CKC kit build, Aug ’21

Welcome to August. The summer seems to be slipping away quickly despite not having done any of the things we thought we would do this summer. That has meant that I’ve had more time in my scraproom though, so that is a good thing. I did manage to use up most of my kit from last month. So this month I have a bigger kit again. I seem to waffle between to big and too small. Some day I’ll find that Goldilocks spot with my kits! For now, too big is better since it gives me more options for storytelling.

Let’s talk about Counterfeit Kit Challenge for August. It is full of a mix of rich and subtle colors, a bit of a vacation vibe, and plenty of embellies to pull ideas from. I’ll have a process video for you later, but let’s take a peek at things first. Our inspiration is from a German kit company called https danipeuss.de which may be impractical for non-Germans to order from. That is a good excuse to counterfeit a kit! So, here is the inspiration. The first three images are of the various add-ons and the final three images show the main kit.

Be sure to head over to the CKC blog to get the entire scoop, including info on our Guest Designer Sara Rice. She is active in the group and always shares lovely projects.

For the pattern papers I picked up on elements of sky, rainbows, and water in a color palette of aqua, navy, light and dark pink and golden yellow. I also threw in a few woodgrains and that open book paper (from Vicki Boutin) because I just love them 😉

Turning to embellishments I’ve got plenty of die cut ephemera, photo-frame style journal cards, and motifs that work for summer and vacations. I thought I would make more use of the vacation items this month but like I said we didn’t do what we thought we would this summer. Oh well. I can always re-file things away in my stash if they don’t get used.

So that is the quick overview. If you want to see more of my thought process you can check out the video.

Here is our hop list for this month. Don’t forget to check out CKC’s blog for all future August inspiration and be sure to head over to the Facebook group for community chatter & sharing.

Guest Sarah Rice – https://www.instagram.com/sassybagladysarahscraps/
Cindy – http://cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com
Julene – http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com
Juliet – https://www.instagram.com/julesd/
Kate – https://kateblue.blogspot.com
Leslie – http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com
Misty – you are here
Tina – http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com
Tara – https://kryptonite72-rambles.blogspot.com

Watercoloring with stencils

I played along with the Mixed Media Frenzy group YouTube hop again this month. I’ve shared the whole process over on my channel. But if you want some quick tips on using stencils to get a watercolor look I can set you up with some photos here.

First off, my paper was prepped with gesso. This helps ink release and allows these effects to work to the fullest. For the coloring, I used layering stencils from Pink Fresh studio (available for purchase here). For each layer I used simple, different tips to create watercolor effects.

Layer One. Lightest color. Stencil on color. Give a hearty mist of water and tip paper to drip. This will eliminate most of the form of your stenciling and just leave a haze. You can always add detail back in with more stenciling. It is hard to see but there is a haze of color in the background.

Layer Two. Mid tone color. Stencil and give a gentle spritz with water. This will just fuzz out the images. Notice the largest leaf is all blurry?

Layer Three. First flowers. Stencil. Use a watercolor brush to paint over the image with just a little clean water. Stroke outside the lines of the image just a little. This gives a flowy watercolor look. I did add back more detail and depth with a light re-stenciling exactly over the same spots. Can you see the back layer of the flower has jagged edges and a lighter color? The front layer has crisper edges and richer color from the extra stencil work. When you know these little tricks you can get LOTS of dimension and interest.

Layer Four. Accent flowers. Stencil. Use paintbrush to just touch a spot of water to center. This pushes pigment out towards the edge of the image for a gradient look. Really look at those yellow flowers to see how the color changes across the image.

Layer Five. Final foliage layer in darkest shade. Stencil. Wet entire image with a watercolor brush, much like for the flowers. Except this time dab up excess water and ink with a tissue to really tone back the image. Don’t dab up all the water and ink or it’ll be like you didn’t do anything at all. Just a quick tap with the tissue will leave a “splotchy” image that adds texture more than anything. See how only parts of the leaves are fully clear? That adds a lot of texture.

Top off your new painting with some pen work to give just a touch of details and you now have a pretty watercolored background painting and you don’t have to know how to draw a single thing!

Sketchy Wenesday

I love sketches. They are a great way to start a layout. The are great if you are feeling stuck. They are great for giving you ideas you may not have thought of. So, once a month I offer free sketches for download here on my blog and share what I do with them over on YouTube.

This month I have a double page layout sketch for you.

And I’ve got two takes on this sketch, both with process videos.

Take #1 is a birthday layout using some bold color.

And the process video to go with it.

Here is layout #2. This takes the sketch in a Christmas direction.

And the process video for this one.

You can download this sketch in pdf format for printing or in psd format for editing in Photoshop products. You can also head to the Freebies tab here on the blog to find these files and much more.

DIY Thickers

I have a love/hate relationship with alphabet stickers. I love the texture and style that a good thick alphabet sticker can bring to a layout. But I am constantly running out of the most popular letters and then I’m left with 50% of the product (or more) as unusable. While I have come up with a few ideas on recycling and upcycling these items, I’m just a bit tired of the whole process.

So for the next few months I am on a quest to make all my own alphabet stickers. Since I like the dimension of foam letters I’m using that material for now. I’ll use die sets and my Cricut Maker¹ to create my alphas and spruce then up with various techniques to get a variety of styles. Yes I will still have all the bits of foam left over from cutting out the letters. My plan for that is to use it to replace my foam dot usage. That way the material does double duty and hopefully I’ll have little to no waste to throw away. You can see what I have in mind with my latest video.

Since filming this episode I’ve decided on one more style I want to try. If I cover a foam sheet with double sticky adhesive and then lay a white sheet of cardstock over that I’ll have a surface that should be easily alterable in more ways that the plain foam is. That way the dye ink techniques I talk about in the video will work. This style will cut easily with die sets. But will my Cricut blade be able to handle the stickiness of the adhesive without gumming up my blade? I’ll let you know when I know!

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Footnote 1: I do have to specifically use the Cricut Maker model for this and here is why. I have not had any luck using the fine point or deep point blade cutting foam simply because Cricut’s pre-set cutting features move too fast and the blades drag the material. When I use my Maker with the special knife blade and the Thin Garment Leather setting I can get the machine to slow down and cut very well. But that setting has it’s own drawback, which I won’t go into now. Instead, I’ll be brining a video on this topic soon!

CKC July Challenge #2

It is the 18th, which means it is time for scrappy challenge number two over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog. Todays challenge is to use foreign language somehow on your page. I took that prompt and just rolled with it! I used it as the main focus of my page to talk about how I tried at three different times to learn foreign languages and none of them really stuck.

Notice that there are no photos on this page? Well I didn’t have any photos about this story. But I didn’t let that stop me. The pattern papers and the design is enough visual to help tell the story.

You can see my whole process over in YouTube.

Free Cut Files, July 2021

I’ve got this month’s cut files up for you. This one is called Summer Days and includes plenty of images.

Each file is multiple pieces that can be used independently or layered up for the looks you see here. If you want to see all this set has to offer, check out the YouTube episode.

And you can download the files directly here or head to my Freebies tab to see all I have to offer in the way of cut files and also sketch files.

SCT Sampler Kit Unboxing

It is surprise time of the month. I love getting my little goody box in the mail. I alway squish the package to try and feel/guess what is inside. I know, it is usually a stamp. But there are days when I do get surprised! Like this time we got a cute little storage pouch from Scrapbook.com. You can see all the goodies packed in this little power package on my YouTube unboxing. And if you know my unboxings, you know I always have a project included. So don’t miss it.

And if you want a quick look at the project, you can take a gander.

If you want more info on these affordable little packs (as low as $14 per month, INCLUDING shipping), head over to the SCT site.

July week 2 layouts

I’ve got two process videos up this week for you to check out.

First up I am playing with my Counterfeit Kit for July and using the very (overly!) bold painted paper I created in a previous video. Small doses make it more “friendly” to my senses! Plus you can watch a quick tip on creating DIY enamel dots. (Photos below)

Next up is a mixed media layout using a stamp ink bleeding technique. If you enjoy a bit of artsy ink on your pages, you should give this one a try. (Photos below)

So that is it for this week. I hope you have an artful weekend and I’ll be back soon with more crafty goodness.

Feature Friday

The first Friday of the month I pull out some type of crafty product and play with it. I show at least 10 ways to put that product to use. Here is a look at that video. And if you want the short and sweet version, you can see the photo gallery bellow. But trust me, some of these techniques you’ll want to see in action, like the inked circles with dripping.

Remember when viewing a gallery you can click on each image to see the full version. The gallery view does cut off some sides of the images and you may miss something important if you don’t see the whole picture!

Do you have a favorite? Let me know! Want me to show something you’ve been curious about? Let me know?

Until next time, have an artful day.

Forgery on the 4th for July

Forgery is the act of recreating something. And over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge, the quote “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” by Oscar Wilde is used to give us permission to recreate something we see and like. This builds our skills, saves on money and resources, and it just plain satisfying! So let me show you what I forged. If you prefer reading, then scroll down for the print version…

Our kit inspiration for July is from The Paper Person April 2021 kit called New Episode. So lets look at it again. Do you notice anything you could re-create at home? I noticed something I wanted to try to recreate. I had high hopes it would come out well. What piece was that?

Yep, I picked the wavy color striped pattern paper. Here is a better view of that…

I wanted to be sure to switch up my color palette to include my pops of red instead of the orange in this paper. I grabbed some cheap acrylic paint and a sheet of Vicki Boutin’s Foundations mixed media paper and started painting. Here is how it came out…

So, what is my final feeling about this piece? I like it as its own project. I like the texture that came from the brush I used. I knew I would not get a smooth feel from that brush and I was okay with that difference. The texture came out how I imagined it would. But… did I get the feel I was going for in the original? Not really. My piece does not have the light and airy feel of the original. My colors are too saturated. Mine is also less dynamic. What I mean by that is all of my stripes are too similar. Notice in the original that the stripes widen and narrow across the length of the page. My stripes do not do that as much.

Am I unhappy with this piece? Not really. It is a bit bold for my style generally. I definitely imagine using it in smaller doses – as border strips, and as punched shapes. I’m actually interested in creating another page and trying to work on some of the “problems” that I had. It felt like this process involved a great bit of learning, especially since I don’t usually work with acrylic paint. I need to put what I learned into practice.

I’m very curious to see what I will actually do with this paper! Come back later in the month to find out along with me.