Malaga Layout

Hi all,

Had a very weird week... I have some very good news to share at some point!.. maybe next week!

But it also involved a major dilemma so my mojo took a bit of a knock. I've a mixed media project on the go now though and some things I need to make regarding the 'very good news' so I have to delve into the Bank of Awesome Makes I Haven't Shared Yet for today's blog post.

Today I'm going to share a layout I made using pictures I took on a VERY rainy day in Malaga. I didn't take many pictures that day, it was so wet we had to abandon our visit when our shoes were so soaked and cold we couldn't take it any more! I would've bought a new pair as there were lots of nice shoe shops but they were the shoe shops where they have one on display and you have to ask for the other and I didn't know how to ask for the other or say '36' in Spanish, so... It was a nice city to wander around, with things we probably would have looked around had the weather been bearable, such as the Roman ruins. 

I made this layout using stickers and vellum from the Simple Stories 'True Stories' collection, the stickers and some wood veneers were in the clearance section in Hobbycraft and I loved the colours and designs so they fell into my basket... The title is from a set by Bella Blvd and I just coloured it with Sharpies to match the rest of the layout. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

BioParc layout feat. May/June Quirky Kit & packaging technique

Hi all,

A new layout to share today using more of the May/June Quirky Kit embellishment kit. I feel like I've really neglected this kit, I'm not sure why because I love it!

So, I made a new layout I've been meaning to make for a while, using pictures I took at the BioParc in Fuengirola, Spain. I got some great shots are there weren't any cages.

The papers here are Maggie Holmes 'Shine' (I used some bits of the cover behind the frames which are Simple Stories Carpe Diem)

I finally got to use the packaging technique here.
If you don't know what that is, it's where you get some plastic packaging, scribble on it with a gelato, drop ink or watercolour on it, add water and then press the plastic to the paper. Here I used a gelato and some Smooch accent inks mixed with water. The inks, pink and yellow, show up better and I'm glad because I picked them up really cheap from a garden centre years ago and have hardly used them.

Thanks for stopping by!
Emily xx

Layout Using the May/June Quirky Kit

Hi all,

A new layout to share today, using the May/June Quirky Kit, the sewing machine, and papers from the gorgeous Paradise Crush paper pad by Trimcraft. The picture is one of my last to scrap from our trip to Spain.

With the Quirky Kits I always end up using bits in all my layouts but for this I challenged myself to use the embellishments in the kit and nothing else - I succeeded apart from the blue peg.

I couldn't think of a title so I just did some journalling. I'm trying to do more journalling to tell more of a story, but it's harder than it looks, most of all remembering what we did on what day. I ought to work on my handwriting.... when I was little it was so bad they didn't let me write with a pen so instead I stole someone else's...!

Thanks for stopping by!
Emily xx

Fuengirola Harbour Mixed Media Layout

Hi all,

A new mixed media layout to share today.
I took the picture one evening at the harbour on holiday in Fuengirola. Though it rained a lot, by the evenings the sun had come out.

I've been wanting to up my mixed media game recently, I've been trying various different things but it either looked a mess (on the other side of this layout!) or didn't look 'enough'. I've been inspired by 7 Dots Studio for a while now but they always seem dark and dull (though still beautiful).
I'll explain briefly how I did this but I am planning a Tutorial using this process in which I will explain more in depth.

1. Using acrylics, paint an area of the paper, be as messy as you want.
2. Using a damp (but not wet) brush, use your fingers to spatter paint around the layout (consider your colour scheme here)
3. Once dry, add backing paper, tags and washi tape. 
4. Stamp around the edges of your main coloured area. 
5. Spatter more paint over the layout
6. Add your photo and gems/dots.

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

Beach Layout Using An A4 Photo

Hi all,

My first layout using my holiday snaps from Spain is something I've wanted to make for a while - a layout using an A4 photo. 

I was worried quality would be an issue with this - the picture I wanted to use, the one I did use, was taken on my mobile phone - I learnt the hard way to never take a camera on to the beach! 

Luckily it printed out great - probably no different to if I printed out something from my camera.

We spent the morning on the beach and then got some lunch at the galleria in Fuengirola, then packed and flew home that night. I sent Nathan to test out the water and I took the picture - it was the perfect shot! The lovely morning on the beach made up for a week of rain. Nathan's sunburn was bad enough with one day of sun so perhaps it was good it wasn't like it the whole time we were there! 

When I started this layout I thought the background looked too plain - but a patterned background paper might have distracted from my picture, so instead I arranged some small clear stamps onto an acrylic block, and stamped repeatedly down the page using a ruler as a guide to keep the line straight. 

Most of the stickers are by Simple Stories 'You Are Here'. The acetate is from a sheet from Crate Paper 'Poolside'. The enamel dots and wood veneers are from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx