shot in April and May. I'm trying my 85mm f1.8 lens and I'm starting to love it.
I should always listen to my photography instructor Karen Russell's advice. She told me (and the other participants at her Shoot From The Heart photography online course) that you should shoot at least a month with a new lens to get the hang of it. And she was so right! I'm starting to get the feel of how this fabulous lens performs.
Just random shots in random order
is my latest creation for CSI.
The color palette #20 was fantastic.
I used once again Solange's fusion technique. I mixed acrylic paints, gesso, modeling paste and stamps to create the background. I especially love the texture the modeling paste gave me.
As for my evidence I used stitching, white space and paint drops (the black drops are watered down acrylic paint)
My journaling is some word of advice to my daughter Valentina. Even though our kids grow up and become adults, I guess we mammas never cease to give them advice.
4 important things to remember:
Attitude is the little things that make a big difference.
If you don't enjoy what you have, how could you be happier with more?
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Of all the things you wear your expression is the most important.
is the title for my layout I created for TCR #111 . This is my third week over there as their Revolving Door Artist and I love it:)
I was inspired by Solange Marques after watching her tutorial at Miss Art's.
It was fun to mix colors, gesso, modeling paste and stamps to create what she calls "fusion technique".
This is Andrea at the beach in Crete back in 2006 (or was it 2005?) I doubt he'll play in the sand with a pail and a bucket this summer when we return there:)
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I'll post another layout created with the same technique later on if you are interested:)
It's for CSI and here is a sneak peek to this week's color palette.
of my children for this week's challenges.
The first is for CSI #19. A lovely color palette with soft light blues and greens. I decided to do a layout with a baby picture of Andrea.
I created the background mod podging (I know it's not a word!) book papers and then gessoing over them. Stamping, stitching and splashing glimmer mist completed the work.
I used a couple of strips of Michelle's beautiful downloadable papers and tags.
For my evidence I used book papers, circles in design, circular accents, bird (cut out from one of Andrea's baby books. We got quite a few of them as presents since I had Andrea quite late in life - I was 40 and most of our friends had already older kids so Andrea was "everybody's baby" so to speak). I also used gesso and multiple small patterns.
My journaling is in a circle and tells about what a great 40th birthday present Andrea was for both Hubs and me: I told my Hubs I was pregnant on his 40th b-day in May and I gave birth to Andrea next January only a couple of weeks after my 40th b-day.
here are some close ups
the tiny circles are punched out from Michelle's downloadable printouts and glued onto the page
The bird is from one of Andrea's baby books
Come and play with us at CSI
The second layout is for TCR #110. This time I made a page of the girls when they were about 6 and 4.
The background is created attaching book papers with mod podge, gessoing over them, then painting with acrylic paint (the yellow), stamping the butterflies with Archival Inks and stitching in circles which are connected to each other.
The flowers are from an old Scenic Route paper which I loved when it came out years ago and which I still love. I fussy cut the leaves and the blooms curling the petals with a pencil to give more dimension.
some close ups
A new case file is open at CSI.
Here's my layout
I absolutely loved this week's color scheme. I scrapped once again Valentina and journaled on the back of the layout (which is white, believe it or not!) about how she's blooming this year.
I went mixed media "crazy" with lots and lots of layering: I découpaged tissue paper (the orange with tiny red flowers) different book papers and patterned paper. Then I gessoed the doilies into the background, lightly misted everything with Tattered Angels Dreamsickle glimmer mist. I also added modeling paste with a stencil and then stenciled in some Pan Pastel (Hansa Yellow Shade which is the pea green) with the same stencil positioned on top of the stenciled modeling paste (I could have also colored the modeling paste with Pan Pastel had I thought about it beforehand!). The green around the corners is acrylic paint.Then it was time to add the photo and stitch around and the final touch was to splatter some Glimmer mist, this time Silver Sugar.
My evidence include tissue paper, oversized flower which is a formely white Prima flower colored around the petals with some orange Pan Pastel and in the center with Coffee shop Glimmer mist. I think my stitching could safely be described as "twisted", lol, but I also added some paper twine and twisted it around a pencil and then stapled it in place. There's bling on the flower (see detailed shot) and in Glimmer mist even though that is really hard to detect other than IRL.
My testimony is about growth and I used the word "bloom" in my title and in my journaling.
Background with gesso, modeling paste and Pan Pastel
Découpaged tissue paper and patterned paper
Stitching and glimmer mist
Crazy "twisted stitching and acrylic paint
painted petals and glimmer misted pistil and some glimmer mist shining on the background
COME INVESTIGATE WITH US!!
There are also downloadable coordinates every week.
is the title of my layout for TCR #109. With this layout I start at The Color Room as their Revolving Door Artist for the month of May.
I am so very happy and honored to be creating with Ana Paula from Brazil as my fellow RDA and alongside such a talented group of artists which compose the Design Team at The Color Room.
So here is my page:
I used a photo taken by my son Andrea last fall because I found it so fitting for the quote "Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect. It means you decide to see beyond the imperfections." which I used as my title and journaling for my page.
For the background I used stenciling, Neo color water soluble crayons (the red circles), stamping with Distress Inks and Archival ink and splashing a little bit of watered down acrylic paint (blu)
Case file #17 is the last case I solved at CSI as a Special Investigator. From next week I will be on the Design Team :)))
If you want to have fun, come over to CSI. There is still time until May 6th to solve the case #17.
This is how I solved it.
For my evidence I used circles (plain chipboard circles that I glued on the background and whitewashed with gesso), music sheet (a tiny circle in the label cluster), stars and white space.
For my journaling I journaled in a circle:
"I'm so out of my league when it comes to any kind of machine. I hate automatic ticket machines and the self-service check-in kiosks. I'd much rather wait in line to be ale to speak with a human being. I dread the moment people start lining up BEHIND me because I'm slow."
This photo was taken in Athens by Hubs who told me how to get the tram ticket even though he doesn't speak Greek nor English. (I speak very little Greek but I know English but just wasn't able to figure out how to buy the darn ticket!!)
Here are some close-ups.
I can finally share some fantastic news: I'm part of the fab Design Team at CSI
We are thrilled to announce the latest additions to our design team of CSI Detectives. These ladies are all incredibly talented and inspiring and will add a beautiful flavor to our already wonderfully diverse team.
Please help us welcome our new CSI Detectives:
Adrienne Ford - United States
Anita Stokes - Australia
Annette Gearside - Australia
Ellinor Bergdahl - Sweden
Heather Jacob - Australia
Helena Virpi - Italy
Maiko Kosugi - Japan
Sarah Martin - Australia
This week's color palette at CSI is fabulous.
Raspberry, pink, pale pink, light gray and dark gray.
Here's my take
I used a detail of a photo of me and Franco's hands and highlighted it with a blingy sparkly circle.
This song by Johs Groban is everything I feel and have always felt for my husband.
So for my evidence I've used sparkly things (the crystals and brads), shiny things + metallic paper (two circles on the upper left), stacked elements( wash tape, patterned paper, film strip) and musical element (one tiny circle cut out of music sheet).
As for my journaling I used a song title and journaled off of this. The title is formed by 6 words so I guess it could be considered a 6 word memoir.
I translated part of the song into Italian and added how our journey has lasted for 30 years and I hope it will last forever.
4 layouts to show you today .
Lets' start with the CSI#15. This is my second week as a Special Investigator.
This is the case file:
This is my layout
The color scheme was awesome this week. I created the background splashing large blobs of gesso, adding strips of paper and metal letters and using random stitching.
For my evidence I used metal letters (letters form words which become books), zig zag border on a strip, stacking and layering of strips of paper and I created a frame around the page with my journaling.
For the testimony I scrapped about my love of books and used the inspirational words "wild" and "fun" in my journaling.
"I have been an avid reader since I learned to read. My first excursions to the world of FUN and fantasy started at the elementary school library. I remember that my Mom took me there the first time and I still remember the first book I took home: Babar the Elephant. I enjoyed reading classical girls' novels and my imagination would run WILD while trying to solve all the mysteries the Famous Five or the Secret Seven encountered. I'm still pretty much omnivorous: contemporary fiction, historic fiction, romance, adventure, thrillers and biographies are my faves. There have been times when I have read a little less, but to this day I can't absolutely go more than a couple of days without a book."
Here are a couple of close ups:
Here are my latest creations for The Color Room:
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