'Cozy Winter Evening'

Hello! I hope everyone is staying warm....

I saw 13 arts had a great challenge going this month and as I just recently purchased

the beautiful new winter collection, I had to join in the fun...

'Cozy Winter Evening'

As soon as I saw the colors and theme of this collection I knew I had to have it! 

I love the warm reds with the grays....I started with the paper 'Tender Morning' as my base and layered on some pieces of the paper 'Winter Letters', and then added some modeling paste through my new 13 arts masks for texture.  I was inspired by the texture and softness of the yarn. 

Here is the #25 December challenge photo inspiration....

For more info about the 13 arts challenge please go here.....

I recently saw that Once Upon a Sketch, (one of my favourite challenge blogs ever! ) was going to be no more....Nadia and her team have so much to be proud of....it was a truly inspiring and lovely way to share our work and have fun. I won the December challenge last year, and I will miss seeing all the  amazing work every month by the talented girls on that team. Even though there won't be any more new challenges, it will still be a great place to revisit, I enjoyed every new reveal, there were always some really beautiful and creative designs to get your mojo flowing.

So as a show of support I used Nadia's beautiful sketch for this last challenge entry...

I loved how Once Upon a Sketch really encouraged journalling, something I am just not that good at...

but I did write a few words on the back of this layout...

'December is always my favourite time of year...I love all the time spent with my boys and of course preparing for Christmas....baking, cooking, decorating the tree...I love it all, it always reminds me of what is truly important in my life.'

I have used the following 13 arts products:

Cosy Evening Paper - Tender Morning

Cosy Evening Paper - Winter Letters

Cosy Evening Mask - Branch & Text

Chalk Mist - Woodbine

Silver Microspheres

Silver Holographic Glitter

Gel Medium

You can find all these 13 arts products in their online shop here...

Thanks so much for looking, 

Big Hugs,

Lisa xo

'Days of Winter' a new layout for Pion Design

Hello ladies....

I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays...I am loving this wintery Christmas mood 

I am in so I created another festive layout last night....

'Days of Winter'

I started with the Pion Design paper called 'Brown Ornament' from the 'Days of Winter' collection that you can find here. I created some texture using gesso through my new 13 arts masks, and added green and brown inks and some stamping to my background.

Here is the beautiful 'Days of Winter' collection.

The sweet delicate patterns are so perfect for this time of year....

You can find Pion Design papers at the following retailers in the US...

Flying Unicorn

The Scrapbook Diaries

Here are a few close ups of my layout...

I layered lots of pieces of the paper 'Winter Birds' and 'Tags' to build up some layers and then 

added some Prima and Petaloo flowers, some chipboard snowflakes and some gems.

Thanks for stopping by...

Hugs, Lisa xo

'Mommy's Boy' my last layout for Blue Fern Studios

Hello girls! Merry Christmas!

I wish all my lovely friends and family that pass through my little online world here 

a very happy & safe Christmas full of hope and joy and good cheer....

This is my last layout for Blue Fern Studios....it's been a great year being 

on this team, I am forever grateful for this opportunity, I have really enjoyed it.

'Mommy's Boy'

Liam and I get our portrait taken together every Christmas, we've done it ever since he was a baby,

so when I saw this chippie 'Mommy's Boy' I knew it would go perfectly with this photo!

I started with the beautiful paper 'Bountiful' from the Sanctuary collection. 

I created the background with a lot of masking with gesso and then added paints, stamping,

flowers, gems and silver micro beads.

I painted the chipboard white and then embossed it lightly with silver embossing powder.

I also used a piece called 'Circle Flourish' and some 'Shabby Flakes' that I treated 

the same way as the title piece. Please go here to see all the beautiful new designs.

Well.... the presents are wrapped, the cookies and milk are waiting, 

the tree is glowing, and I am about to tuck my little one in bed.

Feeling thankful tonight for my family and friends and the wonderful New Year yet to come...

Wishing you all the best,

Lisa xo

'Let it Snow' a tag for Blue Fern Studios

Hello girls! 

I am getting so excited for Christmas! I've been shopping, wrapping, and today I 

was baking cookies, getting ready for the big day....

I wanted to share a tag I created for Blue Fern Studios using their beautiful 

new paper line 'Sanctuary'.

 

Here I have used 'Meadows of Time' as my base, and created my background by masking

with gesso, painting with some mists, and lots of stamping.

I glued lace, flowers, bits of silver sprigs and then sprinkled the tag with beautiful silver glass glitter.

I added some 'Shabby Flakes', and a piece from the 'Let it Snow' set that

I painted white and embossed with silver embossing powder for a white wintery look.

I'll see you soon...

Lisa xo

December Sketch Challenge - Blue Fern Studios

Hello lovelies! 

Well, my time at Blue Fern Studios is slowly coming to a close....

I've really enjoyed this past year on this team.

So many beautiful products to work with and alongside 

a wonderful and talented group of ladies too...

this is the last Blue Fern Studios sketch I will share with you......

I can honestly say that the latest Blue Fern Studios paper collection 'Sanctuary' is one of the prettiest set of papers I have ever worked with...just loving the rich dark colors...so many possibilities!

Here I started with the paper 'Birdsong Melody' as my base and added lots of masking and paints.

Here is the gorgeous sketch for this month....

I had so much fun creating this! Here are some close ups....

I started with some washi tape and then built up some amazing textures using pieces of lace and pieces of a black branch that was covered with pretty clear beads. I tucked in some pieces of 'Shabby Flakes' and 'Holiday Vine' chipboard that I painted white and sprinkled with white glitter.

There is always a great prize pack to be won so I hope to see you join in!

Until next time,

Lisa xo

'la amenidad' my first layout for Scraps of Elegance

Hello ladies....I have some exciting news to share...

I have joined the Scraps of Elegance team! I just received my first kit bursting

full of beautiful Prima papers and flowers.

'la amenidad'

I am in love with this 'Cigar Box Secrets' line...gorgeous bright colors with an vintage Havana-esque theme...

Here I have used the papers 'Perfecto' and 'Corona' and added some Prima flowers, gems, and stickers from the same collection.

Here is the new December Scraps of Elegance kit called 'Ever-True'...

For more info on this kit please visit the Scraps of Elegance blog here....

and to find out where to purchase this kit please go here....

You can also find them on Facebook here...for plenty of inspiration from the design team.

Here are some close ups of my very first layout with this kit...

I found this old photo of this beautiful girl with grapes in her hair and I thought it went well with the gold stems included in the kit that I cut up and glued in different places.

Thanks for taking a look and letting me share my news....

I'll be back soon with some more 'Ever-True' projects...

Hugs, Lisa xo

'love' my last layout for 'Scrap the Boys'

Hello girls....December?.... already?....

The first of the month always brings us some fresh inspiration and the ladies over at 

'Scrap the Boys' have a great new sketch up today...

'love'

I started with the beautiful 'Illumination' paper from 7 Dots Studio, added strips of grey and pink papers in the background and then built up my layers with gesso, pink and silver mists and flowers.

Here is the wonderful sketch for December...

For more details on the December challenge please go here....

This will be my last project for Scrap the Boys, I have really enjoyed being part of this group! 

They have had some great themes each month and I wish them all the best in the future.

Here are some close ups...

My poor little boy....pink roses and silver glitter? LOL What's a girl to do when she only has one son? I hope he doesn't mind too much....I love a layout with lots of pink :)

I bought some Christmas stems at Michael's and cut them up in little pieces to 

tuck into my flowers, gives it a really glittery festive look :)

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll join in the fun!

Hugs, Lisa xo

'girl in bonnet' a new layout for Blue Fern Studios

Hello ladies...back again to share my last layout of November for Blue Fern Studios using the gorgeous new collection called 'Sanctuary'...

'girl in bonnet'

I started with the dark and mysterious new paper 'Bountiful' then added gesso through a mask, pink and blue paint, washi tape and a piece of 'Blue Fern Frame' chipboard that I painted white and blue.

I love the dark colored papers in this collection, they make a very dramatic background.

Please go here to see the new 'Sanctuary' collection, and also to check out all the wonderful new chipboard designs that are always coming out, there are some really beautiful ones for the holidays.

I found this beautiful girl on Pinterest, I tried to recreate the look of her bonnet with 

bits of lace and flowers.

Thanks for taking a look! I'll be back with two new challenges for you soon,

Hugs, Lisa xo

'Perfect' a new layout for Blue Fern Studios

Hello girls....

I am dropping in to share another layout I created with the gorgeous new paper collection from Blue Fern Studios called Sanctuary. It was love at first sight with these papers...

'perfect'

I started with the beautiful paper 'Conservatory' and then I layered a lot of pieces of Blue Fern Studios papers including the 'Calling Cards' from the Sanctuary collection and some pieces from the Blue Fern Garden collection in the background and created lots of texture with gesso, masks, paints, stamping and gold micro beads.

For my title I embossed a piece from the 'Chunky Word Set' set in copper to match my copper colored paints. Did you know that Blue Fern Studios are constantly adding new and adorable chipboard designs? To see some of their new products, please go here.....

I also used pieces of the 'Shabby Brick Bits' and 'Ginger's Poppies' which I painted in 

white and then covered in different paints in gold and copper colors. 

We are in the middle of celebrating Thanksgiving here in the States, and I have so much to be grateful for....my country, my family, and of course all of the wonderful friends I have made through sharing this creative passion that we love so much! So thank you to all the lovely ladies that drop by my blog. I appreciate every single visit, comment and friendship so much! 

Tata for now...

Lisa xo

'Magical'

Hello my scrappy friends :) .....

It's been a bit quiet around my blog lately.....my sweet parents were here for a visit 

and I wanted to spend every moment with them as we don't see each nearly as often as I would like. As a result I got a bit behind on my creations LOL.

Then along came a box full of Blue Fern Studios goodies and it kick-started my mojo! 

I am head over heels in love with the the new paper collection 'Sanctuary'.

Beautiful rich colors, elegant vintage style patterns....love at first sight....

'magical'

Words can't describe how much I love this paper....this one is called 'Meadows of Time'.

The colors are so gorgeous and I just played off of the vintage stamping and bits of old paper in the design. I started by applying gesso with a natural sea sponge to give it a really uneven texture and then added some mists in blue and brown. 

Next I created some layers with some pieces of vintage papers from my stash and Blue Fern Garden paper collection. I added some 'Shabby Flakes' and a piece of the 'Winter Word Set' which I painted white and then sprinkled with white glitter. 

I submitted this layout to the challenge blog called 'Vintage Cafe Card Challenge' for my Guest Designer spot this month. I won their past challenge called 'French Vintage' and they were very kind to feature me.  The challenge this month is 'Waiting for a Miracle'.

Please go here for more details of the challenge. There are so many beautiful shabby designs on this blog, really talented designers....it's a real treat if this is a style you love (as much as I do).

Thanks for taking a look! 

Back with more Blue Fern Studios projects soon....

Big hugs, Lisa xox