer Vibes Cut File & the Pebbles Patio Party Collection.

I also printed a few lines of journaling using my computer & printer and adhered them to the page in the same diagonal fashion. I actually really like that the journaling almost looks hidden within the text print of the background paper! For final touches I stamped a few sentiments from the Stamp Set from the Crate Paper Good Vibes Collection & added a few Black Color Shine splatters.

I love that The Cut Shoppe always seems to have a cut file perfect for all of my layouts and how I turn to them over & over again! Remember to visit the Etsy Store to check out all of the cut files and to post your layouts in The Cut Shoppe Scrap Spot Facebook Group so you can see what you’re creating!

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