"Be Happy" by Fi Kenward

Today we are excited to give you one last peek at our April kit before the reveal on the first of the month.   This beautiful layout was created by one of our new design team members, Fi Kenward. 

Fi used the April kit and these items from her stash to create her layout:

Bazzil White Bling
Nestabilities Grand Circle Cutter
Memento Rich Cocoa Ink
Autumn Leaves Stamp
Liquid Pearls White Opal
Martha Stewart Punch
Gesso
Martha Stewart - Course Glitter

This Week's Challenge Update

Congratulations to Angela for being the winner of our "Pleated" Challenge.  Angela's layout was selected in a random draw, and she has won an RAK from C'est Magnifique.  Here's a look at the winning layout:

Our most recent challenge has been posted and we're sharing the details here on the blog.  It's somewhat of a "dark challenge" this time:

This week we are challenging you to use a dark background for your layout or card. You can choose from these four dark colors: black, navy, dark brown, or dark gray. Will this one be a real challenge for you? We look forward to seeing how you use dark backgrounds!

Here are the details:
You may enter 1 layout or card for this challenge.
All entries must be uploaded by midnight (US EDT), April 8th.
Please upload only newly created layouts for this challenge.
Upload your layout to our gallery. There will be a folder created for this challenge.
The winner, chosen by a random draw, will win an RAK from C'est Magnifique.

We hope you will play along!

"Oh So Pretty" by Camilla Eckman

Oh so pretty! That's the title of my layout and refers to my dear daughter in the photos. But the April kit is also Oh so pretty. LOL The colours of the patterned papers are quite bold so I have soften them by creating a layer on top of it. I used a brick wall mask from Prima and painted it with gesso.

From the flower add-on:
Big pink flower and roses

From the embellishment add-on:
Crystal swirl
Thickers

From my own stash:
leaves
mask
gesso
doily die

~~~Camilla Ekman

Another look at our April Kit

"Kisses" by Valerie Serfozo

I've been drawn to use photos taken outside with this paper. I suppose it's due to the sunny colors. When working with the kits, I spread the paper out on my scrap table, and go through my photos, looking for something that looks good with paper. This photo of my niece stood out when I noticed the little cluster of flowers in the top-left of the photo. I used a 2" scallop punch to cut out some of the elements on the paper. It was the perfect size, and easier than cutting around the scallops. But I did do some fussy cutting on one of the 7"x12" sheets of paper in the kit to create the background for my photo.

Add-on items used:
Webster's Pages Pinwheel flower
Wild Orchid Carnation
Green Tara Copper Heart
Thickers Foam alphabet - Eric

Items from my stash:
Gesso
Scattered Straw Distress Ink
Pumice Stone Distress Ink
Tim Holtz Flourishes die
Viva Decor Pearl Pen

"Mom" by Leslie Kammerdiener

This is a layout of my Mom. I don't have a whole lot of pictures of her, so there aren't too many layouts either. I like how happy she looks in this photo. It was taken last year when she and my father came to Texas for a visit. My son's favorite place is the Tea Gardens in San Antonio and he has me take everyone that visits there. It's definitely a place for photo opportunities.

"Mom" using the April Kit

Add-ons Used:

Green Tara Hydrangeas
American Crafts Thickers
Wild Orchid Cherry Blossoms

From My Stash:
White card stock
Yellow card stock
white paint

~~~Leslie

Prima Meadow Lark by Erin Blegen

Take a look at this beautiful layout by design team member Erin Blegen.  Check out her BLOG where she shows close-ups and gives some information about how she put together this layout using a sketch challenge from Prima.

Erin used the Meadow Lark collection for her layout titled "Cutie".  We carry the entire line of paper in our store.  THIS link will take you directly to our Prima products where you will see the other lines we have in stock, as well.

Here is a look at the entire collection.  If you are a member of C'est Magnifique, remember that all items purchased from the store will ship free with your monthly kit.  You may place as many orders as you want during the month.

Challenge Update

Congratulations to  Alissa, the winner of our 'Numbers Challenge',  Here is Alissa's layout.  She has won an RAK from C'est Magnifique.


 

Packaging Challenge

 

Packaging Challenge?  Yes, you read it correctly.  This week we are challenging you to use packaging on a layout.  Packaging, as in something you could have otherwise thrown in the trash.   It could be packaging from a scrapbook product (Prima has some beautiful packaging), or from something completely different. Perhaps you have packaging that relates to the subject of your layout.  How you use packaging on a layout is completely up to you!

Here are the details:

You may upload 1 layout for this challenge

Please upload your layout to the "Packaging Challenge" folder that will be set up in our gallery. Only those layouts uploaded to this folder in the gallery will be considered for the random draw.

Please submit only newly created layouts for this challenge.

The challenge will end at midnight (US EDT) on Sunday, April 1.

The winner, chosen by a random draw, will receive an RAK from C'est Magnifique

We look forward to seeing how you use packaging on your layout!

"Sweetness" by Beverly Sams

"Sweetness" using the April Kit

I love the expression on this little face which to me, looks like a crooked smile in response to maybe a wry joke! Once again, I've used a photo of the baby of one of my lovely cousins. I have a large family, so lots to choose from~ I used the Dusty Attic flourishes, the Prima resin bird house, The Scrap Cake alphabet and the Melissa Frances kraft paper bags from the main kit.

Add-ons used were:

Dusty Attic Mini Wire dress form
The Scrap Cake tags and journaling cards
All of the flowers from flower add-on

From my stash:

Tattered Roses Distress Crackle
Distress Ink Frayed Burlap
White Puffy Paint
Mini butterfly punch
MS punch around the page
Marvy Le Plume II marker in Dusty Pink

~~~Beverly Sams

Our April Kit Preview

It's an exciting time of the month here at C'est Magnifique because we are giving you a sneak peek of our upcoming kit.  In April we will be featuring paper from The Scrap Cake, the beautiful new line by Karola Witczak, called "My Private Happiness".  If you are not familiar with this manufacturer, they are from Poland, and have been one of our favorites from the beginning. 


This month we worked hard to keep up with the demand and as of now, we still have kits available.  If you want to make sure you receive this kit, it's best to join our kit club.  From now through the end of the month our extra kits are reserved for members.  If any kits remain at the end of the month, we will put them in our store.   

Here's a look at paper we'll be using in April

Here is a look at the April Flower Add-on.  As of today we have a few 

flower add-ons available in the store. We also have some of these 

items available for sale individually.

 And finally, here are the embellishment add-ons available this month.  

We have only one left of the embellishment add-on and you can still get most of the items in our store.

This information was sent out yesterday via e-mail to those on our mailing list.  If you'd like to be one of the first to receive our sneaks each month, sign up for our e-mail by using the gold box located on the left sidebar of our blog.

Now we'd like to share with you a layout created by one of our newest design team members, Erin Blegen.  Here's what Erin had to say about her layout:

"Laura"
The beautiful young lady in this layout is my niece, Laura. I created this piece as a gift for my sister-in-law, who herself is a scrapbooker but often doesn't quite get the time. I took one look at this photo and couldn't help but think how PERFECTLY the colors went with those of The Scrap Cake papers in the April kit. What I love about this particular paper is it takes all the guess work out of photo placement, being as it has the circles already in place there for you. I simply cut out the middles and slid my pictures inside, as well as some fussy cut flowers from another sheet. The Dusty Attic flourishes in the main kit are wonderful- they are quite large and so are easily cut down- while leaving plenty more left for future pages. I used the yellow paint in the kit and then inked them with two different shades, topped off with some Stickles. I definitely wanted this to be a feminine, girly layout so I was sure to dress it up with plenty of flowers!

From the flower add-on:
Large pink raffia flower
Turquoise flowers
All of the smaller flowers

From the embellishment add-on:
Thickers

From my stash:
Stickles
Leaves
Butterfly punch
Ink

Our design team is busy creating layouts using the beautiful kit.  We will have more of them to share, so be sure to check back!

Tomorrow is Sneak Peek Day!

We're excited at C'est Magnifique because tomorrow we will be showing you a sneak peek of our April kit, along with photos of the flower and embellishment add-ons.  Be sure to check back!

Bits & Pieces Winner!

Thanks to all of you who entered our "Bits & Pieces" contest this month. 

Now comes the fun part............I can announce the winner!

Congratulations to Kristi Tsyganova.   Kristi you will be receiving the bits & pieces from Leslie's March kit featuring the beautiful paper from Pion Designs.  Leslie will be contacting you

at the e-mail address you provided to get your mailing address.

Be sure to check back April 5th when we will give you a chance to win

the bits & pieces from the April kit. 

Challenge Update

As always, we will start this week's challenge update by announcing the winner of our most recent challenge, which ended yesterday.  Congratulations to Aggie, who was selected (by a random draw) the winner of our "Time Challenge", and will receive an RAK from C'est Magnifique.  Aggie used the word 'time' in her title.  Here is her layout where she has combined items from several past kits:

This week's new challenge is all about pleating. We'd like you to pleat some paper, ribbon, tissue paper, fabric, etc. and add it to your layout or card.   Pleated ribbon that you have purchased does not apply.  You must do the pleating yourself! Everything else is up to you.

Here are the details:

You may enter 1 layout or card for this challenge
All entries must be uploaded by midnight (US EDT), March 25th.
Please upload only newly created layouts or cards for this challenge.
Upload your layout to our gallery. There will be a folder created for this challenge.
The winner, chosen by a random draw, will win an RAK from C'est Magnifique.

We're looking forward to seeing how you use pleating on your layout or card.

Two Fabulous New Design Team Members

I am so excited to announce two fabulous new members to our DT.  It is with great pride that I announce both Fi Kenward and Erin Blegen!  Read on for a bit more on both ladies!

Fi Kenward

 

I started scrapping in 2002, way back when trying to find scrapbooking products were like panning for gold.  The dollar was way to high to even think about buying from another country and internet access was dial up.  OMG I making myself sound like a dinosaur....lol  Thankfully I was able to find one that was about a 45 minute drive.  Far enough so that I wasn’t shopping every day but close enough to do some damage.  From there I started sending some  pages into one of the magazines and I was even published not sure why I didn’t keep sending in other than how long your page was gone for and I was worried about them losing it. 

 

I live in Brisbane Australia and have a group of friends that have been meeting once a week since 2004.  In late 2010 I went searching online as we were getting a little bored and I thought maybe I could find something online to help inspire some of us again.  I had spent plenty of time online looking for  products, what was new and yet never thought about challenges let alone blogging.  After a bit of research I narrowed a couple of sites down that I thought would be fun and introduced these into our group.  Which has been great, instead of barley getting one page a week done we are sometimes getting 2 to 3. 

 

I mainly scrap about my family, which includes a husband of nearly 20 years, my Daughter Tayla who in a few months will be turning 18 and my son Dean who is 17 this year.  They are at the perfect age that trying to get photos is like pulling teeth, but I do my best.  I start scrapping a page by usually picking a piece of paper that I loved and work from there.  I don’t usually get a photo until I have started putting my supplies together, rarely do I pick a photo first.  I like to start cutting and see where it takes me and then pick a photo to go with what I have done.  I love layering and fussy cutting, using mediums,distressing and I always try and journal on my pages either on the page or hidden some where.  I am so excited that Leslie has asked me to join her Team of wonderful designers and I look forward to creating some beautiful pages in hope of inspiring others to use their kits.

 

 

Erin Blegen

My name is Erin Blegen and I live in Northeastern Minnesota with my husband Josh and three children: Wyatt, Gunner, & Aspen. We make our home in a cabin in the woods and we love the outdoors! We have many hobbies and interests including hunting, fishing, 4-wheeling, swimming, gardening, and I am especially fond of taking care of my chickens :). But if I'm indoors, you'll most likely find me scrapbooking! I've been a steady scrapper since July 2010 when my second son was born. I create or work on something almost daily- I'm passionate about preserving my family's photos and memories, while developing myself artistically at the same time. I currently design for Scrappin' Patch (a New Zealand-based and online scrapbooking store), ScrapFIT, and Creative Scrappers, and am so excited to now be joining the incredible designers at C'est Magnifique!! Please feel free to visit my personal blog, which I share with my sister and best friend Kelly! http://scrappin-sisters.blogspot.com

Layouts Using Our March Kit

Happy Wednesday everyone.  I thought I'd share a couple more design team layouts with you today, using our March kit.

"A Spring Day" by Leslie Kammerdiener

"Wish You Were Here" by Beverly Sams

Challenge Update

Congratulations to Cathi O from Ireland who is the winner of our Blank Space challenge.  Her layout "Wonderful World" was chosen by a random draw.  Cathi will receive an RAK from C'est Magnifique.

For our first challenge in March, we'd like to see you use a number(s) on a layout. How you use the number is up to you.  You can get all the details in our forum HERE.  All layouts entered in this challenge must be uploaded to our gallery.  There is a folder set up for the challenge. 

We hope you will participate.  The winner will receive an RAK from C'est Magnifique. 

Bits & Pieces Give-Away

Since it's the 5th of the month, we are back with our "Bits & Pieces" give-away.  This is what Leslie, the owner of C'est Magnifique, has remaining after creating with the March kit.  It includes items from the kit, and both add-ons. 

This kit, featuring paper from Pion Designs, is sold out.  But we are giving all our blog readers a chance to win everything in the above photo.  We will ship this to you free of charge, anywhere in the world!  Please note that you will receive partial pieces of paper, embellishments and flowers.  It's Leslie's way of passing along her bits and pieces.

All you have to do is write your full name using the Inlinkz button below.  You have until midnight March 12th to add your link.  Good luck!  We will announce the winner, by a random draw, on March 13th.

February Sketch Challenge Winner

The design team has voted and we are pleased to announce that Erin Blegen has been selected as the winner of the February sketch challenge.  Take a look at her layout.  Isn't it fantastic?

 Pushing Ahead by Erin Blegen

Erin used our February kit to create this layout, so her prize is doubled.  She has won a $20 gift certificate to the C'est Magnifique Store.  Congratulations Erin!

Our March sketch is listed in the next post.  We hope you will participate!

Meet our Guest Designer for March

All those who frequent our forum know this person very well.  She is active on the message boards, participates in all our challenges, and uploads frequently to our gallery.  We are so fortunate to have her as a part of our site, and are extremely glad to have her as a guest designer this month.

Heather Robertson

Here's a little bit about Heather:

I'm so thrilled to be a part of this wonderful, inspiring, and friendly community and delighted to be guest designer for March, especially with these amazing beautiful Pion papers.

I'm blessed to have lived in two of the most beautiful spots in the world; I grew up in Northern Ireland and now I live in Alaska. I've been married to Dan for 15 years and we have a thirteen year old boy, Nathan (who disappears when a camera appears) and an eleven year old daughter, Lauren (who immediately goes into pose mode when the camera appears). We also share our home with 2 Chesapeake Bay retrievers, 3 cats and a poodle who we dog-sit for a friend. Aside from scrapping I love to travel, take photographs, play racquetball, cycle and hike.

I have been scrapping for about eight years and I enjoy creating both pages and cards. I also like to "break free" every now and then to create canvases. My style really varies depending on my mood. My primary style is probably clean, bold and graphic but I also love to experiment with shabby chic and whimsical. I love to stitch and mist and love circles and odd shaped photos. I like to think no one will know what I'll come up with next.



And here are some of the amazing projects Heather created using our March kit:

"Life is Beautiful" card with handmade roses using paper from the kit 

and the Tim Holtz pine cone die

 Heather also used these handmade flowers on her "So Ready" layout

We hope you have enjoyed meeting Heather.  We're so glad she is a part of C'est Magnifique!

Our March Kit - A Breath of Spring

We always love it when we can reveal our monthly kits.  For March, we have a beautiful kit that we are calling "A Breath of Spring".  The paper from Pion Designs is just what you need to remind you that spring is just around the corner.

We have paired this lovely paper with some awesome embellishments, too.  Here's a closer look at some of them:

Flower spray from Manor House

Dainty lace, perfect for coloring with sprays or paint, and some Dusty Attic

Ink for distressing and canvas pieces from Prima

Pearl flourish and more Dusty Attic

An alphabet from Pink Paislee

Petaloo flowers with glitter!

A beautiful bridge and bench by Prima

Once again, this kit sold out very quickly.  We are trying hard to keep up with the demand, but since the paper we feature is not from the United States, we have to order well in advance.  If you want to be guaranteed a kit, you will need to subscribe and become a member.  All the details are available HERE on our website. 

Tomorrow we will be introducing our March guest designer so be sure to check back.