Miss Fancy Pants Designs: FOCUS ON

FOCUS ON : Kraft & Glassine Bags with Jess

As much as I love the patterns and themes of new paper collections and embellishments you just can't forget about the importance of great basics! The Kraft and Glassine bags from the Artist Edition line are perfect basics, either for putting stuff in (and adding one of the awesome labels that comes in the package!) or as a base, like I've demonstrated in today's project.

Just as basics are always in style, so are some classic projects that stand the test of time like my mini paper bag album. I used the kraft bags (I love anything kraft!) as the pages for this old school style of mini album.

The construction is quite simple. I laid out three bags and staggered them with the openings in opposite directions:

Then all I did was fold the bags in half and machine sew the binding very close to that folded edge:

Each page is perfectly sized for an Instagram print or wallet sized photo. I added a photo to each full page and embellishment to the pages the were open. Here's a look at the inside pages:

I also tucked a matted Instagram photo in each of the open pockets and added a sticker tab. The beauty of using the kraft bags is that they form these extra little hiding places for photos or journaling.

Thanks for stopping by to check out my project! I am sure you'll find a huge variety of ways to use these bags, with or without the fabulous included labels. The mini I showed you today is the perfect size for a gift... or hoard it for yourself!

- Jess

Posted on November 22, 2013 at 05:00 AM in FOCUS ON | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

FOCUS ON : Wooden Phrases with Becky

Hi friends! Becky here with you today to share my Focus on Wooden Phrases!

I found a fabulous shadow box frame at my local thrift store ages ago and I’ve been hanging onto it and waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it. Well today is the day!

It was a really ugly wood color originally (probably why it ended up at the thrift store) but I just gave it a coat of off-white paint and set off to decorate each of these fun little windows.

Because the frame was a shadow box I knew it was perfect to use some of the more dimensional items that FPD carries such as the clothes pins, christmas trees, flair and especially the WOODEN PHRASES!

The phrases are awesome to use ‘as is’ but because I was making a Christmas project I decided to add a little bling to one of them.

I started with the ‘memories’ wooden phrase and painted a thick coat of Mod Podge onto it.

Next I sprinkled a thick layer of chunky red glitter all over the whole thing.

I shook off the excess glitter and allowed the piece to dry completely. Then I painted another layer of Mod Podge over top of the red glitter to seal it all in.

And when it was dry it was ready to attach to my project. I used some small glue dots to attach the phrase to the frame so that there is a space between it and the photo and other decorations, it adds great dimension.

I used a second phrase on my project as well, but this time I didn’t do too much to it except for add a phrase sticker to continue the sentiment.

As a little treat I’ve got some close ups to share with you of how I decorated the rest of the windows in this frame. I think I used something from every single bit of the Merry Little Christmas Collection!

Well, there you have it! I hope you’ve be able to find some inspiration today and that you will give altering your wooden phrases a try!

- Becky

Posted on November 15, 2013 at 05:00 AM in FOCUS ON | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

FOCUS ON : MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS with Céline

Christmas is around the corner and I'm getting started on creating my Christmas decorations but also my gift bags!

Fancy Pants Designs has cme up with awesome Kraft bags for you to play with! They are perfect to use as gift bags, but also to use in your mini album, layouts and even Project Life!

I used my Kraft bags here and played with doilies and the Merry Little Christmas line, which I LOVE!

Merry Little Christmas Sticker Fundamentals / Merry Little Christmas Ephemera Pack / Merry Little Christmas Red Alpha Stickers / Merry Little Christmas Decorative Bags / Merry Little Christmas Button Set / Merry Little Christmas Clothespins / Merry Little Christmas Ticket Roll / Merry Little Christmas Trees

Simply grab a paper doily and place it on the Kraft Bag, add some buttons, tickets and a clothspin.

You can use a tiny Paper bag (those are so cute!) in which you place a super secret gift for your beloved daughter/mom/sister!

You can write the name of each of your family member with the Big Alpha Stickers too!

Add a few drops of mists here and there to pretend it's snow! :)

Are you looking forward to Christmas now? I AM!

Take care and thanks for stopping by!

-Céline

Posted on November 13, 2013 at 05:00 AM in FOCUS ON | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

FOCUS ON : Ticket Rolls with Glenda

Hello All,

Today the double-page layout that I created focused on using the Fancy Pants Designs awesome Happy-Go-Lucky Ticket Rolls.

My inspiration started with the ‘Ticket to the Good Life’ Title Piece and I decided to play on the word ‘ticket’. This became the focal point on the layout and reminded me of just how much we are blessed with a good life. Being happy is a choice…

Lightly ink the edges of the ‘FREE PASS’ ticket and place it on top of the same ticket on the Title Piece with a foam square, ensuring that the ticket still has the curved look from the roll.

Adhere a Large Decorative Tag just behind the Title Piece. Lightly ink two more tickets from the Ticket Roll and place just under the Title Piece, raising with foam squares. To continue the focus on the ticket theme, use the ticket strip on the Strips paper.

Lightly ink the ‘KEEP CALM AND SMELL THE FLOWERS’ ticket and threaded onto a Tape Sticker which is trimmed to size and a banner edge created on top and bottom edges. Raise the ticket in the centre with a foam square and add a Resin Flower to the top of the ticket.

Create an embellishment cluster incorporating two banners from the Ephemera Pack, creating two banners from Tape Sticker strips and the ‘PLEASE TAKE ONE’ pink ticket. Use the same technique of threading the ticket onto the Tape Sticker
(I used the left over Tape Sticker piece from the right side of the layout). Raise the ticket with a foam square and add a Resin Flower and a small button from the Button Set.

I hope you now have your ‘ticket’ to be creative and celebrate your TICKET TO A GOOD LIFE.

- Glenda

Posted on November 05, 2013 at 05:00 AM in FOCUS ON | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

FOCUS ON : MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS with Céline

Hello everyone!

Christmas is around the corner - how I love this time of the year! I'm actually very excited to start my third December Daily album, and this year I have decided to make more Christmas Home Decor and to create my own Christmas cards to send to friends and families! :) Time will be an issue though, but I'm sure that the Fancy Pants Design Team will get me inspired throughout the end of the year and get me going! :)

Today I would like to show you my very first Christmasey layout, using the fantastic Merry Little Christmas line!

This layout is called "Nothing's better than being your own Santa" which means - make yourself some gifts and be happy! :)

Merry Little Christmas Baubles paper / Merry Little Christmas Strips paper / Merry Little Christmas Sticker Fundamentals / Merry Little Christmas Large Decorative Tags / Merry Little Christmas Flair / Merry Little Christmas Ephemera Pack / Merry Little Christmas Button Set / Gray Alpha Stickers / Nothing's Better Wooden Phrase

I recently purchased a new pair of shoes (expensive...), I was eyeing them for so long and thought they would be perfect as a Christmas gift...from me to me :) That's the whole point of this layout!

I glued my picture in the center and the Large Decorative Tag helped me balance the center of this page, along with the Wooden Phrase, that is glued on the left side of my picture.

To repeat the same design, I glued the rest of my title on the right side of the Large Decorative tag, to get a nice balance center piece.

Santa comes right in the middle of this piece, to add curves and a fun and nice vintage look as well.

A few touches of red/gold/black with ink here and there creates some confetti look, and the black is a reminder of the black bow on my picture.

I added some embellishments here and there and voilà! :)

I hope you enjoyed this layout, how about you make yourself a treat and scrapbook about it? :)

See you on our Facebook fanpage!

- Céline

Posted on October 23, 2013 at 05:00 AM in FOCUS ON | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

FOCUS ON : Clothespins with Yuki

Hello Fancy Pants Designs Fans, Yuki here with you today to share how I use the new Clothepins in my projects. I cannot help falling in love with those cute Clothepins. I put them here and there over my projects - I am almost addicted to them!

Happy-Go-Lucky Clothepins / Happy-Go-Lucky Paper Upbeat / Happy-Go-Lucky Paper Gleeful / Happy-Go-Lucky Paper Peppy / Happy-Go-Lucky Paper Carefree / Happy-Go-Lucky Ticket roll / Happy-Go-Lucky Large Decorative Tags/ Happy-Go-Lucky patterned photo frame / Happy-Go-Lucky Small Decorative Tags / Happy-Go-Lucky Title pieces / Artist Edition Resin Flowers / FPD Downloads

This is my inspiration board filled with my favorites. If I want to add something to my board, it’s only necessary to clip it with the Clothepins. It’s so easy.

About a calendar I used, you can download it here for free.

I wanted to make a simple photo stand which I would be able to replace a photo with a new one anytime. I love to customize my Clothepins with the Button Set.

Happy-Go-Lucky Clothepins / Happy-Go-Lucky Paper Easygoing / Happy-Go-Lucky Paper Sunbeam pepar / Happy-Go-Lucky Paper Playful paper / Happy-Go-Lucky Paper Cherful paper / Happy-Go-Lucky Ephemera Pack / Happy-Go-Lucky Label Stickers/ Happy-Go-Lucky Button Set / Kraft Corrugate Sheet

I just added a flair to a Clothepin and use it on the gift bag like this. The Artist Edition Kraft bag is perfect for this type of projects, too. I will use this idea next Christmas season because it will be able to save my time!

Collecting Moments Clothepins / Collecting Moments Sticker Fundamentals / Collecting Moments Flair / Artist Edition Kraft bag

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope these projects inspired you!

- Yuki

Posted on October 22, 2013 at 05:00 AM in FOCUS ON | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

FOCUS ON : Large Decorative Tags with Kim

Hi crafty Fancy Pants friends!

I hope your week has been a great one? I am going to show you how to use the awesome 'large decorative tags' from the Happy-Go-Lucky collection released at Summer CHA 2013.

Tags are so versatile & easy to decorate, which is where I started.

I layered it onto a square of Preppy Patterned paper, added a ticket, decorative bag, some small tags, ephemera, button & strips of Sunbeam Patterned paper under the photo. The machine stitching adds great texture & sass!

For this tag & layered a ticket, epherema and a strip of Chipper Patterned paper from the 6x6 Happy-Go-Lucky collection pad because of the smaller design. Again the machine stitching adds great interest to the overall tag design.

This tag sports one of the fabulous NEW Artist Edition wooden phrase, 'You & Me', a decorative bag, ephemera, mini tag & metal Flair button.

Here is the completed page using all the tags.

Happy Go Lucky Upbeat paper / Happy Go Lucky Peppy paper / Happy Go Lucky Sunbeam paper / Happy Go Lucky Perky Paper / Happy Go Lucky Easy Going Paper / Happy Go Lucky 6x6 Paper Pad / Happy Go Lucky Large Decorative Tags / Happy Go Lucky Small decorative Tags / Happy Go Lucky decorative bags /Happy Go Lucky Flair /Happy Go Lucky Ephemera Pack /Happy Go Lucky Button Set / Happy Go Lucky Ticket Roll / Artist Edition Wooden Phrase 'You & Me' / Artist Edition Stencil 'Making Memories'

I arranged the tags in a grid style pattern, on top of a layer of white gesso which acts as a grounding for the page elements. The title is raised on foam squares to add great dimension.

Now you have a go...grab those 'large decorative tags' from the Happy-Go-Lucky collection & start layering.

Happy crafting!

- Kim

Posted on October 17, 2013 at 05:00 AM in FOCUS ON | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

FOCUS ON : Title Pieces with Céline

Hello my dear Fancy Pants Designs friends! How are you today?

I would like to show you a layout today using the Title Pieces. To be honest, I haven't got much chance to use those a lot since I have been scrapbooking with Fancy Pants Designs. Why? Because I thought I wasn't the kind of Scrapbooker that could use those. Was I WRONG!

I found the Title Pieces to be VERY useful not only for layout - when I lack a title idea, when I scrapbook with a big photo, when I have some empty space I need to fill in - but also as a cover for a mini album, for exemple, or a card as well!

For this layout that I created this week, I used the Title Piece as my main title, as a reminder of the fantastic time we had during our {entreARTistes} Scrapbook event. Even though I used the Chipboard alphas for my {entreARTistes} title, the Title Piece acts both as an embellishment and also as your main title.

Happy Go Lucky Peppy paper / Happy Go Lucky Stiker Fundamentals / Happy Go Lucky Tape Stickers / Happy Go Lucky Label Stickers / Happy Go Lucky Patterned Photo Frames /Happy Go Lucky Title Pieces / Happy Go Lucky Ticket Roll / Chipboard Alphas

They are always coordinated with the line you choose to use, and the quality of the paper plus the nice design makes it even more fun to use on your crafty projects!

I simply sewed through the Title Piece to add more texture to my page, and alos because I can't make a layout without sewing on it! :)

I hope you enjoyed this layout as much as I enjoyed making it! :)

Take care

- Céline

Posted on October 16, 2013 at 05:00 AM in FOCUS ON | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)

FOCUS ON : Happy Go Lucky with Céline

Hi there!

I recently got my Fancy Pants Designs DT box and oh dear... how in love I am with the new lines! I can't pick a favorite though, and depending on the theme of your photos, you can either use Happy Go Lucky or Collecting Moments. Today, I have decided to show you a new layout made with the Happy Go Lucky line.

The rich colors of this line, along with some adorable range of embellishments (sorry, I can't resist the cute caravan!), allows you to use any kind of pictures : feminine photos, your last holidays at the beach or in the mountains, family portraits...

Happy Go Lucky Playful paper / Happy Go Lucky Chipper paper / Happy Go Lucky Tape Sticker / Happy Go Lucky Gray Alpha Stickers / Happy Go Lucky Decorative Bags / Happy Go Lucky Large Decorative Bags / Happy Go Lucky Ephemera Pack / Happy Go Lucky Button Set / Happy Go Lucky Ticket Roll / Collecting Moments Tape Stickers /Memories Captures Patterned Enveloppes

For this layout, I printed a picture from our road trip to Brittany, in the north west of France, this Summer. The colors of this side of France match perfectly the patterned papers I chose.

There are two kinds of embellishments that I really like : the patterned enveloppes and the decorative bags. They can be placed behind your patterned papers, like a hidden pocket, and on top of your page.

Slide a tag in there and you can have a place to write your journaling without having everyone read it.

Those Ephemera die-cuts are just too cute for words! Look at my caravan! How cute it is! Whether you glue them, mount them with 3D foam, or sew them, these tiny little die-cuts will add more depth and colors to your layout!

The big Alphas ROCK! I mean, seriously, we are used to using tiny alphas, but BIG letters look way much better on our layouts! We need MORE big alphas, don't you think?

Thanks for watching and see you soon on the Fancy Pants Designs blog!

-Céline

Posted on October 02, 2013 at 05:00 AM in FOCUS ON | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

FOCUS ON : Brag Pads with Tessa

Hi everyone!

Did you know that the brag pads make perfect pages for mini albums? 4x6 is my favorite size for a mini album, so the brag pads have really been calling to me. With school starting and my boys reaching new milestones, I decided to use the Down By the Shore brag pad as the base for a mini album about journeys - my boys' journeys through this point in life.

Brag Pad (Down By the Shore) / Sticker Fundamentals (Down By the Shore) / Cork Shapes Stars

Knowing that my boys would want to flip through this mini album often, I adhered the cards from the brag pad to 4x6 pieces of chipboard. For a thinner book, you could easily use the pages as they come, or even backed with other cards or patterned paper.

To create even more space for photos and journaling, I used the large, Down By the Shore coin envelopes as pages, too. They match well in size to the brag pad cards, and of course, coordinate perfectly.

Instax photos are adhered to some pages, while hand-written journaling is added to others. I love that the brag pads offer bold designs, and more subtle designs that allow for writing or embellishing. I also added type-written quotations to some pages. Inside the pockets are personal letters to each boy.

Because I didn't have to trim patterned papers to fit my chipboard, this mini album came together in just a couple of hours. Using the brag pad as mini album pages was oh-so easy! Give it a try the next time you're making a mini - you won't regret it!