Facing the challenge

The latest challenge on CSI was a challenge indeed.  Not only was it a bold colour palette, I set myself a personal challenge too.

I decided to leave my comfort zone and to try using paint, and also to over come my fear of getting messy.  I have recently bought some texture paste and gesso and with the encouragement of a crazy chat room conversation with the CSI girls I came to the conclusion that the world would not end if my layout didn't go exactly to plan ... and who's to know what my plan was anyway?

So the starting point was to gather all possible stash that matched the colours and my 'plan'; that equates to making a great mess and opening all drawers in my craft space:

The next stage was to ensure that my stencil and photos would be well placed.  I wanted the brick stencil to imply the building of ancient civilisations.  A good idea in principle but I didn't allow for the fact that embellishments would later hide it!  Previously I've always placed things on the layout in their final position before securing.  My challenge to myself for this layout was to 'go with it', so I stencilled my bricks as a photo mat with texture paste and then to add further detail used paste and a reverse chicken wire stencil in both corners.  This was going ok until I decided that to make the colour scheme I would use glitter instead of grey ink.  Good idea but not so good in reality - the glitter leapt out of the pot and landed in a blob on the stencil.  The next good idea was to rub it in with my finger.  That did turn out to be a good idea and I must admit it felt good to be messy.

Carrying on this gungho manner I splattered gesso around and was pleased with the result.  Spurred on I then thought I'd use stamps to add more detail.  Unfortunately one stamp ended upside down but who cares ... I'm an intrepid scrapper!  I am pleased with my use of new techniques although I am not so pleased with the final result but I'm not quite sure why. Perhaps it was using an old transparency for the first time which I didn't really know what to do with.  My journaling was using a rough typewriter font and unfortunately I had already stuck it in place before I spotted two spelling mistakes.  At one time I would have been devastated but my new laid back approach took it in stride and used tipex to repair it.  That is in keeping with the typewriter effect isn't it? 

So in meeting the challenge I used all colours.  As evidence I used typewriter font, sheet music, flowers, hinges, a rhinestone, transparency and paint.

The testimony was typewriter font again and I used the Inspirational Word 'remember'.  I only recently remembered that I had once wanted to be an archaeologist.  I may not have followed that dream but I have managed to visit some amazing ancient sites and so far I have been to 32 countries, which I can't really believe.  My favourites have to be the ones that I never thought I'd actually get to.  My journaling is on the back of the passport which is attached by a hinge.

If you look very closely you can just about see the bricks peeping between the photos and embellies:

Thanks so much for looking, and thank you to everyone at CSI for inspiring me and giving me the confidence to try new things.