Love this! with Made with Love

Hello friends!

Back in after a break with a canvas I created for my LSS Made With Love. I'm using the gorgeous Sanctuary collection from Blue Fern Studios and just enjoy playing with the deep rich colors.

For the canvas background, all I did was some simple stenciling and colored it with Distress Stain in Bundled Sage. I used some water to create a watercolor effect, so that the white of the canvas would not be too outstanding. To give some texture to break the monotony of using only papers, I tore some pieces of corrugated cardboard and layered them around.

Some close-ups:

A piece of Blue Fern Studios chipboard (Shabby Brick Bits) which I altered by (1) a layer of gesso, (2) a coat of Stone Effects Dimensional Medium from Art Anthology, followed by (3) sprinkling of Distress Embossing Powder in Faded Jeans from Rangers. This gave my chipboard a wonderful textured feel. 

Layering my flowers and a shabby trinket from Prima. 

My title piece (also from BFS), which I altered with black embossing powder. Finally when all is adhered, I added just a tiny bit of water to gesso and made splatters all over. Just remember to cover up your photo if you don't want any to get on it!

Supplies used (available from Made With Love):

Patterned paper, chipboard: Blue Fern Studios
Mediums: Rangers, Prima Marketing, Art Anthology, Tattered Angels (Bell Bottom Blue Glimmer Mist)
Flowers and embellishments: Prima Marketing

That's all I have for today, thanks for dropping by!

 love,

New! Deja Vu from Blue Fern Studios

Hello friends!

I'm in here today to share some great news. Blue Fern Studios has just released another gorgeous paper collection designed by Michele Singh and so aptly named "Deja Vu".

Here's an overview of the collection:

Is it not amazing? And together with the papers, BFS has also released matching stamps and chipboards. Check out the blog post here for more details.

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

love,
Jelissa

Feeling Blue with 13@rts

Hello friends! Hope you're having a nice warm weekend!

Today it's my turn on the blog to share a creation made from fabulous 13@rts products. Whenever I need inspiration, I look into my box and pick the colors that make me feel the happiest. For now, it's blue and I love the different shades of blue that you can find in the 13@rts store.

Here is my canvas, which is going to a very special friend.



My background is really simple with just one mask design which I applied modeling paste over. Then I misted with Pastel Blue and let the color run with a bit of water. When that is dry, I took a very old and frayed paintbrush and dabbed on Matte Paint in Cobalt Blue. Because of the shape of the bristles, I got a very beautiful effect from the brush strokes. Then it was finishing up with the Pearl Mist in Navy Blue using the same technique and running the color with water. So with just one single brush, I achieved both a water-color and "stamping brush" effect.

Now for close-ups:

My title chipboard from Blue Fern Studios was painted with Metallic Blue paint and I used my finger to dab on gesso randomly. 

Varying sizes of glass beads and microspheres for texture and patting on modeling paste to hold them together. 

Some alteration of the white flowers using the same mists and paints I used for my background.

That's all I have for you today. Have a great weekend!

love,

Happy with Maja Design

Hello friends, how has everyone been?

I'm up on the Maja Design blog today with a masculine layout for you.

But how masculine can I get when I use so much flowers? LOL. But colors can make all the difference and I'm using the idea of contrast to create this layout. Generally we all like to use neutral and light colored backgrounds for our projects but a dark background like black can give a very outstanding effect. To make my dark background more obvious, I backed it up with a sheet of grey paper from A Gift for You collection. And to make my dark paper even more distinct without the use of any mediums, I distressed the edges so that the white of the paper shows and forms a natural border.

Close-ups:

You can see more clearly some of the details I have in my mixed media background that added on to the contrast. I have subtle stamping in grey and bigger splatters of white ink. I also have gesso on the background but I didn't want the white from the gesso to be too stark, so I wiped it down for a more toned down look. And on that part of the white, I made splatters of black ink, and the Splash! acrylic ink from 13@rts is just perfect for this.

The layering of my papers also used very neutral colors in order for the dark background and the amount of work done on it to stand out. The only color I have is blue which I used to match the color of my boys' clothes (yes, their daddy is a boy too :D). My chipboards from Blue Fern Studios were embossed with two colors - metallic grey and black to match the tones of the whole page.

Keeping my embellishments simple and monotoned so that they don't steal the attention away from my background. Even my title was simple with just a little bit of texture on it.

I had used circles on my page to keep the whole theme and flow consistent, and I wanted some bigger circles to create a direction that moves across the page from the left to the right. These bigger circles have to stand out from the busy background, but not so much that it becomes too obvious. So instead of using stamped white embossing powder (which can be too bright), I stamped using white gesso instead. Some parts of the stamp design come out very clearly, some parts are less obvious so the overall effect is that it does not over-power the background.

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

 love, 

Simple pleasures with 13@rts

Hello friends!

How are all of you today? I'm excited for so many reasons - one of them being my first collection with 13@rts has just been released (yay!). You can find them in the store very soon, after we have revealed the rest of the new releases for this season. Here's a peak at it:



A collection, with my name on it! How cool is that! In time to come, I'll explain a little bit more about how this collection came about, but meanwhile, let's get on to my post on the 13@rts blog today. This time I finally found the energy for a layout and it's one of my eldest and his papa when he was just a few months old. 

This was created with the Cozy Evening collection (Hot Chocolate edition) - the browns and beige are very therapeutic and soothing for some reason and I just have to use it for this sweet picture of the both of them. To add on more color in my background, I first created a soft background wash with matt paints in Peach and Caramel, followed by the darker Pearl Mist (Brown) and Chalk Mist (Dark Brown).

Some close-ups:

I kept my layering to a minimum this time, focusing on the textures I can create with modeling paste, glitter strips, microspheres and glass beads. The chipboard (from Blue Fern Studios) I altered with a mix of gel medium and distress glitter.

I altered the leaves by applying a mixture of medium and glitter strips, then sealing it with a layer of liquid medium.

After everything is almost dry, I touched up with drips of Chalk Mist (Dark Brown) and Pearl Mist (Brown), as well as splatters of Splash! acrylic ink in both Black and White.

This is all I have for now, thank you for dropping by! 

Love is All You Need with Maja Design

Hello Maja fans!

I'm in today to share a card I created using the gorgeous Nyhavn collection. It's a quick card that uses just one sheet of patterned paper. It's so simple, you can apply the same tips to any card or project if you don't have the entire day for crafting.

Here is my card:

For this card, I've used both sides of the "Romantic Lunch" sheet of paper. What I did was to use the neutral grey side as a base for the card, and layered it with the patterned and colored reverse side. It is from this colored side that I drew the colors for the chipboards, embellishments and background. 

Some close-ups:

I have two chipboard designs here - the smaller flourish I left nude because there was already enough color on the card. The second chipboard with more flourishes and flowers was colored with Inktense color pencils, and bled with a small wet brush. I also distressed the edges of my layered paper with black paint using my finger. 

While the colored side of "Romantic Lunch" already has a beautiful palette, more details can be added. I patted on gesso randomly, followed by mists in various purples and pinks. The effect is a subtle yet vibrant background.

To add the last few touches, I had a canvas frill with pearl strings running under my floral cluster. 

And this is all I have for today. Thank you for dropping by, and have a good day ahead!

Favourite Memory with Love Story

Hello friends!

I'm sneaking a little something extra mid-week for treats. This project was created with the awesome Love Story collection from Blue Fern Studios, and the papers have really made me explore colors outside of my comfort zone - namely red and black.

Here's the layout:

This is one of my favourite photos of eldest because he just looks so chubby and sweet. The photo was taken during our family trip in Taiwan when I was 6 months preggers with no. 2 and eldest was being such a good traveller. Even with his routine disrupted, he was good natured throughout the trip and on his best behavior. Even now when we travel with the two of them, they have proven themselves to be rather co-operative.

But back to the layout. I just adore the black papers (Amazing Heart) in this collection and had to use it for a background when I laid eyes upon it. I also wanted more texture here so I used a few different types of pastes on top of the acrylic primer from 13@rts. Then I sealed in some beads of different sizes with liquid medium. To soften the glare of the white gesso, I used my pink Pan Pastel over everything for a softer cast. Then it was on to a technique that I have not used for awhile - splattering.  Lots of it. And I used the lovely Texture Stamp set (hooray!) for some really subtle details in the background.

I also wanted to keep my paper layers neutral with all the colors in the embellishments and background, so I kept to the beige tones and the black and white designs (Sweet Song, Concerto).

Some close-ups:

One of Blue Fern Studios' chipboards (Buttons and Bows) that I altered. Realised that I have not used my Dazzlerz and Texturez for awhile now so out those came. For the flowers, I used fibre paste and colored them with a mixture of Primary Elements and Inklingz.

Layering of trinkets, flowers and die cut leaves. 

One of the most tedious titles I've ever done. Note to self - think before acting. I had a Technique Tuesday stamp set with this quote but this little smart alec wanted to be different and use a combination of Thickers and stamping for a title. Do the stamping and embossing first you say? Didn't get the memo. And glued down the Thickers before I thought of the otherwise. The result was a most painful process of aligning words and making sure the EP doesn't get everywhere.

Never doing this again. 

Love the mix sized beads, pastes and string.

Tattered diamonds chipboard which I also repeated the design in my stamping. It was first a layer of black EP followed by black lava from Liquitex. Couldn't resist using the canvas cloth frills again.

So that's all I have for today, thanks for dropping by. Come back tomorrow to check out a new card I created!

love,

Bring your sunshine and a new moodboard for Scrap Around the World

Hi there everyone!

A new month means a new challenge over at Scrap Around the World! This month, we have the amazing Terhi Koskinen with her minimalist mood board. I must admit I struggled a fair bit with this one because and as I was telling my team mates, it felt like 2 days of labour just to get it out. Going simple and clean is not exactly me, but I'm glad I'm challenged to do something different!

Before I show my sample, here is the moodboard, the rules of the challenge and the prizes that you stand to win this month, courtesy of our very generous sponsors:

This year we are wowing you with TEN merit-based prizes each month as well as

 ONE random prize PLUS a Followers Competition Prize too! 

12 PRIZES EVERY MONTH!!

WE ARE ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR FOLLOWERS/FACEBOOK/COMPETITION

 PRIZESso anyone looking to promote their products please get in touch with us 

via our Scrap Around The World Facebook page INBOX.  

Not only that, but we also offer a Guest Designer Position to our

winner each month too, which comes with plenty of exposure

in your own special post as well as an exclusive GD badge.

Please remember that in order to be eligible for our random prize each 

month you do need to share your project on our Facebook Wall.

FOLLOW OUR OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE HERE.

FOLLOW US ON PINTEREST HERE

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM HERE

-------------------------------------

LIKE COMMENTS?  TURN OFF WORD VERIFICATION PLEEEEASE!!

 -------------------------------------

This is REVEAL ONE.  We now have a MID-MONTH REVEAL that goes LIVE

 on the 16th with another full set of inspiration from the other half of our team!

ALL OUR PRIZES ALWAYS INCLUDE FREE INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE!!





1ST PRIZE

$50 worth of product from UmWowStudio!
IMAGE BELOW IS A SELECTION OF THEIR PRODUCTS

UmWowStudio is an innovative embellishment company located in

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

 their 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 journaling & more!

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

HERE!  Follow our boards on Pinterest HERE & Youtube HERE!!

--------------------------------

2ND PRIZE

$35 worth of product from 13@rts

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 are welcome!

Follow us on Instagram HERE, Twitter HERE & Facebook

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

---------------------------------

3RD PRIZE

OVER $30 worth of product from 7 Dots Studio!

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, 6x6 pads, collection kits, chipboard & stencils.

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 is 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}.

-----------------------------

4TH PRIZE

$25 worth of CHIPBOARD from 2Crafty Chipboard
{not exactly what is shown below but a GREAT selection!}

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 personalized 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

$20 gift certificate from Creative Embellishments!

Creative Embellishments is a family-owned company, established in
September 2013, by Michael & Nicole Kramer, a husband & wife
 team, who design & produce unique, high-quality chipboard, 
wood, rubber stamps & flairs.

Their mission is to offer fun & inspiring products that can be added to

 any project to bring out your inner creativity!  In the near future they will 
be expanding into other media such as acrylic products, stencils, etc!

 They custom cut for individual orders & have a wholesale shop for stores, 
kit clubs & orders for classes.  Find their website HERE ! If you have a

store sign up for their wholesale  division HERE . Check out their
blog  HERE  & follow them on Instagram HERE  & YouTube HERE.
GIVE THIS FANTASTIC NEW COMPANY YOUR SUPPORT!!

--------------------------------

6TH PRIZE

$15 worth of product from Studio75
{Exactly as shown below}

Studio75 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!

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7TH PRIZE

15 Euros worth of product from Scrap-Unlimited
{you will receive a surprise selection of BEAUTIFUL goodies!}

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 & steampunk 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.

Wholesale website HERE.

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8TH PRIZE

15 EURO 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!

---------------------------

9TH PRIZE

17.50 Euros worth of products from Danafix, France.
{Choose your set of 5 + 1 copics HERE!} 

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!

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10TH PRIZE 

{Always sponsored by the SATW Design Team}

$40 worth of product courtesy of our very generous
design team member Tiphanie BARBREAU!

Prize consists of TWO full packs of Stazons (pumpkin & vibrant violet), Basic Grey flair stickers, full pack of Basic Grey layered stickers, AND a set of watercolor pencils!!

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RANDOM PRIZE

Scrapbook kit from SCRAPS OF ELEGANCE KIT CLUB
Random Winner will always receive last month's kit
from Scraps of Elegance, valued at a whopping $36.95!!

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!!!

------------------------------------------


FOLLOWERS COMPETITION PRIZE

TO WIN OUR FOLLOWERS COMPETITION YOU NEED TO BE AN OFFICIAL 
BLOG FOLLOWER - TO DO THIS SIGN UP SO YOUR THUMBNAIL IMAGE
APPEARS IN OUR GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT FOLLOWERS GADGET 
RIGHT AT THE TOP OF OUR LEFT HAND SIDEBAR.

It looks like this...

THEN YOU NEED TO COMMENT ON ANY OF OUR BLOG POSTS THIS MONTH!

ONE WINNER PER MONTH WILL BE CHOSEN FROM OUR BLOG COMMENTERS

BUT FIRST WE WILL CHECK THAT YOU ARE ALSO AN OFFICIAL FOLLOWER!

THIS IS A WAY TO WIN WITHOUT EVEN ENTERING OUR CHALLENGE!

SIMPLY BY SHOWING YOUR SUPPORT & COMMENTING!!

SaCrafters offers variety of chipboard,sturdy wood products (suitable for mixed media), 

stencils, embellishments& alterable items.  We cut our own product to ensure great quality

 & affordable prices! . Every month we come out with exciting new products, perfect for

 scrapbooking, card making, mini album making, mixed media & altered projects.

 If you would like to customize your order, please feel free to contact us via our Facebook 

page.  Visit our blog, Youtube channel, Facebook page, & Facebook group (a community 

full of amazing crafters) to share your creativity & be inspired!  Shop our store HERE!!

The deadline for this challenge is  23.55 EST on TUESDAY 31th MARCH 2015.

And here is my take on the challenge:

I was inspired mostly by the colors teal and yellow, the word "Sunshine" and the twine. Lego is my boys' favourite toy so that led me to scrap about them (like I need an excuse). Not many layers here because it has to be minimalist (for me at least), but I still spent quite a bit of effort on my background building up the light airy feel I wanted.

Some close-ups:

My so-simple cluster - made up of old bits from my stash of MME products. Havn't used those in about 2 years!

Texture fun here - mixing beads of different sizes. For the yellow dew drops, I used a mix of Vivid Yellow and silver glitter paint from 13@rts to adhere the dew drops.

A piece of chipboard from Blue Fern Studios which I have painted black and used some yummy Liquitex black lava paste over, thanks to my friend Yvonne.

So that's all I have for now, thanks for dropping by! And remember to stop by the blog for more inspiration from the DT!

love,