Chantalle McDaniel's Blog Posts

02.16.15

Perfectly You

Hello everyone, Chantalle with you again and I’m looking forward to sharing a couple of layouts I’ve created, using the truly beautiful I AM... and Enchanted collections.

First up, is this page entitled ‘I am perfectly imperfect'. I think the reason we are so smitten with the ‘I Am’ collection is that it resonates will all of us. Not only is it a beautiful line, but the sentiments expressed pertain to our every day lives. We all have our fears, our eccentricities and instead of dwelling on them, it’s a happy reminder to be comfortable in our own skin!

I have stitched together a couple of different elements to create my base layer. Using a sheet of ’Thankful’ 12x12 paper underneath, I then went about trimming the diagram section from the 6x8 elements paper and placing it in the centre towards the bottom. As you can see, I have printed my journalling directly onto this section, using my home printer. Finally, I have placed a 6x4 SN@P! card in complimentary hues at the top, leaving a small gap for interest. Everything was then machine stitched down.

Various elements have been strategically placed onto the journalled sheet. Some stickers have been raised onto foam tape, some ephemera stitched over the top. I have used the prompts on the stickers to remind myself of the things I want to remember this year. I just love the gold touches in this collection!

One of my favourite things I like to do with enamel dots is highlight patterns. Pop an enamel dot over a spotted pattern or use it as the centre of a floral print to add definition.

Experiment with tucking your die cuts in and over other objects on your page. A great way to make your stash go further is to cut things in half... There’s no point wasting a great bit of a die cut that no-one can see anyway!

In this next page, I have pulled out all the elements I could find in the yellow and green hues from the Enchanted collection, to tell a wedding love story. I especially love that rose pattern. Doesn’t it evoke imagery of Sleeping Beauty waiting for her dashing Prince?!

The floral print, inspired me to create a bramble (just like in the storybook!) using my Silhouette Cameo, where I have tucked lots of elements inside, including my photo.

Some machine stitching adds texture along with a mix of elements, like the glitter enamel dots (SO yum!) metallic sheen from the gorgeous silver foil elements and metal bradz.

If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, then you are going to be serious BFF’s with this collection! Layer chipboard frames over parts of a print to highlight them, like on this sheet from the 6x6 paper pad.

An awesome touch is the various sizes and circular shapes included in the washi paper, that also have some sentiments printed onto them. Here I have placed the thicker size of the yellow floral tape onto some plain cardstock, then raised it with some foam tape. Layer another piece of washi over the top to create your own layered stickers.

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Supplies

01.17.15

A Little Bit of Magic

Hello hello! Chantalle here and I’m so excited to be sharing my first Simple Stories projects with you! Adding to this thrill was seeing one of two of my layouts on display in the SS booth at CHA. I’m sure you will agree that the new collections are absolute must haves!

Today I would like to show you more of this page (which you may have spotted on social media). I love to include interactive elements on my pages, so let’s take a closer look…

The new Enchanted collection is perfect for the little Princess in my life. The main image has been mounted inside a chipboard frame. (I actually did a little dance of joy when I saw these for the first time!) and then together they have been mounted onto a 4x6 Sn@p card that I have folded in half. Tip: Round the edges once you are done to get a neat finish.

To the left of the framed image, I have another teeny mini you can open. I created this by using a 4x6 Sn@p card (they are so versatile!) and folding it in half again. To extend the inside and make a gatefold, I have taped another 3x4 Sn@p card to the right hand edge with some Enchanted Washi Paper Tape. I love the tape as the sheets include patterns, punched circles as well as sentiments! Machine stitch over the top for extra hold.

Under the mini, I have used one of the gorgeous silver camera die cuts from the Enchanted Bits & Pieces. Don’t be afraid to alter things to suit your project. Here, I have punched out the centre of the camera to let the detail from underneath show through.

Lastly, to tie the butterfly theme together, I have used some die cuts as well as fussy cut extra butterflies from the patterned papers available in the collection. Some hand stitching adds a special touch and you can easily use a die cut shape as a template! Simply place the shape on your page, and using a hole piercer, punch at regular intervals around it. I like to use embroidery floss as it stands out a bit more than regular thread.

The next page I would like to share with you, is this one, using the stunning new Say Cheese II collection. The gold foil is absolutely lush! My DS is very into his magic tricks at the moment and loves to put on little shows for us. I have tried to include a bit of a magic trick on my page with some photos that change!

For my ‘trick’ I have created a sleeve from a strip of ‘Let’s Ride’ paper, that I have folded into three equal parts. Before I taped it closed, using the chipboard frames as a stencil, I have cut out three squares the size of the inside of the frames into the middle folded area. Once they were removed, I adhered the frames over the holes.

For the removable strip, I have used the film strip print from the 6x12 Element paper. The sizes matched perfectly with the inside of the chipboard frames. Along lengths of the filmstrip, I have replaced with print with some small photos and some journalling.

Now, to make the images change as if by magic, I marked out with a pencil, through the cut out squares, the area where some more pictures could go. These lie behind the pull-out strip IYKWIM and are fixed in position. I printed the additional images out and glued them down. I then folded the sleeve and taped the back shut, not too tight, so as to leave a bit of breathing room for the filmstrip, which I then slid inside the sleeve.