cheryl - 9/18 - Chelle's Creations

Classics: We Wish You a Merry Christmas

November 26, 2013
Classics
cheryl

I know it’s still a couple of days before Thanksgiving in the USA, but the Christmas season has already begun for me. My first holiday concert of the season was this past weekend, and I have some photos to scrap. I know just which products of Chelle’s I will use: We Wish You a Merry Christmas. In the bundle are the kit, the add-on, and the carols, but if you’re shopping, don’t miss the quickies. They’re a great time saver, and in this busy holiday season, I can use all the help I can get saving time.

Chelle’s CT ladies have been making pages to inspire us. First, Jan has a page about her Santa Lucia celebration, and the bundle matches the theme of her photos perfectly.

Next, Karen used her photos from the Magic Kingdom to make a page. The colors in the kit match the colors of the Christmas décor at Walt Disney World perfectly, and I love the blocked layout she chose to show lots of photos.

Jenn chose to use this holiday kit to record her memories of a favorite place where the family gathers to celebrate. I love the little cardinals peeking out of the clusters of greenery on her page.

Leah has a double page layout for us. Her large photo that spans the background of both sides of the page makes a big impact, doesn’t it?

Finally, Heather chose to make her page with her family portraits. It looks like she planned their outfits based on the papers in Chelle’s kit, but I know that isn’t true. Still, the colors and plaids in the kit are the perfect complement to the colors those adorable children are wearing.

I can’t wait to get started on my page. Here’s a closer look at the kit in the market, and don’t forget there’s an add-on, carols, and quickies in the market, too. If you want to save a bit, purchase the bundle and all you will need in addition is the quickies.

Digital Pocket Pages

November 20, 2013
Scrap Skills
cheryl

Hi Chelle’s friends and fans! We’re looking at pocket-style digital scrapbooking today, and you are in for a huge treat! Chelle’s CTMs have provided lots of examples to show us the various ways they use her In the Pocket products : In the Pocket {square}, In the Pocket {small}, In the Pocket {strips}, and In the Pocket {pages}.

First, I want to show you a photo of a real pocket page by Kimberly. She used Chelle’s Let’s Camp Smore to create individual cards to fit her pocket page in real life. After printing the cards, she wrote her story on each and slipped them into the pockets of the plastic page. Look closely at the details.

Now look at this page by Jenn, and compare the realistic look of Chelle’s plastic pocket effect in a digital format. Isn’t it amazing? By the way, Jenn used Chelle’s See Clearly Now, Marker Alpha, Chalked Cards, CU Label Shapes, and the wooden A tile is from Game On.

Next, Donna made a double page layout with 2 of the pocket pages. She likes to show the stitching of the pockets but prefers the look of her photos as they sit atop the plastic layer, which works easily in a digital scrapbooking page. She used On the Water and Gone Fishin.

Mel and Tammy love to use the In the Pocket templates, but they prefer to leave the plastic layer off altogether, opting to cluster elements on top and overlapping across the seams. First, here’s Mel’s page using Zoopendous and the Zoopendous Felties. and Tammy used Capture Your December, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Chalked Cards, Mark My Words, and Me and My Shadow.

Kimberly scanned her son’s artwork to put in the pockets of her page, and she used Give Thanks.

Jennifer used Naughty or Nice with her pocket page.

Jan used Winter Thrills and Naughty or Nice with In the Pocket {strips}.

And last, but not least, Jenny used In the Backyard and In the Pocket {square}.

Surely, with all that inspiration, you’ll be making your next digital scrapbooking page with one of Chelle’s In the Pocket pages in the very next hour! If you do, pin it to the Scrap Orchard Gallery and tag it with #chelle so I can find it and leave you some love. I can’t wait to see what you make!

Family Tree

November 12, 2013
Classics
cheryl

Have you seen Chelle’s classic kit Family Tree? It is perfect for scrapping family togetherness, family reunions, or family history pages. But, with its yummy earth tones and hues of orange and green, it is also a great selection if you are scrapping fall photos or photos of other special memories. Let me show you some examples by Chelle’s Creative Team.

Carol had a colorized photo from 1947 that looks fantastic with this kit. She erased part of the background of the image, but otherwise that is the original photo in digital form you see on her page. The colors in the photo and the colors of the Family Tree kit are a perfect match. See that great title she used? It’s in Chelle’s coordinating Word Art for the kit, and it saved Carol tons of time using it instead of creating it from scratch.

Next, Krista also had a family photo to scrap. She did a great job editing her photo: first she changed it to black and white, and then she added a color layer of brown matching the color of one of the papers. She placed that color layer above the photo layer and clipped it to the photo, then she adjusted the blending mode until she was happy with the results. What do you think? It’s a perfect match.

Heather is new on Chelle’s team, and I am thrilled to be able to feature a page of hers. She used the Family Tree kit to record a memory about seeing the temple as she travelled. She tells the story of her dad singing a little song in the family car as they approached the temple, and it signaled to her they were close to home after any trip. I love the striped paper she chose for her background, don’t you?

Finally, Leah has given us a gorgeous page she has made to remind her to eat a balanced meal – totally off-topic from the theme of this kit, but I’m sure you will agree with me that she could not have chosen a better match. Her flower clusters around the photos and journaling are fantastic. And, I love the way she blended paint layers onto the background. Did you notice the vines back there? They are my favorite element in this kit.

Here’s a closer look at Family Tree in the market. It’s a great kit to have in your stash.

Using Patterned Papers

October 30, 2013
Scrap Skills
cheryl

Warning: today’s blog post is FULL of fabulous patterns and pages! Chelle’s Creations Creative Team Members LOVE to use lots of patterned papers on their layouts, and they have given us multiple pages to show us how they do it.

First, Carol had some adorable photos of her grandchild with a messy spaghetti face, and Chelle’s Pasta La Feasta was a perfect match. Look how awesome that checkerboard background works with the patterned paper mats on top, and that festive banner is the perfect accent.

Next, Leah used Chelle’s Game On kit for her masterpiece. She shows us that it is perfectly acceptable to put journaling right on top of a patterned paper, and she has mixed and matched patterns like a pro.

Jenny also recorded her memories on a patterned paper, but she used the lighter grid paper to do so. This is a great way to jump into the realm of mixing patterns if you aren’t as familiar as Chelle’s CT. By the way, she has used Gnome Sweet Gnome for her creation.

Jen shows us how to stack multiple patterned papers together in this page using Chelle’s Aviator kit and Bonus papers. Notice how she chose papers with only one or two colors in the patterns for most of the papers, and then she chose a multi-colored plaid to highlight all the colors on the page.

Brenda’s page is next, and she has used In the Backyard to make this magical page about a fun li’l house. I love that bold hexagon pattern on the background, and the striped and dotted patterns she matted behind the photo work perfectly. Also, notice the subtle blue butterfly pattern everywhere tying the whole page together.

Next, Jan has provided two pages for us. I really wish I could have seen the pig races that the first page documents. What a HOOT! She used E-I-E-I-O and has masterfully layered stripes, gingham, and flowered papers on her page. Aren’t those pigs the best?

On her second page, Jan used We Wish You a Merry Christmas to scrap her pictures of her children visiting St. Nick. Look at the cool effect she created by cutting the music-patterned paper into decorative strips.

Can you mix and match patterns? It’s really fun! I would love to see what you create. If you use Chelle’s products for your page, be sure to pin it to the gallery at Scrap Orchard and tag it with #chelle so I can find it. Happy Scrapping, everyone!

Classics: Scribbles 2 Alpha

October 22, 2013
Classics
cheryl

Ever feel the need to add a hand-written touch to your digital scrapbooking pages? You could grab some colored pencils and doodle a title right on your page after you print it, or you could just use Chelle’s Creations Scribble 2 Alpha. Chelle did all the hard part for you. All you have to do is plop those individual letters onto your page. Her team has been busy creating layouts to show you this alpha in use.

Jenny has a great page for this time of year. She used Chelle’s Carve it Up kit with the Scribbles 2 alpha in black – a perfect combination. I love the effect of the scribble writing on the trimmed notebook paper. It really adds to the texture well.

Next, Ophelia has used Chelle’s new Game On kit with the Scribbles 2 alpha in a gray shade, perfectly matching the hue of the grays in the kit. Looks like that Monopoly game was a ton of fun!

Finally, Jenn had a flight to Utah in which she was able to capture some gorgeous shots of the scenery out of the window. Even though the flight didn’t go well after those first few images, she made the best of it by creating this beautiful page. She also used the alpha in a gray color to match the grays in Chelle’s Aviator kit.

The Scribbles 2 alpha (preview shown below and linked to the market) comes in black AND it comes with brush files making it ultra easy to recolor to match any color on your layout. Need some help? Chelle has lots of videos on her YouTube channel that teach you how, and she has one specifically for this alpha. Check it out here.

Using Two Alphas in a Title

October 16, 2013
Scrap Skills
cheryl

Sometimes, all you need to finish off a perfect page is a title that pops. Using two different alphas might seem like a challenge for you, but Chelle’s Creative Team has been making digital scrapbooking pages to show you examples of mixing alphas in a title.

First, Tammy was very gracious and made two gorgeous pages for us. On her first page, she used Chelle’s Choose the Right {Trek} kit and the Chalked {School} alpha for her title. I love the chalkboard with the chalked writing on it, and using it for part of the title is really creative. It looks like Chelle created this kit just for Tammy’s photos; they are a perfect match.

Tammy’s next page is about a visit to Disneyland. Who doesn’t love a Disney page? Obviously, even the raccoon wanted in on the action, and her use of the multiple alphas on the page is perfect for her story. She has used In the Forest {alpha} and About a Boy alphas for her title than spans the entire page.

Next, Brenda has used the Pizza & Pasta Bundle for her photos about the Day of Kids celebration that happens every year in Brazil. Her cute cluster of pizza and vegetables caught my eye, but what really impressed me was the way she used the Serendipity alpha for the word “Day” in her title and filled each letter with papers from the kit. It looks fantastic mixed with the alpha from the bundle.

Finally, Jan used Chelle’s newest kit Toil & Trouble with the alpha from Midnight Crow, a classic fall kit in Chelle’s store. I love the way Halloween is emphasized in the title by making it large and anchoring the bottom of the page. Using the white alpha from Midnight Crow really helps to make the title pop and gives it much more interest than it would have if only one alpha had been used.

Chelle has lots of alphas in her store in addition to the ones in the kits and bundles. Don’t hesitate to combine them for a unique look on your digital scrapbooking projects.

Classics: Kraftabulous

October 8, 2013
Classics / Stretch your Stash
cheryl

Are you a fan of Kraft papers? I am! Chelle’s Creations Creative Team Members have some beautiful digital scrapbooking pages they’ve made combining Kraftabulous with some of their favorite Chelle’s Creations kits. I can’t wait to show you!

First, Jen made a page about her struggle with vision problems, and she has used one of the Kraftabulous papers as a background for her page. This is exactly why they were made! I love the look of the white journaling on top, and Chelle’s See Clearly Now kit is the perfect choice for her page.

Next, Roxana used a star-patterned Kraftabulous paper for her background. It’s a perfect choice to highlight the Bronze Award her son won at school. Congratulations! Look how well the blue and yellow colors pop off the background bringing a very happy feel to the page.

Next, Brenda, one of the guests on Chelle’s team this month, has made an adorable page about her sleepy little girl after a fun day at the park. She has used the Kraftabulous papers for the background and the photo mats, and she even filled the title with the kraft paper. She has added the perfect little pop of color to match her little one’s dress using Chelle’s newest CU item, CU Felt Flowers 2.

Finally, Mel has used the papers in a bit different way to show you how versatile they are. She has a stacked paper background with a kraft paper in the middle, and she has added a bit of the same paper in the matting of her photo. The kraft colors are perfect with Chelle’s Indian Summer kit, and the heart pattern in the paper is a perfect complement to the felt heart in the kit.

Did you notice how well the papers coordinate with all different colors of kits? Being neutral colors means they will truly complement any kit. Here’s a closer look at the Kraftabulous papers in the market. They’re a great price for such a versatile way to stretch your stash.

Classics: Naughty or Nice

September 24, 2013
Classics
cheryl

Hi there, friends! It’s Cheryl again, and I am still excited about Christmas coming! It’s my favorite time of the year, and it’s never too early to start planning for gifts to be given or received. It’s also never too soon to think about being nice if you’ve been naughty. He’s keepin’ a list, you know. Chelle’s Creations has a super cute Christmas kit called Naughty or Nice that gets me thinking about that list every time I see it, and her Creative Team has been playing with this great kit this week.

Krista used an Instagram photo to make a terrific page about her lovely tree. I love a page with a large photo, and I really love the edge treatment the photo app added to this one. The ribbons and embellishments at the corners were just the right amount of accent, and I especially love the stitches she added. She used Chelle’s CU Stitch Tool Kit for those.

Helen made a gorgeous page with this kit, too. I love what she did with the colors in the large photo, and I really like the placement of the pictures in a diagonal across the page. The clusters of flowers and greenery from the kit are shadowed perfectly to look very three-dimensional. Did you notice the QR code on her page? That’s a great way to add video to a digital scrapbook page.

Finally, Roxana chose to make a page with some adorable pictures of her son with some favorite gifts. Looks like he might have tried to explain a mishap in that “Dear Santa” letter, and that is definitely a memory worth recording! I love the little elf she used in the flower cluster and the washi tape holding the letter down.

Do you have some “Dear Santa” letters to scrap? Or maybe you have a picture of a broken tree ornament with a sad note from your husband about how it really wasn’t his fault – not that I would know anything about that. But, I do have a reason to use this great scrapbook kit, and I may or may not have a similar story to tell. Here’s the kit in the market. Only 3 more months to Christmas Eve!

Large Text

September 18, 2013
Scrap Skills
cheryl

You know what they say, “Go big or go home!” We’re looking at using large text on a digital scrapbooking page, and I mean large enough to fill a third or more of the page. First, I want to show you a couple of pages using large numbers. Krista made a page about Zach’s 12th birthday, and she used the giant 12 as part of the title and background. Happy birthday, Zach! The 12 is huge and yet it isn’t overpowering, but it is quite obvious that 12 is an important age to mark. I love the way she used paper clips to attach the photos to the large numbers. She used Chelle’s newest birthday kit called One Year Older.

Jan also used a large number and the same birthday kit, but instead of placing the number behind her photos, she used vellum for the number 13 and layered the number pieces on top of her page. Her daughter turned 13 on the 13th of July 2013, so the 13 was an obvious choice for emphasis. I really love the vellum effect and the thick shadowing she used to lift it off the page. Happy Birthday, Charlotte!

April chose to use large letters on her page instead of numbers. She used Chelle’s Aviator kit to scrap a page about her grandfather’s involvement in World War II. This kit is a perfect match with its vintage feel, and her black and white photos are complemented well with the colors and elements in the kit. She chose to make the title of her page from a very large font and then fill the chunky letters with a photo of the B-29 plane. She has done well capturing the time of such an important memory.

Mel chose to use a large symbol on her page instead of a letter, number, or word. Using a large ampersand sign is a popular trend in digital scrapbooking right now, and Mel has used it well. It is large and central to her page and helps to make the perfect title. She has used Chelle’s Gone Fishin’ kit to document her memories of a family fishing outing.

Now, if you really aren’t comfortable with such a huge piece of text as these ladies have done, you could do what Melissa has done and move into this trend slowly. She has made a page using a photo of her sweet baby at one year old using Chelle’s Love Grows kit, and she made her title word oversized but not so large as previous examples. It’s still a big impact and yet the focus is the photo.
Can you think of more uses for large text? I would love to see your pages! Post them in the gallery at Scrap Orchard if you use Chelle’s kits, and be sure to tag them with #chelle so I can find them.

Classics: We Wish You a Merry Christmas

September 10, 2013
Classics
cheryl

While shopping last week, I saw Christmas decorations already out in some of my favorite stores. It’s so exciting! I thought we could carry the excitement over to Chelle’s blog with a look at a classic kit We Wish You A Merry Christmas. Let me show you the merry pages Chelle’s team members have shared with us.

Here’s a fun page by Jenny. Looks like Elvis is still with us! He made a surprise visit to her family Christmas gathering, and Chelle’s kit matches her photos in theme and color perfectly. I love the music pages used as accent mats behind the photos, don’t you?

Next, Mary had some photos of Katy decorating her little tree, and she used We Wish You A Merry Christmas to make her page. I love the use of the wood paper for a background, and the heart banner across the top is the perfect touch.

Helen made a double page layout for us, and her photos are also about decorating the tree. Looks like she has a cute little helper, too! I love the way she used the music notes as accents. It reminds me how we always have Christmas music playing in the background while we decorate.

Erica has a page for us that is has a most adorable photo and the perfect title. I’m sure those boys ARE the joy of her world! She has done a masterful job of layering the mats and accenting the photo with clusters of greenery, snowflakes, berries, and flowers.

Finally, Jan has made a page about her visit to the Disney Christmas Carol Train when it visited Washington, DC. The style of Chelle’s elements coordinate perfectly with the decorations in the photos. I love the clustered look and the way she was able to use several photos on her page. She told me that she made 9 pages of her visit to this event using We Wish You A Merry Christmas bundle, and this page was the last in her series (hence, the appropriate title). Can you find the Quickies she used? Those Quickies save tons of time when making pages.

I’m getting more excited about Christmas coming again! I hope you are, as well. Here’s a closer look at the bundle and the individual kits and quickies in the market.