Veranda Workshop from April 25 - Layout 2

This layout, like the last one, is from the Imagine book. I would love to give you the page number as I followed this one pretty closely, but, alas, I have misplaced it. Hopefully I'll uncover it as I pack for my retreat this weekend, but in case I don't, I can still give you some of the pointers.



First, I started with Chocolate Card Stock as my bases. I used the great ivy stamp from the set that came with the workshop in Chocolate ink to make the pattern on the bases. When I did the stamping, I rotated the ivy image and sometimes even overlapped it to give the base a wall paper type of effect.



Something else I did with this layout is use both pieces of striped paper that came with the set. I used one of the papers to cut the pieces that went across the stripes, and I used the other paper to cut the pieces that went WITH the stripe. So the piece on the far left is a 2 inch cut going with the stripe and the piece on top is also 2 inches wide (by 7 inches) going across the stripes.


On the right hand page, top piece is a 2-inch cut across the stripes and the bottom piece (also going across the stripes) is only 1-inch wide. The Juniper print is 3 inches wide on both pages, and the Parchment Cardstock mats measure 5 x 7.


All the paper pieces are sponged with Juniper ink except the Chocolate card stock bases. I used 2 photo clips from the Copper Mini-Medly metal embellisments on either side of the design. I also added flowers and started by stamping the vine image at the top of the left-hand base. I love the Just Blooms sets and for this design, I used the spring collection. I stacked a large white mult-petal disc (after I sponged the edges in Creme Brulee' ink) under a Creme Brulee' fluted flower, which went under a white, 8-petal flower with Creme Brulee sponged on the edge. I held it all together with a copper brad. My second flower stack started with a large, Creme Brulee', 8-petal flower (with the edges sponged in Creme Brulee' to darken it) and was topped with a smaller flower of the same type, all held together with a Filigree charm. I finished off the right side with a Tulip-colored butterfly, the middle of which I dabbed in Chocolate ink. The flower collection on the left hand side was achieved some of the same way, except without the ivy stamped onto the base.

Veranda Workshop from April 25th - Layout 1

I love doing these layouts and I always have pages ready for my pictures. My next one is May 23 and we'll be using the new Splendor set. Let me know if you want to join us!

The Veranda papers are so beautiful and I can't wait to add my pictures to these! This particular design started from a layout from the Imagine book. However, the one there had so many layers that the base paper (the colorful floral) is almost totally covered - what a waste! So what I ended up with is terribly easy! First, I used the green ivy papers - 2 come in the package - and cut an 8 1/2 inch square for the left-hand side and two 4 x 7 inch pieces on the right-hand side. I also cut a 1 1/2 x 12 inch strip and another 3 inch piece that is 1 1/2 inches wide from one of the green ivy sheets. Those I used upside down as accents for the page. I completed it with a third 4 x 7 piece and two 3 x 3 pieces from the Juniper cardstock.


Because the paper is so busy, there isn't any real need for a lot of embellishments, so I kept them to a minimum. I started off using a medium tulip multi-petal circle flower from the Just Blooms paper flowers spring collection. On top of that I glued down a daisy I made from the stamp set that came with the Veranda kit. It's so cool that the Scrap-booking packages comes with a stamp set that is made especially to go with the paper designs. This stamp is a four-petal one that you will stamp over and over in a circle. It also includes the dot that makes the center circle.


As a last embellishment, I used the small bird from the included stamp set. This I set into the "frame" that is part of the Copper Mini-Medley Collection.


For both the flower and the bird, I used a technique called "stamp rolling". I originally stamped the artwork in Creme Brulee', a light tan color. Then I "rolled" the stamp onto the Tulip stamp pad from the edge in, pinking just the tail and wing edges on the bird and just the tips of the flower petals. Then I can line up the image and stamp directly over the artwork again, adding the color to the original set up. Try it first on some scratch paper to make sure it is the combination you want. For mine, I ended up dabbing the pink on my scratch paper before I restamped it to lighten the ink a little. That is a second technique called "2nd Generation" stamping. I also stamped the large bird in the corner opposite the flower using the same colors and techniques.

News News News!

If you are on my email tree, these are the details from the email I just sent you!

Going on right now! Get the Miracle set for only $10 when you make a $30 purchase, or get it for only $5 when you make a $60 purchase. It's gorgeous and includes all the paper and embellishements for the 4 layouts you see on the flyer at the link on the picture.

Needing a retreat? Sign up to join us on June 4-6 in Addison. Your cropping space and room are covered by your $95 fee. There are still some spaces left for this retreat and they are ALWAYS inspiring and fun!

My May workshop on the 23rd is with the brand new Splendor paper. You can't even purchase this paper until the 1st, but I've already begun working up some GORGEOUS new layouts complete with stamping and embellishments. There are only four open spots for this workshop so contact me right away if you want to join us and click the picture to see the flyer with all the information!

The Scrappin' Happy classes have taken a bit of a break, but they are back! We'll be doing them at 4PM usually on the last Saturdays of the month - except for May when we'll do it on Saturday, the 22nd. This is a FREE class! You bring the supplies and you'll leave with 4 or 5 double layouts in just a couple of hours. This class is especially to help you get some layouts ready for your pictures, using the Close to My Heart products you love and have already purchased. Let me know if you are interested in joining the next class and I'll give you a list of the needed supplies!

This artwork uses May's stamp of the month. It and the next three monthly stamps are on the back inside cover of your new Summer Idea Book. What? You don't have one? Yikes. Click the picture to send me an email and I'll let you know how you can get one of your very own!

Color Challenge Layout

This is the very first challenge issued by Heart2Heart Challenges (heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com) The challenge was to use the colors Chocolate, Sweet Leaf, and Sunflower to make a project. I was prompted to give it a try and since I still have LOTS of pictures to get into my album, I decided on a scrap-booking layout The one shown was actually my first layout, but I've updated it and resubmited some pictures, so you can see how the embellishments made it change.
This is a layout that I developed from inspiration I got from several websites that I viewed early last month. I used it as the 1st layout for the You Rock workshop that I just finished posting.

On this one, I used textured cardstock for the Sunflower, and I stamped the Sweet Leaf with stamps from "Connections," "Paisley," and "Flourishes" stamp sets in chocolate.

On the base cardstock, I used stamps from the same sets and stamped them in White Daisy. Once the pigment ink was dry, I stamped it again. The smaller images, I stamped in Sunflower, and the largest image, from the Connections set, I stamped again in Sweet Leaf, although that color is a little harder to see on the photos.

When I first posted these, they just didn't look finished, but I got some advice to add buttons (which became brads) and ribbon (which became waxy flax) and felt much better. In the picture above, you can see "biggie brads" in chocolate accenting the main picture and regular brads in sweet leaf in the corners of the striped paper. I also added a sweet leaf concho to the four corners of the complete layout and wrapped the title card (also new) in the chocolate waxy flax.
I was so glad to find that all the colors were used in the paper from the "Magic Moments" collection, and I just happened to have a couple of pieces of the B&Ts to use on these layouts. I added some yellow biggie brads on this page and wrapbed my picture with a little of the waxy flax. I also added regular sweet leaf brads and a matching concho in the corner of this page. (The picture matte has 2 more green brads at the top and the top of the page has another concho at the top.)

You Rock Layout #4

This is the layout that is actually detailed as part of the workshop package. I haven't quite decided on the titles for these doubles, so I've left some room for those once I decide.

In the last posting, I mentioned a "river" of stamped images. I used it in this one and also in one of the other ones. The instruction brochure really inspired me. While I was able to fit all of my photos on the layout, it still lended itself to some really fun embellishment.

On the left hand side, I used the dot-line stamp that came with this set to accent the square photos. The "river" started on the left layout, just under the pictures and proceeded with a curved course onto the bottom of the right hand page. Not only did I use direct stamping onto the B&T paper (in Outdoor Denim) but I also used some star images that I cut out, some top coat swirls, buttons from the Outdoor Denim mini accents that came with the kit, and bitty sparkles to finish it off.

I also saved some paper with this set. Instead of using white as base pages and then also cutting white for the strips under the pictures and through the left page, I just used the white base page. In fact, to give an appearance of strips, I added brads from the mini-medley set on either end of the open space.

Also from the Outdoor Denim mini medley set, I added a little frame with a stamped sentiment from the stamp set.

The best news about this set is that the workshop kit is still available, but only for one more month. If you are inspired, let me know!