Behind the Scenes with Jen Matott

What prompted you to pick this take on Harmony ?

I chose to do a layout with the opposite of Harmony... Chaos.  I sometimes feel like it's important to acknowledge both the good and the ugly parts of life.

Why did you choose this photo?
I took these photos on a beach in Florida on a windy day when a storm was approaching.  We had stopped to get photos at sunset and the clouds came in bringing wind with it.  It was not a great photo opportunity and I was disappointed that we couldn't get nice sunset photos but it best shows how life throws curve balls at us and the photos were not great but they are moody and fit this idea perfectly.

How do you feel about the message of your layout?
I sometimes feel that my life is out of control... too many obligations, too little time, too much mess, unexpected negative things that pop up.  It's not always a good photo opportunity everyday.  I can't always do all that I want to do in the time I need to do it.  Sometimes you have to go with the flow and just count your blessings at the moment.  Sometimes the wind blows it all around and we end up disappointed when our plans do not work out, but it's life and we are lucky we can have the good with the bad.

What symbolism did you pull into your design?
I wanted a busy background to symbolize chaos.  I also love the tags in there to journal my thoughts on.

Tell us a little bit about how you feel now that you have "let it all out" on this page.
I think that this is a bit of controlled chaos on here. It actually looks a bit too orderly to me.  I would have added more "mess" to the page before gluing it all down.  But I love how the photos look with the colors and tags.

Let 'Er Rip by Lori Wilbanks

New design team member Lori Wilbanks is sharing with us on the blog today one of her specialties... ripping up paper!

Let's take a read, shall we?

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Well, I admit it, I am a messy crafter!
Okay, so that's not much of a confession, but I have to tell you, sometimes a little mess just makes me happy!
I want to share a little technique with you that may make some of you a little nervous...that's okay! 

Often in my scrapping and art journaling, I find that ripping that paper up is just the look I want!

I think this torn paper helps add to the idea that we are not always harmonious and careful with each other. 

Now, I know what some of you are thinking..."but my beautiful patterned paper!!!" Look, you can carefully use your trimmer and save most of that 12x12 sheet, but I'm telling you, a little tearing can be quite a stress reliever! 

i don't use this technique on everything, but I find I really like that distressed look....plus I have a hard time making all my lines and elements straight....sigh.

For this layout, I really wanted again to show kind of the "opposite" of harmony....the ripped edges helped create a little chaos on the page. Plus I really wanted the monotone contrasting to color to show up. I love that yellow popping through.

So, your challenge is to try a little tearing! i want to hear the glorious sound of ripping paper echoing throughout the land!

Shabby Flowers with Kiki Halbert

We have new design team member Kiki Halbert on the blog with us today sharing some of her "shabby" expertise. Let's see how she is dressing up her "inside out" layouts using the contents from the January kit HARMONY.

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I adore flowers. No layout is complete with at least a few flowers. They are my go-to embellishment for giving a layout its final touches.

So imagine the irony when I was actually nervous making my own flowers. When I started scrapbooking I didn't have any fancy die cutting machine, so I stuck with using pre-made flowers. I figured that making my own shabby flowers would be complicated and I would mess them up. Oh, how I was right...but in a good way!

It's a simple but fun thing to do when you need a little something on your layout and have leftover paper scraps from the kit.

Now, for a couple of my layouts, I did use a die cutting machine:

I used a couple of paper scraps to create the paper flowers with some small brads to secure them. I like to crumble them up for some texture, and even brush the creases with Vintage Photo distress ink for some extra dimension.

For the layout below, I used some simple flowers in my stash and used one of the charms to make some whimsical centers for the flowers by taking the charm apart. On one flower I used the pompom, and on another I used a crystal.

On this following layout though, I created my own really shabby flowers by cutting rough circles out of paper scraps, and then sprayed the circles with water lightly.

I scrunched the paper in my hand to give it a really shabby feel. I then layered the scrunched papers while they were still damp and formed them into a flower shape, and set a brad in the middle to keep the two layers together. Once the layers dry, they stay in that shape very well. And there you have it...two very shabby flowers.

The HARMONY kit...a Fresh Start for a New Year

Are you in?
You're worth it!
The HARMONY Kit
On sale now...

 

Click here.

 

Patterned Paper

American Crafts Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic Pretty Parkway          
American Crafts Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic Foxy Fairview
American Crafts Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic Bowtie Boulevard      
American Crafts Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic Little Moments Lane 
American Crafts Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic 2nd and Oak  
American Crafts Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic Aspen Place   
Websters Pages Park Drive Box Lunch     
Websters Pages Park Drive The Journey    
Websters Pages Park Drive Through the Lens       
Websters Pages Park Drive Blanket

Embellishments

American Crafts Thickers Lark Foam Amazon   Jillibean Soup Alphabeans Whipped White  
American Crafts Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic Printed Variety Tags, 3
American Crafts Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic Printed Chipboard Shapes, 9-10
Maya Road Metals ,Our Home, 3-4 pcs
Pink Paislee Artisan Collection Artisan Borders, 1/2 sheet
Prima Rondelle Velvet Baubles, 5 pcs
Prima SIIC Zephyr Bling
Websters Pages Park Drive Perfect Petals, 1 pc
Websters Pages Park Drive Word Stickers

Cardstock

American Crafts Cardstock Key Lime  
American Crafts Cardstock White  
American Crafts Cardstock Honeycomb
American Crafts Cardstock Seafoam    
American Crafts Cardstock Rosebud    

Technique

Studio Calico Huey's Mask Elongated Hexagons

Color

Ranger Perfect Pearls Spray - Biscotti