Beautiful - Mix Up the Kits

I already talked a bit about the tropical nature of the April kit, but I wanted to present another way to make use of a kit that perhaps isn't quite your cup of tea.  Something that Gossamer Blue does quite well is that while each kit has its own theme or feel to it, each kit seems to have pieces or designs or colors that work really well with earlier kits.  And that's the way I went in this layout; I used bits from each of the March and April kits, plus some things from my stash.

Now I am not going to say that this went together 1-2-3.  Because it didn't.  Boy, did it ever NOT want to work the first three times.  I tried three different backgrounds, and had my photos heavily layered.  It just wasn't working for me.  Way too busy... too much going on in the photos to have lots of paint and colors in the background or under the photos.  So I pulled it all apart...all except for the first layer of papers under the photos. 

Then using watercolor paper, I applied a very thin wash of pink and aqua watercolors and forced myself to stop right there.  (Which is kind of hard to do, cuz it's fun to keeping sloshing about in those pretty little pans of color!!) 

And even though I didn't want too much going on behind the photos, in order to add at least some color and pattern, I cut up short strips of papers, pieces of tags and ephemera, and applied those at the left edge of the paper.  Just for a little more interest, I added a tabbed piece and a label. 

Since there was pattern and color at the left of the layout, I glued a few of the same papers together and cut them into a large photo corner type piece for the upper right side of the page. 

Next was to add a bit more detail in the way of just a couple of text stickers to the photo block, then some black paint splatters, a few enamel dots and wood veneer hearts. 

Last was to add my title, which was pulled from a sticker sheet, and my journaling. 

Finally, after three attempts, I got a page I am happy with.  A splash of color and pattern, but still lots of open space for those busy, busy photos.

 
I guess the message is... if at first (or second or even third) you don't succeed, try, try again!

best,
Cheryl

Sort Those Scraps - Happy Feet

Still on the subject of choosing and layering papers, still using my stash, but this time all the papers used (except for the white cardstock background sheet) are all scraps--all previously cut pieces and odd little leftovers. 

On the photo itself... Jackson was only one, sitting on the couch, watching a cartoon show, and I happened to see these little feet crossed at the ankle.  Something little that made me smile.  And I am finding that these photos are actually having more meaning for me and touch me more than the posed, everyone facing the camera, smile big type photos. 

It seems only fitting that something so little and inconsequential should be showcased using lots of little inconsequential pieces of paper then.  And what results?  It all adds up to something I love.  And so it goes, all those little fleeting moments adding up to something meaning much more.  Kind of cool.  And I think kind of like all the moments and days piling up, adding up to a life. 

ok, enough of the life analogies and philosophizing...this is what you get when I haven't had enough coffee!  Ha! 

 

Back to scrapping talk.  It was easy to find most of the papers since they were pretty much all together in one page planner; leftovers from a lot of the sports pages in eldest grandson's graduation albums.  As those pages were created, the scraps and pieces got placed into one page planner so I could continue to pull from it.  After his albums were completed, I just left that page planner together and put it into my tote when I packed to leave.  So when this photo pooped up again, it was easy to see it needed blues and neutrals to showcase it.  All I had to do was snatch up that page planner with all the little bits, strips, and pieces already sorted into just the colors needed!  

The white cardstock got a bit of inking in blues and tans, using a scrap of mesh as a stencil.  And I also added several wood veneer hearts (just cuz I liked the different shapes of the hearts and the look of the natural wood with the blues and browns in the photo and papers). 

The title is made up of two different alpha stickers, one is an old, old, OLD Little Yellow Bicycle set that I have used almost entirely.  The other, lower case alpha is from an old Webster's Pages alpha set.   Not a lot of journaling on the page...  Jackson's first Nikes, as mandated by his older brother Jacob.  Not really sure if all my blather about odd little moments adding up to something bigger will get journaled onto the backside of the page or not.  (I mean how crazy do I want future generations to think I am? LOL All right, I am so gonna go put these thoughts down on the back! hahaha)

off to create more odd little moments now,
Cheryl 

Choosing and Mixing Patterned Papers - A Texas Breakfast

I thought I was going to talk about paper layers (again... yawn).  OK, so that sounded b.o.r.i.n.g.  Seven different papers layered up creating the background...tore some, cut some, layered 'em up.  But why those papers?  H-m-m-m-m.  Now there's a much better topic. 

It all started with a page I saw a you tube video on (and I wish I remembered whose video it was, but I don't---if I can go back and find it I will edit this post and include a link).  Layout is not the same as hers, colors are not the same, style is not even the same... but I really wanted to have torn paper layers across the top of the page like hers.  So that's where I started. 

Now which papers?  Well since my subject matter was my Texas shaped waffle, I pulled several homespun type patterns.  Ones that might have appeared in a country kitchen or old time roadside diner (at least in my imagination).  Those are the teeny floral pattern and the blue circle repeat pattern. 

Then I thought there needed to be some sort of break between the two patterns and added the little strip of ruler or tape measure looking print.  Better, but not enough of a barrier between the two kitchen-y prints. 

Next came the diagonal aqua-green stripe (always love a diagonal stripe).  And I almost thought I was done, but that black print with the arrows on it was still calling me.  I had tried using it as a larger torn piece and it was too much dark, but tucked in so only a sliver of it showed was just right!  It picks up the dark background on my photo (and I didn't know it yet, but it also picks up the dark charcoal color of the leaves on one of the photo layers--bonus!).  Tucked in a piece of a doily and one half of a little blue doily sticker (the other halves show up on the photo layers). 

Layered the photo on top of two clusters of ephemera (quite a while back I stapled stacks of Maggie Holmes ephemera pieces together --cuz you sure do get a lot of pieces in those packs!).  I did have to pull up the "3" and the blue bow and re-staple so they would fit right, but no big deal to do that. 

 

Then the alpha sets... the blue is from Basic Grey (old, old, old) and the brown is a Thickers set that I thought was perfect for a western feel.  Felt good to finally use some of those brown Thickers...only been hoarding that for (gulp) a year or so!  I just cannot let go of my Thickers.  (Is there a Thickers self-help group anyone?) 

And now I am probably heading back to Michaels, because this particular store has several Thickers sets I've not seen ,well not in person anyway---probably scoped them out online. (Great, now I am stalking Thickers.) 

oh, thit, I have a Thicker thtuck to my thoe.... 

Cheryl