Baltimore

We are teaming up with Artastic for a great collaborative case file over at CSI and I had so much fun creating this layout for the collaboration!  I have been wanting to try photo transferring to paper for quite awhile and when I found this photo of the skyline of Baltimore, Maryland, I knew it was the perfect chance to try it out.  You can see full details on the case file by CLICKING HERE.

Here is the case file:

Since the photo shows my daughter looking up (in total awe) at the tall buildings in Baltimore, I wanted to find a photo that showed the skyline of Baltimore, and the waterfront as well.  I searched some google images and once I found a photo I liked, I printed it in panoramic mode onto plain 8x11 printer paper and got to work on transferring it.  I looked through Pinterest and a bunch of different blogs for guidance on how to attack this transfer, and found tons of helpful "how-to" tutorials out there.  THIS ONE from Mixed Media Artist looked the easiest so that's the one I went with.  Here's a quick step by step.  I will try to do a video tutorial now that I have the hang of it, but I didn't think to do progression photos since I was just figuring the technique out myself.

1.  Before printing your photo, be sure to reverse the image so that when it is laid down and transferred onto your paper, it doesn't come out backwards.

2.  Print the photo on plain copy paper.  I used 8x11 printer paper.

3.  Prepare the paper you are transferring onto with a layer of Mod Podge or gel medium.  I used a matte gel medium so that it wouldn't be glossy.

4.  As soon as you lay the medium down, immediately place your image onto the paper and smooth it out well using a brayer or even a credit card or something if you don't have a brayer available.

5.  Lift/peel up the paper.  QUICKLY.  It took me quite a few tries to get this part right and to manage to get my image onto the paper without pulling up the cardstock I was trying to transfer the image onto.  It still peeled in a few spots, but nothing that I couldn't deal with.  All in all, you really only want to use the brayer for about 10 seconds, and as soon as you feel that it is flattened out well, start peeling.

6.  If there is any remnants left of the transfer paper, you can gently rub them away.  Once complete, you should be left with a nice transfer image to work with.  Here is mine.

**I tried it with photo paper and did not get a good transfer. I found that the ink from the printer transferred most easily with plain old copy paper.  I would love to hear from anyone who has good luck with the photo paper technique!**

And that's it!  It really does take a little practice but what a fun technique to add to your paper crafting arsenal.  If you try it, I'd love to see what you create and hear how it goes.  Here are a few closeups.  Happy transferring!

Aside from printing on the background cardstock, I also did a transfer of the same image on a stronger mixed media paper.  Then I cut it out and popped it out to give the illusion of layers and rows of buildings in a city.

There are those great canvas Thickers again!  A good old stick pin worked out nicely to pull the red in from the case file.

I found these little metal bicycles in the bargain bins at Michael's.  $3 for 3 bronze, and 3 silver.  Good deal!

 Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you will play along with this great case file.  Be sure to upload to the galleries over at Artastic as well as CSI if you do!  Happy Scrapping!

xoxo,

Shawna

Sketchabilities #118 - Epic Photo Fail

Happy Monday!  Well, it's happy for me because I'm on vacation and getting lots of R&R!  To make the day even better, it's time for another fabulous sketch from Sketchabilities!

Here is my layout.  I seriously had way too much putting this layout together.  I think I pretty much giggled the whole time thinking about the circumstances of this photo of me and my silly friends trying to take a group photo with the camera on auto-timer.

And here is the awesome sketch.

CLICK HERE to see the rest of this fabulous reveal.

Here are some close-ups.  I dug deep into this month's Citrus Twist Kit for this one - almost everything on this layout comes from that kit.  CLICK HERE to check out June's awesome CT kit!  

Of course, like most of the Sketchabilities sketches, this one made me think of mixed media, so I layered up lots of texture on this page.  For the  background, I started with paper from the Studio Calico South Market collection (the paper is called green acres), then I laid down some gesso and went over that with a Tim Holtz mask misted with Heidi Swapp Color Shine mist in navy.  Then I layered the same mask with white ink over that.  THEN I grabbed another mask (it's actually a cardboard mask meant for home improvement projects but whatevs-I love it- and applied that with modeling paste.  I also added some splats of Tim Holtz distress stain in Crushed Olive.

Of course, for my title I fell back on my trusty canvas Thickers, and mixed them with American Craft Thickers that came in my CTK kit.

I cut these library cards from Crate Paper Open Road paper called Drive-In, and then stenciled over top of them with a Heidi Swapp mini stencil.  I used the floral pattern on the flip side of the paper as a layer behind the photo.

I still chuckle over my repeated use of the doilies I once despised, but man they do come in handy!  The stamp is a Citrus Twist Kits original.

For the bottom corner, I repeated the background work that I did under the photo and added a frame from a Basic Gray ephemera pack from the Capture line.  And then I added another Citrus Twist Kits original stamp for the camera, which I fussy cut and layered over the frame.

And there you have it, folks!  You have 2 weeks to play along and link up your creation to share with us over at Sketchabilities.  Hope to see you in the gallery!  

xoxo,

Shawna

CSI #129 - You Shine...

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope this post finds you well and, for my US girls, looking forward to a little R&R on the upcoming 4th of July holiday!  I have a really fun week planned and am looking forward to lots of quality time and sunshine!

Here is my take on CSI's reveal for this week.  I loved the colors and had fun trying out an laser cut overlay on this one.  I bought it though...still no Silhouette.  I'm gonna have to crack and buy one some day very soon!  Here's my layout:

 And here is the beautiful case file.  CLICK HERE to see what the rest of the design team came up with and to play along.

 And some of the deets:  I misted the overlay with Heidi Swapp Color Shine mist in Mustard and Velvet Black.  The chipboard is a lovely branch-like circle from Creative Embellishments.  You have to stop by and check out their amazing selection of quality chipboard!  I am using it more and more.  CLICK HERE to visit the Creative Embellishments store.  For this layout, I covered the chipboard with dark gray Faber Castell gelatos, and then embossed some spots with white.

Lots of Heidi Swapp stickers and ephemera, including this cute heart, and the title work.  The "joy" button is an adorable Heidi Grace epoxy sticker.  I love how it looks doodled.

More Heidi Swapp, and some cheap dollar bin Recollections/Michael's blooms.  And some fun green thread and wire to tie in the green in the case file palette.

And here is my journaling - a 6 word memoir.

Enjoy the weekend friends!


xoxo,

Shawna

Exciting News and a Layout to Share!

I've been itching to share some awesome news with you all, and today I finally can...I am now an official design team member for Life. Paper. Scrapbook!!!

For anyone not familiar with LPS, it is a fantastic challenge site that offers both a sketch and a mood board challenge each month.  LPS also puts out an amazing digital scrapbooking magazine, in which I have been published in the past.  CLICK HERE to see the rest of the design team reveal and get ready to check out the July sketch challenge coming up very soon!

I also wanted to share this "just for fun" layout I did capturing one of my favorite recent photos of the Little Lady.  The way the sun backlit her pretty little face was just totally ethereal, and that's what I was going for with this soft layout.  I didn't do a ton of work on it - just some gold and blush mist behind the layers, a hand painted title that I fussy cut, and then some delicate pink feathers to soften the page.  I hope you enjoy!

Now.  Off to my scrap table...I have a lot of creating to do! :-D

xoxo,

Shawna

BFFs 4ever...

Hello hello!  I have a layout to share that was made for CSI's latest case file, Case #128.  This one had a whole lotta purple which always gives me hives, but I tackled it as best as I could.  lol  I was psyched to find this photo of the Little Lady and her BFF because it literally had all of the colors in the case file worked in already.

Here's the case file.  CLICK HERE to see the rest of the awesome work from the other designers.

Some closeups.  I really love these fabric Thickers.  I use them all.the.time!  This time, I covered them in some powder blue chalky ink.  Underneath the center of the layout, I used mists and masks and some Tim Holtz distress paints to make the splats.  Then I added a layer of random stamps and a bunch of light blue thread.

I used some Liquid Pearls here and there, and some modeling paste to do some directional triangles.  The "tree" triangle that I used for journaling, as well as the leaf I used for the title, were fussy cut from DCWV Green Stack - it's a summer woodsy/campy line and has been coming quite handy this season!  I added the Prima pussy willow embellie (part of it - I cut it down) as a finishing touch over the photo.

How cute is this Basic Grey "Hey Girl" flair button?

Side view of the dimension :)

And that's all she wrote!  You have until June 29th to link up and share your layout with us over at CSI.  Enjoy your Sunday everyone!

xoxo,

Shawna