CSI 193: Dear Messy Home

Long time no see − I'm so happy to be joining the CSI Challenge again after a long break!

And of course very happy to see all of you readers again. Warm thanks to everyone who has visited or commented! I haven't been as productive as I would like to this winter, but now I feel energetic and inspired to catch up.



For my Testimony, I chose a theme from 365 Questions: On a scale of 1 to 10, how clean is your house? (I shall tell you more about this in a minute).

I'm really happy with the background, by the way! It was something I had started previously and found when I was looking for papers in this week's CSI colours. It's mixed media on an old Basic Grey paper, using stencils, modeling paste and acrylic paint, crayons and what else. I like how the pattern still shows through a bit.

This is what the CSI Major Case File #193 looks like:


For Evidence, I'm using String, and Frames, which are of Something transparent. I found an unused Halloween themed transparency and took it to mat two of the photos. I like the effect I got combining its black doodles with the string.

From Evidence, I was also inspired by Labels, and from Testimony, the Frame Your Story one. I was thinking of those themes when I decided to make my journaling in strips and frame some words, but I'm not sure if these would count.



And the one spider - our home is not quite that dusty but at our country cottage we do spot spiderwebs here and there! I left the middle photo without the transparent frame since I wanted some empty space between the two.



The cleanliness of our home was actually a good theme to think about! I asked the opinion of my 8-year-old as well, and we had the same sort of idea of where in the scale we'd be. Between 6 and 8. My journaling says: Our home is quite messy. There is a lot of stuff, and so much more important and fun things to do in life than cleaning! I enjoy putting things in their places, but those things that don't really have a place at all, that's the trouble!

The journaling continues on the back of the layout and it's about how we gave the grade 7. On someone else's scale we might get a 5 or even worse, but I didn't want to compare with someone who has very different expectations than we ourselves. Our mess does not bother us terribly, we all have quite similar ideas about how it should be and hardly argue about cleaning at all. So it's 7 is compared to 10 as in our own ideal cleanliness, not a general one!



I used this fun sketch from Memuaris, but was late to join the link-up.



I hope to join CSI soon again and hope to see you joining, too! It's really fun for a change to combine colour palette, theme and techniques in the same challenge.

They are also having a DT Call open right now, until April 9. I'm thinking of applying and if you do as well, check it out here!

Thanks for popping in, and see you in a couple of days for the April Scrap Africa Challenge, if not before then!

The Colouring Book: Layout for Scrap Africa Mood Board 71

Hi there! It's mood board time again at Scrap Africa.



The mood board felt perfect for a joyful, playful theme, and I chose a photo of curtains I recently finished sewing for our kids' room. The colour-it-yourself fabric and the striped one are both from Ikea. What a super fun idea!



Before sewing them, we had the fabrics for quite some time, our 8-year-old and I. Colouring together was really nice, but there was not always enough space to take the fabric out when we would have liked! So it was a long process, though we never intended to colour all the images.

Above you can see a more detailed photo of the fabric. We like it the way it is now, with the coloured images popping out of the black and white pattern! Finally ready, yay!



When I saw the Let's Get Sketchy March Week 1 sketch with triangles, I was eager to try using triangles and thought it would go very well with the playful theme.



I am also joining the following challenges: Crafty Life with their Bingo Board, from which I picked Stamps, Mists and Patterned Papers.

And That's Crafty! Challenge with the theme of Stencils and Masks.







Thank you for your visit and have a nice week!

Coffee Moments: Layout for Scrap Africa

Happy March everyone! Here in Finland we still have plenty of snow, but when you look at how much more daylight there is every day, it's easy to tell that spring is on its way.

My Coffee Moments layout for the new Scrap Africa sketch challenge is made with pictures of Mothers' Day last year.



This is the super cool sketch by Denise van Deventer:



I am also joining the Coffee themed challenge at Mixed Media Place Creative Gym.



I did some dying with real coffee on the collage papers I used to mat the photos.



And the Stamps and Stencils challenge with the theme of Splatter, Spritz and Smooch! The stamping and stenciling is not very visible on the background, but here's a photo that shows a bit of both.



Before the stamping and stenciling, I also used gesso on the background, and finished with layers of different mists and tiny dots of Stickles glitter glue.



I am loving my Sizzix Frameworks Trellis die! I got it recently and have been using it in most of my layouts since then.













Thank you for your visit and I hope to see you soon again! I would also love to see you joining Scrap Africa - the challenge is on until March 14!

Vintage Style Layout for Scrap Africa Mood Board No. 69

Hi there! It's time to wish you warmly welcome to the Scrap Africa Challenge again. This time we have an atmospheric vintagey mood board that could inspire an old times page, a travel page, or anything you feel up to creating!



You have until February 29th to join!



I used this sketch from Memuaris for my layout.



I am also joining the following challenges:

The Craft Stamper Take a Technique Challenge: Text me! The prompt was to use text or script background stamps or text paper in the projects. I stamped with an old fashioned script stamp through a cross shaped stencil. I also used the same stencil to cut shapes from two papers, one with the same script stamp and another where I had previously put gold paint through a weekday stencil.



For the C'est Magnifique Mixed Media Technique Challenge, I was to add texture to the background in three different ways. I used gesso, mists, and the cross stencil in the two ways I mentioned already. I don't know if this counts as background, but I also painted crackle texture onto one of the papers that I used for matting my photo.



At the Retro Kraft Shop Challenge, it was Anything Goes this month, as long as it is with a visible hint of the old-fashioned.



You're welcome to combine the Scrap Africa Challenges with as many other challenges as you like! Just make sure that you do not combine similar challenges together, i.e. mood board with another mood board or sketch with another sketch.



The top and bottom layers of the tag are re-used kraft tags from bought clothes, and even the twine was already there. I stamped the script on the top one and embossed it to bring in a pop of white, and added the middle layer from an old Basic Grey paper with a stained glass mosaic pattern. Onto the bottom one I glued a scrap piece of a previously made ATC background, also with some text stamping!







Thank you so much for your visit, and I wish you a very nice weekend!

Smell the Sea and Feel the Sky: Layout for Scrap Africa

Happy February everyone!

It's sketch time again at Scrap Africa.



I always love a sketch with hexagon shapes! But if you don't, no problem. You don't have to interpret the sketch as literally as I did. Do check out what the other super inspiring DT members created here!



I wanted to use a previously Gelli printed paper for my background, and was also feeling like using a dark background to go with the dark wooden wall in my photo. So I took a dark gre/brown polka dot paper from an old Basic Grey collection, and gessoed most of it to fade the transition to the Gelli paper.



Machine stitching is a great way to attach a thick paper onto another. I placed it with small pieces of double sided tape first.



And used the stitching as an embellishment as well.



This was my first time trying the acrylic inks from Daler-Rowney that I got a while ago. The colours are very strong so I used some water not to make too dark spots. I would have wanted the blots a bit bigger, but couldn't think of a tool to try it with. I'd love to hear your favourite tools or techniques are for splashing inks and mists!



Adding some bling, flowers and old rub-ons from my stash...



I am also joining the challenges at Challenge YOUrself!, where Anything Goes this month, as long as it includes a photo of YOU. If you're quick you can still join it, as it's open until the 4th of February!

And a new challenge for me, Scrapcraft.ru from my neighboring country, Russia − their cool prompt is to combine corrugated cardboard and lace, up until February the 9th!





The photo is a selfie from our last day in California last June, before returning home to Finland. I am so grateful we got to stay whole two weeks with my sweet relatives. This is from the back yard from their almost-beach house just a few blocks from the ocean.

The title is from the Van Morrison song called Into the Mystic, and it describes so well my feelings at that moment, grateful for the unforgettable trip but knowing I'll miss all the people I met,

and the ocean.

"Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly
into the mystic"

Van Morrison: Into the Mystic