Peacock Shawl

When I bought a dark green peacock shawl in China a few years ago, I admired the beautiful details.  In the back of my head, I knew I probably wouldn't wear it often.  Actually, I knew it was possible that I'd never wear that shawl.  Still, I HAD to have it.  I even bought similar models for friends, in other colors.  I bought a lot of "stuff" in China.  Then, I came home.  My lovely shawl has been crumpled up in a corner since 2008.

All of the lovely items I bought in China are back on my radar for two reasons:  I want to get rid of everything I'm not using and I'm sick of seeing the same decorations each day.  Sometimes, fabulous fabrics can add a touch of character to your room.  Figuring out how to display fabrics is the challenge.  Find a piece of silk art framed on a wall.  A picture can't even compete.  I decided to take advantage of the mannequin that I just happen to have in my home.  Everyone has one right?  I threw that shawl over "her" shoulders and styled the display with some jewelry.  If I ever buy a custom frame for the peacocks, I will let you know.  The rich colors and details in a long frame could transform a room.  For now, I'm happy that I'm just using that shawl in some way.  The same scenery has greeted me in my bedroom for more than five years.  That changed this week.  A little change can do you good.

OTR: WINNING

You cannot understand the pressure Crafty Girl and I feel coming to the scrapbooking retreat each year.  Yes, it is supposed to be relaxing fun.  But something happened by year two that added a layer of stress to the whole experience...a winning streak.

We have won prizes in the photo layout contest every year.  This is the fourth year we've been coming.  There is a contest Friday and Saturday nights.  Once you start a streak...well, you don't want to break it.  Admittedly, we haven't even touched the prizes that we won in years past.  But, the pride of winning really just gives us a major creative boost.  We have literally made moving wheels on our pages, added sound, and this year lights are a possibility.  We spend half a day working on a single layout.  Sometimes it is a page we don't even really need for our books, but we know it is just a great idea.  We can't help ourselves.  We are sick with the scrapbooking fever.

Aided by a fruity cocktail...Crafty Cat was very relieved to continue the streak Friday night.  My layout of a beautiful garden in China took first place.  I'm a bit mortified about one thing.  I have been working on my China book for the past 3 1/2 years.  You all know how much work we put into scrapbooks for other people.  This is the only album I've ever made for myself and I rarely have time to work on it.  So, I bring it to the retreat each year and get a couple of layouts done.  I'm sure these judges think I have some sort of weird obsession with China.  But, these layout have handed me 1st place wins for 3 years.  First, the Great Wall, then a handmade rickshaw, and finally...the garden tribute this year.  I'm not past working on it next year with those results.  More to come.

Dragon Lady

As promised...I'm sharing another of my scrapbook layouts for my China trip.

I put this together on a scrapbooking retreat I attended with Crafty Girl.  It is three straight days of scrapbooking and you keep yourself going with heat packs, chair massages, and pain reliever.  This is another do-it-yourself example.  I remembered a beautiful dragon boat on a lake in China and wanted to create something similar.  Giant dragon boat stickers aren't exactly easy to find.  So, I set out to make my own.  First I drew the outline on gold paper and cut it out, lifting some pieces to add depth.  Then, I created gold gills to put on top of the face and tail, using double-side foam tape to lift the layers.  You can read more about using foam tape in Saturday's post.

I used a little red flower as my fireball, cutting up the petals into fringe and layering a few on top of each other to make it into a little flat ball.

Working off the design of the paper I picked, I used black whispy fabric to add some texture on top of the hanging leaves already on the page...different lengths and blowing in different directions.  Finally, I added a little ink to the edges to give the dragon's skin some dimension.  It looked too pretty with the gold paper.  A little black ink around the edges made it seem more rough and real...in a scrapbooking sort of way.  I also added chain to the floor of the boat, like a metal railing....keeping my dragon lady safe on the shores of China.  Yes, it took quite awhile to make, but my DIY Dragon was so fun to create and I love going back to look at this page.

DIY Embellishments

One thing I've learned about scrapbooking over the years is that any embellishment I make myself is better than the crazy expensive stickers you buy in the store.  I've also learned I really can make more than I think...even a rickshaw.  Final lesson:  Use real scraps.

I had gathered lots of items during my trip to China...even the rippled cardboard that the hotel used to store our toiletries in the bathroom.  I took every piece, knowing the texture would work well in a layout.  In this spread, I decided to cut up that cardboard to make the road for my Rickshaw ride.  There is nothing like using actual scraps  for your scrapbook, right?  Now, when I show people this page I say...that's what the hotel used to package my toothbrush!!  I just cut it up and made a winding path.

I really wanted a big rickshaw on one full side of the layout.  There is no such embellishment for sale in the craft store.  I was on my own and that was kind of exciting.  I used pictures of the actual rickshaws to guide me, so mine would match the pictures.  At first, I had made everything with paper...but it didn't pop.  Instead, I put real fabric on the roof...just like the real rickshaw.  Much better.  Then, I added the runner's handles...using chopsticks from my trip that I chopped down to the right size. The first thing people say is..."Oh wow...those are chopsticks...very cool.  Are those from China?"  Yup.  I found bamboo circles for my wheel and made the spokes out of chopstick pieces.  The whole embellishment really jumps off the page...and it is handmade.  I love my China album.  I'll show you another page Friday.