Discovering Love - Guest Designer at Bird is the Word

I was lucky enough to be the randomly chosen Guest Designer at Bird is the Word for my entry for the "Wonder" challenge. Today, I get to reveal my layout for the February 26 challenge word - which is "Discover"; and, seeing as it is February, I decided to do a Valentine's day layout! The photos of my son for this layout are from this Valentine's day (2012). I used the February 15 sketch from Get Creative as the inspiration for the layout. When I first saw the sketch, I thought "this is not my style" and wasn't going to play along; however, I decided to challenge myself and give it a shot. I am not normally a pink hearts and cutesy cupids sort of person either - but I am so happy with how this layout turned out.

The grid pattern of the sketch reminded me of a game board - so I used games as the theme for the layout; I've included playing cards, tic-tac-toe, bingo, and a score card! I've used patterned papers, Whatnot (Winner Score Card) and Peek-a-Boo (Tic Tac Toe board) elements from Glitz Design's Love Games collection for this layout. I used two pieces of patterned paper as the base for the layout. I used a Fiskar's tear edger tool for the second layer of patterned paper and I tool-distressed the edges of both paper layers. I added a few random  border punches around the edge of the base page as well. I then layered a large square doily on top of the patterened papers. I created the quadrants of the layout by criss-crossing two border strips of Xs and Os by K&Company -- perfect for the game theme and Valentine's Day! Tucked in all around the layout are bits of ephemera from the K&Company Valentine Ephemera Die Cut Cardstock collection - lots of hearts, flowers and cupids.

I cut the "LOVE" title on my Silhouette and added the word "discovering" using some inexpensive letter stickers I had in my stash. The tickets are from another border strip that I ripped into sections and stapled using an EK Success Fastener and XOXO staple.

I layered the "Winner" Whatnot card with four Aces from an inexpensive deck of cards I picked up a Michael's and then added a small red heart doily as the mat for the photo and tucked in a small embellishment that says "I adore thee" to the left of the picture.

I used the Tic-Tac-Toe peek-a-boo from the Glitz Designs Love Games collection and layered it on top of some cream-coloured paper so it would really stand out and so I could tuck some things in behind it. I added a heart and flower to the game card using 3D foam adhesive. I tucked a cupid in behind the game card as well as a print of a playing-card themed Vintage Valentine that I found online. Here is a close-up of the journalling on the back of the Valentine, which reads:

For William: Each day I discover a new depth of love and am stirred by the feeling you inspire in me. Words are inadequate to express how I feel. The love I have for you moves me beyond myself. Love, Mummy

For the final quadrant, I layered a Jenni Bowlin Bingo Card under another small red heart doily as the mat for the second photo and added a few more pieces of ephemera to finish off the section.

That's all for today - but stay tuned for my first layout for The Paper Mixing Bowl challenge blog - we're kicking things off on March 1!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Materials Used:
Patterned Papers: Glitz Design Love Games Collection - Score Card, Poppies, Damask; Glitz Design Love Games Whatnot - Winner Card; Glitz Design Love Games Peek-a-Boos - Tic-Tac-Toe Game Card; Pink Cardstock from Stash; Large Square Doily by Amscan; K&Company Adhesive Borders; K&Company Valentine Ephemera Die Cut Cardstock; Celebrate It Playing Cards; Jenni Bowlin Studio Mini Bingo Card "Lucky"; Small Red Heart Doilies by Regal Lace; Vintage Valentine found online; Black Letter Stickers from stash; Martha Stewart Edge Punch; Fiskars Edge Tearer; EK Success Fastener and Staple; EK Success Corner Rounder; Keepsakes Memories Adhesive Foam Dots; Memory Taper Runner XL; Glue Dots - Memory Book

The Paper Mixing Bowl: Two Weeks Until Our First Challenge!

Only two weeks until the first challenge will be posted on The Paper Mixing Bowl! We are all SO excited for our first challenge and DT reveal! Are you excited about a new challenge and plan to play along? Check out the Etiquette page for the rules of play!

We've lined up an incredibly talented Guest Designer for our inaugural challenge! She is such a wonderful artist - you won't want to miss her design for Recipe Challenge #1.

See you March 1st!

The Sun is Gonna Shine Above

Happy Friday! I got another layout done - playing along again with CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration (Case File #5) and Once Upon a Sketch (February 1st). I made this layout for my husband - it is his 40th birthday this weekend and the picture I've used is from my son's first birthday party. If you look closely, you'll see that I included a "1" sticker and a "40" sticker in the top and bottom borders of the picture to commemorate both special birthdays.

Once Upon a Sketch - February 1, 2012

I love the base page from the Bo Bunny Welcome Home collection with the "blueprint" graphic. It brought in the greens from the CSI colour palette and adds to the 'masculine' style I was trying to achieve with the overall layout. I brought in the cream, red, and eggplant colours in the photo matting and the die-cut cardstock gear. I sanded the edges of all the papers and really like how it turned out - especially around the very edge of the layout - where it helps bring attention to the journalling.

My "evidence" for this layout includes the die cut gear, which I cut from Core'dinations paper using my silhouette and sanded to get the distressed effect, as well as the pieced-together borders at the top and bottom of the pictures, which I made using cardstock stickers from Tim Holtz's Idea-ology Salvalge Stickers (Lost & Found). I also tried to incorporate some leaves by using a leafy-patterned paper in my photo-matting, but once all the layers were on and the distressing was finished, the leafy pattern became to obscured to really be visible. My "testimony" is the journalling around the edge of the page. There is a challenge this week at the Scrapbooker's Paradise Blog to use a song/song lyrics in your layout, so I'm playing along with that challenge.  I used some of the lyrics from Anne Murray's Danny's Song, which both my husband and I love. I altered the lyrics slightly and left a line out of the journalling intentionally so I could use it as the layout title. 

People smile and tell me I'm the lucky one, and we've just begun - I think we're gonna raise a son. He will be like you and me, as free as a dove; conceived in love - The Sun is Gonna Shine Above. And even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with you honey, everything will bring a chain of love. And in the morning when I rise, you bring a tear of joy to my eyes and tell me everything is gonna be alright.

I used parts of a Maya Road Coaster Album for the chipboard gears on the layout. I inked the chipboard pieces with Colorbox Pigment Brush Pads (Chianti, Moss Green and Peony) and then stamped/heat-embossed the black flourishes. I added some metal gears and the measuring tape and number sticker borders to complete the embellishments. 

Thanks so much for your visit!


Materials Used:
Patterned Paper - Bo Bunny Welcome Home Key; Graphic 45 Tropical Travelogue Rainforest and Botanica; Core'dinations Tim Holtz & Ranger Distress Collection - Fired Brick, Victorian Velvet and Shabby Shutters; Tim Holtz Ideaology -  Salvage Stickers (Lost & Found) and Sprocket Gears; Maya Road Gear Coaster Album; Colorbox Pigment Pads - Chianti, Moss Green and Peony; Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Ink and Distress Ink in Black Soot; Ranger Superfine Detail Embossing Powder; Scrappy Cat Flourish Stamps; Kaisercraft Tiny Alpha Stickers; Zig Memory System Writer; Memory Tape Runner XL; Keepsakes Memories 3D foam adhesives; Aleene's Original Tacky Glue; Tim Holtz Ideaology Sander; Silhouette Cutting Machine.

Friends

Another new layout this week! I actually made this layout for my best friend, who was also the maid of honour at my wedding. I love this photo of the two of us - it makes me smile every time I look at it. I used CSI Case File #4 as the inspiration for the layout. I think I managed to match the colour palette pretty well - such a gorgeous, elegant colour combination! For my "Evidence", I've used wet mediums (Glimmer Mist and Ranger Enamel Accents) and Rhinestones - I usually try and use more than two but the other elements just weren't working for me on this page. For my "Testimony", I've written a personal note to my friend (tucked away in the envelope) with my reflections on our friendship and how we've changed in the 17 years that we've known each other.

The base page of this layout is by Pink Paislee and has been in my stash for quite a while; I loved how well it went with the colour palette. I misted a white fabric doily with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Raven and used it as the start of my layering on the right side of the page. I added a paper doily that I inked with Distress Ink in Antique Linen to achieve the beige colour of the palette. I then triple-matted the photo using three different patterened papers - the bottom mat has the light aqua colour in the pattern, followed by a mat that brings in the gold colour and the final mat that adds some more black. I edge-distressed and inked all the papers with Distress Ink in Black Soot.

For the embellishments at the top of the photo, I fussy cut some "feathers" from a second sheet I had of the Pink Paislee paper and added some real feathers and a chipboard shape and rhinestones. The title on the photo is a Dusty Attic Chipboard word that I covered with Ranger Enamel Accents - it is the first time I have used the enamel - and I love the glossy finish!

I used some of the gold patterned paper and a smaller inked doily in a peek-a-boo at the top right of the layout and the scrunched lower left corner of the layout. I cut an envelope from the black patterned paper to use for my journalling and layered it on top of some chipboard flourishes and another feather. I added a small piece of black twine to the envelope to close it.

That's it for today! Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Materials Used:
Patterned Papers - Pink Paislee Fetching; My Mind's Eye - Andrea Victoria Black Damask and Lost & Found Two Sunshine Adore; Lilac House Needlepoint; Fabric Doily, Paper Doilies; Distress Ink in Black Soot and Antique Linen; Creatology Feathers, Studio 18 Rhinestones; Dusty Attic Mini Word (Friends); Ranger Enamel Accents; Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Raven; Chipboard Flourishes from stash; Xyron Sticker Maker; Memory Tape Runner XL; Glue Dots - Memory Book.