Good Friday to all of you! I am super excited to post this today. Fair warning....this is picture heavy today. So, go grab a cup of something (I've got my hot tea) and enjoy!
Today I am submitting this blogpost as an audition to Faber - Castell Design Memory Craft for a spot on the Guest Design Team. For those of you who read this regularly you know how much I LOVE my gelattos! I have become very attached to all my products made by Faber-Castell. They are all in a special bin that I can grab for on the go.
I have so many pics that I am scrapbooking and I like my layouts to be a little different. That's where I use my gelattos, PITT pens, and Aquarelle pencils. I thought I would show you a tutorial today on how I made one of my double 12 x 12 layouts.
This is where I begin. I have my pics arranged how I think I want them. My gelattos and PITT pens are at the ready. I have my patterned and other solid papers out for inspiration. I know it's a stretch, but....in the pic in the upper righthand corner is a small postcard. It is my "jumping off" point for this layout. I loved the colors and the seahshell on it. The pics I have chosen to work with are all of my children when we were in Hawaii.
Once I moved my pics out of the way I got down to work (not work, just fun!). I began by distress inking all of my pieces (I used brushed cordoruy distress ink from Tim Holtz). Once that was done, I used several turquoise gelattos to edge my base cardstock. Just a quick, thin sweep of color along all the edges was perfect. I dampened my finger tips and rubbed the gelatto color to smooth it out some. It is not perfect. Some areas are wider than others but I think the sweep of color pulls the whole layout together.
Next step was to use the gelattos to add color and dimension to the embellishments on my pages. I used my Cameo to cut out a piece of coral, some shells, and a number of seahorses. I scribbled Snow Cone, Turquoise, White, and Champagne Gold gelattos on my splat mat. Then, with a small brush and water, I painted in the details on each embellishment. For the seahorses I used a very old paintbrush and pounced the color onto the shape. This gave an irregular color pattern and added some depth. The gold was added on the crown and spikes of the seahorses and also around the edges of the coral.
Here's a close-up of the seashell and the title piece once I added the gelatto color.
To give some dimension on the layout I thought it would be nice if the sand dollar had more of a natural, domed shape. I know you could use a stylus for this, but I had a perfect ball point pen end to do it! I turned the shape so that the right side was facing my palm. Then gently pressed down and moved the end of the pen in a circular motion. This allowed the paper to shape like a dome. It turned out perfect! I used the same technique to give the seashell a dome on the right side layout below and on the starfish on both pages.
Once I had added color to all the pieces I attached them to my layout. I LOVE how it turned out. The small amount of turquoise gelatto on the edges of the main page really add to the layout (Trust me on this one. I accidentally left it off the right side page. Once I looked at it, I saw how much the pop of color adds and quickly fixed my oops!). You can see in the pic below that I used some fishing net to add layers. I used the Champagne Gold gelatto directly on the net to add some pops of sparkle.
I have posted many of my projects that have used gelattos or PITT pens. Take a moment and look back through some of my posts (like the last audition for Faber Castell that I somehow mistakenly sent in late. I somehow got the time change wrong. The realization was awful! But the submission was of an awesome mermaid mixed media canvas. Check it out.). The gelattos are so versatile. Try them. I bet you will love them just like I do!
As always, I hope I have given you some inspiration today. Stay happy and craft often!
