Cross-Stitching Layout #1 (and Process Video!) for Scrapbook Expo

Every other week I have a technique-based post on the Weekly Scrapper Blog for Scrapbook Expo! Up until now they've all been previously made layouts so I was excited when I found myself with a few extra hours a few weekends ago and no immediate scrappy deadlines so I could make new layouts! I'll share one today and another tomorrow. I finally did the cross-stitching I've been wanting to on the cross-stitched papers in Take Me Away!

BEST YEAR YET by Paige Evans

DESCRIPTION: This entire stitching project took about 8 hours - but to me it was worth every stitch! I know stitching isn't everyone's favorite, but I find it relaxing and therapeutic and could do it all day long :) One of these days I'll get tired of it and move on, but for now, stitching is my fave!

JOURNALING SAYS: 2015 was an amazing year full of travel and adventures. It's going to be hard to beat! Bring on 2016!

HOW TO: Cut Paper 03 in half along the zig zag and then poke holes all across the top section on the "x"s to prepare for stitching. Choose colors of thread (I pulled the colors of the stitching printed on the paper) and then cross stitch through the pattern. I stitched all of one color at a time so I wasn't constantly changing threads. I also added more light blue and light pink than there was printed on the paper. Cover another full Paper 03 with a sheet of vellum then adhere the embroidered paper at the top with foam dots. Adhere two photos vertically on the bottom and tuck die cuts and chipboard stickers underneath & on top to create a focal cluster. The title is a mix of Thickers from Fancy Free and Take Me Away. Machine stitch through the year. Type journaling on a Typecast, cut it into strips, and adhere it at the bottom.

SUPPLIES: Patterned paper, Thickers, chipboard stickers, paper clip, die cuts, button, puffy stickers, wood veneer: Fancy Free and Take Me Away by Paige Evans / Pink Paislee; Floss: DMC; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark; Typewriter: Typecast by We R Memory Keepers; Vellum, adhesive: American Crafts

PROCESS VIDEO: See how this layout came to be in a 7.5 minute start-to-finish video:

DETAIL SHOTS:

I'll be back tomorrow to share the 2nd layout and process video!

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Bookbinding Workshop in Berlin

On Saturday February 25th 2017 I will be teaching a bookbinding workshop in Berlin with my 3rd Pink Paislee collection!

The class is from 10am-4pm and includes a fun kit, lunch, snacks, and drinks - all for 89 euros. For more information and to register, visit: http://www.cathleenkick.de/BB-Crop/minibook-workshop-mit-paige-evans-25-2-2017.html

Hope to see you there!

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Thanksgiving 2016

Photos and stories from the past couple weeks:

I couldn't help it! They started putting Christmas things out even before Halloween! So I gave in and got caught up in the holidays at the beginning of November.

Christmas cards since 2009 taped on a door. We're getting this year's pictures taken tomorrow! A few days before I left working in-house at American Crafts in Utah way back in 2009 (we moved to California so Chris could go to dental school at USC) I purchased like 50 of every color of cardstock. Nearly 8 years later I still have most of it...! But it comes in great for things like this where I need lots of of colors of paper. For Activity Days we traced our hands and wrote things we're grateful for to put on a Thankful Tree.
We've been watching Big Bang Theory and caught up to all the seasons they have available on Netflix. I look forward to snuggle time with my fat cat all day long, no joke.

They've been building this church in our neighborhood since shortly after we moved here in 2013. Supposedly it's opening in February. Anyway, I just thought it was a lovely morning with shapely clouds.

Fox's class had a Thanksgiving feast!

My little turkey. Fox ate THREE corn on the cobs. Jane enjoyed "eating" plastic food.

The sun rarely shines in these parts this time of year, so any glimpse of sunshine is worth documenting, especially pink and blue sunrises!

We started a new tradition a few years ago: on Thanksgiving we watch all 10 Thanksgiving-themed Friends episodes. They're the best. Friends is the best.show.ever.

I made a green bean casserole! Chris made everything else. He's amazing.

Turkey time! Get in my belly!

So thankful for my family - words can't adequately express how much they mean to me! We just tried for a year unsuccessfully to get pregnant and now with a big move back across the ocean we're putting growing our family plans on hold and I've finally found peace with this. It will happen (hopefully!) in due time and I'm so thankful for the two wonderful and amazing children we do have! ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ 

Happy Thanksgiving from the Evans fam!

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Teaching at She Loves Color!

Popping in to share some fun news: I will be teaching at the She Loves Color event hosted by Bella Blvd in Milwaukee Oct. 12-13-14, 2017! It's my first official event for when we live back in the states! Check out this lineup of other awesome teachers:

For more information and for bookings email Nilmarie at: nilmarie@bellablvd.net

Hope to see you there!!

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Studio Calico Sonnet Layout & Process Video

I have a new layout and process video to share today made with the Studio Calico Sonnet kits!

HELLO CHEEKY by Paige Evans

DESCRIPTION: I was perusing through the digital files for the month and saw the cute birds card, and decided to base my entire layout on those feathered friends. With the help of my Silhouette Cameo, I was able to trace and cut the birds from white cardstock (a brand new mat and blade will ensure a nice, clean cut!).

JOURNALING SAYS: We all have our good days and off days, sometimes we can't have everything we want, it's just called LIFE :)

HOW TO: In Silhouette Studio, drag and drop the digital birds card and then trace the birds. Cut the birds from white cardstock and carefully peel them from the mat. Spray adhesive on the backs of the birds and add them to patterned papers. Fussy cut the birds out. Adhere the white cardstock die cut background over pastel patterned paper then adhere the fussy cut die cut birds on top, slightly off-centered, using foam dots. Create a photo focal point cluster then journal to the left. Stitch a subtitle below the journaling. Watch the video below to see how it all came together!

SUPPLIES: Scrapbooking kit: Studio Calico; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark; Die cut machine: Silhouette Cameo

PROCESS VIDEO: I'm trying to make videos for every layout I make now, cuz, why not?! :) Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you're the first to know when a new video is up!

DETAIL SHOTS:

That's all for now! Be back soon!

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Pocket Letters

I was scrolling through instagram back in September and came across this picture by my fellow scrappy friend, Zsoka Marko, that made me pause and gasp out loud:

Turns out I'm late to hop on the bandwagon, pocket letters have been and are a THING as a quick search on Pinterest and looking at the #pocketletter hashtag reveals!

I not so subtly asked if Zsoka would make me one and she DID! Only a few days later this pocket letter made with Fancy Free showed up at my doorstep. Isn't it lovely? 

I finally had the time to return the pocket letter favor and here's what I made using Take Me Away:

I had so much fun making this, I don't want to stop! Who's in for a swap?!

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Take Me Away PaigeBook

I learned how to make books in college and haven't stopped making them since! Here is my latest "PaigeBook" using my Take Me Away collection with Pink Paislee:

This little book is 4x6" - the same size as standard photos so it's perfect for so many different uses: scrapbook, mini album, journal, smashbook, baby book, wedding sign-in book, bridal shower book, etc!

I used two colors of thread to bind it together - pink for the first half and aqua for the second half. I tried to match the colors of thread to the colors in Take Me Away.

I tied some things into the binding as I was sewing, namely, pearls and jewels, and also the little buttons from Take Me Away, and I was super ecstatic when I realized the epoxy paper clips from Take Me Away have loops so they strung right on like charms! FUN!

The covers are made from wood that my dad cut for me and then I painted.

My original plan for the covers was to paint white and colored stripes, but after I pulled off the first layer of washi tape it was going to be a bigger pain than I felt like tackling to add in the color stripes. So I was going to start over and paint the covers all white. When I added the next coat of white all over, I liked how the first layers of white showed through! Done and done.

I used all 24 double-sided patterned papers (so 24 x 2 = 48 patterns) from Take Me Away to make the book - 12 "signatures" (groups of papers) made with 4 papers each = 48, so it worked out perfectly to show every pattern!

From start-to-finish this book took about 2.5 hours.

I have an online class showing how to make these books as well as kits to get you started if you're interested in learning! Visit: bit.ly/bookbindingshop

Now off to make a baby book for my friend's 3rd baby boy!

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Birds of a Feather, UK

I love being able to use my degree in teaching paired with something else I love... SCRAPBOOKING! :) This past weekend I had the opportunity to teach at the first Birds of a Feather workshop in Birmingham England. It was the most put together and well thought out event (especially for being their very first one!), the students were spoiled with so many goodies, and Hey Little Magpie even brought a pop up shop so the delegates could purchase supplies then and there. It was a fantastic weekend filled with laughter, unique food (lol), and creativity!

On Friday afternoon I headed out to the Nuremberg airport and began my journey to the UK.

 A quick layover in Paris then legit French beignets as an in-flight snack to Birmingham!

 The event was at the Antsy Hotel - used often for weddings and receptions. There were butlers and the like in tuxedos everywhere, I felt like I was living in Downton Abbey for a weekend, it was so posh and fun!

The grounds surrounding the hotel are immaculate.

 All set up for two days of crafting!

Sweet shop - don't mind if I do!

Layouts made by the event coordinators and talent behind Birds of a Feather - Jackie, Sam, and Sheena. They're the ones who should be teaching! And they will, at future events!

 The Hey Little Magpie shop lined the room and ladies enjoyed shopping between layouts.

I want them all!

 Coincidentally my dress was the exact same colors as the rug!

 Class in full swing!

 Fancy Free and Take Me Away :) Samples of my 3rd collection are on their way as we speak!

I even went shopping a bit and picked up the latest Maggie Holmes collection and the Snow & Cocoa winter line by Crate Paper.

 The food at every meal was so FANCY and I tried new-to-me things like Yorkshire Pudding!

It was such a lovely weekend, words and pictures can't do it justice!

Here are the 4 layouts we made in the order we created them:

TOO CUTE by Paige Evans

DESCRIPTION: We've been making a die cut page like this in all my classes so this is this workshop's version!

JOURNALING SAYS: Happy fourth birthday to you Jane! On the way to church we pulled over in front of the big yellow canola oil rapeseed fields at the bottom of our neighborhood and took a million photos in just a minute or two, that's all I needed :) Love you!

HOW TO: Trim off the tearaway strip and cut apart the squares from Paper 07. Fold each square in half and use the provided flower petal template to trace and cut out petals. Turn over the provided flower background cut file, spray it with adhesive, and then back the die cut petals with the patterned paper petals. Adhere the entire piece to the B-side of Paper 18 using dimensional adhesive. Layer a photo over a doily and pink frame die cut then adhere on the right side. Cut a wood veneer scalloped circle in half and tuck the halves under the photo; place a pink button on the left. Make a title from Thickers on the right and glue a banner die cut below. Journal on the left and stamp a flower below.

SUPPLIES: Patterned paper, Thickers, button, die cuts, wood veneer, roller stamp: Take Me Away by Paige Evans / Pink Paislee; Die cut background: Paige Evans; Doily: Wilton; Pen, adhesive, ink: American Crafts

DETAIL SHOTS:

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AWESOME by Paige Evans

DESCRIPTION: Save those tearaway strips and use them to cover a large die cut to make a fun focal element!

JOURNALING SAYS: I love taking pictures of you two in front of cool doors, this particular one is outside the airbnb we rented in Florence Italy, May 2016. Isn't it a'door'able!

HOW TO: Trim off the tearaway strips from all of the patterned papers. Generously apply adhesive to the provided “&” die cut then cover it with the paper strips. Using a craft knife on a crafting mat, carefully trim off the excess and the inside holes. Place the “&” on scratch paper and carefully outline with a bold black marker. Adhere the “&” onto Paper 14. Layer die cut and chipboard sticker frames over a photo, adhere it on the left, then embellish with a wood veneer pennant, 2 heart chipboard stickers, and an “awesome” chipboard sticker. Create a cluster of embellishments above the photo with a flower die cut, a wreath flower die cut trimmed in half, a bow button, wood veneer heart, chipboard heart sticker, and two sentiment chipboard stickers. Journal above the end of the ampersand.

SUPPLIES: Patterned paper, chipboard stickers, button, die cuts, wood veneer, roller stamp: Take Me Away by Paige Evans / Pink Paislee; “&” die cut: Paige Evans; Pens, adhesive: American Crafts

DETAIL SHOTS:

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LOVE THIS by Paige Evans

DESCRIPTION: This layout features a big patterned paper title! Could be hand cut, but in this case we used templates.

JOURNALING SAYS: We found 'the' colorful row of houses/buildings in Cologne! A Beautiful Mess regrammed the photo I shared of them, happy times!

HOW TO: Splash white paint in the center and working outwards on the B side of Paper 01 and let it dry. Using the shared die cut letters, trace and cut an “L” from the B side of Paper 03, “O” from the B side of Paper 20, “V” from Paper 03, “E” from Paper 16, “T” from Paper 02, “H” from Paper 19, “I” from the B side of Paper 11, and “S” from the B side of Paper 16. Outline the letters with a black pen then distress all the edges with scissors. Adhere the letters along with a photo partially covering the “O” onto the painted background. Trim a chipboard floral wreath sticker in half and tuck one half under the “O”. Cut apart the houses chipboard sticker and add one house and half of a purple frame die cut under the photo. Place “HEY” and a geotag wood veneer overlapping the photo and glue a button next to it. On the bottom right, layer a flower die cut, another chipboard house sticker, button, and a wood veneer heart topped with “colors” and “FUN” heart chipboard stickers. Journal on the bottom right corner. Add stamping to the top left corner. Splash black watercolors over the top left and bottom right and let dry.

SUPPLIES: Patterned paper, chipboard stickers, buttons, die cuts, wood veneer, roller stamp: Take Me Away by Paige Evans / Pink Paislee; "LOVE THIS" cut file: Paige Evans; Watercolors: Loew Cornell; Paint: FolkArt; Pen, adhesive, ink: American Crafts

DETAIL SHOTS:

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SWEET LIFE by Paige Evans

DESCRIPTION: Can't go wrong with a bit of fussy cutting and hand stitching :)

JOURNALING SAYS: Love you two so much and your brotherly / sisterly love for each other - you make my life worth it!

HOW TO: Using a ruler and a pencil, draw lines from corner to corner. Pierce a hole every ¼” (starting partway from the corners) then erase the pencil lines. Backstitch through the holes using white thread. Hand cut two large flowers from Paper 10, three flowers with leaves from Paper 02, and a bunch of small flowers from Paper 17. Adhere the flowers to the top and bottom quadrants and add die cut and chipboard sticker flowers and leaves to the mix as well. Tips: Start with the largest flowers first then add the smallest last; point all the leaves in the same direction; only use a little adhesive and bend up the edges for lots of dimension. Mat three square photos onto Paper 11 and adhere it across the center. Place a die cut frame behind the center photo, journal on the bottom, frame with Thickers parenthesis, and tuck the top of a “SWEET LIFE” tag and half of a floral wreath die cut above. Embellish the right photo with a chipboard flowerpot sticker and button and the left photo with a wood veneer circle, button, and chipboard heart sticker.

SUPPLIES: Patterned paper, chipboard stickers, buttons, die cuts, wood veneer: Take Me Away by Paige Evans / Pink Paislee; Thread: DMC; Pen, adhesive: American Crafts

DETAIL SHOTS:

Saturday group photo:

Hope to be back and teach one more time before we're outta here in less than 9 months!

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