Author: Trace

Hello everyone!! It’s so good to be back! My surgery went well and I’m recovering well. I had a good break but am glad to be back and checking out all the beautiful layouts in the galleries. I can’t believe it’s only two days until Christmas. My kids are so excited. We just finished school today, so it’s been a long week but it’s been so much fun looking at all the layouts I’ve missed in the last month. So with no further ado, here are my picks for today.

It’s so good to see work by one of my favourite paper scrappers (and now a digi girl too!) Roboliver. I remember seeing her layouts of her boys years ago and when she was in the CK HOF. I love this layout. It looks like it was done in paper. The layers, the torn papers, the whimsical elements and the stitching are so Shannon!!! I love the title placement and the stickers used. I love the kraft background with the pops of colour. And I love the random photo under the main photo which just adds some interesting focal point to the page. Just fabulous and what a treat for me!

Anyone who knows me well, knows I am obsessed with all things UK. Whether it be Harry Potter or fabulous chocolate, to the Royal Family, I love the UK. I’ve never been, but this layout by trishD makes me want to visit even more. I’m in love with the stitching around the photo. I adore the masks along the side and the photo is so dynamic and interesting. I just want to hang this on my wall and call it art.

Ohhh..this layout brings out the rebel in me! This layout by Ozegirl makes me smile. I have docs that I love to wear and this layout hit home for me. The photo perspective is fantastic and tells the story so well. The ribbon at the top draws the eye down and the cluster is amazing. I love the grunge and the alphabet and the little santa flare. It just all works!!! Great layout.

Coming from a wintery place, I love winter layouts. This is no exception. Lindzee has done a wonderful job here conveying frozen and cold in this layout. The title alpha is perfection. I love the placement of the photo and all the white space to mimic snow! The little touch of red paint splat just adds to the interesting texture. What a great winter layout this is!

Lastly, this beautiful layout by franlk took my breath away. It’s just so pretty and even though the photo isn’t perfect, I love what she did with it texturally. I love the lighting of the photo, it screams magic. The cluster around the photo is just brilliant and the big snowflake is perfectly placed. Top it off with a pretty script title and it’s a winner all around. What a treat to look at.

 

Well that’s it for me today! As always, please leave the artists some love in the galleries that are linked. I would like to wish everyone that reads here and the blog team a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW Year. Thank you for all the beautiful layouts day after day that inspire and awe me!!! Until next time….happy scrapping.

Trace

Happy Thanksgiving to our American scrappers! I’m sitting here watching the misty rain fall out my kitchen window and thinking of everything I am thankful for (even though our Thanksgiving was in Oct!) I often sit and think while I stare out the window and today, I am grateful to be a part of this wonderful blog team. This will be my last post for a few weeks on the blog as I am having surgery on Tuesday. As I perused the gallery, I thought, wow…I’m going to miss seeing all these beautiful layouts and having the honour to choose some for the GSO blog.” I hope everyone who reads this has a wonderful holiday. I am hoping to be back soon…but for today, here are my picks.

Everyone who knows me, knows I am a HUUUGE Harry Potter geek. I love all things in the wizarding world and this layout by Cfile blew me away! I love the creative way she used the elements. I love how the layout looks like it could be a page out of a wizarding textbook! The story of the Deathly Hallows documented is wonderful and the colours are perfect. I want this layout for my collection of HP stuff!

From Harry to Christmas! I loved this layout by Chigirl. I love the messy background paper and the brushes. The photo is just adorable and the little girl looks so happy. The stitching and the drawn elements of Santa and the reindeer are the perfect accents to this design. Lastly, the handwritten fonts are awesome and really lend to the old fashioned feel to the page. Just love it.

What is more gorgeous than a fresh snowfall? Not many things….this beautiful layout by Glori2 caught my eye right away. (maybe because I love snow days being from Canada!) The colours of the paper and the title really compliment the stunning photos. I love the little diamond inserts and the little deer element she added into the photo. Just so cute! The stitching and the brushes/stamps are wonderfully placed and add to the design with such subtlety. Fantastic layout.

I really like this layout by jlholden. Another winter page, but it’s such a great one. I love the perspective of the photo. The blend is outstanding and I really like how she added the elements in the bottom corner to mimic the tree on the left. I adore the little animals she added into the tree and the mailbox too. It just screams Christmas holidays and welcome home to me. Just a great layout.

I just dropped my jaw open when I viewed this gem in the gallery. I am a huge fan of art journal and this one is exceptional! It’s so much to look at and you see something new at every glance. I love the word art. I love the fonts she chose. I love the all the doodles and brushes and paints. I think this is art at it’s best. Just amazing and sbpoet should be congratulated on her wonderful creativity here.

Last but not least, this amazing layout by Wombat146 jumped out at me. The background wood paper is so authentic looking and I love the colours painted into it. The arrows draw your eye down to the photo and the elements and then the magic begins. I just love the whimsy of this layout. The photo evokes movement that mimics the arrows and the simple element placement just enhances it. The shadowing is top notch and I love the random numbers at the side. Just

 

Well that’s all for today! As always, please remember to leave these ladies some love! Happy Holidays and hope to be back soon! Happy Scrapping!

Trace

 

Hello and happy Tuesday! I’ve been searching the galleries since last night, looking in awe at all the wonderful layouts in them. I finally had to choose only 6 and I think I’ve narrowed it down to my faves. The exceptional art I see in digi land is just amazing. I know I’ve said it before but I think with the quality of kits being produced, it is so easy to make awesome layouts. I chose these layouts not only for their beauty and creativity, but also for the really cool papers and elements that I found.

With no further ado…here are my picks for today!

I saw this in the gallery and said “WOW”.  Cinna has done such a fantastic job here. I love the torn paper at the top and bottom that frames the background paper. And I LOVE that graphic and script background. The soft grey enhances the other colours and the paint and brushes are great here. They add some texture but don’t take away from the main focus; which is that beautiful photo. The addition of the definition to the side of the photo is perfect and the title matches the grunge of the background. Just fabulous!

All those who know me, know I am a sucker for a large photo layout. This is no exception. What Magaline Azaline has done here is exceptional! That photo is OUTSTANDING! What a beautiful little girl. I want to know more about her. The treatment on the photo is gorgeous and her eyes just pop off the page. I love the clusters of flowers around her hair that looks like a crown and the little photo of her tucked in, is just so adorable. Just a beautifully done layout.

Marleen made a piece of art here. I love the way she manipulated the  brush onto the crumpled paper here. It’s genius. I love all the brush work and the stamps and the paint. The stitches placed just perfectly are awesome. I absolutely adore the message. I want to hang this layout on my wall in my home. It’s breathtaking.

When I looked at this layout, I had to look twice. I am a huge fan of Mother Bear and usually recognise Julie’s work right off the bat. Then I saw THIS. It’s such a different look for her and she nailed it! I really love the grunge mixed with the traditional and this is brilliantly executed. The title work, the papers, the stamps in the back so subtle but so right. As usual, the amazing shadowing and clusters. I couldn’t stop looking at it, there is so much to see.

I found this gem in the gallery and I had never seen this artist before. I don’t know why, because Saarmf totally blew me away with this layout. Again, the map backround (I sense a theme here lol) just adds so much texture to the page. The art journal style blended with the traditional is super here! I love that she kept the photo black and white but it still adds so much to the page. The shadowing is fantastic and the arrows placed around the page draw you in. I will be on the lookout for more from this artist…wow.

Rounding out my choices this week is this beauty by Tanpopowu. Can you say STUNNER? The colours on this page are so vibrant and they drew me in immediately. I love how the girl’s hat in the photo matches perfectly to the colours of the flowers and elements. As before, the printed background paper gives such depth to the layout without overpowering. The paint and brushes are amazing and I love the clustering at each corner of the right of the photo. This is just gorgeous.

So comes the end of another day of picks for me. I hope you enjoy them! As always, please click the links and leave these artists some love in the galleries. I bid you adieu, until next time….happy Scrapping!!

Trace

Hello Scrappers! Happy Monday. It’s a gorgeous November morning here in Ontario. Still warm but we are expecting some snow this weekend! We’ve been really lucky this fall to have had some amazing weather. I’ve been lucky also because I got to peruse the galleries today and see some outstanding work. We sure do have some extremely talented artists in the digital scrapping world.

Although I didn’t really have  theme in mind, as I look at these layouts I realize I subconsciously chose all neutral backgrounds. I do love the colour grey; it’s so calming and serene. So without further ado, here are my picks for today.

I smiled huge when I saw this layout by Adryane in the galleries. Not that it’s a funny subject, but because of the seriousness of the people in the photo and the title! I so want to know what the story behind this family is. Are they hiding something? Are they unhappy? Do they not want their photo taken? WHAT!? The blending by Adryane is always stellar and I love how she always has so much interesting textures in her layouts.

I love the stamped background and the lovely photo in this layout by Beaute. The softness of this is awesome and I love the little touches of paint and the little jewels placed here and there. The shadowing is fantastic and the colours are subtle yet draw the eye right into that sweet photo. Great job here.

One of my favourite scrappers is Dady. She is a master at what she does. Her photos always have interesting textures or filters and she knows just when to keep a layout simple or glam it up. I love this layout. I love the random colour in the photo and how she treated it. I love that she has two little elements, yet this layout looks so complex. The choice of font reminds me of an old newspaper article. It’s just classic Dady and it’s just so amazing.

Who would ever think to scrap their junk photos? This layout by Gerli, really caught my attention. To think she made this GORGEOUS piece of art with (she calls) junk photos is awesome. I love the colours in this. I really like how she split the photo to make two smaller photos. The paint splatters compliment the photos beautifully and the scribble draws the eye right around the subjects. I’m not sure what the photo is, but I really don’t care because it’s so pretty!

Birthday pages are so hard for me to do. I’m not sure why…but if I could scrap a birthday layout like this one by Jenna, then I’d be a happy scrapper! This layout is brilliant. I love the lines of paint behind that adorable photo of her little girl. I really like how just some paint can create such a dynamic texture and background. The little 3 in the corner is perfect and the paper elements are just right! This has inspired me to try some new birthday layouts myself!

This last layout by Oldenmeade touched my heart and my soul. Having a son who has high functioning Asperger’s; whose whole life is music, I related to this so well. Such a simple layout, but the message screams out loud and clear. My son communicates his feelings through music. He understands music more than words. I LOVE that Anne relayed this on a layout. The little notes and the scribble give this so much movement and the blended/masked photo is just beautiful. I can’t say enough how much this layout touches me personally. Thank you Anne.

These are my picks for today. I hope you love them as much as I do. The inspiration I see daily in the galleries is outstanding. Thank you all for sharing your art with all of us. Until next time…happy scrapping!!!

Trace

 

Happy Halloween Scrappers!!! It’s one of my favourite days of the year and I am thrilled to post today. I found so many awesome goodies in the galleries that I had so much trouble narrowing it down to just 6 (but I chose 7 since it’s a special day!!) I’ve been up since 6 am because I had to do my daughter’s makeup for school and I have been searching the galleries since then to find my picks. I had better post soon because I need to go and get things ready for trick or treaters tonight. I hope you all have a very safe and happy Halloween!!! Here are my picks:

I love this layout by Biancka. It’s a Halloween layout, yet it doesn’t scream Halloween in your face. I love the spider paper (and I am NOT a huge spider fan lol) The pattern is so subtle and goes so well with the elements. The photo is just super cute and the cut outs really give an interesting texture to the page. I love the diagonal feel to the design too.

What a fabulous layout by CrazyT! I am a big fan of her work. She takes simple and makes it look effortless. It’s so difficult to use minimal elements and make it look like the whole page is covered in them and Tracy does an amazing job each and every time. I just love the word art she used here and the photos and the make up are AMAZEBALLS!!! The messy background is perfect and the burlap blended into the papers is so well done. I just love everything about this page.

Another amazing scrapper is this lady: Iowan. Her work inspires me so much and I am so happy to be able to feature her layout on my post. This is just outstanding. The blending, the colours, the amazing photos. She does it all brilliantly every single time. I love the art journal aspect of this layout, yet it still feels like a designed page. The paint and the word art are the perfect accompaniment to the whole layout. Just awesome.

I was blown away by the textures in this next layout by LynnPremo. The leaves embedded into the white paint are so interesting and give this page such depth. I love the way she used the frame here and the extraction is great. The dark black background is perfect here because it pops the make up on the couple and also gives the title that extra umph that made me look at this one twice. Such a simple layout, but packed with a big punch of super!

The use of the word art here in this layout by mcurtt, is just fantastic. I think she nailed what word art in kits are made for. The scribbles and the title are so well placed and they draw your eye to that great photo. I love the red paint splat under the font and the amazing wordart that I mentioned..did I mention the word art?? — just makes for an eye-catching and terrific design.

While not traditional Halloween colours, this layout by Thimbleberrie left me with my jaw on the floor. This is art. This is something I’d hang on my wall at Halloween. I love the graphic novel look of this and I love the paint in the web to enhance that creepy spider (did I mention I hate spiders?). The skeleton dude on the bike is so creepy and I adore how she used the stitches to mimic a bike path. I’m in awe of this layout….truly. It’s just perfect.

Lastly, I usually am drawn to artsy layouts but in a traditional style, but this layout is such a well done piece, I couldn’t pass it by. Zanthia has drawn me into this story and has made me wonder what is going on here. The blending is seamless and the little bats are so well placed. I love all the little details in the graveyard and it took me forever to stop staring at it and just get on with saving it for the post. Every time I look at this layout, I see something new and that’s what makes it so special. Just outstanding.

So, those are my picks for Halloween day 2016. I sure have enjoyed my time here this month and I hope to be back to post more in November. Remember to click on the highlighted names to leave these amazing artists some love. Until next time, keep on scrapping!!!

Trace

Good morning everyone! I can’t believe I’m sitting here typing this in the middle of October and it is supposed to be 28 degrees C today here in Ontario!! It’s basically a miracle. The weather sure has the trees and bugs fooled. My poor plants don’t know whether to bloom or die. It’s so unusual. I am hoping this weather stays until Halloween, but unfortunately, I know that is not going to happen. Once the cold weather comes, I will be happily burrowed down in front of my new wood stove and scouring the galleries for talent like my picks today.

My picks all have a bit of the same theme. Paint. I love paint. I love spatters. I love those who can use them in interesting and original ways on their layouts. These 6 layouts have used paint in amazing ways and they are incredible.
I’m Trace and here are my standouts for today:

 

This art journal layout is so cool. Anny-Libelle does a fantastic job here with paint. I love how she blended the papers into the paint and all the little doodles just make it all that more special. The blends here are flawless and so interesting to the eye. I don’t know where to look first, it’s all so eye catching. I would hang this in an ad agency or something. It’s just awesome.

Next, the use of the paint here by Beckturn makes the page look like it’s spackled with textures. I love the simple title and the blend of the amazing photo is also as spectacular. I love how she mixed the scripts into the paints and the effect of the crumpled paper background. The photo treatment makes me think of vintage drawings and a simpler time in life and it makes me happy.

I had to look twice at this layout by caroline scrap. At first glance, I thought “what a great use of the black background on this soft layout” but then when I had a closer look, it’s actually a HALLOWEEN layout! Fantastic!!! I love the blend of the girl in the back, it’s so subtle and effective. I love the amazing way she clustered around the photo. I love the dark, sinister feel to this but it’s so beautiful and calm. It’s just a winner!

Just a smattering of paint on this layout by louso , but it’s so well done. I am in awe of how much stuff is behind the beautiful photos but how clean and simple it still is. The paint spatters are just a touch of whimsy which makes you want a closer look.  I love the stitches, the strings, and the beads. I adore the black and white photos and the angles captured. The blended typed paper is incredible and the use of white space is genius. This layout makes me want to go get my photoshop open and play with all the strings and stitches I have!

Isn’t this clustering amazing? This layout by sweeet is so pretty. The use of the paint as the frame around the layout is a really cool effect and her clusters are out of this world great. I love how the paint blends into the blended photo (which is also great) and how it’s dripping from behind the end of the cluster to draw your eye to the quote. I’m not usually drawn to pastel colours, but this layout is just so well done that it drew me in from hello. Perfection!

My last pick of the day is this fun layout by Veer. So simple, yet so complex in how she achieved the look. The paint spatters in the back are super! I love how the glitter is used but it still looks masculine on this layout. I love the look on the subject’s face in the photo. It just adds to the brilliance. I am in awe of how little there is on this page, but it seems so packed with things in a great way!! I try to do simple like this and never can get it right. Veer got it very right indeed!

So those are my picks for today. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Make sure to click on them and leave the wonderful artists some love. As always, happy scrapping!

Trace

Hi everyone! It is a very cool morning here in Ontario and I feel the chill coming on each night. It’s officially fall and I couldn’t be happier! October is my favourite month and one reason is it makes for fantastic photo ops. Pumpkins are ripe and leaves are vibrant in their colours. Corn is starting to die off and the stalks are so interesting to use as backdrops. I love taking my kids out to the patch this time of year and just shooting some amazing photos of them. I always do a fall photo shoot each year and it’s always a wonderful tradition.

So today, my layouts have a theme. OUTSTANDING photography!

I’m Trace and these are my picks for GSO.

When I saw this layout I Love Your Smile in the gallery I literally gasped. Anne PC captured this beautiful little boy’s smile and his gorgeous eyes perfectly. His expression drew me in at first glance and I want to get to know him. The details in the photo are wonderfully done and I love that she kept the layout super simple and graphic to show off this amazing photo. Such a great layout.

This layout by Breaking Brie is another example of a wonderfully done photo. I love a great big photo, but this one stands out because of the perception of it. Behind photos are great, but this one says so much. It shows Brie’s girls and while twins, it shows how different they are. Their choice of dress and their postures are so unique yet they walk the same. You see the bond they have in one shot. It’s incredible. The clusters around the page that are placed just so right, draw your eye right into the center of the photo. The quote is perfect and the layering of the background papers is fantastic. What a standout!

This layout caught my attention immediately. The grungy, industrial looking background intrigued me and I had to take a closer look. This is a new layout artist to me but WOW, fauvenanmaanen sure does do great work. Even though this photo is not one large one, it still has that large photo feel with the two beside each other. Again a backwards/behind perspective that tells the story so well! I love the rusted elements and all the aged items here. I am sure we will be seeing more of this lady on our blog in the future.

I chose this next layout not only for the wonderful photo, but for the blending and the photo treatment itself. I love how the photo looks like fabric. I love the expression on this boy’s face! He is trying hard not to smile, but wants to appear non plussed and like he doesn’t care. Typical boy! LOL. Momto2Angels has done an awesome job with the photo but also with the clusters. I really like the placement of them on each side of the square and I love how she wove the title into the bottom cluster. Shadowing is fantastic too! Just an all around “make me smile” layout. Well done.

One of my favourite layout artists is this lady, Oldenmeade. She is an outstanding graphic, art journal scrapper. I love her use of textures on her layouts and the way she blends. This layout is a fine example of her immense talent. The photo is not only awesome, but so interesting and I adore how Anne matched the textures of the paints to the sides of the buildings. It’s genius! I love the paint splatters and how the strings and the doodles totally give off a feel of disorder and randomness. This layout could be the cover of a book or magazine. I just love it.

Lastly, this layout by  Weaselwatcher just made me laugh. The big photo of her cat is gorgeous and captures it’s personality to a tee. I love that it looks like the cat is looking at the leaf in her cluster and seems to be saying “I could grab that right off this page!” I love the placement of the big cluster, but it doesn’t overwhelm the photo. The title says it all. Just a fantastic large photo layout and beautiful subject.

Well, these are my picks for today. I hope you enjoyed seeing them and don’t forget to click on the names and put some love in their galleries! Until next time…keep scrapping!

Trace