'No fear of depths...'

“Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country.” 
― Anaïs Nin

Hello my lovelies, I'm back to share with you a layout I created for

2 Crafty Chipboard using some of their new pieces.

'Anäis'

I usually feel quite overwhelmed with Graphic 45 papers, they're very pretty, but so intricate 

and finely detailed that my usual messy paints and gesso splattered style doesn't seem to work....

(well just a little bit here to look like bubbles :)

But I immediately thought to fussy cut this beautiful mermaid riding that goldfish and my idea was born :) 

I added some 2 Crafty Chipboard pieces, a vintage photograph of the author herself and away we go! 

2 Crafty Chipboard pieces used:

'Fishing Net Bits'

'Cartia's Swirl'

'Seashells'

I created this layout using my June Scraps of Darkness kit which you can 

purchase at the Scraps of Darkness online store here.

To see my 2 Crafty post, please go here.

What a beautiful quote from the author Anäis Nin, you can read more about her here.

I first discovered her and the works of Henry Miller after seeing the film

'Henry and June', the story of their affair in Paris in the 1930's.

She not only thought outside the box, but she passionately and unforgivingly

lived outside of it, damn the consequences.

I try to challenge myself to transform chipboard pieces and turn them into 

something that doesn't look like cardboard! Here I covered the starfish with

a thick coat of heavy white gesso and then hit it with high heat to make the gesso 

bubble up. Once it dried, I colored it with orange Lindy's Starburst spray.

“Do not seek the because - in love there is no because, no reason, no explanation, no solutions.” 

― Anaïs Nin, Henry And June

Kisses, Lisa xo

'Dreamer'

I'm baaaa-aaack! Hello my crafty friends, it's been a few rough, stress-filled several weeks lately, lots of different issues one of them being my Mac died a sudden death leaving me internet-less :(

But I treated myself to a brand new computer and I'm here this morning to share my first 

layout created with the beautiful June kit from Scraps of Elegance called 

'Sunshine and Sweet Tea'.

'Dreamer'

Starting as I always do by just staring at my kit papers, this time the BoBunny 'Butterfly Kisses' collection, I noticed some light butterflies up the right hand side of the paper 'Bliss'. I grabbed a black watercolor pencil and traced them all out, then went back over them with a small wet paintbrush and it really brought them to life! From there I added lots of black stamping and built up some layers using lots of goodies from the kit.

I used the following items from the main kit, the elements add on and flower add on:

BoBunny - Butterfly Kisses Paper Collection

BoBunny - Butterfly Kisses chipboards

BoBunny - Butterfly Kisses buttons

Blue Fern Studios - Attic Charm Daisies flowers

American Crafts - Mini Butterfly punch

Prima - Salvage District Cling stamps

Dovecraft - Paper Doilies

Petaloo - Coral Botanica Anemone flowers

Here is the June kit:

To purchase our kits please visit the store here, and don't forget to check

out our blog here for tutorials and inspiration.

I would like to enter my layout into a challenge called 'Tender Angel'

that I found on a blog called 'Scrap 72' using this super pretty color palette.

More info on the challenge here.

Here are a few close ups:

I used one the pink doilies from the kit and painted it messily with a black paint dauber

to get it looking really distressed, and also fussy cut some flowers and

butterflies from the different papers.

Thanks for looking and see you soon, 

as always I really appreciate your views and your comments, 

hugs, Lisa xox

'Bonjour Tristesse'

Hello girls, I'm back to share a layout I created with the June Scraps of Darkness kit....

“I have loved to the point of madness; that which is called madness, 

that which to me, is the only sensible way to love.” 

― Françoise Sagan

'Bonjour Tristesse'

I love the Scraps of Darkness kits as much as I love the Scraps of Elegance kits!

This month's kit was full of Prima's 'Salvage District' paper collection, dies and flowers.

You can find our kits in the online store here.

The lovely ladies at 'OMSK Scrapclub' invited me to be a Guest Designer after winning one

of their challenges, and sent me this sketch to work with.

More about my feature and Sketch #32 here.

Here are a few close ups:

Has anyone read the novel 'Bonjour Tristesse' by Françoise Sagan?

I remember reading it in my twenties and it was a horribly tragic 

story of love and loss.

I had so much fun creating this dark and moody layout, the title came to me 

after staring at this beautiful girl's forlorn dreamy look.

“A Strange melancholy pervades me to which I hesitate to give the grave and beautiful name of sorrow. The idea of sorrow has always appealed to me but now I am almost ashamed of its complete egoism. I have known boredom, regret, and occasionally remorse, but never sorrow. Today it envelops me like a silken web, enervating and soft, and sets me apart from everybody else.” 

― Françoise Sagan, Bonjour tristesse

Thanks for looking,

Lisa xo

'Amaze Yourself'

Hello friends! The girls over at the challenge blog Kraft Plus invited a couple of 2 Crafty Chipboard

chicks to guest design this month and this is what I came up with.

I started with a piece of thick card stock that comes whenever you purchase scrapbook paper, covered it in clear gesso, a good thick messy coat of heavy white gesso, spread on some Prima pink acrylic paint in 'Vintage Rose' through a stencil and then heated it up so that the pink paint bubbled up a bit to get some cool textures. The challenge this month is Kraft Plus Sheet Music, so I added some bits of a vintage piano book that I found at an estate sale.

Here is the challenge this month:

To read more about this month's challenge 

and to see some FAB pages from the design team

please go here. I hope you join in, there is a great chippie

prize pack to be won.

I used the following pieces of 2 Crafty Chipboard:

'Mini Branches'

'Oval Frame'

'Amaze Yourself'

For all of my chippies I first covered then in white acrylic paint, brushed on some 

Art Anthology ink and then stamped the oval frame lightly with black ink.

I also used some of the negative pieces of the 'Mini Branches', that I painted with 

some pink Lindy's Stamp Gang mist, it's an unusual way to add some interest to your layers 

and to get the most out of your chipboards :)

I am so happy to share how honored I was to be invited to stay on as a 2 Crafty chick!

Check out the new design team...

Thank you so much Vanessa for this amazing opportunity!

Lisa xo

'Imagine'

Hello girls! I'm back to share my latest layout made with my Scraps of Elegance 

kit 'Belle Journee'.

I always love the papers in our kits, and here I used the Bo Bunny 'Soiree Collection' for the base paper and all my layers. I also used a Prima flower from the Floral Add On, called 'Maestro', and the Crafters Workshop stencil 'Victorian Sketchbook' from the Main kit. I loved getting messy with lots of white gesso and black ink :)

To find out how to buy our kits please go here.

I used some of my favourite pieces of 2 Crafty Chipboard too, 'Corner Thick Vine' 

and 'Lacey Signpost'. Check out the 2 Crafty Chipboard blog here.

Have you visited the amazing challenge blog called 'More than Words'?

I saw the challenge for June was to 'get messy' (which I LOVE to do) and to use the

word 'Imagine'...I can do that! I am really awful at adding titles to my layouts but I found

the perfect die to fit this page :)

More on the challenge here.

Here are a few close ups:

See you soon!

Lisa xo

'Journey'

Hi girls! I'm back to share my latest projects for 2 Crafty Chipboard.

'Journey'

 I loved these photos that I found on Pinterest, and the very first chippie that came to mind is the beautiful 'Moroccan Panel'. I painted this and the title piece 'Journey' in white gesso, and then using a dry brush, added some ink in 'Vintage Photo'. You can see my 2 Crafty post here.

2 Crafty Chipboard pieces used:

'Journey'

'Mini Branches'

'Moroccan Panel'

'Film Strip Small'

I would like to enter my layout in Challenge No. 126 on one of my
favourite crafty blogs Kiev Skrapclub. I was inspired by the exotic mood of the photos,
the colors of the sea, blue and brown, and especially the photograph in the top right corner of the mood board.
More details about the challenge here.

Here are some details:

Here are a few places to buy 2 Crafty Chipboard in America:

The Flying Unicorn

The Scrapbook Diaries

See you soon!
Lisa

'Stars and Stripes'

Hi girls! It's time for some mid-month inspiration with a gorgeous new

color palette from Words & Painterly!

'Stars and Stripes'

I'm not going to lie girls...this color combo was tough!!!! As usual, (I hate it but it's true) I had left this layout until the last moment, and I really didn't know what I was going to do, but I pulled out some Bobunny papers and some 2 Crafty Chipboard and just tried not to overthink it :)

Sometimes the layouts I struggle with turn out to be my favourites! Does that ever happen to you?

Here is the June challenge:

You can find more details about the challenge here.

I used a piece of some of my son's old jeans in the background, 

love the deep blue color of the denim,

and what's more American than a pair of Levi's?

The prompt this month is 'Be Proud of your Country'...and even though it's very unfashionable these days to be a proud American, I don't give a s***, ....I am! I came to the United States - (by myself)- looking for a fresh start in my life with a couple hundred bucks, two suitcases and a whole lot of hopes and dreams, all of which I have worked very hard to have come true. That's the beauty of my country, you can be anything you dare to be, all it takes is hard work and determination and you'll get there :)

I used some 2 Crafty Chipboard pieces here, one called 'Cassies's Flourish'

and some pieces of another called 'Stars' that I painted with some watercolors

and then lightly stamped.

I hope I inspired you to be proud! and show us your interpretation of the challenge :)

Lisa xo