Gallery Pick: Cheryl Ann

Each month on our Facebook chat, we host the albums for the monthly and Cybercrop challenges. There is such a great wealth of inspiration in those albums I wanted to pick some scrapbookers pages to share each week.

This week's pick is Cheryl Ann. She has taken the challenges from the July Cyber Crop and really made them her own. I am loving the backgrounds on that first page and the lovely muted boyish colour pallette. The second page is a great design- I love the monochromatic colour pallette and all the different textures on her page. Thanks for playing along with our challenges Cheryl.

Weekend Inspiration: UP, UP, UP!

A dozen ideas for your weekend scrapbooking...

1. Use arrows to indicate direction.
2. Go with a blue, green and white colour scheme.
3. Scrap three photos cropped down.
4. Use circles on your page.
5. Make a three-word title.
6. Add stars to a LO. 
7. Use repition for emphasis. 
8. Hand paint on your page.
9. Use sequins for added sparkle.
10. Hand write your journalling.
11. Leave some white space for the eye to rest.
12. Add some metal elements to your page.

Lego Marvel

Looking for the right place to put your embellishments?

When in doubt, try to go for a visual triangle that encompasses/touches on the key aspects of your page: Picture(s), title, and journaling. Your eyes often look unconsciously for this design tool to give your brain a sense of completion.
If your page isn't 'feeling' right when you look at it- see if a visual triangle can be employed to help balance it out.
You can have more than one triangle on a page.
You can form the triangle with matching elements, e.g. Cogs, buttons, flowers. With matching colours, with photos, or clusters, shapes, e.g. circles of patterned paper, or even text.

Take a look at some of your favourite layouts sometime and see if you can find the triangles.

Supplies used: Bazzill Cardstock, Kaisercraft Time machine: Mechanism and Ironclad, plus the cut off strips, and 12 x12 sticker sheet. Pink Paislee- Indigo and Ivy Sticker sheet, Phrases, and Thickers. Memory Maze Chipboard Cogs inked with Versa Color Indigo. Kaisercraft Rhinestones: Black and Dark Blue, Nuvo Drops: Metallic Bright Gold. Word Stickers Jillibean Soup Grandma's Lima bean.

Cocoa Vanilla Studio - Unforgettable

Unforgettable is now available!!

"This collection is elegant and bright, bursting with our famous watercolours, florals and everyday sentiments.  Versatile elements with a focus on documenting our stories, combined with gorgeous patterned papers will be perfect for feminine and everyday pages.  We have brought back some old favourites, as well as some fun and on-trend new products to this line that I’m sure you will love!"

Find it in-store here - Unforgettable

Tuesday Tip

The curse of the missing letter: We all know the problem, you pull out a packet of letter stickers and have everything you need but that one letter- never fear, there's often a solution. In the example above I turned f into a t but the following are also often possible

a, b, d, p, q into c 

b into a or q or c

c+l = d, p, or b

d into p or a

f into t

g into a

h into n

j into i

m into w

n into u or r

p into d

Q into O

q into a

T or t into l

u into n

v + v = w

w into m

X into y

Z into N

0 into O

3 into E

6 into o

7 into L

8 and 9 into o

! into i 

& into 3 or 8

Quick Share: The Story Today

Supplies used: Papers: Kaisercraft Time Machine; Steam Engine, Iron Clad, Cardstock: Core'dinations Impressions; Clocks, and Aegean Mixed. Kaiser Bling: Black Rhinestones, Stickers: Kaisercraft - Acetate Stickers - Antiques, Script words, and Time Machine; 12x12. Ink: Versa color Pinecone.

Gallery Pick: Dee Mac

Each month on our Facebook chat, we host the albums for the monthly and Cybercrop challenges. There is such a great wealth of inspiration in those albums I wanted to pick some scrapbookers work to share each week.

This week our featured scrapbooker is Dee Mac! Dee scraps in 8.5x11 and her pages are often unique and full of fun. She's a whizz with colour and her journalling always looks great. These LO's are all from our July CyberCrop- she hit all three challenges out of the park- I found it impossible to pick a favourite- though I do love that mixed media back ground with the circles- definitely going on my 'to try' list! Thanks Dee for the inspiration!

Weekend Inspiration: Techniques to try

I've gathered a bunch of technique tutorials from around the web to inspire your Cyber Crop LO's... Most of them are relatively simple (I've noted it for you) and require only a few supplies.

1. Stencil Inking Technique: Simple. Must have: Stencil and dye inks eg Distress Inks.
2. Stamp an embossing Folder: Simple. Must have: Embossing Folder, Stamp, Ink.
3. Watercolour with stamping: Simple-Medium. Must have Paints, stamp, ink, (white) oil pastel.
4. Embossing with Colour: Simple. Must have: Embossing folder, liquid colour- eg dye, mist.
5. Washi Tape Chevrons: Simple. Must have: Washi tape and craft knife or scapel.
6. Washi Tape Scrap Embellishments: Simple. Must have: Washi tape.
7. Embossed Tissue Shapes: Simple. Must have: Tissues, rubber stamp- simple design is better.
8. Embossing with Crayon Rub: Simple. Must have: Embossing Folder and crayon.
9. Batik Stamping: Complex. Must have: Stamps/stencils, clear embossing powder, dye ink, foam blending tool. 
10. Handmade Flowers: Simple. Must have paper, pen, scissors.
11. Pretty Polaroid Embellishments: Simple. Must have: bits and pieces. :-) 
12. Layered Embellishment Tutorial: Simple. Must have: bits and pieces. :-)
13. Mixed media Stencils & Texture Paste: Complex! Must have: Lots!
14. Using Stencils for pattern play: Simple: Must have: Stencils and wet media- paint is best.
15. Modelling Paste Tutorial. Complex. Must have: Stencil and modelling paste.
16. Hand-lettering Tutorial: Medium. Must have pen and paper.

September Cyber Crop

Welcome to our September Cyber Crop.  We have been chatting and looking at different techniques this month, and for our CC we have some more for you.

Challenge 1 - Paper Weaving

Our first challenge this month is to try your hand at paper weaving- whether you do just some little corners like I have above or weave 12-inch strips to make your own background- have a go at the easy under-over technique of weaving paper. It's a great way to use up strips and scraps too! See my blog post for hints and tips.

Supplies used: Colour Blast - Arty Farty - Paper - Muse, Cocoa Vanilla- Boys Rule, Wood Stars, Jillibean Soup: Labels, Fur Fusion Mini alpha, Game Day Chilli Stickers, Nuvo Crystal Drops Gloss: Apple Green and Midnight Blue.

Challenge 2 - Inking

Let's take ink just that little bit further, and swipe yourself a bit of a border and use it to colour some chipboard or what every element you chose to use.

I've used Raspberry ink to shade my rocking horse, as well as all my edges, and I've gone a bit heavier on the corners to had some extra shading/detail.

For my page, I've used Fancy Pants - Family & Co papers  - Raspberry Versa Colour  - Dusty Attic chipboard

Challenge 3 - Sketch + Your choice of technique

We want you to showcase your favourite technique, or try one you have been meaning to have a go at!   Just make sure you tell us all about it when you upload your page to our album.

And here's my page, I've gone old school got out my distressing tool... this must be my most favourite technique to use, I feel it adds so much to a page, taking a page from a flat 2D look to a more interesting 3D look.

I've used Cocoa Vanilla - Boys Rule range for my page.

We've put together a bunch of links to tutorials for techniques you can try- look for the post on the blog tomorrow!

Due date Sunday, 29th September - Midnight

Upload your challenge entry to the Galleries on our Mystical Scrapbooks Facebook Chat Page.

Our chat is private and if you haven't yet joined us we'd love to have you. If you have any trouble joining please email to me, Donna, with your name and or a link to your Facebook profile and I will send you an invite.

We will be giving away 1 gift voucher valued at $20.00 and each entry receives 1 ticket into the draw.....each challenge you do gives you a chance to win!

We will also have a surprise prize!! Our DT members will choose their favourite over-all layout and I will send that lucky person a surprise in the mail.

Happy Scrapping
Mystical Team

Paper Weaving Step-by-step

1. Choose the strips you want to use. Lay the vertical set out face down using a ruler or guideline to get them straight.

 
2. Anchor the strips at the top with some washi tape. I try to use one I know is light on stickiness.

3. It helps to think of the strips as two layers so the first lay would be every second strip (the odd numbered ones if you were to number them). The other layer is the rest. Lift the first layer and slide a horizontal strip inbetween the two layers- pretty side down!

4. Lift the other layer and slide the next strip in- pretty side down!

5. Keep repeating steps 3 and 4 until all the strips are placed.

6. Tapes the strips in place and then flip the weaving to place on your page. 

You can...

... use thin strips or wide or a mixture of widths. 

... use all the same papers or a mixture. 

... once the weaving is taped into place you can cut it into a shape like a circle or heart.  

... do a full 12x12 page, just a little corner, photo mat or anything inbetween.

Inspiration from the internet: 

via: Balzer Designs 

 via: bicocacolors

 via: Hip Kit Club Instagra

 via: julies japes

via: studiocalico.com 

 via: scrapbook expo

 via: studio calico

via: John next door

 via: John next door