Just a quick post to highlight my first Scrappy Chic Design Team submissions. They are now on display at the store and online.....so exciting!
I really enjoyed the first project "Vintage Charm" as I was challenged to use ribbon in my LO. Here, I decided to frame the photo by looping this pretty ribbon all the way around. It took forever, but I love the way it turned out. It was pretty easy too.
I'm almost finished with my March entries, so I'll have those posted soon.
Warning, this post may be a little "me" overload. I've been working on a fashion quote series of LO's and I'm really proud of them. For a while there, life was a little hectic with a busy work schedule and personal life and I wasn't feeling very inspired. As most of you know, the art of fashion is my first love, so I decided to get back into my scrapbook groove by focusing on fashion. Designer quotes became the focus of my pages, along with photos my sister took of me in downtown Detroit (and my most cherished photo of Nana). Following are a few of my favorites from the series.
I'm a bit delayed in blogging about some terrific news. I've been selected to be a part of Scrappy Chic's Design Team! The team was announced on Feb. 4 and I am thrilled, honored and humbled to have been chosen. I hear that the store received a great amount of wonderful submissions that made the choice a difficult one to make.
We had our first team meeting last week and are well on our way to creating our first batch of layouts/projects for the store. It was great getting to know the rest of the team (Staci Compher, Kim Galea and Michelle Leaf-Racelis) who each have a unique style of their own. I was certainly inspired by their work, so I know you will be too.
The layouts that I submitted for the Design Team call are below. The first is my favorite because I adore this photo of Lilly (taken by her mommy, Wendie DeLano). I also used one of my favorite techniques, handmade flowers crafted from torn paper. The second was inspired by a Vera Wang advertisement (I often take inspiration from magazine ads) and I love the soft color and pattern mixing. The message is beautiful too. The third is probably the farthest from my scrap style (a challenge to use chipboard). I worked really hard to mesh my style into it and I was really happy with the result. Also, I love the photo of Avery that I took in my backyard this summer. It brings back memories of a fun day with her and how much she loved wearing the pretty dress I bought for her, even playing soccer in it!
I'll keep you posted on my monthly contributions to the Design Team.
I took an art class this weekend....for the first time in years. I signed up weeks ago after seeing a sample of the class project at Scrappy Chic and could hardly wait for Jan. 17 to arrive. The class, Tree Canvas Collage, taught us how to create a whimsical piece of art, using vintage papers, paint and scrapbook paper. What I loved most about this class was that it allowed me to combine all of my favorite artistic passions - painting, drawing and scrapbooking - all with a fun decoupage process. I tend to take painting a little more seriously than scrapbooking and this project really allowed me to loosen up and take a chance with something new.
Below is my "work of art" and a close up so you can see the detail.
Below is the original work - the one that inspired me to take the class. The artist, Erin Major, works at the store and frequently teaches classes. She brought in a few other pieces of hers, using the same technique. They were so great, I told her she should contact Pottery Barn Kids to sell her wares!
This project has really inspired me - I have a million ideas now of ways to use this technique. Erin is a very talented lady and I look forward to learning more from her in the future. Thanks, Erin.
From the moment children are born into a family, they become the center of attention. Understandably so - they are small, sweet, cute and usually pretty funny. They really become our best source of entertainment - often being put on display or asked to perform on cue. We perpetuate this by asking them to pose for countless photos and expecting perfection. Funny thing is, with children's pictures, you rarely get perfect. We forget how awkward it might be for them to have adults herding them like cattle, barking at them to smile, stand up straight, look this way or that way, hug their sister - sheesh!
Believe me, I am guilty as charged. I'm always trying to capture the perfect photo of my precious nieces and nephew. As I looked through my recent Christmas photos, I realized that they are hardly perfect, but they are a perfect representation of these wonderfully funny kids. The pictures capture a moment in the time of their lives - Jack is at a stage where he hates pictures and often tries to hide his missing front teeth (and we want nothing more than to see them), Avery likes to model and often "overposes," and Lilly is so used to having her picture taken that she wants to look anywhere BUT the camera and often puts her hands in her face. All of that is who they are and part of what makes the pictures "perfect." And, they make me laugh every time I look at them. What could make a picture more "perfect" than that?
I'm feeling in the Christmas spirit today after a weekend of decorating the house and shopping for gifts. This photo of Jack and Avery was taken two years ago and is one of my favorite holiday time photos of them. The list to the left includes some of the things they asked Santa for that year. What I love about this LO is that the rustic, subtle color tones really draw your focus in to the contrasting b & w photo. I was also able to get a title, embellishments AND journaling into the page, which is always tough for me.
Merry Christmas!
Just thinking about my sweet sister today, so thought I would do a quick post about a recent layout I did in her honor. The photo was taken at a family reunion in Colorado last year, which was a really wonderful time for us.
The layout itself was really fun for me because I got to focus on my relationship with my sister. Truly, my Best Friend. The rub on birds are from Jenni Bowlin Studio. I loved making them face each other, because they kinda look like they're gabbing - just like Wendie and I do. The large circle design is a cutout from Hambly and was actually inspired by a layout I saw from a talented artist at Scrappy Chic. I love how the design highlights another beautiful patterned paper.
Not much to say today...just looking forward to scrapbooking this weekend and finally getting the Christmas Tree up!
