Scrap Matrix Blog: Alz Callcott

Morning peeps!

We have a fabulous new challenge this month, 'tis all about frames. You could, literally, use frames on your project or use an actual frame to create on, or scrap a photo or image of glasses (I have a photo of myself wearing reading glasses but thought I'd save that for a day when I'm not feeling quite so old as I look in the photo lol!). Or maybe you have a 'mug shot' from when you were 'framed'. :O I decided to use a visual triangle of flowers to frame my photo.

Embrace this life

As usual, I've created my background on a piece of patterned paper. I'm still loving the Riddersholm Design papers so have used one from the Huntington Garden collection .. Summerfield. (In case you're querying my choice of purple for a beach layout (lol, I would be!), purple is one of my niece's favourite colours.) Anyways, I hadn't planned on using quite so many layers on my background but once I started messing around with it I (a) really messed it up and then (b) couldn't stop trying to rectify my mistakes. lol!

I started off applying Ranger Texture Paste in Opaque Matte with a TCW stencil (12x12 Tiny Circles) and, whist it was wet, sprinkled on some glass glitter. When this was dry was about when my background started to go AWOL. I had wanted my circles of texture paste to be quite pronounced and, when dry, they kinda just faded into the background. I reckon I would have been better off using Finnabair's heavy white gesso. Moving on, after brayer-ing several coats of white acrylic paint and Distress Oxide in Wilted Violet onto my page, I decided on my photo placement and stamped three large flowers from Paper Artsy stamp set JOFY32 directly onto the background. I didn't want the stamped images to stand out too much so used a Ranger Archival Ink in Watering Can. But then, to give the stamped flowers a lot more definition, and to help 'ground' my photo, I coloured them with a purple watercolour pencil from Prima Watercolor Pencils The Basics tin. Finally, I liberally flicked thinned white acrylic paint, and 13 Arts Splash Glitter Ink (Violet Glitter) all over my page and ended up with this ..

After about 27 different layers I was finally happy!

Using the Watering Can Ranger Archival Ink and Paper Artsy stamp set JOFY32 I stamped dozens of flowers (and lots of butterflies) on a variety of cardstocks and papers. I figured I might as well seeing as I had them out and I knew I'd come back to use these flowers and butterflies again and again.

For this layout, I stamped the flowers and butterflies onto another sheet of Riddersholm Design Huntington Garden (Blue Sky) and a sheet of plain paper from a Dina Wakley Media Collage Paper pack. Although I wanted a crisp stamped image, and I doubted (highly doubted) I'd achieve that stamping onto the Collage Paper, I figured I'd give it a go. As I suspected, the Collage Paper was far too porous to give a crisp, stamped image, but I could live with that. I fussy cut a ton of flowers and butterflies and then disguised my 'fuzzy' stamped images and added details to others, with a clear glitter glue. I then shaped and moulded the flowers in the palm of my hand and used them to create a visual triangle around my photo, effectively framing it. I added some Small White Flowers together with bits and pieces from my stash to my flower clusters, printed my journaling (I am so in love with the free typewriter font I found online .. 1942 report) and used a flair to create my title.

Around about now I thought I was finished but something just wasn't sitting right. All my cut out stamped flowers were too clean. Looking at the above photo now, I reckon I probably could have left it as it was, but at the time it was bugging me. What to do la? I flicked around more thinned down, white acrylic paint and voila, it was done!

A few close ups ..

I hope you've got the time to play along with us this month. You have until midnight on the 30th to upload a photo of your project, together with a list of your Scrap Matrix products to the Scrap Matrix Shares Facebook page. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

'Til next time!

Cheers .. Alz :)

Scrap Matrix products used:

Riddersholm Design - Huntington Garden - Summerfield

Riddersholm Design Huntington Garden - Blue Sky

Ranger Texture Paste in Opaque Matte

TCW stencil - 12x12 Tiny Circles

Tim Holtz Distress Oxide - Wilted Violet

Paper Artsy stamp set JOFY32

Archival Ink Pad - Watering Can

Prima Watercolor Pencils - The Basics

13 Arts Splash Glitter Ink

Small White Flowers

Morning peeps!

I'm baaack. Vicki seems to be having a hard time getting rid of me, lol. This month, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to guest DT with the team and play with the new monthly challenge, a totally awesome moodboard!

Whilst I'm still loving my Paper Artsy stamp sets from last month's challenge, this month I wanted to do something a little different and step away from the stamps. I wondered if I could use just the one piece of patterned paper for my background, building my page with a few tags, stickers and other embellishments. Not how I'd usually scrap; I'm a shocker for cutting into 12x12 sheets of patterned paper for layering. But after this I may just have to start thinking about investing in some of the many 6x6 paper pads you can buy in store ..

Winter Road Trip

If, like me, you love mixed media scrapping and perhaps even creating your own backgrounds from scratch, but sometimes just want something perfectly ready to go, you really need to check out the Blue Fern Studio Happy Accident collection. When I first saw it, I thought I had died and gone to patterned paper heaven. Plus the Blue Fern Studio papers are a really nice weight enabling you to throw a lot of other mixed media on if you choose.

But I wanted this page to be nice and quick. I combined about half a 12x12 sheet of 7 Dots Studio tags, and various stickers from both 6x12 and 12x12 7 Dots Studio stickers sheets, to build up the layers behind my photo. (I have enough of the tags and stickers to create at least another two layouts.)

Once my layering was done, I applied some Colour Blast Colour Paste through a stencil, and basically moved straight on to my embellishments.

As I have done previously, I inked some Kinder Kreations chipboard with an Archival Ink Pad and a sponge dauber for a crisp, clean, matt finish. I layered the chipboard with white feathers and a flower from my stash, tucked in an Um Wow Studio flair and added a Paper Artsy stamped butterfly (and heart). Once again I used my Dymo labeller for the title and yes, once again, I used my Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher to make sure those labels stayed put!

I used a mixture of stickers from the 7 Dots Studio sticker sheets to continue embellishing my page, some of which I adhered with foam tape for extra dimension.

As you can see here, I've used Scrap Dots to raise the wings on my butterfly.

(Isn't that Um Wow Studio flair both gorgeous,

and perfect for this page?!)

Aaand, that's my page done and dusted! I hope you have fun creating with this latest challenge, as I did. There are just so many ways to interpret this moodboard.

Thanks for having me back for a quick guest DT stint Vicki. Thanks to Tammy and Lynn for, yet again, all the help. You guys rock and its been a pleasure. Thank you!

Cheers .. Alz :)