Today I am sharing a layout featuring a technique I love to do: Mixed Media!  I almost always include some kind of paint on a layout,  and for this page, I got out my Vicki Boutin Mixed Media goodies!

I started out by using Vicki Boutin Gesso and covered my entire 12×12 white cardstock.  Once that was dry I scraped Vicki Boutin paint in the Daquiri Ice color in the center of the page.  Since I was going to mix pinks and teals I let the teal dry completely and then mixed cotton candy with a bit of water and added it to the page with the package technique.  I made sure to let some of the puddles drip down the page, again I let the background dry and for the last layer I added Vicki Boutin Iridescent Glaze through a stencil.

I was ready to embellish the background now using the gorgeous Willow Lane Collection by Maggie Holmes and Crate Paper.  I chose die cuts with coordinating colors to the mixed media and followed the design the paint and drips had made.  The pink paint had dripped and puddled at the bottom of the page, so I just made a point of embellishing it with a cute chipboard bow, puffy heart, and a clear sticker!

I decided to expand on the black details in the be kind tag and added two foam banners on the page, one on the bunny die cut and another under my photo.  The black creates a visual triangle and incorporates the clear sticker in the bottom cluster.  In my opinion, it keeps the page from looking too “precious” with the soft paint colors!

I added sparkly gold hearts in three areas on the page; I love that they bring in some glitter and shine and add a fun element to the layout!  If you have never tried mixed media on a layout, I encourage you to give it a try!  Begin by choosing coordinating colors for your embellishments.  It keeps a page calmer in feel and a cohesive look!

I traveled to Palm Desert, CA in April to visit my girlfriend.  I took a lot of photos of her gorgeous desert garden.  I love cacti and succulents so it was right up my alley.   It is funny to me how many of my travel photos end up being of plants, flowers, trees, and sunsets!  I suppose I take many plant photos at home too; I just love plant photos!!  I chose one of the photos of a pretty cactus to make a layout about.  The Wild Heart collection by Crate Paper is SO perfect for these types of photos!

I decided to string tags on some white bakers twine, I have made similarly designed layouts, but I just love the look!  Once I had made my tag decisions I used my Vicki Boutin Art Crayons and puddled some watercolor behind where each tag would go.  I used a custom mix of pinks and yellow and teal.  Once the puddles had dried, I went back in and added tiny splatter drops in the same colors.

I kept the embellishments on the tags pretty simple.  They are so beautifully designed they made a big impact just as they were!  A few stickers, some gold hearts, a paperclip and the alpha, finished the layout off perfectly!

I was up at 4:30 this morning, definitely not planned but I thought I might as well make the most of it and enjoy some quiet scrap time!  My days have been busy helping Hannah with her summer school so it was nice to just sit and enjoy a coffee and get creative!

I hauled out my stash buckets and some pretty gold leaves from Flourish by Maggie Holmes.  I painted my background with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink, splattered with Gold Colorshine and then stitched the gold leaves on.

While digging around in my little bucket I found the gorgeous acetate rose from Gather, a Crate Paper tag and the word sticker from Chasing Dreams.  I first layered a floral cut file from Just Nick cut from white cardstock under the photo for softness, and then added my embellishments.  If you want to learn more about layering, be sure to check out my class called Knockout Layers at Big Picture Classes!

At the bottom of the page I layered a piece of crepe paper (hard to see in the photo) and a strip of patterned paper from Flourish to finish off the page!