Pretty Much My Favorite

   Hey all! Leah Schaeffer sharing with you today. I really wanted to play with making my own interesting background for a shaped card. Even if you keep a card a bit more simple, there are things you can do for serious impact. Like layering pattern papers using the Pocket Card 1 cutting file. I even designed the card base using this file so that the shapes matched perfectly. 

   I used a stamp from my stash and heat embossed the sentiment on the Sentiment Spots 3 banner shape. Some colored hemp and hearts also from my stash and I call this sweet little card done!

Pocket Card 1 Cutting File Sentiments Spots 3 Cutting File    Have a GREAT week! 

Silhouette Curio Stippled Strawberry Basket

   Hi everyone, Leah Schaeffer here today. I hope you folks were able to have joined us this past weekend over on Facebook for our monthly inspiration hop! If not, you can start the hop here. At least to pop through and check out the projects. Ok so I had shared during the hop my very first Silhouette Curio project. And today, I have something else created using the Silhouette Curio machine but it's a totally different project!     This is not the completed project but this would be the first step done with the machine. Stippling onto canvas!       As you can see in the next photo, I started with turning the Strawberry Basket cutting file into an image filling in only shades of grey and black. I did initially start using the colors that are using when you open your file, but the end result is better if you can play with the colors (and by colors, I mean like those below). The end result you can see once you've traced the image using the Stipple feature, is on the right! I used the adapted piece in the Curio that allows you to use any pen and I used a Paper Mate Flair pen in black on canvas (as seen above).     Now as cool is that is, I decided to add some color and used my alcohol markers and colored directly over the stippling and onto the canvas!     Then end result is so neat! Also watercolored looking, almost like its a printed/dyed piece from a shop! The stippling detail with it as well adds SO much extra interest. 

   I hope you enjoyed seeing this today! It was a lot of work but worth it! 

Strawberry Basket 

   Thanks for stopping in! 

Birdhouses

    Happy Monday everyone! Leah with you today to share a project featuring our birdhouse trio. I was so excited to use these darling cut files! I kept the whole page pretty simple but set these in front a birch tree forest. I inked the birch trees slightly so they would stand out against the background a bit more. I love how the subtly print on the background paper also just adds a little bit more interest then having used all solids.     I added just a few areas with Stickles glitter glue to dress these up but didn't go overboard. Which wasn't easy! And lastly, I added some chipboard pieces that were just the perfect color scheme.     Hope you liked this! Here are the files I used... Birdhouses Birch Tree Trunks    Hope you all have a great week! 

Clothed in Strength & Dignity

   Hi Pretty Paper, Pretty Ribbons fans! Leah Schaeffer here and I'm pleased to be sharing this layout with you all today. It's a simple design but striking. I cut 3 oversized monarch butterflies and created my own masked background. I used one of the many beautiful background cut files offered in our shop. You can make something that could be reusable (like cutting stencil paper or something similar) but for this project, I wasn't worried about that. It worked just fine with paper, but with the texture paste did warp the paper so I had to work quickly. Which is part of working with texture paste anyhow. This simple design was created to highlight this photo of my daughter and my niece. 

   Here is a close up of the stunning butterflies. 

   This photo shows the super cool background!

   Here are the PPPR files I've used today. Monarch Butterfly Background Lace 3    Thanks for coming by!

Fresh Fruit Basket Shaped Card

   Hiya! Leah Schaeffer sharing with you today. Anyone else super excited about the new files recently added into the store? I know I am! I combined a couple new sets together to make my own fruit basket. This summer my family has been all around Northern California and getting to hit up some wonderful farmers markets. From seaside to the Sierra's! So that's the inspiration behind today's shaped card.     Ok, can I admit this was the first time that I goofed on making a shaped card? Well I did. I totally made the base backwards. Put it together knowingly backwards and just assumed whoever I gave it to would understand. But last minute before photographing, I knew I had to fix it! LOL!     For the sake of time, I inked everything but stuck with brown ink and then I added some details with colored pencils. Hope you like!    Here are the 2 new files used today... Silly Fruit  Strawberry Basket    Hope you all are getting some adventures in this summer!  SaveSave

Lion Birthday Shaped Cards

   Hey, it's Leah sharing a boy and girl shaped card set. I am always running low on birthday cards. Never have the right one I want, so I just thought maybe I ought to make a couple. I've always had a fondness for shaped cards so created this mixing a few cut file sets.     Aren't these darling? They are pretty little. The cards were sized to fit in a standard A2 envelope which means these are pretty small. But honestly, they are even cuter in real life with the smaller size!     For a tiny bit more interest, I've added stars and Wink of Stella to the balloons and to the cake.     Well a short and sweet post for today since it's a holiday! Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope you have a fun and safe night! Here are the files used... Safari Love Birthday Panda Make a Wish Hugs!

Home Sweet Home Card

   Hi everyone! Leah Schaeffer here and I am so happy to be sharing at my FAVORITE die cut designer shop! I never tire of using PPPR files! With that said, even though I have used some of these images in the past, I still find ways to reuse them and make them feel totally different!     One of the things I love most about card making is being able to make something special, for a special occasion. A precious friend of mine is going through a very difficult divorce. She's pretty much been hopping home to home for almost 6 months and finally, thank God, got an apartment! So this one's for her! I'm excited so I had to share the story behind this.     Okay, so I used one of my favorite die cutting techniques which is layering multiple cut files. Trying to cut dimensional foam tape behind this title would have been impossible. The easy part, is cutting multiples and then gluing those together. They really do go together very easily. My favorite glue is Tombow Mono Multi glue, the small detail tip makes putting some pieces together super simple.     The yellow title pieces is 2 pieces. The blue another piece and then the W and E another 3 layers. Making this title 7 layers all together! But I adore how this stands out! I did use dimensional foam behind the title shadow pieces.     Here is the file I've used to create this... Home Sweet Home      Appreciative of you visiting us! Thanks for stopping in! Today marks the first week of summer for my house! Woohoo! 

Happy 7th Birthday Layout

   Hi all Leah Schaeffer with you on this fine Monday! Only a couple Monday's left and it will officially be summer time for my household! The other thing coming up, on the last day of school actually is my youngest's 7th birthday. So I created this layout in anticipation of his coming birthday. I can't wait to fill it with photos!    I have cut the little girl version of this birthday cake cutting file and was excited to use the little boy. I love the statement this piece has! I added 7 large birthday candles and designed a title using free fonts from online.     I added lots and lots of shine around the page with Wink of Stella.      Instead of adding photos directly to the page I decided to cut photo mats. Photos to come of course!    Because of the bright colors, I added a whole vellum panel to the background. It helped mute the colors enough for all the die cutting to pop. I also cut another layer of almost all of the die cuts in dark brown and off set those to create a subtle shadow. But again, that allowed the images to show up a bit better against the background.    Ok, here are the 2 sets I used! Make a Wish Photo Frames 1       Have a great week everyone! 

Love Lantern

   Leah Schaeffer sharing with all you die cutting fan today! I've used one of our newest cutting files and I just fell in love. We have another lantern that I've used a few times so I was totally into this new one...maybe I can do something with all the lanterns? Hmmm. Anyways, check out this file if you've not done so yet, Gnomies.     Even though this new lantern file came with a heart in the center, I added some foam heart stickers and then reinforced that with the embossed background. I really like the details on this card. Kinda simple, kinda not.    Do you know how hard it is to wait for something to dry before you can finish up the project! I almost ruined this so many times trying to see if it was dry enough to add the layers on top! Ha! I know I'm not alone with that! The shine from the Wink of Stella and Glossy Accents over top make this the coolest embellishment!  Here are the files I've used... Love Lantern
Sentiment Spots 3 Kite & Clouds    Hope you all are having a great week!