scrappassion

Hello March!

This March has started out gorgeously, warm and sunny. Let's hope it will continue the same.

I have two layouts to show. One is for TCR #100 and the other is for a Norwegian sketch challenge blog Skissedilla.

 

This is TCR color palette#100

and this is my layout

This is a photo of me and Franco back in 94 when we spent Christmas in Finland at my Mom's. Lovely memories.

 

The second layout is for Skissedilla. This is the first time I play there. This is the sketch #153

I followed the sketch but moved the main accent=the hat and the weed to the right and replaced them with a huge number 12 for Andrea's 12th birthday

 

About a boy - and me

Two layouts for two challenges. The first one is for Sketchalicious #15 

Here's my interpretation:

The background paper is Basic Grey which is already somewhat distressed but I created more layers and texture by adding paint, mist, ink (both with bubble wrap and with stamps), rub-ons and stitching. Love how this turned out. The title is cut from the acetate backing sheets of various stamps.

some details:

  

The second is about me @ 53. It's for The Studio's challenge.

I used a fun technique for the background: I tore open a brown paper bag, the thin type, and glued it on my background paper (you can use cardstock or a sheet of a patterned paper that you don't like). I used Mod Podge but any découpage glue or even a glue stick will do.  

Then I started playing with acrylic paints. First I spread the cream color with an old credit card. When that was dry (I put a sheet of wax paper and 2-3 albums on top as soon as the paint is somewhat dry to avoid the warping of the paper) I added a layer of the "ancient" Lil Davis metallic copper paint. It's yummy. I felt it needed another color, so I put just a little bit of the tan paint.

Then I stamped randomly on the background with Sepia Archival Ink using Sir Tim's stamps. I added a recent photo of me, some book paper, the tickets, the envelope (inside are some thoughts about how I feel right now), rub-ons, the title, two strips of lace which I had sprayed partially with Coffee Shop Glimmer mist and then I sewed the whole layout on a second (unused and ugly) cardstock since it kept warping a little bit on the corners.

A couple of details:

  

Enjoy

is the title of my latest layout. The sketch (I flipped it) is from Sketchy Thursdays and due tomorrow so I'm cutting it quite close :) 

I also participate in Scrap Our Stash March challenge which is to Dust off something we have ignored - a tool, a technique, a supply, a project.

Well on this layout I'm finding it hard to find something NEW: the cardstock as well as the patterned paper (My Mind's Eye - Penny Lane) is at least 2-3 yrs old, the snowflake stamps are from Technique Tuesday and those too are old. And what about Heidi Swapp's mask letters: those go way back at least 4 or 5 years as well as the technique of using them with acrylic paints. Even the photos are OLD!! They are of Andrea when he was only 1 back in 1999. He's now 13. So I guess I qualify for this challenge, LOL!

Very well done to have used so many products of my old stash me thinks ;)

Darn I can't get the red on my layout to turn out right on my photo. It's more pink-burgundish to match Andrea's snowsuit. Oh well. Can't have it all.

Playing with paints and gesso...

and inks and mists and this is the result:

 

 

It's based on Creative Scrappers' sketch #143

I started out with painting with acrylics on the canvas, then I used Heidi Swapp's mask with Glimmer mist Graphite, then I attached the photo, sewed the ribbon under the photo, mounted the canvas on a light blue cardstock, stamped a bit around the edges and under the title with Studio 490 stamps (LOVE THEM!),added some gesso for more texture, sewed some more, stamped the circles on coordinating cardstock and mounted them with foam squares. For the title I used some old letter stickers (as you can see, I didn't have any upper or lowercase "e"s left so I used the number 3 upside down) and WeR Memory Keepers chipboard letters which I also painted with Jenni Bowlin's acrylic dabber (Soap Powder).

Here are a couple of detailed shots of the texture:

the splatter is obtained blowing with a straw on the little puddle of glimmer mist that I shook on the layout from the mask

 

All the stamped circles but one are attached with foam dots to give more depth and variation

 

A long journey

I've come home from a long journey. It started last October when my mom was diagnosed with cancer. She died on the 5th of December while I was holding her hand. Her last words were:" I'm happy you made it on time." That is a huge consolation for me. I'm quite serene. Of course sometimes sadness and longing fill my heart but she truly is in a better place now.

There have also been happy moments during these past months one of which being a wonderful trip to New Zealand to spend Christmas with Kristina and Matteo. We had three marvelous weeks to enjoy one of the most beautiful places on earth. New Zealand is truly amazing. As soon as I get to edit some of the 2500 photos I took while over there, I'll post them on my blog. And will probably scrap many of them.

But for now I will leave you with this layout I created tonight for Cocoa Daisy's January scrap lift. This is the sketch.

 

And this is my take on it. 

Some pics of my girls with my mom during their childhood. They had a special bond. They spent all their childhood summers with her and visited as ofter as they could as adults. The many letters and cards which they wrote to her until the very end and of which I've included only a couple in this layout are a proof of that - if you should need any. 
The title "Mummu" means grandma in Finnish.
I made a "pocket" of a 7 gypsies package to hold the letters, added one crocheted doily made by my mom (the other one is from a kit) and added some ribbons and some red paint around the edges. Love the French V.I.P Sultane paper which I bought at Pacs in Paris last fall.

2007 in review

I have finally finished the 2007 year in review album. I started it a year ago and got a couple of pages done, then I just "forgot" it amongst the other UFP which stands for unfinished projects.

I haven't been scrapbooking for weeks due to various reasons, mainly personal issues, but a couple of days ago I got the urge to start scrapbooking and this album appealed to me. I put it together in 2 days. I had some pages half done so I dug out the photos of 2007 that I had printed ages ago and started punching. I have a 2" x 2" (roughly 5,1 x 5,1cm) square punch which made this project relatively fast and easy to do. And I love grids so this is really one of my all time faves. I have also included pictures that take the space of two photos just to give some more interest and dimension to the pages. There are also squares of patterned papers and some embellishments. I've included the month in rub-ons and the year in Thickers.

All months but January have a list of things that happened during that particular month as journaling. Since Valentina's, Andrea's and my birthday all fall in January,  I just stamped Happy Birthday instead of writing the journaling.

So many memories. A year in review is a nice way to preserve memories. It can be done as 12" x 12" pages like this one or the one I made of 2008 (I confess I still have to write the journaling on that one) or as a minialbum like I made of the year 2009. Now I have to decide how I want to do the one of 2010.

 

The Studio World Cup challenge

This time the World Cup mascot Zakumi was to inspire us.

 

I took inspiration from the colors of the mascot and this is the layout I came up with.

The layout is about Franco and his favorite hobbies while we are on vacation in Finland. Fishing is one, the others are mushroom and blueberry picking in the woods. 

 

Needed to scrap!

I just HAD to scrap today. I took inspiration from The Studio's June 27th Challenge. This is what the challenge required:

Splash! We want to see your pages about the beach, sunshine... anything summer-ish! How do you spend your summer holidays? 

These photos were taken in Finland when Andrea was 6 yrs old. What sweet childhood memories: he could spend hours on end trying to catch with that net either the sun rays that glimmered on the lake or the minuscule fish right underneath the surface. 

I used Creative Scrappers' sketch # 76 for this. I used acrylic paint, sewing machine and some Prima bling to mimic the glittering sun rays. Just love how it turned out.

 

Challenge # 8

was all about green and growing. Anja's requirements were

First, the topic of the layout should be green and growing things. 
Second, your title must be hand-made and must in some way reflect the theme of your layout.

I dug out some photos from last year's vacation to Finland and surely enough I found something green and related to growing.

Andrea learned to use the axe, under Franco's supervision) last summer and so the log pile kept growing.

I had a "happy accident" while doing the layout. I had misted it already and went to sew the board. Something weird happened to the thread underneath and when I went to look at it, I decided to use the "wrong" side as my main side. I re-misted everything and attached the photos and finished the layout. I find that the loopy, garbled thread has kind of a woodsy feel to it :) Also the title is handcut out of chipboard, it mimics the logs. 

Flexing my fingers

while waiting for Cocoa Daisy's Spring Crop to start tonight!!!

I made this layout using Creative Scrappers' exclusive sketch.

This photo of Kristina, age 2, just melts my heart. The title is in Finnish and it means Summer girl. That's what she was for my parents when she spent her summers in Finland at the lakeside with them.