{Stash} Freaking Supernova

Hey hey scrappy friends!! I have a super super quick share for you of an art journal page I threw together to play along with the Viva Las VegaStamps April challenge. 

 Obviously I was inspired by the colours but I was also inspired by the word “reflections” listed under the graphic. Reflection made me think of reflecting on life and changes. Then butterflies. Then this awesome sentiment stamp from VLVS. I have used a total of 5 VLVS stamps for this and am really happy with my end result!

Here are a couple of close ups!

Thanks for stopping by and to Sue, thanks for the prompting to play along!!

Until next time,
Mel
xx

{ScrappingClearly} Crazy Even In Emergency ~ A Scrapbook Layout

Good morning and welcome to my blog this weekend! Do you have any scrappy plans? I do and I hope to be super productive, as always I have deadlines and things I want to create!!

Anyway, I'm here today sharing my newest page created for ScrappingClearly. I have used the very fun Photo Play Boys Rule Collection. I am documenting an interesting story today of my boys being maniacs, even while we were in emergency with my husband last July. The journalling sums up how well they coped and all in all what an awesome job they did in such a gloomy situation!

I was inspired by a couple of stickers in the collection and built my page starting with those....

I also created a process video which you can see below. 

I started by tearing 3 pieces of patterned paper from the Collection Pack (Seeing Stars, My Boy and Smash Bang) and layered them on the right hand side of my white background paper and then added a coat of white gesso both over the bottom of the papers (where my photo's were going) and onto the white cardstock.

Time, of course, for some messy fun! I started with a text stamp in Black Archival ink and then used a Dotty Texture stamp with Dark Blue Archival Ink.

And then more colour!! Back, again, to my Distress Oxides! I was going to use LOTS of colours but then ended up using only Squeezed Lemonade and Spiced Marmalade and the packaging technique over where the gesso and stamping was.

I also added some splatters using the Faded Jeans Distress Oxide watered down as I felt the white half of the page needed some of that darker blue to balance the right side.

Once that was all dry I added all my stickers and some messy thread in both a dark blue and a bright lime green and I love how that brings all the colours all through the page. The black word stickers are from the Boys Fort Phrase Stickers sheets.

Last off was my title using the Black Glitter Heidi Swapp chippy alphas paired with the fun Mini Alphas from Pink Fresh Studio's Boys Fort collection.

I have to document the actual story of the reason we were at the ER in the first place but am kinda stuck - it's one of those stories that I certainly feel like I want in our album but am unsure how to add it in! Have you shared one (or more!) of those types of stories in your albums? How? Please do share, I would love to hear!!

Anyways, I shall leave you here with my last close up! I love the craziness and hectic feel of this page because, for so many reasons, that was exactly how those few hours felt! Oh, and just for the record, in case anyone is wondering, hubby's finger is almost completely healed and you wouldn't even know that he had a run with a table saw last July!!

Until next time, happy scrapping!!

Melinda

{Stash} K+ April Challenge ~ Recipe Challenge ~ Details

Hello scrappy friends!! A super quick share for you today of my entry for the April 2018 K+ Challenge! 

This one was lots of fun and I really love my end result! 

I am going to give credit right now where credit is due! For my "something borrowed" I have borrowed 2 ideas! One idea I saw on Scrapaholics Anon by Hollie Heyenga - I'll try to link her page here! And I also borrowed the idea of the big flip on the right hand side from one of my newest YT crushes Corrie Jones and the page I got inspiration from was here.

Old: Papers (especially that blue spot one - one of my all time faves that I have been hoarding) and of course the whole idea of the wedding, after all we just celebrated our 10th anniversary! Oh, and a couple of punches!

New: Vicky Boutin Art Crayons and also a brand new Distress Crayon in Stormy Sky - the ever popular smooshing technique and of course, splatters ;) and also those fun gold and wood alphas

Borrowed: The journalling idea and the page design - links above!

Blue: Paper and mixed media

Here are a few close ups!

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

Mel

xx

{Colour Blast} Us ~ A Scrapbook Page

Hey Colour Blasters and welcome to the blog today! I have a pretty share for you today - something somewhat different for me but today I am scrapping an older photo of me and one of my besties so went pretty!! Here's a little sneaky peek ;)

And, of course, there is a process video right here so grab a cuppa and enjoy!

I have used this month's challenge as inspiration and if you have not yet seen it here it is!

And here are my step-by-steps!

A quick, light coat of White Heavy Gesso across my whole 12x12 white cardstock background. By the time I had cleaned up my spatula and work surface the gesso was dry!

I have 2 tubs of white gesso on the go at once - one is thicker than the other. To get your gesso to thicken up just leave it with the lid off while you create your next page and keep doing that until you get the desired consistency! However, I digress, I used my thicker White Heavy Gesso to apply through a stencil on my background. I taped off the parts of the stencil I didn't want the gesso to go through. This I left to dry overnight - I didn't want it to bubble and have the really textured, grungy look.

The next day I used a pipette to add some Colour Shimmer Spray's to a palette to make easy water colouring. I have used Punch, Sunshine and Tangereen Dream (to fit in with this months challenge).

I then added the colour randomly to my dried stencilling in patches, letting the colours blend a little together so I didn't get any harsh lines. I did dry after each colour to prevent the colours from completely blending together and really like the pretty background I have managed to create. I, of course, also added splatters in the same colours but keeping them pretty close in and small.

When that was all dry it was time to add all my layers and photo. I have primarily used the Vicki Boutin All The Good Things range because I knew there were birds in the ephemera pack and I love all the colours!

After my camera was turned off I added a few extra pieces including the torn edge on the left hand side and some black and white phrases. 

With those pops of black I also watered down a little Black Heavy Gesso and added some little splatters with a paint brush and 3 big splatters on the vertical where most of my design is. It's not very common for me to not have anything to say on my pages but for this one I felt those word/phrase stickers were enough and said what I wanted to say so I'm calling it done!

And a last couple of close up's - my little birdies!!

And my final page

You have until the end of the month to get your challenge entries in so head over here for the album and have a look around the group for lots of inspiration from the other girls on the DT but also from all of the other Colour Blast fans in the group!

Until next time, happy scrapping!

Melinda

{ScrappingClearly} Minc Mini Album

Hello and welcome to my blog on this Monday!! Already! I for one could have added a couple of extra days to our weekend as I was lucky enough to be away, just my hubby and I, celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary! No crafting but lots of wine tasting for me, how about you? Did you get your craft on?!

Anyways, today's share is for ScrappingClearly and it is VERY different for me! Like, VERY!!! Kylie sent me these lamination labels in the Minc range and I had ZERO idea what to do with them until one day, bam! Inspiration struck! A mini album! So that is where this mini album started - some labels!!

I pulled out some more bits from not only my latest kit from Kylie but some older goodies she sent me - seriously these DT kits she sends just keep giving!! I have used lots of different bits and pieces are here are the direct links to all of the goodies I have pulled that are available in store:

Heidi Swapp Minc Lamination Labels
Heidi Swapp Minc Tags
Heidi Swapp Minc Chipboard Frames
Heidi Swapp Minc Alpha Stickers
Heidi Swapp Minc Pink Foil
Heidi Swapp Minc Mint Foil
Heidi Swapp No Limits Stix
Heidi Swapp Puffy Stickers
American Crafts Clothespins
American Crafts Clips
Studio Calico Chipboard Heart Stickers
Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - "Flutter" 12x12 Paper
C'est La Vie ephemera piece

At this point I am going to say, make sure you have a cuppa with you - I have photos of each page to share and a little "this is what I used" so sit back and enjoy!

What I love about the "cover" is all the different angles and the bits and pieces poking out and around all the sides with nothing being exactly square or neat!

For this I have used 3 pieces from the Minc Tags pack and one of the AC clips. I used a combo of the pink and mint foils as well and so I am not repeating myself on every photo I have used pink foil on the mint coloured pieces and mint foil on the pink pieces ;)

The acetate tag is from the C'est La Vie ephemera pack. I have used the Minc Alphas (mint foil), one of the Heidi puffy stickers (there is another on the back as well!) and I pulled apart one of the Heidi Stix to just use the one camera.

The base here is one of the laminated tags and I very simply added in one of the AC chippy hearts.

Before I say anything else this is one of my all time absolute favourite photos of my littlest guy. I just LOVE it!! We have this in colour on our wall as a big canvas <3<3<3

For this one I have used a Minc Tag and pink foil (really hard to photograph!) for the page base. A fussy cut butterfly from the Flutter paper and another of the AC clips.

My next laminated tag, this one paired with a AC clothespin. Another of my all time faves!!

My base is one of the Minc Tags. The pink stripes are printed and then the green is foiled. I added another of those adorable AC clips here too.

I'm sure by now you have noticed that I have not at all overthought this process and kept it pretty simple from page to page. I really feel that having my photo's in black and white and printing them all to 2" x 3" made making decisions so much easier!

Another of the laminated tags. I felt the florals and his gorgeous squishy face was enough for this so didn't even bother adding anything else!

A non-photo page! Another tag from the Minc Tags package and another AC chippy heart. Oh, and pink foil.

I totally and completely forgot we managed to get this photo until I printed them out for this album and oh my stars!! I should have known back then (he was 8 or 9 days old!) he was going to be my mischievous little man!! However, another laminated tag and another fussy cut butterfly from the  Flutter paper. Oh, and I trimmed this photo too ;)

I had a few different ideas for these frames but really love what I ended up deciding to do!! So, this has 2 photo's and 2 of the Minc Frames as the page base and I have simply adhered those back to back. I added another of the AC Clips as a place to hang this page from the ring and voila, done! The front has the text which is foiled in pink.....

and the back has the stripes which I foiled in mint. I will say it again, the foil is really tricky to photograph well but the mint colour is way more mint and pretty than this photo indicates!

This piece is actually what inspired me to choose the photos I chose to work with! My little family of 4! We are far from perfect but we love, we laugh and we have each other and that is enough <3 This came from the Minc Tags set and is a minty colour and I have added pink foil. And an AC chippy heart.

And that is my album in it's completion! I really, really love it! Mini's are not my "norm" but sometimes it is super fun to step away and challenge yourself. I really do adore my end project and so too do my boys, so I'm calling that a win!!

I do have a video of my process and you can see that below and you will see how much I didn't really over think the process or make it complicated.


I hope you enjoy and I hope I inspire you to get your creative on!!

Have a fantastic Monday and I'll be back again later in the month!

Melinda

{Stash} Shimelle ~ Clear The Desk ~ Kit One ~ Pages Flip Through & Left Overs

Hey and hello scrappy friends!! A super quick share today of some pages I created at a recent retreat.

I took Shimelle Laine's newest class "Clear The Desk" and took the kits with me on said retreat. I worked my way through 2 1/2 of the kits I created with stash items and today I am sharing Kit One and what I made.

You can see my YT video walk through here

And here are the 4 pages and kit created using Shimelle's class

This was the kit I put together based on that bokeh effect paper. There is a quick flip through at the end of the video of what I have left as well ;) Which I will add to my "left over" kit bits for playing with at the end of "using up" all the kits!

Love & Adore

My Little Cat

Our Island Adventure

Best Wishes

So, that is the 4 pages I created so far with the kit. I have more pages made from the next kit/s I just need to work out what I've done etc and I can share!!

If you want to see more from Shimelle head to www.shimelle.com and you can also find her on YT. 

I hope enjoy and I shall see you again very soon! 

Have a fantastic, scrappy day!
Melinda