Welcome to another Paper Trail Blog Hop and this month the focus is on the the Balloon Ride papers.
If you have come from Amy’s blog, you are in the right place and if you have just popped in to visit then feel free to have a good browse. The blog hop is circular so once you have visited everyone you will end up where you have started.
I have been doing my son’s album and the Balloon Ride papers have been really great to stretch myself with a different colour palette. I have also used the Artbooking cartridge to create the first layout. Once again I have a layout from the Make it From the Heart Volume 2 book (pattern No. 13). I have used a different overlay to the one in the book and placed strips of different colour behind the layout. I love the effect it creates and it adds such a pop of colour on the layout. I have also cut some other shapes out of the Artbooking cartridge to embellish the page.
Here is a close up of the Artbooking detail on the page.
I have also showed this page to demonstrate that you don’t need to have a Cricut machine to create layouts. This is my own design using the front sheets from the Picture Your Life kit to place at the top of the page and a couple of strips down each side of the page. The photos work in well and I have just added a couple of complements from the Balloon Ride Complement set.
This is another double layout I have done using the Artist Cartridge as well as the Artbooking cartridge. I have used the pattern 6e (Half & Half-Tags) from the Reflections Scrapbook Programme for my inspiration and I am really pleased how it has turned out.
Here is a close up of both pages of the layout. I have been admiring the merry go round in the Artiste cartridge for a long time and I am so thrilled that I could use it on this layout. The base is made out of S0rbet cardstock and the second layer is made from the sorbet crackle paper in the paper pack. I have finished off with Crystal Blue cardstock to create some unity with the colours in the paper and the photos. I have also made the rosette out from the Artiste cartridge and topped it with the Fun stamp out of the June SOTM set – Kaboom (NLA). The title and the pocket with the journalling tag is from the Artbooking cartridge. I have used off cuts from the overlay in the first layout to decorate several layouts to create unity with this album. The tags have been cut by hand.
To start with I wasn’t too sure about this paper range as well but the colours are so beautiful and the album is turning out really well. I have combined traditional layouts with the Balloon Ride Picture Your Life programme to get through the photos quickly.
I couldn’t resist putting in some cards that I have made with the Balloon Ride papers and the coordinating stamp set Give a Lift. I have not used Creme Brulee cardstock before but it tones beautifully with the Ballon Ride papers.
I have paper pieced the image using the blue paper and Sorbet, Crystal Blue and Creme Brulee cardstock. I have also used the offcuts of the overlay I cut out for the first layout featured at the beginning of the post.
I love the colour combination here and the three dimensional effect that I have achieved with overlaying the trimmed image over the balloon background paper. I have sanded the edges of the Sorbet and Creme Brulee cardstocks to give a lovely edge to the matting. The balloon image has been paper pieced using the patterned paper and Sorbet cardstock.
This was a quick and easy card and the balloon image has been coloured using the watercolour pencils from CTMH. I used to do a lot of water colour painting once until I became ill and now I am enjoying doing using these pencils and creating the watercolour effects again. I have used my watercolour brushes to create the lovely soft effects. I have also used the paper piercing tool to create a pattern on the trim as seen in the photo below.
This final card has had the stamped image coloured in using the watercolour pencils and then blended with the watercolour pen available from CTMH. As you can see it is a much more vibrant colour to the washed look of watercolour. 
Materials used:
Cardstock – Saddle, Crystal Blue, Colonial White, Sherbet, Cashmere, Creme Brulee, White Daisy
Inks – Sherbet, Saddle, Cocoa,
Cricut Cartridges – Artiste, Artbooking, Art Philosophy
I hope that you have enjoyed my layouts and please visit Mary’s blog, Road to Piece of Mind or Escape? to see what masterpiece/s she has created.
Happy Crafting
Patricia
