This will be the second and last layout using the October kit that I made for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge.Well not last last because I plan to keep at least part of the kit, but last in the challenge window. So what was the challenge exactly? It was an interesting one for sure. It's called "Show your Team Spirit" (but I can't help hearing the opening bars of a similarly titled Nirvana song every time I read those words!!) 😝😝😝
I don't support any kind of sporting teams, but when I read the part about mascots, logos and fight songs...I thought about Wonder Woman. Not a mascot exactly, but I was still thinking about the superpower challenge I guess.
I have to say I'm less than thrilled with the result of the layout. I've been working on it pff and on for about the last 10 days. It started well. I chose the patterned paper called "Keepsake" from Maggie Holmes' "Chasing Dreams" line. It was white, but with interest and texture.
On went the clear gesso without any hitches. THEN chaos ensued after applying a lovely sparkly white embossing paste through a star stencil. Stealth cat came and LAY DOWN ON IT! 😾😾😾
I wasn't sure whether I was more worried about the damage to my page, or having to pick out glittery goop from his belly fluff. My shrieks didn't dislodge him, so I had to pick him up and fortunately for him the paste was touch dry and neither cat not paper sustained any damage.
I used regular Distress Inks and the "packaging technique" to add some colour and at this point I knew I wanted a darker paper as a mat for the whole thing. I had to cheat because the best black ones in my kit were single-sided from paper pads and too thin to support the bulk of the paste and the paper layers I was going to add behind the photos.
Adhesive was a big issue and after trying several, I could see only stitching would hold down those pesky photos. I went with gold thread and stitched the fussy cut hearts right onto the page. Stitching them was always the plan, but initially I was going to chain stitch them then attach them. This way they help adhere the two backgrounds also.
Title? Check! ✅ (and small cheat since I needed glittery Thickers)
Embellishment clusters? Check! ✅ (another cheat since Shimelle's Glitter Girl sticker book was very necessary for this topic, but that's IT! All the 8 paper layers behind the photos and the white background were from the kit as well as the scripty word "girl".
One of my goals was to use some of those word Thickers. And the enamel dots have been appearing in every kit for months!
Here's where things went wrong. I should have planned my journaling better. Maybe drawn lines even. I think my hands were shaky combined with trying to write on gesso with a Precision pen and dodging embossed stars was a disaster. I used the thickest pen I had, but it was still too thin.
In the end I shaved off some of the stars with a craft knife and masked the messiest words by covering them with small alphas (not a cheat since I said I'd use them as needed from my stash). I have used this technique before and to make it look more purposefu,l I covered other words and used a Sharpie to go over the remaining journaling.
I know my handwriting isn't the greatest, but it's mine and it makes a layout so much more personal with hand written journaling. That's why I didn't use stickers for every word, but I did think about it.
Yes the journaling area is a mess and the lines don't match too well, but believe me when I say it's an improvement! Mixed media on layouts isn't my go-to, but like cut files, I try it out sometimes and learn from each layout.
Little Girl Big Heart
The main thing is this special story about a very special little girl is told. 😘😘😘
Oh and that red and yellow W? A cut file I bought from Etsy and I was really nervous about whether the Cameo would even be able to cut such thin lines, because I scaled it right down to the right size for an embellishment. Well, she performed beautifully!! 😍😍😍
Love, and WONDER-ful creating!
