Messy Mondays: A washi taped up gift of a page!

 Festive greeting blogland! Have had winter sniffles over here and zero motivation to blog despite huge piles of layouts still to be featured. Was motivated by Glitter Girl's latest challenge over at 2peas using 6 by 6 albums to embellish. Those who are my 'regulars' will know that I love a bit of 6 by 6 action on my layouts.

Check out some of my previous pages using 6 by 6 pads here, here and here.

This layout uses lots of Studio Calico and has a funny story behind the title - see below for more details.

Firstly though I used washi tape to separate out the four papers from my SC 6 by 6 pad - I think that it looks a bit like a birthday present.

I have had lots of fun playing with the Studio Calico mistable cameras. I used my Mister Huey mist and then outlined in my black sharpie to make it stand out.

 

Now for the story behind the layout: Do you ever remember very random things? I am one of those people who can still something that my Year 4 teacher said when I was seven and I only have to see a film a couple of times to have memorised a lot of the lines from it. For example 10 Things I hate about you or She's Like That.
So...circa 2009 Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills did a phone in where you had to say "Chi-no!" or "Chi-yes!" Depending upon your opinion of the humble chino as a fashion option.
Now I don't whether its down to five tousle haired tweenie boy banders but suddenly chino's are di-rigour for more than your grandad and so the Belgian jumped on the band wagon and I snapped a blurry pic on my phone.
So the obvious title for my layout was "Chi-yes!" because I think that for him its a good look.

So there you go...what is your verdict? Chi-yes or Chi-no?

Messy Mondays: Scrapbook layout of arty Barcelona!

One thing which people always told me about Barcelona was that there was art everywhere. I certainly found this to be true. My sister and I loved all the graffitti on the boulders at the beach - it made a nice change from all the naturists on the beach. We couldn't believe how many people got their bits out of a public beach - men included. And old men at that...
I felt that I needed to dedicate a whole layout to this art form and so I did.

This was my personal fav!

 I wanted the layout to be bright and bold to fit with the subject and so edged all my embellishments and photos in black to make them pop off the page. I also added washi tape and veneer cameras from Studio Calico to embellish. Don't you just love the supersize camera too?

In other news (as it feels like its been a while):

• my sister is loving in in Vancouver and you can follow her adventures over here on her blog.
• I am looking forward to making this tomato soup cake now that autumn has arrived
• If I had lots of money I would buy these shoes and this top
• Only two more gets-up till half term - 8 weeks is surely too long without a break?
• I have been getting into a frenzy about all things pumpkin - like all my fellow bloggers and pinners. Pumpkin milkshakes or scones anyone?

What are you into right now?

Messy Mondays: Scrapbook layout using up scraps

 I love how Shimelle (and other scrappers) use enlarged pictures for layouts. I think its great as it makes the photo the focus and can really showpiece a photo you are proud of.
I used the white space in this photo to put a journalling mat and my title.
I used several different washi tapes to affix the picture.
I used my Studio Calico abroad range to create some scraps to embellish the layout.
Some close-ups below:

 The funny thing about this layout is that the day after my sister and I were doing a 'photo shoot' on the rocks at the beach and I put down my glasses for a second - next minute they had fallen down a crack between the rocks and were gone into the oblivion on the beach. I loved those glasses too. I had spent more than I normally do on sunglasses too. My other pair were free in a magazine, but these were Quicksilver and they were purple and big and I loved them. :(
Perhaps the layout should have been ode to my sunglasses.

As the nights get darker and the temperature has dropped to 5 degrees - its nice to think back to sunnier days in Barcelona.
What do you do with your leftover scraps?

Messy Mondays: Washi title and glimmer mist mat

Do you remember our anniversary day out at the start of the summer? Three whole years and a grand day out together to celebrate.
I was inspired by my zebra print dress and used my stripy washi tape to coat my chipboard title and I am totally using that technique again - even though it was a bit of a 'faff!' I used lots of scraps of studio calico and tags to create a layered effect. The newsprint paper is perfect for the vintage and grungy feel of the layout.
I created a mat by mixing my turquoise and glittery glimmer mist together - it was quite subtle but added a nice glimmery tint.

 I embellished with paper strips and buttons.

 I added some bling to embellish as well.

 A close-up of the pictures.

Linking up with the amazing soapHOUSE mama over here...

Market value...

So you may recall my sister and I went on a trip to Barcelona over the summer - here are my top ten.I quickly ordered the pictures and have been enjoying scrapping with them.
We visited the market practically every day- the ice cold fruit smoothies were very welcome in that intense heat - it is when I am in markets that I wish that my photography skills were better. In my head I imagine pics of colourful stalls with arty blurring etc, but in reality my pics never live up to the idea in my mind. I have recently ordered a new close-up lens and am hoping my dreams of blur and macro shots will be realised with this new lens.
So back to the layout...I feel that this is sketch / composition that I have used before and think it is inspired by Shimelle. She has a pet hate of putting pictures on layouts that are landscape and portrait and I am inclined to agree that it looks more pleasing to the eye to have a nice line of photos. I used paint to create a border and then put some blue splodges in the corners.

I tied the middle pic up with some Miss Caroline twine to make it stand out.

I used washi in the top edge and bottom edge - overlapping the pictures.

I decorated with punched out starrs given texture with glossy accents, a flag and an American Crafts sticker.

I think turquoise and pink is a great colour combo and it really stands out and looks very bold and fresh. My sister and I were discussing the trial of coming up with titles for our layouts, earlier this week, and I said I often use song lyrics as inspiration or phrases. In this layout I thought of the title 'Market Value' as one of the things that I journalled about was that when we went to the market in the evening we got some real bargains - as all of the stalls were selling their food and drinks off before closing. I am a fan of cheesy puns - how do you all think of titles? Is it the first or last thing you plan in a layout?

Messy Mondays: Fun with misting and masking

I mentioned on my blog recently how Wilkinsons had got a very cool new range of stationary and I loved these cute little arrow post-its.  I misted in turquoise and then splattered some purple ink. I was planning to use the negative, but it wasn't crisp enough and so I kept the arrows there and doodled around the edges. I used washi tape and cardstock to create a background of spots and stripes.
The subject of the layout? My dearly beloved at the Southbank food market trying extra hot salsas - the guys on the stall were really funny and when he was gloating about how mild it was they told him to wait and then the spice would really kick in. And it did...

I layered the photo with stamped images and washi tape.

In other news:

• My little sister has landed in Vancouver and is gloating on facebook every day. Hopefully once the cold front arrives she won't be as smug!
• We saw Lawless at the weekend for date night and despite critics panning it. I thought it was stylish, with interesting characters and that it captured a gory and fascinating time in American history
• Review of Cobbles and Clay on my other blog - Yummy in Yorkshire.
• I am taking part in Shimelle's LSNED for the first time. I joined late and have completed three days already - which I will blog about soon. I am enjoying the chance to think about different prompts and to 'scrap' different topics than I would normally chose. I am also loving all the extra videos and articles linked to each PDF. It's not too late to join in...

Messy Mondays: White paint to brighten a background!

Have you ever made a layout, photographed it and then edited the picture and realised that it was missing something?
Check out the layout below I thought that I would clash floral prints on a Kraft background but when I stepped back I realised that it all blurred into one and it lacked impact overall.
I was inspired to create this layout about my 'kick ass' back to school outfit. The end of last academic year I had two weeks off work compassionate leave after a loss in my life and I was kind of dreading returning to work as I didn't want everyone fussing over me. I didn't want their sympathetic looks or even worse an arm around my shoulder as I was on the edge and needed to stay strong. So I planned my outfit carefully a pencil skirt with a bold patterned silk shirt tucked into the waist and high heels. I wanted to scrap this and so got the Belgian to take an instax pic for me to create this layout.

A close-up of the details - I cut roses out of the paper to embellish the picture.

So that was the before and here is the after. I decided to gesso up the middle panel so that it popped more. You can still see the pattern faintly through the paint. It was tricky to do it this way as I had to try not to get paint of the picture or the stickers. I added some Amy Tan journalling spots and was going to journal on them, but then decided that I preferred them blank instead.

Overall I am really pleased with this layout and feel that it tells the story well and captures the mood that I was feeling at the time of creating it.
Do you ever go back to a layout and make changes to it?

Messy Mondays: Photo mat with paint

So it was back to school today and so time to get back on track with my Messy Monday's series.
This layout uses paint as a mat for my photo and to layer on embellishments.
I created a mat on the left with my fiskars.

Messy Mondays: Finger painting on pages

Ready for more techniques with paint?

So in the last month I have shared tips for misting with you, using stamps with paint, creating borders with paint and stamps and lastly creating your own backing paper with paint and stamps.

Today I bring you a technique which you probably learnt when you were about three - finger painting! Although I used different sized pencils to create the spots - the little rubber on the end of the pencil works particularly well for this.

This layout is all about our trip to Universal Studios and uses a few pics which I wouldn't have scrapped on their own. I also stamped the title down the side and used Amy Tangerine's stamps to create the journalling spot and then decided that I preferred to leave it blank as an embellishment.

I also tried a technique that I have seen on pinterest and other crafty blogs recently which is wrapping chipboard circles in washi tape to use as an embellishment.

I used one of the Sunday Sketches over at Studio Calico and instead of the confetti or misting I decided to try out this polka dot technique. It worked best with these acrylic paints as I tried it this week with water based poster paints and it was too watery and diluted to create the same impact.

What trends are you loving at the moment?

P.S Later on this week I will be guest posting on Sumo's Sweet Stuff blog sharing how to create a cute canvas for your wall

Messy Mondays: Masking and misting

So back on the messy Mondays trail...I will probably be squeezed into the stands at the Olympics as you read this post. I'm glad that the Belgian persisted and signed us up for a ridiculous amount of events so that we secured at leats two in the end. I'm not the biggest sports spectator - but I do love an occassion and chance to take pics and scrapbook them afterwards!

Today I want to share a few techniques I have been using with misting.
I have a love / hate relationship with misting.
Sometimes it is the perfect thing to finish off my page.
Sometimes it destroys my page.

Here are some tips that I have learnt the hard way:

• always try to mist FIRST before you lay down your pictures - or if you can't then cover all photos with scrap paper
• if you are using stickers as a mask stick them onto your jeans or a jumper first so that they get wooly and less sticky and then don't pull your page up with them
• you can dilute and mix colours with mists if you use a spare bottle with a spray lid
• always practice first on scrap paper as different mists have different opaqueness and some can crumple your paper so its best to try to use cardstock

My first layout:

I loved this picture of the three of us outside this quaint little B&B in Julian, Calfornia. I had visions of using lots of apples on the layout but then I got my new Maya Road bronze mist and I decided to play around with vintage papers and misting to create a shabby chic layout.
I used the mist ot create a mat for my photo mat and then layered lots of bits of paper and ribbon on the top of it. The mist is quite thick and heavy and I should have diluted it or tried it out first as it was a bit heavy in parts and not as 'fluid' as I would have like - but hey ho! You all benefit from my mistake! I was happy with the overall layout and could have always added more layering at the top to cover it up!

My second layout:

A tribute to the yumminess that is Hummingbird bakery and their special cupcake of the day - Jame Donut. I was very impressed with the technique which I used for this layout and it was a bit of a fluke and a bit of an experiment so I was pleased when it proved successful.
I am a hoarder. Which scrapbooker is not? You always think 'oohh this could look nice on a layout' and so I have boxes and bags of random little tidbits just wating for their moment to shine on a layout! I had these merit stickers that I had used up at school - being the encouraging teacher that I am and all!
So I kept the negatives and I made sure that I got the stickiness out of it by sticking onto my duvet cover (comforter to my friends across the pond) and then stuck it on a plain piece of white card and got busy with the mists. I created a graduation of colour from turquoise to purple to pink and some shimmery silver on top for good measure. I decided that it reminded me of the circular pattern on the Hummingbird bakery walls and so I dug out these photos from last October.
I used lots of cutsey embellishments like my purple heart ribbon and I cut up a layout that was covered in cupcakes and sweet treats - I don't know which make it was.
Overall I was pretty pleased with the effect and now want to get my hands on some other coloured mists to try this out again. The mask was really only good for one use - so my eyes are peeled for a replacement.
I guess next term I'll have to keep being trigger happy with the merit stickers.
Surely it's a win/win situation all round?!

Messy Mondays: Embellishing with stamps!

Do you ever make a layout and feel that it is not quite finished?
It just needs a little embellishment in one of the corner or a border?
But as you root around in your stash you cannot find the right colour.
Everything seems wrong...
So bust out the stamps and the Jenni Bowlin paint dauber and add some home made embellies.
I especially like the recurring motif with a word stamp.
Thanks Amy Tangerine.

Messy Mondays: Creating borders with paints and stamps!

So last week I shared some ideas for using paint to create backing paper for your layouts. This Monday I am bringing you some ideas of how to use paint with stamps to jazz up the borders of your layouts.
The first layout is created using a humble sponge, lid of tin (as a mixing palette), green acrylic paint and a really old stamp which cost me no more than a pound. I very simply created a recurring motif with it - refuelling on paint with each stamp.

A closer look at my handiwork and all the layering. The title is stamped too in the same method.

The second layout was sat 'finished' in my scrap room - but I felt it was lacking something. One Jenni Bowlin paint dabber and a swirl stamp later and I now feel it is finished properly and framed effectively. I just placed newspaper behind the layout and let it hang off the page.

 A closer look at those swirls...

The third layout was less messy than paint as I used my Maya Road mist. I sprayed some mist into the lid and then used my paint dauber and inked the edges to make it stand out more - click on the image for a closer look as this picture wasn't edited first!

Do you like the secret picture between the pritt pads?

Lastly - perhaps my favourite of the four a New Year's Eve layout. I hope my sister forgives me as she thought that this pic wasn't very flattering - but it was all I had. I used my JB ink dauber and a star stamp to create a border around the top. I like the contrast of the black with the bright colours. I also created a 'shaker box' using the packaging from some stickers and lots of confetti and punched out stars - I attached it with washi tape and a paper clip and I was very pleased with the results and think I will play with shaker boxes again soon.

 

Next Monday  I will be showing you a step-by-step how to for creating a mini canvas with paint - till then have a great week and happy crafting. Go get those hands messy...

_______________________________________

I am linking up with a challenge over at Fiskars to use stamping in a project.