Let's lighten things up a bit, shall we? Today feels like an optimum time to shift directions and talk scrapbooking, Gossamer Blue, and my contribution to the excitement of September's Kit Reveal. Believe it or not, I haven't forgotten about this super duper, awesome hobby. When the weight of the world isn't disrupting my creative mojo,without a doubt, this gal is crafting like the best of them!
Last month, on my to-do list, was a series of guest design "Gossamer Blue" projects I'd to finish and submit on time for September's Kit reveal. Typically, when presented with a request for multiple layouts, it's not at all unusual for me to set aside a significant number of days/weeks to work on them. In most cases, I'm asked to keep them private as well. Thankfully, the privacy policy usually expires quickly, and on days like today, I get to pull them out from behind the curtain, and share them as a whole. In a way, this is a blessing in disguise because normally, I'd have just one layout per post. Today, represents an exception to rule. Today, I get to pull the curtain back and reveal THREE beautiful layouts, including news of GB's September kit (+ add-ons) premier - an event that played out on September 1st at the GB Blog!
For this particular month, I'm guesting, but come October, I'll be fully on board as a design team member at GB. This means you'll be seeing more Gosammer on my blog in the months ahead. In a BIG way, that is great, great news 'cause I'll be scrapbooking "something" at least two to the three times a month in supplement of everything else I've got going on, whether it'd be Crate Paper related, or a freebie, "do-what-I-want" kind of project. I'll be amply busy taking breaks from studying when given the chance - Yes, sometimes scrapbooking is more important than homework ;)
I think what impresses me most about GB's kits is their invaluable attention to detail in terms of product variety, and understanding how important it is to have a broad array of supplies to choose from in order to create layouts without running into constraints or limitations that might otherwise prevent you from reaching your scrappy-goals. I noticed this extra convenience right away after analyzing September's kit contents. I then brought forth a couple of it's "small kit" add-ons - WOW! Talk about kit overload!! I had zero issue meeting the three project requirement - and there are no shortage of details.
I'm gonna throw this out there, even though it might surprise you - I have a secret crush on Pebbles Inc. Have for a really long time. Ever since they united with AC, I've been happily stalking their collections! Actually, I remember them prior to AC; Cuteness Galore! Lucky for me, Gossamer sneaked some Pebble's into the kit via Sunnyside Masking Tape Stickers. I layered a few of them on top an October Afternoon label sticker. Easy-peasy.
Tabs are fun. Ok, so that's obvious info. Could I not be anymore creative tonight? Laugh. I guess what I'm trying to say is that "yes", we love tabs, but think about this - when was the last time you reserved a space on a layout to hide a tab, or two? I remember the days when SEI had available with each of their collection releases, the most darling sticker page tabs, ever! I still own quite a few of them some four years later :)
Florals can go one of two ways; first, are the pre-designed flowers without the frilly additions. Usually, they're either of a chipboard or sticker material, and are meant to be used right away, "as is". The second are flowers made from scratch. They're built from the ground, up and are as entirely unique as their maker. My preference is to create my own flowers, even though they're a heck of a lot of work. The key to managing the workload is to pair handmade with pre-made. The two together will save you a lot of time. In this particular instance, I befriended a Basic Grey chipboard flower with some of my own. Note the echoing of colors throughout; blue center, always.
Mini papers are all the rage these days, and it's not only card makers who use them, but everyday scrapbookers, too! With the downsizing of the economy, nearly every product known to man has available, a mini version of itself. Think about the sheer volume of scrapbook supplies having been downsized by manufactures just within this last year or two? Patterned Paper isn't alone, I can assure you that :)
In the September Bits and Pieces Add-On kit, is October Afternoon's "Woodland Park" 8 x 8 patterned paper pack. I took advantage of it's ample offerings with all three projects. The card houses OA's quaint, cottage-like floral paper as part of it's background.
*Yep, I tucked OA's green velour ribbon inside and around the flower. To hold the ribbon in place, small glue dots were utilized.
As to this layout, the element that captures most everyone's eye is the three square windows. The glitter decorated windows is backed by glitter adorned patterned paper (Diamond Glaze & gold glitter). The frame itself is constructed from carefully punched 1.25" squares, three in total. It's propped up with pop dots.
And there you have it, a full spectrum of Gossamer Blue happiness! Now, if you've time, check out GB's Website - the design team gallery is up and running. Don't forget to bring the "Pin-It" button with you! Night everyone!
