Bloom

Hey there friends!  Thanks for coming by.  Another week down and new one beginning and a couple of challenge blogs that I have created a layout for.  Before I get to that I want to quickly thank all of you who wished me best of luck on G45's dt call.  Another year and another no, but it's a tough choice to make when you have so many vying for just 30 spots and then down to 12.  Each year my work gets better, so next year might just be my turn :)

Now, this layout was done for Craft Hoarders Anonymous and Scrap Around The World.  Both of these blogs are just awesome, and I really love their challenges.  Please give them a visit, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

First up, Scrap Around The World.  They had a gorgeous mood board to give inspiration, I just loved it!

Isn't it gorgeous!  Love all the pinks in it, it makes me feel happy.  Next is Craft Hoarders Anonymous.

Their prompt was Sparkle, Glitz or Glam!  Well, isn't that right up my ally :D  I love me some bling!

Here is my interpretation -

Just want to tell you about the background treatment I did here.  First I painted the area with some vanilla paint, then I used my prima stone wall stencil and sprayed it with Lindy's then edged the stones with colored pencil to define it a bit more.

This is Graphic 45's Botanical Tea collection.  It's just gorgeous.  I knew I wanted to do a background treatment since it was a patterned paper, and the roses just lent itself to a wall.  I made the big cabbage roses myself the rest are from my stash.  On the right side of the pic are Botanical Tea cut outs, a postcard and stamps.  I popped the matting and pic up a bit so I can tuck goodies in here and there.  the vine chippie is from Creative Embellishments.  The title I cut myself with my cricut.  You can see my sparkly bling flourishes tucked here and there as well as some rhinestone dots in the top and lower right hand corners.  Happy with how this came and with the background treatment I made.  The picture is of my beautiful granddaughter Gianna.  This is from Desirae's wedding.  Did you think I was kidding when I said I can scrap the rest of my life off of those pics? lol  She is quite the ham and thought she was a model with her own photographer! Also, I didn't distress my paper edges like I usually do.  I went with just a basic inking around the page. I haven't done a YouTube in a dogs age, so maybe I'll do one on the background :)

Product List 

Graphic 45 Botanical Tea Paper
Graphic 45 Secret Garden and Once Upon A Springtime for mats
Prima Stonewall Stencil
Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint, Vanilla
Lindy's Starburst Sprays, Mad Hatter Mint, Rusty Lantern Lime, Steampunk Sepia, Blue Hawaiian Blue, Cheshire Cat Cherry, Pink Ladies Pink, Cotton Candy Pink
Creative Embellishments Chipboard, flourish set 10
Want To Scrap Build Your Own Bling
Recollection Roses small
Prima flower
Michael's Artificial leaves
Distress Ink Walnut, Black Soot
Ingvild Bolme Fluid Chalk Edger, olive vine
Studio G Chalks, rose
Butterfly printable

I hope you like it.  Thanks for coming by, and have a great week!

Creative Embellishment's March Challenge

Hi all, wanted to share a layout I did for Creative Embellishment's monthly challenge.  Do you know them?  They have gorgeous chipboard, wood veneer, and rubber stamps.  Simply fantastic pieces to add to your collection.  Click right *HERE* to check out their store, and on their name for the challenge.

You have a sketch and a pic for inspiration.  I pulled from both.  Here's the pic and sketch -

and here's my interpretation -

This is a pic from my daughter Desirae's wedding.  That is a font of never ending pics!  She and her maid of honor my niece Samantha were having the "getting ready" pics done.  I used the green and purple from the pic as well as butterflies, no prodding necessary there ;)  I switched up the sketch just a bit with picture orientation and placement.  The chippie is from their vine that I gesso'd sprayed and cut up to tuck in here and there.  I used their awesome title piece in the smaller size, "Isn't She Lovely" That was gesso'd and sprayed as well.

In the bottom right corner is a free printable that I downloaded and printed then fussy cut to tuck into the matting and on the left side are book page and music sheet scraps that I layered as well as a pleated fan that I tucked in.  The flowers are from my stash, the purple Prima roses and the daisy petaloo, the rose I made as well as die cut leaves from the Tattered Leaves die.

Product List -

Bassic Grey, Cappela
Bazzil Basics, Olive green
Creative Embellishments Chipboard, Florish Set 14, Isn't She Lovely title piece
Lindy Stamp Gang Starburst Sprays, Jumping Jack Frost, Primrose Gold, Tea Pot Purple, Rusty Lantern Lime, A Bit O'Bubbly, Steampunk Sepia
Tattered Angels Glimmermist, Deep Plum
Flat Back Pearls, ivory
Butterfly Printable
Vintage Sewing Printable
Petaloo Flowers
Prima Flowers
Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves Big Shot Die
Song rubber stamp
Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page and Corner Punch, scallop
Distress Inks, walnut, black soot
Ingvild Bolme Chalk Edger Garden Green

If I left anything out, I'm sorry.  Any ?'s just ask :)  Hope you  like it and thanks for coming by!

Graphic 45 Design Team 2014 Audition

Guess what my friends :)  Yup it's that wonderful time of the year again when Graphic 45 opens their dt up.  Yes, yes, yes.  That wonderful time where we all create and cross our fingers and toes in hopes that we manage to snag a prized spot on what is without a doubt one of the greatest papercrafting companies in the world.

Truly this would be a dream come true for me.  I love everything about Graphic 45, and creating with their products is a pleasure. This year I think I really went hog wild in a way I haven't in the past.  I pushed myself to create pieces that opened me up to look and see just where my strengths lie as far as my crafting goes and that's a good thing. Instead of beating myself up wondering what the hey I'm doing wrong, I have learned that I am stronger in different areas of my crafting.

Some of these projects I created specifically for this call.  Be warned this post is major picture heavy so here we go...

Once Upon a Springtime Altered Book  I got my inspiration for this on where else, Pinterest.  Cutting through the pages of the book was tedious, I'll tell ya!  The book was an old book that I've been saving for the right project to come along, tada :) -

Nutcracker Sweet Christmas Banner This was a Christmas gift for this past holiday that I gave to my cousin and his wife.  Their daughters go to ballet school and I just had to make a banner specific to them.  I love how it came and all its dimension -

Twelve Days Of Christmas Mini-Album This album was another project created just for this call.  My inspiration came from my lss.  They had their annual Christmas project extravaganza with make and takes and TONS of projects to inspire you from easy peasy to more labor intensive -

Olde Curiosity Shoppe/Communique Mixed Media Plaque This was something I wanted to play with as far as technique and just exploring. I re-purposed this plaque from a trio I had in my bathroom which is no longer in the style I like.  Let me just say, this plaque ended way different than how it started and what I saw in my head!  I kept fighting the flow trying to do what I had originally planned for about 2 1/2 hours before I let go and just allowed the creativity to come out on its own.  I like how the silver tape treatment came.

Secret Garden/Place in Time Easter Cards I made these cards for my mom and aunts this past Easter.  Wow how has the time flown by?  It'll be Easter again before we know it!  They are easel style which I just love -

Once Upon A Springtime and Secret Garden Tags  Can I say, I LOVE tags!  They are one of my most favorite things to make.  I gave these as part of a gift to my friend. -

ABC Primer Altered Clipboard  I have a few clipboards in my stash.  Have had them for years now.  I knew I wanted to alter it specifically for this call.  I love ABC Primer and am so happy with it -

I do think my  most favorite project is the Once Upon A Springtime book, followed by the Clipboard. This is a wonderful time for me, I love creating projects for this call.  Now with baited breath I wait, maybe the saying "Three time's the charm." will ring true for me.