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.