TWO new kits and our April Inspiration Board Challenge!

Today we have lots of fun things to post, but before I start, I'd just like to wish everyone that celebrates Easter a beautiful and happy one!  I hope the day finds you enjoying time with your family, and possibly watching the little ones hunt for some beautifully colored eggs...

The first thing I'm going to share is our new Scraps of Darkness kit - 'Laura's Wish'.  It is, of course, named after our wonderfully talented designer and Media Director, Laura Gilhuly. 

As I plan each kit, I am thinking of the designer it will be named after, and I try to create a kit that will fit that designer's style, or include products I know she loves, and Laura was hoping for a masculine themed kit.  I think I pulled that off for her, but this kit can easily go in many directions, masculine, steampunk, vintage, and some of these papers will even go in a feminine direction!  

The two main collections featured in this kit are Kaisercraft's brand new Antique Bazaar and Authentique's new Durable collections, but we've also got some new Tim Holtz goodies in there, beautiful Prima Timeless Memories flowers and bling, Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals in Tainted Love Teal (if you've been wanting to try them, but not wanting to buy a full set to do it - here's your chance to see just how amazing they are!), and lots more - stop by our store to see everything that's included and our available kit add ons.

I thought I'd share the Creativity Add On for this kit, as well.  It's still available in the store, and I think it's a fun one!

We've included a brand new 8x8 wood bracket surface from Adorn-It, one of Prima's new Finnabair stencils (Ripped Fishnet), a new stamp set from Blue Fern Studios (Widgets), as well as their chipboard "Enjoy the Journey", Jacquard Lumiere Light Body Acrylic Paint (Pearl Turquoise), Prima Timeless Memories metal trinkets, and Prills!  Prills are my new obsession, I just love them for mixed media projects!

Next up is our new April Scraps of Elegance kit - Lynne's Garden Terrace.  This kit is named after another of our wonderfully talented designers, the lovely Lynne Joncas.

Lynne was hoping for a kit that could be used for vintage projects, and this one fits the bill!  She also was hoping for clock hands (those are in the Elements Add On), and a stencil (which we've got in the Creativity Add On).  The two main collections in this kit are Prima's Butterfly collection and BoBunny's Garden Journal collection.  I saw these two collections, and just knew they were made to go together!  This kit is as dreamy as it gets, and I can't wait to see the beautiful projects created with it!

And last, but not least, I just wanted to let you know about our April Inspiration Board Challenge.  This challenge takes place in our Facebook Community, and we hope you will stop by and participate!

This month's board was designed by Fena, and what a beautiful board it is!

Entries need to be posted in the challenge album on Facebook, but I thought I'd share the rules, so you can see how easy it is!

1. The challenge starts today and ends April 30th at midnight.
2. Create a layout, canvas, art journal page, or altered item, taking inspiration from this month's Inspiration Board: You can choose inspiration from just one of the images, or several of them. This inspiration can be the quote, the colors, the overall feel of the board, something in one of the pictures on the board - your imagination is the only restriction you have on this!
3. Upload your project into this album, and tell us in the description what you used from the board as your inspiration.
4. For a double entry - post your project on your blog along with the photo of the board and a link to this challenge, and then put a link to your blog post in the description of your photo when you upload here.
5. That's it!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and hope to see you join in our Inspiration Board challenge this month!

~Melinda

Masculine and Feminine Layouts

Good morning everyone!

Today I get share a few masculine layouts from me using the 'Michelle's Mechanical Madness' kit and a beautiful feminine layout from Lynne using the Scraps Of Elegance 'Anna's Daydream' Kit

Today I am sharing a layout about our 1970 Pontiac Catalina that I created

using the Scraps Of Darkness 'Michelle's Mechanical Madness' kit

We love this car and the kit was perfect for a masculine layout!
I used the Melissa Francis Glamour & Grunge papers from the kit.

I used some chipboard gears from Blue Fern from previous months kits, and the mica (from the Elements Add On) I split into thinner pieces, then die cut into the gear shape, and inked!

The chain frame is from my stash

Here you can see the layers of torn paper, and the bits of mist from the Color add on!

More gears and mica!

'Buddies'

This is our oldest Cody and his best friend Nate at their graduation from grade 8 in 2014!

The colors of this kit are amazing!  I love the hints of blue!

For this layout I used the Melissa Francis Glamour & Grunge paper.

I used the flowers from Floral add on and some from a previous kit!

I also used the Fabscraps metal filigree embellishments from the main kit - added some gesso and a few of the Prima crystals from the main kit.

I did a lot of tearing to add to the texture of the background!

I took a piece of lace from a previous kit and misted it with the Lindy's Stamp Gang - Starburst Mist - Afternoon Delight Denim from the Color add on

Now for a fabulously feminine layout from Lynne

I love the contrast of the black and the pastels!

She painted the resin feathers black and dry-brushed them with the same pink that she used to tint the texture paste, and painted the chipboard lattice pieces black as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Laura

Agnieszka's back!

She's back to guest design, but for SOD (we loved her work when she was designing for SOE, and we wanted to see her work her magic with a Darkness kit this time!).

Agnieszka Bellaidea

My name is Agnieszka but in the scrapbooking world I go by Bellaidea.

I love traveling, taking photos, African bush aroma, Pavlova dessert, old books, doilies, trips with friends to Italy, evenings by the fireplace, and reading books. I enjoy audiobooks during long distance drives, visiting the blogs of my friends, and praising people for their talent and creativity.

I scrapbook for many reasons! These are to preserve memories, to make my kids remember I always care about them, to have MY time when I need it, and to keep in touch with all my scrap-friends all over the world. My style is eclectic, romantic, with a shabby influence and I am addicted to Mixed Media.

You will find the following on many of my projects: lace, chipboard, doilies, gesso, turned corners, fussy cutting, in addition to the results of using stencils, misting, etc. I never forget the most important element of the page which is the photo and a story. Sometimes I hide my journaling when it`s very personal.

Over the last couple of years I have had the pleasure to design for various blog challenges and companies. I publish my work on-line and have been published in magazines in Canada, USA, Germany, Australia, South Africa and UK. My favourite things to create are 12x12 layouts and canvas!

I teach classes at my LSS and every now and again I get invited to teach in various locations like ScrapFest Canada or South Africa.

If you will join me for the very first time, I can promise you fun, new experiments and...dirty fingers!

I cordially invite you to my blog, Bellaideascrapology where you can find out what I do late at night when the rest of my family is sleeping! Or you can follow me on Instagram or Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/agnieszka.bellaidea

Agnieszka Bellaidea

Agnieszka is guest designing with our "Michelle's Mechanical Madness" kit, and she's done two fabulous layouts:

Thank you so much for stopping by today, and I'd like to give a huge thank you to Agnieszka for guest designing and doing such beautiful projects for us!

~Melinda

New Challenges for April - no Foolin'

Hi Everyone!

I am excited to share with you April's

Express Yourself Workshop hosted by Lisa

and the 

Music Inspires Creativity Challenge hosted by me
Both challenges are taking place in our Facebook Community Group.

April Express Yourself – Art Journaling Prompts

This is a self -paced workshop designed to motivate you to start exploring mixed media and art journaling

You can use a mixed media book, art journal book or watercolor paper. Those types of books and papers hold media well.

1. This month we are all about the prompt. Your prompt is to write a letter to your younger self. You should go back at least 10 years in time and address yourself. You do not have to write it in letter format. You can use short sentences that don’t flow, a few words in short bursts or one long run on sentence. If you were face to face with your former self what would you tell her?
2. You must use two pages – left and right in your book or two watercolor sheets side by side.
3. Use clear gesso on both sheets and use the left side for your art and the right side for your writing.
4. Your left side should consist of a head or full body. You can do a headless body (lol) but what ever you do it has to be a human figure or face and it has to contain something symbolic of your message. For example no eyes, taped mouth, angel wings etc to convey whatever emotion addressing yourself earlier in life brings up for you.
5. Your face or figure can either be drawn, cut out from magazines or use art doll from a digital site. Mix it up – be creative- you can mix eyes, heads, etc from different images you cut out or draw. I want to see QUIRKY!!!
6. Clear gesso your background then select one color. You will need to stick with a lighter color to keep things from getting lost. Use an acrylic color and brayer it on. Go over it with white gesso also brayer it on. Keep doing this on both sides until you are happy with it.
7. Doodle around your page edges in small geometric shapes.
8. On the right side where you do your writing choose a shape to write in. You can just draw a square, triangle, circle or write in small shapes or draw diagonal lines and write on them.
9. Be sure to share it with us and talk about your inspiration. HAVE FUN!

Now for the Music Challenge

I LOVE album covers - they are their own works of art that can inspire! One of the coolest is by one of the greatest bands ever - The Beatles

This is their Abbey Road cover

according to Shortlist.com
Quite simply, an utterly iconic image, with the Fab Four themselves at their coolest: John resplendent in a white suit, Paul barefoot. Perfectly in harmony, and utterly British. The crossing itself was given Grade II listed status in 2010 - there aren't many traffic artefacts that can boast that.

I want you to use this album cover as inspiration to create a paper layout using any products and materials.

the rules:
*you have until April 30st to upload your layout into the appropriate folder. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.1569606123314039&type=1
*can not be used with Lisa's mixed media challenge
*when you upload your project please let us know what part of the image inspired you
*I will do a random draw for the winner of a wonderful prize - Lindy's Stamp Gang Tres Chic Flat Magicals set:

~Laura

Tag-erific Tuesday!

Good morning!

I have come to the conclusion that Mother Nature has been drinking too much nectar!

We woke up this morning to snow!

It's March 31st and we have snow!

So I think mother nature is a little tipsy and got April Fools Day and today mixed up!

Well on a much better note I want to share some gorgeous inspiration with you,

both are fabulous tags!

First is a couple of stunning tags from Anna using the

Scraps Of Elegance kit named after her, 'Anna's Daydream'

Stunning!

now here are a couple of the gorgeous details.....

Next up is some inspiration from Renea, using our

Scraps Of Darkness 'Michelle's Mechanical Madness' kit

The pocket album was created from cut down, up-cycled manilla file folders that she sewed together to form a pocket system then layered and distressed 

  She fussy cut out the Vintage Lady,  as well as the "Life Is Better With Friends" piece  from the kit papers, then added on flowers from this months floral add on and a past kit flower, then hand stamped some leaves and fussy cut those out. 

She added one of the metal pieces from the kit to the side and topped it with one of the jeweled pieces from the kit. She then added on a large metal flower piece from the kit, more flowers from the floral add on and her stash, more of the hand stamped leaves and a burlap fray bow, and then created all  the tuck in tags from fussy cut and punched paper pieces from the kit.

Here you can see the finished out back side of her pocket journal. 

And here you can see all the matching, double sided, tuck ins, with hand dyed seam binding bows, as well as jeweled pieces, and a Prima Metal Trinket Alpha piece from the kit that were used as accents. 

Well Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day! 

~Laura 

Marvelous Monday Motivation

Good morning!

Oh it feels good to be back!

I hate being sick and this virus my son & I got wiped us out for 2 weeks!

I am happy to be back and sharing some loveliness with you!

First I am going to share a couple gorgeous layouts created by 

Lisa Novogrodski.

The first one she created using the Scraps Of Elegance

'Anna's DayDream' Kit.

She created a collage look by tucking little bits & pieces here and there!

 She loves to "splatter".

She also likes to take her chipboard apart!

She used tissue tape along the edge of the page on the top and bottom, then stamped over it... and splattered. 

 Love the tags

awesome!


Next up I am showing off a gorgeous heritage album from the very talented Karen using the 
Scraps Of Darkness kit - Michelle's Mechanical Madness!

  It's loaded with tons of areas for photos along with areas for beautiful patterned papers from the kit.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

~Laura

March Featured Member

Good morning, it's the weekend! 

Today we are featuring a wonderful lady.  She is one of our kit club members, a lovely lady who is active in our Facebook Group, and we wanted to introduce her to you and share some of her beautiful work!

Marci Bensing

Hi Everyone!  My name is Marci Bensing.  I am 59 and live in New Jersey. 

Of course I love scrapbooking (ATCs are an addiction!) - It’s been a hobby for me since the late 1990s.  I also enjoy walking, volunteering for Meals on Wheels, my 2 grandsons, a genuine smile, pink, cooking NEW recipes, CHER, my dear husband, lunch w/friends, road trips, LIFE!,  family, etc etc  etc!
Thanks for featuring me this month Melinda and thanks for taking a peek ladies- I sure LOVE all of your work here on SOD/SOE!

Marci has done some beautiful work with our March "Michelle's Mechanical Madness" kit, and we thought we would share what she's done:

We think Marci has captured the feel of the beach perfectly with this layout - we love all the layers and her work with that Prima stencil:

Marci did say she likes to create ATC's, didn't she?  I am sure whoever receives these 2 will love them:

And does it get any cuter than this?  We love Marci's Zoo layout, so much fun!:

Thank you so much for stopping by today, and a big thank you to Marci for sharing her beautiful work with us!

~Melinda