We are almost at the peek of the Autumn season in the Twin Cities, and already, there's a splendor of color throughout the neighborhood and a glow that beckons to be photographed. I simply love this time of year. I could almost pitch a tent and live outside for a few days. Instead, Ethan and I walk about the block at least a couple times a week, and at my side is my camera, always. This is by far my favorite time to experiment with the ol' lens. The light is closer to the ground earlier in the evening - it surrounds everything with a warmth and beauty that's not typical of other seasons. I can't get enough of it.
I'm sorry you've not heard from me lately. School is once again stealing time away from the things I most enjoy, and I had a number of assignments to finish before September's end. For the most part, all is well at our small, cozy adobe. We're doing great! :)
Here's a couple of fun images of Ethan from this evening - we'd been out and about, strolling the city streets, hanging out with neighbors, riding bikes, and playing in the leaves. It was a perfect night!
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Today is the first day of the month, meaning that Gossamer Blue's October Kit reveal is in full swing! This one is perfect for those who've already started collecting photos of golden, crisp leaves, night time sunsets, apple orchard outings and other Autumn-inspired subjects. It includes the usual eclectic assortment of boutique manufacturers you know and love; Basic Grey, Jillibean, October Afternoon, Seven Gypsies, and more. Also just published is the latest Designer Gallery - locate it HERE.
As I mentioned previously, I'd never worked with a Seven Gypsies tray before, so I felt rather clueless when deciding what to do with it. Amazingly, the small sections of open spaces were an easy, effortless fill - the key to creating a tray like this one is to preserve harmony amongst the whole. Each little spot has neighbors, and they shouldn't be ignored. What happens in one, impacts the other. Watch how they interact when selecting and positioning your embellishments. It's similar to creating a layout. And for non-traditional embellishments like the label holder and ribbon, go with a glue gun. Much, much easier. A wide ribbon does wonders to hold up a tray if glued on properly :)
There's a lot of small pieces that went into this layout. I put together a couple of tidbits for you to read describing the techniques used to create them. Read On.
On my desk sits a gold leaf pen, readily available at your local crafts store. Typically, I use it to outline things such as this die-cut "LON" ticket. I carefully drag the brush tip along the edges of whatever I'm attempting to outline, making sure it's mostly straight, and even. It's a nifty tool, indeed!
Constructed from scratch, a hand-trimmed house and journal label, both from the same manufacturer, sit on top a Basic Grey tabbed sticker and black cardstock. Mini scenes like this one are a cheap alternative to pre-made 3-D embellishments. The main ingredients are usually on the tiny side, and are trimmed from random items like stickers, pattern paper, journal cards and die-cuts. To unify the tiny parts, border them with solid colored cardstock.
Embossing folders are cheap, prolific, and readily available, no matter where you shop! I'm learning over time, that I don't always want to use the entirety of a folder's design. There are occasions when I only want to use a section of it, such as in this instance. I cut a tiny section of OA's "office" pattern paper, tucked it into the folder over the area I sought to emboss, and built it into a hand-made frame cut from a Webster's Page "calendar card". I stapled the two pieces together and partnered the embossed image with a chunk of orange polka-dotted paper, buttons, flowers, stickers and more.
If you've yet to purchase a roll a American Craft's 1" Red Double Stick Tape, then this next idea might pursuade you to give it a try. The wonderful thing about this stuff - it's extra-wide!! You can literally cut shapes from it with a scissors such as borders, circles, hearts, triangles, squares, and sprinkle them with glitter! Here, I went about making a path of triangles from the tape. I then split the path in two, and added gold glitter to the top-half, and green glitter to the bottom-half.
*There is a lot of usage potential with this tape. In truth, I think we've yet to fully discover the advantages of adhesives. It's a medium that's just waiting to be maximized!!
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Thank-you so much for your company today! We'll see you soon! Happy Autumn!
