Maybe...

... I can squeeze in one last layout for the month?

This one is based on the sketch at Pretty Little Studio:



The title, "Family Tradition" refers to our wet/cloudy/rainy family weekends.  Those are the only days when my husband isn't working... and thus the only time we can get away as a family.  If it's sunny and gorgeous outside, he's at work and we don't have weekend family time.

I am also submitting at:
* Scrap it Girl: using blue, arrows, and numbers (journalled date)
* Clique Kits: Anything Goes.

Materials:
Paper scraps - MAMBI, Basic Grey, Gin-X
Cardstock scraps - Bazzill
Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type word and alphabet stickers
Fiskars 1.5" circle punch

09/03/2015 EDIT TO ADD ~ Thrilled to be selected as a winner at Pretty Little Studio!  

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Moving on

I haven't done a lot of scrapping this month, but this layout has taken me almost all month to finish!  I've been watching some tutorials on mixed media techniques and I've been playing around with some of the ideas, trying hard not to make the result look like a hot mess...

I was inspired by the February challenge at ARTastic, with this gorgeous art work by Josh Miels:

Here is my layout:



I'm also entering the February challenge at Creative Embellishments.  The elements I used were hot pink, roses and sparkles (pearls).  I used a chippie from the Flourish Butterflies set, and gave it the ombre treatment with inks:



Other materials:
Basic Grey Gypsy - Harem patterned paper
Basic Grey Perhaps - Julia patterned paper
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned paper
Prima Rondelle textured canvas alphabets
Ranger Dylusions - Bubblegum Pink ink spray
Tsukineko Versacube - Petal Pink, Orchid, Polar Blue ink pads

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Feathered friends

I joined in at the Mystical Scrapbooks cybercrop this month, and managed to complete two of the three challenges:

1> Using ink:



* Background spritzing with Dylusions ink spray
* Doodled border
* Handwritten journalling

I am also submitting this layout at Clique Kits for their Anything Goes theme.

Materials:
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned papers
Ranger Dylusions - Lemon Zest ink spray


2> Multiple photographs and using punches - it's a double... click to enlarge:



I am also submitting this layout at Scrap Our Stash for Stash Challenge #23:

White cardstock
Alphabeans (title alphas)
Stickers (small alphas and journalling label)
Heart (clip)
Ink (journalling)

Materials:
Crate Paper Crush - Kelp patterned paper
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned papers
Rusty Pickle Twitterpated - Chocolate Truffle patterned paper
Jillybean Soup Alphabeans - Black Text alphabet stickers
Cre8tiv journal sticker and letter stickers
Memory Box Perched Reed Bird die
Heart clip and doily - from December prize pack from Mystical Scrapbooks

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12/03/2015 EDIT TO ADD:   Thrilled to have my layouts featured over at Mystical Scrapbooks! Thanks for the shout-out :)

Kraft +

A brand new challenge blog... yay!  Kraft + (what a great name!) is all about using kraft cardstock as a base.  This is the inaugural challenge, with its Mango Breeze colour theme:

Gorgeous colours.  This is what I created:



Close up of the journalling/title:



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Car door tour

I still have lots of unscrapped photographs from our trip to Lighting Ridge, so I pulled out another one today...

I used the February sketch from C'est Magnifique:



I incorporated the criteria from the February challenge at Mystical Scrapbooks:

* Paint (background done with Gelatos)
* Handwriting (border journalling)
* Pie graph (I made it into an embellishment and added a little fussy-cut tree)



I am also submitting this layout at Clique Kits for their Anything Goes theme.

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12/03/2015 EDIT TO ADD:   Thrilled to have my layout be featured in a post at Mystical Scrapbooks!

Beachside Bliss

I was immediately drawn in when I saw the February inspiration board at D-Lish Scraps:



The elements I used for my layout were the calming aqua blues, the coastal theme, stripes and starfish:






Materials:
Urban Lily May Ella - Pure patterned paper
MAMBI Mixed Media patterned paper
Denim fabric scraps
Fiskars 1.5" circle punch
Merci flair button
Charms
Kaisercraft Mini Alpha - Latte letter stickers

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Tenterfield Saddler

Another layout for the 2014 winter break album...



This one was based on the February sketch at Anna's Craft Cupboard. I kept it really simple, using corrugated cardboard base with a bit of gesso to distress it. And of course, scraps and leftovers from past projects...

I chose some bright yellow and orange papers to complement the photographs, with some little birds to - perfect for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge for the All Things Bright and Beautiful theme.

Materials
Little Yellow Bicycle Traveler - Wide Orange Stripe patterned paper
Becky Higgins Project Life - Jade Collection patterned papers
MFT Die-namics - Little Letters alphabet dies
Cre8tiv sticker embellishment - birds, border and alphabets
Paper clip

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White with...

It's no secret that I *love* all shades of orange, so I was thrilled with this month's challenge at White with 1:



This is my layout:



The leaves are from my homemade embellishment stash.  I made quite a lot of them back in October, when I made this card, and I've only got a few left.  Everything else is from my old stash crate, except for the delicious Dylusions ink.

Materials:
Ranger Dylusions - Squeezed Orange ink spray
Little Yellow Bicycle Traveller - Wide Orange Stripe/Orange Bloom patterned paper
MFT Die-namics - Little Lower Case Letters alphabet dies
Stampin' Up Spiral Edge border punch

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Celebrate

This month at Scrap the Girls the challenge is based on an inspiration board:

I **love** green and had fun with this layout:




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Pixels and Paper - February reveal

This is the gorgeous inspiration picture at Pixels and Paper this month.  La Tour Eiffel est magnifique, ne est ce pas? Je veux aller à Paris. Peut-être un jour...

For this challenge I shifted the focus geographically closer to home... Sydney Tower, which I visited in August last year. I drew inspiration from the letter paper in the photograph and also added some splashes of gold:



As a nod to the City of Love, I added some silver transparency hearts:



I hand-cut my title from a vintage book page.  The checked background cardboard is recycled product packaging (can't remember what it was from, but I liked it, so I hoarded it... as you do!)




I'm submitting my layout to the January Cardboard Central challenge at LESSology.  I recycled some cardboard from a shoebox by cutting out the cityscape motif; I sprayed it with gold paint:



{PS:  The shoebox will feature in another layout... sometime really soon!}


Materials:
Recycled shoe box
Product packaging (unknown)
Vintage book page
Gold spray paint
Fancy Pants Oh Deer - Festive patterned paper
Carolee's Creations AdornIt - Tiny Whoopsy Teal alphabet stickers
Ruby Rock-it Vintage Beauty - ATC transparency hearts

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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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