February Gathering Projects

What a fun morning I had in my craft room, preparing new projects for some gatherings I have coming up! I'll be doing one for my friends from my old neighborhood & am really looking forward to teaching them a little about scrapbooking, then spending the rest of the night gabbing and solving the world's problems (we're really good at that - just ask us!! *Ü*). I miss seeing them every day! I'm also doing one for my friend, Laura, and her friends & family. She loves the Wings paper, so I know she'll enjoy making these projects.

I love making sample art for my Workshop On The Go workshops, but it's so nice to start with a blank (well, almost! :) slate and just create. Working with the Wings papers is so fun - the colors are vibrant and the designs are really unique. Projects practically create themselves!

Using one of my favorite layouts designs, 'Creative Rhythm' from the Cherish layout book, I made this layout then added some embellishments using the Stamp of the Month for February, 'Friendship'. The stamps in this set are so versatile! As you can see, I stamped one of the larger flower designs twice to create the butterfly and stamped the smallest one across the thin strip of Vineyard Berry cardstock. They're also great for creating background designs - - try stamping them on a darker cardstock with Versamark ink for a very subtle, classy result!

With my scraps ('Don't collect it - Use it!'), I then created this card which is a variation of one created by Lynn Como. Take a good look at the subtle background behind the sentiment... When I teach classes, I always remind people that "there are no mistakes, just happy accidents". Well, this is a perfect example! I had tried using Vineyard Berry ink first, but didn't really like how it came out. I thought I had cleaned my stamp before changing to Juniper, but apparently hadn't :{ Because I was using the 3rd generation stamping technique, there wasn't very much VB left on there anyway, but it created just a hint of red in the design which actually enhanced the soft, watercolor effect and looked great! I just hope I can recreate it at my gatherings!!

All products used are Close To My Heart. Click here to order!

Paper: Wings, Vineyard Berry Cardstock

Stamps: Friendship

Inks: Juniper; Vineyard Berry; Black

Accessories: Pearl & Black Opaques