..:: love this lagoon life ::..

Hi Friends! I am up on the Paper Issues blog with a Keep It Sketchy layout for you! Here is a look at my mixed media fun!

And here is a look at the sketch that I used for inspiration:

As you can see I pulled the fun rainbow of mixed media from this layout, as well as the basic design. To start, I grabbed some white card stock and prepped it with gesso. When the gesso was dry I added seven different distress oxides (see below) straight to the page -- then added water and watched it slide down the page!  

Once the distress oxides were dry I went back in with a blending tool and a heart stencil and added some hearts over the top, using the same colors. I love how this turned out!

I added some heart clusters across the page for more embellishment. I tried not to add too much because there was already a lot going on. I did add some pops of black because that's my jam. Here are a few more close ups.

This was a really fun layout to make. You can find this and all of our current challenges in the August Challenges album in our Facebook Group. You have plenty of time to participate. Play along until September 6, for a chance to win a gift card to the Paper Issues Store. Shop the store using the code OrangeGearle for 20% off your purchase.

Thanks for stopping by and I will see you again soon! XO o.g.

..:: photog ::..

Hi! Orange Gearle here with a layout for the Touchy Feely Challenge over in the Paper Issues {Friends & Fans} Facebook page. For this challenge you are to use a lot of TEXTURE (like texture paste, textured paper, mesh, fabric, ribbon, etc).  I decided to add texture by stitching with my machine, adding pop dots, and lots of tangled thread throughout the page. Here's a look at my take on this challenge:

I used the Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor set that is available in the store, here, to create the stripes of color behind the photo, and then stitched after it was dry. This is what all that stitching looks like up close:

As you can see, I popped all those little bits up off the page and added tangled thread under the photos. All of those little bits are from Amy Tangerine's Picnic in the Park Collection that is also available in the Paper Issues store here. 

Here is the story, and a few close ups:

You can find this and all of our current challenges in the August Challenges album in our Facebook Group. You have plenty of time to participate. Play along until ?????, for a chance to win a gift card to the Paper Issues Store. Shop the store using the code OrangeGearle for 20% off your purchase.

Thanks for stopping by and I will see you again soon! XO o.g.

..:: hello summer ::..

Hi! Orange Gearle here with my first layout for the Pretty Little Studio design team! I am using mostly items from the Chasing the Sun collection and a free cut file that can be found here.  Here is a look at my project:

I used 8x8 papers from the Chasing the Sun collection to back the cut file (the orange is from the Documented Life 8x8 papers). Then I used the same colors to add stripes behind the cut file with distress oxides and water. 

Behind each photo I added a tag from the Fireflies Shipping Tags that are part of the collection. Then I layered some patterned papers, and frames behind each photo. I used the Fly a Kite Die Cuts and the Photo shoot die cuts to add some embellishments around the page.

I finished off the project by using the Face Painted patterned paper from the 12x12 paper pack as a boarder around the layout. This paper has every one of the colors in the layout, and adds the perfect final touch!

I made a video of my process if that's something that suits your fancy! 

Thanks a lot for stopping by and I will see you again soon! XO o.g.