March | YLA2014

30 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by Sara in Classes, ScrapBook, Yearlong Album

Tags

Layouts, YLA2014

Another month, another Yearlong Album class. Another sketch. Another day of fun teaching times with friends.

Here’s what we made last weekend:

I had lots of fun layering bits and bobs and stars and stuff:

And we all had a great time making an inky, misty background using the awesome Quatrefoil stencil from Ronda Palazzari for The Crafter’s Workshop:

I’m heading off this evening to a 4 day scrapbook retreat with all my friends – it’s going to be epic! And most awesome too! 🙂

P.S. I know I’m missing an “H” from my title – I’m waiting on a new pack of alpha stickers and then I’ll add it in!

Layouts by sarathings designs; sketches by Mary Ann Hounsell

This and that…

25 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by Sara in Classes, Mixed Media, This & That

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Dylusions Ink Spray, mixed media layouts, Simple Scrapper, The Paperie

Sorry I’ve been AWOL this week – it’s Easter break for the school kids this week and it’s thrown off my usual schedule.

On top of that it’s my baby’s birthday and his party tomorrow:

he’s the cutest…. 🙂

As well, I’m teaching a class I needed to prep for, Simple Scrapper LO’s had to be completed, and the Paperie Retreat is next Wednesday – there’s been lots to do around here!

Here’s some eye candy bits and bobs for you to make up for the absence!

Some Simple Scrapper sneaks:

my girl

My story starter was fun – I made a beautiful mixed media background on that one as I was trying things out for an upcoming Dylusions class at The Paperie in May.

you – right now

And more fun on my template LO for May – a fave technique for the background on this one!

For you Yearlong Album peeps, here’s a sneak of tomorrow’s class:

And finally, a LO from a mixed media class I took with Cathie – I love how this one turned out!

Some awesome layers with silver paint, gold embossing paste, tissue paper, and wood veneer with Wink of Stella pen:

And that’s it! Expect next week to be much the same as this, maybe worse since I’m leaving Wednesday for a scrappy retreat – fun times ahead!

Simple Scrapper Q&A

19 Saturday Apr 2014

Posted by Sara in This & That

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Simple Scrapper has a new series on their blog and if you haven’t checked it out, you really should. Each Saturday one of the Creative Team Members answers some questions relating to simplifying their scrapbooking or life. It’s short, sweet, informative, and this week, it’s my turn!

As well, you might want to take a look at this month’s Team Gallery before the new one goes up. The Team Gallery features each CT member’s favourite LO from the current month’s Membership goodies and it’s always fabulous. MY favourite features my pretty feline babies this month. 🙂 S.

The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.

12 on Twelve | April 2014

14 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by Sara in 12 on Twelve

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12 on

1. morning smoothie

2. porch selfie

3. packing for a class and crop night at The Paperie

4. no socks – Spring might be coming soon (fingers crossed)

5. making plaster Easter Eggs

6. painting Easter Eggs

7. working hard on their robot costume

8. crazy face

9. trying to make a crazy face but laughing at the same time

10. hanging on the bush in the front yard

11. feeding the ducks

12. my new niece Maya!

I’m a Superstar!

09 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by Sara in Canvas, Classes

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Canvas, Classes, Mixed media, The Paperie

I love making canvases. Love. It.

And, not surprisingly, my kids love to paint canvases too. The combination of both lead me to design a new kids class for The Paperie – a junior edition of my canvas classes!

This is a beginner one, we won’t be using molding paste for example, but it still has lots of texture and interest. Truth be told, I will probably add molding paste if we do another one but I left it out this time to challenge myself and because it takes a long time to dry, especially in a class setting.

See the textures of the paper collaging and canvas? I love how the base layers turned out!

I used gold and silver mist and gold paint for shimmer:

And I added a phrase with alpha stickers:

The fun part? You get a sheet of alphas so you can make any phrase! This would be awesome as a Girl Power canvas, or Boys Rule. Why not even a teacher gift – I’m sure they’d like it more than another mug! 🙂 And it would make an awesome gift for mom or dad, a real keepsake for sure!

Call The Paperie for details and to sign up. This class is for kids of all ages so don’t be left out if you’re a more “mature” one!

J is for….

08 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by Sara in Mixed Media

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Home Decor, Mixed media, October Afternoon

my sweet Julianne!

A few weeks ago I made a letter “R” for a young friend as part of my Scrapbook Steals design work and I promised I would make one for her sister as well. I finally got around to it!

I used all October Afternoon product – I hoard their stuff – and had fun adding flags and banners:

To make the name stand out, I traced the alphas with my White Sharpie Paint Pen and added a few dots as well:

I finished it all with doodling, of course!

Now, I just have to remember to deliver them…. 🙂

Art Journal pages – finally!

04 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by Sara in Art Journal, Mixed Media

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Art Journal, Dina Wakley, Mixed media, Ranger, The Crafter's Workshop

Yeah, so the posting of my Art Journal pages just didn’t happen yesterday. C’est la vie, I’ll show them to you today!

Our Art Journal night was all about colour and it was fun, fun, fun. As a side note, Dina Wakley’s book Art Journal Freedom is a fabulous reference book for colour theory – and a bunch of other things too!

Out first page was about monochromatic colour, though mine ended up being more analogous, which was fine with me:

Some reduction stenciling ala Dina Wakley, a pop of contrast colour through a Ronda Palazzari stencil for The Crafter’s Workshop, and some awesome Dina Wakley Media stamps for Ranger. I also added a pop of colour on one of the hearts:

I also added a doodled border with my new favourite Sharpie White Paint Pen – it’s all kinds of goodness.

The second page was all about split complementary colours:

I used Silks glaze so my complementary colours are quite muted. I like it but I think I’m going to go back in and punch it up a bit. I already did that a little by flicking deep orange paint splatters but I want more. This page isn’t really finished yet, I don’t think.

I added a cut out face from Dina Wakley’s stamps and painted circles which I then journaled in.

Like it overall, but it definitely needs something more. We’ll have to see…

Also, go to Julie’s blog today – she’s got her weekly Art Journal everyday post up and you can link up and/or see lots of inspiring pages over there!

February | YLA2014

02 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by Sara in Classes, ScrapBook, Yearlong Album

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October Afternoon, Ranger, Studio Calico Wanderlust, The Crafter's Workshop, YLA2014

This past weekend I taught the second Yearlong Album class for 2014. More fun times with sketches and I broke out the new Tim Holtz Distress Marker Spritzer too!

Everyone was given a pack of new October Afternoon chipboard stars and hearts for this month’s class and I’m totally in love with them:

Aren’t they great?

We layered up some of the fabulous Wanderlust papers, along with some Simple Stories diecuts (stamped with my fave roller stamp):

And had fun playing with the aforementioned marker spritzer and my favourite The Crafter’s Workshop stencils to ground our photos. It all came together in a great double LO:

As always, people went their own way – used different papers, added extra photos, changed up the LO to suit them. I think that’s my favourite part of this class, everyone takes what I do and then bends it do it works for them – awesome!

I’m a busy bee again at the moment, trying to get some LO’s and canvases done for May classes so keep and eye on my Instagram and Twitter feeds for peeks of all that!

I’m planning to post some Art Journal pages tomorrow that I started in Cathie’s class last week – it was another excellent one and I love what I did! Check back tomorrow and hopefully I’ll have that ready for you.

Simple Scrapper Show & Tell | April 2014

01 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by Sara in ScrapBook, Simple Scrapper

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Scrapbook Layout, Show & Tell, Simple Scrapper

Back with another Simple Scrapper Show & Tell today! I hope you’re all enjoying the new way the Creative Team is sharing their work and that you get a chance to go check out what everyone else is doing. Also, don’t forget the CT Gallery each month – it’s always fabulous!

The Story Starter I used this month is one of my all time faves – and I’ll be doing another LO for Molly with it as well. Because I was waiting on product (I wanted to use the Bella Blvd. Molly line for Molly), I made Gabe’s LO first:

I’ve been hoarding that text paper and the highlighted words were perfect for this!

I had some fun a traditionally girlie stencil – that I made work for a boy because, why not? – and molding paste:

And added hidden journaling, of course!

The second LO features our pretties:

I don’t often get a chance to scrap them and I this template seemed to work with some recent pictures of them. The title is die cut and because the letter are small, I couldn’t use heavy chipboard. To get around that and get the thick look I wanted, I simply cut each letter from white cardstock three times and layered them on each other. I finished them off with Gold mist and a white Sharpie Paint Pen: