scrappassion

OUR STORY

This is my last layout as a Revolving Door Artist at TCR for their color palette #112. I have so much enjoyed creating these pages and I will surely not abandon TCR.

Loved creating the background here: used gesso to whitewash, added book pages, swiped acrylic paint and then plashed some ink. I usually use watered down (black) acrylic paint and I really don't know where I got the brilliant idea to use Distress Ink re-inker (Black Soot) . It took FOREVER to dry! Even with the occasional warming ups with the heatgun, it still took DAYS! Never again.

I swiped the flowers with yellow and misted just a little with Glimmer mist Dreamsicle to achieve the pale apricot required by the color palette. The apricot/white argyle tape is o-l-d  Heidi Swapp tape. At last I stamped randomly, added some number  rub-ons and stitched and distressed the edges. I also added some pearls here and there to mimic the pearls I have in my paper bouquet.

The photo is of last February when Franco and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. Quite an achievement if I say so myself;) 

---------------------------

 

This week I didn't have time to create a page at CSI even thought the color scheme was really yummy! You on the other hand have still the whole week to participate.

RANDOM PHOTOS...

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

REMEMBER THAT...

 

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.

 

BEACH BUM

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:)

 

                                                                              --------------------------

 

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.

Childhood pictures...

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

 

 

 

 

CSI #18

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.

 

BEING HAPPY...

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 AT CSI

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.