A New Card Sketch and Art Journals

I am a little late posting this but there is a new card sketch up over at the LCOM Sketch Blog.  The format is for a square card and is a fairly basic format.  When I first made the sketch, I had quite a few ideas of what I wanted to do with the card.  I was looking to do a bit of layer stamping.

Once I actually got started I was tempted away from the stamping by a lovely package of Pink Paislee Mistable paper.  So out came the Distress ink re-inkers, the Perfect Pearls and my mini-misters.  The paper is quite heavy and held up to lots of spraying, inking and playing.  I am so use to paper warping when using wet media that I was surprised with this paper didn't.  Normally, I would be extremely happy by this fact but not this time.  I was hoping for a more distressed and warped background to fit with the sketch.

Materials used:  Bazzill cardstock, Pink Paislee Mistable paper, Prima metal flower, Pink Paislee butterfly, Graphic45 pattern paper, Distress ink and reinkers, Perfect Pearls, Making Memories metal rose and miscellaneous feather.

If you would like to check out the sketch, would like to play along with us or are just looking for some inspiration, please head on over to the LCOM Sketch Blog.

One other thing that I have been playing with the last couple of weeks is the idea of an art journal.  I am not one to be very verbose in my writing style.  I tend to avoid writing even the simplest forms of journalling on my layouts.  I thought if I started an art journal I might encourage myself to do more writing.

So....I have spent some time surfing the web looking for inspiration and instruction and after many hours of reading and surfing, I started my first background:

Naturally, I still have no clue what I want to write....

Tranquility

One of the things I miss living in a city is the tranquility of just sitting by the water enjoying the quiet, watching the clouds drift over the sky, and watching the water shimmering in the sun light.  Growing up in Northern Ontario allowed me to spend many of my summer days just sitting near the water, reading, drawing and just being.

This summer, on a visit home, we took the kids to where I grew up to show them a bit of where I came from.  We stopped in at my old elementary school.  We went to the swimming hole.  We even went and just sat by one of the lakes and enjoyed the view. All during this time I was promising myself that one of these days, I will live by a lake again.

Materials used:  Bazzill embossed cardstock, vellum, Liquid pearls, Prima flowers, Maya Road stick pins, miscellaneous feathers, American Craft Thickers, and KaiserCraft bling.

This is the last of the completed layouts from my retreat and it was done to express how I feel near water.  The challenge was to do a completely white layout (excluding the photo).  I really like how this photo just pops out from all the white.  The vellum was embossed using a Cuttlebug embossing folder and then coated with liquid pearls to give it a sheen.

Have a tranquil Saturday.

Just a quick post

I though I would just do up a quick post and show you the card that I completed at the retreat.  This was based on a PageMaps LO sketch from April 2010.

 
Converting a LO sketch to a card is always a challenge for me since the working space is so much smaller on a card.  I find that I always have to strip away many of the components that I love in a LO to make sure the card is not overwhelmed.

In this case, I kept the three photo panels and I used a large image stamp which I coloured with Copic makers.  Instead of doing the the bracket journalling tag and scalloped boarder, I converted it into a banner instead.  I also changed the proportions of the top and bottom sections to better suit the image I was using.

I find that I rarely do literal interpretations of sketches (well unless, I am making a card from my own sketch).  I like to use them as a starting point to get my mojo flowing and then just do what feels right from that point.

Speaking of my sketches, I just finished up the sketches for the LCOM Sketch Blog for November.  I am excited to see what the Card Team is going to do with this batch.

Have a good Thursday night.

Happy Thanksgiving

I am absolutely stuffed with turkey.  I feel like I need to let out my pants button and take a nap on the couch; but alas, all the dishes are still waiting for me in the kitchen. I am here posting another layout from my retreat weekend so I can ignore them a little longer.

This one is self explanatory.  I keep hoping that one of these years I will actually get a photo of my son excited about going to school.  I don't think I will hold my breath.

I hope that your Thanksgiving was a good one.

Boys and trees

I don't know what is about boys and trees.  What is their fascination to climbing to the top?  My son has become obsessed with climbing trees and will try at every opportunity.  I am not liking this particular phase.  Strangely enough, he is not fond of heights so I am not sure where this fascination comes from.

One of the layouts from the retreat is about this particular subject.  Can you see him in the tree?  He wanted to go higher but this was as I was comfortable with him climbing.  I am sure he goes much higher when I am not around.

The pine branches are from a Christmas pick that I found in last years Christmas decoration aisle at the end of the season.  I am finding that I am hitting the jewelry aisles and home deco stores looking for more unusual items to add into my scrapbooking.

Have a good Saturday evening.

Time for another card sketch

Yes, it is that time again.  Time for another card sketch on the LCOM Sketch blog.  This installment is for a long narrow card that would fit a standard no. 10 envelope because sometimes those are the only envelopes that you can find in the house.

I would love to say that the cooler weather this week inspired me to do a Christmas card or that I was one of those Christmas Fanatics who starting thinking about Christmas the moment that it is over (T....you know I am talking about you ;-) ) but I am not and I wasn't.  It really came down to the fact that I forgot that this was due this week and I needed to do up a quick card.

I just so happened to have the new Basic Grey Nordic collection on hand.  The sticker sheets and embellishment packs are a quick and easy way to make a fast but attractive card.  10 minutes later .... Voila.

To check out the sketch this card is based on, head on over to the Lets Capture These Sketches blog.  The card team has once again come up with some fabulous interpretations.  You can even play along as well.

It has been a busy week

Last Friday, I headed off to my yearly scrapbooking retreat.  This year it was in Bancroft somewhere I had never been before.  Carmen and I loaded up the truck with all our scrappy goodness and armed with my back roads map of Ontario, headed out to find the most convoluted way to get there that you can imagine.

It was a day to explore.  We found a great beach, a rock shop and just lots of picturesque scenery.  The only downside was the rain which made the windy roads a bit treacherous.

The weekend was a great success.  This years venue was great.  There were no unheated cabins, no bunk beds, and you didn't have to go outside to use the bathroom.  All in all, a much better location than last year.  Although, I must say the previous location did have the most amazing view from the crop room.

I managed to get 4 layouts completed and one which only needs to be a few finishing touches.  I will share them all over the next couple of days.

As we were heading back from the retreat, my parents were heading to my place for their fall visit.  I wasn't home a half hour before they pulled in the driveway.  So between the retreat, my parents, work, and the normal kiddo stuff, this week has been busy but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.  My parents left this morning for the next leg of their trip.  I only have one more day of work and this weekend is the long weekend - Thanksgiving.  We have absolutely no plans and it feels wonderful.

So without much more chatting on my side, here is one of the layouts that I completed at the retreat:

Have a good Thursday evening...and if you live in Ontario, don't forget to vote tonight.