July highlights ...

Time to highlight a layout (or two) which has caught our eye over the month. We have loved everyone's winter inspired creations.

Giorgia

The Happy Scrapper

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 July ...

Welcome to our June edition of Team Training brought to you this month by team member, Deb McCleary.

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

Colorburst! by Deb McCleary

It's my turn with Team Training this month (first time for me!), and I thought I'd share with you one of my favourite ways to create interesting backgrounds using Ken Oliver's Colorburst.

I'll start with creating a watercolour background on watercolour paper.  I give the watercolour paper a spritz with water on the front (and here's a little tip for you - if you give it a quick spritz on the back as well, it will help to keep it flat while you work, instead of bowing up).

I then sprinkle the Colorburst powder on the paper and watch the first lot of magic as it reacts with the water and spreads.  (I've chosen Pthalo Green and Alizarin Crimson for this demonstration).

 I then add some of the Alizarin Crimson to the white areas on the paper.  As I spray more water to activate the Crimson powder, you can see that it also reactivates the Green powder, leading to a few muddy areas where they mix.

After drying it off, you can see that the overall effect is a very soft watercolour effect, with very vibrant colours.

Now for the fun part - here's something I discovered whilst playing around with my Colorburst and different surfaces.  I thought to myself, is there a way to dry off the surface after one colour has been applied, and hopefully stop the 'muddying' effect when more water is added - I didn't realise it until I tried it, that photo paper is the answer!

After spraying the surface, sprinkling the Colorburst powder and spraying again with water to activate the powder, I can then 'blot' the moisture away from the surface with paper towel - when I spray the surface again, the Green stays where it is - it doesn't get 're-activated'.  This means that I can add the Crimson over the top and not have it 'move' the Green at the same time.

As you can see from the side-by-side comparisons of the two backgrounds I've created, there is less blending with the one on the photo paper (and no 'mud' when mixing a primary and a secondary), which means you can create beautiful backgrounds that take advantage of the 'spread' of the powder with the Colorburst.  I've included some other samples of backgrounds I've created on photo paper below.

If you haven't already tried Colorburst, I highly recommend you get at least one or two of the colours to give them a go - they are heaps of fun and you can do so much with them - just check out online if you want to see the vast array of possibilities!

Thanks for tuning in!

Deb.xx

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 July guest ...

This month we welcome Susan Roberts from the UK with her take on our inspiration image for July. 

Hello! I'm Susan and I live in West Sussex in the UK. My scrapping habit grew out of making albums of holiday memorabilia. I've always had a fascination for paper and stationery and have loved to 'cut and stick' since I was a child. My mum says when I first discovered scissors I cut everything including the dog's whiskers! I love to use bright colours and bold patterns. My favourite embellishments most definitely are buttons, sewn not stuck, and my best scrapbook subjects are my adorable great-nieces and nephews. I am a retired headteacher and my creative hobby gave me a way of relaxing after a stressful day at work. Now I can craft when I like and I'm very lucky to have my own scrap room and a patient husband who doesn't too much mind the frequent deliveries of pizza boxes!

Blog http://miniowner.blogspot.co.uk/

Here are some more of my pages ...

Thank you for joining us as part of the team during July Susan.  We loved seeing your work :).

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 theme of Winter (with the weather we have been having lately you should have plenty of inspiration!).

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.

June winners ...

Thank you for playing along with us during June.

We were working from this photograph ...

CRITERIA - Distressing

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 June is Brenda Caldow.

We would like to invite Jannike to guest with us in August and will send her a small prize for her efforts.

and our random draw winner is #8 Sharon Fritchman

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 our guest designer for 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!! 

Hello July ...

Welcome to July at Pixels and Paper.  

Since July marks the mid point for winter here in Australia we thought we might do a winter theme for you this month. 

As always please find inspiration from our image as you would like - this photo might bring to mind similar foggy days or another winter scene. It may remind you of rainy days or the white and grey of the snowy landscape on a trip to the snowfields - whatever inspires you about winter, please share with us.

Our team have some fantastic layouts to inspire you ...

DI

This month I've added the misty feel to the outside edge of the background paper by smooshing with white distress ink and have also gone with the stark lines formed by the fishing rods in the inspiration photo.  I've added hand drawn snowflake embellishments and the title has 'icicles' hanging off it. The page was inspired by the current cold snap and of a holiday in Tasmania where we saw our first snow on top of Mt Wellington, Hobart.

KAREN

I took inspiration from the grey and white tones, and from the ocean. The photographs were taken during a short winter vacation in 2013.

LYNNE

Winters are a little different here-definitely no boating where I grew up or where I live now! I was inspired by the idea of a mode of travel; my dad used to fly small planes and this one had skis for the snow. My little niece used to love to go flying with "Papa" The misty background of the photo also inspired me to choose this background paper.

REBECCA

I was inspired by the fog (which I tried to mimic with the gesso, sprays, glitter and reverse stamping). I was also drawn to the image of a father with his child which is why i chose a picture of my brother with his family.

PHILLIS

 I inspired by the fog and water of this photo. I used a photo from my son's fishing excursion while in Ketchikan, Alaska. I used the white of winter with the hints of blue since these colors reminded me of what winter is where we live.

DEB

 I was inspired by the fog in the picture and I've recreated that in my background, as well as adding some snow flake elements. I've recreated the fog using white gesso tinted with a small amount of black gesso on a white page. However, I struggled to find a photo to use, so I grabbed one from my friend of her two gorgeous girls in identical red (winter) coats. The pop of red inspired me further with this page and I'm thrilled with how it turned out!! 

JANE

I was inspired by the overall feeling of cold this photograph evokes.  I used the grey and white colour scheme to document a page for my own album of childhood memories.

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 July 31st.

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 June.