Behind the Art with Felecia

Sometimes you just have to remind yourself in the darkness to hang  your own twinkle lights...

This Webster's pages Stargazing paper from the Happy collection really made me want to be IN it...under the twinkle lights, the hanging mason jars, in a beautiful blue sky...

it just so happens that the Shine kits layouts were being done in a time that wasn't feeling all that bright and beautiful for me. 

So, the idea of being under the twinkling lights in my moments of being overwhelmed and feeling like I was never going to reach the end of my challenge seemed really appealing. 

I just knew I wanted to use this paper to do a project without really doing much to the paper. 

I found a journaling card with three more little jars, so I gave them some dimension

And a few fireflies...

I added some Stickles to the twinkle lights and voila...

My own peaceful starry night...

Peace, ya'll!

Behind the Art with Felecia

As you read this, I will be on the west coast, soaking up the sunshine and participating in a long planned reunion of some of my old music friends.

I am so excited for the opportunity to get to sing with the folks who were really my first foray into singing the way I dreamed - as a rock singer.

Singing is something that always made me feel like shooting star - even if it was in the dingy rehearsal room at the back of a old building in a little old suburb San Bernardino, CA. 

Something else that has always made me feel like bright and amazing is being weird.

I don't know that I necessarily flew my weird proudly most of my life...I've always KNOWN I was not quite like the other kids...

And I've been fairly comfortable with that most of my life...

But in all honesty, being my own unique self is something I've gotten happier to put out there more recently...I've gotten braver about being authentically weird and geeky.

I sort of stumbled upon Andrea Balt in my internet browsing...Pinterest click here, link click there, and suddenly I'm on a site about art and writing and glorious shining creative weird vulnerability...and I was in love. 

She inspires me to shed the expectations of others and really drill into who I was made to be. Its awesome.

I found this poem on her site and I'm perilously in love with it. 

What if...what if truely being a shining light, a city on a hill, a lamp to others means embracing that nothing is wrong with me. RADICAL.

Absolutely loved finding a pic that was "weird" for this one...and setting it up on the gorgeous Bokeh paper was just perfect for the theme. 

I did a few different things with this layout. Firstly, I used the tear off portions of the paper for border strips on the bottom. Love using up the little bits.

I did a letter / die cut title mix up. That's not my usual style, but these letters are so amazing...and I had to use the gold transparent "beautiful." 

Finally, I used pieces of the packaging in the layers...it fit the color scheme so beautifully, and the shape fit what I wanted, so in it went!!

I sort of embraced the things that my design brain said "no don't do that" to...and it worked out in such a great way!

Peace, ya'll!

Behind the Art with Jen

Hi, artist friends... I'm here to share another page from this month's "Shine" kit!  I love this page and was inspired by all the triangles and circles in this kit.  Lots of bling here!  This photo is of me and three of my workout girls... we have a group that runs, trains, and laughs together.  I love their glow, their energy and wit!  Each is unique but together we push each other to be better people and train harder.  Working out with them makes exercise fun!

 I cut triangles from the patterned paper to mimic the triangles in the overlay tag and paper.  This photo is from our first 5K race together.  Love these girls!

 It's always good times with them and they push me harder and keep me motivated.

 This page makes me smile and so do these ladies!  Keep on shining on...

Who makes you smile and shine?

Behind the Art with Melissa

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday!

I am here, sharing with you another page created with the beautiful SHINE kit.

If there is one thing about my personality that I embrace, it's the optimistic side of me. I can always see the glass half full. I'm constantly seeing the good in people and I have a positive perspective on almost every situation.

I think, because of this characteristic, I truly enjoy brightening someone elses day. If I have a friend who is feeling blue or if someone is exuding negative juju... I love challenging that...

Lemme bring a little sunSHINE into your life.

I was immediately drawn to the lemons in this kit. Of course, the quote "when life gives you lemons... you make.." everybody say it!!! "LEMONADE!" And then, you drink it and enjoy it. YUM! This quote is a favorite of mine, for obvious reasons, and I wanted to figure out a way to utilize it on a page.

Then, I found that quote. "Be Someone's Sunshine When Their Skies Are Grey." 

And then we all started to sing... you are my sunshine, my only sunshine...

Bringing the two together and utilizing the citrus-y colors from the kit, I teamed it together with a special photo of me. That photo is me wearing some pink for a dear friend who was battling breast cancer. It was an honor to be on her team. It felt empowering and I loved being there to support my friend during a "grey" time in her life. 

The good news? The cancer is gone! Woooo! 

Being a positive light in someone's life is so encouraging... for both parties. I know I always feel joyful and have a lightness in my step. It's a beautiful thing to be that sunSHINE.

So, SHINE ON! Be someone's sunshine on their grey day. It can make all the difference.

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 Felecia

Once again, I really am so in love with the newest kit from Inside Out - SHINE is just full of beautiful, warm, sun-shiney papers and images.

I had such a BLAST with this theme...For this project, I was going through some of my old photos and came across these two old photos of me.

For me, the word Shine means being the most ME I can be. I don't know, but a lot of this world really doesn't want us to be unique. So many things that are unique and amazing about us individually get sort of beat out of us as we move through the world...people are not comfortable being around those who are fiercely unique.

But when we are kids, this is the point at which we somehow are both in touch with being free in ourselves and also think we can pretty much conquer the world....I love that aspect of children...I want to be a kid when I grow up.

The confidence and shine of the little Felecia in these photo...They are so right in that kind of a moment!

That little girl - she has a twinkle in her eyes...All I could think of was how fun and unique these shots were...and how like me to do weird things and get caught on film.

So very much enjoyed just doing some layer building straight onto one of the papers..I was inspired to somewhat abandon my usual tendency to get things quite straight.

The photo corners are cut from one of the journal boxes....this is one of my favorite things to do - alter or fussy cut journal to fit my needs.

I did the same thing with the pink seal...and of course we cannot talk about shining and little girl pictures without gold metallic puffy stars and a little bit of gold mist. 

I was so inspsired by the kit and these pics that this project came together in less than 30 minutes...For me that is a serious record!!!

Is there a photo of you as a kid that shows your particular uniqueness and shine???? Does it make you smile to think of the moment or the person in that photo?  

I'm so interested in how you think of this topic!

Peace, ya'll!

Behind the Art with Jen

Hi artsy friends!  This page was so fun to make!  I loved all the die cuts and epoxy stickers in the kit and added a few mediums to create texture too.  Here's a look into the way I added shine to this artwork.

 I used Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft's Texture Luxe (from my stash) to rub onto the paper with my fingers. 

Once dry, I used the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stamper's Big Brush Pen on a craft mat and adding some Textural Accent Whipped Spackle to create a tinted texture paste to push through the stencil.  I only put it through the sunbeam part.

Scribbling more of the Stamper's Big Brush pen onto a craft mat and adding water created a wash of color that I painted over areas of the paper.

 A stamp from my stash was inked up with the Stamper's Big Brush Pen and added.

Using the Texture Luxe again, I put it through a stencil in the upper corner for more shine! The Stamper's Big Brush pen ink was mixed with some of the Texture Luxe and water added to create the drips.

 

 I live is Central New York and it's grey and rainy (or snowy for 5 months of the year or more) a lot of the time!  I crave sunshine and the warmth it gives so when summer comes along I try to soak up as much as possible. I often wonder why I stayed in this area, but when summer comes, it's so gorgeous and green here.  We don't worry too much about terrible storms or earthquakes.  Rarely, do we get a tornado or brush fire.  I am lucky that we only really have to deal with rain and a LOT of snow.  Shine on CNY!  We enjoy the sun way more when we don't have it all the time.  Although I really wish we saw it more during the warm months!

 

Behind the Art with Melissa

Hi everyone!

Melissa here with you today sharing another page I created using the Shine kit.

Sometimes, I go onto Pinterest and look up quotes that pertain to our monthly themes. I do this when my brain just isn't doing a very good job thinking up good journaling. 100% of the time, a quote jumps out at me. It's exactly what I need to read at the right time.

I found this quote: Dream Big. Sparkle More. Shine Bright.

I love that! I'm such an optimist and dreamer that, after reading that, I got a little giddy and couldn't wait to record my thoughts about it on a page.

My personality is an ENFP. That's from the Myers-Briggs personality test. I've taken it many times in different ways and always get the same result. My personality is one that shines, naturally. It can't be helped. And I love it! I'm an extrovert to the core. I love people and I love being around them. So, it's easy for me to shine around others! 

I decided that this newfound quote was going to become my mantra. Because, let's face it, even though my personality is a positive and exuberant one, we are all human. I still go through moments of depression or angst. And, I can get very dramatic. It goes both ways. The positive and the not so positive. Ha! 

I used a cut file for the backdrop of this page to symbolize sparkle. It reminded me of how the sun sparkles on top of water. 

Hey, did you know we have a Pinterest board each month for our kits? It's a great place to go for some added inspiration. Head over and I hope you can gain some inspiration, like I did, for this journaling page! 

Thanks for joining me here today!

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! 

Behind the Art with Melissa

Hi everyone,

Melissa here with you sharing a page I created using the July kit Shine.

The theme of this kit intrigued me. Mostly because there are so many ways one can approach this. So, in my usual ways, I jotted down a bunch of phrases pertaining to shine and my inner world:

- shine from within
- light
- reflection
- brilliance
- radiate

Radiate caught my attention. So, then I began the thought process of, "What is it that I radiate?" "What do I think I should radiate?"

Something I hear, time and time again, is that I'm a joyful person. I'm optimistic and I radiate JOY.

A Ha!

I do tend to agree with that and I love that part of my personality.

I did something quite purposeful with this page. It still makes me nervous but, I'm sticking with it! The title is placed over my face because, I want to symbolize how my JOY is something I want people to notice first. It isn't something blocking me or getting in my way... but, it is something that I embrace about myself and I love sharing WHY I have that joy deep within.

How perfect is the sentiment on that vellum piece? TOO perfect! Right??? 

There is a lot to be joyful about lately and it was fun to record this. The journal is hidden since I had a lot to say but you can read it here...

My journaling is mostly focusing on the moments when I don't feel joyful. I really do know that I'm a positive person, overall but, sometimes those moments of feeling stressed and not so joyful come up. Because, well let's face it, we live in an imperfect world and that's how it is. But, I still here from others how calm and joyful I seem... even while on the inside I'm feeling knots and twists and all kinds of uncomfortable feelings. 

I really do love that! And after thinking about this page some more, I LOVE an embrace this part of my personality!

So, what do YOU radiate? Record it with one of our kits! Grab yours HERE.

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.