Playing with Color

Ranch work is never ending and fall starts our busy time of year.  Fall weather is welcomed by humans and animals after a long hot Texas summer.  At least not the repeat of Summer 2011!  The bulls are back to sparring a little every evening, the new fall calves and yearlings can be found atop a mound of dirt dug out for our new Fodder Building/Farm Office/Guest Apartment foundation happily playing King of the Mountain!

My scrap time has been somewhat limited.  I'm finding being on my first design team is keeping me focused to spend some time each day at my table working on the newest sketch.  Maybe this week I can catch up on posting some of what I'm getting done.  This layout has to be one of my very favorites.  The photo is one James gave me.  One of his many self portraits.  He played with some color to create the photo on a website  I have long forgotten.

I left it without a title as I wanted the person viewing to give their own title in their mind.  Thank you, James, I just loved your photo!

Nuts About Sketches #235 and a little MME Meadowlark!

I hope you'll come find the same wonderful inspiration I do at Nuts About Sketches!

Hawaii Pineapple

I had a very special photo in my mind sitting on my desk for almost three weeks.  I just became smitten once my head really focused on the Oct. 1st Sketch for Nuts About Sketches blog!  I could see the photo I scrapped immediately in my mind just how to work with the photo, the papers, the ink, distressing and mists!

I needed a tropical feel even though the photo is B/W!  I'm not a tropical kind of color person.  I'm also not a Bo Bunny person although moving to more heritage type of papers has now drawn me in.  Bo Bunny Gabrielle was not a line I could grasp, but I loved all the butterflies as they have been hot hot!  Last year I was visiting the LSS in Buffalo, sadly now closed, I found Gabrielle paired up with Graphic 45 Once Upon A Springtime and I fell in love.  Purchased five papers and some embellishments....got home and thought I'll never scrap with this.....LOL!  But oh I love Graphic 45.  I could only see these two lines combined to do this layout of my Grandmother in a Pineapple Field.

I did a little research into Hawaii's pineapple production in the 1950's!  Got to love Google.  I wanted to know how that machine worked in the background.  Interesting contraption.  Yet I love all things agriculture. I would love to be able today to chide my grandmother for wearing a blouse, skirt and hat on of all things a farm!  LOL....I know it is associated with her working at American Home Magazine.

One can take a peek here to see what I used on the layout!  But really my favorite ever distressing tool is the Prima Rasptool!  The link is to a great video on how to use the tool by Jamie Dougherty. This was the first time I played with it and I am in love.  Beautifully balanced and light weight to distress giving you loads of control.  I recommend this tool if you do not have one.  And of course available at my favorite online store, A Cherry on Top!

I purchased the Quickutz 2x2 Pineapple die just to do this layout!  Even had to use the distress tool on it along with a paint brush and Glimmer Mist and Chalk and the pineapples were ready to be mounted.  But the white on the brown paper just hid the pineapples.  A little Apricot Nectar Chalkboard and done, I had the look I wanted for the pineapples.  Super fun creating this layout!

Such a cute die!!!!  Photo credit to Lifestyle Crafts and one can click here to see the die in larger size!