Introducing Simple Sketches

I'm very excited to be part of this awesome new sketch blog--Simple Sketches!
Melissa's sketches are designed to give you the basics without all the frills; so you have a blueprint for your page without having your hand held.
Not only am I excited about the blog, but also to be part of the Design Team!  There's nothing better than being able to work with friends on a new, exciting endeavor!
This is the layout I made with the sketch released for the Design Team call:

I combined some Heidi Swapp color resist chevron paper with some of her zig zag paper and used some Color Shine mists to put a pretty, subtle pop of color behind my photo.  I finished off with a fussy cut banner from a sheet of patterned paper and a few pieces of American Crafts chipboard.  There are also a few scraps of tulle (from the underskirt of the dress my daughter is wearing).  The larger photo is my favorite of this little one so far; I don't think it gets much better than this pout mixed with that posture and those cowgirl boots.  :)
Thanks for looking, and stay tuned for further adventures with me and Simple Sketches!

Christmas in July with Flamingo Scraps--Layouts!!

I chose to make a couple of scrapbook layouts with Christmas photos. I don't know about you guys, but I never seem to get my Christmas photos scrapped. I think the quantity is just overwhelming! So I thought I'd use this opportunity to scrap a few photos that I've had printed for ages! For both layouts, I used the Traditional Christmas kit from the Big Pink Bargain Bin, only adding a little Stickles and some Thickers. :)

We bake a lot of cookies every year, and the ones we make with the cookie press are always my daughter's favorites (although she prefers to eat the other kinds!).

 

I love to use a sheet of paper for a border, but hate the waste. My secret is that I cut out the center of the piece being used as a border. Here, I've added it back in as a kind of photo mat. Here's my other dirty little secret--I am a TERRIBLE journaler! I will add some in on the middle strip once I figure out how old these photos are. I added a border sticker, some of the cute chippies, a row of brads, and a title. This one was pretty simple and came together quickly once I'd decided what I wanted to do.

A few years ago (it was five, if you'd really like to know how long I've procrastinated for), my mom gave me an old photo to restore. I did the restoration artwork and printed out copies for mom and my aunt, uncle, and grandmother, but never did anything with my copy. I decided that this beautiful traditional kit was a perfect opportunity to scrap my vintage photo. I love this photo of my mom as a child! (and how about that wallpaper, with matching valance??)

 

 

I used a different border trick this time; I had about half a sheet of the red and white polka dot paper left from my canvas, but I really wanted this for a border. I cut 2" strips and glued them together to form a square, and then put my border punched sheet on top. I doodled around the page (I used a ruler on the straight sections). Simple embellishments, and a little Stickles, and I'm very happy to be able to add this to an album. :)

Thanks for reading, and many thanks to Flamingo Scraps for asking me to Guest Design for them this month.  :)

Christmas in July with Flamingo Scraps

Good morning!

 

I am honored to be part of  Flamingo Scraps' GDT for the month of July, and I look forward to sharing my Christmas projects with you and also seeing what the other designers will do next!

For my first project, I made a mixed media canvas. This project was inspired by Christy Tomlinson, and uses a 12x24 canvas.

 

For this project, I used the Traditional holiday kit from the Big Pink Bargain Bin, Color Shine mist in Teal, Mustard, and Sweet Cherry, Pink Paislee/Christy Tomlinson vintage doily mask, a little bit of white paint, some We R Memory Keepers baker's twine, Prima wooden accents, modelling paste, and lots of Mod Podge. There are also a couple of inexpensive paper doilies in there.

I don't really have a method to my madness, although I do like to start a canvas by laying down a few layers of paper (in this case, the Pink Paislee Collage sheets and the paper doilies). I used some Color Shine to tint my white paint and then used bubble wrap to apply it. I used modelling paste with the doily mask to create some fun texture, and then layered on A LOT of Color Shine.

 

Once I was happy with my background, I cut a few pieces of various green patterned papers in half (so I had 6x12" pieces) and started tearing my strips. I used various widths and didn't try to control my ripping very much. For each paper layer, I used Mod Podge to affix it, and then more on top to keep it down. I didn't wait for my background to dry, and I love how the paint and mists mixed into the Mod Podge on top of my tree layers.

 

Finally, it was time to embellish. I used Color Shine on the wooden embellishments and Mod Podge to hold down the twine. I waited until morning, when the canvas was dry, to attach the brads.

I hope you are inspired to make some Christmas decor of your own. There's nothing more fun than getting your fingers covered in paint and Mod Podge while your canvas comes to life!