A Flair for Buttons | Love This & FREE Cut File

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of ashleyhortondesigns.com. I do receive compensation and material product from A Flair for Buttons and American Crafts to develop my craft posts, but all ideas and opinions are my own.

Fall is officially here and I am SO GLAD!  I love everything about Fall...the colors, the temperatures and all of the fun activities.  And I can't pass up a group of Pumpkins, without snapping a photo, since they are my favorite color, after all!

The new Cedar Lane from Pink Paislee is one of my favorite collections for Fall.  It has a lot of Fall elements without being overly themey.  So I decided to go that same direction with the Flair Buttons that I chose.  Instead of using specific Fall Flair, I went with Buttons from the Smash Phrases Flair set and the Today Words Flair.

I started my layout, with an inspiration photo I found on Pinterest.  I loved the look of the wonky rectangles, with the layered leaves.  So I did a similar design and then arranged three Flair Buttons in the center of a few of the leaves.

 

 

Once the Flair Buttons were placed, I went back and selected embellishments from the Pink Paislee Cedar Lane Bits pack to finish the layout.  I tried to alternate all of the embellishments and Flair Buttons on the page, to get just the right balance.

And since I had the Wonky Rectangles background designed for my layout, I thought it would be fun to share the Free Cut File with you!  You can download the PNG & SVG formats of the cut file HERE!

And make sure you visit the A Flair for Buttons Etsy Shop to pick up the Small Phrases Flair set and the Today Words Flair set!

ETSY STORE

American Crafts | Boo Crew

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of ashleyhortondesigns.com. I do receive financial compensation and material product from American Crafts to develop my craft posts, but all ideas and opinions are my own.

It's Halloween Week on the American Crafts Blog, and I was up yesterday with a new layout!

How to: Layer 9 banner shaped pieces from the Halloween Banner Kit on a white cardstock background. Machine stitch around each of the banner shapes with black thread. Place one of the large spider webs from the banner kit in the center of the layout. Use a paper piercer to punch holes around the shape of the spider web and then back stitch over the shape with the carrot twine. Place the doily spider webs on each of the remaining 8 banners and add a button or brad to the center. Adhere your photo to the center spider web with pop dots to add dimension. Use Thickers above and below the photo for your title. Embellish around your photo with a screenprinted clothespin and adhesive layered embellishments. Finish by adding orange acrylic paint around the edges of your layout.

Supplies: Halloween (340373) - Banner Kit, Halloween (340377) - Doilies, Halloween (340389) - Brads, Halloween (340382) - Brads, Halloween (340378) - Adhesive Layered Embellishments, Halloween (340390) - Buttons, Halloween (340388) - Screenprinted Clothespins, Halloween (366507) - Carrot Twine, Halloween (340023) - Black and Orange Twine, American Crafts (340363) - Washi Tape, Dear Lizzy (370089) - Woodland Thickers, Dear Lizzy (366187) - Cordial Thickers

 ETSY STORE

Big Picture Classes | Mini Made Easy

Do you ever feel like you are overwhelmed with photos from a trip, birthday or special occasion and don't have the time to sit down and get them all on layouts?  Then head over to Big Picture Classes and join me for my newest class, Mini Made Easy!

In this class, I will show you how I created this fun tag album, with photos from a recent trip.  There are a lot of different options for Mini Albums, so you can use your own choice of album, or download and cut the Free Tag Album included with the class!

The Mini Made Easy Class live on the Big Picture Classes website today!  I hope you'll join in the class and add your finished Mini Album to the BPC Gallery! 

ETSY STORE

Pretty Little Studio Giveaway WINNER!

Thanks so much to everyone that commented for the Pretty Little Studio Giveaway!  It's time to announce the WINNER of my Five Favorites giveaway!

CONGRATS HELEN GULLETT!!

Helen please email me at ashleyhorton010675@gmail.com with your mailing information, and I will forward it to PLS!

Illustrated Faith | Journaling Bible

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of ashleyhortondesigns.com. I do receive compensation and material product from Illustrated Faith to develop my craft posts, but all ideas and opinions are my own.

It's been busy around the Blog, but I was up last week with two post on the Illustrated Faith Blog and wanted to share them here, too!  There are so many new stamps and products to play with in your Journaling Bible or your layouts, so make sure you visit the Illustrated Faith Etsy Shop to check them out!

Matthew 5:13

It's always great to hear a sermon on a verse or chapter you're pretty familiar with.  I think God always has something new for us to hear, no matter whether it's a Scripture or story we've heard 50 times or more. 

Several weeks ago our Pastor's sermon was on Matthew 5:13, "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost it's taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet."  I have heard this verse countless times through other sermons, Sunday School, camps, Vacation Bible School...you name it, I've heard it.

As I was taking notes, one of the points Pastor Chris shared during the sermon, was "Don't let your inability to do everything, keep you from doing something."  This really stood out, because a lot of times I feel like it's impossible to accomplish anything for God, because I can't possibly change everything.  But this message reminded me that I don't have to change everything.  Any little bit of what I do for God counts.  It's worth something. 

And I think, right now, Illustrated Faith is my something.  Being a stay at home mom, I don't always have a lot of interaction outside of my crazy kids!  And when you ask God for opportunities to share with others, He always brings those opportunities to you, despite your circumstances.  God is funny that way!!  I'm glad He put this in my path and the chance to get to know and share with so many Ladies all around the world, some who I may have the chance to meet one day and some that will just continue to be my internet friends.  

I hope God shows you what your something is, and that you can be the salt to those around you!

Supplies:  Homespun Alpha Stamp Set, Whatever Is Lovely Stickers, Wordfetti White Stickers, Genesis Kit, Send Me Stamp Set, Watercolors, Washi Tape, You Rule Bible Mat 

_________________________________________________

Psalm 23


It's funny where inspiration comes from, or what God might use to just send you a little message here or there.  When I received my newest happy mail from Illustrated Faith it included the Explore Stamp Set.  I'm not a big stamper, but the mountain image in the set kept calling my name, so I knew I wanted to use it.

I recently read The Road to Becoming by Jenny Simmons, former lead singer of Addison Road.  She talked about difficult moments that happened in the life of the band and her family, which led her to a place of feeling lost in God's plan.  Spiritually, none of us want to be in the desert, the valley, the wilderness.  It's a place we feel lonely, scared, trapped and forgotten.  We want to be back on the mountain ASAP, where God has something awesome in store for us.

But when I am in the valley, I tend to forget that God isn't waiting for me on the mountain top.  He's right there with me in the valley.  And if I spent more time listening to Him, than worrying about trying to get out of the valley, I might actually hear and learn something from God.  Our time in the valley can change us, grow us and teach us.  Psalm 23 is God's comfort to us, when we are in the valley.  He is our Shepherd, our Restorer, and our Comforter. 

Sometimes I think the mountain top can be more dangerous for Christians, than the valley.  The mountain top can become comfortable, and we forget to depend on God.  And that's when a trip to the valley slaps us in the face!  If we are depending on God on the mountain top, the walk through the valley might not be so hard.  It doesn't mean that there won't be hard things to face, but knowing that Jesus is there with us, gives us hope of seeing the mountain top at the end of the journey.

Supplies:  You Rule Bible Mat, Explore Stamp Set, Wordfetti White, Mini Olive You, Typed Practice What You Peach, Mini Mint to Be, Mini Bless Her Heart, Big & Bold Black Eyed Pea, Genesis Kit,
Watercolors

ETSY STORE

Hip Kit Club | Awesome Emma

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of ashleyhortondesigns.com. I do receive compensation and material product from Hip Kit Club to develop my craft posts, but all ideas and opinions are my own.

I love it when I have an idea, and the end result turns out completely different.  When I started this layout, using the September 2015 Hip Kits & Add-On Kits, I wanted to use the Elle's Studio Stamp Set and Distress Markers, included in the September Color Add-On Kit.  As you can tell, no stamped letters made it on the layout!  But I did get a great design element from my original idea.

This layout was very easy to put together...which I like!  I started the design by placing my photo at the top of the page and then used three of the phrases from the Crate Paper Wonder Die Cut Words in the September 2015 Main Kit.

I continued adding a mix of words, chipboard pieces and Washi Tape strips.  All of these items are included in the September 2015 Embellishment Kit.  I like the mix of different textures and dimension and the fun look of all of the different typography.

I finished up the layout, by adding just a few of the Amy Tangerine Finders Keepers Enamel Dots and some machine stitching for added texture.  This type of design is easy to do with the monthly Hip Kits, because there is such a big mix of embellishments, Thickers and letter stickers included in all of the Kits!

ETSY STORE

American Crafts | Watercolor Wall Art

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of ashleyhortondesigns.com. I do receive financial compensation and material product from American Crafts to develop my craft posts, but all ideas and opinions are my own.

It's Watercolors Week on the American Crafts Blog and I created a custom wall decor piece, using a set of watercolor paints along with some of my American Crafts products.  This is a quick and easy project and can be customized for any room in your home!

How to:

1.  Grab a 12x12 piece of American Crafts White cardstock and a set of watercolors.  You could also use watercolor paper, if you are worried about the watercolors causing wrinkling on your paper.

2.  Before adding the watercolors to your background paper, use the Silhouette Cameo sketch pens to draw a large heart on your cardstock or watercolor paper.  If you don't have a Cameo, you can trace a printed heart shape or free hand your own heart shape.

 

3.  After you have the heart shape drawn, start adding the watercolors to your background.  I used a rainbow color scheme and a wide brush for the watercolors.

 

4.  Once the watercolor paint is dry, use a paper piercer to punch holes around the heart shape. I space the holes at around 1/4 inch.   

5.  Next choose an embroidery floss color and back stitch around the outline of the heart shape.

 
6.  After you have finished stitching around the edge of the heart, create a string art look, stitching from one hole to another on the heart shape.  I used 6 different embroidery floss colors to create the string art effect.

 

7.  Once you have finished the string art stitching, use a mix of Thickers and embellishments from Dear Lizzy and Finders Keepers to create a sentiment for your watercolor wall art!

 

Now you're ready to find the perfect spot in your home, for your custom wall art! 

Supplies:  Finders Keepers (340234) - Today Thickers, Finders Keepers (340243) - Printed Cardstock and Acetate Shapes with Gold Foil, Documentary (340199) - Snapshots Thickers, Documentary (340207) - Wood Buttons, Documentary (340204) - Die Cut Cardstock Shapes, Dear Lizzy (370086) - Woodland Thickers 

ETSY STORE

Pretty Little Studio | Guest Designer

I haven't had a chance to share all of my layouts for this month's Pretty Little Studio guest spot, so I wanted to stop in today and share them.  I'll just keep it short and sweet, since I have three layouts to post today!

Beachy Keen:  Treasure Island collection

 Destination Texas:  Let's Go collection

Downtown Houston:  Let's Go collection

And before you go, don't forget that you can still enter the GIVEAWAY for my 5 favorite Pretty Little Studio products! 

Today is the last day, so make sure you head over to my first PLS post HERE and comment to win!  A WINNER will be announced on the Blog tomorrow!

ETSY STORE

American Crafts | Instagram Photos

This past week, the American Crafts Design Team shared ways to use Instagram photos!  I used a Beach photo as the main decorative element on a card!

How to: Cut a 4.25x11" card base from white cardstock and fold in half. Cover front of card with Token patterned paper. Machine stitch along some of the stripes on the Token patterned paper. Layer a piece of the patterned paper cut from the Field Trip paper behind your Instagram photo. Add pop dots behind the photo and adhere to the front of the card. Layer the Happy Right Here tag on the right hand side of your photo. Attach two stars from the Printed Cardstock Shapes with a tiny attacher. Add one of the stickers from the Grab Bag to the bottom of your Instagram photo.

Supplies: Finders Keepers (340329) - Token, Finders Keepers (340320) - Field Trip, Finders Keepers (340243) - Printed Cardstock & Acetate Shapes with Gold Foil, Finders Keepers (340256) - Grab Bag

ETSY STORE

A Flair for Buttons | Hey Scrappy Friends

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of ashleyhortondesigns.com. I do receive compensation and material product from A Flair for Buttons and American Crafts to develop my craft posts, but all ideas and opinions are my own.

**If you are looking for the Pretty Little Studio Giveaway, please go HERE.**

What's better than scrapbooking?  How about meeting up with scrappy friends!  This year, I've had the chance to meet three online friends in person. Of course, we had to snap some selfies, and I thought it would be fun to document the photos with a few Flair Buttons from the Insta Fun Flair Set from A Flair for Buttons.

I decided to go with a design, that alternated the title, photos and Flair Buttons.  I like to have balance on my layouts, so this look worked really well.  For the title letters I used the Tall Type cut file from The Cut Shoppe.

Since I used a busy patterned paper for the background, I kept everything grouped together to draw your eye to the design.  I added a few embellishments over the title and near the photos to complete the layout.

There are a lot of fun camera themed Flair in the Shop, and the Insta Fun Flair is one of the newest, so make sure you visit A Flair for Buttons on Etsy to check it out!

Supplies: Flair Buttons:  A Flair for Buttons; Patterned Paper, Rubber Charms, Wood Veneers, Puffy Stickers & Acetate Triangles:  Pinkfresh Studio; Tall Type cut file:  The Cut Shoppe; Color Shine:  Heidi Swapp; Phrase Stickers & Tiny Attacher:  Tim Holtz; Enamel Dots:  Freckled Fawn & My Mind's Eye; Die Cut Machine:  Silhouette Cameo

ETSY STORE

Hip Kit Club | Today Was Good

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of ashleyhortondesigns.com. I do receive compensation and material product from Hip Kit Club to develop my craft posts, but all ideas and opinions are my own.

**If you are looking for the Pretty Little Studio Giveaway, please go HERE.**

I love a good cut file, and I especially love layering with a good cut file!  On today’s layout, I used Kim Watson’s August cut file with the September 2015 Hip Kits & Add-On Kits to create a fun circular design on my layout.  Make sure you visit the Hip Kit Website and sign up for a Free account to have access to the digital items!

I cut 4 each of the circle cut files included in Kim’s set, and then backed each one of them with various patterned papers from the September Main Kit.  Once all of the cut files were backed, I arranged them around a larger patterned paper circle in the center of the layout.  I used White cardstock from the September Cardstock Add-On as the background of my layout, since I wanted to bring in a lot of different patterned papers.

Once all of the circles were in place, I embellished with some of the embellishments included in the September Main Kit and the September Embellishment Kit.  Those Wood Slices from the new Amy Tangerine Finders Keepers collection were perfect for adding to the center of the die cut circles.  And I couldn’t resist adding some of the Finders Keepers Enamel Dots to the center of the Wood Slices.

I also used one of Kim’s cut files for the title of the layout, combined with the Crate Paper wood veneer word from the September Main Kit, but I also wanted to add in some stamping.  I used the Elle’s Studio Stamp Set from the September Color Add-On Kit, to add the word “Yum” under the photo on my layout.  I stamped with a Black ink pad, to give some contrast to the layout.  And I finished up the layout, by adding a few Chipboard pieces from the Crate Paper Chipboard included in the September Embellishment Kit.

I have a new Process Video to go along with today’s layout, if you would like to check out how I put my layout together!

Thanks for stopping by today, and if you haven’t had a chance to check out the September Kits, make sure you visit the Hip Kit Website.  And make sure you take a look at the new October 2015 Hip Kit & Add-On Kits!  Here's a look at the Main Kit!

 

 ETSY STORE