Time to pull out the Sewing Machine

While I had a few items out on my crop table from the last layout and had made a bit of a mess already with the Orchid Color Burst I thought I would give another idea a go - I cant take credit for this one - Pinterest is an incredible source of inspiration and this layout is a very close scraplift from a lovely layout found there in Oranges and Blacks

Starting with some Good Quality high GSM Cardstock Sew a rough circle in the centre of your layout 3 or 4 times - if you go a little wonky in places don't worry to much - they are the areas you will cover over later.  You want to do this before you start inking or painting your paper as this is while it is the strongest.

Then with some Pigment Powder or Water Colour Paint mix up some coloured water and colour up some water colour paper - you want that variegated tone of water colour work so have a good play - paint the water colour paper before you cut it out though not after - it is much easier.  Next water down your mix an little more and drop and flick dots of it randomly over your paper - I have concentrated accross the page on an angle for this layout leaving white in the top right corner and bottom left but whatever works for you is the way to go.

Taking some patterned paper cut a strip about 3" by 10" to pop accross the layout.  I have used Teresa Collins Designs - Tinsel & Company Stars Paper, some leftover from some Christmas Cards I have started working on, It is nice and neutral and worked well for this project.

 

Prep your photo but dont stick it down yet - I have mounted this photo using a Perfect Layers Ruler - one of the fantastic new inventions out there that make neat even mounting ever so easy.  I have used the 1/16 side from the fine demin border and then that 1/4 side for the water coloured second mount.  If you pop over here down the bottom you will find a utube tutorial on how to use them.

  

With a circle cutter (a dies is best, punches dont cut out water colour paper too well) cut two different sized circles from the died water colour paper.  Grab your favorite black pen and draw some dots around the edge of the circles (you could try to sew these however I cant so black pen does the trick for me)

 Next roughly place your photo and circles to work out where you want everything - then pop a little dot in the right place for your sewn lines - then back to the sewing machine - sew a few straight lines to make your arrows and then hand stictch the arrow heads.

Now it is time to stick it all in place - I have used some foam dots under the round circles - this gives that little bit of dimension. 

 

After the basics are stuck down then work out embellishments, alphas, titles etc - I have also added in some extra small dots by using brads in two different sizes from my very old stash however these days the option would be to use Enamel Dots - these are a lot easier to find and quick and easy to stick on as well.   These guys would work well on this layout

Alpha Stickers are quick and easy - the range from MME Necessities has the extra benefit of some small works as well

 

And some leftover timber embellisments from the last layout - yes they were still sitting on my desk and I was too lazy to go digging for anything else ;) 

 HAPPY SCRAPPING!