VERY EXCITING NEWS!!!

Hi everyone!! I hope you have all been having a fabulous week? Mine has been amazing!!! Though I must confess I have been absolutely dying to share something with you. I received an email a couple of weeks ago from the amazingly talented Aida Domisiewicz, owner of 13 @rts, asking if I would be interested in joining her team. I of course said yes!!! I have always loved working with mixed-media, and I look forward to working with such fantastic products and amazingly talented women from around the world.
 

13 @rts, are manufacturers of a wide range of art mediums, paints, inks, mists, papers, embellishments and much more. 

You can find everything in their online store here

13 @rts are now available in Australia from Sassy Scrappers which you can find here, 

and in the US at The Flying Unicorn here.

Be sure to check out the 13 @rts blog here for some fantastic inspiration, tips, tricks, and techniques on using the products. I promise you won't be disappointed!!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!!! I can't wait to begin sharing with you my work using 13 @arts. 

Thankyou Aida for such a wonderful opportunity.

Hugs!!

CSI - 141 - HAPPY DAYS

Hi everyone!!! I hope you are all having a fantastic week! I just want to quickly share with you my most recent DT creation for CSI Color Stories Inspiration, case-file 141. I really loved the unusual combination of green and purple, though I found it quite challenging to work with. I absolutely love the final result though!!!

I also wanted to have a play with some of the gorgeous chipboard I won last month from Dusty Attic, so there are lots of gorgeous chippies in my layout too!!!

This week's case-file:

For my evidence I have used:

Cogs/Gears: I have used a few chipboard Mini Cogs from Dusty Attic, scattered around the edge of my layers.

Pen work: Besides journaling directly on the background I have used lead pencil, and watercolor pencil to stencil circles all over the background.

Leaves: I have used Dusty Attic's Mini Branches #2 and Foliage tucked into my flower clusters.

Lots of Layers: For me this wasn't hard as I always have lots and lots of layers on my work!!

Something Unexpected: I found this prompt to be quite open to interpretation. For me the something unexpected was all the chipboard I won, as I never thought I would win!!!

String/Wire: I have circles of twine and gold thread placed beneath each of my photos.

Epoxy Accents: The large and small epoxy pebbles at the top and bottom of the page.

For my Testimony I have used all three of the Inspiration Words: weird, see, and up.

'Happy Days'

Dusty Attic Chipboard used:

- Foliage

- Mini Branches # 2

- Hashtag Saying #1

- Elegant Frames

-Mini Cogs

- Photo Props

- Marrakesh Trellis Small

- Polaroid Frames

As always I have used lots of gorgeous media. The background was done using gesso, texture paste, watercolors, watercolor and lead pencils, gelatos, mist, stamping, and a couple of Prima masks!!

Details:

Some gorgeous Prima flowers!!! As you can see I have cut my Marrakesh Trellis Small into smaller pieces, colored it with a purple gelato and tucked them into my layers around the page.

For my title I have simply colored it in with a black marker as I really wanted it to pop off the page. It is simple and effective. I have added my journaling directly underneath.

This heart frame was one of my favorites from the Elegant Frames set. I have painted it white with gesso and given it a layer of clear crackle paste. When it was dry I used gold watercolor to highlight the cracks. I have placed it amongst my layers to the left of my photos, and used some Prima flowers to accent.

I really wanted the middle photo to pop out from the other two, so I have placed a Polariod Frame behind, which I have covered in chunky gold glitter, and a circle of twine on top, to lift it above the others. I have added some Prima flowers around it with pieces of the Mini Branches #2 tucked in for a leafy look!!

A couple of the Mini Cogs painted white and layered together. 

The page need some more purple to tie in with the trellis and the purple flower at the bottom so I have added some epoxy pebbles which I have painted purple. I have added a large on at the top of the page and a small one at the bottom.

Here you can see some of the dimension on my layout!!! I love bulky pages, though I must admit I am running out of room to store them!!! 

That's it from me today, but I hope you like what I have done and found something interesting here to inspire you!!! I will be back during the week with more. Until then I wish you all a wonderful weekend!!

Hugs!

DUSTY ATTIC SEPTEMBER SKETCH AND MORE

Hi again!!!! I hope you are all having a great weekend!! Before I get started I just wanted to say how excited I was to win the Dusty Attic Sketch Challenge last month. Thankyou so much to everyone at Dusty Attic, and a special thanks to the owner of Dusty Attic, Jennifer Hedger, for the fantastic prize I received in the mail this week!!! 

So today I have quite a bit I wish to share with you, all using some fabulous pieces of Dusty Attic Chipboard. I will also share with you some of my favorite ways to alter chipboard, so stick around and have a read through. First is the layout I created for the September Sketch Challenge, along with a Christmas layout, and a card set.

Here is this month's sketch from Dusty Attic (Be sure to check out their blog here):

 I really loved this sketch, though I did make one change to it, and that was to eliminate the big scalloped circle in the background. At the time I created my page I didn't have anything the would work, and it's not really me anyway. Instead I have done my fave thing, and placed a big circle of twine beneath my photo.

'Explore'

Dusty Attic Chipboard used:

- Foliage

- Wrought Iron Set

- Arrows #1

- Mini Branches #2

- Star Frames (a couple of small stars)

- Banners #2

- Photo Props

Some details:

I must confess this color scheme is a new one for me, and I am really loving the bright summery feel of it. I know its not a beach layout, but it makes me want to go to the beach every time I look at it!!!
I wanted a way to divide the peach/coral from the blues, so I painted a piece of chipboard from the Wrought Iron Set white with gesso, and placed it among my layers with a couple of white flowers. 

  This gorgeous bow is from the Photo Props set. To achieve this awesome look I first painted it with gesso. When that was dry I painted it peach with some watercolor paints, then with clear crackle paste. To finish I have rubbed gesso all over, pushing it into the cracks, then wiped off any excess with a cloth. I have placed it onto a handmade ribbon bow and wrapped gold thread around the center.

I have cut two different sized banner from the Banner#2. The larger one has simply been covered in some scrap paper left over from my layers and edged with gesso, while the smaller one was given the same treatment as the bow above. I have layered them with foam tape for dimension.

I have painted some leafy branches from the Foliage and Mini Branches #2 sets white with gesso, then randomly brushed with gold paint. I have then tucked them into my flower clusters to form the flourishes in the sketch.

I have also added a couple of these little starts from the Star Frames set, around the edge of my photo. They have been painted gold, and covered in a thin layer of crackle paste.

I have added a second Mini Branch to the small flower cluster on the right side of the photo too.
Finally I have added these awesome little arrows from Arrows #1. These are one of my fave things to use at the moment, and provide the perfect finishing touch for any layout. These have also been covered with some scrap paper from the layers.

I hope you like my take on the sketch!!! 

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So as promised I have more to share today, all containing lots more Dusty Attic chipboard.
Next up is a Christmas layout I made earlier this month. I know it's still a little early for Christmas layouts, but I found the cutest photos of Jet at his first Christmas and I could'nt wait to scrap them.

'Merry and Bright'

As you can probably tell this layout is way out of my comfort zone. I didn't want to use red, and would have preferred to use non-traditional colors, but there was so much red in the photos it just didn't seem right not to add it in the layout. Instead of green, however, I have chosen to use blue.

I have also used only a handful of small flowers. This is something I haven't done in so long I actually can't remember the last time it happened!!! I wanted the focus to be on these adorable pics, gorgeous chippies, and papers.

Dusty Attic Chipboard used:
- Mini Reindeer
- Star Frames
- Vintage Keys
- Snowflakes
- 'Love You' Arrows  
Some close-ups:

 I actually made this little 3x4 card by cutting out the Santa, and some separate pieces of paper, and layering them together. I really love how this turned out!!

These 'Love You' arrows were so perfect for this page, that I couldn't resist adding one. I have painted the entire piece of chipboard in glue and then covered it with a very fine embossing powder in a color called antique sand. I left it to dry in the glue, instead of heat setting it so it would retain that grainy texture.

The little reindeer has been painted with with gesso then tucked under the top of the photo.
I have fussy cut stars from patterned paper and glued them randomly around the page, along with some gold star, table confetti.

I love these Star Frames..... Perfect for a Christmas themed layout. They have been painted white with texture paste to give them a slightly bumpy texture, then colored completely with a black marker. When the marker had dried I painted over it with gold watercolor paint. It's a great effect. Depending on the light it can look anything from a shiny brown, to a bright gold foil look. Love it!!
The bow up the top is handmade.

I have layered some Christmas banners, that I cut from patterned paper, together at the edge of the photo, along with this cute little Snowflake. The snowflake has been painted white, covered in a white chunky glitter, and covered in crackle paste. It's really hard to see in the photo's, but in real life it makes the chipboard looks as though it is covered in ice.

Some more snowflakes!! These I have added gold too.

I couldn't resist adding a key from the Vintage Keys set. They are another of my favorites at the moment. I have painted it with gold acrylic, then it too has been painted with crackle paste, more noticeable because its not as delicate in design as the snowflakes. 

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Finally today I want to share with you a couple of cards I made.

I have used coordinating papers, and embellishments for both.

Here is the first:

'Love You' 



  Dusty Attic Chipboard used:
- Mini Branches #2
- Wrought Iron Set (2 excess pieces glued together to create the heart)
- 'Love You' Arrows
- Star Frames
 - Elegant Flourish small 

 
All my chipboard has first been painted white. I have cut the Elegant flourish small in half, placing one half at the top of my card. I have covered it with a light wash of blue watercolor, and brushed blue glitter thinly over the top.
The small Star Frames have been painted with gold watercolor.

  
 For the title of my card I chose to use another 'Love You' arrow. This was painted quite thickly with gesso then dried with a heat gun to get that bubbled look. It has also been painted with gold watercolor.

The mini branch has been tucked beneath my small flower cluster and left white.

This gorgeous chippie heart is actually one of my faves. It was two individual pieces of scrap left over from the Wrought Iron Set. I have glued the two halves together to create this love heart. I have covered it in a very thick layer of texture paste then sprayed with two colors of ink. I added some shimmery highlights with twinkling H2O's.

'XOXO'

Dusty Attic Chipboard used:
- Mini Branches #2
- Elegant Frames
- Butterflies #2

As one of the main features on this card I chose a small oval frame from the Elegant Frames set. I have colored it in with a black marker then used a brush to highlight the flourishes with a shimmery blue watercolor paint, though it looks green on top of the black!!

I have placed my flower cluster in the center of this frame, once again adding a Mini Branch left white.
I really loved the XOXO on the background paper so I have outlined a section to create my title then brushed gesso over the rest fading them into the background. I also outlined the title with blue paint to make it pop even more.

These butterflies are super cool!!! I have grabbed two that are the same from the set. They have both been covered with a mix of texture paste, glass beads, and pearl paint, before being sprayed with inks mists, and painted with Twinkling H2O's. I have glued them together at the body, folding the wings out.

That's it from me today. I know that was quite a long post, so thankyou for sticking around!!! I hope you found some inspiration here today, and got some idea's about all the awesome things you can do with chipboard, remembering that what I shared today is only a small scope of it.

I hope you all have a wonderful week..... Thanks for stopping by!!

Hugs!!

HAPPINESS

Hiya!! Just stopping by to share with you my latest creation for CSI Color Stories Inspiration. This week we have a fab sketch by the very talented Em Stafrace and an awesome color palette that I just couldn't resist.

Case-file 139:

 

For my evidence I have used:

Stripes: Black and white striped paper in my layers, some striped washi tape at the bottom, and a striped straw.

Flowers: I have used a gorgeous combination of Prima and Green Tara flowers.

Butterfly: I have added some butterfly stamping to the background.

String: There is a combination of waxed twine and metallic thread behind my photo.

Something Fuzzy: The center of the two yellow Prima flowers to the left and bottom of the photo are quite fuzzy.

Two of something: I have used two pegs, two matching yellow flowers, two charcoal leaves and 2 halves of a chipboard frame.

Triangles: I have placed two triangles of patterned paper overlapping one another on the left hand side of my page.

Flourish/Swirl: I have used a couple of chipboard flourishes amongst my flower clusters. The chipboard frame halves at the top and bottom of the page also contain a swirly pattern.

 For my testimony I have used all three of the inspiration words: Curious, Two, and Perfect.

 My journaling is on the back of the layout, as it is quite lengthy, and reads as follows:

'You are such a curious little boy. You were laying on the grass searching through it for god knows what when I went to take this photo. You must have heard me coming because you turned your head and lay it flat on the grass, looking at me with those big blue eyes and adorable smile right when I pressed the button on the camera. Your timing was perfect. Not the photo I was trying to get, but ended up being one of my favorite pics ever!!! You are just so cute!! This was taken at your third birthday party in the backyard, though you were still only two at the time, as you didn't turn three until the following day!! I tried to get a couple more photo's of you like this, but they didn't succeed. You began to roll away through the grass, blowing raspberry's at me and giggling hysterically. I'm glad you had such a fun time. I love you so so much!!'  

For the sketch I have rotated it to look like this:

 

Here is my take on this case and Em's sketch:

'Happiness'

I have attempted to paint the background in a similar pattern to the background of the sketch. Instead of using the photo and banner at the bottom I have instead simply used a chipboard frame cut in half.

Some details:

I have used Prima's Bubble stencil by Finnabair to create the texture on the background. I have then painted it using watercolors, and added some detailing with watercolor pencil. I have also stamped a few butterflies onto the background. I really love the final result.

The chipboard light-bulb has been painted white with gesso, then highlighted in certain area's with gold paint. The pegs I have simply covered with some glittery tape.

For my title i have used this gorgeous Jean Plate from Prima.

As always lots of gorgeous paper layers, calico beaneath the photo, and some gorgeous twine and sparkly thread.

Here you can see the fuzzy center of the Prima flowers!!! Perfect for this case!!!
Directly below this flower on the chipboard I have added a small section of gold Mica Flakes.

I have wound a Green Tara vine around and through this chipboard flourish, brushing the tips of the white flowers along with parts of the chipboard with gold watercolor paint.

That's all from me today. I'm tired and want to get something organized before dinner!!! Thanks for stopping by!!!

Hugs!!

MY FIRST EVER MINI ALBUM!!!

Hiya!! Happy Monday!! I hope the beginning of your week has started off a little better then mine. We were battered by a massive storm here last night, with another one due to hit later this afternoon, and as my scrap space is under our patio, I have had to pack everything away to stop it being blown away, or getting soaked by rain. So unfortunately until the weather clears up there will be no scrapping for me. In the end I decided to make the most of my time and catch up on some blogging!!!

Today I'd like to share with you a mini-album I made recently.The only mini-album I have ever made!!! I suppose your wondering how it is that I have been scrapbooking for almost 7 years, and yet this is the first time I have ever made a mini-album? The answer is quite simple.... I always wanted to create one, but for some reason I found the prospect quite daunting so I always put it off. Now after finally completing my first ever mini album, I can't help but wonder why I ever thought it would be a daunting experience. I had so much fun creating this, not daunting at all!!! I'm planning to start another one soon.

'Count Your Blessings'

 As you can see, I have used lots of fun paint, layers and embellishments for my cover, totally staying true to my style, with just a touch of grunge.

 Unfortunately inside my little album I had to force myself to cut back on tons of layers and bulky embellishments, otherwise I would have only managed a page or two before not being able to close it. Lol!!!

 I chose to use black and white photos throughout the entire album. They work brilliantly with bright colors.

This photo is one of my all time fave's of Jet. He was having so much fun, smiling, and laughing!!!
 

Originally I had planned to do the entire album in blues, but when I decided to work with 2 different sets of photo's I thought I would do 2 sets of colors. All the photo's on the blue pages were taken at the park, whilst the one's on the green pages were taken at my cousin's.

I have used some fun pieces of Dusty Attic Chipboard throughout, though the glasses above, which I backed with black paper to make sunnies, and the flourish below are my fave's.
 

 
 I used so many different paper brands I don't even think I could name them all, however embellies are mostly Dusty Attic, Prima, Heidi Swapp, MME, AC and Studio Calico.

I also used a few of the printables from old CSI case-files.

That's all from me today, though I do hope you like what I have created. It was nice to get out of my comfort zone, and I couldn't be happier with the result!!! I can't wait to make another..... I had lots of fun with this!!! I hope you all have a fantastic week!!! 

Hugs!!