Latest posts from Merly Impressions

I have  certainly enjoyed playing with the Lulu and Roy collection! My ‘banner’ theme continues with this easy to do layout.

Create various strips of differing widths from several sheets of paper. Trim out the points to form a triangle. The key to this is to use different lengths and widths so that they overlap unevenly.

For the focal point, I added my own touches to really make the most of the collectables. Simply layer gauze, leaves and more flags before topping off with a mixture of collectables.

I hope that you’ll have a go with banners for yourself!

Thanks for popping in.

Morag x

Emilie has looked through the entries in the Merly Impressions Challenge for March and chosen a winner from the fabulous entries we received. It was a really close decision this month but we can now announce that…

The winner for March is Sigrun who created this layout:

Emilie loved all the elements, the details and the colour scheme. Well done Sigrun – we will get your prize to you very soon but, in the meantime, here is a nifty badge to put on your blog:

The decision was a really, really close one this month and special mention should go to the Top Acts – Janet and Veronica. Emilie loved the used of ink in their layout and loved the way that Janet managed to use so many techniques on one layout and made it all work together so beautifully.

And here is a badge for the Top Acts:

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to enter our March challenge and we hope that you’ll all enter the next challenge that will start very soon.

Chrissy  xXx

Lulu and Roy is such an interesting collection with an eclectic mix of patterned papers. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy working with papers that seem quite different to one another, but I was totally surprised to find myself  whisking off some layouts in no time at all!

For this layout, starting with a black base automatically makes everything pop! The stickers and collectables are teaming with fabulous images which can be layered and become a feature.

I am having a lot of fun with ‘flags’. It’s a great way to add pattern without overpowering your layout. Simply cut some strips and snip out a triangle at the end. Distress and layer them so that they are different lengths.

For more texture, I took some bandage and snipped the edges allowing it to fray, scrunch it allowing the edges to poke out from behind the flowers and leaves for a soft touch!

I continued the theme along the flower border adding smaller flags. I snipped these from the 6 1/2″ paper pad. Add some pearls so that they look like they are dropping from the border too.
Find Lulu & Roy collection here. I also used the Sticker Sheet, Collectables and pearls.

Thanks for stopping by.

Morag x

What I love about the Marigold collection is the versatility and mix of patterns. On one side there are gorgeous, vintage-inspired prints while on the other they have a modern feel.

The Ornate Die-cut paper (unfortunately no longer available) is stunning and as you can see, looks like a really expensive frame!

I didn’t really need to do much to add my own twist so I used two frames from the Collectables. I trimmed around the flowers and tucked the first frame below and the second frame is mounted with foam tape.

The background paper is already lovely, but to add a little pizzazz I used the rub-ons to add a quote. I then sliced around  the edge of the frame and layered different papers below, distressing them so that they curl slightly.

To make sure the layout is balanced, I also distressed the top left corner, this time peeling back the background, placing paper from the Paper Pad below and tucking in  journal card.

Check out the Marigold collection for yourself!

Thanks for popping in.

Morag x

Welcome to the last part of this month’s product focus! I really loved playing with this Ribbon Roses and the gorgeous 75 cents collection!

To finish off this session, I decided to conclude with a card.

I pressed my bottle of Tea Dye Distress Stain onto my card in an horizontal line and then helped it drip down. I quickly dried it with my heat gun to avoid the paper fibres absorbing and spreading the ink. I then traced around the patch of ink with a black pen and layered paper tape, die-cuts from the paper pad, collectable, ribbon and blooms onto my card with a single rose from the Ribbon Roses. You know the feeling when you have completed a project and just love everything about how it turned out? Well this card is just “it” for me! I just LOVE it! I even have it on display in my craft room!

Anyway, I hope this series inspired you and that you’ll be using your Ribbon Roses in a whole lot of creative ways!

Emilie xxx

Hello and welcome back to this second part of my product focus on those gorgeous Ribbon Roses!

I told you in this first part of this Product Focus that I am not the most comfortable at using ribbons in my scrapbooking and that it was the reason why I decided, in a masochist kind of way, to create three projects using this ribbon. I thought though that I had taken it easy with my first layout as I only had used one small piece and that therefor, to really push myself, I should go full on with this second layout and make those gorgeous fabric blooms the main feature of my page.

In order to create a layout with a lot a ribbon but without actually out-staging the photograph I decided to go for a strong image with a lot of contrast. This is a photo of my brother and his girlfriend and I loved how it was framed and treated. The subject are in very close focus and the colours have a bit of a vintage feel. There is a lot of contrast too so I knew I would be able to go for a heavy background with plenty of embellishments without loosing the subject. The chevron paper “Tuppence” is perfect for this image as it is young but yet with that vintage feel that the photo has. I added some Tea Dye Distress Stains in the middle of the sheet letting it drip down to add even more “rust” to the general feel. I then layered some papers from the paper pad onto which I mounted my photograph followed by a few collectables. A cluster of paper blooms in Terracotta and Ruby as well as a little bit of paper tape for an extra “je-ne-sais-quoi” and it was time for my Ribbon Roses. I decided to use a whole length as “support” for my photograph but helped it merge with the rest of the embellishments by covering the link with a butterfly from the collectables pack. I also balanced the design by adding a single rose in the top right corner of my photo with another butterfly. I decided to create my title by stamping the words Precious Memories from the Botanical Odyssey stamp set onto some paper from the paper pad.

I am pleased with how this layout turned out! It is very different from what I usually do and I don’t think anyone would easily recognise it as one of mine as there isn’t any of my usual “trademarks” i.e. small photograph, stamped journalling, etc… but it felt good to get out of my comfort zone!

I hope this inspired you try new things! See you on the third and last instalment!

Emilie xxx

You know me, I love flowers and blooms but I am not really one to use ribbons in my scrapbooking. It is not that I don’t like them, I simply don’t really know how to incorporate them in my designs except in very small touches. So when I opened my goody box this month and saw the gorgeous Ribbon Roses, I was at first a bit taken aback… How could I use it?

The fact that I had to ask myself this question pushed me to take the decision to use the Ribbon Roses as my Product Focus for this month.

Like many of you I fell head over hills in love with the 75 cent collection and I decided to use my Mint Rose Ribbon in association with this gorgeous collection. Here I mounted different layers of papers from the paper pad onto this gorgeous background paper “Penny” that has an amazing textured look. I followed by adding my photograph to then layer my title, a few Collectables and some paper blooms in Ruby and Honey. So where does my ribbon come into play  hear you say… Well, the great thing about this ribbon is that you can either use it as a whole strip or you can also cut it in order to just use one flower at a time, which is what I did here! I love the extra texture it add to my layout!

I hope this inspired you and to see for the next part of this product focus!

Emilie xxx

Thank you to all the scrappers who attended our March crop, we hope everyone enjoyed the day as much as we did.

There was no kit for March instead we had a Sketch Challenge which I called “My Three Favourite Things” these are the three things I love to put or do on my layouts. You can see the Sketch below. Lots of people took part and we had some lovely entries, so much so that we couldn’t pick one winner so had a runner up as well. The second price of £10.00 to spend in the shop went to Sara and the winning layout was from Louise who won £25.00 to spend in the shop, thank you to everyone that took part. I didn’t quite finish mine but will post it at a later date.

Below are some pictures taken on the day (click the image once to open it and click it again to close it). A big thank you to Chris, Anna and Paul for making some scrumptious cakes and sausage rolls, they were all yummy.

Chrissy xxx

Hello everybody! I know I repeat myself every month but I can’t believe it is that time already!

I have been scratching my head long and hard to find an idea for this challenge and it was hard to find something new! After some pondering I thought that I would push you a little bit further into my world. This month’s theme is:

GET INKY!!!

I want you to use some ink in some ways on your layout: through stamping, sponges, misting, drawing, painting, etc…you are free to decide! I don’t mind how you add the ink or how much of it you use, I just want to see some of it! And to get your inspiration flowing I made a layout using a wide range of inky techniques:

I wanted to show you that you could use a patterned background as a base by using the gorgeous Sixpence sheet from the 75 cent collection. I then used a mister to ink the background with this amazing Chevron stencil. I stamped the Arty Texture clear stamp to create a base for my photograph to sit on and then layered some gorgeous paper blooms in Grape, Buttercream and Sage. I also decided to create my own little inky embellishments by inking some butterflies with some distress stains in Feathered Peacock, Squeezed Lemonade and Spiced Marmalade. I finished them off by stamping on them with the Arty texture stamp I used earlier.

So I hope that this example inspired you to get inky! Please feel free to spread the word about this challenge! The more the merrier!

Please add your creation to the gallery below before the challenge closes at 1:00pm on 12th April 2013. We will then choose our favourite inky layout to win a fantastic prize – a £25.00 voucher to spend on anything you want from the Merly Impressions online store. Wow!

We do hope that you have fun with our challenge and that we bring some inspiration your way. Every month I love to look through all your gorgeous entries but please make sure you follow the challenge rules as we are sad to have on occasion to remove some entries as they didn’t follow those rules. You can find a full list of the Challenge rules on the Monthly Challenge page but we would like to politely remind readers that:

1. anyone who puts their entry on their own blog must link back to this post (http://www.merlyimpressions.co.uk/blog/scrapbooking/march-2013-layout-challenge/) so that all your visitors can find the gallery below and enjoy all the fabulous layouts being created
2. each creation entered must be “new” (not previously entered into a Merly Impressions or any other challenge)

It can be difficult for us to view any of your entries linked through Facebook therefore we are kindly asking you if you could please post your photos on the Merly Impressions page as this should make it easier for us all to admire your work. You can also email your entries directly to us at info@merlyimpressions.co.uk and we will add them and link them through our Photobucket gallery.

I really can’t wait to see all your entries! Have fun!

Emilie xxx

Emilie has looked through the entries in the Merly Impressions Challenge for February and chosen a winner from the fabulous entries we received. We can now announce that…

The winner for February is Janet who created this layout:

Emilie thought that Janet’s layout featured some fab colours and had a bright and cheerful look. Well done Janet – we will get your prize to you very soon but, in the meantime, here is a nifty badge to put on your blog:

Emilie couldn’t choose two Top Acts this month so she chose three instead – they are KJJC, Sigrun and Linda:

And here is a badge for the Top Acts:

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to enter our February challenge and we hope that you’ll all enter the next challenge that will start very soon.

Chrissy  xXx