Christmas joy

I'm getting back into moodboard challenges... I love how a selection of images and colours can kickstart my mojo!  This one at Sassy Scrappers caught my eye:

We don't decorate our home like this at Christmas, but I immediately thought of the giant decorations that we saw in the city on our recent visit.  I used my new Fancy Pants Christmas papers and also used the sketch on the Fancy Pants blog as the basis of my layout:



I really love how the grey balances the other colours.  I was a bit worried about such busy patterns at first but I love how they came together.  This layout is a bit 'flatter' than my usual layouts but it still has quite a few layers:

I also added stitching:




LINKING UP at Paper Issues for the Making it Merry theme.

Materials:
Fancy Pants Oh Deer - Wonder patterned paper
Fancy Pants Oh Deer - Santa's Team patterned paper
Fancy Pants Oh Deer - Sticker Fundamentals title sticker
Ranger Adirondack Metallics - Silver acrylic paint dabber 
Nylon gift ribbon

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Summer scrapping

I just love the December inspiration board at D-Lish Scraps:

This is my layout (I didn't use the sketch):



I was inspired by the iceblocks, the gorgeous colours and the concertina flowers. 

I used DM to stick down the clear acrylic alphabets.  I've found it's the only adhesive that dries clear enough not to show through transparent letters:



I did some fussy cutting for the waves and I made my own concertina flowers using paper offcuts:



Materials:
Splice iceblock wrapper
Vintage book page
Acrylic paint
MAMBI Mixed Media patterned paper
Scenic Route Grafton - Chapman Street patterned paper
K&Company Greenhouse Collection mat pad
Heidi Grace Spectrum acrylic alphabets
Purple Pumpkin ticket
Buttons and yellow lace (from my habby stash)
Puffy flower sticker ("borrowed" from my daughter's sticker stash!)

Thank you for visiting my blog!

House of bottles

I scrapped another page for our Lightning Ridge vacation album:



This one is based on the December sketch at Scrappy Canary.  It's the first time I've joined in a challenge there.

Materials:
MAMBI Mixed Media patterned papers
Fiskars The Wedge alphabet stickers
Cre8tiv embellishment stickers
Bella! Chipz flowers 
Vintage book pages

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Triangles...

I'm joining in at another Scrapki Wyzwaniowo challenge... this month it's all about triangles.  I really wanted to try this one!

I made a framed mini-layout:



Every year I do a piece of wall art for my Dad for Christmas.    I used three different patterned papers, including two with LOTS of triangles.

I'm also submitting my layout at Clique Kits for the December Anything Goes challenge. The twist is create something mini ~ the actual layout dimensions of this LO are 5"x7", so it's a lot smaller than a regular layout. With the white matt it's 8"x10", and then framed it's slightly larger again.

Materials:
Fancy Pants Oh Deer - Lights patterned paper
Fancy Pants Oh Deer - Festive patterned paper
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned paper
Echo Park A Walk in the Park - Elements sticker
Crafty Ribbons Bling Velvet - Jade ribbon

Celebrate

Sharing another photograph from my Mum's birthday back in August... this one is based on the December challenge at Scrapbookit:



I used the sketch, and I used the word 'Celebrate' for my title.

I'm also submitting at Scrap It Girl this month for their Wrap it Up challenge ~ I up-cycled some product packaging on my layout.  (If you've ever had one of the older EK Success punches you might recognise the blue and white floral design from the packaging that comes inside the plastic bubble pack.)

Materials:
Bazzill Basics cardstock
Lily Bee Designs Picket Fence - Veranda patterned paper
EK Success product packaging
Bella! Chipz flowers
Paper clip

Christmas Party

Another Christmas layout, and this one is a double page spread. Click to enlarge...



Our final theme for 2014 at Lasting Memories is 'Anything Goes' with a holiday twist.   A nice easy challenge to end the year ~ great timing too, considering so many of us are occupied with other goings-on at this time of year and may not get a lot of scrappy time.

This is my final DT reveal for Lasting Memories.  I have decided to step down from the design team to make room for some new adventures in 2015.  I am grateful for the wonderful opportunity I was given to share my layouts with a wider audience of scrapbookers throughout the year  After such a long break from scrapbooking, it was just the motivation I needed to jump back in with both feet!  I enjoyed getting to know some of the other designers, and I hope that some of my creations have inspired others to get scrapping too. 

It's been a few months since I joined in at Jot magazine for the mood board challenge.  I really loved the current one; I was especially inspired by the warm, neutral colour palette.

I knew straight away that I wanted to use a kraft background, and I toned down the saturation of my photographs to keep with the theme too.  I liked the idea of using a wide ribbon, and I also made my own holly embellishment:



I'm also submitting at Unstampabelles for their Summer Fun challenge.  I done half a twist too ~ Southern Hemisphere Christmas CARD.   For us, summer and Christmas go hand in hand, and many of our Christmas events are at the beach, or the pool, or the creek... anywhere to keep cool!

LINKING UP at Paper Issues for the Making it Merry theme.

Materials:
Kaisercraft Elegance - Elizabeth patterned paper
Bazzill Basics - Kraft cardstock
MFT Die-namics - Little Letters alphabet dies
Chic Tags Birthday Cake artisan journalling cards
Spiral mini paper clips

Thank you for visiting my blog!

A little bit vintage

I don't really scrap much in the vintage style, but I came across a photograph that I really wanted to try scrapping.  It's a photograph of my husband's dad as a young boy, with his older sister, Janet. We were in Sydney to celebrate Janet's 90th birthday in August.

(This is actually a photograph of a photograph - one day we hope to get her old photographs scanned so all of the family can have digital copies.)

I played with some wonderful Flourish with a Bling goodies which arrived in the mail this week :)



Here's little detail of the FWAB flowers, and I tried to capture the shimmer on the fence too.  You can also see that I gesso'd the grass to tone down the intense emerald colour:



I'm submitting this layout at Feeling Sketchy for their December "free scrap" layout challenge.

Materials:
FWAB Maddison - Chocolate flower
FWAB Maddison - Latte flower 
FWAB Trent's Fence puffy stickers
Glitz Design Happy Travels - Polka patterned paper
Prima Delight - Doilie patterned paper
Kaisercraft Prairie Lane - Fairview patterned paper
Chic Tags Autumn Days - Tabbed ATC's journalling tag
American Crafts Thickers - Marquise pearl numbers

09/01/2015 Edit to add:  Thrilled to be selected in the December Top Picks at Feeling Sketchy:

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Another for our Sydney album...

After a few diversions along the way, I'm back on track with the Sydney trip album.   No way it'll be done by Christmas, but at least I'm making some steady progress!

This layout was inspired by the December sketch at Anna's Craft Cupboard and it also was a good one to use up some of the scraps on my desk, left over from this layout and this one too:



Also submitting at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge for their Anything Goes theme, and Scrapbook Fantasies for Weekly Challenge #50/2014 - create a layout about family.

Materials:
Prima Delight - Doilie patterned paper  
Studio 75 Rosalie 03 patterned paper
Kaisercraft Prairie Lane - Fairview patterned paper  
Prima Rondelle textured canvas alphabets  
Basically Bare Hearts Set 2 calico heart
FWAB Elise - Chocolate flower

Thank you for visiting my blog!

A good old-fashioned scraplift!

It's been a while since I played over at Mystical Scrapbooks, but I couldn't resist joining in the final challenge of the year.  It's a fun one ~ Scraplift one of the DT layouts.

I scraplifted Donna:



I used Donna's layout as a template and followed her placement of the basic elements (two side-by-side photographs, title, paper off-cuts in the background, and a flower embellishment).  I used a selection of pieces from my "blue" ziplock bag of scraps and oddments and just tucked the paper pieces in behind the photographs.  No trimming involved - just a bit of pen work and it was done. Last I added a few extra embellishments, all from my "old stash" collection. I made the dragonfly a few years ago; I finally found just the right layout to use it on!



Also inspired by the Traditions theme at  Scrap Challenge Yourself.  My family doesn't have a lot of holiday traditions.  With my work, it's also very rare for me to get extended time off over the Christmas period.  One tradition we created for our family, is to take lots of day trips and explore the areas within one or two hours of home.  Almost every year, that means a drive to Christmas Creek, a lovely spot at the base of the Lamington National Park.

I'm entering my layout at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Anything Goes.  This layout is simple but it really does have a bit of anything and everything - paper scraps, punches, paint, bling, penwork...

Materials:
Lily Bee Designs Picket Fence - Veranda patterned paper
UHK Gallery Winter is Coming - Wheel of Fortune patterned paper
EK Success Retro Flower - Medium punch
EK Success Retro Flower - Small punch
LuminArte Twinkling H2O -  Bolivian Blue watercolour
LuminArte Twinkling H2O -  Meridian Blue watercolour 
Kaisercraft Pearls - Pewter
Prima Welcome to Paris texured canvas alphabets

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Party Girls

Another layout for our August Sydney trip album... this time inspired by the sketch at C'est Magnifique:



It's a lovely, versatile sketch which I followed reasonably closely; I made the addition of a title and journalling down the bottom of the page.

My favourite part is the gorgeous vine:


>

I'm also submitting my layout at Clique Kits for the December Anything Goes challenge.  I hope they like it!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge also has an Anything Goes theme for their final challenge of the year... the winner will be selected via random draw...

Materials:
Prima Delight - Doilie patterned paper
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned paper
Websters Pages Recorded - Today patterned paper
Green Tara Christmas Vine - Brown
Prima Zephyr - Decorative Wood Embellishments clock
Prima Rondelle textured canvas alphabets
Pearl strands (from my habby stash)

Thank you for visiting my blog!

White with... paloma

I think I have a reasonably good command of vocabulary; some dear friends and colleagues have also (correctly) accused me of being a "Grammar Nazi", a label I wear unashamedly. However, I have to confess I'd never heard of the colour PALOMA before today. I recognised the word/name as Spanish for dove but it wasn't until I consulted my trusty search engine that I learned it is also a shade of grey or taupe. Who knew? Apparently, the girls at White with 1!!
 


What a fabulous combination for the December challenge!  This is what I came up with:



I seem to struggle with photographing predominantly white or 'blingy' layouts - this is the best I could do.  Here's a little detail shot of the title, which I die-cut from the middle of the silver doiley!



Materials:
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned papers
Silver doiley
MFT Die-namics - Little Letters alphabet dies
Ranger Adirondack Metallics - Silver acrylic paint dabber
Glitz Designs Frosting bling strips

20/01/2015 EDIT TO ADD:   Thrilled to be selected as a winner at White with 1.


Thank you for visiting my blog!

Here comes Santa Claus...

Here it is ~ the inevitable Santa Claus layout!  Christmas challenges abound this time of year, and at Lasting Memories our theme this week is Here Comes Santa Claus.  I'm approaching the end of my Santa Claus photographs; with J-girl getting older our photo opportunities with Santa are diminishing.  This one is from 2012, when Santa visited our rural fire brigade:



I used the December sketch from Blue Fern Studios to create this layout.  I used some BFS Turkish Bits chipboard too, all gesso'd up to look a little bit frosty:




I'm also submitting my layout at Kelly's Scrappy Friends word challenge - a nice easy one this month with a selection of "Christmassy" words to choose from.  I used the word SANTA in my title.

Other materials:
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned paper
Bo Bunny Sweetie Pie - Sigh patterned paper
Carolee's Creations AdornIt - Tiny Whoopsy Red alpha stickers
Crafty Ribbons Bling Velvet - Sherry ribbon
Red birdie from a Scrapbook Fantasies embellishment pack
Christmas die cuts from a RAK

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Shine brighter

Isn't this Scrap the Girls mood board just so pretty?   I love the delicate softness and the touch of sparkle!  This is what it inspired me to create:



Materials:
Prima Delight - Doilie patterned paper
Studio 75 Rosalie 03 patterned paper
Prima Rondelle textured canvas alphabets
Basically Bare Hearts Set 2 felt heart
Prima Zephyr wooden ticket
MFT Die-namics - Little Letters alphabet die
Ranger Adirondack Metallics - Silver paint dabber
Celebrations Clear High Gloss embossing powder

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Oh Deer!

I received a 12x12 international parcel in the mail this week, with this fun label on it, which made me smile before I even opened it up:



Notice the logo in the corner?

I was the lucky recipient of a prize at the Fancy Pants Design blog~ this is what I won:



Thank you so much to Fancy Pants - I hope to play with the Oh Deer! collection very soon!

Inspired by...

... this photo:

... to create this layout:



This is for the December Scrap Our Stash challenge, where the additional criteria is to use something from your stash that sparkles.  I took inspiration from the colour palette (I used kraft, white and turquoise).  I used some glittered dome stickers for the 'sparkle':



Also submitting at Feeling Sketchy this month, where it's a "free sketch" - the sketch you have when you're not having a sketch!

This is a companion layout to THIS ONE and together they form a double:



Materials:
Bazzill Basics - Kraft cardstock
Lily Bee Designs Picket Fence - Veranda patterned paper
Kaisercraft Prairie Lane - Fairview patterned paper
Scenic Route Summer Vacation chipboard pieces
Scenic Route product packaging
Papermania Glitter Dome - Teal stickers
Washi tape

09/01/2015 Edit to add:
Thrilled to be selected in the December Top Picks at Feeling Sketchy!

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Snowflakes

Second week of the December challenges at Lasting Memories... and this week it's all about SNOWFLAKES GALORE.  Hmmmmm...  this one was definitely a challenge for me, living in a snow-free part of the world!  So, I searched through my scrappy stash and with a little bit of creative license, this is what I came up with:



I've chosen some large, spotty paper in wintery colours, which (if you squint) kind of evokes a snowy feel, maybe?


Materials:
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned papers
Prima Zephyr canvas alphabets
Making Memories Noteworthy glitter die cuts
Washi tape

The Flying Potsman

I've gotten back to scrapping some more photographs of our trip to Lightning Ridge last year.  I will finish our trip album, one day!  This layout was inspired by the December challenge at Scrap the Boys - a sketch which I turned on its side:



The photograph was taken at the Flying Potsman and I think the title chippie "Miles Away From Anything" pretty much sums up both the rail carriage (where there is no rail line) and the town of Lightning Ridge itself.

Materials: 
Bazzill Basics - Kraft cardstock 
Lily Bee Designs Picket Fence - Veranda patterned paper
Kaisercraft Prairie Lane - Fairview patterned paper 
Scenic Route Summer Vacation chipboard pieces 
Scenic Route product packaging 
Papermania Glitter Dome - Teal stickers 
Washi tape

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Guest designing at Sketches in Thyme

I was very excited to be invited as a guest designer at Sketches in Thyme this month.

This is the wonderful sketch by Bev Code, that I was given to work with:

This is what I created using the sketch:



The reason this page looks it looks a little plain, is because it is only half of a double page spread. I took the liberty of extending the sketch across two pages, to accommodate my photographs and journalling.  Click to enlarge:

 

Please visit Sketches in Thyme and check out the fabulous work of the design team, which is showcased throughout the month.

Materials:
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned paper
A2Z Scraplets Shapes - Compass chipboard
Colorbox Cats Eye Queue - Chocolates & Blueberries (Blue Iris and Prussian Blue) fluid chalks
Derivan acrylic paint - Red
Prima Cartographer wood embellishment
American Crafts Thickers - Patchwork fabric alphabets
My Minds Eye Meadowlark Dawn - Cards journalling card
Denim fabric scraps

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Almost December...

Today is my DT reveal for the first of the December challenges at Lasting Memories.  Our theme this week is Home for the Holidays, and the challenge is to create a layout about a Christmas tradition.

My family always has a very low-key Christmas, and we don't have many traditions.  One tradition we do observe is exchanging gifts, and every year I take some photographs of my daughter opening her presents.  This is my layout share:



I'm sharing my layout at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge for their Anything Goes theme.

Scrapbook Fantasies is looking for layouts using mesh - I have used a piece of mesh from a produce bag (behind the title).  I can't remember if this piece was from lemons, potatoes or onions!  All of them come in those wonderful mesh bags and I love recycling the mesh on my layouts to add a bit of texture without bulk.  I also used mesh recently on THIS LAYOUT.

2/1/2015:  EDIT TO ADD...  LINKING UP at Paper Issues for the Making it Merry theme.

Materials:
MAMBI Mixed Media patterned paper
Junkitz Girlz patterned paper
American Crafts Thickers - Sprinkles vinyl alphabets
Carolee's Creations AdornIt - Tiny Worn Navy alphabet stickers

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Bird's eye view

This layout was inspired by the November 1st sketch at Stuck?! Sketches.  I turned the sketch 90º left:



A little detail shot of the title:



I'm also submitting my layout at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge for this week's Anything Goes theme.

Aaanndd..... also perfect for Paper Issues Birds of a Feather theme!

Materials:
Pink Paislee 365º Degrees - Daydream patterned paper
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned paper
KI Memories Alphabet Soup - Blue Cheese acrylic alphabets
Alison Ellis Designs Very Merry - Cosmic Blue patterned paper
Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type alphabet stickers

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Two sketch layouts

These are two single-photo layouts that I created using sketches.

The first layout is based on the November sketch at Blue Fern Studios:



I used a Blue Fern Studios nautilus shell chipboard shape from their  Seaside Seashells pack.  I lightly inked the shape to add colour and definition.

Submitting for the linky party at Paper Issues: Birds of a Feather
 
Other materials:
K&Company Blue Awning patterned papers
Colorbox Cats Eye Queue - Prussian Blue ink
Carolee's Creations AdornIt - Tiny Worn Navy alphabet stickers

~ % ~ % ~ % ~ % ~ % ~

The second layout was inspired by a sketch challenge at Flying Unicorn:

 

For every entry received in the sketch challenge, Flying Unicorn is donating $5 to Cure Search for Children's Cancer.

I'm also submitting this layout to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge for the Anything Goes theme this week.

Materials:
Bazzill Basics - Kraft cardstock
Tim Holtz Woodgrain layered stencil
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned paper
Prima Zephyr canvas alphabet stickers


Thank you for visiting my blog!

Going Up...

Another mast-climb layout, following on from THIS ONE...



My layout design was inspired by the November sketch at Anna's Craft Cupboard.

Materials:
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned papers
American Crafts/Dear Lizzy Spring - Beehive Brunch patterned paper
Basic Grey Sugared - Mini Monogram alphabet stickers
Carolee's Creations AdornIt - Tiny Worn Navy alphabet stickers
Prima Cartographer wooden embellishment
Bazzill Basics cardstock

Keep your eye on the ball

This is my final Lasting Memories DT reveal for November.  This week is It's all about the title:



I created my title in Photoshop Elements by placing a text layer over my photograph.  I added embossing effects and a drop shadow, and used two different font sizes:



... This is another layout for J-girl's 2014 album, and the hockey theme is perfect for Paper Issues' current theme: Get Your Game On.

Materials:
Kaisercraft Sublime - Vogue patterned paper
Spellbinders Nestabilities - Labels Four diecut
Pink Paislee 365º Degrees - Daydream patterned paper
Pink Paislee Queen Bee - Worker Bee patterned paper
Green Tara 6cm Petals - Midnight Blue paper flower
Green Tara 2.5cm Petals - White paper flower
Kaisercraft Paper Flower - Sweet Pea (green)
Prima Essentials paper flower
Fiskars Threading H2O edge punch
Kaisercraft Pearls - Pewter

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Guest designing at ARTastic

I was thrilled when Jane invited me to be a guest designer at ARTastic in November.

I fell in love with the inspiration piece Tra-la-la by Antje Collis as soon as I saw it!

The additional criteria is doodling - something I **love** to do. 

This is my creation:



My tip for reluctant doodlers:  Use a patterned paper base as a kind of template, and just embellish it with a pen or paintbrush.  I chose a paper from a very old Scenic Route collection.  The original pattern was a simple array of different sized circles:

Every little bit of black that you can see on my layout is my own pen work.  You don't need to be an artist, and it doesn't need to be perfect!  I had lots of fun with lines and dots and other simple doodles:



I also fussy cut some leftover circles from the same paper, and doodled each one to make my title:



Please visit ARTastic to read more about the challenge and see the wonderful design team inspiration pieces!

4/12/2014 EDIT TO ADD:  Linking up at Paper Issues for their "Birds of a feather flock together" theme.

Materials:
Scenic Route Hampton - Hammond Drive Pink patterned paper
Sassafras Lass In a Stitch - Kraft blossoms

Thank you for visiting my blog!