We've entered a brand new month and you know what that means - Gossamer Blue's Big Kit Reveal! As of November 1st, the soft and peppy paper/embellishment assortment is officially available for the taking. I had the honor to work with the kit this last month and from it, I created a splendid "You & me" layout. It's based on Ethan's love for Gary, Sponge Bob's pet snail. If you're at all familiar with the animation series, then you know how cute and lovable Mr.Gary is - his sluggish maneuvers to his kitty-like meows are just a few of his famous features among many. When we spotted the stuffed version of Gary at MOA (Mall of America) a month ago, we grabbed him and brought him home with us. For a while, Ethan took him everywhere. Eventually, poor Gary joined the abandoned stuffed animal pile. Today, he's in the same spot Ethan left him, and our Sponge Bob watching habits have declined...thanks to my turning the cable off. Laugh. Now we're all about "Curious George", PBS's likable yellow monkey :)
Gossamer Blue's November Main Kit + Kit Add-On Sample
The kit is quite extraordinary in person. The photos don't readily capture the softness of the kit's color palette - when viewed in person, it's love at first sight. Ask any of us on GB's design team and we'll tell you that it's by far our favorite kit so far from GB. It reminds me a great deal of American Craft's "Dear Lizzy" collections. Lots of pastels and brights to go 'round. :)
Remember my mentioning the glittery hue, "Gold", a few weeks ago? I'm still working on how I want to develop the post. It may turn out to be a series of posts, rather than just one. I've been using the color since the creation of my very first layout. It's crazy to think that I'm still obsessed with it. Personally, and this is just my opinion, Gold is the counterweight of every color on the color wheel. It's the world's best neutral! You can pair it with anything and everything. It's application methods are numerous, too. Very rarely do I rely on scrapbook products to incorporate the color into my projects either. Instead, I depend heavily on fluid mediums like gel pens, paints, inks, glitter, etc. There's transparency and rub-ons as well. Lately, it seems the industry is pushing out gold foil on it's papers and stickers. I'm totally happy about that. The more, the merrier. I'm glad to see the color make a come back..finally.
I typically use a reliable gold gel pen to create borders around things such as stickers, journaling cards, and so forth. No longer do I bother using a ruler to help with the process of drawing them. It's all freehand. The border above was first outlined in white (gel pen) and then filled in with gold (gel pen).
Above, a quick splash of gold is painted on as a backdrop to my layout's title. To apply the paint, I used a medium round tip brush and Martha Stewart's Gold Acrylic Paint (Craft Section of Jo Anns or Michaels). You could easily pull off this same idea on a larger scale with the help of a plastic merchants card, or wide flat brush. Drop paint randomly on your paper and spread it back and forth with the card or brush. *Random is the key!! Mix gold paint with other color paints if you like - pink might be fun!
You can certainly pack a punch with gold glitter, literally. Above, I punched two tiny stars from a dark yellow cardstock, coated them in clear-drying adhesive and sprinkled on some glitter. I then glued them down on either side of "Gary".
Wondering where all them clear dots came from? Way back in the day, Lolly Chessie introduced me to Viva Decor, a savvy craft mixed media company. Their products are amazing! One such product that I love is their Glass Effect Gel. It goes on clear, has a raised effect, and dries quickly. The application container has a pointed, sharp tip that forms the paint into a "dot shape". It's nifty stuff! It's also available in a variety of colors, and dries clear. CLICK HERE to check it out! The Pearl Pens are fab, too!
Speaking of dots, I'm swear that has to be an alternative to buying these enamel dots - does anyone know of a source for instructions on making your own? I do love them, though the price tag is a wee bit steep for this gal! If you know of the secret to recreating them, please, share it with me!! Email me if you have to..thanks!!
If in doubt, staple it on! Ranger's Mini Stapler is the best! :)) You can layer anything together with the help of staples. You can even hide them if need be....
I'm running on low power here with the laptop, so I'm closing shop! All that aside, I'm spending the next couple of days with Eric. Tonight, he's going to teach me how to play cards..yes folks, I haven't a clue how to play card games. Laugh. It's embarrassing to say the least. Laugh. Tomorrow night, we're attending a local community play together - I expect much entertainment ahead! Should be a great weekend...take care you guys! Bye-bye!
