SCRAPS OF DARKNESS REVEALS IT'S MARCH KIT-NEEDFUL THINGS

The first thing I have to say is the title to this month's Scraps Of Darkness Kit hits the nail on the head in calling it Needful Things, because it is packed full of so much yumminess that every scrappy girl needs!! Melinda, has done it again and packed the March Kit full of so many wonderful, unique and totally versatile papers and embellishments, that no matter what your style, you will find so many things to satisfy your scrappy cravings.

Along with the kit, you will receive a monthly sketch created by the super talented Charlotte aka Sue Pup and her inspiration is always spot on to kick your mojo into high gear. Here is this month's sketch:

And here is my take on the sketch titled "Discovery". I decided to try my hand at Steam Punk and totally fell in love with it!

 I started with two different layers of the Graphics 45 papers and distressed and inked them up. I then took another layer of paper and cut out a gear shape, and set eyelets into it. I then took another piece of that delicious paper and created the center of the gear and then another to back the image that  picked up on the internet compliments of Google Images.  Melinda had included these little pieces of ball chain, and I took them and created flourish pieces on the photo. and then tucked in one the G45 stickers that I had stickled up.

 Next I took some Grunged Up Gears from my Etsy Shop and tucked one behind a peek a boo and then built a flower layer on some more tucking in black tulle and rose ribbon and popping on a sweet, stickled up butterfly that I had fussy cut from the G45 papers. I added some Metal clock faces with a brad and curled ribbon from my stash.

 Here I layered in some crochet trim from one of my SB.com friends Riza (Tonys Page), and took some more of the G45 stickers, stickled them up, layered on some Tim Holtz acrylic pieces that I had alcohol inked and adhered them with foam tape for dimension.

 For the large flower layer on the side I added lots of flowers from the Romance, and Flora & Fauna Add ons, more of those Grunged Up Gears, some more metal clocks, black tulle, rose ribbon, and some more of those stickled up, fussy cut butterflies. I then created another diamond piece to finish out the side. I tucked my coveted Mandy (Craftysprinkles) pin into the top section of my photo, for the perfect softness.

Here you can see all the dimension and layering that I love so much!

If you have never tried Steam Punk, I hope that you will give it a go, because it is so much fun, and you can take it any way you want. This one was more glamorous Steam Punk, but the following layout is more Mad Muse Steam Punk, and allowed me to color outside the lines and get a little wild!

 I actually created this using that reverse canvas process that Karen aka LostCoastScrapper uses. I cut out some of the G45 paper to look like a frame, and then covered the rest of the edging with Tim Holtz tissue tape. I then layered in another piece paper, and stenciled a grungy brick wall onto it, using modeling paste and Tattered Angels Glam, then I got busy with the details.

 In the upper left hand corner, I took the wreath that was in the kit, tore it apart and used it for curled branches, adding on the little owls from the Flora & Fauna Add On.
 

 I then created a Steam Punk Hot Air Balloon by taking corrugated board, cutting it to the shape, spraying it with some of the Maya Mist in the Color Add On, and then grunging it up with modeling paste and Glam. I used the pieces of ball chain and G45 chipboard to create the basket part of the balloon. I then gave the crow a big, green feathered tail. The eye piece is actually a bottle cap from one of my fav teas, Tazo White Cranberry. I love that stuff and have some of the caps saved, and this was the perfect opportunity to recycle. I cut the eye from a piece of the G45 paper and Glossy Accented it inside the cap, then crackled it.

 I took an image from Google Images and layered G45 papers underneath, attached a piece of the velvet ric rac onto the edge of the photo, and then added on a metal wing compliments of Shelly Anne and Metal Butterfly, compliments of Rebecca (Bexta). I then layered in flowers, and another one of the chipboard tags. I then took some wooden clocks from my stash and stacked them in. I took one of the SEI die cuts from the kit, Stickled it up, and used it for a shelf to hold the 2 chipboard medicinal bottles from the kit that I also Stickled up. Fussy cut the little crow with the sign from the papers and Stickled him up. I then attached everything with foam tape for dimension.

I love how the reverse canvas turned out, allowing me to play with all that extra dimension.

As soon as I saw the preview for this month's kit with those fun flying pigs, I knew I had to do a layout using them. Here in the South,  "When Pigs Fly" is something you would have heard many times as you were growing up. My Granny loved to use that expression-lol!

I had taken this photo of my son, pouting about getting his way while we were on a family outing, and it was so perfect for a fun take on that expression. The journaling is "I will fall for that, when pigs fly!"  Of course if you notice their is a pig flying over there in the top right, hand corner, because we all know it is hard to resist when our kids turn on that face!!

 I layered in lots of the Graphic 45 papers, corrugated board, burlap and fussy cut strips from the kit pps.

 Here I rolled down the corner, attached some little Vintaj gears from my stash, fussy cut out one of those little pigs, stickled him up and attached him to a Vintage look pin with one of the clips from the Flora & Fauna Add On.

 The pig emblem is one of the G45 stickers from the kit, that I Stickled, set eyelets in and wrapped wire through.

 I took some of the kit pps and heavily distressed them, rolled them, tied rope around them and then popped on some more of those stickers.

I fussy cut the tag from some of the papers, Stickled it up, added an eyelet and hung it with another one of those metal clips and added a Vintaj key that I embossed, using the metal add on that we had gotten in a previous month. The little arrow is just one that I cut from some card stock and grunged, and the letters are the chipboard letters from the Romance add on that I inked and stamped.

I love breaking out of my shell, and doing the humorous side of life every once in a while. One of my fav artists to visit, when I want to put a smile on my face is Happy Go Lucky (Vickie). When she does Winnie layouts, I never cease to walk out of her gallery without a big smile. Thanks for the inspiration, and the much needed smile, laugh and giggle, Vickie!


My final reveal project is an altered project. I had this ideal in my head, ever since I saw something similiar in a magazine. I of course took the bones of the ideal and put my own twist on it, and this is what I came up with. It is a glass jar that I turned into a Butterfly Sanctuary with all those wonderful butterfly items from the kit. I won't tell you all my secrets, since this one will be going into my Etsy, but I did use the butterfly images, the butterfly chipboard tag and some more of the pieces of the grapevine wreath that I broke apart to create this. I have to say it was one of those projects you have to have a lot of patience to do, because creating all of that inside of a bottle, through the opening of a  lid was not for the faint of heart-lol!

I love how it turned out, although I had no ideal how hard photographing a glass piece would be. If any of you have any pointers on that one, please feel free to leave them in my comments. They would be greatly appreciated!

Well, that is it for my reveal day projects! I hope you have enjoyed your visit and just want to say thanks for always taking the time out of your busy schedule to drop by! Hugs till I see you in the galleries! ~Renea