Sunday 31 July 2011

Guest Blogger at "Do More with Less" {Yvonne Yyam} & Dealing with Chaos!






Hi there everyone!
Back at last & full of beans!!  
First thing Sunday morning here &  I have a long luxurious day of crafting ahead of me.  Hubby is "holding the fort" {when he gets up that is...} so I can get myself caught up here in my little studio.  

This week has been my craziest this year for sure.  
Durban is renowned for it's hot, humid weather, although right now we are in the middle of winter here in the Southern Hemisphere.   
However, our winters are usually mild & jerseys are the only additions needed for our winter wardrobes.  Monday a cold-front hit us like never before & we were engulfed in gloom, mist & horror-movie like winds all week!  
Crazy stuff indeed!!

Our homes here are not geared for that type of weather, ours in particular, with double-volume rooms, making them almost impossible to heat with our two little oil-filled heaters.  If this weather became the norm we would have to refurbish our home with double-glazing & central heating to cope with it as we suffered indoors, despite everything being locked & bolted, the freezing air was still seeping in!  

I had to buy thermal vests & long johns - something I have never owned in my life!  And a woollen blanket!!  INSANE...

After 3 days of rain our roof eventually gave in & started leaking in 2 places! 
 In the midst of it all I had TWO punctures {on different days!}, fell on the stairs {injuring both wrists & a knee!} then the piece de resistance of my entire week would be crashing my husband's car into a stationary vehicle.  Yup that does take a certain kind of talent LOL!!  

Anyway, I'm laughing about it just thinking back on it & I've had a very good night's sleep & a major prayer session so I'm looking forward to GOOD TIMES AHEAD!!   3 days with no bandwidth this week {and 9 frustrating phone-calls later to our internet "provider"} eventually resulted in our band-width being topped up after 4 hours of phone calls on 4 consecutive days.  
I woke up to sunny skies today so all is well in my world :) 

 I got a couple of layouts done this week & have one to share over at Color Combos Galore here.  
{That's a link to my actual layout}.  
You can take a peek at who won the BLOG HOP RAKS here.  
Check out the awesome COMBO 202 AND REVEAL here.
I am going to have to have a Color Combos Galore extravaganza post as I haven't been able to share my last 4 layouts here so far, for one reason or another!!  
Soon....I promise!!!

YOU HAVE UNTIL WEDNESDAY MIDNIGHT EST to get your Color Combos layouts in.  The combo is very cool.  2 shades of green, red & grey.  Go take a look via the links provided...

I do have something exciting to share though ;)

Looky here & see that I got to be
 GUEST BLOGGER over at Yvonne Yyam's blog "Do More with Less".


Yvonne hosts a Guest Blogger every fortnight & she chose me this week - yay!  If you would like to be featured on Yvonne's blog you need to become a follower & let her know that you are interested in her work and the concepts that she believes in for crafting (recycling etc) to be considered.

I came up with a challenge called GO MODERN SHABBY! 
{a cool new phrase I've coined which I think is the perfect way to describe my style}.

The challenge is to MIX YOUR MISTS (Modern Shabby Style!)

1)     Use at least 3 different colours of mists (diluted acrylic paint in a spray bottle works too).

2)     Use chipboard that you have first used as a mask for your mists (like I have done with 
the Imaginarium Designs butterfly).

3)     Use up some of your old (or new!) rub-ons (stickers work too)

4)     Add an eclectic assortment of other elements to give your creation a MODERN SHABBY STYLE – here I used Hambly Screenprints Doily stickers, American Crafts chipboard elements & tags, plus some flowers, twine, a pretty pearly brad &  glossy American Crafts badge.


I am also offering an international RAK for the winning layout!


As you can see...pretty much everything required to make your own modern shabby layout.  
A couple of doilies, some bling, some dimensional stickers, rub-ons, flowers, chipboard, Sassafras stamps, paint brushes, journaling stickers, metallic journaling pens.

All you need to do is follow the specifications above & add a link to your layout in the LINKITZ tool just below the post then leave a comment in the comments section of my post on Yvonne's blog here, letting Yvonne know you've done that.

You have until Friday 12 August 2011 
but if I were you I'd add it on Thursday 11 August unless you are in Asia as they are about half a day ahead of the US & I would hate for any of you to miss out :)

Happy Sunday everyone!!





Tuesday 26 July 2011

I am Part of the "Creative Journey" series with Keshet! {and what I've learnt from the other Guest Bloggers!





Yes things have been pretty good for me on the scrappy front lately.
Finally my hard work & dedication is paying some dividends & that feels really, really good.
So many times on this road I've toyed with the idea of packing it all in but I just can't.
Despite the downsides I just love it to much.
Love the blogging community, love the smell of new papers, just love it all really.
So here I am & I am here to stay.

I was SO HONOURED to be asked by dear Keshet if I would like to take part in her inspired series "Creative Journeys" on her blog a few weeks ago.  OF COURSE!  I said & proceeded to write out the longes Creative Journey in history, so long that I had to slash it by 50% & it is still the longest up so far!  What can I say - it's been a long journey for me LOL - but I am ever grateful for the opportunity to be featured on her blog & also for the prompting to actually get all that info down on paper finally.  I have now added it to my sidebar for anyone wanting to read about it in the future. 

 I have copied & pasted my article here just because I like to keep a record of everything in one place but you can find the article here and read the other ones there too.  
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CLICK ON THE LINKS TO GO STRAIGHT THROUGH TO THE ARTICLES ON KESHET'S BLOG

Keshet has been running the weekly series for a month now & her first Guest Blogger was 

Week 1 - Jen Jockish


Week 3 - that would be me!!

Week 4 - Stephanie Howell 

The series has definitely helped me & I'm sure it'll help you too so pop on over for a good read!
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What JEN confirmed for me
{what I knew but was glad to learn that I was on the right track...}                    

Be professional. That means no whining, no gossiping, no complaining. If you're looking to break into the industry and have this be more than a hobby, treat it like what you hope it to become - a job.  

What JEN taught me -

Be persistent! It took me 5 years of regular submitting to break into CK. Don't give up and just keep on pushing"

The CK bit was a bit of a bitter pill to swallow as I've been inconsistent & erratic with my submissions & I know I have to step up my game there 
(and the thought of plugging away in possible futility for 5 years is not very appealing to be honest...)

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What LISA confirmed for me

"I love what I do. It isn't a perfect job - for all the fun creative time there's paperwork, supply lists, following up and stressful deadlines to deal with. But at the end of the day, the fact that i get to share inspiration and help to promote memory keeping really fuels my creative soul."

I love that Lisa confirmed what so many people NOT behind the scenes don't realise - that it's not JUST about creating pretty pages but that it IS worth it!

What LISA also confirmed for me:-

"I've also found that it's KEY to separate your emotions from your work. Not easy, but really essential so that you can be "in the game" but still keep your love for the craft in place."

This was probably my most difficult lesson to learn & I still struggle a bit with it but you HAVE TO do it or you will end up crashing, burning & probably throwing your scissors away forever!
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What STEFANIE confirmed for me


"Right now, I'm on three teams, but my main priority is still having fun. If I stop having fun, I will no longer do the team thing. Life's too short:)"


This is something I've been mulling over recently...I definitely have way more FUN on some teams than others - and I intend continually revising my position & ensuring that I tailor-make my choices based on what really appeals to me & what I WANT TO DO.


What Stefanie also confirmed for me


It's all about sticking with it. I submitted for years to certain publications. YEARS!!! There's no reason that not being picked up for a few months should be enough to make you quit. That always baffles me. It takes persistence!


There are not many people in life who have everything "fall into their lap" and then there are those who gain a certain level of success & sit back & accept that.  I really want to continue to grow & develop as an artist & never want to "just float on by" but that's just me :)
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WHAT'S UPPERMOST IN MY MIND RIGHT NOW


1.  The most important thing on my mind right now is that I need to make this lifestyle WORK FOR ME, and that may mean sacrificing some dreams to make way for others.  


2.  I'm struggling to keep up with the scrapping AND the blogging, yet I need to record it all.


3.  I want to repay all the blog love but the blog-hopping is infinite.


4.  I love being "part of a team" yet on some there seem to be endless meetings, never-ending correspondence & countless duties.  


I don't have all the answers yet but I have come up with a few definites for now & one of those is to split my time up between my teams weekly rather than daily. 
I feel like I'm suffering from a bit too much "information overload" so I'm coming up with a working schedule of where I'll visit on each day.


I also need to remember that I have a husband & kids that love me that I need to be MAKING MEMORIES with rather than often being too busy recording them!  
That may mean cutting back on some studio time & reaching my goals more slowly but one thing is for sure in my mind & that is that I want longevity in this industry.
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SO FINALLY HERE IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF MY "CREATIVE JOURNEY" article!


This is an exciting week, scrappy-wise, with CHA just around the corner! But before we get started with the CHA madness, here's another entry in the Creative Journey blog series.
First off, I have to thank you all for your kind and thought-provoking comments about my last post. I'm newly resolved to focus on what I DO have in life and not what I don't. A hard thing to attempt, but a necessary one.On to today's guest--meet the talented, fabulous Helen Tilbury--all the way from Africa!

Helen had some wonderful things to say about her journey in the industry



I started scrapbooking in 2003 in Harare, Zimbabwe, after my daughter attended a holiday workshop & brought home a simple layout that captured my heart! For a couple of years I attended weekly lessons at a really basic studio using simple products & none of “the latest stuff” as it simply wasn’t available. For the first 2 years of my journey all I learned were the basics as I had no time to scrapbook at home and had no idea that there was a whole new world waiting for me online.

In 2005 we emigrated to South Africa & I took a break from scrapbooking for a year while I was adapting to my new environment. 2006 came around and I started attending weekly lessons at my new local scrapbook shop. Now that all my kids were at school I began scrapbooking every morning. I discovered Creating Keepsakes and it was the first scrapbooking magazine I’d ever seen! I became an instant fan of Ali Edwards & finally the cogs started turning and my mind-set regarding my hobby began to shift to a more serious mode 4 years down the line, with that my excitement for scrapbooking started to grow exponentially.

In September 2007 I entered the then only (now non-existent) national scrapbooking competition in South Africa and came second out of thousands of entries. I received nothing, there were no sponsored prizes for second place (as most scrapbooking products sold in South Africa are imported) & no design teams to get onto as there are virtually no local manufacturers. No recognition followed as there was no-one to recognize me! The scrapbooking industry in South Africa is almost non-existent, not even any local scrapbooking shops to teach at as the few that exist teach the classes themselves as they are so few customers. Even the one and only local scrapbook magazine that was set to print the finalists’ layouts closed down the month after the competition & retrieving my layouts turned into a year-long nightmare.


The disappointment spurred me on to find a solution as I realized at this point that there were no local opportunities & I would have to get online in order to get anywhere with the hobby I was growing to love more and more by the day. There had to be a way I could indulge my passion and succeed despite my location. I kept hearing the word “blog” &had no idea what it meant but gathered that it was some type of personal online interactive website.I just knew I needed one but had no idea how to go about getting one – having never been online! September 2008 & I had never surfed the web!! I began fighting with my kids’ computer when they were at school & in October of the same year my blog was born.

I love how Helen's growth in the scrapbook industry also involved finding and "clicking" with an online community - this was very true for me as well!

I spent hours online, learning the ropes, started commenting a lot – I figured someone was bound to notice me eventually if I just kept at it and after a year I had a small readership.I discovered just how excellent so many scrapbookers were in the online world and I remember feeling like I could never “get there”, but the more I saw the more desperate I was to learn& to eventually succeed at creating layouts just as good! 

I lost my way a bit as I fell in love with blogging & ended up blog-hopping more than I was scrapbooking - I certainly made up for all my years offline as I was so excited to broaden my horizons & learned so much about the world beyond Africa, that I had lost sight of my dream of becoming a well-known scrapbooker whose work spoke for itself.


I have always been a competitive person and it just came naturally to want to go all the way with something I was so passionate about. I was determined I didn’t need a national competition to succeed – I was aiming higher than that anyway – I wanted to take on the world! Towards the end of 2009 I started my online education in earnest. Less blogging & more studying. I poured over layouts by talented designers from all over the world & tried to emulate them. I gave myself an 18 month intensive online “course” in scrapbooking by studying successful scrapbookers from all over the world, whose work I admired & used as my inspiration. 


I was struggling to find my own style though & not sure of what I liked & dislikedI was trying too hard & doing too much – I was all over the place!

Trying too hard - definitely an issue I've noticed and experienced! How about you?



Towards the end of 2010 (2 years since I started my blog) it dawned on me that I was never going to “get anywhere” if I didn’t release myself from the confines of my blog and “get out there”. I began taking part in challenges, joining forums, adding my work to galleries and I had various successes along the way. Definitely more failures than successes but finally I felt like something was happening. In 2010 I started to apply to various design teams & faced rejection upon rejection. By Christmas 2010 I realized that I couldn’t go on & needed to reassess what exactly I was doing! Or at least trying to do!!  I prayed to God to please give me a change of heart, so that I was able to apply for design teams then forget all about it (as opposed to keep checking my inbox for the e mail that never came…only to see the DT advertised on their blog!). 

I cried my heart out then went away on holiday! This was the turning point for me. The next DT I applied for when I returned accepted me! And the one after that, and that, and that, and that, and that!  Six design teams in six months & definitely more successes than rejections.The tide is finally turning. I feel I have worked for everything I have but at the same time I want to give all glory to my maker for giving me the stamina and attitude needed for this harsh game. Scrapbooking is sweet and lovely and nurturing and healing, but competitive scrapbooking? Welcome to the School of Hard Knocks!

Want to give it a go?! I hope my story has encouraged you & that, if it’s what you really, really want (as the Spice Girls would say!) that you’ll go confidently in the direction of your dreams. I love finally having a real audience, feeling like my work has a greater purpose& getting a “wow” once in a while. I am striving to be the best I can be &looking forward to the rest of this wonderful journey. I still have a long way to go (I have my first CK publication this month but it’s actually a photograph – check out page 99 of your latest issue) & I’m still not on the DT of any “major” scrapbooking manufacturer, but I am in it for the long haul & I’ve always believed I’ll make it eventually.


I LOVE how Helen really believes in herself--so hard to do but so important!


I do think that it is definitely harder for an “international” (especially an African) to make it in an American dominated industry – mainly because it takes a month to receive any product & I have to make all my scrapbooking purchases online from the States – but I don’t think it is impossible – you just have to be fantastic – and that’s what I’m aiming for! My advice – count the cost. There is a lot involved, and that’s the honest truth. You need to up your game on all levels if you want success.
 You need to work long & hard.You need to meet deadlines. You need to be 100% reliable. You can’t blog about the bad day you’ve been having if your DT has it’s reveal that day – you’ve got to put your happy hat on & encourage everyone to play along.You need to comment on all the entries & in some cases judge the winners, and that is really hard! 

Along the way you will have an amazing & exhausting time! You’ll be rewarded with the most wonderful affirmation of your work (and you’ll make some enemies along the way who despise you just because they’re jealous so you’ll get the occasional nasty comment too!) Toughen up & let it slide off you like water off a duck’s back. Just keep your eye on the prize! If you’re prepared to work for it it can be yours – you can live the life you’ve imagined!!

Thank you for sharing, Helen! Here's a layout that shows off Helen's vintagey style



Check out more of Helen's beautiful work on her blog here!


Helen lives in Durban, South Africa, with her husband & four kids – Chelsea (18), Jack (16), Reilly (13) and Cami (11). She is a keen photographer & when she’s not taking photos, scrapbooking or blogging you can usually find her in the car, rushing up & down the freeway with kids off to dancing lessons, soccer matches or sleepovers!







Bird is the Word HOPE and TODAY plus my Colour Combos Galore Blog Hop Winner!





*** I am happy to announce that the winner of my Colour Combos Galore Blog Hop RAK is RACHAEL FUNNEL of Australia!  Send me your postal address will ya so I can get your little parcel off to you!***

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It's a DOUBLE DOSE of Bird is the Word here today!  
I truly LOVE this challenge site because somehow it always produces meaningful layouts.

It is SO EASY TO PARTICIPATE - all you have to do is use the chosen word anywhere on your layout - as part of your title or in your journaling.  The current words are HOPE and TODAY.  I've linked you up there to the Design Team reveals - HOPE is still open for a week and TODAY still has 19 days to go.

How it works is each challenge runs for A WHOLE MONTH to give everyone time to participate, but there is a reveal along with a new word every fortnight.

There are currently about 20 - 30 players for each challenge & the prize is always a complete TIDBITZ IN TIME KIT OF YOUR CHOICE so it's definitely worthwhile & now we have a WINNER BADGE for the TOP 5 to proudly display on your blogs too so I hope you play along!


This layout is using the prompt word HOPE/S.


Sassafras alphas & some little resin flowers that were earrings I snapped the backs off!


Used some left over Doodlebug & Crate Paper border stickers & finished off my offcuts by punching out butterflies!


I'm enjoying tackling these little FUJI INSTAX photos - they are credit-card sized & ooooh too cute!


Ooooh Lily Bee is always so yummy!!!


My daughter left for uni on Saturday, after being with us for a month's vacation.  This layout is about how she is doing well with her new-found independence.


I didn't use a sketch here but rather my own original design.  To be honest I prefer that for me, which is why I like these WORD challenges so much, as there is no restriction on design.



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For the word TODAY I decided to use recent photos of my younger son Reilly & journal about some of the internal struggles he is experiencing as a teenager these days.


My journaling reads:-  “You are 13 and like a typical 13 year old you know it all.  You are and will always be the same sweet little boy to me, that you have always been, minus the hormones and all the insecurities they bring with them.  You have such a unique personality but right now you are finding it hard to shine.  Feeling that being you is no longer enough and trying by all means to conform to what teens consider the norm.  I know that one day you’ll feel comfortable in your own skin again.  Remember what I used to tell you when you were just a little boy - “Why try to fit in when you were born to stand out”.  I believe you will embrace that again one day…”


I printed off 2 of each photo (4 altogether) so that I could offset one behind the other, but left each set of 2 photos joined down the centre ( as I printed on an A4 sheet), then I printed out my journaling onto cardstock,  in a long textbox that I first sprayed with 3 different coloured mists.


Once printed out I cut the journaling into strips.  I also misted the background and the medical guaze that I used to replace my patterned paper, then dried both using my heat embossing tool. 

 I used the dots from the alphabet pack used in “Today” to add more dots to my paint splatters.



So why not click on over to BIRD IS THE WORD right now, become a follower & be in with a chance to win a whole kit of your choice from Tidbitz in Time EVERY FORTNIGHT?!

Remember you have a week left to get your HOPE entries in & 19 days left to enter the TODAY challenge.

Happy Scrapping!




Monday 25 July 2011

My July RAK Winner, My "Scrapbook Challenges" Challenge winner AND Inspired Blueprints Sketch 76 {Part of the Family Layout - Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934}






***Thanks to everyone who commented on my RAK post here & all the lovely ladies at Scrapbook Challenges who created beautiful layouts based on my "Floral masculine pages" challenge here .  The winner of the challenge is ANNE from the United Kingdom, who created this amazing layout.  Anne does some really pretty work so I suggest you go & check out her blog!***

Here is Anne's Winning Layout - Congrats Anne!!


This is what I had to say {in the forum} about Anne's winning entry...

Hi again girls :)  Thank you to you ALL for playing along & uploading your BEAUTIFUL layouts here.  I am so impressed that so many of you gave it a go & am proud to announce you ANNE as the winner of this challenge!  I love what you have done here with the masking & misting, your fussy-cut leaves & your eclectic assortment of lovely florally bits around that soft & gentle photo.  I also love your little cluster in the top right of your layout & how your title ties in with the photo & the theme SO WELL!  Most of all I love that you have clustered so many elements around your photo yet you still have lots of "white space" resulting in a totally uncluttered layout - great work!

***The winner of my JULY RAK is AUSSIESCRAPPER!!  That would be MEL in Australia - please would you e mail me with your postal address Mel so that I can get all that boy stash off to you ASAP!!!***






                                                                                                                                                                  





Goodness me girls I have had a time of it lately - actually it's so surreal it's actually quite funny!!!  

Today alone I have had a puncture (before I got where I needed to go!) and dropped my Blackberry in my tea! 

Those are only two of the things that have gone wrong but they are happening on a daily basis!  

Google Chrome is acting VERY strangely. 
I lost a dozen e mails when we had a power outtage. 
My pc keeps freezing/hanging & my entire desktop file of all my DT work due disappeared, never to be found again & I had to redownload it all!

Gosh!!!

So Friday's "double-post day" never materialised - roll on a new bright week - this one is going to be wonderful {the power of positive thought!?!  Doesn't usually work for me but heck I'm outta other options right now!}

I owe everyone comments but have tons to post about so am going to have to get this up before I get to bed (yes it's 2a.m & I need to be up at 7!) so here is my latest layout for INSPIRED BLUEPRINTS due in by the end of the month to be eligible for the sponsored prize.  
I used Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 papers I bought 6 months ago & had never cut into.  Trying to get my "old" stuff used up so I can justify buying some yummy new July CHA product :)


I love that Inspired Blueprints Sketches allow me to focus on one really good photo as opposed to a whole lot of smaller ones - it works for me as I am trying to cut down on the amount of photos I take so I can realistically scrap them all.


Before I began adhering the papers I dropped some black ink onto the bottom left & top right of my layout & sprayed some green mist at the top too.  If you want to mist or stamp best you think about this FIRST :)


All the embellishments are also from the Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 line but I mixed things up a bit by using my huge flower burst punch & also adding some lime green tissue paper ruffles behind the printed chipboard emblems.  Really like the ooomph this adds.


Also used some faithful Thickers and got out my DYMO at long last!


If you play along at Inspired Blueprints this month remember to TAG YOUR LAYOUT with SKETCH 76 if you use this sketch - the gallery is buzzing right now and there are weekly sketches posted on the blog so tagging helps get your layout into the correct album & makes commenting on your work a lot easier for me LOL! {If I know what sketch you worked off}.  Here is the Ning Gallery link where you need to upload your entry.

Supplies:-

Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 papers & embellishments -
Printed papers - Ginger, Bette, Borders & Astaire
Ready-Set-Chip Adhesive chipboard
Lime Green tissue paper - stationer
Alphabet Letters - American Crafts Thickers "Sunrise"
Mist - Studio Calico "Mr Huey" Clover {green}
Memories Mists "Diet Cola" {Black}
Martha Stewart large sunburst flower punch

***Colour Combos Galore blog-hop is now closed & I will announce my winner in my next post!***











Friday 22 July 2011

Where have I been lately?! And some Wooting!! {Scrapbook Kits with Jules & Imaginarium Designs} Plus some Colour Combos Galore Inspiration!!






Hi Peeps!   I've been quiet this week I know...sorry for that!!  My daughter is going back to uni on Saturday & she has had many things that needed to get done, with my help, before she goes...so we have been shopping, shopping, shopping, getting her an HPV jab at the pharmacy, etc, etc :)  We had a really busy weekend with our visitors but a great day was had by all, however, Monday came around & it all went downhill from there...I had a real life disappointment that is too personal to share but it set me back days, I'm hoping now that it has kinda been resolved that I can move onward & upward once again!!!

I've also spent hours blog-hopping & in my e mail, trying to get back to everyone - of course I still haven't managed it all but I've made quite a dent, and that feel's good!  I also found out this week that I have a serious condition - pre-diabetes 2 - and have been scouring the internet for hours trying to find my own solutions, as the doctors I have seen over the last 2 years, for my hperinsulinemia, have basically failed to properly deal with the condition & it has now escalated to a more serious level, so no more carbs for me {well not entirely of course...} and a host of herbal remedies to take daily - uuuugh.... :(

Enough blah blahing!

Onto the woot...I have finally made it onto a kit club design team!  To me I see this as the next level up from challenge blogs because it means I get given product to work with.  At Once Upon a Sketch we do get a chipboard sponsorship which I loooooooove...and I am on Pretty Paper Petals design team too, and will soon be receiving some very pretty blooms & embellishments {there's been a hold up on that one because of various issues with the store}, so now I will be getting a whole box load of stuff sent to me regularly, which is nothing short of awesomeness!

The lady I have to thank for that is the wonderful Jules McKenna De Lumen of Australia, whose blog I have been spying on for years now & who produces wonderfully vibrant work.  You can see the Design Team announcement here on her blog and the original announcement here on the SCRAPBOOK KITS blog, as well as the call here.  Jules has great taste so I know that whatever I am sent to work with will be yummo!!

I also want to make a record here of these links here & here where I had my work featured on the IMAGINARIUM DESIGNS blog, which is the awesome chipboard company that is sponsoring Once Upon a Sketch with free chipboard until the end of our first year {end March 2012}, the first as Guest Designer & the second in their SPOTTED feature.  

It sure has rekindled my love for chipboard & my chippie drawer is full to overflowing again - yeah!!

***I am hoping it will be a double-post day for me today.  I have to stop now to fetch kids from school & head off to dance class (Cami not me LOL!), out for frozen yoghurt with Chelsea before she leaves for uni tomorrow (thanks to Colour Combos Galore for that - too much ICE CREAM INSPIRATION going on this week has got my tummy rumbling!) and tonight we are off to watch GREASE the musical!  So that should be a blast from the past!!  {1979 to be exact...wowzers!!!} so see y'all again later.

Here's a layout for all you "visual people" out there who can't fight through all this literature :)


I will be posting it again with the inspiration board, my close-up shots, my supplies list, etc (not to bore you but because this is where I keep a record of all those deets!) but at least this makes it a post with a picture & something pretty to look at!  

Why not play along this week?  The colour combo is an awesome one!!  I have linked you up to it so take a peek - you have until Wednesday midnight EST.

HAPPY WEEKEND CREATIVE PEOPLE!!





Sunday 17 July 2011

Colour Combos Galore Blog Hop {and Mixed Media Background Tutorial}.






Hey hey!  How's the weekend going?!  I had a great day yesterday with a day off & out of my studio, cooking up a storm for over a dozen hungry visitors, but it was wonderful to be doing something different & seeing some folks I haven't seen in years!  I spent Friday evening making gifts for everyone (printing out photographs & framing them with patterned paper borders) & everyone was very impressed with their (so easy to make!) gifts.  Personalised gifts are really the only way to go these days...

Anyway, you may be here due to the COLOUR COMBOS GALORE BLOG HOP and if so 


HELLO!!

Here is our official blurb:-

Welcome to the Color Combos Galore 200th "Anniversary" Blog Hop! We hope by visiting the CCG Design Team members' blogs, you will be able to pick up some fun tips and techniques. Many of the team members will be offering prizes, so you will want to visit all of the blogs to increase your chances of winning some fun scrappy stuff. We are also offering a chance at a Guest Designer spot for the month of August if you visit all of the blogs in our Blog Hop and participate in Challenge 200 by uploading your project to the CCG Gallery. It's so fun to get the colors before everyone else! Plus, who doesn't love to see their name in lights! 

The deadline for the chance to win these prizes is one week from today, 
Sunday, July 24, EST.

If this is your first stop at our Blog Hop, you'll want to start at Bente's blog, and follow the hop in order so you don't miss anyone.


 If you've been hopping in order, your next stop is Jasmine Shea.


Once you have visited all the blogs and uploaded a project to the CCG Gallery using Challenge 200, please make sure you check in at the Blog Hop discussion in the Special Announcements Forum at CCG. We will choose our August Guest Designer from that thread. Individual DT members will be choosing winners for the prizes they are offering. Good luck, and we hope you'll enjoy our blog hop!


Here is the humble RAK I am offering.  Doodlebug border stickers, a big, colourful flower rub-on, some Prima flowers, some Creative Imaginations journaling papers, & some mini American Crafts printed papers.  Comment for a chance to win {but only if you also comment on all the other blog-hop posts in the list AND upload a project to Colour Combos Galore before Wednesday midnight EST based on Colour Combo 200.  


For an EXTRA CHANCE TO WIN make a mixed media background AND feature GAUZE anywhere on your layout & I'll throw in an extra entry for you!


{Don't forget to JOIN MY BLOG AS A FOLLOWER to be in with a chance to win!!}

I have listed the blog hop order below & here is my take on Challenge 200.  At Colour Combos Galore not only are you challenged to stick as closely as possible to a limited colour combo but there is also an optional "Designer's Challenge" to push your creativity even further!  

In my opinion that's what makes Colour Combos Galore such a stand out site!


I've done a pretty good job of purging my stash over the last year & honing in on only buying what suits the way I create RIGHT NOW & for me that is white, vanilla & craft cardstock, so I haven't bought a sheet of another colour in at least a year!  {although I get a few sheets in each monthly kit club package} so I didn't have ANYTHING in the right shades of blue so did my best to create my own, using paints & mists.


I got the "Cool Blue" perfect with my paints but the "ice blue" was a bit off, despite trying my best to mix blue mists with white, the tone just wasn't correct to start with!  I don't often create mixed media backgrounds & I should - because it's easy - you can do it too!  

To achieve this background effect you need to:-

1)   Choose a colour mist, spray a little onto a plastic bag, mop it up using some bubble wrap & stamp the centre 1/3rd of your paper

2)  Choose your second colour, use your paint brush to pull out a blob onto the inverted lid, mix in some water (which I keep in a jam jar on my desk - to avoid multiple trips to the kitchen!) then, starting at the top of your page, swipe your brush down the page in straight lines ending at different lengths for a drippy effect.

3)  After your first layer mix in a little white acrylic paint & keep swiping to create some more dimension, this time after wiping your brush off on some dry kitchen paper.

4)  Now open up a couple of sheets of medical gauze & flatten it over your paint, whilst it is still wet, so that there is no need for adhesive, (fold back the edges & adhe them to the back of your page using masking tape TOMORROW when your page is dry!)

5)  Now get out your modelling paste & apply it, straight from the tube, concentrated (like toothpaste!) straight onto the top of your paper & gauze, applying differing pressures so that you create some texture.

6)  Lastly sprinkle some clear embossing powder directly onto your wet modelling paste & don't bother to shake off the excess, just heat (this will take a while for the powder to melt as there is a fair bit of it!)  then shake off any bits that have fallen lower than the white drip "zone" at the top, return it to the tub.

7)  Spray a few extra sheets of gauze with mist  (I always use plastic as a base - just slice open a big shopping bag down the side & flatten out) as nothing sticks to it as it does to newspaper.  Another advantage of this is that mists, inks & paints DON'T DRY OUT so I loosely fold up the packet, place it carefully in the corner of my room on the floor, then use it again on another page.  Artists mediums are expensive & plastic is non-absorbent so this way there is ZERO WASTAGE!

8) Do a quick clean up then off to bed!  Rinse & replace those precious brushes (I use real animal hair brushes & have owned them since art college 20 odd years ago).  

In the morning a masterpiece will await you!  

Like when you write down DIRECTIONS for people that need to get somewhere in your town, these instructions seem time-consuming & cumbersome, but they really ARE NOT.  

I NEVER go for anything over-complicated as I don't have the time or the inclination, so trust me & try it.  It took me about 20 minutes.

9)  In the morning I folded back the excess gauze & adhered it to the back of the layout using masking-tape then positioned the scrunched up gauze by getting it into position & holding it in place with big glue-dots underneath the photos & masking tape at the back.  I'm not a huge glue girl - glue is too messy for my liking, but if I do use it I stick to Tombo Mono, the best I've found.


Next I cut up some Hambly Screen Print dandelions from a transparency sheet & adhered those using an American Crafts Glue Dot runner, placing a little pearl in the centre of each & adding a Webster's Pages organza/tulle (almost edible...) flower {truthfully to tone down the orange as it was a little strong, but again I don't have much orange in my stash at all!}


At the base of my page I added some bling dots (to re-inforce the drippy theme) - extending down & between the dandelion stems), hand-journaled in the details, added a  nice big (old!) Lily Bee text rub on & some Glitz Design sentiment stickers, a Prima pebble & bling flower centre & a Sassafras asterisk sticker, plus a torn strip of Pink Paislee Artisan tape, which I also added to the VERY BOTTOM EDGE of my layout, then folded the other half of it to the back.  


For some extra texture I tucked in a couple of doilies, added some more bling to around the edge of one of them, and stapled on a Glitz Design sticker, which I tore in 2, using the hot-air balloon section right on the top of my layout, as a last, whimsical touch :).  I also adhered an American Crafts badge to the centre of one of the doilies for some glossy contrast against all the rough textures.

As you can see, I certainly had FUN with this one, which is what will happen to you if you come & join in at Colour Combos Galore, just remember to read the HOW TO PLAY here as there are some very specific guidelines there to help you know exactly how to get started, get spotted, maybe even be chosen as a GALLERY FAVE or a FEATURED MEMBER & definitely required to be chosen as a monthly winner in the random draw for the sponsored prize!

So off you go!!  Hop, hop, hop!!!

Bente Fagerberg - http://paperandglueheaven.blogspot.com/
Cynthia Lloréns - http://cyndiscrap.blogspot.com


Kelly Holbrook - kellyrholbrook.blogspot.com

Melinda Thompson - http://www.minseverydaymoments.blogspot.com/



Susan Stringfellow - www.creativelysavvy.blogspot.com 

Supplies List:-

Cardstock - White - American Crafts
Paint - Blue - Creative Talents
Paint - White - Dala
Modeling Paste - Reeves
Mists - Maya Road Orange Sherbet & Sunflower Yellow {mixed}
Blue Hydrangea (Maya Road), Smooch Spritz & Studio Calico Mr. Huey mist (Calico Cream) {mixed}.
Dandelion flowers (cut from Hambly Screen Prints transparency)
Tulle/organza flower - Webster's Pages
Pearls & bling - Basic Grey
Doilies - Etsy
"Lovely" badge - Dear Lizzy for American Crafts
Staples - Making Memories
Stickers - Glitz Design 'Afternoon Muse" & 'Love Nest'
Gauze - Health Ease "Plasterman" 100 x 100 x 8ply compresses
Foamcore plastic (behind photos)
Asterisk sticker - Sassafras {Robotics alphas}
Blue alphas - October Afternoon {Mini Market}
Pebble & ornate bling {flower centre} Prima
Text rub-on - Lily Bee
Printed (artisan) tape - Pink Paislee
Journaling pen - Creative Memories
Bubble Wrap - Packaging