Victoria Marie Weekend Challenge: "Old + New"

Victoria Marie is back to having weekend challenges in her Facebook group.  The one running from Friday 26/1 to Monday 29/1 was about Old and New.  The instructions were (in a nutshell):

Title: Old + New
Due: Monday, January 29th by 11:59 pm (CST)
The Challenge: Create a scrapbook page (any size or style) using items from your stash and new products that you recently purchased.
1) You must use at least 3 items from your stash....older elements that you haven’t used in a while. The older, the better!
2) You must use at least 2 new items that have been recently purchased.

(scroll down for full layout)

I manage to finish this one after not crafting at all in December or January!  As is always the case with me and often with others too, it's hard to get back into the groove after a little (or a lot) of tim away,

I also hadn't purchased anything super recently - at least not for scrapbooking.  Cardmaking stamps maybe.  So much so that the "new" collections I still hadn't got around to buying are no longer new since Creativation revealed the new NEW ones these last few weeks. 😮😮😮

Still...I settled for what was newEST and figured anything manufactured in the 12 months since Creativation 2017 was acceptable as NEW.

Old I'm good with!   Have plenty of that on hand and usually the older means the moe precious since many manufacturers and designers are no longer. 😢


I've listed as many supplies as I can easily identify.  There are some odd bits of Thickers which I don't have in original packaging so can't tell you where or when.  At a guess the blue ampersand is Amy Tangerine and the non glittery pink asterisk could be too for that matter,  I didn't count my mixed media items either.

  

New

*Shimelle "Glitter Girl" paper 2017
*Embellishments from "Glitter Girl" - stars from word Thickers, glitter enamel dots, stickers, shaker sticker
*Shimelle "Glitter Girl" washi 2017
*PinkFresh Studio word stickers 2017

In Between

*Amy Tangerine "Better Together" paper 2016
*Shimelle "Starshine" 2016
*Simple Stories "Reset Girl" roller stamp 2016
*Amy Tangerine roller stamps ("Better Together" 2016 and "Finders Keepers" 2015)
*Shimelle Roller Stamp "True Stories" 2015
*Dyan Reaveley "Say it How is is" Stamp set 2013 

 

Old:

*Love, Elsie "Roxie" paper 2006
*Love, Elsie "Roxie" enamel shapes 2006
*Love, Elsie "Zoe" enamel shapes 2007
*Dear Lizzy "Neapolitan"Roller stamp 2011
*American Crafts Thickers "Rainboots" font in Raspberry Pre-2011
*Hambly Screen Prints Washi 2011



So...I started with a B-side from Any Tan's "Better Together" line.  This is the third of my Dyan Reaveley layouts.  I think I haven't actually told you about my class with her last August!  I must do that!

The layout itself was a hybrid scraplift of one by Shimelle during a recent "Friday Live" on Facebook video and one I had saved from somewhere onto my camera roll.

Problem is that it had no watermark or signature so I thought I wouldn't be able to credit the maker.

Ha!  I'm not giving up that easily!  It had a lot of features that I see in Missy Whidden's work so I started by searching Pinterest for her layouts and if this one popped up I would be on my way to determining it's origin.

It did indeed and led me to a post on the My Mind's Eye blog where the layout was in all it's glory with confirmation that it was indeed made by Missy and remarkably similar to Shimelle's except it had much more mixed media.

I don't usually use so much mixed media, but making an effort to on layouts pertaining to my classes with Dyan since she is an art journaller.  I'm trying to mix it up with what I normally do so I'm trying something new, but isn't a gross departure from everything I like that makes me me.

The title used cut-apart letters from Glitter Girl (our initials) and was a nod to the photo being an actual selfie.  I used my Instax Mini 9 which has a selfie mirror on the front.  I love it, but still working out its' quirks.  It tends to require a higher brightness than specified by the camera or else they come out kinda like the old Polaroid.  It's not totally bad since it does give it a vintage look, but when you want colour...


...and I loathe my pred face.  It takes so much for me to post photos of myself online.  I'm trying, but it's hard when the only medicines that help keep Arthur** at bay cause so much collateral damage. 😢

Here is the full layout:

A&D Selfie 

** Acronyms in left sidebar <--



Love and messy mixed media missions!

Stuck Sketches 1 Sept {aka use all the (cat) washi}

Wanna know what happens when things go a little bit wrong?  (I mean more than usual) This:

I decided to play along with this sketch challenge for a few reasons
(click on the image above to take you to the challenge page) -
one big one being that I could use my 57 rolls of cat themed washi in place of the paper strips

Great idea in theory...and possibly in execution had I not ruined the background, but couldn't bear to waste the white sheet of Pink Paislee paper with black (and sporadic multi coloured spots).  It has a blue ombre on the reverse and I bought 2 sheets with the aim of probably using each as a background.  I don't usually care if I have to put something in the bin, but I didn't want to have to replace the paper or have to use my second piece.

Perhaps I should backtrack slightly...the bit that went wrong was the splodgy, inky, painty bit.

Normally this is almost impossible to mess up.  (Almost).  I wanted to use GOLD so I grabbed my Gold Mr Huey's (which isn't my very favourite) gold mist.  It was way too light.  Gold "Heidi Shine" was slightly better, but when that still failed, I decided to try the Tarnished Brass Distress Paint which I added a little water to so it would be runny enough.  It was by far the best, but after it dried it still didn't have to look I imagined.

Here's what I did:  I pulled out my Gansai Tambi watercolours and what a huge mistake it was.  😞The colour (despite attempting to mix something close) was way off, as was the style of using a brush vs the more free form "packaging method".  I couldn't use the wet-on-wet method on patterned paper.  It would have fallen apart.  I probably should have tried Distress Stain in the same colour.
 
I had also already applied the cat washi strips (which I was pleased with 👍) after the first lot of paint dried.

 The only damage control that came to mind was extending the strips to cover as much of the mess as possible.  This also meant some of the nicer areas of the initial painting would be covered, but it was a necessary evil.  Placement of the photo and embellishment would be critical to hide the joins.

The next issue was the photo.  I wanted a square(ish) photo to cover a ruined Polaroid I took a few days before.  Why was the Polaroid ruined?  A certain SCD* said "what does this button do?" and in a millisecond pressed the button which opens the hatch for the film pack so the light overexposed what was left in the camera (only 2 shots) so I thought I might as well use one for a frame.

Now my only method for printing at home right now is the Canon Selphy so there was no simple way of resizing and printing exact measurements.

After much trial and error I decided to trim it down and lose some of the image.  Of course I was about 1/16 or so out and it was obvious, 🙄 which is why the right side of the photo has some strategically placed washi.

Due to the washi being on the right, something needed to go next to it and after much deliberation and indecision, I put a journalling card there.  I hoped the whiteness of both the photo and card would help them stand out among all the washi craziness.  It worked a little.  I had a few distractions/side projects that needed finishing before this was done, so eventually I got those embellishment clusters to the point where I was satisfied.

I know the usual drill applies about the first layout I do after a break so I don't love it, but far from hating it.  I might even go so far as to say I kinda like it.  I'd like it better were it not for the pain disaster (and SCD even asked me why the cat has sparkly toe floof.  I think it was still from this layout).  I have lots more about NCC's* arrival so I'll get to those in due course and I think I'd really like to give this sketch another try sometime.

That's all for now! Til next time, love and sparkly toe floof! xxx

*Acronyms in left sidebar <---