HEART & SOUL

Sketch Layout

2012-03-03T16:54:00.003+10:00

This layout is made from the sketch from the Color Room(see last post). I changed it slightly as I wanted to use bigger photos but the placement was similar. I had some extra photos so I made an extra page as well. The chipboard was inked then dry embossed then inked again in a different colour. The colours in the layout were the ones from the sketch. There will be more sketches to come.

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY

2012-02-08T15:04:00.001+10:00

If you want to have inspiration or challenge yourself each week I will post the palette from The Color Room for you to try. It is a wonderful way to inspire you to start scrapbooking on a regular basis. I may not make every palette layout but I will post the ones I do. You can even adapt the sketch to make cards but use the colour palettes. Remember that the sketches can be rotated around to give different looks for your cards & layouts.

HAPPY SCRAPPING

Australia Day

2012-01-27T09:00:00.001+10:00

Even with a lot of the Australia Day activities being cancelled I hope that everyone still had a good day & managed to take a few good photographs. We had a bbq for dinner but forgot the lamingtons. We have a new addition to the family with our grandson being born a day before Australia Day. I have been putting together a baby kit of papers & embellishments to scrapbook & make an album fo his first few days. Making up kits is a good way to be organised with your scrapbooking and it makes it easier if you have a few layout ideas jotted down. I do this if I am travelling and can't take my whole craft room with me!! I use a "work in progress" folder that holds the papers, embellishments, photos, journalling notes & sketches Then when I want to scrap I just go to the folder & I am ready to start without having to think up ideas from scratch. I'll post my Australia Day layout once it's finished.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012

2012-01-06T17:53:00.000+10:00

Wishing everyone all the best in 2012..may it be a year of love, laughter and cheer. I am looking forward to starting scrapbooking, card and craft classes again after the new year break. With new products and ideas it will be a wonderful time. Look forward to seeing and hearing from you soon. Happy Scrapping....

2011-12-31T07:00:00.002+10:00

I hope that you enjoyed the Christmas break and had a wonderful time with friends & family. The camera was quite busy this season and I took lots of photos of the grandkids. Now I have to find the time to download them and print a few out to scrapboook! I try to put my photos into labelled folders when I downlaod them so I at least have some chance of finding the ones I want later on!
With the end of the year fast approaching my wish is that everyone will have a safe, happy & happy new year in 2012.

Only 12 Sleeps to Go!

2011-12-14T10:10:00.003+10:00

I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner! Here are a couple of quick & easy layouts for those Christmas photos-ones you already have & those you are yet to take. Layouts can be made without photos at hand. I cut out a piece of paper the size of the photo I will use. This helps me to see how the photo will look on the layout and it helps with the placement of embellishments.
On this layout there is ready made journal blocks, stickers and flowers. The photo is not matted but adhered to the shaped background page. The embellishments were adhered around the photo. Ta Da! Done in no time! It took longer to decide what to put on the layout then what it did to make it.

This "framed" layout is easier than it looks. The patterned paper has a patchwork strip look to it. I cut it to the width I wanted the frame to be. Cut the ends of the strips on an angle (like a mitred corner) and adhere to the background paper. I also cut strips of paper & used a border punch to decorate the edge then attached this to the frame strips. Once again I used ready made embellishments to save time.

Christmas Photo Shoots

2011-11-26T09:17:00.001+10:00

Summer is only a few days away & so are lots of photo oppotunities with Christmas, holidays & celebrations. Try a few different sorts of shots this year as well as the usual posed ones. If you like to take a family shot for your Christmas cards & letters give the kids a pile of Christmas decorations & dress up bits & pieces & see what they come up with. Sometimes the spontaneous photos are the best ones-not always perfectly posed but lots of fun! I took the Christmas tree outside one year when my boys were teenagers & then the the camera up on the tripod with the automatic setting on. It took us about 20 shots before we took one with us all looking at the camera. All of the other shots had us tallking, laughing & being silly. It turned out to be a fun afternoon & we eneded up with some great photos & good memories. I don't worry too much if I don't get the "perfect" photo... if that is all I have I scrapbook it anyway & tell the story behind it.
This layout has photos of my son & grandson at the beach. I was sitting a little way up the shore & zoomed in on them . My grandson wasn't too sure about going in the water & as soon as he had a splash & a play, he was out of there. The photos were nice natural shots & I really like the photo of them walking down to the water, hand in hand. It is a different angle where you can't see there faces but it still shows emotion. The layout is quite simple with a plain backing & the patterned sheet is distressed & inked. A few readymade embellishments finishes it off nicely.

These flowers are off a layout I made but their colours weren't quite right. I used mist sprays to change the colour of the paper flowers to help them match in better with the colours of the layout. The smaller ones were a light lilac colour & I gave them a light spray with a silvery black colour to darken them slightly. Just because some embelllishments don't suit what you want still take a second look at them & see if they can be altered to fit in. Flat flowers can be inked, stamped & rubons used on them. Other flowers can be scrunched, layered, pulled apart or flattened. Flowers aren't the only embellishments that you can alter. Take a look at some of your older embellishments that have been sitting around for awhile & see what you can do to revamp them..just have a play.

Christmas Bits

2011-11-14T08:55:00.001+10:00

Here is a Christmas cluster as an embellishment on a Christmas layout. The rosette is made from a strip of paper with one edge punched. It was then folded back & forward concentina style & then had the ends taped together to form a circle. It was then "squshed"(squuezed & pushed!) into a flat circle. Cut out a circle of scrap card a bit smaller than the rosette & glue the rosette onto it. I used a hot glue gun because it is instant but you can use a good strong glue & put something on the top to hold it down until it dries. The other pieces in the cluster are from old Christmas decoration picks that I pulled apart. A good hint is to wait until the after Christmas sales & pick up little bits & pieces really cheap.

I am looking forward to making more tags for this Christmas. There is a bit of work in them but they are lots of fun & they make good embellisments for cards & scrapbooking as well as being a little gift all on their own! I am taking orders from the ones I have already done & the colours can be altered to suit what you want. (look at the "KIT" page for what I have) You can contact me by email or leave a comment.

This is an old Christmas graphic that I found and is wonderful for scrapbooking with all the older photos of Christmas' gone by. There are many graphic sites that have free downloads-just Google them & a list comes up.

Getting ready for all those Christmas photos. This is a ready made layout but I can also make it up as a kit so you can add your own touch to it.

Not So White

2011-11-10T14:43:00.001+10:00

Believe it or not, these pages started off white! It's amazing what some mists, masks, mediums, stamps, inks & embossing powders can do. The holly in the corners of the background page below were drawn on freehand with "Smooch". The fine tip brush makes it easy to paint on/draw designs. You can always lightly draw or trace a design in pencil first before going over it.

Layers of masked mists, texture paint, more mists & embossing powder.

Masks, mists, reverse masks, inks & embossing powder.

You can do similar technique on plain card/paper & cut it down to make cards with.

It's fun to have a play & experiment with the products & tools that you have...you never know what you might come up with!

Happy Halloween/Anniversary

2011-10-30T15:05:00.001+10:00

Well it's nearly the end of October & only 8 weeks until Christmas. Where has the year gone. We are in the middle of renovating our house so that keeps us busy. October 31st sees the American tradition of Halloween-it seems to be coming more of a thing to do here in Australia.
More importantly it is David (Darling Husband) and my 30th wedding anniversary. Through no choice of his own, here is a man who is thoroughly versed in the art of Scrapbooking & all it entails!!LOL!

The layout below doesn't have any photos as it is a readymade kit I put together for fast & easy scrapbooking or for those who like the look of scrapbooking but either don't have the time or just want a few quick pages for an album.

As Christmas gets closer I hope to have a few more things to show you.

Altered Book

2011-10-16T16:10:00.000+10:00

This is an altered book I made for a CWA(Country Women's Association) cent sale. The plain mats are where the photos go.The acrylic word on the front says "Friends"

In the book there are pockets & mini books for photos or keepsakes.

Bookmark Tags

2011-10-05T11:07:00.002+10:00

Here is the second lot of tags I made as boookmarks that can also be used in other projects.

I just gathered a pile of bits & pieces together & put the ones that went well together ino lots & played around from there. Lots of fun & pottering!

Tag Bookmarks

2011-09-29T11:00:00.000+10:00

Dual purpose tags...use as a bookmark (as a gift or for yourself) &/or use them on a card or layout. I used Glimmermist & a mask then stamped onto a plain sheet of card then cut out pieces to stick onto the tag. The tag was inked using distress inks in 2 colours. Ribbon, lace, stickers, flowers & metal pieces were used to embellish the tags. This project is good for using up left over bits & pieces. Take the time to cut out a stack of tags to have handy & that way you can complete one while you are scrapbooking, inking or stamping.
On the back of these tags I stamped a piece of card with "For You" & "To" & "From" to make the tag into a card itself. This makes a nice gift & one that you can send in the mail for any occasion.

Springtime Scrappiness

2011-09-17T10:56:00.000+10:00

I may have to rescan these cards as they look a bit surreal-maybe the settings were changed! The first card is a white base painted with a colour wash Then inked around the edges and stamped with a script stamp. The chipboard doilley has been inked then coated with chalkboard mist. The flower & the embossed scallop edge are made from Tim Holtz glassine paper( a bit like thick wax baking paper) with perfect pearls dusted over & heat set so it doesn't rub off.

The background of this tag was inked & stamped with a mesh design stamp. The flowers & leaves were stamped & coloured in using Copic markers then cut out & layered.

The detail in this card didn't scan very well. The embossing folder has a leafy design around the edges. The card was inked & colour washed. The bird cage is a Tim Holtz die cut that was coloured using alcohol inks as was the chipboard word.

The embellishments on this card were pre cut from a cricut expressions machine &then stuck on top of patterned paper. Very quick & easy but effective looking.

Blog candy

2011-08-29T10:55:00.000+10:00

Stacy from scrapwithstacy.blogspot.com is having a birthday giveaway with some lovely blog candy. So take a look & have some fun!

Tutorials

2011-08-17T12:48:00.000+10:00

There is a stand alone page on this blog titled tutorials but I also wanted to have some of the posts labelled as well so it is easier to go to where you want to see them together. I hope this will make things a bit easier and that you find them helpful.

Gift Card Box

2011-08-17T11:34:00.000+10:00

This gift card box makes a great gift for someone or you can just keep it for yourself and have a supply of gift cards on hand. They can be themed or blank general cards. I mix & match the colours & papers & embellishments so each design is different but still look good together. 2 sheets plain cardstock makes 8 cards at 20x10cm each. Another piece of plain cardstock is used for the matting & I use 2 sheets patterned paper for the top layer. Embellishments & stamping decorate each card.

Start off by painting a small square box-this one is a 12cm square paper mache box. Two layers of paint give good coverage. You can ink or spray ink the box if perferred. The top of the box is decorated with paper & embellishments. A ribbon can be adhered around the rim of the lid &/or the box.

The cards are made in a production line manner. Cut all the cards, then the mats then the top layer.

Double sided tape works well & I tape all the pieces first.

All the embellishments are assembled & any stamping is done. Then I tape the mat pieces on followed by embellishments. Sentiments can be stamped inside the cards if you wish.

Any themes can be made or even a box of different occasion cards can be assembled.

These take a little time to make but they are lots of fun to do. You could also make up a mixed box by using up some of the scrap paper stash.

Handmade Flowers

2011-08-07T16:20:00.000+10:00

I spent a morning making some flowers that I have been wanting to do for awhile but never had the time until now. I experimented with a few different materials and there were some that turned out better than others.

These gold swirl flowers were made from a 3cm wide 2m long ribbon that was twisted as it was coiled around the center which was made with a knot at the end of the ribbon. I cut out a circle of card & adhered double sided tape over all of it. (A glue gun would work as well but mine is still packed & I'm not sure which box it is in!) As I twisted the ribbon I stuck it down as I went. Buttons were stuck in the center.

These green stripe flowers were made by cutting 5 x 5cm strips of ribbon that were folded in half then had a running stitch along the bottom. I didn't cut the thread after each one but threaded the petals on as I went and gathered them up when all the petals were on the thread. A couple of stitches secures the petals together and a button was sewn in the senter before cutting off the thread.

The organaza flower have 2 x 3different sized circles(6 layers). VERY carefully singe the edge of the circles using a tealight candle. I did mine on the draining board of the sink so I was close to water if things got a bit carried away. Some materials are quite flammable so you need to be extremely careful. Once this was done all the layers were put together with a brad in the center.

The pink organza rolled flowers were made the same way as the gold ones but small beads were used in the center. The organza didn't stick very well to the double sided tape so when I find my glue gun I will use that to hold it in place.

These lacey flowers were made quick and easy by gathering cotton lace, joing the ends then sewing a button in the center.

Lastly are the material flowers made by cutting out circles (finished size depends on the circle cut). Sew a running stitch a few millimeters in from the edge & gather up.This edge will tuck under & tie off the thread. Sew a button in the center to finish.

With all these wonderful flower embellishments you can make it will seem like Spring has come early!

Craft Room

2011-07-30T10:00:00.000+10:00

Here is the first layout I have done in my temporary craftroom(photo below).

The background is reversed masked-I used the mask in the usual way on a different layout then I flipped the mask over onto this sheet and let the ink soak in. Dimensional pearls were dotted around the flourish. The paper strip was embossed then rubed over with ink. The acrylic word and button were coloured with alcohol ink.

Here is my temporary craft room sort of set up. A lot of my stuff is still in boxes and will be staying there until the house is renovated. It's hard to choose what things are most important and the things I will need. I keep thinking of things and going through ALL the boxes!

Layered Layout

2011-07-28T09:29:00.000+10:00

The bottom layer of this layout is corrugated cardboard sprayed with Glimmermist. The next layer is a printed plastic like sheet (it's not vellum but thicker). The next layer has swirls cut out from patterned paper then ready made journal tags and the matted photo came next. The top layer is a printed transparency across the top of the photo. I thought I would show a beachy layout as we are now living at the beach and enjoy waking up to the sound of the ocean and beautiful sea breezes. We are basically unpacked and are now getting ready to renovate our new home. Some of my craft stuff is unpacked but it won't be all unpacked until my new craft room is ready! I can't wait!

Countdown!

2011-07-19T08:14:00.000+10:00

Here are a couple of Christmas layouts for "Christmas in July". This first one has a frame made from patchwork patterned paper with the corners cut with a mitred edge.A lace edge was made using a strip of paper and a border punch. Rubons were used for the title and embellishments.

This layout was made quick and easy by keeping it simple and using pre made journal blocks, flowers, stickers and rub ons.

The countdown for our big move is on...only 4 sleeps to go until we are off on our big adventure to a new place. It's sad and exciting at the same time. There's not a lot of scrapbooking or craft going on as everything is packed and ready to go. There probably won't be much happening until we get unpacked & settled but I will have lots of things to journal about. I have been writing bits & pieces on a calendar so I can remember what happened on which day as it might be awhile before I get to journal this big adventure! Hopefully by next month I can get back to regular posting. Happy Scrapping!

Paper bag flowers

2011-07-06T21:26:00.000+10:00

This layout is based on 6 mini layouts on one page.The embellishments are made from die cuts & chipboard shapes. The flowers are made from paper bags that have been cut into a flower shape & layered. They were then sprayed with glimmer mist & a brad inserted to hold the layers together. The layers were then scrunched up. Sorry about the blurred photo.

Not a lot has been happening lately as we are packing & getting ready to move house soon. I'm looking forward to setting up my craft room again and getting back into regular scrapbooking with lots of new photos & ideas. I have an old notebook I am jotting down any ideas that come to me so I can use them soon. Its a good idea to make notes about any photos you take so then if you don't scrap them straight away you won't forget any important details.(mind you, I'm not always that organised either!!).

Home Sweet Home

2011-06-15T09:03:00.000+10:00

This layout has photos of the new area we are moving to. It is a lovely beach area called Seaforth in Queensland. I used masks & Glimmermist on the background and lots of beachy colours & embellishments. Some of the flowers were cut out from patterned paper & the smaller round ones were punched with a scallop circle punch & layered. We bought an old beach house that we plan to renovate & I'm including a craft room just for me! Now the packing begins! Hopefully I can take lots of photos & make a photographic diary of the events--then of course scrapbook it all!!

Winter Chills

2011-06-09T17:59:00.000+10:00

These photos show just how cold it is at our place at the moment! We had rain & hail that froze into a solid mass! On a brighter note we have sold our house & are heading north to a warmer climate. Yea!! I made a warm pot of vegetable soup and ate it with hot buttery crusty bread- this is just the weather for it and snuggling up with a warm blanket, a good book...and my cuddly hubby! Apart from craft bits & pieces I thought I might throw in some of our new home life adventures when I get time so they will be labelled "Home Life"

So Cute

2011-05-25T09:35:00.000+10:00

Babies are so very cute and making layouts about my granddaughter is lots of fun. The chipboard title on this first layout is painted using Tim Holtz's crackle paint. I want to add some ribbon or vine or something to weave around the flowers & butterflies but I haven't found what I like yet. Maybe someoone could give me some ideas?

The white backgrounds on these layouts really make the colours & the photos stand out.The word "cute" is a white acrylic word inked over with staz on ink. Of course there are more flowers & butterflies for a girly page.

This layout has a fold down pocket that is edged with lace. The background has been masked & sprayed with glimmermist in a similar colour to the paper. The paper doilley was sprayed the same colour. The chipboard title was painted with crackle paint. I cut 2 flowers off the rose strip & inserted a pearl brad for the center.

I've enjoyed creating these layouts & I hope you have gained some inspiration from them. Happy Scrapping!

Holiday fun

2011-05-02T10:09:00.000+10:00

This was our Easter morning breakfast on Sunday morming-the caffine & sugar really pepped us up!!

Our new granddaughter Jordyn was born on Anzac Day & she is beautiful and cuddly....her first big photo shoot! She makes so many different faces and I was lucky enough to photograph a few different ones.

This layout was made with kraft card & patterned paper. The border was made by stamping doilley stamps in different colours then attaching them along the edge with double sided tape.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T08:35:00.000+10:00

I hope everyone is having a happy & safe Easter. We haven't indulged in too much chocolate but I do love the marshmallow bunnies that found their way into my pantry! For the above layout I cut out a partial egg shape from cardboard & covered it in strips of paper & ribbon. The smaller eggs were cut out from oval templates & then decorated with ink,paper & ribbon.

A Few To View

2011-04-13T09:18:00.000+10:00

Here are a few double page layouts. They are good for scrapbooking multiple photos and still having space to add embellishments etc. I handmade a jigsaw template to fit the size pieces that I wanted. The cut out pieces were distressed & inked. The chipboard title was painted using Tim Holtz distress paint.

This layout was made quick & easy by cutting out squares with rounded corners for the background.Ready made embellishments finished this layout.

Layers of different patterned paper created depth on this double Christmas layout.

The banner on this layout was stamped with a banner stamp & letter stamps then adhered to a piece of ribbon. A pocket on the right hand page holds memorablia from the Indy car race weekend. Some of the photos were printed out small & adhered together on bookmark like strips to mimic photo booth photos. The edges of the pages were inked in black to take the starkness off the pages.

The chipboard title was painted with black crackle paint then dabbed over with olive distress stickles. The cog gears were diecut using plain card, metallic card & corrugated card. The shield shape was hand cut, cut in half then inked. The camoflauge paper was dry embossed then inked over the top.

I hope this gives you some inspiration to scrapbook multiple photos in a double page format. Happy Scrapping!

sketch#7

2011-04-05T18:10:00.000+10:00

I'm a bit behind in my sketch layouts-real life takes over occassionally!

Anyway here is another one from Pencil Lines and my interpretation of it.

The window was made with the cricut machine and the October 31st cartridge.The butterflies were made using plain card in a butterfly embossing folder & then cut out & inked.Time consuming but worth it!

This easel card was made for a card swap at Sketches4all. We had to include a little gift so I made a pocket to put in the goodies as well as act as the edge for the top of the card to stand up against. The top of the card is layered with a small paper doilley that was inked, then a silk flower and a stamped scallop circle was attached with a brad. The 2 small paper doiley shapes on the pocket were punched with a Martha Stewart punch.

Here is the open card with a couple of treats in the pocket.

sketch #6

2011-03-23T11:07:00.000+10:00

The sketch only had 1 photo but I added 2 to show the whole story of the kyak-DH just HAD to have one! The banner was made by cutting diamond shapes & folding them in half & sticking them onto a piece of cord with sticky dots. The chipboard word was painted using paint daubers & then Dimensional Magic was dotted on to create water droplets. The green border was traced & cut from a stencil.

I haven't done a lot of scrapbooking lately as I have been sorting out my stamps. To store them I put them in a plastic sleeve & then into a folder. I would like to have a catalogue of them to see what they look like stamped up....but that's a job for another day!

sketch #4 & 5

2011-03-14T16:58:00.000+10:00

Here are the next sketches & the layouts I did from them.

I used patterned paper that had a patch effect already- the wine paper & then the other patterned paper. I did a row of stitching along the join. The title tag was made by layering elements together.

For this layout I didn't use a shield shape but used lacey paper instead. On the right side of the layout I used a plastic template & gesso to create the pattern then sprayed it with Glimmermist & wiped the excess off the Gesso before it dried. Paper flowers & Prima roses added a girly touch with the swirls. The title tag was made with a word sticker, German scrap wings, Tim Holtz slide strip, round tag & a swirl.

sketch #2

2011-03-08T17:12:00.000+10:00

I have been making layouts from sketches from the pencillines website. They started at the beginning of the year so I have a couple to do to catch up. Here are 2 more that I completed.
The first one I did as a double layout as I wanted to use all the photos. The sketches are below the layouts.

The small tag is from a tshirt and I added a leather frame & stick pin.

The title is cut from sizzix words & gems were adhered to the swirl on the word as well as inbetween the butterflies.

sketches for 2011

2011-03-02T17:29:00.000+10:00

This sketch is from a site called Pencil lines & the layout I did from it. It was quick & easy as Iused ready made embellishments & paper.

older layouts

2011-02-22T10:11:00.000+10:00

Here are a couple of older layouts that I have done. The first is extending on a photo with sketching. It's good to have something with obvious lines to follow. eg. fences, timber planks etc. Do the sketch in pencil first then go over it with a fine black marker pen. I added a partial coloured border so the layout didn't look so stark.

I had the paper for this layout & was just waiting for the right photos! I can't resist some of the gorgeous papers that are out. If I don't have an existing photo I wait for the right photo oppotunity to come along! I used ready made co-ordinating embellishments that matched the paper to make this a quick layout of my DH.

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-16T09:07:00.000+10:00

A couple of days late with my Valentines greeting (computer problems!) but here is a photo of my minature red roses in bloom just in time for Valentines Day!
Here are a couple of untraditional love colour schemes but made with love all the same! This first layout is of my husband & myself when we were first going out about 34 years ago. I sometimes can't believe we have been married 30 years this October! The colours are more muted in these papers but it matches well with the photos. The big flowers were handcut from patterned paper. The border piece was made using Martha Stewart punches.

This layout was a quick one using bits & pieces. I sprayed a paper doilley with Glimmer mist & coloured the journal tag with smooch paints. The verse is "How Do I Love Thee". I used ready made tags, flowers & used Sizzix dies to cut the bird & the word love.

So in this month of Love, SMILE.....it makes people think what you've been up to!!

Catching Up

2011-02-02T16:39:00.000+10:00

I have had some free time to finish off some of the layouts I started last year. A couple of them have been quick & easy & some others started that way then I got carried away with what went on them! This first layout started out that way. I ended up inking white doillies & punching small ones with the Martha Stewart punch. I couldn't resist the flowers & butterflies and what girly layout wouldn't be complete without pearl bling & glitter letters! This layout is the furtherest from girly bling-it is my husband stuffing his face with cheese rings. They taste like pulped cardboard with flavour to me...yuk! But he loves them. I used a 12x12 mask & glimmer mist on a white background. The corner circles were stamped in black ink. The title "Rings" were painted with Tim Holtz distress paint then rubbed over with metallic cream. It is all quite yellow-just like the cheese rings!

I can't believe January is finished & we are in the second month of the year already. There is another cyclone on its way to north Queensland and it is shaping up to be a bad one. I hope & pray that everyone will be alright. Possessions can be replaced but not people's lives.

Happy Australian Day

2011-01-25T17:36:00.000+10:00

Here are some things you can do on Australia Day as it is a public holiday......... 1) Go to the beach & swim & relax.
I masked & misted plain card to create this background. The flowers were cut from patterned paper & topped with buttons. I used a sizzix die for the swirls.

2) Catch up with family & friends.

The background on this layout was layered with vellum & tags. Staz on ink was used to stamp the collage bird scene & the swirl border.

3) Go fishing or take the boat out. Eat seafood & drink beer & wine!

A Martha Stewar punch was used to make the edges. The fish were make from fimo & coated in perfect pearls. The tags were inked with Tim Holtz distress ink & then the letters stamped onto them.

Whatever you end up doing I hope you enjoy celebrating the wonderful country we live in and have a moment of gratitude for it.

New Year New Look

2011-01-17T07:44:00.000+10:00

These photos are from a "Bling" Challenge. This layout has a pearl & rhinestone swirls with a shiny plastic ribbon.
On this next layout we had to use rhinestones. I used them on the flowers, ribbon & on the handstamped journal & title blocks.

This layout was all about metallics. I used a mask & gold spray mist to create the background. The photos was matted with gold card & gold German Scrap was used a s a border. The embellishments were all metal with gold coloured gems in the flowers. Gold lacy stickers were used in the corners. This was actually part of a 2 page layout & the other page matched this one.

Well this is a year for change & new things so a new look for this blog. Feel free to leave comments about what I post & let me know about things you would like to see & know about. At the moment I am cleaning up my craft room in preperation for our move. I've found bits & pieces I forgot I had-I guess its good to do a major clean up every now & again to freshen up what is in the stash! The trouble is now I want to get to and do some more scrapbooking. I am trying to enter more challenges this year so apart from the fun of it, I can challenge myself to try new things-part of the year of changes. So challenge yourselves & try something new.

A few Ideas to Try

2011-01-10T11:51:00.000+10:00

The border was made by cutting a strip of paper, punching holes along the center & threading ribbon through them. The chipboard pieces were inked & embossed & the title was inked & metalic cream rubbed on it. I stamped feathers onto acetate then used alcohol ink on the back for colour.

On this layout I made the pearl flourish by dotting dimensional pearls onto acetate. You can do this with any swirl design. If you have used a ready made flourish before, save the backing it comes on & you can use the imprint left behind as a template. Border punches were used for the top & bottom borders as well as the edge of the big matt. A rectangular paper doilley was used as a matt for the photo.

Felt leaves, bead spray, paper doilley flowers, paper doilley, small flowers, crackle paint title, die cut wings & heart were used to bring a sense of fun to this layout. Just layer it all together & move the pieces around until you are happy with how they look!

The background to this layout is patterned acetate over white cardstock. The photo matt is black bazzill bling. The dress form was painted white with material adhered down to look like a dress. The row of ribbon beads went along the whole matt piece. The title was coloured silver with alcohol ink. The corner pieces & the side border piece are from Kutalicious (laser cut embellishments)

I hope some of these ideas will bring you some motivation to start off 2011, so happy scrapping.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 !

2011-01-03T18:24:00.000+10:00

This is our traditional Christmas Eve photo in front of the tree shoot. We have always taken some of our children in front of the tree since they were little-now they are not so little at 22 & 24 years of age but they still get in the Christmas spirit & pose for us. Now we ask the kids to take photos of us in front of the tree-we usually have to take a few as not all of us can be poised at the same time-too much Christmas cheer I think! 2011 is going to be a year of changes for hubby & myself with a seachange up north, More to come on that with lots of new stuff to scrapbook.

2010-12-21T16:29:00.000+10:00

This is a weird fungus thing I found in my garden-it looks like a flower shape...so of course I am going to try & make a flower to look like it!! The tags below are the last of the Tim Holtz 12 days of tags. They take a bit of time to do but they are fun & worth the effort. They are not the same as TH tags as I don't have all the bits & pieces but as in other aspects of craft, we adapt & change to suit what we have!

8 sleeps till Christmas!

2010-12-17T15:12:00.000+10:00

This time of year seems to fly by so quickly. We are having a low key Christmas this year with the emphasis on getting together with family & friends & not so much of the extra hoopla that comes with the silly season. I've been hooked on the Tim Holtz blog site to make the 12 tags of Christmas for this year. I still have a couple to go but here are some more of what I have made so far.

Christmas tags

2010-12-06T17:41:00.000+10:00

The first four tags are part of the TimHoltz 12 tags of christmas-go to his blog to get all the instuctions on how to make them. The last tag is a tag group challenge from Sketches For U & the theme for the week is "vintage". Luckily I had just bought a Christmas collage stamp that went perfectly with this theme! Who says I don't need more stamps!!

Christmas is in the Air

2010-11-28T14:29:00.000+10:00

I have actually made time to make some Christmas goodies. The cards were made in blues & silvers & the words were die cut from sizzix dies. The tag is number 2 in a challenge-something to do with snow-hence the cool colours & the teardrop beads. The acrylic bauble can be bought from "The Greenbank Scrapbook Shop" & classes are also held to decorate these. They come in clear, white & black. The Christmas gift boxed are cut from a sizzix die, painted & embelllished. These can be made for any occassion, not just Christmas then filled with goodies!

November Challenges

2010-11-23T18:24:00.000+10:00

This tag is one I did for a challenge on sketches 4 you. It had to be non-traditional Christmas colours with something shiny. I Chose pink & turqoise with white glitter embossing powder & pearl paint. I made a string of beads in the colours I chose with bling & pearls to match. There is a tag a week for the next 3 weeks so there will be more to come!

This layout challenge was a combination of 3 challenges. 1)Stash challenge-using circles 2)scrap lift from a sketch 3)make own embelllishments. For 1) I used a circle mat & used circle embellishments. 2) is from the sketch but I replaced the rectangular mat with a round one. 3) I made the flowers from a punched scallop circle with twisted tulle on the top with a button in the center. The background was masked & sprayed with glimmermist. It was all a lot of fun! Have a go if you like & see what you can come up with.

Christmas Spirit

2010-11-11T07:27:00.000+10:00

To make the leaves on the first set of cards I drew a holly leaf shape & tore it out.Then I embossed the leaves in an embossing folder & lightly inked the top & the edges. The center leaf was raised with foam mounting tape. Once put together I put glitter glue along the edges of the leaves & drew in veins.

The santas were stamped in black ink & coloured in using tombow markers. On the white areas I used "Ranger embossing Puffs", which is an embossing powder that puffs up slightly when you heat it. The front of these cards fold back on themselves & a u-shaped cut it made to create a flat folded piece where I mounted the santa pieces.

The baubles on these cards were cut out from patterned paper & then embellished with glitter glue & blingy bits. I made the cards with pearl & metallic papers to give a shimmery Christmas feel to them.

Christmas is in the air and some people I know have already done their Christmas shopping and wrapped the gifts already-mind you, they don't scrapbook either!! I made some cards ready to send at the beginning of December. I just love Christmas time and all that comes with it.

Christmas is nearly here!

2010-10-25T17:59:00.000+10:00

The top photo is of my craft area. We have our house for sale & I'm hoping for a bit more space to spread out in the new place! Since Christmas is so close the card classes at the Greenbank Scrapbook Shop are getting into the Christmas spirit early. Each week we are doing something Christmasy including scrapbooking & off the page for gifts or just spoiling yourself!

Long time, no blog!

2010-10-07T17:43:00.000+10:00

Yes, it's been awhile but we have been madly painting our house so other things have been put on the back burner for a bit. The four layouts are ones I made as double sided, double layouts. I liked both sides of the patterned paper so I just scrapped on each of them! A couple I cut up & joined to the other ones but they all could be mixed & matched. The bottom picture is of 2 tag cards that I stamped & embellished. They concentina out to 3 panels. Hopefully I can get back into scrapbooking again & maybe get a head start on some Christmas cards!

2010-09-13T16:17:00.000+10:00

This layout was done in greys & blacks & silvers to mimic the rainy day grey tone of the photo. The flowers were made from layers of book paper, tulle & paper flowers with a stone in the middle of them. I used mesh ribbon & cutwork paper on the background. The card sets are some of the classes held at the beginning of September at the Greenbank Scrapbook Shop. The bottom set of cards are made using the Graphic 45 papers which I just love.

Scrapbook layout challenge

2010-08-26T18:07:00.001+10:00

Well here is my version of the blind scrap challenge. I followed the instructions to how I thought they were written. It's amazing how different people interpret things. I stamped around the edges with white ink & inked the edges of the papers. The picture of the camera is cut out from patterned paper. I hope you are happy with how your layout turned out.

A Layout Challenge For You

2010-08-12T11:56:00.000+10:00

This is a blind challenge for everyone. It is where you have the supply list & the instructions but no layout to copy from so it is left up to your interpretation & imagination. I haven't done this yet so I can't even show you how mine has turned out...yet. I found this in an old craft magazine so here are the details. Read all the way through first before starting the layout then go step by step.
PHOTO: 5in x 7in landscape or a series of smaller photos to make up that size.
SUPPLIES: 1x cardstock, 2x coordinating pattern papers, 2x scraps patterned paper(12in long by 4in wide), 2 photo corners-bought or self made, 3 buttons, 1 large embellishment of choice, 1 alpha for one-word title, small alpha or pen for journalling, ink, sandpaper, all basic tools & adhesives.
STEPS:
1)On your base cardstock, doodle/stamp/use rub ons along the edge to create a border.
2)Take one of the pieces of scrap patterned paper, trim it to 11in & tear along the base so it measures about 2 1/2in x 11in. Ink the edges.
3)Adhere this piece towards the bottom of the cardstock.
4)Take one of the full sheets of patterned paper, measure across to the right about 9in & tear down. Next,measure down on the left about 8in & tear across.
5)This piece should measure about 9in x 8in with the left side & top straight-edged and the right side & bottom torn.
6)Adhere this piece so that it sits on top, slightly overlapping the first strip.
7)Create an edge to your pphotos by either sanding or inking the edges or both.
8)Take the second sheet of 12x12 patterned paper & matt your photos on it.
9)Ink the edges and adhere on top of the patterned paper & layer with the 2 torn edges.
10)Take the last scrap patterned piece, cut a 1in x 11in strip and a 1/2in x 11in strip.
11)Ink the edges and adhere the 1/2in strip on top of the 1in strip.
12)Next, adhere this strip so it overlaps the 9in x 8in piece and sits below your pphotos but above the torn edge. Ink all the edges.
13)Adhere your two photo corners to any of the other photo corners.
14)Adhere the buttons to the 1in strip.
15)Adhere the large embellishment to the bottom right of the photo.
16)Place a one-word title at the top or bottom of the photo, making sure is overlaps a little of the photo.
17)Journal on the right side of the page, near the photo/s.
HAPPY SCRAPPING & let me know how you went with this challenge.

Photo challenge

2010-08-12T11:42:00.000+10:00

These photos will bring my photo challenge up until the middle of August. The first one is "Twist" with David twisting on the twirly playground toy! "Off the Vine" is flowers from a vine but I don't know what they are called. These 2 photos were taken at the Botanical Gardens in Darwin. The last photo is called "Play". David put 20cents into the game to feed the fish & he didn't do it so he walked away with a huff- mind you, it is a kids game at the aquarium in Townsville! It's all fun though.

Holiday snaps

2010-08-10T18:45:00.000+10:00

These are some photos of my DH(darling hubby-not dickhead!sorry) at the aquarium in Townsville-not so sunny Queensland at the moment. I thought for the rest of the journey I would try & get him to pose for photos! The first one is of him being eaten by a fish...he hopes to reverse the situation soon. He found some fishing tackle shops & I found some scrapbooking shops-finally. I picked up some supplies & a couple of books. With great inspiration I now want to spend some time scrapbooking & David wants to fish-a relationsip made in heaven! We are now in our homeward run and sadly our holiday will be coming to an end all to soon...but I have plenty of photos for our memories and of course to scrapbook.

Travelling Scraproom

2010-08-06T07:52:00.001+10:00

Here is a layout I made in my camper. Luckily it has a big seat where I can spread out! It is amazing how with 3 containers & a small table how much you can actually do. It is a bit of a pain to pack up all the time but at least I get the chance to still do some scrapbooking. The layout is of my granddaughter in her new jumper. I used rubons & stamping on the background. I painted the chipboard swirls with black paint & then lightly misted them with pink glimmermist to make it prettier.

Travelling Scraproom

2010-08-06T07:52:00.000+10:00

Holiday snaps

2010-08-06T07:34:00.000+10:00

These photos are from Kakadu & surrounds. The photo of the big croc is of one in captivity & the one beside the waters edge is real & quite close to where we were when I photographed it from our 4.2m boat! the Lookout is at Ubir in Kakadu. the sunset from here is apparently quite good but we were there too early in the day but the view is magnificent. The camper photo is David relaxing in Kakadu.The spot was lovely but come nightfall, swarms of mossies came out. We still have 3 weeks to go & lots of places to see. We have run into a few people we know so it really is a small world. Till next time...be happy campers!

New cards

2010-07-28T08:58:00.000+10:00

Here's the cards I've had the chance to make so far. I had to make up mini kits before we left home as I can't carry my whole craft room with me! Some of these will be used for card classes when I get home and back into the swing of things. It's good to have some on hand for when a card is needed then I don't have to rush to make one.

Sketch challenge

2010-07-28T08:48:00.000+10:00

With this layout I scalloped opposite corners of the backing sheet & the front sheet then inked the edges. I stamped flowers onto patterned paper then cut them out, inked the edges & layered some of them. The strips of paper have the edges punched & inked & then I layered the pieces to give a frilled effect. The journalling block is stamped & cut out. the stamped image on the background adds some dimension to the page.

Week 3

2010-07-24T08:48:00.001+10:00

I'm making some of my holiday photos part of the photo challenge, so....the flowers at the top are some of the ones I am making. I've made some from tissue & brown paper, crocheted some and made some from material then sprayed them with memory mist to colour them. I'll make a seperate post on how I made them so stay tuned! Since they were all round I put them in the "round things" on the challenge. The sunset at Daly Waters(Northern Territory) was just gorgeous. "Bloom" is another part of the challenge. Apparently because there has been more rain here for this time of year some of the wildflowers & plants are flowering early. The colours in real life are beautiful. The next photo in the challenge is "where the wild things are". This is a map of the Daly River so David could figure out where to go fishing. Yes there are crocodiles in the waters up here. We have only seen a couple of freshwater ones & a couple of small (2m) salt water ones in the wild! We are still in Darwin & are thinking of spending a few more days here to see some more of the sights. We want to do Kakadu but aren't sure weather to do a day trip or travel through yet. I have made a couple of layouts for the layout challenge but haven't photographed them yet so they will be for another time. Darwin's winter is wonderful with the days at about 30 degrees and the nights lovely for sleeping. It's so nice not to be rushed & having to be organised about the day. Now we just have to work out how to do this all the time!! We still have 5 weeks to enjoy ourselves & make the best of it.

Photography challenge

2010-07-14T18:01:00.000+10:00

Here are 4 more photos for the challenge. "Colour" is of my bathroom wall. It is a gorgeous turquoise colour that brightens up this room. For "Talents" I took a photo of a canvas I am making with texture paste, paint and memory mist paints. "In the Middle" is a photo at the Devils Marbles not far from Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory. "Sunset" was taken at sunset at Uluru(Ayers Rock). Well thats that for a bit. I am trying to take photos from our holiday to fit in with the themes that are coming up..sort of to kill 2 birds with 1 stone! Happy snapping.

Sticking Eyes On Rocks

2010-07-13T08:11:00.000+10:00

Well its Tuesday & I still haven't scrapped anything-we've just been too busy & taking lots of photos that I can scrap later. We are in Alice Springs this morning but are heading north a bit later on. We went out to Uluru (Ayers Rock) for a day & stayed at a nearby resort. I didn't realise that the rock was 500km or so from Alice Springs. It took us about 6 hours drive to get there. The scenery is nice but very repetitive on the long roads. We pack our coffee & food so we don't have to stop too often. There has been some rain here so in places the wildflowers are out early. I don't mind the red dirt but the red mud leaves a lot to be desired! Uluru is amazing-it is just so huge. we didn't walk over it as the walks were closed( I don't think we would have walked them anyway. I think the coming down would be a bit scary but I could handle the walk up) There are so many people who go there and at sunset there is an area you can park to take photos of the changing colours of the rock as the sun goes down. It cost us $25 each for a 3 day pass just to see it up close. Some parts are just a bit too touristy. We haven't seen any wild animals just some that are in enclosures at caravan parks & roadhouses. Our next plan is to head back up to Tennant Creek to pick up the boat & then make our way up to Darwin, stopping when something looks interesting.

Anyway its time to go. Bye for now.

On the road again!

2010-07-10T17:14:00.000+10:00

Well we've been on the road for a week now & for most of it we haven't had any sort of reception for out phones & internet. Although it was a bit strange at first, you tend to remember that we lived life for so long without being able to be contacted 24hours a day....and we still survived!! We have met so many wonderful people with their own stories to tell & it is surprising how similar most people are and what is important to them. We have done a bit of "free camping" where we pull up at a rest stop & stay the night there. So many people do this so there has always been at least 6 other campers there as well. Mind you after a few days I want to go to a campground where I can have a hot shower & wash my hair...David definately needs more than a sponge bath out of the basin by then!! We do have a shower in our camper (we call it the "Tardis") but we also have to watch how much water we use. Dave & I have taken some great photos. David's scrapbooking photo oppotunities have developed greatly & now he can pick a good photo spotNow he is saying to me, "here's a good one to scrap"! We've done a lot of driving past all the bits we've seenn before & now we are in Alice Springs and are heading out to Ayres Rock (Uluru) tomorrow. More photos!! I haven't had a chance to do any sort of scrapbooking at all yet. I made a couple of flowers out of calico & I plan to spray them with Memory Mist when I get the chance. I included a coulple of photos of my whole craft bits.

LAYOUT CHALLENGE 12 & 13

2010-06-29T10:37:00.000+10:00

Well once again everyday life gets in the way of scrapbooking!! I am a bit behind in the layout challenge but its not something I stress over. For sketch 12 I used an overlay & chipboard shape as embellishments. I made the title & tag using the Cricut machine & tied in the paper with the seagull photo. For layout13 I cut patterned paper to create a border then I used slide mounts as frames for journalling blocks. The floral ribbon & paper leaves bring some colour into the layout.

I'm hoping to catch up on this challenge while we are away-I'll have to send David out fishing or something! Happy Scrapping!

Catching Up-photo challenge

2010-06-29T10:18:00.000+10:00

The flower photo is called "bokeh". It is where the background is blurred & the foreground is clear. The next challenge was for "locks & keys" so this is

off my antique sideboard. It does have a key but it is put up so the grandkids can't reach it!
The next set of photos is to show a "series of events". This is my grandson's birthday where he received Buzz Lightyear as a gift. Here he is showing up how Buzz flies to Infinity & Beyond!

Wow its been awhile but time just flies! I've spent the week getting ready for our trip to the Northern Territory-I can't wait. So stay posted & I'll have some "happy snaps" to show. It will be a bit odd not teaching classes but I have packed my scrapbooking gear so I don't have withdrawals! I have managed to make up mini kits to scrap and packed everything into a craft trolley, a bag & a 60lt box!! Mind you, my hubby gets a 4.2m boat for all his stuff!!

Photo challenge catch up

2010-05-18T20:28:00.000+10:00

These are the photos I took for the next part of the challenge..."Shoes"-these are my new boots for winter..they are sooo nice! The teacup collection my Nan gave me are my "Favourites". I also received the "Buttons" jars from Nan-they are original and very old. The "Nature" photo is from the dam at Emerald. With a new grandson on the scene I've been busy taking photos of him & other photos have been neglected! David, my hubby turns 50 at the end of the week so I should have some good photos of his party next week! Lots more to scrapbook too!

Layout challenge 10 &11

2010-05-18T20:01:00.000+10:00

Layout 10 uses the EK Success chain punch along the top & the bottom of the page. I distressed & inked the edges of the paper pieces. I also used the notepaper edge punch and a lacy punch around the red mat piece. On layout 11 I used ready made chipboard embellishments, stickers & paper flowers for a quick & easy layout. I distressed & inked the edges of the front patterned sheet 7 then mounted the whole layout onto a plain sheet as a backing with the edges showing through.

New Grandson

2010-05-04T21:34:00.000+10:00

Here is a picture of my newest grandson, Cooper. Isn't he just gorgeous..not that I am biased or anything. I took this photo for the photo challenge as well under the theme of "dreams/goals" because I hope that all our family will have goals to achieve and dreams to aim for. I went for a couple of classes at the Printblocks "Creative Block" trade event. It was a lot of fun and very inspirational. I didn't have a chance to do the make & takes (too busy talking & shopping!) but soaked up the ideas & beautiful displays they had there from the visiting companies. Graphic 45 was absolutely gorgeous and I just love all their stuff. At the EK Success class I made a shadow box, some invitations with Vogue Papers and had a play with Maya mist in the Maya class(photos to follow at some stage) Dave & I have been going away in our camper on the long weekends we have had lately so I haven't had a lot of time to scrap but the relaxation has been great! We caught red claw yabbies at Borumba Dam near Imbil last weekend. The weekend before I took some lovely beach photos at Cotton Tree near Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast. Here is another photo for the challenge entitled "Nature". I'm preparing for the Greenbank Scrapbook Shop Demo Day this Saturday with show & tell about my favourite products-more on that later!

LAYOUT CHALLENGE

2010-04-07T08:01:00.000+10:00

Here are the sketches & layouts for week 8 & 9 of the challenge. I was hoping to spend Easter catching up on some scrapbooking but instead I helped David put timber decking in our breezeway-it looks so much better & makes it into a lovely useable space. Week 8 layout is called "Good Life" & the I used alcohol ink on the clear acrylic letters to make them stand out. It was a quick layout as I used ready made embellishments. Week 9 is all about a cat I use to have (not own, as cats don't have owners, they have masters!) that whenever I sat down to do any sort of craft she would run into the room jump up onto the table & skid across my stuff...then proceed to roll around & tangle herself in whatever she could & attack me if I tried to move her! I think it was because she wasn't the center of attention!! I used twisted ribbon & tore sections of the paper to reflect her actions. I had ready made embellishments & stickers in a cat theme so I used these to keep it all together.

Photography challenge

2010-03-29T19:20:00.000+10:00

Week 11 of the challenge is the "Human Body". This photo is of a sculpture of a plant swallowing a human & all you can see is the foot still out at the top. It is at a reception centre called "Songbirds" at Mt. Tamborine. Week 12 is "Hello Spring", even though it is Autumn at the moment with the rain & the heat my garden is blooming! This is a blossom on my passionfruit vine & the colours are gorgeous in it. This is the first year I have had lots of fruit on it. Its hard getting to them before the cockatoos or the possums! "Then & Now" is the theme for week 13. I have 2 photos for this. The photo is of My hubby & me when we started going out & the other photo is of us in 2009.

Classes for April

2010-03-27T15:10:00.001+10:00

These are a sneak peek at the classes I am teaching in April. The layout with the flowers is called Timeless & it has lots of the new flowers that Lisa has in the shop on it. I also used Graphic45 paper on it. They are all so beautiful. The heritage gentleman LO is called Well Groomed & uses older style papers & embellishments along with cutouts & sewing.

The birthday LO is call boys2men & uses paint & ink to create a grungy look. The Autumn looking layout is called Grow. It has lots of layering & uses different techniques & mediums to create this look.

Challenge catch-up

2010-03-27T15:02:00.000+10:00

Here is the sketch & the layout for week 6. I misplaced one of them & got out of whack of where I was up to! This was a quick & easy layout as I used pre-made journal blocks & embellishments. It is an untraditional take on Christmas with the papers I chose but they worked because of the star at the top of the tree theme & for the fact that my son & grandson are stars!!

2010-03-16T18:29:00.000+10:00

Right now I'm up to date with the sketches for layouts 5, 6 & 7. Hopefully I haven't left any out. Sketch 5 is the round layout called "Treasures". I punched scallop circles & plain circles that were coated in dimensional magic & layered. Sketch 6 has cut out & punched patterned pieces. Sketch 7 has handmade flowers made from a template & inked & a button in the center.

Photography challenge

2010-03-16T18:18:00.000+10:00

Here are the next photos in the challenge. Week 9 is "Time". It is of a clock edge that I painted many years ago-I still don't seem to have gained any time though! Week 10 is called "Simple Pleasures". I wasn't sure what I was going to do for this until one night I walked into our dining room & saw my grandson eating icecream & enjoying every last slurp! I took another photo of him licking the bowl!!

Week 3 Layout Challenge

2010-02-28T15:07:00.000+10:00

Ok I just realised I missed out week 3 so here is the layout. I am hoping to organise the sketches over the next week & get up to date with those. This layout is good for using up scraps of left over papers. I inked the edges of each piece & mounted the photos onto patterned paper.

Week 4 challenge

2010-02-28T14:54:00.000+10:00

This weeks challenge is a double layout. The placement of the photos & mats & embellilshments is quite easy to see. I used chipboard for the title & embossed it with red embossing powder & then sprinkled on some sparkly black embossing powder & heated it again. I used small rubber rings to mimic the racing cars tyres!

More photo challenges

2010-02-18T08:03:00.000+10:00

These are my photos for the challenge. The photo of my garden is for "comfort" because. I love sitting out in the yard in the late afternoon to relax at the end of the day. It was great having "books" as a theme since I love reading. These books are my collection of old books & the bible belonged to my father. The stories & the illustrations in these books are quite unique. For "signs" I took a photo of a sign of our favourite wineries that surround the dam where we stay quite often. It is Bjelke Petersen Dam out near Murgon (near Kingaroy in QLD) & the wines are all lovely. Our most favourite winery is Moffatdale Ridge about 5 minutes away from the dam & they have yummy lunches as well!

Week 2 Layout Challenge

2010-02-09T19:32:00.000+10:00

Here is the layout I did for the second week of the challenge. The border on the left is a row of punched circles. The chipboard title has been heat embossed with copper embossing powder & held in place with 4 brads. The photos are mounted to the right hand side of the page & a buckle & ribbon are placed just up from the bottom edge.

CLASSES

2010-02-04T17:01:00.000+10:00

These are a sneak peak at the cards for February & the classes are being held at the Greenbank Scrapbook Shop. Love is in the air so giving a card to someone that you care about is a great way to remind them that they are loved & valued.

FEBRUARY KIT-BELOVED

2010-02-04T16:54:00.000+10:00

This is the layout for the February kit. It is available from the Greenbank Scrapbook Shop (32001832) & we are running kit classes on Tuesday 9/2/10 at 7pm & Friday 12/2/10 at 9.30. There is a link on my blog to the shop so you can click on it to see the calendar & find out what is going on there.

LAYOUT CHALLENGE

2010-02-04T16:43:00.000+10:00

Here is the layout for the first week challenge. I have had trouble uploading the sketch but the LO is fairly easy to copy from. The small photos are 10cm square & are matted on the one piece. The sketch had the title where I put the fish skeletons and the embelllishments at the bottom. The skeletons are chipboard that has been inked with 2 different coloured inkpads. You could coat them in dimensional magic for a raised glossy look. The journal block & title are pre-made. I also used metal embellishments to add texture. So, have a go & happy Scrapping!

Happy Hearts!

2010-02-02T19:17:00.000+10:00

Wishing you all many "Happy Hearts" for February. That means thinking about the things that make you happy & bring you joy....then actually making them happen! Something that brings me joy is listening to the rain on our tin roof-and for the fact that we have tank water & that every drop counts! The photos are part of the challenge. I couldn't decide between the quilt I made or the timber hand for "handmade" . The cupcakes & the teacups are for "sweet" because they are all so sweet! My motto to living a joyful life is "Live well, Laugh often & Love much"

Just a note!

2010-01-21T18:29:00.000+10:00

Ok I forgot to mention my bargin buy from the new year. Dave & I went to a second hand shop to look for hidden treasure & these teacups were what I found. They aren't antique or name-brand but they are very cute & make a nice addition to my teacup collection my Nan gave me years ago. They were $3 for EACH teacup, saucer & cake plate set. I haven't actually used them yet but I have them on the sideboard in my bedroom where I can admire them & hope David brings me a cup of tea in bed!! I have an antique bed tray which I will have to photograph. It is quite solid & even has a book stand.

Photography challenge

2010-01-21T18:15:00.001+10:00

These 2 photos are photos that I took as part of a photography challenge. The one on the left is titled"hats"( my hubby's old & new hat) & the one on the right is "beginnings"(it is the beginning of making plans for our campers)
There is a theme for each week of the year. I actually end up taking more than 1 photo

so I can scrap them (what else!!) & make a challenge album. Well at least I will keep up with the photos and I don't know about the scrapbooking-I'll add it to the list! LOL! The next photo is titled "sweet" & I've taken a photo but haven't downloaded it yet. You are welcome to join in on the fun & have your own challenge. Happy snapping!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2010-01-06T09:06:00.000+10:00

Wishing everyone a great year for 2010 with many everyday opportunities for scrapbooking & enjoying each & every day. Our year has started off wonderfully with camping in our "Tardis"- it's like Dr. Who's time machine where it is bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. It is like a big slide on camper with a slide out section. the weather has been a bit showery but it gave me good excuses to stay in & scrapbook & to make some cards as well. Since Christmas I haven't taken too many photos but I have enough to scrap as it is. This year I am doing a challenge of 25 layouts in 25 weeks. I will probably start in February some time as I need to be organised for the start of the year & going back to work after my time off. I'll post the sketches & the layouts if you would like to join in.

Last Day Of 2009

2009-12-31T06:23:00.000+10:00

Well here it is and hasn't the year just flown. It has been an interesting year filled with travel & scrapbooking & meeting new people around the place. It's been good to "live well, laugh often & love much" & to try lots of new things & see places we haven't seen before & learn lots of new things in the process. My wish for 2010 is happiness, health & wealth with lots of time for scrapbooking! May you find all the good things that life has to offer.

7 sleeps till Chrissy

2009-12-18T09:10:00.000+10:00

With all the Christmas cards made & posted out (I still like the old fashioned way of sending & receiving cards through snail mail!) I started on cards for next year. These are the "Summer Bright" cards we did in our card class at the Greenbank Scrapbook Shop. The shopping has all been done for Christmas celebrations and with any luck I won't have to venture near a shopping centre again until next year! Wishing everyone a joyous peaceful Christmas and great blessings in 2010. Happy Scrapping!

Season of Joy

2009-12-01T06:59:00.000+10:00

Only 24 sleeps 'til Santa comes! Oh how I love the Christmas Season. The tree is decorated & the decorations are up! I don't have too many nic-nacs out this year with my 2 1/2year old grandson in the house. He is pretty good with not playing with everything & he is so excited about the tree too. We went with a silver & white theme on a green tree this year. Some of our older decorations were looking a bit sad. I like to make a Christmas decoration each year and this year I am making advent Christmas trees. Since they are only half finished I should hurry up & make them before Christmas is over!! The Christmas cards are made & sent out already so I guess I'm not doing too badly. The Chrissy pressies won't be under the tree until Christmas Eve(2 year old again! & big kid 23year old!!) so I'm putting a long length of tulle under the tree to cover up the stand. These layouts are from Christmas past.

Holiday Layouts

2009-11-11T10:28:00.000+10:00

These are some of the layouts I had the chance to do while on holidays. Not all of them are completely finished as I couldn't bring my whole scrap room with me, no matter how hard I tried! It's been nice having the time to scrap & not be interupted by the mundane tasks of everyday life!! Ah but back to the real world soon & at least a bit more space in my craft room.

2009-11-11T10:20:00.000+10:00

Time Flies

2009-11-09T14:49:00.001+10:00

My how time flies when you're having fun! Our holiday has gone so quickly. The picture here is of Fairburn Dam at sunset out at Emerald. It is a huge dam that has yummy redclaw yabbies in it. The caravan park is great & the people who run it are wonderful. We had a fabulous Monday Music night & met lots of new people. We've travelled from Brisbane out to Longreach & Winton & to Cania Gorge. The scenery has gone from green to dry to green again. I definately prefer the water to the arid areas. I found some nice scrapbook shops along the way & shared some ideas. I brought along my scrapbook kit & bag so that I wouldn't get withdrawals! I finished about 8 pages but with all the photos I took I think I will be planning some more. David's happy because he has caught lots of fish & redclaw & met new fishing buddies! Our camper, otherwise known as "The Tardis" has travelled very well & is very comfortable. The photo here was taken at Flying Fish Point which had another nice caravan park. Its a hard life but someone has to do it!!

Glitter

2009-10-14T15:21:00.000+10:00

I've been working a bit with glitter & everything glittery. It's a good idea to wipe the page area where the glitter will be going with an antistatic pad. A paintbrush can be used to wipe the excess away & a vacume cleaner comes in handy too! A few ways to apply the glitter are: gemstone glue, spray adhesive, double sided tape, jack paper or glue pad & stamps. It can be mixed with gel medium & sprinkled on embossing powder. For more "bling" try using glitter glue, gems or jewels or pearls. Metallic & glitter finishes come in papers, inks, paints, glimmer mists, ribbons, threads, buttons & patches as well as stickers & flowers & transparencies. If it doesn't have it already then you can add some bling yourself. Plastic, timber, chipboard, embellishments & paper can be made to "pop" with a bit of bling!

Some of these glitter techniques will be used in the above layout that I am teaching later in the year at the Greenbank Scrapbook Shop(see link).

Back Home Again!

2009-09-29T14:33:00.000+10:00

We've been home for a few weeks now & haven't quite settled back in. I can see how people get itchy feet for travelling. It's nice to come home though. I printed out a few photos but still have dozens that I only downloaded. I'll scrapbook some of them but not the lot as it would take forever! We saw & experienced so many new things & met lots of wonderful people. I completed about 7 layouts & a set of cards while we were travelling. Talk about scrapping out of a bag!! It paid to be organised beforehand.I thought it was a bit unfair that David got to have a whole boat with accessories while I was confined to a trolley bag & a few bits & pieces shoved in wherever I could find a spot! It was a challenge though. Now I can spread out & take up as much room as I like.

Experience the New

2009-09-08T09:42:00.000+10:00

On our trip we have tried to experience something new every day. Whether it is something we see, or do or taste or someone new that we meet. It hasn't been too difficult doing this & we have found lots of things we have learnt. This photo is the lighthouse out from Bowen in Queensland. Its the first time I went out in the ocean in our 4m tinnie-luckily the area is buffered by the reef & it doesn't get too choppy otherwise I would be getting sea sick! The area out in the water is inspirational as you can see coral & seaturtles & dugongs. I took some good photos & have scrapbooking ideas in my head already. Its time to sketch them down before I forget them. I've been checking out websites for some new techniques & ideas to try on my layouts-getting out of that comfort zone again & having a play! My hubby David has gone fishing so I am hoping to spend best part of the day scrapping in peace with no interruptions.

Scrapbooking while Travelling

2009-09-05T08:57:00.000+10:00

Since we have been on the road I've only done a few pages of scrapbooking. I worked out that you need to be quite organised & prepare before you leave home. I used a "work in progress" folder" in which I put supplies for each page. First I chose the photos I wanted to scrap, then the paper & embellishments to go with them. I sometimes have an idea in mind & will draw a quick sketch to remember that idea. It also helps me to know what I need to put in my mini kit & what other supplies I might need. eg. inks, premade Cricut shapes etc. I managed to fit what I needed into a craft trolley bag & a shoulder bag-even though they were very full & wieghed a ton! Along the way I found I needed a couple of extra supplies so I would make the layout as much as I could & then waited until we came across a scrapbook shop. Before we reached the next town I would Google where the scrapbook shops were so we could stop there. Its good to see the different variety of products that are out there. Its like being a kid in a lolly shop! My tool kit was quite basic with a cutter, adhesives & a couple of fancy edge scissors. I also had a folder with unmounted stamps, inkpads & ink. Admittedly I have bought paper that I didn't really need but thought they would go nicely with some of the photos I have taken but haven't printed yet.

Here We Go!!

2009-09-01T09:36:00.001+10:00

Hi everyone, I've been madly taking photos of our trip-all with how to scrapbook them in mind! I've actually refrained from screaming "STOP HERE NOW" in my husbands ear as we drive along when I have seen something good to photograph. He repays me by stopping at all & any scrapbook shop we pass & he doesn't complain about how long I take.....He even talks scrapbooking talk with the shop people!! Mind you I then have to trade that off with visits to the fishing tackle shops! I guess what goes around, comes around. Then I get to take some good photo shots which I can then scrapbook which means I have to visit a shop for supplies. Ah the circle of life! I was up early & went to the beach to take sunrise photos across the surf. It was worth giving up my sleep-in. The weather is beautiful & the day should be wonderful.