Aruba / Pinkfresh Studio

Hello again, friends!  Happy Monday :)  Here's a new layout I created for Pinkfresh Studio.  I decided to do a little mixing and matching on this page.  AND go with a monochromatic color scheme!  I try this a lot and wind up adding more colors, but I am proud to say that I successfully did it this time :D

I combined the three newest collections from Pinkfresh--Noteworthy, My Favorite Story and Super Cool.  All three have a lot of blue elements, so I sorted through them all and piled them all together.  I settled on these photos of me and my husband in Aruba a few years ago.  There are several blue shades in them, so I thought they matched well with everything.

I used white cardstock as my base, and I coated it with clear gesso first.  I used the Liquid Watercolors to create a blue background.  I used the Sky Blue, Sapphire and even some of the Licorice.  I went with a vertical stacking of the photos and basically placed all the die cuts and pieces around them.

I used stickers, die cuts, tags, chipboard frames...a little bit of everything.  This dark blue tag wound up being very versatile because I cut it up and used it in three different places.  I tucked the top part here under the photo and added some cord through the hole to make a bow.  I added some dark blue thread under this "snapshots" sticker and popped it up with adhesive foam.

How awesome are these Jewels?!  They are soooo cool!!  They come in a ton of colors.  I used all three of the blue ones. They also come in three different sizes.  I thought they made the perfect water drops on this page.  I punched a few circles from a few patterned papers and distressed the edges.  I used the Super Cool puffy alphas for my one-word title...short and sweet.

I love these fun envelope pieces from Super Cool.  I tucked the bottom photo into this one.  I used a circle chipboard frame from My Favorite Story here.   I love all this texture and dimension!

I layered a few cute cameras here from Noteworthy.  I used a few of the speech bubbles from Super Cool.

Remember the tag I mentioned earlier?  This "LOVE" piece was on it...I cut it out and used it as a die cut.  I always say there are no rules stating that you must use products as they come.  Feel free to cut it up or cut parts of it out if you want :)  #rulebreaker

More bits and pieces here from Super Cool and My Favorite Story.

More close-ups of all the blue goodness :)

Here's the third part I used from that one tag...the bottom of it.  These scallops were perfect to tuck in here on the side of the bottom photo.

Talk about sparkle and shine!  This bling is my favorite part of this!!

I was nervous at first to only use blue on this page, but I have to say I love how it turned out!  It was so fun to mix and match.  You can get entirely new looks by combining collections.  I wasn't even thinking of a beach page until I gathered everything together and noticed how they complimented my photos.  I hope you get some ideas from this :)

Here's my process video:

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a great week!

This is Summer / Hip Kit Club

Happy Thursday, friends!  I'm back again today to share my newest layout for Hip Kit Club.  I'm still digging in to the 2020 April Hip Kits, and I'm still loving them!  I used the beautiful exclusive lemon cut file for this page and incorporated it into a summer-themed page.  I love cut files like this because you have spots to back and spots to color.  I painted some of the lemons, backed some with patterned papers...and I also backed the leaves and painted the flowers.  Such a cool cut file!

I used thick smooth white cardstock as my base, and I coated it with clear gesso first.  I used a mix of a few blue Lindy's Gang sprays from previous Color Kits and added in a touch of the Lucky Art Philosophy Watercolor from this month's Color Kit to create the same aqua color in my photo.  I also used the dotted stencil from the Color Kit with some modeling paste to create some bumpy texture.  I used a mix of the Honey Art Philosophy Watercolor and a golden yellow Lindy's spray to color the lemons.  I used the Lucky again for the leaves. 

I just love this cut file!  I coated it with clear gesso before painting it.  This one here I backed with a Carta Bella paper.  I smudged some white acrylic paint on some of it using my finger to create some interest.  I painted the flowers using the Blush Art Philosophy Watercolor and a red gelato from my stash.  I fussy cut a few more lemons to add in.  Here you can also see the dimension from adding adhesive foam behind the lemons.

I backed this lemon with one of the Crate Paper papers and added several goodies on top here.  I mixed some of the Carta Bella chipboard pieces with some of the Crate Paper stickers.  I fussy cut those cute strawberries from a patterned paper.  I added a touch of the reddish pink color by tucking in some tangled thread.

For the leaves, I used a scrap piece of white cardstock.  I basically just painted it green using the Lucky color.  I used that to back the cut file here, and then I used a small brush to smudge some white acrylic paint to add in some light areas.  I love how that turned out!  I mixed and matched my title using some Crate Paper stickers with the large foam pink Thickers.

I added a few of the Carta Bella stickers down here at the bottom and above the title.  I used a Crate Paper label sticker for my journaling, which I popped up using adhesive foam.

I created a layered cluster to the right of the photo using a few cut apart Crate Paper pieces and some summer Carta Bella stickers.  I love this deep reddish pink color mixed with the yellow and aqua!  So pretty.

I added another Carta Bella sticker here...it's actually part of a bigger sticker, but I just cut the flower part off.  There are no rules saying that you must use stickers as they come...feel free to dismantle anything to use it like you want :)

Here are more photos of the up-close details :)

I hope this gets you in the summer spirit...it sure was fun to make!  I really adore these kits...they just keep giving me inspiring ideas each week.  I hope you are inspired to make something awesome :)

Here's my process video for this page:

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a great day!

Carried Away / Hip Kit Club

Happy Monday, friends!  Here's a new layout for Hip Kit Club I created last week.  I used the 2020 April Hip Kits, and I featured all the adorable hot air balloons on this page.  All of these balloons are from the Crate Paper Sweet Story collection...a combination of chipboard stickers, cardstock stickers and images I fussy cut from a patterned paper.  I used the beautiful exclusive hot air balloon cut file designed by Anett as well...you can get that for free over on the website!

I used the gorgeous Art Philosophy Watercolors from the Color Kit on the background (the yellow portion).  I used a few Lindy's Gang Starburst Sprays from older Color Kits for the blue portion.  The two mixed created the pretty green.  I decided to leave the cut file plain and just place it over the watercolor.  I love how that looks!

I used thick smooth white cardstock as my background, and I coated it with clear gesso first.  I used the plastic packaging technique to apply the watercolor, and I love how that turned out.  I love the abstract "sky" behind the cut file.  I played around with the placement of all the balloons, and I wanted them to look as real as possible.  Since they were all different sizes, it was easy to create depth with them.  I added adhesive foam behind them to pop them off the page.  I mixed and matched the two sets of Thickers in the kits to create the title.

These colors....squeal!  I might have an obsession with bright colors.  (((Shocker...haha)))  I almost backed the cut file with patterned paper, but once I laid it over the background I knew I didn't want to cover it up.  Cut files don't always have to be used in complicated ways :)

I created a fun little cluster on the far side of the photo using some fussy cut flowers, chipboard, stickers, a glittery dimensional butterfly and a floral wreath that I fussy cut from a Pocket Life card.  My photo allowed for some overlapping, so I added the "smile" right on top of it.  My daughter was swinging, and she threw her foot up just as I snapped the photo.  Her face is priceless, and I just love this perfectly imperfect shot :)

The two blue colors I used from Lindy's are Tiffani Lou Blue & Blue Hawaiian Blue.  I LOVE how they look mixed together!  I did add in some tangled thread in a few places for added texture and color.

Here's another angle of all the beautiful balloons.  This big floral one I cut from a Pocket Life card...isn't it gorgeous?!

I added some tissue paper, patterned paper and part of a Pocket Life card behind the photo for some layering.

Also, I've mentioned this before, but whenever you have metallic stickers like these here...if the shine is too much, you can mute it a little by smudging some white gesso over the letters.  I did that here, and they're still shiny, just not as much.

I hope this gives you some fun ideas to try...I had a lot of fun putting this together!  I think the April Kits have been my favorite of 2020 so far.  I just keep getting inspired every time I look at them.

Here's my process video for this:

Thank you so much for stopping by!  See you again soon, and have a great week!

Beauty Live Life / Paige Evans DT

Happy Friday...woo hoo!!  I'm here with a new mixed media layout for the Paige Evans Design Team featuring Paige’s beautiful Bloom Street collection. I often get asked how I come up with design ideas and the answer is certain things just pop into my mind when I go to make a page. I wanted to use a lot of patterns on this layout, so making small shapes of those patterns sparked an idea. I pulled out a small square punch and chose a few papers to use. I also used four rolls of the Washi Tape. I stuck it to white cardstock and punched it out. I chose the B-side of Paper 18 as my background and I coated a lot of it with white gesso after deciding on the arrangement of the squares.

 

I used a combination of Distress Oxides and Shimmerz to create a watercolor effect. I also splattered some watered down white acrylic paint. Once I glued down all the squares, I machine stitched through them with white thread to add detail and texture. I wanted mostly solid colored embellishments since there was so much pattern going on. I added purple butterflies that I fussy cut from Paper 08 and one large one from the Layered Butterfly Stickers.

 

I embellished around the photo with mostly pink flowers. Since there was so much blue in the pool image, the pink was a nice contrast. I fussy cut flowers from Paper 11 and Paper 12 and layered them on both sides of the picture. My title is a combo of a Puffy Word Sticker and a few fussy cut words from an Ephemera Die Cut. I like the pop of dark blue that brings to this area, which echoes the dark blue in some of the washi tape. I added a few more pink flowers with blue thread underneath. That scalloped border under the photo is from the Ephemera Die Cuts.

Since I was scrapping a pool photo, I wanted a sun somewhere. I fussy cut this one from Paper 17, popped it up with adhesive foam, and added yellow thread under it. Here is the larger butterfly I mentioned earlier.

Since I used patterned paper as my background, I did have some warping going on once I added the mixed media.  That's going to happen.  I try my best to flatten it out by laying heavy paper pads on top of it for a while.  I don't mind some warping...it's to be expected.  I still love using patterned paper like this :)

I also love wrinkling up the edges of die cuts to give them dimension like this.

Another way to add a little bit of depth is to add dimensional foam.  I added a small piece under this smaller flower, and you can see the difference it makes.  It just helps to bring the page to life a bit more.  Overlapping is another great idea...like I did the title here.

Here are a few more close-ups of all the colors and textures!

I hope this inspires you in some way today! I challenged myself to use patterned paper as a background here since I use white cardstock a lot. How often do you create little challenges for yourself? It was a lot of fun to make and thank you for stopping by to take a look!

Here's the process video for this layout if you're interested:

Have a great weekend!

 

 

Hey Sugar / Hip Kit Club iNSD 2020

Hello again, friends!  It's Monday.  But during the Quarantine, does that even matter?  Regardless, I'm here to share my newest layout for Hip Kit Club :)  I made this for the Mixed Media Challenge this past weekend for iNSD.  Were you able to play along with us?

I used the April 2020 Hip Kits.  I focused on all the food icons...there are a ton of cute berries, ice cream cones, lemons, etc.  Between the Sweet Story & Summer Market goodies, you can definitely create a foodie page!  I decided to play on the sweet aspect of these foods and scrap this cute picture of my daughter.  I used the Art Philosophy Watercolors from the Color Kit along with some Lindy's Gang sprays from older kits to create the background.

I decided to place the photo in the center and create two food clusters on either side.  These are a combination of stickers, puffy stickers, chipboard and die cuts.  I layered and overlapped them to create depth.

I love all these different colors!  I almost didn't include the lemons, but they were the perfect shade of yellow, so I had to :)

I applied clear gesso to the cardstock first and then used the packaging technique to apply the watercolor.  I also used a brush to blend and soften up the outside edges.  I used a few gelatos from my stash to add some of the peachy color down here.  I created a cluster of die cuts under the title with more berries and fruit.  I also wanted a pop of yellow under the photo, so I tucked in a few more lemons along with some thread.

I love the big acetate die cut!  It was perfect for a title.  I love how it looked over this coral color, and it just matched everything perfectly.

Here are a few more close-ups of all the colorful goodness!

I used a few patterned papers from the Main Kit to layer behind the photo.  I used my edge distresser to ruffle up the edges.

I hope you were able to play along with us!  So many beautiful layouts were uploaded, and I'm so happy to see so many scrappers dabbling in mixed media...yay!  I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it is awesome to see some of you trying it.

I love how this page turned out, and I have a process video if you'd like to check it out:

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful Cinco de Mayo!