Eniko's Playhouse

Let’s Scrap Leap Around the World Blog Hop #46!

Welcome! My name is Enikö DeLisle, and I am very excited to be one of your hosts for the Let’s Scrap Leap Around the World Blog Hop. It starts this morning, February 1, 2012 -11am/eastern time.

I am one of 50 hosts from all over the world...from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts to Australia and everywhere in between! Our mission is to inspire you to make as many handmade greeting cards as you can during the month of February! Each of us is featuring a card sketch to inspire you and great pizes are offered to entice you to join in!

This is where I live...the island of Martha's Vineyard...I don't actually live on the beach (shucks!), but I am only minutes from some very beautiful beaches indeed!

OK! So here's my fabulous sketch 9-15-10, LEAP46 designed by Debby D. at Let's Scrap: Isn't it a wonderful idea for a card? I hope you decide to make a card inspired by this great sketch.

I was inspired to make two different cards using this sketch. I used the same background, but wanted to illustrate how slight changes can alter the look of a card. One is a Valentine, of course! How could I resist?

I hope you choose to make a card from the sketch above and post it on Let's Scrap, but you don't need to make a card to be eligible for my give-a-way! You can just leave me a comment below (which I would really appreciate!) and you will be entered in the draw...If you do both, you will have 2 chances to win my blog candy!

So my give-a-way to the lucky winner of the random draw will be these three great Martha Stewart acrylic stamp sets, Mary Engelbreit dimensional "love" stickers, Basic Grey rub-ons with a touch of bling, and some truly scrumptious gossamer ribbon by Maya Road- all perfect for card-making & papercrafting: 
This is how you can be entered into the draw to win my give-a-way:

Chance 1:

          Be or become a member of Let’s Scrap

          Become a follower of my blog, Eniko's Playhouse

          Leave a comment for me below -"What's your favorite Blog Candy"?

Chance 2:

          Create a card (or scrapbook layout) using the sketch above

          Upload your creation to the Let’s Scrap gallery, tagging it exactly like this:                                            9-15-10, LEAP46

Link your project from Let’s Scrap into a second comment on my  blog. If you need help with how to “link”, instructions can be found here:

http://letsscrap.ning.com/forum/topics/how-to-copy-and-paste-a-page...

GOOD LUCK SCRAPPERS!

If you're following the hosts by numerical order, then you just came from:

#45 -Carla De Zinger's blog from South Africa! http://sweetscrappins.blogspot.com/

Currently, you are visiting me, #46 -Eniko DeLisle, on a small island called Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, United States of America. http://enikodelisle.typepad.com/enikos-playhouse/

From me, you can leap to:

#47 -Tory Frail in Ontario, Canada!  http://tfraildesigns.blogspot.com/

If you get lost, just return to Mindi Brown in Montana! -She has the full list of blog hosts at: http://scrapchat-n-coffeetalk.blogspot.com/

This blog hop promises to be a lot of fun! You will get a lot of cards done and you will have 50 blogs to visit that are all giving away wonderful prizes. (Complete details are available at Let’s Scrap.)

Thanks for coming by...I hope you visit me again soon. I will be blogging about how I made these two cards in my next post.

Happy bog hopping! -Enikö

Card-making Inspiration - Handmade Valentines

Just a quick post designed to inspire you to make your own Valentine's Day cards this year...and to get you ready for tomorrow's Let's Scrap Leap Around the World Blog Hop! Don't shy away from trying...it's really quite simple to make a card. Look...
This is a simple little card I made for Jim a couple of years ago using a pearlized pre-cut card. The sentiment was cut from patterned scrapbook paper, then trimmed with a lovely border punch by Fiskars. -But look what happens when it's opened up:
Isn't that the cutest thing ever? Photos can add a real personal touch to any handmade card. I added a border sticker around the photo, a heart-shaped sentiment, then added my own message. Easy!

Here's another idea. This one was made with a pre-cut card that opens in the center:
The card as it comes is visible in the background, on top of the white envelope. The card in the foreground has been decorated with a border punch. (OOPS! I thought I had the correct punch in the photo, but I now remember that that I borrowed this one from a friend at our card-making party...it may be by Martha Stewart -not sure.) Anyway, it illustrates how much difference a simple edging can make...and without much work.

All I did to complete this card, is layered a couple of heart-shaped embellishments as a "closure", lined the inside with a pretty soft paper, and added a rub-on sentiment inside.
This is what it looks like closed:
Isn't that adorable? I just added my own message...it only took minutes!

This next one could be a birthday or a Mother's Day card, or it could be made into a Valentine. I started with a pre-made blank white card I purchased at my local stationary store and I trimmed the edge with the same pretty border punch that I used on the pink card above.
Then I glued a pretty vintage image that I found on the web onto the front, and looked for scrapbook paper with similar colors and tones that would look nice peek-a-booing out from under the lace border. After cutting it out, I adhered it to the inside of the card.
I added a slim strip above the thicker strip to balance things out, and placed a journaling block from my stash inside so I could add my own message.
Here's the finished card...just waiting for a warm sentiment to be added to the empty spot under the rose.
So I could write Happy Mother's Day or Happy Birthday or Congratulations or Thank You...this card would be lovely for almost any occasion. Now look how easily I can turn it into a Valentine's Day card, just by adding a little heart here and there and by adding a love-themed sentiment:

See...it's magic!

Well, I hope I've added a touch of inspiration to your card-making and I do hope you'll join us at Let's Scrap for the exciting Leap Around the World Blog Hop. If you'd like to join the Blog Hop, follow the directions on my previous post. When you return to my blog at 11am Eastern on Wednesday, February 1st, you will find a lovely little sketch to jump-start your creativity and I will have directions & links & examples galore to guide you and to inspire you...and a great little give-a-way to entice you!

Happy Card-Making! -Enikö

Gear-up for a Spectacular Month of Card-making!

I'm so excited! As one of the 50 international blog hostesses, I am busy gearing up for the upcoming Let's Scrap (http://letsscrap.ning.com/) "Leap Around the World" February blog hop!!  This fun-filled Card-Making Event with fabulous give-a-ways will start at 10:00am on February 1st and end on February 29th at 11:59pm (central standard time).

I sure hope you join me in this big hop!  There are several things you can do RIGHT NOW to be prepared:

1. Make sure you are signed up as a follower on my blog. Just look in the upper right-hand corner, where it says "Google Friend Connect" and click on "JOIN THIS SITE".  In addition, it's  convenient to subscribe via e-mail so that you will never miss one of my blog posts!
2. Get your scrapping area in order and locate all those paper scraps & ribbons & wonderful embellishments you have been stashing away...you will need them because the blog hop is all about making CARDS!
3. Hop on over to Let's Scrap and sign-up for a free membership. Once you sign-up, you will have the ability to upload photos or scans of the cards you make. Let's Scrap is an amazing community of supportive women from all over the world with a passion for scrapbooking, who thrive on inspiring and encouraging each other.
   

So now you're ready...

Just a few more details... Once you have joined Let's Scrap, you will receive links to all 50 host blogs. Each blog will feature a different card sketch intended to inspire your card design. In the words of my dear scrapping friend, Kay Wallace: "At each blog, you will get two chances to win some blog candy (aka: booty, prizes)!  Do the math! You will have 100 chances to win free stuff...and good stuff, too!  This is also the perfect opportunity to restock your card stash!"

Don't be overwhelmed...you are doing only one card at a time!  Our hope is that you will visit every blog, but remember, you have the whole month of February to do this and you don't have to make all 50 cards...just join in the fun!

 N.B. -Be sure you are using Google Chrome or Firefox as your search engine.  Internet Explorer (IE) does not always "play nice" with Bloggers!

Get ready, get set...let's scrap! -Enikö

Blog Candy and Random Acts of Kindness: You, too, Could be a Winner!

Are you one of those bloggers who don't enter contests and give-a-ways, because you think you "never win anything"? Well, let me tell you...you, too, could be a winner! Within the span of two weeks, a couple of months ago, I won not one, not two, but THREE different FABULOUS gifts from various blogs that I follow.
So I got an email from a lovely woman from Maya Road urging me to reply since she'd been trying to reach me so that I could claim my prize. I had completely forgotten that I had left a comment on a blog post in which Maya Road and Stampendous teamed up to generate new fans. When the package arrived a few days later, I felt like a little kid at Christmas. The ribbons and cords and twine from Maya Road are over-the-top! -In fact, the gorgeous plaid ribbon I used in the Garden Railroad Layout in my last post was from this wonderful gift package.

Best of all, the Jumbo Lily Rubber Stamp from Stampendous was one that I was desperately yearning for...I just fell in love with it on their website and was really hoping to get it one day. I couldn't believe that I had won it! -Along with an acrylic block to attach it to. Soooo happy to have these great items!

About a week later, I saw my name on Graphic 45's blog as a winner! At first, I wasn't even sure what I had won, since I leave comments on G45's blog regularly (LOVE THEM). To my delight, it turned out to be their brand new, hot-off-the-press, Tropical Travelogue line! The whole line! -Chipboard tags and the 8"x8" paper pad in addition to the 12"x12" paperpad!
Those of you who are familiar with Graphic 45 papers know what an incredible score this is. The papers are top-notch quality...gorgeous colors, fabulous images... absolutely delicious, and a MUST for an island-inhabitant as myself. Martha's Vineyard can hardly be considered a tropical island (it's been hovering between 10-30 degrees Fahrenheit these past two days of January), but much of the paper would fit any island theme...and, of course, it will be perfect for layouts of my Key West vacation I took a while back. Over-joyed!

Well, my winning streak didn't end there. After posting some of my artwork on Graphic 45's Community Gallery, to my surprise, I received an email saying that I had been chosen for a 'random act of kindness' for being a contributing supporter of the site. I nearly keeled over! Well, they sent me a lovely little package with some seriously wonderful goodies. Take a look:
I've been so wanting to try Graphic 45's new cling stamps, and the ones I received are from the beloved Curtain Call line. How fun is the Eiffel Tower stamp...or the Can-Can Dancer stamp? The chipboard flowers and buttons are from G45's Staples Collection. And then there are those versatile word ribbons and lace! I sure am a Lucky-Ducky!

Last year, I won a spot in Christy Tomlinson's She Art Workshop through the Where Women Create website by leaving a comment there. I wrote about how that experience changed my life by expanding my scrapbooking and papercrafting into mixed media artwork in this blog post: Scrapbook Techniques Enhance Mixed Media Art. It was an amazing on-line workshop that pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to spread my creative wings.

Well, my intention for posting this was certainly not to brag or to be a show-off (truly, I always thought I was one of those people that never win anything!) -I simply want to encourage all of you to take a leap of faith now and then. Bloggers LOVE IT when their readers leave messages and many businesses gage their popularity by how many messages are left after their blog posts, or how many "Likes" they accumulate on Facebook. Some pretty great prizes...often called "Blog Candy" or "Random Acts of Kindness", are offered on a regular basis to those who leave comments, in an effort to build a bigger following. So go for it!

By the way, I will be offering some nice little Blog Candy in my next post. I will be participating in a fun-filled Blog Hop through Let's Scrap. I will be one of fifty hostesses posting inspirational card sketches on our blogs and challenging you to create greeting cards based on the posted designs. So do check back in and do participate...and try to leave a comment (also called Blog-Love) whenever you can. Who knows what random acts of kindness may be waiting for you right around the corner?

Spreading some Blog Love, -Enikö

Childhood Wonder is Captured in Sketch-Inspired Layout

Have any of you ever used a a pre-designed sketch as inspiration for a scrapbook layout?  Scrapbooking off of someone else's sketch design has been a challenge for me (since I normally work so organically), but since I like to push myself out of my comfort zone occasionally, I made a commitment to give it a whirl. (I wrote about my first sketch-inspired experience in an earlier post: Sketch-Inspired Thanksgiving Layout).

I have since discovered a wonderful website called Let's Scrap, whose sole function seems to be to inspire fellow scrapbooking enthusiasts through weekly sketch challenges (with enticing prizes), group projects, blog-hops and on-line encouragement. I must say that it has been an amazing experience connecting with hundreds of women that share my scrapbooking passion. Scrappers from all over the world log-on regularly to share their traditions, familly events and life-experiences in addition to their artwork. Truly fabulous, inspiring and gracious women; I already feel like I have made some enduring friendships.

The sketch above is the one I chose when I decided to join in and rise to the sketch-inspiration challenge. I chose this sketch over others because I had recently received a stack of photos from Shutterfly of my darling grandson, Rigel, who at age four, was completely enamored by his Grandpa Jim's garden railroad during his visit last summer. I had the correct number of photos the sketch called for and I had the subject matter, so all I needed was the perfect paper to get my scrapbooking project going. Once I had the paper, I allowed the sketch, the photos and the story guide me. This is what came out of it: (click on image to see larger)
The paper and the embellishments compliment the colors in he photos...the title summarizes the story...and the photos capture the exhuberant movements of awe-struck little boy and the pleased, quietly observing grandfather in the background.

I scanned-in this layout before I added the journaling, but on the bottom strip of patterned paper I added my cherished memory of the occasion, "It was with great delight that I watched 4 year-old Rigel bond with his Grandpa Jim over Jim's Garden Railroad." On the left side I added, "July 24th, 2011, Martha's Vineyard, MA".

"So what did the pre-designed sketch contribute to this layout?," you might ask.

It's impossible to know how this layout would have looked if I hadn't worked off of a sketch (hey...great idea for another challenge...do two layouts of the same event -one designed organically, and one using a sketch), but I do know that I most likely wouldn't have added some of the embellishments where I did...the circle, for example...yet it works so well there. -And I definitely would not have thought to place the plaid ribbon near the bottom...which I think brings all the other elements together beautifully. I also may have used a shorter title and may have not spanned it along both pages.

But I did do all those things and the result is just lovely, don't you think? I love how the movement of the letters in the title reflect the movement of Rigel in the garden. I love how I matted the main photo on the left to make it the suggested 5"x7" size (since all my photos were developed 4"x6") and I love how I needed to crop the photos on the right to make them fit into the "size-equation". I also love how seven photos fit so perfectly and naturally on one layout, and tells a complete story.

I can't resist posting my favorite photo from the layout:
I simply love the captured movement of Rigel suddenly turning as he hears the approaching train engine.

But then there's this one -where his inquisitive nature is so very much on display-

On this following photo, which I shot from my bedroom window, Grandpa Jim's face says it all...
Thanks for visiting, and I hope you'll check-out Let's Scrap and their many discussion groups and inspirations. Also, keep on the look-out for Let's Scrap's Blog Hop, coming in February. I will be hosting one of fifty greeting card sketches and inviting you to join in -creating and posting your cards, making you eligible to receive a nice gift.

I'll keep you posted!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Bloggers! Live an inspired life in 2012! -Enikö

Turning Artwork Into Christmas Cards

So I promised you a post about how I turned my mixed media angels (see previous post) into Christmas cards and tags. It's Christmas Eve day and I still have to finish wrapping presents, but a promise is a promise, so here's my Christmas gift to my scrapbooking friends...
After printing off multiple 3"x5" copies of my artwork (taken from photos), I trimmed the images and adhered them to blank cards that I purchased at Michael's craft store. I added lace or ribbon trim and embellished the angels with pearls and crystals...each one a little different, as the mood struck me.
Next, I added sparkle to the snow on the evergreens and the ground, trying several variations of Stickles by Ranger, and made some with crystal snow. Sometimes I even applied some to the angel's wings.
Don't you just love the sparkle? ...Makes me yearn for a white Christmas.
Here are the Noel Angels, which were adhered to gold cards instead of the silver:
I printed some of these in a little larger size by selecting "fit image to size"...I like both sizes for different reasons. The Noel Angels received embellishments on their halos and on the bells...some on the dresses. I stamped sentiments on the inside (I think these acrylic stamps are by Tim Holtz...love him!):
...And even cutomized a Martha Stewart stamp to personalize the cards:
I printed some of the angels in wallet sizes and turned them into tags:
So there you are...that's how i turned my mixed media artwork into Christmas cards and tags! Some of you may have already received your card in the mail (they kind of went out a little late), but I'm still sending out greetings, so if  you didn't get one and you'd like one of my cards, leave a message below and I will send one out to you.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Enikö

Deck the Halls with Paper-Collage Angels!

I've been playing around with mixed media for a while, now...using scrapbooking papers and scrapbooking techniques, but just in a different way. I was originally inspired by Christy Tomlinson's She Art on-line workshop, and have since taken my artwork in a new direction. I designed these two pieces for Featherstone's Holiday Gift Show, but fell in love with them instantly and decided to use them to make Christmas cards with.

The paper artwork is applied to 8"x10" Gessoed canvas, layer-by-layer, then painted, inked, and altered. So the first step was to adhere pretty background scrapbooking paper. I chose a sky-blue paper with dots of "snow" and a deep purplish paper with a plethora of stars: I decided that one of my Christmas Angels would be a "Snow Angel" and the other would be simply called "Noel Angel", and I went about to find the right papers for the angels' dresses and used a punch to cut out circles for halos the word "Noel" from a very pretty Christmas-themed scrapbook paper. The heads and arms of the angels were cut out from old Dictionary pages. I knew I had some lovely dried leaves and velum leaf stickers that would make perfect wings. I used sparkly white paper to create the ground-snow on one, and a pretty Christmas-y paper for the ground of the other. After sealing everything with Mod Podge, I painted on the hair and colored in the faces and the arms, and added dimension to the dresses with acrylic paint. I happened to have the perfect Jolee's paper evergreen stickers for the Snow Angel, but of course, needed to add some snow with Snow Stickles. I also added some glittery Stickles to random flakes of snow:
In case you're not familiar with Stickles, basically, they are a line of designer glitter glue by Ranger Ink and are loved by the scrapbooking community for ease of use and consistantly superior quality.

I used some scrapbooking and mixed media techniques to apply ink with a variety of rubber stamps, painted the edges of the canvas with metallic paints, and even added  cabochons at the necklines for 3-D embellishments. I absolutely love the way they turned out!

I'm finding it impossible to pick a favorite, but I may be partial to the Snow Angel because of the trees. They are great as seasonal Home Decor pieces, but I'll be turning them into Christmas cards in my next post... So which is your favorite?

(I hope you let me know in your comment below.)

Wishing you Christmas Joy, Enikö

Sketch-inspired Thanksgiving Scrapbook Layout

In 2008, while my dad was recovering from hip surgery at my home on Martha's Vineyard, we opted have a quiet, relaxed Thanksgiving...just the three of us...my dad, Jim, and me. It turned out to be one of the more pleasurable of Holidays. -No traveling hassles, no hoopla; just a fabulous feast and an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I wanted to capture the essence of that dinner...focusing on the feast and the three people who shared it.

There are many approaches to layout design. My method is generally very organic. I select the photographs I wish to scrapbook and I allow them to spark my creativity. Usually the colors that are most predominate in the photos determine the color scheme of my layout, other times, my paper choices might be motivated by the theme. Once my papers & pictures are laid out, an artistic spark ignites, and I scurry about, gathering embellishments that might support my layout. I am driven by story telling, and inspired by my passion to tell the story concisely and well in a double-page spread.  

I've seen scrapbook classes that teach sketch-inspired layouts, and have seen scrapbook layout sketches in magazines, but never quite understood why anyone would approach scrapbook layout design in that fashion. Certainly, I have sketched other designs...room design, for instance, jumps into mind. While working as an assistant interior designer at Island Interiors, LLC, sketching was an integral part of designing, but pre-sketching for scrapbooking? Hmmm... Then I stumbled upon a website called Sketch Inspiration, where they post a new sketch every Sunday in an attempt to inspire their followers. There's always a nice little scrapbooking gift offered by a sponsor to add enticement, so I decided to step outside of my comfort zone & give it a try for the Thanksgiving layout. This week's challenge was Sketch #247: Because I'm used to creating double-spread layouts, the idea of using only one 6"x4" photo was truely daunting. I could do it if I had the right photo, but none of the images from that day where sufficient to tell the story of our simple, but bountiful three-person feast. -So I found a way to follow the sketch, and to incorporate all of the photos of that day that I wanted to include, as well:
Well, what do you think? How'd I do?

I'd like to wish you all a Blessed Thanksgiving and a bounty of inspiration...wherever it may come from!

With Gratitude, Enikö

Girlfriends...Those Irreplacable Gems in Our Lives

Girlfriends! -I shudder to think how we would get through life without them...without their love, support, encouragement, and just plain silly laughter. You've seen some of my fabulous girlfriends on my scrapbook pages...here's a little nugget of why I think they're so very fabulous. Check out this hilarious & touching tribute on Susan Branch's blog about her friendship with the enchanting Margot Datz.

Just click here to view:

Susan Branch Blog

(hand-painted & copyrighted by Susan Branch)

If you're not already a follower of Sue's, you should be...her hand-written & illustrated cookbooks and calendars are sheer delight (she's written 14 books!) and her astounding hostessing skills have advanced her to "Domestic Goddess" status nation-wide.

Margot's amazing artwork can be viewed on her website, and her book, A Survival Guide For Landlocked Mermaids, is a must-read for all women -a beautiful gift for girlfriends. (Signed copies are available through Bunch of Grapes Bookstore on Martha's Vineyard.)

Here's how I attempted to capture Margot's spirit on a scrapbook page:
...and this is how I honored the lovely Susan Branch in our buddy Jaime's Memory Book -Sue hand-wrote the beautiful "Jaime's Recipe for a Happy Life":                  (double click to view in larger size) 
Incidentally, both layouts above feature papers from fabulous Graphic 45.

Thank you for letting me share this wonderful part of my life with you...

Hugs, Enikö

 

Scrapbooking Clean and Simple...

Sometimes I just like clean and simple... Today's scrapbooking trends lean towards lots of color, lots of embellishments, lots of dimension, lots of patterned papers, and, alas, often lots of clutter. I designed this layout, titled "Gigi Plays", a while back, but it's remained one of my favorites. -Not only because of the subject matter (my sweet friend Gigi frolicking playfully on Ogunquit Beach in Maine, on a breezy autumn day...my dad in tow), but because of its simplicity.

The color is muted...almost monotone. The embellishments are minimal: a few chipboard shells, a couple of metal brads here...a few seashell brads there. Dimension is added only to the left page, with a dictionary definition of "play", matted & raised by foam dots, and five raised chipboard seashells. There are no clashing patterned papers, only soft background photographs. Most importantly, there is no clutter. Here's a close-up of the left-hand page:
Oh, I forgot to mention journaling... I'm the queen of journaling! I am quite firm in my feeling that each scrapbook layout should tell a complete story -you remember the grade school rule: Who, What, Where, When & How. A great rule! -Always works. But there are a few instances where the story can be told with a minimum of words. You'll notice that in the background above, there is a subtle type textured over the photo of the beach sand and seashells. If you look even closer, you'll be able to make out that the text is in fact a cluster of dictionary definitions of ocean-themed words. So by playfully placing definitions of "play" and "playful" on the layout, there is a cohesive, recurring theme.

Now let's take a look at the right side of the layout:
Once again, the soft text on the image of the beach sand reveals dictionary definitions of beach-themed words, and the word "BEACH" is actually drawn in the sand in the background photo. -The perfect background paper to display photos of Gigi writing in the sand. The words on this page are simple...the word "PLAY" appears twice, both times in soft colors. Over the water on the top, it is rubber stamped, and the bottom right is anchored with a small word sticker. The words "GIGI PLAYS", repeated three times with an inked rubber stamp and fading into the breakwater, is really all that is desired for additional journaling. We get the rest of the story just fine.

In my scrapbook, these pages follow a double-page layout that has quite extensive journaling about this special day at Ogunquit Beach, and the special relationship between Gigi and my dad. It covers all the "who, what, where, when" rules, making it even less necessary to repeat the same information here. But even if these pages stood alone, the important part of the story is evident -Gigi made an elderly friend feel like a kid again on that breezy day in Maine...clean and simple.

Keeping memories alive, one page at a time, Enikö