I've been neglecting the blog something fierce, and I am gonna try my hardest to break that.  so with this post I am going to get caught up with the layouts I haven't posted here.  So...  hold on to your chair cause I'm just gonna throw them at ya one by one!   Hopefully no one gets hurt in the process! ;)

All credits are here at my Digitals Gallery

Beautiful Mess 7, By Celinia Curtis is new in the stores today.  Gorgeous kit!  Like all the other Beautiful Mess kits... its full of great texture and drama!   I love it!  She has included a full alpha in this kit, along with just a stitched outline alpha as well (LOVE IT!!!).   She also has the Alpha as a separate purchase, but remember, do not buy both as the alpha is included in Beautiful mess 7! 

Here a layout I did using the kit.  I LOVE all the Drama she puts in her papers and elements.  I can't come up with a better word.  There is just so much going on, and its perfect for the blending I love to do. 

Till Next time!, which is actually in a few cause I have more layouts to share! 

Who knew! Right?  I just found out that I can print on tissue paper and that when glued down with my acrylic glaze, the tissue becomes translucent.   What!  Stop the truck!  No way!  So of course I went searching through the house to find any tissue I could, and where do you think I found some?  Crumbled up in the bottom of an old gift bag on the top of the closet shelf.  (Note to self, those bingo christmas gifts are still up there too!).  So I got to work figuring out how on earth I was going to get this thin piece of paper through my printer, and when I did (you have to attach it to a regular sheet of printer paper using either a glue stick or spray glue), even the crumbled creased-ness of it didn't stop my awe.  The print was gorgeous.  I so should have taken a picture.  I printed a handful of extracted roses and my two favorite rose shots of mine that I've edited to look vintage.  I had no idea what I was gonna do with these, I just knew I wanted to see if in fact they would go translucent.   So I quickly came up with a rushed together project and jumped in.  I only used two of the extracted roses and one of the big rose prints, but that is ok.  I'm not through with this project yet.  I think it has potential, but needs time to sit in my head a bit and form...   this is what my rushed together came up with so far...

The two roses on top are glazed down, tissue transfers and the big rose on the lace as well.  The paper roses were made by my 15 year old son and I am painting them. :)  I think they will add nicely to this piece, how ever it turns out in the end!  But, wow.. I love how that big rose turned out!  So, since I wasn't sure where I wanted to go next with this (besides paint over the two roses on top!), I decided to move to my art journal and work there with this technique.


In there, I went all out!  I decided to not only to photo transfers on tissue paper, but to also use tissue paper to create texture drama for my page!  I first painted my page, then glued down some white tissue paper that I crumbled up creating lots of folds and creases.  Texture.  Then I glazed over it with a very watery acrylic gloss medium glaze I made because I didn't like how the modge podge I was using was working.  I really like the glaze much better.  That is the whole point in all of this, trial and error.  Find out what it is that works and what doesn't!  So, after letting the tissue paper dry (and helping it along with a hair dryer!) I painted over it with my paints (red/silver/gold/copper/)blending them all together and around just having fun.. making sure to get in all the creases and crevices of the texture that the tissue paper created.  Before it comepletely dried, I wiped a good bit of the paint off of the tissue paper so that the page wouldn't be too heavy with paint, but it left behind its shimmer and shine!  After letting the paint fully dry, and maybe helping it with a hair dryer...  I did some texture stamping with some bubble wrap, a piece of velcro, a jar opener (like shelf liner) and a zipper!  And then I let the page rest for several hours as I shopped online for origami paper! (and maybe a paint or two... what?  I'm using a lot of that silver and gold!).

This morning, I went back to work and placed my images.  I skipped the modge podge this time and went straight to the acrylic gloss glaze.  Thankfully I had made a good amount yesterday.  I found that putting a bit under the image to hold it in place helps, other wise while you paint the top of the image it slips around.  But, bottom line... I fell more madly in love with this technique the longer I worked on the page!  From the very first print on my crumpled tissue paper.. to finishing my art journal page with uncreased tissue paper that is perfectly translucent, yet I can still read every single word of my journaling printed on it!  Its just simply awesome!!  I am in love! 

Whether I was putting the image on to the lace on my first project, the textured back ground on the art journal page or the flat foam board on the raised part of the page... they all went on really easy and nice.  And they look awesome too!  Take a look and see what I mean!  And they go get you some tissue paper and try it out for your self!   I plan on working some more things.  My next adventure in tissue paper... Metal.   Or wood.   Hmmm... Both!   I think I will just try everything I can and be happy!

I would love to see if any of you do try this!  So, please come back and share a photo, if you do!   Or, if you have done it in the past, leave a comment and tell us about it!   I would love to hear from all of you out there!

Till next time!

Its been a while since I've shared a scrap page with you all!   I'm gonna make this short and sweet and get right to it.

   This is My husband and my oldest son on his first trip to the beach.  Way back in 1997.  He is now 15 years old.  And its hard to believe that its been that long ago, or that he was that little, or that he is now 15!!!   Credits for this layout are : Vintage beach by Cilenia Curtis, Beautiful mess 2 by Cilenia Curtis (stamp).  

Next up....

My Niece playing on the beach with my twins, back in 2008.  If you can't tell... I was in a beachy, let me escape sort of mood.  :)   Credits are : Vintage beach by Cilenia Curtis.   

There's more, but I think I'll keep this post short and sweet and very beachy! :)

Till next time!

Its been way too long since my last blog post.  I've got a ton of things to talk about.. new pictures, new pages, new products... I've just been running around like a fried chicken hot out of the cooker.  And when I'm not running around, I'm crashed.  It has been a hard health month for me, the heat taking its toll.  So I'm moving slower and thinking slower and getting frustrated.  My creativity was hard to find there for a while too.  I needed a few small personal projects to jump start it so that I could finish some bigger pieces for sale. 

I have new jam flavors!  Bumbleberry (raspberry, strawberry, and blueberry) and Peach... both awesome in their own way and I can not tell which I like better.  One day its bumbleberry by a long shot and the next peach wins easily.  I experimented with stevia and tried to make a no sugar jam using it instead.. but it did not go well.  Main reason, it wasn't a pure stevia but also had dextrose in it.  So I'm on the hunt for pure stevia extract.  Next time I'm in the city, I hope to find some.   Next, I am hoping to make persimmon jam out of the persimmon on my persimmon tree.  When they fully ripen that is! 

This is Trade days weekend... and crazy beyond belief.  At least it isn't as hot as it has been the last two months.  Today, the high was like 96 or something around there.  I printed and matted 30+ photos, and am hopeful that is the key.   Today I sold one coaster and a tile magnet.  But, that was the first coaster and tile magnet I've ever sold..... so progress in its own right!  After Trade days, we transition into a consignment shop.  That is going to be a whole nother world, probably.  I'm looking forward to the shift.  I'll miss seeing all my art hung on my walls.  It was looking really cool in here, I have to say, but sitting here looking pretty doesn't pay the bills.  And Lord knows they keep coming and climbing. 

So, off I go to finish the batch of Peach jam I have waiting to be put in its jars!  I just wanted to update here and let any readers out there know that I am actually still here, just chicken fried and smothered in peach jam!

Till Next Time!

ValeriGail

(Miss my signature!  The external is packed up to go with me to trade days!!)

Sorry I didn't get back last night, like I said I would, and post the winner of the contest.  I was away from home till super late and had an unforeseen mouse break down as well.  I think battery snatchers came while I was gone, cause it was working just fine before I left! 

Anyway... Anonymous poster, Nicky's friend.  I need your email so that I can get you the info on how to get your copy of the software because you are the winner!  Woohoo!!!  You can email me directly, you do not need to post it openly on the blog. My email is ValeriGailDesigns@gmail.com.  Or you can have Nicky get me your email.  Either way works. I am also going to let Nicky know that you won so that she can get a message to you as well.  It might take through tuesday before we can get the download keys from My memories, due to the holidays... so we are in no rush.  Enjoy your holiday weekend and congratulations on winning the contest!  See told ya it pays to comment!  ;) 

Till net time!

Today is your last chance to get in on the contest.  This evening I will pick a winner.  I will post back here before 10 pm with that info!  So, if you are interested, please comment today! 

Here is today's quick page from the free section of My memories.  Actually, you get three today because that is what I had left in the file!  Don't you all feel special! :) 

Now though, I have a couple shots (Ok, I never take just a couple, lol) to share from my walk around the habitat.  I've only got the iphone pics ready, am still working on watermarking the DSLR pics.  But, I wanted to get some up today so you all could see how incredible it is.  Words really can't describe, so I will let the pictures do the talking. 

 

 

 

This is Lake Livingston, Texas. Summer 2001.  Pictures taken on August 31.  Off 3127, between my house and Tigerville park.  Sad.  They say we are gonna get rain this weekend.  I hope so.  But its gonna take more than a weekend of rain.  That's for sure.  I'll share more pictures as I get them ready. 

Till Next Time