June highlights ...

Time to highlight a layout (or two) which has caught our eye over the month. 

JANNIKE G LARSSON

MARGARET CRAWFORD

You still have a couple of days in which to submit an entry and be in the running for some great prizes - we'd love to see your interpretation of our challenge this month.

Team training for June ...

Welcome to our June edition of Team Training brought to you this month by myself, Jane Howden.

Each month one of our team will inspire you with a little tutorial, tip or trick to help you in your scrapbooking pursuits.

Some tips on distressing on your scrapbooking pages

It seems some people become a little nervous when distressing is mentioned.  It needn't be all that difficult - distressing on your layouts can be as simple or a complicated as you care to make it.

Let's look at a few simple distressing techniques.

The most obvious one is to use a sanding block or some finer grained sandpaper to run across your cardstock exposing the white core.  

Tim Holtz has a wonderful range of cardstock called Core'dinations which most scrapbooking stores stock which is perfect for this.  It even comes in wonderful patterns.

TIP - For added oomph try spraying your cardstock base with mist or ink OR apply some distress ink  before sanding - make sure it is fully dry before you start to sand.

Another quick and easy technique to distress your paper or cardstock is to simply tear it.  You can tear the edges of your layout base or the paper you put onto it.

TIP - Use your "other" hand to hold the paper in place - you have more control over the tear this way.  You can also use a ruler - either a normal straight edged one or one of the variety of decorative edges that are available.

One of the techniques I like to do occassionaly is to rough up the edges of my cardstock using a distressing tool or the edges of my scissors.  It gives a wonderful shabby look to your paper.  

TIP - You can take this several steps further.  Consider rolling the edges in towards your page to create a more dimensional look.  You can help this along by lightly spraying water to the edges (or applying with a paint brush).  This makes the edges more pliable.

Ink can also be used to achieve a distressed look for your page.  Try inking the edges of your base - you can apply straight to the plain edges or distress the edges first.

TIP - You can ink directly onto the paper with the ink pad, your inking tool or try using a makeup sponge for added depth.

Of course you can do all of the above techniques to your actual photograph - if you dare !

Don't forget to have your entry in for our challenge this month.  Some lovely prizes on offer - one prize by vote, another completely by random draw and a guest designer spot with RAK to offer one lucky entrant. You have until 11.55 on the final day of the month to have your submission linked.

 

Introducing our June guest ...

This month we welcome Judy Willey with her take on our inspiration. 

Although the distressed timber of the door attracted my attention initially and was the inspiration for the background paper, the hinges and lock also caught my eye as did the yellow flowers. I have used alcohol inks, and heat embossing for the “metal ware” and distressed most of the edges of the patterned paper.

Hi, my name is Judy and I have been scrapping for about 10 years. Most Saturdays I meet with a group friends for a day of scrapping and lots of fun and laughter. I live in tropical north Queensland with my husband who is a keen sailor. Consequently a lot of my scrapping involves being on or near the water. My beautiful grandchildren are also a huge inspiration for me. Although I don’t think I have a well defined scrapping style, colour is an important consideration and I do enjoy using lots of layers and texture. I love to try new techniques and I often incorporate stitching or fabric into my scrapbooking. I am truly honoured to be asked to guest design for Pixels and Paper.

My Blog  https://judywblog.wordpress.com

Here are a couple more examples of my work.

Thank you for joining us as part of the team during June Judy.

Everyone has until the end off the month to play along with our Pixels and Paper challenge. We'd love to see how you are inspired by our photograph and the use of distressing in some way on your page.

Next week we have something special to share with you from a member of our design team.  Please call past on the 22nd for some Team Training.

May winners ...

We were delighted to see all the bright and happy layouts for May - many thanks for playing along with us.

We were working from this colourful photograph ...

CRITERIA - Flowers

While our main monthly prize is selected by creative team vote, one of our monthly prizes is completely done via random draw so anyone, regardless of style or years of experience can be a winner here on Pixels and Paper - you just need to have an entry in :)

Our MAIN winner for May is Yum (aka Susi)

We would like to invite Miniowner (aka Susan) to guest with us in July and will send her a small prize for her efforts.

and our random draw winner is #6 Judy W

Ladies, please email me @ jjjustjane@bigpond.com

 with your address and I will make sure your prize gets away to you.

Please pop back on the 15th when we introduce you to Judy Willey, our guest designer this month.

And don't forget you have until the end off the month to play along with us with our challenge.  You may combine with a sketch challenge only.

We'd love to see how you are inspired by our photograph this month and remember distressing can be as simple as roughing up an edge or creasing some paper!! 

Hi there June ...

Welcome to June - my gosh is that even possible?  - I swear it was only January yesterday !!

This month we are all feeling a little distressed - no not really but it's a good excuse to start ripping and tearing paper and sanding and getting inky !!

As always please find inspiration from our image as you would like - this photo might remind you of a country scene you remember or a spot in your garden.  You might be drawn to the butterfly or the colours - whatever inspires you, please share with us.

CRITERIA - Distressing in some way on your work

Our team have some wonderful pages to show you ...

KAREN

I was immediately drawn to those beautiful rustic doors, and the wonderful rich browns. I also loved the pops of green and orange, and used these colours in my pocket scrap page. I distressed the edges of the patterned paper squares, added some torn corrugated card, and inked the edges of the papers and journalling strips with distress ink.

DI

The distressing aspect of my layout has focussed on tearing, inking and layering of various papers to create a shabby effect to go with the photo I've used. This shows my great, great grandmother, great grandparents, grandfather (standing, centre of the picture) and his siblings.

REBECCA

I was inspired by the wood, the colours and the idea of an open door with new life...second picture is with the "doors" open.

LYNNE

I was inspired by the distressed wood and the latches/hinges as well as the butterfly. I went with a totally different colour scheme but focused on the shabby feel.

PHILLIS

It was the barn door that really caught m attention in the inspiration photo. I used a photo of Sarah Palin's childhood house we saw on our trip to Skagway, Alaska last summer. I sanded and inked most of my edges of my accent papers.

DEB

I loved the distressed paint on the doors, and thought I'd put that idea to use on a frame. I've used the reverse side of a canvas and transferred an image of my mum with her sisters, my nan and great-grandmother onto the back of the canvas and then distressed the canvas frame using assorted techniques...

Here is a close-up of the distressing on the frame, using mod-podge and paper towel to get the texture, different shades of acrylic paint and finishing with Distress "Rock Candy" for the crackle...

JANE

Inspired by the wood panels of the doors and the butterfly to create a vintage page.  Used some sanding and some inking to create the distressed look to my page.

 and finally please welcome our 

Special Guest who is joining the team for June

SHAZZA BISHOP

http://shazzacraft.blogspot.com.au/

NOW IT IS UP TO YOU ...

Please upload the DIRECT link to your actual entry to the link tool on the LEFT by 11.55pm on June 30th.

You are welcome to submit traditional paper layouts, art journals, divided page protectors, smash books, a mixed media canvas. Digital entries are welcomed and encouraged.  All entries must be new for this challenge and no back-linking please.

  You may combine with a sketch challenge only - no other combining will be accepted. Please include our inspirational picture as well as provide a link back to Pixels and Paper on your blog post and don't forget to tell us how you were inspired. International submissions are welcome.

This year we will have two main prize packs - one will be selected by Creative Team vote and the other purely by random draw - so anyone could be a winner, no matter your style or your level of experience.  All these prizes will be available to anyone, no matter your country of residence.  We will also offer one entrant a chance to guest with us for the following month and they will also receive a small prize.

Please come back on the 8th when we will announce our winners for May.