MEMORY DEX MUSINGS I DIY TAGS & CAREFREE

adding cards to my blush memory dex spinner is always my favourite way to channel into some creative energy.  it also is something extra special when i get to play with brand new paper releases and all the pretties.  and this collection i am sharing today, combined with the blush memory dex spinner is truly a match made in heaven. 

say hello to the brand new release from heidi swapp, care free.

it is SO pretty.  it could not be more perfect.  and looks beautiful paired with the blush spinner.  truly. exceptional.  remember, that blush spinner? it is exclusive and ONLY found at scrapbook.com 

when it comes to creating memory dex cards, i love to get creative and switch things up.  this time i thought it would be fun to create some cards except this time use die cut tags.  i love this change up and creating tags has always been such a therapeutic and fun way to just get creative for myself.

plus with all the stitching and layers, it really adds some gorgeous dimension into ones memory dex card collection.  i love all the texture.  it is one of my favourite ways to customize my cards.

if you have never incorporated machine stitching or sewing onto your cards, i highly recommend it.  i cannot sew anything to save my life but i can add stitching onto paper pretty successfully and it just makes me so happy.  trust me, you will love it!

these gorgeous pieces are all from the care free collection.  a mix of stickers, tags and pattern paper.  love love triple love.

if those butterflies look familiar, you've guessed it.  they are butterflies from one of my favourite current stamp sets found here.  mixing the solid stamp with the pattern stamp is a great way to maximize this set.  with all of the color combinations the options are endless.  this set is a must have. i embellished with some type text, and care free stickers.

this is happiness.

my happiness. 

and i am so happy to share it with you.

make sure to join in on the fun and creativity by getting your hands on a blush spinner and the beautiful collection of care free.  i know you are going to be just as obsessed as me.  it is pretty perfect!

xo

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MAKING OUR OWN MAGIC I STORYLINE CHAPTERS 2021

storyline chapters and 2021.

I have so many plans for you!

today I want to share the first direction I am taking, and that is a family 2021 storyline chapters book. 

a place to record highlights of each month, and little stories of us.  

I want to be able to have a place where I can place some of my favourite photos, stories and memories of the year and have a consistent place and routine so that I get the stories down.  I think setting ourselves up for success is a huge first step in making sure we are actually successful when setting out goals for ourselves.  this creative goal is huge for me and I am committed to filling this beautiful book up as we navigate through 2021.

but first, I had to customize it just a bit.  this technique is one heidi swapp has used a lot but I had never personally tried till now.  she loves to cut out interactive "windows" in the covers of these notebooks and I think it is such an adorable idea.  so for my notebook I created a circle template and traced it on the cover.  then cut out the circle using a craft knife.

once that was complete I used some of her digital art from this kit, and printed this phrase onto a piece of vellum from the Minc surfaces paper pad.  by running it through my laser printer, I will be able to add foil onto the text to give it a beautiful shine.

the matt champagne foil gave me the exact look I was going for.  I love how beautiful it looks.

once complete, I adhered it onto the back of the front cover so that the verse shows through my cut out circular window.

inside my album you will find my first entry.  a family selfie of 2021.  I just love this photo and I think it is the perfect start to my book.  I also used some of the amazing new stamps of Heidi's that you can find here.  they are amazing, just saying ;) .

layering favourite pieces of storyline chapters embellishments is always a favourite.  I may add in more journaling onto this page, or leave it.  I just have not yet decided.  I may even add an envelope pocket for some hidden journaling behind.  we will see!

I really hope you are able to take on your own creative memory keeping project for 2021.  I love having something to not only commit too, but look forward to keeping up and documenting as the days pass on.  creating brings me such joy...and we all need more joy in our lives.  I will be back next month sharing our February pages, so definitely stay tuned!

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STORYLINE CHAPTERS I PERSONAL CREATIVE & WELLNESS JOURNEY

so say hello to storyline chapters.

a beautiful and brand new program from heidi swapp that combines everything that we all know and love into one seamless system.

planning, journaling, scrapbooking.

all in one.

yes.

and as you can see by one of the planner inserts, january was off and running.
and proudly i will say it was a successful month of showing up, keeping on and staying strong when some days i just did not want to.

one of my big personal wellness goals, like many is fitness.
i have been working hard on making running a weekly priority and it is honestly something that kind of just happened.
i love to do cardio and one day when i was just feeling sluggish after the holidays i just thought to myself...let's just jog. and let's just keep going. see how long i can do this for.

well that my friends, literally has taken me throughout the month for a grand total of almost 35 km ran in the entire month of january.  also not counting my other fitness classes and mini workouts i have also got in within the month.  i am happy, and proud...and feeling motivated.  total 'non scale' victories but i am proud to say i kept showing up...even on days where i just wanted to NOT.  and it led me to a successful finish and looking forward to february's progress!

of course i love capturing all of my progress and little bits of inspiration all month long.  not only does it energize me creatively, but it also is part of the entire wellness picture.  i really love seeing where i have gone and how committed i have been.  it really is not easy at times.

using my favourite products from the storyline chapters collection has been so much fun to play with.  this particular planner insert is filled with calendar pages and then a monthly recap/summary page.  i have yet to fill that page out but i like having my own chapters notebook just dedicated to a monthly overview.

it really is awesome to have this now and look back on where i started.
there is so much power in taking the time to write. it. down.  whatever your it is.

i have also been exercising my 'creative' muscle by using one of the journaler storyline chapter books as an 'art journal' type deal.

a place to just creatively play with paper and stamps and ideas and whatever will be will be.  this has been very valuable to me in keeping me 'in the zone'.

storyline chapters will be showing up in independent and online stores very very soon!
i cannot wait to see what you do with it.
XO

truly an amazing system for whatever you are wanting to document!

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WINTER WONDERLAND I SCRAPBOOK PAGE

wanting to share a fun layout today celebrating some festive vibes using some of my favourite brand new heidi swapp winter wonderland products!

i love this collection so much.  it is so classic and pretty and timeless. the perfect accompaniment for any of your favourite holiday photos!

and speaking of favourites, earlier this week i shared some holiday cards that i created with this amazing stamp and die set. you can see that post here as well as the video tutorial here.  i had so much fun creating with this set that i thought i would continue and create a 12 x 12 scrapbook page.

for this layout i used the wreath die (from this stamp & die set) which i absolutely love! isn't it SO cute?!

i used my mini evolution by we r memory keepers to cut out a bunch of the mini wreath dies.

i then compiled them together on a layout using some of my favourite holiday photos.  i must say aside from creating my little wreaths for my page i had the best time embellishing this layout!!! winter wonderland has SO many gorgeous decorative pieces to it.  from stickers, to ephemera...to alphas! truly so much fun!

be sure to get your hands on this incredible collection for your holiday memories!  from card making, to scrapbook pages...and holiday home decor it will truly create the most gorgeous holiday projects.

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WINTER WONDERLAND I HOLIDAY CARD MAKING

so whose up for a little holiday inspiration?!

i know i know....it is STILL august!

but.....nothing like getting a few ideas to feel a bit ahead of the game now... am i right?! i mean the whole christmas in july thing...well let's just pretend this is that! ha!

after all, when there is a brand new heidi swapp christmas collection release...it cannot be kept quiet.  it is always just too good!
say hello to winter wonderland!

that being said, i have whipped up a few cards that i really wanted to share.
some fun, easy and inspiring ideas to maybe get your creative juices flowing for the holiday season ahead.

and what is even better is that these cards are SUPER simple to make.

to begin with, they are all cards i created from the boxed card set.

yes! this box comes with 40 cards AND envelopes ready to be customized however you would like.

they come in all the gorgeous patterns found in the winter wonderland collection so there really is something for everyone.

here are just a few of my favourites!

i just love the holiday tradition with a twist of trend.

so...let's get started and i will share with you 3 simple 'hacks' i used to customize my cards and give them just a bit of "wow factor".

first up is this fun 'fa-la-la' card.

to begin i used my paper trimmer to trim about an inch off the side.  i then covered up the white inside part of the card with this super cute washi.

the front i layered a sticker with a die cut wreath and vellum ephemera.

i love that this collection comes with a coordinating stamp/die set.  this wreath die is probably my most favourite and will probably find itself on a ton of my holiday projects for 2019.

next up is this fun interactive 'pocket card'.  fun to hold a message, photo or gift card!

to create this card i took a card from the box set.

i applied adhesive to the right hand side and across the bottom edge only.  the idea here is to secure the opened edges to form a pocket or pouch.

next, use a circle punch to create a half circle notch.

embellish with winter wonderland ephemera as desired.

for the inside card i simply trimmed another card from the set to my desired size and then added another ephemera piece on top.  slide it into your pocket and you are done!  this is probably one of my most favourite hacks and i will be making a ton of these interactive pocket pouch cards. they just turned out so cute!

last but not least is this trip-fold card with a window.  i used 2 cards to make this one card by simply adhering two cards together and then adding in another piece of card and/or pattern paper in the middle.

this card has ample room and space and i love how interactive it is for the receiver.

 here is how i created my circle window in my card:

i used the we r memory keepers circle spin and trim tool.

it is a very easy tool to use to make circles of all sizes.
simply place your card into the trimmer and specify the size of circle you want cut with the small plastic blade piece.  you will slip it into the corresponding notch.

then hold the large white knob and in a circular motion spin it around the board.

voila! the most perfectly trimmed circle!

to be honest i am not a 'card maker' at heart, but i really enjoy playing with collections and techniques that are not too difficult to try out but yet yield awesome results in the end.  this was really fun for me to create and try out some ideas i never had before.  

i hope you are inspired and in the mood to get your holiday craft on!

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