Stuck?! Sketches...

Hello Friends.  Today I am still a little pumped over meeting Amy Tangerine yesterday.  She was so engaging and offered some fun and fabulous tips for scrapbooking your memories.  She also let us know a few of her plans for her new release next year!

But today I want to share my application layout for Stuck?! Sketches. :)  And wouldn't you know it! *grin.  It has a bit of the Amy Tangerine collection on it! (How was that for timing!)

 

"First Snow"

 

products used: cs - Kaisercraft; pp - American Crafts (Amy Tangerine); alpha - October Afternoon, Nikki Sivils, typewriter (my own); other - clear stamps: Amy Tangerine, Mister Huey's mist, versacolor ink (charcoal & pinecone), punches: fiskars large & medium circle, Martha Stewart circle; tape - foam mounting tape.

Originally I had the journaling tucked away behind the layers of patterned paper (and it was true to the sketch!). But I now much prefer the journaling to be visible on this layout as it showcases the beautiful "camera" stamped image.  And my kids won't be continually reaching behind the pp's to read what I wrote about them! LOL!  A big incentive to having it visible!

Thanks everyone for visiting and I hope you all have a wonderful, creative week-end!  Happy Scrapping.  I'm off to find the floor of my scrap space! ..x

 

Amy Tangerine...

OMGosh!  What a fabulous morning today!  I had an opportunity to meet with the amazing Amy Tangerine alongside my friends Kim, Gail and Lisa!  Amy is the most approachable person and so very generous too with her time!  Our little group was thrilled to have spent time with her before she flies out to New Zealand tonight and complete her Spotlight store tour "down under".  :)

A little while ago, I was flabbergasted that one of my layouts using her line of American Crafts papers, was pinned to her pinterest boards.  Today I was cheeky and took it in to show her the real thing.  I was even more amazed when she was happy to have a look and actually remembered my layout! crazy huh?!

So... what's a person to do... I asked if she wouldn't mind signing it for me!  hahaha! Yep.  Right there on the front.

 

 

It really was a FUN morning.  Thanks to Kim for capturing this moment for me..x (and yes, I totally look like I'm stalking her!! hahaha!)

Thanks for visiting...x

 

Stuck?! Sketches...

I am really happy to announce today that I have been selected as one of the new Creative Team members for Stuck?! Sketches.  I am so excited as I haven't played with sketches for (what feels like) forever!! LOL!  And after being a guest designer there ealier this year, I decided it was time to play again.

Here's a little sneak from my application layout...

 

 

And as a bonus, I have a little tutorial coming up soon on how I created the sunburst in the photo above!  I hope you will join in the fun with me and the rest of this fabulous design team in the coming months!  Thanks for visiting..x

 

ps - blogger isn't playing nice with me at the moment, so please bear with me as I tackle these issues in the next week.  :)  Thanks again..x

Aliens in Underpants...

... save the world.  Yep.  It's true.  And they tend to appear during "Book Week"!!!!  *grin*!

I'm just popping in here very "briefly" (smirk!) to share with you Ethan's Book Week character...

 

 

He is a big fan of these books!  There is also one about dinosaurs in underpants... It must have something to do with six year olds and their sense of humour...

 

Anyway, for the effort he put into "helping make his costume" he won his class prize!  Yay Ethan!! Each prize winner got to choose a book.

Guess what character we might be getting dressed up as next year... oh well!  LOL!! At least I've been given plenty of notice!  :)

 

Thanks for visiting..x

 

PS - In case you were wondering about Tahlia and Liam..? Well I went to their separate parade as well but sadly didn't get any photos of Little Bo Peep (another class winner! yay!) and the strong man from Two Bullies.  But my little pirate (aka Cam) fell asleep in my arms and made it very difficult to take photos.. :(

 

Maybe I can persuade them to dress up on the week end!  LOL!  Wish me luck....

 

"Sport's Day" and a Giveaway...

Hello Friends.  It's countdown time for the new release over at Greatest View  and today I am showcasing these beautiful triangle badges...

 

Here is the layout I created...

 

"Sport's Day"

products used: cs - kaisercraft; pp - Crate Paper, American Crafts (Amy Tangerine), Jillibean Soup, Sassafras, Kaisercraft; Alpha - American Crafts, Jenni Bowlin; Greatest View - triangle badges, chevron ribbon, sequins; other - American Crafts (Amy Tangerine) clear stamp, star punch, versacolor ink (charcoal), Mister Huey's mist, staple, Bella! cardstock sticker, vellum, foam tape.

With my recent fill of sports on television, thanks to the Olympics being broadcast, I have been inspired to pull out some of the photos taken at my children’s School sports carnival. I wanted to focus in on the colours of the team and accent it with some funky accessories!

You can find out more of my story about the layout over at Greatest View, but here are a few extra photos to whet the appetite.  *grin*

Aren't the new badges gorgeous!!! Gail has the DT is awe with her beautiful creations.  This release also includes sequins! Yay!! You should go and check them out. There is also a fabulous giveaway.  Head on over >>here<< for your chance to win.  :)

Thanks for visiting..x

Forever...

Happy Monday Everyone!  Today I want to share a layout I created some time ago and I just haven't gotten around to posting yet. :)  Well... At least I don't think I've shared it yet...

"Forever"

products used: cs - kaisercraft; pp - Bella!; Fancy That Dies - Doily Duo, Sweet Blooms, Swirly Leaf ; other - Bella!: chipboard & cardstock stickers, American Crafts chipboard (typehouse), kaisercraft: pearl brads, ink, paint & rhinestones, fiskars scallop punch, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, border punch, twine, Tim Holtz distress ink, bo bunny brads, hole punch, black pen (sharpie).

Yes.  That is my son.  On a rather girly type layout!  LOL!  My boys will look back at these LOs in the future and certainly question my sanity!  haha.. I just call it creative license.  *grin*  And they will have to live with it.  Besides, I love the colours.  I think it makes the photo the true focal point.

Doilies and flowers and a splash of pink... Sure... That..kinda... speaks boyish to me...? So while I'm traveling down this road, I'll throw a butterfly on too.  Yeah.  Okay.  I accept it.  These boys will definitely question my "creative" sanity...

But in fairness, I did add some blue paint!! That evens it out in the masculine stakes, surely.  :)

Thanks for visiting today..x

The little book of Art...

Hello Friends.  Lately I've been staring at the mountain of off-cut scraps of paper that have been piling up on my desk.  :)  As a 8.5in x 11in scrapper, these off-cuts can range from 12in x 3.5in in size to 1in x 8.5in and anything in between.  And being a thrifty scrapper I really have a hard time throwing these bits and pieces away.  *grin*

So what's a crafter to do???  Solution.  Make a "mini" mini album!!

"Little book of Art"

products used: cs - kaisercraft, bo bunny; pp - kaisercraft, jillibean soup; alpha - kaisercraft, jillibean soup, Heather Bailey; other - helmar glue, black pen (sharpie).

As you can see from the products list, there isn't a lot of materials involved.  Just a little bit of time and a willing participate who will draw some gorgeous keepsake art...

I found this wonderful tutorial from PaperVine on creating mini albums from one piece of paper.  Lowri has done an awesome job with the step by step. :)

So, keeping in mind that I wanted to use up my left over bits, I haven't added any photos.  My kids at the moment have been producing wonderful pieces of art, and I am having trouble documenting each and every piece! LOL!! (We are going through sooooo many sheets of paper at the moment - the printer tray is looking a little bare!!).

My idea was to fill in the pages with the white cardstock.  And the off-cuts are a perfect size to fit inside the album.  I have also left enough room on each page to document the title of the artwork and some extra information which I will find interesting at a later date.  For example, Cameron, aged three, "self portrait" - drawn with his left hand, 16.08.12.



I am quite happy with the outcome.  :)  It's simple and effective.  Now all I need to do is dive back into that growning pile of papers and see what else I can come up with!

Thanks for visiting..x

Photogenic...

Hello friends.  I'm just checking in to let you know that the kids and hubby are back on the mend and slowly returning to normal health!!  lol! Thank you to all those who left messages of support, sympathy and or get well wishes.  We certainly needed the positive thinking.  But today, I am also checking in with you all to share a layout that I managed to create among the chaos that has been happening at home this week.  :)

Okay.  So I know I am totally biased when it comes to our kids.  It's genetically wired into us as parents, I'm sure, to believe that our children are the cutest kids on earth, with the sweetest of smiles.  :)  And of course it helps portray that image when we usually only share the best photos we have of them. ;D  But it wasn't until recently, when  a friend was looking through my photos of Tahlia and just stopped and said.. "Gee... She's so photogenic", that I really stopped to think about it. 

There was a certain amount of pride as I just stood back, smiled and silently agreed.  :)  And I know that at the moment (aged 12) she is starting to get really body conscious with certain WRONG ideas in her head as to what the media says she should look like, just to be pretty.  So the photogenic conversation and her body image ideas have obviously stuck in my head.  Because as I sat down to scrap in the last day or two, I converged the two thoughts into one and this is what I produced...

"photogenic"

products used: cs - bazzill, bo bunny swiss dot; pp - Crate Paper, kaisercraft, bo bunny, October Afternoon, American Crafts, Sassafras, Echo Park; alpha - Lily Bee; Fancy That Dies - photo corners 2, Doily Flower 1, sweet blooms; other - Girls' paperie cardstock stickers, abi's craft bling, kaisercraft; pearl brad & diecut, Crate Paper stickers (studio calico), American Crafts Amy Tangerine clear stamps, Close to my Heart ink (lagoon, chocolate), sequins, baker's twine, Marrtha Stewart border punch, mister huey's mist.

I have used the new release Doily Flower 1 and photo corners 2 from the Fancy That Dies range available from The Papercraft Hub.  And yes... I've snuck in the sweet blooms die...again!

I've cut out two of the doily flower 1's and used one as a matte under the main cluster.  The other one I simply trimmed down to create these lacy edges on my border.  A cute feminine touch. :)

I've also gone on to journal some more private thoughts about her ideas and included it as hidden journaling on my layout.  I want her to remember how I interpreted her feelings on the subject of body image, at a later date.  And no matter what anyone else says... I think she is the cutest, most photogenic girl on the planet! hahaha.. maybe even in the whole universe.  :)

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And finally today!  I want to wish my cute little nephew a very HAPPY 2nd birthday!!  Woo Hoo! 



Have a great day today Elijah!!  ....xxxx

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Thanks everyone for visiting..x



A little update...

I just wanted to let you know that I am still here.  :)  I just have a household of sick children.  All four of them actually... well, five kids if you include Mark.  Yep. He's sick too.  I guess I have just been too busy with getting this and that, plumping pillows, making cups of tea, administering medication, phoning the school to explain another absence and picking up after everyone else to come and visit here on the www. 

I have however, managed to eek out a tiny idea onto paper.  My next layout is in the early phases.  And I can't quite kick the wanting for teal.  lol! So please stay tuned... Unless I get sick.  Then it may take a little longer.

Stay healthy everyone....x

Oh!! And a BIG welcome to my new followers.  YAY!!  I've hit the 200 mark.  :D  I am so happy you are here.  :) See you all soon..x

Travel...

We are so lucky to have so many beautiful places to visit in Australia.  Last year (and I am still slowly scrapping our holiday!!) our little family and some of our friends, convoyed with our camper trailers and saw some of the country. 

On that trip, we spent three days in Canberra.  Notably it was very cold.  Freezing in fact!  LOL!  I've probably mentioned that a time or two before!  hahaha.. The weather is a strange thing to dwell on, but remember, we live in the sub-tropics and I don't think we've shivered that much before in our lives!!

"travel"

products used: cs - kaisercraft, core'dinations; pp - American Crafts (Amy Tangerine), Echo Park (dots & stripes); alpha - American Crafts; Fancy That Dies - photo corners 2; other - clear stamps: American Crafts & Maya Road, Greatest View curious badge, Jillibean Soup label stickers, typewriter, martha stewart pinking circle, fiskars tab punch, ink: Close to My Heart (lagoon) & versacolor (charcoal), Mister Huey's mist, hole punch, star punch.

Another quirky memory while in Canberra was at Parliament House.  We were amazed to see the marble foyer and the polished timbers... and that was only after the security guards finished harassing poor Liam (then only 8 years old) because of a faulty security gate...  I was starting to get all "mama bear" up in these burly security guards faces because they were beginning to get a bit rough with him.  >:( Anyway... when the alarm to the security gate went off with the next person and then the next person they realised Liam wasn't hiding some devious plot to bring the Australian Government down...

We eventually focused on the really interesting things in Parliament House.  Like the rows of portrait paintings of former Prime Ministers and the rooftop lawn.  We went into the visitors' gallery where Parliament is held (there was no session that week) and let the kids explore between the rows and rows of seats.

We had a family photo taken on top of the roof, Mark with his broken elbow and Cam stuck in his stroller!  And we could see all the way up Anzac Avenue to the War Memorial building.  A place we spent a full day at previously.

All of the above information has been written down and transferred inside of a homemade file..

And do you see those cute photo corners on the front page?? 

They are part of the new release for the Fancy That Dies!!! I like that they are kind of funky and add that extra bit of oomph!! :)

Soooo... How do you document your travel pages?  Do you include lots of information about the where & when?  Or do you focus on the things that happen in these places?  I like to have a bit of both included in the journaling.

Thanks for visiting..x

Fancy That... some cards!

Hello Friends.  Today is just a quick post to share a few cards I made for the Craft & Quilt Fair Canberra 2012.  These will be on display at The Papercraft Hub - stand F22, August 9 -12.  If you are planning on going, please call in and say hi!  :)  And maybe pick up a few of these dies to make your own cards! *wink*

For these cards, I just wanted to keep them simple and the focus purely on the dies.  Visit The Papercraft Hub online here and while there, also check out the new release dies!!!  Very excited about these ones. :)

Thanks for visiting..x