Tuesday 11 May 2010

Last minute challenge entries... again!

Why do I always seem to leave it right up til the very last minute to complete my entry for the Sarah's Cards Sketch Challenge???

Last month I got it in on the final evening... having completed my layout earlier that day. This month I've gone beyond that... I only started my layout at 9pm this evening, and I'm posting it now... with just over an hour to go til cut-off time. Talk about last minute!

I don't even have a good reason as to why I leave it so late... I always check out the new sketch as soon as it's released! I guess I've just perfected the art of procrastination... I'm always going to do it tomorrow! Hehehe.

Anyway... I've managed to finish my layout and I actually really like it. It's very bright for me, using far more colours in one layout that I normally would. But I think it works.

I apologise for the rubbish photo... I'm back on the camera phone at the moment and it doesn't like taking pictures this late on, with no natural light. I might try and improve the photo quality tomorrow.


Thanks for looking! x

Saturday 8 May 2010

Scrappers Block!

I think I am most definately the type of crafter who hits bouts of "Scrappers Block" from time to time. There are certainly times when I find the time to scrap but simply can't find the inspiration to scrap. It's very frustrating! Possibly even more frustrating than the opposite... when I have lots of ideas and my scrapping mojo is there, but I just don't have the time!

Well... there have been a few evenings this last week where I've had a free hour or two, so I've pulled out boxes of stash and spread them out before me on the table. And then... nothing.

I stare at cardstock. Pull out different sheets of patterned paper. I flip through photos in my 'to scrap' pile. But still nothing.

Aaaarggghhh!!! Sooooooo frustrating!

Luckily today it seems to be lifting. I've had my stash out for the past couple of hours and have finally completed a page. Phew!

This page didn't come together easily, but I'm pretty pleased with the end result. It's based on a sketch from Inspired Blueprints. You can't really see from the picture, but all the blue around the edge is glittery. Looks kinda pretty when the light catches it.

I painted the edge, mixing the colour myself to coordinate with my papers, and mixed in the glitter for good measure. I masked off the area to paint by drawing around a die-cut sheet of paper, cutting it out and laying it over my cardstock. It turned out a little messy, but I think I kinda like it like that... not too perfect.

I'm really pleased with the butterflies too! I bought my first butterfly punch (a Martha Stewart one) at the recent craft show I went to. I punched the butterflies out, then used a 1inch circle punch for the backing bits and hand stitched the two together. Again you can't really see too well in the photo, but the wing tips are glittered as well, with a little bit of glitter glue.

I'm already working on another page... so fingers crossed that my block has lifted. I'll try and post photos in the next couple of days. Thanks for looking! x

Tuesday 20 April 2010

Browsing around blog-land...

I've been searching all over blog land today and have landed upon Tracie's blog (http://lifeandtimesofa12x12addict.blogspot.com/) where she's having a RAK.

Now... I have to be honest in saying that I don't entirely know what RAK stands for, being new to blogging and such. (Am I being really dumb?? Is it very obvious??) However... what I have gathered is that lovely person she is, she's giving away a copy of the Pencil Lines sketch book and some gorgeous Cosmo Cricket goodies.


So... that was more than enough to get me interested! I only recently discovered Pencil Lines but love it already... and so far my Cosmo Cricket Material Girl (the range she's giving some away from) cosists of just one sheet of paper... how pitiful! So I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to win this RAK!

So in order to be in with a chance I'm posting about this loveliness... and I've left a comment over on Tracie's blog also. Wish me luck!

P.S. The e-mail I mentioned in my last post did arrive in my inbox today. It was the response to my first attempt at answering a Design Team call, and unfortunately I didn't make the cut. :-( However I'm not going to let it get me down... after all I'm only new to all this and there will be plenty more opportunities I'm sure. Chin up!

Monday 19 April 2010

Lots of fun and photos but little time to scrap!

Well, it's been a lovely weekend here. We've had visitors staying since Thursday and had a BBQ on Saturday. The weather was perfect! I've even caught a little sun which is rare for me (although in all honesty it'll probably go from pink back to white and bypass any form of tan completely!).

This has meant lots of photo opportunities! And my fabulous Dad has given me his old Olympus camera to use until I can afford to buy a new one for myself. So hopefully... if I can get some time in around work... I'll have lots to get scrapping!!


I'm also looking forward to this Friday when the Creative Stitches and Hobbycrafts Show hits Aintree (walking distance from my house!). I've never been before, but think I'll head down this year. I'm working a half day on Friday, so will probably go after I finish work. Not sure what to expect from it... but anything crafty gets my interest!

I'm nervously waiting on an e-mail too, which will most likely hit my inbox tomorrow. Be it good or bad news, I'll tell more on this when it arrives. x

Thursday 15 April 2010

Little bit different...

Just wanted to share a layout I finished a couple of days ago. It's based on a sketch from Inspired Blueprints (http://inspiredblueprints.blogspot.com/).

For those of you who don't know the site, I highly recommend it. I came across it myself recently through browsing around other people's blogs... and since I discovered it I think I've visted the site practically every day! There are some fabulous sketches.

It's only in the last few months that I've really started using sketches... and I have to say it's really upped my productivity! I've completed a good number of layouts, because some of the work is done for you in the sketch.

Anyway... this layout is a little different from my usual style. I've used a patterned paper as the background, which isn't something I often do. I tend to like a bit of white space, but on this layout I've kept it quite busy.

I've tried out using a variety of alphas, which is a look I love but don't feel very confident with.


For anyone who wants to check out Inspired Blueprints this is sketch number 45. Thanks for looking! x

Monday 12 April 2010

Challenge time...

This month the challenge over at Sarah's Cards was a little bit different. Rather than having a sketch, the challenge was to use up old stash.

Sounds simple enough right?? Well... it's taken me up til the last day before the challenge to get around to doing my layout! What can I say, it totally threw me!

I guess I'm the kind of scrapbooker who gets all excited about new stash. When I sit down to start a layout I tend to pull out my most recent deliveries and work from those boxes.

Don't get me wrong... I have loads of old stash. Stuff that I keep tucked away because 'one day' I'll get around to using it. But in reality, I tend not to go through it very often. Maybe that's why I struggled with this challenge.

But... I have completed a layout. And I'm actually really pleased with it! So this challege must have done me good! :-)


The only thing that's new about this layout is the cardstock, because that isn't something I keep piles of... I tend to buy it and use it up fairly fast.

The patterned paper is a piece of Imaginisce 'Twitterpated' that I've had for a long time. I cut the little butterfly and bumble bee out from the reverse side. The leaves on the flowers are cut from a sheet of Papermania 'Secret Garden'... which being honest I never thought I'd use.

The chipboard piece I used for the sun is by Cherry Arte, that I bought on a whim when they were on sale ages back! The thickers are again something I bought on sale, and I have loads of sheets with just the odd remaining letters on. I'm working my way through them bit by bit.

The mini alphas are Doodlebug Design and the ribbon and buttons are just from my pile of stash, but I think the ric-rac and buttons are Doodlebug too. Even the photos are ones I've had around for a while in my to-be-scrapped pile!

So glad that I didn't shy away from this challenge! Thanks for looking. x

Friday 9 April 2010

Long time no blog!

How on earth does it end up being weeks between blog posts?!? Time is flying by at the moment and it seems my blog is being bumped further and further down the to do list. I must try and find time to get here more often.

Anyway... the benefit of not having posted for a couple of weeks means I now have four layouts to share. :-)

Unfortunately the quality of the photos isn't great. My camera is still broken, and due to finances it's probably going to be a little longer before I can buy the pretty new one I have my eye on. So... I'm stuck with my not-so-great camera phone for the time being. Apologies.

These first two layouts are scrap lifts from layouts in the spring issue of Scrapbook Trends magazine. I'm not sure who the first one was by (and don't have the magazine to hand), but I think the second one was based on a layout by Stephanie Howell... who's work I adore!



This next layout is based on a sketch from Inspired Blueprints (sketch number 43 if you're interesed). I've only recently come accross this particular sketch blog, but I love it! I didn't get this layout into their gallery in time for the monthly giveaway (due again to the lack of camera... sob!), but I'm really pleased with it. I don't usually work with oversized photos, so it was helpful having the sketch to arrange the rest of my bits n' bobs!


I think that this last layout was again from an Inspired Blueprints sketch, but can't for the life of me remeber which number. I'm still working my way through Christmas photos... maybe I'll have them done in time for Christmas 2010!!


Thanks for looking! Hope everyone had a lovely Easter. x

Saturday 20 March 2010

Catching up on crafting...

I feel like I've had very little time to get any crafting done recently! With doing extra hours at work, and a building site of a house that has an endless list of jobs to be done, scrapbooking et cetera seems to get pushed further and further down my list of priorities.

Saying that however, I do have 2 layouts to post today. I got these done over a few evenings that my lovely other half was out working late.

The first is a layout I've had in mind for a while, after finding a bunch of photos on my camera that my friend Katy had taken of herself....



The second layout I completed was with a photo from Halloween '09. Again it's one thats been on my "to scrap" list for a long while (well... since Halloween un suprisingly!). I'm glad I finally got it done.


I've got a day off tomorrow, so I'm going to try and get all my 'house-y', must-do jobs finished today so that I can dedicate the afternoon to some crafting. I've had some parcels in the post this week from Sarah's Cards and Papermaze... items I was allowed to order as a 'step-mother's day' present. Can't wait to get playing with the pretty things I've bought!

x

Thursday 4 March 2010

Challenge time...

I finally got my entry for this month's sketch challenge over at the Sarah's Cards blog (http://sarahscardsltd.blogspot.com/) finished. Woo hoo! I have to say I'm actually really please with the way it's turned out. The sketch (shown below) was great to work with.

I decided to rotate the sketch, since the photo I wanted to use was landscape rather than portrait.

I was unsure what colours to pull from the photo intially. I was searching through my stash and came across a sheet of SEI paper (the lilac and white patterned piece to the top right) and thought it would work quite nicely. I then searched through my cardstock and found the chocolately brown sheet. Now, purple and brown isn't a colour scheme I would normally go for... at first I was really unsure. But as I pulled some more pieces together I started to like it... and now I really like it!

I wanted to use the Starbucks logo on the page as an accent, particularly since it fits great with the round detail on the sketch. I simply pulled a copy of the logo from the internet and printed it out on cardstock. I covered it with a good thick layer of Anita's 3-D Clear Gloss. Once it had dried the edges had kinda curled in a bit, so I flattened it back out. By flattening it down the gloss cracked in places, but I like the way it looks so wasn't worried about this.


Anyway... I'm very pleased with my finished layout. I'm really enjoying the sketch challenges. It really helps me get working.

Thanks for looking everyone! x

Tuesday 2 March 2010

Scrap time!!

I've been pretty busy recently with work and visitors at the weekend, but finally I've squeezed in some time for some crafting! Yay!

I've been working on a birthday present for my little sister (well... 25 today so not that little...) and have finally finished it! I first came up with the idea of it being a Christmas present... but I never got round to completing it, so now in March she's having it for her birthday.
To give a bit of an explanation she's a huge Twilight fan and is somewhat obsessed with Edward... so here are some pictures of what I made her...


And here is a picture of the birthday girl modelling her present...

She seems pretty pleased with them... and I've already been commissioned to make a "Team Jacob" pair for one of her friends. That should keep me nice and busy for a little while.

So.... Happy Birthday Lindsey! xxx

I've also been working on a page submission for the Sketch challenge over at the Sarah's Cards blog. Hopefully I'll get that finished and post some pictures here either later today, or failing that on Thursday which is my next day off.

Wouldn't life be lovely if housework etc could be pushed into the background and crafting could take priority! Not sure how Colin would take to that idea though! Hehehe...


Wednesday 17 February 2010

Fun with fabric!

So... as I mentioned a few posts back I took a trip to the local fabric store and had lots of fun picking out pretty things. The purpose of this was to get me using the mini sewing machine I got for Christmas from my god-mother.

Finally yesterday I got some time to get going and I created the following...


This one is based on a little leaflet I picked up in Hobbycraft. I'm not too keen on the white material behind the thick red ribbon, so I think I'm gonna use something else when I make another one... and I'm also going to try and make it a little less wonky! :-)



These two are for my little step-daughter Scarlett who is 8. She's in a bit of a rock chick phase, hence pink, black and skulls! They're a bit creased looking in the photos, because I finished them last night and she insisted on sleeping on them straight away!

Also, apologies for the rubbish photos. I had to take them on my phone because... gulp... my camera is broken! Sob! I'm a little distraught about this, especially since I've only had it just over a year. Hopefully it'll be fixed soon as possible... don't know how long I can go without my camera!!

Sunday 14 February 2010

Busy busy busy...

This week I've been working all week, and now it's the weekend I'm up in Scotland visiting lovely lovely friends... so apologies for the fact there's been no craftiness whatsoever! I have either Tues or Weds penciled in to get going on my latest planned project, using the lovely little sewing machine I got for Christmas. So there will be something to report by the middle of the week... I hope!

Saturday 6 February 2010

Shopping spree!

Well.... spree might be a little excessive. I've been shopping though! :-) The one truly guarunteed way to put a big huge smile on my face... let me loose in a craft shop!

There aren't many shops nearby to me so I tend to get most stuff I need ('cos I don't just want it... I really need it!) online. However I had some birthday money left over so headed to Hobbycraft. I bought this...



...isn't it lovely! I've been after a scalloped border punch for a while now as I love the effect, but every time I place an online order I get distracted by pretty patterned paper! And by filling my online basket with paper I hit my self imposed spending limit and don't order my scalloped border punch! But now I have one... and I love it!

I also bought these...


I wanted some greetings so I can have another go at card making. I haven't made cards for quite a while... I think about three Christmasses ago was my last attempt. However I've been inspired partly by my friend Helen, who makes fabulous cards, and partly by a blog I've been following... http://jennifermcguireink.com/.
So... I'm working on some cards, and also delving into the pile of stamps I have but very rarely use. I'll update soon on how this little venture goes!
I've also been today to the fabric shop to get some materials for another little project I want to try. I'm not usually one for textiles either, but I got a sewing machine for Christmas and I guess at the moment I must be in the mood to try new things! Again, I'll update soon on this!
The only problem now is finding time around work and the rest of my life to fit in some crafting! Oh what a dilema! :-) x

Monday 1 February 2010

Filth, muck, embarassment and birthday creations...

Today I managed to get totally filthy, freeze my butt off, almost put my back out and get laughed at by big burly men all at the same time! Quite an achievement I think! :-)

I went to the tip to dispose of the bags of rubble, plasterboard pieces and all variety of other rubbish that has accumulated whilst renovating our house. (This renovation began when we bought the house in June '08 and there is no end date on the horizon. I'm talking years rather than weeks or months. It's a 'project'!)

I must have looked quite the sight, struggling to lift heavy bags high enough over the skip to tip the contents out, with mud all down the front of me, my knees being used to help out my arms that were woefully inadequate to lift the bags by themselves... I have no upper body strength. The group of men who work at the tip... big, macho, burly men... appeared to find me highly amusing! To give them their due they did come over and help once they'd had enough of a laugh. *Sigh*.
Anyway... I thought today I would put up a couple of layouts to share that I made on my birthday last week. I spent the day with my lovely friend Helen, who likes to make cards. We took over the dining room table, with Helen on one side churning out cards and me scrapping away on the other side. It was a lovely way to spend my day and I managed three layouts... the entry for the Sarah's Cards sketch challenge that I've posted, and these two;

This layout is about my friend Gwen, who is Welsh. I never get tired of hearing her speak in Welsh... it amuses me so much... speaking another language is waaaay beyond my capabilities! When she last visited she was on the phone to her mum, chatting away. Our other friend Katie and I decided to snap some photos of her, giggling away as we did so. Then we heard...

"welsh welsh welsh welsh
LOSERS welsh welsh".

We almost fell off our chairs laughing. I guess we are kinda losers to be so easily amused!


This other layout is one I can't decide if I'm pleased with or not? Maybe it will grow on me....


Thanks for looking! x

Friday 29 January 2010

Pretty things...

I've just come back from a short break to Rome with my lovely boyfriend. It's the first time I've been so I had my nose in my guide book for pretty much the whole three days we were there!

In the 'Shopping' section of the book there was a listing for a sationary shop called Fabriano, with the description:
"Since 1782, Fabriano has been making professional-quality paper and beautiful paper products for artists and writers. Buy sketchpads and hand-pressed stationary."

I was, of course, immediately drawn to visit. After a morning walking around the Vatican, Colin wanted a rest, so I left him at the B&B, hopped on the metro and visited Fabriano. There were some beautiful things, including jewellery made from paper.

My limited budget restricted most items but I came away with these lovely tags. They're about 4.5inches by 2.5inches, quality card and have sections on the back to fill in "Name" and "Message or Destination". Not sure exactly what I'll use them for yet, but I'm sure I'll find something to do with them! :-)



Decisions made...

I've been thinking for a while now of starting a blog. A scrapbooking blog to be precise.

I knew very little about scrapbooking a couple of years ago when I bought a goody box from a paper store and made my first tentative steps into the world of 12x12 cardstock, patterned paper and brads. Pretty much all I knew was that I loved the look of the patterned papers, and I love photos too, so it seemed the perfect combination.

Nowadays I have a scrapbook filled with layouts, more patterned paper than most non-scrappers would ever know what to do with, and a long suffering boyfriend who simply rolls his eyes when I pull out my camera again or he finds me clicking through an online scrap store.

And I have to say that most of what I've learned about scrapbooking has come through the wonderful online community and spending a LOT of time looking at other scrappers blogs.

So here goes... it's a new year and I've just had a birthday, so I'm feeling it's the perfect time to try new things. I'm going to begin my blog!

The first thing I'm going to share is a layout I've created for the sketch challenge on a favourite blog of mine, http://sarahscardsltd.blogspot.com/. I love this blog and this is the first time I've attempted their sketch challenge. The photo isn't great... I need to work on getting the lighting etc right for photographing my layouts. I hope you like it though.... :-)