BE DAZZLED BY EMMA ZAPPONE.

Our first amazingly talented guest artist exposé is this sweet and fun lovin' gal...

Em, along with her husband of 18 years and two loud and busy boys aged 6 and 9, lives near the beautiful and scenic Clare Valley in South Australia. For those of you not in the know Clare Valley is wine country and is infact one of the oldest wine regions in Australia so completely steeped in history and heritage it's no wonder Em is such a creative soul ;)

SO LETS LEARN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HER....

Until recently Emma had been teaching at her LSS where she had made many friends and found heaps of inspiration. Now she is about to embark on the next venture teaching scrapbooking classes more locally as she loves to help others enjoy the passion of scrapbooking.

Being a sci-fi lover and a huge fan of anything Dr Who, Emma tries to incorporate that theme where she can into her scrapping. Em also enjoys comedy and reckons a laugh a day is really important. The thing that makes her the happiest though is spending time scrapping and of course with her family.

HOW DO YOU USE SKETCHES?

I found out about Page Drafts on good 'ol Facebook through a link. Instantly I was inspired! The sketches are easy to understand and follow but still have that challenge about them. 

When I choose to do a layout I have all my papers and embellishments ready with photos, but then sometimes the thought process stops there and I need a bit more inspiration. This is when a sketch comes in handy! On some layouts I only use part of the sketch and others I use the whole design. A sketch gives you a 'starting point' and I love them for this reason. We all have pages to create but it can be hard to come up with fresh ideas all the time.

Artist Tip: Try rotating Templates to get several different designs from the one template.

'♥︎Heart You Boys'

by Emma Zappone

Credits:

 Page Drafts Template #27.1 by The Nifty Pixel

HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SCRAPBOOK STYLE?

I guess I like to try all styles. I can be a little quirky, but I love mixed media especially using gesso, texture paste and mists. Having 2 boys I love playing with metals and emulating the mechanical distressed look, but do try just about anything. My family and friends are my inspiration, often inspired by my photos and the subjects in them. I also draw inspiration from scrapbookers both locally and overseas as there is so much talent out there!

'Love'

by Emma Zappone

'Believe Me'

by Emma Zappone

'Ahoy'

by Emma Zappone

CAN YOU SHARE A LITTLE TIP OR TRICK WITH US?

My fave technique at the moment is using chalkboard paint. I was a bit unsure when I first tried it, but it just adds that extra something. I have used it as backgrounds, in embellishments and title work. Its so fun to play with chalk again in this way and brings a bit of life to the project.

Here is a page using this technique.

'Happy to be Me'

by Emma Zappone

Credits:

Page Drafts Template #28.4 by The Nifty Pixel

In 'Happy to be Me' I used the chalkboard paint on the background. I mixed it with gesso to create a thicker texture and then used it with a stencil. Once dry I then added in some colour to the spots using chalk. Secondly I painted it directly onto the paper and also coloured it in which adds an extra bit of interest and texture to the background.

I also made a couple of my own embellishments and all I did for this was paint a piece of off cut with chalkboard paint, drew a piccy on the surface and then set it with an Epiphany Tool. If you don't have this tool you could easily cut the shape out and using a clear glue set a cabachon over the top. Finally I coated the chipboard accents in the blackboard paint and then coloured in some sections to create a chalky texture in parts.

Artist Tip: To prevent the chalk from rubbing off or smearing, try spraying it with a clear glaze or fixative before adhering the embellishment to the project.

Well that's about it from me for now. I hope you enjoyed learning a little about me, and found some inspiration from my ARTIST TIPS & TRICKS. Until next time...I'm off to go and scrap using some more awesome Page Drafts sketches!

Em♥︎

How cool was that? If you hadn't already crossed paths with Em I hope you guys enjoyed meeting the Fabbo Em. It was a tonne of fun to learn more about Em and her scrapbook process...especially to see how she uses sketches and of course her brill Blackboard technique that she kindly shared with us...

This one is definitely on my To Do List !

Thank you Em for guesting with us this month.

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