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

After six exciting scrapbooking challenges over the weekend (those remain open, by the way) I’m thrilled to share with you a new class for November. In working on this project, I’ve broken down design into smaller thoughts than I have previously, and I’ve actually discovered so many little reasons I do particular things that I’d never really thought about consciously. In contrast to The 20 Project, in creating the pages for this class I really took my time and consider all the decisions I make along the way. What makes a page too busy or too bare to my eye? Why do I feel compelled to add dimension somewhere on the page? What role does texture play when choosing my embellishments? What makes me include a variety of shades of one colour rather than keeping everything an absolutely exact match? And from that comes this new class: Design Decisions.

Class starts Wednesday, the 9th of November and ends Friday, the 25th of November. All shimelle.com classes include permanent access to the materials so there is no rush to complete everything in that time.

Design Decisions includes fifteen extended-length process videos with a focus on the choices we make in designing scrapbook pages. For example, both you and I might start by deciding to make a page with Halloween photos, but from there our decisions have many things to consider: how many photos do we want to include? What size will we print them? What mood do we want to convey? How can we achieve that mood through colour, products, and placement on the page? The videos answer these questions and share design decisions that work for balanced, attractive, and meaningful pages with a variety of techniques.

But Design Decisions is not just videos: each video is accompanied by a full-colour PDF file that gives you a desk reference to the particular decisions made that day. The PDFs include large, printable page sketches, design notes, and photos of the pages shown in the videos as well as additional scrapbook pages that employ relevant design principles. All the videos are my own pages, but a few of my favourite scrappers have also contributed pages to the PDFs to share how the design decisions work in a variety of scrapping styles.

Design Decisions is $25 US dollars. To see what that may be in your local currency, check XE.

Email Address for Class:

If you’re new to classes here, it works like this: sign up at any time on this page. Within 24 hours, you’ll receive an email with your login name and password to access the class on our private forum. From the 9th of November to the 25th, you’ll receive emails with the class materials, which are also posted on the forum so you can choose which method is easiest for you. The forum is also a place to chat with other participants and share any pages you make. If you’ve taken classes here before, the class will be added to your existing account. If you sign up after the 25th of November, you won’t receive daily emails but will have full access to all the class materials to work through at your own pace.

Any other questions, feel free to get in touch by email or in the comments. I’d love to see you in class!

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Ready to make something big? Contributing designer Nicole Nowosad joins us now for our next challenge: make a big title for your page! I love her page design – it’s one I want to try myself this weekend!

We are fortunate to have a lot of outdoor camping spots within close range of our city. We don’t often take the opportunity to battle the mosquitoes and make a weekend of it. Truth is, we are more of hotel travellers! A few years ago, we made a trip out to a local camping ground and had a brief and wet weekend at the park. Although it wasn’t the greatest of weekends, we still made some great memories and spent time together.

I only captured a few photos from that weekend and wanted to highlight them in a different way. The photos we are pretty busy but I didn’t want to just narrow it down to one or two on the page. I decided to diecut a large title “CAMP” out of some patterned paper and then in the open spaces, added a photo behind each of the letters – one photo signifying something we remember about that trip. I love how each of the letters highlights a different photo, while also making a title for the page. It took a little time to balance out what photo would look best behind what letter, but the result something different and unique!

We had a few small different memories of the trip that I wanted to make sure to have included on my page, so I documented little bits of journaling beneath each the five small polaroids that I had cut from some patterned paper and embellished with more fussy cut patterned paper, wood buttons and clear shapes. It is an easy way to note a few small things about this weekend away with the kids.

Now it’s your turn – what word will you turn into a BIG title for your next page? Don’t forget to share it here this weekend to get your discount on the new class!

A note about this weekend’s challenges: I’m leaving all the challenges open until the end of the following weekend to allow more time to participate, but the special discount on the new class will be sent to those who upload a new project just this weekend – by the end of Sunday, 30th of October, 2016. This is for new layouts created this weekend, not archived layouts made previously. One discount applicable per person. You can upload your page to another site (blog, Instagram, Facebook, scrapbooking gallery, etc) and use the InLinkz button above to link to that OR you can upload a photo of your page directly with the same button rather than linking elsewhere. Either is fine! If you have trouble figuring out what to click, give a shout in the comments and I’ll email you with help. Thanks!

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Hands up if you have plenty of outdoor photos you need to get into your albums! As beautiful as they are, it can be easy to fall into a rut of ruddy, dark colours and neutrals with outdoor pages, and sometimes it’s nice to remember the world outside our windows isn’t actually entirely made of kraft, evergreen, and bark. Please welcome guest artist Helen De Ram, who challenges you to scrap at least one outdoor photo in a colourful style of your choice.

My husband and I enjoy the great outdoors and try to experience it in different ways. A road trip out west every summer gives us the opportunity to take horseback rides through beautiful landscapes in a part of the country that we love. This page tells the story of a ride we took through southern Utah that helped me let go of a previous bad experience so I could fully enjoy myself.

When selecting a color story for the layout, I took my inspiration from the photos and my memories of the colors in the canyons and deserts we rode through. I selected blue, green, brown, and grey, as well as yellow and red.

The Grey Floral paper from Shimelle’s True Stories collection did double duty as I was able to use the navy polka dot side behind the photos, and the yellow and blue flowers on the other side were perfect to cut out and use as a visual triangle around the page.

I usually use letter stickers to create my title, but instead the Shine Brightly card from the Starshine cut apart sheet was perfect in color and sentiment. To make it clear that it was my title, I placed it in the center and used red patterned paper as a border.

I was able to find several sentiments in the phase stickers from both Starshine and True Stories that were good matches to my color story. They also help to connect the photos and title card to the journaling and embellishments at the bottom of the page.

Starting with a color story made it easier to select patterned papers and embellishments to create the design as well as support the story and the photos on my page. Will you choose your colors first for this challenge or is there a perfect product you have in mind to suit an outdoor story of your own? We can’t wait to see what you make with those pictures.

A note about this weekend’s challenges: I’m leaving all the challenges open until the end of the following weekend to allow more time to participate, but the special discount on the new class will be sent to those who upload a new project just this weekend – by the end of Sunday, 30th of October, 2016. This is for new layouts created this weekend, not archived layouts made previously. One discount applicable per person. You can upload your page to another site (blog, Instagram, Facebook, scrapbooking gallery, etc) and use the InLinkz button above to link to that OR you can upload a photo of your page directly with the same button rather than linking elsewhere. Either is fine! If you have trouble figuring out what to click, give a shout in the comments and I’ll email you with help. Thanks!

Today’s Guest Artist: Helen De Ram loves coffee with cream, old movies, and quiet country roads. You can find more from Helen on Instagram.

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For our next challenge, contributing designer Leigh-Ann Odynski, invites you to embrace colour and pattern with layers of simple shapes. It’s a great project for small scraps of paper and the end result is beautiful – I can’t wait to see what you make!

It’s almost time for trick or treating! How fun is that? I am sure I am not alone in loving a good sweet treat! On this scrapbook page, I wanted to feature a different kind of treat. It’s one of our family’s favorite birthday treats, cupcakes.

I thought about how to embrace dimension on this layout. I came up with the idea to punch circles and score them so that they resemble cupcake wrappers. In Shimelle rainbow colors of course! Just punch 2 inch circles and score them with straight lines as shown above, before cutting them in half. You can use a score mark (at 1 inch) to cut them in half.

In deciding where to place them on the layout, I tried different spots, but thought they looked most like cupcake wrappers when placed this way. Try it out and see how you can layer them up!

Starting with the bottom row, attach some of the “wrappers” with foam dots. This gives tons of dimension. The scoring also adds dimension to each half circle.

Once you have a full row, just zigzag stitch across the top to give even more texture. Continue with the rows and stitching until you have the amount you desire!

I decided to drop a few splats of Heidi Swapp Color Shine behind the photo, just for a fun icing look. I added tissue behind the photo to give more dimension and resemble bakery paper.

The wood buttons from the new Go Now Go collection were just perfect as a minimal embellishment, and they tie in the wood grain color from the photo.

Your turn to have a go at this challenge with plenty of layers of colour! You can also share what sweet ideas you have to embrace dimension!

A note about this weekend’s challenges: I’m leaving all the challenges open until the end of the following weekend to allow more time to participate, but the special discount on the new class will be sent to those who upload a new project just this weekend – by the end of Sunday, 30th of October, 2016. This is for new layouts created this weekend, not archived layouts made previously. One discount applicable per person. You can upload your page to another site (blog, Instagram, Facebook, scrapbooking gallery, etc) and use the InLinkz button above to link to that OR you can upload a photo of your page directly with the same button rather than linking elsewhere. Either is fine! If you have trouble figuring out what to click, give a shout in the comments and I’ll email you with help. Thanks!

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Next up, please welcome guest artist Karen Lai with our third challenge. This one is all about the colours of autumn!

I love the colours of autumn. I love to go on a hike to see the beautiful leaves and actually bring some of the leaves home.

I wanted to scrapbook this photo of a hike that we went off trail and found an area full of beautiful golden-leaved trees and red leaves on the ground. We dove right in – playing and throwing the leaves up in the air as though we were kids. It was so much fun!

For my layout, I started by painting the background with autumn colours with Distress Inks. I love using them like watercolours. Then I chose papers and embellishments from Shimelle Go Now Go collection because it matches perfectly to my autumn hiking adventure theme. I added the leaves I collected during the hike in my layout as well because the colours were just so pretty. Then I created the title by cutting parts of the patterned paper and added different alphabet stickers from October Afternoon and American Crafts.

Now it’s your turn – I challenge you to scrapbook with a colour scheme inspired by autumn!

A note about this weekend’s challenges: I’m leaving all the challenges open until the end of the following weekend to allow more time to participate, but the special discount on the new class will be sent to those who upload a new project just this weekend – by the end of Sunday, 30th of October, 2016. This is for new layouts created this weekend, not archived layouts made previously. One discount applicable per person. You can upload your page to another site (blog, Instagram, Facebook, scrapbooking gallery, etc) and use the InLinkz button above to link to that OR you can upload a photo of your page directly with the same button rather than linking elsewhere. Either is fine! If you have trouble figuring out what to click, give a shout in the comments and I’ll email you with help. Thanks!

Today’s Guest Artist: Karen Lai loves coffee, watching tv dramas and hiking. You can find more from Karen on Twitter, Pinterest, and her blog.

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Ready for your second challenge this weekend? It’s from contributing designer Heather Leopard, who gives you two options for your page: try patterned paper fringe or scrap with her pumpkin cut file. Or you could be an overachiever and try both!

Hello my friends…While Halloween is all about dressing up and going out trick or treating, it’s also about decorating pumpkins, whether carving or painting so I thought I’d do a layout about my daughter’s Halloween party at school. Sorry, no costumes allowed and by the way, where’s the fun in that?

Anyway, today’s tutorial is all about super sized die cuts. I’m sharing a few TRICKS as well as a TREAT with you today. I was inspired by this cute photo of my daughter painting a pumpkin at her school last year. I decided I wanted to do a super sized pumpkin cut with fringe on the inside. At first, I had planned to use varying colors of orange for the fringe but orange is a bit hard to find in this collection so I went back to the drawing board. I put my thinking cap on and went ahead and cut the pumpkin out. You can download my free Silhouette cut file HERE. I kept both pieces and you should too if you plan to recreate this project. Set them both aside.

As I was pondering, I realized I should mimic the colors my daughter was painting her pumpkin – blues, red, yellows, green, etc. so I set out to look for fun patterns in those colors.

Next I cut little slits about 1/4” to 1/2” apart on each strip and adhered one on top of the other use the cut out piece that I would typically throw away as the base.

Once all the layers have been added, trim around the pumpkin and lay the overlay on top. Stitch it to the top for a pretty effect.

Pull up gently on the little strips to lift them up. You can simply lift them or roll them up over a thin pencil or like object to curl the edges.

Add a title around the top of the pumpkin. This title is included in the free Silhouette cut file, which you can download HERE or you can create your own.

Add layers of pattern paper, die cuts and stickers over and under your photo. Adhere to the page using foam adhesive to lift it up. You don’t want to crush those lovely lifted strips.

To complete the layout, I added journaling below the photo and around the bottom of the pumpkin along with a smaller alpha to complete the title, even though the large title at the top works great if used alone.

Thanks for stopping by today. Please share any projects you make using this free cut file or with patterned paper fringe to participate in this challenge!

A note about this weekend’s challenges: I’m leaving all the challenges open until the end of the following weekend to allow more time to participate, but the special discount on the new class will be sent to those who upload a new project just this weekend – by the end of Sunday, 30th of October, 2016. This is for new layouts created this weekend, not archived layouts made previously. One discount applicable per person. You can upload your page to another site (blog, Instagram, Facebook, scrapbooking gallery, etc) and use the InLinkz button above to link to that OR you can upload a photo of your page directly with the same button rather than linking elsewhere. Either is fine! If you have trouble figuring out what to click, give a shout in the comments and I’ll email you with help. Thanks!

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Goodness me, I have a lot of photos from those twelve days. Thank goodness I dropped my phone and not my camera! Does a giant stack of new photos make you excited or intimidated? It is actually one of my very favourite things about scrapbooking: I never feel like I have to make it through every photo in the stack, so I’m excited by all the potential in those new photos! Of course, if I made them all single photo layouts, I’d need even more room to store all my albums, so let’s be practical with this first challenge of the weekend: create a new page with lots of little photos!

A few posts in the archives might be useful for this challenge: Glitter Girl’s Multiple Photo Mayhem adventure and a double page Sketch to Scrapbook Page spin both include process videos, and Formulas for Stretching Supplies shares four layouts from one kit to scrap seven small photos and one big one.

Now, to get you started on this first challenge, take a look at these fabulous examples from contributing designer Nicole Nowosad and guest artist Michelle Gallant.

Halloween is always a busy time of the year in our house, carving pumpkins and pulling costumes together. Every year I try to take photos of each of my kids for Halloween all dressed up and thought it would be fun to make a bit of a recap page on this project. I had so many photos to scrap that I was a little stumped at first at just how to pull them all together. I decided to print some smaller photos of each of my kids as well as their group photo for each year and then create mini flip outs on my page to keep them all together in one year!

I simply cut a 3“x 12” strip of paper and scored it every 4”, folding it accordion style to the inside of another 3“x 8” piece of folded card stock that I decorated with some die cut shapes, vellum, and wood buttons. I added in each of the small photos and stamped their costume to the empty area in the mini flip out before securing the little mini books to my page in a simple grid. It is a great way to tuck in lots of small photos in a simple and interactive way too!
- Nicole

I decided to use these photos of my kids because it was the first year we let them carve the pumpkins by themselves (with a little help with the cutting). They were so proud!

For my project I used mostly the Go Now Go collection. I love the colors of this collection, it was perfect for my pumpkin page!
- Michelle

I’m leaving all the challenges open until the end of the following weekend to allow more time to participate, but the special discount on the new class will be sent to those who upload a new project just this weekend – by the end of Sunday, 30th of October, 2016. This is for new layouts created this weekend, not archived layouts made previously. One discount applicable per person. You can upload your page to another site (blog, Instagram, Facebook, scrapbooking gallery, etc) and use the InLinkz button above to link to that OR you can upload a photo of your page directly with the same button rather than linking elsewhere. Either is fine! If you have trouble figuring out what to click, give a shout in the comments and I’ll email you with help. Thanks!

Today’s Guest Artist: Michelle Gallant loves taking photos, spending time with family and watching hockey. You can find more from Michelle on Instagram, and her blog.

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Through a combination of little mistakes that added up to bigger problems, things have been quiet here when I didn’t intend them to be. It goes something like this: find opportunity to swap three day family getaway for twelve day amazing holiday and take such opportunity. Decide it is best to focus on family and getaway and not lug lots of work equipment, computer devices, or other such things with me when I can do most things in a pinch with my phone. Twenty-six hours into said getaway, in a moment of jet lag, excitement, and too many small objects in one hand, drop my phone and watch as someone arrives with a dustpan and brush to sweep it away in one million tiny shards of glass. As this is right at the front gate of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, say ‘hakuna matata’ and try to see the best part of the situation.

The best part was that I spent eleven days never looking at a phone and fulling soaking in every single thing. That was pretty awesome.

But a few of the messages I wasn’t receiving by not looking at that phone were telling me that all the things I had scheduled to carry on in my absence were breaking. Not awesome at all.

Now we are back, I have communication with the wider world again, and I have a heap of inspiring projects to share with you. Scrapbook pages! Tutorials! Process videos! And a new class to announce!

So let’s do this: starting now and going throughout this weekend, it’s an impromptu explosion of inspiration here. Online scrapbooking party time! Then Monday morning, I’ll share all the details for the new class and open registration for that. Sound good? And for a little extra, if you create a page this weekend for one of the challenges, I’ll send you a little discount to use on Monday, should you want to sign up but keep a few more pennies in your purse.

Tell a friend: we’re scrapping all weekend, right here!

PS: We’ve entered the ‘Mummy, draw me a _____, please’ phase of creativity. Usually it’s steam trains. Lately I need to add a certain cast of characters to my repertoire. It’s a mixed bag: he is high pressure on time constraints but low pressure on accuracy. Phew.

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