Back again>>>

It's such a long time since I've blogged. I've just been so busy with bits and bobs and life in general, but hopefully things have clamed down a bit and I'll get to do some more scrapping and blogging again.

So what have I been up to?

I really enjoyed the Scrapagogo retreat at the end of October. I have to say this is without a doubt the most organised retreat I have ever attended. The attention to detail is second to none. It is so important to Janice and Lorraine that everyone goes away happy and they work so hard to make everything run like clockwork. I taught 3 classes and had a great time doing so. The ladies were all very kind!

So today I'm showing 2 layouts I did a while ago for The Scrapbook Magazine. It was a feature on the use of circles, and I wanted do something a little bit different. In the first layout I have used circles to make scallop shapes and banners, as well as stencilling a circle design within a circle masked shape.

 For my circle layout I have contrasted the square shape of the background with circle shaped photos, as well as circle shaped embellishments. My stamps got a real workout with this layout!

The November Scrapagogo kit arrived on Saturday, and it is so gorgeous!

Take a look:

I've already made one layout with it, which I'll share as soon as it's been on the Scrapagogo blog.

CSI 39

I played along with CSI again this week.

The colour palette led me to this photo of my great nephew Patrick. Isn't he adorable?

I am so looking forward to meeting him next year when  I go to Australia.

The sad thing is that he will be 2 years old by then.

The inspiration photo for this challenge was very whimsical, (Scroll down this post to see) and so I found a pack of cute whimsical stickers to use on this layout. I bought 2 packets of these for £1 some time ago from the Pound Shop. I don't normally use these type of stickers but they suited the photo so well, echoing the little creatures on Patrick's quilt, as well as matching the colour palette perfectly.

Did you notice I seem to have a dotty thing going on?

Some Kaisercrafts leaves and rubons:

 Washi tape, Kaisercrafts felt stars and rub on bugs:

 The yellow and orange flowers were in the Pound Shop sticker pack:

The journalling is done on Safmat, and although you can see the film in these photos, in reality it is almost invisible. Great stuff when you want to add computer journalling directly onto a page.

So here's the Challenge and the bits I used:

THE SCHEME - USE ALL 5 COLORS

 USE THE SKETCH AS INSPIRATION FOR YOUR DESIGN-The sketch is from Once Upon a Sketch:

EVIDENCE - CHOOSE AT LEAST TWO ELEMENTS:
I chose:

■rub-ons
■leaves
■star
■little bits and pieces

TESTIMONY - CHOOSE AT LEAST ONE ELEMENT:
I chose:

■Frame your journaling.
■Inspiration Words: fly, learn, horizon-- use these as inspiration for your journaling, not just as a title

CSI 38

I really enjoyed playing along with CSI last week so decided to join in again this week. If you are not familiar with this challenge site you should check it out. You get a sketch, a colour palette, and some extra 'clues' to inspire your layout.

Here's my layout for Challenge 38:

Some close ups:

The little cup and teapot are from the hybrid downloadables that are available free to use from CSI.

These wee journal spots are also from the hybrid sheet-love the sentiments:

'Life is just so daily'- ain't that the truth?

So, how did I arrive at that layout?

Well, firstly the inspiration picture, the sketch and the colour palette:

The sketch comes from Once Upon a Sketch, who have joined forces with CSI for a month.

And then 'evidence' - i.e. the techniques and embellishments. I chose these from the longer list:

EVIDENCE - CHOOSE AT LEAST TWO ELEMENTS:
■trees/branches
■flowers
■newsprint patterN
■china/silverware/cups/pots, etc. as an accent
■misting

And finally, 'the testimony' - i.e. the jumping off point for the journalling:

TESTIMONY - CHOOSE AT LEAST ONE ELEMENT:
■Document a daily routine.
■Inspiration Words: together, read, daily-- use these as inspiration for your journaling, not just as a title

So, using all those 'clues' has lead to the case being 'solved'  with the creation of my completed layout.

Being Challenged..

This week I decided to join in with a challenge at CSI, and Once Upon a Sketch who have joined forces for this challenge.

This is my layout:

Here's the Challenge:

THE SCHEME - USE ALL 5 COLORS
USE THE SKETCH AS INSPIRATION FOR YOUR DESIGN

EVIDENCE - USE AT LEAST 2 ELEMENTS- I used:

■Use dots
■Use wrappers/ packaging
■Pen work/ doodling
■labels
■Circles (inspired by the knobs and reels)
■buttons (inspired by the knobs)

TESTIMONY - USE AT LEAST ONE ELEMENT- I used:

■Use a song title or lyrics as inspiration for your journaling (inspired by the tape recorder).
■Handwrite your journaling.
■Take a break - break your journaling across several journaling spots.

I really enjoyed this challenge. The colour scheme is one I would never have chosen for myself, but I'm really happy with how it turned out.

You should check out the gallery at CSI-some real eye candy to be had!!

Experimenting with mists

I'm loving using mists, sprays and paint on my pages just now, and had an idea that I wanted to use mists to grade the colour from dark to light.

So here's the layout I made:

I used a Tim Holtz flourish mask, and sprayed a vairiety of blues, working from the lightest to the darkest, and drying between each application. I used a mixture of Ranger colour washes, Dyelusions, Cosmic Shimmers, and Glimmer mists. It looks very glimmery in real life, and the colour is very pretty.

The chipboard paisleys are embossed, and they too have a sparkle.

The photo is finished off with some Liquid Pearl dots.

Experimenting is fun. What experimenting have you been doing lately?

Leave me a comment and I'll visit your blog to check it out!

Sketch Layout

I love to use sketches-they make creating a layout so easy, and yet still allow for your individual take.

Well, most of the time that's true, but I have to confess that this layout took a long time to come together. There always seemed to be something missing, but I just kept at it, adding bit s and pieces until I finally ended up with a layout that I'm happy with!

The photo was taken in Barcelona.

Stamping around the photo to give it a frame, and the compass rub on.:

That very cute silhouette washi tape, embroidered flower, stamping, rub on and some gems.

Some misting with glimmer mists and acrylic paint and a rub on.

The sketch came from here: 

If you want some inspiration check out the blog!!

Laundry Layout

It may seem strange to make a scrapbook page about a laundry, but this laundry features strongly in my memory. Often, when I think of my mother, I see her in this setting. The laundry of our home was a tin shed in our back yard. In the summer the heat was oppressive, and in the winter it was freezing. The automatic washing machine is a relatively recent addition. Throughout my childhood my mother used a wringer washing machine. After washing, the items would be put by hand through the mangle into the first lot of rinsing water in the concrete tubs in the photo. After soaking there, it was put through the mangle again, into the second lot of rinsing water. Then finally through the mangle a third time into the basket to be hung out on the line. There were seven of us kids, so my mother spent a lot of time doing the washing. Sometimes, if it was hot, I liked to help with the rinsing because the cold water in the tubs provided some relief from the heat. However in the winter there was nothing inviting about putting your hands into the cold rinsing water! The laundry also had a gas copper. Mum would fire up the copper in the morning so she had hot water for the sheets. These would boil away in the copper-along with a bag of 'blue' to ensure the washing was white. I have no idea what 'blue' was, but I remember it came in blocks and mum would put a block of it in an old sock and immerse it in the copper.

In the summer the washing would dry stiff on the clothes line. Mum would bring the washing in and flick water over each item, roll it up and put it into a plastic lined baskets, ready for ironing. So many hours of her life were spent in this laundry.

I find it hard to believe that mum did her washing here for over 50 years, under such primitive conditions, and that no one thought it was unusual.

To think that I complain about the amount of washing my son generates, when all I have to do is throw it into a machine and press a button-all from the comfort of the inside of my home!