Using Up My Kit and A Blog Challenge at SOD!

Hello, all. I am happy to say that I've pretty much finished up my entire August kit from Scraps of Darkness! I really thought that I would end up using the kit for a couple of layouts and saving the rest to mix and match in future projects but I am amazed to say that I only have a few random embellishments left (which I intend to use later) from everything that shipped in the kit! Now that is bang for your buck! The three layouts I am posting today are using the last bits of the August Scraps of Darkness kit. I also wanted to let everyone know that SOD is having its first ever blog challenge and the prize is an entire kit! I hope you'll join me in participating (My entry is the Love Can Be a Prison layout below).  You can visit the Scraps of Darkness Blog for more info and some inspiration!

Here is how Mel, from Scraps of Darkness puts the challenge:

Show us your dark side...

Today I'm taking a short break from posting subscriber's sketch layouts to see what you can do!

Scraps of Darkness is hosting a blog challenge. This is all you have to do:

1. Between today, September 2, 2010, and September 14, 2010, create a "dark" layout. Think dark colors, dark subjects, such as Twilight or horror movies. Think Halloween, vampires, witches, or whatever you think of as a "dark" layout.

2. Post your layout on your blog or in whatever scrapbook galleries you normally post in.

3. Mention that your layout was done for the Scraps of Darkness blog challenge, with a link back to this blog.

4. Leave a comment on this post telling us where to find your layout, with a link to it.

5. We would prefer you don't mention any other kit clubs in your description, it's really not fair to them to mention Scraps of Darkness with their kit.

6. The more places you post your layout, the more entries you receive, so make sure you list all the places you have posted it in your comment to us.

7. This challenge is open to anyone, you do not have to be a Scraps of Darkness customer to play or win. But you do have to be a follower of our blog, so sign up to follow our blog today!

8. On or about September 16, 2010, a winner will be randomly chosen to receive a Scraps of Darkness kit, including the kit additions.

Good luck!
 
Here are my layouts:
 

I Do layout. This is a layout I created for my cousin's wedding album. Since her wedding colors were burgundy, white, and gold, I went ahead and used this diecut paper from my SOD kit, glued gold vellum behind the bird and butterfly cut out and used gold liquid pearl to create the flourishes. I also used gold lacquer Prima flowers and some bling pieces I had in my stash from a long time ago.

 

Ready to Pounce layout. This is Lilah, one of our furbabies that we had for 12 years. This is one of the last photos I have of her since she recently disappeared from our home. We will miss her. The papers from the SOD kit were all black and white, with the exception of the red diecut paper, and they lent themselves perfectly to inking. The bird in this background paper reminded me of the forest and so I used Distress Inks in Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint to add color. I also stamped leaves around the paper then outlined them with black marker. I added Cinnamon Stickles on the  branch and some little flowers. The large brown flowers are Petaloo and from the SOD kit and the glitter alphas are from Thickers.

Love Can Be a Prison layout. I created this layout because of the Book of Me Challenge both at scrapbook.com and scrapsofdarkness.com. The topic was "I wish someone had told me..." and this is what I wish someone had told me when I was young. That love can be a prison if you're not ready for it, if you have low self-esteem, and if you cling desperately to what you think is love only because you've never experienced it. When you're young it's easy to fall in love and when you don't know what real love is, it is easy to be confused by someone speaking sweet words but all the while breaking your spirit. I fell in love so desperately the first time that quickly it became a prison for me and I felt I could not escape from it. I am glad that I was able to get out and to replenish my spirit and confidence so that I was never made to feel this way about love again. Sorry, that was a lot. Now most of this is from my SOD kit. The only things not from the kit are the red and white cardstock, the small Prima roses, and the large black felt and lace flower that I got from Precious Paper over at Etsy. I inked the edges of the papers in Distress Inks in Fired Brick and Black Soot.