Hip Kit Club | Better Together

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’m stopping in today with a new layout, using the February 2016 Hip Kit with one of the February cut files from Hip Kit Club!  I used the cut file that I designed for this month, to create a tone on tone look, with pops of color from the patterned papers included in the February 2016 Main Kit and the February 2016 Paper Add-On.

I cut the Yakety Yak cut file from White cardstock, included in the February 2016 Cardstock Add-On.  Then I backed each of the talk bubbles with different patterned papers from the kit.  When I placed the cut file on the White cardstock background, I titled it, instead of adhering it straight.  I like the effect the tilt adds to the layout design.  I also added my photo and title on a tilt to follow the line of the cut file.

 
I used a mix of embellishments from the February 2016 Embellishment Kit and the February 2016 Project Life Kit.  I didn’t want to cover a lot of the die cut background, so I clustered embellishments around the photo and title.  Then I added the fun phrase stickers from Dear Lizzy, included in the Embellishment Kit, to the spaces in between the cut file.  I brought in more color, with the Simple Stories enamel dots, and placed them at the beginning at each of the sticker phrases.

You can pick up the February cut files, by visiting the Hip Kit Club website.  If you are not a Kit Subscriber, you can download the free cut files by signing up for a FREE account on the Hip Kit website.  We do have exclusive files also, that are only available to Kit Subscribers.  So make sure you head over and check it out, whether you are a monthly Subscriber or just a Hip Kit Club fan!

ETSY STORE

Crate Paper | Love You Sweet Girl

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

Happy Monday!  I'm stopping in today, to share a new layout with you, using the Little You collection from Crate Paper.  The soft colors in this collection are so pretty, and while it's designed as a baby collection, I decided to use it with a photo of our 8 year old daughter.

I wanted to focus on the patterns in this collection, so I decided to work with the 6x6 Paper Pad.  I chose six different patterns and punched out circles with a 2 inch punch and then cut each of the circles in half.  I arranged the half circles in a scalloped pattern on a White cardstock background.

After I completed the pattern with the half circles, I added machine stitching to create texture in the background.  

I love the challenge of using a themed collection, in a different way.  Since I was creating a layout for an older girl, I looked for embellishments in the collection, that would work for my layout.  Several of the chipboard pieces included phrases, a frame and star shapes that fit in with the everyday theme of my layout.

The Gold chipboard frame worked great for my title.  I fussy cut the word "Love" from the My Sunshine paper and added in the Starlight Thickers and one of the stickers from the Accent Stickers.  I love the different dimension that you can see in the title, because of the pop dots I added under the fussy cut letters.

I hope I've inspired you today, with some fun ideas for using a collection outside of its theme.  Get creative with your collections, and see what you come up with!
 

ETSY STORE

Hip Kit Club | Sweet Heart

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'm stopping in today to share a new layout for Hip Kit Club, using the February 2016 Hip Kit & Add-On Kits!  I also used the February Sketch as the inspiration for my layout.  We have a sketch every month, in the Hip Kit Club Member Forum on Facebook.

I love circles, so this was a fun layout to create. I cut multiple sized circles from the patterned papers included in the February 2016 Main Kit on my Cameo and then arranged them on the background paper. 

Then I used my sewing machine to add messy stitching around each of the circles. I embellished with a mix of embellishments from the Main Kit, February 2016 Embellishment Kit and February 2016 Project Life Kit. 

And if you haven't had a chance to check out the March 2016 Kits that were revealed earlier this week, then stop by the Hip Kit Club website!  Several of the February 2016 Hip Kits have sold out, so don't miss your chance to get the March Kits before they are all gone!

ETSY STORE

A Flair for Buttons | XO Today

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 to develop my craft posts, but all ideas and opinions are my own.

I love to add color to my layouts and I knew the bright and colorful Better Together collection from Amy Tangerine, would definitely be "better together" with some of my favorite Flair from the A Flair for Buttons shop!  I grabbed a few of the buttons from the With All My Heart Flair set, and they coordinated perfectly with the Better Together collection.

I started the layout, by cutting the manufacturer strip from each of the patterned papers I had, from the Better Together collection.  I wanted to create a diagonal design on the layout, so I placed the strips diagonally down the center of White cardstock.  Then I die cut several camera shapes from the different papers and placed them on the layout, following the diagonal line of the patterned paper strips.
 

Once the background was finished, I added my photo and title along the diagonal patterned paper strips.  Then I started embellishing with the Flair Buttons and a few other embellishments from the Better Together collection.  The center of a few of the die cut cameras worked as the perfect spot for the three Flair Buttons I chose from the With All My Heart set.

If you're looking to bring some color to your layouts, check out the Flair sets in the Shop, and see what sets match the collections you already have in your stash.  Or pick out your Flair Buttons first and then find some collections that you think would coordinate well, with the colors in your new Flair!

ETSY STORE

Hip Kit Club | March 2016 Kit Reveal

The March 2016 Kits from Hip Kit Club, were revealed on the HKC Blog yesterday!  They are so fun, and filled with products from Pinkfresh Studio, Basic Grey, American Crafts, Elle's Studio, Shimmerz and more!

You can see all of the Kit images on the Hip Kit website, along with the items included in each Kit.  If you're thinking of joining a Kit Club, you won't be disappointed with the monthly Hip Kits.  And if you're not looking to subscribe just yet, you can still purchase any of the March Kits from the website!

Crate Paper | I Love You This Much

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

I am super, super excited to stop in today and share my first layout with you for the Crate Paper Design Team.  I have to admit, when my Design Team box arrived, I took everything out, so I could look at every piece of the collections we received!  And I was definitely excited to find out that my first assignment was creating with the new Bloom collection by Maggie Holmes.  Everything about this collection is amazing, and it was so hard trying to decide what to start with.

I wanted to incorporate my favorite go to patterns, colors and techniques, so I started with the Lizzy patterned paper as the background for my layout.  Wood grain is one of my favorite patterns, and I love that you can use this pattern to create a subtle look in the background.

I love finding ways to incorporate die cuts on my layouts, so I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut various sized circles to create frames on my layout.  I wanted to create a soft look on the layout, and the circles were perfect for creating frames for my photo, title and embellishments.  I alternated the embellishments on my layout, to vary the texture, color and dimension.

The Ephemera Pack with the Bloom collection, gave me lots of options for embellishing my layout.  I love the die cut flowers included in the pack and placed several of them around the layout.  I also incorporated fussy cutting, to add the fun scalloped circle shapes around the die cut circles.  And the plus symbols were fussy cut from the Blossom patterned paper and placed in a few of the open spaces on the layout.

I'm looking forward to sharing more inspiration with you, over the next year!  Keep an eye out on my Blog and the Crate Paper Blog for what's to come!

ETSY STORE 

Pink Paislee Valentine's Titles | La La La Love You

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

Happy Day (after) Valentines!  I hope you had a great weekend, and that you're looking forward to a great week.  I'm here today, to share a layout that went up on the Pink Paislee Blog last week.  The Design Team created some beautiful layouts, focusing on Valentine's Titles.  I loved working with the C'est La Vie collection on this layout, and the mix of alphas included in the collection.

You can see, that I followed the design of the background paper to add my title.  I mixed the mirror Thickers, chipboard alphas and acetate alphas to create a large title.  I used the angles of the background paper, to "point" my title to the photo.

Once I had the title and photo in place, I used a mix of embellishments on the left hand side of the page.  I like the look of the larger design on the left hand side, fading into a smaller design on the right hand side of the layout.

Now it's your turn to find fun ways to use the C'est La Vie alphas on your next layout!  There are so many possibilities!! 

ETSY STORE

Hip Kit Club | Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful

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.

Hi, I'm stopping in to share my first layout with the February 2016 Hip Kit & Add-On Kits from Hip Kit Club!  I seriously always make my first layout, the day my Hip Kit arrives in the mail.  There are just so many products, that I can't wait to use!  My must use product for this layout, was the Delighted patterned paper from Maggie Holmes, included in the February 2016 Main Kit.

I knew I wanted to use a lot of the pattern, without overwhelming the photo and embellishments.  I decided to cut the paper along the divisions between the chevron design and arrange it over a piece of White cardstock from the February 2016 Cardstock Add-On.  I loved the motion this created on the page, and the White space for adding my photo, title and embellishments.

I just had to find a way to incorporate the amazing Maggie Holmes Fringe Hearts, that are a part of the February 2016 Embellishment Kit.  I can assure you, if there is a heart within 5 miles of my scrap area, it is going to be used on a layout!  And I made these even more heart-y by adding a Studio Calico wood veneer heart from the February 2016 Project Life Kit, right in the center of the fringe heart.

I used most of the embellishments in the White space on the layout, because I didn't want to cover up the pattern that I love so much.  But I felt like it needed a little touch of something else, so I splattered Black Color Shine over the layout (I always decide to do this at the end, so if you're like me, make sure you cover your photo).  Then I added a few of the Simple Stories enamel dots down the center of two of the patterned paper strips.

If you haven't had a chance to pick up the February 2016 Kits, then make sure you head over to the Hip Kit Club website.  You definitely want to get your order in, before it sells out!  And look for the reveal of our March 2016 Kits, coming up on February 15th!!

ETSY STORE

Big Picture Classes | Photo Focus

I hope you've had a chance to check out my classes on the Big Picture Classes website!  Today, I have a brand new class, called Photo Focus!  In this class, I share ways to focus on your photos...the main reason we scrapbook...while still adding fun, creative touches to your pages.  I hope you'll come join me for the class, if you are already subscribing to Big Picture Classes.  If you haven't joined, check out the Membership tab on the BPC Website for more information on signing up!

And while you're there, you can still check out my other classes:

Old Favorites with a New Twist

Mini Made Easy

Make the Cut

See you in class!  

ETSY STORE 

Hip Kit Club | Love Love Love

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'm here to share a new layout with you, using the January 2016 Hip Kit & Add-On Kits! I have to admit, that I might have been hoarding the cute Crate Paper tags included in the January Embellishment Add-On. So I decided to use all of them as the focus of my layout this week!

I arranged all of the tags and my photo in the center of the background paper. Then I used a mix of embellishments from the kits, to add over and around the tags. I also wanted to add a bit of mixed media, so I used some of my watercolor paints in the background of the layout. And one of our Weekly Challenges a couple of weeks ago, was to use confetti, so I used several of the Crate Paper stickers over my watercolor, to create a fun confetti look!

And, the February 2016 Hip Kit & Add-On Kits should be making their way here in the next few days!  I can't wait to start creating with it!  If you haven't had a chance to check out all that's included for February, make sure you visit the Hip Kit website ASAP!!

ETSY STORE 

Pink Paislee | Desk Home Decor

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

I am so excited to share my first project with you, as one of the 2016 Design Team members with Pink Paislee.  Today, I have a home decor project, that can be displayed on your desk.  I don't know about you, but I love home decor pieces that are fun and functional!

I picked up this wood tray at my local craft store...don't forget to use your coupons, when you're shopping, to get a great deal!  I wanted something on my desk, that would work as a display for photos and some of my favorite Pink Paislee products from the C'est La Vie collection.  I started the project by cutting the wood grain patterned paper from the C'est La Vie collection to 10x10, and adhering it to the inside back of the tray.  I also picked up a few hooks at the craft store, and placed four of them on the inside edge of the tray.  I wrapped thin wire around each of the hooks, to have a line to hang my photos and Pink Paislee products.

 
And I couldn't resist covering some mini clothespins, with patterned paper.  The clothespins are perfect for hanging my photos and products from the wire.  To save patterned paper, I used the manufacturer strips from the C'est La Vie papers, to cover the clothespins.

This is such a fun project to display in your home.  And I love that it's something that can be changed out, if you want to update your photos or add different embellishments.  

 Collection Used:  C'est La Vie

ETSY STORE