Sarah Groen's April Post

"Cherish Today"
Can you believe that it is already almost Easter? It is seriously scary how fast the months are flying by! I am still trying to catch up with  the pile of summer holiday photos that I have waiting to be scrapped. The first project  that I would like to share with you today showcases a couple of my favourite shots from  our family beach vacation. Sometimes, when I get a photo that I really love I like to print it  out at A4 size to really make it the focus of my page.   That was the case with this picture of Benji swinging and humming to himself on  the rope swing in the beautiful Hokianga harbour. You can see the majestic sand-dunes in the background. Because there was a lot of 'white space' on my photo I chose another  favourite shot from the same morning, printed it out at 3x3" and layered it over the main photo.
The great thing about using a larger photo is that you don't need too much patterned paper or background work to set it off. A few well chosen embellishments are all that is needed.  2Crafty chipboard pieces are perfect for the job!
The pieces that I have used here are:

• chicken wire panel
• 'Cherish' loopy word
• 'Today' loopy word
• assorted arrows

The chicken wire panels are great for rustic, outdoors or beach themed pages. I have left mine completely raw as it matches my theme so well in its natural state (and I love the look of raw chipboard!). It adds interest and dimension to the page, lifting my smaller photo a little from its background so that the viewers eye is drawn to it.

The 2Crafty loopy words and the 2Crafty phrases are my absolute favourite way to add a title to my page.Here I used the words 'Cherish Today' and added them directly onto my large photo. I used white embossing powder and heat embossed the glossy white finish onto the letters. I chose white because it blends into the colours of my photo and the title becomes a subtle part of the whole rather that the focus of the page. 

To finish off my page I added a couple of 2Crafty arrows. I considered painting them, stamping on the or outlining them, but in the end I decided that I couldn't improve on the 'raw' look for this beach themed page. I simply added a little ink to the edges.

"Sweet"

 The next page that I would like to share today features my little son again. He is standing proudly by his classroom window next to the 'self portrait' that he painted on his first school trip  (to a local art centre). His painting had pride of place in the window and he was very  excited to show it to me (and to pose for a picture!).
I pinched the green colours from the photo to create my background using 'Inktense' water colour pencils. When the colour was dry I added lots of stamping and ink splatters. The 2Crafty products that I used on this page really make it shine.

• circle revolution frame 
• Loopy word 'Sweet'
• Sharons butterflies
• view finder

The 'circle revolution frame' that I used to frame the focus of my page really is the centrepiece of my page. I painted it with black distress paint and attached it to the page using cross-stitches. This adds interest to the page as well as serving to attach the frame. 

Again I have used a loopy word 'sweet' as my title. This time I coloured it red using a gelato pen. To get great chipboard coverage using gelatos simply colour in the shape roughly with the gelato then rub and smooth in the colour using your fingers.  

'Sharon's butterflies' are a pretty addition to many page themes. If you have the larger Martha Stewart butterfly punch these chippie pieces are perfect to layer with the punched shapes as they are very similar designs. Here I embossed the butterflies using white embossing powder for a glossy finish. 

The final chippie item on this page is the view finder (well half of it anyway - the other half can be seen on another of my pages!). I painted it white, backed it with black cardstock and inked the edges.

  The last page that I have to show you today is based on one of  Keren Gerber's awesome sketches over at 'Sketchabilities'.
Here is my page and Keren's sketch:
"Strike A Pose"





The cute photos are of my son Adam with his lovely girlfriend Isabel. We were on holiday together when he sneaked up on her from behind and grabbed her for a quick kiss (see her face in the smaller photo!). They very quickly regained their composure and 'struck the perfect pose' for my larger photo!
I used my  'Inktense' pencils again for this background and lots of stamping. The main feature of my page though is the gorgeous 2Crafty 'Circular Leafy Frame' It really makes the whole layout 'pop'.
Here are all the 2Crafty items on this page:

• circular leafy frame
• 'Strike a Pose' title
• 2014 date

There are many ways that I could have dresses up the chipboard frame but, as the page

 is already quite busy, I chose to go with black acryllic paint and a 'silhouette' effect again.

 I outlined all the elements of the frame with a white gel pen to highlight the intricate details

 of this beautiful piece. I twisted a neutral coloured  'Prima' vine around the frame for an

 elegant yet still beachy touch.

I chose my title 'Strike a Pose' from 2Crafty's huge selection of phrases. It suited the

 picture and story behind it perfectly. I heat embossed the chipboard phrase using a

coarser white embossing powder which results in a rough, textured effect as opposed to the glossy finish that you get with fine powder.



I completed the page with  a 2014 date chipboard piece -

 these are so versatile and can be slipped on to almost any page.
Thanks so much for taking a look at my post today. I hope that I have managed to inspire you in some way. Do check out our 2Crafty blog and facebook page often as they are updated daily with beautiful and inspirational projects for you to browse through. Have a very happy and creative Easter!

Sarah xx