Hello everyone!
Well my August kit box is looking quite depleted now. I still have plenty of embellishments left (which I will definitely use on other layouts), but only half a piece of paper!

I've already posted a couple of my layouts - a nice bright layout, and a more subdued one. And here's how I used up the rest of the kit...



This was actually the first layout I created with the August kits - the Bohemian Main and
the Embellishment kit. I adored all the bright ephemera pieces, but I am very fussy when it comes to which ones I use on my layouts. Luckily Manda had me covered by including the Grand Bazaar Constantinople paper, so this fussy gal got to fussy cutting! I must admit, it's not something I have the patience to do all too often, but I always enjoy the outcome!

I could have used the Persia (orange) paper on this layout, but as it's so busy, I decided to substitute using papers with some watercolour to soften it, and strips of the gold washi and the ribbon to add interest and texture.



For the next layout, I used the softer (although still bright) colours in the Chic Tags range. I had a small problem in that I loved both sides of the Celebrate paper (the one with confetti sequins), so I had to be careful how I cut the paper up. Again, I did some fussy cutting to get a unique edge. I love how the sequins give a colourful, playful feel, and they're a little representative of the bath bubbles too.


Chic Tags were so clever in designing this paper to use the reverse of the manufacturer's barcode strip to add little tags. I've noticed a lot of other people using those tags as well, either all in a line, or as flags... seriously cool, Chic Tags! Now that you know how fussy I can be, you won't be surprised to hear that I cut up all of those tags, just to find exactly the right ones I wanted to use. Thankfully, all the pieces I wanted fit back together nicely to stretch the full 12". Before gluing them down, I ink distressed around the edge of each of them, along with all the other papers. I used a cement grey that I like to use on lighter coloured layouts - it just gives a softer touch than a black, which suits this layout better.


Here's a recap of my 4 layouts using the August kits. They're all so different, which just goes to show the versatility of the kits Manda puts together. If I'm not mistaken, there may still be a couple left in the store.
Thanks for looking. I am already having lots of fun with September's kits, so I'll be posting those soon.

Love and light,
Sandra xx

In contrast to my previous soft layout using August's Bohemian kit, I went to the other end of the spectrum and embraced the beautiful earthy colours of the kit! And as it turned out, it was perfect for the two people in this photo and the type of story I wanted to tell. Raw and heartfelt.



I adored the Webster's Pages Field of Gold paper, which inspired me to fill the rest of the page with plenty of gold, including using the washi from the August Embellishment kit (sold out, sorry). {If you knew this girl, you'd know she's going through a massive gold phase at the moment, so it was perfect!} Those coral and gold Pink Fresh Studios alphabets are just so gorgeous, and I backed them with thread and outlined them with a Sharpie pen just to help them stand out from the washi.


I've been using a lot of white/cream backgrounds lately, so it was fun to change it up. Overall, the page is rich and bright. I chose just a few of the Basic Grey Grand Bazaar embellishments to finish off the page - with the amount of colour already on the layout, it really didn't need too much more.


I have used up just about all of my August Bohemian kit now - a total of 4 layouts. I still have plenty of embellishments left over, just not much of the papers. Stay tuned for the other layouts coming up soon on the blog. And in the meantime, if you haven't grabbed your kit already, do so now, there are still some left in the shop!

Love and light,
Sandra xx

Hello there Canaries..

Bernii here with you today to share with you another of my Project Life spreads, although this time I am actually using the August " Bohemian" main scrapbooking kit and a couple of the left overs from the August "Gypsy"  Pocket Life kit. I have pretty much now managed to kill both of those kits and I am so happy with all the scrappy goodness I managed to make. So let's take a look at what I created.

I am using the August Scrapbook and Addon kits but the newest kits are now out and they are stunning!!

If you wanted to have a go at the sketch you can find it here and it remains open for entries till the end of the month. Without further ado here is my take on the sketch.

Hi there Canaries!

Linda here today with another Welcome To Craft post for you!

Some scrappers (and cardmakers, and project-lifers) find it hard to get a layout or spread, to look cohesive and purposeful. I'm here today to show you a couple of tips, that help to create a 'smooth', finished look to all your projects!

So first of all I'll show you my layout


The papers in this Bohemian Scrapbooking Kit from last month are REALLY bright and busy (and fabulous) but as a scrapper who loves layers, I had to be careful to ensure they all worked and still felt cohesive as an overall layout.





OK so here is my biggest tip, and it really sounds silly, but it works.


With colours, with embellishments, with everything. Even if you're working in a grid pattern, or a circular layout, work in triangles!

Here's an idea of what I mean:


As you can see from my super technical diagram (tee hee) I've worked in three sets of triangles, just for the colours. Orange is in the top left, the larger amount in the title, and a tiny pop of it as the tag.
Pink I've used in two triangles (this still counts!), and to save your eyes, I didn't add another triangle, but there are triangles for the yellow/gold elements too!

By having the elements/colours in triangle shaped zones, it helps the layout to look even, without looking too strict or pillar-like (I always imagine big pillars when I think of two rows or columns)

If you work in twos (i.e. NOT a triangle of 3), your layout will tend to look stagnant. It wont feel natural for the 'viewers' eyes, to move around the page. With a triangle, their eyes will naturally flow, and take in all the elements.
Also, if you work in twos, everything has to be SUPER even and straight, and that will end up making your layout or card, look UNEVEN. it's a crazy thing :)

Tip #2

Don't be afraid to use slightly different tones of the same colour.

I've used yellow and gold in this way. The yellow within the arrow-tag at the bottom of the main panel is a different yellow to the yellow in the 'my happiness' along the bottom, and that's different again from the gold glitter tape, BUT, because they're not right up next to each other, it totally works.


Tip #3

Use different textures and mediums. 

 Eg the top panel of arrows

If I had only used a line of the acrylic transparent arrows, this little top feature, would have faded into the background (and therefore be pointless! BUT by adding in some patterned paper arrows, and popping in the little gold foiled 'scenes from today' phrase sticker, this vignette sits comfortably at the top of the page and does a great job of giving the page a boundary, without it looking too heavy or bulky.


Tip #4

Overlap, overlap, overlap

As you can see in this photo, I've done a LOT of overlapping, and this is just a photo of one small section of the layout.

If you overlap things (eg the tags and flags onto the photo, the patterned papers over each other, the title over the patterned paper), even if only a little, it connects all the facets of the page.

If I hadn't overlapped or butted things up against other elements on the page, it would all feel like separate, floating pieces, and the layout wouldn't feel nice to look at.

Take another look.




If the 'favorite snapshot' banner had been further left, and not overlapping the photo at all, it would have felt last-minute or needless. The same goes with the little arrow/label on the bottom right of the green panel; if it sat BELOW the green panel, in the white area, it would look like its floating aimlessly out to sea.

Last tip for today, #5

Don't be afraid to give your layout borders.

I love a good white background, I'm particularly obsessed with airy, floaty layouts (thus why I choose white cardstock as my base over and over), but by adding a small, thin, or light strip of paper, or row of items (eg the arrows) to the top and/or bottom of the layout, it gives the layout grounding. It doesn't feel floating in a bad way, it feels light and airy, but purposeful.

OK! That's it for me for today, I hope I've given you some helpful tips on how to create a cohesive layout or spread!

Be sure to stop by the store to check out the latest sneaks, and if you aren't following us on Pinterest or Facebook, well, DO SO! You're missing out :)

See you again soon!

I have been loving the inspiration from the other DT girls and you lovely canaries using the August kits - you all blow me away with all your variations on the same kit! One of my favourite things about kit clubs is that you never know what you're going to get each month. When I first saw the sneaks for the August kits I was so excited to play with some bright colours! But when I got it in my hands, I have to admit, I suddenly suffered from colour overload, and I realised those Grand Bazaar colours aren't my usual colours! So there was my challenge for the month (and I really do love a good challenge!)... You'll be happy to know I did embrace those new colours, but you'll have to wait a couple of weeks for my next blog post to see how I used them ;) Because for my first piece, using Bohemian (main) and Nomad (embellishment) kits, I've decided to take an entirely different spin, and use the lighter colours in the kit!


It was very much inspired by the Chic Tags die cut circles in the Bohemian kit. and paired with Elle's Studio die cuts in the Nomad embellishment kit, I had a pretty simple page, fairly quickly. I simply mounted things onto white cardstock, then sewed my little heart out. I have been sewing for all of about 2 weeks now, but I love it! {Side note: my husband initially told me he thought it was hot that I was sewing. Now that I've been doing it so very often, he's over it and would much prefer me to spend my time scratching his back...now you all know why I don't bother trying to be a domestic goddess! And those who know me well, would know that comments like that have the reverse effect, so that poor man's back hasn't seen much nail action lately!}

My favourite part of the layout is the hand-made (by Manda) pocket with all the hearts bursting out! It's an effect I've been wanting to try for a while, so those Elle's Studio hearts were put to good use, as was a Martha Stewart punch. With the left over Chic Tag circles, I punched hearts out of their coloured edges and filled the page with them. And rather than leaving the tag string float, I turned that into a heart also!


For those interested, the mist in the background is Heidi Swapp Color Shine in Primrose and Mint Green - they matched perfectly ;)

I love that Manda included both bright colours and toned down colours in the one kit... isn't she clever?! Now I've been hearing some special things about September's kit, so I'm very much looking forward to some sneaks soon - who's with me?!

Beaming loads of love and light your way,
Sandra xx

This month I used the August Bohemia Scrapbook Kit and I have also made a video for you all of how the page came together.

Hi There, it's Ruth with a couple of cards from the Bohemian, Nomad and Gypsy kits. I LOVE these bright colours and the stickers, ribbons and tapes were so fun I wanted to make something to share, so I whipped up a couple of cards from this month's kits. The only think that was not in the kit was the circle punch and the die I used for the word happy.

Both cards are a technique partner to layouts I shared previously in the month, this first one is the same idea as my stash busting layout which was filled with punched hearts, though this time I pulled out my circle punch instead and because the patterns were quite busy and bright, I left them whole.
There are lots of awesome embellishments in the kits that work for cards as well as other projects like the little circle tags from Chic Tags that worked just beautifully as a sentiment for this card, which I plan to use for a birthday but could really use for any happy occasion that we are celebrating, wedding, baby, whatever!

 Hi, it's Ruth here to share a layout using the Bohemian Scrapbooking kit with a bit of the Gypsy PL kit too, one of my very favourites with all those bright happy colours!
This layout started from the paper, I just drooled over it and wanted it to be as much the hero as the photograph, they needed to sing to each other like the sky and the sea and after a lot of shuffling I came up with this pie-chart style page. Bernii was sitting next to me while I was making it and I credit her with the suggestion of the stitching which I think is the perfect finishing touch, thanks Bernii! :)
Here is the whole thing, I used lots of things in the kit, the stamp, a lot of the papers including using the paint stripes to make the bows, I need to add the date on the right hand side in the blue enamel frame, but I forgot to do it before I photographed this. There might be one of these kits still in the scrappy canary store, but I would be quick as I dont see how it will last, this has to be one of my favourite kits of all time!

The second layout I am sharing today using the Bohemian kit is extremely light on the patterned paper by contrast, I used a white cardstock base and then used the paint striped paper in the kit to make a "messy without getting messy" layout. I was really drawn to the paint stripes paper and too a while to figure out how to make it work for the layout I had in mind.
I trimmed the paper into individual colours and then cut them at various lengths and attached them to a fresh piece of white card stock to make it appear as though I had painted the lines where I wanted them to frame my photo and embellishments.
I used the rest of the paint strips to die cut out the bows in the first layout, I know that you can tell if you look closer that the paint is on another layer of paper, but I love the way the colours work on the page, along with those flashes of gold in the title and stickers.
You can find the Bohemian kit for sale in the Scrappy Canary store, I promise you will have a ball playing with this fab kit, the die cuts and transparency are so fun and the gold is so fun!