Rub Ons and Splatters

Rub ons seem to be one of those products that people either love or hate - no in between.  And one of the most frequent complaints is that they have a hard time using them.  I happen to love them, but I hate it when I end up with partial images. 

But recently I've been experimenting with a new technique that means it just doesn't matter.  I've been mixing rubons with ink splatters (watercolors would probably work too ) for a fun multi-media look.  I tried it once and was totally hooked  Here is my first experiment:

The gold stars and the phrase "you are my moon and my stars" are rub ons -- then  I just started layering ink splatters in different colors.  I love the layered background effect that I ended up with.  And since I don't have an artistic bone in my body, I am thrilled when I find a way to add that flair to my projects.  (The gold stars are from a Jenni Bowlin sheet of "scattered stars" from an SC add-on last summer; I haven't been able to find more so I am hoarding them).

I was so excited that the technique kept showing up for a few days.  Here is anothe project with a totally different feel.  The first project was soft and dreamy.  This time I went for bright and fun.  I used stars and phrases to create the background. And I still got to feel a little like an artist!  :)

You'll see this technique showing up on morep rojects - it is so fun and easy.  In the meantime, get out those rub ons and play.

Thanks for stopping by.

A Bright Color Challenge Means Soccer

I've been following the blog at Life Paper Scrapbook lately.  In addition to lots of good information, they have two challenges a month - a color challenge and a sketch challenge.  Yesterday I shared my take on the June sketch challenge.  And when linked that layout to the Life Paper Scrapbook blog, I saw that the June color challenge was posted. 

The June color challenge is full of bright summery colors - which makes me think of - what else - a soccer layout.  I know - you're looking at the picture of flowers and saying - "really, soccer?" 

I had printed a copy of a layout by Lilith Eckels that I especially liked (I love all her her work, but this one especially caught my eye for some reason) that served as my starting point for my layout.  I loved all the bits and pieces she used.  So I pulled out an assortment of patterned paper - some new, some from my scraps and lots of stickers, die cuts, and other bits and got to work.  When I finished, I didn't like at as much as I like the layout Lilith did, but it was pretty cute.

See you can find all the colors from the color challenge in my layout - even pink.  And I loved the large journaling card from Carta Bella's new line, Well Played.

I loved the way embellishment clusters framed the photo block on Lilith's layout.  I ended up with 3 clusters on my page.

 The cluster at the top of the page used Basic Grey, Studio Calico, My Minds Eye, and Theresa Collins.  It was lots of fun to mix all those different elements.

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 I dug out my old Creative Memories circle punch to held ground the embellishment cluster on the side of the page.

I added a number sticker from Jenni Bowlin at the bottom of the page to finish off the embellishment cluster - it was Nicholas's jersey number.  (And after I took the picture I turned that phrase sticker around so that it was right side up - LOL).

Now you see what I mean, right?  This color challenge was perfect for a soccer layout.

Have a super Saturday - hope you have time to scrap.  

Sketch-A-Thon

The My Scraps and More sketch-a-thon started Friday and runs for the entire month of March.  A sketch is being posted each day and you earn points through the month for a chance a the grand prize - items from the OA Cakewalk collection.  Here's the first sketch. 

This sketch is great and was perfect for an adaptation to a two page layout.  (Since I only have three months to finish Nicholas's high school albums, I am looking for inspiration for the two page layouts for those projects.)  The MSM challenge also asked that you use two different alphas on your project.

My layout is about joining a new soccer team after the high school season ended.  And I did use the sketch as a starting point for a two page layout.   Heres what I came up with:

My design is really simple and uses papers from Creative Memories and Fancy Pants.  The large stars are from Etsy and had been in my stash for almost a year.  The soccer balls are from Jolie and were in the value spot at Archivers.  I used two different sets of Thickers for my title and used pop dots to vary the height of the letter tiles.  The red stars are Jenni Bowlin and the white stars came from a Studio Calico kit.

I'm hoping to have more scrap time today.  Enjoy your Sunday!