First Bite - Start to Finish

We just wrapped up resist week in The Curious Scrapper's Field Guide. So fun and so many possibilities! I have big plans in my little imagination for this layout! Stamping, Die Cutting, Misting, Taping.....hmmmmm, how will this all work out?


Let's find out, shall we?


First, I feel the need to stamp, with paint. That will be a cool resist, don't you think?

oooooh, pretty:

Let's make that resist more interesting! After die cutting some flowers, I prepare to spritz:

Oh, fun! A little grey here, A little green there...

Kinda cool, huh???

What if I use my finger to color in those flowers with some distress? Oh, not so much! I don't like that. Good thing I chose a flower that will get covered!

Since that didn't work, let's try some grey outlining. I think I like that:

Now time to play with the photos. These picts pose a bit of a challenge for me. That is my baby girl, taking her first bite of "food." However, she is wearing a blue bib and hubster is wearing a teal shirt. Not only do these colors clash a bit, but they are not the least bit girlie. We SO did not plan that well! We must choose papers that will work, but I want to keep it somewhat feminine. The flowers are a good start, I think :)

OK, here we have some Echo Park Boy's Life paper and white cardstock. I have seen so many videos where scrapper's build a little packet of layers separate from their background and it always looks like a great way to work....so, let's give that a go:

Our little packet needs some twine:

Hmmmm, still needs something.....

WASHI! So fun!

Time to commit and glue:

And, add in some tidbits:

OK now, here is the moment where I step back and HATE it! 
Oh, my. I was so hyper focused on each element: the resist, the pen work, the packet...that I forgot to look at the WHOLE thing. YUCK! 


Time to go to bed. And yes, I totally layed in bed and redid this LO about 15 different ways in my head. And yes, it was the fist thing I thought about when I woke up and all throughout the day until I could get back in the studio. Goodness me!!!

Finally back in the studio! Now we dismantle:

New background?

Better?

We'll go with that and resort to a simple stencil mist:

Simple, but still pretty:

Time to tear apart that packet. I do believe I have decided that I am not a packet scrapper! LOL!

And there are all the pieces:

Let's punch:

That's nice - and perhaps adds some femininity...

Before going further, I want to make some floral type shapes out of this stencil pattern:

Likey so....

Photos placed, border strips layered. So much better!

A bit of stitching for some texture:

Oh, and look - these foldies tie in the colors and they are girlie! A Dear Lizzy jar doesn't hurt either!

Some more pen work:

Title stitched and in place:

Journaling and pen lines added:

And, DONE!!!!

Oh my goodness! We made it! Talk about a complete do-over! What happened to the other background? It's on my craft table. Maybe I will cut it up and use parts of it on another layout. Maybe I will give it to my daughter to play with. Maybe I will throw it away. I'm not sure yet. What I am sure of is that this was a great learning process! I learned more about what I like and what I don't. Perhaps the most important lesson for me was to NOT HYPER FOCUS. I must remember to think about all the little details and techniques as they will relate to one another. 


Whoooh. Thanks for coming along on that ride with me! This is certainly not my most favorite layout. But, I am so glad to have made it to the finish line! I think it will do just fine! Another story told. Another layout for the album. That is a victory in an of itself. LOL!


Have you ever done a complete do-over, dismantling a layout and putting things back together? What are some of your crafty lessons learned? 

The Magic Touch - Start to Finish

May Flaum has issued us a class challenge. Do a layout with buttons. I think buttons are SO cute on layouts - I really do love the look. However, I can never get them to look right on my layouts. So, this is definitely a challenge for me!

Armed with the provided sketch from May, some photos, and the new Simple Stories collection, time to jump in with both feet!

Background paper chosen, photos placed:

No, wait. I like this placement better:

Off to the button drawer. When I first started scrapping, I asked my mother if she had some extra buttons I could have. Well, she didn't hold back! She gave me all sorts of cool buttons, most of which were my grandmother's or great grandmother's. Real treasures. I am excited to get some of these on a page!

There, we have a nice neutral assortment:

Hmmmm, I am thinking that paper needs a bit of brightness. Time to spread around some acrylic paint:

All spread out:

A bit of doodling in the wet paint with a stylus... Why? Why not?

Now, to stamp on some texture:

Let's Layer:

And splatter:

And tape:

Oh, I love tape:

And stitch:

Button time! SO out of my comfort zone....  I think I like that....???

Title time!

I love how the white letters pop off the photo:

But, now that I have those great white letters and that nice white background, the buttons look "dull." Too vintagey perhaps? Let's smoosh some embossing ink on there. This could be fun...

White embossing powder applied:

And heated... I kinda like that...

Sticker time!

Some twine for more texture:

I have a hard time completing a layout without twine these days!

Oh, I have made such a mess - there is embossing powder everywhere! HAHA

Journaling:

And with that, I call it done:

I really had fun working out of my comfort zone. I love the "stretch." However, I am not so sure I am any more comfortable with buttons! I am not sure what it is. Maybe they are too "vintage" or something for my style. Maybe it's that I love the look of them sewn on the page, but don't have the patience to do that? I just can't put my finger on it! 


How do you feel about buttons? What's a supply that you love to see on others' layouts but can't seem to make work on your own? Can't wait to here from you!