Tirta Empul

The last Bird is the Word challenge word for a while is "Whisper". I did what I often do for these challenges and looked up quotes with the word whisper in it. I found this one from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Let us be silent that we may hear the whispers of the gods" and thought of our visit to the Tirta Empul temple at Tampaksiring in Bali, Indonesia. Despite the rainy day the quietness of the place really struck a chord. So, I added the quote on top of on of my photos of a woman praying in the temple (font is Angelic War).

For once I made this layout without a sketch to start with! I wasn't sure how big to print the photos to begin with. So, I placed them on a 12"x12" canvas in PSE first to determine the sizes and layout, then printed them out.

The patterned papers are from Kaisercraft Old World collection (discontinued), and the kraft cardstock is from Stampin Up! I inked the edges of everything with Faded Jeans Distress Ink. Since there was a large ship in the bottom corner of the white paper, I covered it up with a doily die cut (Cheery Lynn English tea party doily) from a coordinating paper. Under the title (cut with Sizzlets Cherish dies), I punched holes in the paper using the Mijemoo Flip it brads n eyelets guide and was going to try and sew with the jute, but that was too thick, so instead I just brought the jute up through the paper at the ends and sewed it in place with floss wherever the holes were. I added some washi tape and a few brads (Kaisercraft and Making Memories [Noteworthy]) and I was done.

The only thing left to do was to add the entrance ticket. I wanted to include it on the layout, but it was too large so I resolved that problem by sliding it behind the main photo.

I like how this layout turned out and hope you do too! Please leave me some comment love to let me know what you think.

Till next time, happy days.

Francine

{a wonderful day for a} SMILE

I just love the sketch at Sketches with a Twist this month! The twist for the challenge is that you need to include some stitching on your layout as well. Well, I don't mind doing a bit of stitching (having been a sewer in a previous (very long ago) life and a cross stitcher more recently). So, I went in search of some photos that would fit the layout sketch and came across these ones from six (wow, 6!!!) years ago. Then I found an old Stampin Up! kit called Hoppy Memories and set to work. All the papers and stickers are from that kit.

The kit had lots of frogs and turtles on the stickers, but I've learned to cover those sorts of things up if they're not useful for what I'm making. I bet you didn’t realise that the journalling circle has a frog on it, the spotty oval has a turtle on it, and the green hashed oval is in fact a lily pad! By placing other stickers from the kit over the top, you can cover up pretty much anything.

After sticking everything down I added the stitching. I pierced holes around the edge of the journalling spot to make a running stitch. I pierced holes for the cross stitches on the green oval, on the end of the border under the title, and in the top of the subtitle journalling block. (That last spot was the easiest as I just pierced holes on top of some of the dots so I knew they would be symmetrical!). Lastly I pierced six holes in the star - one in the centre and one in each of the points of the star. I then made a lazy daisy stitch from the star centre to each point and ended up with a flower. I really like how that turned out. 


I then added a few brads and the Smile (Basic Grey) letter sticker title. This is one of the current word challenges at Bird is the Word. Since the letters didn’t stand out that much against the green background paper, I doodled around the edge of the letters with an orange pen. I added some glitter to the heart and around the edge of the {heart} you sticker as well, using my Sakura clear stardust gel pen. 


All done! So, what do you think?

Till next time, happy days.

Francine

on TOUR

Here's my latest layout. I used the monthly challenge kit from my LSS, Wrapped in Paper. From the paper colours (Velvet Ensemble Collection from Kaisercraft) I decided to use some photos from our trip to the Northern Territory last July. I used the word See in my title so it qualifies for the latest Bird is the Word challenge as well.

So, I know I say this almost every time I finish a layout, but I really do love how this one turned out!! I'm loving using distress inks and used them to add stamping to the papers. Since the reverse of the cream and green papers was just wrong with the photos (wrong colours and too busy) I thought that if I added some Stampin Up! En Français script background and Stampin Up! Botanicals flowers in Frayed Burlap ink that it would add a little something to the papers so they were a bit more interesting.

I had already decided to add the small photographs to the layout and printed them, then realised that the fourth paper I had to use from the kit included the film strip, and that the small photographs were just the right size to fit the openings. Of course I had to make the openings first! I used the anywhere hole punch for punching eyelet holes to cut the slightly curved inside corners, then connected the holes with my exacto knife, and voila, the centres fell out and I was left with just the black frame part. Pretty ingenious if I do say so myself!

Of course one of the photos was portrait orientation so I had to put that one separate. I have been saving postage stamps with interesting pictures on them, and had this one of a young Aboriginal boy. Since the Red Centre is the home of many Indigenous families, this stamp seemed appropriate to add to this layout, and it was the perfect size. I added a few leaf and stamen die cuts (MFT Die-namics PrimaDonna Petals) and the small photo embellishment cluster was ready.

The flower in the top right corner and the green one on the left side were made with the Stampin Up! scallop circle punch and the middle flower and the stamens from the PrimaDonna Petals die. The green flower and the cream and red ribbon were both part of the challenge kit. I added the green chipboard stem (floral design 04) from Scrapmatts to the green flower.

The red sheer ribbon was also in the kit. What to do with that? I was just fiddling with it, so I'm not exactly sure how, but I made the flower from it. I basically folded the ribbon in half lengthways, and every 2cm or so I sewed it together on top of itself so that it made petals and came into a circle. I sewed it onto the black flower from the kit, and then added the discover label to cover up my stitching. I added a couple of die cut leaves and put it on top of the black lace that was leftover from another monthly challenge kit.

I put it all together by vaguely following AnnaMarie Mondro's interpretation of sketch #65 from GotSketch? I finished it off with letter stickers from Scenic Route and Kaisercraft for the title, and a few cream coloured brads in the flower centres. I love it and hope you do too!

Till next time, happy days.

Francine

Discover

Every two weeks at Bird is the Word, they release a new word for that fortnight's challenge. They include a sketch too, although you don't need to use it. When I saw the sketch (by Mary Thomas) for the word Discover however, I just knew what I wanted to do.

I love taking flower and insect photographs so made a collage using one of the Scrapbooks etc collage templates (no 505) that I flipped and altered slightly. The quote "For observing nature, the best pace is a snail's pace." by Edward Way Theale, Naturalist, 1899-1980 is a photo of one of the quotes inscribed into the boardwalk at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve - it's so true. I then printed it onto canvas paper. Unfortunately this meant that the quote wasn't terribly clear anymore, but I still like the textured look.

Then I set about putting the layout together, following the basic design of the sketch. I used only things from my stash: cardstock from TLC, a remnant of some green patterned paper, some handmade paper covered by a piece of (Colorbox) printed vellum. I embossed the vellum with the Ornate Treasures Secret Garden embossing folder by Craft Concepts before layering it over the handmade paper.

The circle and frame dies were from a die cut swap I participated in (thanks Lainie!), and the Fanciful Flourish is by Cheery Lynn Designs. I layered a Martha Stewart butterfly punch over a butterfly cut with the Cheery Lynn Designs Exotic Butterflies (small) die. To finish off I added some Kaisercraft pewter pearls and some pieces of ribbon that I bought recently at Costco.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Hope you like it too!

Till next time, happy days!

Francine