A Blog Hop With A Difference!

Hello once again fellow scrappers & crafters!

So now I'm wondering what happened to the month of June?  I just now realized that I only posted once this past month.  June seems to have gone by in a blur.  Maybe it's because many things happen in this month.  For one, June is my birthday month.  So I spend at least one full week (at a minimum) milking my birthday!  So that means, lots of trips, outings, restaurant requests, NYC trips, craft binges etc...everything & anything that makes me happy!  Then it takes me at least another week to recover from my birthday bash.  There's a method to my madness--there really is!

The other thing about June is that it marks the middle of the year.  Six months for 2014 are behind me & I'm prepping for the next 6 months which to me, are my fave.  In these next 6 months there's the wonderful season of Autumn & along with Autumn come the pumpkin lattes, muffins, cakes and everything else pumpkin--which I love! Of course we have Christmas & the welcoming of a New Year--but let's not get ourselves TOO ahead here.

The wonderful Emma Stafrace asked me to participate in this blog hop which I found to be different from the usual blog hops.  Those who know me well know that when something different comes along I jump at the chance to participate!

Emma is such an inspirational & creative artist.  She's the mastermind behind the design of my blog & is also the owner of Page Drafts which houses a countless number of sketches that jump start my mojo every single time I visit. What always amazes me about Em is how she can create a beautifully detailed digital image & then recreate it flawlessly in either a hybrid or traditional layout.  That's talent that requires recognition!  If you're not familiar with her work--well then, what are you waiting for!?  You can find all her amazing designs on her blog 'Just a Girl With Ideas' right HERE.

So Em is quite an inspiration for yours truly--which is why I was floored when she asked me to participate as one that inspires HER.  :-)

So the idea behind this blog hop is to share a little bit about myself & my creative process & then to introduce people that inspire me.  Some of the ladies I picked may be familiar to you--others may not--but that's the idea of this blog hop.  To spread that creative love & inspiration.  At the end of this post I have listed the three ladies that inspire me--I'm sure you'll find them as creative & inspirational as I do.

So let's get to know me a little bit better shall we?

What am I working on right now?

My life is split into many different activities.  My full time job as a Quality Analyst takes up most of my day hours.  The afternoons are split between going to Zumba and shaking my bom-bom, to spending quality time with my family.  My evenings are usually my quiet time & when I work on either DT assignments or items for my Etsy shop; The Kreative Korner.  I'm currently on two design teams--Authentique & Berry71Bleu.  I'd love to be on more DT's but my schedule just doesn't allow for it.  Lately I've been experimenting more with Photoshop.  An example would be my last page 'The Breakfast Club' where I added myself to the 'Breakfast Club' ensemble as 'the rebel'.

How long does it take to create a project?

I used to take 2-3 evenings to create a project a few years back--although I believe this was because I was finding myself.  I experimented with many different styles, techniques & approaches--I believe I'm finally at a point where I'm comfortable with my style & I can now usually complete a project in a few hours; 2 to 3 hours tops. Also, my mojo has to be with me.  If my mojo isn't up to par then I can start a project--but I'll never finish it.  It's all abut the inspiration for me--to have that light bulb go off in my head and then work from there.

What are my fave things I love to create with at the moment?

Lately it's been all about layers, layers & layers paired with lots of bits & bobs.  Little unique trinkets that I can place into any cluster are my fave such as flair buttons, dominoes, spiral clips, game pieces...anything that's small & different. 

 Layers galore!  I love using multiple photos in my work & layering those as well. 

 Flowers, trinkets, buttons, arrows...lots of bits & bobs tucked in every corner.

 

How does your creative process work?

 This is a hard question because I don't seem to have one set process.  If I have to work with a determined set of supplies (like I do for my design teams) I usually let the material I'm working with determine the photos & theme of my page. If I'm free to use anything from my supplies--then I let the photos choose the theme, colors & design of my page.

How do I become inspired?

Inspiration for me can come from anything.  From sitting in my cube at the office & staring at the design of the rug to standing in line at the grocery store & admiring the design on the shirt of the person standing in front of me.   It literally comes from everything & everyone around me.  My son who is currently 20 months old is the one who most inspires me.  The faces he makes, his emotions, his reaction to new things, his desire to explore & learn--I take it all in & then try to express it via my work.

This clock was created when I kept thinking to myself how I wanted my son to stay little forever.  So I framed him into this clock.  The concept of 'capturing a moment in time' drove the inspiration behind this altered Tim Holtz clock.

What is my signature style?

I've been asked this question many times & can never really give a great answer.  I can't say I have one set style.  I can fluctuate depending on my source of inspiration, mood & amount of time I have to create a project.  There are two things that I tend to include in just about all my work--I usually include multiple photos in my projects & every single one of my pages has some form of journaling.  I use my layouts as my diary.  So it's essential for me to include dates & thoughts about the subject of my page so I can capture the specific memory & then pass it down to future generations.

Following are the three ladies that inspire me.  I'm sure you'll find them as inspirational as I do...

Lisa Griffith

 Lisa caught my eye when I visited her blog to comment on an entry for Berry71Bleu.  I immediately loved her style & I noticed right away that she has an amazing artistic eye.  The designs of her pages just 'flow' & she has the ability to add mixed media to her backgrounds without over powering the primary subject of her page.  Whether she decides to keep her designs simple or complex--the end result is always beautifully thought out.  You can see all of her fabulous creations on her blog 'The Paper Attic'.

Melenia Agapides

I first met Melenia while on the Once Upon A Sketch (OUAS) design team.  I've always admired her ability to flawlessly incorporate a number of different mixed media elements to her pages.  Melenia also has the ability to add multiple layers of a variety of different elements without the elements looking 'cluttered'.  They all come together just right & compliment each other perfectly creating a harmonious accent to the main theme of her pages.  You can visit Melenia on her blog 'A Room Full of Colours and Shapes'.

Athanasia Papantoniou

I met Athanasia on the OUAS design team as well.  I just love Athanasia's style. She can go simple or she can get fancy--any style she takes, the end result is always a feast for the eyes.  She's amazing with bright colors. Athanasia will have a bright colored background & then know exactly how to tone it down with the use of mixed media, stencils & stamps.  She also has several off the page projects such as wreaths & clay houses--you just have to check out these adorable clay houses--they're miniature works of art!  You can find Athanasia on her blog 'Athanasia: Me and Myself'.

Thanks for stopping by & I hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about me & that you discover new inspiration by visiting these three ladies.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Welcome To Embrace Serendipity

Welcome to my new blog--Embrace Serendipity!  With a new home, I decided to acquire a new blog with one amazing make over.  A very huge thank you to the talented Emma Stafrace for making this blog such a beautiful work of art!  I'm in love with every single aspect of my new virtual home.

So why Embrace Serendipity you may wonder? Well, serendipity is something that has added many wonderful things to my life. If you look up the definition for serendipity--it's defined as 'finding something good without looking for it'. That pretty much sums up the story of my life!

 I stumbled upon scrapbooking when I needed a creative escape, I discovered my day time job as a Quality Assurance Engineer without even knowing what a Quality Assurance Engineer was! I found my husband when I wasn't even looking for him. I uncovered an amazing love for dancing when I decided to take a Zumba class just because it 'looked like a lot of fun'! Now, I'm even a certified Zumba instructor. The list goes on...so as you can see, serendipity has played a big part in my life & that's how my new blog earned it's name.

I'm still fine-tuning my new blog--but for the most part it's pretty complete.  If you enjoyed my work on Kay's Kreative Korner--then please do remember to continue following me via Embrace Serendipity.

I'll be back soon with a few older projects that I haven't been able to post & stay tuned for many new projects that are in the works for the near future!

Clear Scraps Projects

Good evening fellow scrappers!  Today I thought I'd share some of the projects I've made in the past where I've used Clear Scraps products.  I've loved the concept of acrylic for a long time now.  At first, acrylic may be a bit intimidating since it's see through--but after a bit of experimenting I found that it's this clear nature that makes acrylic such a great product for scrap booking or card making!

You can apply paint on it, dry emboss it (you can even heat emboss it with a bit of patience), apply alcohol inks to it, punch holes through it with your crop-a-dile, stamp on it etc...

My first project is actually a new, never before seen criss cross card.  I used a scallop acrylic circle by Clear Scraps on this card.  I inked it with alcohol inks and dry embossed it.  Finally, I wrapped a bit of string around it.

A close up of the chippie brick wall.  This chipboard is by Dusty Attic.  You can find a tutorial here on how I give the brick wall it's texture.

Here you can see a better look at the acrylic and the effects/texture the embossing & alcohol inks gave it.

A close up of my little flower cluster.  I tucked a bit of pink tulle from underneath my flowers

The image is a stamp by Kenny K called "Queens Cutie".  I colored her in with Prismacolor Pencils.  I wish I was better at coloring.  I honestly do my own thing when it comes to coloring images.  I was actually experimenting with a new coloring method with this image & I ended up with a light/pastel sorta coloring.  I liked it though!  As usual I dressed up my image a bit more by highlighting parts of her hair and outfit with Star Dust stickles.

On this next layout I used an XL heart shape by Clear Scraps in the background.  I once again used alcohol inks on the edges.  Since the heart is see through you can see some of my splatter stamping right through the heart. I also used my crop-a-dile and punched a few holes underneath my photo where I strung a bit of black tulle through.  Finally I randomly added a bit of stickles along the hearts edge & also added some eyelets.  You can find more close ups & details on this page here.

For this page I used yet another XL shape by Clear Scraps.  This one is a large scallop circle.  For this one I applied a bit of molding paste on the edges & sprinkled some Mahogany Distress embossing powder on it. I then very carefully heat embossed it.

As mentioned before, you actually can heat emboss acrylic...but you have to do it with patience.  If you just hit your acrylic directly and too close with the heat gun--the acrylic with warp & twist.  So you heat emboss it a little at a time and from a good enough distance where it doesn't really warp the acrylic but does manage to emboss.  It may take a little time & practice--but the results are really worth it!  You can find more details & close ups on this layout here.

Finally I have this really cute mini owl album.  The entire album is made from acrylic and is also by Clear Scraps.  This lil' guy measures approximately 3" inches in height!

As you can see from the various photos...I did a couple of things here.  I adhered paper directly onto the acrylic, I embossed some of the acrylic, I applied some alcohol ink, I punched holes and thread ribbon through it & I applied stickles along the edges.  I really love how this little keepsake album came out!  You can find more photos, details & how to's on this mini album here.

I hope these projects motivate some of you to experiment with acrylic!  It truly is a versatile product!  Enjoy the rest of the week...

Once Upon A Sketch Design Team!

Just wanted to quickly share the latest news.  I've been asked to join the 2012-2013 Once Upon A Sketch Design Team!  Yay!!

Am very honored & humbled to be a part of such a talented group of ladies.  A big thank you goes to Nadia for giving me such a great opportunity!

Just check out the fabulous talent that I'll have the pleasure in working with:

Nadia Cannizzo 

Jeni O'Connor -Administrator (Australia /Canada)

Georgia Heald - Guest Designer coordinator (Australia)

Patti Hamil - Sponsorship Administrator(USA)

Eila Sandberg (Sweden)

Efi Stamatelli (Greece)

Erin Blegen ( USA)

Kelly Foster (USA)

Romy Veul (The Netherlands)

Jolaine Frias (USA)

Vicky Alberto (Canada)

Luzma Bruna (Chile)

Mona Pendleton (USA)

Solange Marques (Brazil)

Anna Zaprzelska/Brises (Poland)

Evgenia Petzer (South Africa) 

Renata Moni (Brazil)

Elena Stefanidou (Greece) 

Melenia Agapides (Greece) 

Cathy Cafun (Australia) 

Tina Walker (USA)

Kim Jeffress (Australia)

Florence Teixeira - (France)

Helena Virpi (Italy)

Hilde Aaslund (Norway) 

YAY! ----> Kay Fatula (USA)

Camilla Ekman (Sweden)

Svetlana Austin (South Africa)

To see the full announcement, click here.

Am looking very much forward to working with this great team!  What a great creative journey this will be...