Saturday, June 1, 2013

Scrap for Help June Reveal

Welcome to June...and to the Scrap for Help reveal.  Your mission this month, should you choose to accept it, is to upcycle wood or twigs on your project.  You can make a layout, a card, an OTP project...anything!
 
Supplies: alphabet paper, blue floral paper, journaling block, & ruler sticker from Basic Grey; purple floral paper, striped paper & cut-apart blocks from Graphic 45; alphabet stickers from October Afternoon; paint from Ranger; tape from 3M/Scotch; buttons & heart charms from Olla Podrida; thread from DMC; collage-making software by walgreens.com; upcycled book page, fabric, lace, & ribbon; twig found on sidewalk.  :)

I made a layout, called "Every Year," which includes a twig.


I had my photos printed as a collage, which is something I do frequently.  It saves a little bit on ink and paper and makes it easier to create a multi-photo layout.  I use walgreens.com, but many photo services offer this option.


Do you love to read?  I do!  On this layout, I wrote about my favorite book: "Since I was a little girl, my favorite book has been A Little Princess, and I re-read it every year.  As a literary scholar, I can enjoy it on many levels: the lush text, the implied social criticism, etc.  And as a human, I can enjoy this yearly little dose of 'happily ever after.'  I love happy endings."

Ugh, I'm not sure why I used the phrase "as a literary scholar"--it sounds a bit pretentious!  I should have just written "as an English teacher."  Oh well, it's written in pen, so it's too late to change it now.  Moving on... :)


It was easy to incorporate the twig into my design.  To flatten it slightly, I pressed it under two dictionaries for a few days.  After pressing the twig, I glued it to an old book page.  Once the glue dried, I ripped away most of the paper, leaving just a thin "mat" under the twig.  On my layout, this embellishment symbolizes growth through reading.  The twig represents the growth, and the book page represents the reading.


In my layered design, I also used some fabric scraps from old clothing.  So, this page has a lot of upcycled elements.


I also handmade two other embellishments for my layout.  These embellishments are made from vintage heart charms, which are suspended from little cones of lace, which are in turn suspended from vintage buttons.  It's fun to create a one-of-a-kind look with vintage and handmade pieces.


I hope you will consider playing along with our challenge this month.  You have until the end of June to submit your entries on the Scrap for Help blog.  Happy scrapping!

15 comments:

Svjetlana said...

Fabulous page, love all up cycling on it.

ANUPAMA CHOUDARY said...

Love the book page mat under the twig and your being a 'literary scholar':)Totally justified, I must say! Great upcycling ideas, Denise.

Angi Barrs said...

Super creative page. Love it.

Salla said...

So many creative ideas in this layout, Denise! I, too, love the Little Princess, and I also like that you said "a literary scholar"! I think it's exciting to know what professions my fellow crafters have, and why not give some respect to your education!

Also a very good idea to print the photos as a ready collage.

Last but not least, thanks for your encouraging comments on my Viva Las VegaStamps DT Tryout post!

Patricia said...

What a beautiful choice of colors.. it is so fresh.. Lile this !
kisses
Patricia

Lisa Rukin Swift said...

This is my new favorite page of yours, Denise. Love how you added the twig and highlighted it with the paper behind it too.

Carol L said...

Your layouts always leave me amazed with all the detail you put into them! I LOVE the colors on this page, along with the great photos! The twig looks perfect and so does that little heart charm!! NJ!

Unknown said...

What a pretty page!! I love the happy colors and your layering is wonderful!

Huaína Kélvia said...

Beautiful page!!!

fairyrocks said...

Fun Challenge, wish I had more time to play. So, you are a litterary scholar. How great is that!!. We should scrap the things of childhood. Our world is changing so fast. Keep smiling and creating, thanks for popping by.
PS...I think my first box of crayons was the old 8 pack LOL
We've come a long way since then.

Denise van Deventer said...

Great page Denise and love the twig and the gorgeous papers! I love your journalling! I also love to read...but "time" is the problem! ;-)

Lynette Jacobs said...

Wow...you really know how to upcycle and put your colors together...this looks amazing.

Mary Jo said...

Very pretty colors and I love how you incorporated the twig!
Yes, I am definitely a reader! Love Jane Eyre. And too funny about your journaling. It is my least favorite part about scrapbooking only because I am always messing it up!
I find typos on my pages even after checking and double checking. Drives me nuts! (lol)

Denise Price said...

Oh yes, I love _Jane Eyre_! Like _The Little Princess_, it has the whole "rags to riches" thing going on. And, of course, the "happily ever after." :)

jeanie g said...

Beautiful and creative page Denise. So many ideas here and I'm loving the twig with the book page shadow.