"Watch me Grow" Scrapbook layout + process video by Louise

Hi Crafters

Louise on the blog today.

Here is a bright, fun, easy to create page that I hope you'll have lots of fun creating.

"Watch me Grow"

For this page I've used the following

Colour Artist Inks Calypso

Colour Artist Inks Mermaid

Colour Artist Inks Soot

White heavy gesso

Black Heavy Gesso

***

Firstly I've used a stencil and smoothed some White heavy gesso through it.

I focused on two different areas - the left side and right side and wanted a triangle kind of effect.

I left it to dry naturally overnight - a heat gun works also.

Once it's completely dry, I've dripped some Colour Artist Inks Mermaid and used water to help it move into the gaps  - some I want to soak into the paper and some will sit on the gesso.

Repeat the process with Colour Artist Inks Calypso.

Finally I added a very small amount of Colour Artist Inks Soot and again added some water to help it move.

I love how this background looks! The inks move so nicely around the gesso and are almost like watercolour. 

It's at this point that I wonder what to do next.

I'm looking at the layout thinking about the shapes I've used - hexagons, triangle (square/rectangle photo) - I'm only missing circles.

So I grab some empty toilet rolls and dip them in Black Heavy Gesso

With the little bit of left over Black Heavy Gesso I add some water and using a paint brush, add a couple of splatters around the page.

Finally I've added my photo - with paper cluster and title.

I struggled choosing a title and a position, but in the end, I love how the title suits the photo and has a lovely pop of contrast on the page.

***

You can see the whole process in the video below.

Thanks for visiting.

Happy Scrapping

Love You To The Moon & Back ~ Mini Scrapbook Pages with Melinda

Hey everyone and welcome to the blog today! I hope you are managing to stay dry and warm wherever you are! Here in WA it seems Autumn went totally MIA and we have been hit with Winter!

Anyways, onto the fun stuff, that is unless you too love jumping in all the puddles ;)

I have something a little different to share today, and LITTLE sums it up! I am working on a project for my nephew who turned one last month and my contribution (besides the supplies ;) ) is some 6x8 pages! These are the first 2 I have made and I really love them. They are sweet and simple, yet effective!

Here is the first one! "Love You To The Moon & Back"

This photo was taken at the baby shower and I will do a full 6x8 page of journalling. Perhaps in the form of a letter to my nephew, as yet, I'm undecided!

Only a few quick, simple steps to this and the first was some of the beautiful Envy Colour Paste through a stencil on the diagonal I knew I wanted to work on. Oh, I had also drawn a light pencil line around where my photo was going!

While that was still wet I activated my Colour Shimmer Pot in Envy and using a paintbrush added some splatters on the same diagonal. Not to worry if you don't have the Shimmer Pot, you can always use the Colour Shimmer Spray or even water down some of the Colour Paste and use that to splatter! If you do have the Shimmer Pot/s make sure you let them completely dry out before you pop the lid back on!

I set that aside to dry and got together some bits for the next page I wanted to work on! This photo was taken the day little Emmett was welcomed into the world. You may have even seen this photo before as I have scrapped it for our album! "Baby Love"

Again, a simple and effective page I started with another stencil and this time 2 Colour Pastes - Snow White and Singin' The Blues. I smooshed the 2 colours randomly through my stencil this time covering my whole 6x8 sized page. I set that aside to dry and picked out a few other pieces for this page.

Keeping my mixed media pretty simple meant that these pages came together in not a lot of time so after they were both dry I started adhering my layers and finished off my pages.

I still need to do some journalling for both. Like I mentioned, the first one I think will have a whole 6x8 page and I'm pretty certain the second will be his full name and birth details on the yellow label on the bottom of the page. Here a few close up's of both pages!

I just cannot resist that squishy face lol

And here is the process video if you would like to see these pages come together!

Thanks ever so much for stopping by, I hope I have inspired you to create outside of your "norm" whatever that might be because "clean" mixed media is certainly not my "norm" lol

Have a fantastic weekend and I hope you get some scrappy time!

Until next time!
Melinda

Hello Treasure & June Challenge with Melinda

Hey, hey scrappers and happy Winter!! I am here today kicking off the June challenge which sure had me testing my boundaries!! 

Here is my page that I created.

And in case you have not yet seen it the June challenge is here

And my process video can be seen here.

Before I started this page I had the colour scheme in mind of black and white and yellow. So I tested a couple of different Colour Blast products for the yellow I wanted and the techniques I had in mind and settled on the ever fun Colour Shimmer Dusts!

Before I got into my 4 different techniques I used a dry brush (about 1") and the White Heavy Gesso and applied a thin coat over the area on my yellow cardstock where I was going to do most of my designing.

After that was dry I activated my Colour Shimmer Dusts in Midnight and Sunflower, grabbed my extra "tools" and supplies and got to work.

I started with Sunshine Colour Paste. Swoon! I just LOVE this colour - in all of it's beautiful mediums!! I paired that with a stencil and some clear acetate hearts in  my stash (thank you Michelle Grant for your inspiration!!) and left that to dry over night.

Next, my first technique with the Colour Shimmer Dusts - stamping!! I simply used a paint brush and painted the Midnight Colour Shimmer Dust onto the stamp randomly and then mooshed my cardstock onto the stamp. 

There was still quiet a fair amount of colour on the stamp so I flipped the stamp over and randomly stamped over area where the white gesso was.

I used my heat tool to speed up the drying process, I was eager to move onto my next step! This time I used the Sunflower Colour Shimmer Dust and the ever popular (and super easy!!) smooshing technique. A little of the activated colour painted onto some old packaging, flipped over and smooshed!

Be warned with adding the wet media over the top of what I had stamped my colour did re-activate! I had paper towels handy and quickly dabbed up the wetness which left me with a really cool effect and really soft yellow colour. You can see that better in the close up photo's!

Technique 3 was splatters. Again I used a paint brush and splattered all around my page in both the Midnight and Sunflower colours. I used quiet a small brush for the midnight splatters. This I left to dry naturally as I had had another idea of what I was going to embellish with!

Finally technique 4 - painting!! I have again pulled out this awesome stamp set and settled on my title being "Hello Treasure" knowing I wanted to paint with the Shimmer Dusts. Another really simple technique and here's a little tip - if you are doing this use watercolour paper!!! If you don't the colour bleeds completely out of the lines!! Once this was dry I fussy cut this out and my other stamped word.

Time to put it all together! I've used those acetate hearts, a doily cut in half, some black and white tissue paper, some enamel shapes, a wooden button and a gorgeous yellow charm from Charms Creations. Oh, and white thread!

Me being me, I pieced everything before I stuck anything and decided just before sticking that I wanted some white splatters and my go to right now is some watered down Heavy White Gesso. 

I really love how this page came together and I love the challenge this month - it really got me thinking!!

For those of you wondering this is NOT a current photo! This photo was taken in August 2012, 5 days before our youngest was born and like so many photo's from my "I don't think I'll ever scrapbook" days has not yet been scrapped.

Here are a couple of close ups, the shimmer is really hard to get on camera but I tried!!

I hope this inspires you to play along with the June challenge - it is a super fun one and definitely a challenge!!

Until next time, happy scrapping!!

Mel

x

Enjoying These Awesome Moments with Melinda Sweetman

Hello Colour Blasters, how are you this Saturday morning? Winter is getting ever closer and I hope you are keeping warm, if it is even cold where you are!!

I got a new stencil recently and had a play with it on another page which is totally where I got the idea for this page from! 

Here is a little looksy at what I have created

And here are my step-by-step instructions

First up I grabbed a piece of white (textured of course, it is my fave!) card stock and applied a quick, light coat of White Heavy Gesso across the entire page. Next up some stamping! I've used a couple of stamps that have not seen ink and some black Versafine ink right down the middle of page in a vertical column.

When that was dry I added some light modelling paste through my stencil (I seriously LOVE this new stencil!) and left to dry naturally.

I have been meaning to do this technique for AGES. Actually, to re-phrase, I have been meaning to do this technique and not hate what I created so I once again pulled out my Colour Shimmer Dusts in Peacock, Cobalt, Duke and Navy. I sprinkled the tiniest amount of each colour randomly across the stencilled background. You probably can't even see it in my photo but it is there - take a close look on the edge on the right hand side especially!

Add water. Yep, it's as simple as that! Add water and watch the magic happen! Tip and tilt and turn the page to get the colours to move and blend and then dry. I did use my heat tool and I did apply extra colours in a couple of places by simply adding a tiny bit more dust and activating with water. I LOVE this background!

**TIP** 

If you are anything like me and make a MESS when you do this grab a paper towel and/or a baby wipe and where you have colour you don't want you can very easily wipe/rub/dab it away. This will only work if you have applied the gesso in the first place but the excess colour where I don't want it is often why I bin my "failed" attempts!!

I knew that I had a stamp set to use for my title so decided to build my own title/journal card and use it as I would a second photo. I added my stamped title and then my journalling and had some left over space so added another stamped word which I used a little paint brush and the Peacock Colour Shimmer Dust to paint - messy style!! Oh, and splatters on the card ;)

Time to play with layers!! I layered up my photo and title card onto a piece of patterned paper (the photo is popped up), messed up the edges, added a notebook edge scrap of paper and then dove into my Cocoa Vanilla Boys Rule collection for a few stickers and a flair badge to finish of the embellishing.

I added a little more stamping over the top of the colour and paste, I felt the stamping was a little lost. You can also see I have layered some white cotton behind all of my layers, used my tiny attacher for some tiny details and threaded my tag with some black and white twine.

I am so happy with the end project having had no idea what photo I was using to start with!! I have the most fun while experimenting with products and seeing what they do so pull out something you have maybe tried and "failed" at before and get playing!!

You can very faintly see some of the gorgeous shimmer you get when you use the shimmer dusts - it's super hard to capture it flatteringly on camera!!

Oh, I also have a process video for this page over here that you can see! Make sure you subscribe to the Colour Blast YT channel and click the little bell icon so you get notified anytime myself or one of the other girls upload there!

Please share your latest creations over in the Colour Blast Creative Corner FB group, we do love seeing all of your creativity! Until next time, get messy and happy scrapping!!

Melinda

x

"Really" Scrapbook layout + process video by Louise

Hi Colour Blast fans

It's Louise with you on the blog today.

I've got a fun reverse cut file technique with a little bit of mixed media thrown in to share with you.

Here is my finished layout.

"Really"

For this page I've used the following

Colour Spray Carribean

Colour Shimmer Spray Envy

Colour Shimmer Cube

Black Heavy Gesso

***

Firstly, at the end of this blog post you will find a video link - I'd encourage you to watch it so that you can see how I achieved this reverse cut file.

I'll try and explain it, but it's much easier to watch ...

After you have cut out your cut file - leave the remaining pieces on the sticky mat.

Add glue to the left over cut file pieces and then place a piece of 12x12 paper/cardstock over the glue.

Allow to dry overnight and then peel all the pieces off the mat.

You are left with the reverse cut file - so cool!

  

I've given my page a coat of clear gesso.
Then in each square I'm going to use a paint brush to add Colour Spray Carribean, Colour Shimmer Spray Envy and Colour Shimmer Cube Deep Water.
Using my stamp block, I then pressed the colour to smudge it around.

Add as much or as little colour as you desire.

I allow my colour to dry naturally overnight - but a heat gun works also.
Once dry, I used black pen to draw around the cut file.

I felt like the background still need a little something, so I added some Black Heavy Gesso through a stencil using a sponge.

Finally, I chose some papers, stickers and elements to enhance my photos.

I just love how you can really see the layers in the page:
paper, mixed media, paper, photo.

***

You can see the whole process in the video below.

Thanks for visiting.

Happy Scrapping