My Blessings

This is my last challenge over with the ladies at the Studio…and one of the hardest - no photos, which is something I don't do very often!  Since Valentine's day has just past I went with pinks and hearts and looked at some of my blessings in life.

I started the page with gesso, then cut 2" squares from lots of different papers - mainly American Crafts and Crate Paper.  I dug out die cuts, stickers, chipboard, wood veneers and decorated each of my little squares adding words that all mean something to me :)  It was great fun to make and very therapeutic, I liked that I could just pile the page high with different things that I like.  I think this page might have to go in a frame and become so wall art in our house.

There is lots more inspiration for those picture less pages over at the Studio, so here is the link.

Handmade Decorations

This fortnights challenge over at the Studio is to use stars, I love stars as an embellishment as you can use them on most pages, they are neither girly or bogey, young or old - just a great all rounder.  I used some Studio Calico papers that were sent to me by Jennifer Grace for winning her card challenge on her Frosty Festivities weekend - you can still go and check it out for inspiration if you want - here is a link to the start of the posts.  

I cut some strips of paper that were just slightly bigger than my star die (cuttlebug set of 4 different sized dies).  I inked and backed a few of the stars and then stuck them on my page, I also hung some of the stars from the top of the page and under the photo adding lines of black stitching.  With my photo on I started to layer my embellishments.  I used a Studio Calico pocket for my journalling and added washi tape, twine and a wood veneer star to this.  I then created a little clustered embellishment using some of the sticker Christmas trees and a Tando chipboard tree which I inked green and then sprinkled with gold embossing powder, some more of the Studio Calico ephemera pack in the way of the year and a button.  The final touch was a few sequins.

Here is the link so that you can join us and be in with a chance to win some goodies from the Fab Scraps Burlesque collection

December is in full flow, I am trying to take daily pictures and will post when I have started creating, there are lots of things to be creating.

Beachy Grin

Here's the page that I made for the challenge over at The Studio this week - which is monochrome. 

 I chose orange, and discovered that loads of the manufacturers use a really similar blend of orange on their papers - in there is Studio Calico, Jillibean, Simple Stories, October Afternoon and My Minds Eye.  As I had to go through my stash and dig out lots of orange it meant that I ended up with lots of small pieces of paper that I could layer up.  I also added some embossed vellum (I used the cuttlebug swiss dots folder for this - I love the little extra touch of texture it adds to a page).  I cut out a heart and then backed it with lots of layers of orange, stitching around it, added some cream and orange lace and then some of the Simple Stories Orange alphabet and word stickers and some flicks of orange mist.  So lots of layers of orange!

The photo is from our holiday and just messing around on the beach....which is where my kids love to spend their time.

Here is a link loads more inspiration over on the blog.

and there is a lovely prize from our sponsor this month

Always Performing

Well after a small computer 'ahh is it going to work again' it is all fixed and I am back to the world of blogging (and it was one of those computer things where nothing much had to be done so maybe it was dust or something just wasn't quite clipped in well enough but it did manage to make it un-useable!)

Here is my page for this fortnights Studio Challenge which uses a sketch by Val Mangan based on one of Chantelles pages - I do have several of these photos in different poses, so I could make a double page of it, but 2 is perhaps enough! :)  I used lots of Crate Papers DIY shop, a bit of layering and stitching and my favourite viewfinder (is that the word for it) die cut - I did save the other half!  I am really trying to use the things I stroke more....like the polaroid die-cut from Studio Calico too.  I'm loving little glassine envelopes for the journal pocket behind the photo at the moment, and I bought some new doilies in Waitrose (you can just about see it) and I inked it with Tea Dye distress ink, a scattering of sequins, then a mix of alphas from American Crafts and Carta Bella, the writing on the the Carta Bella stickers was white and didn't stand out enough against my page so I went around the edge with a black gel pen - I really like the hand made look that gives to it too.

Here is a link to lots more inspiration over at the Studio Blog and I hope you all have a super day.

Also I have a post up over at Created by ATDML looking at stamping a bit more on pages - here is the link.

A couple of cards for the weekend

Here are a couple of cards that I made using my DT kit for last month from ATDML.  I kept them clean and simple and used some of the techniques I used on my pages, so for the first one stitching and distressing.

I made some chevrons for this page, but only wanted the blue and green coloured parts of the rainbow paper, so I used some of the discarded ones for my card, and drew stitching around the edge of them with a black gel pen.    The stamps are by Simple Stories, I love the big camera and all the little phrases.

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend.

Enjoying the Sun

Whilst we were at the ATDML retreat we were able to choose our papers for this month...well with sooo much choice it was very hard - I went with some of the Studio Calico Snippets as well as some Maggie Holmes Crate Paper ephemera for this page (and there is a big sale going on over at ATDML so the papers are all reduced!).

  I had a go at making some oversized chevrons (inspired by the Studio Calico wood veneers) to focus the eye in on my photo - I only used the blues and greens from the rainbow coloured snippets paper as this went really well with the Maggie Holmes embellishments - I did pop in a bright pink 3 tho!  I love the ephemera packs as there are sooo many cameras in this one and you can't go wrong with a camera on a scrapbook page, but just loads of beautiful die cuts you can layer up too - I even added in a few pearly buttons. The alpha is by Prima and the inky drops are Patina Glimmer mist - I also stitched quite a few of the pieces, but unusually for me I did ink any of the edges and kept it all quite white.

The photo is of one of my son and his cousins sat on a bench in the sunshine on one of the warmer days earlier in the year, I added a glassine pocket and journaled about the day and the kids all hanging out together.

Couple of Clean and Simple cards

Here are a couple of bunting filled cards I made with the rest of my ATDML kit...really clean and simple - I also used the Simple Stories speech bubble stamp that I picked up at the retreat - it comes in a really nice set with cameras and arrows, all sorts, so I pegged it onto my washing line.

For the 2nd card I cut out a house from the Yes Please collection, then mounted it and added a small banner beneath - I also dug out some American Crafts stamps and tried some multi coloured chevron stamping which I want to try on a larger scale...I am really keen to try and use my stamps more on my projects and it's really easy with cards...next to try some more on my LOs!

Mission Space

Some more of our Florida shots and this is Spaceship Earth....a ride that looks unassuming in a large warehouse....it offers you two options - the more gentle and the more extreme....didn't look scary we went for the more extreme.  You get in the building and loaded into a little box spaceship...at which point you think - there are proper roller coaster over the head harnesses (small alarm bell rings), then there are sick bags in the holders in front (larger alarm bell ringing).  It was quite an incredible space flight simulation - you actually felt something like g-force (or it could have been for all I know) - I can see why someone might feel sick, but fortunately none of us were and it was a great ride.

The page is made up from Studio Calicos snippets and some Amy Tangerine Yes Please in there too.  I started with the shape that I wanted for my page, and then rollered my glitz chevron roller stamp on the background with white ink.  I then pleated and layered and distressed lots of my papers, I used my ek success book punch, and added a glassine envelope behind the photo with all the details about the ride.  The alpha are AC thickers and I found some wood veneer numbers in hobby craft, as well as adding an echo park brad.

There is lots more inspiration using these papers in the ATDML gallery over here.

Blizzard Beach

Here is Another page that I made with the box of Studio Calico and Amy Tangerine goodies from A Trip Down Memory Lane.  I'm quite liking the 3 photo washing line thing at the moment, so I used this to hang polaroids from.  I carefully cut each of the mounts with my craft knife and then doodled a line around each square with my gel pen.  I embellished each  of my polaroids with punching and snowflakes, twine and some sn@p sitckers which went well with the bright colours.  Before  I stuck it all down I added some paint drips - I'd watched a Wilna Furstenburg video over at 2 peas and she uses quite a large paintbrush which she loads with colour and then lets drip - so this is what I tried with my watercolour paints..I did end up with a few flicks in there too but the larger drips have really nice splatter patterns on the paper!

These are still some of my hundreds of Florida photos...we weren't sure initially about what the water parks on the Disney ticket would be like, however they were fantastic and definitely worth a visit....even my Mum who is not a strong swimmer loved them and had a go on some of the slides!

Spring is in the Hair

Here is another page using the lovely Snippets and Classic papers from Studio Calico....I went for a very clean (but wouldn't go for simple) page.  The reason not simple as I suddenly realised how hard it is to line everything up really straight, which is why I often crumple the edges, I'm not a great measurer - I go on the way it looks, but tI had my ruler out for this one and there was lots of fiddling around to get the page to look vaguely straight and it still isn't perfect!  So the design is simple and I filled my smaller squares with wood veneers and buttons and stickers.

The photo is from a trip last spring/summer to some gardens - and my husband was complaining that my kids needed a haircut - this is quite a full head of hair for my youngest - but you will notice something that I am not allowed to mention or do a page about (I have been warned by him) if you look at the hair - the reason for it was because his hair was getting in his eyes....and obviously what he did made a huge difference (I just love him!)

Also I posted yesterday over on Created by ATDML - looking at polaroid shapes, and if Mel did what she did last month then comments could mean you are up for a prize...here is the link.

Not Again!

All inspired after the ATDML retreat I wanted to scrap some more - which confused my DH!!  I used some of the Studio Calico Sundrifter papers as well as their Classic line for this page.  

I started with the white cardstock, and used the Tando Tangled Yarn mask with some texture paste, and then some spritz's of blue and brown glimmer mist.  I ripped the white cardstock in a couple of places and layered up the papers and some seed beads as well as making some little paper roses (which I haven't done in ages).  For the photo mount I started with a doily and some strips of paper, then wrapped my photo with string, and added some more paper roses and a couple of pins that I added beads to.

The title is 'not again' as this is the log flume/roller coaster ride at Florida and we got there early one morning and wanted to go on it (well the kids and DH wanted to go on it) as we hadn't been able to the previous visit because of some big electrical storms.  So first thing the ride was quite quiet...we go round once...and my Mum and Dad have a video of us arriving at the bottom, and the kids talking about going on it again...I'm saying no...not again....and unfortunately there was no queue at all so we didn't even get out the boat...and did it again!

Boys and Sticks

It's time for another challenge over at the Studio, and this one is masks....I started with some white card, and then some Tim Holtz clocks and cogs, and the pocket watch in the top right hand corner is by prima.  I used some glimmer mist in browns (walnut) and blues (patina) left it to dry and then added another layer but of texture paint this time and my prima brick wall mask.  At this stage I hadn't decided on the photos or the papers - I just new it was going to be a boyish page...so I had a dig around, and found this picture from our Easter holidays of the kids playing pooh-bear sticks...any bridge in a wood has to have this game played!

The papers are a mixture of Fancy Pants In Love collection and Studio Calico Hey Day - I tore strips for behind the photo, and added a glassine envelope to act as my journalling pocket.   I made a pleated paper ribbon and stappled string over the top for down the edge of the photo and then tucked in some stickers by Crate Paper and chipboard.  So lots of layering

A few links for you - here is the link for the Studio Challenge so you can see lots more inspiration and join us.....and also I am up with a tag post on the Tando blog so here is a link for that as well.

Happy Valentines

Happy Valentines everyone, just a quick post to show you the card I made using some of the Studio Calico Heyday journalling cards.  The background was made using the same technique as Janna Werner did in this video over at 2peas - basically some plastic and a little ink (I used broken china distress stain and one of the grey prima chalk inks, then screwed it all up and mixed it and printed with it)

Also I have a link for a little tutorial that I made to show you how I made my inky background on my last post, so if you would like to have a go then here is the link for that too.

No Fear

Here is this months sketch challenge over at the studio it is based on one of Amanda Jones' papers and the sketch is by Val Mangan

I love the colours in October Afternoons Midway papers and apart from some MME washi tape, Studio Calico wood veneer and journalling card and some cream buttons it is all from that paper pack.  On Amanda's page lots of the rectangles have curves taken out of them, the way that I did that with my papers was to use a large flower punch and just one of the petals to make the curve.  I layered up lots of the different papers - using both sides of them, and made my own polaroid frame with the OA stickers and a wood veneer - I echoed this with my photo too, a little stapling and some flicks of cosmic shimmer interspersed with sequins and there you go.

Yes I am still scrapping Disney photos.....we have lots more to go!  This page is especially for my husband who LOVES roller coasters - I am not so keen, tho have discovered that they are not as scary the 2nd time around on the most part (I didn't do this coaster - I prefer the ones with lower height restrictions...no more than a 10 year old childs height!).  Sea World has some of the bigger rides for us as we mostly stuck to Disney so he had to go on their 2 massive coasters, this one is called Manta where you have the joys of being dangled facing the ground as you soar up the track to then be spun around in all directions - he had no fear and loved these rides.

If you would like to join us and enter this month then here is the link.