Last one for January...

This layout was inspired by the January sketch at Scrappy Canary:



I'm also submitting it at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge for the Anything Goes theme.

Materials: 
Cherry Arte Party Days - Stripe patterned paper 
Charm's Creations chevron 
Smooch Spritz - Sunkissed mist 
Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst - Salt Water Taffy mist 
Baker's twine 

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Cyber cropping at Mystical Scrapbooks

 It's been a while since I joined in at a cyber crop, so it was fun to try some of the challenges at Mystical Scrapbooks' January Cybercrop:

Jane's challenge ~ Use non-conventional shaped photographs



I cut my photograph into three triangles.  Here are some detailed shots:





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Donna's challenge ~ Use the provided sketch, and also must have some paint or 'messy stuff' and something handmade:



I turned the sketch on its side.  My handmade item is the journalling tag.  I used texture paste to add the stars with a stencil.  In real life, this looks really cool, but it doesn't really show up clearly when photographed.   



Materials:
Lily Bee Design Picket Fence - Seize the Day patterned paper
Crate Paper Crush - Kelp patterned paper
Tim Holtz Stars layering stencil
American Crafts Alpha Pals - Champion Block alphabet stickers
Pebbles roller stamp
Creative Embellishments Discover Nautical flair
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Tracey's challenge ~ Starting with cardstock base, draw a large X anywhere on it that you like - it must become part of your design. Use it as a main feature on your page.  This challenge really had me thinking... and this is what I created:



I drew the X, then drew a circle, then cut out the segments and put the patterned paper and photographs behind the segments.  And added stitching... of course!

I used some odd bits and pieces from my stash, including some handmade leaves left over from a project last year, and a bit of leftover trim that has been floating around on my desk for months:



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Hideout

This layout is based on by sketch #138 at Sketches in Thyme:



I used lots of scraps and offcuts for this one, keeping it mostly monochromatic.  I also have a new favourite way of using up my small scraps!  The little pennants were inspired by an idea from Vintage Street Market:



This is the first time I've tried it, and I love the result ~ so simple but it adds something extra to the layout.   I pre-made a bunch of them (it's kind of addictive); they are ready to be embellished further with gems, buttons, flowers or alphabets, depending on the project I'm working on.



I'm sharing my layout at Country View Challenges, where the January theme is something new to you.

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Bald Rock

I love the photographs that I took at Bald Rock last year, and I still have a bunch of them that I want to scrap onto layouts.  This is my most recent one:



I was inspired by two challenges ~

* Scrapbookit has a fun Tic Tac Toe challenge this month.  {I chose flowers, paint, and chipboard}

* Creative Embellishments has an inspiration picture, and a requirement to use some sort of texture paste/medium on your project such as gesso, modeling paste, opaque or pumice.  {I used plain gesso to stamp with bubble wrap.} I also gesso'd the chipboard shape from the Branches Set:

Other materials:
Kaisercraft Prairie Lane - Fairview patterned paper
Vintage book page
Crate Paper Crush - Kelp patterned paper
Provocraft Cuttlebug - Fall Leaves die 
Cre8tive alphabet stickers
Petaloo velvet flower

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Wild and free

I started out the month on a roll with my scrapping, but with the end of school holidays fast approaching, I've been so busy catching up on "stuff" that creating has taken a back seat.  Today I found some time to put together a simple layout, inspired by two different challenges.

I used sketch #113 at Feeling Sketchy:

I was also inspired by the Clear Up theme at The Studio Challenges. A few months ago I ordered a bunch of enlargements to take advantage of a photo printing special, and the packet has been sitting on my desk ever since. I also used up some more of my old Pink Paislee stash:



The quote is from Desiderata, the famous poem by Max Ehrmann.  The photograph was taken at Bald Rock National Park.

Materials:
Kaisercraft Prairie Lane - Fairview patterned paper
Pink Paislee Queen Bee - Bees Wax patterned paper
Pink Paislee Spring Fling - Rain Showers patterned paper
My Minds Eye Jubilee - Mint Julep -Wild flair
Feather charm (from a Scrapbook Fantasies embellishment pack)
Cre8tiv embellishment stickers
Bakers twine

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A Wonderful Day

I love the gorgeous colour challenge at White with 1 this month:




I've scrapped this photograph last month {for this project} but today I scrapped a layout to keep for myself:



This month it's a collaborative challenge, so I used Sketchabilities #131 as the starting point.  This was the closest I could get to the sample colour, so I hope it's okay.   Here's a little close-up of my flowers and banners: 



I used:
Urban Lily May Ella - Pure patterned paper
Echo Park For the Record - Fancy Floral patterned paper
UHK Gallery Winter is Coming - Letters from Home patterned paper
FWAB Elise rhinestone flourish
Scenic Route Summer Vacation chipboard shapes
Prima Zephyr textured canvas alphabets
Typo heart pins

06/02/2015 Edit to add:  I'm a featured designer at Sketchabilities for this layout!

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Another graduation layout

This one was inspired by the January sketch at Blue Fern Studios:



I used BFS Blue Fern Garden - Boudoir patterned paper.  This is from their first paper collection and it's the first time I've used it.

I'm also submitting my layout at Country View Challenges for the January theme - Use something new to you.  I've used lots of "new to me" things on this layout. Apart from the paper collection, the other new things are the Maggie Holmes Flea Market photo overlay {I mounted my photograph on top} and Prima Finnabair - Vintage Vanity stamps.

A little close up of my flowers and layers - handmade rolled roses and leaves:



Other products:
Manor House Minuettes - Pink Mix paper flowers
Colorbox Cats Eye Queue - Chocolates & Blueberries (Dark Brown, Chestnut Roan) fluid chalk ink
FWAB Elise - Silver rhinestones
Prima Meadow Lark textured canvas alphabets

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Rivals

This layout is another one for our July 2014 mini-vacation album.. a little bit of a dig at the "interstate" rivalry between my husband and daughter:



I was inspired by Rochelle's Scrappy Friends Tic Tac Toe challenge.  I used the third vertical row:
~ three patterned papers {three wide bands behind the photograph}
~ die cut {journalling spot made using Spellbinders die}
~ the colour gold {glitter stars}

I'm also joining in the January challenge at Archi-scraps for the clouds theme. I included clouds in my patterned paper choice.

Materials:
Echo Park Sweet Summertime - Blue Sky patterned paper
Authentique Classique - Elegant Four patterned paper
Little Yellow Bicycle Traveler alphabet stickers
Spellbinders Nestabilities - Labels Three die
Glitter foam stars

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Thankful

I was invited to be a guest designer at Unstampabelles for January.  This challenge blog is all about paper crafting, with no stamps.This means no rubber stamps, no digital stamps, no clipart or line-art which includes pre-coloured versions.  For me - this is not so difficult, because my assorted collections of stamps remain somewhat neglected underutilised.

The January theme is THANK YOU and the twist is to include a photograph that shows where you live.  This is my layout:



I kept the design very simple to keep the focus on the photograph. Here's the background story:

I live in a semi-rural area on large acreage, surrounded by natural bushland.  Our house can't be seen from the street.  The view from the window is beautiful, but it's not a unique outlook; you really could be ANYWHERE in the Australian bush.  But we love knowing it's OUR view, and OUR property and OUR trees...

The photograph on my layout was taken in January a few years ago, during a very heavy downpour.  It's so hot and dry in summer, and we always welcome the rain that fills our water tanks and makes everything green.

I hope you are inspired to join in the challenge at Unstampabelles this month.

Materials:
Prima product packaging
Vintage book page
Cre8tiv embellishment stickers

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First double layout for 2015

This layout is based on the January sketch challenge at Kreative Koncepts.  I stretched it out and made mine a double page spread.  Click to enlarge for a closer look:



Here's the left page:



And the right page:



It's a bit of a mish-mash of colours and patterns (and I used lots of scraps for the punched stars), but I'm happy with how it turned out.  I like how just a little bit of dimension can add interest:



Materials:
October Afternoon Sasparilla - Wide Open Spaces patterned paper
October Afternoon Sasparilla - Giddy Up patterned paper
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned paper
Scenic Route Summer Vacation chipboard words
MAMBI Mixed Media patterned paper
Sam & Lucy star punch
Collage Press Sweet Shoppe alphabet stickers
Charm's Creations Heavenly Hearts felt embellishment

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Do not disturb

... Sleeping Beauty??

This layout was inspired by the January challenge at Mystical Scrapbooks:



The criteria:
* Red,white and blue
* Stars
* Stripes

Materials:
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned paper
Bazzill Basics cardstock
Sam & Lucy star punch
Washi tape
Glassine bag
Scenic Route Summer Vacation chipboard title

Living in the Moment

Another layout from our day at the beach last year:



I played with my new Dylusions inks {Christmas present from Santa!} and tried to drip the colour down from the corner - I think I need more practice at that but I do LOVE the colours.

My layout was inspired by these challenges:

* Feeling Sketchy Sketch #112:  I moved the banners down to the bottom but the essence of the sketch is still there...

* Off the Rails Scrapbooking January moodboard:  I was inspired by the colours, and I went heavy on the yellow!

* Picture This January challenge - with a formula of ONE PHOTO + SUNBURST + PAINT
I used ink sprays as my paint medium - I hope this is okay :)

The journalling:




Materials:
Authentique Radiant - Beaming patterned paper
Authentique Favorite - Components die cut title
Ranger Dylusions - Lemon Zest spray ink
Ranger Dylusions - Squeezed Orange spray ink
Charm's Creations Heavenly Heart felt embellishment
Baker's twine

21/01/2015 Edit to add:  My layout was a Top Pick at Feeling Sketchy:

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Life is Beautiful

This layout was inspired by the sketch challenge at Flourish with a Bling, a perfect one for using up leftover paper strips.

The colour scheme was inspired by Kelly's Scrappy Friends colour challenge:

 

I was lucky enough to win some new FWAB goodies late last year and I love using them!  I like how my pretty new embellishments combine so beautifully with my older stash.  I cut up the flourish into smaller pieces to fit the spaces I was working with:



I topped an old chipboard shape with a small rhinestone strip to give it a new look:




I'm also submitting at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, where the theme is Old and New.

Materials:
FWAB Elise - Silver rhinestone flourish
FWAB Maddison - Orange small flower
FWAB Elise - Chocolate flower
Kaisercraft Prairie Lane - Fairview patterned paper
Prima product packaging
Close to my Heart Silhouette patterned paper
Kaisercraft Elegance - Elizabeth patterned paper
Cosmo Cricket Earth Love - Elements title card
Bella! Chipz butterfly

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Graduation layouts

Photographs from my daughter's Year 7 graduation in 2012 have been sitting in a packet for a while now, and it's time I got them scrapped!

This layout was inspired by the sketch challenge at Scrap the Girls:



I mostly older stash for this layout, but I also had fun playing with a new stencil.  Santa Claus brought me a heap of stencils, paints and mists for Christmas!   {My Santa shopped HERE}

I also made my own spiral roses:



Materials:
Teresa Collins Essentials - Chevrons 8"x10" stencil
Making Memories Specialty Glaze - Rose Petal acrylic paint
MAMBI Mixed Media patterned paper
My Minds Eye Lost & Found patterned paper
Junkitz Stickerz alphabets
Prima Rondelle textured canvas alphabets
Prima Zephyr - Wooden Embellishments clock

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

This layout was inspired by sketch #137 at Sketches in Thyme:



Materials:
White doiley 
Making Memories Specialty Glaze - Rose Petal acrylic paint
Echo Park Victoria Gardens - Botanical Ballad patterned paper
Gift ribbon - pink & white
Green checked ribbon - RAK from Lizzy Hill
Prima Welcome to Paris textured canvas alphabets
Green Tara 4cm Petals - Pink paper flowers
PortaCraft blossoms - pale pink
Inque Boutique Isn't it Romantic felt shapes 

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Lunatic Hill

Funny name for a destination, interesting history...  one of the places we visited in Lightning Ridge, and subject for another layout in the holiday album:



This one is based on the January challenge at Show Us Your Stuff.  I used the sketch, but simplified it a bit to suit my page.  The handmade item is a Charm's Creations geo-marker.

Other materials:
MAMBI Mixed Media patterned paper
Cherry Arte Party Days - Stripe patterned paper
Autumn Leaves Scribbles - Graffiti ribbon
May Arts Light Blue/Ivory Stripes 1.5"grosgrain ribbon
Echo Park Life is Good journal card

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It's Christmas Time in the City...

Scrappers who have known me for a while, know that I *love* orange... so it's no surprise that I had fun with this layout!

I combined the January sketch from C'est Magnifique, and the December challenge from The Studio Challenges {Christmas layout in non-traditional colours}, to come up with this:



I'm also submitting at Scrapbook Fantasies for Weekly Challenge #51/2014 - Scrap a layout about Christmas AND at Paper Issues for the Making it Merry link-up.

Materials:
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned paper
Bo Bunny Flirty - Thrill patterned paper
Echo Park Summertime alphabet stickers
White paper doiley
Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Terracotta Gold

Pixels and Paper

I am so excited to be joining the amazing design team at Pixels and Paper Challenge Blog in 2015.

"Pixels and Paper is an international challenge blog dedicated equally to those who like to work with paper and those who prefer using digital pixels (and any who dabble in both). We find our inspiration from a source of pixels on paper - photography!"

This is the inspiration photograph for January:

I was inspired by the beach theme, the bright colours, and the relaxed, carefree vibe of the photograph. I decided to just have a play around and see where it ended up! This is my layout:

 

What I did: 

1> I started with a plain piece of white cardstock, added some old book pages and painted over the top with tinted gesso. ("Here's one I prepared earlier!")
{A few months ago I tried tinting gesso using acrylic paint.   I made a huge mess had fun trying to work out how much colour to add, how it would look painted on different papers, which brands blended the best, what kind of brush to use, etc.  I ended up with a pile of mistakes experimental pages which I stockpiled to use on future projects.}
2> I placed my photograph in the middle of page, and doodled a border.
3> I added some lace and simple embellishments.  I wanted to use a lot of bright colours and the little resin flowers were perfect.
4> I used a cheap dollar-store stencil to add my title, and added colour with my Crayola watercolour pencils.
5> I doodled some more... and added basic journalling.

I'd love to see you join us this month at Pixels and Paper. 

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