"Darling and Daisy" Collection Full Reveal and Launch!!!

August 11, 2022 Andrea Bethke

Hello, everyone! We are super excited to share with you our newest collection, "Darling and Daisy"! Ok, I know that there are so many collections that I love and I say are my favorite, but this one is particularly special to me! And I really do love it, and it’s definitely at the top of my favorite’s list right now! There is just so much that I put into this collection that makes me happy. And I think you will understand what I am saying when I tell you that I get an instant boost of serotonin when I look at the papers and embellishments in this collection. In fact, I dare you not to smile when you look at everything in "Darling and Daisy"!

I created this collection during a difficult time with my health (my CRPS pain). So I kind of focused on what was really helping to distract me from the pain and bringing me a lot of joy -- and for me at the time, it was vintage, and specifically Midcentury Mod, flower power vintage, and, also, dolls — specifically vintage, 60s mod, Barbie dolls, plus happy colors like bright pink, orange, aqua, and marigold yellow! I was also watching a lot of Trixie Mattel and specifically, the Trixie Motel series on Discovery+ at the time, and that show really combined those ideas that I had already been so inspired by. This made for a super cool coincidence that coordinated with the kind of aesthetic I had already begun building in my mind and on the page.

When you look through the collection, I think you can see the vintage, fashion doll vibe shining throughout. I wanted to create an experience that mimicked the kind of childlike sense of wonder that we would get when we were young and looking at sweet, packaged toys in the toy store, resplendent with bright colors, lots of pink, pretty fonts, fun flowers, and kitschy cute graphics! And even though I was definitely very inspired by the sixties, those same elements have been true, as far as toy packaging, for every decade from then ‘til now. I suppose that “look” works because there is something about that vibe that just seems to invite imagination, creativity, and play! And that same kind of vibe is something we find on adult products nowadays, too -- like on makeup, purses, etc.

Main Set 12x12 Papers

Add-On Set 12x12 Papers

13 - Barbara Darling and Madison Daisy.png

It’s definitely what some people might call a "girly" collection...just like how many would refer to playing with a Barbie, or even to Barbie, herself. However, one thing I have always appreciated about Barbie is the fact that she was so different from other dolls! She was the first doll to show young girls that they could be literally anything -- she wasn’t just a baby doll, teaching young girls how to mother; instead, Barbie was a fashion model, an astronaut, a teacher, a student, a doctor, a nurse, a single woman with her own "dream home" that belonged to her! And she was diverse. Barbie and Midge weren’t the only girls in that world, even in the 60s — there was Julia and Christie, too — and that world has only gotten more and more diverse since then! I wanted to have that kind of message in the collection, too! I wanted to create a collection that inspired women to believe in themselves, a collection that reminds us that we can do anything, be anything, and that celebrates the fact that we are all beautifully diverse and special!!! I wanted to make something that would make us feel good -- that would remind us that we are both big, wondrous kids on the inside and also, grown, beautiful, amazing, and capable adults!

Embellishments

Specialty, 12x12, Double-Sided, Daisies Die Cut

Planner Dividers

Anyways, I really hope you all love this collection as much as I do! Huuuugs to you all! Have fun with this collection -- use it to create beautiful and imaginative and playful things that reflect the beautiful and imaginative and playful person that you are!!!

Love,

Andrea Bethke
Owner, Designer, Founder
The Fairytale Club by Andrea Bethke

Oh, and Ryan and Pastel too! :-)

Practically Perfect Digital Project Life Layouts with Carrie

January 27, 2019 Guest User

Hello Everybody, Carrie here with my first all digital Project Life layout. I used the amazing Digital version of the Practically Perfect Kit. I super LOVE this kit. Also, I think it’s worth mentioning that you can re-create this same layout using only the physical kit. The only elements not in the physical kit which I used are my photos, the font for my journaling, and a drop shadow on some of the elements (which you could replace with foam adhesive).

To begin my first layout I created a square grid in Photoshop with the amount of “pockets” you see above. This step isn’t necessary because I know you can purchased digital grids specifically for pocket page scrapbooking. Becky Higgins has an app with multiple choices, and many digital scrapbook shops such as The Lilypad also have designers that sell them.

Anyways, once I had all my photos placed, I chose a portion of the gorgeous 12x12 inch floral patterned paper to fill the 4x6 inch pocket on the left. I knew I wanted my journaling to go there so I added the 4 rectangle journaling spots from the stationery pack and centered them all together. Since my journaling needed a bit more space, I decided to enlarge them all as well as stretch them a bit taller. I used a free font called “1942 report” and added my journaling in each of the rectangles. To give the rectangle journal spots a bit more depth I added a slight drop shadow to each. To finish off this card I added two of the pink flowers from the ephemera pack, enlarging the smallest until it was the size I wanted. To add a little interest I layered them behind and over some of the journaling with the same slight drop shadow.

For the next “pocket” I chose to add the purple 3x4 inch journal card that says “Never loose your childlike sense of Wonder,” from one of the cut apart sheets. I thought this was perfect since it was just above the photo of my daughter playing. Andrea’s handwriting is so dreamy, I just love it.

At this point I knew I needed to add in more black since I had a mostly black photo to help balance, so I placed a portion of the 12x12 inch black and white patterned paper of Mary flying while holding her umbrella in the upper right 3x4 inch “pocket”. Originally I was going to add the black image of Mary with her umbrella from the ephemera pack on this card since the designs matched, but when I accidentally dropped her on the photo next to it with the moon I knew it belonged there instead. lol. I added the same slight drop shadow to her so it helped the effect of her flying over the moon…..and that’s it for this layout.

For my next layout I knew I wanted to highlight the photo I took of the supermoon eclipse, so I decided to do a full page photo. Above you can see the page as a square but that’s just so you can get a good look at what I added from the kit. At the top of this post you’ll see that it’s around 5 inches wide and 12 inches tall as it sits next to the previous layout.

Okay, so for this layout I chose to try out adding some of the flowers from the ephemera pack around the right and left sides of the moon. Originally I just kind of placed them where ever, and then once I thought I might actually like them I decided to go for it and created a clipping mask circle in the same size as the moon. I made sure the clipping mask circle was layered perfectly over the moon. Once I had all the flowers placed where I wanted them, I selected the clipping mask and used it’s shape to cut the excess from the flowers that overlapped the moon. This made the flowers look like they were behind the moon instead of layered over the top. As you can see I chose not to do so with the one pink flower that corresponds to the layout on the opposite page. I added the same slight drop shadow to the flowers as a final effect to make them look like they were hovering over the moon more.

The last thing I added was the text in white with the same “1942 report” font just below the moon that states the date and the type of moon it was.

The photo at the top of this post is how the 12x12 inch pocket page layout looks next to the 5x12 inch layout when I send it off to the printer. I will have it all printed together like this in the size 12x18 inches. So it will basically look the same once I have it printed, then cut the two layouts apart and place them in 12x12 and 6x12 inch page protectors inside my album. I hope that makes sense. Let me know if you have any questions, and thanks so much for taking a look at my project. See ya next time : ) Carrie

Shaker Pockets with Solange

May 22, 2018 Andrea Bethke

Hey crafty friends! It’s Solange with another super fun project using the amazing “Hello Beautiful!" kit.

These shakers can be used to decorate a gift, to use as embellishments in your projects, to give a gift card, or to just spruce up happy mail! These are super fun and easy to make and you can use your fuse tool or your sewing machine.

To do this project all you’ll need are plastic sleeves which you can find at your local office supply store, fuse tool or sewing machine, a fun sequins mix and your “Hello Beautiful” kit!
Just fuse around your image, add some sequins and then close it to create these super fun shakers!

To add more character, you can also add some ephemera pieces and trim to the outside which will take your shakers to the next level!

I fussy cut some images out of the dashboards such as the bunny and the Snow White to create one of a kind decorative shakers.

I can’t wait to see what you guys create and the amazing shakers you’ll make!

Dianna's Monthly Planner Spread and Tag Place Holder

May 18, 2018 Andrea Bethke

Hello beauties! It’s Dianna, and I’m back this week to show you how I used the “Hello Beautiful” kit to decorate my monthly spread. I also made a tag page marker!! Here we go:

For the left side of my monthly spread I started by filling the empty spaces with some yummy layers of paper from the kit! At the top I used a piece of the Fairytales paper and two die cuts (the pink flower and the word die cut "Spring"). At the bottom I used some of the vellum and layered it with aqua and a “You are beautiful die cut”. The vellum is a new addition to the kit this month! It’s gold foiled and gorgeous! Under that I glued some frilly laces and then added some washi above and a couple of stickers where I had important dates.

On the right side of the monthly calendar I used those flower die cuts. They are my all time favorite! Under them I layered more of the Fairytales paper (both sides! It has a wonderful handwritten look text). Some more trims below, washi and a bow die cut I used as a sticker to mark a date! Here’s a look at the full spread:

I also created a tag page marker!

This tag is super cute! Used my favorite Fairytales paper again! I just measured it to be a little smaller than my actual pages. Layered on some of the black polka dot and the back of the aqua paper. This flower I cut from the “Enchanted Forest” paper and of course added some more lace! Above the layers I added the word die cuts and that cute birdie(another fave!) I punched a hole in the top after adding a heart punched from one of the papers and strung some pretty trims through! These look lovely coming out the top of my planner!!!