WOYWW 244

I know it looks a mess but I promise you that I know exactly where everything is and there is actually an order to proceedings... sort of...

No seriously, its a hive of creativity at the moment, so much so that I am in danger of utilising every room in the house for something.  Lets begin with the desk seeing as that is what What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday is all about. Feel free to share your desk too over at Julia's Stamping Ground.

I was encouraged to get a bit painty with this layout (from Shimelle's new class) using white acrylic paint and Glimmer Mist on an acrylic block.  The idea is that the gap and the beginnings of the paint are covered with another piece of paper and you just see the edges of the paint as an extra layer.  However, it went a bit wrong after this.  I had pencilled in where the lines of the paper were going to go but still managed to stamp in the wrong place.  This meant I had to move the paper and so one of the pencil lines was visible.  Why did I not just rub it out I hear you cry?!  Well that will be because the painty / misty layer was protecting it... Ahem...

Its almost finished now so I'll be back in a couple of days to share that.  I'm still using Echo Park's For The Record 2 for some Greek photos and still loving it.

I've also been really OCD this week and I've been sorting out all the photos and putting them all in order. This means I can go through my albums on the computer and work out which ones I haven't printed.  I seem to have very few photos from 2007-8 so there are plenty more to come I'm sure!

I don't think I'm going to run out of photos to scrap any time soon!

As part of this big sort out I've had to work out which layouts / stories are in my albums and which ones have been blogged.  You might be seeing some very old layouts here as a result!  This particular layout started life as an 8x8 but I couldn't make it work so I added a few layers and put it onto a 12x12 instead.

 I think I made this in about 2011 not long after I had started scrapping (2010) and it remains one of my favourites, especially from my early years.

It was the first time I had tried doing my own thing with layering and clustering embellishments so I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Obviously there are things I would do differently now but isn't there always?

Time for a cuppa and a scoot around the desks.  I have a LOT of blog reading to catch up on!

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 197

Good morning, good yawning!  Plenty going on in this here house today for today's What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.

My desk - I'm making an album for my sort of brother-in-law's 60th birthday on Saturday, just decided on it - no pressure then.  Don't worry that there's no cup of tea here, I wasn't working here last.

This is the pile of pages so far for this album.

This is the finished pebble picture from last week, just waiting to go up on the wall.  The hot glue worked a treat as long as I worked quickly enough that the glue didn't cool even slightly.

Another work-in-progress.  This is a canvas that I'm gradually building up the layers on and will eventually become a lost sock department.  I've got some little heart shaped pegs and any time there is a sock left over in the wash it will go on the board until the other turns up.  Just an excuse to make a cute project for my new utility room really ;-)

And here is where I've spent much of today, at the kitchen table with my girl doing our colouring.  We're really working on fine motor skills with both children at the moment in order to help their handwriting without them practising their letters ;-)  Please note, the full cup of tea - phew!

 Both children are desperate to get their hands on my promarkers but NOBODY touches my pens...  I can understand them wanting to use them though, they flow so well.  *sigh

Bye for now
xx

S J Crafts Challenge - Birthdays

The monthly challenge over at S J Crafts this month is all about birthdays (thanks to it having been Sarah's birthday last week).  There is an added challenge to use circles or ovals too.

I'd been chatting to Sarah about divided page protectors and as I had some in my stash, I decided to use one for this project.  They are great as they give you plenty of room to tell the story, add your photos and still have space for twiddly bits.

I used both sides to share pictures of Louis on his 6th birthday this year when he got a guitar for the Wii and Lego Rock Band.  The journalling records how loud the house was that day with Bella on the new microphone too.

Having the multiple small spaces means that you treat each pocket as an individual layout and it is not so overwhelming as a blank 12x12 sheet.  You can also try out lots of different embellishment styles on the same page.

I used My Mind's Eye papers, Thickers, buttons, twine and stickers etc, from my stash.

I used Glossy Accents to pick out the detailing on the picture in the journalling block and this matched the really old epoxy stickers that I used to high light some of the circles on the designs.

I used Black Soot Distress Crackle paint on some chipboard pieces too.  It gives a great texture and it's a great way to cover up a design you don't like when you want to use the shape.

This month one random winner will win a £5 voucher to spend in the S J Crafts Shop so don't forget to upload your entry here.   Closing date for entries is: 14 November at 1pm.

Bye for now

xx

Love is like a butterfly.

My most recent DT package from SJ Crafts was a gorgeous set of Jenni Bowlin vellum butterflies.  They were just in time to feature on my Sister-in-law's special birthday card.  I layered them up on scalloped and embossed circles, inking the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  The butterflies have a wonderful dimension and the vellum allows the shapes and textures to show through.

 I used inspiration from Kirsty Wiseman for this card as I just love her style.

I used the remaining 2 pink butterflies on my layout about the fun of joining in with What's on Your Workspace Wednesday every week and the wonderful friends I have made.

The pops of dimension they give to the bunting really lift the layout and add something special to the pretty papers against the kraft cardstock.

I was also given a pack of blue butterflies and you know me, I like to show the flexibility of a product, so I tried something a bit different.  This is a heartfelt layout about that moment when you realise your children are growing up before your very eyes.

I was inspired by a layout I saw somewhere and it seems to have escaped my frantic Pinning but it was about letting your children fly.  The butterflies were perfect to signify how children grow and suddenly develop into something so much more wonderful than you thought possible.  But also that you can't hold onto them.

I really stepped out of my comfort zone here and I used bubble wrap with acrylic paint (you could use Jenni Bowlin's Dabbers), to stamp the background design.  I used a script stamp (you could use a stamp with any style of script design on) and stamped onto micropore tape from the chemist.

I echoed the vellum butterflies by using punched shapes as a mask (you could use this punch).  Again, the wonderful dimension these beauties supply adds just the right amount of lift for what I wanted.

Its quite a different style for me but it was great fun and its another important moment documented.  And there are butterflies.  Seriously, is there anyone who doesn't like butterflies?!

Bye for now
xx