Where will the numbers take you?

In my Wednesday post I shared a sneak peek of my numbers project for this week as well as my source of inspiration. 

When I saw this decorating idea magazine in the line at the grocery store, I immediately snatched it, being drawn to that pillow on the bench on the cover.

Inspired, I went home and got out some leftover canvas from another project, and immediately went to work on a hand stitched embellishment for a layout I've been meaning to make with my Granny's Cupboard kit and some photos of myself with my girls on Mother's Day.

Don't you love when inspiration strikes like that?

One of the fun parts about creating this project was that I was able to do it "on the road".  On the 4th of July my hubby was at work, so the girls and I spent the middle part of the day in my sister's backyard.  I packaged up my canvas and my DMC floss, and sat on a lawn chair stitching away while my kids played, enjoying refreshing beverages and snacks, and loved every bit of it.

What resulted from the collaboration of stitchery and scrapbooking, inspired by a small pillow, was this:

Inspired by the pillow, I handstitched the number, and filled it in with bits of buttons.  I was out of E's which worked perfectly for this layout, because I had plenty of 3's in my Thicker package.

I wanted more of a homespun look to this layout, so I peeled the adhesive off the Dear Lizzy fabric paper, and then distressed it a bit before framing with with the lace frames from K&Co.

Design is actually something very important to me in scrapbooking, and if there is one element of design that I follow in just about every project that I create, it's the visual triangle.

If you look closely at my layout, you will see triangles of elements throughout the design that lead your eye through the photos, journaling, etc.

You can see it in the use of buttons and flowers, the birds, the journaling in relation to the title, the fabric frames with the "fabric" used for the #3, and even, most of the time, through my stitching.  I like to zig zag with straight stitches, and where I choose to zig zag is always planned.  Normally it is done in such a way to add yet another triangular element to the design.  In this case, though, I zig zagged where I thought you'd be able to see it. 

Sometimes it isn't until I am finished with a layout and it's been photographed that an element stands out to me as missing.

In this first photograph, you'll notice that the dark pink Dear Lizzy fabric paper is in the two square lace frames.  When I went to edit my photos of this layout for the blog, this element was really bugging me. 

It was bugging me because that dark pink isn't represented very well on the left page.  Dark pink floss was used for my #3, but it wasn't standing out very well to be visually pleasing to my eye when I looked at this layout, so I had to fix it.

I simply added a strip of pink polka dot fabric paper to the left of the three, and it brought the whole layout together.  Wouldn't you agree?

I am really happy with how it turned out, and I used three different scallop type punches on this one which always makes me happy, my scallop sentiment, the apron lace, and my dotted lace border punch.

After this layout was done, I was still feeling inspired.  After seeing that pillow in the magazine I knew I wanted to do the layout.  But then I decided I wanted to do a pillow for my own living room couch, to match the curtains I want to revamp based on some ideas in the magazine.  I couldn't decide, however, on what number to use.  2 for the number of kids, 4 for the number of family members?  I couldn't decide.  But that led me to think of monograms, so I determined I would certainly create an F throw pillow.  Fabric is currently on order (Heather Bailey Nicey Jane to match the curtains, you know).  But in the meantime I had a hankering to create.

Thinking of the F led me to think of my girls and M's and P's, which led me to a small stockpile of Gin Blossom for Michael Miller fabric that I have.  I've been doing various projects for my girls room with this fabric, so I have it in abundance.

All of that brain work led me to create this for my sweet girl:

I was so rushed to creativity I couldn't have even taken the time to iron my canvas, lol, but Morgan is in LOVE with her pillow.  And now I need to make one for Payton too.  But maybe I should wait to do hers until after I fix sweet Morgan's baby blanket.  The poor thing.....

(and now you can see how my crazy mind works sometimes, lol)

I love how inspiration works.  A tiny little throw pillow led me into all sorts of directions.  Where will it lead you?  You have until Saturday night to share a project on this thread for a chance at a little Studio Calico cash. 

Davinie