Behind the Art with Guest Designer Devra

Hi everyone,

Guest Artist Devra here with my last page using the July kit Shine.

I have learned that I feel good, that I shine my brightest personality when it’s warm out and I can surround myself with some of my favorite things, or go to my favorite places. I have also learned, when I can’t do this, I need to find alternatives, and not get stuck in a rut of negativity. I need to focus on looking forward to them again when spring returns.

First, I arranged the photos into a loose grid. I had decided I would fill in with pieces of papers and other embellishments. I reached for items that help enhance my feelings of happiness and love of the summer season. Again, I fussy cut some sayings out of the papers. I love the pink background paper with the subtle sayings. I chose other papers that complement the pink as well as lean towards summer, such as the lemons.

Thank you so much for letting me join you all this month. It has been a true honor.

You can keep up with more of my creating by visiting my blog: My Creative View

Behind the Art with Guest Designer Devra

Hi everyone,

Guest Contributing Artist, Devra, with you again. I'm here to share more of my third page created using the July Shine kit.

One of the things I’m learning is it’s ok to make fun of yourself, and to take a lighter approach to life. I wore a pink paper crown on my birthday. I wanted to look like I was feeling special. I was radiating happiness, both inside and out. When I began this page, I had a light hearted feeling in mind, and wanted to show that on the page.

I surrounded the photo with as many of the bright and happy pieces as I could. I used ones with sayings as puns, such as the Pineapple, to keep with the idea of making fun of myself and the day. I love that the background paper looks like falling confetti. It also goes to the lightness of the page theme. I used the arrows to help guide the reader through the page.

Thank you for joining me today!

Are you ready to dive deep into your inner world? Join us now! There is no better kit to begin your journey than with the Shine kit! 

Behind the Art with Guest Designer Devra

Hi everyone,

Devra here today as the July Guest Contributing Artist and I'm really happy to share another page I created using the July Shine kit.

I’m not an exercise lover, but have learned to love my daily walks with my dog, even to look forward to them. The photo I chose isn’t really important. It’s what it represents. This page is about a change of heart. I feel really good after my walks. I feel alert. I feel awake. I feel energized, ready to shine and take on the day.

One of my favorite things I see while walking in the springtime is the sun coming up over the trees. I cut a sunburst out of the yellow paper to create the same feeling. It bumps against a pale grey paper, like the sun bursting through the grey clouds. The scatter of embellishments are also rising. The sequins shine like the sun, the butterfly and flowers are things I see on my walk.  A splatter  of ink ties the colors and embellishments together.

Thank you for stopping by today. 

Are you ready to dive deep into your inner world? Get your SHINE kit now! 

July Guest Designer: Devra Hunt

Happy Friday!

Our first Contributing Artist page, using the July kit SHINE, is from our talented Guest Designer, Devra Hunt. We are so happy to have her joining us this month; showcasing her perspective on SHINE and how it applies to her inner world. We think you'll love what she created, too.

Let's get to know Devra a little bit better before she shares some more about her first page!

I currently live in the Seattle area where I am the COO of my family, who are my husband, our two boys and our awesome dog Snickers.  My boys are 14 and 12. One is the intellectual type. He loves school, reads and swims. The other has undiagnosed special needs and keeps me on my toes.  My husband is a 5 year cancer survivor. All of that gives me much to think about, reflect on, and incredible material to keep me scrapping for a very long time.

I scrapbook for fun, for creative exercise, for therapy. I scrapbook for stress release.  I am not an epic storyteller, but my pages all have journaling, our albums do tell our story. They are a view into my family's life.  With all of the experiences I've had in my life so far, I have to find humor in the little things everyday.  I don't let life get to serious. I want my older son to know I love my life, as challenging as it can be at times. I want him to see that in our family's books.  

I do both single and 2 page 12x12 layouts.  I'm not sure I can define my style, It's constantly evolving.  But there are 3 things that almost always appear on my pages, larger photos, bright colors and humor.  Even on pages about me. I may change colors for my pages, and take a serious tone, but there is always something there to lighten the mood. All of these things turn up in my pages, which you will see on my blog and in my Pinterest Board. Therefore, some look consistent in style, others look really different.  When I am not scrapping, I am reading, watching baseball, and always dreaming of the beach. 

The Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie and Over the Rainbow is a favorite song of mine. I often think about the lyrics and how they can pertain to my life.  I went into a deeper, darker thought process for this page. Darkness is an antonym for shine.

Rainbows appear when it’s raining. To give the appearance of rain, I used sketch pens and a Silhouette file to create the background.  I wanted the rainbow in the photo to stand out, and not get lost on the page. Matting it with strips of pink papers did just that.  The Make a Wish card refers to the thoughts in my journaling. I used the lemons, to represent my feelings about how life can be sour, and not always sweet, bright and shiny. 

Come join us! We'd love to welcome you to our visual journaling family. Start with the July kit SHINE today.