Le Chateau des Aventuriers

Here is another project life style page I made with some of my Graphic 45 kit from ATDML, I used the French Country papers....which went well with my holiday photos.  

For the single page I layered up lots of strips of paper down the idle, distressing then and giving them a curved edge.  Around my photo I used some sunflowers that I cut from the papers and inked up some chipboard leaves, as well as adding some punched butterflies.  I used my new Parker memory box alphabet for the title.

I had quite a lot to tuck in the pockets, including the brochure and medal we won for completing all the puzzles.  You go around the chateau and there are all sorts of puzzles and games to play, from mazes to counting rocks in the wooded areas, spot the difference, tracking ropes to find the longest.  They aren't just little puzzles either and everyone has to get involved! For the pockets I cut out some of the G45 journal cards, and also made my own for some of my journaling too.

I am loving using my pocket pages this way, for me it is a great way of doing my single page with one of my favourite photos, but then also having a load of space for all the other shots from the day and lots of journaling.

I am also joining in with some of the Frosty Festivities too.

On Top of the World

This fortnights challenge over at the Studio blog is to take some inspiration from this pinterest photo.

So my page and inspiration might take a little explaining!  I went a little laterally and started with a different sort of mask - this was another one of the new goodies in my Tando pack and is called Burning Rubber which is 12" by 3".  I rotated it a few times and scrapped texture paste through the mask.  Once this had dried I then added some splashes of distress stains, adding a little water to make some of it drip.  I then layered up with a mixture of Dear Lizzy papers trying to pull some of the rich colours from the photos.  I then dug through my stash and layered up some October Afternoon word stickers, an Amy Tangerine layered sticker and some leaf ribbon too.  Lots of stitching and distressing of my papers, and a glassine pocket for behind the photo with an October Afternoon sticker at the top. I  then added some gold in the form of the gold sequins, and my title which is a mix of Glitz and American Craft thickers.  So lots of layers and details like the masks.

The photo is from a camping weekend where we walked up a massive hill with the kids, and it just felt like you were in the clouds as you could see for miles around.

There is lots of inspiration on the blog today and if you want to join in with us then there is a prize too...here is the link.

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!

Adventure Trail

Today I am up on the Tando blog with my chipboard butterflies for our week on 'things that fly'.  The butterfly decoration was a happy mix of experiments.  I started by dunking them in a meltpot full with Ultra Thick Embossing powder (UTEE), then I had a go at stamping in them with a rubber stamp....but it just didn't work.  So I then melted the stamped image back into the butterfly with a heat gun so it was mostly flat again.  I then scattered some white pearlescent embossing powder onto the warm UTEE, and directed the heat gun in the centre of the butterfly - so you get a kind of marbled  effect on the butterflies and because the heat was directed at the centre it all fans out like a butterflys wings.

For the page I started by scraping some gesso in the centre of my kraft cardstock with a palette knife.  I then layered up lots of strips of Teresa Collins Memorabilia papers, adding in a few of her die cuts too.  You'll see a little star embellishment which was made with a cookie cutter and the UTEE too.  The little cabochon flower was from a do-crafts set.

The photos are from a holiday earlier in the year when we went on a long cycle which ended with a beautiful adventure trail and zip-wire which the kids loved clambering around.

Beachy Grin

Here's the page that I made for the challenge over at The Studio this week - which is monochrome. 

 I chose orange, and discovered that loads of the manufacturers use a really similar blend of orange on their papers - in there is Studio Calico, Jillibean, Simple Stories, October Afternoon and My Minds Eye.  As I had to go through my stash and dig out lots of orange it meant that I ended up with lots of small pieces of paper that I could layer up.  I also added some embossed vellum (I used the cuttlebug swiss dots folder for this - I love the little extra touch of texture it adds to a page).  I cut out a heart and then backed it with lots of layers of orange, stitching around it, added some cream and orange lace and then some of the Simple Stories Orange alphabet and word stickers and some flicks of orange mist.  So lots of layers of orange!

The photo is from our holiday and just messing around on the beach....which is where my kids love to spend their time.

Here is a link loads more inspiration over on the blog.

and there is a lovely prize from our sponsor this month

Cutty Sark part 2

In my kit from Mel and Jill (ATDML) I also got sent a large cardstock pocket to decorate.  I made it into the other half of my page about the Cutty Sark so it could contain the trail with all the questions on it, a map and also the tickets which I tucked inside a decorated glassine envelope. 

 I decided to treat the pocket much like a page and layered up a doily, some papers (Prima's Devine and Engravers collections) and lace with my photos.  I decorated the glassine envelope with prima lace and made some chevrons with card and Tim Holtz Tissue tape.  I added little journal spots and put my title on a banner at the top of the page, then scattered a few golden sequins.  The pocket was a lovely way to include all the other bits and pieces you collect from days out, and will sit in my album next to my main page.

The Cutty Sark

We visited the Cutty Sark on a couple of occasional days last year, it is beautiful and I love that you can walk underneath the ship.  The boys loved a little game that you could play to see if you could sail your tea clipper from China to England faster than one of the Cutty Sark captains.

The papers are from ATDML and are all prima from the Devine and engraver collections.  I started the page with some white gesso scrapes, then a little paint dripping and stamping with a Tim Holtz map stamp.  I also had a go at making my own large polka dot stamp out of funky foam and printed lots of gold circles on vellum....I had a few problems with the gold ink smudging so I dusted it with some talc and that seemed to work!  I then distressed and layered up my papers adding a little washy tape.  I painted a Tando chipboard cloud and then sprinkled it with glitter before it had dried, I also covered the Tando compass with gold ink, then added some wrapped twine behind it and a little boat and prima wooden ticket.  I then added the title, using a mix of Simple Stories alphabet stickers and added a few gold sequins.

A Couple of Cards

Here are a couple more cards that I made with BoBunny collections I was sent by ATDML.  The first uses the Serenade papers, and I made a rosette flower with my sizzix die, then layered up lace, some punching and a flower that I had cut out the papers, and off cut of embossed vellum.  I added my sentiment and a little sparkle in the way of sequins and a gem for the centre of the flower.  

My second card is with the Mamarrazi 2 collection, and I cut out a few of the beautiful cameras and used one of the journalling blocks too.  A little lace and left over bunting, lots of ink. I love making the cards and try and use up some of my left overs from the pages I have created.