Sarah's Cards Ltd

Summers End

2012-02-03T09:53:00.000Z

Well I don't know about you but I could do with some warm sunshine at the moment! The cold days are certainly keeping me indoors more, which also gives me more time to craft! This month I would like to share with you two layouts I have created using the beautiful Fancy Pants Summers End range.

The first one is called Ha'penny Bridge, this is a bridge that sits over the River Thames in Lechlade in Gloucestershire. We spend many hours here in the warmer months walking along the river, feeding the ducks and occasionally popping into the local pub for a drink by the river. I have used one of the papers on this page that is predominately lined paper with journaling spots along one side. I have cut the journaling spots out to create a feature to my design. Mirroring the shape by cutting out another journaling spot from the Cards paper. I've added some of the chipboard embellishments and handcut the dandelion like flowers from another of the journal cards.

The second page shows some photos that I took at a local music festival last summer, the man in the photos did some amazing tricks using fire, very scary too! I have focused the main design to the centre of the page. I have cut out 2 small circles from the Windy Day paper so that they would fit in the centre of the doilies, then hand cut lots of leaves from the Falling Leaves paper. I have then added in some of the chipboard leaves, a couple of flowers and a chipboard journaling spot.

Check back soon to see what the rest of the Design Team have been creating!

Short and Sweet

2012-02-01T18:04:00.000Z

Hello all, and welcome to February.

This month I played with a mix of papers from October Afternoon, Farmhouse and Crate Paper, Paper Heart, I also chose to play with the fab Alphabet Pattern stamp from Studio Calico and some Jillibean Soup Journaling Sprouts.

I've had this photo of Drew taken at Clarks Since January 2010 and hadn't got round to scrapping it. Part of the reason for this is that it's not a great quality picture but mainly because I don't like the colours on the card you get from the shop. Silly I know, but that's me! Instead of trying to find papers to match the pastel colours of the card, I decided to create a bright and random background myself. I used various coloured mists dripped down a piece of white card (which I then turned so that the drips were horizontal). I used a bubble wrap stamp, a roller stamp in a grid design, some paint dabbers and a pen lid dipped in black paint to make the background busy and colourful. I then cut strips of different papers and stamped over them with the alphabet stamp and black ink, and positioned these across the page, stapling some of them in place. The journalling sprouts were made a bit more interesting by layering them with hand cut circles of patterned paper and a circle cut from the stamped alphabet. I raided my thickers collection to create the title. I love making my titles from half used packs that are no good to use on their own. The key to getting it to look good and not just a random bunch of left over letters thrown together, is to use 1 type of alpha as the main style and make sure it is used in every word. Here the yellow is my main style, with some red and a green used to make up the missing letters.

On the next two pages I used the fab alphabet stamp directly onto my back ground. Firstly I used brown sugar embossing powder onto kraft for a subtle effect. If the stamped image doesn't come out evenly it doesn't matter when used in this way as it just creates a distressed background. This time I used the journalling sprouts layered with patterned paper as bunting.

On my final page I used clear embossing powder and the alphabet stamp all over the white card background. Once it had been set I reheated small areas and added a sprinkling of teal powder before heating again. The teal powder bleeds gradually into the clear powder and gives a blurry edge.
For my title on this LO I used the left over card from the Studio Calico alphas as a stencil mixed with some green thickers, which I coloured a couple with black permanent pen. The journaling sprouts were again layered with patterned paper and used as embellishments behind the photo to make it stand out from the background. I've included a pull out tag that has journaling on.

A very short and sweet (and late) post from me this month. Next month I'll be back with more, and updates on the New Year, New Me.... which is going (very) slowly in the right direction.
Check back soon to see what the rest of the team create, and don't forget to play along with our monthly challenges for your chance to win a £20 voucher to spend in the shop. And with Sarah and Lianne away at CHA buying new beautifulness for the shop, you'd be mad not to join in.

InLinkz.com

1 mask, 3 ways

2012-01-30T01:28:00.011Z

Hello everyone. It is Ifa today, sharing my love for this mask.

I am smitten. So much so, I have 3 layouts to share with you.

For my first layout, I simply mist through the mask onto my background cardstock. I made sure the top and bottom stayed clear of ink by masking further with some scrap A4 paper.

In my next layout, I misted the two sides of the background paper.

For my final layout, I misted the middle of the mask, turn over and carefully place on my background cardstock...I ended up with the negative of the mask.

So what do you think ? Do you like it ?

It's CHA time!

2012-01-29T16:03:00.000Z

We're here at CHA to source exciting new products for our kits and shop. Head over to our Facebook page (there's a link on the sidebar) to see updates of what's new and exciting here in Anaheim.

* * Three super quick layouts using 6x6 paper pads * *

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000Z

Hello all

It's Laura here with a couple of ideas on how to use 6x6 pads to create quick and simple 12x12 layouts.

6x6 pads are the perfect way to get a whole collection of papers and incoperate lots of patterns into your layouts without having to buy the whole collection. They are also the perfect opportunity to "trial" a paper collection and then you can go onto buy the full sheets of your favourite patterns.

6x6 pads are small and very affordable. Its a great way to build up your stash. In this blog post I have featured three 6x6 pads.

* Autumn Press by Studio Calico

* Vanity Fair by My Minds Eye

and

* Happy Days by Echo Park

Links direct to the shop are at the bottom of this blog post!

These three layouts are all super quick... I completed these three layouts in less than 2 hours. A great way to get some memories documented. By using a set of patterened papers from a 6x6 pad you can be sure that the papers are already colour co-ordinated and work well together, thus taking the guess work out of matching patterned papers.

Firstly... I created the layout below by creating a paper stack using the Studio Calico pad. I took five 6x6 pieces and roughly cut them (as in I used scissors, not a trimmer and I didn't measure) into smaller and smaller squares. The bottom piece, the red polka dot one, is the full 6x6 size and the papers layered on top get slightly smaller with each layer.

The whole stack was added to a piece of dark cardstock, journalling and title added and this whole sheet was then cut down and mounted onto the kraft cardstock. Off cuts from the cut squares were then added in underneath the dark cardstock. All scraps used up... layout done!

This layout documents the first night we put our baby to bed upstairs. I sat by the baby monitor all night constantly asking my husband to mute the tv so I could listen to snuffles via the monitor. She was five weeks old at this point and the first time she had ever been out of my sight. Of course she slept soundly until we went to bed and I was happy to be back in her company once again!

The second layout uses the My Mind Eye paper pad. For this layout a background was created by using four full sheets of 6x6 papers. I edged them all with an AC pen to add some definition and then my photo was added on top. I used a large photo but any size would work. To the top left and bottom right I added an embellishment cluster and titles. The journalling was written directly onto the pink patterened paper.

Again the beauty of using 6x6 paper pads in this way is that you can be sure that the four colours and patterns will work together in this way.

This layout features one of our first photos as a new family of three. The journalling talks about the fact that life now revolves around this tiny person and although she has only been here for a few short weeks, it feels like she has always been here.

And lastly, this is my layout for the January Sarah Card's blog challenge and uses the Echo Park paper pad.

A block of patterned paper was created down one side of a background sheet using strips cut from the 6x6 papers. To keep the creation of these layouts quick, I roughly chopped these strips. Not worrying about how exact or straight each piece was. When you cluster them together in this way, you won't notice if a couple of them are wonky or not straight so embrace speedy scrapping!

I selected a few sheets of paper and chopped some strips from them. These were then layered up together in no particular order. I didn't pre-plan the layout of these strips... lets keep this quick. I started at the top and I just stuck them down one by one until the block was created. Photos added on top, title and journalling written... job done!

I hope this post has given you some ideas to embrace the 6x6 pad. I used three different collections here but you could easily create all these layouts using one paper pad, an excellent way to make your stash go further.

While I am here... don't forget to link us to your projects for the January blog challenge! There is a £20 shop voucher to be won! You have until 31st January to take part!

My Minds Eye 6x6 Paper Pad Vanity Fair	Studio Calico 6x6 Paper Pad Autumn Press	Echo Park 6x6 Paper Pad Happy Days
American Crafts Foam Thickers Rockabye White	American Crafts Foam Thickers Rockaby Green Leaf	American Crafts Kraft Cardstock
American Crafts White Cardstock	American Crafts Cardstock Grey Shadow	Martha Stewart Butterfly 3 in 1 punch
Amy Tan American Crafts Fabric Remarks All Together	Adhesive Rhinestones Clear AB	American Crafts - Precision Pen - Black

InLinkz.com

Decorating Blank Chipboard

2012-01-19T11:47:00.001Z

I have to admit I look at blank chipboard shapes and sheets and think "what am i going to do with that?" and I've lost count of how many pieces i've ruined along the way.

This month I wanted to share with you a simple way to bring your chipboard to life.

Over at Sarahs Cards I fell in love with these amazing cogs from the want to scrap range, I just loved the layers and the depth of each piece.

And here is the layout I created with the cogs

and closer images of the cogs..

To bring my chipboard to life i did the following;

1..Dry brush white paint all over cogs leaving plenty of chipboard still showing through.
2..Allow paint to dry
3..Use a black inkpad and add accents on black paying more attention to the edges to create depth4..Add highlights of white paint
5..Add a few metal brads (I left a few holes blank for effect...im just not sure what this effect was)

Here is my complete supply list;
White paint
Liquid Pearls
Black inkpad
Chipboard cogs
Black cardstock
Tim Holtz Sprocket Gears
Adornit tiny blue alphabet
Thickers - Hardcover, Aquatic
Bakers Twine, Aqua
Ruby Rock It - Bella Paper Boy, Cogs
Ruby Rock It - Bella Paper Boy, Collage
Ruby Rock It - Bella Paper Boy, Token
Ruby Rock It - Bella Paper Boy,4x4
Ruby Rock It - Bella Paper Boy, Superstar
Ruby Rock It - Bella paper boy, Borders
Maya Road Zip Trim, Sea Blue

Post-Christmas Scrapping

2012-01-16T15:33:00.000Z

I love reading all the "Christmas Scrapping" inspiration in the run up to the big event in December, but if you're anything like me, it is only now that you have the stash, edited pictures and most importantly time to actually document any of the festive season! So I hope you are not all fed up of seasonal pictures and posts, as here I am with my take on recording Christmas! Grab the left over chocolates and sit back and relax.....

Another thing which sometimes makes me hesitant to scrap my Christmas pictures is that I feel that I *should* use festive, themed papers......it's not that I dislike them in anyway, but they somehow serve to get me incredibly stressed about getting my annual Christmas pages *just right*.......totally ridiculous but very true. Thankfully, as many of the design team showcased last month, that really needn't be the case, and like many of them I enjoy the challenge of using "ordinary" stash to create my own, individual seasonal theme, without my self-induced "must get this right first time" pressure that for some bizarre reason themed paper brings out in me!

I chose to use the absolutely gorgeous My Minds Eye Kraft Funday ranges - these were hugely popular at the November retreat, but if you have yet to check them out, have a look at them here, or follow the links at the end of my post. The gorgeous colour-printed kraft designs reminded me of my favourite type of wrapping paper, so felt like a natural choice for my Christmas photos.

My First page is Wonderful Day:

please click on any photo

to see a larger version

We had a fantastic day back in November when my niece was chosen to be Santa's helper for the day and, following a special breakfast and lots of treats, open his grotto - complete with the local paparazzi there to record the moment!

I used the star-spangled reverse of the Lollipop Dots paper as the base for my page, with a spritz of white mist for a frosty feel. I matted my photos on several different layers of paper, and wanted to create the effect of it all being bundled up together like a parcel. So using bakers twine, I attached long lengths behind the paper and brought them to the front, passing them through a single point with a needle so that they would give a "tied together" look when I had finished:

To make the bow on top, I punched several bows shapes from different patterned paper, folded them to give them dimension and stacked them on top of each other using a good dollop of ultra tacky glue.....

and added a sparkly rhinestone to the centre.....I LOVE the iridescent sparkle of the aurora borealis rhinestones - it doesn't photograph well but they give so much more colour and sparkle than plain clear ones!

I used a pre-made, printed chipboard embellishment for my title; you don't have to create your own with alphas every time - printed journalling cards and stickers can some times do the hard work for you. To customise the chipboard I gave it a blast of pink mist,

before matting it on some paper, and a strip of mix tape that I stamped some bunting on top of:

And of course, a bit of added bling to bring the sparkle and magic of the day to life!

A little cluster of stamped images and sentiments and embellishments finished my page:

I adore the little Amy Tangerine camera stamp, and sincerely believe everyone should own it!!

The second page I'd like to share with you was based on my favourite snap of myself and my other half on Christmas Day morning before the chaos and madness descended.....

As the page was based on our "Christmas Portrait", I wanted to use lots of frames to emphasise this idea. Using the frame in the Amy Tangerine stamps, I stamped it onto kraft cardstock in three colours, before cutting them out and sticking them under my photo. I removed the centres from two of them using a craft knife and decorated the resulting "holes" with heart rhinestones, stamped stars and buttons. I left the centre stamped image in tact, but stamped the word "favourite" using a versamark stamp to give a subtle impression. It gives a lovely, tone-on-tone watermark effect.

I created the swags by trapping bakers twine underneath punched bows with some 3d foam pads. To make sure the twiddly twine then stayed flat in the billowing swag shapes rather than twisting up, I put a generous amount of ultra tacky glue on to a clean finger and rubbed it over the twine. It dried quickly and ensured my twine has stayed in shape where I wanted it:

As well as the frames, my photos were matted with patterned papers, mix tape and journalling stickers.

At the bottom of my page, I swiped a stripe of acrylic dabber paint thickly across the page, and whilst still wet dropped lots of ultra fine glitter into it, to create a thick sparkly strip - reminiscent of fresh snow or icing on top of a gingerbread house :)

Using an Ek Success border punch, I added a chain of hearts across this once it was dry, punched from the candy-cane striped rear of the pinwheel paper. This served as the base for my title/journalling chipboard shape, which I decorated with a chipboard button and some decorative pins.

So there's my 2011 Christmas Scrapping achieved without a themed piece of paper of embellishment in sight! We would really love to see your Christmas creations so please feel free to share your links in the comments section :)

Here's to 2012 - I wonder what it has in store for us all!
Thanks, as always, for stopping by :)

My Supplies included:

InLinkz.com

{1, 2, 3....}

2012-01-12T14:14:00.000Z

If you are anything like me, you have a lot of half used sheets of alphabet stickers lurking in your stash. I usually find I use up all the "useful" letters, and am left with sheets containing Z's, X's and loads of numbers! This month I'm on a mission to use up some of my leftover number stickers, and I'm using three different methods of getting those numbers onto my pages.

I used a variety of papers on my pages this month, including sheets from Studio Calico, My Minds Eye, American Crafts and Echo Park. You can find links to all of these at the bottom of the post. Most of the Thickers I've used are old stash that I've accumulated over the years!

First up, using numbers as a title.
Sometimes the date of an event will suit the page as a title. Like here, for a picture of our wedding and journalling explaining the reason we got married on the date that we did. There was no deep meaningful reason for choosing that date, but we wanted a summer wedding, on a Saturday, and it so happened that midsummer's day met those criteria. It seemed fitting to celebrate our marriage on the longest day of the year. Although there's no "big story" here, it's still nice to have the information down on paper for preservation. I could have simply called this layout "The date" or something similar, but instead I used numbers to show what day it was.

Secondly, using numbers to highlight an age.
I wanted to document on this page the age that Benjamin was when I took the photo - eight months old, and just starting to get about by himself. Instead of just using an 8 to do that, I placed numbers in a line across the page, from 1 - 12, indicating the months. I used numbers in a pale grey for all apart from the one that was relevant to the photo, which I replaced with a teal coloured number eight and layered up on top of some punched paper & stickers to make it stand out of the line.

Lastly, use numbers for journalling.
I've had this page in my head for ages now, but been unable to translate it to paper, until now! The photo is one of Benjamin's first pictures. I built up the photo block using lots of layered papers, and added three little embellishment blocks in a triangle around my photo, one of which contains my 'title' of sorts: 1 perfect son. I used twine to add a border to the page - simply pierce each corner of the paper and then thread twine through from corner to corner. I filled the rest of the page with numbers in lots of different fonts and colours to mnatch the papers I'd used. Each number represents an important part of Benjamin's arrival, such as the number of hours I was in labour for, how much he weighed, and the time he arrived. I added little bits of writing between the numbers to explain them a bit further. Although there is not a huge amount of writing on this page, the layout includes a *lot* of information.

Thanks for reading, I hope I've inspired you to use some numbers on your next page. As always please share any projects you make as a result of the posts here on the blog - we love seeing your work.

InLinkz.com

* * January blog challenge * *

2012-01-11T10:50:00.001Z

What better way to start the New Year than with £20 to spend on stash!

All you need to do is get your scrap on and take part in our monthly challenge!

Easy Peasy!

So the challenge is this : CREATIVE INTENTIONS!

What are your creative intentions for 2012? What are your scrappy resolutions? or your plans to craft?

The challenge is to create a layout that documents your intentions, or simply START your intentions! Are you planning to start project life? Or Document 2012? Well DO IT!! and share it with us!

For 2012 I have a whole bunch of intentions and I needed a lot of journalling space to record them but essentially I am going to photograph my life and then I am going to scrap it! and I plan to enjoy every minute!!

My layout features 4 small pics of the "tools" I need to do this... a stack of photos, my new Selphy printer (love) some stash and my calendar!

Claire has scrapped about her intentions to "make everyday special" - such a gorgeously beautiful sentiment. Your intentions don't have to be huge grand plans but can be simple ideas to make 2012 a year to remember

Helen is one of many scrappers who is embarking on "project life" in 2012. Project Life is a concept designed by Becky Higgins and essentially is a project to scrap the everyday and record your family life in an ongoing scrappy project.

Helen has decided to embark on his challenge and so for our January challenge she has shared with us her opening page to her album! Make sure you follow her blog to track her progress!

So here is your challenge!

Topic : Creative Intentions

Entry : Create your layout and then comment below leaving us a link to your page online (either on your blog or a photo sharing website)

Prize : £20 voucher to spend at Sarah's Cards shop!

Deadline : Please post your project by 31st January, the winner will be announced on the blog on 8th February! : )

Our Christmas 2011: the album...

2012-01-10T19:07:00.000Z

Here is my finished album, 'Our Christmas 2011', page by page. To save cardstock, I used both sides, completing the pages back to back. I tried to think about themes/topics that would help me to record a full story of what happened in the build up to, and during, our Chrismtas celebrations: the details that I'd most like to remember.

Title Page:

Advent Calendars, Cards, 'Bobby the Reindeer' and Nativities:

The Tree, Decorations, Crafts and Baking:

Christmas Eve:

Christmas Day: Stockings, The People, The Table, Chrismtas Dinner:

Presents:

I have a few things that I'm going to include in a page protector too: the letter to Santa that Evie left for him on Christmas Eve, 'Bobby the Reindeer's' Passport and thank you letter and the cards that the children made.

I'd also intend to finish it off with a questionnaire that we all fill in about our own personal highlights. I think that this will be something interesting to look back on each year.

I've decided to make this an annual post-Christmas project and have started a new album, just for Christmas, that I will add to each year, building up a story of how we celebrate Christmas.

My Supplies:

Our Christmas 2011: telling the story...

2012-01-09T10:02:00.000Z

I've always liked the idea of recording our Christmas each year, but also known that I wouldn't be able to join in with a December Daily type project due to lack of time in the build up to Christmas. I tried a few years ago and failed straightaway!

So this year, knowing that it was also George's first Christmas, I decided that I would make a Christmas album, but one after it had all happened, looking back at the preparations and what we did etc.

My Process:

I wanted this to be a relatively quick project to put together so I decided to start with a sketch and use this for each page. My initial sketch idea came from my main supply: a Cosmo Cricket 6x6 paper pad. I decided to cut each page down into quarters and then use a mix of these smaller squares as a base for my photos.

My Sketch:

My Method:

1. Cut down the paper pad in to quarters.

2. Then add the squares of paper to the cardstock, mixing up the colours and patterns.

3. Add the titles using black and red dymo tape.

4. Tie twine around the pages to look like parcels (I chose kraft cardstock to tie in with a Chrismtas present-like theme too).

5. Add embellishments. I used some matching Cosmo Cricket stickers and a MME die-cut sheet.

6. Print off photo collages. Click here for a tutorial on how to use Picasa to do this. Trim and add to pages.

7. Type and print journaling (I used a typewriter font): there are lots available at www.dafont.com. I misted the pages with red and green ink before cutting down the strips and adhering to each page.

8. My finishing touches were to stamp and emboss on the pages to fill in any gaps.

Working in this methodical way meant that I could quickly prepare pages and complete my project, something that doesn't happen often for me when I begin a mini-album like this.

Pop back tomorrow, to see my finished album.

My Supplies:

December Challenge Winner

2012-01-08T15:48:00.003Z

Thank you for taking part in our December challenge.

The challenge was to use mixed Manufacturers for your paper choices.

The DT have voted and picked a winner, so congratulations to SCATTYCHICK, the DT loved your Guitar :)

Please contact liannemail@sarahscardsltd.com to claim your shop voucher

Out Of Your Comfort Zone!

2012-01-03T09:00:00.011Z

Firstly I just want to wish our readers a very Happy New Year! Where did 2011 go to? This year I plan to use papers that I have at home already, and within that may mean scrapbooking colour schemes that are a little out of my comfort zone. This is due to buying papers on a whim and my tastes in colours changing so much from month to month.

With this in mind I thought I would do a blog post here about getting out of our comfort zones and trying something different. I have loved all the Authentique ranges that have been brought out, and although I thought the Blissful range was gorgeous I had avoided it because yellows and greys were not colours I ever scrapped in. So this is the range I picked this month to blog about. And needless to say I actually really liked the pages I have created, and its made me think about other paper ranges I have avoided!!

This is the first page I created, which is an 8.5 x 11 with a photo of my dog Brodie on Christmas Eve 2005. He will be 14 years old this year and is getting a very old man now, so it was nice to scrap a photo of him when he was a bit younger and still had a fair bit of energy.

The second page I created was a 12x12, and a photo from a little village in the Cotswolds called Bibury, its a beautiful town with a river running through it which leads to a trout farm. The cottages in the photo were on a walk around the river, and they are just gorgeous!

Well I hope I have inspired some of you to revisit your paper collections and maybe mix up some colour schemes that you may not usually scrap in. Or to even be brave and buy that new collection you've had your eye on, even if it isn't in your usual colours!

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T10:42:00.000Z

Hello 2012! I can't believe it's the start of another new year. Time really does fly doesn't it?

Have you made any resolutions for 2012? I usually make 2 or 3 and by the end of January, if not before they have been broken or forgotten about. Every year I say I'm going to lose weight, and start off with good intentions before falling back into bad habits. This year I have decided to make my quest to 'get to goal' public in a hope that it will make me stay on track. The following LO has a photo taken of me on Boxing Day. Usually I shy away from the camera, and I certainly wouldn't ever have a full length photo taken willingly. This is my before photo, and I plan to include an update on how the diet is going each month for all to see. So now I've put it on here, failure really is not an option for me!

Last year I saw lots of blogs where people used multi photo page protectors to record each month of their year. I have decided to join in this year too. I love the 10 x 12 multi photo page protectors, they are perfect for creating mini LOs, or simply just slotting in a 6 x 4 photo.

Are you planning to record your year in a similar way? It's a perfect way to use up scraps from your kits, and is a really quick way to scrap too.

At this time of year you see a lot of prompts on Facebook/blogs asking about the highs and lows of the past year. The following LO records one of my highs from 2011.... seeing Harry play a camel in the school nativity. We weren't expecting much, as the previous year he had avoided looking at us and had hid his face from the camera, so we were over the moon to see how pleased Harry was to be dressed in a fat camel costume with 'bewuls and wumps' (bells and lumps).

I loved the photo of Harry but the colours of the school hall and the king in the background were quite distracting. I decided to do some spot colour editing so that the focus was on Harry. Here's a little step by step to show you how easy it is to do.

Once your photo is open in Photo shop, go to Layer then Duplicate Layer from the drop down menu.

Save as Background copy.

With the background copy highlighted, go to Enhance, then Adjust Colour and Remove Colour in the drop down menus.

Your photo is now in black and white.

Highlight the Eraser tool.

You can select a brush size to suit the photo you are editing. I used 19px. Use your mouse to erase the black and white photo. The colour photo layer underneath shows through.

Zoom in on your photo to erase along the edges of your object/person. On complicated or uneven shapes it is best to work in small sections, so that if you make a mistake and have to use the back arrow, you won't have to redo all your work.

Ta da!!! Done. How easy is that?

I'm all about scrapping real life. The good, the bad, the ugly and the often down right silly! I want my scrapbooks to tell an accurate story of all aspects of my children's lives. Which brings me on to my next LO... the low of 2011.

Last week we had one of the worst days when we were told that our baby was being referred to the hospital for tests and that leukaemia was a possibility. Lots of tears, a drive to the hospital, an examination, a blood test, being admitted on to a ward, and a few hours of waiting and we were given the fantastic news that he didn't have what we were fearing. Thank goodness. We have to go back for another appointment to see why Drew's lymph nodes have been swollen for so long, but the signs are that it's probably just a virus.

I had taken a few photos of Drew sleeping when he first became poorly, and included them with a photo of him playing with the toys on the ward.

The background was created by misting through a Studio Calico mask with 2 colours. I love the subtle effect created.

Most of the highs of my year were shared with friends, and the lows were made easier knowing that I had the support of some very good friends. This brings me onto my final LO, including a photo of my Facebook Friends Matrix.... are you on it? I kept the LO really simple as the photo is so busy. Can you spot Ant and Dec too?

Well that's all from me for another month. I'll be back next month... hopefully a few lbs lighter... wish me luck!

My Mind's Eye - Kraft Funday - Everyday Fun - Streamers	My Mind's Eye - Kraft Funday - Everyday Fun - Good Measure	My Mind's Eye - Kraft Funday - Everyday Fun - In Print	Jillibean Soup - Sweet and Sour - 12x12 Stickers
Jillibean Soup - Sweet and Sour - 12x12 Die Cuts	Jillibean Soup - Sweet and Sour - Bite Size Bits	Jillibean Soup - Sweet and Sour - Sour Salt	Jillibean Soup - Sweet and Sour - Raisins
Jillibean Soup - Sweet and Sour - Sauerkraut	Jillibean Soup - Sweet and Sour - Shredded Cabbage	Jillibean Soup - Sweet and Sour - Tomato Sauce	Amy Tangerine - Mix Tape 1
Studio Calico - Chipboard Alpha	Jillibean Soup - Sweet and Sour soup - Crushed Tomatoes	Doilies	Bakers Twine
American Crafts - Pigment Ink - Black	American Crafts Thickers - Natural	American Crafts - Amy Tangerine - Mixtape 2	Studio Calico Mask Intertwined Circles
American Crafts Cardstock - Denim	American Crafts 12x12 Cardstock - Vanilla

InLinkz.com

No Winter Wonderland

2011-12-30T10:09:00.000Z

Hello everyone. It is Ifa with you today.

How are you all ? Did you enjoy Christmas ? Is that turkey nearly finish by now ?

We went to see a musical in London yesterday. Ghost was amazing! A theatre trip is turning into a family tradition in our household. Last year, we saw the Nutcracker at the Coliseum just before Christmas. Do you still remember the weather in 2010 ? We drove down to London in the heaviest snowfall. It was slow going in most places on the M11 but we were fortunate, we got there and back home safely. I have a few photos from our drive, taken from inside the car. It was definitely No Winter Wonderland.

I started the layout by misting the background cardstock with a Pink Paislee mask.

Next I cut out a couple of reindeer/moose/things with antlers from patterned paper. A few fir trees make a nice addition to the scenery.

Next I make a pile of twine as the base for my journalling spot.

Followed by a journalling spot and a label.

The photos come next.

I also added a small Christmas stamp.

Some sparkly Thickers are just perfect for the title.

Followed by a few sparkly sequins.

Here is the finished layout,

Is it about time to get ready for that New Year's party ? Here's to the most amazing and prosperous year to you all.

* * Happy Christmas Eve * *

2011-12-24T09:00:00.000Z

* Happy Christmas Eve *

Only one more sleep till Santa! I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas so far. It's Laura here with a couple of Christmas layouts for you. I used the gorgeous Bella Blvd Christmas collection for these pages. For me Christmas is all about the bright colours and festive whimsey, so this collection was just perfect for me! - All the products that I have used are linked at the bottom of this blog post. Just click on the product for a link straight back to the shop!

It is bright, colourful and is made for layering. Let me show you what I made with these pages using some alternative photo options.

Firstly I scrapped an instax photo. Since the sad departure of polaroid I have made myself content with instax as a replacement. I have an instax wide (and a mini but more on that in a future post) and it produces gorgeous sized instant prints. I bought a second hand camera on ebay so keep an eye out for a bargain if you are interested in adding an instant camera to your collection.

Scrapping instant photos is instant gratification! This is a recent photo of me, the hubby and our little one (who is almost three months old already!). The Bella Blvd 'Cute Cuts' paper has some journalling blocks on the paper which makes it so quick and simple to add journalling and a title to your page with very little effort.

This page documents my wishes for our family over the festive period.

This collection from Bella Blvd is made for layering, several of the sheets have small scale details on them which makes them perfect for cutting into small pieces and scattering across your page. I added dimension by raising some of these elements up with 3d foam pads. I even used the name of the collection in this page! It was printed on the bar code strip at the bottom of the patterned paper and as it fitted in well with my page, I added that in! Another way to add embellishments to your page!

I scattered some pearls across the layout to add some details, these are so easy to add to pages and such a bargain at only 75p for a whole sheet!

If you like the look of instant prints but don't have an instax then its so easy to fake it! I have an iphone that tends to be my "go to camera" most of the time. There are several apps that allow you to add vintage and instant effects to your photos and one of my favourites right now is the Instaplus app which allows you to save a polaroid style border to your photo. Once created on my phone I printed the pic and then I was ready to scrap!

Another baby pic.. this one of her staring up at the Christmas tree lights. Layering is featured heavily in this layout too. The 'borders' paper from this collection proved to be a fab score of elements for this page, cut out Christmas trees and borders that I layered up with some punched out stars to create an embellishment cluster with stickers from the minatures sheet added in.

And finally I created a block of photos and scrapped these in the same way that I would scrap a singular photo of the same size. The Jenni Bowlin white buttons match this collection perfectly and provide some added cute! In this layout I mirrored the embellishment clusters above and below the photo grid to create balance across the layout.

I doubt that many of us will have time to scrap over the next few days but January is the perfect time to look back over these next few days and get it documented.

If you like this Christmas collection then don't delay in buying as stocks are running low in the shop and you will not want to miss out! (is it too late to ask Santa to bring some down the chimney?)

Lastly... Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you are all looking forward to 2012 as much as I am. x

Bella Blvd Christmas Wishes Trees for Sale Paper	Bella Blvd Christmas Wishes Christmas Love Paper	Bella Blvd Christmas Wishes Candlelight Paper	Bella Blvd Christmas Wishes Star Stripe Paper
Bella Blvd Christmas Wishes Gifts Galore Paper	Bella Blvd Christmas Wishes Quadrants Paper	Bella Blvd Christmas Wishes Borders Paper	Bella Blvd Christmas Wishes Cute Cuts Paper
Bella Blvd Christmas Wishes Minatures Stickers	Jenni Bowlin Vintage Sew-on Buttons White	American Crafts - Precision Pen - Black	Adhesive Pearls 6mm White
American Crafts 12x12 Cardstock - Vanilla	American Crafts Thickers - Printed Chipboard - Goodness - White	3d foam pads

InLinkz.com

Deck the halls!!!!!!

2011-12-15T06:30:00.000Z

Hi everyone! It's Nat here wishing you a happy December and lead up to Christmas! Continuing our theme of using non-Christmas stash to create festive items, I thought I'd share with you something a little different from our usual projects that you might like to try out as quick and easy pre-Christmas craft, using some stamps and acrylic paint.

With a new home together, I had been excited about festive decorations since Mr T and I moved in during the spring, and began fervently "pinning" ideas on my Christmas Pinterest board since around July (see my board here). A theme soon became apparent, with white, silver and natural materials featuring heavily. I planned to make a lot of the decorations myself to fit in with the cosy, home-spun feel we've been trying to create, and was particularly inspired to have a go at recreating some white clay decorative disks I'd seen over and over again on the site. After making mine, I've since seen something similar in a large retain chain that is full of magic and sparkle. Their designers crept into my house one night in October and copied me obviously!

The decorations are made from salt dough - the ingredients of which I'm sure will be found in most kitchen cupboards. You'll also need some stamps, and cookie cutters to make your basic bauble. Check out my Inklinkz Collection at the end of my post for some recommendations from the shop that I think would be perfect for this project.

To make my salt dough, I used one cup of plain flour, one cup of salt and half a cup of warm water. This made about 15 decorations that are just over a centimeter thick. Simply mix the ingredients together in a bowl until it forms a dough.

I chose to break off a small bit of dough each time to work with, rather than rolling it all out at once to make it easier to work with.

I rolled the lumps of dough onto a piece of hessian, which gave it a nice waffled texture which you can make out in the photo below. You could alternatively use some background stamps to make a nice textured base for your decorations (check out the Inlinkz collection for suggestions). I dusted the hessian with flour so that the dough was easy to peel off. I also used some rolling guides to ensure all my baubles would be the same thickness.

Working on the textured side, I used a pretty doily stamp to add some decorative detail to my dough, pressing hard enough to get a good imprint, but not so hard that it would flatten the waffle texture from the hessian.

Using a round cookie cutter, I cut my bauble out. I wanted an off-centre design.....

...and found that as a result I was able to cut two baubles from each stamped image.

I laid them onto a baking sheet covered with some greaseproof paper, and created a hole in the top of each with a skewer.

You can choose leave them harden in the air over a few days, or bake them in the oven. Should you choose to bake them, low and slow is the key. As you can see, I slightly burned my first batch, but as they were being painted it didn't matter too much (phew!!).

For my second batch, I used the tree stamps from American Crafts Campy Trails range, and a heart shaped cutter. The little pine trees all in a row were not only very cute but very seasonal!

Once all baked, I decorated my baubles by painting them with acrylic paint, and whilst this was still wet, gently sprinkled them with some ultra-fine glitter. I chose to paint mine white and thread them with garden twine to fit in with our chosen colour scheme, but you could use any colour acrylic paint at all, even combine colours, and thread them with Bakers Twine or ribbon to fit your own decor/scheme. The sponge tops on the Adirondack paint dabbers make painting your decorations quick and easy. Two coats gave my decorations a perfect finish. And why stop there? Bling and buttons could be a welcome addition too.

Here they are a-dangling on our tree:

They can be personalised with alpha stamps, and as well as baubles, they'd make great alternatives to gift labels and place cards.There is still time to try this craft out before the big day, and could be fun way to fill those long afternoons during the holidays with children.

Below are links to some of the products I used, and some suggestions of some great stamps that you could try. In particular the new Studio Calico stamps would be perfect for this project - I love the idea of combining the wood grain pattern with the bird from the My Happy set. The You Are The BEst set not only contains some yummy round patterns that could be used as backgrounds, the sentiments stamped on top would make a great handmade gift for someone special, and the fun silhouette heads in the Silhouette pack are super trendy right now :

Campy Trails Tent Stamps	Jenni Bowlin Paint Dabbers	Adirondack Paint Dabbers	Bakers Twine
Ribbon	Studio Calico Houndstooth Stamp	Studio Calico My Happy Stamp Set	Studio Calico You Are The Best Stamp Set
Studio Callico Silhouettes Stamp Set	Lily Bee Head Over Heels Stamps	Lily Bee Jingle Clear Stamps	American Crafts - Chap - Jared Clear Stamps

InLinkz.com

Which leaves me just to add that I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, and look forward to seeing you all back here in the New Year!!

Roll up, roll up!

2011-12-13T09:31:00.001Z

Jen here, I hope you are having a lovely December! This month I'm focusing on using paper rolls as embellishments for your scrapbook pages.

You can find links to the products I've used at the end of this post, and as always please click on photos to see them bigger.

Although I love all the gorgeous pre-made embellishments that you can buy, often my very favourite products from manufacturers are the papers themselves. I just love the bright colours and fun patterns, and the fact that papers can be so versatile. I'm always on the lookout for new ways to use my (much too large!) stash of patterned paper. This technique is great for using up scraps as it really doesn't use a lot of paper.

For this first page I made several paper rolls in a variety of colours and patterns, and in uneven lengths. I chose one favourite paper - the multi coloured diagonal stripe, and then took four other papers in monotone designs that matched the colours in the stripe. Using each design twice gives a cohesive feel to my collection of paper rolls. I lined them up beside my photo, staggering the heights, as I didn't want the page to feel too orderly.

How to make paper rolls:
1. Choose a selection of papers, scraps will work as you only need small pieces.
2. Cut pieces to a width of approximately 1.5" and whatever length you wish.
3. Apply adhesive down one long edge of the paper strip.
4. Roll the paper around a pencil (or other round tool) - the diameter of the paper roll can be varied here by using difefrent sized tools to wrap the paper around.
5. Press firmly until well stuck, and then remove from the pencil.
6. Adhere to your page using strong glue.

For this second page I used paper rolls in a different way, by placing them at the centre of my butterfly embellishments. I love using them like this - they give my butterflies some added dimension. I made two embellishments for this page using a scalloped oval as a base, then adding two punched butterflies in different colours layered with foam pads, and a paper roll in the middle, then adhering some stickers and wood veneer accents too.

These rolls are made slightly differently too as they are made from triangles rather than rectangles. To make these buterfly centres:
1. Cut an isosceles triangle from your paper (as below) - the base of your triangle will be the height of the roll - for this particular sized punched butterfly it's 1".

2. Using a small round tool such as the handle of a thin paintbrush or a pokey tool roll from the base towards the point of the triangle. This time you want the piece of paper to wrap around your tool a few times rather than just once.
3. Dab some glue onto the point and press firmly to adhere.
4. This also looks really effective with a plain paper triangle that's been inked pre-rolling.
5. Attach to the centre of a punched shape with strong glue.

I'd love to see what you do with paper rolls - do leave a link if you give them a try!

December Challenge

2011-12-11T22:26:00.001Z

Hi all

It's time for our monthly challenge and and chance to win a fabby £20 Voucher to Spend in the Sarahs Cards Shop ... So what are you waiting for??

This month I have set a nice simple challenge for you to help you use up those left over papers you loved so much but never got round to using and of course this time of year we are all very busy prepping up for Christmas.

So on to my challenge.... I would like you to create a page using at least two different manufacturers. We all love to buy nice co-ordinating sets of papers where all the colours match perfectly, but how about mixing it up a bit?

Here is the page I have made

Here is my supply list:

Black Card stock
White Card stock
My Mind Eye - Kraft Funday, Happy Day; Patchwork Party
My Mind Eye - Kraft Funday, Everyday Fun; Front Page News
Teresa Collins - Notations; Music Paper
Tim Holtz - Envelopes; Small
Lily Bee - Head Over Heals; ABC Stickers
White Paint
Safety Pins
Buttons
Black Thread

And look at the lovely pages some of the other members of the DT have created.

Jen has made this Beautiful Beachy page of her lovely son using October Afternoon, Pink Paislee, American Crafts and Studio Calico.

Helen has made a very clever page with multiple photographs using Authentique, Studio Calico and American Crafts Amy Tan range.

Sandie has made this very elegant and pretty page using Prima and Bo Bunny papers.

Lou's very focal and stunning outdoor page was created using Studio Calico, My Minds Eye and Jenni Bowlin.

And finally Ifa created this amazing layout documenting her sons school year using Echo Park, Jillybean Soup and Bella Blvd.

All pretty awesome pages... and I can't wait to see what you all create, so don't forget to post a link to your creations below so the team can pick a winner to be announced on the blog in January.

Use your own...

2011-12-09T08:00:00.005Z

In my previous post, I showed a selection of tags which I had made, ready to be used on my layouts. I decided to create a layout using some of my tags in a range of ways.

The rounded-edged cards acted as a base for the title. The orignal tags were further embellished. For example, I added a blue label underneath the title letters so that they would stand out against the background of the tag. I also rotated on of the tags so to add some flow around the page.

One of the spirograph patterned tags was used as a place to add my handwritten journaling. This card was further embellished too with 'a b c' stickers to add some detail and colour and to tie in with the school theme. I also wrapped some coordinating blue and yellow twine around this tag too.

One of my basic tags became a base for two of the 'Today' tags. I used these tags as places to add some extra journaling thoughts.

All of the elements were tied together by using the same Studio Calico papers for the background, repeating the shape of some of them by rounding the edges of the brown base paper. I also repeated the use of more label stickers around the page as embellishemnts and to add a touch of colour too.

Finally, some ideas for using tags at Christmas time.

1. Place Name Cards:

2. Present tags:

3. On a card:

*DISCLAIMER* I am not a cardmaker so please don't laugh at my attempt!

I'm planning a 'Project Life' style album for 2012 and know that my tags will come in useful then too for adding snippets of journaling to and plan to make up a whole load more ready for that.

Make your own...

2011-12-08T07:30:00.002Z

...journaling tags and labels.

I keep seeing beautiful journaling tags for sale online and thinking to myself 'I could do that!' So, with the help of some Studio Calico Classic papers and tissue paper trims, some Jenni Bowlin stickers, Amy Tan stamps and washi tape along with my daughter's spirograph, I set about making some sets of journaling tags to use on my layouts.

As I only scrap A4-sized layouts, I always have a spare strip left over from cutting down 12x12 cardstock to make my bases for layouts. These spare strips of card are perfect for cutting down to make tags. I use tags a lot on my layouts too as embellishments so it's always useful to have some ready to add.

One of the make and takes at the recent Retreat was to create tags using a Studio Calico mask, some mixtape, twine and a button. Once I was home, I had a go at making my own version using the supplies that I'd picked out to make my tags:

Set two are a very simple tag, perfect for journaling on or adding more details to. These were made by simply sticking a strip of washi tape along the top edge of a small rectangle of card:

Set Three is the same as set two, but this time I have added some date stickers too:

Set four are perfect for adding the date to a layout. I use a MME stamp of the days of the week along the top of the cards, embossing with Zing powders to add some texture, ready for circling the day with pen. They were further embellished with some cut-down Studio Calico label stickers and Jenni Bowlin date stickers.

Set Five began again as a rectangle of card which I firstly drew a pattern onto using a Spirograph, going off the edge by using a spare piece of card underneath. I drew some lines around these shapes with a ruler and then finished them off with some Studio Calico tissue paper strips.

Set Six were made by creating smaller rectangles in Microsoft Word and adding the word 'Today' using a typewriter font. Once printed onto a piece of A4 sized kraft cardstock, I cut them out and embellished with washi tape.

Set Seven began as a rectangle of kraft which I cut along the top side with a shaped blade on my Woodware Trimmer. I stamped some images from the Amy Tan stamp set and finished off with a small punched circle from a piece of Studio Calico paper, which I then punched in the centre with my cropodile, before tying on a piece of twine.

Set Eight were cut from a pieces of Classic Studio Calico paper which I then rounded at the corners. I kept a neutral colour scheme here, adding some brown tissue paper trims and cut-down label stickers at the edges.

As it's now December and Christmas is fast approaching, I have also made a Christmas tag set too. I have kept them quite simple. and, sticking with the DT theme of the month of creating festive items using non-festive supplies, I stuck with the same stash that I had used for the rest of my tags. For the first tags, I used a luggage/parcel tag shape for the base, drew around a chipboard star on the reverse and then cut out the shape. Onto the back of the tag, I then stuck a piece of patterned paper to show through the star-shaped hole. On the other tag, I used some star stamps and embossed them in baby blue and white. It's difficult to see the effect of the white in the photo but it's really subtle in real life. Each tag was finished off with a Studio Calico label sticker.

They don't scream 'Christmas' which means that they can be used for any themed page and in my next blog post I am going to show some ways in which they can be used at Christmas as well as sharing some ways in which I've incorporated a whole selection of my tags into a layout. Back tomorrow!

My supplies:

November Challenge Winner

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000Z

It's time to announce the winner of our November challenge, where we got you all to break out from the norm and think negatively!!

A big thank you to everyone who entered, we all really enjoyed looking at your pages and how you interpreted the challenge!

A big congratulations goes to our chosen winner.......Emma!

The entire DT agreed that using the negative waste of your alphas to create a background was not only a fab idea but looked great on your page too! Please drop Lianne an email to arrange your £20 e-voucher!

Don't forget to all pop back very soon for our December challenge :)

More Non Festive, Festive Scrapping!!

2011-12-03T16:56:00.000Z

Hi! Its Sandie here, and I am following on from Louise's fabulous blog post yesterday where she has scrapped some Christmas photographs on non Christmas themed paper. I am also not a huge fan of themed papers and find that I don't scrapbook alot of my Christmas photographs because of this.

I have decided to use the Cosmo Cricket Odds & Ends papers to create two layouts describing some events from Christmas 2008 and 2009. These papers lent themselves surprisingly well to my photo themes and I am really pleased with the results. The first page I have created is of my daughter opening her stocking presents on Christmas morning 2008.

I've kept the page itself fairly simple to show off more of the beautiful papers. I adore the little Dew Drops that you can buy in a variety of colours and created a border with them along the edge of my papers.

The flower was cut from the paper, and then I have stamped a circle with a flower in the centre using the American Crafts Sentiments Stamps. Then to add extra detail I've stamped leaves using the same set of stamps. At the top of the page I have added a journaling tag, cut from one of the papers, and added a layered flower with a clear button on top, with some twine tied through it.

The second page I have to share with you is of my youngest son on his brand new mountain bike on Christmas Day 2009. Once again the papers worked with the photo, and the colours were perfect. This is another simple design using torn and inked strips of paper to base the photo onto.

I have once again cut out a journaling spot from the paper and stamped a quote on it from the same stamp set, adding some hand drawn pen detail around the journaling spot and the cardstock.

I've used the lovely clear buttons again on this page, but this time I have adhered them to patterned paper and cut around them. And also I've added black pen detail to the Thickers to make them pop off the page more.

Well that is all from me for 2011! I just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and I will be back in the New Year! Keep checking back through December for more creative ideas from the rest of the Design Team!

American Crafts 12x12 Cardstock - Vanilla	Cosmo Cricket Odds & Ends - Spare Change	Cosmo Cricket Odds & Ends - Scraps	Cosmo Cricket Odds & Ends - Rosebud/Chalk Colour Picks
Thickers - Fabric Chipboard - Doll - Vanilla	Star Fruit - Black	Aunty Sarah's Dewdrops - Turquoise	Bakers Twine - Aqua
Clear Buttons - 1.5cm (10 pk)	American Crafts Clear Stamps - Sentiments	Mini 6 Petal Daisy - Cream

InLinkz.com

Non Festive, Festive Scrapping!

2011-12-02T07:00:00.002Z

Hi it's Louise back again with a couple more LOs using the Echo Park Times & Seasons range. Every year paper manufacturers release festive ranges perfect for scrapping our Christmas memories. But what if you're just not that into festive themed papers? I am very bad at scrapping Christmas photos, and I think it's because I feel intimidated by the themed papers with their colour schemes and patterns. Who says you have to use these papers if they're not your thing! I decided to use the Times & Seasons range to scrap a photo of a visit to see father Christmas.
The colours are rich and warm and really suited the colours from the photo, which I framed in a poloroid print to look aged.

I love the cute little camera stamp in the Amy Tangerine set. It's so versatile I think it'll become a favourite of mine and be seen on a lot of future LOs.

The last LO I have to share is of a photo of my 3 boys taken when Drew was just a few weeks old. I have scrapped this photo before for Oliver's scrapbook, so this will go into Harry's, and I'll scrap the photo again one day for Drew.
The moustache paper works really well as a frame for this LO, so it just goes to show you shouldn't disregard a paper because of it's pattern... sometimes patterns work 'just because'.

I used my favourite pointed circle punch to create a bunting strip which is a bit different from the usual triangle bunting.

Well that's all from me for this year.

Don't forget to pop back regularly throughout the month to see what the rest of the DT have created.

See you in 2012.

American Crafts White Cardstock	American Crafts Kraft Cardstock	Echo Park - Times & Seasons - Spiffy Moustache	Echo Park - Times & Seasons - Sweet Stripe
Echo Park - Times & Seasons - Lovely Noteables	Echo Park - Times & Seasons - Date to Remember	Echo Park - Times & Seasons - Trinkets	Echo Park - Times and Seasons - Alpha Stickers
Echo Park - Times & Seasons - Element Stickers	Echo Park - Times & Seasons - Astoria	Echo Park - Times & Seasons - Yesterday's News	Jenni Bowlin Mini Bingo Cards
Tim Holtz - Filmstrip Ribbon	Baker's Twine - Oyster	Martha Stewart - Pointed Circle	American Crafts Zing! Embossing Powder - Opaque - Leaf
American Crafts Zing! Embossing Powder - Opaque - Black	American Crafts - Pigment Ink - Black	Doilies	Studio Calico Autumn Press - Wood Veneer Asterisks
Ranger - White Pen

InLinkz.com

Let the countdown begin!

2011-12-01T07:00:00.005Z

Hi it's Louise with my last couple of posts for this year. Can you believe we're into December already? Where has the year gone? Only 24 more sleeps until Christmas!

This month I did something I very rarely do... I chose a whole paper range from one manufacturer, right down to the element and alpha stickers! As soon as I saw the Echo Park Times & Seasons range I knew it had the potential to be perfect for so many photos I had of the boys... even though they don't have moustaches yet!

One of my favourite products at the moment is the American Crafts Zing embossing powders. The range of colours are a far cry from the nasty gold and silver that I used to emboss with way back at the start of my card making endeavours! I wanted to try and use the embossing powders in a different way than just embossing a stamped image, so I decided to combine a couple of techniques.... embossing and masking. The process was very simple, and created some fantastic results.

Firstly I cut a 3 inch square from a piece of scrap paper. I placed it onto the my LO where I wanted the stamped image to be.

Using versamark and a My Mind's Eye doily stamp, I pressed firmly over the square aperture.

After removing the paper mask I covered the stamped area with embossing powder, tipping the excess back into the pot.

Once the powder had been heated with a heat gun, the detail of the stamped image could be seen clearly. I repeated this process with other colours and with a smaller square mask on the kraft base of my LO.

The metallic powders are just gorgeous and photos don't really do them justice. They are also really fine, so are perfect to use with intricate stamps without losing too much detail.

I decided to play around with this technique on my second LO too. This time I used a circular mask to stamp through.

As well as stamping directly on to the LO through the circular mask, I also stamped onto spare card and used a circle punch so that I could layer up the embossed circles.

I often add journalling onto a luggage tag, but look how fab they are when embellished with a strip of mix tape.

There is so much potential with this technique. I already have ideas buzzing around my head about using a Father Christmas stamp peeping through an aperture on a festive LO.

I hope this post inspires you to get embossing and masking. If you do have a go, please leave a link to your work so I can come and leave a comment for you.

All of the products I used on these LOs can be viewed below. Just click on the image to be taken to the shop. Stash shopping made simple.

I'll be back tomorrow with a couple more LOs using the same Times & Seasons range.

Bye for now

American Crafts Kraft Cardstock	American Crafts Cardstock - Geyser	Echo Park - Times & Seasons - Classic Broadside	Echo Park - Times & Seasons - Date to Remember
Echo Park - Times & Seasons - Sweet Stripe	Echo Park - Times & Seasons - Element Stickers	Echo Park - Times and Seasons - Alpha Stickers	Echo Park - Times and Seasons - Swanky Floral
Tim Holtz - Filmstrip Ribbon	Amy Tangerine - Mix Tape 1	Jillibean Soup - Soup Labels - Journalling Sentiments	American Crafts - Chap - Jared Clear Stamps
EK Success Slim Border Punch - Bubbles	American Crafts - Zing - Mustard	American Crafts - Zing - Brown Sugar	American Crafts - Zing - Metallic Purple
American Crafts - Zing - Leaf	American Crafts - Precision Pen - Black	American Crafts - Pigment Ink - Chestnut	Studio Calico - Chipboard Alpha

InLinkz.com

Spice it up and a dash of ketchup.

2011-11-30T00:10:00.001Z

How did the title of this post grab you ? I hope it got you interested. I love thinking up far fetched titles for my layouts. Why settle for generic titles like Smile and Dream when you could have "Your beautiful smile", "Your enigmatic smile" or even "Your cheesy smile".

My layout today is nothing to do with a smile but about our day out to Aarhus in Denmark. It is called "Drum boat, wedding ring and the exploding ketchup".

We went to see the Tollund man at Silkerborg museum but that is a story for another day. On the way back, we wanted to stop somewhere for lunch so we pointed the car in the direction of the nearest city, in this case Aarhus. It was a quick walk around town, pick a restaurant and lunch followed. We took a quick photo after lunch and then we left.But that's all very boring, right ? How do I spin this tale a bit more ?

When we arrived we saw some young people towing a boat in the river...they have also decorated it with all manner of twigs and branches. During our lunch, they started going up and down river, drumming madly. I am not sure what for. Then we were stopped by a young lady who wanted to see my wedding ring. A young chap was also very interested in my son's yellow t-shirt. It turned out they were students. They were playing a game where they have to find an assortment of things around the city. Rag week, I expect.

What about the ketchup ? Well, by now we are in the restaurant. A lady at another table opened a ketchup bottle and the content shot out everywhere, up the wall, on the floor, on the dear lady and her companion...luckily we were out of firing range.

Finally, here's the layout. Hope you have also enjoyed the story time.

I would love to know if you have done something similar. Please do share the titles of some of your wildest adventure. If you haven't, how about giving this a go...a day out needn't just be a day out! Let's get the ball rolling. I am planning, four swept by tornado (the water slide is called tornado) and escapades across islands (fly drive!).

I have used papers and stickers from October Afternoon Sidewalk collection.

Mistables from Pink Paislee

2011-11-28T18:19:00.001Z

Along with the gorgeous Pink Paislee - Vintage Vogue, this month I also decided to get some Pink Paislee - Mistables.

The Mistable products from Pink Paislee are designed with materials and textures that will accept misting sprays, inks and even markers. You convert the blank surfaces into unique designs by simply adding your chosen colour.

The Journal tags come blank, just like this....

You simply mist the tag with a mist or medium of your choice...

And you can create a fantastic embellishment or journalling spot that will perfectly co-ordinate with your layout or card....

I decided to use two of mine on two simple cards created using the same range as I used in yesterday's blog post, the Pink Paislee - Vintage Vogue collection....

I think the product is fantastic! The fact you can mist them in any colour or mixture of colours means they truly are versatile as you can co-ordinate them with any range of papers. I can't wait to try out some of the other Mistable products too, why not go check them out!

Once again the products used in the cards above are shown below, simply click on the thumbnail to take you to the product in the shop.

Thanks as always for stopping by and come let us know if you decide to have a go of the Mistables x

In Vogue with Pink Paislee's - Vintage Vogue

2011-11-27T11:31:00.002Z

Hi all :) Gems here.

This month I got to play with the gorgeous Pink Paislee - Vintage Vogue. The girly tones are perfect for scrapping photos of my daughter and I got to work straight away on the first of my layouts....

[A love of Words]

[Please Click to View Larger]

Ashton is an avid reader and can often be found with her nose inside a book. One afternoon I popped into the kitchen and found her reading the Secret Garden and decided to snap some photos to record her love of reading.

Purple is a colour I usually avoid in scrapbooking as I find it difficult to work with, but I challenged myself to create a layout using purple as one of the main colours, and I absolutely loved the challenge I set myself, and I am happy with the results.

My second layout I created using the range was....

[In her Element]

[Please Click to View Larger]

Ashton was a flowergirl for my Brother-in-law's wedding back in July and I thought these pretty, feminine papers were perfect for photos taken on the day.

I will be back tomorrow with a couple of cards I created using the same range and a gorgeous, extremely versatile product I adored using!

Below are the products I used.......(Simply click on the picture to take you to the product in the shop)

* * Scrapping with Studio Calico * *

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000Z

Hello all

It's Laura here today and I have been playing with a couple of the new Studio Calico goodies that can be found at Sarah's Cards.

Here are the goodies that I started with and I wanted to scrap three layouts out of this little selection. I want to talk today about repeating elements across several pages as a way to help speed up your scrapping process.

So this is what I started with ...

A few sheets of patterned paper from the Autumn Press collection by Studio Calico

(I picked the papers that were/contained pink on one side)

A couple of grey sheets from the Classic Calico collection by Studio Calico

A couple of sheets of grey and black cardstock by American Crafts

The alphabets were Sunny glitter foam thickers by American Crafts alongside a sticker sheet from the Happy Days range by Echo Park (not shown)

And for the embellishments I used Studio Calico butterflies from the Autumn Press collection, alongside some grey star rub ons from the Classic Calico collection. I also used the sunburst Martha Stewart punch to create elements on my pages with some pink bling thrown in for good measure!

Not shown in the photo above, but I added in were some word stickers from the Blissful range by Authentique

I used a couple of no traditionally sized photos for these layouts which helps to keep them all looking and feeling different even though they all use the same supplies. Firstly a 6x12 image ordered from Photobox. This is my hubby and our brand new little one! The set of three circles to the left of the photo is the embelishement set that I have repeated trhoughout my three layouts.

They are simply a circle of black card with a star rub on and a couple of pieces of bling. They are all raised from the page with a 3D foam pad. Sets of three work well in design and in this case they were placed vertically alongside my photo. I created this page first and really liked the effect of these three circles, so I choose to repeat this cluster in my next two pages, meaning that these two were much quicker to scrap. A complete bonus when you have a six week old baby demanding much of your time! : )

Speaking of said baby.. this layout includes lots of journalling about how I feel in my new role as "Mum". This is actually an iphone photo printed up as a 4x4 pic. Again I uploaded to Photobox and printed from there. I have found that the best way to create a 4x4 photo is to upload your iphone picture in the normal way, order as a 6x4 photo and then select the box "shrink to fit" when you check your prints at checkout. This will centre your 4x4 photo in the middle of a 6x4 print. So when it arrives you can trim off the excess!

As you can see the three circle elements were created in exactly the same way but this time placed horizontially at the bottom of the page on a mat of patterned paper. This embellishment cluster is the same width as the photo/paper cluster at the top of the page and provides a perfect frame to add some journalling in.

And finally a close up of the young lady herself! A larger than normal photo this time meaning that you have less page to fill and this can be the perfect way to create a page using just scraps of your papers.

This time the three circle embellishment set followed on from the title to draw your eye down to the journalling block below.

Three pages from the same supplies, using the same embellishments but all looking totally different! why not have a go yourself... select some stash, pick three photos and create three layouts using the same design feature on each... I bet yours all turn out different too! But I also bet that you scrap them all quicker than normal!

One for the boys !

2011-11-19T16:14:00.000Z

Hello all..

This month I got to play with the fab and funky American Crafts Chap range, and I love it!!For this layout I used the sketch challenge from our recent retreat (I will post a copy of this up for you ASAP).

The thickers to match this range are very different, but match the papers perfectly and come in a few different colourways. I distressed mine a little to create the effect on my page.

The flowers on my layout I made using a fantastic border punch by EK Success Gerbera Daisy. I punched three strips for each flower and simply rolled the strip around a pencil, glued and then bent over the petals to create the flower. I also added small drops of pearl drops to the edges of the petals to make them stand out more.

Here is my supply list;EK Success Gerbera Daisy Punch
American Crafts Papers Chap - Jim, Dave, Mike & Ben.
American Crafts Chap - Remarks Sticker Book
American Crafts Chap - Brads
American Crafts Chap - Ribbons Chap Foil Thickers in Red
Tim Holtz Journalling Tickets

Have a fab Weekend

Mixing it some more!

2011-11-16T06:30:00.000Z

Welcome to day two of my little jaunt into mixing papers from different manufacturers. Today I'm back with a girly layout....although given the photo I used, that is debatable I suppose ;)

Here's my completed page:

Please click on any pictures to view a larger, detailed image

The Spiffy Mustache paper from the gorgeous new Times & Seasons line from Echo Park was the instant inspiration for my page - as soon as I saw it I remembered this pic of Lou and I getting a bit hairy at the March retreat, and had to scrap it! That being my starting point, I wanted to create a page with contrasting male/female feel to reflect the ladies in 'taches (!) theme, so in addition to the vintagey bold black print I went riffling through my pile of recently purchased stash with one thing on my mind - pink!!

After pulling out about 12 sheets of paper form various manufacturers, I settled on this little lot:

1. Spiffy Mustache - I misted it with a spritz of Maya's Pomegranate Pink.

2. "Special" from Authentique's Uncommon range-
The muted pink tone had a perfect vintagey quality to it, and the cream spots with typed print inside them worked well with the background of the Mustache paper.

3. "Handpicked " from Crate's Farmhouse line-
This paper had a range of pink colours in its design, which helped balance the darkest tones on my page through to the lightest.

4. "Farmers Market " also from Crate's Farmhouse line-
The strong red pattern is a good mate for the bold black colours in the Mustache paper, helping to balance my design by adding additional deep colour.

5. "Rose bud" from Studio Calico's Autumn Press range -
This pretty paper's pale background and red flora balances out the range of pinks and red already chosen, as well as adding a pretty, feminine stamp to contrast the mustache images. The shape of the rose buds themselves echo the mustache shapes too - both are roughly triangular in design.

As well as colour, one other factor led me to choose these papers as my final line up from the also look at pattern contenders I pulled out from my stash. If you study each of the papers, they are all made of a diagonal pattern. This is obvious on the two Crate designs, but if you look at the arrangement of the mustaches, rose buds and printed circles on the other papers, you will notice each row of the pattern it offset from the one before, creating a subtle diagonal effect. So in addition to matching mixed papers by colour as we saw yesterday, I have also teamed them up by pattern.

Of course, it is totally fine marry up papers that aren't simply all pink or all red (it just so happens that that's how my particular pages here turned out). The important thing to look for in such a case would be a small element of recurring colour (maybe using embellishment to tie the colour scheme together or one multicoloured patterned paper that can tie several other to it), a similar pattern (e.g. polka dotted paper paired with other spotted/circular designs) or matching by hue (e.g. all soft warm colours, all vintagey hues, all bright colours).

Finally, here's how I created some of the details on my page:

I made the little scalloped border of mustaches by punching out several from the patterned paper, and then sticking them to a spare strip of card (I used the little name strip from the bottom of a sheet of 12x12 - not only was it to hand and the perfect size, but hey, reduce, reuse, recycle people!)

I inked the edges that would be visible to give it a uniform look, and tucked it under one of the papers on my layout to just the bottom half of the circles show, thus giving the scalloped effect.

I wanted to use a mix-mash of overtly feminine embellishments mixed with very bold, black ones, and decided to create the ultimate combination of these two ideas by making a "pretty mustache". I did so by stamping and heat embossing a lacy design in white powder on to some black card as seen below,

before hand cutting a mustache shape from my custom cardstock:

Check out the huge collection of fab American crafts Zing embossing powders here.

I created my handmade flower by punching circles of various sizes from some of my papers already used, and snipping between the scallops to make petals:

I layered them together and away I went:

I also used a variety of stickers, including Authentique Uncommon Diction Mini Word Stickers to create amusing journalling, a gorgeous Jenni Bowlin Bow embellishment and a film strip sticker from the Crate Portrait Border Stickers.

I hope that if it's something you are usually wary of, you'll give mixing up your papers a try! It really is enjoyable and satisfying :)

Mixing it Up!

2011-11-15T06:30:00.000Z

One of the initial draws for me to scrapbooking was all the wonderful colours and patterns of paper available to mix and match together. Although the manufacturers make it super easy for us to pick well-matched papers by providing coordinating ranges and lines, my favourite part of scrapbooking is sometimes breaking loose from this and playing around by mixing papers from different companies on the same page. And with a few simple things to look out for, which I'll share with you today and tomorrow, I find it an easy and enjoyable approach to creating my pages.

Here's the completed page I'm sharing today, documenting a recent new hobby of ours - cycling! This particular trip was a grueling (for us two-wheel newbies) up hill country trek to a beautiful reservoir during that recent lovely spate of October sunshine.

please click on any picture to see a larger, detailed image

I took the cue for my colour scheme from my photos, the red bike stuck out vividly, and due to the vintage Polaroid app I used to snap the pics on my phone, the photos had a warm red tone to them too. So my priority for matching papers together for this page became a red colour scheme.

Here are the papers I mixed from three different manufacturers, and why I picked them:

(from left to right):
1. "Measure Up" from Fancy Pants Off To School range -
I'm always drawn to using grid paper as a background for my pages as they give just the right balance of pattern without becoming overwhelming, and this particular sheet had the ideal brownish tones to compliment my pictures. I also spritzed it with a quick burst of Studio Calico's white Mister Huey.

2. "Numbers Grid" from My Minds Eye's Love Me range -
Undeterred by the fact that this is intended to be a valentines range (Pah! If it matches my page, it matches my page!), I loved the fact that the number "2" was printed in red every time it occurs in the pattern - matching the themes of two wheels and the red bike, as well as representing my boyfriend and I and our love for our new activity together. The greyish-brown print of the grid and numbers also matched my first piece of paper nicely.

3. "Hearts" from My Minds Eye's Love Me range -
The hexagonal pattern on the back of the hearts paper gave a fantastic shot of bold red colour for my page, and the blocky heagons have a masculine feel.

4. "Scarf" from Studio Calico's Autumn Press range -
A bit of a curve ball this one, as not only is it polka-dotty, but some of those polka dots are pink - however
overall it fits: the strong red colour is consistant with the rest of the page, and the cream polka dots link to the cream background on the Numbers Grid paper. The circular dots compliment my round embellishment theme (more about that later).

And so by concentrating mainly on colour, I mixed three manufacturors papers on one page.

I personally find the easiest starting point is to flick through my (vast!) paper collection and just pull out pieces that I think may match and put them in a pile, for instance with this layout I went through my stash looking for red and neutral papers. I usually stop when I have got about six or eight pieces, and then spend a few minutes narrowing them down by moving them about next to each other and matching them up to my photos.

Selecting paper in this way is often useful for using up older paper that you might have forgotten about - there is nothing more satisfying for me than mixing an older piece of paper in with my latest purchases for a really unique look. Plus if I've used an old piece of stash, surely I have earned the right to go purchase a new piece of paper to take its place, right?!

To embellish my page, I chose a few bike-inspired items, such as the mix tape from Amy Tangerine,

and the bicycle stamp in this gorgeous pack from My Minds Eye,

I continued the idea of wheels by using circular embellishment such as buttons and a printed chipboard circle (seen above) from My Minds Eye Funday collection.

For my title, I combined some fab new super-skinny Thickers with some round Jenni Bowlin mini alphas.

My final embellishment was the bunting banner, which was made using a combination of one of the stamps from the My Minds Eye set mentioned earlier, and some Jenni Bowlin flag stickers. To add interest to the stickers, I spaced them out on a piece of scrap card:

Stamped the bicycle on to them (using Stazon so that the ink would not smudge on the shiny sticker surface),

Before peeling them off the scrap card and alternating them on my page with the stamped banner shape. Some doodled stitching and a couple of buttons completed it.

Make sure you stop by tomorrow, as I'll be sharing a more girly layout combining papers from four different manufacturers....See you then!

Note it down

2011-11-12T10:41:00.001Z

Hi all, Jen here, I hope everyone is having a lovely November so far!

This month I'm stepping outside my usual realm of layouts a little to bring you a simple but fun & useful project. I often find I think of ideas for pages or techniques at the most inappropriate time, for example in the middle of the night, or when I'm just heading off to work in the morning! Occasionally I would jot an idea down on a piece of scrap paper, and more often than not that bit of paper would get lost, or thrown away, or eaten (both my little boy & my cat are rather fond of a piece of paper to chew on!).

To try and get around this problem I decided that I needed a dedicated notebook in which to keep ideas for titles, page sketches, technique ideas & lists of products to try or buy.

I started off with a journal from the Studio Calico Classic range. I chose the woodgrain journal, which is 4x8", but they also do an alphabet journal in 5x5" size. These journal kits are perfect for this kind of project, since they come with two chipboard covers (one of which is beautifully embossed), and a pad of simple graph paper (approximately 60 sheets) to go inside.

Firstly I covered the two chipboard covers in two coats of a bright yellow acrylic paint - Paint Dabber in Sunshine Yellow - I brushed it on with a foam applicator rather than using the dabber function - this gives you a much thicker coat.

Once that was completely dry I sprayed with an iridescent mist for a little bit of glimmer.

I then added some strips of papers, a journalling card and some stickers, all from the October Afternoon Sidewalks collection.

I flicked some more mists over the whole cover - I used Maya Mists in Blue Agave & Pink Ginger. It's easy to get this 'splattered' effect from mists by simply unscrewing the lid from the misting bottle and flicking or tapping the thin plastic tube, rather than using the spray.

I punched a few butterflies, and also added some letter stickers to the cover, and then covered the whole lot in Mod Podge to protect it.

I bound the whole journal using a Bind-it-all machine, and as a final touch tied four small pieces of ribbon to one of the spiral rings.

So far this journal is working out well for me, and it's filling up with ideas for pages & projects. Now that I'm getting them down on paper & therefore remembering them, look out for some of those appearing on the blog soon!

Sarah's Cards Ltd

Summers End

Short and Sweet

1 mask, 3 ways

It's CHA time!

* * Three super quick layouts using 6x6 paper pads * *

Decorating Blank Chipboard

Post-Christmas Scrapping

{1, 2, 3....}

* * January blog challenge * *

Our Christmas 2011: the album...

Our Christmas 2011: telling the story...

December Challenge Winner

Out Of Your Comfort Zone!

*Happy New Year*

No Winter Wonderland

* * Happy Christmas Eve * *

Deck the halls!!!!!!

Roll up, roll up!

December Challenge

Use your own...

Make your own...

*****November Challenge Winner*****

More Non Festive, Festive Scrapping!!

Non Festive, Festive Scrapping!

Let the countdown begin!

Spice it up and a dash of ketchup.

Mistables from Pink Paislee

In Vogue with Pink Paislee's - Vintage Vogue

* * Scrapping with Studio Calico * *

One for the boys !

Mixing it some more!

Mixing it Up!

Note it down

Happy New Year

November Challenge Winner