One of the things I have noticed lately, whether it’s on a layout or on a patterned paper, whimsical designs are really catching on.  I absolutely love it!   A whimsical style is playful and fun and perfect for so many different kinds of layouts.

For my layout I used Amber Road, Mistletoe & Co and Twilight and played it up with some distressing and hand cut stencil stars.

Another thing I love about whimsical designs is that there are no rules about keeping things straight!  I love layering different pieces and giving it a little “tilt.”  I wanted this layout to be fun and full of personality just like my daughter!  And needless to say I had fun making it!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!!  Until next time….xoxo

Several years ago at Thanksgiving dinner our family started a tradition.  Before we settle down to eat, each family member takes a turn, stating what they are most thankful for.  There have been some very memorable answers, some of which I wish I had written down.

Going through the Amber Road line gave me the idea to make a mini album for each person at Thanksgiving to sign…forever remembering what that family member was most thankful for.  The postcard paper was perfect for this project.  I used 2 sheets of this paper so there would be room for everyone to write down their thoughts.

The cover is my favorite part of the album.  I used the chipboard house from the Fascinating line.  It goes perfectly with Amber Road.  I also found a sweet little door knocker charm to attach to the hemp.  I love it!

I used the Expressions chipboard letters in Licorice to make an initial on each page designating where everyone was to write.  I intentionally left 6 pages at the back blank since new people always show up to our Thanksgiving.

I hope you remember what you’re most thankful for this season.  Have a great Thanksgiving!

Okay, so today’s post is not so much whacky, as earth friendly.  But I am whacky, so does that count?

I wanted to do a beach layout with the Mistletoe line with some photos taken last Christmas when we went down to the ocean on a very cold and blustery day.

I really love the North Pole pattern, both sides, decided to use two sheets on an 8.5 x 11 layout.

Isn’t it just gorgeous?  It really is my favorite paper from the Collection.  That shade of blue is beautiful, and I really like the distressing to the B side of the paper.

Because it was Christmas, I also wanted to use one of the holiday die cut tags from the Mistletoe and Co. punchouts. However, the tag I chose was dark red and had dark brown edges, which contrasted with the base papers I chose.

To tie in this element to my layout, I decided to use it as a design element and part of the visual triangle that would draw the eye around my layout. I wanted to bring the postal stamp perforated edges to the bottom of my layout, utilizing dark brown to bring the color together.  I don’t have a punch that creates a reverse scallop, so I used my favorite scallop punch from Fiskars, punched a row, and was able to utilize the scrap pieces of paper that it punches out and layer it at the bottom of my layout.

Doing that resulted in this layout:

Notice the visual triangle?  The photos are layered in the middle of that triangle so that the eye will move there, as the photos are the most important part of the layout.

I did have fun with different sized circle punches and my sewing machine for faux snow, which added to the theme of the layout.

So while not exactly whacky, it was a great way to utilize my scrap bits and also recreate the shape of those die cut edges on the tags.

Have a great day!  The fog has settled in and the temperatures have dropped.  It’s turning into Winter at my house!

Davinie

Now that Halloween is over, we can start concentrating on our Christmas shopping and finishing up our holiday pages from previous years! The Mistletoe line is absolutely my favorite holiday line out this year! I taught this page at my layout workshop in Connecticut a couple of weeks ago, and everyone commented about how this line works so well for girl or boy pages!

This is my daughter, Kati, when she was little enjoying her very first candy cane. We were setting up the tree one year, putting on the candy canes and she wanted to try one. She sat in the corner and quietly savored every bite!

I cut my own stars from the North Pole paper, distressed the edges, added the Mistletoe brads and hand stitched lines to hang them from. Don’t be afraid to cut the Borderline stickers apart and use just what you need, like I did here with the “joyeux noel”.

I stamped a couple of stars next to the title, stamped a couple more onto North Pole paper, cut them out and popped them up with pop dots.

The stars around the edges are already there, so I didn’t have to do much work to create this page! Super easy and quick!

If you get a chance to work with the Mistletoe line, you won’t be disappointed! Be sure to share photos of your projects with us in our Live Pink gallery! Have a great day,