Relaxing Mermaid!

Hello there!
This is Pam from TheBugBytes
Summer is nearly gone and so is Water Time for some! Now we need to catch up and scrap those photos.
So here is my way of doing it. Mya and me started  this Cartridge of the month thing to explore cartridges. I am finding that I have a love-hate relationship lol. Sometimes it is confining and I do want to do something different. This time it is love as Life is a Beach fits in quite nicely.
Since I wanted more than one photo in the layout and also because I was requested to do a tutorial with one I decided to make the photomat an accordian style. This choice gave me lots of room to play inside the layout

Sometimes I have the paper to start with and sometimes or rather most of the times the focal photo to begin  But this time since I had no focal point photo - I designed on my Gypsy first with only one idea - that the main color theme would be blue.. Let's take a look at the G

Here is the layout which I will not cut. Just helps me size images and gives me an idea.

I prefer to cut most shapes from beige or  white cardstock as I can color them however I want and is very helpful in cutting small images. Easier than assembling all the tiny layers. I prefer beige/cream/sand colored cardstck as they start of a little neutral tone and easier to go in any direction unless of course I need white in large quantities and do not want to use opague white then I lean on white.
I stock sand cardstock, white and black and also vellum from company called paper and more. Their cardstock cuts very well. I order this online along with vellum.
So here is page 2 - I named it mermaid. Sometimes I name by main theme and sometimes by color of the paper. I put the main items in and some shells , corals, fishes etc as much as could fit in so that I could pick and choose some pieces later

Then for the embellishments  - photocorners on the photomat I decided I wanted a pattern paper. At this stage I had no clue as to the color. (Later while assembling you'll see that I liked it much better on the photomat front itself than marking the accordion photomat.

Most of the times when you weld the insides dissappear. See my reclaiming insides video - http://www.thebugbytes.com/2010/07/gypsy-video-reclaiming-insides-of-some.html
I just copy the image to another layer - unweld the group -, hide the outer contour and paste it back on the page. Then since gypsy does not paste it in same place (which is good. Let it be as far apart as possible) and also since it is difficult to select the image later when they coincide I first group both. Be careful to have them as far as apart as possible t make life easier on you.
Then  note the x and y axis of the each piece in the welded image ( ie purple)  and then set the x and y axis of the the corresponding hidden contoured image(again select and make just that piece purple) to the same number. Work your way till all the images are grouped. When you check your weld it should now show half yellow. Press preview and you can see that the outine is red for welded and insides show black. Great now both will cut.
Next I wanted a leaf  border around the page. Instead of doing the corners in a square I just decided to do each sides so that I can paste it on the page

I used the splish splash word which is predesigned in a cartridge - I think splish splash lite and I wanted a label so decided so I adjusted the width and height after unlinking the golden chain  and playing till they fit the words - splish splash.

Here are all the cartridges used

Now for assembling.
I took the cuts an really played with them- chalking, copic, pencils etc to color. Then I added Glossy Accents to some and after it dried even sticked further .I also embossed the mermaid (silver) in places by using zig embossing marker.

Here are some close ups
The mermaid

The tree and bird. I just had fun with the bird. Guess I invented a new species lol as I am sure the original bird might not sport the same color as mine does. ;)

Corals and label



The fishes

Now for the sea and beach sand I took some patterned papers and tore them to show the white. The trick in getting the whites is to tear the opposite side of the paper ie the paper where you do not want the white - towards you

Now for the accordian mat itself.

opened

Now for the accordian - if you do not want to decorate the top like I have done and want to put a photo there - the number of pieces you cut is ( number -1 ie n-1)
Take one side of the otherwise single mat and double it . For eg since I have landscape type photos and I want it to open that way too - single mat would be 6.26x4.25. I doubled 4.25.

Here is instruction on assembling which might make it a bit clearer

So here are pics
score both valley and mountain. ie on both sides as you do not know which way the piece is going to fold in the accordian.

glue

place

and once all is glued and assembled  - fold and get this

not the dog but the accordion :). He is a shadow fox always shadowing me.

Well that's it - A Lon..........g  IT I guess :).
Hope you enjoyed it. See you again tomorrow at Sassy or The Bugbytes as it my turn designing at Sassy's.