Snow Challenge...

Well, this snowy winter certainly has caused disruption this winter, we still have a lot of snow where I live and without the sunshine to melt it, it is lingering. Scrapbook Sisters set a challenge for this winter whiteout to create either a scrapbook layout or a card and incorporate the word SNOW. Below are my two entries, please visit their site to see all the other wonderful creations entered.

Newspaper....

is the theme over at TMTA this week. I created this ATC using strips of text on the background, adding chalk eye over the top. I then stamped the flower images onto the background and an extra one on a separate piece of text, this was cut out, chalked and applied to the background so the petals could be bent. I then added the hope ticket and butterflies punched out using a Martha Stewart punch.

Turquoise

The challenge this week at Gothic Arches is to use the colour of your birthstone as the basis of your design. My birthday is in December, so my birthstone is Turquoise, which happens to be one of my favourite colours too. I created my arch using a clear embossing powder on a stamp for the background, and rubbed turquoise distress ink over the top. I then stamped the tree branches and birds over the top using Azure Stazon. To finish I added gems to the centres of the clocks, and used the new Martha Stewart stamp and punch butterfly punch to add a 3D element.

Longing for warmth.......

Longing for summer warmth now, this icy chill and snow is seriously losing its' appeal! As much as I love the snow and enjoy the crisp white world it creates, a bit of warmth would now be great - so today I share some warmer days in these two layouts I finished using photos from last summer.

Vintage Mix

It has been a long time since I have had the chance or the creative flair to complete a challenge. So it has been good to do this one to start the New Year. I have used the vintage photograph given at ACF and have created a digital picture with it. Enjoy.....

My Sister...

Carrying on using the same papers, I also completed a layout using the words found on one of the papers. I drew around part of the letters with a pen and then added glossy accents to make them stand out more. They describe my sister to a T!

A Trip to the Zoo....

Back in November 2009, I spent the day at Colchester Zoo with some great friends. It was a day filled with laughter and a few antics, playing around on the elephant sculptures there, and seeing some amazing animals. So here are a couple of layouts documenting my visit.

Let It Snow.....

More layouts finished! Again using some of my many snow photos! These are layouts started at classes held at Scrapbook Sisters and have been sat in my UFO pile for a while now, so it was about time I started to dig these out and finish them, maybe the finished pile will start to win.....

I finally got around to finishing some layouts of my last Christmas in the Algarve, Portugal. I have missed that warm sunshine this Christmas! Christmas Day on the beach and paddling in the sea - definitely not here in Kent, that would mean a case of frostbite I'm sure. Boxing Day spent in a great villa with views over the hills and down to the sea, with a great BBQ spread.

My Snow Cat

As we seem to be in the middle of a really cold spell here, I think it is time that I got all those snow and Christmas photos and did something with them! So here is a layout I completed using the same papers as my snow book, but using recent photos of Hugo and I:

Welcome to 2010

January 1st 2010 - it's been a while since I have blogged! Where does time go? I cannot believe it is 2010 already, just seems like yesterday there was all the hype about starting a new millenium and it turning the year 2000. I am quite glad to see the end of 2009 for many reasons, but there were great moments there too! So I am sharing the first snow day I had back in February 2009, I finally got around to finishing my Snow book: 

Below are some detail images:

I do love snow when it is fresh, deep and white! We had a second heavy snow load just before Christmas, and to start of the New Year we had a dusting of snow! I have decided to start a photo blog this year, to try and record at least one item daily - well, we will see how well I manage that, but I aim to share my slant on the world around me as I see it through the lense of my camera, please take a look - day one, and I have photos to share:        http://realmofvision.blogspot.com/

I hope to find myself again this year, and find time to be creative for myself........so, Happy New Year to you all, may 2010 bring you all you desire. x x x