Christmas in July: Paint, Trends, Snow, and Ice

We are continuing to have a lot of hot-hot-hot weather here in Minnesota.  Sometime I feel like I'm melting!  Luckily, the last couple days have been a bit cooler, which has been a relief.

I'm continuing with my "Christmas in July" theme by blogging a pair of wintery layouts today.  A lot of the trends that are so popular at the moment work well for these snowy and icy designs.

Supplies: patterned paper (October Afternoon), cardstock (Bazzill), alphabet stickers (Simple Stories), blue border sticker (Bo Bunny), brown border sticker (Simple Stories), decorative stickers (Basic Grey), doily (Royal Consumer Products), faux brads (Candi by Craftworks Cards), pens (Zig), acrylic paint (DecoArt), glitter paint (Stickles by Ranger).

First up is a snow-related layout called "Walking in a Winter Wonderland."  Paints and inks are über-trendy at the moment--especially when used to create glittery splashes and drips.  For this layout, I employed my own variation on this trend.  I mixed together a dollop of white acrylic paint and a squirt of gold Stickles, then watered down the mixture until it reached a milky consistency.  I dripped the mixture onto my layout, and after it was dry it looked as if glittery white snow had fallen on my layout.  (You can see the glitter better in the closeups below.)

My second layout, "Making a Splash" (pictured below), celebrates the kings of winter--polar bears!  Using the "continuous" mode on my camera, I snapped these photos at Saint Paul's Como Zoo.  The bear in the photos is enjoying "enrichment," a type of playtime that keeps zoo animals stimulated and challenged.  He had an empty plastic barrel, which he pushed under the water.  When it popped back out of the water, it made a big splash.  The zookeeper explained that polar bears exhibit a similar behavior in the wild--they push chunks of ice under the water as part of the seal-hunting process.

Supplies: patterned paper (Lily Bee Design), journaling spot (Lawn Fawn), rub-on (My Mind's Eye), alphabet stickers (Lawn Fawn), faux brads (Candi by Craftworks Cards), pearlescent paint (Liquid Pearls by Ranger).

Grey is a trendy color for patterned papers at the moment, and it's also a great color to use on wintery pages.  Blue zigzags add to the feel of icy-cold, splashing water.  (All the papers I used on this layout come from Lily Bee's "Buttercup" collection.  The fact that a spring collection can also work for a winter layout is a testament to the versatility of Lily Bee products.)

Trendy paint also makes an appearance on my polar bear layout.  As you see from the closeups above, I dotted on Liquid Pearls paint to add interest and dimension to the rub-on flourish, the Candi & title, and the journaling box.

I hope to head to Como Park again soon.  The zoo is hosting two seals and a polar bear from the Duluth Zoo, and I'm eager to see these newcomers.  There is also a summer flower show going on at the conservatory.  I enjoyed sharing photos from the spring flower show with you, and I hope to get some more good photos at the summer show.

What kinds of activities have been keeping you busy lately?  Zoo trips?  Vacations?  Other adventures?  I hope you're having fun!