Friday, August 30, 2013

Jillibean Soup | Strawberry...

Hello Friends.  Today I have a double spread layout to share.  Yep. You read that correctly.. A DOUBLE!!!

 
"Pick Your Own Strawberry"
 
sorry..
removed for publication..x
 

products used: cs - Kaisercraft; pp - Jillibean Soup; alpha - Jillibean Soup; other - Jillibean Soup: soup labels, banner bites, pea pod parts; pearls, mist, toothpicks; tools - typewriter.

Just recently we took the kids to a local strawberry farm.  These farms are so close to us, I really don't know why we haven't been there before!  It's been on our list of things to do for sometime and now we can tick it off.  No doubt, we will be going back at least a few more times before the season ends. 

The kids were shown the correct way to pick the fruit and they learnt quite a lot about growing strawberries from our charming host, Percy.  There are signs all over the farm telling you not to eat the strawberries as you pick them.  They really need to be washed first.  *grin*  But Percy kept picking them and telling us to try them.  He had a real soft spot for the kids.  And as he was the boss... well, we weren't going to get in trouble!  Besides he was eating them just as much as the kids were! *grin*


 

I've teamed these photos up with the gorgeous Jillibean Soup: Coconut Lime collection and I've done quite a bit of fussy cutting.



I actually quite enjoyed creating this double page spread.  And it surprised me too! LOL!  Maybe I just needed the right collection of photos to scrap.  *grin* Thanks for visiting..x


 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The Scrapbook Store | Bean (a video tutorial)...

Hi There!  I'm a little excited and a lot nervous to share with you my video tutorial today.  Well, it is more of a video about my working process because I don't know if I like the sound of my own voice on the soundtrack! Hence the reason it has been muted and replace with music!!! *grin*  I hope you enjoy...x

"Bean"
 
products used: cs - Kaisercraft; pp - LYB: Makin' The Grade; other - LYB: Makin' The Grade tear-out tickets, canvas stickers, chipboard shapes; Greatest View badge/flair; Studio Calico wood veneers & Mr Huey's mist; staple, paperclip, twine; tools - machine stitching, pen.
 
 
For more details, visit The Scrapbook Store.  Thanks for visiting..x


Monday, August 26, 2013

The Scrapbook Store | Old School..

This month, for The Scrapbook Store, I've been given the task of creating with school themed patterned papers from Little Yellow Bicycle.  I must admit once I stopped and looked at the papers, instead of immediately freaking out! (like I thought I would  *grin*), a multitude of ideas hit me.  Back-to-school papers don't always have to be used for the standard back-to-school photo snap. :)
 
With children entering a the new school year in the Northern Hemisphere, here, Down Under, we tend to get the wonderful opportunity to be reminded about documenting our kids' schooling journey mid-year.  Especially when these gorgeous new papers hit our shelves.  So this is exactly what I have done.  In an upcoming blog post, you will see how I used these LYB papers to document my son's science experiment.  There are no photos of him.  Just a lonely photo of a bean growing from a seed, in a bag! LOL!
 
But today, I have used these papers to create a layout of my children and our family friends' children when we visited a museum last year.  They were fascinated with the old schoolroom and the activities and RULES children had to participate in at the turn of the 20th Century.  They were astonished when they learnt about "the cane".  LOL!
 
 
"Old School"

products used: cs - Kaisercraft; pp - Little Yellow Bicycle; alpha - American Crafts thickers; other - LYB: canvas stickers, chipboard shapes, tear-out tags; Perfect Pearls Mist (Ranger); Kaisercraft clear stamps (class of '87), ink, paperclips, vellum; tools - sharpie pen.

I love these photos taken of them sitting at the long narrow school desk.  So very different to the classroom environment they have today with interactive white boards and computers.  **side note -   When we entered this room at the museum, the kids raced to get a seat at a desk.  I'm quite certain that they aren't so keen to enter their own school classroom every other morning.  :)



The canvas stickers in the LYB collection are easy to apply and add great texture to the page.  And besides, who can go past a super cute banner like the one above!  *grin*  The colours in the photos reflect the colours in the banner too.  Winner!
 
And I couldn't resist cutting up the letters from the pattern paper to spell out a few key words.

For a little more extra detail and to age the layout, I've added the new Ranger Perfect Pearls Mist in mandarin.  I deliberately splashed some onto the ink near the journaling so the red stamped lines would bleed.  It is a subtle touch leaving slight watermarks on my page.

 
Thanks for visiting today.  Please come back soon when I share my video tutorial as mentioned above.  Have a great day..x

 

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Bella Blvd | Confetti Trends...

Hi Everyone!  I'm back today to share with you a layout created for Bella Blvd.  This month the team at Bella have been given some new challenges.  One of mine was to use the trend of confetti on my page.  *grin*  I love confetti and most of you will know that I am no stranger when it comes to adding a touch of it here and there on my layouts.  However, for this challenge I decided I wanted to go crazy!! LOL!  And maybe... I went too crazy.  LOL! So, I will let you judge for yourself!  *grin*


"Rainbow of Possibilities"
 
sorry..
removed for publication..x
 

products used: cs - Kaisercraft; pp - Bella Blvd: Play Date, Daily Chevies, Freestyle Sophisticates; other - Bella Blvd: Play Date Captions sticker, Crochet Hearts; embroidery floss, ink; tools - circle punch, hole punch, type writer, hand stitching.

 
I found this adorable quote on Pinterest about rainbows and thought it suited my son perfectly. "You Are A RAINBOW of Possibilities" - unknown.  I've changed it up a little to compliment the Play Date Caption sticker used at the top of my photo.. Now my journaling reads: You light up my life with a RAINBOW of possibilities. 
 


A bit much? Maybe.. But it was fun to create.  I even got to incorporate some of the brand new CHA collection Play Date!! It's very cute! To create a similar layout, grab your office supply hole punch and some embroidery floss.  Punch holes in your chosen paper, create a sunburst with hand stitching.  Then get busy gluing those circles down!!  LOL!  You can either strategically place your punched circles or ... ahem.. do what I did and just throw them onto the paper and glued them where they landed! 
 

Finish off your layout with some beautiful crochet hearts from Bella Blvd, for depth and texture.  Not only do they look pretty, they add to the handmade/folksy effect I was aiming for here.  *grin*    I hope you have fun creating!! Thanks for visiting..x

 

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Hampton Art | August projects...

Hi Everyone!  Today I am sharing this months collection of cards and a layout created for Hampton Art.  I've gone a little butterfly and glitter crazy with my projects!  LOL!  So, consider yourselves warned. *grin*

"Happy Birthday"

 
Supplies:
Hampton Art: 
stamps - Jillibean Soup/Chilled Cucumber Soup small set 2 (JB0042); Fresh Vegetable Soup (JB0026).
ink - VersaMark/watermark ink; Archival Ink (jet black); Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Antique Linen); Stampin' Up (crumb cake, daffodil delight).
embossing powder - Stampin' Up emboss (pool party).

paper - Jillibean Soup/ Chilled Cucumber; Winter Tortellini and Spinach Soup.
alpha - Lilybee Design.
embellishments - Jillibean Soup Bean Stalks (turquoise twine); Kaisercraft pearls.
 


 
Supplies:
Hampton Art:
stamps -  Jillibean Soup/Chilled Cucumber Soup small set 1 (JB0041); Fresh Vegetable Soup (JB0026); Bella Blvd/Kiss Me (IC0225).
ink - Stampin' Up (daffodil delight, tempting turquoise, crumb cake); Close To My Heart (sunset).

embellishments - machine stitching; Kaisercraft pearls; foam dots; cardstock.

 
 
 
"star"


Supplies:
Hampton Art:
stamps - Echo Park/Oh, SNAP (SC0529).
ink - Stampin' Up (old olive).
 
paper - American Crafts/Dear Lizzy; Kaisercraft.
cardstock - American Crafts (green glitter); Kaisercraft (coconut).
embellishments - vellum; rhinestone bling; small flower punch; Couture Creations/Glitzin' glamour (antique silver); Greatest View ribbon; machine stitching.


 
 

Supplies:
Hampton Art:
stamps - Jillibean Soup/Chilled Cucumber Soup small set 2 (JB0042); Fresh Vegetable Soup (JB0026).

ink - Kaisercraft Ink (antique rose, corn, lilac); VersaMark/watermark ink.
embossing powder - Stampin' Up emboss (pool party).
paper - Jillibean Soup; Stampin' Up; Elle's Studio; Echo Park.
embellishments - American Crafts glitter thickers, Studio Calico wood veneer hearts, sequins, mist.
 



There is a quick tutorial link in the project titles above, if you are interested in recreating something similar.  Thanks for visiting..x
 

Monday, August 19, 2013

The Scrapbook Store | Grade 2C...

Hi Everyone.  I wanted to pop in here today to share a layout created for the The Scrapbook Store.  This month I was given the task to play with "Makin The Grade" from My Little Yellow Bicycle.  It has given me the perfect opportunity to document my big Grade Two(er) and how he brings his knowledge home from school! 

 
"Grade 2C"


Sorry
Out for Publication!

products used: cs - bazzill; pp - My Little Yellow Bicycle; alpha - Bella Blvd; other - MLYB: canvas stickers, embossed tear out ticket journaling cards, chipboard shapes; Greatest View badge/flair, staples, October afternoon mist; tools - typewriter, Kaisercraft ink pad, silhouette portrait.


I love this Greatest View badge/flair that I've added to the page.  The colours are ideal and the chalkboard look is extremely current right now! *grin*


The banner was added to reflect to school room décor.  His classroom often has displays of student work hanging above their desks.  I've used a Martha Stewart pinking circle punch to repeat the pattern from the Makin The Grade chipboard shape (see photo above).  It is a simple embellishment but I liked the idea of transferring the banner theme from the classroom to my layout.


Another textural element added to my layout is the notebook torn edge.  I don't own one of those awesome punches that makes things easy!  LOL!  So I make do with punching a line of holes at even spaces and then use my scissors to snip from the edge to the hole.  I rough it up a little, by running my fingers over it, even tearing a few tabs off here and there.  The strip of cardstock is then slipped under my patterned paper.


Finally I have used one of the fabulous embossed tear-out ticket journaling cards, and typed my journaling directly onto it, using my typewriter.  His name was cut from grey cardstock using my silhouette portrait and the weld tool. 
 
If you would like to see a few more papers and embellishments from this collection, don't forget to visit The Scrapbook Store before they sell out!  *grin*  Thanks so much for visiting..x
 

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Life.Paper.Scrapbook | August Colour Challenge...

Hello Friends!  Can you believe we are half way through August!! OMGosh!  Where has the time gotten away from me!  Anyway...! Life.Paper.Scrapbook has another awesome colour challenge for you to try!  Check this out...

 
I was pretty excited when I first saw this colour palette!  Yay for orange!  *grin*  And then, I didn't use much of that particular colour at all on my layout.  Just a little in the title! sigh...
 
"Make It Work" 

products used: cs - Kaisercraft, Bazzill; pp - Fancy Pants, Jillibean Soup; alpha - Jillibean Soup; other - Greatest View badge/flair, sequins, twine; bulldog clip, Pretty Little Studio: journaling card, train check; American Crafts Dear Lizzy cardstock shape, mist, gelatos, staple, ink, washi tape; tools - typewriter, The Crafter's Workshop stencil, hole punch.

This is a moment I wanted to document for Ethan about his school project.  As he is in Grade Two, he and his classmates are only now starting to work on projects other than spelling and maths.  This year he is learning more with subjects such as Science and History in the junior school curriculum.  He absolutely loves experimenting.  This project was all about motion.  The students had to build a car, at home, that could move down a ramp.  His was made from a recycled pizza box and supplies he found in my scrapbooking desk!  Yikes!! I'm sure he would have "blinged" that car up had he found my stash of rhinestones and glitter!  *grin*
 


I had a little play with my new gelatos too.  I used a stencil from The Crafters WorkShop and then added extra splashes of glimmer mist and sequins from Greatest View.


 
The Story badge/flair is also from Greatest View.  And this is one of my favourites!! *wink*
 

Now for the really exciting news!!!!!  This colour challenge is sponsored by American Crafts and they are providing a fabulous Amy Tangerine prize pack!!
 
 
Here are the details if you would like to play along...
 
- You can submit ANY kind of project that you can use the colour challenge for: layouts, cards, PL, off the page projects 
- You can use the sketch and colour challenges together just make sure you link it up to each so you have a chance to win in both. 
- August Colour Challenge runs until 11.59pm 6 September. (Don't forget we are in Australia)
- The winner of the prize will be randomly drawn
- We will also feature three of the favourite layouts and the selected layouts will be asked to guest design for the next colour challenge. 

You have to be in it to win it, so link up your project up on the right over at Life.Paper.Scrapbook. Please make sure you link to the correct challenge, there is both a sketch and colour challenge to link up to. If you are linking to a blog, please link to the actual post the layout is featured in, not just the general address and make sure you link back to Life.Paper.Scrapbook
 
 
Thanks for visiting..x
 
 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Bella Blvd | Art Instagram...

Hi Everyone!  We are back after a long weekend camping adventure and I can't wait to scrap some of the photos that were taken!  The weather here is finally warming up but let me tell you, the nights are still freezing, especially when you go camping without extra blankets!  *grin*
 
 
Today I wanted to share with you my layout that is up on the Bella Blvd blog.  Bella has some new features planned for the month to help kick start your creativity.  Today is the Monday Morning Challenge - focus on the square. My Inspiration? The humble Instagram square...
 
 
"Art Instagram"
 
products used: Bella Blvd: Spring Flings & Easter Things: Mom's Bouquet; All American: Borders & Cute Cuts, United We Stand, Just Write Journaling, Alpha+Bits; Sand & Surf: Cling Stamps; Freestyle Sophisticates: Freestyle Pickle Juice, Freestyle Banana; High Five Alpha Stickers: Black-White, Pink-Red; Sophisticates: Miniatures Card Sentiments; Ciao Chip Elements: Borders, Clouds, Essentials Asparagus& Pickle Juice; Sienna Chipboard Alphas: Pickle Juice; cs - Kaisercraft; tools - paper clip, Fancy That Dies, black pen, mist, ink.
 

I love Instagram for sharing my photos with family and friends and I especially love that I can share my children's artwork online without having to email each item separately, to each individual grandparent!
 
This layout is inspired by the Instagram process and documents my son's favourite piece of artwork to date. I have included hidden journaling beneath the main photo, but to find the story you need to follow the arrows!
 
 
 
The main photo flips open to reveal the journaling.  The flap works simply, by placing designer tape along the joining edge.  You could also just have an extended piece of patterned paper and fold it in half, but I wanted to use two different paper patterns.  *grin*
 

The "Art Instagram" label/title has been created by trimming down one of the All American: Just Write Journaling Stickers, to fit my size page. I've fussy cut the heart image from the All American: Borders & Cute Cuts patterned paper and added alpha stickers as the finishing touch.
 
 
Finally, since the focus of my story is Ethan's Solar System/Planet Earth artwork, I finished off the page by adding a die cut globe.  Yep.  I know it's not square!  LOL!  But I love that it has Australia on it and it makes the embellishment a little more personal for me.
 
 
I hope you will join us over at the Bella blog to see some more of the design team's challenge entries.  Thanks so much for visiting..x
 
 
 


Thursday, August 8, 2013

Jillibean Soup | Mr Science...

Hello Friends!  Jillibean Soup is sharing one of my layouts today and I thought I'd share it here as well, along with some more details.  :)

My eldest boy LOVES science.  Absolutely LOVES it!  *grin*  Even his teacher has recognised Liam's need to have a science based learning curriculum in the classroom!  (Got to love a teacher who goes out of his way to encourage students to learn.)  And for this reason I thought I'd document his greatest love at the age of 10.
 
 
"Mr. Science"

products used: pp - Jillibean Soup: Irish Farm House Soup/Sea Salt, Barley, Sliced Turnip, Bite Size Bits; Chilled Cucumber Soup/Yellow Tomatoes, Sherry Vinegar, Bite Size Bits; Macho Nacho Soup/1 Part Man; Soup Staples II/Yellow Salt, Gray Salt; Coordinating Cardstock Stickers:  Grandma's Lima Bean Soup; Alphabeans:  Mushroom Gray; Pea Pod Parts:  Chilled Cucumber Soup; Corrugated Shapes:  Kraft People; Hexies:  Memorable; Other - grid stamp, mist; Tools - hole punch, circle punches, type writer.

I wanted to create a science experiment "feeling" to this page with plenty of bubbles rising, arrows showing different directions and question marks hidden among the chaos.  Throw in a speech bubble because he is such a chatterbox and I've pretty much summed him up!  Plenty of layers and dimension.

 
 
My journaling has been typed up and hidden beneath the photo.  It pulls out on the teal tab just below the "notes" sticker.



On the opposite side, I've used the notebook paper from the Chilled Cucumber collection but punched holes in it to make it appear as though I've torn it straight from a journal pad.  Such a simple effect and I love the texture it adds to my page.


I'm so glad I've now got this documented.  He wants to be a geologist when he grows up.  And so far that hasn't changed for quite some time (give or take six months!! *grin*).  Maybe next year his interests will go off in a new direction altogether (please not motorbikes. please not motorbikes!!)  LOL.  But for now, I love that he loves science.  Thanks for visiting..x




Tuesday, August 6, 2013

The Scrapbook Store | August Sketch...

Hi Everyone!  Just sharing with you the new August sketch for The Scrapbook Store.  It has been designed by the fabulously talented Melinda Spinks and I think I pretty much followed it exactly!  *grin*  If you would like to join in, share your layouts in the gallery here.





"The Cow & The Car"

products used: cs - Kaisercraft, kraft, DCWV; pp - My Mind's Eye: Collectables; Jillibean Soup/Soup Staples II; alpha - Jillibean Soup; other - Studio Calico wood veneer, Greatest View sequins, MME enamel dots, embroidery thread, vellum, mist, Kaisercraft ink; tools - sewing machine, photo corner die, typewriter.

 


 

I had quite a bit of journaling to go along with this layout but I couldn't really find a suitable area to place it on the front, with all of that hand stitching.  I eventually settled with typing it up on my typewriter and adhering straight to the back of the page.  In hindsight, I should have made a mini file folder to slip under the photos, but having the journaling placed on the back works for me too!  LOL!  At least we will still know the story that goes along with this odd title! *grin*
 
As for the hand stitching... sigh.. It must be a side effect from all the school dance costumes I've been sewing of late!  :)  Thanks for visiting..x