~*~Scraps of Darkness May Reveal~*~

Hello, all. First of all, let me say how sorry I am that I have not been around for the past couple of weeks. I've been going through a tough time with home and school, and have not been myself lately (I didn't even scrap for the longest time, if you can believe it!). I think I am starting to get back to normal, so that is a relief. I have decided during this time that my blog posting format is a bit too much for me so I will leave off of posting Monochromatic Monday, Tea Time Tuesday, Whatever Wednesday, and Steampunk Saturday on a regular basis. I will post on this blog in a more random manner, at least until I can get on a better schedule. Thank you for your understanding.

Okay, now on to the reveal! May's kit from Scraps of Darkness is called Now and Zen and full of gorgeous Asian-inspired pattern papers, bamboo sticks, miniature fans and parasols, and a lovely array of rub-ons and chipboard!

Now and Zen Scraps of Darkness May Kit.

Eva Layout. This is my take on the May Scraps of Darkness Sketch created by Charlotte aka Suepup. The photo is of my BFF, Eva. When I saw these papers I immediately thought of her since she is of Japanese descent. She is one of the most beautiful people I know as well and so it seem fitting to scrap her picture. The fans were my favorite pieces to work with from this kit because they are so unique and fun! I misted them with a variety of colors: Worn Lipstick Distress Re-inker, and Witch's Potion Purple and Delphinium Turquoise Mists by Lindy's Stamp Gang, then stamped a design with Jet Black Archival Ink. The flowers were cut out of cardstock with my Cricut Expression and the Mother's Day Bouquet cartridge. The flower centers are some pearl embellishments from the kit.  The birds and bamboo are also from the kit. The birdcage is from a past SOD kit and the title letters were printed out from my computer and covered in Purple Stickles.

Close Up of one fan from Eva Layout.

Yum Yum Layout. For this page, I used photos of one of my favorite foods: the Cream Cheese Sushi Roll. I thought of using these photos because of the tea set on the paper. I used a variety of flowers, jeweled chopsticks, pearl embellishments, and chipboard from the Scraps of Darkness May Kit for this page. I also used Purple Stickles, one handmade flower, and purple cardstock from the kit to mat the photos.

Close Up of Yum Yum Layout.

Lotus Blossom Layout. For this page, I decided to use a photo of the tattoo on my BFF's back which is a Lotus Blossom. The tattoo has special meaning for her and I think it is a beautiful piece. I fussy cut some of the May kit's papers and used Witch's Potion Purple Mist from Lindy's Stamp Gang and Tattered Angels Lavender Fields (from my stash) to color the birds and flowers purple. I also used some Dusty Concord Distress Ink to make one of the papers more purple. The chipboard letters and scroll frame are from the May kit as well.

Geisha Layout. I had seen this photo on the Internet before and thought it was breathtaking and wanted to use it for these papers. The only problem was that I wanted to use red paper and there was none in the kit. BUT there was a beautiful sheet of pink paper... so I took that and painted over it with Scarlet Glimmer Mist and paired it up with some black cardstock from the kit that I stamped and embossed with Lindy's Stamp Gang Gold Embossing Powder and Distress Ink Embossing Ink. The flowers are a combination of cut outs using my Cricut Expression and some Petaloo flowers from my May kit. The metal charm came in the May kit as well. I just added the fan pieces to it. The gold fan was originally white but I colored it with embossing powder and covered it with rub-ons and brads. The Thickers title letters are from my stash. The bamboo leaves are cut from the green cardstock from the May kit and colored an antique gold and outlined with Gold Stickles and dots of Christmas Red Stickles.

Close Up of fan from Geisha Layout.

~*~Scraps of Darkness April Reveal~*~

Hello, all! Here we are on the 15th again for another Scraps of Darkness Reveal! April's kit has to be my favorite so far! And if you know me even a little, you know that it is because of all the clocks on these papers and the fabulously rich colors! This month's kit is called Foundations and is filled with Bo Bunny Timepiece papers, Graphic 45 metal flowers, Shimmerz paints and mists, a Perfect Pearl mist, a cameo, Prima flowers, some miniature amber bottles, Salvage Stickers - Crowded Attic from Tim Holtz, and Zva Creative goodies! No SOD kit ever disappoints and this one just blew me out of the water! I can't tell you how much fun I've had playing with this kit and hope you will hop on over to Scraps of Darkness and take a look at what they have to offer! And be sure to check out the Scraps of Darkness Blog for the most recent news, contests, and inspiration!

Let's start with the awesome and beautiful sketch for this month's kit by Suepup (aka Charlotte).

Scraps of Darkness April Sketch.

Maria Layout. This is my take on the April SOD Sketch. I turned it on its side and did some fussy cutting on the paper. I love the deep reds and browns in this kit along with all the clocks and gears! I inked the papers with Walnut Distress Ink and distressed them with my Tonic Studios Distress Tool. The bling, gears, and some of the flowers were from my stash from some of my previous SOD kits. The photo is of my late mother. This page will be going in my personal heritage album.

Gilmore Layout. What can I tell you....I love those clocks! I fussy cut a bunch of them from one of the kit papers to make this layout. I actually created this layout for a challenge at scrapbook.com. The Scissors, Paper, and Ink Challenge over at sb.com challenges you to use only scissors, paper, and ink (adhesive, too) to create a layout. I took to tearing and fussy cutting my papers. I also used Walnut Stain Distresss Ink on all the edges. The photo is of my father-in-law around the time he met my mother-in-law (A very long time ago... lol).

Innocence Layout. Doesn't yellow remind you of spring and innocence? It does to me and when I found this photo of my great-aunt Bertha that is what came to mind; innocence. This photo was taken before she went to a convent to become a nun. The Bo Bunny Timepiece Home paper with its large door reminded me of a church and I associated that with her. I used moss from the SOD kit to make a little nest for my yellow flowers over an inked, painted, and distressed background. The script and window stamp is from the kit as are the lace trim and Graphic 45 metal flowers. I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink, Golden Wheat Shimmerz paint, and Ranger Perfect Pearls Heirloom Gold Mist. The key is a skeleton key I picked up at the hardware store. The Thickers for the title, some flowers, and ribbon were from my stash.

Defines Me Mini Album Front Cover. I created this mini album for Lisa's (aka Lisanovo) Skeletons in the Closet challenge over at the Scraps of Darkness Challenge Forum. The topic of this month's challenge was "What Defines You?" And since I don't think any ONE thing can define me, I made a whole album full of things that help define me. I made this album with mini paper bags from the hardware store (A photo of the type of bag is at the bottom of this post). Throughout this album I used the papers, cardstock, embellies from the kit along with some other embellishments from previous SOD kits.

Defines Me Mini Front Cover Close Up. In this photo, you can see some Vintage metal corners, Prima mini roses, and 7 Gypsies gears.

Defines Me Mini Album: Pages 1 and 2. On page one I used some Prima stencils and Shimmerz Terra Cotta mist to make the background. I used some Tim Holtz alphas from the Salvage Stickers that came in the kit. My children are the ones in the photo and I believe they are part of the reason I am who I am. Without them I wouldn't be a mother. The 2nd page is of my husband; without him I wouldn't be a wife (or would have learned to be one).

Defines Me Mini Album: Pages 1 and 2 Close Up. I wanted to show you all the little note cards inside the pockets of the bag. This is where I have most of my journaling.

Defines Me Mini Album: Pages 3 and 4. These two pages are of my grandmother and late mother. Without out them I wouldn't have been raised the way I was. My mother's death when I was five also had a great effect on me and has partly made me who I am as well.

Defines Me Mini Album: Pages 5 and 6. These two pages are of my friends. All them mean the world to me and their friendship has nurtured a love more like that of family.

Defines Me Mini Album: Pages 7 and 8. These two pages are dedicated to my youth (or lack of it) and experiences.

Defines Me Mini Album: Pages 9 and 10. These two pages are for time and secrets.

Defines Me Mini Album: Pages 11 and 12. These two pages are for the military (being a military spouse) and for my hobby (scrapbooking and scrap supply shopping).

Defines Me Mini Album: Pages 13 and 14. These two pages are for obsessions and collections (some are one and the same).

Defines Me Mini Album: Pages 15 and 16. These two pages are my education and my life (so far).

Defines Me Mini Album: Pages 17 and 18. These two pages are for extra journaling (on the tags). And let me tell you this is the most journaling I've done in a long time!

Defines Me Mini Album Back Cover. I thought I would put some of my favorite things on the back cover such as the 7 Gypsies Gears, Tim Holtz Gears, and a Tim Holtz Word Key.

Mini Paper Bag. Here one of the paper bags, like the ones I used to make the mini album. It measures 7 inches by 3.5 inches. I got these at my local hardware store in the nuts and bolts section.