Salvage the Page - Ketchup and Mustard

These little faces mean the world to me.  (Even the somewhat more mature face of their older brother at age 19, is still a "little" face to me and indeed still means the world to me.)  These little faces also speak volumes....right now they are screaming summer.  Ketchup and mustard costumes in place, my little grandies are ready to run a race against the Milwaukee Brewer sausages. 

I find myself often questioning where this complete and utter joy that children are so easily and quickly able to manifest goes as we become adults.  We are so mired down in the everyday details of one thing or another that must be done, the time limits and requirements imposed on us by work, government, and even family members. 

Working with paper and photos, paint and ink, releases me from that feeling of being mired down.  Add in the bonus of working with photos of these happy little faces and there is the double win of creating something that they will have in years to come. 

Now onto page details... 

Since I am working within my stash (still) I pulled whatever red and yellow print papers together I had in my tote and started with the photos, layering rectangles and slivers of papers till there were bits of reds and yellows peeking out all the way around.   The background seemed a bit stark white at this point, so I added a bit of yellow using a stencil and ink. 

Next was to create a border using small rectangles of the red and yellow prints adhering them at all four sides. 

Now the page seemed to be too busy for my taste.  What to do, what to do?  Now I am feeling a bit mired down with the details and the time already spent on the page.  so.  Now trying to salvage the work I had already down (and not waste the paper).  Thinking to self, if there is too much going on... remove something.  OK, let's try  trimming down the layers under the photos.  Better.  Then trimmed down the edges of the page itself, making the border narrower and adhered the whole thing on another white (back side of another paper I was not likely to use) sheet.  Winner, winner, chicken dinner!  (Why do people say that!?) 

I may not be running a race against folks dressed up as various types of sausages.  But working with ink, paper, and photos shouldn't make me feel mired down, or restricted.  And by focusing on what was possible, I got where I wanted to be. 

Hmmmm, not exactly the wild joy of the very young, but I'm working on it. 

best,
Cheryl

Another Watercolor Background - Cat In The Box

W-h-a-t?   Two posts in one day, huh?   Yeah, I just finished this page up and at first wasn't so sure about the colors.  I am never sure about the colors of the painted papers.  Too light, not enough variance or contrast, too bright, too many colors, not enough color...!#@#(@

Always so unsure about these pages, especially during the process (cuz once you put the color down, it's not like papers, you can't peel 'em back up!).  Every so often though, when it's all done and put together, I am way happy.  This is one of those pages.  I couldn't be happier with the softness of the peach, gold and gray.  The darker brown was added as an afterthought really.  I just thought it needed some contrast and then was terrified I'd mucked it all up.  But once everything was in place, ahhhh, it looks how I'd imagined it. 

Still working with my limited cache of supplies, I chose a grid pattern paper and added layers of  watercolors instead of papers.  I did not bring rubber stamps along and only a few little Cat's Eye ink pads, so I used a small piece of fabric mesh and inked through it for the grid background that appears here and there.

The choice of colors came about because of my Gypsy kitty's fur.  It is what I've heard referred to as tortoise shell colored.  The paper behind the watercolor grid pattern is actually printed with vintage typewriters all over it.  Just don't see myself using that sort of pattern, but the colors worked as a border and you really do not see the typewriters when using it as a backer piece, so there you go. 

After that it was just a matter of layering up the papers under the photo and adding a title and a couple of embellishments.  Alphas are a dark metallic tan (Thickers).  The Hello speech bubble is from a partial pack (Amy Tangerine), but it had some sequins glued in the corner where the little peach heart is now.  The heart came off a camera sticker from the same pack and then I stuck it on the corner of the speech bubble after the sequins were scratched off. The banners were hand cut, stapled together and got a little shaped button glued on for fun. 

So another lesson (or two or three) learned.  When limited on paper choices, look to layering color instead of paper.  When in doubt, at least give yourself the option of finishing the page and then decide whether you like it or not. 

Oh, and one more thing... if you ever need to find your cat, open a box. 

best,
Cheryl

Eat Cake - More Fussy Cutting!

From a bright and bold watercolor background back to simple white... (can you say fickle?) 

In keeping with the modest amount of supplies at hand, I again flipped over a patterned paper from one of the pads I brought along so as to make use of the white backside. 

Layered the photos on several loosely cut pieces of patterned paper (all from the Maggie Holmes Birthday Party pad from Crate Paper) and also several irregularly cut pieces of plain old white tissue paper (to add a bit more volume and softness around the edges).  Tucked in part of a doily at the bottom of the photo layers, as well as a starburst (fussy cut from a sheet of the Party paper).  More fussy cutting provided the "Eat Cake" banner, the "5" ticket stub, the Happy Birthday strips, and the zig zag edged pink and red striped piece.  Gotta love your scissors and keep them close at hand!!! (nobody better mess with momma's scissors around here)   

The balloons and the party hat are chipboard stickers from Maggie Holmes (picked up 40% off at Michaels some time back).  Although the balloons were originally "bent" going in the other direction and did not fit where and how I wanted them to, so a little disassembly came into play.  Re-tied the strings and bent them slightly in the other direction for the appropriate "bend" to fit my photo placement. 

Punched a bunch of pink and beige confetti and a few little hearts to mingle in amongst the confetti bits.  And, my own little-big new thing is to be able to use a sewing machine and add stitching on my layouts.  (Since I am staying at Dad's whilst the house is going up, my mom had two different sewing machines, so I am making use of one of them... yea!). 

Our Bella turned five.  Cannot believe how fast she is growing up.  She picked out her cake.. rainbows.   Thought for sure she would pick something with the Disney Frozen theme. But no, she went with a rainbow.  Always her own person, this one.  Happy Birthday Bella! 

Make use of what you got is my ongoing mantra.  If it doesn't work one way, turn it over, take it apart, cut it out. 

 now off to splotch some more watercolors about (fickle? yep!)
Cheryl

Limited Supplies? Watercolor a Background!

Just when you think you have a "style" worked out... layers of papers peeking out under photo, lots of white or open space... Nope!  Wham! The bright idea of using water colors to create your background page comes over you.  You know, in a fit of I've only packed "X" number of papers and nothing works (in your mind) and (not that you don't have OTHER photos packed up ready to scrap---nooooooo these photos keep popping up and you simply must scrap THESE photos).  At least that's how my mind seems to work... 

So, I went with it and just dropped all kinds of color over the paper...attempting to leave some areas with less, or at least a more watered down wash of color.  And I am happy with it.  I just cannot seem to wrap my arms around how this head of mine just stubbornly leads me down the path it chooses. 

And, in my defense, I do have a limited quantity of papers packed to choose from, plus I wanted a kind of free-form look to the page to mimic the feel of the graffiti painted cars.  I did bring my cheapie water colors and a some watercolor paper and there you have it.   It was fun just to kind of merrily splotch down color after color. Having done this, I may just fling some more paint about on more papers, thereby creating some background I could pull from.  B-u-t, first I will try and concentrate on using the papers in hand.  Try being the operative word....  try not to let my own head get in my way... 

Layering papers are from the Crate Paper DIY pad I brought along, as well as various scraps.  I punched hearts in two different sizes from scraps to mimic the water colors on the paper and added  the Hello speech bubble, the couple of colored triangle wood veneer pieces (Crate Paper, Maggie Holmes), the Check It Out was from a Heidi Swapp ephemera pack and the yellow square with the hearts on it was fussy cut from a partial sheet of paper.  The Bug Farm title is from a Basic Grey sticker sheet (have no clue as to the collection--just know that they are Basic Grey--and old). 

The Bug Farm is a little roadside attraction I read about in a handbook of Route 66 "stuff" to see.  Some guy planted five VW bugs nose down in the dirt outside an old abandoned Texaco station as a spoof on the widely publicized Cadillac Ranch (where someone with money to burn paid a group of artists to do the install of ten old Cadillacs buried nose down....etc.).    This was one of the (few) things we really had a good time seeing on our trip moving out to California (or as we are calling it the Grapes of Wrath tour, circa 2015).  There was so much more I wanted to try and see and we just could not get to everything what with the various vehicle issues.  Who knows, maybe another time or another trip. 

Kind of like the page, I was just going with it, seeing as "the plan" was not wanting to be followed.. 

best,
Cheryl

NZ Travel Page - Limited Supplies? Fussy Cutting to the Rescue!

When you are working with a limited supply base like I am right now, it's important to make use out of just as much as possible...  A good pair of scissors you are comfortable working with becomes one of your best friends! 

I used the backside of another printed paper I wasn't fond of since I am hoarding the last couple of white American Crafts cardstock.  Did the layering under the photo using several cut-a-parts, as well as a bit of this paper and a bit of that.  Also used a couple of border stickers teamed up with a torn strip of paper down the right side of the page. 

But, besides using cut-a-parts (which as the name implies...you cut--them---apart), I fussy cut the large chevrons from a patterned paper, the labels, the large-ish photo corner pieces, and yes--the title "NZ".  I didn't pack all my alpha stickers, nor do I have my Cricut handy, or even my Big Shot.  And an N and a Z seemed pretty straightforward as far as cutting went.  (Hint:  Cut one block of paper and then cut your letters out...helps to keep the letters the same size).  Now I might have thought twice about hand cutting letters if I had entitled this page "SkyTower"!  Not going there! 

Last was to add some gray splatters and some of my homemade enamel dots and to tuck in just a couple of small round tabs.

Again, most papers were from the Heidi Swapp No Limits pad of paper I brought along, although the black and white diagonal stripe I believe is from the Crate Paper DIY pad.  And the border stickers were off an Echo Park sticker sheet (For the Record 2). 

So moving right along...if you are going to stretch your supplies, keep a pair of scissors handy that you are comfortable using! 

best,
Cheryl

Scrapping with Limited Supplies - Using Pieces and Parts

Working from a page kit does not necessarily mean everything I package together makes it onto the page. It does mean making good use of what you have, though.  Sometimes not a lot makes it onto the page!! 

In this case, the only pieces and parts that wound up on the page, were just that,,,pieces and parts.  I had envisioned a watercolor background---um no, didn't like that so much.  So I snatched a piece from a pad of paper that I was not likely to use and turned it over to use the clean white side. 

The bits and pieces that I did use?  See that tiny bit of gold thin stripe..yep that's one piece.  Then right under that is a small blue patterned paper, and there is the multi-patterned vertical strip.  That's pretty much it.  The green map paper with "Top Ten" imprinted on it was a 4x6 cut apart in the No Limits paper pad I brought along.  The grid at the top and bottom of the page was from the piece that I cut the arrows out of (on yesterday's posted page).  And since I liked the "Top Ten" map cut apart, I used a similar paper at the top of the layout--also from the Heidi Swapp No Limits pad. 

You see, what I did after packing up page kits...was to also pack a couple of paper pads and packs.  One with a definite travel feel (also very masculine), one that is very birthday, party feeling, and another that is very general--but it has a variety of types of patterns--grids, small florals, vintage.  All the paper pads had several cut apart sheets in them---the Heidi Swapp on in particular has great words---making it very usable for titles -- like on this page!   

The thinking was that even if I did not use the page kit as packed...I could dip into the paper pads and I did!  Used the backside of a paper that I thought I would not likely use--just for the clean white unprinted side.  And that grid paper; it came from the pad.  The repeated the use of the green-ish map paper?  From the pad. 

Other layering pieces were a leftover piece of another map paper and then vellum and acetate embellishments from one of the few packs I brought along (Boys Rule - Crate Paper).

The alpha stickers are Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type and Basic Grey (I think it was the Printery? or something like that).  The alphas I chose to bring along also had to serve multiple themes--masculine, travel and a couple of feminine... Again, the rule being, a select few that are specific and several that are very general (the Tiny Type for example).

So, look for more about how you can pack up your stuff--not bring along the kitchen sink, and still make pages you are happy with. 

scrappin' on,
Cheryl 

Scrapping with Limited Supplies, but Scrapping Just the Same

We are here, at Dad's till the house is up.  That means we have the bare minimum of clothing, tools, toiletries, and most importantly (LOL) scrapping supplies! 

I packed my rolling tote and shoulder bag as if I was going to an extended crop.  (Look for more on how I pack in a later post.)  Now that we are kind of settled, it was time to break out the scrapping supplies!  Makes me a MUCH happier person to scrap, and blog and facebook.... 

The only "mixed media" I brought in my tote was watercolors, so I am mostly gonna be working with paper.  And that's fine with me, I love paper! 

Still working from stash stuff.  This page used a mix of Heidi Swapp No Limits papers and Echo Park's For the Record 2.  Embellishments are both cut and punched from the papers, plus a few stickers from Crate Paper's Open Road, as well as For the Record 2 .  Splattered on a little blue watercolor and called it done. 

What I really want to talk about... are the choices of the papers.  When all you are working with is paper; not a lot of ready-made embellishments, not a lot of punches on hand, my Big Shot is packed, the Cricut is packed, and I did not bring along a bunch of mists, gesso, texture paste or stencils...  it makes the choice of papers that much more important. 

For me, it's all about color then.  I focused on the colors in my Jackson's shirt and that red on the soles of his sandals.  Then I think it's a fun technique to add a small doses of a third color NOT represented in the photo.  This grabs your attention and directs the eye.  In this case, I used a mustard-y yellow.  See it?  It's only in three places, but that's enough.  Any more and it will over power the page and that's all you would notice. 

Photos are of my Jackson boy enjoying a Dairy Queen treat one afternoon while his mommy was helping sort out our garden (before we put the house on the market last year).   No big story, just photos  I love. 

Glad top get back to scrapping (and blogging!). 

best!
Cheryl