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Hey there, crafty friends! I am so excited to share this video from the incredibly talented Gloria Parra, who is showing us exactly what she does the moment her Hip Kit Club kit arrives at her door. If you have ever felt that little voice telling you your kits are piling up, Gloria is here to change that for good. She cracks open the February 2026 Life Right Now collection and takes us from unboxing all the way through creating three gorgeous layout compositions using the February 2026 Paper Kit, Embellishment Kit, Cardstock Kit, Color Kit, and 6×8 Pocket Life Cards and Ephemera Shapes.
What I love about Gloria’s approach is that she does not wait for the perfect photos or the perfect plan. She just rips that kit open and starts playing, sorting her embellishments into little trays, flipping through all that beautiful patterned paper, and letting the product itself spark the inspiration. She walks us through her entire process of pairing papers in groups of three, sketching out layout bones without adhering anything, and then finishing one layout start to finish with machine stitching, layered foam dimension, and all those gorgeous ephemera pieces. This is such a practical and freeing way to use your kits, and I know you are going to love every minute of it.
Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: Unbox Your Kit and Sort Everything Into Trays
The very first thing Gloria does when her kit arrives is open every single package and spread it all out. She goes through the chipboard frames, icons, ephemera pieces, and die cuts, sorting everything into little bowls and trays so she can see what she is working with. Do not worry about having a plan or photos ready – just soak it all in and let yourself get excited about the product. This simple act of organizing and touching every piece is what sparks the creative ideas.
Step 2: Flip Through Your Papers and Choose Groups of Three
Gloria starts with the 12 by 12 patterned paper from the Paper Kit because that is where her heart is. She flips through every sheet, checking both A and B sides, and starts pulling out papers that catch her eye. Her trick is to pair papers in groups of three that look beautiful together – she found a butterfly print, an emerald green, and a bold pink that she loved as a combination. Pull your favorite groupings and set them aside, because each group of three is going to become the foundation for a layout.
Step 3: Build a Bold Background With Layered Paper Strips
For her first layout, Gloria cuts a 6-inch wide strip of the green Sudoku patterned paper and places it right down the center of her page. Then she adds a half-inch strip of the bright pink paper along each border of the green strip to frame it and create a bold, eye-catching design. The butterflies from the background paper peek out from behind the center strip, giving the layout instant movement and energy. This layered strip technique is a simple way to make a big visual impact with just two or three papers.
Step 4: Sketch Out Layout Compositions Without Adhering Anything
Here is Gloria‘s secret – she does not glue anything down at first. She places her photos, embellishments, title pieces, and clusters right on the page, moving things around until she loves the arrangement. She created three complete layout compositions this way, snapping a photo of each one so she would not forget the placement. Think of these as the bones of your layouts that you can leave on your desk and come back to whenever you have the time and creativity to finish them.
Step 5: Add Machine Stitching for Texture
Once Gloria commits to finishing a layout, she takes it to her sewing machine and adds a zigzag stitch with black thread right along where the green paper meets the pink border strips. This stitch serves double duty – it joins the papers together and adds a bold textural element that makes the layout feel more finished and dimensional. If you do not have a sewing machine, you could hand-stitch or use a stitching die cut for a similar effect.
Step 6: Build Embellishment Clusters With a Visual Triangle
Gloria places her title using the O Snap chipboard piece from the Embellishment Kit right on top of a colorful circular element, overlapping slightly onto her photo. She builds clusters in three spots around the layout to create a visual triangle that leads the eye across the page. She tucks in a photo film strip that says memories and epic times behind her cluster, and adds a little dog icon that reminds her of the pottery figures the girls were painting. Choose the icons and ephemera pieces that connect to your story and arrange them so the bold colors are balanced across the page.
Step 7: Create Dimension With Layered Foam Adhesive
Gloria uses three different thicknesses of foam adhesive – 1 mm, 2 mm, and 3 mm – to pop her embellishments off the page at varying heights. She places the cloud die cuts at different levels, applying adhesive only on the side that will not overlap with the next cloud so you get that beautiful layered effect. The tag that reads find joy in life’s messy moments gets popped up on foam, and even the butterflies flutter above the page on tiny foam pieces. Playing with different foam thicknesses is what gives your layout that rich, dimensional look that you can actually feel when you run your hand across the page.
Step 8: Finish With Puffy Stickers and Journaling Details
For the final layer, Gloria brings in the puffy stickers from the Embellishment Kit to add personality and tie into her story. She places life is too short for beige near her journaling spot like a little speech bubble, and living our best life goes right on her circle cluster. She tucks a small cloud sticker behind an existing element so it peeks out just enough to add interest without overwhelming the design. These little finishing touches are what take your layout from good to absolutely gorgeous, so do not skip them.
Products Used in This Tutorial
About the Designer
Gloria Parra
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