July Guest Designer!

I'm so excited, we have an amazing artist guest designing for us in July!

This talented lady needs no introduction, but on the off chance you haven't already seen her gorgeous work... please meet Gerry van Gent!

My name is Gerry van Gent and I`m a 38 Bulgarian woman living in The Netherlands.  I`m a mom of two kids and a wife of a very supportive hubby. I`m lucky to be able to stay at home and have plenty of time to spend with my kids and of course I have plenty of time for my hobbies - scrapbooking and photography.

I got involved into paper crafting when my first child was born and I `m completely hooked. Love creating my own backgrounds, stamping, playing with paint, fussy cutting and hand-stitching on my work.

I currently design for Webster`s Pages, Prima Marketing, Glitz Design and Imaginarium Designs. I`m also contributor for Sizzix Europe and a Dutch scrapbooking magazine!

Thank you so much for inviting me as a Guest-Designer. I`m honored to have the opportunity to work with your gorgeous kits!

My blog: http://gerryscrafts.blogspot.com

My Facebook Artistic Page: https://www.facebook.com/GerryVanGent

I cannot wait to see what Gerry does with our July kit, and I'm sure she will insire us all!

MAY SKETCH CHALLENGE WINNER

Hi Sisters, with our gorgeous White rabbit kit running a little late, we have held off showing you our sketch winner for May, so you can revel in the gorgeous June kit.
But now its time to show you our May Summer breeze Sketch challenge winner.
Sue, has created a gorgeous layout showcacing the gorgeous kit papers and embellies with a darling photo to boot! The flower placement is stunning and that adorable face is to cute! Lovely tear work and doodling!
This is an awesome piece of Art Sue and well done for being our Sketch winner!

JUNE LAYOUT OF THE MONTH

Hello Scraps of Darkness fans and sisters, Id like to annouce and share with you the Layout of the month winner for June.....
Lily Fiore, our Dark sister has created a gorgeous layout using the June Country charm kit....
its called "against all odds".....It showcases a gorgeous punchwork backing and butterflies and darling photo!
The lace and flowers are just the right touch to catch your eye!!!!!!
Great work Lily, its awesome! Congrats!!!!!

Tim Holtz Marker Tutoral

The weekend is coming to a close, I hope you were all able to get a little scrappy time in (I know I managed to squeeze a little bit in - such a nice break from everyday life!)

Anyway, Renea Harrison has done a wonderful new video tutorial on coloring stamped images with Tim Holtz Markers.

I hope you enjoy the tutorial and that it inspires you to try something new!  Remember, you can always find this and many other fun techniques to try on the Tutorials page of our website!

Big Announcement!

Our very own Drycha has started her own stamp company! 

The name of this fabulous new company is 3rd Eye, and to kick things off, they are having a nice giveaway! 

3rd Eye stamps are unique and perfect for scrapbooking, card making, art journaling, altered items, and the list goes on!  Please stop by their blog to see the debut of 3rd Eye stamps and wish Drycha much success in her new venture, and you can enter to win while you are there!

And more exciting news - soon you will be able to find 3rd Eye stamps right in the Scraps of Darkness store!

I'll end with a big congratulations to Drycha, we are all so excited for you!

The June Kit is here!

Ever heard the song White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane (I love that song - am I giving away my age? lol)?  Well, when I saw the fabulous Wonderland papers by 7 Dots Studio and Anna Dabrowska, that song immediately came to mind!  And with that, I am thrilled to present our June kit, White Rabbit:

We've matched those wonderful Wonderland papers with the oh-so-gorgeous Weekend Market line from Bo Bunny, and added a little bit of the fun Genuine line by Authentique, and added a ton of fun embellishments!  Stop by our website to see the full kit and available add ons.

And, of course, we have another inspiring sketch by the ever-talented Suepup, and the layouts our awesome Design Team did with it...

White Rabbit Sketch

Mandy Harrell

Jennifer Snyder

Karen Zueger

Renea Harrison

Michelle Phillips

Lisa Novogrodski

Escape Kitty

And I'll leave you with a wonderful new Pandora's Box Tutorial by Drycha.  See how she created this beautiful shadowbox!

Open publication - Free publishing - More craft

One Last Sneak Peek!

This is it... the last little sneak peek before the kit and Design Team reveal tomorrow!

The ladies, and kitty, on our Design Team tell me they've been having a lot of fun with this kit.  I can't wait to see what they've all done with it, and I hope you'll visit tomorrow to see, as well!

June Kit Sneak Peek #2

Just another sneak peek of our June kit, which reveals on Friday, June 22nd...

Stay tuned... we will have one more sneak peek before the official release date of the kit!

Dusty Attic!

Just a quick note to let you know we've just added new Dusty Attic Chipboard to our store, including the new May release! 

Just a few of the new goodies you'll find...

Dusty Attic!

Just a quick note to let you know we've just added new Dusty Attic Chipboard to our store, including the new May release! 

Just a few of the new goodies you'll find...

Can you help little Annabell?

 I have a little request...  my daughter fosters kittens from an overcrowded shelter in Philadelphia.  She has saved so many little lives, and though she works full time and goes to college full time, she still finds the time and money to take care of these sweet little babies, and find "forever" homes for them.

She has had little Annabell since February.  Annabell is a special needs kitten, and has some health problems.  The shelter has run out of funding to try to make her well, and Kelsie has run out of her own personal funding for vet bills for her.  She has started a little web page to try to raise money to continue Annabell's health care.  If you are able to help little Annabel at all, please visit:  http://kelsiekelly.chipin.com/medical-services-for-annabell-the-foster-kitten.

Thank you so much, and I hope you create something beautiful today!

June Kit Sneak Peak and a little request...

Good morning, and Happy Weekend!!!

Since we've delayed the reveal of our June kit, I thought you just might like to see a little sneek peek of what's coming...

Be sure to stop back on Friday, June 22nd to see the full kit and Design Team Reveal!



And I have a little request...  my daughter fosters kittens from an overcrowded shelter in Philadelphia.  She has saved so many little lives, and though she works full time and goes to college full time, she still finds the time and money to take care of these sweet little babies, and find "forever" homes for them.

She has had little Annabell since February.  Annabell is a special needs kitten, and has some health problems.  The shelter has run out of funding to try to make her well, and Kelsie has run out of her own personal funding for vet bills for her.  She has started a little web page to try to raise money to continue Annabell's health care.  If you are able to help little Annabel at all, please visit:  http://kelsiekelly.chipin.com/medical-services-for-annabell-the-foster-kitten.

Thank you so much, and I hope you create something beautiful today!

Just A Note...

To let you know the debut of our June Kit and our Designer's Reveal will be happening on Friday, June 22nd.
It's a beauty, so stay tuned!

MAY SKETCH CHALLENGE WINNER

Hi everyone, Im here today to announce the winner of the Sketch challenge of our gorgeous May kit.
This is a little late, I left it till after we finished our very successful Blog hop.....

The Sketch chellenge winner for May was -----Cathio and her gorgeous layout of Karrah at Ballet.

Cathio did a gorgeous job using the May kit called Swan song to compile this sweet layout of Karrah doing her ballet. Cathi this layout is soft, sweet and captures a very special moment! Great job Cathi! Well done!

LAYOUT OF THE MONTH - MAY WINNER

Hi everyone, Id like to announce the winner of the Layout of the Month for May.
Meowgal has given us a beautiful layout called Lifes Moments.
This gorgeous layout features her and her brother in a tender picture from their childhood years.
This layout was put created using our gorgeous May Kit called Summer Breeze....

This is one super layout! Congrats Girl well deserved!

Video Tutorial - mixed media altered wine bottle!

Have you seen Scraps of Darkness Designer, Elena's gorgeous altered bottles?  If not, you've been missing a wonderful thing, and she's been kind enough to do a tutorial showing you how to create one of these beautiful bottles!

Here's what the finished bottle looks like:

And here's how you can make one for yourself!

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you've enjoyed the tutorial, and don't forget to see if you were a winner on our Blog Hop!

New Video Tutorial - Mixed Media Altered Wine Bottle

Have you seen Elena's gorgeous altered bottles?  If not, you've been missing a wonderful thing, and she's been kind enough to do a tutorial showing you how to create one of these beautiful bottles!

Here's what the finished bottle looks like:

And here's how you can make one for yourself!

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you've enjoyed the tutorial, and don't forget to see if you were a winner on our Blog Hop!

Blog Hop Winners and a new tutorial!

First, I'd like to thank everybody that joined in on our hop, we appreciate that you took the time to play along, and hope you enjoyed it!

And now...   for the winners...


The winner of our Summer Breeze kit is...

TeriP! 

And this was Teri's comment during the hop:  "Ok, subscribed and yes, I wanna say my proper ooohs and ahhhs over the kits cuz WOW! But can I please say that I loved seeing the button for Petfinder.com? I adopted my boy having found him on Petfinder! My first blog hop and i feel like i've met a kindred spirit! THANK YOU!" 

The winner of the Tim Holtz Spring Distress Inks is...



Lillian Child!

This is what Lillian had to say:  "Thank you so much for arranging this amazing blog hop. All of the DT artists had such beautiful projects and Donna's collection is so lovely. I just discovered Scraps of Darkness and am now a follower."

Ladies, please email me at info@scrapsofdarkness.com with your full name and address, and  I'll send those prizes right out to you!

Helena Johansson has done a wonderful new tutorial on how to get a "frosted" look on your layouts, using Gesso and Modeling Paste. 

She will show you how to get the beautiful frosted look she got on her latest Scraps of Elegance layout:

Step 1:  Choose a background paper. I've chosen a beautiful paper from Donna Salazar, Elegant (such a perfect name!), and cut it using one of the Kaisercraft diecut papers as a template. The edge was cut from another Donna Salazar paper and for this I used a decorative scissors. I have also inked the edges of the Elegant paper with the Ingvild Bolme fluid edger.

Step 1

Step 2:  Paint the paper with a thin layer gesso, using a sponge. This soften the background a bit, and makes your photos and embellies "pop". 

Step 2

Step 3:  Use a mask and modeling paste to give the background some texture.

Step 3

Step 4:  Here I've used pan pastels, a light blue shade, to give the white paint some color. You can also use mist or ink.

Step 4

Step 5:  Paint the grapevine wreath, included in the Country Charm embellie kit, with gesso.

Step 5

Step 6:  Now for the fun part :) - lay out photos, flowers and other embellies and glue it all together.

Step 6

Step 7:  Now use a sponge and white gesso and "frost" all the embellies - flowers, leaves, vines and even the papers here and there. Great effect, huh?! (This step comes with a warning though, it's hard to stop the "frosting"!) Now I have also added my title and some cheesecloth inside the wreath. There - my page is finished!

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you've enjoyed Helena's tutorial, and that we've inspired you to Create Something Beautiful Today!

Blog Hop Winner

First, I'd like to thank everybody that joined in on our hop, we appreciate that you took the time to play along, and hope you enjoyed it!

And now...   for the winners...


The winner of our Swan Song kit is...

Debbie! 

And this was Debbie's comment during the hop:  "Both are gorgeous kits and you have some talented ladies designing. I have enjoyed the blog hop and seeing all the lovely lo's.. Thanks for allowing me to hop with you ladies..."

The Blog Hop has begun!

Welcome to the Scraps of Darkness & Scraps of Elegance Design Team Blog Hop with our special guest –  Donna Salazar!!!

The hop begins here at the Scraps of Elegance blog where we have just revealed our June kit, “Country Charm”, featuring Donna Salazar's gorgeous “Botanique” collection and a ton of Prima flowers, Shabby Chic Treasures and Say it in Studs!!!

We're giving away 4 fabulous prizes!!!
Scraps of Elegance is giving away a “Swan Song” kit featuring Prima’s Fairy Belle Collection to one lucky winner, and one set of Tim Holtz Spring Seasonal Distress Ink to another!

Prize #1 - a Scraps of Elegance Swan Song Kit!

Prize #2 - a set of Tim Holtz Spring Seasonal Inks!

Scraps of Darkness is giving a “Summer Breeze” kit featuring Prima’s Sun Kiss Collection to one winner, as well as a set of Tim Holtz Spring Seasonal Distress Ink to another!

Prize #3 - a Scraps of Darkness Summer Breeze Kit!

Prize #4 - another set of Tim Holtz Spring Seasonal Inks!

NOTE: This is open to international entries; however, you will be responsible for shipping charges in excess of $10.00.

All you have to do to be eligible to win is:

1. Become a follower of this blog and the Scraps of Darkness blog and leave a comment on all of the participating blogs.  Many of the designers are giving away prizes if you become a follower of their blog, as well, so you have lots of chances to win extra prizes!

2. Come right back here when you have finished and let us know you have completed the hop! You will love seeing what our design team has created, and we hope it will inspire you to create something beautiful!

3. You have until midnight June 4th Pacific time to complete the hop and comment. The winner will be announced on this blog on June 6th.

The hop begins at Scraps of Elegance. Have fun!!!Scraps of Elegance

Lisa Novogrodski

Mandy Harrell

Karen Zueger

Renea Harrison

Jennifer Snyder

Donna Salazar

Michelle Phillips

Karolina Stopyra

Elena Olinevich

Helena Johansson

Escape Kitty

Charlotte Jenkins

Scraps of Darkness-

Back to Scraps of Elegance!!!

The Blog Hop has begun!

Welcome to the Scraps of Darkness & Scraps of Elegance Design Team Blog Hop with our special guest –  Donna Salazar!!!

The hop begins at the Scraps of Elegance blog where we have just revealed our June kit, “Country Charm”, featuring Donna Salazar's gorgeous “Botanique” collection and a ton of Prima flowers, Shabby Chic Treasures and Say it in Studs!!!

We're giving away 4 fabulous prizes!!!
Scraps of Elegance is giving away a “Swan Song” kit featuring Prima’s Fairy Belle Collection to one lucky winner, and one set of Tim Holtz Spring Seasonal Distress Ink to another!

Prize #1 - a Scraps of Elegance Swan Song Kit!

Prize #2 - a set of Tim Holtz Spring Seasonal Inks!

Scraps of Darkness is giving a “Summer Breeze” kit featuring Prima’s Sun Kiss Collection to one winner, as well as a set of Tim Holtz Spring Seasonal Distress Ink to another!

Prize #3 - a Scraps of Darkness Summer Breeze Kit!

Prize #4 - another set of Tim Holtz Spring Seasonal Inks!

NOTE: This is open to international entries; however, you will be responsible for shipping charges in excess of $10.00.

All you have to do to be eligible to win is:

1. Become a follower of this blog and the Scraps of Elegance blog and leave a comment on all of the participating blogs.  Many of the designers are giving away prizes if you become a follower of their blog, as well, so you have lots of chances to win extra prizes!

2. Head right back to the Scraps of Elegance Blog when you have finished and let us know you have completed the hop! You will love seeing what our design team has created, and we hope it will inspire you to create something beautiful!

3. You have until midnight June 4th Pacific time to complete the hop and comment. The winner will be announced on this blog on June 6th.

The hop begins at Scraps of Elegance. Have fun!!!
Start Here:  Scraps of Elegance

Lisa Novogrodski

Mandy Harrell

Karen Zueger

Renea Harrison

Jennifer Snyder

Donna Salazar

Michelle Phillips

Karolina Stopyra

Elena Olinevich

Helena Johansson

Escape Kitty

Charlotte Jenkins

Scraps of Darkness

End Here:  Scraps of Elegance!!!

Our June kit - Country Charm - is here!

The first day of the month is one of my favorites, I get to reveal our newest kit, and see all the gorgeous work our Design Team has done with it!

I'm sure you've seen by the two kit clubs I run that I am a fan of both shabby chic-girly scrapbooking, and grungy-distressed-alternative scrapbooking.  And so it is that I could not resist putting together a kit featuring papers by the queen of "girlie grunge", Donna Salazar!  Her Botanique line is to die for, and I truly hope you will enjoy this kit to the last little scrap of paper!

Country Charm

We've added two new kit add ons this month, Coordinating Paper and a Floral Add on.  Stop by the website to see them!

Suepup has created another fantastic sketch for you this month, I hope you'll find inspiration in it!

Of course, you can find this sketch on our website, along with all of our previous Scraps of Darkness and Scraps of Elegance sketches, feel free to stop by and use any of them...

I'm going to keep this short, and end it with an invitation to join in on our blog hop tomorrow - we will have a special guest and there are lots of wonderful prizes up for grabs, including two kits.