My doggie FRIEND - Bella

Hello Friends,

I think i might have uncovered a new addiction - challenges and sketches!! This is now apart from my addiction to all things scrap-related - oh yes and coffee.

My best doggie friend - Bella plays centre stage to this layout. She is suppose to be a chocolate Labrador but a couple of things went wrong so now she has white paws and a white chest, limited brain capacity (although I think she is highly intelligent and just plays dumb because she can) and she would probably lick any stranger to death, invite him in for coffee and show him where to find the silver. That said, she has an awesome personality and is the doggie love of my life, and she is more loyal than my shadow, where I go she goes..... and if she can not follow, the song she sings is sad and so forlorn. She is also an avid school-sport fan and has only once tried to join the rugby game, playing with the ball just seemed so much fun - lol.  She is such a cutie pie and always willing to listen to all my ramblings...

This lay-out is being entered for the challenge over at Scrap-Africa, the second challenge for May is to use chipboard on your page.

I am also entering the lay-out over at Get Creative, where their lay-out challenge for May is - flowers!! Using the sketch that comes with the challenge is optional.

If I could find a challenge for stitching I would enter it there too - LOL

Onwards to the layout.....

I used some Kaisercraft paper from the 365 Days Collection, as well as a piece of Echo Park - For The Record - Newsprint paper. The flower vine is a Prima product, and the title is American Crafts Marquise pearl letter stickers. The chipboard is made by Enmarc, the rest of the "ingredients" came from my stash.

The "fence" chipboard was covered with gesso, scratched with a tonic scratch tool and inked with Victorian velvet  Distress ink giving them a shabby look. I put some glossy accent on the bottom bits of the "fence" - this is leftover from a Enmarc Chippy used on another project. Both butterflies were layered to give them some dimension. The bottom of the big butterfly was treated the same as the "fence" - gesso, scratch, ink. The top of the big butterfly was scratched with the scratch tool, and then inked. This was also done with the little butterfly. When I scratched the butterflies, the top layer of the chip board came off and after inking them they had a shabby suede look too them - I really liked the effect and I think it goes well with the look of the lay-out.

I even created my own chipboard embellishment. The saying was printed, cut and stuck on a piece of chipboard, then it was covered with glossy accents, left overnight to dry and VOILA a chipboard embellishment!!

I used some texture paste and a stencil on the background and then spritzed it with some Perfect Pearl Mist to give it some shimmer. There is also some drops of glossy accents randomly placed on the flower vine leaves to look like little water drops.

..... and lastly a close-up of the little butterfly and the stitching done in the corner of the lay-out.

Thank you for stopping by I hope you found some inspiration along the way. If your mojo hopped away try some challenges to kick start your creative self - it really works and the internet is full of challenge blogs, you are sure to find one that will suit your style. Have fun!!



Till next time...
Lee