Scrap Your Stash Using Kiwi Lane Designs!

If you're anything like me, you have approximately 245,000 sheets of scrapbooking paper in your stash, give or take a few sheets. Well, it seems like that many. And most of it is old. Really old. My goal lately has been to use up those partial collections that I have left in my stash. But every once in a while, I come across a full collection that I had been hanging onto. Such as the "Laurel" collection from Scenic Route. The collection was released in 2006 and I'm almost positive I bought it as soon as it came out. Which means it's been in my stash for about 10 years. It's about time it saw some action, right? Well, here's the photo-ready layout I made using my Kiwi Lane templates:

 

Along with the older paper, I also used brads from My Mind's Eye collections that were released at least 3 years ago, Doodlebug paper frills that are at least 9 years old, and Bazzill flowers that I've had for at least 8 years. Wow. I'm more of a supply hoarder than I thought!!

It's fun to buy new stuff, and I'd never ask you to give up the joy of shopping for new paper, but remember what you already have and use your Kiwi Lane Designs templates to breathe new life into your old paper!

Templates I used:

Abbie Road 3A,3B

Scallops 1A,1B

Madison Avenue 2A,2B

Tiny Wildflowers 1T,4T

Nature 1

Tiny Nature 1T

Tiny Brackets 4T

Wacky 2

12" Strips

Photos

**Love this layout? You can own it! Head over to my Etsy shop to purchase it- but hurry! It's one of a kind and won't last long!**

Merry and Bright Paper Kit with Kiwi Lane

Hello again!  I'm so excited to show you a layout I made using Kiwi Lane's newest paper kit "Merry and Bright."  And can I tell you how much fun I had working with this kit?!  I know when you look at the photos for some of the projects made from the kit, the red looks a little orange-ish. But when I had the paper kit in my hands, I was happy to see that the red is a rich, beautiful Christmas red. And the color combination in the kit are perfect for anything Christmas, holiday or winter related!

Here's the layout I made using my Kiwi Lane Merry and Bright paper kit:

Supplies: Merry and Bright paper kit and designer templates (Kiwi Lane Designs); glitter, twine, glitter tape (American Crafts); ink (Ranger); pen (Staedtler); brads, tape (craft supply)

I totally forgot to take a "before" photo with my page framed and ready to go... Sorry! Next time, for sure!

The photos on this layout were take a few years ago when my family and I visited Temple Square in Salt Lake City to see the lights. It was a beautiful night and perfect for wandering around enjoying the displays. If you've never been, and you're a fan of holiday lights, you should totally go! It's quite the sight!!

Soooo.....Did you see the cute little details on the Tiny Traditions mitten and light bulb shapes? Here are the mittens:

I made the cuffs look furry using double sided tape and tinsel glitter.  Fun effect, yeah? You can still see just a hint of the pattern on the paper (it's gray polka dots on a white background) under the translucent glitter. Well, you can see it in person. Not so much in photos.

And here is one of the light bulbs:

I used silver washi tape to cover the end and tied some white twine around it to finish it off. I also ended up fussy cutting some of the circles out of the snowflake paper to make my grouping look more complete.

The title area features more light bulbs and looks like this close up:

I know I've mentioned this in previous posts about the Kiwi Lane paper kits, but I'm going to have to do it again. It bears repeating. The printed elements paper is fantastic! I love that it has a few titles, sentiments, journaling spots and some smaller areas of various patterns that you can use to add to your layers. It's basically like they've combined a title pack, journaling pack and 3 extra sheets of paper (you know, those sheets that you only need a little bit of but you have to buy the whole sheet to get?) all in one handy printed piece of awesomeness! I'm telling you- it's GENIUS!!

So that's it. I'd love it if you'd leave a comment at the bottom of this blog post. It's always nice to hear from you!! 

Templates used:

Tiny Traditions 1T,3T

Tiny Holiday 3T

Winter 1

Happy Trails 3A,3B

Sunnybrook Lane 1A,1B,2A,2B

Strips

Photos

New Layout Using Kiwi Lane's "Birds of a Feather" Paper Kit

Hey Kiwi Peeps!  Last month I shared a layout and card using on of the new Kiwi Lane Designs paper collections.  Well, it might be a bit like a rerun, but today I also have a layout and a card using one of the new Kiwi Lane Designs paper collections.  This time, I decided to use the "Birds of a Feather" collection. I love the muted peach, yellow, green and blue paired with a brighter coral along with charcoal and white.  This mix of bold and pastel colors were just asking to be paired with some photos I had from a family field trip to Wheeler Farm in Utah.  Here's the layout I came up with:

I'm kind of loving the muted tones for the pumpkins and leaves.  It really pops against the bolder papers.  And if I haven't mentioned it before, there is a sheet of printed cards and smaller bits of printed patterns in each collection to give you a variety of options when building your page.  For example, I was able to use the peach for a few things, but it was just a small area printed on one sheet of paper.  In fact, I was able to cut the pumpkins, tree trunk, tree top, bracket, flower and tag (behind the title) all out of the same piece of paper (using both front and back).  Plus the butterfly, flower and sentiment/quote on the card.  Talk about getting your money's worth!  And speaking of cards....

This was made using the same "Birds of a Feather" collection, but this time I steered clear of the bolder colors.  Now, instead of having a bold autumn feeling, the paper has a softer spring-like feel.  I also added some sparkle.  Because I just couldn't resist! ;)  I used some glitter glue to edge the butterfly and some iridescent Smooch top coat on the edges of the flower and the leaves.  Kind of hard to see in photos, but here it is-

I love how versatile this paper collection is!  Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

Templates used:

Layout:

Madison Avenue 2A,2B

Aspen Court 3A,3B

Nature 1,4

Halloween 2

Tags 1

Tiny Accents 1T

Tiny Nature 1T,4T,6T

Tiny Holiday 2T,4T

Tiny Brackets 4T

Card:

Tiny Nature 1T,2T,6T

New "Live Life" Paper Kit with Kiwi Lane

Hey Kiwi Lane friends!  Have you been dying over the new Kiwi Lane paper lines, too?  I think I'm in love with all of them!!  So, to show how great they are, I've made a 2 page layout and a card to share with you today.  Both were made using the new "Live Life" collection from Kiwi Lane.  

Here's the "Framing" of my layout:

And my completed layout:

While I was making my layout, I noticed some black dashed lines along one of the printed strips that I was using.  And what goes well with a little bit of black printed on paper?  Doodling!  For my tree, I took the Tiny Nature 6T shape and doodled along the edges.  I knew I would be stacking it on the Nature 6 shape and the doodling (along with a few foam adhesive dots between the layers) help set apart the layers and add depth without a lot of bulk.  

And, of course, I had to add a little bit more doodling so I did a simple outline around the Tiny Bracket shapes for journaling, the tree trunk and the leaves of the dragonflies.  A simple addition that adds so much.  And remember- doodling doesn't have to be perfect.  The imperfections add to the charm. :)

And what do we do with our leftovers?  Make a card, of course!

The printed card is part of the Kiwi Lane "Live Life" paper collection.  I used a few templates from the Elements template set to mimic the printing on the card for a simple card.

And that's it for today!  If you, too, couldn't resist those super cute Kiwi Lane paper collections, I'd love to see what you made with yours!  Feel free to share them to Kiwi Lane's Facebook page or blog.  Or you can share the link in the comment section of this blog post.  Can't wait to see!

Templates used:

Journey 1,6

Rings 1,2,3,4

Nature 6

Tiny Nature 6T

Playtime 4

Tiny Explore 1T

Tiny Brackets 1T,2T

Paisley Place 3A,3B

12" Strips

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

Graduation Day! Layout with Bella BLVD and Kiwi Lane

Hello!  It's my turn on the Kiwi Lane blog today with a two page layout I made using Bella Blvd's fabulous "Family Forever" paper collection.

Here's what my layout looked like when I framed my pages:

And here's my finished layout:

You'll notice that I did end up switching around some of my templates and adding in a few more between the time I framed my layout and when I got my finished product.  And that's ok!  It's all part of the process and one of the benefits of using Kiwi Lane's templates!

Ok, lets talk about this paper!  I'm a paper snob.  I'll admit it.  I rarely buy paper sight unseen (and weight untouched) because I like to know exactly what it feels like before I use it.  And if it's too thin or has a funky texture, I won't use it.  Plain and simple.  I hadn't used much from Bella Blvd in the last few years, and I always kind of hold my breath when I try a new-to-me manufacturer.  I was not disappointed in this paper!  It's a great weight- not too thin, not too thick- and is nice and smooth.  Why is texture so important to me?  I tend to do my journaling right on my pages and it's soooo difficult to write on paper that is super lumpy bumpy or has grooves in it.

So on to the paper collection... what can I say? Have you seen it's cuteness?!  I'm in love with the patterns, and I love how well they work together!  This collection has a bunch of colors and patterns going on, but so did my photos.  I thought they might clash, but I was pleasantly surprised by how it worked out!  I love how the colors of the photos are echoed in the "Family Forever" collection.  It's seriously a new favorite!

Templates:

Rings 1, 2, 3, 4

Clara Lane 1A &1B, 3A & 3B

Scallops 2A & 2B

Photos

Mini Photos

12" Strips

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Scrapping!

Kiwi Lane's August Blog Hop!!

Wahoo! It's blog hop time!  You should have hopped over from Charity's blog, but if you happened to wander over from somewhere else, I highly recommend that you scurry on back to the beginning of this Kiwi Lane blog hop!  There's lots of fun to be had, a few prizes along the way and some awesome inspiration you won't want to miss!  If you happen to get lost along the way, here's the entire line-up:

1. Kiwi Lane Designs 

2. Barb 

3. Alicia 

4. Charity 

5. Gail (You are HERE!!)

6. Connie Wallenbrock  (Go HERE next!!)

7. Brittany 

8. Christina

Make sure you comment at every stop along the way- you'll be entered to win a $25 for the Kiwi Lane Shop (Yippee!!).  You have until 11:59 pm MDT Sunday August 24, 2014, to leave your comments.  One random commenter will be picked from one of the blogs on the hop.  The winner will be announced on the Kiwi Lane Blog on Monday, August 25th.  And there might be another little prize given away on this blog, too.  You'll just have to read all the way through to find out... :)

So, I always have a hard time picking a project to make for blog hops.  I feel like I need to show you some fun and new or exciting way to use the templates.  I was struggling to come up with something this time, so I started sorting through photos.  I found some that we took while visiting the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City a few years ago and it got my creativity going.  I decided to use my templates to create a wetlands scene, complete with birds.  You ready?  Here it is:

Supplies: cardstock (Bazzill, American Crafts, Provo Craft, DCWV, We R Memory Keepers); patterned paper (My Mind's Eye, Scenic Route, Imaginisce, American Crafts); alphabet stickers (American Crafts); enamel dots (My Mind's Eye); ink (Ranger); pen (Staedtler)

I'm so in love with those little birds!  I made them using the paisley and banner shapes in the Tiny Celebrate template set, and the wings were made using a leaf template from the Tiny Nature set.  I added black enamel dots for their eyes and drew some legs.  Cute, no?  I used the circles and ovals from the Tiny Shapes template set and the grass was done with the ice crystal shapes from the Winter and Tiny Holiday sets, along with a Tiny Wildflower template.  I used Martha Stewart fringe scissors to make the grass blades.  Here are some close ups of the birds:

And there you have it!  Don't forget to comment for a chance to win a $25 gift code to the Kiwi Lane Shop!

And as an added bonus, I'd like to giveaway a brand new pack of Tiny Celebrate templates (pictured above) to one lucky commenter on this blog.  Just make sure you tell me what the best part of your summer was (in your comment) to be eligible to win!  You can also follow my blog, if you'd like.  If you do, I'll give you a bonus entry in my giveaway- just tell me you are a new follower in your comment (or tell me that you're already a follower).  You have until 11:59 pm Sunday, August 24, 2014 to get your comment submitted.  I'll announce the winner here on my blog on Tuesday, August 26th.

Thanks for stopping by!  Head on over to Connie's blog to continue hopping!

Templates:
Tiny Celebrate 5T, 7T, 8T
Celebrate 5
Tiny Nature 1T
Tiny Wildflower 5T
Tiny Shapes 3T, 4T, 7T, 8T
Tiny Holiday 3T
Paisley Place 1A & 1B
Sunnybrook Lane 1A & 1B
Winter 1
Photos

"Detour" 2 Page Layout with Kiwi Lane and The Paper Loft

Hello, hello!  I'm here today with a two page layout featuring The Paper Loft's "On the Go" collection.  Here's what I came up with:

Supplies:  patterned paper, card stock, word cut outs (The Paper Loft); alphabet stickers, twine (American Crafts); wood shapes (Studio Calico); buttons (Doodlebug Designs); ink (Ranger); date stamp (7Gypsies); pen (Staedtler)

Templates used:

Chestnut Drive 3A & 3B

Aspen Court 2A & 2B

Happy Trails 3A

Adventure 1,2,3,4,5

Tiny Wacky 3T

Journey 5

Photos

There's not too much to say about this layout- it went together super fast with the help of my Kiwi Lane Templates!  And I was loving how well the "On the Go" collection went  with the photos I had from one of our stops along Route 66 a few years ago!  

If you've never had the opportunity to use a collection from The Paper Loft, I thing you should fix that- their paper is a great weight (sturdy but not so thick that you have a hard time getting your scissors through it) and they have beautifully coordinated patterns in their collections, along with solid white-core double sided card stock and sheets of fun words and images that you can cut apart.  Seriously- give them a try!  I loved working with this collection and I have plenty left to make quite a few more pages about more stops on our trip down old Route 66.  I'll make sure I post those here on my blog when I have them done. :)

Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Scrapping!

Write From the Heart with Kiwi Lane and My Mind's Eye

It's my turn to do an installment of Write From the Heart from Kiwi Lane- yay!  I will say that it feels like it has been a looooong time since it was my turn for this segment, though.  Hopefully I'm not too out of practice and can help you with your journaling.

Sometimes when I scrapbook, I feel like there needs to be some long epitaph to convey the story behind the photos, or even the story behind the people in the photos.  And this is true in some cases.  It's nice to tell a long narrative about how much we admire a person or how something came to be.  It's nice to tell part of our family's history by combining our new thoughts with a photo from long ago. But sometimes, just sometimes, we need to let loose and share more of our personality in our journaling.  If you're a fun person, shouldn't you tell the stories that show just how much fun you have?  I think so, too!  So today I'm going to focus on that-

Tell the silly stories!

Here's a layout that I did using the Milo collection from My Mind's Eye's Now & Then-
Before, using my Kiwi Lane templates to "Frame" my layout:

After:

Supplies: patterned paper (My Mind's Eye); brads, die cut, epoxy shapes (My Mind's Eye); epoxy dots (Teresa Collins); letter stickers (My Mind's Eye, American Crafts); ink, glitter glue (Ranger)

Templates:

Wacky 1

Tiny Wacky 1T

Paradise 1

Celebrate 7

Tiny Celebrate 7T

Photos

I love that these photos are part of a silly story about kissing some fish!  And I wanted to make sure that we remembered that we are part of a fun and sometimes silly family that likes to do strange things and have a good time laughing!  It's not a long, sentimental story.  And that's ok.  It's still a story that helps tell who we are.  And isn't that what scrapbooking is about?

And since we're here anyway, here are a few design tips:

- Use your photo templates as a crop tool, along with planning your layout.  They are translucent, so you can see exactly where you need to cut to make that perfect page.

- Cut down a shape to make a smaller shape.  If you notice, I have three sizes of water drops/splashes. I made the smallest one by tracing the Tiny Celebrate 7T template and drawing the same shape inside the traced shape.  It was about 1/4" smaller all the way around.  This made a smaller shape without needing a smaller template.

- Add interest to your pages using lines.  All my photos are on an angle, as are the bits of patterned paper. But, my words (title and journaling) are all on horizontal lines.  And my embellishments (the wave shapes and splashes) are all in vertical lines.  By having each element of the layout moving a different way, your eyes move around the page.

That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by and Happy Scrapping!

Ideas to Inspire with Kiwi Lane

Good Morning all!  It's my turn for the latest installment of Kiwi Lane's Ideas to Inspire.... So are you ready to be inspired?  Good!  Let's get started!

This month at Kiwi Lane, we have the awesome privilege of working with the fabulous My Mind's Eye!  Eeeek!  I'm so excited!! Hence, the "Eeeek!"  Now, if you have never worked with any of My Mind's Eye's stuff, I suggest you find your nearest crafting/scrapbooking store and get your hands on some- you won't be disappointed! 

Now, I don't know about you, but I seem to put off scrapbooking birthdays... I think it has something to do with the feeling that I do the same thing over and over.  Well, this time I took that feeling of doing things over and over and ran with it.  Here's the theme for today's ITI:

~Use numeric repetition as a theme throughout your page.~

Here's the layout I came up (using My Mind's Eye's Now & Then Milo):

Supplies: patterned paper (My Mind's Eye and Scenic Route (background)); die cuts, chipboard, washi tape, letter stickers, epoxy stickers (My Mind's Eye); stamp (7gypsies); ink (Ranger, Tsukinedo); twine (Lilybelle's Paperie on Etsy)

Templates:

Spook Alley 3A, 3B

Wacky 3, 3T

Celebrate 1, 2, 5

Tiny Shapes 6T

The photos are from my son's 3rd birthday.  I used the number "3" in the title, but also used other three's throughout the page... can you find them all? ;)  Here's the list, in case you missed any:

- Three "3"s- one in the title, one at the top of the right page and the candles on the cupcake that resemble III (Roman numeral 3)

- Three burst shapes from the Wacky Accessory set along the bottom of the layout

- Groupings of three things: 2 balloons and a cupcake; small burst shape from the Tiny Wacky set (top of left page), "3" and "cute" die cut; title grouping that has a chipboard shape, the large "3" card and the tiny letter stickers

- There are three groupings of three things

- Three lines of journaling

That's right, peeps!  I even went so far as to emulate the theme in the number of lines for my journaling!

I will point out that I didn't use three photos on my two page layout (and really, when have you EVER seen me use so few pics on a two pager??).  But, I did keep the number of photos in an odd numbered grouping, which is aesthetically pleasing and worked well for the layout.

While the method of using numeric repetition can be quite effective, use it in small doses.  Meaning, it works better for small single digits, rather than larger numbers.  I love the look of this, but I'm certainly not going to use it for my hubby's thirty-something birthday pics. ;)

Now, can I just mention the paper and embellishments from My Mind's Eye's Now & Then Milo collection!  It is SUCH a versatile collection!!  The colors of blues, grays, greens and yellows make it pretty much the perfect pallet for both girl and boy themes, not to mention everything in between.  There's also a touch of metallic silver in the collection- both on the paper and in the embellies (brads, die cuts, printed chipboard, epoxy shapes).  It's not that over powering blinged out silver, though.  It's a soft, subtle touch of silver.  And it works for everything!  The paper itself is that heavy card stock that we have come to know and love from MME and, let's face it, we expect it from them.  The prints in the collection range from classic damask to small floral to geometrics to anchors- seriously.... so versatile!!  I LOVED working with this collection!  So much so, that I chose to use my leftovers from this project to do my Write From the Heart with Kiwi Lane  at the end of the month.  So be watching for that one!

I hope this inspired you to do something repetitive on your pages!  I'd love to see what you come up with-don't forget to post your creations to the Kiwi Lane Facebook page!  And link it here in the comments, too, please!

That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by and Happy Scrapping!

April BLOG HOP!!! with Kiwi Lane

It's time for a blog hop!  Who's excited? Me, ME!!  Are you excited, too?  Well, you should be!  Why?  Because you're going to have crafting inspiration coming out of your ears AND there's a prize!  Here's the scoop- ONE random commenter from one of the blogs along the hop will win a $25 gift code to the Kiwi Lane Shop.  How's that for incentive?!  So make sure you start at the Kiwi Lane Blog and comment along the way (including the Kiwi Lane Blog)!  You have until Sunday April 6, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. MDT to make you comments.  The winner will be announced on the Kiwi Lane Blog on Thursday April 10th. 

Here's the line-up of blogs, just in case you take a wrong turn along the way:

1. Kiwi Lane 
2. Gail Owens (You are Here!!)
3. Catherine Povec  (Go Here Next!!)
4. Jennifer McDermott 
5. Kristy Lee 
6. Heather Conklin 
7. Misty Buck 
8. Jennifer Nicholes 
9. Barb Rapp 
10. Christina Steel 

For this month's blog hop, we were asked to create something using the Celebrate and Wacky template sets from Kiwi Lane.  Here's the two page layout I came up with:

Supplies: patterned paper (The Pier by Crate Paper); brads (Echo Park); alphabet stickers (American Crafts); wood shapes (Studio Calico); plastic flower (Queen and Co.); stamps (Autumn Leaves); pen (Staedtler); ink (Ranger)

Templates:

Photos

Wacky 1, 3

Celebrate 3, 5, 6, 8

Tiny Celebrate 3T, 4T, 5T, 6T

Tags 1

Tiny Tags 1T

Here's what it looked like when I "framed" my layout:

And a few detailed photos:

I loved the look of this paper for these photos- and I couldn't resist using a collection called "The Pier" to document our walk down the pier at Tybee Island in Georgia!  I loved the look of the weathered wood with the distressed colors that were reminiscent of wind tattered beach umbrellas and canopies.  I wanted to add some whimsy and almost a celebratory feel to my layout and I accomplished this with layering two shapes (the long triangle/pennant from the Celebrate sets and a tag from the Tag sets) in two sizes.  I also tucked the ticket shapes under the photos on one side to add to the fun feeling of the layout.  To add a hint of the sun and sea to the layout, I used a template from the Wacky set to make a "sun" shape on the left page, layered with "clouds" from the Celebrate and Tiny Celebrate sets.  I added a splash of blue in a wavy shape from the Wacky set to mimic the water on the bottom of the right page. 

Sometimes when I get everything on the page, I feel like some of the shapes are blending into each other, when I really want them to stand out from each other.  When this happens, I use a pen to highlight the shapes that I want to stand out.  This time I used a fine tipped black pen to do some quick outlines of the cloud shapes, the tickets, the pinwheel and the banner where I put the title.  I made my outlines quickly and didn't worry about perfection- an added bonus of using shabby-looking paper!

To make my journaling spot, I stamped a lined image on my left page using distress ink.  I thought it looked too neat for the feel of the layout, so I stamped it again- the same image just slightly askew from the original.  Then I used my pen to write my little story.

This layout turned out almost exactly like what I framed it to look like using my templates- and it's exactly what I had in my head!  Don't you just love Kiwi Lane Designs Templates?!  I do!

And for an added bonus for getting to the bottom of my long-winded post (Sorry, kids.  I'm wordy.  It's not gonna change anytime soon.), how about another giveaway?!  In the comment that you're going to leave on this blog post (ya know, the one you need to leave so you can be entered to win a $25 gift code to the Kiwi Lane Shop...), please tell me what template set you've had your eye on.  Or which one is your fave, if you happen to have them all.  You have until Sunday, April 6, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. MDT to leave your comment.  I will draw a winner and announce it on Monday, April 7th.  The lucky commenter will get to choose a template set of their choice from my stash!  Hooray!

That's it for now- don't forget to comment!  Happy Scrapping!

Ideas to Inspire with Kiwi Lane and Hemptique

Happy Wednesday!  I feel like I was just doing a blog post... maybe because this is my third one in four weeks... a rarity, for sure!  Hope you're not too tired of me yet! ;)

For this installment of Ideas to Inspire for Kiwi Lane, I was given the opportunity to work with a company I've never worked with before. Gasp!  What?  A crafting company whose product I don't already have in my stash?!  Seriously.  It happens.  And much more often than people may think.  Especially after they view my wall-o-supplies that lines the dining area in our house.  One day I should share that with the world.  But not today.  Today, I get to share with you wonderful product from Hemptique!

I was, oh, so happy when I was sent some of Hemptique's metallic hemp cord!  This is what it looks like:

I had lots of visions of the billions of projects I could do with it, but then realized that I had to narrow it down just a bit.... to one project, to be more accurate.  So I decided to use it like I would use embroidery floss and stitch on a layout.  Hemp cord is a little bit thicker and stiffer than embroidery floss, but it's still fairly easy to work with.  Here's the layout I came up with:

I framed my page using the Kiwi Lane Templates:

And then after I traced, cut, inked and replaced:

Supplies: patterned paper, cardstock stickers (My Mind's Eye); sequins (Teresa Collins Design); cord (Hemptique); stitching template, letter stickers (American Crafts); paper flowers (Prima); pen (Staedtler); ink (Ranger)

(I used My Mind's Eye's Lucky in Love collection.... and yes, I changed my mind about the background paper after I had everything laid out- it happens a lot.  One of the advantages of using the templates!)

I started working with my Hemptique cord and realized that it wasn't quite the color I wanted- all the hemp was natural color and the metallic strings are intertwined.  I knew I wanted the metallic, but decided to see if the hemp would take color.  So I conducted a little experiment- I put a length of cord in a plastic baggie and sprayed some ink in the bag and squished the cord around in the ink.  And it worked!  A little too well, actually.  I ended up rinsing the cord to remove some of the blue color because it was so dark it looked almost black- pretty, but not quite right for my project.

So what was I going to stitch?  I wasn't sure, but then I saw an advertisement for a sale on fabric at a craft store.  Muslin and tulle.  I thought that they would be fairly easy to cut and stitch, so off to the store I went!  I made my huge purchase of 12" of white muslin and 12" of pink tulle (a whoppin' 56 cents worth of fabric) and ran home to get to work!  Seriously, kids, I don't remember the last time I was this excited to work with fabric and string.... probably never.

I started by tracing the flower shape from the Sweetheart accessory set onto the muslin, cut it out, then realized that I didn't really want to stitch around a flower shape.  That's too complicated.  ;)  So I opted to use the larger circle in the Shapes Tiny Accessory template set.  I cut a layer of muslin and a layer of tulle (netting) and also a circle of pink lightweight cardstock to add some stability.  I used the smaller circle from the same set to pierce holes to stitch through.  Towards the end of stitching the circle, I thought it would be fun to make the circle into a shaker box... sort of.  So I threw some sequins in between the muslin and tulle and finished stitching.  The circle became the middle of the large flower.  I tore strips of the white muslin to run through the entire layout and stitched some pink x's on the border.

While I never would have thought to use hemp cording on a scrapbook page before this, I'm certainly glad I got to try it!  I love the way it turned out!!  Hemptique makes other cording, string and yarn out of natural fibers like cotton and bamboo- some are natural colored and some are dyed.  They even have some cute looking bamboo bakers twine that I'm looking forward to getting my hands on some!

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!  Don't forget to come back tomorrow for the announcement of the winner from the Kiwi Lane blog hop!

Templates used:

• Sweetheart 1, 3
• Clara 1A, 1B, 3A, 3B
• Tiny Shapes 3T, 7T
• Thoughtful 2A, 2B
• Strips
• Photos
• Tiny Photos