Getting creative with graphic style products!

I am so excited to be guest designing for Bella Blvd again, I will always be a fan of their colorful graphic style.

"Never Slow Down", by Kim Watson.

Having received mostly boy collections meant I had an opportinity to scrap some photos of my son I had been hording like this one. Those cute car illustrations from the Let’s Go collection really stood out to me as the perfect boy themed page accent. Aren’t they adorable?! Together with the cute speed limit card, they totally inspired the color palette & theme behind the page.

The little cluster in the top right corner comprises of a piece of the Let’s Go sticker strip, a few ephemera pieces, a hand cut cloud & a conversational title using the Homespun Alpha Stickers. Machine stitching is always a great way to attach things to your scrapbook page as well as adding fabulous interest.

I love how the punchy black & big title on the card acts as a gorgeous focal point drawing attention to the photo. Chipboard, Stickers & cute themed e[phemera bring this page together nicely.

"Love You Little Boy", by Kim Watson.

Isn’t this sweet soft collection just adorable? It was perfect to scrap these photos of little Cassidy giving her baby brother cuddles. In love the blue with hints of caramel, grey & yellow…I naturally reached for the cute cloud paper first. Actually it was this paper with the doodled style clouds that influenced my cut-out cloud shapes.

Slipped under the photos, the clouds cut-outs layered with cloud ephemera & chipboard, made the perfect base for the sweet title.

Layering tags, chipboard & stickers from the Cute Baby Boy collection really helped tell my story. Again the limited color palette & dominance of white, makes for lovely, soft page that makes one say …aaawww.

"Let's Go Explore", by Kim Watson.

Totally inspired by the chipboard & cardstock clouds (again LOL), I messed with mixed media & created a skyscape.

The Hip Kit Club stencil & some Shimmerzpaint products, teamed with hand cut paper clouds & a mixture of other ephemera had the little aeroplane flying through a bright painted sky.

A combination of Tiny Text & Homespun alpha stickers created amazing focal anchors within the page design.

I think what makes this page extra special is the subtle layering of colors, textures & materials. Bella Blvd is so good at co-ordinating many different items across all their collections, meaning you can always find exactly what you need to make your next papercraft project interesting & fun.

So thank you so very much to Bella Blv & their team for inviting me over guest. I really enjoyed working with these cute collections. I hope you have been inspired by my ideas. Have a wonderful crafty day further. Until next time.

Fun with washi tape!

I cannot get enough washi tape...& have collected tons over the last few years, so thought is was about time & came up with a few ideas on how to use it in creative ways on a scrapbook page. This page was published in the Papercrafts & Scrapbooking 2014 Scrappers Handbook special issue. 

Washi tape ideas:

1. Pointed petal folded flower
2. Little folded origami style hearts
3. Borders & page edges using overlapping tape in different widths
4. Chevron detailing on top left corner of left page 

Enjoy This Moment by Kim Watson

 Supplies: Cardstock: +Bazzill Basics Paper ; Patterned paper: Sassafras; Tags: Elle Studio; Wood Veneer: +Freckled Fawn ; Decorative Tape: Bella Boulevard, +AmericanCrafts , +Freckled Fawn , +Glitz Design; Fancy Brads: Simple Stories; Adhesive: +TombowUSA , +Thermoweb; Cutting Files: +Daniela Dobson, Silhouette, +Heidi Swapp ; Electronic die cutting machine: Silhouette Cameo; Other: Typewriter; Sewing Machine.

Stitching in the center of the chevrons, masks any rough torn edges. 

A wood veneer heart makes the cutest flower center. 

Machine stitching the row of hearts give great texture & adheres them to the page.

I know these ideas barely touch the surface of what one can do. If you have any ideas...I am always keen to learn new tricks...so please share them with me.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Camera shaped mini book + FREE cut file.

Yep...it's FREEBIE time again!

I have a FREE cut file for you to use for (your personal use only). This was the original Camera mini book I created for Creating Keepsakes Magazine (as seen in the Creating Keepsakes Minibooks 2013 special issue). 


My FREEBIE cut file this cute little pink camera mini book and is a version of the original "Click & Zoom" mini book (as seen in the Creating Keepsakes Minibooks 2013 special issue). When you look at the cut files, you'll notice the SVG version is slightly different to the .Studio version because I was too lazy to redo my SVG file for this pink mini book- cough! If you are confident in the Silhouette software, I suggest you adapt & cut which ever pieces you'll need for whichever version you decide to make. 

SNAP pink camera mini book by Kim Watson

Oh Baby! Camera mini book by Kim Watson: Supplies: Cardstock: American Crafts; Patterned paper: Echo Park; Stickers: Lilybee, Heidi Swapp, Alpha Stickers & Buttons: Bella Boulevard; Ribbon & plastic embellishment: Pebbles Inc; Stamp on back: Technique Tuesday; Ink: Close to my Heart; Adhesive: Tombow, 3L, Eleene's; Tools: Cutting mat, trimmer & scissors: Fiskars, Die cutting machine: Silhouette Cameo; Other: Jump Pings, Safty pin, Bone Folder.

Inside I included 3x4 cardstock cards with rounded corners to hold my photos. The jump ring makes it easy to flip through the piccies.

A quick note about the 'lens'. All I did was concertina 2"x12"strip into 2"squares and then keeping one folded side intact, scissor cut a 2" circle shape. Using foam squares I lifted each layer, giving the lens height & that zig-zag effect.

 The stamp on the back is to capture the time, date & info pertaining to the photos. 

Have fun making yourself one of these... they make the BEST baby shower gifts. NB: If you use the cut files (your personal use only) please remember to acknowledge Creating Keepsakes magazine or myself when posting online. 

Thank you for stopping by crafty friends, I look forward to seeing your lovely creations! 

Update & a FREE cut file.

Yes I know...I'm a revolting blogger!

What with assignments, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest...then all the important stuff too... like supervising kids, doing 'Mom-type' stuff, laundry (evil stuff) and making sure there is edible contents in the fridge.

I remain stumped how to do it all??!

In an effort to prove that I am in fact still alive, breathing & scrapbooking) I will post some stuff I did for (the super cute) Debbie Hodge's, Make it Mean Seminar, which went live last month :)

If you are a subscriber, you can hear my live interview here>> 

A Big Hairy Question by Kim Watson

(Used some super cute goodies from Bella Boulevard.)
Sometimes the most inconsequential moment can become a special memory. I showed the students how the 'type of font'can contribute to the subliminal mood of the page.

Spring Fever by Kim Watson

(Used American Crafts papers, Queen & Co & Bella Boulevard washi tape.) 

Here I showed the students of motif and color can create underlying meaning and set the scene without too many obvious markers.

Always laugh by Kim Watson

(Used Jillibean Soup goodies & AC thickers.)
Big conversational titles work so well to say what needs to be said!

He said... by Kim Watson

(A mixture of goodies...can't remember from who (errm!)
Capture conversation using a progression of photos...capturing the moment as it unfolds.

BONUS: You are welcome to use the cut file I made for my photo strips. NB: Personal use only.

<<download files here>>

Oh before I forget... I have a kinda cool new blog post up at Fancy Pants Designs... WAVE TREND! 

Check it out...

I will endevor to be more regular at blogging...:) pinky swear...

As a friend rightly advised..."write a couple of posts & schedule them!"Now why didn't I think of that!

Happy crafting friends! 

Guesting for Bella ♥ ♥ ♥ & new house.

I guested for Bella Boulevard a couple of months ago; creating some pages for their newsletter October/November. I LOVE their mix of products & bright graphic colors.
Thanks Stephanie, Laura & Bella for the loot!

Giggle Gasp! by Kim Watson

I used their decorative tape to create the background.

7th Birthday! by Kim Watson

We are finally in the new house! Goodness moving is stressful. I am just so grateful it is all over. Yes we are  surrounded by piles of boxes, which I just cannot find place for at the moment. But we have decided to live in the house as best we can, and treat it as a holiday house until February, which is when we plan to start the house renovations. Thankfully it'll be mostly cosmetic with not too much structural changes. Tersh & I are so looking forward to having the studio built. We are planning loads of natural light & space. I can't wait. 

The local beach:  'Inner Kom or 'Long Beach' as it is called here, is one of the most beautiful places on earth! We are blown away that we have the privilege of being able to live here & we can walk to the beach in 7 minutes which is half the fun. Kommetjie rocks!

Happy Monday friends!
x

Loving Bella + a little CK too.

 

Hey hey! Today the Bella Boulevard October newsletter goes live! Have you grabbed your complimentary issue yet? Well you should because it is awesome and I have some projects in it too as "Bella of the Ball" this month :)  Thanks for 'having' me Bella... you guys ROCK!

See here for the download LINKS>>

I also two other Bella projects to share with you. This one is a page that was published in the Nov/Dec issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine. The page was created using 95% of Bella's Fall collection from 2011. I love how their collections are timeless, making them easy to use no matter when they were released :)

Day at the Farm by Kim Watson

 (Posted with prior permission from the Creative Crafts group. As seen in the Nov/Dec 2012 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.)

Letters to Santa by Kim Watson

A fast page, made possible with the super cute sticker sheets & die-cuts by Bella Boulevard. 

Thanks Stephanie, Laura & Bella Boulevard for so generously keeping Mr. Posty at my door-step oh-so- regularly with fabulous new BELLA products! 

Fall projects + Bella Guest DT.

Earlier this week I was privileged to guest design for Bella Boulevard. Stephanie is so generous & each season I am excited to see what her next creative collection will be. The line 'Finally Fall' caught my eye with the fun papers, sticker sheets & chipboard accents.
These are x4 projects I did for this blog post.

Sidewalk View by Kim Watson 

For goodness sake by Kim Watson

I used my Silhouette SD to cut these gorgeous leaves.

I Heart you by Kim Watson

  Again my Silhouette SD came in real handy to cut this heart background.
  It takes Courage by Kim Watson

 To see this cute collections & all the others, check out their catalog here! 

So stoked you stopped by!
Have a rockin' Thursday!