Sunday, March 9, 2014

Guest Designer at 13@rts, and a double challenge entry!

Good day everyone! If you're checking in for the first time, welcome! If you've been a regular visitor, I hope you like the new facelift! There's a reason for this, and I hope to reveal it soon :)

Today's post is a very busy one because I've packed so much into one. Firstly, I've won first place (together with the super-talented Georgia Heald) over at 13 arts and I've been invited as a guest designer for their March challenge. And here it is: to create something (LO, card, journal whatever) with a mixed media background, but without any patterned paper. Sounds like fun eh? And since I have quite a bit of time on hand, I decided to combine this with the March challenges over at Scrap Around the World and the newly remade The Color Rooms:



That's the mood board from SATW, and as my son would say, "Mummy! Your favourite color!"


And that's the palette for this month. Quite perfectly matched! And this is my take on the three challenges:


I was clearly inspired by the pink and flowers from the SATW moodboard as this LO featured the cherry blossoms I shot ad nauseum while in Okinawa. The paint brush made me decide to work with the lovely matt paints from 13@rts into my background to create a watercolor effect. 

The typewriter.... now, that's a whole story by itself. Typewriters always make me want to do journaling and I was quite filled with emotion during the creation of this layout. Some of you may know, "A dream of spring" is the last book in the "Song of Ice and Fire" series, a fantasy epic I've been following both in print and on screen (it's also known as Game of Thrones). It has yet to be published, but it promises that all the conflicts and war we have seen and read so far will be resolved and at long last, the cold dreary winter will end (as the wise men in the series like to say, "a long summer always meant a long winter to come"). Plus, there was the on-going conflict in Ukraine and the subsequent invasion by Russia. I've never been through war, but I've seen enough documentaries and read enough war stories to not wish it upon anyone. Just like the blooming of the cherry blossoms means that winter is almost over and Spring is near, I pray that the situation will come to a peaceful end. Our world is full of beauty; if only people can stop surrounding themselves with violence and live for what is beautiful and precious. Besides, I'm also quite sure my friends in the USA and Canada experiencing the polar vortex have had way too many dreams of spring!

I've pretty much followed the color palette as well and as for the recycled junk mail, I didn't really have any. But I was inspired by the little pile of letters with stamps on the typewriter in the SATW mood board so I used the Polish stamps that came with my 13@rts parcel. Lovely!

Some closeups:


Gorgeous Blue Fern Studios chippy in the background (Circle Group panel) which I snipped off a small bit. I re-used the in-between circle chippies by painting and stamping them.


Texture fun! Resist canvas, dry-wall tape, texture paste and some tiny beads in the circles. Some stamping and heat-embossing on a piece of product package which I used to mat the photo.


A very meaningful haiku for journalling - "the cure for the raucous world, the late cherry blossoms".

And these are what I used to create my layout:

That's all I have for now. I hope to be back within the week with some exciting news, and also a chance to win something (again!). Until then, I leave you with a poem my 4-yo has been reciting:

春 眠 不 觉 晓,
处 处 闻 啼 鸟。
夜 来 风 雨 声,
花 落 知 多 少。 

love,

ps. see here for translation and meaning.

30 comments:

  1. One word Jelissa, FANTABULOUS. You have totally rocked the whole thing. I am sooo glad you decided to use our gorgeous moodboard & play along with us at Scrap Around the World. Brilliant layout, gorgeous pic & congrats on your spot at 13arts. Cheers Di

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  2. So gorgeous and meaningful at the same time!

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  3. as always this is a gorgeous LO!! just love it Jelissa just like all your others projects!! thanks for playing with us at SATW!!

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  4. O-M-G Jelissa! talk about stunning work! spot on with all the challenges your entering your gorgeous page to. As Di says, this is fantabulous! Thank you SO much for sharing this beauty with us at SATW!

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  5. Arrgh! silly me, forgot entirely to congratulate you on your win and GDT spot over at 13@rts - WTG! xoxo

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  6. This is stunning, love the colors and the back ground details.. well done on your win and guest DT!!

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  7. This is so beautiful

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  8. Wow, Jelissa, this is Gorgeous!! love everything....Thanks for playing with us at Scrap Around The World!

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  9. Im new to your blog but I've really been enjoying your post and art. I love the poem you added at the end. Its so beautiful and the explanation is also. Favorite part is describing the spring morning from what was heard instead of just looking and seeing.

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  10. Such a gorgeous layout...that background & layering is fabulous! Congrats on your GDT spot, enjoy. Thanks for playing over @ TCR's Heart & Soul.

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  11. A beautiful master- piece. Stunning and clever use of colour and detail to high light your photo. Thank you for joining our challenge at SATW again this month.

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  12. This page so FABULOUS.
    The mix media, embeliis, all perfect.
    I loved so much.
    Thanks for playing TCR.
    Kisses

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  13. Thank you all so much for your kind words! xoxo

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  14. wowza this is soooooo stunning love IT !!!!!
    Thank you so much for playing along with us at Scrap Around the World.

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  15. Absolutely delightful dear Jelissa! Thank you so much for joining us at SATW again :_D

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  16. This is absolutely gorgeous Jelissa! Thanks for playing along this month at TCR.

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  17. Wow! This is stunning! Thanks for playing with us!

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  18. Just coming by again to say thanks for playing along with Heart And Soul Artists presented by the Color Room!

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  19. How beautiful layout!!! I love spring flowers. You have wonderfully combined SATW and TCR challenge :) Thank you for taking part in both xx

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  20. wooooow!! amazing!!! Thanks for playing TCR.

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  21. what a gorgeous laoyut!! thanks for playing along with us at TCR´s Heart & Soul!

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  22. Jelissa, what can I say...This is simply gorgeous!!! Thank you for playing with us at HeArt and Soul!

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  23. Stunning page Jelissa! Love it! Thanks for playing with us at TCR Heart & Soul!

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  24. BEAUTIFUL! Love all the detail! Thanks so much for playing along at Heart & Soul!!!

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  25. Stunning page all the details are gorgeus!!!!!Your background is so beautiful!!!!!!!!
    Tnaks for playing in the TCR HeArt and Soul!!
    Big hugs
    Cynthia

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  26. OMG it's so so so beautiful ! i really love your layout, with your work on the texture, and these colours are so sweet, thank you for joining us on TCR's heart&Soul !

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  27. This is really beautiful, congrats on your GDT spot with 13@rts too! Love it!x

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  28. Adored circles!))))) Your LO is very delicate and elegant!

    Thanks for joining us at TCR's Heart and Soul!

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  29. Oh wow what can I say.....it's just so beautiful!!! Love the gorgeous background Jelissa!! Toatlly inspiring! Thank you so much for sharing it with us at Scrap Around the World hugs Amy

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  30. Such a gorgeous LO - love your mixed media work!
    Thanks for playing along at TCR - HeART & Soul!

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