Mixed Media Layouts | Scrapbooking Memories magazine

Hi everyone!
Just a quick post from me today to share the two layouts that were published as part of my "How To: Mixed Media" Creative Team article magazine Vol 20 No 4. In my article I discussed some of the techniques and materials I often use when I create mixed media layouts; and provided two sample layouts in different styles.

For my first page, I created a traditional paper-based page that featured subtle mixed media to enhance it. I used the Cocoa Vanilla Studio 'Make a Wish' collection and incorporated watercolor paint (applied directly to the page and splattered about with the brush) as well as stamping with stamps from Viva Las VegaStamps (with multiple colour inks).

For my second page, I took a different approach by starting with blank white cardstock and creating my own background. I used Flutterby Designs Flutter Colour paints; and Colour Blast Colour Paste and Colour Sprays to create a layered and textured base. I then added further layers of colour with paper and embellishments. (Papers and ephemera by Heidi Swapp; flair button and wood veneer by Flutterby Designs.)

Be sure to look out for my Creative Team article in the current issue which is one for the traditionalists, and all about paper based scrapping.
Until next time, happy scrapping! X

My Fave Stars | Colour Blast

Hi everyone!

Time to share another design team project with you - this one was created for Colour Blast. This was a true "stash-busting" layout for me, in every way. I was recently inspired by a post from one of my scrappy besties Krisy Podolak about scrapping "old" photos. (You know the ones that you get printed, don't scrap right away and then they get put aside in a growing pile?) Well this collage, featuring a shot my Scrapbooking Memories cover from a couple of years ago, along with some photos of my boys seeing themselves on the covers was one from my pile.

"My Fave Stars"

I started this layout by creating my background on a sheet of cardstock. I sprayed Saffron Colour Spray through an old stencil from my stash. (Whilst the stencil was wet, I also created a reverse monoprint by laying another sheet of cardstock over the top to soak up the excess spray; which I will use for a future project.)

The next step in my process was to add some contrasting colour and texture; which I did by applying some Envy Colour Paste through a Flutterby Designs 'Stargazed' stencil. I also smeared the excess paste from my palette knife directly onto my page.

To add further contrast and interest, I took some Road Base Colour Spray and Lipstick Colour Shimmer Spray and splattered them both around my page. I then set my page aside to dry thoroughly.

Once it was dry, I then continued my stash-busting efforts and began adding the other elements of my page. I took the opportunity to use up some old Amy Tan papers, ephemera and washi stickers to create some layers. I then pulled out my sewing machine to add some stitching, which provided subtle texture.

Once my photo was in place, I added my title using up some older Thickers from my stash. (I had run out of the letter 'S', so I improvised by cutting up a 6 and an 8 instead.) I jazzed up my alphas by adding some faux stitching with a Sharpie pen.

Finally, I added a few stamped phrases and my handwritten journaling and my page was complete.

Thanks for stopping by today so I could share this with you. I hope I have inspired you to grab an old photo or two, some old supplies from your stash and to breathe new life into them by mixing them with Colour Blast products.

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Art Journal Page | Viva Las VegaStamps Guest Designer

Hi everyone!

Popping in today to share another project created as part of my guest designer spot for Viva Las VegaStamps this month. This time, I have an art journal page to share that features a photo of myself with one of my fave scrappy chicks (and VLVS design team member) Fiona Paltridge that was taken on retreat. (If you know either of us at all, you would hardly be surprised by this shot! haha)

I started by laying down my bright background colour using Dylusions paints before adding the stamping directly onto the page. 

I wanted to created a page where I could feature some of the fabulous Mary Vogel Lozinak whimsical "freak" stamps from plate #1383; so I created this page to represent a shooting gallery, with myself and Fiona as the main targets.
I think Fi and I fit right in amongst them, don't you?

After I had stamped all the images onto the page I added some extra colour detail using my Posca pens.

Here's a linked list of the stamps I used so you can find them easily in the VLVS store:

- Many Legged Lady

- Many Armed Clock Person

- Flamingo

- Wheel Lady

- Thin Fish in Mini Skirt

- Freaks

- We Are Not Like Others

- Doodle dots

- Bullet hole

- Dollar sign small

- You Are Beautiful

- Doodle frame

Thanks for stopping by today so I could share this with you. I have one more project for Viva Las VegaStamps coming up this month, so stay tuned!
Until next time, happy scrapping! X

You-nique | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!

I am very excited to be sharing my latest design team layout created for Cocoa Vanilla Studio - and my first one using the gorgeous new 'Bohemian Dream' collection. This range is SO delicious and dreamy, and features stunning florals and a divine colour palette; including a beautiful shade of purple. (I have to admit, I have never really been a purple fan, but I totally love this one!)

You may have seen the newest products that have been added to the Cocoa Vanilla range with this collection - 6x6" paper pad, chipboard titles and stamps. I was determined to make sure I included some of each on my project, and I also thought it would be fun to create a boy themed page too.

I decided to create a page combining blues and purples to showcase these cute photos of my son in his new glasses. I started with the Wild & Free paper as my base; first adding some light swipes of Colour Blast white heavy gesso with a brush, and then used one of the new clear stamps (a rough "brush stroke") with some purple ink to help define the focal areas of my design. I also added some light splatters of Colour Blast 'Velvet' Colour Shimmer Dust and Colour Blast 'Indigo' Colour Spray around my page.

Next, I created a layered mat for my photo using some of the Abundant and Gypsy Heart papers, as well as pieces of the miniature Abstract and Dreamer papers from the 6x6" paper pad. Tucked in amongst my layers was also a tab and a mini pennant from the die cut ephemera pack and some messy cotton thread for texture.

 Next, I took the Boho Bits cut apart paper and cut out the purple smile quote and also the purple bird. I placed the quote card alongside the right side of my photo (such a gorgeous quote!) To the left side of my photo I created a cluster using the fussy cut bird, some branches from the vellum accents pack and I topped it off with one of the coordinating flair buttons. 

Below the quote, I added a couple of die cut feathers from the ephemera pack, and a small heart from the chipboard accent stickers sheet. In the bottom right corner of my page where I had stamped the brush strokes, I layered a couple of small die cut labels and then stamped the date on the top one.

I used the same 'Velvet' Colour Shimmer Dust that I had splattered around my background to add some colour to my title. I used two of the chipboard title stickers (you and unique) and trimmed the unique so I could spell out you-nique. These titles are such a great addition to the product range and I was really happy with how well they took the watercolour.

To finish off my layout I used the hello you stamp from the stamp set to stamp in a few random places around my page with navy ink; and then I added my handwritten journaling and I was done.
Thanks for stopping by today so I could share this with you. If you haven't got your hands on any of the 'Bohemian Dream' collection, then head over to the Cocoa Vanilla store HERE and grab some for yourself! (It's even better in person than it looks on the screen!!)
Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Explore | Flutterby Designs

Hi everyone!

Popping in to share my latest design team project for Flutterby Designs with you. This 12x12" mixed media page was created using the 'Any Direction' collection. This range was released some time ago, and it's perfect for travel and adventure photos - just like these (insane) shots of my hubby mountain climbing recently. 

You may remember my page with the watercolour background I shared in my last post on the Flutterby blog? (You can find it here) I was still feeling the watercolour vibe, and the map card in this collection inspired me to create another. I started by adding some texture paste around my page using my 'Bubble O'Fun' stencil, then used Colour Blast Colour Shimmer Dusts (Paris, Peacock and Navy) to create the gorgeous mixed blues and greens background.

I used a combination of Everyday Etc cards from 'Any Direction', along with some assorted filler cards from other collections and some frayed gauze to create a layered photo mat. I also added the explore wood veneer for my title. 

I added a couple of tabs above my photos - holy shitballs from the recent Sentence Enhancers page tabs; and I do all my own stunts from the bright tabs #1. To help highlight my photos, I used a small green frame from the 'Mad About You' photo cut out, which I cut in half and tucked under either side. Alongside my photo I added a wood veneer geotag as well.

Below my photo, was the feature quote card replace fear of the unknown with curiosity. This couldn't have been a more perfect card for this page. Not only does it feature a picture of mountains; but my hubby was (until quite recently) afraid of heights! (And look at him now scaling the sides of mountains with no ropes!)

I highlighted the quote by adding a Charms Creations arrow, which I topped with the live your life flair button (from set #171). I also added some of my fave 'Confetti Circles' wood veneers.

To finish off, I stamped the word adventure around my page and splattered a bit of mist about. 

If you have some travel photos to scrap that you haven't gotten around to yet, make sure you check out the 'Any Direction' collection. 

Thanks for stopping by today so I could share this with you. I'll be back again soon with another project for you. Until then, happy scrapping! X 

Fancy | Viva Las VegaStamps Guest Designer

Hi everyone!

Super excited to share this with you today! If you are a regular follower of my work or blog, you will already know how much I love my stamps from Viva Las VegaStamps. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when the amazing DeeDee Catron contacted me to ask if I would do a guest design spot for them?! Ummm...let me see...hell yes please!!

So I set to work with my stamps and this is the first piece I created...

"Fancy"

This 12x12" mixed media layout began with a fun Snap Chat selfie, white cardstock and my stash of Viva Las VegaStamps. I started by adding some subtle blue watercolour to my background using Colour Blast Colour Shimmer Dust and a wide brush; before using my stamps to define the focal areas of the page. Some of the images were stamped directly onto the cardstock, whilst others were pre-stamped onto tissue paper and adhered with a gel matte medium. 

I then used my Colour Blast Colour Shimmer Cubes and a waterbrush to add colour to some of the images. I also flicked some spots of colour around. 

Once the paint had dried, I started adding the other elements of my page. For the small cluster at the top, I layered a piece of red paper doily, some torn pieces of glitter washi tape, messy cotton thread and a Charms Creations butterfly heart.

I used many of the same elements from my top cluster in the main area of my page - another paper doily, washi, cotton thread; - along with some spotty tissue paper; a die cut glitter cardstock frame; and the beautiful Gossamer Butterfly image I had stamped onto tissue paper. To add the butterfly, I simply cut the image in half and incorporated it into the layers under my photo. I only adhered it at the inner edge, which allowed the delicate wings to float free.

I then added my title (a Pink Paislee foam word from my stash); my line of journaling; and I used the "Incredible as it seems" stamp to add some text around my page.

Here is a full (linked) list of the VLVS stamps I used:

- Typeset scallop

- Butterfly Gossamer (large)

- Overlapping squares by Corrie Herriman

- Striped pattern circle by Tera Callihan

- Doodle dots

- Incredible as it seems

I have more Viva Las VegaStamps goodness to share later in the month, so stay tuned.

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Scrap Moles | Scrap the Girls October Challenge

Hi everyone! Time to share another design team layout, and this one is for Scrap the Girls. This month's challenge at Scrap the Girls is called "P is for Pink" and it looks like this...

There are no prizes for guessing what I took as my main inspiration from the board, of course it was the colour pink! I wanted to delve a bit deep into how the board inspired me though; so I thought of what else "pink month" for breast cancer awareness signified to me. I immediately thought of sisterhood. Women banding together to not only look out for themselves, but also each other. Breast cancer is a topic that unites all women. It was for this reason I decided to scrap this photo of me with one of my scrapping besties, Krisy. This chick always has my back, and she knows I have hers; plus, she totally gets me - true sisterhood.

I started my layout with some white cardstock and my fave pink Dylusions acrylic paint. (They don't come much pinker than this one!) I added a few random smears of yellow as well, just to give the background some contrast. 

Next, it was time to set to work with some ink. I started with my Dusty Attic 'Squared' stencil and applied ink with a sponge to a few areas of my page. I then added lots of stamping using some of my fave stamps from Viva Las VegaStamps. Once all the ink had been applied I then added a bit of Colour Blast white heavy gesso to some areas of the page to strip it back a bit.

Next, it was time to start adding the paper based elements of my page. I cut up some paper doilies and added them to the area where my photo was going to go, and also a piece in the top right corner. I then added some strips of washi tape to hold the doily pieces down, and also some small torn pieces around my page.  

I then gathered together some pieces to layer under my photo - tissue paper; punchinella; hand dyed muslin; and some glittered die cut pieces. (At this point I was really just looking to add an assortment of eclectic items to my layers that would help tie in some of the colours from the photo.) I then added some of the same elements to my cluster at the top as well, along with the custom wood veneer title from Corbett Creations that I had painted black and highlighted with a white paint pen. 

To the right of my photo, I added some messy white cotton thread, topped with the Flutterby Designs do epic shit flair button. I also added some pink wire, which I twisted and attached using staples. Beneath my cluster I added a couple of black tiny sticky quotes from Flutterby Designs. I then added one above my title and another above my photo.

I also added a second piece of wire on the left side of my photo, along with the butterfly heart from Charms Creations.

To finish off my page I added all the white detailing. I used a Crafters Workshop 6x6" template for the floral shapes - tracing them out with a black Sharpie pen first, then colouring them in with a paint pen and adding some black detail on top. The bubbles were added using my Flutterby Designs 'Bubble O'Fun' stencil (currently on sale in the Flutterby store.) Again, I used a white paint pen, then added some black detail over the top. I then added a few other little doodled black details to my page and I was done!

If you got through all that reading, thanks for sticking with me! Although it may have sounded like a long process or a lot of work, it really wasn't. The layout came together easily and in the end I had to make myself step away from it because I was having so much fun.

You have until the end of the month to get your own entry in for this month's Scrap the Girls challenge. See how the "P is for Pink" board inspires you, and you could be a winner! This month's main prize is from the Resin Rainbow, and there is also a prize for a winning international entrant too! Head to the blog HERE to link up your entries or see what the rest of the team created.

Til next time, happy scrapping! X

Cino Time | Colour Blast

Hi everyone! 

Time again to share another mixed media design team project created for Colour Blast. Today I have  12x12" scrapbook layout featuring a background made with some gorgeous Colour Pastes and a photo of my beautiful girl enjoying a babycino while on a day out with her grandparents. 

The first thing I had to consider when creating this page was my design. As the colours in the photo were largely neutral, I decided to use my daughter's shirt as inspiration - choosing a white background with pink / red accents on it.

To start, I chose to use a mandala stencil as it provided a large feature pattern, which instantly grounded my page design. I used a combination of 'Fire Engine' and 'Blush' Colour Pastes, applying a combination of the two colours through various areas of the stencil with a palette knife until the entire pattern had been filled.

Once all the paste had been applied I took 'Blush' Colour Shimmer Spray and 'Road Base' Colour Spray, and splattered some of each around my page. I then set it aside to dry.

Once all my mediums were dry, it was time to start adding some papery layers to define my focal area for my photo to be placed. I took the opportunity to do a bit of stash busting - using up some papers from an old 6x6" pad; some printed tissue paper; a coloured paper doily; printed transparency; a die cut label and washi tape. (I love being able to utilise old products!)

After I had my photo mat in place, I added some frayed gauze on top for texture and then my photo. I then added a Charms Creations heart on the corner of my photo with some messy cotton thread and a Cocoa Vanilla Studio flair button on top.

The final thing my page needed was a title. Instead of using alpha stickers, I decided to pull out my 'Dusty Charcoal' Colour Shimmer Cube, a water brush and a cardstock offcut and simply hand paint my title. Once dry, it was fussy cut and adhered to my layout.

Here you can see the gorgeous variation in colour that is achieved by using two different Colour Pastes through the stencil - in some areas the 'Blush' is more prominent, whilst in others it is the 'Fire Engine'. This technique works well when you have two shades from the same color family.

You will note that in some areas my stencilling was a bit smeared - this was entirely due to the fact that I haven't taken care of this old stencil, and it is no longer entirely flat. This doesn't bother me at all, as you can see from the style of rest of the layout that I wasn't looking for perfection anyway - I like things a bit messy! ;)

Look at all those luscious layers! And I am pretty happy with my simple title too. (A great way to create titles if you are on a budget - much cheaper than alphas and more fun to do too!)

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my project today. If you have some Colour Pastes in your stash I hope I have inspired you to pull them out and try blending them too? Or perhaps have a go at creating your own hand painted title?
Whatever you decide to do - just be creative, it's good for the soul!
Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Boys Rule | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!

Popping in today to share my latest boy layout using the awesome 'You Rock' collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. This page features a photo of my boys that really doesn't have any deep or meaningful significance. It was simply one of those everyday moments. You know the ones - when you turn your camera towards your children and fire off a quick snap just to capture them as they are. And as important as it is to capture milestones and memorable events, I think it's equally important to just capture moments like this.

I decided to create a mixed media based page for this one. I started with white cardstock and began applying layers. First I added some blue watercolour using Colour Blast 'Cobalt' Colour Shimmer Dust and a soft brush. Once that had dried, I used a Donna Downey stencil to apply Colour Blast 'Dusty Charcoal' Colour Paste. After that was dry I then used my new DeeDee Catron designed stamp set from Viva Las VegaStamps (seriously awesome set, check it out HERE) to add some stamping around my page.

I then gathered up some 'You Rock' papers to create a layered mat for my photo. I used pieces cut from the In Line; Galactic; and Night Sky papers; which I topped with some frayed gauze and a frame from the chipboard accents sticker sheet. To get the best use of the frame, I cut it in half and tucked the two halves on either side of my mounted photo.

Now it was time to turn to the embellishments. I fussy cut a few stars from the Starshine paper, which I placed to form a visual triangle around my photo. Next, I added stickers from the accessory sticker sheet - the large starburst label above my photo; a small label tucked into the layers behind my photo; and a small banner beneath my photo. I also added the rad and you rock phrase stickers.

On the left side of the chipboard frame, I added some messy grey cotton thread, topped with a flair button; whilst below the photo I added the navy awesome label from the die cut ephemera pack to compliment the you rock sticker I had already placed there.

To finish off my page, I added small torn pieces of a couple of the washi tape stickers to add further depth to the layers surrounding my photo. I also added some splatters of Colour Blast 'Road Base' Colour Spray and stamped the date.

Thanks for stopping by today so I could share this with you. I will be back again soon with another project to share. Until then, happy scrapping! X