Home Is Where The Heart Is Layout

Hello once again fellow bloggers & scrappers!  Today's page is one I'm submitting for the April challenge going on over at Once Upon A Sketch (OAUS).  The theme of the challenge is 'home'--to scrap however you'd like to interpret what 'home' means to you.

So here's my interpretation of both Nadia's sketch that she provides along with the challenge & the theme of 'home'. To me, home is my husband & my little fur-baby Toby.  Wherever these two are--that's my home.  They provide all the comfort & love I need.

I used papers & a couple of embellishments from the April kit by C'est Magnifique.  Most of the papers are by the ScrapCake.

Here's the sketch Nadia provided for this month's challenge.

My journaling is tucked away in the form of a tag.  The cute tag along with the envelope are embellishments that came with the C'est Magnifique kit.  I added a bit of tulle to the tag & inked it's edges with Tea Dye distress ink.

The rhinestone flourish is by Prima.  I left the flourish adhered to the transparency it comes packaged in.  I simply cut around it.  TIP:  If you want to add flourishes on top of bulky layers of paper or other embellishments, leave them adhered to the transparency they come on & just cut the flourish out.  This way you can place the flourish just about anywhere on your page.

The splatters seen randomly around my page are stamps.  I bought this 'splatter' stamp set at my local Michaels.  The set is by Recollections & I use it frequently on my pages.

The hearts are a combination of a Fiskars heart punch and a Spellbinders Nestabilities heart die.  I hand sewn along the center of each heart in order to lift either side up & give the page a bit more dimension.

The edges of the page were all distressed with my Zutter Distrezz-It-All then lightly inked with Tea Dye distress ink.

This wooden sign is by Kaisercraft & also came with the kit.  I painted it with yellow acrylic paint & then heat embossed it with Star Dust transparent embossing powder by Stampendous.  I added 3 dots of Liquid Pearls on either side of the sign to further decorate it.

The floral cluster is a combination of mulberry, resin & fabric flowers.  The two large light pink/yellow mulberry flowers came with the kit.  The two small yellow flowers are from my own stash.  The large purple flower is by Prima & the resin flowers are by Webster's Pages.

The chippie frame is by Dusty Attic.  I treated the frame the same way I treated the wooden post.  I really like the shimmer that the Star Dust embossing powder adds.  In person, items treated with this kind of transparent embossing powder really give off a nice shimmer & adds lots of texture/dimension to your pages.

The cute little mushroom bird is from my stash.  I have several of these & love tucking them around my pages!

Thanks to all of you who stop by for a visit!  May you all have a great weekend!

Look Within Yourself Layout BITW Guest Designer

Good evening fellow scrappers!  Today I'm sharing a page that I made for the latest challenge going on over at Bird Is The Word (BITW).

I was given the opportunity to guest design for them & I'm very grateful for the chance!  Thank you again Wendy.

I received an either/or challenge. I had to use either the word 'Look' or 'See'.  As you can tell from my title...I went with 'Look'.

I went back to one of my original & fave scrapbook styles which is grungy.  This young guy is actually a co-worker/friend of mine.  He's a sweetheart & has a heart of gold--all he has to do is believe a little bit more in his own capabilities.  So when I rec'd this challenge the first phrase that popped into my head was 'Look Within Yourself' and followed closely by that was my co-worker.  The piece of advice I'm giving him is in the journaling/title which reads: To find the answers to your questions...If searching for the strength to push ahead...When seeking for a reason to smile...Simply Look Within Yourself

I did much distressing, ripping & wrinkling on this page.  The edges of the page were distressed with my Zutter Distrezz-It-All.

TIP: To create the large wrinkle effects shown in this close up--first wet the paper with water.  I have a 2 oz mister bottle by Ranger that does a great job at wetting the paper just right for this kind of technique.  Once the paper is wet simply wrinkle it up with your own fingers.  Don't be afraid to scrunch away.  Once you get the wrinkles just how you want them take a heat gun to it & dry it up.  The paper dries wrinkled & stays that way.

The chippie is by Dusty Attic.  I left it raw for this page--meaning I didn't ink or paint it.  All I did was heat emboss it with some Star Dust transparent embossing powder by Stampendous & added a couple of rhinestones to further decorate it.

The clock was cut with Tim Holtz's die called Weathered Clock & grungeboard.  I then inked it with a medium coat of molding paste and randomly spread a bit of gold embossing powder & Fake Bake Enamelz by Shimmerz.  Then I took my heat gun to it & heat embossed it.  By using the molding paste the embossing powders dry with a much more 'puffier' texture which I really enjoy on masculine pages.

A closeup of the journaling & the metal flowers.

Journaling was printed on vellum from my computer & then manually ripped out.  The rest of the title was done with my Dymo Caption Maker & letters from my stash.

The flowers are a combination of metal mesh & mulberry flowers.  I have thin metal mesh in my stash that I used with my Big Shot & the Tattered Floral die by Tim Holtz.  To define the petals of the metal flowers I added a bit of puffy paint to the edges & heat set them.

I printed the photo four times & randomly layered them.  The photo is matted with scraps of paper that I manually & randomly ripped.  I also tucked a bit of burlap in either corner.

Here you can also see the large metal mesh flower that I combined with aluminum foil.  The aluminum foil layer of the flower was made by utilizing the same technique I showed in my 'Faux Metal & Acrylic Flower' tutorial.  You can find that tutorial here.  Only difference is that for this photo I did not incorporate any acrylic.

Thanks to all of you who stop by for a visit.  Your time is always greatly appreciated.  Do feel free to stop by BITW & check out their challenges.

CCG Challenge #228

Just a reminder that Color Combos Galore (CCG) challenge #228 is up & ready to go!  It's cards, tags, mini albums & off the page projects week.

Do take the time to stop by & see the DT's take on the color combo & challenge--as always, do feel free to play along if you can!

The Beauty Within Layout

Good evening fellow scrappers!  Time for another reveal over at Color Combos Galore (CCG).  The challenge for this inspiration was to use frames or framed objects to draw focus to elements on the page.  Based on this, I used a chipboard frame by Dusty Attic to frame my photo. This is me sitting on a beach in El Dorado Puerto Rico last September. My page is based on how I was finally able to make peace with myself--how I'm content with both the inside as well as the outside. A few years ago I never would've scrapped a photo of me in my bathing suit.  Now I can & am content I did!  The journey to loving yourself completely can sometimes be a long one.  But when you reach the end of that journey--it's a very fulfilling feeling.

Here's the CCG challenge with all the details.

I once again did my journaling in the form of a scroll.  Am getting very fond of this form of journaling b/c I can write a lot & at the same time add a unique embellishment to my page.

Here's the scroll rolled open.

The butterflies are from my Etsy shop.  I have a variety of different butterflies in my small shop.  If interested--feel free to pay my shop a visit here.

I also did some stamping in the background.  It's a combination of a crackle stamp by Donna Salazar, script stamp by Unity Stamps & splatter stamps by Recollections.

Here you can see my scroll journaling tucked in it's resting place.  The makeshift 'straps' are made out of sturdy card stock.  The journaling is printed on vellum.

I combined several embellies to make up the the cluster of flowers going along the side.  I used a rhinestone vine & flower vine by Prima and a couple of ribbon, mulberry & beaded flowers from my stash.

For the chipboard frame it was first painted with a light green acrylic paint then covered with a semi-thick layer of crackle paint.

I used my Dymo caption maker for part of my title.  This is the first time I incorporate a banner into my page--I thought it fit this page & served as a holding place for part of my title.

More embellies mixed in within my cluster of bits & bobs.  The resin cabachons are by Websters Pages and the little nest with eggs is by Prima.

Thanks to all of you who stop by for a visit.  Do remember to swing by the CCG blog to see the other DT's take on this challenge & to play along!

The Boy Within Layout

Good evening fellow scrappers! It's time for a new challenge over at Color Combos Galore (CCG). The inspirational challenge was to scrap an incredible kid in your life--the designer's challenge was to journal about what makes your chosen child so incredible.

Well at first, this posted a bit of a challenge for me since me & the hubby do not have kiddies of our own yet. Then when I started thinking about it--we're pretty kiddie free! None of our close friends have kids yet & the few kids we do mingle with we do so on only very rare occasions. So I thought a bit 'outside of the box' as they say & scrapped the inner boy living within my husband.

So this is him at approximately 11 years of age. The middle photo is him today. My husband is still very much a kid at heart & that little boy still lives very much within him. My journaling focused on how keeping 'the boy within' a live has kept him young at heart & even a little innocent/naive at times.

Here's the color palette my page is based on. The various hues of browns/tans with a splash of blue just screamed 'boy' to me. So I knew it had to lean more towards a masculine page.

The photos are matted with some Tim Holtz glassine that I wrinkled up & then randomly inked with Walnut distress ink--a bit of torn up corrugated cardboard that I spritzed with some light brown glimmer mist and inked the edges with some dark brown chalk ink and a bit of cheese cloth.

The crochet doily is from my stash. I tucked a small glass vial full of blue beads from my stash. The black flourish is a stamp. I stamped the image on a transparency with black Staz On--cut out the image & then adhered as shown.

I tucked a Tim Holtz ticket into my large brown flower. There's also just a bit of brown tulle peeking out from behind the large flower to slightly soften the page. The brown beaded vine is by Prima. It was one vine that I cut into two pieces.

The film strip is also by Tim Holtz. I gave it a small loop on top for a bit of added dimension.

I tucked my journaling behind the first photo on top and keep it in place with a Tim Holtz clip.

The pen nib is also by Tim Holtz & the old fashioned car is a glimmer glass by Tattered Angels.

I based the overall design of my page on a sketch by Nadia Cannizzo. This sketch is being used for the March sketch challenge going on over at C'est Magnifique.

Thanks to all of you who stop by for a visit. Do swing by the CCG blog and check out the other talented DT's take on this challenge & to play along if you can!

Puppy Love Layout

Good evening fellow scrappers! I'm a bit late in posting this page. This was done for Color Combos Galore (CCG) Challenge #221.

This would be me & my fur-baby Toby. Toby was barely 4 months old here! Sometimes I can't believe that he was this tiny. Now he weighs a whopping 16 lbs! No matter how much he grows though...he'll always be my 'little boy'.

Here's the CCG challenge my page is based on. I used all the colors from the palette & incorporated a few wooden embellies & a couple of owls as inspired by the wooden owls in the challenge.

The background of the layout was hand cut. I just traced a large scallop mask I have over plain ivory card stock and hand cut it out. I then inked the edges with a bit of Peeled Paint distress ink.

The half heart circle is made out of wood. The flocked pup is from my stash.

You can see a bit of the hand stitching in this screen shot. I once again combined the zig-zag stitch with the straight stitch to add a bit of texture.

The brown flourishes going straight down my page is actually a stamp by Hampton Art.

The corner grunge stamp is by Stamp Enjoy. I first stamped the image onto a transparency with black Staz On and then cut it out. This way I was able to place the image exactly where I wanted it.

The triple owls is a stamp by Sideshow Stamps. Like my corner stamp--the owls were stamped onto a transparency with black Staz On and then cut out. TIP: stamping images on transparencies allows you to place your images wherever you wish. Just remember to use a permanent ink like Staz On or else your image will smear.

The large owl sitting in my vine is a glimmer glass by Tattered Angels.

The vine is a Color Me vine by Petaloo...it was spritzed with a bit of blue glimmer mist & then randomly inked with some Weathered Wood distress ink. Finally, I further decorated the flowers on the vine by lightly adding a bit of clear Star Dust Stickles along the edges of the flower petals.

A close up of the flourish border stamping.

The little fence is also made out of wood. I added a bit of tulle to the large flower (by Prima) in order to soften the layout a bit.

The script seen here is a stamp by Donna Salazar called 'All My Love' & the mulberry flowers are from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by & do pay CCG a visit to see the other DT's interpretation of this challenge and to play along for a chance to win some goodies!

CCG Challenges #220 & #222

Good afternoon fellow scrappers! It's card week over at Color Combos Galore (CCG).

Check out these fabulous color palettes and challenges.

First up Challenge #220. Such a sweet combination of pinks with a touch of green & cream.

Challenge #222 combines blue, brown, green and cream.

Make sure you pay CCG a visit and see the talented DT's interpretations of these challenges. Do play along if you can!

Pieces of Me II Layout

Hello once again fellow scrappers and bloggers! Today's page is one I did for the latest Once Upon A Sketch (OUAS) challenge. The challenge was to scrap yourself.

I realize that for many this can actually be a difficult task--but to be honest--scrapping myself comes very easy to me. I'm a very strong believer in leaving behind a legacy for the generations that will follow. What better way to do that than by scrapping yourself! Your quirks, your talents, your strengths & weaknesses. What makes you...well, YOU!

This is a part two of my first page 'Pieces of Me' done back in 2010 about myself. It was also very cool to see how much my scrapping style has evolved since then. One of them being my choice of color. I'm definitely more into brighter/happier colors now and don't do as many dark/vintage pages as I used to. For this page, I followed the same concept as my first page & made the main photo into a puzzle by utilizing Photoshop. As for the journaling--my first page consists of many bullet points each representing a 'piece' that composes the puzzle that is me. For this page, I concentrated on one main 'piece' or personality trait of mine which is my love for being a kid at heart and challenging those around me to do the same.

I used papers from Bo Bunny's Enchanted line.

This is the sketch provided to us by OUAS and what I used to design my page.

I took some inspiration for this page from a recent layout Irene Tan (Scrapperlicious) just made with the 'Enchanted' line titled 'Whisper'. The 'Enchanted' papers by Bo Bunny is all in black & white. I added color to mine by utilizing the tip Irene provided on her blog. With a small brush I 'painted' the large swirl in by swiping Worn Lipstick distress ink on a non-pourous area and then spritzing a bit of water on it. This mixture created a water based paint that I can then use to color my pages.

I then further added more pink to my page by randomly spritzing a bit of Pink Sprinkles Smooch on my page.

The butterflies on this page were handmade. You can find more butterflies like these in my small Etsy shop. Feel free to visit it here if interested.

I used a Prima vine and then randomly added a bit more flowers from my stash to it. I also intertwined a light pink pearl around it.

The charm hanging from the large mulberry flower I bought from an Etsy shop titled Beyond Charms. This store has several cute little dangle charms like this one that add a very cute touch to any project.

I once again stored my journaling in the form of a scroll. I think I'm in love with this scroll concept! I've used it in several recent pages. I just find it to be a really convenient way to store lengthy journaling and it also adds a really cute embellishment to your project.

Here's a photo of the journaling un-rolled. TIP: Always remember to leave at least one side unobstructed when utilizing a scroll to store your journaling. This way you can slide your scroll in & out whenever needed. For more details on how I made this scroll, you can refer to my "It All Began With a Promise" layout here.

The title was made with my Dymo caption maker. Most of the random mulberry flowers are from my stash. The resin cabochon is by Webster's Pages. The pen nib & glass vial are by Tim Holtz.

Finally a close up of the main photo--here you can better see the puzzle effect. I love my Photoshop!

Before wrapping this up--I'll share my journaling. It reads:

I consider myself quirky; most would call me simply crazy. What can I say? I simply love to have fun! I don't embarrass easily & I'm still a kid at heart. This personality trait is just one of the many pieces that make up the puzzle of who I am. I challenge those around me to stay young--to keep the child at heart--to remind them to laugh once in a while 'just because'--to be able to laugh at themselves & not take life so seriously.

So what if I challenge you to race down a flight of stairs with me--or to play a brief game of tag--how about we watch cartoons for a bit? I'm old school though--you can't beat toons like Bugs Bunny or Tom & Jerry in my book--how about I ask you to dance because...well...do you really need a reason to dance!?

Most don't take my 'challenges' seriously. But the few who have end up considering that moment of silliness the highlight of their day!

Random question: When was the last time you thumb wrestled? For me it was last week.

So what if we are no longer children...yeah, yeah...I get this whole concept of us having to be role models once we are no longer children & have children of our own. But who's to say you can't be a little silly when they're not looking?

So I challenge you to stay young my friends & to be able to laugh at yourself once in a while. After all--life is so very short. Might as well enjoy it as much as we can--& let's face it, our most carefree time in life was when we were kids...

Thanks to all of you who stop by for a visit & enjoy the rest of the weekend...