Magnifique Layout #3

This peacock paper is so beautiful, I really wanted to feature it in one of my doubles so this one is a personal design.

The right side is the peacock base. A 1 x 12 inch strip of the cream and blue flower print lays 3 1/2 inches below the top edge of the paper. A 4 x 3 inch lagoon cardstock piece served as a photo mat in the top left corner of the page. The only other piece on the page is a 5 x 1 inch piece of chocolate cardstock.

The left page is almost as simple. The left side is a 4 x 12 piece of the second peacock page that comes in the set. I made sure to cut out the feathery part. The right side is a 3 x 12 piece of the blue and cream flower paper. I put a 1 x 4 piece of lagoon cardstock over the peacock piece about an inch up from the bottom of the page. I also put a 1 x 3 piece of lagoon cardstock over the floral piece, also about an inch up from the bottom of the page. Then I put a 1/2 x 12 inch strip of the floral across both cardstock pieces. (Actually, it was closer to 3/8 inch - less than 1/2 inch - so that it would fit easier through the ribbon slide that I added at the end.) Lastly, I added two 4 x 6 mats onto the page.

On the two mats on the left and the small mat on the right, I added an image from the stamp set into the bottom right corners. I also added a square cream colored brad and a cream ribbon slide onto the 1/2 inch strip. That's it - way simple!

Magnifique Layout #2

This layout, "Introduction," is from the Imagine book on page 32. In the index, the book says that the layout will work for 6 pictures, but as you can see, I got 10 photos on my layouts. Of course I printed off special sizes. Oh and don't look too closely at that pics because they are just place holders, printed out on regular cardstock.

This double features a lot of torn paper, so extra stamping and too many embellishments would busy the layout to an extreme.

Magnifique Workshop #1

Before I go any further, let me make a plug for the Wings workshop kit. Even though my workshop may be full, this kit is SO worth it and you can make several different things without any help from me! All of the workshops include a main double layout, a suggestion for a 2nd layout and a card set to choose from, but the wings workshop also includes a great banner pattern to create with the leftovers after you make the main workshop pages. It is an AWESOME kit! You can see a flyer for it HERE.

My workshop was full yesterday and we had a great, creative time! This one was actually the December workshop, but since the end of December was so busy, we kicked it into the first part of January. I have a workshop at the end of January, too. It MAY have 1 seat open, so if you're interested in it, give me a call.

The layout shown in this post is the one that was explained in the brochure that came with the Magnifique kit. The kit is still available for the month of January, but come February when the new Idea Book goes live, this kit will be gone.

The beauty of these kits is that they come with an original double layout design and full-color instructions to recreate it. They also come with embellishments and a stamp set made especially for the kit. The Magnifique set comes with a floral designed stamp set and the Shades of Chocolate Mini-medley embellishment set. We no longer sell the embellishment set, and the stamp set can't be purchased separately. Add to that the fact that you get the set at a discounted price from what it would be if you COULD buy it all separately and it is a great deal at $29.95 plus shipping and tax. Another prize is that I show all the layouts that I include with my workshop, so even if you miss it, you can recreate it all on your own.

All this is to say, you need to order the kit now or lose the chance. However, the paper pack will still be available through July.

The embellishments on this particular layout were so much fun to make and so easy! All of them are laid out step-by-step in the brochure that comes with the workshop kit, but basically I stamped the flower images in Pacifica ink in full strength (1st generation stamping) and also in 2nd generation stamping (stamping a second time, after some of the ink has been removed on scratch paper). With this technique, I also interspersed paper flowers, brads and "Biggie" brads (all part of this kit) along with dots of various colors. The effect was fanciful!

Studio J - Free Spirit

This was one of the first layouts I made with Studio J. I was just fooling around. (Did you know you could try it without paying a dime? Try it now at my website: marji.myctmh.com)

I was showing it to a customer and then I liked the way it ended up so much that I just had to go ahead and get the printouts.


This layout really shows a awesome detail in the program. See the title isn't a Stickease, it's just a title. I could choose the size, font, and color of it. I can also choose the background color, if I'd rather have a vellum background, like I did with the journaling (and it perfectly "sticks" without showing any adhesive marks at all like the real vellum does!) or, like I did here, with no background at all. I could even lay it over a picture if I choose. I wince when I think of how difficult it would've been to stick down those tiny letters of the "the" if I'd cut them out with a Cricut! Yikes! But here, no tiny letters, but perfect lettering every time!

Studio J - Splendor

The layouts in Studio J also vary greatly. Some of them require a large picture or two with a couple of extra on the side. Other layouts, like this one can offer places for LOADS of pictures. I especially like the way I can focus on a small element of my pictures as is the case in the 2 photos below.

As with the other sets, the Stickease for this one is plentiful. I used it to creat the flower vine. This Stickease set also included a rickrack ribbon that worked perfectly for my layout. This particular layout also gives a good example of all the embellishments that are available with this program. Buttons, ribbons, and all sorts of metal embellishments, in any of the Close to My Heart 60 colors, are easy to use.

Studio J - New Paper Sets!!!

The paper sets I can choose from at Studio J include all the current sets. They also include some of the most popular retired sets - LOVE THAT! In addition to all of those, they all add sets that were never offered in paper. This set, called, "Hippitiy Hop," is such.

Even though this set was never physically published, it still has all of the elements of the published sets. It includes plenty of stickease, like all the eggs, the "Happy Easter" title and the date that I created using the Alphabet Stickease. (And I never run out of the letters I need!)

Just like with the last posting, I had some pictures that wouldn't print out well, but were just too cute to blow off. Using Studio J and some of the mattings that are available through the program, I could still use the pictures! I ended up making 3 of these double layouts in just under an hour for 3 different books (one for each girl). All I had to do was switch out a few pictures and change the journaling a little. Studio J lets me copy a whole layout as a new project and do simple adjustments in no time!

Studio J - Back Country

I'm working on catching up with all of the layouts I have failed to create. Studio J makes this so easy. I can make 3 to 4 double layouts in just about 2 hours and have them totally complete, with titles, journaling, photos, and impressive embellishments.




Studio J also allows me to resize my Stickease. See the Stickease that comes with a "My Reflections" pack is better than stickers because they are heavier card weight. But the Stickease that comes with Studio J is even better because I can reuse each sticker again and again on the layout and even change the sizes of the images.






I love that I can place brads and ribbons whereever I please and I can resize them, too. I can also place my titles and journaling anywhere, even across photos. OR in this case, place my title in a light colored font over a dark cardstock base. That's possible in normal paper scrap-booking, but rather difficult unless I want to stick with plain cream colors or white.



Another thing that was important with this layout is the fact that I could use all of my pictures. Many of them wouldn't process well because the images were too small, but on this digital layout, I could focus on the small images and easily bring them into focus.

Also, I have become a member of Studio J. For a yearly fee, I can get all of my layouts for half-price, and I can get 1 order per month for no shipping. I also get large and small jpegs of my layouts so I can post them here or print them out again. It makes the membership SO worthwhile!

Studio J Layouts - Animal Cookies

I'm a big fan of Studio J and will be showing you numerous layouts that I've made recently with this fabulous new tool!!! I have so many favorite things about this program that it is hard to narrow it down to one, but I think the best thing of all is that I can use it for free!!! I don't have to pay a penny until I decide I want to purchase a layout. That means I can play around with all sorts of options before I settle on one.

Another thing I love about the program is that I don't have to print off pictures. That's a big plus, because I enjoy using a variety of sizes in my photos and this really saves me money since I don't have to print out the more expensive 8 x 10 or 5 x 7 pictures. I can also get sizes like these 2 x 2 which are impossible to print. Its not such a big deal if I can cut down a 4 x 6 print to the size I want, but, as in the case of these pictures, cutting the original down to a 2 x 2 would cut out so much of the action, it would be impossible to tell what was going on at all.

There are a variety of embellishments available with Studio J in any of the Close to My Heart 60 colors. I can also use the colors in titles and journaling, not to mention the fun fonts I have to choose from. And in the title of the layout, I used the Alphabet that came with the Stickease. Of course it wasn't this big originally, but it is easy to adjust the size.

This layout is call "Dialogue." I'm not sure if it is from the Cherish or the Imagine book, but I like the way it has paper tearing throughout.

Passages - Layout #5

These two layouts were part of a challenge from one of my customers. See once we're done with the workshop, she pulls out some extra cardstock and uses the scraps to make some extra layouts. (Yes, she's very creative!) So I wanted to use more of the paper so she wouldn't have to come up with design ideas herself. And voila! These layouts came out.

I started with a 6x10 of the map paper on the left-hand page and a 2x6 of the postcard paper along the bottom of it. Then I used a 6x12 piece of the stripe (cut with the strip, vertically) for the other side of the paper. On the edge of this, I put a 1x10 of the postcard paper, leaving 2 inches of the stripe at the top showing. I then cut a 5x2 piece of the postcard paper that lines up in the center of the layout, flush with the edge of the map paper. A 13-inch ribbon with a pewter slide stretches across the page at the bottom of the 2-inch section. The other ribbon is described in depth below.

The right page starts with 2x12 strips of map paper, brown cardstock, and stripe, all lined up next to each other. A 6x6 pocket of the brown B&T makes up the bottom right of the layout. For the top right, I used a 6x6 piece of map paper and a 5x5 postcard cut as a mat on top of it.

I used more of the brown B&T as a tag in the pocket and added a pewter hinge at the top to keep it from falling into the pocket. The general measurement of the tag is 3 x 5. A ribbon is stretched from top to bottom of this layout and a 1x3 piece of postcard adorns the top of the pocket.

The ribbon at the bottom of the left-hand page is knotted on the right side and the resulting loop is slipped over the side of a spiral clip. That clip is then attached to the layout with a brad, like on other pages. I tied another knot around a photo clip and then wrapped the end of the ribbon around the left side of the layout to complete the design.

All-in-all, I was really pleased with this workshop. I used almost all of the paper in the set and ALL of pewter embellishments along with most of the ribbon. I was really pleased with the results of the effort.

Passages - Layout #4

These easy layout were included with the Passage Workshop on the Go kit. I try really hard to make them just like they are shown, but this one begged a change. See the little circle designs are actually four folded circles, like this one.

To make it this way, you fold it in half and then in 1/4 before unfolding it. Then you collapse it so that the two sides fold into the center of two triangular quarters. Then with your thumb, you fold down one top edge of the quarter. It's easier to see the design when using paper that has more of a difference between the back and front. You put 4 of them together to make the complete circle and then put a brad in the center.


I made a much easier version, though, and it only used 2 circles instead of 4. For this one, I used one circle as a base and then folded just a bit of the second circle to make it more of a square. I then put a brad into the center. It doesn't have the folds or bulk of the original, but it is much easier to make and work with.

The top accents are easy with the new Chocolate Ribbon collection. I just anchored one end with a pewter hinge around one edge and wrapped the other end around the other edge of the page. Adding some quick stamps and decorative brads made an easy and fast double layout.

Passages - Layout #3

The designs on these two pages left too much base page showing and I didn't like the effect, so I altered the design to completely cover the bases. The cuts on the left-hand side start with a 1x12 strip of the journaling sheet. The catch with this cut is that it goes across the words so that they will show vertically on the page. All the other cuts are horizontal, with the writing lines. There is a 2x4 cut like that at the bottom right corner of that page. Next to the 1x12 strip of journaling paper is a 1x12 strip of postcard paper. Another postcard cut is a 4x4 at the top right corner. The last base-cover cut is a 6x12, with the lines, on the striped paper. A 5x7 and 4x6 of Brown Bag cardstock finish the collection. The 5x7 sheet is edge-distressed all the way around and the 4x6 has the top edge torn off, just a bit.

On the right-hand page, the top is a 4x12 of the postcard paper. The bottom is a 2x12 of the journaling paper - cut horizontally, with the writing. In the middle of this is a 6x12 of the striped paper, but this time it is cut ACROSS the stripes. That way the stripes will agree between the pages.

The decoration at the top of the left-hand page is worked with a few different cuts. The base is a 1x7 inch scrap of any B&T (I used some postcard paper). On top of that is a 1x12 inch brown B&T paper. I left 1 1/2 inch flat and then made a crease. After a 1/4 inch, I made another crease, then again after 3/4 inches. I continued down the paper, creasing at 1/4 then 3/4 inches until I was left with 1 1/2 inches at the end. On the two ends, I added an open hinge to one and a stamped key hole (stamped in Colonial White) to the other.

At the bottom of the pages, I added a 1-inch strip of Brown Bag, both of them 5-inches long, but torn to differen lengths. On the left-hand page, I embellished with brads and spirals. On the right hand page, I repeated the pleated brown B&T design paper and tucked on end under the torn cardstock and the other one under a pewter photo clip.

The final design, at the top of the right page, started with an upside down 1x8 strip of postcard paper. Along with that, I cut a brown ring out of scrap paper, measuring about 3 inches, and another about 3 1/2 inch circle out of Brown Bag. Both of these I edge distressed, like all the other cardstock pieces. At that point, I folded 1 inch of the postcard strip and secured it with a pewter designer brad and then glued the left edge of the ring to the circle so it would be centered on the Brown Bag circle. Using the entire unit, I stretched the postcard paper to the right edge of the layout and glued it down, flush. Then I glued down the rest of the unit as it layed evenly across the page.