Author: Patsy Tabbert

Before we get to today’s edition of gallery standouts, there are a couple of announcements I need to make.

First, we’re at the time of year when the GSO team takes a holiday break.  This will be the last post for 2017 but we’ll be back on January 7th with a whole new year of gallery standouts.  You might want to check the blog once in a while, though, because sometimes one of the team members feels the need to make a post.

Second, this will not only be the last post of 2017 but it will also be my last post as a GSO blog team member.  I think if I were going to pick one little word to express my hopes/goals for 2018, it would be finish.  I hope to finish many projects that are overdue for completion and to finish working through several classes that I have had on hold for a couple of years.  It has been an incredible experience being a member of the GSO blog team! I want to thank all of my team members (past and present) for their support and friendship and  I want to thank all of you for sharing your art in the galleries and for following the GSO posts.

With that said, here are my picks for today.

My Story by stormchaser is an absolute beauty of a page!  The color palette is gorgeous and I love the “bulletin board” look of the page.  Awesome clusters.  Love that the large photo is B&W and love how it seems seamless with the patterened paper.  Perfect title placement.  Love this!

When I saw Lasagna by sbpoet in the gallery, my first thought was how perfect this would be as a poster in my “chef” kitchen!  Love the choices of art she has chosen for her frames.  Awesome page!

I’m a big fan of art journaling pages and I love Dear Future, I Am Ready by cinderella.  It really has the appearance of a paper page.  Love the background!  And that art doll, how cute is she?!  The paint splatter and the smeary font on the wordart/journaling further enhances the look of a paper page.  This would be a great cover or opening page for a journal.  Love it!

Snow-Cutie by jenwhite is a beautiful winter page. That sequence of photos is just darling.  Love the hand-written title with the bow added to cross the “t”.  The snowflake overlay adds an extra layer of winter to the page!  This is just “snow” cute!

Once again I am in love with a page by margje.  This time it’s All I Want and it’s gorgeous!  As is the case with most of her work, this piece features beautiful blending, awesome photo effects, and perfect finishing touches.

I absolutely love the lighting on Trish_1’s page Merry Christmas!  The large blended photo makes a perfect background for the framed photo which, by the way, blends flawlessly into the background.  Wouldn’t this make a gorgeous Christmas card?

These are the final gallery standouts for 2017.  I hope you have enjoyed my choices and will visit the galleries to leave the artists a comment.  Wishing you all the best in 2018!

 

 

I have to admit that I intended to have this post done a lot earlier in the day.  But, as things usually go, I got entangled in putting together a reindeer and sleigh for our front lawn and time slipped away from me.  But, it’s done, and now I can do my gallery browsing knowing that there’s nothing else looming over my head!  It’s feeling a lot more like Christmas here in Florida – it’s 54 degrees F right now and the projected low for tonight is 38.  So a cup of hot chocolate, some beautiful art, and a – hopefully – awesome blog post are what’s on my mind now.

Create Your Magic by frani_54 is definitely magical!  When I saw the thumbnail in the gallery, I just went “WOW!”.  What a beautiful mix of a grid style page and an artsy page.  Love the background and the title.  And her photos are so beautiful.  Everything has been chosen and placed so beautifully. And the color scheme … gorgeous!  This is just such a totally elegant page.  Love, love, love it!

Love the blended photo on The happiest time by zwyck.  The background paper and the added watery trees make the blend seamless.  The multimedia trees are a perfect addition to add depth to the page.  Absolutely gorgeous!

There were so many gorgeous pages in the galleries today that incorporated a white or cream background.  Brr by myla stood out among those and caught my eye immediately in the gallery.  Love the textured background and the way everything seems to melt into it.  Perfect choices for embellishing the page and keeping it clean and classy.  I would be proud to hang this piece of art on my wall!

While technically probably not a layout, karlimarie’s December 2017 Signature, is indeed a tiny piece of art.  Love how she’s added depth by sandwiching those sweet photos between the leaves below and the cluster above.  The font choice for the signature is perfect.    I must admit that I am quite a bit “signature challenged” so that is probably why I really love seeing these creative signatures in the galleries and forums.

I’m really loving the composition of immaculeah’s Winter Wonderland page.  The dark background makes the white on the page just pop!  Love the photo cluster and the addition of the light purple/pink colors.  The use of large fonts/wordart for the WINTER and Wonderland adds an awesome impact.   A gorgeous winter wonderland for sure!

Comfort and Joy by Keely-B is a gorgeous Christmas page.  What beautiful clusters she’s included on this page.  Love the clipboard with the Christmas Wishlist.  The addition of the gold as a border and stamped below the cluster add a touch of Christmas glitter.  Awesome page!

Hope you have enjoyed my picks today.  As usual, the title and image are both linked so you can visit the gallery and leave a little love for the artist.  This will be my last post until next year, so I want to wish everyone a wonderful end to 2017 and a beautiful start for 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I sit hear sipping a cup of tea and listening to Christmas carols, I can’t help but be drawn to all of the gorgeous holiday pages in the galleries. I love the individual ones but I am really inspired by the Days of December style pages.  I am in awe of those who not only keep up with and finish the project but who create gorgeous pages for their album!  Needless to say, several of these pages made it into the post today.

First of all, carollee is one of my all time favorite journalers.  And her page designs are always exquisite too.  Her page 2017 December – 06 right is the journaling side of a two page spread for her December album.  The left page is a full photo page of the fun-loving Buster and it is a beauty also but I am in love with this journaling page.  I love that she’s used a consistent format for the journaling page throughout the book only changing out the elements.  And the black, white and red color scheme is gorgeous. (Of course, carollee is famous for her color schemes at Christmas!)  Love, love, love the touches of red in the journaling!

Art Journal style pages are another favorite of mine.  I so agree that happiness is a hot drink on a cold day.  Even though my hot drink is being enjoyed in an air conditioned house while it’s 80 degrees outside!   12 days of AJ – Day 1 by Rikki is such a soothing piece. Even thinking about a hot drink – coffee, tea, hot chocolate, always seems to soothe me.  Love the addition of the buttons, and the focal point of the sketched cup with its steam.  And the background color is perfect for the overall mood of this Art Journal page.  Awesome piece, Rikki!

lego is also documenting her December and using a two page spread with one page dedicated to the journaling.  This page is for dec. 6th and is chock full of embellishments!  It is so amazing how she has chosen and placed all of the different ribbons, frames, buttons, word strips, etc. to create a perfectly cohesive page.  Another talent that I have not been endowed with and so admire in other artists.  A well-chosen title that is also perfectly nestled in place.  A beautiful page for capturing beautiful memories!  Love this!

We’ll leave Christmas behind (only for a while) and move on to Never Give Up by Oldenmeade.  This is such a stunning piece of art with a message that never goes out of style.  The first thing that attracted me to this page was the gorgeous color scheme.  Love how she’s “matted” that awesome extraction with the frames, paint splats, flowers, and other brushwork.  I am also a big fan of covering up a tiny bit of a word whether it’s on a strip or used as a title/subtitle.  Creates a lot of interest.

With Day 2 A Partridge in a Pear Tree by Miki we’re back to the Days of December pages.  How different this page is from the others and yet it still captures the spirit of the season.  Love the art journal style of this page.  The multi-media birds are gorgeous and I love the branch they’re sitting on.  Miki’s background paper is a beautiful color for setting off all of the brushwork and the many transfers.  I love how she’s used photo frames around the journaling.  Another gorgeous December page!

And to finish up my almost totally Christmas-themed post, I bring to you the magical A Season of Miracles by tiramisu.  This page is the total deal!  From the beautifully blended photo (and such a special photo!) to the perfectly chosen embellishments, to the threads and scribbles, to the gorgeous title…all are perfection!  These are treasured memories and this is a page that is sure to be treasured forever.  Absolutely gorgeous!

Those are my standouts for today.  I’m sorry for being a little late with my post but I think these gorgeous pages were worth waiting for.  Please hop over to the galleries and leave the artists a comment.  Every comment brings a smile to the heart of the artist.  Believe me, it’s true!

 

 

 

 

 

As I write this post, there are only 27 days 7 hours 25 minutes and 38 seconds until Christmas…unbelievable!  For those of us in the US the time between Halloween and Christmas becomes more blurred with the passing years.  I’ve done my shopping, started my cards and annual Christmas letter, done a little decorating, and even wrapped some of the gifts and, I have to say, it’s another blessing to have the opportunity to receive the gift of spending time in the galleries just selfishly wrapped up in all of the beauty!  Cutting the list to only six was, as always, a chore but it’s done and here are the six gallery standouts for today.

SSL: White Space by MaggieMae is a stunning heritage page with a touch of winter beauty.  I’m in love with that photo and she sets it off beautifully with the vintage brushwork and the placement of the journaling.  The horizontal strips and the little gold stars add a punch of color.  The background paper is perfect with  the softly brushed snowflakes which add a wonderful depth.  Love this page!

Thanksgiving is all about being with family and friends and being grateful for what you have.  Playing Pandemic by musicmom3 embodies both of those traditions.  I love that the family enjoys playing board games and that a new one has joined the “family”.  The two photos are blended perfectly (she includes a link to the tutorial, if you want to have a go at it).  I know I get repetitive about the placement of the journaling on pages but it really does make a page and the journaling on this page is placed perfectly to highlight the small photo!  All I can say about the title is … Superb!  Gorgeous page!

Spending Time Together by Glori2 is another page about, well, spending time together but with a totally different tone.  So sorry to hear about the food poisoning .. no fun!  But this page is full of fun!  Absolutely love the photo in the circular frame!  Love the mix of the large, masked photo with the two smaller, framed photos.  And what fun are those clusters.  Love the journaling and even though it wasn’t the trip she envisioned, it was definitely one she will remember.  Awesome page!

I am always attracted to art journal pages and Sometimes by TrishD is an absolutely stunning one!  The use of B&W lets the lighting take center stage.  The photo is perfect for the subject of the page and I love how it’s blended.  I think this would make a beautiful page in a journal!  Love it!

Well, I couldn’t avoid it!  There are so many Christmas pages, cards, and projects in the galleries. It’s always fun to see craft projects that use digital supplies.  This Christmas Ornament by oscaralley is totally adorable!  Love how she’s finished it off with the red/white twine.  I would be proud to hang this on my tree!

This gorgeous 2017 Christmas Card by Katie Pertiet sets the tone for a beautiful season.  The handwritten greeting is perfect for the soft look created by the watery holly and the watery splats/stains.  The sprinkling of stars is the perfect finishing touch.  I’d love for this to be my Christmas card this year (or any year)!

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I hope you’ve enjoyed my picks today.  If you have time, please visit the galleries and leave some love for the artists.  The titles and images are both linked so it is really easy to get to the right page in the gallery.  Thanks for letting me share these beauties with you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amidst all of the chaos of hurricane damage repairs, it’s wonderfully calming to wander through the galleries.  My choices today run the gamut and I love them all.  I hope you do too.

Frosty Song by tiramisu is a gorgeous winter page.  The frosty “feel” of the snow is warmed up by the color in the cabin. The blended photo is amazing and the additional smaller photos beautifully extend the landscape across the page.  She found the perfect embellishment in the pine branch.  I really love this page!

Gather These Moments by Applechick grabbed me immediately with the beautiful, warm color palette.  I love how the colors are so perfect with the photo.  Her embellishments are well-chosen and well-placed and I love how the twine bow and leaves frame the photo and the title.  Gorgeous page!

I really admire artists who tackle projects like December Daily, Week In The Life, Project Life, and 30 Days of Thankful.  I have completed one December Daily and one 30 Days of Thankful and I love them both but have not completed another one.  I love how 30 Days of Thanks-Day 14 by OKate uses a simple page with lots of white space for a stunning impact.  I have a feeling that I’m going to be scraplifting this idea for a 52 Weeks of New project.  Love the idea and the pages she has created!

I Will Not Live A Long Life by hoodsmom is an absolutely stunning page with such a powerful message.  The page itself is beautifully composed with the placement of the journaling, the intensity of the title, and the use of an atypical color scheme.  If you would like to read the essay that was behind the creation of the page, you can find it here.  This piece is art at its best.

Another page that caught me with the color scheme is Neighbourhood by margje.  The urban grunginess of the papers and brushes are perfect for the photos.  Love the large blended photo with the stacked smaller framed photos.  Another awesome piece of art by one of my favorite artists!

Remembrance by veer is a gorgeous heritage page. The interesting background she has created is the perfect backdrop for the photo of her grandmother and her brother and sister.  Beautiful placement of the title.  That photo is a treasure and veer has created a page that will be treasured for years.  Love it!

I hope that you have some time to wander the galleries yourself.  It really is a calming and inspiring thing to do.  If you can, please visit these pages and leave the artists a comment.

 

 

I feel like I’m sounding like a broken record but I just can’t believe that another month has passed us by so quickly!  We’ve left Halloween in the dust here in the US and now we’re full steam ahead into the Christmas season.  Unbelievable!  The galleries are full of beautiful fall, spooky Halloween, and just plain creative and beautiful pages.  What a fun gift it is to be able to “stroll” through them and pick six to spotlight.  Here are my standouts for today.

As is always true when I see a page of Marge’s, I instantly fall in love.  And In True Spirit is no exception.  This is not your typical Halloween layout.  Love the muted orange shades and the almost grays of the brush work which create a much more modern piece. Love it!

Lonely by Gina captured my imagination the minute I saw it in the gallery.  What an amazingly evocative page!  The feeling of desolation is just so strong.  Love the combination of colors and the use of the frame.  Awesome blending!  The blended photo draws me in and makes my heart ache for him.  Stunning page!

P’tiscrap’s page, In the Arcachon Sand, is also of a boy sitting by himself but evokes such different emotions!  Love the geometric lines on this page!  The background stripes are a perfect complement to the triangle photo mask.  Beautiful brush work and awesome placement of word art.  Love it!

The soft colors that Christine Irion has used for her Twins page are so fitting for the photo of those sweet babies.  She has so many elements on the page and, yet, it still has a calm feel about it.  Love all of the frames and the paint chip cards.  And, as a total non-functioning button user, I am in awe of her perfect use of them!  Gorgeous page!

My favorite part of pam p’s page for the 10/28-11/3 AnnaLift is the background she has created behind the photo.  I also love the placement of the title “pumpkins galore”.  And what gorgeous editing she has done on the photo.  The use of the triangle frames allows for an “open” look over the sketched leaves.  I would definitely hang this on my wall during the fall!

Think Colorfully by Grace had me smiling from the moment I laid eyes on it … and I’m still smiling! And, truthfully, who could resist smiling at this awesome, colorful page!  Love the scribbled frame around the edge and that art doll with its perfect shadowing is just amazing (guess what, it made me go shopping!).  Love everything about this page.

These are just six of the many wonderful pages that are out there in the galleries.  Why don’t you give yourself the gift of time spent enjoying them.  If you want to get a closer look at these six, the images and the titles are linked.  If you do visit them in the gallery, why not take the time to leave a comment.  It’s really quick and means a lot to the artists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having the chance to wander amongst the beautiful art in the galleries is the perfect ending to a wonderful day.  As usual, there were so many “standouts” that it was difficult to choose only six.

Let’s start with this stunning piece by Oldenmeade.  Art Diary was created for a “paint a face challenge”.  And what a beautiful job she has done!  Love the paint streaks, scribbles, and the placement of the title.  And aren’t those colors divine?  A gorgeous piece of art that would look at home hanging in any art gallery.

The photo crop on KarenB’s Scraplift Challenge-October 17 is awesome!  Love her use of white space and the use of colors from the photo for the elements and in the word art.  Awesome page!

Hello Happy Autumn by bessysue581 is a gorgeous, gorgeous page!   She has created an awesome depth with the use of the watery foliage with the realistic element.  Love the brush work!  There is so much to this page that I keep discovering more each time I look at it…can’t even imagine how many layers this involved!

Who could resist the wonderful colors and the fabulous photo on myla’s Relax page?!  Add in that cute sun and she’s definitely got a winner!  The scribbles are placed perfectly to lead the eye to the photo and I love the font she’s used for the title.  Fun page!

One of my favorite artists, margje, has created another amazing piece!  Love the sketch look and perfectly placed spots of color on To my old time friend.  Love, love, love this piece!

Remembrance Day in the UK is a day to remember and honor those who sacrificed their lives to secure and protect the freedom of the people.  Applechick has created a touching tribute for Remembrance Day with her In Flanders Fields piece. That gripping photo is blended masterfully.  The addition of the poppies is a beautifully soft touch.

Hope you enjoy the standouts today.  If you have a moment, please visit the galleries and leave the artists a comment.