Gifting, Gifteroo!

I'm still madly crafting amidst all the holiday baking and get-togethers.  I have two more canvases that I made as gifts today. 

Ok, truth:  I made the first one and loved it so much that I made a second so that I could keep it all for myself.  *blush*

These were so super simple!  I used a couple of 12x12" canvases and put down a rough base coat.  All of the paint used for this project is Tim Holtz Distress Paint in the holiday 2013 collection.  You should definitely contact suzanne@flamingoscraps.com for a SUPER deal on special ordering these bad boys.  I really love this group of colors!!  The top canvas was rough coated with pumice stone and iced spruce, and the bottom canvas painted with evergreen bough.  I wanted just a little more distressing, so I added some bubble wrap stamping; on top, in evergreen bough and the bottom in ripe persimmon.  I let that mostly dry, and then used a ruler to sketch in a 2x2" grid.  I was going for a bit of a distressed look, so I didn't worry about making the lines even widths or even when the marker went through some damp paint.  I found this awesome quote (for those that don't know, I've been a professional studio/wedding photographer for just over 13 years now) and pulled out my Prima wood icons and played with them to determine placement.  I decided on one row of different colored cameras; love the contrast.  The cameras on the top canvas were painted with pine needles and aged mahogany, and the cameras on bottom with ripe persimmon and dusty concord.

I was going for a messy, distressed look, so I didn't worry about getting the paint even or completely covering the wood.  I'm sorry that these detail shots are a little blurry.  Michigan's been in the middle of a snow storm all weekend and I wasn't able to get very good light.  The typewriter font and ink are from my stash.

Thanks for looking, and I'll be back soon!

Baby in Fancy Pants

Have I ever mentioned that every time my husband hears me mention Fancy Pants he puts on his little girl voice and sings "Fancy Pants Unicorn, Fancy Pants Unicorn."  It was from some random cartoon we watched with the girls years ago, and it's stuck in his head.  Fancy Pants and Unicorns are forever linked in my head!

I've got another blast-from-the-past layout for you today.

This little cutie is now 10 years old, and about 4" shorter than moi. She's still that cute, though. ;)

I started with a sheet of kraft paper. I love the Fancy Pants Corrugated Paper, and decided to play with its texture a bit more by ripping it. LOVE! I have really been into layering lately, and used a few sheets from the Fancy Pants Collecting Moments 6x6 Paper Pad and the coordinating Brag Pad. I kept on with my ripping theme for one of the lower layer pieces. I liked how the color tied in with the ripped corrugated (see how I did that?) ;) All of the unripped paper edges were inked with a medium gray chalk pad.

(omg. Would you look at that baby face??)

I add some wood embellishments from Prima, Maya Road, Cosmo Cricket, and some teeny stars from my stash. I completed the layout with a gorgeous oval frame (Webster's Pages, something you might find in a Flamingo Scraps Combination or Embellishment Warehouse Box!) and some Thickers from my stash.

Thanks for looking, and I'll see you next time!

Sketch 14 at Simple Sketches

I really love Melissa's sketches.  Visit Simple Sketches weekly to see each new one!

 

Here's my take on #14:

 

 

I think the best part of sketches is that everyone can interpret them in their own way!  Please head over to the Simple Sketches Blog to see all of Team B's versions!

Was That REALLY Thirteen Years Ago?

Today, I've got a layout to share with you.

I guess I was feeling a little nostalgiac. My husband and I celebrated our thirteenth wedding anniversary this past October, and it's really hard to believe that we've been married that long (especially since I'm still only 25!) When I received Pink Paislee's Secret Crush line in my Flamingo Scraps Warehouse Sale Combination Box, I thought that maybe...just maybe...I'd finally get some wedding photos scrapped. Ok, here's my secret confession--I am TERRIFIED of scrapping my wedding photos. I do have the negatives, but they are medium format and it's becoming difficult to find a lab who can scan and/or print from medium format negatives. *sigh* Anywho, I decided to take the plunge and and I have to say that I'm really quite happy with how it came out.

I started out by fussy cutting the heart banner from another sheet of the Love Notes paper. I used pop dots to fix it to the paper on top of where the banner originally appeared. Then, I started inking and layering the Paper Good, Photo Frames, and Photo Tabs from the Secret Crush collection. I also used a small strip of the Polka Dance paper.

I finished by adding some Star Dust Stickles to the banner, a few letters and a wee little phrase from my stash, flowers from Prima, and Trinket Pins from Maya Road (all of which might be found in your very own Warehouse Sale Box! They are available in paper, embellishments, or a combination and are chock full of amazing scrappy value!)

I wish all of my American friends a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Thank you for looking, and I'll see you next time! :)

Simple Sketches #12 Reveal

I think my favorite part of being on a sketch team is seeing the many ways each sketch can be used.  I love reveals!
That being said, Sketch #12 is now live on the Simple Sketches blog, and here's my take on it:

I used a Crafter's Workshop 6x6 brick template with some modeling paste mixed with brown paint for my background.  There are some woven strips of pp behind the bricks, and I love how they peek out.  I pop-dotted the photos (regular adhesive wasn't going to work on top of that thick modeling paste!).  I added a few Heidi Swapp rub-ons and stickers (the words and hearts).  I needed a bit more color, so popped in a few strips of washi tape and painted my wooden title letters red.
Please share your take on Melissa's sketch, I would love to see what you've done with it.  Until next time!

My Littlest Love

I recently received part of a Hey Kid kre8v Kit by Pink Paislee. It is so much fun! There are so many cute pieces, and the patterns are so bright and trendy. It's perfect for my little girls!
I chose a photo of my littlest imp; it's one of my favorites because it just captured her 2-year-old self perfectly. She's sweet and sassy, and the mischevious little grin says it all. A complete list of supplies can be found at the end of the post.

I wanted a neutral base because the colors and patterns were so bright, but white, black, and kraft didn't seem right. I finally found this bluish-grey, and I think it's perfect. I fussy-cut along a line of circles in one of the sheets of patterned paper and layered cardstock stickers, another fussy-cut border, and some transparent arrow stickers over that. I didn't like the unrelieved grey, so I splattered a big of gesso on the left of the page. I love how gesso dries; it's solid white, like paint, but it maintains some dimension.
On the top left, I used more cardstock stickers, one of the cute chipboard pieces, and a cardstock speech bubble. I wanted a bit more dimension, so I added some stars and arrows from the Wood Charms by Cosmo Cricket and the Cork Shapes (Hearts & Stars, Arrows) by Fancy Pants.
Thanks for looking, and I can't wait to see you next time!

Products used:
Fancy Pants Cork Shapes, Hearts & Stars
Fancy Pants Cork Shapes, Arrows
Cosmo Cricket Wood Charms
Pink Paislee Hey Kid kre8v Kit
Basic Grey cardstock
ProArt Gesso
GlueDots
Tombo Mono Adhesive

Simple Sketches #10 Reveal

Today's the day, it's time for the latest Simple Sketch!  You can find the sketch, and all of the other fabulous interpretations on the Simple Sketches blog!

Here's my take on it:

 

 

This was pretty simple; I just played with photo size and placement until it fit the photos that I wanted to use.  Even when a sketch shows specific photo sizes, and you don't have those sizes printed, all you need to do is improvise!  :)

Thanks for looking, and I'll see you next time!