Dream Big (Scrap Around the World Challenge 13)

I did it!

I created a mixed media style layout in record time, a little over 2 hours of creating!  I have to admit that i am usually a fairly slow scrapper, over thinking it, stressing over it, brainstorming longer than i should, wanting to start all over again when i'm barely half-finished.

But with this layout, since i knew that the deadline is barely 2 days away, 

i knew i couldn't waste any time and had to just dive into it.

Let my creativity do the creating, so to speak. hehe

I left all pressure at the door and just created for the sheer unadulterated fun of it!

And i LOVE my layout!

You might have guessed that my layout was created for the  

EPIC ANNIVERSARY EVENT COMPETITION over at Scrap Around the World 

and was inspired by this fabulous celebratory mood board.

All month, i was hoping to be able to play along with this challenge, 

but it seems that every time i decided to start, life had other plans.  

When i saw SATW's reminder today on FB, i thought, it's now or never!  

I just knew i couldn't pass up this opportunity of celebrating with one of the best 

challenge blogs out there.  The last year, i have been inspired by each and 

every one of their mood boards, whether or not i was able to participate.  

And the prizes...  oh, the prizes!  

As the title of my layout says... i dare to DREAM BIG! :)

Now enough rambling, let's take a close look at my layout...

At first sight of the mood board almost a month ago, i knew which picture that i was going to use for this challenge.  This is my friend Nathalie's son Tristan when he celebrated his 1st birthday, just like the SATW blog.  Doesn't he look totally dreamy?

If you didn't already know, 2Crafty Chipboard is one of the many sponsors of this big event so i had to use lots of 2Crafty chippies on my page.  I used the Dream Big tile, one medium View Finder, and two of the Circle Revolution Frames set which are my favorite!

 I did some mixed media work on my background... stenciling with gesso and molding paste 

and then misting with different shades of Glimmer Mists.

The blue chipboard pieces were colored using Glimmer Mist and the red ones using silk glazes.

Once my layout was all put together, I dabbed some white gesso over most everything as i love to do, 

to give it a white wash feel and soften my page up a little.

And there you go!  I am so happy to have finally been able to play along!

If you haven't, there is still time!  I created my layout under 2 hours so you can do it also.

Visit Scrap Around the World to find out all about this special challenge 

and the amazing prizes to be won!

You Scatter Sunshine (Creative Scrappers GDT #269)

This post is a bit late in coming since it's already been a few days since the reveal, 

but better late than never!

Us DT girls over at My Creative Scrapbook have teamed up with our friends 

at Creative Scrappers for their sketch #269 reveal.

I love all of Kristine Davidson's sketches (owner of Creative Scrappers) and i have had the chance

to create with them often in the past while on a member of the CS design team.

What a pleasure it was to play along once again as a guest designer!

Very colorful, isn't it?!

To win a prize sponsored from My Creative Scrapbook, all you have to do is create a layout 

based on sketch#269 and link it up HERE on the Creative Scrappers blog.  

Deadline to submit is May 31st.  

Make sure to visit on June 1st for some sneak peeks of the June kits 

from My Creative Scrapbook and the full reveal on June 5th.

A new term with the 2Crafty DT!

I am thrilled to be able to share with you that I have been asked to stay with the 2Crafty Chipboard DT for another 6 months.  

Joining the 2Crafty team a year ago was a dream come true as I am totally in love with laser-cut chipboard and 2Crafty offers so many gorgeous styles and shapes. 

Browse through their complete selection HERE.

I've got a DT pack of 50 new pieces coming my way (Come on, Canada Post, deliver them already!) and I cannot wait to start creating.  

My next 2Crafty DT reveal is due on June 17th (on June 18th for New South Wales EST)
and my new term will start in mid-July.

Here is the list of the other amazing artists that made it to the team.  I feel truly blessed to be creating alongside such talented ladies.

New Design Team

Annie Carignan (Canada)
Fiona Paltridge (Australia)
Maiko Kosugi (Japan)
Marilyn Rivera (USA)

Returning DT Members

Di Garling (Australia), design team coordinator
Debbie Tehrani (USA)
Helen Tilbury (South Africa)
Janice Nicholls (Australia)
Nicole Doiron (Canada)
Stacey Young (Australia)

Resident Guest Designers

Anita Rodway (Australia)
Ebony Van Der Starre (Australia)
Jennifer Olek Snyder (USA)
Margaret Mifsud (Australia)
Melenia Agapides (Greece)
Stephanie Papin (France)
Wilma Voermans (Switzerland)
 

A New Sketch from My Creative Sketches

It's the reveal of a new sketch over at My Creative Sketches!

I had the chance to design a layout, shared with you earlier this month, with this sketch as inspiration, 

using the May Main Kit from My Creative Scrapbook.

I hope you will play along for a chance to win this awesome prize 

put together by MCS' very own Pam Rangel.

Click HERE for more details on the challenge and more inspiration from My Creative Sketches.

Our Story (2Crafty DT Reveal & OUAS Challenge)

This is part II of my 2Crafty Chipboard DT reveal.

To see yesterday's creation, click HERE and to see my full May reveal, visit the 2Crafty blog.

Like with yesterday's layout, this one was inspired by the May sketch and journaling challenge at Once Upon a Sketch.  Because I didn't get the chance to play along last month, I thought I'd enter twice this month.  The journaling theme is 'Anything Goes' and this lovely sketch is provided as inspiration. 

Love is definitely my favorite scrapbooking subject.  I adore creating page after page in homage of my fiance Yves and I's love story.  On this layout, I actually wrote our love story on a tag tucked behind the picture.  It recounts how we first encountered one another on a social media website and how it took months of random messages before we actually decided to meet in person... as friends.  However, the friendship soon grew into something more and 8 years later, I couldn't be happier, sharing my life with the most wonderful man on earth.

The different 2Crafty chipboard pieces used on this layout were treated with white gesso, Luminarte silks, Liquitex natural sand, and layers after layers of paints in order to get the perfect shade of rusty brown that i was looking for.

Let's start off with showing you the Our Story Title laid over a Francesca's Journal Frame.

I used the larger frame from the Square Leafy Frame Set to put around my design.

 

I did a lot of stenciling with molding paste on my background as seen here.

Cutting a Large Corner Flower Vine into 3 different pieces, I tucked each piece and added them behind in and around my flower clusters.

The word love which I stuck at the bottom of the picture was taken off the Love Border.

As you can see, 2Crafty offers numerous elegant and romantic chipboard designs to make any love-themed layout extra special.  Click HERE to see more!

Thank you Once Upon a Sketch for the double inspiration this month!

Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful (2Crafty DT Reveal & OUAS challenge)

It's time for my DT reveal over at the 2Crafty blog and I can't wait to share this special layout with you.

 

I played along with the May challenge at Once Upon a Sketch.  The journaling theme is 'Anything Goes' and this lovely sketch is provided as inspiration. 

I've been wanting to scrapbook this fun picture of my pretty niece Ella for a while.  She is so carefree and full of life, having fun during a weekend at her Memere's.  In my journaling, added to the 2Crafty Jenna Frame, I wanted to give her a heartfelt message to always be herself.

After doing some stenciling work as well as misting on my background, I added the Window Shutter Set.  I treated both window frame and shutters with Liquitex Natural Sand and then covered them with different paints and silks.

 On the Scallop Circle Bunting pieces, I put a heavy coat of gesso and heated it up.  I added a whimsical touch with Flourish Adornment Set 4 and different sizes of Sharon's Butterflies.

You all know by now that 2Crafty offers awesome title chippies and this one, Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful, is a favorite of mine with its different fonts.  It was perfect for my layout, and painted white, it pops out against the blue background.

 And now, another look at beautiful happy Ella! :)

 Be sure to come back tomorrow to see another of my creations using pretty 2Crafty chippies.

Visit the 2Crafty blog to see my full reveal and leave me a comment!

And last, but not least, check out the Once Upon a Sketch May challenge and how you can play along.

Beautiful (7Dots Studio, Berry71bleu, Sketchabilities Challenges)

I'm very happy to share this layout with you today.  I created it a couple days ago and I love how it turned out. 

I was inspired by 3 different challenges...  the more inspiration, the better!  I take so much pleasure each month in browsing the different manufacture and challenge blogs and i always wish i could have the time to play with each and every challenge out there.  When i have the chance to combine a few, i am so very grateful for the creativity that they bring forth.

You will probably recognize these beautiful papers from 7Dots Studio's Love Is in the Air collection.  I used 'Whisper of the Tree' for my background as well as 'Dreaming' and 'Rising of the Sun' for layering.  I also used 9th Wave Alpha Stickers to add my quote. 

I played along with the April-May challenge over at the 7Dots Studio blog which is 

"April Showers Bring May Flowers" 

My niece Ella was taking a leisurely stroll outside and enjoying the blooming Spring tulips.  Such a precious photo!

I found that this Circle board from 7Dots Studio went along perfectly with the challenge over at Berry71bleu which is 

"Simple Pleasures"

The May mood board showed several images of flowers, one of nature's most beautiful pleasure.  They come tickle our every sense and I, like Ella, take great joy in admiring them and walking amongst them as soon as they bloom in the Spring.  Flowers are, in so many ways, the natural emblem of life.

And last, but not least, my layout is based on sketch #114 from Sketchabilities.  Karan's sketches are more and more pretty each month and this one i just couldn't pass up:

Now on to the details:

All the chipboard used on this layout comes from 2Crafty, including the very elegant Leafy Shrub Set 1 & 2, the Beautiful Loopy Font title, the Adornment Set 3 as well as the Daisy Flowers.  I used a mixture of gesso, molding paste, Luminarte silks and acrylic paint.

 

So, tell me, have you taken the time to stop to smell the flowers today?  :)

Take the time to check out the challenges listed below and play along if you can:

7Dots Studio April & May challenge

Berry71bleu May challenge

Sketchabilities #114 sketch challenge

Also, visit the 2Crafty Chipboard blog to see all the fabulous chippies that they have to offer and the amazing inspiration shared each day by their DT, including yours truly.

Altered Family Frame (My Creative Scrapbook DT Reveal 7)

I'm back again to show you my last project created with the May Main Kit from My Creative Scrapbook.

I tell you, the MCS kits go a LONG way... not only did i do 2 double-page (HERE and HERE), 3 single-page (HERE, HERE and HERE) and 2 cards (HERE) with this kit, i had enough left to do an altered frame also!

A bit later this month, I'll be sharing with you on the My Creative Scrapbook blog how i created this frame in less than 30 minutes during my MCS Tutorial Day :) 

If you liked my creations using the May Main kit this past week... remember, you can view all the DT's gorgeous creations using all the monthly kits by visiting the My Creative Scrapbook DT Gallery.

Click HERE to find out more about the MCS kits!

I already can't wait until next month!