Jan 2016 - Ideas

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Jan 2016 - Ideas

I've had a request for more time to prepare blog trains, and since I also enjoy having more time to work, I'm going to go ahead and start planning things earlier (unless there's some good reason why I shouldn't, please let me know!).

So, please share thoughts for themes and palettes for January below!

This is such a good idea! It will really help those of us who have to do our designing in bits and pieces, like me, for example, because of caring commitments, or my own health issues. Off to go through my palette collection!

For themes what about a hobbies/crafts/tea/books ect? Along the lines of crafty & leisure. I had a creative Monday I did for quite a while during the winter months. We made paper snowflakes, sewed kitties from red ticking, made pink peppermint playdough among a lot of other fun things to keep my lil ones entertained. We also did a Swedish Fika each day where we had tea & a little treat [I need to do this again!]. We made some really great memories! smiley

Some color ideas

I like the idea of snowflakes and winter cristals.





After last winter in New England, I'd rather celebrate summer with the southern hemisphere in January than have anything to do with snow ever again - sorry, Trudette! It'll take at least a few normal winters (though who knows what normal is now?!) before I can see photos of snow without shuddering.

I like the top 4 of Jessica's palettes, they mix & match well & really like the idea of crafting for a theme. It would work well for both northern & southern hemispheres & while it could be about crafting the winter away, it doesn't have to have anything to do with winter (which is what I'd like, not having anything to do with winter - grumble, grumble smiley ).

I'm not really sure about the theme but Trudette's cupcake photo made me think of this colour scheme.

I love the idea of hobbies and crafts. I think it's broad enough to include a lot of different elements but structured enough that it will look wonderful together. Here's a couple more palettes I think would work well and can include other things as well.

Title suggestion: "Crafty Evening"
muted colors to let crafts really stand out, with a few brighter pops of orange and blue as accents?

I love both ideas craft and snowflakes. .Blog Train on a 'Crafty Evening' will be really fun and challenging.. smiley
And no matter blog Train or not-- I will be doing some designs on winter and snowflakes as that will match the month and time though January.. smiley

I'm considering whether or not to participate in my first blog train (eek!) although I'm unsure if I'll have to time to have things ready for January. But I'd just like to state that I ADORE that first colour palette that Erin Phillips posted - that little jar of macarons. Even though it's almost summer here (and disgustingly hot), something about those colours inspires feelings of warmth and cosiness. (And a theme of tea and books and crafts pretty much describes me. smiley )

If we do a crafty theme, mine will be crochet, because I already want to do a crochet kit/bundle! smiley

Sally, if we get a theme and palette chosen for January in the next week, you'll have around 6 weeks. Making papers is pretty easy, and it's one of the things I recommend newer designers start with because it teaches you how to work with layers and blending modes and maybe brushes, and a little bit of QC checking. The first few are the hardest as you're usually experimenting with blending modes and somewhat with composition. After you get 4-5 done, though, you can whip out a textured solid paper or one from a pattern template in just a few minutes. You'll be surprised how much you make if you can just sit down for 3-4 hours one evening during that 6 weeks, or spend a weekend afternoon on it. It's a lot of fun creating awesome stuff, and sometimes surprising yourself with something that makes you go "Wow, I made that?!" (And if you keep doing blog trains for several months, you'll end up looking back and being amazed by how much you've learned and how much more beautiful your new portion is than when you started!)

I really recommend participating. It's been a fantastic experience for me so far--and I've only been doing them since March. I've had a whole two people who were a little rude to me in that entire time, and a TON of people who've been supportive and encouraging, both in working threads and in comments on my blog and here at PixelScrapper. And, like I said, I've learned/grown so much in that time, both in skill with Photoshop/ArtRage/Illustrator and in drawing/painting ability. It's been a real confidence boost all round, and I'm no longer shy about showing off my work or hanging it on the wall in my home where my roommate's friends or the pest control guy might see it. (In fact, they have, and have remarked on the fact that I got new art and how gorgeous it is. Our walls were apparently pretty bare before, lol!)

Robyn, I'll be glad to see you having time to design again. You always do beautiful work!

@ Sarah - I hear you about winter! I love snowflakes/snow/wintry stuff from an indoor vantage point only haha! My idea was crafty/tea/books are pretty neutral season-wise. And I dont see that theme visited too often.

@ Holly Love the Crafty Evening title!

@ Erin Love your color ideas too!

@ Sally Look forward to seeing what you come up with! Just have fun with it!

@ Robyn If craft isnt chosen you should do a crochet kit anyway! smiley

@Jessica - Exactly! Normally I love snow & snowflakes & frost on windows for a very brief time (the first or two snowfalls are always magical) & then I'm done for the season but after last winter, please no! Now if a winter kit was offered in July or August, I would love to escape the hot weather for a bit... smiley

And I love your idea of crafty kit - even if it's not picked this time, I'd love to see it as a BT one month. I'm really curious to see how everyone interprets it! It could even be hobbies overall - or maybe that could be another BT theme. Or there could be once yearly Hobbies... BT with Hobbies - Sports, Hobbies - Outdoors, etc. That might be fun sometime, too.

@Robyn - I just did a knitting/crochet kit and I had a blast. The papers were so fun with all the texture.

I love the idea of craft/hobbies and all of Jessica and Erin's palettes! smiley

Here are some really pretty palettes I found... smiley Love, love, love the emerald green & purple!!






What do you think?

Marisa, can you brighten them up just a tad? The purplish on the left is too grey and rather dull. Skip the two-toned brown and come up with a lighter shade to go with the walnut brown. Pick a different green, light and dark tones. Would also like to see a medium-toned aqua to go with the light (third from the right). Just a suggestion, but you asked smiley

Yes, Marisa, I agree with Diane...make the green more emerald smiley , and the purple more rich & scrumptious smiley ...ditto the brown and the aqua...& voila! smiley

I like the Crafty evening pallette as it is !

Love the crafty theme! I hope this will be my second blog train as I'm wanting to get in on the December one! I agree with Dianne, for dreary winter and a crafty evening, some brighter colors would be fun to work with! (plus crafty = happiness = bright to me anyway, ha!) I'm a newbie though so whatever everyone goes with will be fine with me! smiley

Here's a couple of ideas:

Ooh, I LOVE that last palette, Melissa! And that's saying something, as I'm very much not a fan of pink.

I do have to agree with Diane, though--the palette Marisa posted is just a little TOO muted for a time of year when people are dealing with seasonal depression. It's not all wrong for January or the crafty theme, but it'll need a couple of brighter tones to keep it perky enough.

Also, some crafts/hobbies are more difficult to scrap without a few bright colors--glassworking, beading, fly tying, floral arranging...

Isn't that pretty Holly? I just love that metallic gold. It might need a couple of other colors I don't know, but it just says "crafty" to me. smiley

Oh and I would not believe that you didn't like pink from those gorgeous christmas papers you are doing! That poinsettia one with the pink background is so wonderful!

I also think it's a little too muted. The browns are too dull. I would like more coffee/hot chocolate/rich tea colors.

I am late to the conversation because I wasn't expecting it this early (not complaining!) smiley But I was thinking of a "resolutions" theme for the new year. However, I love the "crafty evening" theme and I LOVE Erin's 1st (the macroons) color palette. I'm excited!!

Marissa, I love the blue-greens in that palette. I think you could brighten some of the colors a bit, but I hope not too bright. After December, I'm loathing the bright colors.

I just made this palette, and will eventually do something with it - when, I'm not sure, as I'm trying to reorganize my external hard drives at the moment, and re-downloading things so I can keep everything where it should be from the word go... I want everything done by the time I save up for my new computer!

Anyway, here's the palette:

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It's funny how everyone is saying that Marisa's colour palette is too muted - I thought it was perfect! However, it is disgustingly hot today, the sun is too bright and everything is just too FLUORO right now so the thought of a cooler, softer palette makes me think of cooler evenings and the dusky purple sunsets we get in autumn and winter.

PS: Thanks for all the encouragement above guys. smiley

PPS: If anyone is experiencing too much snow and cold weather for their liking then I'd be more than happy to swap with you. It's 40 degrees celcius here right now.....

I love the January blog Train idea so much and all the palettes are beautiful including Marisa. .I also love the palette colors suggested by Chitra..So colorful!!
I am going to do paper crafts for this train and my theme is Origami and low-poly art elements..I love it soooooo much.. smiley

Melissa, the pink was the best choice of the palette colors for the background on that paper--I tried most of the others and didn't care for them! *shrug* It's tolerable there, anyway--it's minor in comparison to the poinsettias. And it's not all pinks I dislike, just most of them--fuchsia is a color I'll even wear occasionally, but pastel and bubble-gum shades just set my teeth on edge.

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