"Magical" Mixed Media Layout - Words and Paintery Challenge for November

Hey everyone!  I have a new layout titled "Magical" for the Words and Paintery November Challenge.

The challenge board was literally a challenge for me.  I realized that I do not have much to match a Christmas theme.  I don't even have sequins or regular glitter to add to matte gel.  Using glitter glue was very time consuming!

Here is the Words and Paintery Challenge board:

Although it was a big challenge, I was excited to use my new Shimmerz Paints Spritz in Truffle for the background.  I love the elegant shimmer and color!  I made a great choice trying some Shimmerz Paints products.

So... I don't have any colored thread or lace.  I don't have red flowers either.  It took a lot of time to color everything.  Even the glitter flowers on my layout were pieces of white lace that I cut, sprayed them brown with Lindy's Stamp Gang Sandra Dee Sepia.  Then red glitter glue.

I actually made the title "Magical" in my Silhouette Studio software.  When I was finished, I duplicated the title 3 times and cut them out of 98 lb. mixed media paper.  I glued all 3 together very carefully, added a thin coat of clear gesso, then used my sprays to color it.  Homemade chipboard.

The roses are Wild Orchid Crafts' Ivory Roses painted using Distress Ink Pads in Fired Brick with a tiny bit of Black Soot.

And finally, I filled in a lot of the gaps with cheesecloth!

That's it for today!  Thank you for stopping by my blog today!  See you next time.

~Jessica McFall~

"Mysterious" - Mixed Media & Art Challenge for November!

Hello folks!  I have a new layout that is titled "Mysterious" and it is my entry for the Mixed Media & Art Challenge for November, 2017.

And here is the challenge board for Mixed Media & Art:

I used the green color for inspiration along with the sketch.  Here is a close up:

The paper is the "Sand and Sea" Collection from 49 and Market.  I added some Lindy's Stamp Gang Ponderosa Pines Olive and My Mojito Green mists to the page.  To the right of the picture, I used glass bead gel, green glass beads, and glitter to make it interesting.

The roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts; I added white gesso to the tips, and although it may be difficult to see, I added Glossy Accents in spots to the tips of the petals.

Thank you for taking a peek at my layout today!  Check out the Mixed Media & Art blog here.

~Jessica~

"Picture of the Day" Mixed Media Layout - Scraps of Darkness October, 2017 Kit

Hello everyone!  I have a layout to share with you today using the Scraps of Darkness October Kit, and it is titled "Picture of the Day".  This is actually a picture of me when I was a little girl.  Apparently, my mom wanted to take a picture of me after I lost my first tooth, but I would not smile.  When my mom told me the tooth fairy would be coming, I smiled and she took this picture.

I used papers from the Main Kit, the Floral Add-On, and the Elements Add-On:

The background paper is from the Main Kit, and to matte the photo, I used pieces of one of the Pink Paislee papers - Spellcast Collection.  I took the black lace from the Elements Add-On, cut it to the size I wanted it, covered it in gesso, then randomly applied some teal spray.  Here you can see that the Apricot Petaloo Burlap Blossoms really add a lot of fun to the page.

In addition to using the October Kit items, I used various elements from prior kits to complete my page.  The title is from the Prima Travelers Journal Vintage Ephemera and Stickers sheet. Also, I used Prima's Florica Gypsy Cord from a prior kit to frame the picture and add interest.  

The cute butterflies are from the Prima Traveler's Journal Flowers - Over the Sea; and under the butterflies are some American Crafts POP! Microbeads in Wave.  

I used Blue Fern Studios' Watermelon glitter with some glass bead gel and stencil across the page.  

Hopefully this layout gave you some ideas for today!  Stop on over to the Scraps of Darkness online store to see what goodies we have.  For extra ideas and inspiration from all of the design team, check out the Scraps of Darkness blog here.  

Take care and have fun creating!

~Jessica~

"Adventure" Layout for the Scraps of Darkness October Kit

Hey everyone!  Using the October Scraps of Darkness Kits, I created my new layout titled "Adventure".

Here is a preview of the Main Kit, Elements Add-On, and Floral Add-On:

This is such a sweet picture of my nephew, and it went great with the background paper and the leaves from the Floral Add-On.

The Blue Fern Studios branch and brown Prima Flowers are from the Main Kit.  These were a great touch for the theme!

I used gesso and a lot of different brown mists to create the background for this project.  I also used my "Adventure" stamp from a previous kit for the title.

You can take a peak at the online store here, and for more inspiration, you can check out the Scraps of Darkness and Scraps of Elegance blog.  

Take care and have a great day!

~Jessica McFall~

"Lovely" Mixed Media Layout Using the Scraps of Darkness October, 2017 Kit!

Greetings to you all!  Today I am here to share my second mixed media layout using the October, 2017 Scraps of Darkness Kit.  The title of my layout is "Lovely" because Shirley Temple is so very lovely.

I used the Main Kit, the Elements Add-On Kit, and the Floral Add-On Kit.  Here is a preview of the Kits:

I  used feathers for the first time on a layout and learned that in order to keep them from shedding, you can use aerosol hairspray - just a light mist will work.

The Prima Marketing flowers were a nice touch for the layout.  I liked that they have gold tips.

I used one of the papers for my background, and I also added parts of another paper from the kit for matting behind the picture.

I hope I was able to inspire you today!  You can go here to check out the online store, and don't forget to check out the Scraps of Darkness design team blog for extra inspiration!

~Jessica McFall~

"Boo" Halloween Layout for the Scraps of Darkness October Kit!

Hi everyone!  I hope you all had a fun and spooky halloween this year!  My newest layout using the October, 2017 Scraps of Darkness Kit is titled "Boo".  I tried to make it a bit spooky and a bit cute, because my nephew's picture captures a bit of both.

Here is a preview of the Scraps of Darkness Kit for October, 2017 with the Elements Add On and the Floral Add On for my project:

It may be difficult to see under all the layers of gesso and modeling paste, but I used a layer of matte gel medium to adhere the Fancy Pants  ephemera under the layers of paint and texture.

I used the purple Petaloo flowers and the orange Prima flowers from the Floral Add On kit.

The black lace is versatile because it can be used on spooky halloween layouts and elegant layouts!

A nice final touch to the project was the Tim Holtz Halloween Shape Tokens.

I hope you are able to check out the Scraps of Darkness online store here and check out the Scraps of Darkness and Scraps of Elegance Kits before they are sold out!

You can see a lot of great inspiration from the designers by checking out the blog here.

Thanks for visiting today and have fun creating! :-)

~Jessica McFall

"See the World" Layout - VIDEO TUTORIAL - Scraps of Darkness "The Wayfarer Kit"

Hello folks!  I hope you all are doing well.  After a pretty hectic month, I was finally able to complete a mixed media layout titled "See the World" using July's Scraps of Darkness "The Wayfarer Kit" and the Elements Add-On Kit.  I made a video tutorial for it as well, and you can find that at the bottom of my blog entry or by clicking here.

Here is a preview of "The Wayfarer Kit" and the Elements Add-On Kit:

This kit was absolutely perfect for the pictures of my newest nephew Otto Natale.  I got to go up to Pennsylvania recently to visit family and it is just amazing how much he has already grown up!

Using various Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst sprays on the Blue Fern Studios Wanderlust Artisan Collection paper matched the adorable blanket he is wrapped in.  I used a 49 and Market embellishment wreath on the center of my page.

The Blue Fern Studios' Fern Leaves Chipboard helped to frame the pictures really well.  I also loved using the two wooden clips to attach the pictures together!  That is something I have never done before.

The Prima Traveler's Journal Ephemera and Stickers pack came with two stickers that said "See the World", so I attached one by the pictures and the smaller sticker by the top flower.

Thank you for taking a look at my new layout today!  Here is my video tutorial for this layout, mostly in fast forward.  Hope you enjoy the video!

Don't forget to see the newest Scraps of Darkness and Scraps of Elegance Kits on the online store. Also, more amazing inspiration from the design team can be found on the Scraps of Darkness blog. Take care everyone!

~Jessica McFall~