'take flight' a new lo for Scraps of Elegance

Hello girls....I hope everyone has had some good crafty time this weekend....

I have a question for you....does anyone scrap late at night? I stayed up Saturday night creating this layout and was loving all the gritty texture and messy colors I had achieved ....but it was late, the light in my little studio is not great....and I literally gasped when I went to go look at my creation in the morning light...
it was so crazy and dark with mediums, splashes of color....
so......I can't decide if I love it? or if it's terrible!!?! ?

'take flight'

I started with the Prima paper in March's Scraps of Elegance kit called 'Forever' from the 'Timeless Memories' collection which already has a dark ancient stone looking pattern to it and decided I was going to go with the feel of the paper and try something with a lot of texture, like an old peeling plaster wall, and a really masculine theme. I decided to use a Blue Fern Studios chipboard piece that looks like a round medallion so I used that first as a stencil with some heavy gesso to create some patterns around the page , and then embossed it in copper and used it to add interest underneath my flowers.

Here is the amazing March kit full of new Prima and 7 Dots Studio 'Thoughts Keeper' papers...

This kit is named after my team mate Anna Rogalska...I am such a huge fan of her elegant, 

ultra-feminine work, please visit her blog here.

For more info on how to buy Scraps of Elegance kits please go here....

I used a sketch I found on a gorgeous Russian blog I just recently found called Scrapogoliki...

Here is the sketch....

Please go here to see this sketch challenge and great blog for inspiration.

I used some of my favourite Lindy's Stamp Gang mists in blue, bronze, brown, and black with a paintbrush, and the Prima 'Two' and 'Dot Grunge' stamp that came with the kit. 

This is one of those layouts that kind of had a mind of it's own...lol.

This is the first time I have tried Finnabair's Gold Mica Powder 

and I love how it shimmers in the sunlight.

This is a photograph of my Grandfather George (second from left) with his fellow RAF servicemen during World War II, and the inspiration behind this grungy mixed media explosion...

Thanks for taking a look....I think next I'm on to a light and airy lo...something with pink perhaps? 

Hugs, Lisa xo

'once upon a time'

Good evening crafty ladies....I am back to share another layout I created over the weekend...

This one has a very romantic feel to it inspired by tales of girls 

locked in a tower yearning to be free....

'once upon a time'

I saw that several of my favourite Greek scrapper girls are on the design team at Scraps'n'Pieces, a great Greek challenge blog, and when I saw that this month's challenge had a fairytale theme, I just knew I wanted to create something with my 'Cold Country' papers with a kind of gothic look to it.

Here is the moodboard...

and the sketch...

For more info on this month's challenge please go here...

and to see all the beautiful work and great tutorials please go here....

I used different colors than the moodboard, but followed the sketch, 

I just moved it over to the middle a bit. 

Here are some close ups....

I used my new Finnabair diamond stencil (I can never have enough of new stencils) to create a diamond pattern in the background, and while the gesso was still wet, sprinkled on some Prima glass beads, then added some stamping.

I also used some Blue Fern Studios chipboard pieces of the diamond panel and this great lock piece. I embossed them with Ranger silver embossing powder and then went over them with some black paint and microbeads trying to make them look old and weathered.

I added some of my new Lindy's Stamp Gang sprays in Hydrangea Blue, Pop Rock Purple, Whale Watch Blue and Midnight Rendezvous Raven to highlight some of the colors from the photo.

See you next time...

Lisa xo

'just fly'

Hello girls....I hope everyone is having a great weekend...

We have had so much rain lately! so that means a lot of indoor crafty time for me...

'just fly'

I saw that my sweet friend Fiona Paltridge was hosting a challenge on one of her teams, Off the Rails Scrapbooking and just fell in love with the moodboard and her lovely layout...this challenge just spoke to me with the rich earthy color palette, (my favourite) vintage theme and her sketch was just gorgeous.

Here is the moodboard...

To find out more about this month's challenge please go here...

To see Fiona's beautiful layout and amazing work please visit her blog here....

Here are a few close ups...

I printed out the sweet girl with wings and surrounded her with some old book pages, Prima flowers and some Blue Fern Studio chipboard pieces that I stained with Vintage Photo brown ink.

Thanks for dropping by,

Hugs, Lisa xo

'Winter's Frost'

Good morning friends....I hope you are all having a lovely weekend....

I am dropping in to share another art journal spread I created for the new March 

challenge over at Words & Painterly.

'winter's frost'

I have admired art journals for quite some time now and I am so happy that I finally started one of my own. I love the smaller format and the rich texture of old book pages, a little heavy gesso to prep and the possibilities become endless! 

Here is the color palette for this months challenge...

For more information of this month's challenge please go here....

And to join in on the Words & Painterly facebook page please go here....

Here are a few close ups...

I started with heavy gesso through one of the new Prima stencils 'Dots and Stripes' and then added some pieces of a paper doily and a few scraps of white gauze and lace. I really loved how the dark blue mist really soaked into the doily and created a beautiful pattern. Once that was all dry I did some stamping with some new Finnabair stamps, 'Honey Comb' and 'Messy'.

For color I used several Lindy's Stamp Gang mists.....'Danny Zuko's Denim, 'Hydrangea Blue', 'Tea Pot Purple' and 'Autumn Maple Crimson'.  I also used some 13@rts silver glitter paint which gave a nice little bit of sparkle.

I will try to do a step by step tutorial the next time I do an art journal page, just to show how uncomplicated and fun it really is....I love not knowing what is going to happen....it really is a great way to experiment with your mediums and have fun.

Hugs, Lisa xo

'I am free...' Guest Design spot at 13@rts and my very first art journal spread

Hello girls...I hope this post finds everyone well and enjoying the weekend...

I was invited by Aida and her creative team to Guest Design for their latest challenge over at 13@rts this month. The moodboard is a mixture of deep rich forest greens, gold, and black, perfect for the month of March.

'I am free....'

Well...here it is...my very first art journal spread.....When I first saw the moodboard I knew what I wanted to do. I went looking for some paper for a layout and couldn't find any that matched....I then eyed a beautiful old book that I had bought some time ago with the intention of starting to art journal, and just decided...today is the day! LOL...so be kind dear readers.....this is just a start! 

Here is the gorgeous moodboard to get those design wheels turning...

For more info on how to enter the challenge please go here.....

As you know, I love 13 @rts products so to visit their on line store please go here.....

Here are some close ups...

I started by gessoing two pages of this old book, and then added some texture with some heavy white gesso through several 13@rts masks. I used one of the masks on the two pieces of Blue Fern Studios wing chipboards before embossing them in gold. 

I then used a black watercolor pencil to draw some large circles and then went over them with a little water...I love this effect. Now I know why I want those new Prima watercolor pencils so badly....

I used a photograph of Frida Khalo, a famous Mexican painter who used creating art to help her cope with her life's tragic circumstances. 

After the gesso was dry I applied several different color of 13 @rts mists with a paintbrush, added some stamping, and then used 13 @rts gel medium to apply some gold micro beads.

I know I will be doing more in my art journal, it was fun! 

I hope I have inspired a little today to just go ahead and try.....

Thanks for taking a look, 

I appreciate every visit so much....

Lisa xo

'Secret Garden' a new layout for Factory Decor

Good morning crafty ladies....

Last month I won a challenge with a winter theme at the blog Factory Decor, a beautiful Ukrainian blog with their own online store. I was invited to be a guest designer this month for their new March challenge with an absolutely enchanting moodboard....

'secret garden'

Here is the moodboard....Aren't you in love with this? 

For more details on how to enter the challenge please go here....

And take a moment to admire the incredibly beautiful and creative design team work....

Here are a few close ups...

I chose a photo of Beatrix Potter, one of the most treasured children's authors ever. What an imagination she must have had to create such charming little garden creatures in her books. 

Here she is pictured with her pet mouse Xarifa, circa 1885.

I used the gorgeous new paper from Blue Fern Studios as my background, then added pieces from my vintage ephemera collection, some flowers and a Prima white resin fountain.

See you soon,

Hugs, Lisa xo

'lifetime'.... a new layout for Scraps of Elegance

Hello dear readers....

Today I am sharing my latest layout for Scraps of Elegance...

'lifetime'

The wonderful kit from February is sold out, but stay tuned...March's kit will be released very soon!

Please go here to see the Scraps of Darkness store....and here for the blog.

Here are a few close ups...

I have used the the other side of the Prima Epiphany paper 'Words to Live By' for the base. From there I used the white texture paste that came with the kit and a Prima scroll stencil and spread a very thick and uneven coat of paste to create some great texture. I then went in with a beautiful Lindy's Stamp Gang mist called Buccaneer Bronze ( a lovely milk chocolate mist with gold undertones) with a small paintbrush to try to get the mist only in the cracks. It created an amazing look, like cracked worn plaster or old peeled paint. I also added a little bit of pink Ranger Distress Paint in Spun Sugar.

Then I sewed some strips of white cotton and built up some layers using pieces of the Epiphany paper that came with the kit, a Blue Fern Studios chipboard piece that I painted white, and some Prima flowers. The pink and brown flowers came from the kit as well as the pearl piece that I removed from the center of one of the Prima flowers.

The final touch was the beautiful bronze colored Mica Flakes that also came with the kit which I sprinkled around the page that gave a gorgeous shimmer and sparkle and perfectly matched with the bronze mist....

I would like to participate in the current challenge at Scrapclub, their spring moodboard is just gorgeous. I was inspired by the soft shabby flowers and ultra feminine feel of the photos. Looking for some shabby chic eye candy? I can scroll through this blog just daydreaming over all the pretty cards.

Here is the moodboard...

This layout is dedicated to my husband and best friend of 15 years!!!

Time flies when you're having fun.....

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs always, Lisa xo