Penpal - Craftaamo

August means that Craftaamo is drawing closer and closer! It's a Finnish event with workshops and possibility to craft on site.There's also several shops present so nothing better - if you notice you've not packed something, you can get that immediately! 

I'm happy and honored to keep two workshops in the event - the first is a set of cards and the other a layout. I'm sharing the layout today and the cards tomorrow. You can see the workshop posts about the workshops here (link). The card workshop is already full, but there's still a couple of places left for this layout while I write this. You can get your place here (link). 

During the workshop we'll make a layout using different pens. The kit includes several pens and others are there for the participants to try and use. We also use gesso, embossing powder and different paper elements from 7 Dots Studio! 

I hope I'll see you there! Ta ta for now! 

Materials: 7 Dots Studio, A Flair for Buttons, Wow Embossing Powder, Prima Marketing, Sinelli, Posca, Ranger, Sizzix

How I love thee - Mixed Up Creative

Howdy hi! It's again that Fri-yay time and soon it's weekend! I bet this time of the year you might be doing everything else during weekends than creating, but just in case you get a chance to create, there's a new challenge at 7 Dots Studio running (link) and then of course the Art Daily inspirations available (link)! 

This piece I'm sharing today was created for Mixed Up Creative (link) to demonstrate a couple of ways to use stencils. The project was published on August 17th. If you are not familiar with Mixed Up Creative yet, it's an online learning platform with projects added every week. Most of these have a step by step or a video tutorial! There's now over 190 projects in the site. Most of the content in Mixed Up Creative is exclusive for members. Learn more about Mixed Up Creative and become a member here (link). 

In the page I tried to think outside of the box and use stencils in other ways than just applying paste or ink to a page. At least that is the most common way I use stencils! I did add ink in this layout, but also used stencils in three other ways. Can you spot all of them? Naturally that's not even half of the things you can do with stencils. I actually explored stencils more in my December Masterclass article on Craft Stamper. 

The theme (counting ways to use stencils) got me inspired to do a page about my darling husband - counting the ways I love him. He's always so supportive and sweet. I didn't include the journaling to the front of the page this time, but I guess you get the idea what's it about.

By the way, if you haven't joined the YouTube hop already, it's starting to be the last chance to do so! Please check this post for all the links to the channels participating and naturally for the prizes as well (link). May the Lady Luck be on your side! 

Thank you for stopping by today! Wishing you a wonderful start to the weekend! 

Materials: 7 Dots Studio, Ranger, Prima Marketing, Tape Garden, A Flair for Buttons, Echo Park

London - Mixed Up Creative

Hi there and crafty week to you all! I hope you had a lovely weekend and enjoyed that autumn sun! Today I'm sharing something I created for Mixed Up Creative  and was published in the site in July 2018. The article was called "The perfect blend". 

The idea behind this piece was to do something with a small budget and use recycling and re-purposing. I also tried to steer away from the bought mediums and use something else. There's a step by step tutorial at Mixed Up Creative site for the project. You need to join the site in order to access that and many more step by steps and videos. You can do so here (link).

I love mediums, patterned papers and embellishments! But you can go a long way with a small budget, if you think carefully. Especially if you are into tea tones and vintage vibes, you can find papers quite easily and inexpensively from old books. Embellishments can be found on flea markets and bottom of one's pocket. What's more difficult is to find good mediums. You can naturally use spices and tea/coffee as colorants, but what I always try to emphasize is that put your pennies to the mediums! 

Whether it being a layout, card or a big mixed media piece, you usually can use your imagination and ingenuity when it comes to the materials for the project but you'll soon be put off if you try to use a gel medium which doesn't hold or a gesso which doesn't prime. Usually the mediums also go a long way. They might be more expensive in one go than a couple of patterned papers, for example, but usually go a lot longer than a couple of papers. 

The layout is about our trip to London some summers ago. I used tea as my colorant in the page as what would fit Britain more than tea? I also added some stamping to the project so the only bought medium in the page is an ink pad. I also hinted that buying a set of alpha stamps might be a smart thing to do as then you have an unlimited access to letters for titles and details and background work! Stay tuned for some more letter stamp ideas, hint, hint.

There's something new each week at Mixed Up Creative and most of the articles published are step by steps or video tutorials. New articles are shown and announced each Friday - just in time for the weekend - and last week another piece by me was published. You can see the add above. If you'd like to join the online platform, please use my affiliate link (link) and then claim 10% lifetime membership discount by popping in the discount code Tutor10 exactly as written.

Thank you for stopping by today! Have a great start to the new week!

Materials: 7 Dots Studio, Lawn Fawn, Ranger

You color my world - Craft Stamper

Colorful Monday! It's a new week and first of a new month, we're off to a good start! Today I'm sharing a layout I did some time ago for Craft Stamper magazine (link) and that was published in the May issue of 2018 in an article called "You color my world".

The article was about Impasto paints and a fun acrylic paint technique. The page on the other hand is about my two daughters and how they color my world. As I started scrapbooking when you older girl was about six months old, I guess I wouldn't be scarpbooking if it wasn't for them. And as I started as a scrapbooker, I probably wouldn't be creating this way, either. So they really have turned me into the person I am now, in many ways. 

Wishing you a lovely day! Thank you for stopping by today!

Materials: 7 Dots Studio, Prima Marketing, A Flair for Buttons

3rd Grade - A Flair for Buttons

Heippa and sweet Sunday! Is this layout looking familiar to you? I showed a similar one titled "2nd grade" in the beginning of the month, as my first monthly project for A Flair for Buttons. I also then said that there's a twist with the page and now you can see it. As I wanted both of my girls to have a chance to document their thoughts about the start of the new school year, I did a double page. Both of the layouts have an envelope to hold the journaling.

I worked with the pages simultaneously and they were actually taped together in the beginning. I used similar layers and mediums when doing the pages and cut the two loose from each other only after the background was done. Even the paper layers are done together!

I used orange in this page and blue in the other as those were the colors my daughters chose themselves. I asked them to pick a color that fit school in their opinion. It was fun that they actually picked opposite colors! I let the colors mix around the seam, but otherwise followed their choice of color in the page. The two pages have same patterned paper as the background, though, to keep the double page cohesive, but they work as individuals, too.

What the two pages also have in common is two flair sets I used to embellish the layouts. Naturally I couldn't do a layout about school without the "Back to School 2" set. The other set I used in both pages is the "Retro Little Girl" - I managed to find a girl with a fitting color palette to them both!

For this orange layout I also used a dot patterned flair form "Primary Circles" set and a glasses one from "So Retro 3". The latter is because my older daughter just got glasses in the beginning of summer. 

Thank you for stopping by today! Hopefully August has been good for you! It's soon a new month with new challenges and inspirations! Have a great start to the last week of August!

Sets used in the page: 

Retro Little Girl ; Back to School 2 ; Primary Circles ; So Retro 3

Materials: A Flair for Buttons, 7 Dots Studio, Teippitarha, Carabelle Studio, Ranger, Lawn Fawn, Prima Marketing, Doodlebug Designs, Elizabeth Craft Designs

2nd Grade - A Flair for Buttons

Hei! It's August and schools start again soon. This was my main inspiration for the two monthly projects for A Flair for Buttons this time.

This layout is about my younger daughter who will start the 2nd grade this autumn. We start the school quite late here in Finland - pre-school starts when the child turns six and school on the year when child turns seven. So my daughter started school last year and this year it's the second grade and I think the start might be partly easier and partly harder than last year. Easier as the school and the route are already familiar but now the novelty is gone which in her case might cause trouble. As you can see from the photo, she's a little clown and somewhat easily bored. But she adores her teacher so I guess it all be good.

I started the page with mixed media touches and used school related elements like letters and little stickers. I also needed to add a couple of flairs from the "Back to School 2" set, because they fit the theme so perfectly. I also used a sweet little girl flair from the "Retro Little Girl" set and a typewriter from "LoVe yOU".

There's also a little twist with this page, or actually two. As you might spot, there's no visible journaling. It's because I added an envelope to the side of the page so my daughter could make her own journaling telling about her expectation and thoughts about the new school year. The other twist you can see later this month when I share my second monthly project for A Flair for Buttons. 

Thank you for stopping by today! Have a great Tuesday!

Sets used in this layout:

Back to School 2 ; Retro Little Girl ; LoVe yOU

Materials: A Flair for Buttons, 7 Dots Studio, Tape Garden, Prima Marketing, Lawn Fawn, Doodlebug Designs