Aussie Scrap Source

trends: audrey underwood

 

 

 

Last but by no means least in our trends series is a contribution we’re thrilled to share from the wonderfully talented Audrey Underwood.  Though she has a trademark style that is all her own, she does showcase stunningly some of the mixed media trends that are so dominant in the art world at the moment. 

 

Audrey has altered one of the 7Gypsies Photo Display Stands in this amazingly detailed project.  All of the inside pages started off as one of the 7 Gypsies Journal Pages – Antiquarian.  She trimmed off a tiny strip of each side so it fit into the 7 Gypsies 5”x7” Vertical Refills. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audrey writes:  As you may have noticed so far, my main supply would be a bottle of soft white/cream paint. I use a dry brush technique to apply a dusty coat of paint to whatever I want to give a softer or wash look, or to dull down a pattern paper.  I love my sand paper and use an old blunt craft knife to get a lot of the effects.

I first got my inspiration from the founder of the furnishing and decorating style of Rachel Ashton Shabby Chic, with some vintage thrown in.

Audrey also shares with us her dry brush technique that she uses on a lot of her pieces:

Take a dry brush (no water) and dip it lightly into the paint colour desired. Brush excess paint off onto some scrap paper, until there is only a faint amount of colour on the paper. Now lightly brush over the surface of your piece. I always say it is a little like applying some blush to your cheeks with a blush brush, start off lightly and then go heavier as you desire. You don’t want full coverage; you still want to be able to see the base colour also. You can always go back and add more paint later when you are used to the technique. If you are a little nervous try it on the back of your piece or on scraps first.}

To paint the metal pieces I just use normal acrylic paint, I use about 3 to 4 coats and add heat with the heat gun in-between coats to set it. I only recommend this for pieces that are not going to be knocked or touched often.

 

Thanks so much Audrey for agreeing to create for us.

trends: loretta grayson

 

There’s no denying that crochet is an emerging trend in all areas of fashion at the moment, from handcrafts to the high fashion runways.  We asked Loretta Grayson if she would share some of her enthusiasm for the craft with us and these three amazing projects are what she came up with.

 

Anyone who knows Rett knows her fascination with trees, and this particular design echoes her stunning Test Pattern Trees series of artworks. Loretta writes: 

On this project I used Sassafras Indie Girl papers and border stickers, plus some old Basic Grey papers from my stash (mostly from 6x6 paper pads) and a crochet cotton fringe.  I crocheted into the holes in the blue border stickers to create the fringe, and then stuck the pink border over the top.  The piece is finished off with mod podge and a coat of matt picture varnish.

 

 

 

 

This project uses crochet, but the idea is that it's a project for non-crocheters, as I cut a crochet motif from an old doily.   The layout is an 8.5 x 11, and I've used Sassafras Indie Girl and some old Basic Grey patterned paper, Hambly peacock overlay, Sassafras glitter letter stickers and vintage map paper.  The rainbow is cut from one of the paper whimsies flowers.  The author of the quote is Sadako Sasaki.

 

 

 

 

 

This project is a decorative garland, using crochet pieces (made with crochet cotton) along with Sassafras Paper Whimsies flowers, Prima flower centres and vintage buttons from my stash.

 

Thank you so much Loretta for adding your very own special blend of art, craft and whimsy to our blog!

trends: lynette van barrelo

 

This week we turned to Lynette to share some of her expertise on the clustering trend.  It’s been around a little while but shows no sign of abating, and as Lynette shows the clusters can become more and more eclectic.

 

 

 

I am a huge fan of layering and clustering embellishments. I'm noticing that scrapbookers are using this layout technique more and more as I'm flicking through magazines.  A lot of the manufacturers are tapping into this as well by producing ranges of embellishments in various sizes and shapes that coordinate with their paper ranges.  They make it so easy!

 

 

 

 

I have used Cosmo Cricket and October Afternoon in these two sample layouts. 

As well as adding depth and dimension to your layouts, clustering and layering gives your layout an eclectic feel whilst being resourceful at the same time.  It's also a fabulous way to use your left over bits and bobs from your stash.   Mixing up your layers with different textures and heights adds interest so combining fabric, bling, metal, paper and lace will always produce great layouts.

 

 

Jaimie Warren is another master of the cluster and here we share a couple of her fabulous layouts.

 

Thanks Lynette and Jaimie for taking the time to share your fab work!

trends: leeann pearce

This week we asked the funky and talented Leeann Pearce to contribute to our trends series.  She writes:

I was so excited and also very chuffed that Suz asked me to take part in a trend spotting series running here at Aussie Scrap Source. So I had a wee think and decided that I would focus on Doilies as I so love them. These doilies are not for your chest of drawers or kitchen tables, NO these ones are revamped vintage funky and revamped vintage fresh. They are going to make you want more!

Doilies have actually been around for some time. We all started to see them pop up here and there. It’s not until they get showcased more by all of the manufactures and their design teams and then everyone starts to jump on board. I think they are a super trend at the moment and they sure are a great addition to any scrapbook layout or card, as they come in so many different shapes, colour, sizes and designs even better different materials – patterned papers, transparency film, rub-ons stamps, and even hand crocheted ones.

 

 

Here I have used a mixture of Hambly rub-ons and stickers and random placed them all over the layout.  I have layer small embellishments to the centres and used some hand dyed doilies layer together top with a button.

 

 

For this layout I’ve used a large Hambly screen printed transparency, cut in half.  I’ve kept the screen print a feature by adding some hand stitching and embellishing in clusters.

 

I was so inspired by Francessca’s  layout (below). I used Hambly rub-ons and stickers. I love how colourful they all are and how they all work perfectly together! And again a hand dyed doily layer with a button.

 

 

 

I just had to make some cards with the hero arts doily stamp. I Love that you can suit yourself when it comes to stamps – picking colours and techniques.

I love how Piradee has a mixture of doily accents going on and they all bend perfectly together. You can see patterned papers, a stamp, rub –ons and even a hand dyed crochet one was used

 

…and this fabulous layout by Francessca di Leo using a hambly screen printed transparency. I love how it accents the dandelions in the photo – perfect!

trends: iris babao uy

 

With this post we are super thrilled to welcome our newest design team member, Iris Babao Uy.  She needs little introduction as her talent with many of our favourite brands, including BasicGrey and Prima, is well documented.  Here she documents the current kites trend.  She writes…

 

 

 

 

I have been seeing a lot of kites in patterned papers, stickers, and stamps. It adds a fun and whimsical element to scrapbook pages and cards.I am mostly inspired by products and for this page and I created the design around this beautiful chipboard tree sticker and pop-up Kite sticker from BasicGrey. Placing two small photos at the bottom of the tree allowed me to feature the tree and kite right in the center of the page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had so much fun creating this page. Lots of cut-outs from the Rouge de Garance papers. Thinly cut strips of Rouge de Garance papers embellished the top left corner, while Hambly doily stickers and a BasicGrey Pop up sticker dressed up the right corner. I also created the kite using the same papers.

 

Cheryl Nelson is the creator of this wonderfully lively page.  We asked her for a few words about it and she wrote the following:  ‘What could be more fun than a day at the park with my grandchildren?!! I just love watching them play! Almost as fun is the fab new stamp from Digital Doodles...K is for Kite. I thought it would be fun to use it on a layout. So versatile...pick your colors, pick your size and use it on whatever you want. Love it!’

 

We thank Frances Sylvia for sharing this fabulous October Afternoon layout.  She writes: ‘I wanted to keep this layout simple, to ensure that my picture was highlighted. No to mention, the little fella on the bottom flying the kit was plenty of yummy to look at!!’

trends: kim archer

This week we’re thrilled to have the ever lovely Kim Archer bringing you her favourte current trend.  Kim writes..

Who can resist adding some textured crepe paper loveliness to their layouts and paper projects? I've noticed that everyday crepe paper is starting to make it's way onto many of our scrapbook layouts lately. I'm seeing little ruffled crepe paper strips stitched into place and pretty crepe paper flowers. And it seems that scrapbook manufacturer's are noticing the crepe paper trend also with the recent release of products such as Jenni Bowlin's Crepe Paper Ribbon and Tattered Angels (Mist).A.Bles Crepe Ribbons from Heidi Swapp.

Remember scrunching up little balls of colourful crepe paper as a kid and sticking them down to create works of art at school? Well, crepe paper has come a long way since then and scrapbookers are finding more sophisticated ways of incorporating it into their work.

Crepe paper is my new favourite thing. I love the vibrant colours (especially aqua) that it comes in. I love the added texture it gives my work. And I love the fact you can staple, stitch, ruffle, Glimmer Mist, scrunch or pleat it.

 

 

 

In this layout I have used a strip of Jenni Bowlin red polka dot crepe ribbon to add a stitched and ruffled trim along the bottom of my project, catching in a little felt heart as I stitched it into place. I have also included a strip of aqua crepe ribbon held in place with a few staples and some machine stitching.

To make a simple crepe paper flower embellishment, I've folded several layers of crepe paper together and cut out a flower shape, securing it in place with a button centre.

 

 

 

The Tattered Angels crepe ribbons have taken crepe paper a step further by creating wide crepe ribbon with fancy scalloped edges and printed book paper, sheet music, damask patterns and other cool designs printed onto the crepe paper. I've used several of the ribbons here on this layout, ruffling, scrunching and stitching into place.

 

 

 

It would be remiss of me to not include Gigi Kennedy in this article about the crepe paper trend as she is the Crepe Paper Queen and recently designed and taught an incredibly popular online workshop for me over on my website based on using crepe paper in your scrapbooking. Here, in her Our Kate layout, Gigi uses a vibrant daffodil yellow crepe paper to create a ruffled photo mat.

 

And in her I Love...layout, Gigi has taken strips of crepe paper, cut the edges with pinking shears before ruffling and stitching them in place.

 

 

 

 

Lisa Pate has used several layers of crepe paper to add strips to her layout, A Twist of Lemon. I love how Lisa has chosen a pale lilac crepe paper and a strong black background and an orange thread colour. Looks great.

So with so many possibilities out there, are you ready to add some texture, vibrant crepe paper to your next project?

 

I am!  Thanks so much Kim for such a vibrant and informative post!

trends: philippa barr

We asked Philippa if she would share a cardmaker’s insight into the stamping and colouring in craze that’s apparently around at the moment.  She has created and found a number of gorgeous samples for us – thanks so much for being a guest blogger Philippa!

A huge trend in the stamping and cardmaking world at the moment is colouring in. Everywhere you look stampers are colouring in images of little girls and using them on their cards.

 

Hero Arts have some fabulous images to add to your collection. You can colour them with your favourite colouring medium – there are a lot of different options. Here I have used markers and then highlighted certain areas for a bit of shine with H2Os. Hero Arts also produce a Watercolour Paint Wheel, which is fantastic for colouring and adds a lovely chalky finish to your projects.

The stamp was perfect to create a layout using some old photos of the first time my daughter had her hair up in little piggies.  Additional products used: Basic Grey alphabet stickers, Pink Paislee & The Girls’ Paperie papers, Webster’s Trim and Twiddleybitz Fine Fern Leaves Assortment

Other wonderful samples that I have found on blogs are from Tanya Tahir. How stunning is this Kraft and pink combination?

Another one from Tanya using Kraft yet again, but this time teamed with a vibrant red pattern.

I also discovered these sweet cards by Teresa Abajo. There is that ever popular October Afternoon Thrift Shop Complete paper again!

Finally Julie Dudley has made this gorgeous card and is obviously using up her stash of older Basic Grey papers – no less fabulous because they’re not from this season!

trends: linda baldock

Linda shares with us her thoughts on the enduring trend of mixed media, and incorporates Glimmer Mist into her fabulous work.  Her projects are created with Tattered Angels Glimmer Tiles, the Butterfly Glimmer Screen and the beautiful butterlfy (Inflight) Clear Stamps.

Linda writes:  Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists are quite a surprising product - I have not used them a great deal before because I thought they would be to subtle to suit my style of work.  I was happy to be proved wrong and found that the flexibility in their application was amazing.

They flow nicely with one another and take well to all of the surfaces that I worked on. The complementary products such as the Chip Tiles, stencils and stamps all go perfectly hand in hand.

Top panel:

Spritzed with one colour as a base, layered colours over stencil, use the built up colour on the top of the stencil to transfer design, simply flip wet stencil over and burnish with a soft cloth. Use the stamp to clear emboss, this forms a resist to additional over spray of more colour. Highlight some of the raised areas by smearing a little Rub n’ Buff over design.

For an overall shabby grunge look use a light smear of black acrylic around the edges.

A little stamping and outlining finishes the panel nicely.

Middle panel:

Paint the entire surface in black, once dried smear a little rub n’ buff. Using a palette knife, butter some texture paste over the butterfly stencil. Allow to dry over night or force dry with a heat gun to achieve more texture. Once dry over lay colour by using a flattering combination of Glimmer Mists. To highlight the design use a quality paint pen and some sparkly glitter glue.

Bottom panel:

Spray with a light colour (Meadow Green), spray Jazz Blue over the stencil. Ink up the butterfly stamp and apply off centre in a dark colour. Use the stamp again to clear emboss centrally. Over spray with a contrasting colour. Shabby grunge the edges with black paint and a smear of rub n’ buff. To create the 3D butterfly overlay, cut out the butterfly from the stamp packaging or use Jet Black Stazon on acetate. Attach with a reliable clear drying adhesive.

 

Gesso the reverse of a small canvas and allow drying before layering colour with Glimmer Mists.

Stamp frame randomly and highlight with paint pen. Stamp butterfly onto an ATC blank and layer colour, once dry cut out some of the areas around the wings.

Use a paint dauber to apply a light coat of acrylic to the stamp and press lightly onto an acrylic ATC, once dry highlight by using rub n’ buff, paint pen and a little glitter glue.

Attach the cardstock ATC to the acrylic by using adhesive spray...the ATC may need to be clamped or viced while drying. Use dimensional glue such as silicon on the back of the finished ATC to keep it lifted in the canvas. Flood the inside with a glaze such as dimensional magic or crystal lacquer...if you allow the glaze to dry slightly you can use an awl to draw into it, this drags some of the colour to form interesting patterns and effect.

Gillian Lester has used the Glimmer Mists in her scrapbook layouts, using stencilling to achieve wonderful faux lace backgrounds.

trends: patterned papers by pip prosser

When Suz asked if I would be interested in writing a post for the ASS blog about a trend of 2010 I was totally flattered and a little surprised. After recovering from the shock, I knew immediately what trend I would like to post about … patterned papers.

Patterned papers have long been an addiction of mine. Even in the good old days of Creative Memories, I felt compelled to cover my stark white pages with patterned papers. Patterned papers are such an inexpensive way to add some zip to layouts. Today there are so many companies that manufacture patterned papers, enough to wallpaper an entire house I am sure. I love that many patterned papers are double sided and most companies release their new lines with mix and match patterned papers perfectly coordinated with embellishments and lettering. However, my favourite technique is to mix all the different brands together.  And though this isn’t necessarily a brand new trend, it is an enduring and ever-changing one.

I have a GO TO pizza box that is filled with left over patterned paper … I love to use small strips of various patterned papers on a layout to give it an eclectic feel. Sometimes to spice up a layout I will use an entire piece of patterned paper as my background layering a variety of patterned papers on top.

In fact, the more patterned papers I can fit on a layout, the happier I feel. I particularly like to add strips along the borders of my layout.

I love the Cosmo Cricket Elements and Border papers, they are perfect for adding to embellishment clusters. I also like to cut out features from patterned papers, think flowers, stars, numbers, clouds, almost anything. Patterned papers are perfect for punching too, use the negative shape for something different.

I love how Mardi Winen has used a variety of pattern papers on her Welcome Home layout … the little heart outline is a cute touch.

Another fabulous example of mixing up patterned papers, this one from Maggie Holmes.  Love the narrow strips of papers at the top and bottom of the layout.

Susan Weinroth’s layout is a gorgeous example of using a variety of patterned papers and a couple of different punches. The combination of circles and butterflies is just lovely.

Thanks to Mardi, Maggie and Susan  - and Pip! for their layouts. We hope this post has inspired you to look at your patterned paper stash with new eyes.  Happy scrapping.

Featured Scrapper - Anabelle O'Malley

This is a first for us. We have not profiled a scrapper here before.. but what do you do when you stumble across a gallery and it is clear from the work that has been uploaded, that you have found someone who loves all of the products that we love here? We just could not go past without giving this lady a call and inviting her to be our first featured scrapper.

We would like you all to meet Anabelle O'Malley. Anabelle is a self-professed scrapbooking addict! She lives in Delaware in the US with her wonderful husband and beautiful three year old son.

In her "other" life (BR - before Ryan) she was a primary school teacher. Right now she is lucky enought to be at home with Ryan.

Anabelle first dabbled in scrapbooking in the late 90's, but with the demands of teaching, soon gave up. During the sumer of 2004 she decided that she wanted to get back into it and begin creating memories for Ryan. She KNEW that as soon as she started, she'd be obsessed and she was certainly right. She is now completely hooked.

It took her a while to find her groove, but Anabelle has now found a style that she is happy with. Anabelle says: "I love texture, colour, details and trends. Yes, I get just about every magazine out there, spend WAY more money than I need to, and hang out on the computer much longer than I should. But hey, this is my passion and you have to do what you have to do!"

The primary focus of her scrapping is her son, however Anabelle is really trying to do more pages about herself and her home so that she can record the little nuances of life.

Anabelle feels blessed to be able to work on several design teams that she loves and to be part of the scrapping community. She continues to push herself and her goals for the future include continuing to learn about the craft from other talented scrappers, being published in one of the major magazines and entering some of the big contests, oh and of course, finding more time to create pages that she loves!

Anabelle closes by saying "Scrapping and creating are truly my passion. Thank you for letting me share it with you!"

Well I think you will see from the difficulty we had in narrowing down the number of layouts to share, that we love her work here, and wish Anabelle every success in achieving her scapping dreams.