You Are an Artist with Spellbinders

My favorite paper crafting tool used to be my square punch.  It allowed me to include lots of photos on one page and quickly focused your eye on the "most important" part of any picture.  I now have a new favorite:  Spellbinders A2 Curved Matting Basics B die set. I used it on this layout about my daughter:

I think of it as a square punch on steroids!  I still get to choose which part of each picture to highlight plus I get texture and visual interest from the embossing! I used an emery board to scuff up the embossed area and added a little ink - see how it makes little frames inside the photo?!?  Also, with a square punch I am stuck with one size while this Spellbinders Die set allows me up to choose from 9 different sizes and it is really compact for travel and storage!  Love it!

One of my other newest obsessions is the Fancy Chipboard Words from Want2Scrap©!  I left this one absolutely bare but you can paint, glitter, stain, stamp, ink, and gloss over them to create just the right look for each project!

I used more of my Spellbinders Dies to create the banners in the upper right - cork, vellum, washi tape, and cardstock - and I loved cutting out that tiny picture!  The word labels are also die cuts that I stenciled with modeling paste. The lacy velum piece behind the photo was cut and stenciled with the Floral Ovals die set and the tiny flower is from Spellbinders Square Bracket Edge Box die set.

I am going to share one last close up picture of the Frilly Flourish Swirl in white pearls from Want2Scrap©.

I have to say this is my new favorite!  I just love the different size pearls and the delicate flourish - just perfect for any page about a beautiful girl!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you find some time to play today!  Susie

Classy Graduation Layout

I know it is time to mail out the graduation announcements because the senior portraits have arrived!  Seeing my son in a tuxedo inspired this classy layout with Moxxie's Graduation Day collection and lots of Want2Scrap® bling!

I started at the top with Classy Corners - Elegance along the edge of the photo.  I arranged the layout so that the bling also draped over the top of the graduation announcement. I was lucky enough to win some Spellbinders dies recently which included the A2 Curved Matting Basics B.  This set was designed primarily with cardmakers  in mind, however, I use it all the time to create perfectly matted layers in my scrapbooking!

One of Want2Scrap's new charms is the perfect accent here - a key to success you might say!

I love Want2Scrap's Fancy Chipboard Words.  It makes it so easy to create titles! I covered "Graduation" with black acrylic paint, added a coat of Glossy Accents and left it to dry overnight.  I just love the dimension and shine!

I layered one more piece of bling over the photo mat and under the  scalloped die cut strip - Voila!  Congratulations on your graduates!

 I hope you find some time to play this week - Susie

Moxxie Graduation Day Muse-A-Palooza!

Welcome to Moxxie's May Muse-A-Palooza Blog Hop! 

This month we are featuring and you could WIN the entire "Graduation Day" collection! Many people are preparing for graduations of all kinds this time of year, from Pre-school all the way up to College and everything in between plus don't forget those other successes and milestones that are overcome with a little less flare. This line is perfect for all of those moments, inspiring quotes, fabulous designs and a color palette to match whatever you need for your page or project. Check it out!

To have a chance to win, you need to:

• Follow the hop through all eleven participating blogs, check out the beautiful work of
  the Moxxie Muses, and leave a comment for each of them. 
• Comments will close at midnight CST on Tuesday, May 7th. 
• Winner will be announced the next day on the Moxxie blog. 
• International fans are welcomed to play along if they agree to pay shipping in the event of their win.  

My son's high school colors are black and gold so I added a touch of each to this layout:

The Graduation Day collection has some great quotes on the Cardstock Sticker Sheet and the Die Cut Sheets.  I chose one of my favorites and framed it with a laser cut frame from Want2Scrap.

I prefer hidden journaling, so I added a manilla tag with a tassel I created with baker's twine.

I used a craft knife to fussy cut around the design in the lower left corner and slipped a photo underneath, then placed oversized numbers from a Thickers set to denote the year...

 ...and finished it off with a black rhinestone flourish from Want2Scrap!
  
Here is your hopping order in case you get lost along the way you can come back here and pick up where you left off. Good luck and happy hopping!

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Got Moxxie

Susie Bentz  (you are here!)

Patti Hamil

Cathy Harper
 

Rebecca Price

Misty Rushlow

Mary Pat Siehl

Dana Tatar

Rhonda Van Ginkel

Ange Weisbeck 

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Hot Air Balloon Canvas with Spellbinders Die D-Lites!

I love making canvases!  Here is one I made for a very dear friend. I wanted to let her know how important she is to me. I used my favorite quote from the Wizard of Oz, "A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." (Wizard to Scarecrow)

I actually got the idea from a submissions call by Scrap N'Art Magazine.  They were looking for projects with the theme "Love is in the Air."  I had just purchased one of Spellbinders new Die D-Lites, the Fantastic Flourish Three, and I kept seeing the heart embedded in it's design and it reminded me of the rigging you might see on a hot air balloon!

I cut it from Royal Langnickel Copper scratch board, embossed it and then sanded it to reveal the details. The basket was created the same way using the smallest element from Fleur de Lis Motifs.  I added some eyelets and connected it with chains.  The passenger in the basket was cut out of shrink plastic using the Mix'd Media Playtime set.

To finish off the balloon, I created an element cut with Fancy Tags Three and embellished it with coordinating black rhinestone Nestabling from Want2Scrap.  The finishing touch was a "heart of gold" cut from brass using Mix'd Media Elements.

Creating the background for the balloon was so much fun and it hold lots of references to the movie.

I chose the paper because it reminded me of the swirling winds that carried Dorothy over the rainbow.  Across the bottom of the canvas I included a page torn from a Wizard of Oz book.  The washi tapes represent the blue birds and the songs. The Maya Road Crystal Star Trinket pin is Glinda's wand.  I even created my own version of the yellow brick road using modelling paste and Spellbinders Fancy Lattice die.

Here's a look at the charms dangling off of the balloon basket:

Do you recognize the wizard himself?  And remember Dorothy wore ruby slippers just the color of that little heart.  I tried to work in a rainbow, but my girl friend decided I was being WAY too literal and made me put on the brakes!  LOL!


We both love the way it turned out and it looks wonderful in her room.  Now one of her friends is interested in having me create a canvas for her, "Under the Tuscan Sun."

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you find some time to play!  Susie

Materials
Spellbinders  Die D-Lites Fantastic Flourish Three
Spellbinders Fancy Lattice Die
Spellbinders Mix'd Media Elements
Spellbinders Mix'd Media Playtime


Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Motifs
Spellbinders Fancy Tags Three
Want2Scrap Nestabling Fancy Tags Three - Black R
Moxxie paper - Musically Inclined Percussion
ScraPerfect The Best Glue Ever
Maya Road Crystal Star Trinket Pin
Modelling Paste
Royal Langnickel Copper Scratch Board
Washi Tape

Finished a Field Day Layout with Want2Scrap!

This layout was in my "In Progress" pile for more than a year!  The papers came in a kit I was given at a crop and I worked out the basic layout that night, but since I didn't have a photo I wanted to use, I set it aside.  I am in the middle of shifting my scrap area to the other side of the basement and when I "found" it again, I knew I wanted to scrap a photo of my daughter at her school Field Day!

I had fun playing with all kinds of Want2Scrap products to finish it off - charms, bling, stencils and silhouettes!  Here you can see how I trimmed one of the silhouette frames to create an accent for the top of this element...

...and added the cute card-sized Old Time Tricycle at the bottom.  

You know how much I love charms, right?  Want2Scrap just started carrying them!  Perfect way to dress up this little frame, don't you think?

Stencils are also new items in the Want2Scrap store and they helped me add just the right accents - my daughter's initials...

...and arrows to draw your eye to the important stuff!

And of course...a little bling...which Want2Scrap just started carrying in bulk!

I love the way it turned out!  Thanks for stopping by - I hope you find some time to play today!  Susie

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms and a Family Traditions Layout

Today is the Cherry Blossom Parade in Washington DC - so I thought I would share a layout from a previous years' visit - one of my favorite family traditions!

I printed up wallet-sized pictures to squeeze as many photos (and memories) as possible onto one page!  The paper is from the For The Record Collection by We R Memorykeepers. I picked it up on a recent shopping trip to Scrapbooks Plus in Chantilly and it is loaded with great details that make it fast and easy to document your memories.  It is such a versatile collection - I love it!

One of my favorite Want2Scrap® products is the Fancy Chipboard Words and I chose to use (2) of them, Family and Traditions, to create a really easy and striking title. 

The background paper has some star elements and I altered one of the Nestaboard Stars Five to create a dimensional embellishment.

There are more details for this project on the Want2Scrap blog.
Well, you can see I still need to add the journaling and the date, so I'd better get busy!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you find some time to play!  Susie

Win Moxxie's Hockey Collection!

All right, hockey moms! This one is for YOU! 

Welcome to Moxxie's April Muse-A-Palooza Blog Hop!  We have a grungy, icy, rough, real hockey collection to share...and you could win the entire Hockey collection!  Check it out - the neutral black, white, and gray color scheme - with occasional pops of blood red (we are talking hockey, after all!) - will look great with your pictures no matter what color jersey your team is sporting!

The diecuts and stickers have customized quotes and expressions to help you capture the action on the ice! 
To have a chance to win, you need to: 

• Follow the hop through all ten participating blogs, check out the beautiful work of the Moxxie Muses, and leave a comment for each of them. 
• Comments will close at midnight CST on Tuesday, April 9th. 
• Winner will be announced the next day on the Moxxie blog. 
• International fans are welcomed to play along if they agree to pay shipping in the event of their win.

I am very excited to show you my project this month!  Moxxie fans will remember that we ran a little contest on our Facebook page because I did not have any hockey pictures.  The prize was a layout designed by me.  The winner was Linda and she very generously shared pictures and journaling from her son's 14th birthday party!
.

Click on any image to see a larger view.

I fell in love with a photo she had of her son lying on the ice at sunset, so I  used Photoshop to journal directly on the picture and printed it out as an 8"x10".  I created the title with Thickers....

 ...and doubled up the borders from the Diecut Sheet.  The Penalty Box ticket is also a Die Cut!

One of my favorite features is at the center bottom of  the layout.  The base of each page is Moxxie's Slapshot paper, which features the image of a hockey player in the bottom left corner.  On the right hand page I used my kraft knife to partially cut out the hockey player so I could slip papers and die cuts behind it.  On the left page I added a rhinestone flourish. 

The Swirls Finesse from Want2Scrap looks like the hockey player is kicking up some ice as he skates by, don't you think?

Linda sent me several great pictures from that day on the ice so I printed them up in different sizes and matted them with black cardstock.  I was really happy to be able to incorporate several more pieces from the Hockey Diecut Sheet on the right hand page. Here is a group shot with one of my favorite quotes, "Give Blood, Play Hockey."

The centerpiece of the page is a circular die cut with a clever play on words, "What's life without goals?"

I accented it with Want2Scrap's Nestabling Heart Circles Black Rhinestones.
Thanks again to Linda for being so generous with her pictures!

Ready to hop?!!  Here is your hop sequence...  on your mark, get set --- GO!

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Got Moxxie

Susie Bentz (you are here!)

Patti Hamil

Cathy Harper

Michelle James

Rebecca Price

Misty Rushlow

Mary Pat Siehl

Dana Tatar
 

Ange Weisbeck

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Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you find some time to play today!   Susie

Products Used:

Moxxie Hockey Slapshot

Moxxie Hockey Faceoff

Moxxie Hockey Diecut

Want2Scrap Nestabling Heart Circles Black Rhinestones

Want2Scrap Swirls Finesse Silver Rhinestones