Thankful with 13@rts

Hello friends!

Today I'm up on the blog with a very simple layout but one I had a lot of fun experimenting with, using the lovely Ayeeda water-based inks.

Here is the layout, which I had also based on Scrap Around the World's mood board. My friend Heather is hosting the challenge so here I am supporting her! 

Actually, I had more heartache than fun making this. When I was nearly complete with my layout, I spilled the Sky Blue and Violet inks all over the whole page and it was unsalvageable. So it was back to a new sheet of white cardstock and I had to start all over again. But this time round, I was able to try out something new so it wasn't all that wasted. I had used the colorful inks to create the rainbow colors in the mood board and also recreated the raindrops with the bubble stamp that I made my resist with. And of course, a little feather for the birds, and my interpretation of being thankful - that life doesn't have to always be perfect for you to be grateful.

Some close-ups:

My cardstock was primed with clear gesso from the 13@rts store. I'm so glad that we finally have our own version of it which is so fluid and so much easier to apply on than the one I used previously. I then created a resist with stamping and white embossing powder before I started on the inks.

Making the layout a little less boring with texture - microbeads, glass beads and sand grit.

Layering on and blending the inks, which I watered down and splattered for the watercolor effect that is really quite the trend now. The Ayeeda inks are really intense and easy to blend. I finished off with splatters of Splash! acrylic ink.

So that's all I have for today. Thanks for dropping by!

love,

October Eves with 13@rts

Hello friends! How are you this fine Sunday?

I have finally ventured out to a shopping mall after one month of confinement (not exactly confined as I was still shuttling between home and the clinic and my mum's place) and it was nice to be outdoors for once. The air is slightly cooler with the northeast wind coming in, telling me that the rainy season will be here soon. But I can imagine all my friends in the Northern Hemisphere cooking up all things pumpkin spice these days!

Today I'm sharing my project created for the October challenge at 13@rts and it's a gorgeous theme this month - one of my favourite seasons!

Here is the mood board, created by Maryse Jolin:

and the challenge rules:

Rules for Challenge # 35

1. Create a mixed-media project based on our moodboard above.

2. Publish your project on your blog and add link directly to the post using Inlinkz tool at the right side bar.

3. Please add a link and info about our challenge, where your work is published.

4. You may submit as many entries as you like. 

5. You can enter your project with a maximum of 2 other challenges and your work must be new, not published before our challenge has started. 

6. The challenge ends on 25th of October. Winners will be announced on 29th of October.7. You do not have to use 13 @ rts products in your project.

And my take on it:

I bought this wooden frame from one of the art stores here for altering and it was just perfect for this project.

Some close-ups:

A vine which I covered with Old Gold metallic paint and dabbed on more green metallic paint and pearl gold paint. I also sprinkled glitter while the paint is wet for that extra shimmer.

Adding texture to the wooden frame. I have microspheres as well as a nice thick paste of Magic Powder and gesso to create the lovely cracks and peaks. Then all was given a nice wash of mahogany matt paint and gold pearl paint.

The background was created on "Pegasus" paper from Starlight collection. I first used a leaves mask followed by a nice watered down layer of Woodbine and Dark Brown chalk mist. Then I gave a coat of gold pearl paint for accenting the background and also on my embellishments.

That's all I have for today. Thanks for dropping by!

love,

Discover with 13@rts and an entry for SATW

Hello friends!

I'm up on the 13@rts blog today to share a layout I created, based on the current mood board at Scrap Around the World. When I'm in a creative rut I like to check out the current challenges around and that helps me to get things started.

Here's this month's mood board:

And my take on it:

What I wanted to capture here was the monotonal quality of the photos in the moodboard, but instead of sepia I chose a really calming blue. I also happened to have a photo of the cross-road sign but it was a compass vane instead which I shot while at Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse and it fitted the theme perfectly. Then it was just a matter of picking out my favourite word as the title. I had a bicycle resin piece somewhere in my stash and this layout was a good reason to use it. Now I should have ended there but couldn't resist sneaking in bits of gold and brown for the lovely sandy beach.

Details in the close-ups:

A lovely paste I made from Magic Powder and Ultramarine Chalk Mist, from 13@rts. The background paper I chose is from my collection Mental Vacation (available at the 13@rts store) and titled Summer Snow. If I hadn't mentioned before, the collection is meant to be a series of places I like to go to in my head when things get a little too overwhelming. One of them is undoubtedly the seaside and summer snow describes the sea foam washing up the sand. Isn't it just perfect for the mood board?

A chipboard from Blue Fern Studios which I used for my title.

That resin bicycle!

A little cloud chipboard from BFS which I also altered.

Here's a start-to-finish video showing how I put this whole layout together. Sit back and enjoy!



love,

July Inspiration with Blue Fern Studios and a new paper collection!

Hello friends! How has your month of July been? The weather has been blazing hot and we're doing whatever we can to cool down.

It's my turn on the Blue Fern blog today and I have two creations to share with you. The first is based on the fabulous July sketch. Here is what it looks like:

I've kept the orientation of the sketch, as well as the dark background and my papers came from a mix of Sanctuary and Love Story to create my layout.

My mixed media background was created Birdsong Melody from Sanctuary, with a lot of paint dabbing with 13@rts matt and metallic paints, and layering with watercolors, as well as textural details using microspheres, dew drops and microbeads (also from 13@rts), as well as some string and stamping. I love it that Blue Fern tries in sneak in a few dark colored patterned papers into their collections for us to create our very own backgrounds.

Some close-ups:

The La Plume chipboard which I first painted with a light brown, followed by UTEE embossing for resist and layering with more browns. Beneath are paper layers made from scraps I had left over from Love Story collection.

The Notebook Edges chipboard, which I first heat embossed and then colored with different shades of blue. To add texture to my layers, I mixed chipboard, paper, lace and trims.

A close-up of some of the textural details I have in my background.

I hope my sample has inspired you to create a project of your own to participate in our monthly sketch challenge!

And now for my video tutorial. For this project, I revisited one of my all time favourites from Blue Fern Studios, the Ombre Dreams collection. 

I used only "Susan's Dream" because the images on the paper fit my composition perfectly and had the exact type of watercolor imagery I had in mind to create for my background. I also used scraps from Dream Cards and Charlotte's Dream to build up my layers.

Some close-ups:

A die cut from Dream Cards which I used as my title, and a Bohemian flower piece tucked into my cluster. You can also see the half-tone stamp which I used to add minute details to my background.

I love the big chipboard pieces because they are simply value for money and so fun to play with. Here, you see Medley Border which I have cut up into four pieces and tucked them everywhere to maintain the flow of my composition, as well as to break up the monotony of paper layering.

Interspersed in the layers is also the Notebook frame which I had added some texture to.

Here is the start-to-finish video. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I have creating the project.

And before I sign off, Blue Fern Studios has a fabulous new paper collection with matching stamps and chipboards, and I can't wait to show this one off to you!

Here's the collection:



and the full reveal can be seen here.

So that's all I have for today. Keep safe and keep cool!

love,

Scrap Around the World June Mood Board and a Video Tutorial

Hello everyone!

Finally it's my turn to reveal my project for Scrap Around the World's June mood board and I have a video tutorial to go along as well! But first, here is the mood board and some info on rules and prizes:

RIZES - Each month we offer 10 MERIT BASED PRIZES, one random prize
& one Follower's prize {see first paragraph} so 12 PRIZES PER MONTH!

We also offer our FIRST PRIZE WINNER plenty of EXPOSURE through a 

Guest Designer Position the following month, together with an exclusive 

badge for their side bar :)

To be eligible for our random prize you need to share your project to our Facebook

 Wall & LIKE our Facebook page HERE. You are welcome too, to follow us on

Instagram HERE & we'll follow you back if you upload your entries to Instagram

& link up to us with @ as well as # hashtag us as #scraparoundtheworld

You can also find & follow us on PINTEREST HERE.

ALL OUR PRIZES ALWAYS INCLUDE FREE INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE!!

1ST PRIZE

$50 gift certificate from Creative Embellishments

Creative Embellishments is a family owned company created by Michael
 & Nicolle Kramer, a husband & wife team who design & manufacture unique, 
high quality chipboard, wood, rubber stamps & flair products. We have been
 in operation since September 2013. 

It is our mission to offer fun & inspiring products that can be added to any project
 to bring out your inner creativity! In the near future we will soon be expanding
 into other mediums such as acrylic & stencil embellishments.

We also custom cut for individual orders & have a wholesale store for retailers, 
kit clubs & classes. Do your shopping HERE! If you own a store register for our
 wholesale section HERE. Be inspired by our blog HERE & follow us on
 Instagram HERE & YouTube HERE.

2ND PRIZE

$35 worth of product from 13@rts

{Image below is for illustration purposes &
 may not reflect exactly what you will receive}.

13arts is a Polish manufacturer specialising in scrapbook papers, 

embellishments & artistic mediums. See our store HERE where

we ship worldwide!  Our blog HERE is full of inspiration & we

 have a monthly challenge where all our welcome!

Follow us on Instagram HERE, Twitter HERE & Facebook

 HERE & remember to follow us on Pinterest HERE too!!

3rd PRIZE

$30 worth of product from UmWowStudio

{Image below is for illustration purposes &
 may not reflect exactly what you will receive}.

UmWowStudio is an innovative embellishment company located in

 Las Vegas, Nevada.  With chipboard, flair & stencils currently in

 our product line (& more fun things on the way!) we span across

 all bits of paper crafting, including memory saving, card making,

 tags, stamping, mixed media, art journalling & more!

Shop with us HERE, follow our blog HERE & LIKE us on Facebook

HERE!  Follow our boards on Pinterest HERE & Youtube HERE

4th PRIZE

$25 worth of CHIPBOARD from 2Crafty Chipboard

{Image below is for illustration purposes &
 may not reflect exactly what you will receive}.

2Crafty Chipboard is an Australian owned & operated manufacturer & wholesaler 

of laser cut chipboard products, located in Sydney, Australia.  We have been

 in operation since October 2006 & have more than 1 000 designs on offer.

We pride ourselves on quality products that are versatile & up to date with 

market trends, as well as offering unbeatable customer service, 

with quick turnaround of jobs large & small. Visit our website HERE.

We are happy to quote on personalised jobs, whether it be a single title for a 
customer, or large jobs for retreats, classes etc.  If you are a retail business 

& would like to stock our range of unique products, please contact us

 for more information.  Please see further details on our blog HERE!

5th PRIZE

OVER $20 worth of product from 7 Dots Studio

{Exactly as shown below}

7 Dots Studio was born from dreams & for dreams. 

We are a European scrapbooking manufacturer of high 

quality scrapbooking products – paper, stickers, die-cuts,

 collage sheets, 6 x 6 pads, collection kits &chipboard.

Our collections are created by amazingly talented artists - 

from clean, graphic designs to mixed-media, grungy collage look. 

What you can always be sure of are high quality & thickness

 of our papers, which makes them perfect for all kinds of media.

 Among our products you will also find clear stamp sets coordinating 

with our collections to make them even more interesting & versatile.

We are amazingly happy & feel very blessed to see how much

 our products are loved by crafters & artists all around the world!

If you would like to see more awesome inspiration from our design team

please visit our blog HERE, our Facebook  page HERE & follow us on

Twitter HERE, Pinterest HERE & Instagram {7DOTSSTUDIO}.

6th PRIZE

$15 gift voucher from Mixed Media Place

Mixed Media Place is a treasure chest of different media for creative minds,

carrying a wide variety of embellishments & tools to get your projects going. 

The world of mixed media is a place of limitless possibilities - we are here
 to help you to spread your wings & fly! Find our blog HERE, LIKE us
 on Facebook HERE, follow our boards on Pinterest HERE
 & do your shopping HERE!

7th PRIZE

17.50 Euros worth of products from Danafix, France. 
.

www.copicmarqueurs.com is an online store 100% dedicated to all 

Copic products. All Copic products made & assembled by the European

 importer are available in stock & we offer fast, international delivery!

8th PRIZE

$15 worth of product from Studio75

Studio 75 is a  Polish manufacturer of scrapbooking papers & items 

such as chipboard albums, notebooks, spiral bindings & magnetic sheets.  

We have our own online store HERE, a bustling Facebook page HERE

 & a highly inspirational blog HERE - come & visit us - let's connect!

9th  PRIZE

15 Euros worth of product from Scrap-Unlimited

{Image below is for illustration purposes &
 may not reflect exactly what you will receive}.

Scrap-Unlimited is a craft supplies manufacturer from The Netherlands,

creating  & selling the most amazing selection of embellishments for the

crafting industry.  We offer shabby chic, vintage & steam-punk inspired 

embellishments, ribbon, flowers, metals, mini-books & mini novelty items.  

Check out our online store HERE for SO MUCH MORE!  

LIKE us on Facebook HERE & follow our highly

 inspirational blog HERE & our Pinterest board HERE.

10TH PRIZE

Over $40 worth of Prima & Petaloo goodies 
from Design Team member Nicole Doiron

4 assorted packs of Prima Epiphany flowers, 1 pack of Prima De Soie flowers, 
1 pack of Prima Arcadian Weathered roses & 3 packs of Petaloo beaded hat pins

RANDOM PRIZE

Scrapbook kit from SCRAPS OF ELEGANCE KIT CLUB
Random Winner usually receives the previous month's kit from 
Scraps of Elegance, valued at a whopping $36.95 but this month
our June Challenge winner will receive the current June Kit!

Scraps of Darkness & Scraps of Elegance are monthly scrapbook kit clubs
 that cater to scrapbookers who are looking for an alternative to what other 
kit clubs offer.  Our kits are designed for artists who wish to take scrapbooking
 to a level beyond.  We strive to include the latest & greatest items on the market
 that will enable you  to create not "just a layout", but a work of art. 

Visit our blog HERE,our Store HERE & sign up for our kits HERE & HERE

Please LIKE us on Facebook HERE, follow our boards on Pinterest HERE ,

subscribe to our Youtube channel HERE & find our tutorials HERE

We would LOVE to connect with you!!!

 RANDOM FOLLOWERS PRIZE

$50 GIFT CERTIFICATE from THE DUSTY ATTIC

The Dusty Attic is an Australian owned Laser Cutting business that designs 

& manufactures craft items & embellishments for the paper crafting market.

We began in July 2009 & are located in Perth, Western Australia. 

We are proud to be able to make our mark on the scrap booking & craft 

industry new designs We love seeing the creations our customers have

made & also love to hear your feedback, as this helps us with new ideas. 

We have an on-line store from which you can get all of your Dusty Attic

supplies. If you are a retail business & would like to stock our range 

of unique products please contact us to apply for a wholesale

 account or for more information.

 FOLLOW OUR BLOG HERE, 

OUR FACEBOOK PAGE HERE

& VIEW OUR PRODUCTS HERE.

The deadline for this challenge is Tuesday 30th June 2015.
HAPPY JUNE & THANKS FOR PLAYING!!

And here is my project! 

I was inspired by the colors, the paint strokes in the chevron motifs, the cracked egg edges as well as the quote about how we make our own happiness (mine is through spending time with my children). I'm using papers from the Mental Vacation collection which I designed for 13@rts. 

Creating texture with different mediums and materials.

Altering a piece of chipboard from my favourite company Blue Fern Studios and using it as a photo mat.

Also from BFS, my title piece.

Here is the video of how I put the whole page together. Enjoy viewing it!

And that's all I have for today. Thanks for dropping by!

love,