For the 4/24 Art of Memories challenge, we were asked to use a provided template freebie by Heartstrings Scrap Art around the theme of whatever art means to us.

I decided right away that I wanted to feature photos of some handmade cards that I've made. So I started with my photos and brought them into the template, clipping them to the appropriate layers.

I looked through three kits that have compatible colors, all by Heartstrings Scrap Art: Believe in Magic, Love and Loss, and Stardust Soul. The pale blue bokeh background paper is from Believe in Magic, and the purple galaxy paper is from Stardust Soul. I added a ribbon from Love and Loss at the border between the two papers.

Next I added bubbles moving from the dolphins to the upper left corner. I added sparkles in the lower left corner. And I added bows near each of the three photos. I made a copy of the galaxy paper and clipped it to the brushed text title, "for the love of ART," to give it a watercolor effect.

Then I began building up my clusters, using the elements from all three kits. I copied the layer styles from the template elements and pasted those layers styles onto the embellishments I selected.

Finally, I added my journaling: "I’ve always loved scrapbooking and paper crafting, both digital and traditional with actual paper. One of my favorite websites was called Two Peas in a Bucket and I used to get scrapbooking and paper crafting supplies there, and I participated in a very active community. I love stamping and making handmade greeting cards. These are just a few of the ones I made in 2010-2011, all of which won awards."