Getting Messy, Summer and Scraplift

So this week, I decided to try to combine three challenges!!!  And I have to admit, it was a little daunting at first figuring out exactly how to do it.  I had many ideas floating around in my head, but they all seemed too complicated.  And of course, I waited til the last minute for one of the challenges to finish it. 

The Paper Girls challenge was to get messy - that was pretty easy to figure out, it was just what shape I was going to mask. 

The Crop Chocolate challenge was to celebrate summer, and it had to incorporate water - that was easy, I had pictures of my DS from swim lessons last year to scrap. 

The third was a challenge from two of the ladies at Crop Chocolate - to scraplift a LO they did on a retreat they went to.  The LO included a large heart made up of different size circles of different colors and patterns.  You can see the LO and the story behind the challenge here.  This was the hard part.  I didn't really want a heart on a swim page, so what shape could I use????  At first I was thinking wave, but I got scared off by the sharpness of the wave end (yes I'm a wuss sometimes).  Then since I picked pictures of my DS going down the water slide, I thought: what about a splash shape? 

So I went into my Silhouette library and found a perfect splash shape and cut two different sizes.  The large one I used as is, and added the word SPLASH on it.  The smaller one I used as a mask, and then added also to balance the LO.  Within the masked area, I added buttons, and punched circles to create the splash.  At first I didn't really like how it turned out, but then I decided that maybe adding some depth to some of the circles might help.  So I added some glossy accents to some of the smaller circles.  Here is a close up of the "splash".    I still not thrilled with it, and I'm wondering if it's because I tried mixing the buttons and the paper.

I also used the ink and sponge on the edges of the argyle paper to diffuse it a little bit against the rest of the patterns - it was standing out a little too much for my liking without it.

Here is the finished project.  I think overall, I like it.  I just need to practice more on using circles to make other shapes (and some shapes are harder than others to do). 

Products used:  Silhouette, EP Sweet Summertime 12x12, Bazzill blue cardstock, TH distress stain - chipped sapphire, BG buttons, SU brilliant blue ink, circle punches, AC thickers - patchwork, Glossy accents.