Second Floor Challenge #9: Embossing Powder

Today is the ninth Second Floor challenge!  Are you ready to take it to the second floor?

The challenge this time around is to use embossing powder.  Whatever that means to you or however it inspires you.  The prompt is simply meant to get you started.  The level of challenge you aim for is entirely internal and up to you.

Click here to see what Nat did.

As for me, I am not a huge embossing powder user.  I like the results, but it gets everywhere.  I sat and thought for a while about all the things I could do with embossing powder...and I decided to break out the Melting Pot and UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel) and make some jewelry!

I used colored UTEE, stamps, and some Memory Frames to make these four pendants:

You can watch this video from Suze Weinberg for the how-to:

Once the pendants were done I started to pull out some beads and neckwires to finish making them into necklaces and I realized that there was just no way I was going to wear them.  So not my style.  

What to do?  Time to take it to the second floor!

I decided to change direction completely and use 3 of them as embellishments on a scrapbook page!

I had some issues along the way.  One of the pendants cracked when I tried to flatten it out a bit.  

I tried to remake it, and only made it worse.  

So I ended up partially re-melting it so that it would hold together.  

I don't think it's super obvious in the finished scrapbook page, or at least I don't think it detracts from the overall layout.

It's such a simple layout, but it took me forever to make.  This is actually the third draft.  With a layout this simple, the title had to be "just so" for it to work for me and I went through two other ideas that I didn't like before coming to this one.  

It's all just trial and error.

What I learned:

• Make things you're proud of.  I could have made those necklaces with these pendants.  But I knew in my heart that I wouldn't love them.  So I changed directions and I love the layout!   
• Let the mistakes go.  Um...do I say this every time?  Because man, it is hard, but it is true.  I spent a really long time trying to fix and repair and remake that stupid orange pendant.  My time would have been much better spent elsewhere.  In the end, I used the original cracked one.
• Simple pages take so much thought.  Every element has to be "just so."  There's very little room for anything that isn't completely "right."  I'm not kidding when I say it took me almost half-an-hour to decide whether to put 1 strip on the left edge or 2 strips or no strips.  And I went through several sheets of white cardstock trying to get the title to look the way it did in my head.  Sigh.
• Start creating without expectations.  I got one idea in my head: make some UTEE pendants.  I had no idea where I would go from there, so I didn't try to control the process.  I used colors that were fun and grabbed stamps that were nearby.  When the pendants were done, then I started to think about what they would be.  I think if I had started knowing they were going on a scrapbook layout, I would have tried to match them to each other in color and pattern a bit more.  But, I like the way it turned out in the end, so I'm glad I started creating without any expectations.
• Taking it to the second floor is about pushing yourself.  Duh.  If I hadn't been doing this challenge I wouldn't have made the pendants.  But if I had made the pendants and hadn't been doing this challenge, I probably would have chucked the finished pendants into a drawer.  I never would have pushed myself to use them in some way.  I appreciate the push.
• Something is going on with my scrapbooking style.  I'm gravitating more and more towards clean and simple.  I'm not sure why?  Old age?  A reaction to all the misting right now?  Change of seasons?  Whatever it is, I'm okay with it.  I enjoy change.  I will embrace this and see where it goes!

Here's the linky list for this challenge:

Thanks for stopping by!