Inspiration

  • Inspiration,  Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects

    Autumn 🍂 Days

    Hello there and thanks for visiting my blog. This is my 4th or maybe 5th layout featuring the gorgeous Hawthorn collection. I truly can’t get enough of this paper pack! The fall colors, pretty leaves and wooden embellishments speak my language! I knew this collection would be perfect to tell the story behind this memory of my youngest son and this orphaned fawn. I had a lot to say so I tucked my journaling behind the plaid patterned and created a pull tab so people would know it is there.

    To give this layout a touch of distressed texture, I applied Ranger Texture Paste around the edge of my base layer of card stock. I love all the unique looks you can achieve with this product and it is so easy to use. You can tint it with inks but the white color showed perfectly against my dark background.

    Most all my embellishments were included in the Hawthorn Workshop. I did add the additional wooden shapes because I had to have that little buck. Sometimes its nice to have everything in one tidy bundle. You can easily grab it and work on it anywhere. Even during your lunch break at the office! It comes together quickly and takes the guess work out of the equation so anyone can create beautiful pages for their albums.

    The “Cherish This” sentiment was perfect for this memory of my son and this orphaned Fawn. He has such a heart for all God’s creatures and stepped right up to help tend to this little guy the short time he was in our care. To watch this layout come together you can check out the video below.

    Thanks for stopping by and spending time with me. Leave me a comment to say hello and I will see you next time. Happy crafting!

    Supply List:

    Paper: Hawthorn Scrapbooking Workshop, Sapphire Cardstock

    Additional Supplies:

    Hawthorn Wooden Shapes, Teeny Tiny Type stamp set, Ranger Texture Paste, Palette Knives, All Purpose mat, Tombow Liquid Adhesive,

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  • Card Making,  Easy To Embellished,  Inspiration

    Thanks A Latte “Easy to Embellished” vol 2

    Welcome back and thanks for joining me for my second “Easy to Embellished” card series. Today’s cards feature the “Perk Up” stamp set and coordinating thin cuts. I also incorporated the leaf image from the Hawthorn scrapbooking stamp set. I’ve had so much fun creating with these stamps! Below is card number one. It’s a quick and super simple card you can pull together in minutes.

    Card #1 recipe: Begin with a piece of White Daisy trimmed to 4”x 5.25”. Stamp your leaf 🍁 in Canary onto card as shown then secure a mask over your stamped image. (You will stamp your leaf onto a scrap and fussy cut to create your mask). You can now stamp the coffee cup over your masked leaf. Next stamp the java jacket in Sangria and then the lid in Black. I then stamped the coffee stain rings in Toffee, stamping once and then again before re-inking. Stamp your sentiment in Black ink. To add a few finishing touches I doodled around the edges to create a border then added a bow tied from jute from my stash.

    Card #2

    For my 2nd card I dressed it up a bit by adding color. Starting with a piece of Almond card-stock for my base, I then trimmed a green center piece from a Hawthorn Picture My Life Cards measuring 2.5”x4”. I love the green and gold crackled background on this paper! Next tie a bit of gold embellishing thread around the bottom of the center piece. On a scrap of White Daisy stamp the leaf in Goldrush ink and the coffee cup and lid in Black. Line up the coordinating thin cuts, secure with removable tape and use your die cutting machine to cut images. If you don’t have the coordinating dies then just fussy cut around your images. Instead of stamping my java jacket onto the cup, I stamped the backside of my patterned paper and trimmed around the stamped image. This allowed me to use the other side (plaid) without the stamped pattern showing. Stamp the sentiment onto the leaf. Use your favorite adhesive to adhere everything into place. Lastly I finished the card by adding a frame from the stitched rectangle dies also cut in Almond.

    Card #3!!!

    I saved the best for last! This one is definitely my favorite! There is a lot going on here to give this card the wow factor. I layered the center of my stitched rectangle die (in Almond) onto a piece of Sangria (4”x5.25”). I love, love, love ❤️ the stitched detail in these dies. For the center I trimmed a piece of the Hawthorn plaid patterned paper to 2.5” x 4.25” and cut the bottom into a banner shape. Add your Gold thread before you adhere everything down so you can wrap it around the card stock. I stamped my coffee cup onto another picture my life card and then colored the inside of the cup with a dark brown marker to resemble coffee. I then fussy cut the java jacket from the corrugated paper. I still can’t get over how 3 dimensional that paper looks! You have to touch it to see that it’s flat. For my leaf, I first stamped onto the Canary ink pad then rolled the edges very carefully onto my Sangria ink. This gives those lovely edges to the leaf. So pretty! I applied a little sparkle to the leaf tips with my clear shimmer pen. When you look at the photo below that coffee looks real. The trick is to apply a thin layer of liquid glass to give it that glossy effect. I also added a bit of dimensional foam to pop the leaf up on top of the coffee cup ☕️

    To see these cards come together you can watch the video below.

    Thank you for stopping by! I hope you are feeling inspired to get crafting. Leave me a comment and vote on your favorite card.

    Supply list:

    Stamps:

    Perk Up, Hawthorn Scrapbooking

    Paper:

    Almond, Sangria, White Daisy, Hawthorn paper collection.

    Inks:

    Sangria, Canary, Goldrush, Toffee, Black

    Additional supplies:

    Hawthorn picture my life cards, Gold embellishing thread, Liquid Glass, Tombo Mono Liquid Adhesive, Versa Mat, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Clear Shimmer Pen

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  • Inspiration,  Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects,  Uncategorized

    “Beautiful Family” featuring the Every Little Thing Collection

    Hello and welcome to Crafty Concepts with Erin. I am excited to share this new paper collection with you. I will admit, initially I passed this over in the new catalog hardly sparing a second glance. Then I thought about these pictures from my In Law’s 50th wedding anniversary and knew the color scheme and botanical feel would be perfect. I am very thankful I purchased this kit. The colors and papers are BEAUTIFUL! Sometimes its like clothes shopping, we don’t really care for an outfit until we try it on, then we are in love and can’t wait to wear it. In fact I ordered a second paper pack to extend my workshop kit. I appreciate that CTMH offers several different purchasing options for their collections.

    Just look at these butterflies! The three layers add so much texture and dimension. I used my mint shimmer pen to add a touch of sparkle to the centers of the white and the clear shimmer to dress up the purple butterflies. The foliage was quickly popped from the coordinating die-cut sheet. For those of you that don’t care for fussy cutting, this is the solution! Very quick and easy.

    Originally this was designed to be a single page layout. With so many pictures to scrapbook I new I needed to extend it to two pages. I added a sheet of White Daisy card stock to create the base of the right side. Two sheets of Sapphire blue card stock were also added from my stash to mat the photos. I saved a few butterflies and greenery springs originally intended for the left layout to carry over the embellishments and spread them a little further. You can’t even tell they are missing! The original layout is still full and beautifully embellished. For the title I switched things up a bit. It is designed to read “You Are So Beautiful”. That didn’t jive with my plan so I added the word family, which I cut on my Cricut using the Artbooking collection, from a scrap of black card stock.

    The days festivities were held in my garden. I love how the pretty papers and colors capture the essence of the yard. The new color of the year, “Julep” is such a lovely shade of green, it compliments the grassy background in the photos perfectly.

    Here is a close up of those beautiful butterflies! I used my Mono liquid adhesive to adhere only the center of their body. You can bend the wings up a bit to give them that wow factor. If you squish a tiny bit of foam tape in the crevice it will help to hold their wings up even after they are in the page protector. Below I framed this picture of the guest of honor using a scrap of the stripped purplish-blue card stock. I added the flower and heart from the coordinating sticker sheet and finished it off with an acrylic butterfly and some sparkles.

    Below is a look at the patterned papers and coordinating sticker embellishment sheet for this collection.

    Check out the youtube video to watch this layout come together and see how I incorporate several photos using Flip Flaps.

    Here is the workshop kit. You will receive the Every Little Thing paper pack, sticker sheet, 6 exclusive die-cut sheets, a set of exclusive white acrylic shapes, clear sparkles and 3 memory protectors!!! To purchase this kit for yourself click here.

    Supply List:

    Every Little Thing scrapbooking workshop, White Daisy card stock, Sapphire card stock, Artbooking Cricut cartridge, Tombow Mono liquid adhesive, Sapphire Exclusive Ink, sponge daubers, Adhesive Foam Tape

    Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are feeling inspired by this beautiful collection. Leave me a comment to say hello. Happy crafting my friends!

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  • Inspiration,  Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects

    Back To School featuring The Hawthorn Collection

    Yes, it is that time of year again! I can hardly believe another summer has come and gone. The boys are gearing up for going back to school conflicted with mixed emotions. Happy to see their friends again but sad to see the carefree days of summer slip away. Above is a layout I created to showcase my oldest son’s first day of high school. This is actually last year’s picture of him as a freshman!!! Where does the time go?

    I really like the mixture of embellishments featured in this kit. The wooden shapes contrast perfectly with the kraft colored chipboard elements. The trio of stars above, although different, add visual interest and work in harmony. The torn cardboard strip is actually a sticker. It looks so dimensional you almost have to touch it to see that it is not.

    When I saw this Hawthorn Collection from Close To My Heart, I new it would be perfect for scrapbooking this picture. I even loved this pre-designed layout although I made several alterations to accommodate my larger single photo. I did add a sheet of Sapphire card stock from my stash to mat my photo and pull out the blues from the pic. The fall color pallet lends itself well to a more masculine layout especially when coupled with the wooden elements and geometric shapes. Below are the pre-designed layouts you can follow to create these pages for yourself. As you can see I altered the layout by using one large 4×6 photo rather than the two smaller pictures shown on the layout by CTMH in the top right corner below. I also changed up the journaling by printing it from my computer and cutting it into strips. This Hawthorn workshop includes everything to make all these fabulous layouts!

    I am really excited to scrapbook some fall photos with this collection as well! I know I have pictures of the boys raking chestnut leaves into massive piles before diving into them. We have so many fall traditions I might need two paper packs!!! If you’d like to grab the Hawthorn kit for yourself you can shop here. Be sure to check out all the elements that compliment this workshop. There are Picture My Life cards and a fabulous stamp with coordinating thin cuts. Check out the YouTube process video below to see all the products and this layout come together.

    Thank you for stopping by to visit my blog. I hope you are feeling inspired by this beautiful Hawthorn collection. Happy crafting my friends!!!

  • Inspiration,  Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects

    Craft On

    Hello crafty friends!!! Life has been a whirlwind of activity and I can hardly believe school is starting and Fall is right around the corner. I know its a bit late as this seasonal expressions catalog ends August 31st, but I want to share this fun kit with you. It is called Craft On and its full of crafty goodness! It amuses me that I am crafting pictures of me crafting using my Craft On workshop kit. That is a lot of craftiness! I think we could make a tongue twister out of that.

    I have so many different craft related hobbies it was difficult to decide what pictures to use this kit with. I felt the pressure building to find the perfect photos, then I reminded myself to just use the pretty papers and get creating. Sometimes we hang onto paper or embellishments thinking we need it all to come together perfectly. I promise you won’t regret using your products. In fact it is oddly satisfying to use up your crafty stash. Besides, then you can justify buying more! (Tee-Hee)

    Here is a look at the vibrant and fun patterned paper available in this collection. I love the cut apart sheet, coordinating stickers and embellishments featured in this kit. The crafting related shapes are perfect for scrapbooking any of your crafty hobbies. The color pallet is so varied you could really go in several different directions depending on your personal taste. You can play up the greens and blues or let the pink hues take center stage. Maybe create two layouts with completely different feel. I plan to scrapbook some fun summertime pool pictures using the blue and yellow papers in this kit.

    The blues and greens worked well with my gardening photos. I was able to create a single page layout featuring 5 photos by printing the accents pics in 2×3. I added pops of color with the rosey pink blooms trimmed from the cut apart sheet, along with yellow daisies and bits of sparkly sequins dotted about the layout. The black elements were popped from the chip board embellishments designed for this paper pack. I have always liked the contrast between black and pink shades.

    This “Choose Happy” sticker is perfect because finding the time to be creative does indeed bring me happiness and joy. This layout came together quickly and that makes me happy as well. Be sure to check out the You Tube process video below to see how this all came together.

    I am so glad you stopped by today. Leave me a comment to share your thoughts or just say hello. Happy crafting friends!

  • Inspiration,  Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects

    Summer Memories

    Hello there friends! Today I’m sharing the first layout I created with the Sweet Girl paper collection. Yes that is correct, I said sweet girl. You are probably a bit surprised as my layout is rather boyish in nature and definitely outdoorsy. Being a mom of two rough and tumble boys I have had to train my eye to look past all the pinks, lace and florals that flood the scrapbooking industry. Don’t get me wrong I do love the look but it doesn’t always work well with my photos. When you look past it’s initial feminine appearance you see blues, greens, plaids, a bug patterned paper and even a wood grain paper! Super easy to pull off an adventurous boy page with these options. Be sure to scroll all the way down to see the video on how this all came together and to check out the Sweet Girl kit and coordinating embellishments! I’d love to hear from you so leave me a comment at the bottom of this page.

    As you can see here, the little fly like insects are perfect for these fishing photos. I have layered up patterned paper and cardstock to highlight my main photo. The little banner adds a touch of carefree fun to the layout. What is nice about this is that I used a stamp to create the look. You can reuse this idea on other layouts and cards adjusting the ink color to suit your needs.

    Here is a look at the Summer Memories stamp set. I used the phrases Summer and Memories to make a quick title for my layout. You will also notice I utilized the Sunshine and Blue Skies sentiment as well as the word This to start my journaling. For my banner I only selected the sun and star banner shape omitting the moon as it did not jive with my layout.

    I thought it would be fun to add a pop of color and texture with some tangled thread. It evokes memories of constant tangled fishing line from my young fishermen and also making the perfect nesting spot to highlight this fly fishing embellishment I created from a retired stamp set.

    Starting with White Daisy card stock I cut the circle with the Stitched Circles thin cut. The stitched marks around the border really add a nice finishing touch. The sentiment is stamped in Sapphire and then to add dimension I adhered the embellishment with foam tape. I anchored everything by creating a cluster with the added thread, star and little fishy character. Watch the video below to see how this layout came together and hear the story.

    Pictured above is the Sweet Girl deluxe kit you can order here. The Summer Memories stamp set is included in the deluxe version. If you opt to get the paper kit or basic workshop you can purchase it separately here. Be sure to check out all the options for this collection and coordinating embellishments too! Thanks for stopping by! If you are veiwing this on ypur phone or tablet scroll down to see the awesome stamp of the month promo going on!

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  • Inspiration,  Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects

    My Cup of Tea (or Coffee)!

    Hello my name is Erin and I’m a coffee addict! When I spotted this cute little teacup stamp set I immediately thought coffee cup. I love tea as well but we just do not have the same relationship. That is my mom and I pictured above. After a morning walk along our favorite local trail we headed to Starbucks for a delicious cup of joe. My choice, a grande Americano that I dress up with my favorite almond caramel creamer. Yummo! I created this layout with leftovers from the World is Yours paper collection, a promo kit from the month of May. Be sure to scroll all the way to the end to see some cards I created with this stamp set as well.

    I cut the title and the steamy swirl on my Cricut machine. The vellum paper helps to accentuate the look of steam rising from a hot cup of goodness. Punching the tea cups from White Daisy card stock then adding patterned paper gives a unique finish to each cup. To help establish the coffee theme I used a retired alphabet stamp set to spell out the word coffee and stamp directly on the cup.

    You can purchase this whimsical little stamp set with or without the thin cut. Get yours here. I like to have the coordinating die for these stamps. It gives a nice crisp finish and speeds up the process. The possibilities are endless! This set would be perfect to embellish a trip to Disneyland and a swirly twirly ride on the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party ride. Or how about snapshots of lunch with your friends?

    The fun quote I spotted on Pinterest and knew I wanted to incorporate it into my layout. Not having a stamp, I turned to my computer. Popping it up with dimensional foam and adding the coffee cup turns this into a cute embellishment. I added a few splatters in Cocoa brown as if one splattered their coffee a bit. The little travel mug I cut from the Cricut cartridge “You Are Here”. So cute and tiny!!! Check out the video below to see this page come together.

    Just to show you how versatile you can get with this stamp set I created a few cards. Finding inspiration in my garden I put this thank you card together. The patterned papers are from the True Love collection as well as the flower bouquet spilling over the tea cup’s brim. I added some texture to the Thistle colored cardstock by embossing with the Flower Garden embossing folder and finishing it off with some sequins for sparkle.

    Here is another cute card I put together featuring the True Love paper collection. I framed out the card with the largest rectangle from the Stitched Rectangle Frames thin cuts. I love the detail this die adds with the stitching around the border. To add to the look I cut the doily from the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. Lastly I cut the Tea Cup from White Daisy card stock. To add the patterned paper to the inside I simply stamped the cup on the floral paper and fussy cut with my micro tip scissors. Finish off the look with a bit of ribbon and your card is finished!

    Thank you for stopping by. Leave me a comment and share your thoughts. I would love to hear from you! Just a reminder that these products are featured in the Seasonal expressions idea book only available through August.

  • Inspiration,  Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects

    Into The Wild

    I LOVE this paper pack! We are camping people so when I saw this Into The Wild collection from Close To My Heart I knew I’d order more than one kit. The blues and greens create the perfect setting to capture those memories made in nature! This layout is of a pack trip my boys and I took a few summers ago. This trip was the first without my husband being there due to work. The boys assured me they could hold their own and they certainly did not disappoint! Working hard in their dad’s absence they stepped up to fill his shoes. I was so proud to see them lead a pack horse, set up camp, secure the pasture to turn the horses out, and unsaddle everything!

    If you are in love with this paper collection and need to add it to your stash there are several options available to customize for your needs. Above is the deluxe version with the stamp set (also available without the stamp here).

    The wood grain mountain range on the bottom of the page is actually preprinted on the green patterned paper. The larger mountains I fussy cut from the cut apart sheet and added to the layout to break up the symmetry between the two sides. The whimsical little pine trees were also trimmed from the cut apart sheet while the “Get Lost” and “The Scenic Route” embellishments were stamped from the Scenic Route stamp set pictured below.

    This is an awesome stamp set I know I will get a lot of mileage from. The sentiments will make quick titles and captions for all our camping photos and believe me there are a ton. We take annual pack trips into the wilderness for a few weeks every summer and the photo ops are numerous!

    I created this title by layering the stamped images with a zip strip and a peach circle cut from the stitched circles thin cuts. If you’d like to check out how I put this page together, check out the process video below.

    Supplies used to create this layout include: Into The Wild Deluxe Kit, Sapphire Exclusive inks stamp pad, Fern Exclusive inks stamp pad, 3-D Foam Tape, Tombo Adhesive, Stitched Circles Thin Cuts

    There wasn’t much room to add journaling. Since I had a lot to say I tucked my story and an extra photo inside this 4×4 flip flap.

    Thank you for stopping by and visiting my blog! Leave me a comment to say hello and share your thoughts. Happy scrapping!

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  • Inspiration,  Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects

    The World is Yours cut above kit

    Hello! I have been having so much fun creating with this kit Close to My Heart designed for national scrapbooking month. Today I’m sharing one of the cut above the layouts. I will admit that at first I wasn’t all that interested in the Cut Above scrapbooking kits. I was worried it would stifle my creativity and limit my flexibility because so much of it is done for you. I thought they would be good to teach beginner scrapbookers but I quickly discovered they are good for so much more!

    I was inspired by what other scrapbookers did with these pre-design layouts. People view things differently and it was fun to see all the beautiful design variations! I found myself thinking oh wow, why didn’t I think of that? They are also perfect if you like to get together with friends while you craft. You can grab these ready to go kits, add a few extra items and off you go without having to pack your entire scrapbooking arsenal.

    For this layout I used pictures of my son and I. We headed out to the lake for some mountain biking. It was such a lovely impromptu day. I snapped a few pictures with my phone to capture the memory. When I saw the bike themed embellishments included with this kit I knew it would be perfect!

    I kept pretty true to the original layout simply adding a few strips of paper and swapping out the scooter for a bicycle to make it coordinate with my photos. I already had the World is Yours paper pack and stamp set so I could incorporate them easily into this layout. I highlighted the title with different shades of ink to give it more presence. Under the bicycle are two zip strips trimmed from the card stock on the coordinating paper pack. With all the soft lighter colors I felt the darker Coco Brown added some depth. Lastly I added some tangled thread to add some texture to this layout.

    Check out the YouTube process video below to see the layout come together

    Unfortunately this is a promo for the month of May but if you’d like to check out other awesome kits visit my online store here. You can buy one month at a time or subscribe for 4 months or the entire year! Thank you for stopping by! Leave me a comment to say hello and let me know what you think. See you next time!

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  • Inspiration,  Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects

    The World Is Yours

    Hello there! I have been playing with Close to My Heart’s fun new kit “The World is Yours”. This paper pack is a special to celebrate National Scrapbooking month only available for the Month of May. My apologies in getting the details out so late. The warm sunny weather has lured me outdoors to dig into the gardening season. If I had it my way I would garden for a few hours every morning then retreat to my crafting room when the heat of the day drove me back inside. Oh wait, what do I do with everything else life has in store for me? Perhaps I can embrace my dream schedule once or twice a week. Its a good goal anyway.

    As you can see this is a travel themed kit. You can purchase the pieces individually or get the entire bundle at a discounted price. The layout I created above showcases photos from a trip I took with my mom to visit my sister and niece in Chicago. It was such a fun trip and these pretty papers help tell the story. We took an architectural riverboat tour to see the sites and learn about the diversity amongst the buildings and skyscrapers lining the view. I knew the patterned paper with a map and river would be perfect! The Mink cardstock was just the right color choice for my base pages. It captures the industrial feel of the buildings while the Cocoa patterned paper reminds me of all the windows lining the skyscrapers and how they appear like dots way up towards the top.

    Check the YouTube video below to see how I put this together!

    Below you will see the pieces available in this versatile kit. The World is Yours paper pack Coordinating cardstock The World is Yours stamp Or the entire bundle

    Above is the coordinating stamp. I love the bicycle and know I will get a lot of use from both it and the sentiments. Below is the coordinating cut above layouts. I will be doing a Youtube process video on these pages where I will add my own artistic finishing touches so be on the lookout for that.

    Love it all? Get the entire bundle here!!! Remember this is for May only and while supplies last. Thanks for stopping by. Leave me a comment and say hello. Happy scrapbooking!!!

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