Google+

Friday, August 31, 2012

Some Awesome Inspiration!

We all need a little inspiration sometime, so we thought we would share some with you today.  I found these layouts in the C'est Magnifique Gallery and they all have one thing in common.........they are created with items from our Store



**************************************

"Out of Reach" by Erin Blegen
  (using Prima's Romance Novel Paper Collection
and Manor House Winter's Song: Ember flower)

**************************************

"Nature" by Erin Blegen
 (using Prima Rondelle Paper Collection, and Prima Flowers)

**************************************

"Yum" by Erin Blegen

**************************************

"Burst of Elegance" by Joyce Lawrence

**************************************

**************************************

"Wildflowers" by Leslie Kammerdiener

**************************************
 
 "Dream" by Leslie Kammerdiener
(using Prima Romance Novel Paper Collection, Prima and Manor House flowers)




We hope you enjoyed this inspiration from our gallery and store!

Supplies used:

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Meet our September Guest Designer

If you're like me, you hate keeping secrets, and it's always a good feeling when you can finally tell someone.  Well, today, I get to introduce you to our September Guest Designer.  She has been working with us behind the scenes and has created some awesome layouts using our September Kit, Fly Away

We are pleased to announce that Helen Tilbury is our guest designer.  Some of you need no introduction to Helen as she is well known in the scrapping world, and is a frequent contributor to our challenges here at C'est Magnifique.  Here's a little bit of information about Helen:

My name is Helen Tilbury & I am a scrap-a-holic J. I am married with 4 children and currently living in Durban, South Africa {I am Zimbabwean and my husband is Zambian}.  I’ve been persuing my art for the last 8 years & blogging for the last 4 years. I’m a Fashion Designer & have been involved in creative persuits my entire life. I am totally immersed in this passion of mine & have spent countless hours trying out different techniques to find the right style fit for me.

I’m currently working for a sketch blog, Creative Scrappers, an Etsy shop – Berry71Bleu Tags, & a French paper manufacturer, Les Papiers de Pandore.  With 2 girls & 2 boys I’ve learnt to be flexible with my style, which is partly determined by the products & subject I am using at the time.  I have created dozens of scrapbook albums as a legacy for my children {well that’s what I tell them but shhhh…it’s really art therapy for me!}  but I do create cards & mini-albums usually for gifts.

I love strong saturated colour, mixed media & feminine, romantic products – I call my style Modern Shabby Chic.  My love affair with paper is completely enduring.  Initially I was waiting for my scrapbooking “phase” to pass {and so was everyone else!} as I have turned my hand to every creative persuit on the planet prior to finding my niche!!  Now I know that this love will last forever.  Seeing, smelling and touching paper actually has a physical effect on me – my heart beats faster & I experience what I call a “paper rush”! That’s why I called my blog Scrap Addict – I’m addicted!  No doubt about it!!  At least it’s legal LOL.

Besides scrapbooking I love to take, edit and print my own photos, read & learn about photography,  watch movies, read magazines & spend time with my beautiful family.  I drink tea, coffee & water all day long & listen to my “scrap mix” on my media player while I’m creating. I love musicians who write gutsy lyrics so my taste varies from Taylor Swift to Eminem.   I’m so grateful to have discovered this creative outlet & wonderful way of meeting & interacting with other passionate, like-minded & hopelessly addicted creative people like myself.  I blog at http://helentilbury.blogspot.com


Here are a couple of layouts that Helen created with our September kit:

"Today's Special"

 I'll admit that when I saw the black based paper with the "Todays Special" I wasn't sure how to use it!  The text referred to cooking which certainly isn't my strong point - I much prefer to scrap!  Then it suddenly came to me when I saw this photo of my youngest daughter, Cami, with her 12th birthday cake. 

I loved inking up the mistable banners from the kit {so versatile as you can make them any color you like and they add such a festive feel to a page!} & I added some youthful "zing" to my page by using the banner packaging {the dynamic black and white striped card at the top and bottom of my page}. I used plenty of mists again & cut the chipboard birdcage directly down the middle so that I could use it to frame my photo. It made for a really interesting page I think!!


*****************************

 "My Flowers"

To be honest with you peach is NOT a color I scrap with often at all - I find it does strange things to skintones - BUT - it sure does look GREAT with black and white photos! I grabbed this shot of my 4 kids just before they set off around the garden in search of their Easter Eggs {yes the Easter Bunny still visits them all even though 3 of them are teenagers!!}. Of course their clothing was a mish-mash of trendy neon colors so converting my photo to black and white was the only way to save it! 

 I used LOADS of journaling as I loved the "scrabble style" alphas that came with the embellishment add-on. If I have one regret in life it's wasting time on people that haven't reciprocated my affections. I'm hoping my kids won't make the same mistake so I often make layouts for our family album, that contain meaningful quotes which I hope will give them food for thought. I recolored the Maya Road flowers by simply inking up the top petals & I took my flag sentiments & fussy-cut clock (riiiight at the very top, tucked under my flower cluster) from the Prima packaging. 



****************************
 
We will have more layouts from Helen and the rest of the design team to share with you in our next few blog posts, so be sure to check back.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Our September Kit Reveal

We have named our September Kit "Fly Away".  The paper collection is the Huntington Garden line from Riddersholm Design.  The paper has images of butterflies and hot-air balloons, both perfect for fussy cutting. 

In addition to this beautiful collection of paper we have included a spray from Lindy's Stamp Gang, KaiserCraft rub-ons, chipboard flourish from Leaky Shed, a flourish and Flutter Bits from Prima, an American Crafts alphabet, lace, chipboard compass from Dusty Attic, and flowers from Green Tara and Manor House. 

The September Kit and add-ons are available in our Store, and the Gallery is filled with inspiration from the design team.


Lace and Moon Shadow Mist from Lindy's Stamp Gang

Ornate Corner chipboard from Leaky Shed

Flourish by Prima and KaiserCraft rub-ons

Tag cut-outs from Riddersholm Design paper and American Crafts alphabet

Dusty Attic Compass Rose and Green Tara Gardenia

Manor House Lilac Rosette and Prima Flutter Bits

 A reminder that you have until Friday, August 31 to submit a layout using our August Sketch

We also have a very talented guest designer that has been working with our September kit.  Check back later this week and find out who it is!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Sneak Peek #4

Well, we're back with another layout using our upcoming September Kit, and this time I get to show you a layout I created.  This kit is so easy to work with.  Everything just seems to come together beautifully!

"Sweet & Sassy" by Valerie Serfozo

I love the tags that are printed on one sheet of the Riddersholm Design paper in this collection. Before I began using the kit, I knew I would want to use them, so I cut all of them out. I've used three of them on this layout of my niece, Macy -- even using one of them as my title. I cut the Dusty Attic compass in half so I could use it in two places on my layout. To create the border I cut a few strips of patterned paper, sprayed them with water, and wadded them into a ball. When they were almost dry, I lightly adhered them to the layout, then stitched in place. The inside portion of the layout was coated with gesso so the outside would be a little darker and create a frame.



From the Embellishment Add-on:
Bo Bunny Rub-ons - Weekend Market
Zva Pearl Flourish
Lindy's Stamp Gang: Starbursts: Canna Lily Burnt Orange

From my Stash:
gesso
Prima Edger - Old Road
Zing White Embossing Powder
Stamp - PTI
Distress Ink - Antique Linen
MS Vintage Doily Border Punch
Doily
Twine
Viva Pearl Pen
Studio Calico Chevron Mask
Stickles - Picket Fence (from last month's kit)

Monday, August 20, 2012

Sneak Peek #3 with Erin

Hi blog readers.  Let's start off the week by giving you another look at our upcoming September kit featuring paper from Riddersholm Design.  Take a look at what Erin has created:

"Paisley" by Erin Blegen


From the Flower Add-On:
Prima: Celyon: Attic
Prima: Charme Rose: Nature's Garden
KaiserCraft: Paper Blooms: Misty

From the Embellishment Add-On:
Heidi Swapp: Color Magic: Banner Delights
Zva: Pearl Flourish

From My Stash:
Prima Marketing & KaiserCraft Stamps
Prima Marketing "Old Road" & "Shabby Tote" Chalk Fluid Edger Pads
Ranger Liquid Pearls
Martha Stewart "Garden Rail" Border Punch
doilies

Friday, August 17, 2012

Sneak Peek #2 by Camilla

Happy Friday everyone!  The summer is winding down for those of us in the States, so we are trying to stuff in all we can while the weather is nice. 

Today it is Camilla's turn the give you a look at our September Kit.   The entire kit won't be revealed until the end of the month, but we do have the Riddersholm paper and the add-ons available in our Store.

"Me" by Camilla Ekman

I just love the softness of the gorgeous flowers in the August kit and the flower add-on. And here I have added most of them. LOL And then I had to put myself in the middle of the flower cluster. I can almost feel the scent of them.


From the Flower Add-On:
Manor House Creations: Imagine: Cocoa
Prima: Ceylon: Attic
Prima: Charme Rose: Nature's Garden
Prima: Coventry: Tranquil

From the Embellishment Add-On:
Heidi Swapp: Color Magic: Banner Delights
Zva: Pearl Flourish

From my own stash:
Dies, gesso, mask, texture paste and stamp

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Word Challenge Winners!

Thanks to all of you who entered our Word Challenge.  We loved seeing how each of you used the word "Grow" as the theme of your layout.  Our winner is:
The 4th entry in the challenge belongs to Janina Beckett of the UK.  Congratulations Janina!  You will be receiving a wonderful prize package from C'est Magnifique.  Leslie will be in contact with you to get your shipping information.  Here is Janina's layout:

 
We also have a $10 gift certificate to the C'est Magnifique Store to award to one of you who used a C'est Magnifique kit to create your layout.  The five who used a kit are Cathi, Maria, Cherished, Keren and Michelle. 

 
And the winner is:  Cherished Hall!  Leslie will be sending you a code to use in our store. Here is the layout Cherished created using our July 2012 kit:


Now we would like to show you the 5 featured layouts for this challenge, which is always a difficult decision to make.  These are in no particular order.  Congratulations to all of you!


"You Are Growing Too Quickly" by Lydia




"You are Growing So Fast" by Leila Cassimara




"BFFs Growing Up Together" by Cathi O'Neill




"Grow" by Keren Tamir




"Grow" by Michelle Frisby



We had planned to post a new Word Challenge in August, but due to the low number of entries we had for the July challenge, we have decided to put it on on hold for right now.  

We will continue to have our monthly sketch challenge (posted on the first day of each month) and our very popular "Bits and Pieces Giveaway" (posted on the 5th of each month). 

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

A Look at What's Coming in September

Today is the day we can finally let you see a little bit of what is coming for September!  First, we want to let you know that the September kit will feature paper from Riddersholm Designs a Danish manufacturer.   We have used them in the past and everyone loved working with their paper.  Their most recent collection is "Huntington Garden
and you will just love the colors!  If you're looking for just the paper, 
we have the collection available in our store.  Here, take a peek:



Our Flower Add-On for September includes flowers from Prima, Maya Road, 
KaiserCraft, and Manor House.  We have a few of these available in the store 
so if you want one, you need to get there fast.



Our Embellishment Add-On for September is made up of items that will compliment the kit.  Embellishments from the following manufacturers are in this add-on:  Pink Paislee, American Crafts, Prima, Want2Scrap, Bo Bunny, Zva Creative, and a spray from Lindy's Stamp Gang.  We also have a few of these in the store.  


Some of the items in these add-ons are also available for purchase separately.  Check out this section of the store for all our September kit products.

If you're interested in subscribing to our kits and be assured to receive one each month, visit our Join Page for all the details.  You can subscribe to the monthly add-ons, as well.

Now it's time to show you a layout from one of our designers using the September kit.   We hope you will take the time to read what Joyce has written about this layout.  It's a very moving story.

"An Unlikely Friendship" by Joyce Lawrence

 I so adored the color combinations in the kit of the lavender Kaisercraft flowers, periwinkle fabric flower, Prima flowers, and the Huntington Garden papers of cream, taupe and blue/lavender colors. There was so much loveliness included in the kit, and add-on’s and it was almost effortless melding each of these elements together on this page.

The Spray Burst mist was used on the white lace flowers in the kit and on the swirly 
Sizzix die cuts. The periwinkle fabric flower was disassembled and used as a 
scalloped border, a ribbon for the tag, and the remaining portion of the fabric flower was added to a flower cluster. A stencil was made out of an EK leaf punch and a 
Martha Stewart flower punch and were added to various parts of the upper
 and lower page to bring all the colors and elements together.

It was bittersweet creating this page of me and one of my closest school friends. 
She and I went to primary, middle and high school together. We were an unlikely 
pair of friends. During one of our high school classes we had together, the teacher 
used us as an example in one of his lectures and said: He would invite her out to the lake
 and a barbecue; and he would take me to a Broadway play and a five star restaurant. At the time, I was a little disappointed that he saw those differences in us and thought he had pegged us incorrectly. I loved being outside and going up to the lake. And, the idea of sitting in an auditorium with so many people for several hours didn’t appeal to me at such a young age. However, he was right. How did he know that? Over my lifetime, I have so enjoyed Broadway plays, opera’s, evenings at an art gallery, exhibits at museums, and five star restaurants. She was the more adventurous of the two of us and the risk taker too. 

In our youth, we did a lot of bicycling together and spent our summer weekends at the lake always tanning, drinking “Tab”, bowling together and double dated too. We shared our teenage wishes and dreams and one being that we did not want our mother’s lives of a SAHM, raising five kids and not fulfilling our own dreams. I set off to college and she got a job right out of high school, moved out of her parent’s home and got her own apartment. We drifted apart, but over the years, we could call each other and pick up right where we left off from the last conversation as if it was yesterday. She ended up living her mother’s life. Two years ago, she died of cancer. It was her destiny to marry young, have children and love and nurture them never knowing that she would have a short time on this earth. Sadly, I’m now the keeper of our secrets and the one left with the memories of our youth.


From the Flower Add-on:
KaiserCraft: Paper Blooms: Misty
Prima: Coventry: Tranquil

From the Embellishment Add-on:
Zva: Pearl Flourish