Mixed Media Backgrounds and Such

Nothing is better to perfectly accent a page than a beautiful mixed media background!  A bold statement I know but IF the background is done right, it almost acts as a map for your embellishments and photos.  A great background makes your work easier when it comes to accessorizing a page too.  Accents definitely don't have to be paper or embellishment to be effective at showcasing the photos and not much is more fun than splashing and splattering paint....  

Mixed media doesn't have to be messy, spattered randomness either.  The background above was created with watercolors from a tube, colored pencil, gamsol and a stencil that I cut with my silhouette.  Only the watercolor part was messy.  VERY messy:)

In my last post, I talked about starting a separate album for my family events.  It occurred to me that some decisions needed to be made about that.  1 - Did I want to pull all of my event pages from past albums to put into the new system?  2 - Am I going to do a monthly page that recaps all of the little things that add up to a big picture of what is going on in our family?  3 - What constitutes a big event? and finally 4 - Will this album be stored with the rest or left out for everyone to see?

The answer is that I'm going to start where i'm at (with a blank album and no restrictions) and live with the album for a little bit before I start tearing up my albums or forcing myself to create a strict list of events and happenings.  Obviously weddings, graduations and babies will be included but the rest I will play by ear. 

Thankfully I have been creating during my blog hiatus so I have a ton of pages to share as the travel quiets down and our schedules return to normal.  Most of the photos that we took this year were taken with our cell phones so the quality is not so good.  Especially mine:)  My husband and daughter are geniuses with anything camera you put in their hands!  Me not so much.  

My girls came to visit and we did a ton of stuff! Like going to the butterfly conservatory. They so wanted a butterfly to land on them and I so didn't so guess who got the creepy little critter to land?  This is us right before we headed inside......

Hello June Hip Kit.  I am only halfway through it and July + August are here and waiting:( But I do love this page of my little lovely in the sculpture garden.....

Stashbuster:)  Us at King's Dominion.  And it looks like we have a new reader and our old reader isn't too happy about it lol.  Backstory.  Since he was little my son would always read the maps wherever we went (that's him making the face) and now it looks like Gabby has the job (she's holding the map smiling).....

That's it for me today.  I know.  Another super long post.  But I haven't been blogging for what feels like forever and have really missed it.  Thanks for stopping by and have a great Tuesday everyone!!