Full of Wonder Mixed Media Layout

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Hi everyone, I hope you're having an awesome week so far.  Today I'm sharing a mixed media layout of my niece Emily. I recently took this photo at Easter and the expression on her face is so precious. She's just oozing with sweetness.   I thought that the tag on the right from Marion's Mad Tea Party Collection said it all "Wonder, For the Curious At Heart the Wanderous Mind, and the Adventurous Soul"

I decided on Marion's Motley Collection  & Junque & Gems, because there are so many elements that can be fussy cut from this collection. The festive color palette was perfect for my sweet Emily! 

I used scraps from recent projects, and took this opportunity to fussy cut the elements that could be used as stand alone pieces  then cut banners from the rest. This is a great way to eliminate scraps.  Individually these small elements seem insignificant, but when clustered together, they really make a statement.

 

I used a neutral baby blue paper for the background, and then applied a few mixed media techniques to give it texture and depth.   I stuck with the hot pink tones so that my photo would really pop.  

I'm seriously in LOVE with Gold right now, and decided to spray paint some generic paper doilies with Krylon's Metalic Gold Spray Paint.  I love how they look inside my embellishment clusters, and the gold matches this collection perfectly! 

I placed my title in the bottom left hand corner inside another embellishment cluster. Her eyes were so bright in the photo I decided to include that reference in my title   "Blue Eyes Full of Wonder".  The title card was part of Mairon's Scarlet Digital collection.   

We would love to see what you have created with Marion's gorgeous lines. Don't forget to #MarionSmithDesigns when you share your Marion Smith Designs Projects in Social Media.  

Thanks for stopping in today. 

Tonya Gibbs

http://www.psychomoms.com 

DESIGN TEAM CALL REMINDER:   - deadline for submissions is May 30, 2014. Here is the link with all the details!

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Football Layout by Tonya Gibbs

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From the first of August until sometime mid December my feet are planted in the grass of one football field after antoher 3 - 4 times a week.  I walk the field taking photos of children between the ages of 6 - 18, and I LOVE IT! This year my Nephew, Cooper, played his first down of tackle football the age of six, and you bet, Aunt Tonya was right there walking the field. 

Photos of my Nephew, Cooper, during his first football game.  Photos by Tonya A. Gibbs.

Today,  I want to give you five prompts for creating a layout. Hopefully these prompts will give you a place to start next time Mojo goes on vacation.  For today's layout, I'm going to use the photos from the above mentioned photo shoot.

Prompt 1 - Select papers that do not fit the theme or color pallet of your photos. 

My photos are clearly football themed, and predominately red, white, and blue. Themed papers are obvious selections, and I'm looking for unexpected. I don't need a football sticker to know this is a football layout. Also, if I chose the colors in the photo then my photos would compete with my background. Since I want the photos to pop, I've selected a neutral color palett of black, taupe, and gold. These colors are neutral which means they go with ANYTHING ANYWHERE!

Teresa Collins Memorabilia Line released summer 2013

Teresa Collins' Memorabilia line was perfect. The colors are neutral and the theme is centered around a family story, rather than a specific event.  The black chalkboard papers give great contrast against my bright sunny day photos.  If your photos are dark - you may want to consider lighter colors for your background.

Prompt 2  - Place Embellishment clusters directly on your photos. 

 

 

This technique will help to anchor the photo to the page, and also give it depth and interest.   This is  a great technique for photos that have a lot of negative space or distracting elements in the background.  

Prompt 3 -  Layer Sequins 

Sequins have become a super trendy embellishment.  I'm noticing that some are metallic and some are flat, they come in different shapes, sizes, and colors.  The sequins in this collection are rather large, and I simply added a wood veneer star from Studio Calico to the centers. Love how these made a cute embellishment, without taking away from my photos.

Technique Tip: Hot glue will melt most sequins.  This is how I placed mine...I placed the glue on the layout in a dot formation. Let it cool for a second until it is more than 50% solid, then add gently place the sequin ontop of the glue without pressing it too hard.  This makes the hot glue more like a pop dot and elevates the sequin off the page. 

Prompt 4 - Use Clear Glitter Nail Polish 

My wood veneers needed a little pop, but I wanted them to stay neutral.  So I reached for clear  gold glitter nail polish and painted them.  When selecting my nail polish - I go for the cheapest with the chunky glitter pieces.  This will give you a nice bokeh look when applied.  You may need several coats to achieve the look you're after, but I love the effect! 

Prompt 5 - Use Ribbon in an unusual way

The ribbon on my page is the only thing that has color found in the photos.  I did this so that your eye finds a base, or weight to the bottom of the photos.  I love how it is just waving across the layout.  You expect to see ribbon as banners, or tied neatly across an element, but squishing it up gives it a fresh look and provides movement and depth. 


and ...drum roll please ...  this brings me to my completed layout.

I know masculine layouts can be challenging.  So, I hope you have been inspired next time Mojo goes away on vacation. 


Thanks for stopping in today,

Tonya A. Gibbs
http://www.psychomomscrapbooks.blogspot.com

Resources:

Teresa Collins - Memorabilia Collection - 6x6 Paper Pad
Teresa Collins - Memorabilia Collection - 12x12 Double Sided Paper - Chalkboard
Teresa Collins - Memorabilia Collection - 12x12 Die Cut Paper
Teresa Collins - Memorabilia Collection - 12x12 Cardstock Stickers
Teresa Collins - Memorabilia Collection - Border Strips with Glitter Accents
Teresa Collins - Memorabilia Collection - Chipboard Buttons
Teresa Collins - Memorabilia Collection - Decorative Brads
Teresa Collins - Memorabilia Collection - Envelopes
Teresa Collins - Memorabilia Collection - Sequins
Studio Calico - Classic Calico Vol. 2 - Wood Veneer Shapes - Tiny Stars
Studio Calico - Yearbook Collection - Wood Veneer Pieces - Speech Bubbles

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