AALL & Create August Challenge - 2nd post with Helen

Welcome back to the Scrap Matrix challenge where for the whole of August we are using Stamps and Stencils from AALL & Create.

If you have some AALL & Create products in your stash; or you are in the mood for a splurge on stamps and stencils, come & join us. 

 We're a friendly lot and will make you feel very welcome.  You don't need a blog, just link your work into the album on the 
Scrap Matrix album on Facebook.

These products are super versatile, as they contain lots of images and stencil shapes in each pack,  i.e. lots of bang for your buck! 
I may have one or two of these tucked away for a rainy day.

For the base of my layout, I chose one of the new papers from 7 Dots Studio, Garden Party Collection, "Born".  It was perfect for photos of my little Grand Girl planting up a frame of Cacti. I covered the whole page with clear gesso, as I wanted to add mixed media.

I fussy cut some of the flowers from another sheet of 7 Dots Studio, Garden Party collection, "Dreamy". I added some cacti from my own photo collection of flowers and foliage which I also fussy cut.

Playing around with placement of the fussy cut elements

and allowing room to add some texture paste.

To create a soft frame, I used texture paste through a stencil, 

AALL & Create #9.

Using the same stencil and some Tim Holtz Oxide inks, I added some detail to the bottom right corner and stamped a butterfly from the AALL & Create stamp set #47. I didn't have quite the right shade of Oxides, so I blended a few different colours; Peeled paint, Twisted citron, Iced spruce, Lucky Clover and Frayed Burlap. I think it worked, although I hear there's another 12 colours to be had.  

Not that I'm looking! 

With the AALL & Create stamp set #47, I stamped, fussy cut and coloured a Bee to hover among the foliage.

The circle and dot stamps are from AALL & Create Stamp set #10.

I tried to stamp directly onto the page and managed to stamp one of the quotes upside down!  Arrgh!  Hmmm!  Why do I tell you about all of my bloopers?   Perhaps to explain, that there is often a way to rescue the page rather than toss is in the bin, which I would have done in the earlier days.   So I painted some watered down white gesso over the mess; stamped on tissue paper and added the tissue over the mistakes with Gel medium. 

A bit more stamping from AALL & Create Stamp set #10.

I have tried writing directly onto a gessoed background before and it seems to bleed into the paper, so I typed my journalling into text boxes, printed them onto card stock, cut them out and splashed some ink onto them to help them blend into the background.

Thanks for calling in today, I hope you find something to inspire your creativity. We'd love to have you play along and perhaps win a prize or a Guest Designer spot, from the uber generous 
Vicki Christensen at Scrap Matrix

Products from Scrap Matrix:-

Finnabair clear gesso

Liquitex white gesso

7 Dots Garden Party "Born"

7 Dots Garden Party "Dreamy"

AALL & Create Stamps

AALL & Create Stencils

AALL & Create Stamp #47

Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks

Tim Holtz archival ink

Tim Holtz texture paste

Finnabair soft matte gel

Other products:

AALL & Create stamp # 10 

AALL & Create stamp # 43 

AALL & Create Stencil #9 -

Chipboard title from Scrapmatts

Good Vibes with Helen - June 2018

Welcome back to the Scrap Matrix challenge the month of July
where we have a gorgeous mood board to inspire you.

We've had a change of dates for the challenges; they now start on the first of the month and run for the entire month.

Why not check out the fantastic projects by the rest of the team.

I love these bright colours and was inspired by the heart shape on the mood board to use some heart shaped chipboard which has been sulking in my stash for a while now!

It was delighted to come out and play.

I decided to scrap this sweet photo of my Granddaughter; 

she has a special place in my heart with her love of creating and her free, independent spirit.

Using this flamboyant stamp from Prima, I stamped it on white card stock, fussy cut the flowers and then painted them with Dylusions paints, before adding some little shimmery bits in the centre.

First I chose a white background as a foil for the bright colours.

The Heart chipboard is from Blue Fern.  It comes in a big piece which I randomly cut into bits with a Prima craft knife and prepped with white gesso.  Thinking I wanted to add some stamping, I tried various spots and colours on scraps of paper, before committing to the layout. 

I added some green Dylusions paint to the heart chipboard as a foil to the bright pink and orange.  Still playing around with possible stamp colours.  I like the brown the best.

 I thought the green needed toning down a bit, so I added some wet embossing and some gold wax.  Can you tell by now, that I'm making it up as I go along? !

I'm never quite sure what's happening until it's finished.

I chose this stamp to emphasize the flowers on her face.

Added a couple of stamps for a title and a comment.

Nearly there, but I'm not happy with the bottom right corner.

What to do without wrecking the whole thing?

The addition of an extra green heart, the gold butterfly, the micro beads, the enamel dots and the tiny star flower stamp all satisfied my urge to "fiddle" and  it's complete. (For the moment - I have been known to come back the next day and start again!)

I hope you find time to play along, just add your entry to the Scrap Matrix Shares page in the corresponding folder and don't forget to let us know what Scrap Matrix products you used and what inspired you.  You could be in the running for a $30.00 gift voucher and perhaps a Guest Design Team spot down the track.

Scrap Matrix Products used:-

Blue Fern Studio - Chunky Heart Panel

Dylusions Paints - Bubblegum Pink, Fresh Lime, Squeezed Orange

Prima Bloom Floral

Prima Craft Knife

Paper Artsy stamps - EKC02

AALL & Create stamps - #7

Ranger Archival Ink

Finnabair - Soft mat gel

Stampendous - Aged Ivory Emossing enamel 

(very similar to this white one) 

Gold butterfly embellishment

Dina Wakely white gesso

Other supplies

 Studio Calico enamel dots

Finnabair - Micro beads