Adore | Paper Issues Kit

I made this page a while back, I think before Farzad was hospitalized, and I never got around to sharing it. I made it for my friend who lost both her cats within a year of each other.

I used an old Paper Issues kit called "Blue Ain't Your Color," plus a few things from my stash. Here are some details.

Those rhinestone things have been in my stash forever. I thought I'd dust them off.

I'm loving tassels lately. That "adore" is by 2Crafty, from when I was on their design team.

And a shot of the bottom grid square.

Did you know that Paper Issues has kits? They actually have two each month, a large one, and a small sort of sampler kit called a swag bag. They sell out fast, but it's cool that you don't have to subscribe. Whenever you shop at Paper Issues, please use my discount code Debbi (no e on the end) and you'll get 20% off of everything in the store, including kits, every single day!

Personal Trainer | CSI Case File No. 298

I've been making pages for my friend featuring her dogs, especially this adorable one named Buster, and this photo was perfect for the colors on the current Case File at CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration.

I often pin digital templates from Designer Digitals onto my Scrappy Sketches Pinterest board. I apparently forgot to pin the one that inspired the basic design of my page, but that's where I got my inspiration for the composition.

Here are the Case File and clues for this challenge. 

Image Credit: Andrew Bannecker

I've been wanting to scrap this photo for my pastor and friend forever, and when I saw the yellow in the Case File, I decided this was the perfect time. I used the color scheme and used many of the Evidence clues: stripes, metal, monsters, googly eyes, speech bubble, string, circles, triangles, solid cardstock, scallps, stitching, dangle something, and chipboard. I had fun using lots of really old stash.

I really love using the clues for my pages because it gets me digging through my stash. I used a lot of older stuff on here, including all the chipboard buttons and the tickets, and that fun charm. I love to search for elements that help me to tell the story. I got that flair badge from my friend Lisa Swift, who surprised me by sending a little pack in the mail--she wanted me to use them for the pages I make for my students, but this one was perfect for this layout. The "breathe, sister" was cut out of a paper from Photoplay's Like a Girl collection.

I'm in love with these Bella Blvd letter stickers. The papers are all from my paper scrap drawers. I dug through my yellow die cuts box and found the ampersand and the vellum phrase, which were perfect here. Those stitched circle stamps are by Denim Tampons.

Since monsters were a clue, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use one on my page--monsters are one of my favorite scrappy elements. I cut this orange monster out of an old October Afternoon paper from the Night Light Louie collection. (Confession: I bought 4 sheets of this paper so I'd never run out of it!) The flair badge is from A Flair for Buttons. At the last minute, I added that clear Simple Stories "Fabulous" sticker. it just made me giggle, especially underneath that "hello my name is" label.

I hope you'll come play along with us. The Case File is Halloween-inspired, but as you can see, it's not limited to that subject. We've got 8 generous sponsors donating prizes to lucky players this month:

Just for the Record, He Fits! | Paper Issues Secret Life of Pets

This month, Paper Issues has a challenge called Secret Life of Pets, and I had the perfect subject for a layout! My pastor has the most adorable dogs, especially this guy, named Buster. She's always posting pictures of Buster on Facebook, and I always write that I want to put him in my pocket, and she always laughs.

I recently ordered this stamp from a French company when my husband went to Paris last month, with a layout in mind to tell this story. I used Vicki Boutin's Wildflower and Honey collection.

The page came together pretty quickly. I stamped the pocket on this paper and cut it out. I fussy-cut Buster so he looked like he's sitting inside the pocket. I mounted the white background on this colorful paper from the collection to tie all the colors together.

I mostly used ephemera die cuts, creating a little scene in which to place my pocket. I gave them dimension by adhering them with pop dots. The "record" was in that same pack, and I just happened to have a stamp that had the words "just for the" (this phrase continued with the word halibut, but I just cut out the part I needed).

That ruler came with the die cuts, and I thought it was a perfect element to tell the story. I added some enamel dots from my stash and a couple of shimmery golden plus signs from the Wildflower and Honey Thickers.

I hope you'll grab some fun pictures of your pets and play along. Make sure you share your creation in our Facebook group for a chance to win a gift certificate to the Paper Issues store. Speaking of the store, besides this awesome new Vicki Boutin collection, there are loads of other new collections in the shop. Please use my code, Debbi (no e on the end), and you'll get 20% off your entire purchase of anything in the store!