Painted Butterflies and Golden Bees| Studio Calico Kit

I don't do plain, it's just that simple. It's not in my genes! I'm a color and pattern and texture girl so when I come across wood veneer, I immediately want to alter it. So when I came across this butterfly border in the Studio Calico Birds and the Bees, I thought - paint!

I used washi tape to mask of one section of the butterfly at a time to create this black and white speckled beauties. The trick here is to let each section dry completely before masking. This takes patience and a little paint. I chose the colors right from the photo. The artist who painted that mural has awesome taste.

The rest of the design is very simple. Lots of layers under the photo so that it doesn't get lost amongst the butterflies. A few circle chipboard sentiments scattered here and there plus some journaling strips.

I added the transparency alphabet and some stamped sentiments right on the wood to finish off the layout. This was a fun one, the painty ones usually are. 

My second Birds and Bees kit layout is this one about coffee and Hawaii, two of my favorite subjects.  This one is all about that gold bee vellum. Swoon. I cut it up into different sized squares and just layered my heart out.

Next came a row of chipboard circles in different colors along the top center of the design. I thought of these almost like a stone path that led to the photo and story. I love that it breaks up the "softness" of the vellum.

I love the botanical feel of this one. It goes perfectly with the photo and the story. I struggled with this one a little. That happens sometimes when I'm using something I really love (gold bees!). The perfection gene takes over and that just makes creating so much harder than it needs to be. I keep reminding myself but it's hard to beat back that perfection monster!

I have two more project life spreads that I made with this kit, I'll be back soon to share.

SUPPLIES | Studio Calico March Kit - Birds and the Bees