The Story: Country Life | Bramble Fox

It's my turn on the Bramble Fox blog today. Here's my post:

Hey, Bramble Fox Friends! Today I've got a fun rustic layout to share using the June Fox Box, plus a couple of other Bramble Fox goodies. Please note that since I scrap 8 x 8, the products will look a bit larger on my layouts.

My friend lives out in the country and raises chickens and has recently started raising bunnies too, so I wanted to give this layout a country, rustic feel and chose the Simple Vintage Farmhouse Garden collection from Simple Stories.

How awesome is this title from the June Fox Box? It's really the perfect piece since it can complement any layout--any topic, any colors, any collection. Plus it's just plain gorgeous with the two fonts. I hope it will come into the shop so I can order more.

I started my page by creating a background with Fox Cut Stencil #52 called Kisses, using Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink and a blending brush. And if you're wondering why it's called "Kisses," it's because not only do you get this cool dashed pattern, you also get a pattern comprised of X's, all on one stencil! Both patterns are so versatile. I added some black splattered to the background before building my page.

The black and white gingham paper was perfect to highlight the black-and-white bunnies and the black Perspextives, and I used the Torn Edge Border Template to get a perfect torn edge. I found some sage-colored cardstock that was a near-perfect match to the barn and layered a punched border beneath the torn border. How fabulous is that Wordfetti Perspextive? There were 3 in the June Fox Box, so I have two more for other layouts. I'm excited to order the Travel Wordfetti pack that has a bunch of different travel-themed words with that beautiful etching.

Here's another view of the torn edge and stencil. I added a strip sticker for more detail. You can see I added a trail to the butterfly die-cut by applying black ink through the Fox Cut Stencil #67 | Butterfly Trails using one of the awesome Blending Brushes which are so perfect for stencils with small details. If you only have large blending brushes, trust me, you need these smaller brushes!

And finally one more shot showing a butterfly trail coming out of the bottom border. I've mentioned before that I let my layouts sit overnight before I consider them done, and this morning, I felt my layout needed another texture, like metal, and I found these square brads that have been in my stash for eons, and I think they added a perfect finishing touch.

I hope I've inspired you to grab some of those Perspextives and Fox Cut stencils and put them on a page today! Please do share what you create by tagging us on Instagram and adding your creations to our Bramble Fox Friends Facebook Group. We love to see what you make with our products!

Until next time, have fun scrapping!

Christmas Stories - Bramble Fox

I hope you had a Merry Christmas! I was up on the Bramble Fox blog on Christmas Day. Here's my post:

Merry Christmas, Bramble Fox Friends!

Today I'm sharing a sweet Christmas layout using the gorgeous January Fox Box and a couple of Woodies from the amazing Christmas & Winter Collection, plus some hearts, stars, and Paper Snips.

The beautiful script "Stories" title Perspextive from the Fox Box made me think of this darling photo of my friend's granddaughter, and the colors in the photo were perfect with this year's Mix & A-Mingle Christmas collection by Simple Stories. I used a sticker from that collection to make the title "Christmas Stories," but that "Stories" piece is so versatile and could be used for virtually any topic.

I used one of the pretty tree Perspextives from the Fox Box in an embellishment cluster, topping it with a star from the Monochrome Stars pack and of course adding a heart from the Warm Hearts pack, since I always include a heart on the pages I give away. The phrase strips and circular "Joy" are from Paper Snips 015 | Festive Fun. I topped the circular piece with an Epoxy Flair Sticker to give it extra dimension and a little shine.

Speaking of shine, I added some snowflakes I made with a die and sparkled them with Stickles glitter glue. Putting lots of different textures on a page really makes for a lovely tactile and interesting layout. I'm loving the Woodies Bramble Fox included in the Christmas Collection. The ones I used on this page ate from the set called Festive Labels | Woodies. The engraved detailing is just gorgeous!

Here's another Woodie from the Festive Labels | Woodies pack.

You'll surely be taking lots of Christmas photos today, and the Bramble Fox shop is all stocked with loads of goodies for the pages you'll be making in the coming weeks! I hope I've given you some inspration for some of these pieces.

Please be sure to share your creations with us by tagging Bramble Fox on Instagram and by adding your work to the Bramble Fox Facebook Group. We always love to see what you make with our products!

Until next time, Merry Christmas and Happy Scrapping!

Snow Happy | Bramble Fox

I'm up on the Bramble Fox blog with a happy, snowy layout. Here's my post:

Hi, Bramble Fox friends! I'm excited to share a fun and sparkly, wintry layout I created using the January Fox Box, plus a few other Bramble Fox goodies from the Christmas & Winter Collection. Please note that since I scrap 8 x 8, the products look a bit larger on my pages.

I used the Feelin' Frosty collection by Simple Stories, which perfectly complements the colors in the Bramble Fox products I wanted to use. The beautiful pink "Happy" title and the translucent blue sweater are both in the January Fox Box. How gorgeous is that etched detailing on the sweater?

I started out my page by using the Fox Cut Stencil #26 to create the snowflakes in my background. First, I used light blue distress ink and a blending brush and then I outlined the snowflakes with a fine-tip pen. I added Stickles to give the page a sparkly, glittery, snowy feel. I added a lovely patterned border at the top using a border tool which will be in the Bramble Fox shop soon. I added an extra layer of pink cardstock and two buttons with some pink thread wound around the buttons and some stitching for extra interest and dimension.

Naturally, I needed to add a lovely teal snowflake from the Snowflakes pack to one of my embellishment clusters. I love the glimmery shadow these translucent pieces add to a page!

Here's a close-up shot of the sweater, and you can see the magical shadow this one casts too. I added some glitter to the snow on the tree sticker.

Finally, I added a cluster to the top left corner. I found a pink heart Perspextive in my stash from the Warm Hearts pack to match the title because, if you've ever read my blog posts, you know I add hearts to the pages I give away. My final touch when I was done and looked back at my layout to see if it needed anything more was to punch some twiggy foliage using an old Martha Stewart punch to add in a few places. I added glitter to those too.

If you haven't yet checked out the Christmas & Winter Collection, you must go right now and pick up some beautiful things for all the photos you'll be taking for Christmas and winter! From Perspextives to Woodies to stencils to Paper Snips to cut files, you're sure to find the perfect thing to enhance your winter layouts! I hope I've given you a bit of inspiration for the January Fox Box. Please share your creations by tagging us on Instagram and in our Bramble Fox Friends Facebook Group. We love seeing what you do with our products!

Until next time, have fun scrapping!

Christmas Joy | Bramble Fox

I made this layout for Bramble Fox using their beautiful new Christmas Collection. I detailed my process on the Bramble Fox blog. Here's my post:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas--yes, my first tree is up (not yet decorated), but it's definitely looking like Christmas in the Bramble Fox shop! Have you taken a look at the beautiful new Christmas collection? I used several elements from this collection to create a fun Christmas layout. (Please note that I scrap 8 x 8, so the products look a bit larger on my layouts.)

I used the Mix & A-Mingle collection by Simple Stories, but most of what you'll see on my page is by Bramble Fox. I started by assembling my basic design and then before adhering it, I applied white acrylic paint-tinted texture paste through the new "Kisses" Fox Cut Stencil #52, which has two designs on the stencil sheet.

I roughed up the edges of my patterned papers and added a sticker from the Mix & A-Mingle collection to either side of my page. Then I used the beautiful Holly Fox Cut Stencil #25 to make extra foliage. I applied several coordinating colors of Tim Holt Distress ink to white cardstock using a blending brush, added leaf veins with a pen, and fussy cut them. I creased the edges to give them dimension.

Bramble Fox makes the most gorgeous title pieces, don't they? This beautiful scripted "Christmas" Perspextive title is from the Christmas Traditions set, which has two titles that can be used together or separately. I traced the title on white cardstock and cut it out and glued the title on so that the title would stand out against everything in the background. The label holding the word "Joy," the phrase strips, and the word tabs stapled to my photos are from the Paper Snips #015, which is included in the November Fox Box Plus.

I had a bit of space on the label after adding my title, so I wrapped some festive baker's twine on the end. How beautiful are the Reindeer Woodies that I added to my embellishment clusters? You get four reindeer and two etched wooden signs.

Here's a shot of the tabs from the Paper Snips that I added to the top of the photos. The red tab wasn't showing up well against the red patterned paper, so I added a tag behind the photo to add contrast.

Finally, I added strung some ornaments fuss-cut from a Mix & A-Mingle paper and adhered them to the top, adding a bit of foam adhesive underneath to give them the appearance of dangling. A strip of patterned paper and some pom-pom trim gave my layout extra texture and a bit of whimsy. I added some pearls for some shimmer to a few of the ornaments.

I'm so excited about all the new Christmas and winter goodies! If you haven't checked them out, you really need to go do that right now! Be sure to share with us what you create by tagging us on Instagram and posting in the Bramble Fox Friends Facebook group. We love to see what you make! 

Until next time, have fun scrapping!

 

Autumn Glory | Bramble Fox

Yesterday I was up on the Bramble Fox blog. Here's my post.

Hey, Bramble Fox fans! Today I'm sharing a lovely autumn layout featuring the beautiful Autumn Glory pack, which comes with this beautiful title and a handful of leaves in different colors. Read on to see what other Bramble Fox products I used on my page. Please note that since I scrap 8 x 8, the products will look a bit larger on my layouts.

I started off my page by adding color to the background using the gorgeous Fox Cut Stencil #50 | Skinny Chevron and three colors of Distress Inks, applied with blending brushes. How beautiful is the script font and leafy detail on the Autumn Glory title piece?

I chose pinks and golds from the Harvest Market collection by Simple Stories to coordinate with my photos. I tore three patterned papers and rolled the edges, adding water to the edges, a tip I got from Julie Taylor. I found a pretty trim in my stash that matched the greenish leaves. The phrases are from Paper Snips 011 | Autumn. The shiny circular flairs were created with the Paper Snips and Epoxy Stickers.

Behind the photos, to add a little extra texture, I added a mesh chain-link fence from Fox Dies #4 | Barbed Wire.

Finally, I added a cluster to the bottom left using some torn paper, a Harvest Market sticker, elements from the Paper Snips, and a sweet heart Perspextive from the Warm Hearts Pack, and a couple of leaves from the Autumn Glory pack. How cute is that fox Epoxy flair from the Autumn Paper Snips, and the envelop with all the pretty florals, also from the same Paper Snips.

There are so many beautiful pieces to adorn your page in the Autumn Collection. Be sure to grab some if you haven't yet had a chance! And please me sure you tag us on Instagram and share your creations with us in the Bramble Fox Facebook Group.

Until Next time, have fun scrapping!

Anchors Away | Bramble Fox

Well, July sure did disappear quickly! I was planning to post a layout each day to catch up on all the layouts I missed sharing on my blog since last year. I hope to do better going forward!

Here's a layout I made in July for Bramble Fox.  I'm loving all of the nautical pieces from the Sea Life collection Bramble Fox recently added to the shop, and the Anchors Away pack was perfect for these pictures of my friend's daughters on their first whale-watching cruise.

The Vintage Seas collection by Simple Stories is a perfect complement to these nautical pieces. After choosing the elements I wanted to use and figuring out their placement, I used stencils and various shades of blue distress ink to create an interesting background. In the picture below, I used Fox Cut #18 stencil to make the sunrays. You can also see I added some Perspextives--Flock of Seagulls and an older geotag, which I backed with navy cardstock. The phrase strips are cut from Paper Snips #002.

On the bottom of my layout, I created waves using various shades of blue Distress Ink and Fox Cut #35. Detailing with a fin-tip pen adds a little more dimension to the waves. The cute little sailboat Perspextive is from the Anchors Away pack, which also includes another title and a handful of natuical embellishments. The mesh piece behind the whale photograph was made with kraft paper and Fox Dies #4.

I was happy to use a super-old brad that's probably been in my stash for at least 15 years. After I finished creating my layout, I added a few enamel dots for a finishing touch and then splattered watered-down gesso for a sea-spray look.

I loved working with these Fox Cut stencils, Perspextives, and Paper Snips! You'll have to go check out the entire Sea Life collection. I hope I've given you some ideas for these products. Please make sure to tag us on Instagram and share your creations in our Bramble Fox Facebook group. We love seeing how you use the Bramble Fox Products!

Epic Road Trip Read | Scrap the Boys Challenge

Our challenge for June at Scrap the Boys is to use circles. Here's what I came up with:

Here are some details.

I used a free cut file called Bubble Blast from Paper Issues and backed it with various patterned papers from Simple Stories' Bro & Co collection.

I fussy cut stars to add more detail, layer and interest. A thumbs-up sticker and a brad added some more dimension. Of course that stupid brad had to turn sideways for the photo and I didn't ever get a chance to take another pic.

I wanted to use those Heidi Swapp Sun Chaser Thickers for the title, but they weren't quite showing up as much as I wanted to so I layered them on top of a torn strip of teal paper and then outlined them, and that made them really stand out. The word "Epic" and some old BasicGrey small letter stickers finished out the title. A torn strip of striped paper that had all the colors of the collection really grounded my layout and made it so that my circles weren't just floating on the page.

Some more text, combining a cursive diecut, a fussy-cut word, and a word sticker, added a visual triangle to keep the eye moving around the page.

I added a brad to the steering wheel diecut to form an additional visual triangle. The white word sticker served as another visual triangle. Visual triangles were one of the first design tips I learned from reading Creating Keepsakes way back when I started scrapbooking, and it has served me well over the years to achieve balance and movement on my page.

At the end, that checkered circle kept drawing my eye away from everything else, and I decided to use that paper to mount my layout, and that did the trick, I think.

Be sure to go check out how all the rest of the team interpreted this challenge. So many creative designs!