A Little Blog Milestone

Hello blog followers! I am so grateful that you are here and that you take the time out of your busy life to visit my blog.  It really means a lot to me.  Today marks the day I have 1000 posts.

I remember when I began blogging back in 2010 it was about my creative journey and it still is.  My blog is my personal creative diary and it documents my creative journey.  I don't usually blog about my personal life, but of my passion, which is scrapbooking, paper crafting, photography and any other creative endeavours.  Mostly, it is scrapbooking.  Since August 2011, I made my very first design team and it was required to be a design team member, one must have a blog.

Now, almost five years later it is a part of my creative life and it's fun to look back and see where this journey has taken me.  It has been quite a ride and I enjoy it so much.

On my blog, you will find lots of information and it is also where I have my creative resume' and also my scrapbooking gallery of every project that I create.  I do not get any financial compensation for my blog, it truly is a labor of love.

I have noticed that most people do not comment on my blog, but that is ok.  I don't expect it.  I still blog because I love documenting memories and it is something that I can look at and see how my life and style has changed in just five years.

I appreciate your visits, but I do notice blog readership has gone down as life gets busier for everyone and Instagram is a new social media platform that has exploded in the past two years.

Blog hops used to be very popular, but have seen how they are phasing out as well.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope, if anything, I have inspired each and every one of you to be inspired to do something you love whether it is creating a scrapbook layout, or just pursuing your passion or hobby of your choosing.

Have a wonderful day and thanks again!

Easter Layout In Creative Scrapbooker Magazine

Hello friends! I hope you are all having a great day.  Today I thought I would share that the Spring 2016 issue of Creative Scrapbooker Magazine is being mailed to subscribers and contributors and I am excited to have a layout published on page 103 of this printed magazine.  It should be on newsstands by March 1.

Creative Scrapbooker (formerly named Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine) is expanding and will now be available to purchase in the United States, but has been available to subscribers worldwide for many years.  Recently, they celebrated their tenth anniversary and I'm pretty sure I have every issue on my studio shelf since the very beginning in the year 2005.   So far in my scrapbooking journey, I have been blessed to be published in this magazine 18 times with two of those being the alternate layouts to the front cover.

Creative Scrapbooker Magazine - Spring 2016

For my layout, I created an Easter themed layout with these two cuties.

I used the Half Shell Background cut file from Just Nick Digital Cut Files and cut it out on white card stock with my electronic cutting machine and then backed the egg shaped cut designs with patterned papers from the Simply Spring Collection by Bella Blvd. giving it more dimension by adding dimensional foam squares.  I added some chipboard shapes, stickers and some flair buttons (Hashtag Easter) from my favorite flair shop A Flair For Buttons.

Thanks for stopping by and have a creative day!

February Sketch At My Creative Sketches

Today there is a brand new sketch at My Creative Sketches, the sister website of My Creative Scrapbook.

Here is a layout I created with the sketch:

I used the February Main Kit at My Creative Scrapbook for my layout of my husband and I.

If you would like to create with the sketch to have a chance to win a sweet prize, be sure to link up your layout here with the above sketch for your chance to win this prize from My Creative Scrapbook.  The deadline is March 14, 2016 midnight EST U.S.

February Prize

Happy creating and good luck!

Coloring Wood Veneers With Gelatos

Hello friends! Today I wanted to share a quick tutorial on how to color your wood veneers with Gelatos.  This was a tutorial I created for design team work at My Creative Scrapbook using the February Main Kit.

Gelatos are wonderful, creamy tubes of artsy goodness, they are similar to a crayon and come in lipstick type tubes. They have a creamy texture and are water soluble. There are many colors and shades of Gelatos to choose from.  I purchased a small kit at my local arts and crafts store.

To begin:

Take your wood veneer embellishment that you would like to color and color the top and sides of your embellishment with the Gelato making sure it is completely covered.  There is no need to color the backside as it will not show when it is adhered to paper.

Please excuse my dirty craft mat.  It has seen better days.  To keep your workspace clean, I suggest using a scrap piece of paper, a craft mat or a paper towel.

With my finger, or a makeup sponge,  go around the wood veneer in a circular motion smudging and smearing the color around until it is completely covered and there is no raw wood showing through. You may do a second coat if you prefer.

Voila! There you have it.  A perfectly colored wood arrow to add to your project!  I love that there is no drying time.

I added this to one of my layouts and added an arrow sticker from the kit and adhered it on top.

 Here is the layout.

I also added a few more examples of wood veneers that I colored in the February Main Kit below.

For the wood veneer word "Love", I colored it in a light blue Gelato and then added some faux stitching with a fine black marker on top of the colored word to give it more texture and interest.

For the large heart wood veneer on the layout below, I colored it with a red gelato.



 Here is the layout.

For the layout below,  I created an ombre effect on the title wood veneer "Hello Love".  I began with the light pink Gelato and colored the top half of the letters and then took a bright pink Gelato and colored the bottom half of the letters.  I really like this fun technique.

Here is the layout.

For the wood veneer heart and tag, I colored the small heart with a light pink Gelato and the tag with a gold Gelato and added some stickers on top of the tag using a strong adhesive to hold the stickers in place.

I hope I have inspired you to try this technique on your wood veneer embellishments.  Thanks for stopping by and have fun!

The February 2016 Bella Buzz

Hello friends! Today Bella Blvd. has released a new newsletter for February named The Bella Buzz.

I was honored to be asked to have a layout included in this newsletter.  You can download the newsletter here:

http://www.bellablvd.net/docs/FEBRUARY%20BELLA%20BUZZ.pdf

Have a great day!