A Thing of Beauty

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its lovliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkn'd ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
'Gainst the hot season; the mid-forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.


This is a poem by John Keats and I found it fitting for this layout. My good friend Jocelyn takes some very beautiful pictures and this is just one example.

I made this layout using paper from K & Company.

I tore and inked the left side and laced it back together using eyelets.
I attached a piece of cardboard to the back to help keep it flat as lacing a page will sometimes cause it to curl up.
I used a flower shaped template to make an outline of dots around the poem. I then added inked and chalked flowers to the petals. A dot of black Scribbles 3D paint in the centers of the flowers finished the layout.

Thanks for stopping by and come back soon!

Making Multi fold Flowers

What you'll need:
Hot Glue Gun
Several squares of paper cut 2x2
Ink
Button
Ribbon

Start by folding up one corner of the paper.
Now, fold the paper accordian style all the way across the side with the folded corner.
Use hot glue on the front and back sides and pich them together until set.
Your piece should look like this. Continue folding the other squares the same way. My flower took about 10 squares of paper.
Use the hot glue once again to glue the petals side by side in a circular fashion on a smaller piece of coordinating paper, as shown above.
Once you have glued down all of the petals, ink the edges and add a button tied with a ribbon to the center!


Here are some examples of layouts using these flowers!

Drivers Seat

Well, my little girl isn't so little anymore! She turned 16 last September and has started drivers training. Though I knew this day would come, I don't know that my heart was ready for it. I worry constantly about her driving alone .(We still have to ride with her!)

This layout was done using plain black card stock and a pattered piece from K & Company.
I used a circle cut piece of cardboard under the photo for dimension.

The scrolls are hand drawn and I will feature a tutorial on how to make them in the near future.
The letters were printer of the computer using the Bleeding Cowboys font (my favorite!).
Inks are from Autumn Leaves and Ala Mode.

Thanks for dropping in and be sure to come back soon!

Making a Ruffled Paper Border

Adding a ruffled border to a layout is much easier than it looks! It is such a pretty edge to finish your project beautifully!


What you'll need:
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun
Stapler
Paper
To begin, cut strips of paper to your desired width for making the ruffled border. This can be as wide a ruffle as you choose. Now, fold the paper in loose folds only creasing one side completely. This allows the ruffle to stay more curved.
Every few folds, add a staple to help hold the ruffle in place.
I use hot glue to adhere the ruffle to my project. Do small sections at a time, as the glue dries quickly and leaves very little time for adjustments.
Now attach the ruffle to your project as shown.

These ruffles can be used on straight lines and on curves. You may have to remove a staple or two to adjust the ruffle where needed.

Here are a few examples using the ruffled border.

Introducing,....CreativeVisualizations!!

Every now and again, you run across someone that is so talented and so inspiring, that you just can't help but admire them.

With my new found interest in photography, I was excited to run across just such a person!

The photo used in this layout was taken by my dear friend John Cusworth. He is an amazing photographer with a gallery full of incredible pictures.

He has been helping me learn the tricks of the photography world, as he was also a teacher at a college in New York. He gives me assignments that are fun, but challenging! I'm learning a lot from him!

He decided he would like to build a blog to showcase his work. I jumped at the chance to help this become a reality. Together, we have spent the last couple of weeks formatting, arranging and assembling a gallery of his work.

I'm so proud to have been a part of this project, and I hope that you will take a moment to check out his blog! It is breathtaking to say the very least!

http://creativevisualizations-jcphotofx.blogspot.com


Thanks for dropping by today and come back soon!!