Bright Mixed Media Layout | Missy Whidden

Hello there, friends!  Missy here with a new bright and bold mixed media layout using lots of pretty Shimmerz.  I was in a yellow mood, so that's where I began.  I pulled out the Simple Stories Sunshine & Happiness collection from 2016 to use, and I paired it with the Love You cut file & Star Confetti stencil from Paige Evans.  I wanted a yellow background, so I used patterned papers that weren't yellow inside the cut file.

Colors Used:

• Shimmerz--Pumpkin
• Coloringz--Lil' Yellow Skool Bus, No Yoking, Pretty in Pink
• Spritz--You're the Zest, Hint of Mint
  

I used thick smooth cardstock as my background, and I coated most of it with clear gesso first.  I made this simple background by spraying the yellow sprays onto an acrylic stamping block and "stamping" it down.  I also sprayed directly onto the paper.  I combined the three yellow sprays and then let it dry.  Later I used modeling paste over the star stencil to create some fantastic texture.  Towards the end of the page, I added a bit more by mixing in a tiny bit of Shimmerz Pumpkin.  I also splattered some Pretty in Pink and Hint of Mint.
 

Instead of backing the cut file with papers, I added adhesive foam behind the letters and popped them up inside the open spots.  I glued the actual cut file down and treated it like a little puzzle.  Here you can see the awesome background texture...so cool!  I sorted through all the collection I was using and picked out lots of matching goodies...stickers, die cuts, & chipboard.

These pictures of my daughter are sooooo her...haha.  I based my color scheme on her yellow shirt.  I like to use my color photos to help me determine my products & color scheme.  I love all the textures and dimension here.

I also tucked in some matching tangled thread in a few places.  This collection had so many little bits & pieces so it was fun to layer them around the photos & cut file.

I decided to use the white hearts initially cut from the cut file.  I machine stitched with pink and blue threads to give them some texture and detail.  Then I traced them onto a rainbow striped patterned paper so it could peek around the edges.

Here are a few more detail shots of all the colors and textures :)

I hope this inspires you in some way.  Do you ever make your own backgrounds like this?  It might look complicated, but it's really a simple technique.  You could achieve this look with the plastic packaging technique as well.

Be sure to check out my process video to see exactly how I made this:


https://youtu.be/Ar3dUDZ0FsA

Thanks so much for stopping by!