Donuts, Tea, Stitching, & Fabric

ETA--this layout was featured on the Needle~Thread~Cloth blog!
 

Supplies: background cardstock from The Paper Company; assorted kraft cardstock scraps from Neenah Paper; cream cardstock from Pulp; all patterned paper from Crate; doily from Royal; Distress Stain & marker from Ranger; all thread from DMC; lavender & garnet inkpads from Clearsnap; gold inkpad from Tsukineko; aida cloth from Charles Craft; heart tag & canvas strips from Canvas Corp.; bee tag from Basic Grey; alphabet stickers from October Afternoon; tulle from Wyla; felt, lace, & garnet ribbon from my stash; all gold trim from  Scrapbook Fantasies; ribbon rosette from Berwick Offray; mouse stamp from PSX; flower stamp from Leavenworth Jackson; journaling pens from Zig.

Hello, everyone!  I had two little pieces of tea-dyed fabric left over from my "Medicine Garden" layout, so I used them to create a scrapbook page called "Donuts."

"Donuts" uses the Color Room palette #156 (shown above), a combination of light pink, light lavender, gold, and garnet.  I am also entering this layout in the Needle~Thread~Cloth August challenge, where the prompt is to use stem stitch and something related to tea.  Furthermore, I'm also entering "Donuts" in Berry71Bleu's August challenge, where the prompt is to use textiles to create texture.  Let me show you a few detail shots of my layout, so that you can see how I have incorporated all these prompts: textiles, stem stitch, and tea...

I began my layout by constructing a a collage as the background.  Collage is always a nice way to use up leftover paper scraps.  I also used a white Distress Marker to trace around a paper doily scrap to add interest to the collage.

Paper alone would be a bit monotonous in a collage, so I also glued down strips of pink and lavender tulle.

Using a garnet inkpad and a bit of unfinished macramé that I'd lost interest in, I stamped around the edges of my collage for a bit of texture.

I added more texture by stamping with a scrap of aida fabric (cross stitch canvas) and gold ink.

With my background complete, it was time to assemble the foreground.  I anchored my photos in the upper left hand corner with a quarter of a paper doily (the same one that I traced around earlier with a white pen).  This doily was lightly rubbed with lavender ink and loosely stitched to stamped patterned paper using gold thread.

I added layers below both of my photos.  In addition to paper layers, I also added ribbons, thread, and even the outer wrapper from a tea bag!

I also added reproduction sewing pattern pieces, plus lace that was lightly rubbed with Distress Stain.  I think that layering these small bits and bobs beneath the photos adds depth and character to the page.

Above you see the canvas strips, which were dyed with blackberry tea.  The lower strip also has some splashes of Distress Stain on it.   A tea bag hang-tag, swiped with lavender ink, dangles above these canvas strips.

For my title, I recolored a pre-made heart tag with Distress Stain, embroidered around the edge, and added a bit more aida cloth stamping.

This title tag is where I did the required stem stitching.  This was my first time doing stem stitch, and it took three tags before I got it right.  (Good thing I bought a multi-pack of those text-print heart tags!  They are from Canvas Corp.)

I used gold trim to embellish both the title tag and the "be happy" tag.  These gold trims are from a pre-coordinated pack from Scrapbook Fantasies.

As a final touch, I sewed a felt pinwheel embellishment and tacked a ribbon rosette to its center.

Now, if you have been wondering why my husband is pictured with juice, instead of a donut, on this page, the journaling will explain the reason.  It has to do with Scott's gluten allergy.  The journaling reads: "Any date with Scott is wonderful, but this trip to the donut café was especially meaningful.  He can't eat donuts, but he knows how much I love them, so he took me to the café anyway.  I would do the same type of thing for him."  I don't have any serious food allergies, but I have been known to accompany my husband on shopping trips to the hardware store, simply because he enjoys it so much (even thought it's not really my thing).  

Thanks for visiting my blog today.  I hope that my layout, with all its textiles and tea-references (not to mention its somewhat lovey-dovey journaling), gave you a warm, fuzzy feeling.  :)