Adventure time

Good morning!!!

Just a quicky from me this morning, i want to share with you a layout that i started on Thursday and have just finished off with a little sewing this morning.

* So i'll start by showing you this small cluster of information in the corner of the photo. This is plain and simple and tells you everything without too much detail.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: sometimes the simplest of things say everything.
* Journalling is excellent, I will always promote expressions of feelings and giving knowledge, but as well as that, if your reader doesn't have the time to spend reading all of the writing, they can skim over and get a good idea of things from little prompts like these word embellishments.

* there wasn't a big story to go with this photo so just a small amount of journalling to say who, what, where, when, why and how :)

* As you can see I used an ink dauber to smoosh behind the photo to add some mess and extra accent to the layout. I like to create mess on a page as long as its not too messy. these daubers are a great way to control where you are making the mess.

* I stamped an extra sentiment on top in an attempt to balance the page.

* An extra title block.... this actually went on AFTER the 'going places' piece in the earlier photo.

* I felt as if I had started the design of the page too low down the paper so needed something to pull it all back up and to make myself feel better. This extra title works well and adds extra interest as well as serving the purpose for which it was created.

* The layout when I had finally finished with it.

* it really does have stitching on 3 sides, again to try and stop the details from sinking off the bottom of the layout. and I'm sorry that the bad photo doesn't show it too well.

* I think its obvious that i had fun playing with my stamps today, I often forget, when making layouts, that i have other colour inks than black.... Im a Stampin Up demonstrator so you'd think I'd remember but i don't.
So here I snuck in an extra couple of colours to lift it a little, I didn't want this being an unhappy page, we were all having a great day!

I hope you like this layout... I actually do quite like it, and the drawn banner piece the most i think as its something new to me.

I also hope that you get to be creative this weekend, especially as our English summer seems to have disappeared... make the most of the wet weather and make something beautiful today xxx

'Allo 'Allo

Good morning....

So not difficult to guess todays subject based on the title I bet?!?! :)

Crafty Tuesday has changed to crafty thursday this week, so Carole and I chose this pin to work on first...

* So kicking off with the title section, I had to check with Carole to see if i was spelling this right, as obviously Hello, is with an E but when i think of this saying its always an A..... guess it can be either and is left open to debate!!

* I exchanged the too feminine doily for a circular sticker , its not as big but it does add a little to the page to balance things out.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: ink the edges..... when things just look a little too plain, ink up the edges for a completely new look. It doesn't have to be messy or too grungy but it does lift the layers and separate them from each other.

* The journalling section. This time I've added strips to the side of the photo to tell my story.

* I could have attempted to journal straight onto the vellum but with the finish that this product has it will more than likely have rubbed straight off.... something to be careful of when you try it.

* The bottom cluster..... Again I switched to a different round sticker to replace the doily.

* I debated for ages about adding the june 2014 embellishment to it.... Eventually I did choose to add it in as its not too often that I get to use the date stickers. I'm never usually scrapping things that are completely current so to be able to get that out of my collection and onto a page was great.

* I loved being able to use my SU stamp sets on this page... I used the same ink twice again to get a faded look.

* Please excuse the sun shining onto my page during taking the picture.

* I added large tilts to the papers and the stamping as I just wanted it to be a bit more fun. and i didn't want the hassle of making sure everything was perfect.... we are aiming for a 3 page day don't you know!!!!!

See you soon xxxxx

Come fly away with me

Good Afternoon ladies!!!

Ive got to admit, scrapping today has been difficult...over the past week my mojo has done a runner!!!
Luckily my besets friend has helped me try and overcome my slump by making me craft with her via Skype.... heres what came of that:

It started with this pinterest link which Carole and I both loved...

* Not the first thing that i started with but something that is important to the page.

* As its a layout about being in a hot air balloon, i thought it would be fitting to use the original idea and have a silhouette of the city landscape on here somewhere. I used my new Cricut Explore to cut this one that i found on the internet for free!!!!

* A perfect embellishment to match my photographs, also adds a pop of red to match my other PERFECT embellishment...

* My other perfect embellishment (three for three).... I could not do my first balloon page without adding this beauty!!!

* I made myself a pocket as its important to have journalling to tell the story of the day, I added an extra black tag to mount the 'life is good' statement on as it looked a bit floaty on its own.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: creating pockets is easy especially when you are layering papers.

*Simply add glue, I use double sided tape, to both sides of the bottom piece taking into consideration how big the item is that you want to put into your pocket, you must also remember to tape across the bottom so that things do not fall out.

* This is how it turned out.... I added a gold doily to match the gold shiny spots of the paper, to me it also symbolises the sun that was out that evening.

* I usually use the colours in my photos to choose my papers etc but today i didn't.... I'm not sure if this has worked for me or against me but at least i have scrapped....

Hopefully we will be doing more tomorrow so i might see you again then, ta ta for now xxxx

The scenic route

Good afternoon!!!

Its crafty Tuesday again :) Carole and I have been working away like little bees this morning and have so far created 2 pages.

They both originated from Shimelles blog again, I do love to try and finish what i start and this time I dragged Carole into it with me.

* The first started with a a few pictures of the same event. I chose this set of travel stickers to embellish the layout, as although we weren't on the road they were moving and we were outdoors.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: make things work for you... I've wanted to use this sticker set for a long time and we don't often go on long car journeys or road trips so I was worried I'd never get the opportunity to use them up.

* As I've said before, if it makes sense to you, then go with it, as our pages are for ourselves!!
I chose stickers that would be relevant in this situation and covered up pieces that didn't quite fit the theme but that I liked and worked colour wise.

* this is the second cluster, I really had fun with this one and added weird and wacky pieces!!

* The journalling.....

* The end result: I loved the diamond squares adding extra movement to the page and although we were working from the sketch, i preferred the added horizontal piece which the first lady had on her layout.

* I didn't add a third cluster t this page, which is odd for me but it just felt like it would be too much so I left it as it was. I also didn't add a proper title as there were already a lot of words on the page within the stickers.

* This is the second page..... a little plain in comparison but I used photos that may not have otherwise been scrapped on their own. by grouping images that aren't too special, it allows you to tell the story with a sequence of bits from the same timeframe without having a stand out shot to back it up.

* What do you think of my makeshift letters???? so bad that it makes it quirky and ok???? yeah i thought so too!!!!

spots are hot

Good Afternoon!!

I'm carrying on, making my way through Shimelle Laine's challenge weekend posts, I'm on number three which was another sketch.

* When I chose this particular set of photos I knew the title I would use before I made the page.

* I wanted there HOT to be in pink to match the shoes and I would have loved a navy alpha for the rest but as I didn't have a navy alpha I went with black, it goes with everything :)

* These are the bits I was really looking forward to re-creating when i saw the sketch.... I haven't used my sewing machine in a few weeks and i saw potential in the borders of this layout.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: sketches are there to be interpreted in your own way.... normally I would immediately have assumed that these sections needed to be paper, but i wanted to trey something different and so I sewed the strips, it was only after that i chose to fill a couple with washi tape to bring in some colour.

* the heart is duplicated in 3 places to make a triangle around the set of pictures, they are cream and not white like the paper but in this case I think it works.

* My journalling, which was not in this location in the sketch but it fitted well here for me. Also note the second heart.

* the finished layout.

* I added the third heart above the date, which i forgot to include in the journalling.

* I love this very minimal page as its definitely all about the pictures!!!

Thanks for dropping by, see you soon xxxxxx

the date day rules

Good morning scrappers!!

I hope you're all having a fabulous weekend and enjoying the sunshine, I know I am :)

This page continues along Shimelles challenge list, this one is for challenge 2 which was entitled 'your significant other'.

I combined this with a sketch over at creative scrappers, sketch 271... make sure to visit both of these places to get some inspiration from the experts!!

* With such a centralised design I knew from the beginning that I wanted a longer title to stretch across the middle. I did the main part "date day" in larger letters and the surrounding title pieces in a tiny type alpha to stretch it out.

* Can you believe this is the only bit of hand written journalling I've done on this page?!?!!?!

* there wasn't really a massive story behind this picture, other than i took it whilst we were out so I took my layout in a different direction and just added the date and place for future reference.

* I don't often use gems but i think they fit this page and colourings beautifully. layered on top of the stitching they add interest to an otherwise boring line.

* An extra word piece at the bottom of the page, not only does it sum up our date but also the rules!

* More stitching creates a continuing theme through the page and makes it easier flowing.

* Did I cheat a little by using alphabet stickers instead of handwriting the rules?!?!

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: If you have letters use them.... Im not a great one at saving products for best or something special, if something works then I tend to use it no matter how long I've had it or how much I've paid for it.

* I knew I wouldn't be happy with my handwriting scribbled across the whole page and I knew it would be too small to make any impact so this time around I opted for an alphabet to do the talking for me.

Thanks for your time, enjoy the rest of your weekend and i hope to see you again soon xxxx

meet the crazy

Good evening....

Today I HAD to scrap, Shimelle Laine has kicked off a weekend of crafty challenges so obviously i needed to join in.

Heres how the first sketch challenge went:

* Lets start with the title piece, Loud funky colours setting the mood of the page.

* The top banner piece is supposed to be one single piece but I added extra embellishment to it.

* the extra banners are just there to tie in the colours a little more as I didn't want the burst of colour in one spot and this links it nicely without being too much

* I repeated the butterfly on this mini cluster next to the photograph which just brings the two sections together.

* To fill in the corners which were looking a little bare i drew in some doodling lines, the black alone was ok but you couldn't see it as well as I'd like so i put in the white lines and that had an immediate lifting effect.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: when in doubt add a tag!

* The title block was meant to house the journalling but I wanted this piece to be blank so that the whole section wasn't too overpowering over the photo. instead I made the photo mats into a pocket and added a tag for hidden journalling behind.

* this adds more interest to the page as it gives more depth and more to see, and being a tag you can clearly see that it needs to be pulled which is just what you want from hidden journalling that isn't personal.

Thanks for dropping in today, I hope to catch up on more shimelle classes as the weekend passes so watch this space

xxxxx

fun and games

Good afternoon!!!

Im back after almost a week away from my desk... SHOCK!!!!

I've been a busy bee raising money for cancer research charity, so my absence was in a good cause... Carole managed to join me today for a long overdue scrap and catch up and this is what I came up with:

* lets kick off with my favourite piece of the page, the title.... I love that AND sticker and it went well with the res tot my layout so i had to use it, I made up my title based around that sticker...is that wrong?!?!?! lol

* A frame collection in the corner of the photo. I cut these from a 12x12 sheet which held loads of different ones, so i chose a few and stacked them up to create a point of interest.

* The usual journalling spot, a bit sideways :)

* A moustache paper clip that has 2 purposes leading to my .....

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: if you make a mistake cover it up!! under this cleverly disguised embellishment is a horrible black pen line where I slipped as I traced the outline of the circle. 

You'd never have known if i'd not have told you and this will work for you too!!!

* How it turned out.....

* a picture stolen from my sons Facebook, of him messing around at school with his friends... I loved being able to print this of him with his mates.

* I also loved being able to place the title over the photo so much, it sometimes helps to trim the picture down but in this instance I wanted to use the dead space by placing my title on it and making it part of the main focus.

Thanks for joining me today, I don't want to keep apologising if i don't get around to making a page for a while so no more promises..... see you when i next create :)

February

Good afternoon and if you're a dad, Happy fathers day!!!

Im sorry I've been a bit slack lately at posting on here, you see when the sun comes out I have to make the most of it, it doesn't happen too often here in rainy old England... Every other day works tho right?!?!?!?

* so yesterday I held a 12 hour crop, it was great and I managed 4 pages but heres my favourite one, even if it want to begin with!!!

* Lets start where I normally finish, 2 sections of journalling. I had to do the writing on the kraft pretty much straight away as I needed to get a feel for the page.

* the second piece of journalling on the yellow was a gap filler, the empty space was too big for my liking so i filled it with a few words.

* Butterflies, butterflies and more butterflies.... Originally i just used the kraft ones on the page but it looked weird to me, so when I text Carole and showed her a picture and that I wasn't happy, she just text back with.... MORE BUTTERFLIES! so thats what i did

*TOP TIP OF THE DAY: lesson learnt for me, too much of one colour can get too overwhelming, breaking the page up with something else makes it flow a lot nicer and makes it feel less
claustrophobic.

* Here I added a few yellow butterflies amongst the kraft, then a few brown and finished with 1 single blue one to tie in with Elsie's makeshift hat. I think the layering also helped the page look less boring.

* I've had this title piece in my bag since the end of Feb and only now in June do I get to use it, I took my chance and went for it.

* i tucked it behind as i didn't want it to take centre stage over the photo, i balanced it out with a 2014 piece on the opposite side of the photo, it also acted as another gap filler.

* The finished layout, I loved wing able to use the bright yellow with the kraft.. and I loved finally scrapping this photo of my dirty faced angel!!! Thanks to Carole for setting me this pinterest challenge to begin with!!!! even if it did stress me out, and I'm sure she knew that it would too!!!!

* hopefully be back tomorrow with more pages, but if I'm not, please don't give up on me... every other day at the least xxxxx

what a view!

Hello blog followers, old and new ):

I ran out of time yesterday to post a layout, even though I did do one!!!

but heres one for you for today:

it came from a pinterest sketch, the link doesn't work anymore but it does say that it came from the studio challenges blog.

* Look at this scrumptious paper???!!!!!
All of this yumminess is already printed on the page, just need to add pictures if you wanted to, love it!

* Even tho it had all of those words down the right hand side, I needed something on the let to balance it out a bit, so on top of the embellished heart I added a title that was more suited to the photograph.

* On the heart at the right hand side I added a little cluster, which includes this camera and a couple of banner pieces.

* along the top of the journalling card I added a star and then some drawn lines for extra embellishment.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: Doodling is sometimes all you need to embellish a particular spot on your layout. I added three straight lines in 3 different locations around my page just to tie all of the spots together and I think it looks fab.

* My usual journalling shot :)

* The finished layout..... See how the lines create a frame around the central piece?

* I love that it has so many words and yet you still focus on the photograph, maybe I've finally got my mojo back?!?!?

see you tomorrow xxxx