IACW Project Life

Just a quick post to let you know that over on It's A Creative World I have posted my 1st Project Life page, here are a few sneaks of some of the pockets.  I've used the Amy Tangerine AC range, and over on IACW I have posted lots of links and ideas and more information for you to have a look at if you are tempted to have a go.  I'll pop back with the rest of my page later on in the week - can't believe that January is flying by so fast.

Birthday number 9

This is a page I did to mark my eldest's birthday, I put some hidden journalling behind the photo on a Tim Holtz tag with information about his character and what he is like.  The photo was an attempt at being arty but I really like it, it is slightly out of focus too but I still love it.  The inspiration for the page was the Scrap365 monthly sketch, there is a new one up now and you can win a prize.  I know I should bookmark things more but I saw a quilt with this kind of rainbow pattern on it and thought it would look good on a page too.

The papers are all Crate Papers Farmhouse, and I used some of their chipboard and paper embellishments too, an American crafts cake and some maya road green rose ribbons, twine and random buttons from my collection.  I added some flicks of my new white glimmer mist rather than paint - I love how well it stands out on the paper - I was worried they might be a little watery but they aren't and they give a really good colour.  The idea for the title and the number are all Ali Edwards ish - having started a bit of project life I like the way she puts things on her photos - hence the number 9 and love the handwriting font and you can download her font for free from creating keepsakes....so I loaded it into my silhouette and had lots of fun welding the letters together.

Other news This weekend over on WeScrap there is an online crop going on with lots of prizes and there are lots of challenges to join in on. 

I am also proud to have become an Auntie again to a little boy who I am sure will feature in my pictures - he is absolutely gorgeous and I have already had cuddles with him and so did my kids.

Couple of clean and simple cards

There were a couple of birthdays in our wider family....and one being a big one!  I wouldn't say card making was my strength, but on these I went for the less is more approach and quite liked the way that they turned out - quite clean and simple (I also had a go at some arty shots of the cards below...which I just like so I thought I would show them to you :D).  The first card has a square of dictionary paper, and one of my Martha Stewart butterflies which I pulled the wings up on, some burlap, an early learning centre butterfly and my Happy Birthday stamp from Handmade Hannah.  The 40 year old one I played with my new Amy Tangerine stamps for the frame, and stamped 40 in the middle (I quite like that the 4 has some of the inky mess from the edge - but unfortunately I didn't manage to repeat it for the 0!), I stamped on a scrap of October Afternoon paper, and then mounted again on some old dictionary paper.  

Scrapping in 2011

The inspiration for this page came from seeing lots of reviews of craftiness in 2011...and as I didn't manage to get my done for New Years Day I tried to think of another way of showing some of my creative work (never scrapped it before!).  I made this using the gorgeous Amy Tangerine kit that I received from American crafts (check out their Facebook Friday Pick competition). I printed my photos out (it did take me a while to resize my pages on 6" by "4 paper so that they were 2" by 2" and didn't loose their resolution! I decided to show the pages on a washing line, and as I like the polaroid shaped photos at the moment I decided to mount them on white cardstock with a small area underneath where I could  do a brief journal about the page and what motivated me to create it or why it is a favourite.

So to start this age I lightly drew out where I wanted my washing line to go, and then used a PVA type glue (acid free) along the lines and stuck the string down, I then added a button at each end too.  I made some little pegs on my Silhouette and cut them out in a couple of different sizes, then made a whole host of banners to hang on the washing line too.  Before I stuck any of it down I added some flicks of orange, green and red glimmer mist, and used the Amy Tangerine doily stamp in a teal blue.  I then just started layering my pieces along the line adding butterflies and buttons as I went.  The title stickers were rectangular, and I cut around them, it isn't the neatest job as it was very tricky but it went with the home made creations theme of the page.  So here are my favourite pages, quite a few were made as part of the Scrap Factor competition on Ukscrappers, one for a crate paper challenge, others for challenge sites like pencil line sketches and the color room, and some of my DT work for ScrapRat and Handmade Hannah.

Paper bead tutorial

Over on Its A Creative World today I have posted a quick and easy, use up your scraps tutorial for making these paper beads.  So here is one way you can use the beads, and there are lots more ideas on the blog.  For the card I used some October Afternoon Fly a Kite and Sassafras Indie Girl papers.  The doily stamp behind the flower is October Afternoon Farmhouse stamps which I stamped and used some white embossing powder on (thank you Hannah for reminding me about white embossing powder).  The hello friend stamp is Amy Tangerine at American crafts and then there is a Martha Stewart butterfly and some dictionary pages in there too.  For more details on how to make these beads pop over to It's A Creative World.

What boys do

Thank you for all your comments and congratulations everyone, I love reading all your comments.  This a summer photo which I took of my DS playing with his cousin....and doing what most boys do in a wood with sticks (tho theirs were log like) which is re-inact a sword fight! 

 I made a little journal pouch behind the title which details the day.  For the page I wanted to make a polaroid style photo...but haven't managed to print any out that shape yet (will do soon tho!) so I mounted the photo on white card stock in a similar shape and wrapped twine around it.  The papers are Cosmo Crickets Social Club (with a small off cut of the October Afternoon and ek success punch I used on my last page).  I used lots of different punches my circle punch, book edge and abstract flower ek success punch, and I made a little bit of a stamped edge with a flower punch (the instructions are here).  I layered up and stuck the photograph panel together 1st, stitched and inked all the edges, then I added some flicks of watered down white acrylic - I'm trying a dropping technique to make them more drip like rather than a flick.  Once those were dry I stuck the photo panel down, then added some banners which I stuck and stitched in the top right hand corner.  I cut out some tags that were on one of the Cosmo papers and mounted them on some burlap, and then stitched them into a banner - letting the sewing machine run a little between each one to space them out.  I also piled my thread up on one side and stuck it with some clear drying glue, I left all the ends to make it look messy too.

American Crafts Facebook Weekly Pick

I put this page in for the American Crafts Facebook Weekly Pick, I caught a post about it on Facebook and thought I would have a try, and didn't think that I would get very far.  I nearly fell off my chair whilst we were driving to spend a weekend with the grandparents (no I wasn't driving!)...I never expected to be picked.  The challenge is just to use any American Crafts paper - so Studio Calico, Pebbles and Crate Paper like mine are good too.  This page uses Crate's Farmhouse line and I love the colours in that range.  Today (yes today) I got a parcel in the post and it is completely stuffed with the beautiful Amy Tangerine collection lots of sheets of each one (so I can cut them up :D), lots of paper, stickers, alphas, fabric stickers, leaves, dimensional stickers...so I had to show you a few photos.  It is a great challenge to have a go at and all you have to do is load up a page by Friday...each week. If you are looking for inspiration then check out their blog or  their Facebook page there are lots of inspiring pages that fans have loaded up (the default on Facebook is to just show the American Crafts posts, so if you click on the Everyone button you will see all the pages people are loading up), why not load up a few of your own.  So a massive thank you to American Crafts.

Gingerbread (and some exciting news)

I know...it's the new year, but as I was shopping I came across a gingerbread house kit for a bargain price, and having wanted to have a go at one and knowing that my kids would love it I bought it.  The gingerbread was all made, so all we had to do was ice and decorate it...all the bits were included.  I was going for the drippy snow icing look (well maybe not quite so drippy :)) and even though it isn't that neat and tidy and perfect the kids loved making it and sticking the sweets on, and I discovered icing is a lot harder than it looks - I need some lessons.  So we are now devouring the gingerbread house...and here are the 2 gingerbread men that the kids decorated.

Also I am beyond excited to have one of my pages picked by American Crafts for the Facebook Fan Friday event - you can load up pages using any of their products which also include crate paper and studio calico and pebbles and win prizes here is a link http://www.facebook.com/americancrafts

there are so many beautiful pages and projects going up on the site it is lovely to look through.  Have a super weekend.

Sit a While

It's been a long while - sorry - and I am itching to get back into scrapping again, as I got some lovely goodies for Christmas.  We had a super Christmas and saw lots of family, and a fun new year with friends, and now it is back to the more regular routine which means more scrapping time for me too.  So here is the only page I have managed over the last couple of weeks - I did do a thank you card too, just to play with the lovely stamp set that goes with this paper collection.  The papers are October Afternoon's Farmhouse, I love the yellow grey combination and bits of blue and the doily patterns.  

I started by cutting out some of the bunting and inking it too, then mounted my photo on some white card (inked again with tea dye) and stitched, I added some more OA papers being, and inked and stitched these.  I layered them all up and added some Theresa Collins acetate which I also stitched.  The doily ish band across the centre is my new ek success punch - abstract flower, I managed to work out the measurements to make the circular shape with it (if anyone wants them I can work them out and let you know), there is also some lace underneath.  Most of the tickets and bits are from the October Afternoon miscellany pack for Farmhouse and also one of the cocktail stick little flyer packs they have.  The brads are MME and the butterflies were made with my Martha Stewart punch, a few flicks of blue patina glimmer mist and a Cosmo Cricket tiny type alpha, and that completes my page.  The photo is from May time last year, I realised I hadn't scrapped it and it is of our camping trip and all the kids on a farm gate just as we embarked on a geocaching adventure which became a little damp...there was also a classic moment where we went to see a beautiful picturesque view up the top of a steep hill....that was almost completely obscured by a misty rain!

I hope you have all had good holidays and wish you all a happy new year.