Behind the Art with Kiki

What an absolutely stunning kit to work with this month! December's Trust kit is the perfect blend of soft muted tones, feminine prints and symbolism.

When it came time to thinking about trust, and how I gave my trust, how I receive trust, how it impacts my life, I automatically think of my husband. Finding this quote about trust really nailed the concept down for me. It's easy to think externally when it comes to the word trust. We think of people we trust, but what did it say of me?

This quote really said a lot to me about what trust was, particularly when it comes from me. While I often thought externally when I thought of trust, that is, who I trusted, or what I trusted, I decided to think about what it said of me. What existed within me to give that trust? How did that trust impact my life? And the kit really helped me think about that, with its symbolic border sticker/patterned paper, the sentiments on the word art, all of it. Being alone with my husband I can trust myself to be myself, because our commitment to each other runs that deep. After all, that's who we fell in love with - the real him and the real me. Why would I feel a need to be different around him otherwise?

December's Trust kit from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out

Being together makes me truly happy, and maybe that's because I trust him so much. That trust removes any additional weight I may have had to bear at work, or in the public, when I might have to show professionalism, or be more patient than I would have liked. I might have had a hard day just being what I thought I needed to be in particular moments, rather than just being myself. 

Maybe that's why I decided to edge with black this month, because it's a reflection of what's being kept on the outside - the bad day, the bad feelings. And I realized that I don't give my trust easily, but when I do, it can be soft, beautiful and give me so much happiness.

Visit my blog

Behind the Art with Kiki - Wisdom and Courage

Hi everyone. Kiki again with my Behind the Art for the week. This time I want to tell you about my journey I spent on this layout about Wisdom and Courage.

When I thought about wisdom, as I've said before, I didn't really reflect on my own wisdom or others around me, but what it meant as a whole. So I looked for quotes about wisdom on the internet and found one that spoke to me.

Using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's Wisdom kit

Wisdom is learning to let go when you want to hang on. Courage is learning to hang on when you want to let go. I found this very profound especially given the time I was going through when I made the layout.

I've recently been soul searching in terms of careers and while I absolutely love teaching and training, I came to the realization that I wasn't finding joy in it anymore, at least not in the position I was in. So I searched for a new training position in the department I am in, and in my area, and there just wasn't anything out there for me in training. I knew that I had to change jobs because I was actually getting physically ill from the stress of it. So I let go of my passion for training, the job that originally gave me pure bliss and looked for something new in a new field I had never worked in before. And it was scary. But according to the quote, it was the wise thing to do.

I love all the muted tones that I worked with too. It reflected my somber decision. The peach lightened the page up though, and I think that really reflects the hope I felt in following my decision.

Do you use colours to reflect your mood when scrapbooking too?

Visit my blog

Hey You! Behind the Art with Kiki

Have you ever opened up one of Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's kits and found one thing that just spoke to you? Recently with the Wisdom kit, I certainly did. Sometimes I get a complete scrapbooker's block and can't get past it. But that's hasn't happened too often lately, thanks to the journal cards we've been getting in our kits.

This journal card, below, really helped me direct the idea of this layout. Thinking about wisdom and wise words, I thought about writing as if to myself, saying "Hey You, I've got some important things to say so listen up." 

I found this great quote about life, and it truly reflected my artistic journey of late. I started out in art journaling, and worked into scrapbooking and very structured, designed layouts. I realized that I had lost something of the style I once had that was messier, and more carefree. So I pulled out my modelling paste, and inks and decided to get messy again, drawing without an eraser, if you will.

From the Wisdom kit, November's Scrapbooking from the Inside Out member kit

Not even the arrows are facing in the same direction, and at first it bothered me. But then I sat back and looked at the layout, and it created a bit of chaos that I was striving to get across. A real mishmash of embellishments and styles on the same page.

It felt so good to let go of rules, symmetry, and just let loose and play with paper and mediums again. I had forgotten how much joy it had given me. It's not that there was anything wrong at all with the other more tailored style. It's just that it left me feeling a bit like I'd lost something of myself. So I decided to bring it back, and I think in looking at this layout you can see that again. I went for a bright orange card stock instead of something more simple. Bold, brash. And then I used floral paper with cute patterns and stripes and even added a bit of my own drywall tape. And it felt good. Really good.

But the crazy thing is that the whole time I was creating, it felt good, and yet I had needed to push myself to do it. Fight the inclination to do something more structured. And when I sat back, after pushing myself to break the rules again, it was so worth it. Now my scrapbooking feels more relaxing again. I feel like I'm drawing without an eraser, and I'm okay with that again.

Try doing something out of your comfort zone this week. Maybe try out one of the challenges on the forum, and push yourself to do a little something different and see how you feel afterwards. Either way, I guarantee that you'll have learned something from it!

Behind the art - with Kiki

Hi everyone! Kiki here with my behind the art for this layout, Which Way Are We Going?

I have to say that when I received the Wisdom kit, it surprised me, and really got me to thinking. I was surprised because everything was so pretty and bright, with oranges and teals. It is a very upbeat, positive kit in terms of colours and embellishments. It got me to thinking though, because when I thought about the theme of wisdom, I didn't feel positive. I just felt the lack of it in my life, or the apparent lack of it.

Using this month's Wisdom kit.

For this particular layout I decided to focus on using all the arrows that I found in the kit. To me they symbolized direction, and a pushing forward. I also found that it was easier to use the hard lines of the orange paper and the larger cut arrow to show the direction or heavy push I was feeling inside.

I chose to focus on bold colours and lines, the arrows all pointing in the same direction. And I knew right from the start of layering these pieces, that this was going to be a photoless layout. This was going to be journal-based, an expression of what I was feeling about wisdom, or rather the lack of it I was feeling.

I really felt like society is pushing us forward despite not having their decisions based solidly on true wisdom. As my journal reflects, we often hope to elect and follow people that are wise, in our government, our society, our spirituality, but are often left feeling without direction, or misled and being pushed in a direction that we don't want to be, and so I was left with the questions of which way we are going as a society. Honestly I don't really know, but I also know that going forward is probably the only way to find wisdom, by learning from mistakes others have made, and using that wisdom to move through life.

Once I had put that onto the page, I felt a little sad, but quite glad that I had expressed it, because it came from a part of me that expressed a need for understanding, a need to state what I felt was going on around me, without creating open conflict or discussion, because I wanted to just think about it myself and process it without dialogue from others. And it gave me a chance to reflect on my surroundings and what I can do to change them if I see a need. This layout by far has been the most open and raw journaling I've done in scrapbooking, and I'm glad to have done it.

Take some time this month to use the Wisdom kit, and think not only about your wisdom but how wisdom in your current surroundings affects you. Dig deep to find something about it that you may not be comfortable saying out loud, but once on paper will help you process a feeling, or emotion. You may find that sense of release, relief or peace once you do scrapbook from the inside out.

Visit my blog.

Behind the Scenes - A sense of belonging

Hi everyone! Kiki here to dish up my Behind the Scenes on the Belonging kit! What a gorgeous kit it was to work with. Fresh and new papers and embellishments. I adored this kit!

using the amazing Belonging kit!

What prompted you to pick this take on Belonging?
When I got into digital scrapbooking, then into mixed media, all my association with other creative people was over the internet. There isn't anything wrong with that but there was just something about the energy and joy that everyone was sharing at this particular crop that made me feel that it portrayed belonging. And to me when you feel like you belong you really have joy!

Why did you choose this photo?

I think that when I looked at pictures of me at a scrapbook crop, I immediately felt that they were perfect for this kit. And I feel like you can really tell that we were having a lot of fun together. It just felt like it was all about belonging.

How do you feel about the message of your layout?

The message of this layout is definitely about joy and laughter, about the effects of belonging to something bigger than myself. Everyone feels that need I think, whether it's spirituality, friendship, bonding. Everyone feels a need for that, and when you've found it, it lightens your spirit.

What symbolism did you pull into your design?

The dots, the circles, it all felt right when it comes to belonging. When people gather together into a group, and share their passion, their joy, their lust for life, it not only brings them joy, but also provides energy to those that might be lacking it. Belonging to me feels like a circle. When you've found your place, not only will you feel fulfilled, but you will feel like you are nourishing something too.The different sized circles represent how you can be part of many groups of different sizes, but still belong to each one all the same. They aren't mutually exclusive, which is why I layered two circles.

Tell us a little bit about how you feel now that you have "let it all out" on this page.

It feels really good to have it down on a page about what scrapbooking has brought me. Not only do I express myself more freely scrapbooking and art journaling, but others can see what it means to me too.

Thanks for joining me on this great ride! Until next time!

http://kiki-halbert.blogspot.ca/

Using nontraditional materials in scrapbooking

Have you noticed the trend in scrapbooking these days, of using things like graphic journal cards that look like subway art, or billboards and finding their way onto layouts?

So how do you go about incorporating these into your layouts if you haven't used them before. There are different ways of using them, but here's just a few:

• use journaling cards as a layer under your photos
• use larger poster type pages by tearing them into strips and using them to add texture to your layout
• if the card contains word art, cut it out if you like it. You don't have to use the whole card.
• cut the letters from the card or paper individually, and use them in a ransom style title
• use your punches and punch out interesting shapes from the cards

Here are just a couple ways that I used journal cards and subway art inspired paper from the Ambition kit:

So have fun playing with your journal cards, subway art, book paper and other nontraditional embellishments and show us what you did!

Behind the Scenes with Kiki - Enchanted

Hi everyone! Kiki here again with the Behind the Scenes using the Enchantment kit.

What prompted you to pick this take on Enchantment ?

Having just spent a week's vacation in Quebec City, it was very easy to think of using these photos with the Enchantment kit. The city is so old and full of history, as well as a gorgeous hotel, the Chateau Frontenac, and the old city is surrounded by ramparts. It's quite beautiful and easy to think of yourself living in a time where castles and princes on horses would live.

Why did you choose this photo?

These photos really do express the whole gamut of our vacation - a dream come true, but not without its wet, rainy moments. Just being there feels magical.

How do you feel about the message of your layout?

It's hard to do a layout and capture the feeling of an entire week, but I think this really did. It says that even when you are in the most wonderful setting, you may still have dark clouds, but you can't let them overtake how you feel in that wonderful moment in time.

What symbolism did you pull into your design?

The kit included some wonderful journal cards and the card I used was perfect for what I was trying to express. You can have rain, just don't let it crowd out the sunshine.

Tell us a little bit about how you feel now that you have "let it all out" on this page.

After designing this layout I knew that I wanted to have something small and portable to keep with me, to get me through this year of work, looking forward to my next vacation. I decided that I'm going to do a similar mini album using badge card holders to remind me day-to-day of this trip. But this page is something that I can look at quickly and feel those emotions again, just with a few photos.

Hope to see your take on Enchantment in our gallery soon!

http://kiki-halbert.blogspot.com

Behind the Scenes with Kiki - He gives me confidence

Hi all! Kiki here with today's Behind the Scenes. I chose to do a layout of my husband when it came to confidence, and you'll learn why by reading on.

What prompted you to pick this take on confidence?
When I thought long and hard about the theme of confidence and what it means in my life, I kept reflecting on my husband. He brings me a lot of assurance, knowing that if things go sour, he'll be there to lift us up and carry on.

Why did you choose this photo?

It so represents how he's prepared for anything. We were out for a walk with the dog, but he brought a backpack with some water, tea and a little camp stove so that we could enjoy a break along the way. He's definitely into bushcrafting and survival techniques, and he's taught me a lot of basic skills.

How do you feel about the message of your layout?

I really enjoyed writing the journaling and reflecting on how my husband has given me more confidence. It's important to be self reliant and self assured, but it's also important to recognize those outside contributors to my own confidence. We'd like to think we can do it all ourselves sometimes, but sometimes we need help from others, and we should never view that as a weakness. I feel confident that if I needed help, if I asked my husband, he'd be there for me, and willing to help out. People need those kinds of relationships with others.

What symbolism did you pull into your design?

It was really funny how the kit just worked so well with his picture. The As seen on TV sticker that I turned into flare represents his favourite ways to learn bushcrafting, and that's his fave TV programs. And I used a letter H and turned it into flare for our last name.

Tell us a little bit about how you feel now that you have "let it all out" on this page.

It felt wonderful showing my husband the layout, and reading the journaling to him that expresses how much I appreciate his strength and readiness to help in any situation. I think for a long time now, he's thought that I'm just putting up with this hobby of his, but after he read that he understood how much I love that he's learning all this to support, love and protect me.

Try this mixed media trick!

As you've seen already this month, there are lots of different kinds of art journaling, for different purposes. Some people make backgrounds using paint and sprays to use as a sort of diary later. Other people do more visual journaling, reflecting what they are feeling by using particular imagery, such as magazine cut outs, sketches and such. Each type of art journal has its own beauty and its own challenges.

My art journal is not so much about the technique, or the journaling itself, but rather, it's about the process. It's not necessarily like an artist's journal, where each page is a trial of a different technique, colour or product, but it is more about just using what I have, putting things down in layers, painting on them and releasing emotion in the process. 

The layering of the papers onto the page (and I always start my process this way), and then putting down the Distress Paint on top was very relaxing, almost therapeutic. It released tensions, just working through the process. But once in a while, when you stop that process and try to restart, it's sometimes difficult to get going again. I found it hard to get this page finished because I stopped mid-process. What did I do?

I used a pretty common mixed-media trick, if you will. What I love about art journaling, and you can try this at home...if you aren't happy with what you've got, you can put down another layer of paint, or gesso, and start again. Sometimes you'll see parts of you older work peaking through, like the circle and rectangle rub-ons you can see in the bottom right corner of my page just coming through the white gesso. Or the star rub-on up near the top left corner. Art journaling quite often is layers showing through layers of other media. And that's the beauty of it.

So next time you are afraid to try art journaling, remember this: Never be afraid to cover up your work and start over, because you may just love what you find peeking out from underneath the new layers and give your art journal page new depth.

Make sure that you link us up to your art journal pages in the comments so that we can give some love on your pages too! Hope you will stay tuned for more mixed media fun in the coming weeks ahead!

Visit my blog

Subtle colour creates cohesion

Hi everyone! Kiki here with another art journal post for you. This time with a little twist. Lori has a fabulous challenge going on over on the message board right now. She's already provided some wonderful techniques for you to follow to get your first art jouanl page done using the fabulous kits you get here. You have everything you need to do mixed media, scrapbooking or art journaling. 

Most people that ask me about art journaling have told me that the reason they shy away from art journaling is because it's messy, or disorganized, or just doesn't "feel" right to them. They might think that it looks like a "hot mess". You might be one of those people.

I challenge you to try Lori's art journal challenge this month and if you find that you are getting uncomfortable, try this technique: use some subtle colour over many areas of the page, because it helps brings a page together. For example, in my art journal page below, you'll notice that I used the pink Distress Paint in many different areas of the page.

I used the stencil provided in the Fortune kit this month to add some colour to the blank page (which incidentally also frightens many people away from art journaling). I used quite a few scraps of paper from the different patterned papers this month and layered them on with a glue or medium, depending on the texture I wanted. Although the kits are well thought out and the patterned papers work well together, not everyone is comfortable with using many patterns on their page. So how do you make it feel like it all works together?

• Use the same paint over papers that feel too bright.
• Add the paint to other mediums, like I did with the glass bead gel.
• Paint over some embellishments, like I did with the tag.
• Add paint splats or drips to make the page more cohesive.

A variety of ways to use the same paint to make the layout cohesive.

So the next time that you do your art journaling, and something just doesn't feel right, try adding some subtle colour in different ways to bring your page together in an eye-pleasing way.

Hope to see your pages in the gallery as you complete Lori's art journal challenge this month!

Celebrate Today!

Hi everyone! I'm so happy to be here on the Scrapbooking from the Inside Out blog! I can't tell you how much I've learned about journaling, and being purposeful in thinking about symbolism, meaning behind your scrapbooking.

Let me tell you a little about one of my latest art journal spreads, using the April Fortune kit. First off, it's so full of wonderfully patterned papers. I'm on a real chevron kick lately, and this kit gave me that in spades this month. So let me get to our Behind the Scenes questions and then I'll tell you more about my process, and what really drove me to create this spread.

What prompted you to pick this take on Fortune ?

It seems to me that what is typically thought of as fortune, that is, riches, is very fleeting these days. Countries like the United States and Canada have come through some very tough financial times lately, and my husband and I have felt the pinch, to be sure. But I didn't want to journal about money. To me fortune is about what you do have in your possession that you are grateful for, today. And so I created this art journal spread around that idea: Celebrating today and all that you have now.

Why did you choose this photo?
When I art journal I rarely use photographs at all. To me, the spread is not so much about the photo documentation, but rather the process. 

How do you feel about the message of your layout?

To me, the title of this layout says it all. But it's the journaling that gives you an insight as to what I was feeling at the time that I made the spread. I've been enduring a difficult time lately at work, and felt as if I was falling into a depression, or really down mental state. But something changed this past week... I took positive steps to change my situation by changing my outlook. And the sky was blue again. Nothing physically changed for me. I didn't get richer. I didn't get healthier. But I appreciated what I had more. I felt grateful for the help I received even if they were just words of encouragement. It made my life feel more rich.

What symbolism did you pull into your design?

In terms of symbolism, I found that it just felt more natural to have the chevrons facing up, like life was looking up. The hearts symbolized my gratitude and the running horse represented the freedom I felt. Freedom from feeling down, and overly concerned, worried, and fatigued. I felt exhilarated as I created this art journal spread. I felt positive and uplifted.

Tell us a little bit about how you feel now that you have "let it all out" on this page.

This page holds a very special place in my heart now, because there is so much meaning behind it, and such a positive force in it. If I ever lose sight of how "rich" I am again, I will open my journal to this page, and read the journaling card that I wrote, and remember how much I have, and how to celebrate every day!

You can read the positive message that I tucked into the envelope here:

You will notice that I took quite a few strips of the papers and laid them down in a grid pattern. Sometimes I cover them up with gesso, and sometimes I leave them completely exposed. This combination provides lots of texture to the page. I also used one of the die cut word art pieces as a stencil. I painted through the stencil with the distress paint in pink and let that dry. Then once that is done, I layer down the paper.

I loved the words that were printed at the bottom of some of the patterned papers. Instead of just the name of the paper, it had cute sayings. They spoke to me, so I used them too. I cut out the strip of washi paper that had the word "today" repeated and used it in a few places. And then for a grungier look that I love, I stamped some texture onto the page (life isn't always nice and clean is it?), and sprayed some pink drips and light blue glitter paint (I always love to have a mixture of shine and grunge).

When I find that something is too bright or just doesn't "go" with the feel of the page, distress paint or gesso does a wonderful job of toning down the colour so that the focus of the spread stays where you want it.

I hope you enjoy the spread and take encouragement from it somehow. If you think you need more in your life to consider yourself fortunate, take another look. I'm betting that if you look around, you'll see just how rich you are.

You can find more of my design team work at my blog: http://kiki-halbert.blogspot.com

Mixed Media on your Layouts

Have you guessed by now what my favourite technique is in scrapbooking? Do you have one? A friend of mine says that her favourite technique is gluing paper to other paper.  Mine is using mixed media on scrapbook pages, and what's exciting about that for me is trying out something new, not knowing exactly how it will turn out.

Take for example my page using February's Risk kit, Try:

A friend and I were browsing in one of my favourite art/scrapbooking stores and I found some glass bead gel and had to try it for myself. I love putting media through stencils to create raised patterns.

Here's a close up:

See those triangles that shimmer? That shimmer is tiny glass beads in the clear gel. You can always add colours to the gels, or pastes to create a whole new look, without any additional cost. I love embellishing my scrapbook layouts using something inexpensive, don't you?

If you want to give it a try, it's as easy as getting a trial size of an art medium, or taking a shot, and buying something that looks like fun. Show us what new art medium you've used lately! 

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.

--------------

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.