paper: pretty paper. true stories. {and scrapbooking classes with cupcakes.}

Modeling paste is such a fun, easy way to add texture to your pages! I’m thrilled to be here and show you some different ways it can make its way onto your projects. I love its versatility and the texture it adds to a layout or project. If you consider yourself mixed-media challenged, or just don’t think it’s for you, I hope to challenge those thoughts today.

Besides the modeling paste, the only other tools needed you most likely already have in your home. For all these projects I used Liquitex Light Modeling Paste. It comes in a jar, and I like to scoop it out with a wide popsicle stick, but you could also use a normal size popsicle stick if that is what you have. The stick also serves as my color mixer and my applicator. Besides a popsicle stick, you can also use an old plastic gift card to spread the paste around which is my preferred method. To change the color of the paste is so simple. On the projects below I used either Studio Calico Mister Huey or acrylic paint. You can change the color before you apply it, or you can change it once it has dried on your page/project. The only thing I find inconvenient about modeling paste is the drying time. You can use a heat tool, but it’s best to just let it air dry. There’s the basics… easy, right!? Now let’s move on to the fun stuff.

Create Your Title
This technique makes for such an eye-catching title, especially when using colored paste on black or white cardstock. An electronic die-cutting machine is a great tool to have for this technique, but not required. If you don’t have a machine, you can use any chipboard letters or letter stickers as long as you can easily remove the letters from your project after paste application. For this layout, I used a Silhouette SD to cut the letters from a scrap of cardstock. Next, I lightly adhered the letters to the page using a tape runner with removable adhesive. You MUST be able to remove your letters — they will not be staying there! I spread the paste over the letters and leveled it out with a plastic card. I also drug some down the left side of the page. Once the paste has been spread around to your likeness, carefully peel off the letters while the paste is still wet. I used a paper piercer to peel up an edge far enough that I could then grab the letter and pull the rest of it off — tweezers can be helpful for this step too. Wait for the paste to dry and finish your layout.

Stamp Into It
Not going to lie, finding the right object for this stamping technique can be a little tricky. The modeling paste doesn’t hold small details, so the stamping is best accomplished with the most simple of shapes. For the hearts on this tag, I used a heart from a package of Studio Calico wood veneer. I tinted the paste with Mister Huey and spread it around on the tag using a popsicle stick. Next, I pressed the wood veneer heart into the paste several different times. Great thing about this technique is, if you don’t like how it stamped just smear the paste around to ‘erase’ it and try again. Once dry, I did a little dry brushing with a slightly darker shade of acrylic paint for some additional interest and depth. You can stitch over modeling paste too… once dry of course!

Add it Directly Onto a Photo
Find a photo with a lot of negative space and give this one a try. This photo/layout is 6 × 8 inches — Studio Calico Handbook size. I used a vintage plastic doily as my mask. Holding the doily down with one hand, I applied the paste with the other and then carefully removed the mask. I didn’t add any color this time. I like the nice opaque white straight from the jar. I repeated the technique a couple more times for movement and variety, then added a title and a couple embellishments. Simple, yet impressive and eye-catching.

Make It Literal
What does modeling paste look like to you? I think it would be the perfect icing for a paper cupcake. Or if you are making a layout or mini album about remodeling your home — it looks like drywall putty. As depicted in my layout it makes pretty great muddy tire tracks. I used the ‘tire track background’ shape from the Silhouette store, and made a one-time-use mask with scrap cardstock. I colored the paste with Mister Huey, placed the mask down on my layout and smeared the paste over it. I saved my excess tinted paste by placing some plastic wrap over it on my mixing surface until I was ready to use it again. Once the tracks were dry, I splattered some mist and picked up a little of the saved paste with a popsicle stick. I smeared the extra onto the page in various places then completed the layout with patterned paper and photos.

Build A Pattern
How about using modeling paste to make a basic pattern more interesting? I took a simple houndstooth shape and repeated it across this card, using a variety of mediums, for a stunning effect. The fun patterned houndstooth stickers are from the new Cut and Paste Line from My Mind’s Eye. I applied one of them randomly on my card and based the rest of my pattern on the placement of this single sticker. Next, I needed to make a template so I can continue the pattern. To make houndstooth template/mask, I picked up the sheet of stickers and cut around the waste part of the sticker I just removed. I stuck the waste part to a scrap of cardstock, then cut the houndstooth shape out again with a craft knife. Now you should have ended up with a mask that matches that houndstooth sticker exactly. I took my new mask and with a pencil I traced the shape repeatedly until the pattern was complete. I applied the remaining four patterned stickers in various penciled spots. Next, I picked up the mask again and used modeling paste to fill in a few more of the penciled shapes. Finally, I colored a few areas with Copic markers and completed the last of the pattern with stitching. How’s that for mixed media—stickers, markers, modeling paste, and thread!

So what do you think? Can you adapt one or more of these ideas to fit your style? Don’t be afraid and give it a try! I would love to see what you make!

Valerie has always been that quiet, creative, artsy girl. You know — the one who was yearbook editor and co-president of the art club? Taking photos and making is art is something she’s always done. She put together her first scrapbook as a young teen back in the 90’s. Thanks to a high school and college art background, there isn’t a medium Valerie’s afraid to use. She might even be a bit of an art supply hoarder. She resides on a farm in Illinois with her husband and 4-year-old son Lucas. Lucas is the best foster brother to the sweet baby girl who has temporarily joined their family. Valerie is a stay-at-home mom and freelance graphic designer. Currently she is on the design team for My Mind’s Eye and is a contributor at Write. Click. Scrapbook. You can find more of Valerie’s work on her blog .

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Im excited to share with you my current go to mixed media product and techniques. I find I am turning to Gelatos for my layouts and Project Life spreads to add color and texture over and over again. Here are a three projects I have previously done on Gelatos. Project Life, Photo Bomb and Hello-Hansens.

I gathered an assortment of Gelatos and a water pen, or you can use a paintbrush and a cup of water. I use a non-stick mat to write a few marks to get started, but you can use wax paper as well.

Because I wanted a paler color red and a darker color peach, I mixed the two colors together to create a soft blush color. Then while squeezing the water brush slightly, I paint quickly across the background paper. My paper did warp because I used a good amount of water to get the Gelatos to spread. The warping doesn’t bother me. But you can try to use less water and/or put something heavy on your pages overnight to flatten.

I switch colors often and find using a baby wipe works well to give me a clean brush.

I want to build layers on my background before I start placing the photos and frames, so next I squeeze a generous amount of water to mix the dark brown and then flick my water brush across my background for little splatters.

I’m ready to add more color. Using both the negative and positive feather die cuts, I use a larger brush and a stippling motion of my water brush to stencil and mask on the background.

I have several wood veneers that would work for the theme of my layout, but decide to use a few as a mask to continue creating my background.

I added an arrow stamp and randomly stamped an asterisk stamp on the background for more color and texture. To stamp with the Gelatos, I use the same water brush, but I suggest experimenting with stamps as some will not stamp a clean image, and the amount of water will effect it as well.

I want to include the positive feather die cuts, so using the Faber Castell sponge tool, I rub the Gelato into the cardstock. I like the soft, airbrush look this gives to the feathers.

After I brush on the light and dark brown Gelatos onto the wood frames, I am ready to put the frames, photos, and embellishments onto the background now.

My layout came out artsy because of the layers I created on the background. But Gelatos work with any style or any scrapbook mood. Use any combination of the five ways I’ve shared to create completely different looks each time such as, painting and creating splatters with water brush, masking and stenciling, using a dry sponge, painting wood veneers, and/or stamping. Instead of stamping with them, try coloring in the stamped image. For a clean and simple look, pick only one technique, such as painting only the wood veneer accents. I hope you try one of these techniques and see which one fits your style.

Patricia Roebuck lives in Mandeville, LA, about 30-45 minutes from New Orleans. Patricia lives with her husband of almost 23 years, her five-year daughter, and her eighteen year-old cat. She discovered her addiction to scrapbooking while waiting to adopt her daughter from China. Patricia has been published in Scrapbook Trends, Creating Keepsakes, Scrapbook & Cards Today, Scrapbooks, Etc., Scrapwerk, and Paperhaus. She is currently designing for Lily Bee Design, American Crafts, and Scraptastic Kit Club. She blogs at Patricia Roebuck. She is frequently on Instagram and Facebook to connect with friends and family.

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My sparkly friend and I are very excited to introduce you to something new: Glitter Girl’s Scrapbooking Survival Guide, a self-paced workshop available now at Two Peas in a Bucket. It includes five chapters and ten videos covering some of the biggest questions that come up on the scrapbooking message board!

I’ll be back with more details, but I wanted to let you know that it is now available, AND that if you purchase the class between now and next Monday using this link, you will also qualify for a free bonus video that can’t be purchased any other way.

Go ahead and check it out, or wait for my longer post with more details, but just be aware, the only way to get that extra video is to click here, then make your purchase. Save your email receipt – you will need it to claim the video. The next post will include instructions for that simple process.

Back soon!

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Welcome to the September Gardeners’ Digest, with updates from the Garden Girls! So far this September, Glitter Girl has been on several new adventures, covering creating page designs with elements that feel they connect, mixing old papers with new embellishments, and a special episode designed for those who have taken a break from scrapping or are suffering from scrapper’s block.

Here’s that most recent episode, which you can follow step by step, but still create a layout that is very much unique, thanks to a bit of help from the beauty of Pinterest.

This project from Garden Girl Jen Kinkade is one of my favourites so far this September. I have plenty of tags sitting in my collection of supplies – time for me to take her advice, I do believe!

As far as shopping inspiration this month, you have a great choice of brand new or on sale, and in a few instances, even the brand new is on sale! Here’s a quick summary of what’s in the store today:
30% off all Teresa Collins products
25% off the Studio Calico Here and There collection, including Mister Huey sprays
25% off BasicGrey’s Carte Postale collection, which I’ve been using so much lately
25% off over a hundred Echo Park products
50% off selected Freckled Fawn products, including wood veneer frame and many washi tape designs
Plus brand new collections include Amy Tangerine Cut & Paste, Dear Lizzy Polka Dot Party, lots from Bella Blvd, autumn and heritage collections from Echo Park, both everyday and Halloween collections from Pebbles, baby and travel collections from Studio Calico, Close Knit and Maggie Holmes Flea Market collections from Crate Paper, autumn and chalkboard themed releases from We R Memory Keepers, and a serious amount of gorgeous paper and embellishments from Webster’s Pages.

So yes… should you fancy some nice new pretty paper, I think you’re all set there! If your order qualifies, ZWPKWA is the shipping discount code for September 2013.

I’m the last stop on the hop today, so you can jump to Jen to find the beginning and follow right on through to see what the Garden Girls have to share with you! Enjoy! And you can find the full list of links on the Two Peas blog.

Now… there’s no giveaway today, because we have some big, sparkly news tomorrow, and that will come with a giveaway, so I’m going to hold out till then, but you will need to check back Monday to see the news! Thanks for stopping by the hop today!

Gardeners’ Digest is a monthly update from the Garden Girls, the design team at Two Peas in a Bucket. To keep up with the Garden Girls throughout the month, check out the garden gallery any time!

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Hello, I can’t wait to share 5 fun ideas to use clothespins! Clothespins are such a fun way to hold items in place, hold things together, or just fun to add to any project.

So for my first project I created a fun chore chart for my kids. I love how this turned out. I hot glued the clothespins to the side of the frame and then attached the string like a clothes line. I then cut out tags and hung them with more clothespins. I scored this cute little clothespins for .25 cents (for the whole pack).

The second project I created was a layout. I LOVE adding clothespins to my photos or just to hold my papers together. These clothespins are from the American Crafts Polka Dot Party line.

Another great thing about clothespins is they hold things together. For this project I printed out daily menu cards and used a clothespin to hold them together. The base of this project is a simple little frame I had in closet. The glitter clothespin is also from American Crafts Polka Dot Party line.

Another easy project to make is a card. I simply added layers and held them together with a clothespin.

And my last project is a wall hanging I made for my daughter. I took a canvas and added some pattern papers. I added a wooden frame and a clothespin you would use to hang up clothes. I painted the clothespin a cream color before I glued it down. I made this décor for my daughter to hang her blankie up when she is done with it at night.

I hope I have inspired you to create something using clothespins. There are so many different size and colors, have fun!!

Angie Gutshall is a stay at home mom for four children. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Brian. She lives in the country in the central part of Pennsylvania. Scrapbooking is where she captures her everyday moments on paper so her children will have something to treasure when they get older. She also loves taking pictures, baking, watching movies with her kids, and created craft projects for gifts. She shares more inspiration on her blog .

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I am so excited to be sharing a technique with you that I accidentally stumbled upon but really, really love. It all started because of the activity captured in the photos – my youngest daughter playing with shaving cream during Splash Day at her preschool. She had a blast covering herself from head to toe in it. I like to experiment with different art mediums so as I was looking through photos, I thought why not try mixing shaving cream with mists to see what I end up with and well, that’s what I’m going to show you today.

Let’s dive right on in and I’ll show you how to create a cool faux watercolor background or embellishments for your next paper crafting project. Warning, this can get a little messy but that just makes it all the more fun!

First, collect all your supplies. You’ll need shaving cream, 2 pieces of cardstock, mists in whatever colors you prefer, paper towels and a scraping tool, such as an old credit card. I also suggest you use a craft mat or a surface that doesn’t stain.

Take one piece of cardstock and apply shaving cream liberally over it.

Grab your mists and spray it over the shaving cream. I wanted to use multiple colors to coordinate with the colors in my photo and the colors of the other papers and embellishments I was planning to use. You could do this with a single color or multiple, it’s your choice. As I was spraying my mists, I allowed each color to overlap the other a bit.

Mix the shaving cream and the mists together, allowing even more overlap of the colors so you avoid getting a solid line at the end of this process, unless of course, that’s the effect you want.

Now, grab your second sheet of cardstock and press it down over the shaving cream mixture. I tried not to let it slip around too much and I let it ooze out the sides to ensure it covered all the edges.

Slowly pull the top sheet of cardstock away from the other and set it flatly on your table surface. Isn’t this pretty?!

If you haven’t made a mess yet, you probably will now. Grab your scraping tool and pull the shaving cream mixture off the page.

Set the page aside to dry while you collect your photos and supplies to complete the page.

You can choose to use the final result as a background like I did or cut it to make embellishments, such as tags, flowers, journaling spots or whatever your heart desires.

Next, layered more paper, embellishments, photos and circle stickers to complete the page. I chose to reuse some of the circles that I cut out by adhering them to the page as well as the base for title. I chose white foam Thickers for my title since they remind me of shaving cream. The journaling is hidden on one of the paper layers behind the photos.

I challenge you to raid the bathroom cabinets or add shaving cream to your shopping list and try this technique out. There are so many variations to this that you can try. Here are more ideas: Swirl the mixture into a cool design using a toothpick to get a more marble effect, create different patterns with the shaving cream as you apply the mists and mix them together, such as diagonal stripes, chevrons, ombre… Mix the colors separately in a bowl and then paint them on to the paper, press a stencil into the mixture or paint the mixture onto a stencil and then apply to a page. Paint the mixture onto paper, a tag or other embellishment and then wipe off. Apply the mixture to a stamp but I suggest avoiding intricate designs – the ideas are limitless!

Heather blogs at The Spotted Leopard. She lives in Cypress, TX with her husband, two daughters, a bonus son and 2 rescue dogs. Her strong desire to capture the everyday stories for her children is what drives her creativity. Heather is currently the design team leader for Lily Bee Design and is on the Design Teams/Creative Teams for American Crafts, Little Yellow Bicycle, Gossamer Blue kit club and Scrapbook Circle kit club. Heather’s work has been published in Scrapbook Trends, Creating Keepsakes magazines and Creating Keepsakes Special Edition publications. She posts regularly to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter .

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I know I’m dreadfully behind at keeping up with Glitter Girl’s adventures here. She has eighty-seven episodes now! She has never missed a week since starting her Wednesday videos at Two Peas and YouTube at the beginning of 2012. Now, I definitely have plans to get that Glitter Girl archive up to date here soon, but I’ve also had some requests for a sort of quick guide that would allow you to jump right to the project you need. With that many videos, it’s easy to get them muddled in my mind, and I have to help that Glitter Girl person film and edit them every week! They display at Two Peas and YouTube with a sneak peek thumbnail and the titles are a little less than straight forward sometimes, so it’s time for a simple guide that includes the full layouts and a description of each episode.

You can find exactly that now on Glitter Girl’s pin board over at Pinterest. Each week’s adventure will be added, so you’re welcome to follow the board for updates if you like. Or just bookmark if it you tend to get stuck looking for an old adventure you remember but can’t quite identify from titles and thumbnails. If you’re more interested in catching the new videos each week rather than going through the archives, it may be best to subscribe to either my YouTube channel or the Two Peas channel. Glitter Girl’s videos are hosted on the Two Peas channel, but they are also featured in a playlist on my channel, so both channels give subscribers a reminder link when the video is up each Wednesday!

I hope you find the pin board helpful, and Glitter Girl asked me to thank you for your ongoing support for the series!

xlovesx

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I love the look of stamped background on a scrapbook page. Stamping is such an easy way to customize your background as you’re able to choose your own color and image from your stamp collection.

Today I’m sharing how I created the subtle and splotchy stamped background using Big Brush Pens. It looks pretty much like one tone watercolor stamping.

I gathered a few things I thought would use on my layout. In this case, I have my patterned papers, slide frames, stamp set and a few colors of Big Brush Pens.

My favorite thing to do currently is to cut my papers into sections. This was done randomly, without measurement. Then I lay them onto my background patterned paper like so, to make sure I have space for each of them.

I chose the stamps and inked them with Big Brush Pens, in different colors. I’m going with green and yellow this time. After inking your stamps, breathe on them to moisten them up before you stamp onto your patterned paper. I find that solid stamps just like the ones I used produce best images. I tried this using outline stamps and you can’t really see the abstract splotchy effect.

Here’s a closer look of the stamped image. I also stamped green leaves on the top left and bottom right sections of the layout to create a ‘path’ for the eyes to move when looking at the finished piece.

I rearrange my sections back and stitch them onto the background patterned paper with white and gold thread for added interest. I love adding a little shine to my pages and plan to add silver thread to my collection soon.

I play around with my layout, until I’m happy with how it looks, then I typed out my journaling with my typewriter. This is another of my favorite. I love journaling with my typewriter, it’s just easier than trying to run a piece of stamped and stitched patterned paper through the printer.

And here’s my completed layout. I used the leaves stamps but the possibilities are really endless. Think hearts, triangles, circles and even solid ampersands. I really love the look of this simple technique and I hope you will give it a try!

Sasha lives 10 minutes walk from one of the beaches in Singapore with her supportive husband of 14 years and her two girls who are growing up too fast for her liking. She started this crazy wonderful, amazing, beautiful hobby in September 2006 and has since been swallowed whole. You can say she jumped in with both feet and not a day of regret ever since. She blogs at sashafarina.com and posts daily photos on Instagram at sashafarina. She is currently a design team member for Studio Calico and Crate Paper. Besides scrapbooking, she loves to travel with her family, with that comes photography and good food. She scrapbooks for her self-enjoyment. The memory recording part is a bonus.

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