New Dare - Challenge your Colour Palette

Hi Girls, as you well know I love to use colour in my layouts, my dare for you this time around is to challenge your colour palette, to take on a combination of colours that you would not normally dream to try.

With my layout 'Playtime' I think I have gone a colour step beyond were I would normally go! I pulled the PP's out to scrap with a different, fairly static single photo then decided I wanted to scrap these pics instead but didn't change my PP's!

I have used all the of the bright colours in these photos of Sebastian as my guide but used a bright contrasting Orange to separate the photos and embellies from the background of the page.

For colour inspiration, you could try browsing the paint chips in your hardware store, play around with your kids coloured pencils, tip your blossoms in a pile and find a combination you like, browse kids picture books or just rely on your photos to be your guide.

I keep a bunch of paint combo chips on a big jump ring in with my tools and take pics or notes when I stumble across a colour combo that I want to try.

Have fun! Can't wait to see you bright creations screaming out from the gallery!!
Tatum xx

Dare 4... using chipboard negatives

Using the 'negatives' of chipboard alphabets is something I do quite a lot in my layouts. By 'negative' I mean the outline piece that is left over after you punch out the letter or the shape.

... and a few people have asked me, how do I make it work for me??

1> I'm essentially a cheapskate, so I like to get the most value for money out of my scrap supplies. Who doesn't? And who doesn't need extra E's and T's and S's and R's and...???

TIP: You probably won't get a successful negative out of every single letter on a sheet of chipboard alphabets, because sometimes they are so close together that it becomes too flimsy or impossible to cut between. But even if you get a few extras out of every packet, you're ahead :)

2> I'm a fairly patient person, so I don't mind doing fiddly stuff like hand-cutting. I think of it as a therapeutic exercise, and it forces me to slow down a bit and enjoy the creative process.

TIP: Make sure you use a very sharp, sturdy, precise pair of scissors. Otherwise, you'll find your hands or fingers getting sore very quickly.

3> I just love the eclectic look of mixed alphabet titles but I've never been able to get the look working for me. By using alphabet negatives, I can mix it up a bit, make it look a bit funky, but still stick with the same font, which my linear brain is pretty happy with. Best of both worlds.

TIP: If you overlap the letters, it's not immediately obvious that it's a negative, and the title will 'flow' more easily.
TIP: Just as you do with 'normal' alphabets, pay attention to the background - make sure that the letter doesn't get lost in the background. Sometimes this may mean you need to place a backing on the negative such as a piece of patterned paper or cardstock.

4> Don't stop at alphabets!

TIP: Use the negatives of flowers and other shapes... or use an entire negative sheet to make an interesting background.




For this layout I painted a Basic Grey negative sheet with a strong, solid colour, and used it as a background.

So....go on.... I dare you!!! Have a go at using some chipboard negatives as a feature of your layout... it could be a title, background or embellishment.

Upload your layout to the Crafting in Style 'DT Dares' gallery for the chance to win a prize :)


Posted by Karen

Dare 19th February

Everyone loves a little glitz and glam, add in some flowers and you have a combination for a dare! The dare for this month is all about flowers and glitter.

There are so many ways to incorporate flowers onto your pages you can leave them as they are, layer them, fold them, cut them or apply other mediums too, such as paint or ink to change them in fun ways. The medium we want to see used this month is glitter. This can be the powdered form or glitter glue eg. Kindy Glintz.

If using powdered glitter you can easily control how much you want to add to the flower when you apply the glue. You can go for a subtle approach by placing glue at the tip of the flowers or cover it all.

Using a product such as Kindy Glintz that comes in its own squeeze bottle gives you even more control. You can "draw' the glitter on any way you like.

I chose to use powder in my example. I watered down craft glue with a damp brush and painted the ends of my flowers with it. Then I dabbed the flower into a container filled with powdered pink glitter Layered heaps of flowers together to give some dimension (I love doing this) and added a decorative brad in the centre.

So everyone now that you know the dare start glitzing LOL!

I cant wait to see all your lovely Layouts. Upload to the CISter's Dares section of the gallery by the 29th of February to be in the running for a prize.

Posted by Ally

FEBRUARY DARE

If you dare!!!
So it's the first day of the month so what does that mean? Yep that's right time for a new CISter's Dare. So here we go......

The dare for this month is to create a LO using 'texture' as the emphasis.

Without texture a scrapbook layout would be dull. You can choose from a wide variety of textures to make your scrapbook pages unique. There are two basic types of texture: tactile and visual.

Tactile textures stimulate your sense of touch and can be incorporated into a scrapbook by layering different materials, fabrics, and other elements for a three-dimensional look.

Visual texture refers to what the eye sees. Using media such as paint, ink, and fabric, you can create textures on your scrapbook pages. Use your imagination and don't be afraid to experiment.

For me, texture means having a "feel" about it. Something that makes you want to touch and see what it feels like. This doesn't have to be dimensional, it can be subtle

For my LO 'Beanie Kid' I have used tearing and inking of pp, 'coral' paper, lumpy bumpy ribbon, micro beads and felt to evoke the sense of touch





So that you all know about texture, I would love to see how you incorporate it into your work. Have a go and upload to the CISter's 'dares' section of the gallery by midnight 17th of February to be in the running for a prize


Posted by Trudi