My inspiration book

It is my turn to post on It's a Creative World, so I thought I would post a link here for you.  Here is one of the books I made a while back and you can see some of the contents of it over here :)

WOYWW - 3rd Anniversary

I saw that it was the 3rd anniversary of Whats on your Workdesk Wednesday and it reminded me I haven't  joined in for ages...so I did a quick tidy (yes it was incredibly messy and still not that great) and took a photo for you.

So here is my desk, with my sewing machine tucked on the side...you can see lots of debris from some recent projects including the plates I used to make a circle on a page, and a pile of Crate Papers Pretty Party there, some paint dishes, tape and a Union Flag ready for the weekend (though this has King George on it).

I thought I would add this photo too just 'cos I like all the colours....I have been trying to keep the negatives from punches and seeing whether I can use them anywhere else....I'll let you know.  I'll show you what I created with these papers at the weekend.

Hope you are having a lovely Wednesday and here is the link if you would like to join in.

100% Boy

Here is my page from my Trends on Tuesday post over at A Trip Down Memory Lane.  I had a go at using negatives, and the lovely Crate Paper Random collection with a little Farmhouse thrown in.  The picture is of my son just sat on the edge watching some roller skating in a school hall, and I caught his attention to get the photo.

I started the page with some more scrapes of gesso (I now have an old credit card style card to do the scraping rather than the cardboard).  I also added some watered down flicks in either corner.  I cut a yellow strip of the Farmhouse paper and die cut 4 stars which I then stitched together to make a little banner under the photo.  I stitched all my pieces of paper with black cotton this time so it stood out, and inked the edges.  I added a few more stars and used my favourite abstract flower punch by ek success.   The title fits with my son, as he is definitely a boys boy, though in his own words he does play with tom boys too.

Here is the link to the post as it gives some more examples of negative space I found on my blog hopping.

A quick pop in and a link for you

Another quick pop in and post.....it is another Trendy Tuesday over on the A Trip Down Memory Lane blog....so here is my sneak peak to a new page, and a clue to what I was looking at :)

here is the link

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,

Birthday Cards

For my post over at A Trip Down Memory Lane I had a look at tabs that are quite trendy to use at the top and bottom of your pages (and a fab use of the odds and ends of paper that you are left with).  I decided to see whether they would work on a card too, and this is what I came up with.  I used some of the Crate Paper Farmhouse collection and some garden twine, punches and stamps.  I secured my twine behind the tabs and then stapled it across the card, and hid the end again at the bottom behind the tab.  I stapled some Martha Stewart butterflies along the twine and added Happy Birthday using some silicon glue.

This is the card that I made for my nieces - I cut out the 5 using my silhouette and then layered up lots of strips of kaisercraft papers behind the die cut.

We've got a busy weekend with a swimming gala and a dance/singing performance but I should be back on Sunday with a page.  Hope you all have a great Friday.

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.

Just a quick post

Hi, just a quick post from me today to point you in the direction of a new series of posts I am doing over at A Trip Down Memory Lane.  I'm going to pick different scrapbook trends and have a go at them, so this week I have looked at something I have really enjoyed using on my pages of late.....here are some photo clues for you

To find out a little bit more click here

Summer Days

Here is the page that I did using the sketch challenge over at the Studio Blog (Valerie based it on a page by Jules) - there is lots of inspiration for you over there and if you want to join in you are also in with a chance to win a prize, here is the sketch

I love hexagons so using them on a page was great, I used the Echo Park This and That collection - a recent purchase, so naturally I had to use it.  The photo is from last summer's open day at our local cricket club - my kids had been going and really enjoying it.  So here is a quick view of one of the games with my son batting and his Dad bowling, the other 2 are good friends :)  You might notice the dark skies, and this was a rather typical summers day as just as the awards were drawing to a close it tipped it down with rain and so ended the proceedings rather quickly.

Rather than say too much about my creation of this page I have done a bit of a step through tutorial post about how I made it, there are lots of photos which I will put up later in the week so keep an eye out.  My inspiration for the page and digging out my paints again came from Em Stafrace she has a gorgeous blog if you want a peak.

Windy Walks and a Card

Here are the rest of the projects I made for A Trip Down Memory Lane.  First up is a page where it all looks serene and lovely with my kids smiling by a stream.....but it was the windiest day and we were on the coast wrapped up and even then it was still freezing, yet beautiful and great fun.

The papers are all from the Bo Bunny Serenity collection, I used one for my background piece and all the beautiful corner decoration comes ready printed on it, to stop myself from covering this up with the photo I cut into it where my photo was going to sit.  I used a plate and doily for my photo background - amazingly the plate was the perfect size for the doily :)  I stitched and inked and then dotted around the edge with perfect pearls.  I used a couple of mats of the different papers behind the photo and stitched them all, and the photo.  I cut out some more cherry blossom, a lantern and one of the phrases from the journal sheet and placed those in the corner, I used some prima lace and punched a butterfly.  I also added some confetti - I have a poundland small flower punch and I thought it went well with all the cherry blossom on the papers, the title was die cut using Ali Edwards free font.  A few flicks of red shimmer mist  and journalling in the corner and it was ready.

This is the card that I made with the left over papers, I like banners so that was an easy one to do across the top.  Having watched one of Dyan Reaveleys art journalling videos and demos at CHA....I got my mists out and did some spraying, and then layered up my stamps too - she makes it look soo easy to get something beautiful, I need to have a play a bit more with it all.  

Here is the link you can follow to go and see all the other lovely Bo Bunny projects over in the gallery.

Messing in Boats

This is the page that I did with the sketch over at A Trip Down Memory Lane, here it is

I compacted it a little bit, and used the flowers from the papers instead of stars. 

The photos are from one of our favourite rides at Legoland....mainly as when we go with our friends we all race on their boating ride (which is very slowly as these boats don't move fast) and try to overtake each other, which is very difficult.

The papers are all from the BoBunny Serenity papers that they sent me, I cut out several strips which I inked and ruffled, stitched and layered behind the photos.  I also tore up some doily and inked that a little too. I then added some cherry blossom branches that I cut out and glued to the sides.  I also used a technique that I saw on pinterest where you use the rubber end of a pencil to print little circles on your page.  So behind the blossoms I added some prints of red and gold too.  I used one of the journalling pieces for my journal spot and printed out the text using a typewriter font on the computer.  The title is a mix of Authentique stickers and I used my silhouette to cut out the word boats using the Ali Edwards font which I stitched through.

I hope you all have a lovely 1st May day.