Togetherness (SATW & T-Tues & B71B)

Hello, everyone!  Today I have a single-photo layout called "Togetherness" to share with you.  About the photo I wrote this journaling: "It doesn't show where we are...  It doesn't show what we did...  Funny, but this is my favorite picture from vacation.  It shows the love between son and father.  Duluth 2013."  I wanted to create a special layout to showcase this special photo, so I ended up drawing inspiration from three different sources.

Supplies: black cardstock from Pioneer; B/W dotted paper & gold argyle paper from Vintage Street Market: starry paper from Jillibean Soup; gold tone-on-tone ticket paper from Echo Park; tiny alphabet stickers & pre-made gold die cuts from Lily Bee; negative heart stickers & gold paper banner from Simple Stories; stamps, ledger paper, & lavender dotted paper from My Mind's Eye; tickets from Jenni Bowlin True Vintage; die & cutting machine from Ellison; larger alphabet stickers from October Afternoon; upcycled postage stamps, envelope fragment, & bubble wrap; watercolor paint from Angora; acrylic paint from Deco Art; Distress Stickles, Liquid Pearls, Distress Marker, & crackle glaze from Ranger; thread from DMC; assorted colored pencils; Crayola crayons; stamping ink from Hero Arts; ribbon from Scrapbook Fantasies; colored staples from Target.

First, I was inspired by the mood board from Scrap Around The World.  I especially liked the black and white image of the child clinging to an adult's hand.  This is what inspired my photo choice for this layout.  It also inspired me to convert my photo to black and white before printing it.  I think black and white photography conveys a timeless, sentimental feeling--perfect for this page.

image source: http://scraparoundtheworld.blogspot.com/2013/09/september-2013-challenge-5-bold-graphic.html

I decided not to limit my layout to a black and white palette, though.  I thought that my B&W photo would stand out more if it were matted on colored paper.  I drew color inspiration from a box of (yummy!) jasmine tea.  I loved the watery blueish purples and the smudgy green-golds of the artwork on the box, so I used these colors on my page.

For design inspiration, I used the September sketch from Berry 71 Bleu.
 

image source: http://berry71bleu.blogspot.com/2013/09/september-challenge-sketch-plus-mixed.html

This month Berry 71 Bleu is also requiring participants to use mixed media in their projects.  Here are some detail shots of my mixed media work on this page:

stamping with green acrylic paint and bubble wrap

wax resist borders with crayons & watercolor paint

adding shading & detail with colored pencils

masking with alphabet stickers & Distress Marker

stenciling with Distress Stickles (chunky glitter glue) & negatives left over from used stickers

stamping with archival ink

crackle glaze edging on photo (tinted with watercolor paints)

And that's about it!  Now that we've examined all the little details on the photo, I'll close with an image of the whole layout, to refresh your memory.  Take care and have a great day!

All About Autumn (OBW + T-Tues + OUAS)

Fall colors!  Cinnamon!  Apples!  Oh, and did I mention fall colors?  :)  Sigh.  I love this time of year; it's my favorite season. Autumn officially began here on Sunday, and I'm dedicating this post to all things autumn, while linking up with three different parties.

First up, I'm submitting the above photo to Our Beautiful World, a photography blog that is open to all.  Their theme this week is "Fall (Autumn) Where You Are."  I chose this photo because it shows all the different colors of leaves that we have in the fall in Minnesota.  This is just a random maple tree in my neighborhood that I photographed a couple years ago.  We have a lot of maples around here, and I go a crazy with my camera when all the fall colors start to appear.  I chose this particular shot, out of all the zillions of maple photos that I've taken over the years, because it shows so many different colors all on one tree.

Next up, I'm also linking up with T for Tuesday on Elizabeth's blog.  To play along on T Day, all you have to do is show anything tea- or beverage-related.

Today for T-Day I'm showing you a delicious autumnal drink that my husband Scott and I recently discovered at a place called Silverwood Cafe.  The drink is called black apple cider, and you can see Scott with a cup of it in the photo below.  It's spiced apple cider with a shot of blackberry syrup--yum!  We had it iced, but it would be good as a hot drink, too.

Last but not least, I'm linking up with Once Upon a...Sketch today, with an autumn-colored scrapbook page about my husband's grandmother.  I used the sketch below, but flipped it to suit my photo.

Here is my layout.  I think you will be able to see how I incorporated the colors of autumn--the deep burgundy of the black apple cider, as well as the green, brown, gold, and scarlet of the maple tree--in my composition.
 

Supplies: background paper from Kaisercraft; journaling card, alphabet stickers, flair badge, & banner paper from October Afternoon; decorative cards from  Simple Stories; milk caps & ticket from Jenni Bowlin True Vintage; all other patterned paper from Authentique; stamps from My Mind's Eye; ink from Hero Arts; fabric upcycled from old jeans; thread from Singer; heart punch from All Night Media; corner punch from Creative Memories; zigzag punch from EK Success; ribbons from Scrapbook Fantasies; paperclips from Staples; paint from Ranger.

My layout is called "Muzzy," which was the nickname that my husband and his brother gave to their grandmother.  (Longtime readers of my blog may remember, from previous layouts that I have posted, that they called their grandfather, in turn, "Gump."  I think these nicknames are so original and cute.)  

The journaling theme this month at OUAS is "lucky."  With this in mind, I wrote on my layout: "Scott was lucky to grow up so close to his grandmother, Muzzy.  She was a woman of many talents: farmer, lay minister, excellent cook, talented embroidery artist, champion checker player, and loving grandma."  I never knew Muzzy, but I have heard a lot about her over the years.  It meant so much to me to make this tribute page about her for Scott.

Since Muzzy was a farmer, I added a lot of country/homespun touches, from the chicken badge to the homemade yo-yos.

I also included some vintage items, and I tore and distressed some of my paper scraps, for a "heritage" look.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  I am happy that I got the chance to share a taste of autumn, and all its colorful splendor, with you.

Осенняя прогулка/Autumn Walk (Bilingual Post)

Материалы/materials: наклейки и скрап бумага/stickers & patterned paper (Authentique); краски и глазури/paints & glazes (Ranger); мел/chalk (Stampin' Up); картон/cardstock (Wausau Paper); тэг/tag (October Afternoon); блокнотные листья/notebook paper (Cachet); ручка/pen (Zig); декоративные ножницы/decorative scissors (Fiskars); ассортимент ленты, пуговиц, бусинок и пайеток/assorted ribbon, buttons, beads, & sequins.

Здравствуйте всем!  Я сегодня впервые участвую в задании блога АртУголок.  Моя страничка называется "Осенняя прогулка".  На фотографиях моя семья гуляет на улице в ноябре 2011.

Hello, everyone!  Today I'm participating for the first time in a challenge from the Russian language blog АртУголок (Art Corner).    My scrapbook page is called "Autumn Walk."  The photos on the page show my family out for a walk in November of 2011.

http://blog.artugolok.ru/2013/09/13-2013.html

Я страничку сделала по этому скетчу (поворот на девяноста градусов).

I used this sketch (rotated ninety degrees) to create my page. 

Я с удоволствием тратила много времени на эту страничку.  Пила чай и спокойно делала элементы "хэнд мейд" из разных штук.  Хорошо отдохнула.

I gladly took my time making this page.  I sipped tea and fashioned handmade page elements from a variety of "stuff."  It was totally relaxing.

С помощью краски и ленты, я превратила простые, бежевые пуговицы (из старой одежды) в цветы.

Using paint and ribbon, I turned plain, beige buttons (from old clothing) into flowers. 

Я применила жёлтую краску, бусинки, пайетки и разные глазури к краям фотографий, для того, чтобы получить "инкрустированный" вид. Кстати, 55 градусов по Фаренгейту составляет 13 градусов по Цельсию. В своём журналинге я объяснила, что эта температура для нас необычная. Наша семья редко гуляет на улице в ноябре, т.к. температура здесь, как правило, значительно ниже.

I applied yellow paint, beads, sequins, and some glazes to the edges of the photos, in order to get the "encrusted" look.  By the way, 55 degrees Fahrenheit is 13 degrees Celsius.  In my journaling I remarked on how unusual that temperature is.  Our family rarely takes walks in November, since the temps here are usually significantly colder than 55 degrees F.

Я употребила настоящие растения как штамп с жёлтой краской.  Флажки по кругу вырезаны из маленьких кусочков бумаги.

I stamped with yellow paint and real plants.  The banners around the circle are cut from scraps of paper.

Спасибо, что заглянули на мою страничку сегодня.  Извиняюсь за ошибки с языком.  Русский--не мой родной язык.

Thanks for looking at my page today.  I apologize for any Russian mistakes I may have made; Russian is my second language.  :)

10 on the 10th on a Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday!  I'm linking up with Elizabeth for T Tuesday.  This week, instead of tea, I have 7-UP.  It's really hot outside today!  And, the can just went so perfectly with this pair of lemon/lime cards.  :)  I based their design on the "cupcake cards" that I made last month, but went a little wilder this time.

Projects 1 & 2: stickers from Bo Bunny; cardstock from Pulp; thread from DMC; yellow paint from Ranger; green paint from Deco Art; chalk from Stampin' Up; stamps from My Mind's Eye; ink from Hero Arts; corner punch from Creative Memories.

This month for my "Ten on the Tenth" article, I'm showing ten projects that I made with my Bo Bunny supplies.  This is part of my year-long destashing project.

Project 3: all patterned paper from Bo Bunny; stickers from October Afternoon; ribbon from Scrapbook Fantasies; notebook paper from Cachet; pen from Zig.

The layout above, as well as the two below, all use Camp-a-Lot, Bo Bunny's 2012 summer/outdoorsy collection.

Project 4: cardstock from The Paper Company; all patterned paper & stickers from Bo Bunny; square stamp from Stampin' Up; star stamp from My Mind's Eye; corner punch from Creative Memories; pen from Zig; household twine

I had fun making some pages in the Clean and Simple style (my favorite!).

Project 5: previously blogged here.

Next, I made a few cards.

Project 6: all paper & stickers from Bo Bunny; cardstock from Neenah Paper; Liquid Pearls from Ranger; pen from Zig; household twine.

Here's a spacey one (below)!  The astronaut monkey is so cute.

Project 7: striped paper from Crate; all other paper from Bo Bunny; stickers from October Afternoon; cardstock from Pulp; Liquid Pearls, Distress Stain & Distress Marker from Ranger.

There was a bit of overlap between my Bo Bunny folder and my Christmas folder...yay for sparkly snowflakes!
 

Project 8: paper, snowflake sticker negatives,& tiny alphabet stickers from Bo Bunny; medium alphabet stickers from Crate; large alphabet stickers from Reminisce; ribbon from Scrapbook Fantasies; Stickles from Ranger.

Last but not least, there are two art journal pages, which I already blogged about last week.
 

Project 9: previously blogged here.

 

Project 10: previously blogged here.

These projects are green because I used up lots of old stash.

Thanks for stopping by today to see my 10 on the 10th post.  Enjoy your day!

Epic Summer (Sketchbook 365)

I have to say, with a grateful heart, that my family really had an awesome summer this year.  Here is a scrapbook page about all our summer fun.  I used a sketch from Sketchbook 365.

Supplies: background cardstock from Basic Grey; round alphabet stickers from Imaginisce; patterned paper & all other stickers from Lily Bee; Liquid Pearls, Distress Marker, & crackle glaze from Ranger; blue pen from Zig; household pencil; upcycled bottle cap.

The September sketch for Sketchbook 365 has spots for three photos.  I decided that design was the perfect match for a page that depicts the high points of the three months of summer!

Image source: http://sketchbook365.blogspot.com/2013/08/september-sketch-challenge.html

I had a bunch of scraps from the summery Lily Bee "Pinwheel" line that I wanted to use.  They made a colorful, fun background for my photo strip.

The sketch has a lot of negative space in the background.  I used this negative space to list all the fun things that my family did during the summer.  I added subtle journaling lines and "magical" doodled bubbles with a white ("Picket Fence") Distress Marker.

A real root beer cap (from a refreshing summer drink) became a fun page embellishment.  I flattened the bottle cap slightly, using a pair of pliers, and I added a light coat of crackle glaze over the top.

For added sparkle and texture, I also brushed crackle glaze over the round stickers on the page.

I hope that your summer (if you are in the Northern Hemisphere) was epic too!  If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, then I hope that you have an epic summer ahead of you!

P.S.  Denise's green statement: this layout is green because it uses up scraps and incorporates an upcycled bottle cap.

When the Color Room Gives You Lemons...

Last month I had lots of fun making ten projects with my old Bo Bunny Stash (to see them, check back here on September 10 for my Ten on the Tenth post).  With that task behind me, I wanted to make something with my newer Bo Bunny paper from the Trail Mix collection.  I was inspired by this zesty palette from the Color Room!

I used the palette to make this scrapbook page (pictured below), with two "selfy" photos of my husband and me.  The greyscale photo is from last year, and the color photo is from this year.  Both were taken at the Science Museum of Minnesota; the mirrored walls in the paleontology gallery are perfect for taking self portraits.

Supplies: background cardstock from The Paper Company; patterned kraft cardstock from Neenah Paper; woodgrain paper from Kaiser Craft; woodgrain doily paper from Crate; all other patterned paper from Bo Bunny; yellow patterned card, yellow label stickers,  & woodgrain alphabet stickers from October Afternoon; phrase stickers from Simple Stories; vintage playing cards from Olla Podrida; ticket & milk cap from Jenni Bowlin True Vintage; background stamp from Peddler's Pack; gold ink from Tsukineko; black ink from Hero Arts; yellow paint & crackle glaze from Ranger; green paint from Deco Art; pen from Zig; household twine.

I found lots of little treasures to layer under my photos.  Upcycling real vintage items, such as the ticket and playing cards, makes this layout green (eco-friendly).

I couldn't decide which side of this Bo Bunny paper (shown below) I preferred.  So, I tore it into pieces and used both sides!  I also distressed the paper, inked it randomly with swipes of yellow and green (especially along the edges), and coated it with a thin layer of crackle glaze.

Another fun technique I used on this layout was stamping with real plants.  The smaller leaves, which I stamped on the woodgrain doilies (visible to the lower right of the milk cap in the photo below) are from the plant known as Creeping Charlie...

...and the longer stems (shown in the photo below) are from the plant known as Hostas.

Gotta enjoy these plants while they last!  Colder temperatures are just around the corner.  Thanks for stopping by today to view my summery, lemon-fresh layout!

On Pop Tabs & Art Journals...

Hello, everyone!  September has rolled around, and it is time for a new challenge at the S4H blog.  This month we invite you to create a project that includes a "soda can clip" (or, as we say in Minnesota, a "pop tab").  This is an unusual item to include on a page or card, isn't it?  Have fun with it, and be sure to check out the S4H blog to see lots of inspiration from the design team.

September is my month off from S4H, so I don't have a design team project of my own to share with you this time.  Instead, as I always do when I have a month off, I want to share with you a few of my latest art journal pages.  

I was thinking recently about the different ways that people use art journals.  Do you keep an art journal?  If so, how do you use it?  Do you write your thoughts in it, like this...?
 

Supplies: all stickers & patterned paper from Bo Bunny; tickets from Jenni Bowlin True Vintage; ribbon from October Afternoon; punch from All Night Media; pens from Zig; paint from Plaid; Distress Stain from Ranger; thread from DMC; mini stapler; used postage stamps.

Or do you just use it as a place to experiment and practice techniques, like this...?
 

Supplies: paper from Lily Bee; stickers from October Afternoon; ribbon from Scrapbook Fantasies; thread from DMC; denim scrap & button from old clothing; vintage twine from my husband's grandmother.  :)

Or do you just have fun with it, like this...?
 

Supplies: all paper & stickers from Bo Bunny; pens from Zig.

The turkey page has a fold-out flap, which reveals journaling and a second photo (see below).
 

Supplies: all paper & stickers from Bo Bunny; pens from Zig; ribbon from Scrapbook Fantasies.

So, how do you use your art journal?  I look forward to hearing from all of you art journalers out there!

Whether you are an art journaler, a card maker, an altered artist, or a scrapbooker, if you make something that includes a pop tab [soda can clip] this month, don't forget to upload it to Scrap for Help!

P.S.  These art journal pages are green because: they use older stash (the Bo Bunny papers & stickers), recycled tickets, and fabric & a button from old clothing.