Hiking with Coffee?

I thought I'd try something a bit different and 'stage' my photo, rather than just go with the close crop of the layout. I see some crafters do it so effortlessly and is really showcases their work. I don't think I quite nailed it, myself. 

Anyway, here is the close crop of the layout which I quite like. I got the roll of hession when my local Kaisercraft was going out of business and it is really so versatile. Background is gesso through a stencil, then some Color Crush powders used as watercolours to drip from the top of the page and flick everywhere, some subtle brown script stamping and then some last flicks of brown ink.

Gumleaves are chipboard by Scrapmatts, painted with acrylic paint. The scribble circles are die-cuts by Uniquely Creative, cut from watercolour paper and painted with brown ink. The sequins come from a cute collection I picked up from Scrapbook Fantasies, I really went nuts with the scattered clusters on this layout.

This layout was inspired by the 1st January sketch over at Stuck?! Sketches. I thought it was such an interesting looking sketch when I first saw it. I really liked the different ways the design team brought it to life.  I've really kept quite close to the design for this one.

I was also inspired by the January Kraft Plus challenge. Initially I couldn't think of any photos I had to match this challenge, then I was going to use some of my son drinking his 'coffee' in the morning before I changed my mind to a photo featuring my sister and I drinking espresso martinis. It was while I was looking for that photo that I came across these ones of us with our coffees before we went for a little hike at Curtis Falls. The memory was too funny not to scrapbook! I've used the scribbled circles to mirror the circle around the bottom right image in the mood board.

Kraft Plus is also challenging people to create cards using their leftover scraps from the layout. I always think this is such a good idea but forget to do it normally. Today I remembered to whip up a little 4"x4" card and it was so simple! I used the exact same layering pattern as I used to mat the main photo on my layout, the leftover watercolour to mirror the drips and I had the extra scribble circle already cut and painted.

I'm happy to have used up some more scraps, including this chipboard piece which I think is technically a milk saucer but was the only piece I had left from an old set. The patterned papers are all actually from Christmas ranges that I'm slowly working my way through.