Monday, March 31, 2014

Royal Resemblance ?

Could there be a Royal resemblance in our family?  Most of you have probably seen the recently released photo of the Royal Family.  To me, it is a beautiful portrait, and isn't Prince George a cutie?  I can just picture him crawling around on the floor, trying to catch the dog.  A portrait such as this seems relevant in 2014 and I'm glad they chose to keep it so "everyday",  as opposed to formal and stuffy.

 
Yes, I thought the portrait was a great way to represent the Royals, but the first thing I saw when I looked at it, was a resemblance to my niece, Callie Jane.  She had the same sweet face when she was his age.  Hopefully Prince George will have a similar spirited personality as Callie.



Although Callie is a girl, and George is a boy, I think their profile is very similar.  She had a difficult start to life, but I've always known there was something special about this little girl.

~Valerie

Sunday, March 30, 2014

A Touch of Refinement

The April Kit from C'est Magnifique Kits is being revealed today and it sure is beautiful.  Here's a look at the entire kit, "A Touch of Refinement":




The beautiful paper is from Riddersholm and is a collection of soft blues and deep plums, with lots of brown distressing.  The copper flowers are such a perfect match.

I created this layout using a photo of my nieces.  I titled it "Pretty" (because they are so pretty) using one of the tags printed on the paper.  The chipboard frame is from Blue Fern Studios (Small Circle Flourish) and is in the April Mixed Media Kit, which has already sold out. 


I love to use the monthly add-ons when creating with my kit each month.  A few Kits, Flower Add-ons and Embellishment Add-ons are available in the Store. 

Have a great day!

~Valerie

Saturday, March 15, 2014

C'est Magnifique April Kit

Hi all.  C'est Magnifique Kits released the first look at the April kit today, so I have lots of photos to share.  The paper is the beautiful Riddersholm Design (Denmark) Fall Flea Market collection. 

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Riddersholm Design: Fall Flea Market: Old Receipt
Riddersholm Design: Fall Flea Market: Secret Letter
Riddersholm Design: Fall Flea Market: Classifieds
Riddersholm Design: Fall Flea Market: Scent
Riddersholm Design: Fall Flea Market: Vintage Junk
Riddersholm Design: Fall Flea Market: Future Key
Riddersholm Design: Fall Flea Market: Attic Junk
Riddersholm Design: Fall Flea Market: Retro Light

The April Magnifique Mixed Media (MMM) kit was released yesterday.  It sure is beautiful!

Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

Magnifique Mixed Media Kit:
Art Anthology: Sorbet: Dimensional Paint: Imperial
Lindy’s Stamp Gang: Embossing Powder: Madonna Robe Blue Gold
Lindy’s Stamp Gang: Moonshadow Mist: Violaceous Violet
Viva: Inka Gold: Gold
Jacquard: Lumiere: Perlescent Turquoise
Prima: Ingvild Bolme: Shabby Chic Treasures: Oval Resin Frames
Prima: Tatiana: Victorian
Prima: Cartographer: Wood Embellishments
Prima: Cartographer: Tags and Tickets
The Crafter’s Workshop: 6x6 Stencil: Mini Cut Circles
KaiserCraft: Rubons: These Days: Brown
Prima: Assorted Flowers (Mini Sachet: Meadow, Prima: Labelle: Jade)
(some items are partial packages)

This is what can be found in the April Flower Add-on.  Lots of beautiful flowers from Prima and Petaloo.

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And here's the  Embellishment Add-on.  I love having these 'extras' when it comes to using the kit.

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 Embellishment Add-on:
Blue Fern Studios: Chipboard: Small Circle Flourish
Prima: Ingvild Blome: Shabby Chic Treasures: Resin Fireplace Collection
Petaloo: Spring Berry Clusters: Lavender/Purple
My Mind’s Eye: Lost & Found: Record It: Antique Alpha & Word Stickers
Shimmerz: Royal Purple
Prima: Junkyard Findings: Industrial Lamps
Prima: Cartographer: Chipboard Pieces

That's it for today.  Hope your weekend is special!

~Valerie

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

So Happy!

My niece, Makenzie, is so happy and full of giggles most of the time.  I love this sweet photo of her and her bother (my nephew).  I took this photo of them outside so I would have good light, and hung a piece of unbleached muslin behind them as a backdrop.  I don't iron the fabric.  If you place it far enough behind the subject, you can leave it wrinkled.  I just roll it in a ball when I'm finished, and place it in a large garbage bag until I need it again.

I created this layout using the March kit from C'est Magnifique.  The paper used is the beautiful collection from UHK, a Polish manufacturer.  The beautiful teals (one of my favorite colors) are stunning, but I also like the neutral backgrounds that are perfect for making it your own by using mists, ink, etc.  This kit is sold out, but the paper and add-ons are available HERE in the C'est Magnifique Store.




Here are a few close-ups:





Thanks for stopping by today.  I am already busy working with the April kit.  I will be posting a peek at that kit in just a few days.  It's a totally different look, but one you will love!

~Valerie

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Remember - Blue Fern Studios

I'm so excited to share a design team layout for Blue Fern Studios today.  I have used the Blue Fern Garden paper collection, as well as several chipboard pieces.

I created this layout using a photo of my son and nephew playing on the beach when they were very young.  It's a photo from the 1970's that I scanned and cleaned up a little bit in Photoshop.  


I began with piece from the Blue Fern Garden paper collection, and built the background using texture paste, masks, Distress Ink, Gelatos and stamps.  I then layered some paper scraps , created  a flower cluster, and added my photo.  The next step was to dress-up some Blue Fern Studios chipboard and add that.  In this photo, you will see some pieces of the Tweet Friends piece.  I painted it green, then added some Tim Holtz Distress Glitter (adhered with Glossy Accents).


If you're like me, titles are always a struggle.  I love this frame from the Memory Frames set and it's perfect to use as a title.  Instead of using it as a frame, I tucked it behind the photo.  To color the frame, I coated it with VersaMark, and applied black embossing powder.


Next I primed a piece of the Checker Bits and an arrow from the Directions set with gesso, and painted them blue.  On the Checker Bits (shown below), I stamped it with a text stamp, and allowed it to smear just a bit.


Up in the top corner, I used a few hearts from the Heart Borders set.  These are the little hearts that I punched out from this set of chipboard.  These were also heat embossed using black embossing powder.
 

In addition, I wanted to let you know that Blue Fern Studios has a sketch challenge each month.  Here is the March sketch.  You can find all the details HERE on the Blue Fern blog.


Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you had a great weekend. 

~Valerie

Monday, March 3, 2014

Perfect Moment

What a sweet photo of my dear dad holding his great granddaughter, Callie, at her first birthday party.  I love how my dad is holding her foot, and the apprehensive look she is giving him!  They are both very special people in my life. 



I created this layout using the beautiful March Kit from C'est Magnifique Kits.   The patterned paper that I chose for this layout is the "Picnic" paper from the Blue Fern Garden collection.  Love the beautiful combination of pink and green.

The design for this layout was taken from the March C'est Magnifique Kits sketch.  You can find all the details HERE on their blog.


I sure hope you get a chance to enter the sketch challenge.  You have the entire month of March!

~Valerie