Inspiration Elevator #27 - Go BIG or Go Home.

Good morning.......a delightful Monday morning no less!

It also happens to be the 15th of the month, which means it's time for another generous helping of inspiration from all of the creative ladies at Inspiration Elevator.

Our main purpose here at IE is to challenge ourselves, each other and YOU to take the creative process to the next level;  to inspire growth and change in our scrapbooking beyond the mundane.

You can see all of Inspiration Elevator's previous challenges at our blog and catch us on Facebook .

We are thrilled to welcome back as a guest designer with our team, the very talented Christine Meyer!

This month's challenge is issued by the creative Christa Uttley. Here is her challenge for us, in her own words:

 GO BIG OR GO HOME: Scrapbookers as a rule use what photos they have on 
hand or if you are designing, whatever pictures allow you to best 
showcase your lines or express your paper lines. This month's challenge 
is to be very deliberate about your photo choice because we are going 
BIG! Bigger than 8x10 if you can do it. Recently, I saw a friend using a 
12x12 she had printed at the local
Costco and was stunned at the power this GIANT image had on her story
telling. (If you'd rather not spend any extra on your photo then scrap
those large baby pictures or a wedding shot you have lying around.)
Think scenic vistas or think about all the details that go missing in
your world and blow them up. Be brave!

 Here are the MUST DO's: Must be at least 8x10 in size. We want this
GIANT photo to take centre stage and tell the story in a big way.

So there you have it........BIG is the word!

I must admit, this kind of challenge has been on my scrapbooking bucket list for quite some time.  I'm so glad I finally get the nudge I needed in order to accomplish the task.

I chose a photograph from our recent camping trip, and had the print developed at Costco as an 8"x12" for $1.99.......pretty reasonable I'd say!  I'm already thinking of my next 'oversized' project, but first, here's the result of this month's endeavor:

Summer Daze

There's one thing for sure when you're scrapping large photographs - you can complete a page fairly efficiently as there isn't an awful lot of room to fit too much on the page!

I started with the 'Homemade' collection of papers from Pebbles, and if you were over here on Friday when I posted this layout, you may remember me saying how much I LOVE this line.  I actually did run out and buy extras to make sure I could complete another 1 or 2 pages with them!

Today's effort is page #2.

Layers of torn paper and 'faux' stitched edges create the background........

The pretty flowers are fussy cut from a sheet of PP, and there's a vine tucked in there from a Silhouette cut file.

Another fussy cut flower, plus a single piece of flare provide the sunshine........

Finally the title is made up of Thickers and another Silhouette cut.........

That's just about all.

Here's a list of this months participating designers......we encourage you to check out each of their creations, then head on back to try the challenge yourself:

Christa Uttley

Wendi Robinson

Katherine Sutton

Lisa Moen

Lisa Speigel

Ann Jobes

Jayne Morgan - that's me!

Guest Designer: Christine Meyer

Now it's your turn to 'Go Big' and get creating.  Just remember to link up over at the IE blog as we'd love to see your 'BIG' inspiration!

Have a great day,

Jayne.x.

Inspiration Elevator #24 (Michelle Hernandez) - A Public Page

It's that time...........

Welcome to another month of Inspiration Elevator!

Our main purpose here at IE is to challenge ourselves, each other and YOU to take the creative process to the next level;  to inspire growth and change in our scrapbooking beyond the mundane.
You can see all of Inspiration Elevator's previous challenges at our blog and catch us on Facebook and Instagram (soon!) too.

This month's challenge is issued by the innovative Michelle Hernandez. Michelle's style is about telling the story with a clean and simple, yet artsy approach, an awareness of current trends, and garnished with her use of chipboard and often neutral colours. Here is her challenge for us, in her own words:
The challenge for June 15th is- make a public scrapbook page. You are making a page to go up at work or to give away to a family member to put up in their space. In your blog post you will tell us how knowing this page isn't going in a book or in your home changed your style. Did you go all out and make something that is 3D? Did you suppress your love of a particular color or product? How do you feel about the page being public- outside your regular audience of scrapbook lovers who read your blog or open your books at home?

OK so I had to think long and hard about this one, mainly because the majority of my pages are created for the public eye.  My DT work for a local Scrapbook store and a couple of other Design Teams means that I'm constantly creating with a particular goal in mind.......to promote a certain paper collection/embellishments, or to interpret a Sketch as creatively as possible to hopefully inspire others.

My point is, these days I rarely scrap just for the pleasure of accomplishing another page for the scrapbook........that's not to say I don't enjoy these regular methods of scrapping - far from it!

I just struggled with coming up with something different to my norm for this challenge.

Then, whilst I was stalking perusing Facebook one day and in conversation with a scrappy friend, I noticed a gorgeous photo in her album.

Inspiration finally struck and I started on a page as a gift for her.

But before I reveal that, let me fill you in on the inspiration behind it.

I've known Dee for approximately 5 years since she welcomed me into a close knit community of fellow crafters, and nurtured my like minded love of Scrapbooking.

She's one of the good ones.....both creatively and in Spirit.

Unlike some crafters in their Golden years, she is definitely not your 'Old Fashioned' scrapper......always receptive to trying new techniques and idea's, especially when it comes to Art Journalling......her secret love.

This is where her real personality shines through and I believe what she enjoys the most.

We've often talked about our wish to incorporate more and more of the mixed media techniques into our scrapbook pages.

I for one dabble here and there, trying to introduce more 'artsy' stuff into a layout, as does she, but she's said more than once that she often feels a little nervous about going 'full out' on a layout in case she doesn't like it.

That's the purpose of my page.

It's not a perfect work of art by any means (I'm my worst critic!) but I'm hoping it will at least serve as a little encouragement for her to 'go for it' and more than anything......enjoy the process!

Here goes:

Beautiful Bermuda

I started by layering strips of burlap behind a second sheet of PP, then got to work with mists, a whitewash of Gesso, Molding Paste and stencils, stamps and ink and just a touch of Inca Gold (in Silver) to give that pearlescent look.

Another stencil and texture paste up here, together with Gelato's and a paintbrush to create a little water coloured shading.

I printed the photograph onto a textured cardstock, then sanded the edges a little as I wanted to create the look of canvas.

There's also feathers, some inked florist wire, lots of flowers and a pretty little collection of embellies clustered here....

It's now all framed and ready to go.....I'm a little nervous as I hope she likes it.....

......but if nothing else, I thoroughly enjoyed making it.

And now back to some important deets....

Here's a complete list of this month's participating designers!  We encourage you to check out each designer's creation this month, then come on back and give the challenge a try yourself!

We also have the wonderfully talented Christy Riopel joining us as Guest Designer this month so please stop by and say Hi.

 Michelle Hernandez

Jayne Morgan
Wendi Robinson

Katherine Sutton

Lisa Moen
Lisa Spiegel
Ann Jobes

We have a couple of regular artists taking a summer hiatus and look forward to the return of Joanne Burton and Christa Uttley in the fall.
Meantime, if you've wanted to participate as a guest designer with Inspiration Elevator, just contact team lead, Ann at ann jobes at bell dot net
Now it's your turn to get creating about art you share publicly, and share your blog link at the IE blog. We would love to see what you were inspired to make!

So there you have it!

I'm off to check out some fabulous creations from this inspiring group, in amongst trying to clean my house......my parents are flying in later this afternoon from across the pond.

Woo hoo......babysitters!! Lol

Take care and have a great day,
Jayne.x.