Seeing Double.

Happy Easter Folks!
I do hope that you are enjoying the holiday and are not feeling too sick due to chocolate overload!
I am trying to be good at the moment as I have not been able to exercise due to my slipped disk and the pounds are ganging up against me so not one piece of chocolate will passed my lips today (I have a bread and butter pudding in the oven as we speak though....tut tut).

Anyway I have a couple of cards to share with you today, I usually make two cards at a time of the same design, one for whoever's birthday it is and one for my 'spares box'.

 

The papers are from a really old 6x6 paper stack but I am down to the last few sheets which makes me sad as it's one of my all time favourites for cards making. The hearts are made using my new die from Memory Box called Precious Hearts. Super cute aren't they?

 

Here is the other card I made in a different colourway and two different sized hearts. The 'polaroid' frame was made using my Nestabilities rectangles and squares.

 

Well, that is me for today but check back here tomorrow as it's the 1st of April and a new sketch challenge at Sketch N Scrap is revealed.

 

Bye for now. XXX

 

Making Banners with Photo's.

I am a bit behind with Shimelle's 'sketch to scrapbook page' challenges, this one that I finished yesterday was posted on her blog way back in February! I think I might have to skip a few and start up again with her latest challenge which is  'Using triangles in your scrapbooking design' .
You really should check out her blog as there is always something beautiful going on there.

 

Here is the sketch that Shimelle used for her challenge and I must admit that although I like banners I have never wanted to put one across the whole of my page like this. So it's a real challenge for me.

 

I only had two photo's that I wanted to work with so used a quote card instead of the third one.

I found it quite difficult to put this page together as I really felt out of my comfort zone. The photo's are of my brothers children a little while after the moved to Vegas and were settling into new schools.

 

A final close up of the middle cluster of embellishments. If you are a regular visitor to my blog you will know that these are not my regular colour/style of papers and I think that didn't help with my comfort zone either.
I think it may be a little quiet around here for a while as it's the Easter holidays and hubby is off work as well for a fortnight but I hope to get some craftiness done on the sly.

I wish you all a very chocolatey Easter and the diet will start up again next week! 
 

 

Stay Calm and Drink Beer!

Helooo again, wow this is my second post today and even the sun is shining, it must be a good day.
So without further delay...  my layout was done using this sketch from The Studio Challenges Blog

The sketch was based on a layout by one of the DT members Daphine whose blog I have subscribed to for a while now and would recommend you take a visit as her pages are stunning.

 

My layout is more or less in keeping with the sketch and I have used some really old papers from my stash I think they were Scenic Route. The bubble die was used to resemble the bubbles in beer with a few manly stars and brads as embellies. The photo's are from various beer festivals my DH has visited and actually taken photo's of  himself and his beer buddies.

 

 

A last close up of the title cluster at the bottom of the photo's.

 

There is still plenty of time to enter the challenges for March over at The Studio Challenges so why not give them a visit as there are some seriously great layouts to see from the design team. 

 

Hopefully I will be back soon with more of my craft happenings. xx 

 

Gigglicious.

I have another layout to show you today that I just had to finish off from our Saturday crop. The sketch challenge at Sketches in Tyme helped me out to get started although I have changed the initial design quite a bit.

 

This is the sketch #105, I have turned it anti-clockwise to start with to accommodate my landscape photo.

 I did start off with my photo placed in the middle but after I cut out my title and couldn't place it anywhere due to the length I decided to move the photo instead.
The papers are Pebbles 'Ever After', the flowers are cut from My Little Shoebox 'Sunday Market' and the banners are by Erin Bradley.

Just a little close up.

 

There is still a few days left to enter a layout with this sketch so head over to Sketches in Tyme for all the details.
I will be back later today as I have another layout nearly finished, so do pop back and take a peak. xx

Sweet Bramble.

Baby it's cold out there! So shall we stay in today and scrap? I think so too.
I have a few pages that need finishing off from our Saturday crop in snowy Bradfield and I quickly put the final touches to this page this morning so that I could show you.
I am really pleased how this page turned out because I not only had a go at playing with texture paste and a mask but it was a home made recipe that I found HERE.

I made the page using this sketch from Creative Craft World.

I got the idea for the masking from the inset rectangle in the middle of the sketch.

 

 

You may need to click on the image to see the masking clearer.

 

The recipe for the page came from the 1,2,3 Challenge Blog.

 

 

The page is of our dear cat that we lost to old age last year, an amazing 18 1/2 years (that's nearly 130 in cat years!). She was named Bramble because we found her in nearby woods after being dumped there as kittens along with her three sisters under some brambles!

 

To explain a little of how I masked my page I have a couple of re-created pics to show you. First I cut a frame from some scrap paper and placed it om my white cardstock. This was to represent the rectangle in the sketch.

 

On top of that I placed one of my home made masks that I cut last week out of some old acetate. Then I spread my texture paste from the middle outwards to the edge, then whilst it was still masked I spritzed black ink onto it so that only the masked area got covered in the ink.
When I took off the mask and the rectangle frame of paper I was left with a double masking of the paste. (hope that made sense).
I apologise for the quality of photo's today as it's so dull outside there is no good light for picture taking.
Off now to carry on with the other pages that need my attention and hopefully I will be back tomorrow with another to show you.
Until then keep warm and scrap on!

Retro Sketches #55.

I don't make many cards because I only make them for a few good friends and my family so when I do have a card to make I sometimes try and enter a card challenge too.
Today I have a card to show you that I made with the Retro Sketches challenge #55.

 

Here is the card I made using the sketch as a starting point and I have been meaning to make a Polaroid frame from my new Nestabilities rectangle dies, so I thought I could incorporate one into this card.
Instead of the bow at the top I tied some bakers twine around the frame.

If you want to have a go at the Retro Sketches challenge all the details are HERE.

Sarah's Cards Sketch Challenge.

This month's sketch challenge from Sarah's Cards means scrapping outside my comfort zone! It has circles! I don't know if you've noticed but I have an aversion to circles, don't ask why as I'm not sure myself. There might be the odd circle tucked behind something else with just a bit of it poking out on the occasional page that required it on a challenge but usually I don't choose to scrap with the curvy shape.

 

So when I saw this month's sketch I'm sure I let out a little sigh!

But what's a challenge if not to help you try and scrap outside your box?

 

 

So here is my attempt at shooing those circular demons of mine, I know the circles are still tucked away behind other elements but I can't run before I can walk!

This page shows a photo of my eldest daughter when we were just out for a walk locally but I love it.

The papers are October Afternoon and American Crafts.

 

Lots of doodling going on as well as a little misting.

 

 

A few punched hearts in a glassine bag and my new found love.... paperclip heart.

 



So what are you afraid of in your scrapbooking? If it's circles like me, now is the time to have a go at the sketch challenge over at Sarah's Cards too. There is still plenty of time and the chance to win a voucher for the shop! You can find all the details HERE.

 

 

DT Call at Sketch N Scrap.

We are fast approaching our first birthday at Sketch N Scrap and Lisa (the owner and sketch designer) has decided it's time to expand into the world of cards!
So from May we will be having two card sketch challenges a month in addition to the scrapbooking challenges.
If you would like to apply to be one of our new card DT members all the conditions and details are over on the Sketch N Scrap blog HERE.

Sketch N Scrap #29

Welcome to my little space, today is the 15th March and that means another fab sketch challenge over at Sketch N Scrap. We are so happy at the moment as we have reached over 150 followers, in such a short time too!
Anyway lets jump straight to Brenshevia's sketch #29.

 

I think you could so easily turn this sketch to accomodate your landscape photo's if need be.

 

Although I did not turn the sketch I still managed to accommodate a portrait and a landscape photo, it just goes to show that a sketch is just a starting block for your own creativity.

I have had these photo's for a long time and only just recently found them hidden in a box along with some others of the day that I will scrap soon.

 

 

This flower was made using a Papertrey Ink die set with just a simple brad for the centre.

 

 

After punching the bottom of the light brown paper with this punch I thought it needed lifting so I added some darker brown behind the holes and then added some pink hearts. 

 

Now I know you are itching to get started and enter the Sketch N Scrap challenge so all the details are HERE.  Hope you have a great weekend. xx

Mother and Daughter Scrapbooking.

I have two pages to share with you today both of them using the same sketch but one of them is mine and the other belongs to my mum, Joan. Some say that we have a similar scrapbook style which I can see myself sometimes but I will see what you think!

 

Here is the gorgeous sketch from the January 2012 archives at Pagemaps

 

 

Here is the page I made with the sketch turned on it's side to accommodate my photo, lots of Echo Park papers and some doodling.

 

Do you like my Memory Box butterfly? I got it from Papermaze whilst visiting the shop last month and I think it's going to be one of my favourite dies (well it is a butterfly!) I was experimenting with different backgrounds to the butterfly as it was a bit lost on it's own and I was pleasantly surprised that the big bold circles went so well. What do you think?

Now here is my mum's take on the sketch and she has kept the orientation the same. Yes, that photo is of my dad who loves to play the fool in front of his grandchildren and is always up for having his photo taken no matter how silly he looks.

 

I love the banners mum used, adding movement to the fun and colourful layout.

 

I love working with PageMaps sketches as I'm sure many of you do. They are always beautifully designed and so many to choose from, you can't help but find a sketch to suit your needs and get the inspiration flowing!

I hope you liked seeing two different takes and hopefully I will be back soon.  

 

 

 

On The Diagonal.

Welcome to my little blog on this very chilly and SNOWY Monday! I was just looking forward to the longer, warmer days when mother nature decided to delay spring a few more days and throw us back to freezing temperatures!! Hope your weather is behaving itself.
Today I have a page to share with you that was done for another one of Shimelle's 'sketch to scrapbook page' sketches.

This sketch is so not my usual style but I thought the pages that Shimelle and her guest Paige Evans were beautiful and motivated me into action.

 

This is my take on Shimelle's sketch which I first turned to accommodate my photo.

A mix of old and new papers and embellishments.

 

I loved how this journalling sheet by Making Memories had a die cut flower in it so that I could make an accent out of it.

 

I inked the edges of this big felt butterfly as it was a bit too new looking for the page otherwise.

There is still plenty of time to have a go at Shimelle's sketches and to check out all the fabulous inspiration on her blog.

 

Thanks for popping by and hope your day is fab.

Sketch To Scrapbook Page.

I have a page to show you today that I completed during the day out at my friend Helen's last week, I started with this wonderful sketch by Shimelle,  I loved it not only for it's simplicity but the unusual design.

 

 

 

Sometimes the right sketch comes along for the photo's you have been struggling to scrap for lack of inspiration. That was the case with these photo's, I think it was because although I wanted to put them onto the same page they were different colours. Shimelle's sketch had the answer for me as the page was divided up with the banner in the middle which had colours from both sets of photo's.

 

A couple of close-up's just for fun.

 

If you want to see Shimelle's take on her sketch and have a go at using the sketch too all the details are HERE. 

 

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday.

 

Bo Bunny Stamps Challenge.

Has is really been over a month since my friend Helen and I got together in her scrap shed to review our last challenge to each other? Doesn't time fly these days, I'm sure it was only a short while ago we were celebrating Christmas and here we are looking at the first signs of spring in the UK!
If you recall, our challenge for February was this cute set of Bo Bunny stamps, provided by Helen.

(you will need to click on the images to see them more clearly)

My Page.

I have done a double page using some photo's of the holiday villa from our family trip to Ibiza last year. I used nearly all the stamps in the set, paper piecing them to give them a 3D effect.

 

 

I joined two of the swirl images together to give the cute bird somewhere to perch.

 

Lots of flowers and swirls surround the birdhouse at the bottom.  

 

 

Helen's Page.

Also a double pager, Helen has scrapped about a day out with her family where her dog got thoroughly covered in mud, but had a wonderful time in the process! Note the top right photo where the girls are NOT hugging their wet dog!

 

 

Helen loves to use shrink plastic to make embellishments for her pages so these little birds are a tad smaller than the original stamped images but still just as cute.

 

The flowers that Helen used from the stamp set are raised on foam pads and embellished with these pink domed dots. (not sure what they are really called).

Have you got this stamp set? We would really like to see how you have used it in your scrapbooking or card making, leave a comment with a link to your project.

The next challenge was decided when we were out shopping at Papermaze last weekend and both loved the Pebbles Family Ties line, especially this paper called Family. I think I have an idea for a page but I need to get some up to date photo's of my girls (wish me luck)!

Until next time. XXX

 

Sketch N Scrap #28.

It's the 1st of the month and that means another great sketch at Sketch N Scrap. We had such a great response to last month's sketch challenges and our very first blog hop, I hope you can find the time to join in with us again.

 

This is the sketch for 1st March designed by Lisa Hidy.

 

 

 My page is a little different to the sketch as my photo's were a little larger so I had to move them about for the best fit. The papers I used were all Cosmo Cricket - Bebe Jane line.

The photo's show my youngest daughter trying her hand at making a quilt for her soft toys and she did really well with only a little help from me!

 

 

I had a washi tape heart left over from the page I made for the blog hop last month, I was glad I decided to keep hold of it as it was just what I needed for the top corner.

When I put a scalloped strip across it seemed a bit lost on it's own so I thought I would make a feature and put lots of layers of strips. I finished off with some butterflies cut from some really old Basic Grey paper.

 

Now it's your turn to show us what you can create using this sketch, we love visiting your blogs to see your layouts, so don't be shy if you have not played along with us before.

To see what all the other designers have made using Lisa's sketch just follow the link HERE.

Happy scrapping!!