I'm back today with another layout for Lawn Fawn's August 2015 Inspiration Week! We're celebrating the upcoming release of all of the new products, and today the design team is featuring the new Let's Polka in the Dark paper collection.

The papers in this line are fall and Halloween appropriate shades of purple, orange, black, red, and green, but the patterns are so versatile (a mix of hearts, dots, and stripes), that they can easily be used for non-themed layouts as well.

I took this photo of my little nephew (he's almost 2) crashed out asleep during naptime one day, and when I was flipping through photos looking for some to use with this line the oranges and purples in the picture jumped right out at me.

I wanted to make a handcut title, but I knew if I tried to freehand it that it would a) take forever and b) come out looking a little on the too wonky side. Luckily there are some great (and free!) hand-lettered fonts out there, and I printed my letters using the Peach Milk font in reverse right onto the back of my patterned paper. That meant that all I had to do was cut around the printout, and my title was done! I layered it over a sheet of purple paper with a piece of vellum in between them to tone the color down a bit.

The Puffy Stars Stackables dies have been a go-to for me to use on layouts for a loooong time now (you can see other layouts I've used them on here, here, and here), and I pulled them out once again to make a loose vertical scattering of pattern on the page.

I also took a few minutes to make my own vellum die cut embellishment using a few of my new Copic markers and the cute little giraffe image from Critters on the Savanna. It didn't take very long to do, and I love how it coordinates with Finnegan's stuffed giraffe in the photo.

There are so many other fantastic projects featuring Let's Polka in the Dark on the Lawn Fawn blog today, so be sure to hop over there and see what the other designers have been up to!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

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If you are interested in the products that I used in this post, you'll find them linked up below. I do participate in affiliate programs and use those links where possible. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links I do earn a small commission, but it doesn't cost you anything extra. The Lawn Fawn products used in this post were provided to me in exchange for design work. The remaining products were my own purchases. 

Lawn Fawn LET'S POLKA IN THE DARK 12 x 12 Collection Pack Lawn Fawn LET'S POLKA IN THE DARK Petite Lawn Fawn BLACK TIE Single Cord Lawn Trimmings Lawn Fawn CRITTERS ON THE SAVANNA Clear Stamps Lawn Fawn CRITTERS ON THE SAVANNA Lawn Cuts Dies Lawn Fawn PUFFY STAR STACKABLES Lawn Cuts Dies Gossamer Blue ON MY DESK Enamel Stars PORTER-CABLE PC1500HG 1500-Watt Heat Gun Tsukineko VersaFine VINTAGE SEPIA Ink Pad Simon Says Stamp EMBOSSING POWDER CLEAR Fine Detail Clear Copic Sketch Marker E23 HAZELNUT Brown Copic Sketch MARKER E09 BURNT SIENNA Copic Sketch Marker E29 BURNT UMBER Brown Heidi Swapp Roller Date Stamp Lawn Fawn Dye Ink - Black Licorice Lawn Fawn Dye Ink - Black Licorice

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Lawn Fawn Inspiration Week : Stitched Leaves Layout + Pillow Boxes

Hi, everyone!

I have projects in one post today- one is a layout (yes, an actual paper layout!) and the other is a set of gift boxes that were so simple that I didn't want to put them in their own post yesterday.

Both of these projects are for Lawn Fawn's August 2015 Inspiration Week festivities, leading up to the release of all the new products introduced this summer. The new goodies are also available for preorder at Simon Says Stamp right now if you want to check everything out.

I'll kick things off with a layout using the Let's Polka in the Dark paper collection and the new Small Stitched Leaves die set.

I've mentioned a couple of times in the last month or so that I've been streamlining my layout process so that pages only take about 30 minutes. The switch to 8.5x11 pages and printing photos at the same size were both a huge help with that, and I've also simplified my background choices, trying to stick with white, gray, or kraft (all of the cardstocks I'm using are by Neenah and are 80lb weight). If a scrapbook line has a great grid or neutral pattern that would work as a background I won't hesitate to use it, but starting with just a neutral canvas and a limited number of colors to choose from really helps things a lot.

I'm also typing out my journaling, but instead of trying to use a typewriter to add it directly to a page or using text boxes in my word processor to fit it to a certain piece of paper, I'm instead printing it out double-spaced on the same color paper as I use for my layout background. Once the journaling is printed I cut it into strips and arrange it on my layout however it best fits. I'm loving the tone-on-tone look and the tiny bit of dimension that it adds!

The layout's title was cut using the Cole's ABCs dies and some wool felt from a sample pack I purchased on Etsy a couple of years ago. I bought a 6x9 sampler of every color of felt that Benzies Designs carries, and it's the most awesome thing for making titles!

I mixed Lawn Fawn's new Small Stitched Leaves dies with the previously released larger set (you can see a layout that I made with the originals here) and cut both of them out of some gold metallic vellum to make custom accents for my page. I also used the Tag, You're It die set and coordinating Winter Gifts stamps to heat emboss a little gold on some clear vellum to layer over my white shipping tag.

My second project for today is a set of gift boxes made using Lawn Fawn's new Pillow Box die and add-ons! We give a lot of gift cards and cash as gifts, so this die is going to get a workout for sure.

Not only does the die make pillow boxes super easy and fast to put together, but there are also some adorable coordinating cuts that can be used to quickly decorate them. I used the Give a Hoot and Peek-a-Bat dies on these.

Give a Hoot cuts an adorable owl face and feathers into the box itself, and there's a separate die in the pack that also cuts out wings. I used some plain kraft cardstock for this box and then lined the inside with the same orange paper that I used for the wings. I also blinged it up a little by adding a small sequin on top of each cutout feather.

For the bat box, I used some black paper from DCWV's Glitzy Glitter Stack for the main portion and a purple glitter sheet from the same pack for the face and wings. The ears are lined with a couple of scraps of gray felt to add a little soft texture.

The other girls on the Lawn Fawn team have done some absolutely fabulous projects with both the Pillow Box dies and the Small Stitched Leaves dies, so be sure to check out those posts over on the Lawn Fawn blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Hugs!

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If you are interested in the products that I used in this post, you'll find them linked up below. I do participate in affiliate programs and use those links where possible. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links I do earn a small commission, but it doesn't cost you anything extra. The Lawn Fawn and DCWV products used in this post were provided to me in exchange for design work. The remaining products were my own purchases. 

Lawn Fawn LET'S POLKA IN THE DARK 12 x 12 Collection Pack Lawn Fawn LET'S POLKA IN THE DARK Petite Lawn Fawn SMALL STITCHED LEAVES Lawn Cuts Dies Lawn Fawn STITCHED LEAVES Lawn Cuts Dies Lawn Fawn COLE'S ABCs Lawn Cuts Dies Lawn Fawn TAG YOU'RE IT Lawn Cuts Dies Lawn Fawn PILLOW BOX Lawn Cuts Die Lawn Fawn GIVE A HOOT Lawn Cuts Dies Lawn Fawn PEEK A BAT Lawn Cuts Dies Lawn Fawn WINTER GIFTS Clear Stamps Lawn Fawn CANDY CORN Single Cord Lawn Trimmings Neenah Desert Storm - 80 lb Neenah Desert Storm - 80 lb DCWV Cardstock 12 x 12 GLITZY GLITTER Paper Stack 6x9 Wool Blend Felt Collection by Benzie // 84 sheets Lawn Fawn Dye Ink - Black Licorice Lawn Fawn Dye Ink - Black Licorice Heidi Swapp Roller Date Stamp American Crafts Zing! METALLIC GOLD Embossing Powder Versamark WATERMARK Rubber Stamp Emboss Chalk Resist INK PAD PORTER-CABLE PC1500HG 1500-Watt Heat Gun Scor Tape

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Lawn Fawn Inspiration Week :: Booyah!

I'm so excited to be back with the Lawn Fawn design team, just in time for their new releases! All of the products shown in the August Inspiration Week posts (plus the rest of the new products introduced this summer) will be released on August 27th, and Simon Says Stamp has them all available for preorder if you want to browse what's coming out.

This week the team is focusing on four of the new stamp sets, four of the new dies, the new ink pads, and the Let's Polka in the Dark paper collection. The subject of today's post? The adorable Booya stamp set!

I will have two layouts to share later in this Inspiration Week, but I also jumped in and made several cards this round! Lawn Fawn sends their design team so much awesome product to work with, and I wanted to make sure I showcased each stamp set somehow, even if I didn't have photos that would coordinate with it on a layout.

Ever since switching to 8.5x11 layouts I've found cards easier to design, and I'm definitely still a clean and simple crafter on either type of project! For this card I stamped the three ghosts and a few accessories from the Booya set onto some Strathmore Bristol paper, then colored them with my Zig Clean Color markers before cutting them out with the coordinating die set.

Oh, and a quick tip on cutting apart die new die sets, especially ones with lots of little parts- go to Harbor Freight and get a set of these 5 inch Micro Flush Cutters. They're only $3.99, which is a lot less expensive than the snips that are specifically marketed for crafting. They are a lifesaver for sets where there are little bitty nested pieces that have to be separated!

Before making this card I'd been using watercolor paper with these pens, but, after watching one of Catherine Pooler's videos and seeing how well the Bristol paper worked for her, I decided to give it a try. Both the Bristol and the watercolor paper react differently (of course!), and this is what I found in my (non-artist-trained) experimentation:

Watercolor Paper - Watercolor paper is perfect when you want to use the Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers along with a waterbrush or a wet paintbrush. My go-to is to lay down color with the Zig pen in the areas that I want it to be darkest, then use the waterbrush to blend it out until it fills the rest of the area. The color lifts easily when water is applied. Watercolor paper often has a heavy texture that may not look great against some card backgrounds, though, which is the biggest reason I chose not to use it here.

Bristol Paper - Bristol paper is a drawing paper that is usually reserved for dry mediums or markers. The color goes on very smoothly and blends well straight out of the marker, but it doesn't really lift out of the paper and move when water is applied. I'll be using Bristol paper when I want to do marker blending without water (that is, using two or more shades of Zig markers to get a Copic-like effect). Bristol paper has a very smooth surface and looks great against my Neenah Solar White card background.

Speaking of Copics, I have to warn you that the Zig Clean Color markers have been a gateway drug for me. I never really got into Copics before I bought the Zig pens, but I just bought my first set and love them!

All of the images and the sentiment on this card were stamped with Versafine Onyx Black and then covered with clear embossing powder and heat-set. This is definitely one of my favorite ways to stamp for watercoloring since the slightly raised edge of the embossing powder helps keep me inside the lines, and I love the raised effect that it gives to sentiments.

The Lawn Fawn team has put together a whole post full of awesome projects featuring this stamp set, so be sure to hop on over to the Lawn Fawn blog to see what they have in store for you!

Thanks so much for stopping by- I hope you have an awesome day!

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If you are interested in the products that I used in this post, you'll find them linked up below. I do participate in affiliate programs and use those links where possible. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links I do earn a small commission, but it doesn't cost you anything extra. Some product that I use is provided to me in exchange for design work, and some of it I purchase. I will point out product that was provided to me when I use it.

Lawn Fawn BOOYA Clear Stamps Lawn Fawn BOOYA Lawn Cuts Dies Lawn Fawn LARGE STITCHED RECTANGLE STACKABLES Lawn Cuts Dies Lawn Fawn LARGE STITCHED RECTANGLE STACKABLES Lawn Cuts Dies Lawn Fawn LET'S POLKA IN THE DARK Petite ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Markers - 60 Pack ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Markers - 60 Pack Tsukineko VersaFine ONYX BLACK Ink Pad Tsukineko VersaFine ONYX BLACK Ink Pad Simon Says Stamp EMBOSSING POWDER CLEAR Fine Detail Clear PORTER-CABLE PC1500HG 1500-Watt Heat Gun Strathmore BRISTOL SMOOTH 9 x 12 Paper Pad Strathmore BRISTOL SMOOTH 9 x 12 Paper Pad Neenah Solar White - 80 lb Neenah Solar White - 80 lb

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