Mixed Media Frenzy Hop

Hi All. On Christmas day I was a part of the Mixed Media Facebook group’s crafty hop. The theme was Merry & Bright and I took that theme very literally, using those words for my title and watercoloring up a storm. You can check out my leg of the hop on YouTube. And while most of the crafters were also on YouTube, there were a couple of Instagram posts. All the things to all the participants are listed below. I hope you check out everyone on the hop.

** https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTFGITeK2K1-JyYpExZi-Og
** https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCovgS5VWlJvUXoMkkpbnGtA
** https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4L_pFpVXIcYGxo3wXOsvWA
** Instagram.com/calibeachgirl64
** https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrKcHSDpP60el15QyNUILUA
** https://www.instagram.com/sbarrackman/
** https://www.youtube.com/c/Cityscrapper
** https://youtube.com/channel/UC8qCG2earNc7pIZQNo-V1Pw
** https://www.youtube.com/user/shanedblinn
** Floppy Eared Farm- https://youtube.com/c/FloppyEaredFarm

Family Friendly Holiday Crafts

I have been very busy this December creating videos of craft projects for families to enjoy together. This year we all highly need some distraction from missing our normal routines! I created a play list of all the crafts from this moth, as well as a couple videos previously made that fit the bill. I hope you find something enjoyable to create with your families! Happy Holidays to you all, no matter what events you celebrate this time of year.

One technique, two crafts

Today I’m taking a tried and true technique and turning it into two different Christmas craft projects. And it you have kids, they can certainly play along.

I have an svg freebie for you of that Christmas tree available in this file download. Bundled together you will get the svg as well as a pdf copy of the instructions for the greeting card. (For the svg along click here.) If you make these projects and post them to Instagram, please tag me @craftysouppics and use the hashtag #craftysoupsharing and we can start seeing each other’s work!

Christmas layout ideas

Christmas is on the horizon and I’m busy planning for the holiday. I realized that I had photos from last year hanging around that I hadn’t scrapped yet. So why not tackle those now and share some tips and tricks with you on some festive elements you can add to your Christmas layouts?

In this video I show three ways to use Nuvo drops as embellishments for layouts.
1) Spell out words with the liquid.
2) Create little ornaments to sprinkle around your page.
3) Create frames for photos. (How-to details in the second video)

I love the shine the drops add to this layout. It totally reminds me of frosting on cookies! And that is a bonus tip. You can create some die cut gingerbread or sugar cookie style cutouts and then “frost” them with Nuvo drops!

In that first video I mentioned having already created my frames. In this second video I show you a kit build and then toward the end of the video I feature how to create these frames. Since creating this video I’ve realized that if you create your frames on a nonstick craft sheet instead of parchment then you are likely to get a smoother end result. However the craft sheet can be harder to see through (depending on your brand) and will make working a bit harder.

Scrappy Event coming soon!

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I’m excited to tell you about an awesome event happening in January!
It’s a weekend of scrapbooking inspiration and education you won’t want to miss. The ScrapSmarter Experience is bringing together 10 amazing scrapbooking instructors for an online virtual weekend of classes and inspiration.

Alice Boll from the ScrapHappy membership community is hosting this second event with a brand new line up of instructors. And I am thrilled to say that I am one of them! I will be sharing simple yet impactful ways to add watercoloring elements to your memory keeping.

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How does it work?
The entire event will take place online using Zoom January 15-17, 2021.
The classes are short and are focused on teaching new skills, techniques, and concepts to help you create scrapbook pages you love.

Ali Edwards, the keynote speaker will help us kick off the party on Friday. Saturday features 6 classes with each instructor sharing a pre-recorded class session and interacting in a live Q&A session. Sunday will have 4 more classes and a wind up party with prizes.

Who’s teaching?
The line up instructors includes:
Simon Hurley
Meghann Andrew
Krystal Iduñate
Misty Murphy (yours truly)
Tracey Fox
Alice Boll
Sandie Reverski
Kristin Tweedale
Claudia Azucar-White
Andrea Gray

Prizes???
Of course! In addition to the classes and kickoff party there are prizes including a grand prize with a value of over $250.

Registration?
The ScrapSmarter Experience is NOW OPEN for registration. The regular price for the event is $129USD but right now you can use coupon code: MISTY to save $30! Or simply click here and you’ll automatically get the discount. You’ll only pay $99 for EVERYTHING!
(Coupon valid until December 15, 2020. After that the coupon is only worth $5 off so hurry and get the best value!)

Are you ready to sign up? Here’s the registration link:

ScrapSmarter Experience

Let’s learn some scrappy skills so we can ScrapSmarter!

It’s not too late!

Here in the United States the Thanksgiving holiday is just a day away. If you are anything like me you had grand plans on sending out heartfelt handmade mail to friends and family, but then you realized the actual date and knew that there was no way things would make it on time. Don’t fret! I have a solution for you: Make one lovely card, take a good photo of it and then send individual messages to loved ones including a photo of your card. This is more personal than the social media blast of “Happy Thanksgiving” yet still takes advantage of the speed and ease of technology.

With that I hope you have a peace filled November no matter where you are in the world or what holidays you do (or don’t) celebrate. I know we all could use extra peace right now.

And if you are looking for some inspiration for making that special holiday card, I have this video to share.

Vicki Boutin Storyteller Collection

Ok. If you could hear me right now, you’d hear a squee of happiness. I am in LOVE with the Vicki Boutin Storyteller collection. Let me tell you all about it with this video that walk you through most of the collection.

Next up, let me show you how I added some goodies to this already abundant supply to create scrapbooking magic. Included is a tutorial on upcycling fabric into scrapbook embellishments!

And I’ve dug in and created one mixed media layout (so far!!). Check it out.

I’ll be back later with more video goodness.

Deja Vu take 2!

Well here we are in November and that means I got to work on new kit builds for the month. First up I have my kit build based on Shimelle’s Best of Both worlds project. Her inspiration had a definite fall vibe. I didn’t go there. I went directly the the Vicki Boutin Storyteller pieces in her kit and planned my kit based solely on that collection. She what I used in my video.

My second kit for the month is my Counterfeit Kit Club challenge and this is where the Deja Vu comes in yet again. Last’s months CKC challenge used an inspiration piece which was all too familiar with me and I talked about how I approached that kit build here. Well, this month the CKC projects features an inspiration kit that I actually own. So I needed to think outside of the box again. This isn’t a bad thing for me. In fact that is part of what I really love about the CKC challenges. It gets me to look at my supplies differently, which exercises my creative muscles!

Be sure to watch to the end of the video as I show a unique way to use Nuvo drops to create embellishments! (PS I have a template for you if you want to try this technique for yourself. Download it directly right here.)

Deja Vu

In October the Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit build inspiration piece for the month was the Shimelle Best of Both World kit from last month. I did create a kit from the BOBW project already! So I took a second look at a familiar inspiration piece. I took this project in a different direction and created a smaller kit with richer tones and a teen vibe.

Here is a comparison of the two kits.
Kit #1: A softer color palette with more whimsical icons.

Best of Both Worlds Kit, September 2020
Pattern Papers

Best of Both Worlds Kit, September 2020
Embellishments

And here is kit #2 I created from the same inspiration image this time around. This has a richer color palette with bold pops of black, a smattering of sparkle, and a teen vibe icons.

BOBW Kit is live

Hello All. I’ve got my Best of Both Worlds kit build for October 2020 live on YouTube today. I was away camping this weekend and while I filmed the video before we left I couldn’t get to editing it until we came home.

This kit is on the larger size. It mixes and matches elements of fall, cozy home themes and rustic textures.

I plan to be back in a week or so showing the copper heat embossing embellishments I will create as layering elements for my layouts, so stay tuned for that video.

And here is the gist of the kit in photo format.