teleroblog;

A Bit of Silliness, 12x12 

A tutorial + 2 more layouts under the cut!

Supply list:

• Patterned papers: Pink Paislee Twilight Collection Nightfall, My Mind’s Eye Haunted Collection Flying Witch Flocked Kraft, Basic Grey Origins Collection Authentic, My Mind’s Eye Meadowlark Collection Dawn Floral Display
• Alpha: Prima Black Alphabet Stickers
• Journaling spot: My Mind’s Eye Meadowlark Collection Dawn Cards
• Other: Lace trim
• Not in kit: Alpha, acrylic paint, orange journaling spot, thread

Interested in how I made the custom leaf embellishments found on my “A Bit of Silliness” layout? Grab the sheet of Basic Grey’s Origins Collection “Authentic” paper included in your October kit and read on!

1. Prepare to paint! Slather your fingers with your colors of choice (I used a palette of red, orange, and yellow).
2. Fearlessly dab at the paper with your fingers, patting your fingertips against random spots on the paper. It’s just like you’re back in elementary school! :) I dry brushed paint onto my hands, but you could use a teeny bit of water to make the paint flow better. I didn’t use a lot of paint as I still wanted the design of the paper to show through, but you could also use this technique on plain paper, covering all of it with paint.
3. There’s no rhyme or reason to this method, so keep at it. Need tips? Turn the paper with your unpainted hand as you work, ensuring that you’ll get fairly even coverage. Then again… Maybe even coverage isn’t what you’re looking for, so experiment!
4. I added a very small amount of black to make the rest of the colors stand out more. Once finished, my hand looked a little something like this! If you’re not a total mess by time you’re done, you’re doing it wrong. ;)

All you need to do now is let the paint dry and then cut out some leaves! I used the design of Ellison’s Tiny Leaves SureCut Die as inspiration for my own leaves, but you can create your own template or make each leaf unique. The sky’s the limit!

Bird on Your Grave, 12x12 

Supply list:

• Patterned papers: My Mind’s Eye Meadowlark Collection Dawn Toile, Dawn Wrought Iron, My Mind’s Eye Haunted Collection Large Chandeliers Flocked Kraft
• Brad: My Mind’s Eye Haunted Collection Decorative Brads
• Other: Cardstock flowers, fabric flower pin
• Not in kit: Woodgrain contact paper, acrylic paint, clay sparrows, faux leaves/trimmings, alpha, thread, staples
• Lyrics: Marissa Nadler

Bird on Your Grave was an intensely personal layout for me to create… As you may or may not know, I lost two of my cats last year to a malady vets can’t name for certain; it’s either congenital heart disease or Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). I’m sure you’ve guessed by the number of pet layouts/projects I create that I’m very close to my animals — they are truly members of the family to me. It’s been difficult and will continue to be difficult living without pets I’ve lost. This layout is a testament to that. “Bird on Your Grave” is the name of a Marissa Nadler song. If you haven’t heard it, you can listen to the song/watch the video here.

Scariest Movie Ever: The Shining, 12x12 

Supply list:

• Patterned papers: Making Memories Spellbound Collection Die Cut Newsprint, My Mind’s Eye Haunted Collection Large Chandeliers Flocked Kraft, My Mind’s Eye Meadowlark Collection Dawn Floral Display
• Alpha: Prima Black Alphabet Stickers
• Journaling spot: My Mind’s Eye Meadowlark Collection Dawn Cards
• Not in kit: Woodgrain contact paper, acrylic paint, alpha

On a happier note (or should I say scarier?), once I got the October Main Kit in the mail, I just knew I had to create a layout about my favorite scary movie, The Shining. It still creeps me out after innumerable viewings.

I love those Prima letters, but I came up a little short on some, so the “E” in “Movie” is actually an altered “B.” I really focused on the theme of the hotel — vintage wallpaper, geometric patterns on the carpets, etc. — and repeated those elements in my layout. I think the chandelier is a really nice touch and goes perfectly with the page!