Autumn is a second spring

Hi! Today's post is for the Anything But A Card Challenge: Halloween or Fall.
The photograph for this layout was taken while holidaying in Tasmania, at Hobart's Botanical Gardens, May 2010. This spectacular tree was in all of its autumn splendour, so we were lucky to capture the moment, before the leaves started to seriously fall. While we have some gardens with various species of maples growing in our local area, the colours aren't nearly so brilliant... our weather doesn't become cold enough.

Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.

For the layout. I stamped the green background paper with Picket Fence D.S. and added some teased out fibre. The brown paper was spritzed with glimmer mists : Coffee Shop, Sugar Maple and Black Cherry. These colours were also used on the distressed corrugated cardboard, cut into the shape of a maple leaf. Edges of the brown paper were distressed, and some sections inked with Distress Inks: Dried Marigold, Rusty hinge and Weathered Wood.

A hand made leaf,  using chiffon, hand-stitching and liquid pearls to finish.

Leaves were die cut from various papers, including altered papers left over from previous projects. I also added some chiffon handmade leaves.
A few swirls and flourishes on the page to give the idea of wind and movement, completed the layout.

Thank you for visiting, Cheers, Di

Smile

Hi! Today I'm featuring a layout I'm entering in the ARTastic Challenge, where the challenge this time was to have handmade flowers. For this I decided to have a go at something new for me... quilled roses!


Layout showing two techniques of quilling.

 

Papers I used were different width quilling strips as well as pearl lustre papers I cut from A4 sized sheets. I also used some fringed and quilled flowers from the same papers.

Close-up of flowers.

The decorative frame around the photo was given a metallic look by the use of opals Embossing Enamels, in Rosevears (a deep rose/burgundy), Mountain Berry  (a deep pink)and Tarkine (a pale green).  The background paper, was distressed heavily by wetting, crumpling and tearing. In some sections, other snippets of paper and lace were inserted. Punched paper edges helped add a lacy effect to tie in with the dress in the photo.

The photo is the earliest one I have of myself and was taken when I was 2 years and 2 months old. This was a studio photo, and part of a group of 4 taken; this one in black and white and 3 others in colour. At this time, these would have been coloured by hand. These showed that the dress I was wearing was pink and white. It was made of some light material, probably organza, and was heavily starched. I don't remember the dress or the photo session, but for some strange reason, I do remember the bow I had in my hair... pink with blue Bambis on it. Strange what the old memory bank retains!

Thank you for visiting and while you're here, why not pop over and have a look at my other pages, especially if you're gluten free, as I'm starting to put up recipes I have found work, and which are enjoyed by friends with no allergies, as well.

Cheers, Di

Untamed

Hi! Today's post is also for the ABAC Challenge using Bling.
The photo used for this layout was taken one early September morning at Lennox Head, NSW. The waterfall tag completed for the last ABAC challenge was the A-Ha moment for this layout.
First of all, to give a subtle glimmer to the card stock (representing sand) I lightly spritzed with the Tattered Angels range of sprays: Sandy Beach Chalkboard, Suede and Walnut Gold Glimmer Mists. When dry, small puddles of Opals Embossing Enamels (Rosevears, Macquarie and Sandstone) were added to the lower third of the page.


My seaside interpretation

I sewed on a net of variegated wool which had a ceamy bobble edge (foam). Through this I wove in strands of metallic wool, silvery wire threaded with beads and mother-of-pearl shell, and strings of beads. I also added real shells, starfish, die cut shells and seahorses in metallic paper.
A fringed, silvery wool was used to represent sea spray.



   Close up showing some of the netting, starfish, shells, beading.

                                                       
Seaweed was formed from the metallic wool and finished with some crystal bead drops. Words from Jacques Cousteau were also formed into the shape of seaweed.

             "The sea, once it casts its spells, holds one in its net of wonder forever."

The title was die cut from pale pink photo board, stamped with a swirly stamp design ion versamark and embossed with Opals Zeehan enamelling powder. To give a little more definition on the page, the letters were lightly smooched with Weathered Wood distress ink.

I feel that I have achieved my A-ha moment with my interpretation of what could be found on the seashore.
Hoping you feel also the sense of wonder and peace I had when taking the photo.
Thank you for visiting. Di

Afterglow

Sunset photos are a favourite of mine for scrapping and since I started scrap booking I've begun an album solely for sky layouts; from dawn to night, showing the glorious colours, interesting cloud formations and the very different moods.

 

 

 

This sunset layout features an iris folded mat. I've selected colours that would reflect the various colours in the clouds. The black background was stamped with some favourite leaf stamps, using versamark which was then worked with Perfect Pearls powders. Extra little wisps were made with Liquid Pearls. The same treatment was done with the foam thickers used for the title.

 

Thank you for looking. Di