Living my Life

Although I've been a member of Two Peas in a Bucket for six years, I've never really taken advantage of all they offer other than chatting on the message boards and posting layouts from time to time.

I decided since it's a new year, I would jump in with both feet and actually participate in challenges. The first challenge was by Wilna and the challenge was to choose a word that speaks to you and create a layout based on that. I chose, "live" and found a lovely quote in the Silhouette store that resonated with me. "Live the life you have imagined" - sounds easy enough but doesn't always happen. I created this layout to remind me that I do have the power and ability to do just that. If you haven't used Sketch Pens in your Silhouette, I highly recommend it. I used the gold glitter pen on chalkboard paper and I love the look.

It's funny to see how a layout evolves. I knew I wanted to use the My Mind's Eye Red Wood paper (On the Bright Side) to highlight our red barn in the background of my photo. I also love the charcoal gray color of my shirt - I took a Crafter's Workshop stencil and flexible modeling paste mixed with paint twood-grainedwoodgrained background.

Even though I loved the look of the woodgrain, it didn't look good with the Red Wood paper. This was where the layout took a different approach. I mixed some paint with gel medium to make the paint more translucent and painted over the woodgrain.

I wanted the layout to have a rustic feel so I chose Canvas Corp. burlap for my background. By the way, thanks to Pinterest, I am completely obsessed with burlap! I then added a few embellishments and the layout was complete. It's not what I had envisioned from the start, but I still love the finished project.

In 2013, I hope to push myself creatively and more importantly, LIVE my LIFE to the fullest!