Sunday 29 April 2012

Twisted Sketch #148/Scrapbook Challenges Sketch 291

I happily spent yesterday evening scrapping (whilst avoiding the latest jigsaw puzzle, which I'm pleased to say is much smaller than the last few have been!) and watching "The Voice"......how cute is will.I.am??


The LO above was made using Twisted Sketch 148 and features more fussy cutting. I used papers from August Moon and Glitz (the wonderfully named "French Kisses"). The twist this week was "Star" and I found this blingy star in my stash whilst hunting for something else.
The wonderful purple flower was a charity shop find.....it was a headband...I just cut the elastic off.




The other LO is pretty minimalist for me!


The sketch is from Scrapbook Challenges. I used Basic Grey "Oliver" papers, alpha and journalling tag with random dog embellies (also found buried in my stash).


I'm running out of photos to scrap and the weather is so foul there's not much chance of taking any more.......I may work on some tags and ATCs this afternoon....

Thursday 26 April 2012

Garden Party


No, I haven't been invited to a garden party ..it's the title of the my latest challenge LO.
I've had great fun over the past two days playing with this (most of yesterday was lost to the nausea sadly).
We were given a list of "ingredients" and told to have fun and challenge ourselves.....I really did challenge myself!
The fence is all my own work....made from the sticks that come with rub-ons, primed with gesso and then painted with acrylic paint (a mixture of cream and blue).
The papers are from Pink Paislee - "Butterfly Garden" and "Bee Hive", along with the butterflies, rub-on (title), stamp (title) and bird cage (packet of ephemera). 
Prima vine and bird plus random flowers and ribbon from stash.
The leaves and teacups were stamped and fussy cut using freebies from "Craft Stamper" magazine.
The image is a free postcard from Harlequin (aka Mills and Boon)....I knew these cards would be useful one day!


And please, no comments about my reading matter - I haven't read an M&B for a few years now but loved them when I was first ill as I could read one in a couple of hours and it was mindless entertainment..exactly what I needed at the time.


Today I must get the i**n out.....have seven coke cans to flatten...and, unfortunately,  a basket of clothes too....

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Tag Tuesday with Mojo Monday



The theme this week is purple...one of my favourite colours.


I kept it simple again...made a tag from Bazzill using my TH die then fussy cut the iris illustrations from my jumble sale gardening book. Ribbon, chain, brad and butterfly are from stash.


And now for Mojo Monday.


This is my take on the sketch from 16th April:




Today Max is 10.  
I can't imagine life without him....we've had him since he was eight weeks old.


I used Basic Grey "Max and Whiskers" papers etc. with random doggy embellishments from stash.
The title was cut using Sizzix "Mango Tango" alpha.


Happy Birthday Max!
Special dinner and some doggy biscuits are promised!

Monday 23 April 2012

No Mojo Monday

No, I haven't lost my mojo! 
The LO from last week's inspiration will appear tomorrow with Tag Tuesday. There's a very good reason for this....as you'll see....tomorrow!


I've been happily occupied, (in between football matches, F1 Grand Prix and The Voice) in the kitchen and my craft area.


First we have a journal LO about our afternoon in Oxford at the ballet. I kept it fairly simple as it's very rare for DH and I to be photographed together (one of us is usually taking the photo).
Thanks to Pat for the great photo.
I broke into more "hoarded" stash - My Mind's Eye Bella Bella "French Flea Market"this time. The stamps are from Unity.


For this LO we were challenged to use any shape except the usual 12 X 12 square.
I found some shaped Bazzill, trimmed with lace, and cut circles (using different sized cake tins and my circle cutter - which only goes up to 6 ins.) from Kaisercraft "Sweet Nothings" and "Timeless" papers.
I added the journalling to the scallops - Unity Stamps again.
Fussy cut the bird, used a Martha Stewart punch for the butterflies and then added random embellies from stash - mainly leftover Grand Adhesions from K&CO.


The next challenge was a "Green" one.
We had to upcycle an item bought from a thrift store and change its' use.
Pat found me the small cup and I found the large cups and saucers on Saturday...all from charity shops. Grand total...£2!!



I then turned them into teacup candles using stubs of Christmas candles and wax beads.

Found the idea on Pinterest last year and have been wanting to try it - so easy....and the first of my Christmas presents for this year are now made!!


If you'd like to try this click  here.


All these projects were for challenges on Flying Unicorn

See you tomorrow for Tag Tuesday....and another LO...:)

Thursday 19 April 2012

Pagemaps/Bella B'lvrd Contest

This is my entry for a contest on Pagemaps....
I used another of my photos from Henley but cut it into three as the LO was for three photos sized 2 x 3.


The papers, rub-ons, brads and stickers are all "Marjolaine" by Basic Grey.
I added flowers, a paper bird (Prima) and a random butterfly from stash.
The title "Take Flight" is an American Crafts badge.

Wednesday 18 April 2012

A Sketch Challenge

It made a lovely change for me to scrap in pink (problem with having so many men in the family!)
I used scraps from one of my favourite Basic Grey collections "Euphoria" along with chipboard stickers, brads and rub-ons.
Other brads, eyelets and beads from stash.
Bazzill InStitchz template and thread.
Title and  three transparencies  (frame, bird and butterfly)from stash - confession time here...I found them in my stash but don't know when/where I bought them....perhaps DH is right and I do have too much stash!! lol




And here is the sketch we had to work from.....

drawn by Shona.....we think the glimmer mist has got to her!! lol







Tuesday 17 April 2012

Tag Tuesday


The theme this week is "Spring Flowers".
Another simple tag from me .
White tag covered with pictures from a gardening year book (jumble sale find) then covered with gesso. The title came from the same book.
Picture and quote by Tennyson from the children's alphabet book I found recently.
Ribbon from stash.




Monday 16 April 2012

Mojo Monday

Another Monday (this year seems to be flying by!) and another sketch.
This is the 9th April sketch from Flying Unicorn - I used it as the base for a "Fussy Cutting" challenge.


The photo is of my maternal grandfather with friends c. 1930.
I used K&CO "Life's Journey" papers and one embossed sticker.
The flowers were fussy cut from a sheet of the paper (also made a couple of rosettes with my TH die) and have had some bling added.
Buttons, beads, clock face are all from stash.
The washi tape was free with Papercraft Inspirations magazine.
Title cut using Sizzix "Bloom" alpha.


I had a lovely surprise on Saturday when my challenge RAK arrived.


The papers are gorgeous - Swedish, from a make I hadn't heard of and very heavy - cardstock really. Love the sticky gems and the dress too.

Sunday 15 April 2012

Twisted Sketches 146


A LO about yesterday afternoon...made using Twisted Sketches 146...the twist was brads...
Prima "Harmony" collection papers,Martha Stewart and Fiskars border punches, Pink Paislee swirl (brushed with 3D paint), embellies from really old stash...including butterfly and BG brads, butterflies painted with Pebbles Inc. scrapbook paint..and a home made stencil.


Also entered for a Paint it On challenge.

Thursday 12 April 2012

Art Journal and Penny's ATC Challenge


This is my entry for an Art Journal challenge. I'm using the book that was made for me by my Secret Santa (aka Virginia, Queen of the Rockettes). It's fabulous to work with.....thanks again V.
Acrylic paint, papers from Sassafrass Lass,title made of odd letters (leftovers from alphas that I store in a little box),two stamps (question mark by Limited Edition, date stamp), a rosette made with very old sheet music and a TH die, two photos and hand journalling. A fun project.


A fairly simple ATC for April.
The background is a Crafty Individuals image and I simply matched the ribbon, button, beads and butterfly from stuff floating around on my table.

Thanks for organising this Penny.

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Tag Tuesday

Spring cleaning is this week's theme..and this simple tag shows my feelings on the subject...

I used docrafts "Born to Shop" papers, a Pink Paislee chandelier crystal, ribbon from stash and two of my favourite stamps.

Monday 9 April 2012

Mojo Monday (with added extras)

Monday again and time to show you what I did with last week's inspirational sketch:


A photo of the boy aged 8 weeks.
I wanted to do s'thing different to the usual "baby boy blue", so I used papers from "Collection Ziboux" by Toga (France).
I fussy cut some of the embellishments from another sheet of the paper then added buttons and brads from stash.


It's week 2 of the Round Robin on Flying Unicorn and my turn to post for our team - 7th Heaven Scrappers:


Photos are of the few Spring flowers we have in our garden.
I used Webster's Pages "Your Life - Beautiful" papers for the background and also fussy cut the bird cages from scraps of the paper.
The flowers are by Prima (including a cherry blossom vine) and from stash - I've picked up/been given all sorts of odds and ends over the past four years. Lace, pin sticks, ladybirds and brads from stash. Pink Paislee rhinestone chain to finish and a quote from "Home Thoughts From Abroad" by Robert Browning for the title. I remember having to learn this poem at school.


I hope you're all having a great Easter Weekend.
Weather's a bit miserable but the boy is home and the football was great yesterday!!

Friday 6 April 2012

Steampunk

My latest creation for a challenge on Flying Unicorn.
Image from Dezinaworld, cogs and gears made by me using a diet coke can and TH die then coloured with alcohol inks , broken watch bits and ribbon from stash, finished off with a 7Gypsies charm.

I had real fun making this..even if I did have to get the iron out..and it took me two days to get the ink off my fingers...:)

Monday 2 April 2012

Mojo Monday

Monday again and time to show you the LO I made using last week's sketch at Flying Unicorn:

Another set of papers that I've been hoarding, Cosmo Cricket "Fleuriste".
I also used a monogram and sticker from the same kit.
The flowers were stamped (this month's freebie from Craft Stamper) on scraps of the papers and then cut out and mounted on foam pads.
Used a Martha Stewart round the page punch for the border, a Bazzill template and thread (pomegranate) plus beads from stash and a beautiful fabric doily sent to me by Valerie from Germany.

I loved building up the layers on this one.

And here's one I made earlier......

This was for a colour challenge on the same website.
And again (the enforced stash ban is really making me go through my papers!!) I used papers I've had for at least three years...My Mind's Eye "Bella Bella 'Bellezo'"...
Title printed on laptop onto the reverse of one of the papers.
Embellies from stash including...a metal tag with Max's name on it (dog tag....geddit?!), a fridge magnet (Love), some doggy themed tokens and brads and finally I used my paw stamp...


Lots of crafting planned (fingers crossed) for this week.....9 challenges for the month of April and I'm taking part in a Round Robin scraplift. Seven teams of four....I'm in team 7 "Seventh Heaven Scrappers".....it started today and as I'm second in the team, I have a LO to lift by next Monday...the theme is Spring, flowers etc. so  it's very cheerful.

Hope you all had good weekends xx