Bee Kind ~ Altered Tag for Creative Embellishments!

Happy Friday, scrappy fans!

 Sandi Clarkson  here with you today sharing my latest project for Creative Embellishments. It's been a few months since I created anything on one of the Large Tags from the CE store. They are one of my favorite substrates as they are 5.5 inches by 10 inches which provides plenty of room for creating!

 

 

Before we get into all the process details, here is a list of the CE products used for your reference:

Creative Embellishments products used:

Large Tags 

Chicken Wire Panel 

Birdhouses 

Flourish Dragonflies. 

I began by selecting my papers from 49 and Market's Countryside collection. Since Spring arrived here in Texas, I was really drawn to the green, yellow and black color combination. I sanded some of the edges here and there for a weathered look. 

 

I used a great photo to compliment the papers and got busy selecting  the additional chipboard pieces. I first thought of using everything in its raw, unaltered state but then opted for a light wash of walnut stain over everything except the tag itself.

 

I've really gotten back in to using the 6x6 panels and went with the Chicken Wire Panel for this piece. I cut it apart and used it to enhance the other elements and to serve as a base layer.

I used a ton of yellow Prima flowers to support everything including this sweet tag with the bee! 

 

I also tucked in some Olive green florals from 49 and Market as well as some cheesecloth. 

 

For whimsy, I added the sweet Flourish Dragonfly from the set of 3. Then I layered a subtitle piece over it. So cute! 

 

Additionally, I made use of the little pieces inside the hexagon chicken wire and added then randomly.

 

There are so many sweet pieces that go along with this collection, so I've added a second bee to layer over a die cut floral.

 

 

Lastly, I splattered Prima's Color Bloom in Gold Foil to blend everything and make my project glisten a little. For once, I opted not to use any further art stones or texture other than cheesecloth which was tucked here and there as well as some crinkle ribbon. 

 

That's it for me today!

I hope you like this one as much as I do.

See you next time,

Sandi

 

 

 

Together Forever layout for Creative Embellishments

Hello, CE fans!

Sandi Clarkson here with you today sharing a lovely shabby chic layout using a few chippies and some pretty patterned paper from Prima Marketing.

I've had this photo printed out for quite some time waiting for just the right time, right papers etc. Do you pile up photos waiting for the perfect whatever? I sure do.

Anyway, these Love Notes papers from Prima Marketing called for something really special. I adore this photo of some of my grands during a family photo shoot several years ago. This was right before they left for the mission field in Ecuador. That cute baby girl just turned 7 years ago! How can that be?

I thought that with the light colored papers and subdued flowers that some dark chipboard would help ground the project. So, I altered my chipboard pieces with Walnut Stain. However, the wood veneer Heart Clusters were left bare. I love the beauty of the wood veneer all by itself.

Along both sides of my photo. I placed my altered Heart Pieces. On the left I've used the outlined ones and on the right, I used the solid. Much of them got covered up by flowers et cetera but my philosophy is that chipboard (or any embellishment, really) is made for using! The layering of them is what provides texture and interest. It's similar to NOT being afraid to cut into your favorite patterned paper. Use it, folks! Use it!

 

Here we have one of the wood veneer Heart Clusters I mentioned in the beginning. I also used some little heart pieces from that package near my title and also on the right of my photo.

Here is that cluster on the right. So fun, so layered! I've added in some pearls and other die cut ephemera as well as a die cut doily.

My title piece is from the  Together Forever set which include 2 sets of different sizes. The little teeny tiny wood veneer heart looks so cute added in there!

And this last photo just shows some of my layering of papers, floral, chipboard and other elements.

Once I had the basic design figured out, this layout went together really quickly. Figuring out the layering of multiple patterns can take some concentration and often some fussy cutting, huh?

That's it from me today.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

There are all kinds of Love and Heart-themed chippies in the Creative Embellishments Store. I encourage you to stop by if you are in the market for scrappy supplies!

See you  next time!

Sandi  

Bold and Beautiful for Creative Embellishments

Hello, Creative Embellishments fans!

Sandi Clarkson here with you today sharing another pretty layout that can hopefully inspire you to create something of your own.

This time I tried doing another monochromatic look and choose mainly Plum/Wine/Purple tones. I also mimicked last week's method of choosing a panel chipboard piece, a frame (or two) and then chipboard accents to tuck in here and there.

 

My photo is from Tumblr or Unsplash and works perfectly with my primary chipboard frame. The silver tones work well with the darker hues surrounding it.

 For my base layer I chose the Heart Panel 2 which was altered with 13 Arts Violet Ink which is a very dark saturated color.  I opted to use 2 frames this time and the one beneath my photo is the Out of this World Frame. You can barely see it here but I mention that because it was the order of my process. I altered that frame with Distress Oxide Spray in Picked Raspberry.

After readying my photo with a photo mat and mounting squares, I painted the Feather and Beads Frame  using Distress Paint in Seedless Preserves. I also had fun altering the look by applying droplets of the previous Oxide color and swishing with water to achieve the oxidized look.

I had 5 feather pieces from the Feathers set that I layered into my focal point. Three of them were altered with Distress Spray Stain in Kitsch Flamingo without any prep to the chipboard. They looks more pink IRL but I had fun just experimenting and skipped the gesso prep. The other 2 feathers were altered with 13 Arts Woodbine Chalk mist and you can visualize one of those here. Although not quite in my color palette, they do blend with the beautiful 49 and Market Plum Grove papers that I used.

 

Here you can see the Out of this World Frame just a bit better, as well as the Heart Panel 2. Since my panel was already irregular, I saw no need to cut it apart.

I love how the Feathers soften the look of the focal area and wanted them to really stand out. Thusly, I omitted adding any fibers such as moss or sisal.  I did have some merlot florals from 49 and Market which I've used here but the larger floral was just the best I could find last night without going to greater lengths. I think it works fine given my floral layering papers with the florals at the top.

To balance my layout, I added a cluster to the lower right hand area of the layout and added a title piece. Lots of foam to pop up the layers.

I added in a bit of ephemera from the Plum Grove collection as well as a few neutral parchment florals also from 49 and Marlet.

Here is a side view to show the page dimension which is actually flatter than my norm. Ha! Additionally, I added my butterflies after taking this photo. Taking photos of your work can very often help you see what is missing from your project that you might overlook in the moment of creating.

 

I finished with some splattered white paint and a few purple/plum flat backed pearls.

Thanks so kindly for dropping by the blog today! Let me know if you are inspired to use a monochrome theme!

 

See you next time!

Sandi

 

After the Storm with Sandi Clarkson

 Hello, scrappy friends!

Thanks for coming by the blog today.

I know it's maybe a little early but I have something GREEN for you today. This is my little nod to St. Patrick's Day but without the shamrocks.

I remember doing a monochromatic layout about 10+ years ago in varying shades of green. Although I didn't expect to like it, I was unexpectedly pleased with the outcome. So, I thought perhaps I could do something similar in honor of Saint Patrick's Day this year. Well, the odds were in my favor, I think!

So, then I began the process of finding just the right photo and the right papers and the right chipboard. You know the drill, I'm sure. Once I found my photo, everything felt right. After looking through my papers, I opted for this stunning paper from 13 Arts Dreamland collection which blended perfectly with the mood of the photo. At least from my standpoint. Life for me right now is a swirl of emotions and difficult days. But I trust that something beautiful will come along in the days ahead.

 

But back to my project .... next I started choosing my chipboard pieces and was thinking along the line of flowers and flourishes, maybe a frame. However, I came up with some interesting choices that I felt were just perfect in the end. I knew that the green color palette would blend everything together but the pieces actually told a little story as I went along.

I wanted to use one of the 6x6 panels to ground my photo. I have plenty of options in my stash, that's for sure. However, the shape of the Rectangle Panel seems to be a fantastic juxtaposition for the photo and really grounded the focal area. Love that choice for this project! It was altered with Distress Paint in "Peeled Paint" and later dabbed with the same color way but in the ink format.

Rather than using a frame for my photo, I wanted something circular behind the photo and opted for the Doily 2 which was altered with Distress Paint in Rustic Wilderness and then splattered with the same in the Oxide version. Later it was dabbed slightly with a cheap cream craft paint from the big box store. This cream paint blended all my pieces together much like you could do with white gesso.

 

I had fairly recently acquired the sweet Daffodils 2 which were in my Flourishes and Flowers folder. I thought they would be perfect to represent beauty springing up from the ground. Or hopefully, what will spring forth in my own heart and soul as I travel this bumpy road. These were altered multiple time with Distress Oxide in Mustard Seed, Twisted Citron and Wild Honey. They were later splattered with Distress Peeled Paint Stain and inked along the edges. This was a "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit" moment. It actually turned out great and brought out similar colors from the photo.  And I love using my stash!

This photo shows some details along the bottom of the focal area and you can see where I've added my title piece from the Blizzard Word Set. This was painted with the cream paint mentioned above and does bring out a few details from the photo.

I had planned from the get-go to call this piece After the Rain or After the Storm, so this accidental finding of this word amongst the Blizzard Word Set was bizarre! Just another reminder to look for the good in all situations, whether life or crafting.

Of course, I wanted to throw in some alters because there are some in the photo but I was down to just a few in my stash but went with what I had on hand! There are 2 different kinds of pieces both called Antlers in the Store, so you will need to pick these: Antlers.  Either would work and are quite nice but I do love randomly tucking them into my projects! These were altered with Peeled Paint Stain and splattered with Citron Oxide and then dabbed with cream paint at the end. Love, love how they turned out!

I wasn't sure if I'd add florals to my layout but I did settle on using a couple of parchment colored ones from 49 and Market. I also tucked in some lime moss here and there.  Great for added dimension.

Just a closer view of the upper edge of the focal area where you can visualize the Doily 2 and more Antlers.

And one last look at the completed page.

 

Spring is Coming, folks!

 New Life, new growth, maybe even a little Hope.

But first, it has to rain.

 

Thanks again for stopping by and hope to see you next time!

 

Sandi

 

Loving Lucy with Sandi Clarkson

Hello, Creative Embellishments fans!

 Sandi  here with you today sharing a Lucy layout featuring a publicity photo from when she was quite young.

This is one of those projects that took me forever simply because I was trying to conquer too many variable. This paper, that photo, mindful of background images, on and on. When I finally committed to just focus on my chippies, everything fell together so easily! Sometimes you just have to START and trust the process!

My papers are from 49 and Market's Serenity collection plus an additional brown card stock as my base. All my embellishments are from the January LE Kit from My Creative Scrapbook. I've used 3 chippies and they were all altered with Walnut Stain.

After prepping my paper and doing a little stencil work, I determined where I'd place my focal image and laid out my horizontal pieces. From there I knew where I wanted to add my Loved rub-on. Rather than using this as a title, I made it more part of the background images. Then I adhered the horizontal pieces and tucked my Lace Border 7 under the other 2 items.

Of course placing my florals and embellishments were among the last things I did before my paint splatters and adding some final pearls.

Below the Lace Border I added my title from the Gorgeous Small Border Set which again was altered with Walnut Stain.

One of my most favorite frames from Creative Embellishments is the Flourish Circle Frame. After altering it with Walnut Stain, I added some random, scattered  heat embossing using my chunky Stampendous Aged Gold embossing powder.

Here are two more images of the focal area:

Once I finished with my pearls and paint splatters, I finally felt finished! 

This was a fun one to do.

Thanks for coming by the blog today!

See you next time ...

Sandi