Hello There | The Cut Shoppe Blog Hop

Hello and Thanks for joining in on The Cut Shoppe Getting to know you Blog Hop!

Hopefully you've made your way from Monique's blog and are ready to get to know me a little more..

Welcome! I'm Michelle, a 30 something mum of one. I live in Geelong, Australia with  my Fiancé Clinton and our 5 1/2 year old daughter Leila. I've been scrapbooking on and off for over 10 years now, more so in the last 5 years since having Leila. I feel so honoured to be part of The Cut Shoppe team for the next 12 months, and am very excited to continue using and sharing loads of cut file fun!

A few more things about me..

How many times in a week, do you work on something scrapbook related?
This is very dependent on the week.. Weeks that are quiet = creating something every day/night. Compared to weeks that are crazy solo parenting weeks (while Clinton is away for work) I'm lucky to have a few hours spare to create.

What’s your favourite subject to scrapbook?
Thats easy, and I'm sure most of you who follow me can work it out too. Leila.. The good the bad and the downright ugly moments have all made their way onto a page, or into her Project Life albums

What is your favorite color to use on your layouts/projects? What is your least favorite color?
Does white count? A majority of my layouts consist of a fair amount of white cardstock thats generally mixed with pinks or blues. It's not often that I use Red or Brown.. but sometimes it sneaks in there.

Why do you like using cut files on your layouts/projects?
I like using cut files on layouts as they bring a different look to a layout. They can completely transform and personalise a layout while adding details and texture. 

What are some of your other favorite hobbies? If you were not a scrapbooker, what other hobby do you think would consume most of your time?
Scrapbooking is the main hobby that I dedicate time to. I do enjoy sewing and crochet, reading books and watching endless amounts of TV.. oh and Coffee.. is coffee a hobby? It should be lol

Tell us 5 things we don’t know about you!
- I lived at home with my parents for over 30 years (Insert silly face emoji of some kind) This is a seriously long story for another time and place. We are all very thankful for the roof over our heads while we saved every penny we could to build and move into our very first family home. We've been in our 'new' house now for exactly 12 months and I wouldn't change any part of the journey along the way!

- I'm adopted, and I've never met my birth parents. I actually know nothing about them, other than a few minor details about my birth mother that aren't helpful in tracking her down if I ever felt I needed to.

- In person I can be quite shy/nervous/anxious. This is sometimes mistaken by people as me being rude, however I'm normally struggling on the inside to think of things to say. That is until I get to know the person/people I'm with and then I can become quite the opposite...

- I'm crazy for organising things.. shelving at work, other peoples craft spaces, pantries etc. I can plan it all out and assist with the changes.. However to try and do this within my own home is a nightmare! I am so indecisive of things within my own spaces lol

- I constantly second guess myself.. I've achieved so much in my creative life in the last 12 months, yet I still don't think I'm worthy enough..

Anyway.. enough about me! Let's have a look at something creative shall we?  

I've made a new layout for this hop and I LOVE how its turned out! That face... So Sweet, yet so very cheeky!!

 I've used the Half Hearted 12x12 file to create the background and the 'Hello There' title came from the new Everyday Essentials file.

To start the page I opened up and traced the 12x12 Half Hearted cut file in 12x12in size, then removed full hearts in random places around the page to leave some empty spaces. Once cut, I used the cut pieces to create raised hearts in the empty space. I've used papers from the Cocoa Vanilla Studio 'Free Spirit' Collection to back the open hearts and the open letters of the Title piece. I've also added some hand stitching to the title, and machine stitching to random white hearts for some added detail to the page.

Here's some close ups..

So much fun!

**GIVEAWAY CLOSED - WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON**

Each of us along the hop has a $5 Gift Certificate to give away to a random winner. Just leave a comment below telling me what you like about Cut Files :) Entries are open until Sunday July 10th. Winners announced on The Cut Shoppe Blog Wednesday July 13th

I hope you've enjoyed getting to know me a little more.

Make sure you continue on along the hop to meet all the other designers, and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to WIN! The next Designer to visit is ZINIA AMOIRIDOU.

However, If you've started fresh from here and would like to start back at the beginning head over HERE

Heres a look at the Full Hop Order:

THE CUT SHOPPE

ALLIE STEWART

ZSOKA MARKO

JENNIFER MCMURTREY

IRIT LANDGRAF

CANDACE PERKINS

MANDY MELVILLE

FLORA FARKAS

NATHALIE DESOUSA

EUNYOUNG LEE

MONIQUE LIEDTKE

MICHELLE STOKES << YOU ARE HERE

ZINIA AMOIRIDOU

KELLY JANES

ENZA GUDOR

MELISSA VINING

WENDY ANTENUCCI

Thanks so much for stopping by today.