Texture …. finding inspiration in my surroundings

I took my camera out yesterday for the first time in ages. I had no pre conceived idea of what I was going to do . It was a simply a case of taking the kids to Priests Cove after school and grabbing the camera on the way out the door.

These images are what I have returned with.

This fishing boat was pulled up on the slip way. I love the texture of the  peeled paint and the contrast between it and the  rusting metal ( sorry I don’t know the technical terms for the bits of the boat I am referring to ) Here are a few close up shots.

Inside the boat is equally interesting…look at the floor ! the fiberglass sides also look great

Here is a close up

The boat below looks like it could do with a lick of paint.

Not just yet though. The pink, yellow and blue give a colour combination I would not normally try… and the paint effect could be replicated  with a wash of watercolours .

Recently I have become more and more interested in using texture in my work. My aim here is to use these images to create textured backgrounds that bare relevance to the photos and images I will be using .

Shimmerz paints on Acrylic for winter backgrounds

This gallery contains 14 photos.

I have been feeling a bit nostalgic this week . Nostalgic for the Christmases we had when we lived in Munich. I have a lot of photos from this time that need attention. This week I decided to make a … Continue reading →

From Photo to layout

I edited a few pictures in Picnik to give the ” Horror ” effect

I wanted to create a Halloween Layout that avoided the usual bats and spiders webs . Choosing instead to alter paper and chipboard and use some existing embellishments. My aim , to show the versatility of the standard pieces you probably already have in your stash.

The key products used for this layout are

• Stewart Gill Paints
• Shimmerz Enammelz
• Shimmerz Vibez “Dark brfore Dawn”
• Dusty Attic Chipboard
• Gleam Gilding Wax
• Viva Decor Inca Gold
• Flea Market Finds
• Brass flowers by Graphic 45 and Vintaj Brass
• Matte medium & Gesso

Products used can be purchased from my webshop by clicking on the product.

Using Stewart Gill Paints

Stewart Gill “Creative Elements” is a 3 step concept for creating painted Backgrounds.
Step 1 Surface Colour
Step 2 Surface Shine
Step 3 Surface Texture

I have enjoyed teaching with these  paints during my recent Autumn  weekend retreats. The following videos demonstrate  how to encorporate these painting techniques in your scrapbooking layouts.

To Browse the Stewart Gill products in the Just scrapbooking Shop Please follow this Link  Justscrapbooking Online shop

Changeing Times = Changing Styles

My Eldest is 15 now this summer has been a turning point. My boy has become an independent young man.The 2 layouts featured in this post have developed through a necessity to record what he loves to do, in a style he would approve of .

Layout 1

I took my inspiration from Skateboarding  imagery and used it to create a collage.

Layout 2

Has been inspired by  Street Art

Here is a quick step by step for both layouts .

Layout 1

Layout 2

The Prep has begun!

Today I have been preparing books for the Altered book weekend in October… A lot of the prep can be tedious not to mention messy, so with 20 books to get ready I thought it was wise to start now.

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The first step in the preparation involves removing about 1/4 of the book volume. By doing this you will be able to add bulk to your book later and it will still close when finished. The next thing I did today was to start glueing the pages together. I like to glue in groups of 4 it gives a good weighty page to work on later.

I have a page on this blog dedicated to Altered books. There you can find more detailed  instructions on the first steps involved in creating your own Altered book.

Summer Photos

In the Justscrapbooking July Newsletter I talked a little about summer photography, Here is a selection of my favourites

Summer Inspiration

Summer Music for Summer Layouts.

Summer is here and I have been thinking about the nostalga of summers past. Music has always been able to evoke strong emotions, it has the capacity to transport me back to another time and place. This Bellamy Brothers song  Let your love flow  is one such song . The challenge now is to capture ”That Summer of 1976 “  in a layout.

 

I decided to use an old book for this project .

Scrapbooking Products Used in this project -

1. Old book
2. Vintage Postcards
3. Old Record.
4. Beach Finds( my sea shellsand seagull feather)
5. Graphic 45 Staples ( hinges and door plate)
6. Vintaj Brass seahorse and starfish embellishments
7. Old Key
8. Clock face
9. Golden Acrylic paint
10. Golden Gesso
11. Distress Inks ( Ranger)
12. Crackle Glaze ( Applicraft)

You can either click on the product to be directed to where you can purchase a specific Item . Alternatively you can follow this link to browse in the Justscrapbooking Web Shop