I'm back with another new mixed media layout to share today. This one was created recent for the Pinkfresh Fridays monthly YouTube hop that is organised by my sweet friend Joanne Bartell. Each month, a group of scrappers create and share videos using Pinkfresh Studio products and I was delighted to be able to join in this time.
I don't have a huge amount of Pinkfresh products in my stash, but luckily for me they often appear in the Hip Kit Club scrapbook kits, so I do have some. The products I used for this layout all came from my June 2021 kit, and were from the 'Happy Blooms' collection - a perfect choice to document this series of photos of my daughter with her Valentine's Day flowers from her boyfriend.
I went quite product heavy on this page (why not - no use hoarding it, right?) and added lots of luscious layers, including a bunch tags that I cut from patterned paper.
My mixed media background was created using Distress Oxides - first applied with an ink blending tool, then stamped, then splattered.
I added a couple of my signature elements (I guess they could be called that now?) with a paper doily and then frayed gauze for texture.
I was happy with how this one turned out and it was certainly fun to put together. You can watch my process video for this page via the link below. If you would like to see what everyone else created for this hop, be sure to open my video in YouTube and you will find a linked list of the other participants in my video description.
While you are there, I would love it if you would subscribe to my channel so you don't miss any of my upcoming videos. (Or check out my back catalogue of videos - there are lots there to choose from!)
Popping in today to share my latest project for the StencilGirl® Creative Team. For today's project I was tasked with the theme "Pastiche". If you haven't been following the team projects that have come before me, then you may not be familiar with the term? Simply put, a pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, or music that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche celebrates, rather than mocks, the work it imitates.
I began by choosing the work of an artist whose work I find not only beautiful, but also incredibly inspiring. Being Australian, I couldn't go past picking a fellow Aussie, so the artist I chose was Clair Bremner. Clair creates paintings that are inspired by nature, and she uses an amazing combination of both colour and form to translate the things she sees into stunning works of art. I had long wanted to try working in Clair's style, so this provided me the perfect opportunity.
Here's a sample of Clair's work from her online gallery so you can see her style...
I chose this example of Clair's work, as I decided to use a similar colour palette and materials. I chose watercolour paper for my substrate (A3 size), and like Clair, I worked with acrylics.
Here's my piece, I entitled "Enchanted Garden"...
I used a combination of brayer, silicone spatula, and brush to apply my base colours to the page. I worked in a random fashion, but unlike Clair's piece, I left some white space as I like the balance between busy and clean.
With the base colours down on the page, it was then time to begin building the layers. The fist stencil I chose was Bouquet Greenery by Wendy Brightbill. This 9x12" stencil features large leafy branches, which I thought would work for trees in the scale I was working in. I used Naples Yellow paint from Monte Marte to provide a contrast to the background colours, and applied the paint using a stippling technique with a brush.
Next, I moved onto some Dusky Pink paint and the Playful Petalsstencil designed by Jennifer Evans. I masked off a small section of the stencil and used the same stippling technique to add some groups of petals that I thought would make great bushes.
At this point I felt my painting needed a little more "light", so I chose white paint for my next layer. The stencil I used was June Pfaff Daly's Inspired by Frida stencil. Once again, I masked off a small section of the stencil, this time a leafy branch, and used it to add some branches into my layers, making sure to overlap them with other portions of my design to help add depth to the piece.
While I was using the white paint, I also added some sweet little fern branches in the foreground using the Maidenhair Fern stencil by Rae Missigman. I adore the whimsical style of the fern branches on this stencil, and thought it was perfect as part of my tribute to Clair's work.
The final stencil I used was the super cute Daisies 6 by Terri Stegmiller. In order to be able to be very controlled with my placement, I masked off a single daisy and used Marine (a very dark blue) to add a few flowers around the page. (Because this stencil design was a little more delicate, I simply painted through the stencil with a small flat brush rather than stippled with the larger brush.)
Once all the painted layers were in place, I used a black Sharpie, white Sharpie and a Stabilo All pencil to add the finishing touches to my page. This was simply a case of adding a combination of small mark and lines over the top of the paint. (Make sure the paint is totally dry before doing this, or you will completely ruin the tip of your pens!)
I am so happy with how this piece turned out, and I really hope I did justice to Clair's amazing style. You can view more of Clair's work on her website: http://www.clairbremnerart.com/
If you would like to watch me create this painting, I have a video of my process available:
Thanks so much for stopping by today so I could share this with you. Until next time, happy creating! X
Hi everyone! I am so happy to be sharing this layout today, because it's my very first page using the brand new 'Sunkissed' collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. Let me tell you, the colours in this collection are nothing short of AMAZING! It’s everything my colour-loving heart could have possibly wanted (and more!)
Here is my layout “Sweet Recharge”, (aptly titled, as it features a photo of my kids that I took when we went out one day for milkshakes at a local cafe)…
I began my layout with the gorgeous warm ombre print on the B side of the Summer Lights paper as my background. As I was dealing with strong, bright colour to start with, I decided to dry brush some white acrylic paint to define the focal area of my page. This would help provide some separation between the background colour and the colours of the papers I was going to use.
I then took a sheet of the rainbow striped Good Vibrations paper and cut a piece from the area that had the warm tones on it. I layered this with a piece of the rainbow print of the Sunny Days paper; then topped it with the polka dot print from the A5 paper stack. (This print is exclusive to the paper stack, and does not appear in the 12×12″ papers.) I also tucked in a small piece of the animal print from the reverse of the Growing Wild paper, then added a paper doily, some frayed gauze for soft texture, and my photo placed on top.
When it came to embellishing my layout, I really was spoiled for choice. This collection has sooo many delicious embellishments to choose from, and I just wanted to use them all! I started with flowers. First, a couple of floral pieces that I fussy cut from the Growing Wild paper, which is the signature floral from the range. I tucked these pieces in around my photo (one to the right, the other below). I then started a third cluster using some flowers from the new Floral Ephemera pack, which I placed up in the top left corner of my photo. (This formed the “visual triangle” around my photo.)
Also included in this small cluster was the so happy tab, and a cute watermelon sticker (both from the Accessory Sticker sheet) on the corner of my photo; a sweet little flower from the Puffy Sticker sheet; and one of the Wood Buttons. I also placed a phrase sticker from the Accessory Sticker sheet nearby. Above my photo I tucked in a label that was fussy cut from the Fun in the Sun cut apart paper, which I wrote my journalling on.
I padded out my remaining two clusters with more flowers and leaves from the Floral Ephemera pack, bending up some of the petals and leaf tips for added dimension. Down at the bottom of my layout I added a cute little garland from the Die Cut Ephemera pack and another couple of phrases from the Accessory Sticker sheet. (One of which I actually used as part of the title.)
The main part of my title came from the new Glitter Foam Title stickers which are really pretty and sparkly. (And if you know anything about my love-hate relationship with glitter, you would know how happy I am to say they did not shed all over my desk!) I finished off my title with one of the cute Puffy Stickers.
Finally, I added a few little heart Clear Stickers; and splattered around some black and white ink. I absolutely love how this page came together and am crushing all the gorgeous colours in this collection! I hope you are feeling inspired and planning on adding this collection to your stash too!
If you would like to watch this one come together, you can watch my process video here:
Thanks so much for stopping by so I could share this with you. Until next time, happy scrapping! X
Hi friends, today I am sharing the second of my February projects created for Kitaholic Kits. For this layout, I was drawn to use the beautiful floral print paper from Crate Paper and decided to combine it with some of the subscriber exclusive floral printables and paints from the January kit. I love being able to mix items across kits, and it certainly helps you to get the most out of them.
As you can see, I decided to make my cat Genghis the star of the show for this page. (I knew this photo of him would make it onto a page one day when I took it! haha) I was inspired to choose this photo by one of the items from the Jen Hadfield ephemera pack - the bee hive! When I saw the bee hive and the little bees, the phrase 'buzz off" came to mind and I thought of this picture instantly.
I began my page with a couple of the Kaisercraft acrylic paints from the January mixed media add-on kit. I wanted to try and match one of the tones of the flowers from the floral paper, so I mixed the Mango and Dusky Pink together until I had the shade I was after. I then used my wide #4 brush to dry brush some paint across my cardstock, which was cut down to 11x11" and mounted onto the floral paper. (I had already cut the centre from the patterned paper so that I could use some of it on the rest of the page.)
Once the paint was dry, I added some paper layers using a mix of papers from the kit and a paper doily from my stash. I cut a long banner shape from the floral print paper and ran it horizontally across the page where I was planning to place the photo. This would help draw the viewer's eye to the photo. I added texture to the page by distressing the paper edges using my distress tool and by using frayed gauze under my photo.
For my embellishments, I began with the bee hive from the Jen Hadfield ephemera pack as it was going to be my "hero" embellishment. I placed it down in the bottom right corner of my photo and began building my cluster from there. I added a mix of fussy cut flowers from the December subscriber exclusive printables. I used foam tape between some of my floral layers for dimension and added one of the sweet little die cut bees as well.
I created a second embellishment cluster along the left edge of my photo, using the same elements as I had for the first. Then balanced my page my creating a smaller third cluster above my photo. This gave me the "visual triangle" I was looking for. Then it was simply a matter of my final finishing touches.
I used some of the American Crafts Thickers for the kit to create my title. (I was very excited to use up two Z's and two F's in the one title!) From the Heidi Swapp sticker book I included the this is my happy place sticker, and also a circular label that I used for my journalling. A few stamped phrases and the date,a few black splatters and I was done!
If you would like to see exactly how this all came together (and listen to me waffling on), you can watch me create this page in my process video here:
Thanks so much for stopping by so I could share this with you. Until next time, happy scrapping! X
Hi friends! Sadly, this is the last of my Kitaholic Kits guest designer layouts for the month using the November kit and mixed media add-on. This is the fourth layout I have created from this kit, along with some extra pocket pages, and I still have some left to create with!
For this layout, I decided to document some photos of my daughter that were taken almost 10 years apart - to the day! The focus of my page was the remaining pieces I had of the cut apart sheet from the Crate Paper 'Marigold' collection and one of the subscriber exclusive cut files designed by Anita Bownds.
I used white cardstock as the base for my page, and added the Pebbles Jen Hadfield black and white checkered paper from 'The Avenue' collection over the top.
For my embellishments I used a mix of the Pinkfresh Studio floral ephemera, puffy alpha stickers and one of the subscriber exclusive cut files,which I coloured using watercolour paint.
I also used some stickers from the Heidi Swapp 'Old School' collection and added some sparkle with Ranger Stickles Glitter Gel.
I have a process video available for this layout on my YouTube channel if you would like to see how I put this one together. And if you haven't already, I would love it if you subscribed to my channel while you are there.
Hi everyone! Popping in today to share a recent design team project for Cocoa Vanilla Studio with you. I was recently tasked with scraplifting a layout that had been shared in the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Facebook Community group. The layout was an entry into the October "Spring Vibes" monthly challenge by Debra Beer, and looked like this...
Scraplifting is when you take a design from someone else and use it as the basis for your own page. This could range from copying the design in its entirety using the exact same materials; to simply using the page as inspiration and treating the bones of the page like a sketch, which is exactly what I did.
Here is my take on Debra's page using the 'Daydream' collection...
The first thing I decided when it came to creating my page, was that rather than a white cardstock background, I chose to use the Sun Shower patterned paper instead. I topped this with a piece of the Daisy Days paper to form the focal point of my page. I added extra texture to the paper by distressing the edges; and stuck some torn strips of washi tape under the top and bottom edges of it - just like Debra had also used washi tape on her page. I also added some frayed gauze for more texture.
On top of the Daisy Days paper, I added a small piece of the navy Up in the Clouds paper to help separate my unmatted photos a little from the busy floral print. For my photos, I also chose to go with both a portrait and landscape shot, just as the original page had. I also added a paper doily, but changed the position of it slightly to tuck under the left top corner of my photo and I also tucked in a circular frame from the Die Cut Ephemera pack.
Just like Debra's original page, I wanted to embellish my layout using clusters of flowers. I fussy cut several pieces from the Garden Variety paper and combined them with some ephemera pieces to create three clusters to frame around my photos. I also added a couple of small phrase stickers to my page from the Accessory Sticker sheet.
I finished off by adding a Die Cut Title word along the bottom edge of my photo, then added some scattered sequins from the Sequins and Flowers pack instead of the enamel dots Debra had used. A few tiny splatters of black ink, my journalling, a stamped date and I was done!
Thanks so much to Debra for her inspiration - I really love how this page turned out! If you ever find yourself stuck for ideas, take a quick scroll through the CVS Facebook Community group and see all the gorgeous pages shared by the members there - you might find something to scraplift too.
Please note: if you are going to copy the work of someone else, it is common courtesy to credit the original designer when sharing your page. A small mention of who inspired you is often enough to make someone else's day!
Today I am here to share a project that I created for the StencilGirl® Creative Team. This time around our team was challenged with the themes of "Stencilled Poetry or Spring Break Stencil Party." As soon as I saw the word spring, my mind immediately went to flowers and my decision was made instantly.
I am a huge fan of using flowers in my creations. In fact, I probably own more floral-themed stencils than any other type. And regardless of how many floral stencils I already have, I am always drawn to new ones because each one always offers something different. For this page, I decided to showcase one of my most favorite floral-themed stencils - Wildflower Bouquet designed by Wendy Brightbill. I wanted to allow the stencil to really shine, so I kept the remainder of the background quite minimal - it was perfect for this photo of my daughter in one of her Cosplay costumes.
I began with a sheet of white cardstock and some Distress Oxides in Spun Sugar; Worn Lipstick and Picked Raspberry. I began with the Spun Sugar and applied the ink to my non-stick craft mat. I then spritzed it with some water and swirled it through with my fingertip to mix the color. I laid my cardstock over the top and smoothed it down with my hand to absorb the ink. I then dried it off and repeated the process with the other colors, which I used more sparingly than the first. (This was so I didn't overwhelm the stencil design that was going to be placed over the top.)
With the inks in place and dried off, it was the time to add my stenciled design over the top. I chose a Colour Blast by Bee Arty Colour Paste (Deep Water) to apply the design, as I wanted to use a product that would also add some texture. My paste color choice was largely dictated by the photo I was using, but also because I wanted something beautiful and bold to show off the floral design. To apply the paste I simply taped the stencil down onto my cardstock using washi tape; then masked off the stems of the bouquet, and then used a palette knife to spread the paste through the stencil and then set it aside to dry.
Once dry, I decided to add another stenciled layer to my background. This time I used another Distress Oxide (Lime Citron) and sponged the ink through the stencil. The stencil I chose was a soft, flowing script called Rembrandt's Words (small), designed by Carolyn Dube. The addition of the green provided an instant lift to the background, and the loose, organic design of the stencil added an extra layer of softness as well.
The final step for my background was to add some ink splatters. I used two inks - black and an emerald green, and a small stiff brush to add tiny splatters around my page. This added a bit of a "grunge" factor and helped tie in my photo. I then set my page aside and turned my attention to working on the layers that would go on top.
I gathered together a variety of patterned paper pieces that I cut and tore into different sizes and shapes and then stacked them together, securing the pile with a couple of staples. I then used tape to fix the stack onto my background before adding some frayed gauze and then my photo on top.
Now it was time for some more flowers! This time I didn't use a stencil however, it was time for some paper ones instead. I grabbed a selection of pink flowers and some green leaves from my stash and created 3 clusters with them, framing around my photo.
There was just one thing my layout was missing now - butterflies! When I think of spring and flowers, I also think of butterflies, so that was just what I needed to complete my page. I grabbed my Paint Tin and Butterflies stencil designed by Cathy Taylor (another of my favorites); Archival Ink and a sponge dauber. I chose a piece of watercolor style pink patterned paper and stencilled 3 butterflies of varying sizes onto the paper. I then fussy cut around them and adhered them onto my page.
Now it was time for the finishing touches. I added a few enamel dots on top of my butterflies to give them some extra detail; as well as placing a few extra scattered enamel dots around my page. I added a page title using a clear sticker from MAMBI, and a few coordinating clear heart stickers.
Here are a few close-ups of my finished project so you can see some of the details...
That's all from me today, I hope I have inspired you to pull out some stencils and get creative too.
Here's a look at the three stencils I used...
Wildflower Bouquet
Rembrandt's Words
Paint Tin and Butterflies
Until next time, happy scrapping! X
