You know title’s just really aren’t my thing…there I said it. I have the hardest time coming up with them for my blog posts, for my layouts, etc… Sometimes I just throw things out there that I think sound good in my head and just hope they work for everyone else – lol

* So in keeping with the theme of the title that I just threw up there, here is #1 for Thursday -  A new layout!

{Independence}

Yep, I made it this morning and I’m quite happy with the turn out. It’s another one of those “just for me” layouts!

* I was searching Pinterest and saw this quote posted by Bilbo Baggins. Of course I immediately pinned it to my “Word” board, but then I also re-posted it on FB and then thought, ” hey that might be cool to use on a scrapbook page”.

Here is a little breakdown of my creating process:

* Color a sheet of watercolor paper with STAEDTLER water color crayons and then use a wet paint brush to blend all the colors into beautifulness.

* (Important) – this is # 2 for Thursday – a new technique. Well at least new to some of you…hopefully This is how so many Scrapbook artists get those really cool solid black dots all over their pages. It’s not just regular ole color sprays…it’s black spray paint. Yikes..I know kinda scary huh? I promise it’s not bad at all and you can totally do it inside and after you do it once you get the hang of it and you will love it. Now I recommend you start out by just buying one of those little cans at like Hobby Lobby or your craft store to try this out. That way if you like it you can buy a bigger can and if you don’t what have you really lost..a couple bucks?

* Shake up the can, pop off the lid, spray a little of it into the side of your lid. Now listen up because this part will save you some grief, be sure to dump a little of the paint out into the trash or onto a napkin first before you try and shake it over your page to get the pretty little black drops!!! This way any big clumps will come out first. Try this on scrap paper first until you get the hang of it.

* Doesn’t that look cool? I love this technique and use it all the time. I just wish I had more spray paint colors…

* Next, I was ready to pick a photo for my layout. Yes, that’s right, my photo is usually not the first thing I think about when I start a layout. I guess that’ s just how it works for me. Most of the time, I start by building a cool background and then I grab my pictures and choose one to fit what I have designed.

* So here is the point where I have my Happy Accident. I decided to use my large format printer, which has been having a host of problems this month, to print out the Bilbo Baggins quote on my background. But I want to chance using it anyway because I can’t possibly write it out the way I want it to look. So I go for it and the first time it prints out, of course it does not print in the right direction!!!! Even though I thought I had made sure that it would. But guess what? I actually end up loving the way this is going to work for me and how it’s going to go down into my picture and work into the design of the page. So I try again with the printing, but this time my printer decides to go on the fritz yet again and so I try re-printing and then that just totally screws it up.  Okay, breath April…surely all is not lost right?

* Time to pull out the patterned paper! Have I mentioned how much I love Studio Calico? Yeah, for some of us there are always those dream DT and companies that we would just die to be a part of you know? Well for me that would have to be Ranger & Studio Calico hands down! sigh…Okay back to reality now.

* Did you notice that I didn’t really add a title? Since this page was just for me I decided to go without. I didn’t really think it needed one and well, I couldn’t think of one anyway. Hahaha

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Love You Like a Love Song

* Here’s #3- a new song to jam out to while you create! I know it actually came out like a year ago, but I got my daughter Dance 4 for Christmas and I literally just heard this last month when we started playing the game. I love it and it makes me want to dance. Yes, it’s a young girl singing a pop song but give it try will ya? Also, if you might like to have one of my mixed cd’s to get your creative juices flowing, just leave me a comment and I will randomly pick a winner next Thursday!