Nanny sheila

An unexpected page today, scrap lifted from a page that i originally wasn't too keen on.
You might think me mad for attempting it in the first place due to these circumstances but Carole was able to join me today and this is one that she fancied so i went with it, I was pleasantly surprised.

See the original Pinterest pin here

* I started this page by finding the frame first, then found a suitable photo to fit within.

* Everything else fell into place around it. I used the chipboard telephone as an embellishment to symbolise how they talk to Nanny sheila by telephone as she lives about an hour away from us.

* I loved the idea of the date as the title of the page so i did the same. I did add the month tho as it didn't feel right without it.

* The close up of the journalling..... more journalling will fill the pocket once Nanny sheila comes down as I want her to write something for the girls that will live in this page for them as a record for when they get older.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: Get others peoples input,... its always good to see things from someone else's perspective. even if they only write a few sentences on how they were feeling at the time, its a look into their heads... in this case it will show the girls what Nanny Sheila really thinks rather than just me telling them so.

* the large pocket was my second choice of times to use.. and the filler inside the pocket was the last. I've left it blank for Nanny shells journalling

* I love the bright pink with the otherwise muted colours, i just feel it works so well. Especially as i know the personalities of my girls!!!

Thanks for coming back today, Im away with the family for a couple of days now so won't post again until Monday... hope thats ok?!?! have a great weekend.... see you soon xxxxx

a couple of quickies!

I don't normally do this but todays pages were so quick and easy that i can probably share both with you in the space of one!

* This one is so very me! It all started with some white paint mixed with water splashes over the page which i'd attached a 6" strip to down the middle.

* once the paint was dry I added the photo and title and then chose some layers to pile under it.

* The journalling was the last addition and what makes this page so lovely!

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: when starting with the top layer you obviously don't want to stick down the photo.
* to do this I stuck the photo using only the tails of the "p's" this was I could add and move papers around underneath until I was happy with how it all looked!

* this second page came from a pinterest pin.

* the original was digital but I think I successfully made it out of paper without too much trouble.

* the hardest part about this page was making sure the strips were long enough (which I didn't think about in the beginning) other than that, after a bit of sewing and a couple of layered elements it was done.

* I added in some extra pieces, such as a separate title feature, which I also sewed through... I even added some detail to the journalling card, by way of arrow stickers and a tab label, it all helps to make this a better page.

.... see you again soon xxxx

Bad habit

Good morning!

Today I started with this sketch over at scrapbook challenges , this was number 395 and i love it! I turned it sideways and added a little extra but it still looks like the sketch.... doesn't it?!?!?

* Once Id chosen my papers I cut circles from this pink patterned one and added them around the layout, i added 3 instead of 2 as it works better for me. 

* the title came quite easily and i loved using this new studio calico puffy alphabet. I wanted it to overlap a few of the elements so that it brought them together as one.

* I added a second title spot, which can either be read as a whole title or 2 separate sub titles. The washi tape has stars on which i thought followed the theme of sleeping. 

* here is the photo of the journalling in case you may fancy a little light reading :)

* In the finished shot, you can see how the washi is a major feature of the design of the page and how having 3 circles balances out the colour.

* Since Lain Ehmann's seminar on telling the story Im feeling that I need to tell more of this on my layouts. This page has a split story where you see both sides of the coin from my perspective.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: Express yourself! if you can't be honest to yourself and to your children when they grow up then whats the point in making albums at all? Saying what you feel allows the reader a little bit into your life, and they take a way a piece of you which is what I do this for. 

I hope you will join me again tomorrow.... who knows what that may bring xxxx

The usual suspects +1

Good morning!

Just updating you with my latest layout before getting together with Carole for crafty tuesday.

I used this sketch by Scrap365 blog, take a look!

* I didn't stick exactly to it, but you will see it does have some resemblance.

* I started with pink strips from my scrap bag, i used them as they were bit lazy or ingenious?!?! just wanted to do it that way.

* then once i had stuck my photo on top of them where I wanted it to go, I found some background paper. this was probably my 4th or 5th attempt at finding 'the one' but settled here.

* the title was the next part, this was not the original alphabet that i wanted to use, but it was on the same sheet as what I had in mind and seemed to work. 

(I didn't have the right letters, nor ones that i could bodge!)

* this however is in the alphabet that i wanted to use. and I got to add it to the other side of my photo... +1 is Lola as she should have been at school this day but wasn't allowed due to the sickness rule. (she was fine)

* This was also from the same alphabet sheet and worked perfectly to carry the dark grey into the bottom corner where i had made this embellishment cluster. 

* I added the date so as never to forget! 

* The strips also needed to be in grey, i added my short piece of journalling onto them. 

* the sequins and ink help the page to flow nicely, leading your eye through all of the highlights. 

* The snap shot banner brings in an extra grey element that attracts your attention. 

* the finished page only looks like the sketch a little but you can definitely see its influence. 

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: Sketches are open to interpretation, let it take you where you want to go... If you restrict yourself from moving the way you naturally feel like going it will be a disaster, and more than likely you will end up hating it!! BE YOURSELF

I loved this as a quick girly fix to end a very male coloured weekend!!! Do you ever feel like you need to do this?!?!?! or is it just me?!?! lol

Take care, see you again soon xxx

opposites attract

Good bank holiday, afternoon!!!!

I hope you've had a lovely weekend?!?! Im so sorry I missed yesterday, I was busy making memories and didn't have time to scrap any... but I'm back today and thats all that matters right?!?!?!

* Today I designed the page from my own head.... I used yesterdays LOAd prompt of sibling rivalry to create this simple but effective layout.

* the title is split in half, like the design of the page and faces inwards to keep the attention in the centre of the page.

* the green half represents Michael, who is on the left hand side of the sofa, the blue Daniel who is on the right. I chose these colours as they are their favourites, their bedrooms are in these colours. 

* By splitting the page in half it symbolises each son and how their lives and personalities come together to meet nicely in the middle, or those were my thoughts when planning it anyway!

* The story telling journalling surrounds the photo and the details, where the details form the basis of the page in the middle.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: when you have so much to say its sometimes best to keep embellishments to a minimum. that way you can see clearly what is meant to be seen. 

Thanks for being patient with me and for joining me with this very simple but informative page.... I hope to see you all again tomorrow xxxxx

school spirit!

A very quick and simple page for today.... and featuring Michael last year on his school camp.

I started with a sketch by October afternoon, that can be found HERE on their blog.
I knew I wanted to use the majority of Michael's leftover camp pictures on this page, to show an overall view of what he had done. This sketch seemed perfect for it, go check it out x

* I tried first of all on a kraft piece of cardstock but the ink that I applied looked awful. when i found this patterned paper I decided to approach it differently.

* with my pictures placed (not stuck) where I wanted them, I drew a rectangle in pencil around them, I then inked over the top of this with my ink dauber and then, to add texture, I sewed over the top again.

* When i was happy, i adhered my photos and added a title.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: A boxed title word (camp) works as well as it being straight. don't be afraid to stack the letters up as they will still read well.
the word CAMP didn't fit where I wanted it to go and it overlapped the photo too much if I put it out in a line, so this trick worked perfectly for me today.

* I ummed and erred about where I would place the journalling on this page. I even toyed with a journalling card for a while but just ended up slotting it down the right hand side of the page.

* I hopefully balanced the text out with the arrows and the stitching that falls on the left.

As I said, a very easy one for today, but I'm pleased that i got so many photos on one page, its not too often that I use more than one, so 7 is AWESOME!

See you tomorrow xxxxxx

Play park

I used 3 photos today to make this page about Lola and her friends at the park:

I started with a sketch by Elle's studio, find that here... I was dawn to it on the Bloglovin app, its my new favourite place for inspiration so if you haven't given it a go and added all of your favourite blogs (including mine) then go give it a go :)

* I started initially with a grey mono mix of colours... it looked fine but didn't suit the photos. Instead I changed some up for the blue patterned background and added the green peacock mat.

* There is no mat on the sketch but as I was using the diagonal papers I thought the pittas might need a little bit of help to lift away from the page.

* After I had added my photos it needed a little bit of embellishing to make it look nice. I decided to give my page a couple of title spots and this was a little third section where the alphabet stickers could make an appearance. 

* Here is the first title. I have 2 journalling sections and felt they both needed some kind of introduction. 

* This is the second. 

* This is my embellishment cluster to fill in a large gap that appeared between my single photo and the journalling block. 

* I love this camera die cut and used the rest of my blue puffy heart stickers along with some word stickers to top it off.

* This isn't my best page ever, I'm not feeling my best today but Ive managed to do a page using photos that I didn't think I would any time soon.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: Using someone else's photos is always hard as you weren't there so you never really know that real story. If you add your own story and journalling to the page that is what makes it interesting and relevant to that set of pictures. 

Thanks for joining me today, if you get a second you really should check out Bloglovin!

A sign of the times

The title of todays LOAD prompt and a perfect sub title for todays page that became of it....

Firstly i used a sketch by the lovely ladies over at ScrapMuch? blog... take a look there , see what you think. I found this a fews days ago and knew it would be one that i wanted to do sometime soon and today was that time.

* I used photos of my girls taking selfies as if this isn't a sign of our time then i don't know what is!

* I randomly picked the aqua/green background paper to start with and built it from there, Green isn't a colour that i usually work with but I think the pink contrasts nicely against it and the black makes it pop.

* The title says everything you need to know should you be flipping through the album, but the journalling adds a little bit of me to the page should you have the time to read it.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: when doing really long titles, the majority of the time you will run you of the letters that are most common... a good way to combat this is to mix the upper and lower case from the beginning of the title. This way it looks intentional and not like you just needed to use capitals towards the end because you ran out.

* I added a few vellum circles, layered with more aqua circles so that I could add journalling to the page. I did add an extra one in tho as I work strongly on the three points rule so as a personal preference i just felt that I needed to have another there.

* Im quite pleased with it, the only thing i would change might be the green cameras.... I'm not sure they work particularly well even tho they do tie in with the story!!!

Thanks for supporting me and returning to my blog on a regular basis... I really appreciate all of your comments and followings, it really makes my day xxxx

family fun time

todays LOAD prompt had me thinking, mistakes in our lives.... I couldn't think of anything major that needed documenting, and no photos sprang to mind of a way that I could twist this to work for me... until Carole came along this afternoon and we began our page.

I chose to use a photo of my family, and then it sprung to me that this is not so much a mistake but a regret, that we don't get to spend more time together as a large unit... anyways I struggles real bad with this one but here it is:

* To begin this page I started by stamping the sequin waste stamp onto some white cardstock, then used a border punch to give it a zig zag finish.

* the clocks were my next move. They came on an 8x8 transparency sheet but I didn't want to use it as a sheet as i hate that you can see the clear edges up against any background paper so I cut the clocks out to use them singly.

* the golden 'Heidi Swapp' stars came at the end and are there to balance out the other gold pieces within the layout.

* More clock pieces and more gold... this is more of a sub title than a title but it fits over the clock well, without covering it completey

* the last clock. This had a huge white space beneath it which was making me uncomfortable so i filled the majority of it with this 3x4 journalling card.

* the jar was added because I love them and it works with the other elements.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: Colour is enough to make an element usable!
* stars, jars, doilies... none of these things are relevant to the story that I'm telling but they make the design look pretty.

* an empty tag?!?!?..... I have left plenty of room on my layout for journalling so in this instance the tag is purely decorative. Originally it had an odd piece of white plastic looped around but I changed it for an aqua ribbon

* The title in kraft to tie in with the tag.

* the journalling shot for those of you who love to read it. 

* the finished layout.... I'm unsure if i love it but I do love how much of a story i got down.

Id love to hear your views on todays page, I'm not sure how i feel about it at the moment but I'm glad its done.

see you soon xxxxxx

new shoes

Afternoon...

I wasn't going to blog again today but I had to share this page with you, and more importantly how it came together

* This layout took only 30 minutes from start to finish.

* My Secret?!?!?! I used the leftover scraps that i had lying on my desk from previous projects ONLY! 

* I started this page by testing my new Studio Calico ink dauber, and i must say I LOVE IT.

* I finished by journalling and doodling around the edge, its minimal but it tells the story and i think is fab

I hope this inspires you to use up those scraps that you have lying next to you, or in the basket on your desk , we all have it!!! 

If you give it a go, please link up so I can see how well you did xxxx

my best boys

Thanks for coming back to join me again today....I'll crack straight on with it

Todays page was almost completely lifted from this beauty

* it was designed by Jenny Evans and you can find the original here over on the studio calico website.

* I loved how it was traditional girl colours on a boy page, /i was also drawn into the sewn circle with the sequins, very cool!
Heres how mine went:

* Excuse the black and pink behind, i took this whilst it was stacked on top of other papers.. but the black and white chevron stripes and the purple spots are the only patterned papers on my page.

*Usually I hate purple but I thought as Michael had a lilac tie on then I'd better include a nod to it somewhere.

* I started with a cream coloured doily but hated the white/cream clash so opted for the more feminine pink one.

* I made it more masculine with the blue tone on tone tiny types for the title. I then sewed a circle as Jenny did over my title and around my photo.

* I used an arrow in the same colour as my ticket and almost matching my title to make my triangle. I added a couple of hearts as Jenny did.

* I was too scared to sew my sequins on so I sewed first and glued them afterwards.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: there is such a thing as too organised..... I tried to arrange the sequins around the circles but I found that they looked too arranged, so I used the throw and hope technique.

* If you've never tried this you should give it a go, its quite liberating....  you take your sequins in your hand and just throw them in the area that you want them to go. then usually you just stick them down where they fall.

* for this particular page i did the throwing thing, but then pushed them in so that they sat around the circle, i must say i like how they ended up.

* Heres my journalling... to get the drawn lines I used a ruler and pencil to make them straight but then by hand only I drew over the top lightly with my pen.

* this is the end result... I'm quite pleased with it, but I definitely need a new black journaling pen... any recommendations gratefully received xxxxx

when i grow up....

LOAD topic fits perfectly in with our topics at home this week so a good time to scrap about Dan and what he sees in his future.

I started this one off with this sketch by scrap & play.:

* this was their very first challenge so pop on over and show them some love if you like what you see!

I really loved this paper which included this alphabet strip, so that was my deciding factor on size of strips. I added sewing on the paper itself for detail and i also sewed around the edge for consistency.

* I used a new alphabet by Jillibean soup as my title, its quite lovely!

* I didn't place it where the sketch said I should, this was because I didn't have 2 photos to fill the gaps So I made a title block to replace one.

* TOP TIP OF THE DAY: Title blocks are great fillers! If you need to fill a large space, if you happen be unhappy with white space (unlike me) these are perfect. they can be as little or large as you like and have a purpose.

*Like with mine, you can also make them into a pocket to hold your journalling!

* I made tags to put inside of my title block pocket. these show the jobs that Dan is interested in working towards.

* As additional journalling, and to explain the tags, I added journalling strips to the bottom of the page... this also fits in with the sketch.

* again to keep in line with the sketch I added some orange chevrons... each pointing towards the photo.

* Im very pleased with how this turned out. Its quite similar to the sketch, apart from a few minor changes but thats good for me lol.

see you tomorrow xxxx