Paperfic Melbourne 2017

I cannot remember the last time I attended the Paperific Expo, it is at least 13 years as I have know my husband that long and I haven't been since I have know him. Last month I was able to go, but it was a little different to what I would normally have done. Normally I would have picked a day, and gone, this time was there for four days and working. Thursday was set up day, got there around 1130 as I had to go after I had dropped my children at school. I was really excited but also nervous as I was meeting Kylie and Darryl Powell who own and run Shop and Crop Scrapbooking. I had spoken to Kylie on the phone and had conversations on facebook and messenger but never actually in person. Its a bit hard when I live in Victoria and she lives in NSW. I also meet the fabulous Donna who is also on the design team.

The weekend was a fantastic, I had an absolute blast. For the weekend I got to talk and meet lots of people, selling products that I love and on the Saturday and Sunday I got messy. I played with Expo Kit No. 4 instead of making a scrapbooking layout I create a canvas. Here is a sneak peak, if you would like to see the complete piece please pop on over to the Blog.

Happy Creating

Using Leftovers From A Kit

When we buy a kit there is always leftovers, do you leave them sitting on your desk or in a cupboard because you are not sure what to do with them?

 

Recently I got to work with a gorgeous kit from Shop and Crop Scrapbooking. With this kit I created a mixed media canvas, click here to see my tutorial on how I created it.

I had so much chipboard and cardstock leftover that I needed to create some more with it. I still have plenty left over after I created a couple of cards, below are a couple of close ups to see the whole cards and tutorial please visit the Shop and Crop Scrapbooking Blog.

Happy Creating

Day Dream

Just recently I had the pleasure of creating with a Shop and Crop Scrapbooking Kit that was created for the Brisbane Expo by the amazingly talent Elisa.

This is what Elisa designed for the Expo Kit - No. 8  instructions are included for this gorgeous layout.

 

The kit is jammed packed with lots of goodies to play with. Here is what I designed with the kit. I still have lots of left overs so I look forward to playing and sharing with you again in a couple of weeks.

 

If you would like to see the whole canvas and the steps on how to create it please follow the link to the Shop and Crop Scrapbooking Blog.

 

Happy Creating





Rusty Gears

The Rust Effect Paste trio by Prima Marketing have been my stash for a little while, but it wasn't until I went on retreat last month that I actually played with it. It was a lot of fun to play with.

In using up some of the gelli plate prints that I created in June last year I made a background that I really, really didn't want to cover up. I just loved all the texture and colours that I was able to achieve.

A brain wave hit, I could use gears because they had holes in them, even though I wasn't going to cover the whole background you would be able to see through the gears.

So now not only do I have yummy texture on the background but also on the gears thanks to the texture paste.

 products used: cogs from my stash, art extravagance rust effect paste - gold rust, brown rust & red rust, art extravagance texture paste - graphite, dylusion paints - vibrant turquoise, fresh lime and lemon zest, gelli arts printing plate, the crafter workshop stencil mini corncob etching, kaisercraft mini alpha stickers - chocolate & white, stabilo all - black, faber-castell pitt artist pen big brush - nougat, derivan matisse flow - raw umber, golden mediums - acrylic glazing liquid gloss, mixed media paper, art basics 3d gloss gel - transparent.

Happy Creating

Fear Nothing

I cannot believe it was a fortnight ago I was attending retreat, the time has just flown and I have not created anything new in that time. I have finished a couple of things off but that's all.

One of those things that I finished was a mixed media layout from a class that I attended by Michelle Logan of M Logan Design  To create the layout we had to get messy, which is my type of fun. There was paint, chipboard, paper, different fun items to make texture in our background and stencils. Thank you Michelle for such a fun afternoon.

Normally it takes me ages to pick out a photo but before class started I pulled out this photo of my little man (although he's not so little now) and two of my dusty attic paints, I was armed and dangerous.

The process was lots of fun and I have a finished layout.

products used: dusty attic acrylic paint - denim & oceania, white gesso, acrylic paint - raw umber & black, chipboard - scrapfx, prima marketing paper - salvage district collection

Happy Creating

The Universe Works In Mysterious Ways

In July I shared with you all about breaking a blank page art journal videos from Marta Lapkowska (blog, facebook, Instagram) well I have finally completed another one of my art journal pages. In total I have completed 6 but have only share 2 including this one. Will share the other 4 with you on another day.

To start this page I punched the different size circles from a magazine, I just loved the colours in the stones and they reminded me of planets. I stuck them down and that was where it ended until the other day.

I broke one of my own rules while creating, I put the lid back on the bottle but I didn't do it up. I even thought to myself as I was putting it down I really should do it up but I knew I wanted to keep using it. Well I paid the penalty I knocked over the bottle the next time I went to use it.

This photo was taken just before I started to wipe everything down it was a real mess and to top it off I was cross with myself as I just knew it was going to happen. If I don't follow my own rules I knock things over, last time I didn't follow the rules it was a bottle of indigo ink across my desk, the time before that was bottle of Ranger Patina, the time before that was a bottle of paint. Okay, yes I am clumsy when I don't follow my own rules.

 

So before I wiped everything down and got my desk nice and clean again I mopped up the spray with two art journal pages and 4 atcs cannot waste the medium. One of those art journal pages was the one I created from the break the page videos.

 

Once I had mopped up the gold spray I had no idea what I was planning on doing with the art journal page but it still reminded me of planets. So I went with that theme and found some chipboard stars that I heat embossed with my new favourite colour of embossing powder Liquid Platinum.

Its pretty ironic that while printing out the quote I had to embrace the journey that the universe was taking me on because the quote I was trying to print in brown but no matter what I did it kept coming out purple. I enlarge the print, I made it smaller and I even checked my ink, which didn't need replacing. I have no idea why but that's where the universe took me.

products used: clear gesso, white gesso, water colour paper, prima color bloom - antique gold, chrome, tangerine and deep teal, ranger embossing powder - liquid platinum, circle punches, magazine pages, um wow chipboard - star confetti, versa watermark, stabilo aquarellable - white and black.

Happy Creating

 

Breaking A Blank Page - Chipboard

Chipboard adds instant dimension and texture to a project, it provides lots of possibilities. On one of the breaking a blank page art journal pages I used chipboard.

I used matte gel to adhere my chipboard to my paper, this gave it added strength as some glues wouldn't hold. Once dry I covered the chipboard and paper in gesso, for some reason I don't like brush marks so with my brush I pounced up and down on my page which gave it added texture.

When adding water or wet medium to dry paper I always have the problem of my paper curling so a couple of times now I have beat the system and stuck my paper to my desk with blu tack. It doesn't completely stop the curling but it certainly minimises the effect.

I love the randomness of the magicals, you just never know what result you are going to get, especially when you combine more than one.

I really had fun playing and finishing off this page, cannot wait to start adding colour and embellishments to my other break a blank page journal pages.

products used: kaisercraft stamp - script, sa crafters chipboard, prima art basics heavy gesso - white, watercolour paper, archival ink - jet black, lindy's stamp gang magicals - merci beaucoup mint, c'est la vie cerise, freaky franken-lime, merry-go-round green and hag;s wart orange, posca paint pen - white, faber-castell big brush - orange glaze, stampin' up stamp grateful bunch, tim holtz idea-ology - small talk, liquitex matte gel

Happy Creating

Be Brave

There is a new challenge blog on the block More Than Words. They have two challenges for the month. The first one is a month long challenge, where you can enter a layout, journal page or a canvas. The second challenge for the month runs for one week and it is for cards, tags or atcs.

I decided that I was going to enter a card into the mini challenge. The challenge criteria is that you must use the word Be and then share it on More Than Words Facebook Page. I used the phrase 'Be Brave'

Products Used: mixed media paper, black ink, white ecoline liquid watercolor, chipboard, black embossing powder, gesso, flowers, sparklets, scrapbooking paper.

Happy Creating

Letting Go or Control

People art journal for many different reasons, whether it be to release their emotions, trying a new technique or to do something creative. Sometimes I sit down in my chair and wonder what I am going to create but lately my creativity seems to just flow. I believe the reason behind this would be the art journal prompts that members from the Wanderlust class are receiving. They seemed to have opened up a dam inside of me.

The prompt this fortnight is "Sometimes what you're most afraid of doing is the very thing that will set you free". It didn't take me long to know what I am most afraid of and if I do it, it will set me free. Letting go of Control is a big issue for me. Whether it be in what I am creating, a situation I am in or just life in general. So hopefully by creating this page it will give me a big kick up the butt in times that I haven't let that control go but I need to.

Not only were we to be inspired by the quote but also a video from Kasia about composition building. Yes there are rules in composition building and they are very helpful but we were also encouraged to break them, not all of them but some of them. I love breaking rules.

Well if you have got this far reading I thank you and I hope that I can inspire you with my journal page. Its not very often that once I start creating I know what I am going to do but this time I did and it turned out even better than what I had imagined in my head.

I love how when using Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals 

that you don't need to use a lot to get such a big impact

Products Used: lindy's stamp gang magicals - orange creamsicle, gesso, mixed media paper, bakers twine, tags, chipboard, black cotton thread, x-press it tripletac glue

Happy Creating

What I really want is .........

This fortnight's art journal prompt from Kasia and Jamie over at Everything Art is "What I Really Want Is"

I guess I really didn't have to think all that hard about what I really want. Two things came to mind a cure for Type 1 Diabetes so my daughter doesn't have to worry any more and the other thing was Self Belief.

Self Belief is something that I think we all work on at times and I am certainly no exception to the rule. It can take just someone to say some unkind words or actions for it to go flying out the window. I work on this everyday some days I have it, and others I don't. Which is why I designed this journal page to remind me to ignore those words and actions.

This page started with the raffia. I had actually thrown it away but while sitting at my desk I could see it out of the corner of my eye and I had to retrieve it. The poor piece of raffia once it was attacted to my page it was then hit with a heat gun to change it's colour. I had to be careful that while heating it I didn't set light to it, but I think the risk was worth it.

Products Used: thick white gesso, clear gesso, faber-castell pitt pen - black, watercolour paper, umwowstudio chipboard - star confetti, raffia, watercolour paints, scraps of patterned cardstock, ecoline liquid water colour, ranger archival ink - sepia, prima finnabair stamp set - don't forget to fly, we r memory keepers - crafter's stapler and staples and x-press it - tripletac glue .

Happy Creating

Wanderlust 2016

Wanderlust is an online mixed media course that runs for the whole of the year. It's created and facilitated by Kasia and Jamie from Everything Art. They are a Uk based creator of Inspirational Art, Mixed Media, Art Journaling, Craft and Creative Online Classes. Each week from either Jamie, Kasia or one of the 24 guest teachers we received a video. In addition to these videos there is a fortnightly art journal prompt, a collage challenge, plus lots of other fun things to participate in.

Below is my art journal page from the first art journal prompt, which not only did Kasia produce a video of the prompt but also on that video she created her page. I cannot remember her exact words but basically you had to choose a word that describes you. My word is discover, because I have decided that 2016 is my year to discover my creativity and discover who I really am and where I fit in, in this creative world that I explore each and every day.

 

  

Products Used: Faber-Castell - Whipped Spackle, Ranger Embossing Powder - Liquid Platinum, Scrap Fx Chipboard - Signpost, Stampin' Up Stamp - Timeless Textures, DecoArt Stencil - Pixelated, The Crafters Workshop Stencil - Well Rounded, VersaMark Ink, Dusty Attic Acrylic Paint - Denim, Sunburt Orange and Cashmere, Dylusions Paint - Black Marble, Tim Holtz idea-ology - Big Chat, Inkssentials - Glossy Accents.

Happy Creating

3 Firsts

Did my post title catch your attention, thinking how can you have 3 firsts? Well let me explain.

Last weekend I was lucky enough to attend my First scrapbooking retreat. It was organised and run by Julie from Bella Carta Horsham. Thank you Julie for the most fabulous weekend, and I cannot wait to do it all again. The retreat was held in a beautiful setting at Cave Hill Creek - Beaufort. The food was aplenty and yummy. The rec/dining room had the most amazing view, it looked over the lake, that we were told has a platypus that calls it home. I will share with you some photos I took in another post over the coming weekend.

I shared a table with four very talented ladies. Thank you Fiona, Beck, Julie and Deb for providing so many laughs and friendship. But it wasn't just our table that was full of creativity, the whole room was a buzz. There were card makers, scrapbookers, ladies doing traditional scrapbooking, ladies doing mixed media, some used copics to colour and the table behind me were two ladies quilting. It was just one of those weekends that wont be forgotten but will need to be repeated.

Since I had never been I retreat before I had no idea what to take and my way of creating is that I never know what product I am going to use next. I need all my supplies around me. In the end I took a huge list of supplies that filled the boot of my car and my linen was on the back seat. Did I use all of it not a chance, but I am glad that I was able to take it with me, for that just in case moment.

So what did I actual do while I was away. I started 2 backgrounds on artist boards, I completed an art journal page and 3, yes you did read correctly, I completed 3 scrapbooking pages.

The first layout I completed was a kit that had been designed by Fiona. On this layout I decided to scrap a photo of myself. That is my second First, as I had never ever thought that I would do that but my photo was the right one.

 

My second layout for the weekend was a class that Beck Beattie designed and taught us how to do. I can't show you the whole layout yet as Beck is still to teach it to others and it really wouldn't be fair to them. So I am going to give you a little bit of a sneak peek and then when all the classes are taught I will share my completed layout with you.

 

My third First for the weekend was that I created a layout in an hour. Normally I would struggle with just picking a picture or a theme, usually they take me at least a week. Julie was running a competition over the weekend and you could create anything that you wanted to as long as it had a winter theme.

The last morning of the weekend not only was it freezing cold, but everything was covered in a layer of frost. I was out taking photos not really thinking about the competition and once I went back inside. I though to myself I can do this. I did it for the challenge and what a challenge it was. My hands were shaking, how silly really. Lucky for me Fiona had brought her computer and Beck had brought her selphy printer so I was able to get my photo. Thank you again Fiona and Beck, you two are so amazing xx

   

I always claim that I am not a scrapbooker but I guess after the retreat I can no longer claim that as the truth.

Wow this is a really long post, if you have stuck with me and got this far thank you very much, I will share with you my art journal page in another post.

Happy Creating

Wings

The current challenge on The Mixed Media Card Challenge blog is 'Wings' and you have the option of adding foil.

I am the first to admit that I am addicted to butterflies so when in my blog travels I came I across this challenge I knew I could not go past it. The other reason why I could not go past this challenge was because card making is my first love and mixed media is my second so all round this challenge was screaming my name.

When creating I always save the left over bits, I started with a small bowl and it has now grown into a draw. I am one of those people who cannot throw anything out because you never know how useful it will be in the future. Now that my draw is almost full, I have been trying to use these left over bits. The background on this card was created by using pre-cut strips of paper. The strips are from where I was cutting card inserts down to size. Seems appropriate for them to go back onto a card. I then used my Derwent Inktense Blocks to colour the background

Just recently I purchased the Butterflies Thinlits Dies from Stampin' Up and this was the perfect excuse to use it, not that I really need an excuse. In my paper scrap draw (yes I have one of them too, for plain cardstock and patterned) I found the perfect size piece of paper to use.

Using the option of adding foil to my card I used a new product from IndigoBlu called Mega-Flake and changed my black butterfly into a gorgeous metallic one.

 

While searching in my scrap draw for the strips of paper I also came across some aqua colour hexagons and some aqua coloured thread. I pulled them out and decided that that is what I would used to embellish my background. I knew this wouldn't be enough for the card so I went into my chipboard stash and found my diamond UmWowStudio chipboard. I love how the diamonds are all different sizes. The last thing I wanted to add was some sort of material. I found some natural fibre tulle cut a small piece which I then proceed to distress, so it didn't look so new.

The background needed something more so I used my Stampin' Up Off The Grid Stamp and when that was dry with my white pen I drew down the right hand side of my vertical strips of paper. It's all about layering and creating texture.

The order that everything went down is hexagons first, then the tulle and then the tread. This is where I hit a snag, I had to seek advice from a friend as I had no idea how to put the thread down without it looking messy. Her response was "It's meant to be messy". I struggled with this but I think I managed to get it right although the more I look at my card I am thinking it maybe could have done with a little more. Next came the placement of the diamonds. Over all of this I splattered white ink. The last layer of my card is my butterfly.

Happy Creating

Lessology Challenge - Typeface

The theme over at Lessology Challenge Blog is Typeface. Its all about using different fonts. An additional requirement they have for each challenge is that you have to upcycle something.

Finding different fonts wasn't the hard part as I have a huge amount of different stamps (alphabets, words), many letter stickers, lots of chipboard letters and stencils. The hardest part was deciding what I was going to use.

In the end I used 2 different Prima stamps - Rust and Dust & Don't Forget to Fly. Both of these fonts are a little hard to see as I did use them in the background. I used a Letter Jumble stencil by Dyan Reaveley, which form the main background. My quote I had in my scrap draw, it was to be used in a class that I did a little while ago but I didn't use it. The font is from a typewriter and the final typeface I use was my own hand writing. I don't really like my own hand writing but it seem appropriate to use it in this challenge.

Before i started this challenge I had decided that I was going to create a male card. Typeface just lent itself that way. Guess what that didn't happen in fact it didn't come even close to a male card.

To create the main background I used mixed media paper as I knew that it was going to have a lot of liquid to stand up to. I then used my stencil and texture paste to create a very textural background.

The stencil wasn't big enough to cover the surface of the paper, so I laid it 4 different times in different spots and different directions. I just love using stencils, they would have to be one of my favourite things to play with. You can get so many different results.

To add colour to my card I used Magicals by Lindy's Stamp Gang. When using them in this project I added the powder to water and painted it over the background with a brush. Once the background was dried and spread a layer of Texture Paste - Clear Crackle from Prima. I waited over night for it to dry as the instructions on the back suggested that but I had also watched different videos which said this was the way to do it to get that wonderful cracking.

 

Let me show you my card and then I will tell you about my upcycled item.

I have two upcycled items on my card, only because while I was looking for one I found the other. My first one is the sewing thread that is wrapped around my card. It was used to make a parcel I received in the mail pretty and the second item is the round circle that my flowers are on.

It is actually half a toy yoyo that we used to put in my daughter's birthday favour bags. My daughter had one and so did my son and both of them broke. I have no idea why I kept them, but I knew they would come in useful one day.

Looks a little different on the card as I coated it in gesso then used a spray to give it some colour.

Happy Creating