Tambarambaa: Tammy gets the BLUES.....

Hi there. I've popped in to share my latest for Scrap Matrix.

This one has been created for the current Monochramatic/Tic Tac Toe Challenge, which basically means create something with only 1 colour plus neutrals PLUS select a line from a grid and ensure all these things are on your page.

This time I went with BLUE!!

The perfect colour for my son's tennis photos!

I used the line that runs vertically through the centre:

Stamp (lots of them)

Big Title (Love those stickers!)

German Scrap (appears on most of my layouts)

So let's have a quick look at how this came together.....

I began with a sheet of Marshmallow Cardstock - just love this cardstock....it just takes mixed media so well!!

I added some 3D Gloss Gel in transparent using a cool 13Arts Bubbles Stencil in

I went with this stencil as all the circles reminded me of tennis balls.

Once this was dry I added some Dylusions Ink Spray in 'London Blue'.

I did this in two different ways.

The first way was to use what I like to call the 'packaging splodge technique'.

Just take some old plastic packaging, spray the Ink Spray directly onto it, also spray on a little water, then turn it over and 'splodge' it onto your cardstock.

Really technical right?

It does give a lovely effect though. I use it all the time.

The second technique is to open the lid on the Ink Spray and paint it on with a paintbrush, similar to applying watercolour paint, but so very vivid!!

I can't stress enough the cardstock being a secret with this.

If you use normal cardstock or paper, you may need to apply clear gesso first or it will ruin your paper.

I then grabbed one of the AALL & CREATE stamps. I selected this one, again because of the circles reminding me of tennis balls.

I stamped this randomly onto my background using Ranger Archival Ink in black.

I then added a stamp from 7Dots Studio - Dreamscapes. I love that chevron, arrow shape. I use it often, particularly when scrapping my boy!

I was a little more strategic with my placement of these as I wanted them to point inwards to the layout, as this helps guide the eyes into the layout, and in particular, draws attention to the photos.

I then added some Washi Tape by Dina Wakley. I again selected more circular shapes.

I found the tape a little wide on my layout, so I tore it roughly into narrower strips and applied these quite randomly.

I then laid out my photos. I ensured these all overlapped as this draws they eye in and helps to tell the story within the photos better.

I then focused on adding lots of 7Dots Studio tags and stickers around/behind the photo cluster.

I adore these tags, and use them ALL the time.

I finished off with some ribbon, some German Scrap, a few word stickers and of course the 'LOVE life' title.

I often scrap with just 1-2 photos, so was happy to use a sequence of 4. I felt 4 told the story better.

When using multiple photos, it's important to cluster them together. Otherwise it can become confusing for the brain, not knowing where to settle and where to focus.

I also believe repeating a shape - in this case circles, helps to 'ground' the layout and gives a common thread. Otherwise the layout would be overwhelming and confusing.

(Note the circles repeated in the tags too).

Don't forget to add a little bit of journaling to your layout to totally finish it off.

There you have it!

As you know, if you follow my work or Scrap Matrix, I love using colours in my layout. The brighter the better.

At first this can be overwhelming. I truly believe having a go with 1 colour, plus black and white simplifies the whole process. It still gives stunning results, and can be a really great way to step into the amazing world of colour.

So why not give it a go?

With the challenge on this month, it's the perfect opportunity to do that.....so pick a colour, and a line from the above grid and give it a whirl.

I'd LOVE to see what you do, and believe me, it's wonderful to know that your work has inspired somebody to create, so don't forget to upload it into the Scrap Matrix Shares Page. Just find the correct album - pop it in, and let us know which products from Scrap Matrix you used in your creation. You have until the 14th of May to do this.

Well that's it from me, I'll be back again soon......