Author: mariehirst

Summer Fun | Marie Hirst

~ mariehirst

Hi there everyone! I have a super fun summer layout for you today! This one kind of came together by accident but I’m so glad it did!

I started by tinkering with the Summer and fun parts of this cutfile set welding them together in Cricut Design studio but keeping them the same small size they started out as. My original intention was to use the file in a traveller’s notebook but then this happened!

To cut a loooooooooong story short, I decided to make a mixed media background using my brusho powders. I gessoed the page, sprayed it with some water and then sprinkled the powders on and watched the magic happen. Its soooooo cool watching the colours form!

Anyway, the background I wanted needed to be turquoise and as you can quite clearly see – this is not that! So I put it to one side and started again. A few days later I was flicking through my to-be-scrapped-photo-pile when I came across this awesome photo and I decided to have a play.

I knew it needed a small cutfile that would sit on the blue part of the background so my summer fun combo was perfect!

I backed the whole cutfile with some woodgrain paper from a 6×6 pad in my stash and propped it up on foam. I used the same to back the photo along with some odd netting material which was also hanging around in my crafty drawers – it worked perfectly!

I then began embellishing using some pieces from an old Kaisercraft collection keeping to wood-like tones and in line with the diagonal direction of the background.

The final addition was this little wooden fence piece which gave a real beach feel!

Well, I hope you like my layout as much as I do! You’ll find the cutfile I used here and lots of new releases here.

Happy scrapping and stay safe,

Marie xo

You’ll Be Loved Forever and Always

~ mariehirst

Hi there everyone! I hope you are all keeping well. I’m back today with a layout using one of the new release cutfiles!

Here is the ‘Frame Trio’ cutfile that I used which you can find in the shop here.
I knew I wanted to use only one of the frames for a photo and the other two for embellishments. I decided to use Pinkfresh Studio Just a Little Lovely and to use something other than white cardstock for the background!

I cut the cutfile from whitecardstock then used some of the yellow, cream and turquoise papers (mainly scraps) to back the flowers and then mounted them on foam to add some dimension. I added the photo of my son and husband in the central frame and adhered it to the page.

I then found some similarly coloured embellishments to fill the other two frames and some of the beautiful acetate flowers to tuck in all around the edges of the cutfile.

I added puffy alphas above and below the cutfile to extend the title and then placed lots of lovely sequins dotted around the page.
For added texture, I bundled up a little white thread and tucked it in at various points.
To balance the page, I added some colourful tags to the bottom right corner along with some machine stitching, a couple more pieces of ephemera and a few more sequins!
I love the variety of colour on the page! I hope you like it to and it inpires you to try colours that you maybe wouldn’t normally!

Remember to check out all the new releases in the shop and I’ll see you soon!

Until next time,

Happy creating,

Marie xo

Paint Me a Rainbow | Marie Hirst

~ mariehirst

Hello everyone! I hope you are all keeping safe and well (and if you are in the UK with me, you are also enjoying the sunshine!)

I’m popping on the blog today to share this lovely rainbow layout with you all!

I just LOVE the rainbow cutfile in the Rainbow KIT to YOU set! For anyone who doesn’t know, with KIT to YOU you get the cutfile and a set of detailed instructions on how to make a layout! Check out all the gorgeous KIT to YOU sets here.

Anyway, here is the one I used:
I decided to use it to document when my son, Elliot, pained a huge rainbow poster to put in our front window to thank all the NHS staff looking after us all during these difficult times.

I started by backing the rainbow and clouds in a rainbow-striped paper from my stash and the sun in a white paper covered in mini hearts.
I placed the two photos which I printed 3×4 inches each, on top of the rainbow and added the rainbow onto another sheet of cardstock covered in rainbows (A Picnic in the Park one I think!)
I used some Jillybean Soup embellishments (mini paintbrushes and splats) to add details and added some words around the photos which matched in theme with what Elliot was up to.
Finally, I added the title using some tiny foam alphas and some HUGE cardstock ones (again from Jillybean Soup).
I just love how it turned out – so happy and bright and a lovely lockdown memory! Don’t forget to check out all the lovely new designs in the shop here and look out for the new releases in June!

Until next time,

Stay safe,

Marie xxx

Hello Blue Skies | Marie Hirst

~ mariehirst

Hey there CUT to YOU friends! It’s Marie here with my latest share!

I wanted to try something a bit different this time so chose the Triangle Pinwheel Background Cutfile.

I started by cutting it from white cardstock around 10 inches across but then decided not to back it (which is something quite different for me!) I wanted to use the file as a background feature to add some subtle texture so I just glued it down as it was!

I decided to pair the cutfile with some papers from Pinkfresh Studio’s Super Cool range as the green was a perfect match to my son’s jumper! I used the grey striped paper as my background paper and then fussy cut some of the polaroid frames to create a banner across the page.

I added adhesive foam behind the polaroid frames and photo and added some Cardstock stickers to embellish, tucking them in in different places.

I used an acrylic title in a light blue to match the layout and then added a few black splatters to break up the white space.

I love how this turned out and I loved using the cut file to add subtle detail.

There are lots more cut files like this in the shop, so be sure to check them out here.

Until next time, stay safe scrappy friends,

Marie x

Thankful for You | Marie Hirst

~ mariehirst

Hi everyone! I hope you have all had an amazing INSD weekend! It’s my turn on the blog today sharing this cute page!

This is Bella, our puppy. We got her in September last year for some company for me at home and that’s what inspired the title – I really am so thankful to have her. Dogs really can do wonders for our mental health!

I started with the Geo Triangle Cutfile which I cut from white Cardstock and then backed with a variety of the pink shades from the Happiness Collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio.

I left a couple of the triangles empty so that I could tuck some of the floral ephemera into them. I added foam tape to the back of the cutfile to add some dimension before sticking it on to a sheet of white cardstock.

I printed my photo 3×4 in black and white and added some more pink layers along with some of the navy hearts paper. I added foam to the back of the photo for even more dimension.

I added my title in the bottom right corner and then added lots of lovely ephemera pieces and a small cluster at the top left too.

I love how it turned out! You can find this cutfile and sooooooooo many more in the shop and be sure to sign up for the newsletter as Gwen sends out two free cutfiles each month!

Until next time scrappy friends,

Stay safe,

Marie x

Love this Story | Marie Hirst

~ mariehirst

Hi everyone! I am so excited to share my latest layout with you all! This one is super special because I used the gorgeous new cutfile ‘Love this Story’ to document my parents’ 54th wedding anniversary.

And here’s the cutfile I used:

As you can imagine, our celebrations have been put on hold but I still wanted to document this moment as my mum also had a heart attack this time last year so we had planned something really special so we will just have to make 55 years even bigger!

I decided to use one of my favourite ever collections (or at least what I had left of it!) to create this page. I love the colours in the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Midnight collection.

I started by backing the flower parts with a beautiful pink and the rest of the letters with a script paper. I then mounted the whole cutfile on adhesive foam to add some dimension.

I then tucked in some extra flowers around the cutfile as well as adding three of the title words ‘together’, ‘happy’ and ‘days’.

I matted the black and white photo on some scraps of paper and tucked in some more pieces of ephemera.

I created one more cluster at the bottom and added the date. I am so happy with how this turned out. I am going to frame it and give it to my parents as a gift when I am next able to see them and the cutfile was just PERFECT to document such an important milestone!

Remember to check out all of the awesome new releases in the shop here.

Until next time, stay safe

Marie x

Smile | Marie Hirst

~ mariehirst

Hello everyone! It’s Marie on the blog today sharing a layout I made using one of the new release cutfiles from April!

I just thought these Floral Tags were STUNNING and I couldn’t wait to use them!

I decided to use the new Noteworthy Collection from Pinkfresh Studio. I started by printing a photo of my son Elliot in black and white and then backing the tags in the blue gingham and checked papers from the collection. I knew I also wanted to back the rest of the tags so I used the card that came in the pack of cardstock stickers to do that (waste not want not!!)

I mounted the tags on adhesive foam and overlapped them slightly to create a base for my photo. It is a very recent photo taken in our garden. I then found a quote on one of the cut apart sheets that fit so perfectly with how I am feeling at the moment (I am incredibly grateful for all that we have) and I added the word ‘smile’ above this to complete my title.

I then began embellishing the layout using some cardstock stickers and some blue florals. I added some blue thread to each tag whilst also cutting down my background paper so that I could distress the edges and add a white boarder.

I chose a few more blue elements from the sticker sheet to tuck in different places and then added some white splatters to break up some of the dark blue background.

I love how it turned out and I’ll definitely be using this cutfile again!

Check out all the new releases on the website here and keep on crafting!

Until next time, stay safe

Marie x

Family | Marie Hirst

~ mariehirst

Hi everyone! It’s Marie here on the blog today with this pretty layout documenting a lovely family photo. Family photos are few and far between in our house as one of us is usually taking the photo!

And here is the Spring Floral cutfile I used.

I started by adding the image into my Cricut software and removing the outer and some of the not-needed inner contour lines so that the main shapes were cut out of the cardstock so I was using the negative of the file as I wanted to feature it as my background.

I decided to pair it with the beautiful Unforgettable collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio (which I have to admit I have totally been hoarding). I used a turquoise to back the cutfile and then added a small piece of the woodgrain paper around two of the edges (and kept the rest for another time).

I used several different sheets from the 6×8 pad to mat my photo and add lots of layers. Then I sorted through my die cut ephemera and tucked in lots of florals and hearts around the photo and into different parts of the cutfile.

I used the foam title ‘Family’ and added a few of the small black hearts at various points too. I then finished off by adding some pretty little sequins and some enamel dots, again tucked into the cutfile and sprinkled all over! I also tucked a small tag behind the photo and added some cotton thread which was then swirled down the side of the page and of course I added some of those beautiful butterflies!

I love the way this has turned out and I love how the cutfile adds so much interest to the background and allowed me to tuck lots of little details in too!

You’ll find a process video here on my channel:

Thank you so much for stopping by! Don’t forget to check out all the awesomeness that is currently in the shop!

Until next time, stay safe and keep on crafting!

Marie x

Dream On, Dreamer | Marie Hirst

~ mariehirst

Hi there everyone! My turn on the blog today and I’m sharing this dreamy layout using three cutfiles.

I’ve been wanting to use the ‘Dream Believer‘ cutfile for so long and I paired it with ‘Dream on Dreamer‘ and this ‘Feathers‘ cutfile too!

I started with a sheet of the new mixed media background paper from Vicki Boutin and then cut all three cutfiles from white cardstock. I then used a brush and some distress oxide inks to colour the cutfile before I removed it from the mat.

I then backed each part of the cutfiles using vellum to give a really soft appearance.

I used white tissue paper to mat the photo (I used four layers in total and ruffled up the edges).

I added some tangled white cotton, some sparkly sequins and some typed word stickers at various points across the layout.

I then added white splatters to break up some of the blue before matting the whole layout on a light purple shade of cardstock to give some definition to the edge.

You’ll find a process video here:

Thanks for stopping by today and remember to check out all of the new designs in the shop. You’ll find them here.

Until next time, happy scrapping,

Marie x

Sweet Dreams | Marie Hirst

~ mariehirst

Hi Everyone! Marie here with the sweetest layout using the “Circle of Love” cutfile which is one of this month’s new releases.

And this is the cutfile I used.

First of all I cut the cutfile as large as I could on my Cricut (11.5 inches wide) from white cardstock. I then cut it so that I could have it over two of the corners and not in the centre.

Then, I backed the hearts using the ombre paper from the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Midnight Collection and attached it to the background paper (also CVS Midnight) with adhesive foam to give the layout some depth.

I then matted my sweet photograph on different papers from the range and tucked it in behind the larger of the two cutfile sections.

I added lots of lovely embellishments and stickers and some splatters of white acrylic paint.

There is a process video here if you’d like to take a look how it all came together:

Remember to pop by the shop to see all the gorgeous cutfiles and the NEW KIT TO YOU sets available now!

Until next time,

Marie x