Scrapfriends sketch challenge using Spellbinders new release dies

I have been having so much fun creating in the caravan while away, and most I have been able to share.  This is one layout that took me about 5 days to complete and I loved EVERY minute of creating it.  I created it as part of Scrapfriends Janurary Sketch challenge… you can see all the details here, but here is the sketch and what a doozie it is!

As I’m travelling at the moment on our summer holiday in the caravan, I could only take so much stuff me when I wanted some creative down time.  This along with the sketch being so detailed really had me get my creative hat on. Here is my take on the sketch. 

 I don’t always create with a great deal of ‘bought’ embellishments, but a sketch like this really did call for it.  I didn’t however really take much with me other than some enamel dots and a couple of packets of chipboard elements that were from collections that just didn’t work with these colours at all.  BUT what I did take away with me was LOTS of Spellbinders dies, cause lets face it, you can create anything armed with these!  That and the fact that I really wanted to have more of a play with the dies being released next week at CHA.  When I saw this sketch I just knew one of the new release dies would be perfect, and one I hadn’t had a chance to play with yet.

A2 Modern Stationary

A2 Modern Stationary

Approx. Measurements

1: 1⅛ x 2⅝”

2: 1⅝ x 2⅞”

3: 2⅛ x 3⅜”

4: 2⅝ x 3⅞”

5: 3⅛ x 4⅜”

6: 3⅝ x 4⅞”

7: 4⅛ x 5⅜”

This layout did come together through a long process that I hope you will enjoy me sharing, so sit down grab a cuppa and hold on as I take you along the journey that became the completed layout above.  If you are not up for a long read and yes WARNING WARNING WARNING lots of reading ahead, you can just look at the pics and get an idea of the steps to create the layout, saving you lots of time!  If you are a details person and would love a good read on about how my thought and creative process evolved, read on!

I started out with some white cardstock, I chose the Bazzill Basics Card Shoppe paper as it is thicker and takes different mediums being added to it well.  I added some stamping using Hero Arts Shadow inks in soft granite, teamed up with a My Fun StampersJourney stamp ‘Chevron trail’ for the pattern in the background.  Gee I love this stamp!  I then added some Pan Pastels in Ultra Marine in an ombre effect from left to right of the page, adding in a little white to the right side.  I love how you can build up the intensity of PanPastels but just as easily drop the colour off as well. 

Next was the black line of twine.  I just LOVE my Art Deco Gloss Enamel paints as they seem to dry quicker and leave sheen.  I don’t have all my paints with me, but these were a must!  I dipped some twine into the paint, ensured it was coated and then pulled it out.  I then added it to the layout guiding it where I wanted my line to go (obviously as per the sketch).

To build on the background I wanted to add some colour that was going to be a bit of a contrast to the layout colours and chose red.  I delved into my set of Faber Castell Gelatos and found the perfect colour which was just bright enough.  I mixed it into some water and using the dropper I sucked up all the colour and deposited onto my layout.  I also added some round circles by dipping casing for the dropper which holds all the liquid into the watery gelato mix and stamping onto the layout.  

At this stage I wish I had filmed it as I really loved where it was going – but it was created in the caravan mostly at night, so that was going to be hard! 

Still so much more to do so I carried on.  

I added some stamped butterflies in Hero Arts ‘Unicorn’ which is a white colour to the layout, along with some black wire fence stamping in black, all trying to work in with the sketch.  

Next was embellishing the page.  What could I do with pretty much only dies to work with…..

I started by nesting and cutting the new A2 Modern Stationary dies (#4, #5 & #6 – dies numbered small to large) out of some Spellbinders Aluminium sheets.  I then embossed them using Spellbinders  ‘So Trendy’ and ‘Harlequin’ M-Bossibility folders.  

I wanted to tone down the silver colour a little so painted them all with black Art Deco Gloss Enamel paint, allowed it to dry and then sanded them to reveal the pattern a little more strongly.  

I wanted to accent one of the frames on each side of the layout and so added some blue paint to the top frame on each side.  To finish them a little more I took a black marker to the edge of each of the frames.  I felt it really helped to give them a little more individuality on the layout.  I just love how this die works on the page, bit more fun than a plain rectangle frame.

I distressed some hessian/Burlap and added that to the layout with the frames. 

Next I worked at creating the additional embellishments for the layout.  I cut out many many circles I think about 15 in all from Spellbinders Standard Circles large and small nested together to achieve a fine circle line.  I did these in white and black cardstock to help them stand out a little more for the ones that were sitting on the blue background area.  Before adhering them together I added some white lines over the black cardstock to give the effect of even more circles stacked on top of each other randomly.  I was so pleased with how they came.  I stamped the ‘hello’ word from an Amy Tangerine AC stamp set to a black circle with VersaMark ink and added some white PanPastels over the top for a chalk effect.  I then added it to the back of the main circle feature, and finished it off with some My Mind’s Eye Enamel dots.

I was really enjoying the industrial feel to the layout, but wanted to add a bit of a natural feel to it too.  I was a bit sad that I didn’t have any chipboard with me as I thought that would have been perfect… so I got my creative hat on again and though, why not die cut some cogs out of wood pattern paper!  I thought of changing up a little from the sketch here, but with the industrial feel I had going on I knew the cogs were perfect, so I stuck with them and used Spellbinders Sprightly sprockets die set to create them.  I also used this set for the washer type circle, die cut it out of white cardstock and added some grey PanPastel to colour it up and cut the gears off from the outside of it to form the circle. I always emboss with my dies as it really finishes them off, in this case it meant lots more accent as the PanPastels really picked up all the detail.

So then onto my next challenge the circle with the lines in it and a button.  I loved the contrast of the lines on this circle and although I could have gone with anything else here, I wanted to include it.  I therefore adhered a square piece of hessian/Burlap to some clear plastic.  While the glue was still wet, I pulled out one by one the all the fibers going one way leaving a series of lines.  I then cut this into a circle.  I decided to ink up the burlap lines with some black ink.  Although I did have a couple of buttons left over from a kit I took away with me, I decided to add some enamel dots to balance with the ones I added in the ‘hello’ circle I created earlier. 

I also noticed the stitching lines in the sketch, for this I decided on some barbed wire, again to go with the industrial feel.  The only thing is I didn’t have any chipboard barbed wire either… given we are travelling in the outback I could probably have found some REAL barbed wire, but I remembered a BoBunny stamp set that I had packed.  I stamped with some Black StazOn on some plastic from used stickers and then fussy cut them out.  They were really easy to add to the layout in this form which also kept their fine lines more authentic. 

I finished off the layout with a bit of chevron washi tape as per the sketch near the photo, as well as my title cut out of Spellbinders Font One Uppercase alphabet set and Red Bazzill cardstock.  I also added some Fancy Pants chevron paper the ‘treasure’ word and the arrow frame at the bottom right of the photo cut from some Teresa Collins paper.  The last little addition was the hearts stamped from the Amy Tan AC stamp set used earlier and fussy cut out before adding them to the layout. 

If you are still reading at this point I applaud you lol… it was a journey and a half creating this layout and I felt although I have never done such a post, I felt I wanted to share.  I know it would have been MUCH easier to portray this in a video, but given I created this in the caravan, at least there is some step by step pics!  Here are more detail pics I took to give you a better feel for all the embellishments created. 

To reward you for getting near the end of this epic post… I thought I would share another card I created using another of the new dies released yesterday.   

This card was much easier to put together with most of the work being in the background piece where I blended a few different PanPastels for a soft background.  I love how this card came together in a colour I don’t normally use on cards.  I am totally in love with the new feathers dies and how they can be so effective in the simplest form.

Feathers

Approx. Measurements

1: 1⅝ x 1”

2: 1⅞ x ⅞”

3: 2 x ¾”

4: 2½ x ⅝”

5: 2⅝ x 1”

6: 3½ x ⅞”

There are more dies part of the release that were ‘outed’  yesterday as part of the Spellbinders Sneak Peekblog give-away, and you can check out the post here to see them!  Some more amazing designers for Spellbinders, Seth, Holly and Candy have step by steps of amazing projects to share with you on their blogs.  So head on over and check it all out.  There are amazing prizes up for grabs, so don’t forget to enter as well! 

Oh and just an update Scrapbook and Papercraft expo in Melbourne where I will be teaching two classes is open WEDNESDAY 29th January at noon. 

 Click here for post and links to the website :)  

Thanks for hanging around and I’ll try and get another post up real soon! Sure to be much shorter too xxx