the big day - DT work for Blue Fern Studios

(just an update, I've taken the LO and close-ups out as it's being published. Everything will be back to normal after July)

Hello everyone! We're almost at the end of March, can you believe it?!

Today I have a layout I created for Blue Fern Studios using their beautiful paper collection "Blue Fern Garden". I cannot get enough of this paper line - the colors are soft and shabby and just perfect for my mixed media projects. I'm also trying to do a huge project where I take photos that I have scrapped before and re-style them - something like a now-and-then sort of thing. And here is the "then":

This was made more than 3 years ago. I was already a mixed media wannabe back then but had no idea where to start out and there were very few tutorials back then. See if you can spot the different mediums I used (there are at least two). Now, anyone can have access to so many online workshops and tutorials, and mixed media classes are a popular choice at scrapbook stores as well.

And this is the remake using Blue Fern Gardens:

How different is that? I can't say which is my favourite because they each represent different stages of my learning journey. But I do love the various products available in the market now that helps a scrapper make his/her page unique. It's interesting to see how the industry has evolved and I'm so glad to be part of it at this point.

Some close-ups:

 I've used the Rose Bouquet chippie, what a beautiful piece!  I used one half of the chippie for this corner cluster. I covered it with gesso and painted it over with some Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals and Color Shots. After that I randomly sprinkled clear embossing powder and heat set them. The result is a very uneven texture with small drops of embossed surface looking like dew. Lastly I patted some Shimmerz Dazzlers over the leaves and flowers. In this cluster, I have also tucked the key piece from Romantic Page Dangles under my photo and I only did simple heat embossing.

These papers are gorgeous and I mentioned this in a previous post. My go-to supply has always been regular gesso but when I got these papers, I really wanted the patterns to show up so now clear gesso is a must-have for me. It gives me the same water-color effect because it works like regular gesso but you don't lose the designs on the paper itself. I used plenty of LSGs and 13@rts paints on the background, followed a thin layer of texture paste on different stencils just for interest.

The other half of the Rose Bouquet. You can see the speckled effect of the heat embossing on the flowers more clearly here. For my title I used "The Big Day" from "Wedding Words" and painted it with three different greens before heat embossing it. 

And this is all I have for today. If you have now-and-then projects of your photos, do share it with me!

Until then, happy scrapping!

love,

and the winner is....

Kripa Koushik!

You said:

Thank you so much for supporting Off The Rails Scrapbooking in our first blog hop, and thank you for your support on both my blog and YouTube channel. Please email me your mailing address at sunnyjeli@gmail.com. And thanks to everyone who so gamely played along!

love, Jelissa

OUAS March sketch

Happy weekend!
I back again to share my DT work for Once Upon A... Sketch. Absolutely love this month's journalling theme because the past few months have been so tumultuous, I spent a lot of time mulling over choices in life (yes, I'm an introspect).  But before that, here are the challenge details:

Journalling Theme: be inspired by this quote..

You are free to interpret our theme ANY WAY you like. It is for your inspiration and this theme word DOES NOT need to be part of your title or journalling. But please make sure your layout is based on the sketch below and includes journalling (hidden journalling is fine). Acceptable journalling is MORE than just a sentence, or generic writing such as date/place etc. It needs to be present and at least 3 lines long. Remember, hidden journalling (under a photo/tag or behind your page) is perfectly fine but please DO let us know in your post where your journalling is! 

The winner of this challenge, as voted by the Design Team will be invited to come back in May as our Guest Designer. They will also win the main prize from one of our main sponsors.

Our first March main sponsor is...

Scraps of Elegance offers monthly kits designed for the scrapbook artist with a style on the romantic side... shabby chic, vintage, elegant. We also have on online store combined with our Sister Club, Scraps of Darkness, a fun and friendly forum with monthly challenges and swaps, and tutorials from our wonderful designers and educators. We hope we will inspire you to Create Something Beautiful Today! 

Please click HERE to be directed to the website.

Scraps of Elegance kit club is donating...

Our second main sponsor for March is...

Whichcraft do you do? Whichcraft offers unique laser cut wooden embellishments and items to alter.  Based in Australia, Whichcraft started as a hobby for Kerry and has now progressed to a zibbet store, youtube channel and facebook page. New designs and product developement are ongoing so there is always something new coming out. Stock is kept on hand so orders are packed and shipped quickly and efficiently and Kerry's customer service is second to none! Offering some custom cutting and flat rate international shipping worldwide Whichcraft has something for you, no matter Whichcraft you do!

zibbet: http://www.zibbet.com/WhichCraft

youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ksdec

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whichcraftdoyoudo?ref=hl

Whichcraft has donated a minimum of AUS$40.00 prize pack with free postage to anywhere in the world for one of our winners!

Now here are some more AMAZING prizes donated by our wonderful permanent sponsors for 2014.

First up is our Facebook sponsor. Please don't forget to upload your entry to our Facebook Page HERE for your chance to win this price..

13arts is donating 10 colours of their gorgeous paint tubs , in your choice of colours, with free domestic and international postage. 

7 Dots Studio will donate a prize pack full of their product valued at US$50.00 with free domestic and international postage. 

The Flying Unicorn online store is donating a US$50.00 gift voucher to spend at their store !

2Crafty Chipboard is donating a chipboard pack to the value of AUS$50.00 with free domestic and international postage

Swirlydoos kit club is donating their monthly kit valued at US$36.50 with free domestic and international postage

Die-namites dies is donating a prize pack to the value of US$30.00 with free domestic and international postage

Lindy's Stamp Gang is donating a US$20.00 gift voucher with free domestic and international shipping..

Scrappers Garden online store is donating a prize pack to the value of AU$20.00 with free domestic and international postage

Scrapbooking Fantasies is donating a ribbon pack valued at over AU$20.00 plus with free domestic and international shipping 

Wiff Of Joy stamps is donating 1 stamp set from the Stephanie Schütze Design collection stamps valued at  EUR14.90 with free domestic AND international postage. 

And my take on it:

Firstly, I want to thank all my readers and followers for being so patient with my long blog posts. I put so much of my heart and thoughts into these layouts, it wouldn't seem fair to you guys if I don't explain the story behind it. As it is, this one has a story of it's own too.

I love OUAS' sketches and journalling themes, not only because they are beautiful and so fun, but also it forces me to think about the work before I start on it. For this one, I had to look into myself and ask, "How have I done it right? Would I have done it differently?" There has been so many changes over the last few months and these questions have never been more relevant. Either way, I have come to terms with myself that I am who God has made me. I realise there is also a rebel in me who learns the rules just so she can break them one by one.

So! Now that I've got that off my chest, here are some close ups:

I first did some layering with paper strips and resist canvas. For the colors, I used lots of 13@rts goodies for this layout. After spraying on the mists, I moved them around the page by adding some water, and also subsequently painting some of the 13@rts paints in. Some fun tips you can try: Keep the paint fluid with occasional dabs of water and move them around until you get the effect you like. Darker colors can be lightened simply by adding water. I also like to add splatters and flecks to the page for interest. Usually, these are either colors that stand out (eg. neon pink) or dark so that you can see the contrast even though the specks are small. I then toned some parts of the painted background down by dabbing gesso with a sponge.

I've used the butterfly piece from Blue Fern Studios' Flutter Page Dangles by painting in the pink and stamping over. In the close up above, you can also see another chippie piece I used from the Ever After frame set covered with ebony embossing powder. The other frame in the close-up below was treated differently. I painted it with gold paint from 13@rts, stamped some script and covered it with crackle medium. I've also used some flowers from Green Tara - the wild rose in white I misted with mint green mist from 13@rts and I brushed gesso over the Primula, apple blossoms, azaleas and cherry blossoms.

The banner strips were cut out from a tag I tucked behind the chipboard frame (it's a big tag) and I used it to mat my title.

So that's all I have for today. Before I go, I leave you a very famous quote from the original Rebel without a cause himself, the talented Mr James Dean, from whom I got the quote for my journalling.

“Remember:

Life is short, break the rules (they were made to be broken)

Forgive quickly, kiss slowly

Love truly, laugh uncontrollably

And never regret anything that makes you smile.

The clouds are lined with silver and the glass is half full (though the answers won't be found at the bottom)

Don't sweat the small stuff,

You are who you are meant to be,

Dance as if no one's watching,

Love as if it's all you know,

Dream as if you'll live forever, 

Live as if you'll die today” 

regardless of what they say, live long and prosper anyway!

Love,