Summer pages with Echo Park Go See Explore

Hello everyone, sorry I haven't posted in ages, I'm not sure how many people still read blogs, or whether more of it has moved to instagram now...so if you are reading, do leave me a comment and let me know you are there and I can keep on posting and also hunt down your blog if you have one too.

Here are a couple of pages that I did for the Cybercrop over at A Trip Down Memory Lane - the classes are there and available - this one was called Ticket to Ride and featured the beautiful Go See Explore papers from Echo Park.  I have been enjoying the recent watercolour trend in scrapbooking and it's made me get out my paints and try all sorts of colours, so that's how this page started.  I also love a little camera and ended up with a little line of them hanging down from my papers.

The photo is from our summer holidays - where our pool was possible more inflatable than pool - there were doughnuts, crocodiles, watermelons...

Here is a close of up of some of the camera work and painty bits.

The next page in this class involved a map paper - I do like a map paper, and I went for multi-photo - so some shots around our villa - it was idyllic, and a beautiful place in Majorca with loads of lovely coves and beaches.  There is a tiny dot on the paper which is Majorca, so that is where the arrows lead.

I used lots of fussy cutting to add little details to the page.

I even tried a bit of my own handwriting for the title, and I'm trying to journal lots too, though sometimes that's after I've put the photos on the web!

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed looking at the pages, and I will be back with some more later on in the week.

Dad and Me

Hello, I am up with a post on the Tando blog today...I had free reign to make what I wanted and I had just received a pack of new goodies and here is what I came up with! (apologies for the not so white photo it is sooo hard to take nice pictures when it is a little grey outside!)

I started with the new larger 8 by 8" Andy Skinner Starburst mask - I really like the slightly larger size which works beautifully on 12 by 12"s.  I used texture paste and scraped it through the mask...and was then impressed again with the clean crisp image that you get.  I then spritzed with some Green Cosmic Shimmer mist and created a few puddles to make some drips and a little bit of the Tattered angles walnut shimmer mist too.  I then layered up my This and That Echo park papers - there are still so many that I love in this range and they went really well with the photos.  I stitched and distressed the edges, adding a glassine envelope for the journalling behind the photo.  I used some of the stickers too - the globe I mounted on foam pads and then added a Tando chipboard button and star which I had covered in gelatos (pastels) and the glossy accents and then sprinkled glitter into.  I also piled up some twine behind the button, and attached some to my journalling card.

I love this photo of my youngest and his Dad just hand in hand down a road after a very muddy walk!

The Sweet Game

Hello, this weeks challenge over at the Studio is to use at least 3 photos on a page.  I often use 1 photo so it was a great excuse to have a rummage and find a few photos on a theme and use some new very boyish echo park papers I picked up on my holidays!

I started by cutting out some chevrons, and then I stuck them in different areas on my page, trying to highlight the sweets in the photos....and then stitched across in lines through the chevrons.  I cut a strip of yellow for the central photo area of my page and cut out several wheels that were on the papers, layering them around the photos, then a few stickers (some of them are from the This and That range...sequins, a little ink and a combination of Glitz and American Crafts for the Alphabet.

Whilst on holiday we developed a surprisingly fun game (I was surprised that they requested it and really enjoyed it!).  Basically you had a sweet - these are probably wine gums and then had to see how long you could suck it for (preferably until we got to our destination) so here are some photos to document how well they were all doing with it!  The kids loved it!!

So if you would like to incorporate 3 or more photos on a page then link it up with the challenge here.

Things to do when it rains!

 Morning everyone, I have been busy working on pages for different projects as well as lots of work and been neglecting my blog a bit...but today is my 'trends' post over on the Made by ATDML blog and I realised that I hadn't shared my page from the last one.

The papers are a mix of Pink Paislee's Portfolio and then some Echo Park Everyday Eclectic and MME in there too so it is a complete mix of manufacturers.  I wanted to have a play with some of the new Glitz roller stamps - I have the chevron and camera one at the moment (notice I say at the moment...there may be more :)).  I love the ombreish effect you get as you roller and the ink fades, so on this page I used my chevron roller as one of the borders at the edge of the page and then with yellow ink to make an arrow (larger ink pads are easier to roller on - the yellow one was a cats eye size pad and that took a while!).  I added a strip of the camera stamp down the side of the photo and then used it to make my wood veneer camera embellishment.  I created a little background with lots of the cameras on and then punched out a circle, wrapped some twine around it and added a Studio Calico camera.

So on to the photo - this was our very wet holiday on the Isle of Wight last year, on one of the nicer days (slightly drier) we went to a country fair and my son had a go in the lucky dip and won a set of animals....so when it started raining again it was back to the tent and have a play with the new goodies - kept him occupied for a while....also Pit - super game, though noisy but a great crowd pleaser on a wet day :)

Here is the link to todays post over on the ATDML blog and if you want to check out my roller post from a couple of weeks back here is a link to that.

Our Dream Holiday

The theme for the next fortnight over at the Studio is family......so I picked this shot as it is one of the rare family photos that we get taken, and it was in probably our favourite Disney Park - the Animal Kingdom....and this was our big dream family holiday.

I started the page with a circle mask and some texture paste, then I did some spritzing with cosmic shimmer mist and a little bit of glimmer mist.  The papers are all Echo Parks This and That Charming range, I added some strips behind the photo and created a little banner, and had to use the camera sticker behind my journalling.  I also added a prima flower that has been lurking in my stash for a while....I am trying to use up the pretties :) and a little bling.  A little bit of washi tape in the corners (K and Co smash tape) and some sequins from pound land.  The title is a mixture of the stickers in the This and That paper pack and also websters pages, some twine around the photo and that is my inky page :)

There are loads of other fantastic pages over on the blog and the Teresa Collins DT has joined us and there is a prize too....so here is a link for you to get inspired :)

Also do check out the Tando blog hop which will lead you to the post below...here is the link...for a fantastic giveaway

Top 5

Back from our holidays....which you will find out more about over the coming months from all the photos (I have a pile about 2" deep!! and that was me being selective).  I also invested in some washi tape of which there is lots on this page, and some new Teresa Collins vintage findings stamps - they are the words....just beautiful love them.  

The page is for the first of this months Studio Challenges....there is loads of inspiration on the blog so here is the link to all the other pages.  The challenge is to use numbers as a focus and since my holiday pics weren't printed when I started this I decided to go for a photo less page and do my top 5 high lights from our holiday.  The papers are all echo park from the This and That Charming range and some from the Note to Self range.  I cut my papers and distressed the edges  with the sanding block and then wrinkled and pulled them out.  Whilst we were in the states I found some bargain Tim Holtz grunge board block alphabets so I covered the numbers is smash book washi tape and the blocks in Tim Holtz tissue tape and then went around the edge of each bit with black acrylic.  I also did this with the title but that is a MME chipboard alpha I covered as it just wasn't the right colour.  Under the papers I dry brushed some gesso and then did a bit of spritzing and made some dribbles with patina glimmer mist.  I used my stamps and added some burlap and lace.  At the corner and the top of the page I made some little tabs out of washi tape, stamps, paper and then EP stickers, the final step was a couple of flicks of black glimmer mist and stamping the date.  I tried to add lots of layers and bits of interest as there wasn't really a photo, the text I printed out on normal paper and just inked and crumpled it, I used a typewriter font too.

Now I am back I am looking forward to doing a lot more hopping around all your blogs, and if you want to join the challenge here is the link.

Scrapology...and scraplifting one of my pages :)

A litte while back I was asked whether the ladies over at scrapology could scraplift my page - it's such a fantastic honour.  Today all their pages have been put up on the blog and the challenge to use the sketch that Val Mangan created (and I based my page on) and to use some hexagons, so if you fancy a challenge and lots of fantastic inspiration hop over here.

Jedi Towel

The theme for this week over at the Tando blog is 'It's a Man thing' - so I had to use this photo of my son.  We bought a surfer towel to keep him warm on the beach, and the only colour it came in was brown....he was really excited and delighted about the towel, much to our surprise....and then we realised it was like a Jedi cloak, so this is to document his love of his 'Jedi Towel' (it has also doubled as a great monks costume in a school play....never knew a brown towel could have sooo many uses!).

I started the page by tracing round the random circles mask with a gel pen, then I coloured it in with the peacock green cosmic shimmer mist - just squirt a little bit into the cap and then paint away.  The papers are all from Echo Parks This and That Charming range, I cut a few into circles too to fill some of the wholes in the mask.  I also used some tando bunting which I embossed with a cuttlebug woodgrain folder, and I used one of the arrows from a grab bag - I roughed up the edges and then covered it in red ink and perfect pearls as well as some sepia glossy accents.  I used the negative of the title that I cut out (it took me ages to decide on how and where to put the title!).  As always the journalling is tucked away behind the photo.

To see more inspiration check out this weeks posts over on the blog

Studio Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the Studio blog hop...most of you will have come from  Jules blog but if you have just happened upon my blog you can start the hop here and see all the prizes and inspiration.

My take on the Olympic theme was to use rings and circles on my page....I have managed 5 different sorts like the 5 rings

buttons

Tando circle mask

punched circles

coffee cup ink stains

prima bling

My photo also has a sporting link as it is from when we went to support friends running the London Marathon earlier in the year, and this is the key part of the support team, who held the banner and waved lots.

 I started with my background sheet which is actually fairly pink from the This and That range by Echo Park.  I scraped over some white gesso and once dried I layered up my circle mask over it and sprayed green, orange and brown. I had a go at making some paint drips with my mists, and I don't know why but the cosmic shimmers seem to work best out of my mists for spraying in a big blob and then letting it run down the page, I also love all the glimmer that you get in the drips.  Whilst this was all drying I layered up my photo mats which are mostly from the Dear Lizzy papers by American Crafts, I stitched and distressed and inked the edges.  Once the paint was dry I used a doily as a stencil and rubbed distress ink through so you got the outline of it, I then stuck on all my elements.  I next inked up some old dictionary pages and layered them on, then the coffee  stains - which were the stains left from stamping the lids of my button pots onto the page, and the smaller one was a little tea cady (so anything I could find and use really)

I also have a little floral giveaway too, so if you would like to take part then leave me a comment, you have until Friday 3rd August :) (I also included a couple of flowers I made and some glassine bags and a doily...just 'cos I love them)

The final stop on the hop is back to the

  Studio blog

thank you so much for joining us all and I hope you have picked up lots of inspiration on the way, and if you do an Olympic inspired page then link it .

Just in case you get lost...here is the list

The Studio  http://thestudio.amandajonesdesigns.com
Daphne  http://dapfniedesign.wordpress.com
Valerie http://paperandcookies.blogspot.com
Anna http://madetoscrap.blogspot.com
Jules  http://www.scrappingmojo.blogspot.com/
>>>>>>you are here>>>>> Katherine http://fruitofmyscraps.blogspot.com
Back to The Studio  http://thestudio.amandajonesdesigns.com

A Snapshot

The challenge for the rest of April over at the Studio Challenge Blog is to use your favourite things...so I did use lots of favourites, and had a go at being really inky and messy as I am loving that at the moment. 

The shot is from a camping trip last year where the heavens opened as we were walking up a hill, so we all nipped into a little wood area, and whilst the kids were climbing trees we got them to stage a photo for us.

The papers are from Echo Parks Charming collection (which I am enjoying).  The page actually started with me die cutting some chevrons (which went a little wrong as they were meant to be in a frame but my paper wasn't quiet in the right place so the frame was missing on one side), before I got to use the chevrons I did some misting.  For the mists I used a prima square mask which I lay on the diagonal and then spritzed with some blue patina and light brown glimmer mist, and then some of the zingy green cosmic shimmer.  I also added some drips of ink around the page too.  I then stuck the chevrons on behind the photo, and once in place I added some gesso just smearing it across them with a card to add some texture.  I then started the layering with little bits of paper and journal cards, and a doily.  I used some of the EP stickers as I liked the film strip - I used the small black dots from this on the page too.  I painted a dusty attic branch and hung some cameras from it with green twine.  Added some washi take and metal embellishments, then used the EP stickers for the title as well as a type writer font too which I printed on white paper.

I really enjoyed playing with lots of different items for this page and getting all inky - if you want to join in with us then here is the link,

Game On

I recently picked up a pack of the This and That charming collection by Echo Park - I had been on the blog hop and see sooo many beautiful projects that I had to get some!  The photos are from our trip to Tower Bridge (I know more) and they had some traditional games spread out along the walk ways which my kids loved having goes on.  I tried to make my page into a kind of pin board with the twine and clips, and went for a 4 areas kind of page.

I started with working out what bits of paper I wanted to use and how big they were, then used this to work out where I wanted the paint to go (which is watered down gesso).  I dry brushed some lines behind the photo matts and added some flicks of watered down gesso in both corners.  Once that was all dry I started sticking down my paper layers which I inked, stitched and distressed.  I also added a glassine bag with a spot for some more journalling.  Next I made the tabs for each corner - the bottom one was done using the EK Success abstract punch....I meant to cut out some little circular doilies with it, but got my measurements wrong, but still like the result so incorporated it into my page.  For the top one I added one of the postage stamp stickers that comes in the kit.  I made some banners and added some more bits of paper, and some of the offcuts from one of the border stickers.  I used another one of my paper chase arrow paperclips too.  Once that was all done I added the jillibean title with the green EP stickers, and then started my trail of twine across the page, wrapping it around brads as I went.  I added a bit of journalling on the page to fill one of my 1/4s too.

Step by Step for a Summers Day

I have seen lots of fab posts on other blogs with shots of how people got to their final page....so I thought I would have a go.  Forgive some of the photos as it was getting dark and I had to hold the camera as still as I could.

The started my page with choosing the photo and then matching it up with the papers....which are the Echo Park This and That Charming range - so my colours are predominantly green and yellow.  

First job after that was to create myself a masking tape border (I didn't measure it) and then I scraped gesso across the page using a cardboard tag from my next jeans - mainly as it was a bit plasticised and I didn't have an old credit card to use.  Once I had done this I then painted the edges of the tag with gesso and used it to make some lines down the page. 

 I then left it for some drying time, and dug out some sequin off cuts, I tried using a foam sponge but the colour wasn't very strong, so I just dabbed my cats eye ink pad across the sequin mesh to get the effect above.

I then masked some of my sequin mesh and used an aqua colour too.

I took of my masking tape, the paper was a little warped with the paint, but it will flatten in an album.

I cut out 8 hexagons, and distressed the edges and inked them, I also tore some bits of paper out of a dictionary and layered them behind on the page.

Knowing where the photo was going I then added a couple of strips of paper above the photo - one of them I used a book style punch (the one where it looks like you have torn it out a book) and added some of the Echo Park stickers on the left side too.

I stitched around the edge of the gessoed section with a zig zag stitch, and then set to work on the banner.  I used some green bakers twine, I layered a line of glue down across the page and then added the twine carefully on top.

Ok so this photo is only in here because I like it, but I inked and distressed my banner...and stapled it before I stuck it on so I didn't have to staple through my photo.

I added my banner with foam pads

Added some gems and then used some thickers and EP stickers for the title, as well as adding some drips of green and yellow shimmer mist to each corner (I cover my photo with a piece of paper when I do this bit).  I also layered up a little line of banners at the bottom on the right hand side and a journal spot for behind the photo.

I hope you enjoyed that - this was all based on the sketch over at the Studio challenge blog so if you want to have a go and win a prize then click here.