Scrapbooking: Christmas, playing with new styles

There were a few events over Christmas that I didnt have photos for, or even all that much journalling but I still wanted to record them, so I tried a couple of new styles....

My first try at using divided sleeves, I can see the appeal of them but I'd quite happily do this on a sheet of 12x12 & slip it into a normal sleeve, & that way could have a 12x12 page on the other side rather than having to think of how to show the next event in the smaller rectangles.

I really like this page, 3 days of events on journalling cards, some washi tape & stickers to decorate. Cardboard bells attached to bakers twine gave it more layers.

Finally I had 2 photos that needed very little writing, & paper that I loved that needed little done to it.

 I mounted the photos onto the same kind of green that was used on the paper & then carefully cut out any of the design that they'd cover up. I highlighted certain details with glossy accents such as the frame for the journalling, the holly & the stockings.
Journalling added & that was all that was needed, the title was already there, as was all the decoration that was needed.

Scrapbooking: Potty Training

Another UKScrappers challenge - these things really do make me scrapbook when I'm lacking mojo or inspiration. The challenge was to scrap about someone you love, use greens with maroon, & use circles.
I spotted the chipboard buttons in The Works having read the challenge that morning and knew they'd come in handy. The bakers twine called to me as soon as I opened my cupboard, the colours went so well!

Scrapbooking: Playdough

I am hoping for a some what peaceful day today as both kiddies are back to school after recovering from chicken pox ...... I only get 2 potentially peaceful days though as then the half term holidays are upon us.

A few weeks ago the UKScrappers challenge was to use the colours of your countries flag, more than 1 photo and a banner. I went looking through my photos that would go with a red & white colour scheme & came up with the ones of Zack & Kai playing with the play dough. The stamping is done with the actual cookie cutters Kai was using.

Scrapbooking: Christmas Eve

I love lined backgrounds for when I'm doing a layout that hasnt got room for a journalling square, it makes writing straight on the page so much easier.

Scrapbooking: 1st Birthday

I've been putting off scrapping Kai's 1st birthday as its quite a major event & I wasnt sure if I could do it justice, but I took up Shimelles 24th challenge to just dive in & scrap a milestone, and decided I could always redo it if & when my scrapbooking improves. AS it happens I currently like it :)

You see the Mickey mouse fabric circle? thats off the babygrow Kai was wearing that morning.

Can you see it in the photo on the top left?
This fits in perfectly with Shimelles challenge of using fabric (17) & using unexpected supplies (7)

The journalling I did in letter form, a letter to Kai explaining to him what his birthday was like, this meets challenge 12, write a letter. On the letter I repeat the first line in the last line "You had so much fun on your first birthday" giving more emphasis to it.

Theres also a sparkly "1st" - challenge 11, & its a double layout - challenge 14

& thats it!!!! Hooray!!! All 24 challenges completed in 1 week - thank you Shimelle for setting them :)

Scrapbooking: Ironbridge

I have divided pages but I actually prefer to do the same effect on a sheet of 12x12 paper so that the other side can still be used in what ever format I want.

I grouped together all the items I had linked with this day, a postcard, a map, a paper bag, and 2 photos. I then looked for journalling cards and paper that would match nicely. I added some washi tape with gears on to connect them all, adding a strip of yellow chevron & blue hexagons to a sheet of card to make it tie in with the others.

I cut the image off the bag with a circular die cutter, and the title off the map, using both of these to make the title 4x6.

I want to enter this into Shimelles challenges....
2. Use 4x6 photos
7. Use unexpected supplies (bag, postcard & map)
21. Divide your page

Scrapbooking: Slide

I manage to combine this weeks UKS challenge along with some of Shimelles with this page.

The UKS challenge was to use the layout sketch for a masculine page, use flowers on it and some ink.

Along the top I used patterned paper tags in the colours of Kai's clothings, under the photos I used washi tape & paper in the colours of his slide ladder, the background sheet being the main colour of the slide.
I stamped the date onto a tag, added the title & journalling.

This layout also fits nicely into Shimelles 13th Challenge - Highlight your favourite papers, I think the tags show up my favourite red & blue papers perfectly.

I also want to enter it into the following Shimelle challenges..
15. Line it up
16. Record hope or gratitude
20. Scrapbook smaller photos

Scrapbooking: Cardiff (Dr Who)

There's something rather exciting when you get a shot of inspiration and you sit down to get started. Its also rather relaxing to get a pair of scissors out, guillotine and start working on a new paper piecing project. I had this spark of creativity while looking through photos to see what could meet Shimelles 9th challenge, Fancy Cutting.

Theres certainly plenty of cutting here....

I used a small star stamp as a border punch, and also cut around photos of the displays to use (my fav Dr Who baddies are the weeping angels). Of course the most time consuming part of this page, and my favourite part of it is the TARDIS. It is all handcut by scissors or guillotine. A labour of love made mainly out of a single sheet of 12x12 blue card that has been inked to add shadow & make it look older/worn. The "police telephone" sign was printed as was the sign at the top. The windows are strips of blue card over inked up vellum, which is place over peachy-yellow to give it the illusion of a light being on inside, I used this same technique with the light at the top except, as this is much brighter, I didnt ink it.

Ruth brought along some glittery 12x12 sheets the the bloggers weekend in May for a challenge, I kept mine untouched as I wanted to use it on my Dr Who layout with the thought of a starry universe, which fits in perfectly with Shimelles 11th challenge, make it sparkle. I couldnt just stop with a bit of glittery blue paper though, oh no, this person who oh so rarely uses glittery products went on to use a sheet of black glitter card, silver glitter card to mount half the photos on AND a glittery chipboard title!

Other features of interest on the page (apart from the photos) are...

The wrist band I wore to get in the exhibition multiple times, and...

A Doctor Who stamp I received on a package that I felt was very in keeping.

Scrapbooking: Keep Your Face Always Towards the Sunshine.

I've never tried using a moodboard before, I tend to think of ideas & either keep them in my head or make a few notes on a pad. But I'm willing to give things a go, HEREs the moodboard I used for this page with the thoughts of sun, water and bubbles. On there you'll find a pin from Jennifers Onwards & Upwards blog event, happening this weekend (go lookie-see), its actually a prize but several things on there resonated with the page I wanted to make.

The sun is a sheet of 12x12 bazzil that I sat with a pair of scissors & cut out & then mounted onto card.
The bubbles on the paper & washi tape not only reflects the water theme but the bubbles Kai is blowing on the photos on the right. I added a small amount of green to reflect the gorgeous greenery in the garden.

I had to cut a small amount of the chevroned journalling box off so I used this on the right of the page to add a tiny bit more journalling.

Scrapbooking: Playground Pals

Probably the most neglected parts of my scrapbooking supplies are the items I see on other peoples work & think "oooo, they're gorgeous!" before purchasing them myself. Having received them I then cant quite figure out how to work them into my own style. So that was my plan for Shimelles 23rd Challenge, use some of those unloved products.

Cameras, obviously very fashionable in the scrapbooking community as we take photos so often, but having pictures of them on the scrapbook pages has now taken off. Great idea, I initially thought before buying them, & then they sat in a draw, in a cupboard and in a box for quite a while.

I pulled out my papers with camera images on, cutting one of the largest out and using a different sheet on the page, matching up some bazzil with the colours on it. Out came the wooden cameras, and the washi tape.

I also wanted to add toadstools similar to the ones in the photos so I used my circular die cutter and crop-o-dile to create them, along with a little bit of reshaping from a pair of scissors.

Scrapbooking: Dashing Through The Snow

No, not a reminder of the snow from this year but in January 2009

When Shimelle gave her first challenge for NSD, Scrap in Pink, I literally groaned. I'm not a big fan of pink, I like it as a dash of shocking colour, As many of you know I've had bright pink hair, and bright pink trainer pumps, but as a whole I avoid that stereotypically girlie colour.

So I sat & thought, flicked through my papers & with a light bulb "ding" moment I took on the challenge.

(Click on the picture to enlarge)

I scraplifted an earlier page I did HERE but this time I stuck to the colour scheme pale pink, baby blue & brown - the pink & blue giving a lovely frosty feeling & having snowflake die cutters definitely helped with this.

The Journalling reads ..

"A gentle walk in the snow with the sledges, myself, Zack & Kai.

A couple of detours off the path & even a try at snowboarding."

Scrapbooking: Sleigh Bed

I'm sure some of you will recognise these papers, I dont think there's that many UK paper crafters who havent popped down to TKMaxx to make the most of their £7.99 12x12 pads among other craft goodies.

SJcrafts are another blog doing NSD challenges, one of which is this sketch.....

I chose my colour palette from the main colours in the photo (reds & blues), including a couple of spritzes of blue mist.

I would also like to enter this into Shimelles challenge 3. Mist

Scrapbooking: Silent Hill

Dont you just hate it when you find a layout sketch you want to use, save it & then forget to make a note of where you've got it from to link back?! That is whats just happened to me, huge shame as I really enjoyed making this page.

Thankfully Ruth has saved the day & told me that its from the Sketchbook365, hooray!

I started off by crumpling up pages of a book & then distressing them before sticking them onto a sheet of 12x12 grey card. I tried to keep the odd word, or even numbers that I felt relevant, showing

The 2 page numbers here are formed the date.

I then added die cut swirls, layering a few of them up to create slightly different heights & depth.
A coat or two of white acrylic paint and some time to dry.

A strip of newspaper patterned card & another in grey, a tear at the top with a page of the book behind & a bit more paint.

Once dry I stamped a bird cage. Photos mounted onto white card, & a lined piece of grey paper attached behind to use as journalling before sticking it all down to the main page. Another swirl added to go very slightly in from of the photo, and a layered up picture of the "Silent Hill" sign. A tiny bit more paint to blend in a few areas.

I loved playing with this technique and think it gave a gorgeous creepy, misty feel to the page.

I want to enter this into Shimelles 19th challenge - paint it up
& the Sketchbook May Challenge

Scrapbooking: My 2 Guys

It looked like this week & last were going to be busy ..... until Kai broke out in lots of spots, he'd got Chicken Pox. "Dont worry" I told him "We'll be able to make a great dotty scrapbook page at some point :)"
He seems to have got away with it fairly easily, quite a few spots on his back, a few all over but he's been in good spirits through out and the itching has been minimal. Even though his energy is fully back he's still got a few spots that havent scabbed over so no school yet, and we cant go out in public (I really wouldnt want to be the cause of someone in the early stages of pregnancy catching it off him), so we've had plenty of time in the house and garden, and a few more hours scrapping. Perfect timing for National Scrapbooking Day last Saturday.

There were so many challenges on so many blogs but Shimelle impressed me the most with setting 24 in 24 separate posts! Thankfully they can be combined.

I made this double layout for the UKS weekly challenge, scrap about an achievement/something you're proud of (My 2 guys), use yellow (alphas & paper), & add a butterfly (didnt do this one so lost 10points)
Its also met the following Shimelle challenges...
4. Write in repetition - EARLY to bed EARLY to rise ...... out EARLY to feed....

5. Use Brads or eyelets - Used brads
14. Double page
18. Embrace 3 - 3 brads used
22. Scrap with squares - All the photos except 1 & the journalling square are 7cm square.

Did you manage to get any challenges done this long weekend?