CSI Birthday Presents Blog Hop

CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration turned one this month, and we've been celebrating with fun and festivities all month long. But what's a birthday party without presents?

We are rounding out CSI's birthday celebration with a huge pile of presents! The talented and very generous CSI design team, aka the CSI Detectives, have prepared special blog posts for you this week, and all you have to do is leave a comment on participating design team members' blogs for a chance to receive a present from them! The more blogs you comment on, the more chances you'll have to receive a gift!

We also have the brand-new company Blue Fern Studios joining our blog hop! Our very own Detective Michele Singh is the designer of this company's beautiful chipboard, and we are delighted to have Blue Fern Studios join us to celebrate our birthday on the month they were introduced to the world!

The CSI Birthday Presents Blog Hop will run from January 25 - 29. Winners will be announced in our Full Disclosure (Announcements) Forum the following week. A newsletter will go out to members once this announcement is posted.

Here is a list of the blogs you will want to visit:

Adrienne Ford 

Anna-Karin Evaldsson 

Annette Gearside 

Ayeeda (Aida Domisiewicz) 

Blue Fern Studios 

Debbi Tehrani 

Debbie Standard 

Eila Sandberg 

Heather Jacob 

Helen Wallace 

Jasmine Shea 

Jeanette Lee 

Lindy Gillespie 

Michele Singh 

Riikka Kovasin (you are here!) 

Sascha Schmidt & Maria Schmidt 

Shaunery Wharton 

Tina Walker 

Yumi Takasaki 

Zanka (Zaneta Glowa)

Welcome to the Blog Hop! Hello if you arrived via Michele Singh! If not, check out the list above in order to get involved to the hop.

Here's my layout to the Case File 56. All the colors are there, although the white is the most visible. For the evidence part I used strings, wet medium, something translucent, doodling dashed lines and plain cardstock background. Testimony includes two points from the Case File - tag with a string and the Rainy Day prompts. The photo is taken by Matthias Bauer.

I thought I'd share with you how I usually tackle a Case File. It all begins with the Testimony part. I first check out what there is - is there a topic, inspirational quotes or the style. Sometimes the page is determined by the Testimony part and sometimes the topic still remains open, like when I choose to go "handwrite your journaling" which allows me to tackle whatever topic. When I have my topic I look for the picture to go with it. I also keep the color scheme in my mind so I don't choose a photo with completely contrasting colors to go with the Case File. Like if the colors are warm and cosy, I don't choose a pale, blueish photo and vice versa. With demanding color schemes, that is demanding to my personal taste, I tend to go with black and white photos.

Now I have a topic and also the photo. It's time to gather the supplies. I start with the papers and try to look for sheets that contain the colors from the Case File. Sometimes I use white or grey together with the colors of the Case, but usually I just go with the five showed in the Case File. I gather way more papers that I end up using in the end, but I like to have something to choose from. Sometimes I gather a few decorations in this stage, too, if I want to add one color only with an embellishment. I also pay attention to the Evidence part if it gives me some ideas what to use - like striped patterned paper or plain background.

Then I start to create! First I do the background - usually some stenciling, spraying and other mixed media influenced things. Then I start to layer the papers and keep an eye on that I have all the colors there. When I have made the big paper layers, I take a closer look to the Evidence part. If I notice that the Case said polka dots and my layout hasn't them at this stage, I can add a little paper flag made with polka dot paper. I also choose the embellishments to go with the Case File and add them to the page together with the title. The last thing I do is the journaling. During the process I have come up with a place I'm going to do the journaling and then I just grab my black marker and write it there.

So that's how I work with a Case File in a nut shell! Hope you liked the insight and don't forget to leave a comment here in order to be included to the giveaway! I'll ship worldwide. The candy holds some rub-ons, ribbons, flowers and wooden embellishments as well as buttons and a roll of washi tape. I tried to imitate the CSI Case File color scheme in the candy, too.

And now to your next stop, over at Schmidts! 

Tervetuloa CSIn blogihyppelyyn! Tervehdys, jos saavuit blogiini Michele Singhin kautta! Jos et, kurkkaa yllä oleva lista ja osallistu hyppelyyn. Jokaisesta blogista löytyy namu voitettavaksi! 

Yllä on myös sivuni uusimpaan haasteeseen, Case File 56:een. Kaikki värit löytyvät siitä, vaikka valkoinen onkin hallitsevin. Evidence-osiosta käytin narua, märkää ainetta, jotain läpikuultavaa, doodlattuja katkoviivoja ja yksiväristä taustakartonkia. Tarinoinnissa käytin haasteesta kahta kohtaa - tagia narun kanssa sekä inspiraatiota Rainy Day promptsilta.

Älä unohda jättää kommenttia osallistuaksesi namun arvontaan! Voittajat ilmoitetaan CSIssa, joten nähdäksesi voititko, sinun tulee olla yhteisön jäsen. Postitan namun minne tahansa maailmassa. Namuun kuuluu siirtokuvia, nauhoja, kukkia ja puukoristeita sekä nappeja ja rulla washiteippiä. Yritin imitoida haasteen väriskaalaa. 

Seuraavaksi hyppelyvuorossa ovat Schmidtit! 

Materials: Bazzill, ColorConspiracy, Sodalicious, Sizzix, Tattered Angels, Ranger