Winter in Cairns...

A few more layouts for my Cairns trip album:

* * * *

The title for this layout was inspired by the June cybercrop challenge at The Scrap Suite:

Materials

Basic Grey Serenade - Shillings patterned paper
Vintage book paper
LuminArte Twinkling H2Os - Egyptian Gold watercolour paint
Micador Collected & Co - Typed Text Black alphabet stickers
Portacraft Metallic Gold alphabet stickers
FWAB Elise - Antique Brown rhinestone flourish & flower

I used words from the lyrics of John Lennon's Imagine: "Above us, only sky".

* * * *

This layout features one of my favourite photographs from the Daintree:

Materials

Kaisercraft Esperance - Ocean Tide patterned paper
Basic Grey Serenade - York patterned paper
Basic Grey Lime Rickey - Howdy Doody patterned paper (fussy cut)
October Afternoon Mini Market - Green & Cream alphabet stickers

I'm sharing this layout at Soul Scrappers for the Escape to Nature challenge, featuring ANIMALS.

I chose my own quote for this page: "Never smile at a crocodile" (Lyrics from Disney's animated Peter Pan movie).

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Josephine Falls, continued

Two more layouts for the Cairns trip album, both featuring Josephine Falls:

Materials

Basic Grey Serenade - Bustle patterned paper
Kaisercraft Jade's Garden - Jasmyn patterned paper
Kaisercraft Enchanted Garden - Rapture patterned paper
Otto washi tape
Painted wooden butterfly button
Micador Collected & Co - Text Type Black alphabet stickers

I'm sharing this one at:

* Mystical Scrapbooks ~ Winter Cybercrop ~ Layering
Layered up patterned papers is one of my favourite techniques!

* Simon Says Monday ~ Let's Take a Vacation
Photographs from my recent trip to Cairns, one of the top vacation spots in Queensland.

* Word Art Wednesday ~ Anything Goes

=======

And another:

Materials

Basic Grey Serenade - Bowler Hat patterned paper
Porta Craft rhinestone sheet
Cocoa Vanilla Endless Summer accessory sticker
Glitz Designs Teeny Alpha - Mint Grunge letter stickers

I'm sharing this layout at Soul Scrappers for the Random Word challenge, with the featured word, SPECTACULAR.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Blackall - Good Stuff

I need to get back to some pocket scrapping to catch up on some of my travel pages, but I keep procrastinating.

The June sketch challenge at Mystical Scrapbooks pushed me finish another double page pocket spread... super simple but I like how it turned out:

Materials

Simple Stories Sn@p! Insta-page inserts
Simple Stories Sn@p! Everyday journal cards
Carolee's Creations Adorn It - Tiny Worn Navy alphabet stickers
Carolee's Creations Adorn It - Rugged alphabet stickers

I'm also sharing my layout at:
* Word Art Wednesday ~ Anything Goes
* Simon Says Monday ~ Take a Vacation (vacation in the Queensland outback)

Thank you for visiting my blog!

My scrappy process

This month is the final challenge at Pixels and Paper Challenge blog.  I'm the last one to host a tutorial, and I'm sharing it here too >>

I'm a messy scrapper, so I thought I'd share my process for tidying up my mess, and what I do with my scraps. First, anything around 4"x8" or bigger is stored away by brand.  Most of my papers are sorted by brand name.

Then, I sort my other offcuts and scraps roughly by colour group.  I"m not too fussy about this but it makes scrapping by colour much easier.  I store them in ziplock bags.  Those people who are familiar with my layouts may have have noticed that I scrap a lot of monochromatic layouts, or layouts with just one or two colours, often on white background.

When I start a new project I almost always start with the scraps on my desk!  If I use them up first, I don't need to tidy them away...

For this tutorial, I followed exactly that process.

1 
I sorted my scraps by colour group:



2
I selected a pile to work with (aqua/teal tones) and shuffled them around a bit to create a background:



3
I added a few journalling cards to the mix, and added my photograph:



4
I added a touch of doodling. I do this a lot on my layouts - it's fun, it's a personal touch, and it unifies the elements:



5
I added some simple embellishments and some journalling... DONE.



You don't need a lot of product to create a fun scrapbook page. I encourage you to make the most of your scraps, and have fun creating art with what you've got!

Materials

Simple Stories Summer Vibes - Teal Wood patterned paper
Simple Stories Snappy Sayings 3x4 card
Kaisercraft Enchanted Garden - Entrance patterned paper
Crate Paper Shine - Devine patterned paper
Prima Free Spirit ATC card
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Edition filler card
Sandy Lion Tweet stickers

I'm also sharing my layout at Simon Says Wednesday for the Patterned Paper challenge ~ lots of patterned paper scraps on this layout!

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Rainy Days

This layout was inspired by the lyrics challenge at Soul Scrappers:

Materials

Kaisercraft Prairie Lane - Woodshire patterned paper
Kaisercraft Pickled Pear - Thyme patterned paper
Kaisercraft The Looking Glass - Queen of Hearts diecut card
Otto washi tape
Tailored Foil Alphabet stickers

The title is taken from the lyrics of Sunny (Reed Deming):  Rainy days are passing by.  

Babinda rainfall information obtained from:
http://www.babindainfocentre.com.au/more-info/rainfall/

& & & & & 

Another rainy-day Babinda layout:

Materials

Kaisercraft Prairie Lane - Woodshire patterned paper
Kaisercraft Marigold - Straw patterned paper
Kaisercraft Jade's Garden - Jasmyn patterned paper
Kaisercraft Enchanted - Rapture patterned paper
Bo Bunny Take a Hike buttons
DMC embroidery thread
Black satin ribbon

My layout was inspired by these challenges:

* Stuck?! Sketches ~ 15th June sketch

* Mystical Scrapbooks ~ Technique - Stitching
A lot of my layouts feature machine stitching, but I am away from home for a few weeks with limited scrapping supplies (and no sewing machine).  So for this layout I hand-stitched the buttons onto the page, and I added some cross-stitching to secure the photograph.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Mill Gallery

Another work trip has prompted me to revisit my Rockhampton trip album and add another page:

 

Materials

Want2Scrap Labels Eleven chipboard album (used as page template)
Memento Printemps - Tulipe patterned paper
Fancy Pants Down by the Shore - Red corrugated cardstock
Watercolour paper
Cosmo Cricket Social Club - Jazz patterned paper
Yellow chevron washi tape
Best Creations Craft n Craftin' - Flower chipboard
Flourish with a Bling Antique Gold pearls
Echo Park Kate - Lowercase alphabet dies

I'm sharing my page at:
* Simon Says Monday ~ Touchy Feely (currugated card)

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Happy

This layout was inspired by the sketch challenge at Anna's Craft Cupboard:

Materials

Cre8tiv  Designer Papers - Eco patterned paper
Bo Bunny VickiB - Florilicious patterned paper
Crate Paper Emma's Shoppe - Florals patterned paper
Echo Park Birthday Wishes - Birthday Floral patterned paper
Simple Stories Snappy Sayings 3x4 card
Flourish with a Bling Elise - Chocolate flower
Buttons from my habby stash

I'm also sharing my layout at:
* Simon Says Monday ~ Touchy Feely
One of my base papers has a textured 'fabric' pattern, a mix of textures in my embellishments (soft satin, hard wood and plastic buttons), and a feather (just for fun!)

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Sunset Cruise

Some serious Kaisercraft stash-busting going on with this double layout... click to enlarge:

Materials

Kaisercraft Lilac Avenue - Snapdragon patterned paper
Kaisercraft Enchanted Garden - Charm patterned paper
Kaisercraft Marigold - Straw patterned paper
Kaisercraft Loire Valley - Osummunda patterned paper
Kaisercraft Sublime - Vogue patterned paper
Otto Arrow paper clip
Tailored Foil Alphabet stickers

This is my take on the Soul Scrappers PhiloSOULphy challenge, where the inspiration quote is: Don't wait for your ship to come in, swim out to it.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Life

This is my take on the quote challenge at Soul Scrappers In Honour of Debi Clark.

Materials

Basic Grey Serenade - Bowler Hat patterned paper
Cocoa Vanilla Hello Sunshine - Full Bloom patterned paper
Kaisercraft Rhinestones - Silver gems
Simple Stories Carpe Diem - Bits & Pieces die cut title

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Sunset

I can't resist photographing sunsets, even though the photographs never really capture the moment as perfectly as I'd like. These are two companion layouts I created to place in facing pages of my Cairns trip album:

This one was inspired by the Escape to Nature challenge at Soul Scrappers, with the theme of SUNSETS:

Materials

Basic Grey Serenade - Parlor patterned paper
Kaisercraft Jade's Garden - Jasmyn patterned paper
DMC embroidery thread
Painted wooden butterfly button
Otto washi tape

The quote, Sunset is the opening music of the night is attributed to Turkish playwright Mehmet Murat Ildan.

* * * * * *

This one was inspired by the June sketch challenge at Scrapping Clearly:

Materials

Basic Grey Serenade - Parlor patterned paper
Kaisercraft Jade's Garden - Jasmyn patterned paper
Kaisercraft Lush - Maple patterned paper
DMC embroidery thread
Otto washi tape

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Innisfail

This double page layout was inspired by the Double Delight sketch at Soul Scrappers. Click to enlarge:

Materials

Basic Grey Serenade - 50 Pence patterned paper
Kaisercraft Enchanted Garden - Fascinate patterned paper
Otto washi tape
Wooden butterfly buttons
DMC embroidery thread
Tailored Foil Alphabet stickers

* * * * *

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Karen Loves Books

This page was inspired by the Soul Scrappers Quest - Book Lovers challenge:

Materials

Kaisercraft Prairie Lane - Woodshire patterned paper
Green Tara 4cm Petals - Daffodil paper flowers
Black satin ribbon (upcycled from clothing tag)
Buttons from my habby stash
Otto washi tape
Mont Marte Silver Series - Metallic Yellow acrylic paint

All other bits and pieces were from the mystery packet of goodies provided by Shazza, the challenge hostess.

The challenge brief was to use the provided items to create a project with a 'book lovers' theme. Included in the project is the creation of a bookmark using the provided shipping tag. I used the book page as a base, added some metallic paint and used the quote, "A book is a gift you can open again and again," attributed to American columnist Garrison Keillor.

This is a close up of the bookmark:

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Josephine Falls

I've started a new album to record my most recent trip to Cairns.

Keeping it simple with this layout, to showcase the photograph:

Materials

Basic Grey Serenade - Bustle patterned paper
Cocoa Vanilla Endless Summer accessory stickers

I'm sharing my layout at Colorful Creations for the Something Old, Something New challenge.  The 'old' is the Basic Grey paper - I don't think I'll ever totally use up my BG stash!!  The 'new' is the photograph, taken this month.  (And the stickers are 'new-ish' ~ this isn't the newest Cocoa Vanilla collection but it's a recent acquisition for me.)

& & & & & & & &

And another one...

Materials

Basic Grey Serenade - Dowager patterned paper
Basic Grey Serenade - Peacock patterned paper
Kaisercraft Marigold - Straw patterned paper
Kaisercraft Reminising - My Love patterned paper
Simple Stories Life Documented - Bits & Pieces die cuts
Simple Stories Carpe Diem - Bits & Pieces die cut

I'm sharing this layout at Soul Scrappers for the Random Word challenge, with the letter L and the word LOVE.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Coffee time

A layout using more of the scraps on my desk:

Materials

Kaisercraft Reminiscing - My Love patterned paper
Bo Bunny VickiB - Florilicious patterned paper
Flourish with a Bling Elise - Chocolate flower
Bo Bunny Take a Hike chipboard banners
DMC embroidery thread
Buttons from my habby stash

I was inspired by these challenges:

* Off the Rails ~ June mood board

I took inspiration from the coffee beans and the warm brown tones.  I love discovering new coffee places to visit, and just about every vacation and day trip I'll find one and scrap it...

* Mixed Media Monthly ~ #34 Buttons

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Sea Cliff Bridge

This is the fabulous inspiration photograph at Pixels and Paper for June.

Our required criteria this month is the use of STENCILS ~ I chose a stencil that brought to mind the patterns in the bridge trusses, and used metallic silver on black to continue the theme.   I scrapped some photographs of our road trip from last year, driving on the Sea Cliff Bridge:

Materials

Bazzill Basics Smoothies - Blackberry Swirl cardstock
The Crafter's Workshop Mini Square Scrolls stencil
Imagine Crafts Creative Medium - Metallic Silver texture paste
Krafter's Korner Luggage Tag tags
Baker's twine
Studio Calico Carolina Moon patterned paper
Washi tape
Red paper clips

And just for a bit of fun... when I photograph my layouts outside on the patio, my pictures are often photo-bombed by inquisitive free-range chickens!  This is the one who got closest today:

I'm sharing my layout at:

* Simon Says Wednesday ~ Anything Goes

* Mixed Media Monthly ~ #32 Put a Stencil on it

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Guest designing

This month I'm guest designing at Sketches in Thyme PL Style. Thank you Lori for inviting me!

This is the sketch I am working with, designed by Shawn Lahr:

I love how versatile this sketch is, and I created two different pieces.    First, a layout to add to my Tin Can Bay vacation album:

Materials

Kaisercraft Jade's Garden - Jay patterned paper
Simple Stories Summer Vibes - Teal Grid/Teal Wood patterned paper
Paper clips
Simple Stories Sn@p! Color Fusion flair button
Shimelle Starshine flair button
Baker's twine

# # # # # # # #

Next I made a photo card for a pocket page spread:

Materials

Bazzill Basics Dotted Swiss - Deep Blue cardstock
Simple Stories Summer Vibes - Teal Wood patterned paper
Ric rac
Ribbon scraps
Feather
Merci Velvet Hearts brads

I'm sharing my PL card at Simon Says Monday for the Little Critters theme.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Our view

The latest mood board at Scrapping Clearly was a fun one for me:

I am always drawn to autumn tones, and orange in particular is a favourite colour to scrap with.  This is what I created:

Materials

Kaisercraft Marigold - Straw patterned paper
Kaisercraft Lush - Bonzai patterned paper
Bazzill Basics Dotted Swiss - Deep Blue cardstock
Prima Epiphany paper flowers
Painted wooden butterflies
Tim Holtz Idea-ology journalling ticket

Thank you for visiting my blog!

ARTastic scrapping

This is my contribution to the ARTastic challenge for May:

Materials

Kaisercraft Lush - Bonzai patterned paper
Crate Paper Toybox - Explore patterned paper
Authentique Radiant - Beaming patterned paper
Basic Grey Lime Rickey - Howdy Doody patterned paper
Bazzill Basics Fourz - Citrus cardstock
Cocoa Vanilla Sugar & Spice - Wood Veneers flowers
Green Tara 4cm Petals - Daffodil paper flowers
Painted wooden buttons

This is the fabulous artwork by landscape artist, Michael Sass that inspired my layout:

I took my inspiration from the orange and green tones, and of course the garden theme.  I love how cottage gardens comprise a mix of different flowers, so I used a selection of different flower embellishments on my layout.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Boutique scrapping

This layout was inspired by the May mood board challenge at Scrap Boutique:

Materials

Coredinations Black Tie - White cardstock
Pink Paislee C'est La Vie - Paper 09 patterned paper
Kaisercraft 75 cents - Dollar gloss paper (fussy cut)
Cocoa Vanilla Endless Summer alphabet stickers

I'm also joining in at Clique Kits for the May theme of All Things Gold.  The butterflies are fussy cut from a gold gloss specialty paper.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

So happy

This layout was inspired by the mood board challenge at Show Us Your Stuff:

Materials

Crate Paper Emma's Shoppe - Fabrics patterned paper
Merci Velvet Heart brads
Simple Stories Carpe Diem - Bits & Pieces diecut tab
Kaisercraft Waterberry - Delicious patterned paper
Kaisercraft Miss Nelly jewels

I saw this mood board being all about simple pleasures and things that make us happy.  And for me, that includes a relaxed cuppa, a sweet indulgence, and anything cute and cuddly!  I am a firefighter at my local Rural Fire Brigade and I was stoked to see this little gorgeous teddybear at a cafe - not often you see a bear dressed in rural yellow!

My handmade item is the concertina flower:

Thank you for visiting my blog!