The Hat Shoppe - Scraps Of Darkness

The Hat Shoppe - created with the Scraps Of Darkness Sept. kit called Passages.   

This was made for the the Darkest Side challenge at Scraps Of Darkness. This is run by forevervampress, Celina, and the topic was communication. 

This form of communication is the postcard. This was the postcard I picked up after husband and I both bought hats from this really cool hat store in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. I also tied the theme together by using Tim Holtz Alteration Fades texture plates -Postcards. 

The papers used here were the Teresa Collins -World Traveler collection.  
I added a touch of Dusty Attic on the bottom near my dress form, painted them black and finished them with Stickles in Platinum.   I do believe Platinum is my "go-to" Stickles color. 

The Tim Holtz weathered clock die was used below.  I just  weaved a burgundy ribbon through it and added some stickles in,,,yeah, you guessed it.  Platinum. 

I also added the Prima Lovely Collection Fabric Leaves. They have such a rich color and texture.  My black flower was just a stash floral from Michaels with some stickles on the top.

The kit is totally gorgeous and packed with amazing goodness. You can take it vintage, feminine, or grungy and dark. Whatever your heart desires. It all works. 

Check out the Scraps Of Darkness gallery to see how you can make thhe kit fit your scrappy style. 

Thanks a bunch for letting me into your day. 

 

Scraps of Darkness for Reveal Day

 Escape Kitty- Great Great Granny Kitty

This was created using the Scraps Of Darkness sketch design by suepup, Charlotte Jenkins. 

You can see the whole crazy write-up here in Escape Kitty's blog.  Yeah, she's a blogger and a traveler.  

It tells of the long genealogy of Escape Kitty going back to the Mayflower, rumor has it.  The short version:  Kitty family landed in America. Fast forward to Great Great Grand Kitty in her youth. She was certainly adventurous, traveling about the country hopping rides on stage coaches (as seen in the photo), trains, horseback and whatnot to cross the big land. This photo was taken before she started her kitten family. The resemblance to Escape Kitty is remarkable, don'tcha think? 

I used a doily from the Wilton cake decorating section at my local craft store. The used Tim Holtz Wild Honey on it and finished it with Tim Holtz Vintage Photo.  Very appropriate for this real vintage layout (wink).     

Here is a close up of the details in Granny's adventure. The broach is a clearance find in the jewelry section at my craft store. 

Alone - Alzheimer's Disease

We were on the Naples Pier in Florida one evening taking our walk. The evening was clear, warm, beautiful and perfect. As we were leaving I took this photo. It was a sad image for me. The older lady in the photo was there waiting for the sun to set, waiting for twilight. All alone – out of focus. 

This is what memory loss is like to me. This is what Alzheimer's Disease is like. The chicken wire is the separation and inability to break through the mind. 

My father-in-law suffers from this devastating monster of a disease. He is all alone in his mind. I can no longer see the real person he was. He is fuzzy, blurry and completely out of focus. He is in his twilight and sunset days and he is alone while the world around him is beautiful, sunny and thrives. 

Thoughts and prayers for all you who have first hand experience with this dreadful disease. I am saddened and sorry 

Flowers, Shells, Waves, Dusty Attic, Etc:

• Flowers - Prima that I accented with white puffy paint for sea foam. 
• Dusty Attic - Chicken wire with blue beads sewn on.
• Waves - blue tissue paper layered with modpodge.  The second layer of waves was inked with Tim Holtz Broken China.   I added some puffy paint on the top for more sea foam. 
• Shells -  shells are from the Naples beach.  I sift through the beach looking for the perfect shells to take home and scrap.

This year I had 8 lbs of sand and shells to move, causing my luggage to be overweight.  The fee for overweight luggage is $40.    No way is my sand and shell collection worth $40, so I did what all women would do........had my husband carry the loot in his carry-on.  hahahahaha. 

Oh my husband is a great sport - and I am a muscular wimp.  8lbs is a lot when I am toting my 15 lb camera bag and its assemblage of accessories and batteries and whatnot. 

    

Peaceful Me - Scraps Of Darkness

This was created for the Skeletons in the Closet Challenge over at Scraps Of Darkness to scrap the inner you. The Sept. Kit is a jaw dropper. Come check us out.
http://www.scrapsofdarkness.com/

A photo of me from Florida, July 2011. Thanks to some photo editing with Florabella, I was able to achieve this chocolaty black and white edit.

My background paper is a piece of test scrap paper I have had for about a year - misting and spraying and inking over and over on it. It was a rich grunge color and perfect to express the inner me - kind of ragged, disjointed, yet happy and at peace.

The really great part? I used the chippy that I received from the Dusty Attic prize pack. "The Peaceful Heart finds Beauty in all things". So perfect. Thanks Dusty Attic and thanks to you for looking.
Oh - the circle I used was the Dusty Attic circle spacers from the Large Dusty Attic clock faces. Another cool unexpected little bonus from the fine folks at Dusty Attic.

Window Shopper 

This is a photo I took in Oct 2009 inside an antique shop. This pretty glass was in the window asking me to buy it and take it home. Well, I looked at the little price tag hanging off the side and quickly decided I'd rather just take a photograph. 

I am NOT a wealthy scrapper. 

This was created using the Sept. Scraps Of Darkness kit for the sketch challenge at Dusty Attic. I used the sketch by Michelle Grant - she is amazing and so inspirational.

 

Scraps of Darkness Sept Passages Kit It's REVEAL DAY!

Here is the Sept.  Scraps Of Darkness Kit, Passages. 

"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
                                      ~ Robert Frost ~ 

What is Reveal Day to me? 
 I can relate Reveal Day emotions and excitement to Christmas Day.   The planning starts a few weeks earlier (OK I am a procrastinator).  You wait to get your paycheck (which is the kit)  and then you shop and bake like a crazy person.  Big accent on the SHOP!  Love that part.  Not real crazy about the bake, but it's part of the ritual for the big day. 

The shopping and baking are akin to creating the layouts.  I think carefully about what gifts I  want to purchase my husband or children just as I also have to think about the look  and feel of the paper and embellies of the kit.  What look do I want to achieve - what message am I conveying and most important , what photo selections I make.

When I am satisfied and I have my scrapping done, I sit and wait for the big day.  It can be a agonizing wait.  Remember that loooooong wait as a child?  ugh - it dragged on for ever it seemed.    You day dreamed about opening your gifts and the joys of Christmas morning.

Well, before Reveal Day, I wonder what path the rest of the design team wandered.  What styled will be mastered.  What innovative design will they showcase.  ohhhhh soo exciting.

What I love about Scraps Of Darkness kits are that they provide you with the ability to be as diverse as you want them to be.  Turn it romantic, vintage, whimsical or grunge it up!  It all works  with this kit.

ANYWAY the long wait is OVER!!!!!

 Here is what you will find inside this kit. 

*4 double sided papers from Bo Bunny's Etc. Collection and 6 double
 sided papers from the World Traveler Collection by Teresa Collins
*12x12 Chipboard from the Etc. Collection by Bo Bunny
*Doily Flowers by Jenni Bowlin
*World Traveler Trims by Teresa Collins
*Prima Brick Wall clear stamp
*Prima Toggle - Bobbins
*2 Cork disks
*Vintaj Arte Metal Bric-A-Brac
*A fabulous new sketch by Suepup, created just for our Passages kit

I am sure you will love this beautiful collection.
Click here to see what I have done with the kit as well as the beautiful creations of the entire wildly talented Scraps Of Darkness Design Team .  

 

Featured on Creative Imaginations Blog - Aug 24, 2011

This was a layout I did for the Scraps Of Darkness , Marrakesh Express Kit in July.

I used an image from Izabelle Vintage http://creativesouls.ning.com/freevintageimages, the edges were distressed using the Zutter Distress it all, inked and layered. A Dusty Attic frame was painted with a paint dabber, Bridal netting was used to mimic the floral headpiece in the photo.

Supplies: Creative Imaginations Marrakesh Paper Collection, Ranger paint dabber, Tim Holtz inks, Martha Stewart punches, Prima flowers, Zutter Distress it all, Dusty Attic Baroque Frame, Misc- flowers, coins, netting, metal 

 LisaN worked very hard bringing Scraps of Darkness  and the design team to the attention of Creative Imaginations.  This resulted in a 3 day feature on the design team.  


You can see my featured day here dated August 24th, 2011


Thanks a bunch for looking and thanks Lisa, Melinda and all the design team at Scraps Of Darkness.