Celebrate

This fortnights challenge at the Studio is  to use this colour palette:

I'm not a big pink person, but I love the pink with the aquas and grey, and I decided to make a party page - we were celebrating my Grandma's 90th birthday.  I used one of Marion Smiths' 6" Garment District page and cut out lots of banners in the different colours, then stuck and stapled them onto some pink twine.  I also hung my photos on a twine washing line, and then added some Prima Optimist wood veneers - I love the white effect they have, and a little gold cabochon flower that I made with thermomorph and gold alcohol ink.  I added a few little chipboard pieces from Crate Papers Flea Market line - a butterfly and the title and the alpha is from a Teresa Collins sticker sheet.  It is a really good style of page to  use up lots of little bits of papers and embellishments on.

If you would like to join us and see some more beautiful pages here is the link

Happy New Year

I have a back log of pages to show you, but I thought I would start with a Christmassy one - I am also working on a December daily album too which I can show some bits of (if you want a look at the first few pages then head over to the ATDML blog - here is the link).  This is a page I made for the Studio Challenges, and it was to use a tag - there is a new challenge going up on Sunday so you have a day to have a go at this one if you want!

I started by misting my card stock with water and then added some green cosmic shimmer mist, and I pooled it a little behind the photo so I got some drips to run down the paper.  When I work with mist I always work out how my page is going to look and layer it all up on the card stock, then take it off and mist and then reassemble it.  Having misted I then did a little stamping with some beautiful paper mania Christmas stamps in black ink, and not using an acrylic block so that I could roll the stamp and not get clear edges.  I then layered up loads of Teresa Collins Santa's List papers - lots of strips, some I punched, a little MME washi tape in there too and red lace.  I used the journal card 'its the most wonderful time of the year' as a pocket for my tag.  The tag was cut out of kraft card stock and then edged with some MME washi tape and one of the die cuts from the Teresa Collins paper pack.  Then a few more little embellishments like the prima wooden tree and some more die cuts and a little silver angel.

I want to wish you all a Happy New Year.

H.M.S Belfast

I should have posted this page yesterday as it was very appropriate for Remembrance Day, even more so that my great Uncle went down on a destroyer that hit a mine not that far from home - a huge sacrifice for my families freedom - we were reading his last letter home which he wrote on Christmas day as my kids have been studying the Second World War at school - so all rather poignant.

Onto the page this was one of our Occasional Day trips with my Mum to see H.M.S Belfast - it's massive.  I snapped this shot of the boys on the banks of the River Thames looking at the size of the ship.  I made this page as part of the this fortnights challenge over at the Studio which is a tic tac toe style challenge.

I chose Masks, Sequins and Gold, so I started the page with my Tando Sunburst mask and texture paste, I then went over the top of that (once dry) with gesso on a palette knife.  Next I layered up lots of strips of paper from Crates DIY Shop and Maggie Holmes lines, and then again added gesso over the top, then some spritzes of glimmer mist in blue and brown.  Once this was dry I used some stamps - the chevron roller stamp from glitz and I used some gold embossing powder on a feather stamp from Amy Tangerine.  I added one of Crate Papers photo masks to my main picture and then some chipboard and ephemera as well as a few more bits of paper - my journalling is on a yellow tag behind the photo.  The last few additions were the title and then some blue sequins.

If you would like to see all the other inspiration and join us this month then here is the link.  Also I am up on the Created by ATDML blog today with a Teresa Collins page, here is the link for that.

When the World is Covered in White

The first theme this year (and my first page of the new year, tho I have done a couple since!!) is for the Studio and the theme for the next fortnight is new beginnings.  I am not a massive resolution at new year type person so I didn't go for the new year thing, I thought about baby photos....but then settled on this one!  There is something about the colour white that stands out to me as a new beginning - lots of colour is washed away from the world when you get a snowy blanket yet it still looks so beautiful and clean and there underneath it all new life and colour can't wait to get going.

Apologies for the photo qualities white and not much sun don't really go together.  This is another page using more of the MME All is Bright range - I picked it because of the under current of white that is in them.  I then layered up lace and a doily, some of the stickers and a veneer snowflake from hobbycraft.  The title is a real mix of thickers and prima type then I added a few beads that came from Christmas crackers and some drips of blue paint.  It was actually a really quick and simple page to put together.

For lots more gorgeous pages here is the link to the studio.

Our Dream Holiday

The theme for the next fortnight over at the Studio is family......so I picked this shot as it is one of the rare family photos that we get taken, and it was in probably our favourite Disney Park - the Animal Kingdom....and this was our big dream family holiday.

I started the page with a circle mask and some texture paste, then I did some spritzing with cosmic shimmer mist and a little bit of glimmer mist.  The papers are all Echo Parks This and That Charming range, I added some strips behind the photo and created a little banner, and had to use the camera sticker behind my journalling.  I also added a prima flower that has been lurking in my stash for a while....I am trying to use up the pretties :) and a little bling.  A little bit of washi tape in the corners (K and Co smash tape) and some sequins from pound land.  The title is a mixture of the stickers in the This and That paper pack and also websters pages, some twine around the photo and that is my inky page :)

There are loads of other fantastic pages over on the blog and the Teresa Collins DT has joined us and there is a prize too....so here is a link for you to get inspired :)

Also do check out the Tando blog hop which will lead you to the post below...here is the link...for a fantastic giveaway

Studio Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the Studio blog hop...most of you will have come from  Jules blog but if you have just happened upon my blog you can start the hop here and see all the prizes and inspiration.

My take on the Olympic theme was to use rings and circles on my page....I have managed 5 different sorts like the 5 rings

buttons

Tando circle mask

punched circles

coffee cup ink stains

prima bling

My photo also has a sporting link as it is from when we went to support friends running the London Marathon earlier in the year, and this is the key part of the support team, who held the banner and waved lots.

 I started with my background sheet which is actually fairly pink from the This and That range by Echo Park.  I scraped over some white gesso and once dried I layered up my circle mask over it and sprayed green, orange and brown. I had a go at making some paint drips with my mists, and I don't know why but the cosmic shimmers seem to work best out of my mists for spraying in a big blob and then letting it run down the page, I also love all the glimmer that you get in the drips.  Whilst this was all drying I layered up my photo mats which are mostly from the Dear Lizzy papers by American Crafts, I stitched and distressed and inked the edges.  Once the paint was dry I used a doily as a stencil and rubbed distress ink through so you got the outline of it, I then stuck on all my elements.  I next inked up some old dictionary pages and layered them on, then the coffee  stains - which were the stains left from stamping the lids of my button pots onto the page, and the smaller one was a little tea cady (so anything I could find and use really)

I also have a little floral giveaway too, so if you would like to take part then leave me a comment, you have until Friday 3rd August :) (I also included a couple of flowers I made and some glassine bags and a doily...just 'cos I love them)

The final stop on the hop is back to the

  Studio blog

thank you so much for joining us all and I hope you have picked up lots of inspiration on the way, and if you do an Olympic inspired page then link it .

Just in case you get lost...here is the list

The Studio  http://thestudio.amandajonesdesigns.com
Daphne  http://dapfniedesign.wordpress.com
Valerie http://paperandcookies.blogspot.com
Anna http://madetoscrap.blogspot.com
Jules  http://www.scrappingmojo.blogspot.com/
>>>>>>you are here>>>>> Katherine http://fruitofmyscraps.blogspot.com
Back to The Studio  http://thestudio.amandajonesdesigns.com

News and a Link

I am delighted to have been invited back for another term at the Studio blog....and the team has doubled in size with lots of fantastic paper creators to give you inspiration, if you want to see who has joined us then here is a link.

Also I have just posted over at Created by ATDML about this

I reckon you'll know what I am talking about from that clue....so here is a link to the full post.

Baking Cakes

I created this page for the studio challenge blog, there is a sketch to use and I followed it fairly closely.  It is a proud photo moment too....as this was my first use of my piping bag for decorating cakes and I wasn't sure how they were going to turn out, but I was really pleased with the end result.

The papers are all from the Dear Lizzy range by American Crafts and are 'hundreds and thousands' (sprinkles) colours.  I used a plate to cut out the circle which I inked and stitched around, I hand cut all the pieces except for the small circle....anything circular in my house is at risk of being drawn around for a page.  The bunting is also part of the Dear Lizzy range, so I had fun detaching it from the large sheet and arranging it on the page.  I added a few flicks of green shimmer mist and sine Nartga Stewart butterflies, the cake embellishment is by American Crafts too.  My final step was a line around the page to frame it.

If you'd like to join in and see lots more inspiration then here is the link

Catching the News

Here is my page for the studio challenge - you have a selection of beautiful pastel colours to draw your inspiration from, pink, a golden tan, grey, black (ok not pastel) and duck egg blue and I decided to include them in another messy page.

For the colours I chose Websters pages In Love collection, I'll have some more pages from this range later in the week as I was sent them from A Trip Down Memory Lane.  I also took inspiration from the circles (and a link to a Dyan Reaveleys video my friend Virginia pointed me in the direction of!). I started with my overlapping circle mask, and sprayed with brown, blue, green, black and white mist over the page. Once I had done all that spraying I used the other side of the mask to make some prints on the page too - like in the bottom right hand corner.  When this was dry I then painted gesso around some of my plates and an holding masking tape role, I then spritzed a little more with the brown glimmer mist as the gesso was a bit too white.  Next was to start placing my papers - I am down to off cuts of these papers as I've used  them on a few other projects, so I cut some strips and rectangles, stitched and inked them up.  I also added some dictionary paper which I glued and then covered the edges with gesso too.  I made a paper pleat for the right hand side of the photo and added some lace on top too.  At the moment I am enjoying using twine on my projects, so I added some loops with a Martha Stewart butterfly at the end, then a  little stamp with some MME stamps a mix of prima and AC thickets for my title, the journalling and all done.

The photo - on Sundays my Mum and Dad get a whole selection of papers in, and so when we get together for Sunday lunches there after lunch most of us dip into the papers.  I hadn't realised that my son has obviously observed this too....and it made me smile when I caught him on the sofa with the paper!

Here is a link if you want to come and see the rest of the pages the DT have created and also to join in with us.

Ready to Explore

Over at the Studio blog this month the challenge is to use vintage things on your page, and we have been joined by some of the Queens of Vintageness - with some of the Jenni  Bowlin designers, and there are Jenni Bowlin goodies up to win.

For my page I used an old photo (which I guess is a little vintage - tho I don't feel too old :)), some old dictionary page and a couple of mother of pearl buttons from my grandmas button collection.  I also used a modern vintage October Afternoon home flash card too.  I really struggled with this page, and this is the 2nd incarnation of it....I actually took the 1st one to pieces as I wanted to use the photo....it just wasn't working.  So this is what I came up with in the end, the papers I used are Crate Papers Pretty Party range, lots of layering stitching of paper and then a glassine envelope and a journal tag behind the photo.  I used a few of the stickers from the range, and also my favourite EK success punch for the tabs at the bottom and top.  Some flicks of a really lemony yellow glimmer mist to  the corners was my final touch.

Here is a link to the studio blog so you can get lots more inspiration and join in too :)

A Snapshot

The challenge for the rest of April over at the Studio Challenge Blog is to use your favourite things...so I did use lots of favourites, and had a go at being really inky and messy as I am loving that at the moment. 

The shot is from a camping trip last year where the heavens opened as we were walking up a hill, so we all nipped into a little wood area, and whilst the kids were climbing trees we got them to stage a photo for us.

The papers are from Echo Parks Charming collection (which I am enjoying).  The page actually started with me die cutting some chevrons (which went a little wrong as they were meant to be in a frame but my paper wasn't quiet in the right place so the frame was missing on one side), before I got to use the chevrons I did some misting.  For the mists I used a prima square mask which I lay on the diagonal and then spritzed with some blue patina and light brown glimmer mist, and then some of the zingy green cosmic shimmer.  I also added some drips of ink around the page too.  I then stuck the chevrons on behind the photo, and once in place I added some gesso just smearing it across them with a card to add some texture.  I then started the layering with little bits of paper and journal cards, and a doily.  I used some of the EP stickers as I liked the film strip - I used the small black dots from this on the page too.  I painted a dusty attic branch and hung some cameras from it with green twine.  Added some washi take and metal embellishments, then used the EP stickers for the title as well as a type writer font too which I printed on white paper.

I really enjoyed playing with lots of different items for this page and getting all inky - if you want to join in with us then here is the link,

Step by Step for a Summers Day

I have seen lots of fab posts on other blogs with shots of how people got to their final page....so I thought I would have a go.  Forgive some of the photos as it was getting dark and I had to hold the camera as still as I could.

The started my page with choosing the photo and then matching it up with the papers....which are the Echo Park This and That Charming range - so my colours are predominantly green and yellow.  

First job after that was to create myself a masking tape border (I didn't measure it) and then I scraped gesso across the page using a cardboard tag from my next jeans - mainly as it was a bit plasticised and I didn't have an old credit card to use.  Once I had done this I then painted the edges of the tag with gesso and used it to make some lines down the page. 

 I then left it for some drying time, and dug out some sequin off cuts, I tried using a foam sponge but the colour wasn't very strong, so I just dabbed my cats eye ink pad across the sequin mesh to get the effect above.

I then masked some of my sequin mesh and used an aqua colour too.

I took of my masking tape, the paper was a little warped with the paint, but it will flatten in an album.

I cut out 8 hexagons, and distressed the edges and inked them, I also tore some bits of paper out of a dictionary and layered them behind on the page.

Knowing where the photo was going I then added a couple of strips of paper above the photo - one of them I used a book style punch (the one where it looks like you have torn it out a book) and added some of the Echo Park stickers on the left side too.

I stitched around the edge of the gessoed section with a zig zag stitch, and then set to work on the banner.  I used some green bakers twine, I layered a line of glue down across the page and then added the twine carefully on top.

Ok so this photo is only in here because I like it, but I inked and distressed my banner...and stapled it before I stuck it on so I didn't have to staple through my photo.

I added my banner with foam pads

Added some gems and then used some thickers and EP stickers for the title, as well as adding some drips of green and yellow shimmer mist to each corner (I cover my photo with a piece of paper when I do this bit).  I also layered up a little line of banners at the bottom on the right hand side and a journal spot for behind the photo.

I hope you enjoyed that - this was all based on the sketch over at the Studio challenge blog so if you want to have a go and win a prize then click here.