Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Design Team call - Scraps of Darkness and Scraps of Elegance



Scraps of Darkness and Scraps of Elegance kit clubs are looking for designers to add to our talented Design Teams!
Commitment is important, so we want to be straightforward with what we are looking for. We want to see ambitious, outgoing, computer savvy scrappers who share the same love as we do.

These positions will start with our May 2012 kits and end with our October 2012 kits.
This call is open to both US and International. Please note international members will share in the cost of shipping their kits to them.

Please check out the blog for information and specific requirements.

Here's the detail for the Scraps Of Elegance Design Team Call.
Good Luck!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Missing You - Scraps Of Darkness and Once Upon A Sketch


Missing You
Created with the wonderful Scraps Of Darkness March kit using the Graphic 45 Olde  Curiosity Shoppe.  What a fun gorgeously inspiring kit.


This was created using the March 15th challenge sketch from Once Upon A Sketch.  This is my first time playing along and I had a wonderful time with this sketch, created by a the talented, beautiful Nadia Cannizzo.  

The journaling part of this is about missing someone, something, some place.  My journaling is for my middle child I lost many years ago. 

I've missed you for 16 years now.  I wonder what type of young man you would have been?  What plans you would have made.  What talents you would have been granted.  I miss the joy you would have brought to our family.  You still bring me joy knowing that you are watching and guarding from a heavenly place and smiling now as we remember you.

I used some seamstress pattern tissue for my background.  I stamped it, ripped it, then used modpodge for the layers.  We all have wonderful perfect plans for our lives - much like a dress maker or seamstress has when she /he starts with a pattern.  Sometimes, often, our plans are altered and life takes a different turn.  That's why I ripped the tissue paper and pieced it together again.  

The photo is one I took a few years back.  

 I used Dusty Attic Decorative Frame #1 DA0207 for this piece. I simply painted it with Adirondack paint Sandal and inked with Tim Holtz distress ink in Sage.   I did not do much to this piece in terms of treatments because I wanted it to be present but subtle. Just to accent my photo like a floral wreath one would lay at the foot of a grave.



Thanks for looking. 

Scraps Of Darkness March Kit Reveal Day - Needful Things



Welcome to the March Reveal for Scraps Of Darkness, Needful Things
This kit has paired the fun, colorful, whimsical G45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe papers with SEI Field Notes. 
Please visit us at SOD and consider getting whimsical.  This kit may be my favorite yet!  Papers were so much fun that I kind of, sort of hated to cut into them.  That feeling lasted all of about two minutes, then the scissors came out and paper scraps showered my floor.  I am not a neat tidy scrapper. 

No One Quite Like Grandma ( or a day with cheese danish)
Lots of cutting going on here.

This is a photo of my two boys and my mom.  I took this photo EXACTLY a year ago to the day (March 23, 2011).  This was the day my son was moving 1000 miles away, in a spontaneous decision to find himself at 18.  A few hours before I dropped him off at the airport, I drove him to Grandma's house to say goodbye.  They have a close relationship and I know this move was eating her up inside.

As Grandma's often do, she put a brave and supportive face on and really hammed it up for the sake of my son.  The smile would turn out to be genuine in August 2011, when my son decided to move back home and continue to find himself under my roof. 

 
The cardboard circle I used in this layout makes me chuckle.  Ready for this story?  

On this particular day, I was scheduled to work in my clients office.   My real life pal and fellow scrappy artist, KimmyC (from Scrapbook.com ) works there so I always enjoy going for a visit.  Ahhhhh lucky me!  This happened to be "breakfast day" when about 500 baked goods are set out in the office kitchen area for breakfast snacking.   

Lucky me indeed ( sad face).  I am watching my sugar and cheese danish intake so I can only adore and smell the goodies.  Besides, there weren't really 500 pastries - but when one is on a diet, it sure seems like it.  There may as well be.

My office desk is situated far toooooooooo close to the kitchen so all I can focus on is the steady stream of snackers, the sweet chatter "ohhhh cool, I LOVE cheese danish", or "great, this one has nuts on it".  Dang, I'm hungry!  Dieters also hate joyful, chatty snackers.  LOL 

I get up from my desk just for another "peek".  No harm - just looking.  Perhaps I'll grab some fresh hot coffee to ease these pangs of sadness.  But looky here?  OMG - the bakery sent all those goodies over on ROUND CARDBOARD pieces about 10 inches big.  hmmm.  Suddenly I'm thinkin scrappy stuff.  I am, after all, trying to put the "Crap" back in "Scrap".   Come on people - eat up.  Clear off those plates - have another piece.  Yeah, yeah, yeah take the one with nuts.  Just move it off the cardboard.   I'm clearly thinking all this, not really verbalizing it- just so you know.  LOL. 

Anyway, you know how this ends.  Yes, I scooped up the round cardboard platters and washed them off.  I looked like the tidy kitchen helper just cleaning up after hungry people. See how the real truth can be shaded with pretty tones of Glimmer Mist?  

I was actually stalking my scrap supplies and was trying to prevent them from carelessly being dumped in the garbage.  It does not bode well for the office consultant to be digging in the garbage.  See, by day, I moonlight as a real worker with a particular set of skills and no one knows me as the crazed scrapper I become in my home time.  Well, except for KimmyC, who I discussed briefly in the beginning of this loooong story. 

Back to KimmyC.  She knows me well.  She has often walked into our local Joanns craft store and seen me bent over the trim section with a silly look on my face - eyes rolled back in my head with a big "Cheshire Cat" smile.  She's my local scrapping "911" gal for real urgent problems.  

As I was washing off one of the danish trays, I handed someone the clean circle and asked if they could kindly deliver this to KimmyC's desk for me.  "She'll know what it's for".  With that, my day was complete.  I could kick back, listen for that squeal of joy from KimmyC, and get some work done in peace. 
Ahhhhh some great memories.  LOL

This is based n the March SOD design sketch by suepup, Charlotte Jenkins. shown below.

A little word of advice.  When using Crackle Accents glue, do not glob so much on that the mess stands about 1/2 thick.  That's what I did.  It ended poor;y for the butterfly.  She is now a cracked mess.  No crackling going on.  Instead it went straight to cracked. 

Enough already - time to move on.  sheesh I could write and babble on all day. 


Looking For Signs Of Spring
In the beginning of March, I got up early and saw snow had covered the ground.  We have not had a lot of snow this year and I missed it's prettiness.  So I captured what I could - yet oddly anticipating the wonderful warmth and growth that Spring brings.

In this layout, I combined the goodness of both seasons.




Missing You
This was created using the March 15th challenge sketch from Once Upon A Sketch.  This is my first time playing along and I had a wonderful time with this sketch, created by a the talented, beautiful Nadia Cannizzo.  

The journaling part of this is about missing someone, something, some place.  My journaling is for my middle child I lost many years ago. 

I've missed you for 16 years now.  I wonder what type of young man you would have been?  What plans you would have made.  What talents you would have been granted.  I miss the joy you would have brought to our family.  You still bring me joy knowing that you are watching and guarding from a heavenly place and smiling now as we remember you.

I used some seamstress pattern tissue for my background.  I stamped it, ripped it, then used modpodge for the layers.  We all have wonderful perfect plans for our lives - much like a dress maker or seamstress has when she /he starts with a pattern.  Sometimes, often, our plans are altered and life takes a different turn.  That's why I ripped the tissue paper and pieced it together again.  

The photo is one I took a few years back.  


I used Dusty Attic Decorative Frame #1 DA0207 for this piece. I simply painted it with Adirondack paint Sandal and inked with Tim Holtz distress ink in Sage.   I did not do much to this piece in terms of treatments because I wanted it to be present but subtle. Just to accent my photo like a floral wreath one would lay at the foot of a grave.






Curiosity
Oh my goodness I had so much fun with this page.  Far too much fun than a scrapper should have.  Melinda, our dear leader at Scraps Of Darkness really crafted this kit to perfection , as always, however sometimes we all have fun with one particular page, ya know?  She added such cool, original embellishments to the kit.  

I took the photos of the bottles at my husband's favorite pub in Naples.  he loves this great cozy little pub called, The Old Naples Pub.   These bottles were in the window and looked pretty with the sun back lighting them.  Never in a million years did I think I'd be scrapping this photo.

I used a few Dusty Attic pieces here.  The Potion Bottles mini DA0592 are sitting on top of the  Dusty Attic Wrought Iron Trim Set DA0547.


Here is a better view of the Dusty Attic Potion Bottle I finished.  It is the smallest bottle on the left of the bottle cluster.  It is sitting on the Dusty Attic Wrought Iron Trim Set DA0547.  I painted this black and rubbed some gold leaf wax over the top.  




Please consider joining us at Scraps Of Darkness and seeing what you can create. I bet you can have a tone of fun.

Please check out the rest of the design team here.
Thanks for looking.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Lavender Fields - Scraps Of Elegance

Lavender Fields - created using the Scraps Of Elegance March Kit - Butterfly Dreams. 
I took this photo last summer 2011 and used some Florabella actions to brighten it up.   This was actually taken in a park in my town.  No stalking the neighbors yard for this shot.  

The Bo Bunny Country Garden papers from this gorgeous vintage style kit matched my photo to perfection under the three OTT lights that illuminate my scrappy table.   I have been waiting a long time to scrap this photo and nothing ever was quite right.  Guess I was waiting for this kit.  

I used the Dusty Attic Baroque Frame set - Circle DA0542.  I painted it with Yellow Adirondack paint in Sunshine Yellow and Lemonade.


This really pretty lace was sent to me by Karen Zueger.  She was so very kind to share her stash. Thanks.





Please join us at Scraps Of Elegance and see what you can create. 
Thanks for looking

Sunday, March 11, 2012

CSI - Color, Stories, Inspiration Case File #9 -My Oldest Bird in the Nest


This was created for CSI - Color Stories, Inspiration Case File #9

This is a layout that features my oldest son.

I took this photo as part of his senior photos summer 2010.  He needed to smile because this was our 3rd time out trying to get some decent photos for his senior year book.  What a chore doing your own child's photos.  UGH!  There was no incentive for him to smile other than the threat of us doing this yet a fourth and fifth time.  Guess the threat worked.

We actually had a nice day and even chatted about his plans for the future.
Soon enough, this bird would fly.

In March 2011, my son decided to edit his journey a bit from what I expected he would do.  I guess that was my problem.  They were my expectations and not his.

Shortly after his 18th birthday, he chose to move 1000 miles away and not finish his senior year at home.    At that point, he was not finishing his senior year at all - he was dropping out of school.   Shock, sadness and a mother's utter heart break overcame me, but once again this was not my journey but his.

He did pack up and in 3 days notice, he was gone.  Hopped on a plane and was 1000 miles away. He also told me not to call, that he would contact me when he needed me.   More heartbreak for me.

In July, almost 5 months of being gone, he called and asked to come home.  He had made a bad choice and regretted his move.  Jubilant shouts of "yes, yes, yes come home."

He has come home with a new attitude, a new respect for home, a new person.  I guess he had to find himself and it worked.



Here are the colors for the case file:

Here are the particulars:

COLOR DETAILS & RGB CODES
You must use all 5 colors:
  • Arose - (dark pink) lighter part of balloon stripe - 147.24.28
  • Cloudy Skies - (a beige that's got a pale, pale olive green tint to it) dictionary page - 224.78.111
  • Blue Birds of Happiness - (cyan blue) birds - 143.139.94
  • True Blue - (a true blue with a tiny tint of teal) outline of the birds - 216.218.187
  • Midnight Blue - (dark navy) basket of balloon - 235.233.219

EVIDENCE DETAILS ( I picked the highlighted ones)
Choose two (or more)of the following elements to include on your layout:
  • text pattern (patterned paper or some other element, e.g., letter stickers, with a text print)
  • striped pattern (patterned paper or other element that contains stripes)
  • dictionary page (yep--tear a page out of an old dictionary)
  • definition stickers (stickers that have words with definitions--these used to be really popular a while back--Making Memories had them)
  • bird accent
  • hot-air balloon accent
  • mesh
  • Use something translucent so that the background can show through
JOURNALING DETAILS (TESTIMONY)
Choose one (or more)of the following to inspire your journaling:
Thanks for looking

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Scraps Of Elegance Reveal - Butterfly Dreams

Welcome to the March reveal of Scraps Of Elegance, Butterfly Dreams. 
This kit has all the makings and elements of a fresh spring day.  Romantic, elegant, fun and vibrant. What a joy to scrap with and adore.

We are so happy and honored to have Patty Rogers guest designing with us this month.  You may also know Patty by her "online" name - Asassyscrapper. 


So let's take a look at the reveal:

Old Postcard 1910:
 This was created using the wonderful vintage postcard that came in the kit.  Each kit has an authentic original postcard so they all are unique.  Mine was dated 1910.  The faded quality of the card adds to the vintage feel for me.

This was based on the sketch design for March by Charlotte Jenkins, aka suepup.
My background papers are from a book that is even older than the postcard, chiming in at 1895. The pages were so brittle that had to use modpodge to secure them and keep them from disintegrating.
The clustering on this page features the florals from Petaloo and a wooden frame from Kaisercraft.


Here is Charlotte's sketch.


Butterfly Garden

This is a photo I took of my cousin and her husband in the late fall.  This features some ZVA products like the ZVA leaf vines and the leafy bling at the bottom.

The butterflies were cut from a second sheet of the same Bo Bunny Country Garden paper and layered for dimension.   After the butterflies were put in place, I covered in Crackle Distress paint, Rock Candy.   This is a clear medium that dries with a crackle effect if you let it airdry.   It also warped the wings of my butterflies in an ever so perfect way, as if they are indeed, in flight fluttering about my page. I added some gold microbeads over the Rock Candy while it was wet.

I also used the  Dusty Attic Ornate Mini Gates, DA0190.   Love these little gates.  I painted them white and then covered in Adirondack Paint colored Sandal.  I used Yellow stickles for a bit of blingy color pop in my garden.




Happy Little Baby
This next page is a little more girly for a change.  It's a photo I took of my Great-niece at about 4 months old.  She is such a happy baby. 
I used a few Dusty Attic pieces here. My first selections were the  Mini  Fleur de Lis 20 pk DA0438 .   I took a wet wipe and set it on top of my Fleur de Lis pieces (I always keep wet wipes at my scrappy area for wet distressing instead of water - a whole lot safer for the "never graceful me").  I grabbed a cup of hot coffee because I scrap at 4:30 am before work. 

When I got back to my scrappy table, the wet wipe had soaked it quite nicely and my Dusty Attic Fluer de Lis were ready to be shaped and slightly bent at the edges.   I blasted quickly with the heat gun, sipped my coffee, and set to work painting them white.

After they dried, I took my water pen and Lindy's Micas in Cosmopolitan Pink and delicately painted.  



The second product I selected to use was the Pots and Columns DA0546.   
I coated my pot in super thick gesso and really globbed it on.  After it dried, I added some glitter, some  trim at the top, a little pink ink on the edges, and once again grabbed my water pen and Lindy's Mica in Cosmopolitan Pink for the center decoration on the pot.


Adore
This old vintage postcard is from Vic26 at Art e-vine.com.  I am running a Round Robin Challenge at Scraps of Elegance and have the most talented entries this month so I decided to play along for fun.  This design is from our wonderfully gifted Rebecca or Bexta76.  Thanks for the inspiration.

I used the delicious vintage lace that came in the kit along with the vibrant and perfectly matched Petaloo florals.

This is the Dusty Attic Dress Form #2,2pk DA0390, that has been painted white, embossed with Shimmerz Enamelz to give it an opalescent effect.  Then I added some pearls and an older K and Company rub-on.

The leaves and vines are Heartfelt Creations/ Spellbinders Bella Rose.

Please consider stopping by the  Scraps Of Elegance site and check out the kit, the artwork, the tutorials, the creative fun. You can check out the rest of the design team's work here

Thanks for looking.