Top 10 Year in Review

I did this last year and I am going to do it again as a reflection of what I've accomplished in 2008. These are my Top 10 favorite layouts this year. I have grown so much as an artist in 2008 and have been lucky enough to design for several teams: Crop Addict, We B' scrappin, and Scrap N' Art ezine... I won Bad Girls Top Designer contest and guest designed for them. I hope big things are in the works for 2009! I'm on a roll and I'm feeling so blessed about it all. This is the year for change (not only in politics) in our house with a new baby arriving soon and Mark starting Kindergarten (maybe) in the Fall. I'll be staying home until September and I hope that the baby is a good sleeper and allows me to have some scrap time to continue my growth. I plan on starting a visual journal while I'm home and vow to do at least one page a week this year! Okay, so that seems obtainable. Now, onto a recap of my year's creations:

This one is my favorite from the Top Designer challenge. I am a sculpture by training and I was trying to add dimension to my page and capture a feeling of wonder and warmth. There is a multitude of techniques used here. I printed the photo of my sono on grosgrain ribbon (this is a technique that I invented!), ripped the top layer of the cardboard base off and added paint, papers, and gold leafing to it, the wings of the "butterflies" are metal and distressed with a texture hammer, and I sewed the nest using wire and ribbon onto the cardboard. I love this page... I am going to frame it for the baby's room in a shadow box.Butterflies of my Heart

This layout is one I made using the handmade paper from this summer. I took a week long workshop with a very wellknown local artist and created sheets of handmade paper in her studio. This is one of the pieces that I used from those. I used glimmer mist to create the masked swirls in the background and outlined them in black marker to emphasize the shape a bit more. Then I used modeling paste to create the raised dots with sequin waste and painted them. The lines were made with painted cardboard stamped onto the page and then foam stamps for the title. I love this photo of my son on a beach in Florida from our trip. It always reminds me of the peace and calm I felt that day.Calm

This next layout was done on cardboard again... I've been very into the recycling of mailing boxes in order to do my part for the sake of art. I altered this photo using filters in Photoshop to create an aged and distressed look. It is my hands forming a heart over my belly at 4 months pregnant. I am now less than 4 weeks away from this miracle and still putting faith and time in the almighty's hands. It truly is a miracle that we can give birth and I'm anxious to meet this little man. I used Bad Girl's December kit here and was the guest designer for that month.

Faith & Time

This is another Top Designer layout that was inspired by Cari Fennell... not for the design, but just her prompt was to layer elements and boy, did I LAYER! I had a great time making this page and the photo of my son from a visit to our local zoo did wonders to inspire me. He looks so serious and sullen here, but he was just taking a break and watching the ponies and donkey intently. I love using orange lately and all the elements here are some of my favorite things. Touches of paint and texture are found thorughout the piece. It's a modgepodge of stuff and I love it!

Layers of You

I created this page on cardboard again (see a trend with me lately?) and collaged papers, metal tape, and inks/ paints over the surface. Then, I added the photo, which is printed on ribbon of my hands over my son's hands. As a mother, I am bound to my child through love and instinct. I love the passionate and gothic look to this page. It's another Top Designer piece.

Ties that Bind

Think Pink is one of those pages where I just wanted to try some new things on it. I altered the hue and saturation of the photo in Photoshop and printed the journaling on transparency to layer over it. Again, I used masks and Glimmer mist here in the background. I also used more of the handmade paper from this summer. After layering, I stitched the edges of the photo to hold the transparency and the edges of the page for unity. I created various butterflies around too. The journaling is about being a woman good and bad.

Think Pink

I did this page with a photo from Florida of me. I feel so at peace and tranquil on the beach. It just erases my worries and makes me feel at ease. I used colors here that compliment and punched butterflies from Hambly. I also used cork as a textural element. I love the feel of this page.

Temporarily Tranquil

This one is for the Bad Girls Dec. kit Guest DT spot and I love how it came out. I printed this photo on muslin and of course grunged up the cardboard. This is my new favorite size for pages; 6" x 12".

At Peace With Myself

I love the contrast with the black background and the colorful threads. I just had to do something that made me not obsess... I just had fun with this one! Love the photos and my design here. This is one I will pull out to look at again just to remind myself to just have fun with the materials!

Stop Obsessing

This isn't a page, but it's a piece of sculpture or altered art that I made as my final exam piece for Top Designer. I am so happy with this piece. I used wire hangers for the cage and really just poured my heart and soul into this one. I hope that I can do another one and start a series of these.

The Guilded Cage of Motherhood

Okay, so there you have it. My top 10 layouts for this year. I think I've just recently found my style and am getting comfortable with playing with materials and letting mistakes turn into art. I hope my creative mojo stays with me for this coming year! Happy New Year!