"Wedding Flowers" Mixed Media Layout for Helmar and Leaky Shed Studio

I've been a crafter since I was a young girl. So although I had not done much with flower arranging, I was game when Elizabeth asked me to create the bouquets for her and her bridesmaids. The wedding photographer captured them so beautifully.

I've used some of my favorite products to create this layout from the Leaky Shed Studio Chipboard and Helmar Adhesives to the gorgeous 7 Dots Studio Nature Walk paper collection.

"Wedding Flowers"

Tips and Techniques

Stop by the Helmar Blog to check out the details on how I use Zap Dots to raise my photos so that I can tuck flowers, chipboard, and other elements under and around my photos.

I've added texture to the Leaky Shed Studio Fern Flourish by dabbing with extra heavy gesso, then painting. 

The dragonfly wings are painted with metallic paint, then dusted with Donna Salazar's Clearsnap Twinkle Dust Glitter in Mixed Berries. The body was covered with Helmar 450 and sprinkled with silver microbeads. I've used Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to adhere these gorgeous chipboard pieces to the layout.

The flowers, chicken wire and metal leaves are adhered to the mixed media background with Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive. 

As you can see here the flowers are positioned on different levels and layers. To place them properly I've used Liquid Scrap Dots to lift and arrange them where needed.

Here's a shot of the smaller cluster. The purple on the background was created with Pan Pastels and spritzed with Helmar Crystal Kote Fixative spray. I've also stamped randomly with Mix'd Media Inx.

Helmar Products

Zapdots ~ 1/2" Square, white

450 Quick Dry Adheseve

Premium Craft Glue

Liquid Scrap Dots

Crystal Kote Fixative spray
Paint/Glue Spreader

Leaky Shed Studio Products
Fern Flourish
Spring Dragonfly

Other Products
7 Dots Studio Nature Walk - Cotton, Musical Blooms
MME ~ Lost and Found - Record It Antique Alpha and Word Stickers
Metal Leaves ~ Etsy
Chicken Wire - white
Lace - stash
Petaloo ~ Canterbury Collection Rose Blossoms - white
Prima ~ Troika - white
Prima ~ Parisa Mayfair Mix
Prima ~ Wildflowers Pillar Pack - white
Wild Orchid Crafts ~ Sweetheart Blossoms - white
Wild Orchid Crafts ~ Cottage Roses 25mm, mixed purple/lilac
Wild Orchid Crafts ~ Cherry Blossoms - white
Clearsnap by Donna Salazar ~ Mix'd Media Inx - Sparrow, Midnight
Ranger ~ Distress Ink - Dusty Concord
Pan Pastels
Liquitex ~ Extra Thick Gesso
Liquitex ~ Gesso
Golden ~ Soft Gel, Matte
Golden ~ Light Molding Paste
Clearsnap by Donna Salazar ~ Twinkle Dust Glitter, Mixed Berries
Beadies ~ Microbeads, silver
Art Gone Wild by Donna Salazar ~ Vine
Close to My Heart ~ Distressed Backgrounds
Glitz ~ Distressing
Stampers Anonymous ~ Seamless Experience
TCW ~ 6 x 6" Mini Art Is ... Stencil

Thanks for stopping by! I treasure your comments.

~ Blessings ~

Summer Memories ~ Bo Bunny Layout Challege

It's been a busy couple weeks at the Sabella home. Last week I put together the bridal and bridesmaid bouquets for Elizabeth's upcoming wedding. I thought I was all done until we remembered the boutonnieres. I guess I'll be finishing those up next week. Her shower was this past Monday and we had a lovely time. I'm so grateful to my mom and sister who came and helped me with the last minute food preparation and then loaded it all up to take to the church. I haven't had a spare minute to get around and see all of your work this week, but hope to be by to catch up soon. 

My husband, Gary, and I went to the Jersey Shore and to Baltimore's Inner Harbor for our 30th anniversary back in July. Gary had a business trip planned for the week of our anniversary and invited me to go along and take an extra day to enjoy the sights. This shot was taken at the beach below the boardwalk at Atlantic City. I'm a simple girl and enjoy the beach much more than the hustle and bustle of the boardwalk. 

The challenge at Bo Bunny is to use some "Interview Journaling" on your page. I have a hidden journal tag where I wrote the discussion of Gary asking me to go with him on the trip. This Bo Bunny paper was so fabulous to work with, and the Paradise papers had just the feel I was looking for to showcase this photo. Here's my layout:

The Journal Tag is tucked in behind the mats on

the right side next to the looped twine:

Techniques:

Flowers ~ I used a large twine flower behind the focal flower in this cluster and another smaller one above the photo. My tutorial for these flowers can be found here. In the center of my large focal flower I gessoed one of the Bo Bunny Vicki B flower trinkets. The center didn't match, but a bit of gesso took care of that. :-) The middle layer of this flower was cut from Bo Bunny paper using Donna Salazar Grand Peony dies.

Hand Stitching ~ The Martha Stewart Cherish Punch Around the Page set I used for one of the layers in the photo mat has nice little holes, I hand stitched through the inner set of holes.

Texture ~ I used Martha Stewart Texture Effects through a stencil on the scalloped layer. This is the first time I used it and loved the gritty white texture for this beach page. 

Gesso ~ I dabbed, painted, and dripped gesso over much of my page, as well as using it to tone down the darker blues in some of the flowers.

Distrezzing ~ I used my Donna Salazar Distrezz-It-All to distress all of the straight edges including the photo. I don't know how I did it before I got this handy machine. 

Fibers ~ I layered burlap, cheese cloth and other fibers into my photo mat, and fishnet under my flower cluster. 

Coral/Seaweed Leaves ~ My Spellbinder Foliage die set has a fern leaf that when cut in cream and dabbed with gesso looks just like coral or seaweed. 

Twine Frame ~ I've done a couple twine frames, but recently saw some that looped across the page so I left long ends on my frame to swirl and loop across the page. 

Bo Bunny Products:

Paradise Sunset

Paradise Pier

Paradise Lingo

Roughin' It Happy Camper

Liberty United

Bo Bunny Double Dot - scrap of an off-white color

Bo Bunny Trinkets ~ Vicky B

Bo Bunny Jewels ~ Barefoot & Bliss

Other Products Used:

Embellishments:

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Grungeboard Dots Elements

Zva Pearl Flourish - PES-02CB-110

Prima Say it in Crystals #560577

Petaloo Flowers:

     Darjeeling Mini Mix blue/eggplant/green

     Hydrangea blue/eggplant/green

     Mini Rose all white

     Color Me Crazy Mini Rose Clusters

Cloud9Design Alpha Rain Dots - Black

Technique Products:

Martha Stewart Cherish PATP

Martha Stewart White Texture Effect

Liquitex Gesso

Cotton Crochet Thread - stash

Donna Salazar Spellbinder Grand Peony Dies

Spellbinder Foliage Dies

Ranger Distress Ink - Faded Jeans, Vintage Photo

Jute Craft Cord - Saint Louis Trimmings

Jute Twine - Stash

Cheese Cloth - Stash

Fish Net - Stash

Burlap - Stash

Other fabrics - Stash

TWC 12 x 12 Template - Tile Texture

Adhesives:

Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents

ATG

Darice Pop Dots

Zots - small, bling

Tools:

Donna Salazar Zutter Distrezz-It-All

EK Success Color Bee Scissors

Sizzix Big Shot

Fiskars Craft Knife & Self-Healing Mat

Thanks for stopping by! I treasure your comments.

~ Blessings ~