Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Autumn Colors!

I love the rich tones of Autumn and the November kit from C'est Magnifique is filled with these colors!  Here's a look at the kit appropriately called Falling Leaves.  I love everything about this kit. There are kits available for purchase in the Store


 Close-ups of the kit:




For this layout, I used the November kit along with a Homecoming photo of my granddaughter Eryn and her boyfriend.  The combination of blue and orange is really beautiful.




I used these items from my stash:

Doily
Distress Ink (Tea Dye and Faded Jeans)
Prima Stitches Stamp
Security Envelope (I have quite a collection of these!)
My Little Shoebox mini alphabet
Martha Stewart border punch

Sure hope you're having a great week.  I seem to be cold all the time.  I think my body just hasn't adjusted to the colder temperatures.

~~~Valerie



Monday, October 28, 2013

Memories

My (darling) niece Callie is so photogenic, just like her sister.  I absolutely love a series of photos that were taken at the beach.  This is another layout I created using the October kit from C'est Magnifique.  For the background, I began with a sheet of paper from the 7 Dots Studio's 9th Wave Collection.  Both the kit and paper are available for purchase in the C'est Magnifique Kits store.



There's a beautiful stencil in the kit that I used with mist to add some 
texture to the background.  The Embellishment add-on includes the Blue Fern 
Studios Marrakesh Panel.  It's a great piece of chipboard that can be cut 
and used on multiple layouts.



I'm looking forward to the November kit reveal on the 30th!   See you then.  ~~~Valerie

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Autumn Colors

I absolutely love autumn colors.  They aren't necessarily the colors I use year-round, but once the leaves start to change and the weather gets cooler, I want to scrap with those warm colors we associate with autumn. 

The upcoming November kit from C'est Magnifique is filled with those colors and I love it!  Although I can't post any of my layouts yet, I can give you look at the paper in the kit.  It's the beautiful "Walking in the Forest" collection from Maja Design (Sweden).  This photo doesn't even begin to show the beautiful detail of the paper, but you can see colors:


I can also tell you that there are 2 add-ons available now that go with the kit.  You can see everything including the paper and add-ons in the November Kit section of the store.  Hope you'll take a peek! 

~~Valerie

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

C'est Magnifique Giveaway

Just a quick post today to let you know that C'est Magnfique Kits has posted the October Bits & Pieces Giveaway.  That's when you get a chance to win the bits and pieces left over from Leslie's kit and add-ons.  All you have to do is be a follower of the blog, and enter your name to win.  It doesn't get much easier that that.  So head over to THIS blog post and enter to win!  Here's a look at what they're giving away:


Good Luck!  The deadline for entries is midnight October 13th.

~~~Valerie

Monday, October 7, 2013

A Little Sweetie and Some Blue Fern

Hi all.  I wanted to share with you a layout I made recently using some Blue Fern Studios chipboard and paper from 7 Dots Studio, whose design team was teamed up with Blue Fern in September.  I love 7 Dots paper so it was a great joy to get to work with it in September.  I used the Messy Head collection for this layout

For this layout I used a photo of my nephew Keegan.  Isn't he just the sweetest!  He just turned 2 and when they have birthdays, it always makes me want to look back at their infant photos.


I used the Blue Fern Organic Vine in my flower cluster.  
I cut it apart into small sections and colored it using Gelatos.


The Blue Fern Bordeaux Frame is used with the photo.  It has several layers (this chipboard stands up to much abuse), and I just kept going until I achieved the effect I wanted.  Here I used gesso, Distress Stain, Distress Ink, and two shades of Inka Gold (Old Silver and Platinum).
 

For the little butterfly from the Gabrielle Butterfly Set, I primed it with Gesso, then colored it with Pitt Artist Big Brush Pens in a couple of shades.  I wiped some of it off while it was still wet to get a distressed look.
 

I love using Blue Fern Chipboard and finding new and creative ways to alter it.  Of course you also have the option of using it raw which looks really nice, too.

I also wanted to let you know that Blue Fern Studios has posted the October Sketch Challenge on their blog.  Here's a look at the sketch:


You can find all the details HERE on their blog.  You have the entire month of October to participate.

Have a great week, everyone!  ~~~Valerie

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

A Sketch Challenge for October

C'est Magnifique Kits has posted their sketch challenge on the blog.  A link to all the information can be found in the left sidebar of their blog.  Here's the sketch we're working with in October.  It's one of my favorites:


I created this layout using the sketch, the October Kit, and a photo my niece, Callie.  You can't help but be happy when you see her smile!  


 I used the She Art stencil that is in the kit, along with some texture paste.  I colored it a light pink using the spray that is in the kit.  Just put some texture paste on a craft sheet, add a little mist, and stir it up well, until you don't see any white.  If you want it darker, add a little more mist.  If you got it too dark, just add a little more texture paste.


I hope you will find time to participate in the sketch challenge.  There is an awesome prize available to the winner, chosen by a random draw.  

~~~Valerie