March Giveaway Winner!

First, a huge 'THANK YOU!' to everyone who stopped by this month.

I loved reading all of your comments - all 171 of them! When I add comments also left at For the Love of Sketches and the new followers (x2) - I need a number from 1-240!

The high-tech answer is:

 The very low-tech way I came up with the numbers to begin with:

And a closer look at the winner...

Congratulations Ruth Ellen!

Please send me an email with your address so I can get your kit sent out next week.

   ~Mar 

Office Girl

Paper Secrets March Manufacturer Challenge was October Afternoon. 

Accck! I'm NOT a big fan of OA/retro.

However, I did have a few sheets of paper I must have received in kits at one time or another. This LO is all OA paper - the only things I added were a button, some Kaiser pearls, and Prima alphas.

Don't forget to stop by the Birthday Bash at Paper Secrets!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

    ~Mar

Paper Secrets & Another Scrap-lift

One of the March challenges over at Paper Secrets is to scrap-lift a layout from the gallery.

I chose this layout by Rachel Wohrlin. I had some of these papers on my desk as part of my March Counterfeit Kit and my daughter brought home spring school pictures last week. It was definitely meant to be!

My layout - I love it!

and I honestly didn't think I'd ever use that big die-cut (or even half of it, lol)

Thanks for stopping by!

       ~Mar

March Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog Hop!

Welcome Blog Hoppers!

This is my second month participating in the Counterfeit Kit Challenge and I'm loving it!

This month our kits were inspired by Studio Calico and they have a ton - a main kit and then four add-on kits. I ended up making 4 kits and adding plain cardstock. One kit ('Beachy Keen") I haven't touched at all - I had to reformat my computer this month and I didn't have a chance to go through my backups and pull vacation pictures. Another kit ('Sunshine Flowers') was barely used and some of what is left is going to be added to my giveaway - I just can't see myself ever using the paper. However, I still had plenty to use and I made 10 layouts so far and I'll probably do another two or three before the April Kit is ready.

Our challenge for this month's blog hop was to scraplift ourselves!

I chose this layout I did several years ago. I really liked it then and I still like it! It also had a 'framed' picture that will cover another challenge we had this month. You gotta love a two-fer!







Here's what I did this time. Zabella just 'killed' this toy Thursday night and we had the photographic evidence. The only thing I really changed was that instead of stamping the border this time, I used a decorative tape that's been laying around in a drawer for who knows how long. I had to miter the corners but I love how it looks. I think I'll be using it again!

Don't forget to follow my blog & leave a comment on the post for your chance to win my March Kit Giveaway! You can find my original post with all the details by clicking the Kit picture at the top of my blog.


The next blog on the hop is Stacey's.
If you get lost along the way you can return to The Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

    ~Mar

family

I just finished this layout for a mists and stencils/masks challenge over at
Paper Secrets.

I first painted over the design on the paper with a permanent masking medium so I wouldn't affect those areas with the colors I was going to add. Then I placed a large Prima mask in the center and sprayed over the area with daffodil Glimmer Mist and then in the upper left only with seaglass GM which made a fade to pale green.

I used Prima craft flowers, which I stamped a random design on with walnut stain Distress Ink, and then sprayed with coffee & frost GMs. I used small copper brads for the centers.

I also made the butterfly. It's why this layout took 2 hours to do, lol! One of my 'other art' supplies is india inks. I have several 'scrappy' uses for them, one of which is painting. They can basically be used like watercolors.

Here's a short picture tutorial on the butterfly:

It's Prima Mistable canvas. It was already stamped with several images (they are just outlines, btw), I cut out one butterfly. (I'll probably ignore some of the images and make what I want using the reverse side)

First, I sketched in the details with a marker. These didn't need to be exact as they will end up covered by the inks and painted on again at the end of the process. I used black ink for the body and blended with the blue near the body. I then worked out farther with pure blue.

Closer to the edges where I wanted a brighter blue I began blending the blue ink with white ink - yes there really is white ink, you just can't get it for your printer, lol. I added a darker band of blue near the outside edge.

When I finished the blue on the wings, I painted the detail lines again with black ink.

Then I used white ink to highlight some areas.

To finish it I spread Diamond  Glaze over the entire surface. Then I floated a heavier coat of glaze over the body and flocked it.

Thanks for stopping by!

    ~Mar