Simply Lovely

Happy Monday!  We had a wonderful weekend and I hope you did, too.  Today, C'est Magnifique Kits is revealing their October Kit, and I can't wait to show it to you.  It's called "Summer's Last Dance" and I absolutely love the colors!  The paper is from the 9th Wave Collection from 7 Dots Studio and Tilda.  There are kits available in the store, along with the add-ons. 

Take a look at a couple of close-ups:

How about that? -- you get a full size jar of texture paste!

So, here is one of the layouts that I created using the kit, with a photo of my niece, Abby.  I used the Marrakesh panel from the embellishment add-on and painted it black so it would stand out.  I used Golden paint so I would get good coverage.  

I added some of the Tilda paper behind the open spaces of the chipboard panel.

Supplies from my stash to add some interest to the background and to cover the chipboard:

Dylusions Black Marble Mist

Tattered Angels Chalkboard Mist - Splash

Lindy's Starburst - Tibetan Poppy Teal

Golden Fluid Acrylic Paint - Carbon Black

I'm looking forward to showing you more from this kit in the coming week.  Check back tomorrow when I'll be posting the October sketch challenge and my layout using the sketch.

~~~Valerie

Sketch Challenges

Happy Tuesday.  I have a couple of sketch challenges that I wanted to let you know about.  I'm not sure about you, but I love sketches.  Even if you don't plan to participate in the challenge (but we sure hope you do!), it's awesome to have some sketches to reference when the mojo just doesn't seem to be working.........and we ALL have those days.  

The first one is the September Sketch at Blue Fern Studios.  Here is a link to the sketch challenge on their blog, and here's the sketch we're using in September.  I think it's one of my favorites.  I just love this design!

And here is my example.  We are having a swap with 7 Dots Studio this month and I'm so excited to be using their paper (from The Queen's Heart Collection).

Sometimes I like my title to stand out on my layout, but there are times when I want it to blend in with the background.  For this one, I wanted it to fade into the background, but still be visible.  Here I covered the Blue Fern Studios chipboard title with gesso, and added some pink and orange ink to it.  Then I adhered the title to the page and began some misting.  I love how it ended up being very close to the background colors.  

When I want to add a little texture to the painted chipboard, I put some paint on my craft sheet, then apply it to the chipboard using a baby wipe.  If you don't smooth it out, it dries like this and gives a little more texture.

On this piece of chipboard, I used a brush and a little bit of mist to get a different look. 

Blue Fern Studios chipboard pieces used:

Ornate Medallions

Damask Flourish

Spiritually Speaking

I also want to tell you about the C'est Magnifique Kits September sketch, using another awesome sketch by Michele Singh.  I didn't get around to using this sketch yet, but HERE is the link to it on their blog.  

Both sketch challenges will run the entire month of September.  Be sure to take a peek at both of them because there are some awesome examples on both blogs!

~~~Valerie

A Peek at the C'est Magnifique October Kit

I'm really enjoying working on my design team projects for C'est Magnifique Kits.  The upcoming October kit will have two beautiful collections.  One is from 7 Dots Studios (Poland) and the other is Tilda (Sweden).  Take a peek!

Kit Paper:

Tilda: Summer Blues Collection: 8 Sheets double-sided paper
7 Dots Studio: 9th Wave: Sea Foam
7 Dots Studio: 9th Wave: Deep Water
7 Dots Studio: 9th Wave: Wavy Ocean
7 Dots Studio: 9th Wave: Golden Sand
7 Dots Studio: 9th Wave: Stormy Sea
7 Dots Studio: 9th Wave: Coral Reef

Of course there are also two add-ons available.  Take a look at what Leslie has put together:

Embellishment Add-on:

Maya Road: Satin Scallop Edge Trim: Teal
Prima: Clear Stamp: Seamstress
Washi Tape
Blue Fern Studios: Chipboard: Marrakesh Panel
My Mind's Eye: Chalk Studio: Decorative Alphabet
My Mind's Eye: Chalk Studio: Chipboard Elements
Shimmerz Paints: Vibez: Razzle Dazzle Berry

 Flower Add-on:

Petaloo: Canterbury Naturals: Blue/Amethyst
Petaloo: Mixed Blossoms: Antique Gold
Manor House Gelato: Cherry
Manor House: Everlasting
Manor House Vine: White
Manor House: Lotus: Fuchsia

There will be lots of designer layouts on the C'est Magnifique blog over the next couple of weeks. I hope you'll stop by.

~~~Valerie

A Blessing

I think we probably all have those in our lives that we feel are a blessing.  My niece Callie is one of the blessings in my life.  She had a rough start in life, born with a terrible illness.  But through the love of her family, a wonderful medical team, and lots of prayer, she is now a happy, healthy toddler.  So that's why I consider her to be a blessing.  I love using close-ups of her sweet, little face for my layouts.

This is one of my layouts using the September Kit from C'est Magnifique.  The ScrapBerry's paper is so yummy and dreamy and I found it perfect for pulling out some ink, stamps, paint and mist.  

Enjoy your Saturday!   I've found some time to paint so I'm in a happy place today.  :)

~~~Valerie

A Giveaway!

Just a really quick post today to let you know that the monthly Bits & Pieces Giveaway has been posted on the C'est Magnifique Kits Blog!  It's a great change to win the Bits & Pieces from Leslie's September Kit. 

And what I like BEST about this giveaway is that all you have to do is become a follower of the Blog, and enter your name.  That's it.  Not a lot of hoops to jump through.  I hope you'll stop by and enter your name.  Who knows, you could be the one to win this great collection of awesome items from the September kit and add-ons.  

~~~Valerie