Monday, August 18, 2014


Hello!

Gosh, I totally forgot to upload the pictures of our name sign! While this was actually my first attempt at "mixed media Finnabair style". Our name sign dated some years back and didn't have Connors name on it yet. When I got ready to paint that on, I realised the sign was outdated in more than one way. 

It matched our previous interior style with its golden sun. Lately I have become more of a shabby chic lover. So I turned the sign into a complete new one. With a sweet nest and birdy on it. The pinks turned out more harsh than I was going for, but I like the end result anyway. It's a cute doorsign, even if I do say so myself! ;)

Take care!



Saturday, August 16, 2014

I never knew how much I loved your daddy, until I saw how much he loved you.


Hi fans, 

High time to scrap a layout with a very touching quote about fathers. It really shows the way I felt, and still feel. Seeing with how much love and adoration my husband handled our son, completely melted me. It deepened the feelings of love I had for my husband with immeasurable depths...

"I never knew how much I loved your daddy, until I saw how much he loved you..."

To emphasize the fragileness and tenderness I chose to use light, delicate colours and neutrals. Lace and flowers added to the soft feel. 





Friday, August 15, 2014

The most precious jewels you'll ever wear around your neck, are the arms of your children.


Hi there,
After having a great day over at my father in laws and his wife, this picture of Connor and me really showed our happiness! 
An instant inspiration to scrap with bright and sunny colours. I did the background myself. Once again I messed up the first attempt because the colours didn't do what they were supposed to do. Also, working neatly with stencils without having paint or gesso or modelling paste seeping through the cracks proves to be a challenge!

However, I am pleased with the outcome. The bright colours remind me of these happy, carefree days and the bits of sparkle here and there represent the precious 'jewels' around my neck. Because let's face it: there is nothing more precious in the world! :)

Take care!





Thursday, August 14, 2014

Such a big miracle in such a little boy.



There was a little boy named Connor, whose birth was truly a miracle to everyone around him. His parents hadn't really counted on having a baby anymore, after all those years of wishing, hoping and trying.

But he came anyway... 

And to him, the entire world is/was one big miracle. 

"Such a big miracle, in such a little boy..."





I wanted to give this page a sort of religious feel to emphasize the miracle theme, hence the church windows and everything that goes with them: branches, flowers, owls, locks, keys, etc. 

And ooooh how I fell in love with the little church windows and Tim Holtz crackle rock candy! 

Remember,  miracles do happen! Take care!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Adore


Hello once more,

Here's another layout featuring my little man. I love this picture! It's funny how you visualise an entirely different paper colour at first. I ended up using this one from my much loved but not much used "Rockstar" paper stack. These colours gave the picture way more attention than my initial idea would have done.

These days I couldn't scrap without my mists, crackle paints and stencils!

A layout I'm actually content with once again. If you like it too, leave me a comment!

Take care!


Tuesday, August 12, 2014

A moment in my belly, a lifetime in my heart

Hello again,

Of course I had to scrap a picture of my (rather modest looking) pregnant belly too! On a canvas, Finnabair style. I ran into a heart shaped canvas, which seemed perfect for this topic.
I embellished, gesso'ed and created an embellical cord with my glue gun, from my belly to a heart shaped charm in which I'd glued a little glass baby, depicting my woom.

It was hard to settle on a quote, but I went with "A moment in my belly, a lifetime in my heart." Because that's simply the truth. ♡♥♡

I used pastel colours, even made my own lilac spraymist. All in all I'm happy with the result, though the whole thing seems somewhat opaque.  I may have to add some of my recently discovered Inka Gold creams... ;)





Just like chocolates, comments make me happy :) (Luckily they're less fattening,  lol)

Take care!

Monday, August 11, 2014

"The sky is NOT the limit!" Also, cowboy & king

Hello once more,

Wanting to try a more mixed media style involving gears etc, I used a picture of Connor wearing his pilot hat. (Because with me the embellishments always have to suit the theme.)
It was my first attempt in smearing gesso all over the metal embellishments (as a preparation for misting them) and I have to say I am pleased with the outcome. The whole layout happened fairly quick, it all came together like magic!



Imagine my surprise when I totally messed up the following 2 layouts. I am never doing that again, working on 2 layouts simultaneously.

The layout of Connor with the cowboy hat started out on a brown timber background with a black swirl. When I added gesso rays through a stencil it only went downhill from there. I re thunk the whole thing and decided the sepia picture needed a background that would make it pop.
Once I had settled on that it still didn't go smoothly. I finished the layout but I'm not very content about it.

Maybe it was hard because the photo had an emotional aspect for me. The morning I took those pictures all was well. But that afternoon we were involved in a car accident. Shaking off the image of Connor covered in millions of glass splinters (from our shattered rear window) is a hard thing to do. I thought I'd lost him, right then and there. And he wasn't even 4 months old... :{
In that sense the layout doesn't do my feelings justice at all. It's a simple layout with a touch of the "Western Cowboy" feel in it, without being too obvious.


Then, the other layout didn't do what I wanted it to. I had fallen in love with the paper: a royal blue flockprint, damask and stripes... I was going for red, white and blue because of a clothing tag I wanted to use along with it.
Well, the red on my gesso'ed damask turned out PINK...! Several layers of white paint, gesso and gesso mixed with white paint didn't help one bit.
In the end I was able to colour the pink a bit more sandy and decided to embellish most of that part, because I didn't wanna give up just yet. It would be a shame of the wasted paper!
In the end the layout kinda came together thanx to a few touches of green. But it's not of my favourites.

Ah well, I blame it on the new techniques I am trying as well. I haven't practiced enough to know what happens when you do this and that. And it proves once more I am not someone who can just begin, smear something on the page and have my artistic abilities make everything come together like magic. I have to think things through. But I have learned a lot in the process and am happy to apply this new knowledge in my future projects! ;)


If you have any more knowledge to share or wish to learn from my mistakes, drop me a line! Take care in the meantime!

"My little green man"

Hello again,

The first layout I did after the project for my mom was a layout starring one of my favourite pictures ever of Connor. He was wrapped tightly in the belly sack, 6 weeks old and refusing to sleep, when I took this picture. He looks like a little elf to me there. ♥

From the moment he started to see more clearly he was fascinated by the trees, wind and sky. When we were walking he'd gaze at the trees like they were the most amazing thing he had ever seen. It always calmed him when he was crying for some reason.

And so "My little green man" was born...



Comments are always much appreciated! Take care!

Finally... I have returned...

Hello there,

I had already sort of decided to start a new blog and call it "Less is Bore... Encore" or "Less is Bore, once more" but I'm sticking with this blog anyways.

Okay, so, why my absence?  Life got in the way. In the best way. Because since my last post I have become a mommy! Connor is already over 18 months even... Whoops...
He's a great boy. Adventurous, funny, sweet at times. Handsome. He really was the one thing missing in our lives. ♡♥

So before he came, we had to clean out the room that was to become his. Then paint and decorate it. Then ofcourse there was the time our whole life revolved around our little man. And it still does. Obviously... ;)

But, we redid the attic as well. Painted it, had a carpenter install some (sliding) doors and straighten out the crooked furnace.
So I'm back to where I once started to scrap: the attic. And while I still haven't sorted everything out (knowing me that will probably never happen anyway...) I have truly recovered my mojo there!

I don't think I have ever scrapped this much in a row! I finally have the cutest subject to scrap about, maybe that's why? While he's sleeping I relive the precious moments we shared by working with his pictures.

I also made a new 'object' featuring my deceased mom's picture.  Because the layout I did on her which was standing in the room, clashed with our (new) living room colours.

I'll try and update this blog with my latest projects, stick with me!

Take care... And I LOVE it if you'd leave me a comment! :)