August Design Team Reveal for Craftin' Around the World

 I’m back with my latest creation for the Craftin' Around the World Facebook group monthly challenge. For August, I drew inspiration from the moodboard for my first creation, which featured beautiful tones of blue and grey. Instantly, I thought of cold days, and that led me to scrap about a particularly chilly day in South Korea when we explored the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). 

The atmosphere that day was quite glum, reflecting the historical weight of the place, making this challenge the perfect fit for my photos.

In addition to the moodboard inspiration, I wanted to challenge myself to use up some of my old stash. I dug through my embellishments and unearthed some real gems from the past (you can see some of these in the photos below). 

After gathering my embellishments, I focused on selecting papers that complemented the moody greys and blues of the moodboard.

Now, here’s where things got a bit tricky—I hadn’t printed my photos yet. I was so eager to get started that I didn’t consider the moodboard while printing. I ended up with a photo of me standing next to the bright, primary-coloured DMZ letters, which clashed with the moodboard's colour palette. It’s one of those classic moments we’ve all experienced, right? Additionally, I didn’t think about photo orientation and ended up with three portrait images and one landscape. Arranging them in a way that felt right turned into a lengthy process of trial and error. Have you ever faced a similar dilemma? Sometimes I think sticking to sketches might save us some of that time and hassle. Luckily, my next challenge for Craftin' Around the World is the August sketch, so I’m hoping for a smoother experience.

Once I finally settled on my arrangement, I felt my layout was missing something. I rummaged through my pile and found a few photo negative strips. However, the colours didn’t quite match my scheme, so I used some ink and a dauber to change them up a bit.

In the end, I think my layout came together well. It’s a departure from my usual style, as it leans more towards flat patterned papers without any mixed media. But given the somber theme of the photos, I felt that simplicity was the right approach.

I can’t wait to see how everyone else interprets this month’s challenges.

Hugs.