not giving up...

Hello my fabulous friends!

I'm going to be honest here...

I've been in a creative slump... Like, a BIG one. 

I know this is a  common problem with anyone who does anything creative... It is a FRUSTRATING place to be! Especially when you desperately need the escape that creating usually brings... 

I'm not giving up. 

That's why I've been doing challenges lately...

Today's is brought to you by My Sweet Petunia (MISTI).... It's a challenge on Splitcoaststampers... 

A 12x12 scrapbook page with stamping...  

The exciting part??? The MEMORY MISTI!!! A MISTI that is big enough to fit a 12x12 page!!!

Yes, I am VERY excited about this even if I don't have one.... YET!

This perfectionist gets SUPER frustrated using stamps on SB pages when they don't stamp perfectly or (even worse) are CROOKED... YIKES! The idea of combining MISTI with scrapbooking DEFINITELY appeals to me. :)

This challenge was exactly what I needed to kick myself into the scrapbooking mood! I haven't done a scrapbook page in months, but I really need to get back in to it because I have a wedding album to make for my sister.... I'm just waiting for the rest of the photos! So, in the mean time, a picture of my niece that has been sitting in my "to scrapbook" pile for a while now...

I wanted to stick to the shabby look of the paper with my stamped images... The words are a second generation image... Stamped first on a scrap paper then on the page. This gives a faded image rather than the crisp image of a first impression.

The lacy stamp on both the top left and bottom right are actually a large sea shell stamp that is stamped partially off the page. I used pigment ink, then covered it in white embossing powder. I didn't want a solid embossed image, so I tapped the paper a little harder than usual so more of the power fell off before heating. This leaves a distressed embossing with the pigment ink color showing through in spots. 

Stamps used: Tattered Angels "Sea Side", Terresa Collins "Sweet Afternoon", Unity "Beautiful Elements"

The birds are wood veneers from Studio Calico... I love the extra texture they bring!

The sparkling threads you see are loose Angelina Fibers. They can be hard to attach without showing the adhesive, so I tend to make a "nest" of them, then glue something down on top of them, letting them get trapped in the adhesive under the element (in this case, a photo) and floating loose around the edges. It's kinda messy, but I love the look of those sparkling threads!!!

The "pink" wreath behind the photo (you can see a few leaves of it in this picture) Is a textured dark brown card stock (Core'dinations) that I sprayed with a spray adhesive. I then burnished some Minc foil over top. I love the textured foil look! It's distressed and sparkly and pretty!

Have a wonderful day! 

Enjoy!

~Kassi