Lavish Brown and Sophisticated Amber: CCG Challenge #210

This is my layout for Colour Combos Galore Challenge #210:

And here is the inspiration pic:

Finding the colours in my supplies was relatively painless.  The design challenge was not so simple for me. The design challenge was to use architectural, ledger, woodgrain, or geometric patterns in the project.  Yikes!
Architectural PatternsI have to admit - I do not "get" the current trend of woodgrain papers. I am baffled by the popularity of ledger paper. 
So I chose a lovely Bo Bunny paper with an architectural medallion motif, and a Graphic 45 pattern with a repeating pattern of corsets!  (Which I counted as an architectural pattern because corsets alter the architecture of the body.)
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Challenge
As usual in CCG challenges, something happened:  mid-creation I found myself experimenting with a numerical grid paper as the second  background layer - and I liked it! 
I chose my photo for many reasons:  they are wooden (woodgrain), they have nice neat rectangular sections like the bookcase in the inspiration board, they are themselves an architectural detail, and the beautiful tribal design has hourglass-type curves like the corsets and dressmakers form.
Doors I Have Loved
I have always loved doors, for some reason.
In the photo are the front doors at Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, New Mexico. I was attending a women writer's workshop when I stayed here.  I walked through those doors and I knew I was home. And since "home" was the musical theme song this week, the photo was the perfect one for this challenge.
Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you are enjoying a beautiful weekend.


Materials List:
Patterned Papers: Bo Bunny Gabrielle Collection, Promenade
Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante Collection, Victorian Transformers
Dusty Attic Laser Cut chipboard Dressmaker's Form
Flowers from my stash
Leaves cut with Spellbinders die
Thickers letters, Sunrise

Sisters At Heart

 I was SO excited to dig into my new package of goodies in the Scrap That! kit this month.  Despite moving and having a mulitude of things on my "must do" list, of course I took time to create. (Consequently, it's been a wild month sleep-wise.  Ha!)

This page has been challenging to photograph.  We've had days and days of rain with zero natural light.  I've tried: morning shots, afternoon shots,outside on patio in between rain showers, in kitchen with tablecloth, on bare table (wood grain), on the floor, on the mantle.  The forecast is for more rain, so I'm just forging ahead on the theory of Press On Regardless.  I've done what I can, but there are a few shadows and the colours are really more lovely than they are showing right now.   Guess I should think about investing in a real camera!

The picture is of my three girls in Aruba a little over 10 years ago.  I called it Sisters at Heart to honour the strong realtionships that exist between the girls in our blended family.
I couldn't bear to cover the butterfly motif of the paper, so I used my craft knife to make it possible for the picture to slide in underneath the butterfly wings.

This is my first layout with the BoBunny Gabrielle papers.  They are just the way I like them: heavy, double-sided, and beautiful to work with.  For the first time ever, I did some machine-stitching around the edges for texture.  It was terrifying, but I was happy with the result.

Another first: This is also my first attempt at water distressing the edges of my background paper to give it shape and dimension.  Yikes! I was really afraid of ruining the paper!  what if I ruin it?  what if I couldn't find another one?  what if I make a huge mess of this?  Anyway, armed with a water and a paintbrush, I finally went through with it.  Thank you to all the super-supportive and inspirational scrap divas at Scrap That!

Little butterfly charm at the bottom.

This layout was really fun to do, and it represents a kind of crossing of the Rubicon.  I know that meeting and crossing those barriers is just part of the journey of creativity.  Which seems to be the journey that I am on!

 "How come such a process as creative joy brings up so many fears? The answer could be because creativity is the ultimate growth process; fear is simply affirmation that growth is happening. When we are unattached to the results of our creative journey, we move through the fear and find rewards greater than the purpose that initially drew us to the journey." (Jill Badonsky)

Thanks for stopping by.
Fran

Materials List:

Gabrielle Papers (Bo Bunny)

Dusty Attic swirl embellisments

Prima flowers

Glossy Accents (Ranger)