Sacre Coeur

                Still reaping the benefits of a rainy weekend with no soccer games scheduled...

      I was looking at different sketch challenges this weekend and found this one at Let's Capture These Sketches.

     This looked like a fun sketch and offered the opportunity to use more than one picture.

 Here was my take on it. My Husband took me to Paris in April for my 40th birthday. The first day there we visited Sacre Couer. The sky was this brilliant blue and the church just seemed to stand out. It was absolutely beautiful.

  I used Fab Scraps Heritage for my patterned paper and misted it with Latte glimmer mist by Tattered Angels. I used some old rub ons for my flourishes and added some Prima flowers and trinkets.

  Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

LLama Love

Double posting today as I'm having fun creating on a rainy Saturday.

   The sketch for this week's challenge at Stuck On U Sketches is a fun one. Perfect for layering and journaling. I usually don't write very much on my layouts but with this sketch it encourages you to tell the story not just with pictures but words too.


   This was my take on the sketch

   I used the Swirlydoos August kit. The muted colors in the kit were the perfect choice for this picture.
My husband took the kids to a friend's llama farm this summer. There were a bunch of newborns when they went and the kids immediately fell in love. Despite all the food the kids brought with them the little one still need to wear a hat. The llamas were as interested in eating her braids as they were in eating the carrots.

Ordinary Moments

    So many of the pictures I take revolve around events that are happening in our lives. Sometimes though I try and remember to just catch the ordinary. Where nothing is going on, no sports no holiday, no travel. Just the day to day things that occur. I forget that these are as important, if not more so, and need to be documented just as much.
  A while ago the 2 younger ones were just hanging out in the driveway, blowing bubbles and eating crackers. They were actually getting along (which maybe means I should change the title because that is most definitely NOT ordinary) and just hanging out.

  I used a Crafter's Workshop stencil to create the background. All supplies are from Swirlydoos kits and this layout was seen in the June issue of Scrapbook News and Review.

 Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Glass Blowing in Venice

    While we were in Italy this summer we attended a glass blowing demonstration in Venice. It was amazing. We walked into this small room with a big fire going. Within minutes the man who was doing the creating had not only made a vase with handles but then went on to do this amazingly intricate horse. Everyone in the room was spell bound.
 
    My 12 year old daughter immediately said that "THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO". Then she watched some more and realized how profusely he was sweating (standing over a fire will do that to a person) and immediately changed her mind. She'll just watch someone else do it instead, oh to be 12.
 If you are ever able to go someplace and see them working like this DO IT. It is amazing the detail they can show and how quickly a true master of the craft can work.

  I was sad at the end though. After allowing us to take all sorts of pictures of the finished pieces they threw them back into the fire to remelt them for the next demonstration.


  This layout was created for the Inspirations sketch challenge at Swirlydoos.  The background was dry brushed with gesso then misted with Lindy's Stamp Gang Moonshadow mist. The pattern paper is all Prima and the flowers are Petaloo. The current Swirlydoos kit was used.

  Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Make a Wish

   I love the monthly challenges over at Scrapping Everyday Miracles. I try to do as many of them as I can time permitting. This layout is for the sketch challenge for the month of September. The sketch was provided by Shimelle and is a fairly easy one open for lots of interpretation.

  I used supplies from a recent Swirlydoos kit to create my layout. The pic is of my middle daughter throwing a coin into Trevi Fountain and making her wish while on vacation in Rome this summer. The twist to the sketch challenge was use a mixed font in your title. I used several different chipboard alphabets and to tie them all together covered them with Prima ink and clear embossing powder.
I wish I knew what she wished for, but as the astute 12 year old pointed out..."MOM, if I told you it would never come true!"

  Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Only You

   I found this pic on my daughter's camera and had to use it. For some reason her sister will pose for her but not for me, go figure.

  All the paper is from 7 Dots Studio. I swear I love this paper so much I've bought it in triplicate. The stencils behind are from Crafter's Workshop and I used some black Dylusions mist through them on top of a bit of gesso.
Some pieces of Washi tape are all that is needed to finish it off.

This was featured in the May issue of Scrapbook News and Review.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Work in progress

  Sharing a work in progress with one of my resist techniques from the upcoming
            Resist This: A Class All About Resists over at The Art Studio. The background was created using one of the 18 techniques I share with you over the course of 2 weeks. If you don't want to make a canvas, then no worries, I share techniques for scrapbook layouts, cards, tags and ATC's as well. There is something for everyone in the class.

 Come on by and check it out. While there make sure to  check out all the other classes being offered as well. There is a lot of creating going on over there.

 Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Find your way

   Of all my girls I worry about my middle one the most. She is always so worried about what others think of her and what she is doing. I did this up to reassure her that it's all good. If she keeps going in the direction she's going no one will be able to stop her.

  I used paper and stickers from 7 Dots Studio with a bit of Lindy's Stamp Gang mist spattered around. The picture of her is really dark and you can see more of her profile rather than details which fit the look well.

This was featured in the May issue of Scrapbook News and Review.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Resist This!!!!!

                                   Do you want to learn how to make everything you see here?

   I have a new class starting October 1 over at The Art Studio called
               Resist This: A class all about Resists. 
Through the 2 weeks you'll learn 18 resists techniques using supplies from your craft room and the rest of the house. Each lesson has downloadable PDF step by step  instructions, full supply list, and step by step video. I'll not only show you each technique but how to incorporate it into whatever papercrafting medium you choose.

  Whether you are a scrapbooker, card maker or mixed media artist there is something for you in the class. You'll have not only step by step instructions but many finished pieces to inspire you even further.

  See you soon over at The Art Studio and while you are there browse around a bit and see all the other wonderful classes soon to be offered. It's going to be a fun time.

Have a great day!

Happy Girls

   Sometimes you don't need to add a lot to a layout. The picture says it all.
Here I did a bit of distressing and stamping with bubble wrap on the background. A flower from Webster's Pages and some flourishes by Prima and it's done.

This layout was featured in The May issue of Scrapbook News and Review.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Crazy Friends

                                          A recent 2 page spread for a friend's art journal.

  I count myself blessed that I am so lucky to have found as many friends in the art world as I have. Many started out solely as online relationships but over the years have developed to in person ones as well. I so look forward to anytime I can meet and spend time with them. And yes, they are a tad bit crazy, but that's what I love so dearly about them.

  This page started out on a piece of watercolor paper covered with torn pieces of an old map. A thin layer of gesso wash brushed over followed by stencils, Chalkboard mist, Lindy's Stamp Gang mist, Acrylic ink, stamping, and more stenciling.

  Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Walls

   I recently taught a class on how to use Modeling Paste on any project over at The Art Studio.

Throughout the 2 weeks I showcased how modeling paste can be used on scrapbook layouts, tags, cards and art journal pages.
  This is one of the samples I made using it on  an art journal page.

I found the quote from my favorite quote source nowadays...Pinterest. Reminding myself that I am the only one who holds me back.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Chance

     My mixed media entry for the SwirlyGirls Challenge over at Swirlydoos.
For mine I did a 2 page spread in a friend's art journal. Watercolor paper covered with a layer of sewing pattern tissue paper. A thin layer of Gesso over it all. I took my new favorite stencil by Plaid and rubbed Turquoise Phthalo acrylic paint though it using my fingers. Once it was dry I sprayed all over using Chalkboard mist by Tattered Angels, and added water to make it a bit runny.
 Dried again and dripped white Liquitex Acrylic ink down in spots.

I stamped using Pink Paislee and Prima stamps with StazOn stone grey and jet black ink. My flowers are cut from an old piece of Creative Imaginations paper and then after distressing covered with Clear Rock Candy Stickles. The butterflies are from Petaloo. The quote was written using tiny letters from Pink Paislee.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Play

   I missed the deadline for the sketch challenge at Scrapping Everyday Miracles but this is the layout I created using the sketch.

  This is at a playground in Krefeld, Germany. I love when we travel that we always stumble upon the most amazing playgrounds. This one was no exception, in fact it was probably the best one ever. Huge with lots of stuff that is forbidden on US playgrounds the kids spent hours playing. They kicked off their shoes and dug their toes into the sand and had an absolute blast. They were most definitely sorry when it was time to go.
  That bit of play time refreshed everyone and had them eager to see more sights the next day.

I also combined this sketch challenge with the monthly scrapbooking challenge over at PAO. This month you needed to use at least 3 patterned papers on your layout OR alter chipboard. Overachiever that I am I did both.
  My patterned paper is from Fab Scraps and Basic Grey. My stars are grungebord that I painted with acrylic paint, stamped on then covered in UTEE.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Journey

  

More playing with Gesso today. As I had said I'm taking Kate Koch's Gesso class over at The Art Studio. I love using gesso and it's always on my desk but the ideas she is providing are just awesome.

I started messing around in my art journal with in and wound up using it several ways on this page. It's a base, and adhesive and several other ways (check out the class seriously).

Golden acrylic paint was painted through a Plaid bubble stencil. Once dry the paper was sprayed with Chalkboard mist by Tattered Angels and then water to lighten it up. Liquitex Acrylic ink was dripped down after.

The stamps are new ones I just picked up at Michaels made by Hampton Arts for 7 Gypsies. At $3.99 a pop I bought every design. I cut my heart out of cardboard, painted with gesso and rubbed distress ink on it. The word is a rub-on I found laying on my desk.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.