Embroidered Scrapbooking Layout | Challenge Yourself

Hi everyone, this week over on the Pebbles blog is all about challenging ourselves. I went about tackling this by doing something relatively new to me – Mixed Media – and something I LOVE to do but never make the time to do – Hand Stitching.  Take a look at this embroidered scrapbooking layout and then keep reading to see how it all came together.

As you can see, I did not shy away from this challenge. I just fell in love with the floral patterned paper and absolutely HAD to create an embroidered scrapbooking layout.

To get started, I trimmed the upper right and lower left triangles of my layout. If I had been machine stitching a pattern, I would normally have stitched the entire thing but I knew I didn’t want to embroider something that I would have to cut apart. I added a small cluster of die cut flowers and a wood embellishment to the top portion of the layout.  Just a little since the embroidered patterned paper was quite busy enough.

This is the lower half. As you can see, I spent way too many hours poking holes and threading the needle doing what I refer to as a regular stitch and french knots. If you are thinking about doing this, I suggest finding a comfy spot of the couch and binge watching your favorite show. Or if you have a road trip (and your the passenger) or a long flight.

I added two photos to the layout. I was originally going to tuck them both under the pretty embroidered patterned paper so I wouldn’t have to cover any of it up but it didn’t look right so I tucked one under and another over. That’s when it felt right!  I also added some layers of patterned paper and vellum and die cuts, 3D stickers and regular stickers.

Oh, the mixed media…I added white gesso to the yellow patterned paper background and then applied watered down mist to the gesso. I just needed to soften up the background slightly and add a few pops of color. All I need to do now is add my journaling – private words to my daughters will be written on those lines above!

There you have it – my labor of love, literally and figuratively!  I hope you have enjoyed seeing how I challenged myself this month and hope you will try something just a bit outside of your comfort zone very soon!

xoxo, Heather
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Supplies:
My Bright Life Bright Life Patterned Paper 733858My Bright Life Stitched Flowers Patterned Paper 733859
My Bright Life Fresh Picked Patterned Paper 733859My Bright Life 6×6 Paper Pad 733892My Bright Life Ephemera Die-cuts with Gold Foil 733884
My Bright Life Cardstock Stickers 733882My Bright Life Dimensional Stickers with Gold Foil Accents 733883

Hawaiian Luau Party Decor

Aloha everyone, I'm here and with summer fully upon us here in the States, I’ve been daydreaming about Hawaii. I figured why not throw a little Hawaiian party on a random Friday?!?!

The new My Bright Life collection has the perfect mix of colors to pull this Hawaiian Luau Party off. The decor I created includes garland I cut and strung, cupcake holders and toppers to resemble a pineapple and a few goody bags. Let’s take a look at how it came together

Lei inspired garland

The backdrop features a lei inspired garland. To get this look, I cut plumeria flowers out of two different patterned papers as well as palm leaves in two different sizes and then large yellow circles. I created 7 garland strips each containing 10 pieces (a mix of flowers, leaves and circles). Once I had 10 pieces for each strand, I ran them through my sewing machine with a straight stitched until I got to the end. I repeated that process 6 more times.

Pineapple cupcakes

So I cheated with store bought cupcakes and they’re a mix of chocolate and vanilla – not pineapple but I dressed them up as pineapples.  Using a cut file I purchased, I simply cut cupcake wrappers and pineapple toppers using my electronic die cut machine.

The wrappers have little cuts in them and when you bend them back slightly, it resembles a pineapple.

The pineapple toppers can be inserted right into the icing. So easy and oh so cute!

Goody Bags

Since Hawaii is known as the rainbow state and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo`ole is one of my all time favorite songs, I made Rainbow tags for the goody bags.

They are cut into squares and feature a scallop circle and “Mahalo”, the Hawaiian word for Thank You. I decided to add some palm leaves and a flowers as well.

I hope this mini Hawaiian Luau party I am hosting for my girls this weekend has you daydreaming of Hawaii as well.

Mahalo,

Heather

Supplies:
My Bright Life Stitched Flowers Patterned Paper(733859)
My Bright Life Field of Flowers Patterned Paper (733879)
My Bright Life Bright Stripes Patterned Paper (733869)
My Bright Life Flower Rows Patterned Paper (733862)
My Bright Life Fresh Picked Patterned Paper (733875)
My Bright Life 12×12 Paper Pad