White with 1 Feb Challenge

Thank god it's Friday! It surely has been a busy week in my household. I finally completed the wedding invitations I've been working on for a couple of weeks. I had a bit of a meltdown during the week because things weren't going as planned, but I got stuck into them today & now they are ready to be packaged & posted off to the bride & groom-to-be. phew!  I also held my first monthly technique class for 2012, which was a huge success & a good time was had by all. So with that & going to work, the usual running of the household, keeping food up to the troops & helping one of the troops study for any important exam, oh & an early morning staff meeting thrown in for good measure.....no wonder I'm feeling a tad low at the mo. So to help me wind-down I completed my entry for the February White with 1 challenge & here 'tis plus some closies.

The criteria is white + lemon + 3 photos. Now lemon/yellow is definitely not a colour I use a lot of, in fact I can't remember the last time I used it as a main colour, so to say I was out of my comfort zone is an understatement. I've used some pics I took in Wollongong last year because I like the way the blue contrasts with the yellow. I had this page sitting on my desk all week, just simmering, & every now & then when I entered my creation station, I would stir it around a little until I was happy with the mix. I made my own bunting from some left over calico & I stamped & inked it. I picked up the buttons at a local discount store & they've been sitting in my stash for a while now & I'm sure they're happy to see the light of day. The background paper is "Presto Patterns", an embossed speciality paper from Stampin' Up! (no longer available). So thanks for calling in & have a great weekend :)

Technique class sample

Happy Sunday everyone and what a beautiful summer, non-rainy day! I've been playing in my creation station today with my inks, embossing powders & big shot. I'm teaching an emboss resist technique in my class this month and this is the sample I've made. I'm in love with these butterflies cut with the Big Shot and the "Beautiful Butterflies" Bigz die. They are so versatile and when coupled with a bit of embossing & inking I think they come up a treat. Ready to place on a card or a scrapbook page. 

I've used Regal Rose & Daffodil Delight inks on the butterflies with Lucky Limeade c/stock (from the new In Colour range). The stamp is from the Elements of Style stamp set which is also one of my faves. I've also added a little extra by using the Lace Ribbon border punch. Here are the closies......

This is another emboss resist card I made using a brayer as well as the very pretty Pool Party ink & ribbon - another of the new In Colour range. The background stamp is the Medallion Stamp which I tend to use on a regular basis.

Besides preparing for classes, I've also been busy making wedding invitations for my daughter's friend. I'll post a pic of them next week hopefully. Hmmmm, may have to hold back on the challenges a little bit this month :( Naaahhh! I'm sure I can fit a few in somewhere.........surely!???
Thanks for dropping by :)

Just because

It's been a very long time since I've created a double page. Way back when, doubles were the only thing I ever did mainly because I had so many pics of the kids as babies. We had these photos taken on Xmas Day & the lighting was just right and since we recently celebrated 28 years of marriage I thought it time to scrap a page of us (just because), which turned out to be two pages. I really went to town with the masking, misting, inking & stamping on this & it was so much fun getting messy. I also printed one of  the photos on a little bit of canvas that I had left over from another project. I really like the effect of canvas & wish I had a some more of it.

You can click on the pics for a closer look if you like.
Not sure if I can tackle a "double" again in the near future, it's quite challenging....for me anyway.
Thanks for dropping by :)

January 15 Stuck!? Sketch Challenge

I only just realised that it's almost the end of the month already and I hadn't done the second challenge over at http://stucksketches.blogspot.com/ So here is my take on the sketch.  I was given this photo recently of my late mother-in-law, who passed away when my husband was only 14. She was a very attractive lady and very photogenic, so we do have a few lovely photos of her. Unfortunately most of the photos are undated. She wasn't really a farm girl so I'm not sure why she was on this horse holding a rifle, but she looked like she was having fun anyway.

I haven't created anything vintage for a while, so it was fun to get out all my vintage embellies etc. Of course I had to do lots of inking as usual otherwise it just doesn't feel right :)  And I adjusted the sketch to the 12 x 12 format. TFL

Soft colours...

Happy Australia Day everyone! Our beautiful China loves her comfort & this episode was no exception. This is my entry for the Scrappers Challenge over at The Scrapboxx. Criteria: 3 pics, stamping and paint, twine or ribbon, tag or journal block. I decided to challenge myself even more by using soft, pastel colours which I hardly ever use. I can usually complete a layout over a weekend, but this took me a week to complete (between working & other humdrum daily activities), and I think it was because of the colours and the design I used. It's not that it was difficult but I must have been in an indecisive mood all week & I kept coming back to it to shuffle things around. Anyway, once I bit the bullet & started sticking things down it came together better than I thought it would.

China is a bit of a princess, so I incorporated a few "girly" bits & pieces along with the pink touches. I think she'll be happy with it :)

Beyond the page project

I've been doing so many challenges lately that I thought I would give myself a break & do something different. It's been a while now since I've gone beyond the page. I found this cute little metal bird house in a shop while I was away on holidays & the bonus was that it has that aged/distressed look, and I thought it might be fun to decorate. So I got stuck into my Stampin' Up! stash and inked & punched to my heart was content. This is how it turned out...

It's hard to see in these photos but I added some little butterflies, which I cut with my Big Shot, and then I covered them in Crystal Effects. For some odd reason I've been adding butterflies to a lot of my projects lately so obviously I must have a butterfly fettish at the mo - they seem to add that finishing touch :)

The other fun thing I did this weekend was make a birthday card for my Dad. I love the new "The Open Sea" stamp set from the Summer Mini Catty and of course it's one of those stamp sets that lends itself to a vintage/distressed feel.

I've used Sahara Sand, Krumb Cake & Cherry Cobbler cardstock and Newsprint Designer Series Paper, Not Quite Nave & Soft Suede ink.
I hope you've had a very creative weekend and thanks for dropping by :)

Scrapbooking Memories Magazine Vol 14 No 4

Well people, after months of waiting my work has finally been published. Go & grab yourself a copy of the latest Scrapbooking Memories mag and go to page 48...........I'm just a tad excited!!!!!! and humbled at the same time to be gracing the same magazine as some of the most talented scrapbookers from around the world :)  I know it's only a tiny spot in a big magazine, but hey.....you've gotta start somewhere.