Easy Father's Day Card with SVG file

Hi all! Father's Day is only three days away!! It's crazy how these holidays always sneak up on me - it feels like it was just Mother's Day yesterday, doesn't it? If you haven't created a card for your dad yet, follow along with me today as I make a really easy and FUN card! :)

So, the first thing I did was cut out a file that I created on my Silhouette Cameo from some plain white cardstock - you can download the SVG file here. Then, simply write (Best Dad Ever) underneath so you have some personal handwriting on there!

Then, we're going to get started on our watercolor background that's going to go behind the negative space of the die cut.

Very important tip: When watercoloring, if you want to have maximum blending between colors (which is what I want for the ombre-like effect I'm trying to achieve), wet your paper FIRST before adding any color. The whole thing. Just slap it on generously. ;) You'll see a HUGE difference once you start putting on color - it will really start to blend itself. Just look at how easily the colors blend together when you do this!

So just keep going at it, using whatever colors you like. When you're all done with that, let it dry, or use a heat gun to speed up the process.

Now comes the even MORE fun part! We're going to add some more interest to this background, because the spaces under the "BDE" are quite large and we want to make it look cool behind. So we're going to do some watercolor paint splatters! :D Make sure to cover up your workspace under your card front if you care about mess. You can also practice splattering on a separate piece first if you want, but I mean, they're splatters, so they don't have to be perfect, haha.

Tip: When making paint splatters, a medium/large round tipped brush will create the best effects.
So what you're going to do is take a generous amount of water on your round brush and mix it in with the color you want to splatter with.

Flick your brush onto your paper, or hold it horizontally with one hand while tapping from the top with your other hand. If the paint isn't coming off, you can quickly dip your brush into your water and try again...

..And just keep splattering away until you like the result!

Once that's all dry, we just have to assemble the card and we're done! I decided to pop up the front die cut on foam squares because it really makes the negative space pop out. You can just adhere it flat if you don't want to deal with the backings of 20+ foam squares. ;) Then I added some wood veneer little stars to act as periods for the abbreviation of "BDE" - you can use enamel dots, sequins, or even just leave it blank. And here's another look at the final result - those paint splatter just look awesome behind the negative of the die cut!!!

Bonus: Go to Instagram (@michelleyuen_) to see the step-by-step photos in stop-motion form!!! (You'll have to be on a phone to see the video, I believe)

If you decide to recreate this card, let me know how it turns out, and leave a link/photo so I can check it out! Have fun :)

Golden Dreams | SVG Freebie

I was recently inspired by an amazing video from Wilna Furstenburg (always a major source of inspiration for scrapbooking for me). In the video, she made her own mask, put modeling paste through it, and then spray painted it. The effect was absolutely breathtaking, and I wanted to replicate the same look for the layout I'm going to show you today.

Excuse the blurry photos, I just wanted to keep them a little more private ;)

So even though I loved the quote that Wilna chose, the song lyrics I chose are the basis of my whole story here, so I made my own cut file. I'll be the first to admit, my handwriting is not nearly as beautiful as Wilna's, but I did my best and I think it turned out alright, as the modeling paste is forgiving and doesn't cling to every little detail. :)

In Wilna's video, she sprayed gold spray paint over the modeling paste, and the effect was gorgeous. I don't have gold spray paint, though, so I recreated a similar look by pouring gold embossing powder over the wet paste and heating it up when the paste was dry. I also chose to only do this for part of the text rather than the whole thing so that it could double as my title.

Here's another look at the gold embossing - so shiny. :D

Even the white on white is so pretty... I will definitely be trying that out on another layout.

Some pretty gold embellishments to bring in more of the gold accent, as well as enamel dots - both store bought and home made!

Lastly, in a true Wilna spirit, I dropped big droplets of gold mist and black ink. I might have gotten a little carried away ;)

Modeling paste is quickly becoming one of my favorite tools to use, both in scrapbooking and cardmaking! I love that I can pair it with my Silhouette Cameo to cut my own stencils and come up with a unique and affordable result! To spread some of this happy love, I'm sharing the SVG file I created for the lyrics in the background. These lyrics really are great for any layout, especially a love-themed one!

Let me know what you think, or share any projects you make with it. :) Have fun, and see you soon!

Freebies #6 | Everybody's working for the weekend

It's been a while since I've shared a printable freebie - and I found this sheet that I've designed a while ago, but haven't posted up here yet... so here we go!

I designed this a few months ago back when I was in the middle of my 6-month full-time internship. The quote was so, so appropriate because the 8 hour days were SO long to me and I wasn't used to it. I know most of you are probably on vacation right now, but I'm sure it'll be applicable in just a few weeks when work and school start up again!!

Here's a look at how I used these printables in my own Project Life:

Kept it simple here and added the filler quote card and left it as is.

The days of the week card is perfect for a quick recap of your week, and can even be used every week if you want!

One thing I love about printables is that I don't feel anything holding me back from altering them however I want. I find myself cutting a lot of circle pieces like I did above to make them work in certain spaces. It's all okay, because you can always just print another and you don't feel like you're "wasting" it!!!

If you like these printables, you can download them here and be sure to leave a comment telling me what your favorite parts are! Even better, send me a link to a project you made using them - I'd love to see what you come up with!!

xx

Autumn Love | SVG Freebie

It is getting frigid and really starting to feel like winter! Which of course means it’s the perfect time to scrapbook those autumn photos, right? ;) Why does it always feel like I’m a season behind? Oh wait, maybe because I am…

Anyway, I’m going to share TWO autumn layouts with you today! I really like how both of them came out, especially since I really love the photos!!

For the first one, I was inspired by Paige Evan’s page (by the way, she is having an amazing giveaway right now that you might want to check out) using lots of leaves.

I used sheets from the Maggie Holmes Flea Market 6x6 paper pad and cut a bunch of leaves with my Silhouette. 

You can download the SVG that I made and used here!

After they were all cut out, I positioned them around my page, making sure to spread out the leaves that had similar patterns and colors.

Then I cut out a title with my Silhouette and watercolored it to make it stand out more.

To my delight, the Freckled Fawn wood veneer frames I got in my Black Friday grab bag fit PERFECTLY around my photos – AND the words were so appropriate. Now that’s serendipity! I decided to paint them with white acrylic paint, and then also did a light wash of watercolors to make them match the title. The effect is just so subtle and beautiful!

I did the same for these LOVE wood veneer penants from Crate Paper, and dressed them up further with little chipboard stickers and more wood veneer.

After all of this, I didn’t have a good space for journaling, so I took a piece of vellum and journaled a frame around the pictures.

This ended up being one of my recent favorite layouts – I hope you like it too! :)

I used another picture from this photoshoot for my next layout, but I did a more "showcase" one, using one 4x6.

I mainly wanted to try a really cool watercolor technique that Wilna shows in Art Class 1, and I really love the beautiful, artsy, free effect you end up with!!

With such a beautiful and colorful thing to look at, I didn’t add much else to my page, and I still really like how it came out.

You might have noticed from my last few layouts that I am loving these resin flowers recently (I've almost finished with the package and need to get some more in my next Two Peas order!). Except there's a hot pink one in the package and I'm not really a fan of hot pink... but I didn't want to let such a pretty embellishment go to waste! I simply covered the flower in white acrylic paint, and while the paint was still kind of wet, i painted over it with red/pink watercolors. It's not perfect and smooth, but I definitely like it a lot better than the hot pink! Don't be afraid to alter your items to make them work for you!! :)

I hope these two layouts gave you some inspiration to scrap autumn photos, if you’re like me and hadn’t done so yet! Let me know if you try out any of these techniques!

Hope you have a great day :) xx

Life In Details Sponsor | Free printables

Today’s printable is extra special because I made it especially for the wonderful Life inDetails blog. They’re an Australian challenge blog completely dedicated to providing inspiration for Project Life and similar pocket systems, so if that’s your project of choice, definitely check them out!!

I had a special request to use the theme “family” or “thanksgiving,” so I tried to include some relating elements in my designs. In particular, the filler card was all about family and blessings, and it also ended up being my favorite one. I decided to use it as the title card for a layout and here is what I came up with:

I’m so happy that this layout was even featured on Elle’s Studio last month!! :)

Here's a look at the whole sheet of printables:

And you can download these for free here.

I hope you enjoy these designs! Whether you’re a regular follower or coming from the Life in Details blog, please do share anything you make with these printables, because I’d love to get some inspiration and see how you use it!! Who knows, maybe I’ll even feature your project ;)

Happy scrapping!

Lettering class | Free cut file title - Embrace it

I recently signed up for a basic lettering class that I am REALLY excited about. I checked out the portfolio of the teacher, Mary Kate McDevitt, and she is SUPER talented. I mean, if I could make things like this as my JOB, I think I'd call myself awesome:

Though the class hasn't started yet (unfortunately, as I am very anxiously waiting), I decided to just freehand some not-quite calligraphy/lettering of my own, because I have a scrapbooking layout that I'm working on that is calling for a die cut title.

Of course, I'll be sharing with you lovely readers, and you can download this SVG file here :)

If this class looks interesting to you, don't hesitate to sign up - it's only $10 if you click through this link!!! I think it would be so fun to have you in the same class as me. I'll definitely be sharing anything I make in class either here on the blog or via Instagram.

Hope to see you there!! :) Have a great day xxx

Freebies #5 | Watercolor accents

I know, I know, it's been quite a while since I've made and shared a printable freebie - I know these are more universal, as not everyone can use the SVG files I share (and I don't want to be super exclusive), so I finally put aside some time to make a new set!

I'm pretty happy to say that I think that this just might be my FAVORITE set of printables that I've designed yet... I included LOTS of watercolor accents (which were hand painted by me! ;D), which I am loving at the moment and are also really trendy right now.

Here's a peek at the set:

And you can download this freebies here.


I'll probably be sharing a project I make with these soon (though don't hold me to that, hehe)!

How are you liking the watercolor trend? Are there other trends that are really catching your eye right now (that maybe I could include in my next set of printables)?

As always, I would love to see what you make with these, so be sure to leave a link in the comments below! Happy scrapping :)

*Use Your Words* - Tough

Hi everyone! Man, I can’t believe it’s September already… this summer just flew by! I’m not going to lie, I am really dreading the coming of winter. Winters in Boston sure aren’t fun!  But I still have many happy, summer memories to document, so hopefully that will help me to pretend it’s still hot and sunny outside, haha!

I’m here today to share another layout for Use Your Words. The challenge word this time is “tough,” and man, it was quite hard for me to figure out what to scrap about for this one! Eventually, I ended up picking a hiking trip I took last month. It really wasn’t very tough at all, but since it is definitely something that we wouldn’t normally do, I thought it was good enough, and I managed to work “tough” into my title without too much trouble!

My favorite layouts are usually one photo layouts, because there is so much room to play. Multiple-photo layouts tend to be more difficult for me, so I went looking for a sketch that I could use and though this one by Shimelle would be perfect! For one of the photo spaces, I included a 3x4 card instead, that was from my second set of freebies! I just really wanted to show that even if you’re not a Project Lifer, these cards are perfect for scrapbooking, or really any other paper craft!!

So this is the layout I came up with:

I have to admit, I’ve been saving that background paper… it is just soo lovely. I’m a big fan of having white cardstock, or subtly printed background at the moment, and this one is neutral but also has some interest! I think I’ll have to grab another sheet or two!!

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to stop by the Use Your Words blog to see what the other DT members have come up with! There’s a big range of styles among us, so you’re sure to find something that will inspire you! And don’t forget to link up your project if you play along… there’s a neat, exclusive printable for one lucky winner, made by yours truly! ;)

Freebies #3

Hi everyone! Today has gotten off to a rough start for me, but I’m hoping that the day will get better. Instead of sharing the bad stuff, though, I want to share some GREAT news with you all today – first of all, I made the Design Team for Sweet Stamp Shop!! If you haven’t heard of them, they are an awesome manufacturer of cute and trendy stamps. Check them out!! I’m so excited to be working on this team of lovely ladies.

Second – my wonderful boyfriend just ordered an early birthday present for me this morning – a Silhouette Cameo!!! I’ve been eyeing one for the longest time (and Dan has been hearing about it for quite a while too, hehe), so I am super excited for that to arrive.

And thirdly, I want to share my latest set of free printable with you all here. We’ve had a couple of cool days that really made it feel like summer was ending… and I just could NOT have that. So I picked the most summery color palette I could find as my inspiration:

And I made these cards from it:

You can downloadthese printables here.

Let me know what you guys think, and if you have any requests. And if you make a project with these cards, a link back to this post would be greatly appreciated!

Also, since I will be getting my Cameo very soon (thanks to Amazon Prime!) I’m thinking that I’ll probably be designing a lot of cut files for myself. I’ll share these files with you all, either in addition to or in place of the printable freebies! Hope that sounds good to you all, and enjoy the rest of your week!!

Freebies #2

Hi everyone! I’m here today with a little bit of happiness – a new sheet of free printables! I’ve gotten a great response from the last set I designed, so I wanted to thank everyone who left me kind words of support.  I’ve been working hard on this next set, so I hope you enjoy them! :)

Like last week’s printables, I started with a color combination as my inspiration:

And here are the 3x4 cards I came up with:

You can download them here.

If you like these cards, be sure to follow my blog if you don’t already so you’ll always see when I post new ones!

In the future, I’m thinking of designing a few sheets of printables all from the same color scheme (almost like a collection) with 3x4 cards, 4x6 card, and possibly some circle elements. I’ll offer one sheet for free on my blog, just like this one, but I’m thinking of selling the others for just a few bucks. What do you guys think? Is this something you would be interested in? 

I’m doing this all in the hopes of one day having my own line or business, so I really appreciate all the support you guys give me – I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without you!! And if you have any suggestions or requests, be sure to throw those in, too. :)

I’ll be back tomorrow with the next design team reveal for the Use Your Words blog. See you then!! :D

My newest endeavor...

Life has been very busy recently. You know, I had always imagined that having a full-time job would be less stressful and that I’d have more free time while taking classes. Boy, was I wrong! I’ve been slowly adjusting, and trying to get back into a routine after our business trip last week (that was exhausting).

So in the free time that I do have (i.e. when I’m at work and need a break from datamining or whatever droning task I’m working on), I’ve been working on something very fun and cool – well, at least I think it is.

For those who don’t know, my all-time dream job is to be a designer for papercrafting/scrapbooking products. Kind of like Amy Tangerine or Kelly Purkey or Kristina Werner. Incidentally, those are some of my biggest role models ;). So I’ve been trying my hand at making some cool things – starting with something small and simple right now, just some 3x4 journaling cards, which I find are great for Project Life of course, but even for scrapbooking and cards. I’ve just completed my first sheet of these, and am so happy and excited to share them here with you today…. Oh, and did I mention that these will be FREE printables? Yeah, because I know how everyone loves freebies.

The plan is to do this hopefully every week, though I have a feeling it might be biweekly. Nothing is set in stone, but I really did enjoy making these, so I’ll definitely be doing more in the future.

Okay just a bit more and I promise I’ll show the journaling cards. I just wanted to walk you through my process a little bit… First, I explored on Pinterest and pinned a bunch of color combination inspiration photos. I eventually settled on this one:

Having the color scheme all chosen made things really easy, and I just played with a bunch of ideas I had and came up with these…. Ta daa!

You can download these freebies here.

I hope you enjoy them!! If you make a project with these, please do leave a comment with a link to it because I would love to see you using them! Or you can just let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions/requests. And if you post it online somewhere, a link back to this post would be really, really appreciated.

Until next time, have fun crafting!