hello gallery wall. my newest obsession.

so...just when you think things could not get any more fabulous....they are about to!
i am BEYOND thrilled to finally be able to share this huge and amazing secret that will forever change the way you look at the walls in your home forever.

say hello to heidi swapp gallery wall.

i know, right?!?!

this amazing michaels exclusive, will be available starting in march and it is FULL of SO many incredible DIY pieces that will truly transform your life (and your walls) into beautiful customized works of art...simply and effortlessly.  yes, it's true.

say hello to my first ever gallery wall.

and i pretty much love it.

my gallery wall is located in my son's bedroom.  we had already painted this wall with grey and white stripes before he was born.  but until recently, it simply stood there...blank.

no photos, no decor, no nothing!

i guess sometimes things in life are always just waiting for that perfect thing or moment.

needless to say, my excitement and creative self went into overdrive for this project.

let's take a closer look!

myself, along with the rest of the team, are so excited to share just some of the amazing ways to work with these brand new "blank canvas" products.  i truly love the ability to customize and these products are absolutely perfect for that.

most of what you see i created, customized or "heidi-fied" with the gallery wall collection.

for instance, this large frame.

i have been holding onto this frame for almost a year now.  it is a basic black frame, quite large and it was purchased from ikea.

i had NO idea what to do with it...until the heidi swapp gallery wall items came into my hands.

i printed a ton of black and white photos, cropped them all to 4x4 size and simply placed them in the frame, grid style.  you will notice the fun, vintage 'wood grain' matting in the frame.  what used to be boring white, i easily transformed with this wonderful paper that is part of the gallery wall collection. it comes in a variety of styles and colors...and is in rolls!  i absolutely love this paper!  it was perfect for repurposing and adding in this fun texture to a boring old frame.  the results are awesome, and the process SO easy. gotta love that combo!

the collection is also filled with gorgeous new stencils and texture pastes.  here below, i also have had this frame hanging around for awhile.  i knew it would be perfect for madix's wall.  so instead of leaving it plain...i used the mint texture paste and one of the new stencils to add some gorgeous color and texture to the frames edge.  i love how it pops with the mint glitter paper i added in as matting.  the paper is also from a brand new heidi swapp paper pad.  the canvas print was also created with one of the new stencils and navy color shine.  i clipped it onto the frame using a large silver bull dog clip, which is also part of the collection.

the smaller frame above, as well as the arrow are also pieces from the collection.  originally the frames are white, but i used one of the all new zinc distress kits to give the frame a "grunge" look.  i added glitter paper in navy to serve as matting and then adding in one of the all new gallery wall prints.  these are wonderful because they come in a variety of phrases and colors with beautiful gold foil writing all ready to go!  just pop in a frame and you are done.

i added the mini pennant banner on top, also part of the collection...which i stencilled with navy color shine.

this super fun large wall arrow is wooden and when purchased is "as is". plain wood.  however, i could not resist adding the brand new marquee love navy chunky glitter to it.  i just love how it sparkles.

here is another print from the gallery wall art collection.  

again, i simply placed it into a frame from ikea i have had for years and hung.

simple, stunning and perfect.  and TOTALLY EASY.

this piece below, is my favourite.

part of this collection are DIY faux pallet boards.

they are originally brown in color, but thanks to the amazing distress kits that are part of this collection one can transform these pallets into all sorts of distressed awesomeness.

i used the zinc distress kit, foam stamps and chain to create this wall hanging.

more on the details of how this came to be soon! i promise!

i am SO in LOVE with the foam stamps, you have NO idea.

simply brush them with an acrylic paint, press on your surface...and voila!

gorgeous customized text for the win!

this pallet below is the smaller size that will also be available.

i adore this size and have many many projects whirling in my brain surrounding this particular pallet. 

here again, i used the foam stamps on the pennant banner as well.

simple application with acrylic paint is all that's needed.

i embellished with a few fun extras....such as this fringe banner and large tassels, misted with navy and cool mint color shine. these pieces are ALL part of this new collection! SO exciting!

thank you so much for stopping by to check out this incredible NEW product release coming in march to michaels ONLY.  get excited people! total game changer!

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12x12 layouts. hello again.

i love reconnecting with old loves.
there is just so much comfort in those things.
it actually is crazy to me to even think of "traditional 12x12 layouts" as an "old love"....because they really have not gone anywhere.
i guess with me....trends, methods, the means...styles change and evolve and well....i guess so do i.
but one thing that surely has never changed with me is my love of memory keeping.
that is forever a constant.

so when i received the absolutely BEAUTIFUL brand new heidi swapp 12x12 paper pad (that is out now and a MUST have) i literally could NOT contain my excitement.  not only does it coordinate perfectly with the amazing heidi swapp planner collection that has just been released earlier this year...but the patterns in and of themselves are brilliant!  i also LOVE that this paper pad is double sided so you even get MORE of the amazing patterns. and the quality of the paper in this pad is superb. you will love it.

so needless to say, when you receive a paper pad that has SO many amazing colours and patterns.  real problems happen....how do you CHOOSE?

well...in this case, i just couldn't.  so i created a layout that incorporates some of my most coveted papers from this paper pad all on one layout.  i also included some of my favourites from my planner stash (ex. stickers) and other fun extras.

the main focus of my page is the title.

this i created using my silhouette cameo.

for those who are not familiar...the silhouette cameo is an electronic die cutting machine that connects to your computer.  it works similar to a printer in that anything you type up in a word document it will print out. HOWEVER....instead of printing it out, the machine will actually cut out the words on your paper.

it really is awesome.

what was fun about this too was that i was not sure how i was going to use my title.  if it was going to be the letters...or the negative.  

which as you can see...the negative won by a landslide!

so all i simply did once i had my title cut out, was place various patterns of paper behind each cut out.  i simply adhered those papers using scotch tape. nothing fancy, just something that would secure my papers in place.

once that was complete i had fun adding in my instax photo, and some of my favourite heidi swapp stickers.

even though these stickers i used are primarily from the planner collection, they look BRILLIANT on traditional layouts.  they are fun, edgy and so versatile.  it's a great way to use up those stickers that may or may not even work for your planner but could be that perfect embellishment for that unfinished layout!

once i finished up this initial layout, i literally became hooked.
i wanted to see what other pattern and paper combinations i could come up with.
so below, i mixed this gorgeous black and white floral with one of the pink ombre gradient papers.
the combo?
just awesome.
again, worked brilliantly with my silhouette cameo cut title.

here i just used a quote that resonated with me.  typed it ip in the silhouette software and had my silhouette cut it out.

embellished with more stickers and washi....a photo.  done!

i have to say, layouts like this look to me like they take SO much time.

but the secret is, they really really do not.

cutting out titles with my silhouette has always been a favourite of mine...that i somehow forgot about till now.

i think it's so good creatively to revisit those places.  it reenergizes and motivates. it inspires.  it gets the stories told!

so i hope you have all enjoyed this little fun "throwback" post if you will...to the place where the foundation lies.  the heart of it all.  12x12 pages.  i think i just might be hooked again.

because it was fun, and it was awesome.

especially when using such pretty stuff like the hello gorgeous paper pad.

makes it easier than ever to fall right back in love.

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back 2 basics: the minc pen.

hello everyone!

today i want to bring it back to basics and share how easy (and awesome) the MINC pen is to use in adding foiled touches to your projects.

yes, now that there is a MINC pen...you are able to add foil to your projects using your own handwriting, or using other means such as stencils!  this year at CHA there were 3 new stencil designs released with the all new MINC mixed media collection and you will love them!  they are so much fun and perfect to use with the MINC pen.  

so in order to give you the best back to basics tutorial on just how easy and fun it is to use the MINC pen, i thought creating a video would be the best way to show you exactly how this tool works.  

in this video i demonstrate and break down the "basics" of the MINC pen and how easy it is to use on your projects.

so...easy right?

again, here are my "must have" basic tips to keep in mind when using the MINC pen to achieve the best success:

1. before use, make sure to "prime" your pen in order to achieve the best even flow of toner ink.  this is achieved by pressing the tip against a flat surface repeatedly until you see the toner ink flowing and being absorbed into the pen tip.  you know you will have achieved optimal status when the pen tip transforms from white to black.

2. when applying the MINC pen to your project, make sure to use a slow and steady pace.  this will ensure an even and complete application of toner ink.  

3. avoid pressing hard when using the MINC pen. 

4. always have scratch paper handy.  that way you can "test out" your MINC pen to make sure your toner ink is ready and flowing before applying it to your project.

5. have fun and practice!  the more you use your MINC pen, the better it will be!  it really is an awesome tool.

as you can see below, i had so much fun creating a fun tag for my memory planner below using the minc pen, one of the new stencils, the hello gorgeous paper pad and some gold foil.

once you have the MINC pen in hand....really the options are endless!
i hope you are inspired and grab yourself your own MINC pen (if you do not have one already).  they are awesome and i know you will fall in love instantly!

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