Scrap Friends Sketch Challenge #23 - DT

Can you believe it's already March? I truly believe that old adage that says 'time goes faster the older you get'.
Anyway, new sketches are released all around the scrapping blog-o-sphere today, including ScrapFriends.
Some of the DT and Guest Designers found it a little tricky, but you wouldn't know because they have all done stunning work. Please head HERE to check it out.

And here is the sketch, which I hope will challenge and inspire:

And my version:

All papers are from the old Basic Grey collection, Curio, as well as a little bit of Kaiser thrown in.

And some close-ups:

I loved making this one. My mojo left me last month in quite a big way, and I wasn't feeling inspired at all to do much, but I thoroughly enjoyed the making of this one, and feel excited again about creating. I guess that happens.

Sketch Challenge #23 ends March 31 at 11:55pm EST.

Thank you for coming by and any comments you care to leave.

Tutorial - Watercolour Background

Hello all,

I shared this tutorial over at ScrapFriends last month. It shows how I made the background for one of my recent layouts.

As much as I love white cardstock, I have heaps of beautiful scrapbook paper that I am wanting to use, so after some research and trial and error, I have come across a way that I am happy with that incorporates using watercolour on patterned paper and still retains the shape and colour of the original patterned paper. I hope you find the following useful...

1. Using Matte Medium I cover the front of the paper (I haven't yet tried it with clear gesso, but this would probably work just as well).

2. When dry, gesso the whole of the back of the paper. I have found by doing both these steps that the paper ends up laying pretty flat the whole time.

Step 1:
Once paper is dry from priming, I used my watercolour paints. With a wet brush, and dry paper, I swished on some paint. I used a pale and a deeper tone of two colours and started with the lighter colour of the paints.

Step 2 and 3:
Using Distress Inks, I stamped with Walnut Stain, then with a wet brush, I went over the stamped image, so that the stamped image was no longer really clear. Once dry, I scraped a little gesso on here and there. Sometimes I also used a sponge to dab the gesso on, and sometimes my fingers.

Step 4:
Once dry, I used a mask and some distress ink on a sponge and dabbed it on. Using a wet brush again, go over the distress ink markings to soften the design.

Step 5:
Another layer of gesso, as before.

Step 6:
Stamped with a different Distress Ink colour and using a wet brush, went over the image. Gesso and more stamping layers followed.

Step 7:
Then I added some patterned paper and gave a quick coat of Matte Medium before applying some more paint and gesso as before. The background stamping which was watered and gessoed is now very subtle and hard to show in photographs, but in reality, it gives more texture to the page.
Finally, I splattered some watered down acrylic ink onto my page. Then it was ready for stitching and finishing.

Thank you for joining me today.:-)

ScrapFriends - Colour Challenge #23 - DT

Hello everyone,

The new Colour Challenge has just been released over at ScrapFriends. Hope you like it and inspires you to create.

Here it is:

For the colour challenges at ScrapFriends, there is the ability to do art journal pages, cards, digital layouts, off-the-page projects, canvases as well as layouts for submission. This month, I decided to do a canvas (8"x8").  It was my first one and really fun to do, so think I'll be doing more in the future...

In a few weeks time, I'll show a step-by-step on how I made it.

In the meantime, please join us in this challenge. For loads of inspiration, see what the Guest Designers and Design Team have done HERE.

Thank you for coming by.

A little gift idea...

Hi all!

Earlier in the week, this quick little tutorial was posted on the ScrapFriends blog, so thought I'd share it here also....

Recently my girls went to a birthday party of some good friends and I wanted to give something a little different, so I decided to make their presents.

My idea stems from  a quilt designed by Gillian Grimmett in the Australian Homespun magazine issue no.101 which features the Japanese Kokeshi doll.

This is what I made:

And my steps to make it:

1. Choose a simple design. Draw it yourself, or if you search online, I'm sure there are many simple pictures to find. I then traced and cut each section out of template plastic. I only did this because I thought I may want to make more in the future. Alternatively, you can either draw on cardboard and cut out, or on copy paper and paste onto card then cut, or just draw free-hand straight onto the paper.

2. Using the template, cut out and prepare papers for each section.

3. Paint the faces on. I used texta and pencil.

4. Using mist of choice, pump a few sprays onto the background cardstock (I used watercolour paper), then stamp using a background stamp before adding a Silhouette die-cut piece. Once done, add the bits to make the paper doll.

When finished, I placed in a frame.

A few notes:

• my frame was 11 x 14"/28 x 35.5cm
• the pinwheel was cut on my Silhouette and is 3"/7.5cm across.
• the actual doll is around 9.5"/24cm tall

Thank you for coming by and hope this has sparked some ideas for yourself.

ScrapFriends - Sketch Challenge #22 - DT

Hello everyone.

Today marks the first of the month and therefore a new sketch release at ScrapFriends. I hope you like it. It is the first sketch I have done.

My layout has the most recent photo of my children and myself - taken 2 years ago. I don't have many photos of us together, probably time to ask a friend to take another.

Loving gold at the moment. I dabbed gold paint through a stencil then added the glitter. Same with the heart chipboard. After, I sprayed with hairspray to fix the glitter.

This is a lot simpler in background texture and layers than I would normally do. I was trying to simplify my scrapping due to time constraints at the moment however I didn't really like it, because I like to do more detailed and involved work. So late last night before posting this challenge I added the background splatters digitally. I take photographs of all my layouts to print later on 12x12, so I shall only have the original without enhancement and the children will each have a print of this one in their folders.

Thank you for coming by. Hope you are able to play along this month. Make sure to go HERE to see all the amazing work of the Guest Designers and Design Team.

Stamping with Twinkling H20's by LuminArte

Hello all!
Earlier this month, I had a little tutorial on the ScrapFriends blog. Thought I'd share it here too.

Something I do quite often on my layouts is to stamp using those gorgeous little tubs of shimmering watercolour paint - Twinkling H20's by LuminArte.

Here are some close ups of layouts that show where I have used them:

• the first layout is on the diamond stamp.
• the second layout - with a Prima Finnabair stamp in 'Lemongrass' (LOVE this colour). NOTE:  it's not the misted stencil of the same design, but the stamped image in the upper part of the photo.
• the third - a chevron stamp.

And below...

• the first, a flourish stamp in soft aqua.
• the second, the same Prima stamp from above in 'English lavender'.
• the last layout, a background dot stamp.

I love the extra layer and colour they give.
It's ultra easy to use them, too. All I do is...

• spritz with a water sprayer first - mini misters are good as they give a finer mist, however, any spritzer will do.
• using a paint brush, mix the water with the paint, then brush onto the stamp, and stamp your paper!

Depending on how much water you spritz on, depends on the clarity of the stamped image. If it's a watery pool, then don't expect a clear stamped image. It may take a practice run or two to work out how much water should be in the pot, or rather, what consistency the paint should be, to find the effect you are after. I usually just go for it and hope for the best. :-)

Thank you for coming by.

ScrapFriends Colour Challenge #21 - DT

Hello everyone!

Thank you for stopping by.

Today is the release of the new Colour Challenge (#21) for ScrapFriends.

I love these colours and hope you do too (although I'm a little biased). This is the first colour challenge that I have put together for ScrapFriends. Please go HERE for loads of gorgeous inspiration by the Guest Designers and Design Team - they have all done such marvellous work.

And here is my version:

And some close-ups:

My papers are mainly from Basic Grey (Indian Summer and Green at Heart) a sheet from Glitz and another from American Crafts. There are also a few die cuts from Kaiser and some digital elements printed off.

Hope you are able to join us this month!

Scrap Friends Sketch Challenge #21 - DT

Hello all!

Welcome 2014! Hope everyone has recovered from their new year celebrations and eager to get creative.

The new year has seen some changes happening over at Scrap Friends. We have a great new Design Team, and I have taken over the role of challenge and blog host, sketch artist and DT co-ordinator. It is all new and exciting for me and I am learning so much, which I really love.

This month's sketch challenge is still by Angela Star, and is another beauty. The new Design Team and Guest Designers have all done beautiful work. Please check it out HERE.

The sketch:

My interpretation:

This is a rare photo taken in 2006 of myself and my eldest daughter who recently turned 8. It is one of my favourite photos.
The paper I used is all from the line 'Country Escape' by Tilda. The chipboard is from wycinanka. They have beautiful, delicate chipboard which I love. Also my Silhouette was very busy as you can tell. The background pink is made with ecoline watercolour. I also did a lot of stitching on the page, but covered most of it with my layers. Still, I find it therapeutic to do.

For more inspiration, go HERE. Hope you are able to join us this month.

Thank you for coming by.