Mixed Media Backgound Tutorial

Good morning, my paper crafting friends, and Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Our title today says it all!  We have a wonderful mixed media background tutorial for you, which our design team member Amy Lassiter has been so kind to create!

Before I share the tutorial, I'd like to show you the amazing finished layout!  She used our Weathered and Worn kit to create it, and the subject of her layout is her dad.  Not because he is "weathered and worn" she says, lol, but because of his love of "all things “fix it,” antiques, seeing the potential in something run down, farm life, and everything this kit encompasses".

And as promised, here's Amy's video tutorial for the background she created on this fabulous masculine layout!



Thank you, Amy, for sharing some of your creative process with us!

I hope you are all having a beautiful Labor Day Weekend, filled with both family, and creative time, and that we've inspired you just a little bit today to create something amazing...

~Melinda

Bonnie's projects with our Raindrops On Roses Kit

Good morning crafty peeps!

Today I get to share a couple of projects that are gorgeous!  I mean GORGEOUS from the ever talented Bonnie!

She created this fabulous layout with the August Raindrops On Roses Kit, using this months mood board for inspiration!

now lets check out all the beautiful details...

She cut out a phrase from the Authentic Life Cards that came in the main kit for the title and placed them inside one of the frames. I used the sprays from the color add on behind it and embellished the top corner with flowers from the kit.  I love how she used a boarder punch randomly around the background paper.

She used a Prima mask and homemade modeling paste and the pink and blue sprays from the kit.  She dry brushed the flowers and leaves with gesso. 

She placed the photo on pop dots on top of  theses super cute frames that I layered on top of each other, and she fussy cut the black clock from the middle piece of one of the frames. I also used a embossing pen and the embossing powder that came in the Creativity add on. It is very subtle but if you look closely you can see the squiggled lines coming off the four corners of the central part of the layout.  She also splattered some of the sprays.

Next I want to show you this amazing art journal.....

Can you believe she has NEVER did an art journal before and her first one turns out this amazing? She did this with the Creativity Add On from this month's kit!

For the first page she used a Butterfly stencil and some homemade modelling paste and the Lindy sprays from the color add on. When some of the colours blended I got purple, and the blue took on a teal colour with the black spray....mists are so awesome!!!!  She coloured the butterflies with Stickles and used a Prima stitches stamp, some Lindy's embossing powder from my stash and some black gelatos around the edges of the page.

For the second page she used the pink spray from the color add on. She also used gesso on both pages. She sprayed water on first, then the pink, and then hit it with the heat gun till dry. She kept repeating this process till she was satisfied with the result. She also did do a bit of dabbing with a paper towel.  She used the stencil that came in the Creative add on and used modeling paste, some black paint and a old gift card to make some random black lines, and also black lines in between each "sun ray" of the stencil, and the embossing powder from the add on kit on the black flowers.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Di's gorgoeus Weathered and Worn kit debut!

Good morning everyone!

Today I get to share a simply stunning layout by Di using the 

Scraps Of Darkness Weathered and Worn kit.....

See told you - STUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!!

now check out the details

I love the background work and the beautiful layers of fussy cut flower

gorgeous layers!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Introducing our August/September Guest Designer!

We have a bit of exciting news to share today - We have an amazingly talented lady guest designing for us with our August and September Scraps of Darkness kits!

Dorota Dolega

My name is Dorota Dołęga and I live with my family in Gif-sur-Yvette, a small town about 30 km from Paris. I'm a paper crafter since 2010. My favourite forms are layouts and art journaling, but sometimes I make also cards, notebooks and other useful or useless objects. I love textures and colours, recycling and unusual materials. Since the beginning I'm in love with mixed media techniques and I can't imagine nothing more exciting than playing with paints, inks and mists. I can't define my style, because I like to experiment and my worse nightmare is to stuck in my "comfort zone" forever. When I don't craft, I climb, read, sew, write, cook.
Dorota's Blog

Dorota creates gorgesous pieces, I am sure you've probably seen her work at Scrap Around The World, but just in case you haven't, here's one of her past layouts - it's simply gorgeous!

We can't wait to see what she does with our kits, and we hope you'll stop back for some wonderful inspiration from her!

~Melinda

Our SOD August kit is here!

And it's filled with shabby chic, rustic gorgeousness!

Weathered and Worn Kit

When we saw Fabscraps' Industrial Chic collection, we just couldn't resist!  We matched it with some beautiful Marion Smith Designs Garment District, a little Teresa Collins Life Emporium, some gorgeous Blue Fern chipboard, and Melissa Frances' Glamour and Grunge for a kit you can take in so many different directions!  Go girly with the Fabscraps Wood Chic papers and the Blue Fern chipboard... go rustic with the Teresa Collins and Darice Craft Designer Jute!  How about a little shabby chic with the Fabscraps Paint Chic Papers, Maya Road Bird in a Circle Charms, and Magnolia Ruffled Cherry Blossoms?  So many possibilities, so little time...  If you want to see the full list of what's included or pick up this beauty for yourself, just stop by our store.

And we think we came up with the perfect Creativity Add On to compliment this month's main kit...

Is that a wood pallet?!  Yes it is!  It's Walnut Hollow's Rustic Wood Pallet (11.5" x 11"), and we've got a wonderful 6x9 stencil from Art Anthology - Cracked, along with some brand new white Milk Paint from Imaginisce, and there are a few other goodies tucked in there, as shown in the pic.  Imagine the beautiful wall hanging you could create!

We know you don't just want to see the kit, you want to see what you could create with the kit!  Well, Renea's done a stunningly beautiful layout to show this kit off, and if you couldn't tell, we think it's gorgeous!

That's it for today - thank you so much for stopping by, and be sure to follow us so you don't miss all the other beautiful projects to come this month...

~Melinda

More From Stephanie with our Raindrops on Roses kit

Good morning!

Its Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Do you have any scrappy plans this weekend?

Today I am sharing a beautiful project from the uber talented Stephanie!

Stephanie worked with the fabulous Strathmore book (which she loved) from the Raindrops On Roses kit creativity add on!

She says 'I was delighted to discover this wonderful creative book 'Strathmore', with aquarellable page, with a very thick matte finish. Pages are bound with a ring binding, allowing to easily work on one side, and we can handle the book as you want, this is just great:  no more problem of spilled paint and ink middle of the book! I guarantee you, it's a real pleasure to work on these pages, it is so much easier work! strongly advise!'

Check out the gorgeous details............

Thanks for stopping by! 

Renea's Raindrops On Roses kit Printer's Tray

Good morning everyone!

Today I am sharing a gorgeous projects from Renea using the Scraps Of Elegance 'Raindrops On Roses' kit!!!

She started by texture painting the Print Tray and then filling the cubbies with paper pieces and the life cards from the kit.

Here you can see all the texture and hand stamping.

She created the textured look by first painting my tray with white acrylic paint, then sponging Tim Holtz Texture Paste. The stamping was done with a script stamp from last month's SOE kit, and then she lightly dabbed around the surface with the Ingvild Bolme Ink that was in the kit.

 she even stamped the back

Here are more of the details......

Thanks for stopping by!

Di's beautiful projects with the Believe kit

Hi everyone!

Today I get to share a couple of stunning projects from Di using the 

Scraps of Darkness 'Believe' kit!

And I do mean STUNNING................

I LOVE how the colors just pop against the black background paper!

She also fussy cut many images from the paper including the bird...

I adore how she transformed the Prima resin frame!

As well as lots & lots of fussy cut flowers, she also used

a lot of flowers that were in both the kit & the floral add on

& tucked some of the green flower moss in 

amongst the flowers for a touch of realism. 

  To intensify the colors even more she sprayed the flowers with some mists! 

she also transformed the metal key hole..............wow

  Love how she used the ribbon.........very cool!

Next up is a couple of gorgeous cards......................

Gorgeous cards anyone would be lucky to receive!

Thanks for stopping by!

DeeDee's 2nd "Believe" kit project!

Today we've got another gorgeous project to share with you.  DeeDee Catron from UmWowStudio is guest designing for us this month, and she created these gorgeous art journal pages with our Scraps of Darkness July Believe Kit!

Here's what DeeDee says about them:

The project I'm sharing today is a compilation of things...

1) It's another SoD project utilizing the July Kit : Believe.
2) It's a double page art journal spread in Jen Matott's journal from our swap.
3) It shows some cool new products from some of my favorite companies!

I started with a couple pages of watercolor paper, gave them a super squirt down and got them very wet, then applied some bright cheerful watercolor paints to the page. Before the paint dried completely I sprinkled some salt around to get a bit of texture. I glued down two giant gorgeous paper doilies and layered my watercolor paper on top.

I finished the right page first, which was a little odd, but really turned out well. The stamp is one of the newer designs @ Viva Las VegaStamps!; the Weathered Tree. I also grabbed the VLVS! Blowing Dandelion and used the extra seed to ad some whimsy. In the top left I stamped the new Happy Moon. On the right is a new SNEAK PEEK item from UmWowStudio -- some SEA BIRDS in a mask ;) -- I've used it with a thick layer of gesso.

In this photo you can really see the base of the tree well. I've adhered a Prima Keyhole that comes in the Scraps of Darkness main kit. Because this IS a journal swap, some journaling was required, and Jen's prompt is "5 things you are currently doing." Currently I am...
1) Laying to rest some demons
2) Soaring with some angels
3) Finding my inner child
4) Satisfying my soul
5) Building an empire

The left page has some of those blowing dandelion seeds, some of the Tim Holtz Rubons from the SoD kit, and an UmWowStudio Vintage Rounded Window that has been altered with thick gesso.

The girl is from Plate 1449 from VLVS!, and the moss comes from the SoD kit.  I may or may not be implying that somewhere inside this body is a sweet little girl just wanting to play in the sun all day. :D I'm really loving having all of these little ... woodsy ethereal embellishments and papers from the SoD Believe kit!

I just love the world DeeDee's created on these pages, and her colors and stamping are just perfection!

That's all we've got for today, I hope you are have a fantastic Sunday, and that you take some time to Create Something Beautiful, whether it's a scrapbook page, dinner for your family, or even better --- memories!

~Melinda

A gorgeous project from DeeDee!

Today we've got a gorgeous project to share with you.  DeeDee Catron from UmWowStudio is guest designing for us this month, and she created this beautiful piece with our Scraps of Darkness July Believe Kit!

Here's what Dee Dee says about this beautiful piece of paper crafting art:

The first project I'm sharing is a 6x12 altered piece o' plywood.

I mentioned that the base is plywood, I picked it up from ma friend Tami! She already had it covered in gesso, so I was totally set. 

I picked up the pink/red sheet from the main kit and trimmed it down a bit. Using Gel Medium I adhered it down. Then I scraped some of my Blick Gesso over the sort of... top middle right side? You can see it in the photo :)

The resin frame comes from Prima and can be found in the Embellishment Add On Kit for Believe. I used the Shimmerz Inklingz I'm Not Limon to splatter around the gesso and dunk into the crevices on the frame. Before I put away my geso and Inklingz I also altered a couple of the floral chipboard pieces in the kit, and a couple from UmWowStudio. You can see them layered to the top right corner.

Then came what I like to refer to as "Flower Throw Up" --- but if it's used in moderation it can have a really great effect, AND I don't do it that often, so it was fun! lol. I started with the gorgeous green moss from the kit, and covered a large portion of the resin frame. Then I piled up some of the Petaloo Flowers, some Prima flowers from my stash, a handmade flower from 7 Dots Studio Nature Walk, and a Prima Nest from the kit. whew. a lot of piling! I also stuck in a Tim Holtz Ideology Pin with a 7DS Nature Walk diecut heart. 

There's one more piece of altered chipboard that trails down the board here. This one from UmWowStudio. I also added a hefty dose of glitz and glam with some clear sequins and eBeads. The sentiment is from 7DS Nature Walk's word stickers. And -- that's it! The kits are so great because they give a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and it makes it easy to add in some of my own (or YOUR) favorite little bits :)

I just love this project.  What a great idea starting out with a piece of plywood, and look how gorgeous something that started so simply turned out!  Beautiful work, DeeDee!

I hope you are all enjoying the weekend, and maybe getting in some crafting time, yourself!  Thanks for stopping by...

~Melinda

Raindrops on Roses kit projects from Anna!

Good morning everyone!

Today I am sharing more inspiration with our Raindrops On Roses kit from Anna!

I love the flow of this beautiful piece!

Beautiful layers of flowers and elements!

I LOVE the background!!!  

next up another beautiful piece!

I love the torn layers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This cluster is beautiful with the misted cheesecloth, flowers, thread and ribbon!

the details are gorgeous......

Thanks for stopping by!