"I Gotta Be Me" Challenge share

Hi Everyone!!

I hope all of you have had the chance to check out the newest challenge on the NM challenge blog! It is a great challenge that really gets you thinking about your own style! This was hands down the funnest challenge for me because I was able to completely let go and not even think about what my LO was looking like! Of course I started worrying once my LO was all done and I was able to take a real good look at it, but at the same time I really love what I made so I just went with it. :D

TEMPORARILY OUT FOR PUBLICATION

I did some pretty normal typicals for me-using strips of paper, machine stitching, random bits of this and that stuck on, and a most definite color scheme. :D I work well when those things are involved. I started with the Basic Grey Oliver paper 'Evan', which has some tiny parts on it where things turn pink. ;D I cut these little parts into strips and used those to form my border on my page. (Oh and just in case you were wondering proportion-wise, my LO is an 8x8. I love working with that size!) Anyway, I laid these strips randomly to form the border, then used straight strips of the Sassafras Lass Indie Girl paper 'Mellow' as well for the border.

I would love to be able to give you a description of what I did for the inside strips of paper, but seriously I can't remember and am going to have to do some intense looking to figure out what all made it onto the LO! LOL! They are just layered and layered and omgosh layered on there! I actually have a piece of corrugated cardboard under the lower part, and totally wanted it to be seen, but somehow it just disappeared! :P One thing I will mention-I used the packaging from the Basic Grey Olivia paper ribbon tapes! It was actually the inspiration for the color scheme on the LO. Well that and the photo. :D It was very easy to cut it out, but first I had to seperate it from the rest of the cardboard package. I did this by very very VERY carefully peeling the cardboard into two sections. Front going one way, and back going the other. (Make sense? I hope so. :P Let me know if it doesn't.) The seperate easily, but it got real difficult when it came to the part where the perforations are for the tapes to come out. At that point I had to be very gentle. Then I proceeded to cut the decoration out, but again when I came to the perforations I had to change things. I first adhered the small section to a piece of white cardstock, to make the perforations more stable and then I finished cutting it out. That way all the sections wouldn't just fall apart and be unconnected. I really hope that made sense too. LOL! I can never tell when I am explaining myself well enough! And when you are cutting it out don't worry a whole ton about making sure the border you leave is consistent. I didn't! I totally thought that cutting it out all wonky just added to the whimsical design! :D

Anyway, here are some close ups for you to be able to see.

The only thing I added that wasn't in the Sweet Sue kit (that you can see! as the cardboard was from my stash) is the little pink rhinestone brad. That is from my Lemonade Stand kit! :D I found it on the floor and had it sitting on my desk and saw it while making this LO and totally thought it fit!

Well I hope you all enjoyed a little insight into how I make a LO. Or at least this one. LOL! Sorry I can't give you better descriptions, I just totally winged-it with this one and didn't pay enough attention as I went along! :P I hope you all have LOs like that sometimes too! As it is very freeing and a lot of fun!

Now if for some crazy reason you haven't picked up your Sweet Sue kit, then head on over here and pick it up! There are only 7 left!

I hope you all have a great day!!! Take care!

~Amy