Memories in Bloom!

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Hey friends—its been a while. Its been the worst two years of my life. I was not really prepared for the direction my life was taking but now that I am here I am grateful for the things that God was lining up for me before I knew what was happening. It was not an accident, it was a plan designed to save me.

I am thankful for my crafting community, especially those who were in the nitty gritty with me as I cried through teaching classes or needed to vent, who kindly offered me reassurance that I would not be stuck in that space for long. Because that is the thing right—we are never actually in that space for long. No matter what we are always moving forward. For a long time I was coasting along on the tide of life into an ocean where I did not want to be. But now I have the chance to bring myself and my kids into a space where we are meant to be.

I want to get back to share my creativity with others and focusing on creating life long memories with my kids and friends, and capturing these in a paper legacy! I look foward to sharing with you in this space. Including recipes and just general life stuff. One day my kids can look back on this too :)

I hadn’t been to disney since before Covid…its the same nostalgic feeling!

In May I spent a week in Disney with Reese. It was a amazing. Every mom should be so lucky to spend time on a vacation with their son, and in a place as fun as Disneyworld. I could not have asked for a better travel companion! Our first stop in the Magic Kingdom was for a Starbucks and a picture in front of the castle.

I created this page as part of a series for my Scrapbook the Day event that I have been hosting every few months in my Home Studio. Its been fun to take our kits and turn them into other designs, treat people to a homemade lunch and dessert and have happy energy in my crafting studio.

I used the Memories in Bloom kit as the backdrop for this page. Personally I feel like you can use flowers for almost anything. I really loved the colors of the kit and the fact that there was a matching bundle to incorporate. The Pretty Florals bundle was a great add on to bring dimension into my design as I am not prone to just using the pop out images from our kits. My personal style is for things to be more dynamic.

However, I did pull in a lot of other supplies as well to complete my page. I am loving the new Party Banners Dies and the Celebrate Together stamp set is an #addtocart moment if you have not already. I have used the ‘A Day to Remember’ so many times already! It’s a perfect scrapbooking or memory keeping stamp set. Storybook Life is another fantastic memory keeping stamp set and that is where ‘Big Smiles’ is found.

My sentiments are stamped in Secret Sea ink which is such a great alternative to Memento ink.

TOP TIPS:

Combining pop out pieces with stamping and die cuts is a great way to use a kit and bring a design to life. I like my pages to have texture and interest.

Balancing out a busy pattern by layering a solid card stock over top is a great tip when you do not know how to use those busy pattern.

I used one of the large flowers from the Thankful Garden stamp set to fill in some space on the Petunia Paper base (stamping tone on tone). A combination of different embellishments is also fun (use up those random sequins or gems that you have left, it’s a crime they get abandoned!)

I hope this page sparks some new ideas in your own memory keeping!

If you are just starting your memory keeping journey—check out my gallery for a bunch of inspiration and follow me on instagram @stampwithbrenda if you are not already!

And wish me luck on my new journey—as I have been saying Brenda2.0 has just launched! If you are inspired to create this page please consider shopping with me in Canada—this helps me to keep loving what I do!

Yay! Happy Birthday to Me!

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Hey everyone! Wow, its been a hot minute since I have shared a blog post! Life has been really busy, I started a new job this past year as the Learning Support Teacher at a high school (a job I love and its perfectly suited to my skill sets), I still work at lululemon because I love my work friends and the product and YES—I am still stamping! Keeping up with my monthly groups, classes and events!

I miss sharing on here and I am going to try to be more committed to sharing on this platform because I do like to share projects that I am passionate about, especially scrapbooking. I make a lot of pages a month and I find they do not get the same kind of love over on Instagram (I hope you are following me there @stampwithbrenda).

This is me and some of my favorite people celebrating my birthday this year!

I wanted to share this fun page I made for a page class I teach as I am so happy with how it turned out. You know when you have a ‘vision’ and it comes to life? That is how I felt about this page!

I started with a base of Whisper White (as you know we can only order White Willow from this point on) and I cut myself a stencil using a Window Sheet and the Around it All dies. Using Blending Brushes and ink pads in Pretty in Pink, Coastal Cabana, Peach Pie and Lemon Lime Twist, I created a fun pattern along the side making sure to overlap the ‘bubbles’ so they felt connected.

The benefit of a window sheet is you can see through it, which makes placement a breeze—plus you can wipe it off to use over and over again! And don’t throw out the pieces or shapes that cut out—save them to use on another project as a fun element!

I used another die from the set in a slightly smaller size to stamp my sentiment ‘Make a Wish’ from the Birthday Celebrations stamp set. I absolutely LOVE this bundle and it will stay in my ‘keep me’ pile, especially because of the number dies included in the bundle.

I used the banner shape from the Mixed Labels die set to add behind my sentiment with some banners from the Lily Pond Lane DSP and some Linen Thread. The little tiny heart is from the Humble Home Builder Punch that was out during holiday season.

Adding some tone on tone embellishments also makes this a fun little area on my scrapbook page.

I stamped out ‘hooray’ from the Birthday Celebrations stamp set in Lemon Lime Twist to add overtop of that bubble—just like how I used the embellishments. As you can see on the page, anything added over top of the bubble coordinates with the bubble color—like the Peach Pie heart from the Hearts of Elegance Dies (a MUST HAVE—seriously #addtocart).

The remaining sentiments on this page are from the Wildflower Celebrations stamp set, which can be found in the Scrapbooking Brochure. I fussy cut them out and added them with a Pretty in Pink 49 to celebrate this birthday. Last one in my 40’s!

If you are inspired by this page, please help me keep loving what I do by shopping with me! I would be sincerely grateful—and if you are interested in joining my Making Memories Membership Program to learn how to scrapbook—get in touch!

Farewell for now friends! I would love to hear from you, so please leave me a comment!

Twelve Days of Christmas--Last Project Share!

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I can’t believe that we are at the end of another 12 Days of Christmas! Time flies when you are having fun crafting and being inspired, doesn’t it? I hope you love the projects that Mel and I have been sharing with you over the last 12 days! If you missed any posts, make sure to go back and check them out and please leave us an encouraging comment!

Of course, I had to end my 12 Days of Christmas 2024 with a scrapbook page of my bestie, Hawkins. He is my loyal companion, always at my feet in my craftroom.

I used Pool Party 12x12 as my base and elements from the Reindeer Memories Scrapbooking Kit for my page. I have really enjoyed these kits, using the pieces to design my own layouts.

The photo mat in Pecan Pie and I chose this to match the die cut word ‘Joy’ that you get in the scrapbooking kit. I ran it through the Forever Plaid embossing folder.

Isn’t Hawkins so handsome? I added FALALALALALA to this page as I like to think that might have been going through his mind! hahaha. It is from the Reindeer Memories stamp set, which is also found in the Scrapbooking Brochure. A little Crumb Cake Bakers Twine is layered behind along with a tree die cut from the kit and a snowflake from the One of a Kind Dies.

A did a fun paper weaving technique on the page using 3/4 x 12 inch strips of DSP from the Kit, the Reindeer Days DSP, and the Sweet Days of Autumn DSP.

I love this Joy die cut. I added some polka dots using my Pecan Pie Stampin’ Write marker for a little extra interest. I couldn’t resist adding the adorable deer from the Reindeer Days die set, plus more snowflakes and some stars I had laying around in my scrap pile.

I hope this page inspires you to scrapbook your bestie too and to think about a holiday layout in a completely different color palette. I have truly enjoyed curating this projects to share with you. Melanie and I were so happy to offer this to you again for our 3rd year running.

Thank you to everyone who has been by my side this past 18 months. You know who you are and how much you mean to me!

Cheers to an awesome festive season and let’s bring on 2025. The best is yet to come (insert 1000 hearts).

Head on over to Melanie’s blog to see her final festive project and if you missed anything, take a loop back!

Twelve Days of Christmas--Project #6

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Hi friends! Are you enjoying our project shares? I really hope you are finding some fun and different ideas between myself and Melanie! Today I want to share another holiday scrapbook page idea with you!

I offer a class each month, on the last Sunday of the month, over zoom, that is called The Making Memories Membership. Each month I design and share a layout with the members, share my creative strategies and design process and then recreate the page using completely different supplies. You craft along with me using your own supplies! It has been a wonderful first year offering this class series. If you are looking to develop your scrapbooking skills, please message me to find out how you can join for 2025!

This page was one that I shared this past month with everyone in The Making Memories Membership group. Typically, I do not share publicly what I create for this group, but I love this page so much and I would love you to join my creative community, so here you go!

Tell me I am not the only one who snaps pics of the starbucks holiday cups? hahaha!

The base of this page is Pecan Pie with a layer of Basic White over top. I used a variety of 2x2 squares in a bunch of DSP patterns to give life to this page. Some are retired, some are holiday prints and some are more neutral, however they come together in perfect harmony. There is literally SO MUCH you can do, design wise, with a 2x2 square!

‘Yay all the Way’ is from the Sophisticated Sled Bundle —with a little Real Red & White Bakers Twine in behind and a gold snowflake from the Snowy Wonder Dies. This bundle is where you will find the ‘Season’s Greetings’ sentiment as well. I used the Modern Oval Punch for that sentiment and layed it over top of a label die from the Peaceful Season Dies.

I wanted to add little images or shapes to some of the squares to help tell the story or the theme of my page. I stamped the little tree from the Snowy Wonder stamp set, a heart from the Bee Builder Punch, a little die cut tree from Snowy Wonder and the snowflake from the One of a Kind dies. Plus a few fun peppermint embellishments and some really old little heart embellishments (that I have been hoarding!).

If you are going to try and recreate this page, make sure to pop up your Real Red photo mat plus a few of the square to give dimension to your page. It really helps bring the layering effect of the 2x2 squares to life.

If you have questions about The Making Memories Membership program, please reach out!

And check out Melanie’s project tomorrow, or see what she shared yesterday, as we are alternating our schedule!

Twelve Days of Christmas--Project # 5

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HI friends! Are you enjoying all of our projects so far? I hope so! It is definitely starting to feeling like holiday season! Today I am sharing a card and a coordinating ornament or gift tag idea!

Lets start with one of my favorite card designs—I think it definitely falls into the ‘Good Card Design’ category as you can recreate this card with any dsp or die cut options!

The base is Real Red (its just screams classic Christmas) and in the top left and bottom right I stamped the little cluster of stars found in the Decorative Trees stamp set.

I created a first layer in Basic White where I die cut out a circle. Behind the circle I laid strips of DSP from the Take a Bow DSP in 1/2 and 3/4 wide strips. This is such a great way to use up DSP. I also ran this panel through the Snowfall Folder for a little extra touch.

I used the colors of the Take a Bow DSP to determine the colors of my two trees that I die cut with the Decorative Tree Dies. I just love these dies and have had so much fun creating with them this holiday season.

The dies have two sets of trees to choose from. The Garden Green treen in the front is one of the smaller tree options. The fancy layer that is on top of the tree is a separate die. You need to cut it and add it to the base tree, which is bigger. You then just use your snips to trim off the bottom section of the base tree! I was so happy to discover this as it made creating even more tree combinations a breeze!

Every year I make some sort of wood slice Christmas ornament or gift topper. I do hang these on my tree or tie them on a gift bag or use them on a gift. I love using a wood slice or tree cookie as my base. These are fun inexpensive gifts that you can use in a variety of ways. The coordinating card makes it a fun little gift!

To make this fun 3D tree for my ornament, I cut out 4 trees in Granny Apple Green. One is the base and three will be scored right down the middle of the tree. You could stamp on these 3 layers, like I did here, or even run them through an embossing folder for some texture.

I used the little star shapes from the Decorative Tree dies on these ones. Fold the 3 trees in half along the score line. Add some Tombow to the base tree and add one tree (one folded side) to the left half of your base tree, then add the next tree with Tombow to the back of the first tree and so forth, attaching the third tree to the base. I love when we can take a shape and make it 3D!

Because the Decorative Trees stamp set has the sentiment ‘Oh, Christmas Tree’ I knew that I had to use it on this project. It is stamped in Real Red ink with a spray of Granny Apple Green over top. I added a couple little banners from the Take a Bow DSP and a star from the die set.

I hope you are inspired to make a fun card and coordinating ornament yourself this holiday season!

Make sure you are checking Melanie’s blog on the days opposite of me so you don’t miss any of our awesome projects!
Thanks for joining in our 12 Days of Christmas Hop!