A through Z with Darlene

This month our If It's Groovy Challenge is to create a layout using lots of alphabets! Let's see an up close and personal take on that challenge with DT member Darlene. Take a look at her layout as well and be sure to send in a layout for the challenge!!! I know you will be inspired by not only the alphabets she is using but all the extra dimension in getting there!!!




In the words of Darlene:
What do you do with all of your scrap bits and pieces that no longer have a pair or maybe that isn't quite your style anymore? Throw them out? Give them away? Have you tried recycling them in a layout, where you throw many odds and ends together, to create a work of art???

I have wanted to get a layout like this, "You Are My Sunshine," completed for many months now filled with all of the randomness that I no longer like/need/want out of my stash and finally onto a project. The idea was simple behind it, make a picture the center of my layout, and add "rays of light" in different embellishments and colors within the rays- all without using anything but one sheet of white cardstock, scrap embellishments, glue runner, paper piercer, and thread. FUN!!!

I used my sewing machine to help get this project started. I sewed my photo down first, and then calculated how much space I wanted for each of my 9 rays of color. I sewed each ray a different outline color based on the color of the embellishments that that specific ray would be. Once I got my stitching outlines complete, I went through my stash and found all of the embellishments that haven't been used in months, including paper clips, eyelets, brads, flowers, buttons, and even scrap alphabet letters. I placed my embellishments by color in each of the appropriate colored rays and glued them down in a way that I found to be pretty. Next I used my paper piercer to pierce within each button hole. I hand sewed each button on this layout (although I don't see why you couldn't sew it on if you have the proper button sewing attachments) with white thread throughout.

Each colored ray has approximately 25-30 embellishments or in its entirety, this layout in total has about 225 embellishments... and took me about 5 or so hours in total to complete! I think that although this was a bit time consuming it was honestly so fun to do! If you have a pile of embellishments you haven't used in a while, consider this embellishment and alphabet overload as your next purging project! :)