Step by Step Tutorial: Dimensional border from punched circles

Hello! Last week, I showed you a layout with a fun use of my circle punch. Today I have a fun tutorial for you today - it's for a really fun, dimensional border that you only need the same ONE punch for (and a bunch of scraps). Here's a little look at what it will look like at the end:

First off, grab a circle punch - I used a 1" punch, but you can use any size up to about 2". Then, take a bunch of paper scraps. Make sure they are double sided, because a little of both sides will show up in the end. It might be a good idea to choose one 6x6 pad to do this with, just so that everything coordinates in the end. But really, it's up to you! Punch away until you have a nice sized pile that looks like this.

This next step is really important, and gives the border its unique character, so pay attention! You will need a very sturdy piece of cardstock, or maybe even some thin chipboard. Trim a short strip that is the length of approximately half the width of your circles. In my case, it was 1/2 inch. Place this guide in the middle of a circle and then fold the sides over. Here's what it looks like in action:

Do this with all the circles. Make sure you alternate which pattern shows up as the base or the flaps if you have duplicate circles from the same piece of paper. Then the next step is to assemble!

Take a long scrap of paper that you will lay the pieces on. The fastest way to attach them all is to place long strips of adhesive along the edge of the paper, so you don't have to place adhesive on each piece one at a time. Hope that makes sense!

You simply have to place the circles side by side. However, when you get to the second row, you can alternate which circle overlaps the other for even more variation. You can add more rows if you want, but I just did two. Make the strip as long as you can until you run out of circles. You can always trim your finished strip into smaller pieces, which I did later on.

Trim off the scrap paper from the bottom of your strip, and then it's ready to add to a layout!

I kept this layout pretty simple, because I think the circle border really adds a lot already.

So there you have it, a fun way to put a basic punch to use! I hope this inspires you to take out your simple circle punch and do something fun with it!!

P.S. I recently discovered an AMAZING way to make DIY enamel dots!!! I'm working on a tutorial for you all now, and will have it up soon! I'm thinking of doing a little giveaway of them, too - let me know your thoughts on this in the comments - would you like a giveaway, does DIY enamel dots sound interesting to you?? ;)

Lifted - A Turning Point

The layout I'm going to share with you is really special to me, not just because I feel the end result is beautiful, but because the story behind it is beyond meaningful. I think I can say with relative certainty that this layout documents a point in my life that I will look back on and say, "Wow. That was when my life changed."

It all started with a Symphony Church retreat... I honestly didn't expect much of it. Sure, I knew I would learn a few things, and it would make me feel great for a weekend, just like all other retreats... but change my life? Nope, because I thought everything in my life was just jolly and nothing needed changing.

I was so wrong and I probably would not have realized it, except for the fact that God spoke to me through other people that weekend and convicted me of things in my life that, deep down, I knew needed to change, but I simply did not want to. For those who don't believe in God, this might sound like craziness. It might seem ridiculous to change one's life based on some feelings you get at a secluded retreat. But let me tell you, there is nothing fake or "emotional" about someone you have never met speaking truth about your life as if they knew you... because God had told them all about you already. Something like that is so real and, at the same time, supernatural. Honestly, it freaked me out a bit. But it was also exactly what I needed - that push in the right direction.

So yeah, that was a bit of background about my story... now onto the scrapbooking! I used what I call the "punch and piece" method, inspired by the always-amazing Paige Evans. All you have to do is punch a whole bunch of 1" circles from pretty papers (I used mostly the Maggie Holmes Flea Market 6x6 paper pad) and piece them together in whatever way you want! I tried something like my last layout, where the photo is pushed off to the side (rather than in the center, like I usually do) - but it's still the highlight of the page because of the amazing border of circles around it! Just check out those wonderful layers...

I'm just really having fun playing with this kind of format, because you have so much room to play on the rest of the page, while still letting that beautiful background paper show! There's also a lot of room for journaling, which of course I needed for my story.

I've been getting a lot of use out of my circle punch lately, and I'll have a really cool tutorial up next week where I make a fun, dimensional border out of this one punch!

A turning point, captured.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my story today! Hope you have a great week!! :)

xx Michelle

*Sweet Stamp Shop* - Double Take | Circles

Hey! I'm here today with one of my favorite parts of the month – Double Take!!! Today we are going to be focusing on a very basic and versatile shape – circles! I love being able to turn a simple shape into something awesome – it makes you think a little more creatively to find ways to use it!

I decided I wanted to make a confetti-like effect for my projects. And of course, since this is a Double Take, I wanted something that would work for both a layout and a card.

One of the best ways to get double duty out of your supplies and projects is to use BOTH the positive and negative shapes of die cuts/punches. I designed a fun background with circles, which you can download here, and cut it out of some watercolor paper that I had painted on very subtly. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to use on top of that beautiful rainbow paper from Crate Paper, because it hides some of the busyness of all that color! I love this effect, because I looove color, but sometimes think it is too overwhelming for my pictures; this way, I get to see some of that lovely design, while still focusing on what’s important on the page.

After that was done, I went to work adding lots of layers under my photo and then going crazy with my Sweet stamps. I used sentiments from Triangle Style as well as Made By #2. My layout was about how I love to create things, and about the first skirt I sewed, so I couldn’t have thought of more perfect sentiments to go along with my story!!! Here are some close up shots of the page and the stamping and the final page

Oh, and those cardboard/chipboard stars - same, easy DIY concept as my last Double Take!

So after my layout was finished, I had a bunch of those circles left that had been die cut.

I thought they would be perfect just scattered on a background with a bold background. They kind of looked like bubbles, which I thought was really fun! To add more interest, since the watercoloring is very faint, I added some dashed lines and mounted some of the circles up on foam tape, making sure that the circle with the sentiment popped up the most.

That was all I needed to make a fun, yet easy card with leftovers! Don’t you LOVE when that happens?? It’s like getting a bonus project from almost nothing!!

How will you use circles in your next project? Maybe you could make a garland of circles, or make a fun bokeh effect by stamping the super cute small sequins and circles in the Easily Distracted set… or try some fun confetti… the possibilities are endless! Be sure to link up a project using circles if you decide to make one – I’d love to see what you come up with! And if you enter it into this week's Use What You Have Challenge, you can even win something sweet!!