Some Mixed-Media Play

Hi all, so mixed media isn't really my thing but I thought since I had to make a self-portrait canvas for Tomorrows Memories, I would make the most of the opportunity to have a play.  I wanted my project to have an "arty-whimsical" feel to ensure I would really be stretching myself out of my comfort zone.  I started with a layer of torn pages from a vintage dictionary and then just went to town with paint, ink, mists and patterned paper.  It just kind of evolved as I continued to play and ended up looking nothing like what I had first envisioned.  I'm not sure I like it but I got lots of positive feedback from the ladies at Craft Group this week- maybe they were just trying to be nice!

I had a great time with this project and I hope to put what I learned during the process to good use again.  This canvas will soon be going on the wall at Tomorrows Memories in Bassendean so if you're in the area, pop in and have a look!

Project Life Week Twenty-One

Hi everyone!  I apologise for being a bit quiet but you know how life gets in the way sometimes, right?  Anyways, I have managed to get Week 21 done, albeit a little bit later than usual, and I hope you like it :-)

This week I used the digital Kraft Edition and as usual I added my journalling in Photoshop before printing everything with my Picturemate printer and slotting it all in the pockets.  I added a little wooden veneer camera from Studio Calico on a punched cream cardstock circle and called it done.  Clean and simple is definitely my go-to style for Project Life.

Here is the LHS.....

Here is the RHS.....

And here is the entire page.....

See you soon for a little reveal of something I've been working on!

Arrr!

ARRR! No, I'm not chucking a hissy-fit-  This is the title of this pirate-themed scrapbook layout.

All the supplies are from Pink Paislee's Prairie Hill Collection but this is an older line and probably very difficult to find now.  I cut the little anchor with my Silhouette and used some Mister Huey's ink to add some splatters.  The thickers are from Amy Tangerine's Sketchbook Collection.  This was a really fast layout to put together.  I cut freehand with my scissors and just slapped it all down.  I considered some machine stitching but it was getting close to the boys' bathtime so I called it done :-)

Project Life Week Twenty

I'm back again!  This time I want to share PL Week 20.  This week I've used the Project Life Jade Edition and I love it.  I especially love the filler cards in this core kit.  This week saw me start the 12WBT which was a struggle at the start of the week when I caught an awful tummy bug that has been going around.  I was back on track by Tuesday afternoon thankfully.

I also downloaded to my iPad the much-anticipated App developed by Elsie and Emma of A Beautiful Mess fame.  You will see some doodles added to some of my photos- the sneakers one and the one with the big white heart.  It didn't take long for Elsie and Emma's fans to get their App to #1 on the App-store chart and I can't wait for it to be available for Android so I can use it on my htc phone.

The little camera flair sitting on the filler card is from the Etsy store Button It.

Here's the LHS.....

Here is the RHS....

And here is the whole she-bang!

JAI #166 Colour Combo Challenge

I'm back again with another card for the challenge at Just Add Ink.  

This is what I came up with straight after I had finished the previous card.  I think I like this one better :-)

All supplies are from Stampin' Up apart from the spotted border stamp (Mama Elephant),  the white embossing powder (American Crafts) and the pearls (Kaisercraft).

JAI #166 Colour Combo Challenge

It's a colour challenge this week at Just Add Ink and I  was excited to see this.....

I think this colour combination is fantastic and I was quickly able to whip up this.....

As I was making this card, an idea for another card with these colours came to me, so stay tuned for that post soon!

I've been keeping a little secret......

I am excited to now be able to tell you that I have joined the  Design Team at Tomorrow's Memories!  When a lot of bricks and mortar scrapbooking stores here in Perth are closing their doors, Tomorrow's Memories in Bassendean is going strong and celebrated their 9th Birthday today with a morning tea and auction to raise money for The Cancer Council.  I spent a little bit of time there in between kids' activities this morning and that little shop was jam-packed with lovely ladies bidding on items very enthusiastically and having a good giggle too.  Clori, Jo and Vicki have created a gorgeous shop with lots and lots of scrappy goodness.  The shop is inside an old building that used to be the Post Office so it has lots of character, as well as being very easy to spot as you drive down Old Perth Road.

I am looking forward to working with the TM team and from what I saw this morning, it should be a lot of fun!

LPS Colour Challenge #4

It's Colour Challenge time again at Life.Paper.Scrapbook and our sponsor The Scrapbook Store is awarding the winner a AU$20 gift voucher for their store.  The Scrapbook Store is located in my hometown, Perth, Western Australia and they are a Scrapbooking andCraft online retailer.

Let's get to the challenge then!  Here is the inspiration photo.....

I really would have liked to make a scrapbook layout but the colours were a bit too pretty for my boy-themed pages.  However, it was easy to come up with a card.....

Apologies for the dark photos- it was dark and dreary for days the week I made this card :-(

All supplies were from Stampin' Up and their hexagon embossing folder is my current fave for making backgrounds.

I hope you will play along with us at LPS!

"Hi"

Here's another layout share.  My boys love talking to Daddy on Skype while he is away at work.  I love scrapbooking our everyday stories and recording the little details of our lives.

In keeping with my current "Scrap my Stash" motto, I used an older collection from Cosmo Cricket called The Boyfriend.  I started with a Kraft cardstock base, some splatters of Mister Huey's and some bits and pieces from the collection.  I made my own flags using some pins from my sewing kit and a banner punch from Stampin' Up to make the bunting.

It's a great collection for scrapping boys but I fear it would be hard to find these days.  Thanks for stopping by :-)

Project Life Week Nineteen

Week 19 was Back-to-School-Week and Mother's Day week.  Not only did Master 6 go back to school, but Master 2 had his interview with the headmaster.  Master 6 also started two winter sports- Soccer and Auskick and he seemed to really enjoy both.  

This week I used the Echo Park Everyday Eclectic Digital Kit and printed on my PictureMate as I usually do.  I ran into trouble using the printer with my new laptop which is running Windows 8, so I installed it on our PC which runs Windows 7 and everything was fine.  I am not sure what the issue was- I re-installed driver's and installed the software (which looked quite different to how it normally looks) but the software wouldn't talk to the printer.  If you have any tips, please let me know!

Here is the LHS.....

Here is the RHS.....

And here is the entire spread.....

JAI #164 and CFC #100

Here's a card I created for two challenges this week.  The challenge at Just Add Ink is a sketch challenge and the challenge at Cas-ual Fridays is Tic-Tac-Toe.

I grabbed some supplies from Stampin' Up and created this card, following the JAI sketch and the Cas-ual Fridays Tic-Tac-Toe combination of Polka Dots, Square Card and Birthday.

I don't often combine challenges but this was fun and I will most likely try it again soon :-)

Project Life Week Eighteen

I met Amy Tan of Amy Tangerine fame this week so of course I had to use her products on this week's PL page.  Amy was in Australia and New Zealand making appearances for Spotlight stores and she visited my local store so it was very handy for me to pop down and act like a giddy groupie while doing a Make and Take.  She was so sweet and generous, posing for photos and signing things.  Quite a few of the ladies I have met online via the Facebook PL groups were there too and it was lovely to finally meet them face-to-face and share a meal with them at a local restaurant.

The rest of the week was spent doing the usual school holiday stuff but with hubs home from China this week there was more painting and fixing-up to be done here at home too.

Here is the LHS.....

Here's the RHS.....

Here's the whole spread.....

All the products used came from Amy Tangerine's Ready, Set, Go Digital Collection, and as usual I prepared it all in Photoshop CS5 and printed with my Epson PictureMate.

Scrapping my Stash

I have missed crafting the last few days.  We pulled everything out of my craft room to repaint the walls and I  have nearly finished putting the room back together again.  Even though I am pretty good at purging my supplies, I was still able to re-home some goodies and further reduce the clutter.

Anyway, today I wanted to share a layout I have entered in a sketch challenge at Anna's Craft Cupboard.  I have used a fairly old collection from Basic Grey called Oliver, and of course I only bought this collection when it came out because my eldest son is called Oliver. Yup, that is the honest-to-god reason for buying it. It's a gorgeous collection, but I just don't "feel it" if that makes sense?  When I looked at this photo of Oliver dressed as Harry Potter though, I thought if I print it in black and white, I could make the darker colours in the papers work.

Here's the sketch....

And here's what I did with it....

With so many awesome new collections from all the manufacturers hitting our shores soon, I am trying my best to use some of my older scrap stash....I've still got HEAPS of this collection left so you'll be seeing a lot more of it!

LPS Sketch Challenge #4

It's time for another sketch challenge at Life.Paper.Scrapbook and once again there is an amazing prize up for grabs.  Kristin from Rukristen Papercrafts is offering a place in her new workshop- check this out.....

"Fold It In" is a brand new workshop from Rukristin Papercrafts! 

Coming May 1st, make your own mini-book in minutes with my favorite design: the accordion album. 

Learn this technique once and use it to make dozens of unique mini-albums.

What's included: 

A 30 page .pdf file with Step-by-Step instructions on creating an accordion album from start to finish. 

A supplementary .pdf with albums from 10 amazing contributors, each with a different perspective and unique style. 

Tips & Tricks for using your stash to complete an entire album. 

A private Facebook group where you can ask questions and share your albums.

Sounds pretty good huh?  Well here's the sketch so you can get cracking....

And here's what I did with it....

This first layout was created primarily from the Snippets Collection by Studio Calico and I loved the fun bright colours in the patterned paper I used for the background. 

For this second layout, I used the much softer tones of the Dear Lizzy 5th & Frolic Collection.

So there you have it- one sketch, two very different layouts and a chance to win a great prize ;-)