Wedding Layout using Christmas papers (Pion/2Crafty/Helmar)

The Pion Design Silent Night collection is so versatile and can be used for so many kinds of projects. Here I am featuring a layout of my Mother and her Father on her wedding day. It was my parent's 40th year anniversary on September 30th and my Mother's 60th birthday is just around the corner on December 31st. Yup my dad has it very easy to remember... the last day of each month, LOL.

I have enhanced this layout with a lot of 2Crafty chipboard (elise dress form, parisian border and title).

I have simply used gesso and various brown inks to finish my chipboard - easy and economical!

Here is a close-up of the layered dress form chipboard - sooo love this piece!

I added a lot of pretty white flowers left over from various Swirlydoos kits.

The inspiration for this layout came from my friend Nadia Cannizzo - look at this gorgeous sketch of hers!

Please note: that all of these projects were created with the special help of various Helmar Adhesives - especially my two favorites: the Premium Craft glue for paper and chipboard, and 450 Quick Dry for embellishments/fabric. All Helmar products can be purchased directly at:

http://helmarusa.com or http://helmar.com.au (if you do not have a local shop that carries the products).

Swirlydoos October Kit Reveal Blog Hop

Welcome to Swirlydoos' October "Belle Chanson"

Kit Reveal and Blog Hop Block Party!

If you came here from Heidi's blog, then you are on the right track. If not, go back to Swirlydoos' blog and start from there. We have some amazing projects for you to see today and Teresa Collins is joining in the fun! Also, as an extra special twist, 2 of our designers are hiding secret prizes on their blogs! Make sure to leave a comment on ALL of the blogs for a chance to win. Check out Swirlydoos on Facebook and Like Us too!

Have I mentioned that Teresa Collins is featured in this kit? I really LOVE these vintage papers! This is a picture of my daughter as a newborn.

A close-up of the gorgeous Prima flowers in the flower add-on this month and some 2Crafty chipboard from my stash. I actually used a Christmas sketch as inspiration for this layout (that I've been holding onto for almost 2 years - created by a very talented artist - Charlotte Jenkins).

For this layout of my son, I pulled out my new Lucky 8 punch and created a bracket die cut by only punching 4 times on an 8x8 piece of paper and rounding off the un-punched edges.

Here is a close-up of more pretty Prima flowers in the add-on and some more 2Crafty chipboard from my stash. The chipboard was inked with the coordinating Prima chalk ink that is included in the main kit!

I used this month's Swirlydoos kit sketch created by our EXTREMELY talented sketch artist to create the layout above.

Lastly, a fun altered project for me to wear on Halloween this year. The mask was decorated with the trim and embellies from the MAIN KIT only. The Petaloo flowers were jewelled with the bling in the kit.

This is the Swirlydoos main kit, please see the website for all the great add-ons available.

***You have until midnight, eastern time, on Wednesday, 10/10 to complete the hop. Winners will be announced on the Swirlydoos Blog on Thursday 10/11.***

In order to qualify to win here is what you need to do:

1: Visit all of the blogs and leave a comment on each. This way we know you were there. Become a follower if you're not already. Take your time. There are REALLY beautiful things to see along the way.

2: Before you leave each blog, look for the “special” words and write it down. Once you have visited all the blogs and collected all the special words, they will create a sentence.

3: Finally, go back to the Swirlydoos blog and leave a comment letting us know how much fun you had, tell us the sentence that was created with all of the special words you collected. Can't wait to hear from you!

Interested in subscribing to Swirlydoos Kit Club? Click HERE. Don't for get to check out the Swirlydoos YouTube channel for great project techniques/tutorials and also our awesome forum with tons of great inspirational advice (no need to be a subscriber for this - it's free information for the taking and we'd love to chat with you!).

My special word is : ALONG

The party continues over at a new addition to the Swirlydoos Design Team -  Frank's blog. Have fun!

(Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to my fellow Canucks!)

Please note: that all of these projects were created with the special help of various Helmar Adhesives - especially my two favorites: the Premium Craft glue for paper and chipboard, and 450 Quick Dry for embellishments and fabric. BTW - check out this awesome article by Craft Test Dummies about ways to use Helmar's Remover cleaner to SAVE your crafting tools and money! All Helmar products can be purchased directly at:
http://helmarusa.com or http://helmar.com.au (if you do not have a local shop that carries the products).

Swirlydoos Oct. kit sneaks

Come back here on Monday, Oct. 8th for the full design reveal :)

Contest Extended! Win Helmar PRIZES

YOU HAVE UNTIL SUNDAY OCT. 7th TO PARTICIPATE...
Go to the Helmar FACEBOOK page and LIKE them, plus tell them what you like best about WINTER to be eligible for a prize!  But... you must tell them that I, Vicky Alberto sent you there to like them so that I qualify for a prize too :) If you already like them, then still leave a comment to be entered to win anyways. Easy peasy! Winner gets some gluey goodness.

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER HELMAR'S OCTOBER COLOR PALETTE CHALLENGE THIS MONTH TOO,  DETAILS ON THE HELMAR BLOG.

BTW - What do I like about Winter? I love Christmas, coffee and Baileys, scrapbooking by the fireplace, watching my kids have fun in the snow and escaping to the mountains for a weekend getaway. Other than those 5 things - I HATE WINTER!!!

October OUAS Reveal (using Pion Design)

Can you believe it is already October? I can't. Today I am revealing my Once Upon a Sketch DT layout, featuring Pion Design papers (mix of For Mother and For Father collections). The OUAS challenge theme this month and my project revolves around interpreting this quote...

"Life is like a camera, just focus on what's important and capture the good times, develop from the negatives and if things don't work out, just take another shot". This is a very fitting quote for very personal reasons and I have word for word journaled it on the back of my layout. Pictured is my mother holding my youngest baby at the age of 8 months. Please click on images for a larger view.

Here is a close-up of the pretty Pion papers, Dusty attic chipboard and an assortment of flowers. BTW - I re-stocked my Etsy shop yesterday with Dusty Attic and 2Crafty chipboard - see the previous blog post :)

This is the gorgeous sketch and challenge details. Please note that my layout was glued using a variety of awesome Helmar adhesives.

I hope you can play along with the October challenge!

2Crafty chipboard in my Etsy + DA update

Well, I have just finished loading my Etsy shop  (www.etsy.com/shop/vickyalberto) with 20 2Crafty chipboard styles and a mini re-stock of Dusty Attic chipboard too - over 60 chipboard styles in total to choose from right now. The brand new DA pieces are due to be released soon so I will be doing a large order the day they become available so I can get them into my shop ASAP this Fall.

How does 2Crafty compare to Dusty Attic? They are both cut from 1.8mm chipboard so the main difference is the style variety you get from me carrying both manufacturers in my shop :)

Take a look of some of the 2Crafty I just loaded today...

Christmas tags (Pion Design /2Crafty/Helmar)

It's still quite warm here so thinking about Christmas feels a bit strange BUT... in reality it is only 3 months away. I like to get almost everything done before December 1st so I an actually relax and enjoy the holiday season.

The newly released "Silent Night" collection from Pion Design is so sweet and dreamy - a real pleasure to work with. Here I have created a large and small gift tag set.  I have raised some cuts outs using Helmar's foam Zapdots and accented the tags with beautiful 2Crafty chipboard. 

I have used a set of Maggie's Swirls 2Crafty chipboard and just trimmed off some pieces to make them fit better onto the tags. Here is a closer look at the small tag.

Here is a closer peek at the larger tag. I just stippled some thick gesso onto the chipboard for a snowy effect and glued down with Helmar's 450 quick dry glue. I debated adding some stickles or glimmer mist for shine but decided to keep things matte for a more vintage effect. I added a little bit of lace and just let the paper shine. I really love the decorative letters in this collection! I also love the fact that this collection includes some French sentiments since I am fluent in French (I am half French and half Portuguese - I don't speak Portuguese though).

Unforgettable Layout (Swirlydoos/Helmar)

Here is my last project using my September "Inspiration" Swirlydoos kit. I will actually be teaching this layout on November 17th for Paper and Lace in Strathmore, Alberta. We will focus on distressing, antiquing, stamping and dabble into a bit of multi-media too.

This is a picture of the day my daughter was born and her brothers meeting her for the first time. There are so many of the newest gorgeous Prima goodies in this month's Swirlydoos main kit and fabulous add-ons. I think the Romance Novel is my favorite Prima collection to date - ever! (Printery comes in second, LOL).

Here is a close-up of the pretty flowers.

Look at the gorgeous resin and cute handmade butterflies. I used a lot of Helmar glue to hold all the paper layers, resin, flowers and chiboard. Good glue really does make a difference!

A little bit of masking and antiquing on here. I adore those Prima zipper ends, don't you?

Where did the first inspiration for this layout come from? The September Prima BAP and PPP challenges. Here is the sketch...

This is their gorgeous September palette I used too...

I haven't played along with Prima's challenges in while - so it was good to get back into it. There is still a week left for you to give it a go!

Box and card gift sets (Meg's Garden/Helmar)

I created these pretty little kirigami boxes and cards using the new 12x12 Spring Paisley collection from Meg's Garden and from some help using Helmar's Acid Free glue. There are so many uses for this glue but I decided to use it in a less traditional way and it really worked great! 

I have so much Green Tara product left over from my year DT term that I heavily embellished this project with their products. Meg's Garden also carries many Green Tara items so check out the store! Here is a close-up of of one of the gift sets that I played up the peach and cream in the pretty paper.

Here is a close-up of where I brought out the darker red and pink in the Spring Paisley paper for the second gift set. Loads of Helmar Acid-Free holding this project together!

  

The great thing about kirigami boxes is that they are just as pretty on the inside. Since they are folded, it means they are sturdy too due to several paper layers too. My tutorial on how to create these boxes can be found archived on this blog HERE. These boxes are about 4 inches square once you fold down 12x12 paper (but can be made smaller).

BTW - check out this awesome article by Craft Test Dummies about ways to use Helmar's Remover cleaner to SAVE your crafting tools and money! All Helmar products can be purchased directly from http://helmarusa.com or http://helmar.com.au if you do not have a local shop that carries the products.

So many good DT calls right now

Just a quick post to say that many of the design teams I am on are looking for designers. Here are the direct links:

Pion Design - Guest DT Call

Meg's Garden - DT Call

Helmar - Education Team Call

Also, one of my Helmar DT mates Susan has her own paper and stamp line (that I showcased on here this summer) and she is also looking for a design team. Details at http://www.susankweckesser.com/scrap_matters.

Good luck to all that apply!

New Pion Design Releases

As the fall has arrived and the evenings are getting darker, many of us feel an emerging need to cuddle up inside with plenty of time to spend on paper crafting. Fittingly enough, Pion Design are now releasing two paper collections.

From Grandma's Attic - tinted contains lovely sepia toned pictures, gently tinted as it was done in the past. The shades can be traced back to Pion Designs previous collections and therefore you will find that the pictures match perfectly with our other papers. With titles such as Family, Warm Clothes, Boys and Girls you will soon learn that no matter what the occasion or the aim of your crafting may be, you will be able to find a gorgeous picture suited for exactly this purpose. 

For Father 6x6" is Pion Designs masculine collection, suitable for all those special occasions when you want to acknowledge a father, brother or son. The images of old cars and gentlemen in quite muted colors will provide you and your crafting with that vintage feeling that is a trademark of Pion Design papers.

For Father 6x6" and From Grandma's Attic - tinted, are in stock and ready for immediate shipping.

Do you display your layouts?

I do! My husband hand stained eighteen 12x12 open shadow boxes to match our hardwood floors (from Michaels Crafts - they have glass protected ones too that are already finished). Gotta love a man who supports your art (aka addiction, LOL!). We have 12 foot ceilings on either side of our staircase so 9 frames per wall (the stairs go down to a walk-out basement -- built into the side of a hill).

Click on images for a larger view.

Here is the right view from my front door.

Here is the left view from my front door.

What do you think?

Pion Christmas Display (Pion Design/Green Tara/Helmar)

I finally had a chance to play with the beautiful Pion Design Silent Night collection. Oh wow are these papers dreamy! I did this layout style Christmas display. I haven't decided yet if I am keeping it or gifting it to someone. Please click on images to see larger view.

All of the flowers, lace and sprays are Green Tara and the chipboard is Dusty Attic (yes, I will be re-stocking these Dusty Attic pieces soon in October in my shop as  well as 2Crafty chipboard too :)

Please note this will be my final design team project for Green Tara. I know the new team starting in October will be fantastic - lots of awesome scrappy buddies of mine will be playing with Green Tara's beautiful products. Congrats ladies! 

I used the gorgeous DA September sketch by Michelle Grant as inspiration for this project.

Well, it takes a lot of Helmar sticky goodness to glue down chipboard, metal, flowers and lace. I used my two favorite products - the premium craft glue and the 450 quick dry. These two are my go-to glues for layouts! Visit the new http://helmarusa.com to shop!

Same collection and design done 2 ways (Pion Design/Green Tara/Helmar)

Have you ever done a layout and think what would it look like if I had used different papers of the same collection for a different gender layout? Well... I recently taught my "Live" layout through my LSS for a do-it-yourself chipboard and use-your-scraps themed class. While showing some chipboard techniques, I used pink instead of blue on the chipboard in anticipation of showcasing two versions for Pion Design.

On my original layout (featuring my son) I used the blue and yellow papers from the "For Mother"collection and several die cutting machine templates for the chipboard. On my "pink" layout I used essentially the same chipboard cuts (minus the branch) and the same design concept using the pink papers in the same paper collection but made it into a 3 image layout. I also used a lot of pretty Green Tara blooms - pink apple blossoms and roses (some of my favorite blooms!). The "pictures" are from Pion Design Vintage sheet images.

Here is a close-up of the flowers, homemade chipboard (primed, chalked and stamped) and one of the beautiful vintage images from Pion Design. This is my new display piece on my fireplace mantle - that I change every season (I'm not ready for Fall yet, LOL). The chipboard techniques include inking, stamping, chalking, and faux crackle using gesso (birdcage).

Another close-up of the birdcage with Green Tara twisted organza pearl trim (I adore this trim!).

I used a whole lot of Helmar adhesives on these projects! Especially the premium craft glue and the 450 quick dry (my 2 favorites!).

NOTE: This "pink" layout was inspired by a cross promotion with http://blog.craft-e-corner.com and Helmar for breast cancer awareness. Many awesome PINK projects created by the Helmar Design Team will appear on this site in the upcoming weeks. Pink just happens to be my favorite color to scrap with too :)