Having fun doing art and made a little change

Another collage art piece for Claudine's class. I combined a vignette with a grid in this one. I had actually not studied the grid final lesson when I first collected things for this collage. I think I'll still do a final grid assignment. The good part of the class is learning stuff. The bad part is learning stuff, too. Now I think more when I make art. Still go with what feels right but then I analyse. Yes, I get more fussy doing that but overall think it's more satisfying.

Learned about bad tangencies and decided that was what was irritating me about the buttons that I otherwise loved on this page. I added more and I think it solved the problem.

Process of a LO - It's my party

It's my blog and I'll do what I want to...
OK, there is supposed to be an evolution in blogging where we go from showing off our layouts, photos and family pics to discussing more of the processes behind the layouts and photos and discussing thoughts on the family activities.
Sometimes though, unless one is doing this as apart of professional activities, there just isn't time. To me, that is why folk love twitter and FB or why sometimes not a lot of discussion happens on a blog. How can we fit it in? I  have long appreciated all kinds of blogs. Lately, I am in the mood to discuss my process. Sometimes, I'll have other topics in mind and on lazy sharing days it will just be photos. No apologies.
This LO started as a kit from a crop goody bag from Green Tangerines in Rocklin (small illustration to right above my DPLO). A nice LO and I could have scrap-lifted it and that would have been good. I decided to try my hand at using it; but, adding my style to it - not that I did not use bits of learning I've gleaned from classes. (yes, an intentional double negative!)
First off, I love horizon lines and asymmetry in my compositions. I learned that from a class I took with Claudine Hellmuth at Big Picture Classes on-line. I probably should have tried copying this original exactly as I rarely put photos below that line. I'm not comfortable with it; but, it would have been a good stretch.
Allison Davis likes to use low horizon lines on her pages and puts her photos above them but she tends to use horizontal and vertical lines to dictate her placement. I decided on an approach that Noell Hyman uses a lot - a crescendo/decrescendo effect. Now, Allison Davis uses different shapes behind her photos on two page cardstock LO's. Since I use "Dot", the nickname my kids have for their daughter, in some LO's, like this one, I thought a big circle would look good. It also works with the quote I found to use for my journaling on the page. The orange paper from the kit from MME has a subtle dot. I found a strip of dotted blue paper in my stash and thinking of Alison Davis again decided to augment my background with it. It also works with the theme of the page.
The white flowers seemed too stark with the cream Thickers and the cream in the die cut so I delved into my assortment of glazes and sprays from Lumenaire and Tattered Angels and colored the tips of the petals. I added small turquoise half pearls to the centers to continue the color scheme.
The LO is asymmetrical but balanced with more background accents and flowers and the journalling on one side to balance the weight of the photos on the opposite side. The photos are also grouped by mood. The ones on the left side, as the LO faces you, are her playful loving self, the others in the photo are Mom, Dad and boyfriend. On the right are photos of her fun but more responsible side, her HS graduation and as an employee at In N Out Burger. I have a lot of photos of her as a ballerina but did not feel those were important to this LO.
I used the asterisk as a hyphen to pick up the spokes in the wheel- like circles in the horizon strip paper. I love the dotted fringe from the kit; but, since I'm a nut about texture, I added the light teal ribbon to my horizon line. It's not circular but has a rhythm like punctuation. Of course, needing texture, I explored my stash and added some chipboard shapes that had dot-like shiny turquoise accents. I, also, added 'dots' of buttons.
I had a photo with colors that did not work with my page. Like the kit photos, I chose to make it neutral. A high contrast sepia seemed to work better than black in this case.
I also chose to add some inking. It may have been 'better' to have a clean LO but I like the way inking contains my pages and accents the journal strips.
I like the page and feels it is all my style despite the fact that it came from a kit and I used the influence of all those teachers. I took another class at BPC from Karen Grunberg called Finding Your Way. I hope she'd agree that I did accomplish that with this DPLO (double page layout for the non-scrappers in the crowd).

On a Roll

I have written a blog post which is waiting for me to take a photo before I publish it; and, here I am writing another. I've already done a few other posts earlier this week. Mindboggling! I'm amazed at how much one can get done even in little bits and pieces. I've been enjoying my latest edition of Scrapbooks, etc. It's always been my intention to sit down and scraplift an issue. I think I learn best by doing and it seems like such a good way to try the latest trends and use up some of my overwhelming stash.
I've been collecting sketches for a while. While I can use them, I've discovered that I prefer to scraplift a page from a photo or to just create an original one. I never scraplift exactly - that would be a lot more work than I am interested in; not to mention, very expensive and time consuming to research and purchase the exact products. Whew! Exhausted just thinking about that. However, scraplifting with substitutions is a fun endeavor.
What has been really fun is using up an SEI kit and trying to limit any other items to just what I have on my table right now. I've had to stash-dive for a few items but overall have been quite successful. It's been a blast. Remember a couple of posts back, the LO of my Mom, when I started using up the remains of the kit? Well, here are two more scraplifts taken from the magazine using up more of the kit. I still have stuff for cards, too!

A touch of contrast

I recently responded to a challenge on the BPC website for a monochromatic challenge and came up with version one of this LO. Definitely monochromatic but rather dull. The second version is still a monochromatic LO at heart but just the little bit of contrast and dimension really have improved it.

Having fun - inspiration

Yesterday, I decided to sit down at the computer and do some long overdue editting of my friend's wedding photos to make them a CD. I was tired after a spell at that, after a rest I decided to get out my project stash to work on. I found a half finished SEI minibook/display piece and set to work finishing it and using some of those wedding photos. After that was done, another break, and then I picked up my latest copy of Scrapbooks, Etc. One of the first articles was Inbox where readers share their projects. SB, etc suggested scraplifting pages from the magazine and submitting what we do. I thought "Hmm, doing that might be a good challenge to get some pages done and use up my stash quickly." As I continued through the magazine I looked at a article title Made in Minutes with a LO titled time with dad. There was a scraplift alternative on the page and I got to thinking about the Inbox article. As I sat thinking, I looked over at my table. There were papers and patterns that seemed familiar. I looked at them and at the photo in the article. Grid pattern, small scale checked plaid, number strip (echo park, left from a project the other day), stripes that lay diagonal on the table and thus begged to be cut on a bias strip, dotted ribbon, my embroidery floss. "Fate", I said. I only had to run to my scrap room for a couple of items. I have a jar of Jenni Bowlin buttons that I've been thinking needed to be used. I remembered a strip of dotted ribbon in my brown ribbon stash. I also had run out of the sticker half pearls that came with the SEI kit but checked my bling stash and found some orange ones. I did retrieve my EK success rick-rack punch, too. I was set. The subject was easy, too. It may have just been Father's Day but thoughts turned to Mom. The number strip made me remember her days as a kindergarten teacher. The LO was born. It took little time to complete so definitely was made in minutes and the decision making which usually takes a lot of the time was dictated by what I had available. No purchases necessary! I'm pretty darn happy with this simple LO, too. I, also, accomplished a part of my scraplifting goal.Fun!

Have been busy creating. The Back to School was a kit

I had a lot of fun with these. I'm in Claudine Hellmuth's collage class on-line at Big Picture Classes. Learning a lot!
I know the Back To School was a kit designed with a grade school student in mind. I didn't see any reason not to put in my class experience. I must admit that I'm glad I'm done. That walk across campus was brutal! Learned a lot there, too. Hope to take another class at a future time if I can.
Lots of stuff to do today. Have not done much photography recently. Maybe it's time? We'll see what the rest of this week brings in inspiration. I think I'm going to explore die cuts and dry embossing, too.

Last weekend with Joe and Cathy at Danielle's

Recent Stuff I've been playing with

Have been playing at art. A composition for collage class on-line with Claudine Hellmuth, a couple of original scrap pages, some classes from a Color Connections workshop.

Just a sampling.

Need to take a photo of the class painting project I just got framed. Turned out great!

Back to Blogging

I think I finally have figured out what I was having problems with here on my blog. Needed to use Google Chrome and set things up right.

Now I'm inspired to get some photos and stories up.

Took a while to get back dear readers; and , a busy day ahead but I think I can get back to this on the weekend.

How nice to finally figure things out!