WOYWW 243

Good morning, good yawning!  It's Wednesday again - time for a snoop around some creative spaces.

I'm scrapping my way out of another crash (depressive low) probably caused by being ill for a few weeks and all the birthday celebrations being over.  Last week I felt so bad that I couldn't even craft and Sunday was spent on the sofa.  This week however it is all change!  I made 2 layouts on Monday and I have another in the offing.  They are all  as a result of Shimelle's class "Return to the Collection" and I am using an old Echo Park collection called For The Record 2.  You can see one of the layouts on the pile in the middle and the next one on the black mat ready to go.

If you look carefully you can see a red word near the pencil case - heart, my word for the year.  I need to get someone to take a pic of me holding the word (which I die-cut on my Silhouette) and then that picture will form part of my One Little Word project.  I'm hoping to get that done before I lose the die-cut under a pile of art sediment! ;-)

This is the first of the layouts from the class.  I'm using an old set of photos from a holiday in Greece, so old in fact that they have the negatives stored with them!

I thought the blue and white colour scheme was very apt for photos of Greece with all the blue seas and the blue and white houses etc.

Nissyross is an island just off Kos in Greece that most people visit because of the volcano.  It's not dormant (I wrote the journalling before checking my facts - rookie error!) but it is not erupting (obviously) and you can walk into the caldera if you are brave enough.  It is hot and you have to wear proper shoes and be careful where you walk but it was an amazing experience.

I've just realised that there is a black gem missing from the flower on the right so I shall rectify that but that was not the only mistake.  Can you spot it?

How about with the following picture?

Yes, that's right, in my fuggy headspace I cut too much off of the ledger paper for the inside so I had to break it up and cover the joins to make it fit!  Thank goodness I have a lot of 12x12 cardstock in colours I don't use so that I can make a patchwork on it!

I think, in the trade, that is known as a partial scrapectomy ;-)

This post is brought to you by the letters WOYWW with the lovely Julia.

Bye for now
xx

Frosty Festivities 2 - Festive Planner

Welcome to my little part in Jennifer's Frosty Festivities weekend!  If you arrived as part of the blog hop then you should have reached me via Katherine.  You can find the next stop at the end of this post.

                                          

I always enjoy Jennifer's events and get lots of inspiration from the challenges she sets and from the other participants too.  I particularly love the Frosty Festivities event because it helps to get me in the mood for the season - which I love!!

Have you started planning for the festive season yet?  I started mine back in September because... well I'm a bit of a control freak if I'm honest, but also because I like to keep December as free as possible to really enjoy the fun stuff and not be worried about shopping and trying to fit things in.  Also this year as some of you know, Novrember is a busy month becaue I am taking part in NaNoWriMo which is where you write a novel / 50,000 words all in one month - yikes!  Just don't ask me how that is going...

So, back in September I made myself a little planner for the season.

I took lots of photos during the making process and I will be back in another post (with a prize) next weekend for anyone interested in making their own.

 I used some of my favourite Christmas papers and tried to make it quite sturdy so that I can just refill the inside next year.  It is all coated with Mod Podge which gives it a lovely sheen and helps to protect it a bit in my handbag...

 On the inside cover I have made 2 cute pockets - the larger one holds receipts for gifts and the smaller one is for stamps (note to self: buy stamps!!)  Then through the book there are dviders like this diary page.  The Silhouette files that I made for the wording will be available on the "How To" post.  I used one size for the main page and then made it slightly smaller to go on the tabs at the side of the page.

The inside pages then have normal printer paper pages mounted on sturdy pretty paper.  This diary page folds out for December and then on the reverse is November which is just as busy and we haven't really got going yet!  I love it!

The inside of the back cover has a strong strip attached for the little notebook to sit over.  No matter how well I might think I've planned my pages, I will always want more note paper!

I have printed sections for baking, meals, crafts, cards, presents and the diary pages.  I've included spaces for deadlines, notes on where to find instructions or recipes, a check box if crafts or baking items are gifts, 2 different sections in the cards for those that need to be posted as opposed to hand delivered, and a section in the presents to record when on-line purchases have been received etc.

I couldn't resist giving the back cover some prettiness too.

Don't forget to check back next week if you would like instructions, the files, or the chance of winning a Christmas pack of papers.  

Also, if you comment on all the blogs in the hop, finishing at www.jennifergracecreates.com to let Jennifer know you've been all the way around, then you'll be in with a chance to win a jolly seasonal prize of Simple Stories December Documented and Elle’s Studio Noel items, worth over £28! 
                                           
All entries must be received by Monday the 11th of November at 10.59pm GMT. Your next stop along the hop is... Meghann

Enjoy the rest of the weekend,

Bye for now
xx

Devon, this year and last.

We are back from our wonderful holiday in North Devon!  This was the view from our amazing semi-permanent tent on Lower Roduish Farm.  You can just about see Louis and Bella heading off up the pretty stream holding hands.  All the children spent a LOT of time playing in that field and paddling in the water and floating random things in it.  

I'm still sorting through the pictures so expect to see more of them very soon but suffice to say that we were very jammy with the weather again and we had a wonderful time, slowing time (as much as we can with 2 lively children) and just being together as a family after a very busy few months.  Sadly tomorrow Management goes back to work and Louis goes back to school, Bella on Tuesday, and I have a tonne of work in the pipeline so its back to crazy busy again.  At least I have my crop on Saturday to look forward to and I can do some more work on my album from our holiday last year with Featherdown Farms!

This is the title page of my Aller Farm album.  I wonder if I will ever catch up!

*sigh*  I love holidays but I don't like coming home to mountains of washing and we miss our friends on the farm already.  Is it possible to get jet lag travelling North Devon to Southampton?  I think it is.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 206

Good morning to you all, especially all you WOYWW-ers.  I'm twitching this week.  My cup is empty and there is someone else invading my space again.  Miss Bella takes up more and more room each time she comes in here.  However, she has been banned from my studio as of today because she refuses to put any of her stuff away when she has finished with it.  What can I say, she has just turned 4 and, I'm told, is exactly as stubborn as I was at that age, and still am apparently.  Ahem.

Lots of Portobello Road on my side of the desk, making a card for the lovely Deb at Paper Turtle to go in her box of swap goodies that you can just about see to the left there under the stamps.

I'm packing for a crop on Saturday with Artful Angels (if you are around the Winchester / Southampton area and fancy a visit then please do get in touch!)  I'm still working on my Devon album and as I've been using the same selection of things throughout, it means my supplies are pretty much sorted.  I just need to have a tidy up and make sure that all the consumables go back into my little tote bag.

I've become so used to scrapping with Sarah from S J Crafts but she is at another crop this week and I will miss her!  This layout has just gone up at the shop blog where we are talking about the different things that are inspiring us right now.  For me its my Cameo. (This cut file was inspired by this Pin).

Show us yours, now that I've shown you mine, and don't forget to link up with Julia for the bestest desky blog hop there ever was.

Bye for now
xx

And more NSD

I would love to not have to go to sleep for a few days, just so I can get some stuff done that I WANT to do right now, rather than HAVE to do, know what I mean?!

This page was for Shimelle's challenge to do some fancy cutting.  I cut this polaroid frame on my silhouette but kept the picture almost at the original size so that I could use the grass in the photo to fill the negative space.  

I've been looking forward to using these October Afternoon Campfire Trails papers for literally years!  The vast majority of papers in our Devon album for Featherdown Farm are OA.

I'm also using the same range of punches throughout the album.

This next page is for the challenge to use divided page protectors and will be the only set in the album that don't use OA.  These are Echo Park Birthday Wishes like the other couple of layouts about the pizza night at Aller Farm which was fab!  We actually had two pizza nights and on the second one Management had to do all the cooking because we had done it before so they left us to it!

I lent farmer Nigel my fleece because he was trying to put his bare arm too far in the oven and it ended up getting holes in it from the embers!  He was so embarrassed but I didn't mind at all, its old anyway and now it has another story to add to its memories.

Last one for today.  Another one from the pile of "had photos and some papers but nothing else" and when I saw the challenge for adding a letter, it sounded the perfect way to round up this layout.  The picture is of Louis dashing about with his camera at a castle in Pembrokeshire and it sums him up perfectly.  

The letter inside the scrap-a-lope is written to Louis explaining what he was like at that age and how he loved this castle and everything that was going on there.  He took loads of pictures of random things but all the time with this huge smile on his face, appreciating the scale of the building and the different way they lived there.  He has such a zest for life and one day in the future when he is flicking through this album, I want him to know that I love that so much about him.

Its definitely a technique I will use again and in fact I might just do that very soon and again write about what he is like now because he turns 7 in just 3 weeks time.  My little baby is growing up fast - sob!

Bye for now
xx

Onwards and Upwards Blog Hop

It's the weekend!  A special welcome if you are hopping as part of Jennifer's Onwards and Upwards blog event. Details of the hop and the giveaway etc can be found at the bottom of this post.

Up until a week ago I had no idea what my post was going to be about for this event.  I had lots of bits of ideas and I definitely wanted it to be about sharing positive messages but I had nothing concrete.  Until Thursday morning.  It was a crazy day going from place to place but I felt the need to pop home mid morning and I'm so glad I did.  There was an e-mail from Shimelle about being a guest artist on her blog event for National Scrapooking Day on Saturday.  I leaped off of my chair and squealed.  Then I panicked.  Then I scrapped.  Then I changed my mind.  Then I scrapped again.  Then I went back to my computer and double checked and triple checked the message in case it was a fake.  Then I sent my husband a text telling him my exciting news.  But he doesn't understand creativity.  Then I picked up my 6 year old son from school and he jumped up and down and "Wow, Shimelle's blog?  Really?  Wow!" which was more the sort of reaction that I was feeling myself.  I felt really positive about my scrapping and I would love for other people to feel that too.  We just need to tell them :-)

Very few people can say that scrapbooking is their job but Shimelle can and I admire her for that.  I also admire her style and her passion for the story.  I have followed her since I met her when I started scrapbooking at Scrap-a-Mia exactly 3 years ago.  Good grief what a baptism of fire that was!  Since then I have had ups and downs with technique, style and general ability and had days where I liked my layouts and days when I wondered why I bothered to even try.  

About 18 months ago I applied for a Design Team place with S J Crafts in a moment of "why not?" and I was over the moon to be chosen.  Seizing that mad moment of thinking I might be good enough to be on a DT was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  Being selected restored my confidence in my ability as a scrapbooker.  Someone else liked what I did.  About a year ago someone asked me to make an album for a colleague as a commission, completely out of the blue.  A few weeks ago I won a competition with Echo Park papers.  This week I've been featured on a website that I would have never thought possible.  I am never going to make a living from crafting but in the words of a very wise 6 year old "Its not about the money Mummy".  So what is it about?  Its about feeling positive about something you've made.  

We need more layout love in this cold hard world that we live in.  We need to tell people when we like what they do.  Hearing from other people about things we have made makes it all worthwhile, whether it is a cup of tea, a bowl of soup, a card, a layout, a tutorial or a wedding dress.  If you've been enthused to create something, tell the person that inspired you.    If you've entered one of the many many challenges from last weekend, tell them why.   Make someone's heart swell and face beam like mine did this week.  Share the love people :-)

So... my challenge (all open until Sunday night) was to create a double layout.  In a hurry.  I scraplifted myself by choosing the first double I came to in a random album I picked up with no deliberations over "what about this one or that one".  It was this layout that was originally a quadrant design for a 6x6 paper pad and I mirrored the placement and then tweaked the embellishments to suit the larger structure.   Choosing the layout gave me a strict plan for the photos and I did the same thing again - choosing the first batch that fit the orientation, style and number.  Same with the papers.  Studio Calico Snippets was to hand (being obtained recently) and it was ideal so I didn't try and find anything possibly more ideal.  I spend far too much time trying to find something even better when actually it just makes me go around in circles!

  
The photos are from Ta Prohm in Angkor, Cambodia, about 10 years ago on our Round The World Trip.  We often wonder how much more damage has been done by the invasive roots but they can't stop them because they are all that is holding it up!  Such a tough battle of man versus nature but it does make a wonderfully atmospheric temple.

It makes me laugh when I look back and think of us shooting a whole reel of black and white film there and then a whole reel of colour, with no idea how any of them would turn out.  The children can't get their heads around the idea of waiting for film to be exposed and not seeing the photo instantly on the screen.  How things have changed since then.  Onwards and upwards eh?!

If you comment on all the blogs in the hop, finishing at Jennifer's to let her know you've been all the way around, then you'll be in with a chance to win a prize pack of cheerful Glitz Designs Color Me Happy and Simple Stories 24/7, worth over £25! 

All entries must be received by Monday the 13th of May at 10.59pm BST. 

Your next stop along the hop is Julie. Have fun!

Bye for now
xx

Jennifer - http://jennifergracecreates.com/
Rinda - http://gallorganico.blogspot.co.uk/
Meghann - http://www.meghannslittlecorner.blogspot.co.uk/
Louise - http://scrapbook-me.blogspot.co.uk/
Lisa-Jane - http://comeinsidemycrazyhead.blogspot.co.uk/
Julie - http://www.icreatepurtythangs.blogspot.co.uk/
Jo S - http://www.curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.co.uk/
Jo B - http://www.buckinghamspalace.blogspot.co.uk/
Jenny - http://dragonllew.blogspot.co.uk/
Jacky - http://scrappyjackylive.blogspot.co.uk/
Fay - http://beautifullilysramblings.blogspot.co.uk/
Daphne - http://dapfniedesign.wordpress.com/
Abi - http://creatingpaperdreams.blogspot.co.uk/
Jennifer - http://jennifergracecreates.com/

First Car (Scoot)

Happy weekend to you all!  Here are the final 2 projects that I made for S J Crafts using the wonderful Echo Park Scoot collection.  

First up, a quick card using some of the fab stickers from the sticker element sheet.  There are lots of little trains and diggers etc that are great for making little scenes on birthday cards for boys and the B side papers are prefect for backgrounds.  I was really inspired by Jen Gallacher's Scoot card here.

A few pop dots for dimension and the job is a good'un.

My final layout has been my favourite of the whole series and one of my very favourites from the entire weekend too. 

I tend to rush past papers that have specific areas printed on them for scenes but this one was quite subtle and therefore really easy to use.  As soon as I saw the little motifs at the top of the page, I knew they would look wonderful highlighted with some stitching - one of my new favourite techniques.

It really brings them to life and makes them pop off the page without distracting from the rest of the layout which I kept to the bottom.  I cut some polaroid frames on my Silhouette but they are easy to recreate with a ruler and a craft knife.  I used some of the border stickers and element stickers plus a ribbon and a few buttons and charms from my stash to finish off.  There is only one other piece of patterned paper here and that was from a branding strip!

I have really really enjoyed using this fun and colourful collection.  Today with the rain hammering down and showing no signs of stopping, I might just take a look at all my layouts again to bring some sunshine into my day!  I hope you enjoyed them too.

Bye for now
xx

I won a prize!!! (Scoot)

I have 3 more projects to share with you using the wonderful Scoot collection from Echo Park.  Just as I was about to embark on my S J Crafts DT work with this collection, Echo Park themselves announced a competition for projects involving Scoot so this gave me extra incentive (not that I needed one as the papers are so great!)  I submitted 3 projects and I was one of the 3 lucky ones to be chosen to win one of their other collections!  I am over the moon, especially as its the first time I've ever submitted anything like this.

Here is one of the projects I sent in - a double pager about a Lego exhibition at a local museum.

I die cut the chevron background on my Silhouette and continued the papers across both pages for continuity.  These types of background mean you can show case lots of the patterns in the paper pack and are ideal for leftovers, scraps and also my favourite 6x6 pages.

I love the little paperclips in the shape of people that I used from my stash here.  They represent both of the children working together to make this mosaic tile that formed part of a larger picture.

I've saved my favourite project to show you tomorrow but if you want to see it right now with a card I made too, then please do pop over to the S J Crafts blog and read more about the collection there.

Bye for now
xx

You Are My Sunshine (Scoot)

Ready for something girly?  Oh go on then.  Several of the girls on the retreat with me last weekend couldn't believe that I had made this with the same Echo Park Scoot collection from S J Crafts that all the others came from.  It honestly did and it just shows that with careful coordination you can use most collections for most things.

Bella is wearing orange and aqua in the picture so I picked up those colours in the collection using a couple of the B sides.  Using kraft card stock helps to ground the colour scheme and then I added pops of colour with the stunning American Crafts ribbon rose and some embroidery floss.  Its wonderful to be able to use my threads on layouts and feel like I'm getting something out of my years of cross stitching   Although as a slight aside, Louis is enjoying stitching with felt at the moment and today he convinced me to buy him a £1.29 cross stitch set for him to try so I could well be back into it before long!

This fabulous heart background is a freebie from Daniela Dobson (thanks Daniela!) and I used the reverse side as a mask for some light misting with Mister Huey's first for a subtle background.

I die cut the title on my Silhouette too and I really like the subtlety of the kraft against the orange although I have gone around all of the die cuts with a white gel pen.  Some charms, buttons, pearl brads and pretty stick pins and the end result is something far more feminine that would be immediately obvious from such a colourful boy themed collection.

You can expect to see more of these wonderful die cut backgrounds here as I got a bit carried away with them but I do love them and the different effects they can give.

So that's layout number 3 and I'll be sharing yet more in the next few days.

Bye for now
xx

From the other side of the World (Scoot)

How about something a bit different?  Baby photos scrapped on black!  I love how these Echo Park - Scoot papers pop against the black, just like they do on the mat.  

The beautiful mat in the photo was sent to us from a great aunt in New Zealand.  We've never met her but she has done a quilt each for the children and one for both of them.  This one for Louis arrived in time for his birth with a special place to record his details - its gorgeous!

I die cut the title on my Silhouette and made a messy stack out of left overs from the other projects.  I adore that harlequin paper.

I journalled around the edge in white gel pen, a technique I've been meaning to do on black for some time.  I added some little red cross stitches for a bit of extra dimension and a reference to the hard work Aunty Iris put into this wonderful keepsake.

If you want to see more lovely things from this kit then head over to S J Crafts blog and I'll be back in a short while with a much more girly layout.

Bye for now
xx

That's How He Rolls (Scoot)

While we were away I had a great opportunity to play with the new Echo Park Papers collection called Scoot which is available at S J Crafts.  It is aimed primarily at little boys but I ended up with a variety of projects which I'll be sharing over the next week (or you can see more of them sooner at the S J Crafts blog).

This first one uses both sides of the same paper which I mounted on a piece of cardstock that I didn't need (awful colour / damaged / whatever).  It gives everything stability and still maintains the 12x12 size.

I was really lucky to catch Louis's first roll over just before 4 months because I was trying to take a picture of him wearing a fireman's outfit, hence the fire engines in the papers being perfect here.  You can see how much more generic some of the B sides are with this ruled lines paper.

I used stickers from the collection with a few on pop dots for dimension and then added a few bits from my stash here and there.

This little guy is currently busy designing his own Lego world and eating us out of house and home.  I can hardly believe it's the same little chap in these photos.  At the time we had a 3 storey house and the only computer was in the top room so I used to lay him on the floor up there with a few toys while I tried to get 20 minutes of chat with my Open University friends.  Now of course I have a lap top and I am on it for long stretches at a time while I study / write / catch up with friends / blog / blog hop / scan Pinterest / make pretty things on my Silhouette / crop photos / check out Slimming World recipes / etc.  I wonder how I could cope now if I could only spend 2 x 20 minute bursts on the computer at the top of the house!

Tomorrow I'll be sharing something I created on black so please do come back and have a look at the rest of the projects over the next few days.

Bye for now
xx