• 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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  • Inspiration,  Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects,  Stamp Of The Month

    Wedding Roses

    Hello! I have been playing with texture paste again and I am delightedly happy with the results! This is a fun product to create cool mixed media looks on your scrapbook pages and cards. Above is a picture of my hubby and I on our wedding day almost 16 years ago. Yes, thats right, I am STILL working on my wedding album. Honestly I’m pretty happy I didn’t tackle this project back then because lets just say my scrapbooking skills have come along way over the years. I plan on redoing some of the early layouts as it is.

    Here is a close up of how the texture paste turned out. After applying the paste to my card stock and allowing it to dry, I used a paint brush to brush on the Ruby ink highlighting the irregularities and texture.

    These beautiful red roses are pretty enough to make The Queen of Hearts happy! On my wedding day I carried a simple but elegant bouquet of red roses so I thought this embellishment would be perfect for capturing the memory. I created them with card stock, ribbon and double sided adhesive tape. Check out the YouTube video below to see how I put them together.

    I started this layout with a crisp sheet of White Daisy card stock. I added paper and chipboard elements from the Feels Like Home paper pack. The stamped sentiments and butterflies embellishing this layout are from the April stamp of the month. There is only a week left to get this stamp “Love So Sweet”. With a $50 purchase you can add this beautiful stamp to your collection for $5.

    Thanks for stopping by. I’d love to hear your thoughts so leave me a little comment and be sure to watch the video tutorial for the scrapbooking process of this layout.

    Supply List: White Daisy cardstock, Feels Like Home paper pack, Ranger opaque texture paste, tissue paper, Ruby Exclusive Inks stamp pad, April SOTM “Love So Sweet”, red thread, White ribbon, Art Phiosophy Cricut cartridge, All Purpose Mat, VersaMat, Tombo Mono Liquid Adhesive, Red line tape

  • Inspiration,  Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects,  Stamp Of The Month,  Uncategorized

    Happy Easter Banner!

    Happy Easter!!! I absolutely love Easter. Such a beautiful reminder of how blessed we are. It also seems to kick off the gardening season in my region. I get to spruce up all the flower containers and clean up the yard to ready it for the great egg hunt. I was inspired to create this Easter banner to add to the decorations in the house.

    I cut each banner shape with the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. Alternating between this traditional banner shape and a pennant, I cut each piece at 8″ long. The easter eggs are from a retired stamp set as well as the word ‘happy’. The butterfly is from the April stamp of the month “Love So Sweet”. I layered up patterned papers and stamped images, then topped it off with adhesive sequins to add some sparkle and a bit of ribbon colored with our Sugar Plum shimmer brush.

    Check out the YouTube tutorial below for more details!

    I love this lace doily! After cutting it from White Daisy card stock, I sponged on ink to achieve this effect. The Easter sentiment was fussy cut from a stamped imaged originally intended as one stamp. I repeated the butterfly throughout most of the banner to unite the pieces together.

    On the panels above and below I created these beautiful rosettes using a couple different methods. Check out the you tube video to see how I put these flowers together. The butterflies were stamped in Lagoon ink using first and second generation stamping to get the varied shades of color.

    Thanks for stopping by. Leave me a comment to share your thoughts and have a Happy Easter!

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  • Inspiration,  Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects,  Stamp Of The Month

    Shadow Box Cards

    Hello there! I am excited to share these shadow box cards with you today. I had a ton of fun making them and plan on rummaging through my stamp sets to explore other creative possibilities. The magical little windows invite you to peer in and explore the little world created inside the card.


    I created both of these cards utilizing the April stamp of the month, ‘Love So Sweet’ from Close To My Heart. The only exception is the “Thanks so very much” sentiment is from a retired stamp out of my stash. This is a fantastic stamp that I know I will get a lot of milage from. It is perfect for card making or embellishing scrapbook layouts. Below shows all the gorgeous stamps that are included in the ‘Love So Sweet’ stamp set. I can think of numerous scrapbook layouts I can title ‘Happy Times’!

    For step by step instructions on how to create this project check out the You Tube video tutorial below!

    For instructions I recommend watching the above You Tube tutorial. You begin this project with two pieces of card stock measuring 6 1/4″ by 5 1/2″. Lay the card stock pieces horizontally and score at 1/2″ and 1″ from both ends. Fold the scored sections over in an accordion like manner. You can use any die cut to create your window in the face of the card. I used a cut from the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge measuring 3 1/4″ square. I made an additional cut at 3″ to nest inside the window to create more interest with color. The finished card face measures 4 1/4″ by 5 1/2″. I recommend using a strong adhesive glue to ensure your card holds together. For the inside of the card, stamp your images directly on the background and then add more dimension by popping your embellishments up with foam tape. Thanks for stopping by today! Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear your feedback.

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  • Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects

    This Kid Is Awesome!!!

    Hello there! I hope you are as excited about spring as I am! We have had so many rainy days this season but all is well, the water is much needed and it gives us more time to retreat to our scrapbook rooms. It’s a win win. Here is a fun layout I’m excited to share with you. If you are a mother of teenage boys you might understand how challenging it can be to create masculine layouts. So many of us are attracted to bright colors and florals. I love florals but they’d have no business adorning this cool layout of my awesome dude! Check out the video below to see how this all came together!

    I started this page with some patterned papers from the ‘Feels Like Home’ collection from Close To my Heart. Having already created several layouts I had a lot of scraps left over to play with. It is a little goal of mine to use up an entire kit. I will browse through my photos in search of something to jive with whatever collection I’m working with. When there isn’t enough to make another layout I’ll whip up some cards to have on hand. It feels great to utilize every last bit.

    I love the way the grey flannel plaid paper compliments my son’s shirt in the pics. I chose to accent his blue jeans with this lovely shade of Indian Corn Blue card stock, a retired color from my stash (I’ll link to a similar color below). I built up the layers with patterned papers then added the title. I cut the word #Awesome from the Cricut Artistry collection along with the large circle element. The gears and arrow are from the Artisite Cricut collection. The letter stickers in the title are from the ‘So Much Happy’ compliments. They worked perfectly to bring in a little blue to that area of the layout. As you can see I also balled up some blue thread from my stash to add some pops of color and texture.

    Thanks for stopping by. Leave me comment and share your thoughts! Here’s the links to the items I used to create this page: Feels like home paper pack, Cricut Artistry collection, So Much Happy compliments, Bluebird card stock

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  • Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects

    Feels Like Home

    Hello and welcome back to Crafty Concepts with Erin! I’m excited to share all the projects I created featuring the ‘Feels Like Home‘ paper collection. This is a beautiful kit with an elegant design. It inspired me to create several layouts of captured moments with my family.

    This photograph is of my husband and his three sisters. I am so blessed to have such an amazing extended family and my sister-in-laws share my love for scrapbooking. Talk about lucky! The brick background in this photo inspired me to create my own brick like embellishment using texture paste. This was my first time playing with this fun new product and I will definitely be using it again to see what else I can come up with. Check out the youtube video for a step by step tutorial on how to use texture paste! I will also show you Close to my Heart’s new shimmer pens and how I incorporated them on this layout.

    I’m drawn to the farmhouse color palette and these papers just scream Joanna Gain from Fixer Upper. I love the old fashioned floral elements and the watercolor dies that come with this kit! What special family moments or memories from home could you capture? A visit from Grandma or perhaps lazy backyard picnics on a sunday afternoon? Sounds good to me!

    Here is the list of supplies I used to create this layout: Feels Like Home workshop your way scrapbooking kit , Picture My Life Cards- Feels Like Home , Opaque Matte Texture Paste , Palette Knives , Shimmer Brush in Sugarplum , All Purpose Mat , VersaMat , Micro-tipped scissors , Cricut Artbooking Collection , Exclusive inks stamp pad in Black , 3-D Foam Tape ,

    My second project is a two page layout. My husband and I along with our two boys headed out for a family day. We decided to snap some pictures hoping to get a good one to use on our family Christmas card. It was such a fun day and I will always remember my husband saying ridiculous things so that the boys would have real smiles in the pictures!

    I used a picture my life card to make a quick title then layered the water colored die cuts, stickers from the coordinating compliments and a zip strip to create a cluster and draw your eye to the title. I did add in some extra black cardstock from my stash and created the scalloped black border using my corner rounder.


    Let me know what you think and leave me a little comment. I look forward to hearing from you! Oh and just a note, this beautiful paper pack is available through the end of April while supplies last.

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  • Scrapbooking Layouts and Projects

    Heart Happy

    I LOVE this Heart Happy Kit by Close To My Heart! The color palette makes my heart swoon. The way they balanced out the bold Raspberry and soft Ballerina pink with the deep Sapphire blue and fun shade of Mint is just perfect. I’ve had these two pictures of my grandparents for a while now patiently waiting to be inspired to scrapbook them. I’m glad I waited because I think this layout came together perfectly. This kit is available through February while supplies last so grab your kit here!

    This layout is of my younger son. We had a flat tire on the horse trailer and he was so eager to come to my rescue. The title, “Do Small Things with Great Love” I cut from the cut-apart-sheet. I thought it explained the moment perfectly! Its often the little things we do for others that have the most impact. I really like how I was able to create a page suitable for a boy with this Valentine themed kit.

    These two layouts display some snapshots of my husband and I. Sometimes you have a solitary photo that isn’t part of some grand vacation or event, but you love the picture. I enjoy scrapbooking a single photo page. It gives you more room to play with all the fun patterned papers and embellishments or plenty of room for journaling the story.

    Last but not least I created these fun cards utilizing the leftovers. So seldom do people send out cards these days but when I drop a handmade note in the mail I believe it is warmly received. To make these cards I layered up the scraps and incorporated stickers and embellishments from the cut-apart-sheet. The “Thank You” and “Love You” expressions are from January’s stamp of the month, Card Captions.

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