SWAT- Sketch and Wooden Embellishments

Hi Everyone! It is time for a fresh SWAT challenge. This month, the sketch includes the challenge to use wooden embellishments!

This was the perfect sketch for this photo of my youngest playing with bubbles at her end of year party at daycare. I had been meaning to scrap this, and I knew this sketch would be perfect for this photo.

I added glitter glue to the wood embellishments, to the flowers on the patterned paper, and  to the Thickers, because I felt the shimmer enhanced the layout.

There is hidden journaling in the vellum bag, and the sequins added some sparkle as well.

The wood embellishments are veneers, and my favorite technique is to alter the wood to add something unxepected to a popular embellishment.

As always, SWAT has provided the inspiration, but we want to see your twist on the idea! Create a project using the layout and using wooden elements, and link it up to the SWAT blog. I can't wait to see what you come up with to share.

~Venetia

 

SWAT- Sketch With a Twist

It is time for another SWAT sketch! The amazing and talented Bev came up with this gorgeous sketch to work with this week. The twist? Add twine!

 

I ended up taking a lot of liberties with this sketch. I wanted to use a couple of pictures from a pre-combined birthday party. I was modeling some SWAG to wear to the Tiki Bar, because flowers and fez got discounts! I created the fez and hair flowers out of my stash and was playing around showing them off on Instagram.

For the layout, I started with a base and added twine stitching. Then, I used some paper whimsies to add the numbers of my age. It felt better to do that than actually say 37, I mean when did that happen! I added the pictures, and embellished with some Silhouette cuts and more stitching. The outcome was bright and fun, which reflected the event well.

As always, play along with the sketch and share with us at SWAT. The winner gets a gift code for 3 Scrappy Boys!

~Venetia

SWAT: Sketch and a twist stickers

This week's SWAT sketch has a twist, use those stickers. I decided to mix some realistic flowers  from Cosmo Cricket with some abstract style flowers from Basic Grey. Flowers are definitely one of my favorite things to add to layouts.

I used a sheet of My Mind's eye Kraft Funday as my base, and a Cosmo cricket paper as a anchor for my photos. Budgie got a lollipop from the Hammond's Candy tour, and she loved getting to eat a big lollipop. She just happened to wear a dress that matched her treat, which probably wasn't that unlikely, since she always picks pink when she has a choice.

The Basic Grey flowers were too pale for the layout, so I darkened them with Prismacolor colored pencils. If stickers are not glossy, it is easy to adjust the color with pencils. If they are glossy, some acrylic gloss or ink would have worked as well.

I hope you like my take on the challenge! Here's the so you can play at SWAT.

 

Finished Sketch- Just Me

Journaling... "One of the very hardest things to learn in life is to love yourself without letting it go to your head." I wanted to document where I am in life for my girls, but get down to the real essence of where I am at. Focusing on what brings me joy has made me rethink of how I perceive myself. Self-confidence is a fine line. Not enough, and you dwell in self-hatred, too much, and you become self-involved, self-righteous, and self-centered. Learning to accept my flaws, and try to improve, as well as embracing my strengths has been a good process for me.

With this layout, I finished the sketch I started yesterday. As I figured, the way I chose to embellish changed the sketch quite a bit. I am happy that I picked a picture of myself, because I so rarely do that. The photo is from a hot day last summer when I was playing around with the phone. The color is off, but not filtered. I truly captured a moment of my life in July of last summer. I tried to incorporate things that represent me, hence the hand drawn title, flowers, bold title, and use of blacks and greys.

Here is the sketch in case you missed it yesterday.

Try documenting your own found truth. Have fun with it.

~Venetia

Scrapbook Sketch- trying a new approach

I have mentioned that I usually start with my pictures or paper, and not a sketch, unless I am doing a challenge. This week, I am trying to start from my own sketch. I was inspired by a packaging design for this sketch, so I adapted it a little, and will see what happens.

So far, this has been a fun process, especially because the sketch is pretty plain, so it is wide open to interpretation. I hope to share the finished layout with you soon!

 

What is your usual process? Do you ever switch it up?

 

~Venetia

Scrapbook Sketch- Face

 It is always fun to see what a layout looks like in a sketch. Usually, when I do mine, I do the layout first, and draw the sketch after. Soon, I am going to try the opposite, and see what happens, because I always have to mix it up.

Here is the sketch from the layout I shared earlier in the week. I thought you might like to have something to play with over the weekend, especially those of you looking for winter to finally pack it's bags and leave!

~Venetia

Scrapbook Sketches From March

Here are all of March's Sketches in one place:

Scrapbook Layout- Budgie

My usual starting point for a layout is the pictures. Sometimes, it is the paper. This time, I chose to start with a pile left over from the other projects I had been working on recently.  I've been seeing a lot of layouts using stacked banners, and I thought that I might try that, but didn't want to work from a sketch, so I just played. 

I read an article this week that said over planning kills creativity. It specifically mentioned how creating long lists of items to blog or create kills spontaneity that can bring amazing work by allowing inspiration to lead you. I decided to just let the ideas floating around take shape and see what happened.
My Process:
I started by cutting the banner pieces, and arranging on the page.  I added the black to anchor the circle, and the bottom banner to balance the circle. Then, I decided on my photo, and because it was black and white, I decided to matte it with a pink paper.  I decided the title needed to be black to balance the circle. When it came time to journal, I decided to use the black circle, and mimic the print. I used gesso to create a writing surface, and a black pen to journal. Finally, I faux stitched my edges, and misted the layout.

 

Once it was finished, I was a surprised at how much I liked it.  I was also surprised at how some of the art journaling I've done recently has infused into my layout.  So try approaching your scrapbooking from a different beginning point.  It doesn't matter how you change your approach, just try starting somewhere new.

Fun- Scrapbook Sketch

My oldest is a rough and tumble girl, and I loved how this photo caught her intensity.  She adores being outside. She climbs, runs, and gets dirty. She’s always been this way.  She has so much energy, and she brings so much joy to anything she does. She definitely brings the sunshine into the many, many gray days we have in the Pacific Northwest.

With this layout, I wanted to capture the feel of my oldest.  I wanted it to be happy, and busy, and bright. Authentique is one of my favorite paper lines, and I love the teals and yellows in the papers.

I used a few circle embellishments to capture the feel of the bubbles, and if I can put a flower and button on something, it’s happening.

I have shared the sketch with you, Happy Monday!

~Venetia

Scrapbook Sketch- Sisters and Friends

I love my two girls. They are so silly together. From the very beginning, they have been the best of friends. Cakes always would sing and talk to Budgie, and as they grew they played more and more. Before Budgie could walk, she always managed to be with her sister, and we couldn't figure out how. Finally, one day I caught Cakes dragging Budgie across the hardwood floor by her foot while she sat. I was both appalled and proud of her. Luckily, Budgie was laughing the whole way, so it clearly was a mutual arrangement between the two.

Now, they are constant companions, and Budgie follows Cakes around doing whatever she is told. Occasionally, she puts her foot down, and gets her way. Together, they make my home such a joyous place.

This layout celebrates them together. I love them each dearly alone, but something about the two of them together as they banter and play is just amazing. I snapped these photos after Cake's holiday concert at school, at Mc Donalds, where we always stop for ice cream after evening school events.

I wanted the layout to feel fun and happy like my girls.

~Venetia

Scrapbook Sketch- Waiting

This is one of those layouts that took forever. I had this really great notion of using an aqua background, which looked amazing with the photos, but the pinks I wanted to use with the pictures looked awful with the aqua. I got 3/4 of the way done with the layout, and I ended up ripping it apart and starting on a new background.  The process took the better part of the afternoon. Luckily, it was a nice day so my girls were happily coloring every inch of our deck with chalk, so I got to enjoy my train wreck in peace. I hate it when an element isn't working on a layout when  the vision I have in my head is so clear of what I want it to be.

The end product worked well for the photos, and kept the focus on her, and I am happy about that. I felt like her little looks and poses tell a story that I didn't want to diminish with a layout. Waiting is very hard when you are three, and you can see her little daydreams on her face, which is magical.

I wanted this layout to look kind of ethereal because the pictures are of my daughter in her own little world waiting for ballet, and I wanted a day-dreamy feel.

Some of my favorite things about this layout are the embellishments.  My daughter's nickname is Budgie, and look at that cute bird brad.  How perfect for her! I also wanted it to be girly, because she loved the color pink.  She was so excited to see me working with these pictures, and she liked the heart brad.

 

If you want the sketch, I have included it, and as always, let me know if you use it!

 ~Venetia

 

Scrapbook Sketch- Glam

Sketch after the jump.

My youngest has taken to getting into my makeup. Her excuse is always that she's playing house and she's the Mommy, and she needs to be beautiful like Mommy. First, this kid knows how to work it, so I have to respect that. Second, I try to save the fights for the important stuff, so I let her be "beautiful".

Layouts- Scrapbook Sketches from February

Here is all of February for you to enjoy.  Thanks! Please share and link to your layouts if you use a sketch. I'd love to see! Also, let me know what kind of layouts you would like to see sketches for!

Please let me know what you think! Happy March!

~Venetia