So Me.

Please scroll down to the next post for today's Hip Hop Hangover post!!!

I made this layout for a "fashion" challenge over on Vintage Plum - specifically what is your style now or in the past?

I have to admit I struggled a bit with this one for a while. I don't really think I have a style in the sense of what I wear. I spend most days (OK, practically ALL) in t-shirts, jersey-type shorts, and flip flops with no make-up, my hair in a ponytail, and no jewelry other than my wedding ring.

So, I'm trying to think of my past style and I feel like I've already "done" that layout about my crazy high school style. But my "grown up" style hasn't really been all that interesting, either. Then my thoughts drifted to my wedding photo and this layout was born:

October/November 2010 issue

YES, that is my ONE & ONLY "wedding" picture. If you look closely you can make out snippets of the words "Little White Wedding Chapel". Yup. Got married in LV. It was a rather romantic story, however. Me and the hubs had been together for over T-W-E-L-V-E years and were on a (what I thought was) routine, annual Las Vegas trip. Apparently Mr. M. had something else in mind. FINALLY. Like I said, we'd been together so long, I wasn't expecting anything. I'd long put away my hopes for tying the knot on a Vegas trip YEARS prior. So anyway, we were engaged for a whopping 15 hours and got married at 11:45 pm. And, of course, I hadn't packed any "wedding-y" clothes so I wore the only "dressy" thing I'd brought - a black top and black pants.

BUT, looking back, that is just SO ME! I think I'm much more happy with that memory and story than if it would've all been planned and white and frilly.

Enough with the story...on with the layout details.

The base sheet began life as a light blue mirror-type finish cardstock upon which I swirled and swiped black and silver alcohol inks. You'll notice that, due to the sewing machine foot and various other dings, you can see scratches in the color. I LOVE THAT! I couldn't have pulled that off if I'd been trying.

The butterflies are also all colored with alcohol inks. I have long been a fan of alcohol inks and recommend trying them out if you already haven't. They're so vibrant and beautiful and you can achieve so many looks with them. I think I've had my bottles for about 3 years, used them quite regularly, and still have almost full bottles. They're a good deal. Select butterflies are also stamped with a script background image. They're finished off with machine-stitched trails.
The frame and the restroom girl are embossed with UTEE on black cardstock. It doesn't convey well on the screen but they have almost a latex, ultra shiney, rubbery quality to them. It's (can I say it?) AWESOME!!

The journaling drifting from the girl's mouth says, "In my world of cReAtIvItY and color ** I wear black."

Finally, the title chipboard is embossed with some black opal powder.

Details: Paper - Best Occassions (blue mirror), Stampin' Up! (glossy), The Paper Company; Die Cuts - Cricut (butterflies), Quickutz Silhouette (grunge frame, restroom girl); Ranger alcohol inks; Inkadinkado stamp; Ink - StazOn, VersaMark; Embossing Powder - Ranger (UTEE), JudiKins (black opal); Heidi Swapp chipboard letters; Making Memories alpha stickers; thread.

Thanks for checking this out today!

Heidi