Framed.........

It has been far too long since I posted! So much to do, so little time........

Anyway, below is a layout I created on the theme of Framed for the Scrapbook Sisters layout challenge. I love the background paper - old weathered wood, and it fit perfectly with the photograph I wanted to use. I cut the frame out and placed the image so it was part tucked behind the frame and then cut embellishments using Tim Holtz dies and Martha Stewart punches. I completed the page with a few gems and a title.

Here's hoping I get a bit more time to be creative for myself................

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.

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.

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.

Completed Layouts

CBH this week have a free challenge, so I have chosen to share with you a few layouts that I have finally finished! They have been sitting half done in a large stack of UFO's, but having recently been to a shop crop at Scrapbook Sisters, I had the opportunity to put the finishing touches to them. The layouts involve cutting of patterned paper, stamping and adding embellishments and doodling to finish. I hope you like the end results.

Hats...

I love hats and have several different kinds, so the theme over at TGIF was a perfect opportunity to do this layout showcasing some of my hats. The paper is the Archaic range from Basic Grey and sets the photos off well, each being partially matted with cardstock (thanks Julie for that idea!) and the metal tag letters added as a title embellishment. Sometimes I wish we lived in an era that still loved to get dressed up to go out - not just once in a blue moon, there are some great fashions out there, but nowhere to go in them on a frequent basis - why do we not get dressed up more often?

Colours of Autumn

Autumn is one of my favourite times of year, unfortunately we have not had many dry days in which to enjoy it and go take new photos. I made this layout for MMM, I took the photos last weekend, on a wet Saturday morning, all the rain was dripping off the plants, it was foggy and the sun was doing its best to shine through.

I spritzed the background with Tattered Angels spray, then matted the photos on black and added them to the middle of the layout. I printed leaves and swirls onto acetate in oranges & reds, drew on large leaves and cut them out. The edges were finished with shimmer red Krylon pen, then added to the layout. I hand drew words around the leaves and added the monogram to finish. Hope you like the end result.

Girls Can Never Have Enough......

SHOES!!!

Everyone I know loves to look at all those shoes for sale, some of us just can't resist and buy them too!!! I have far too many pairs of shoes according to some - but I just love shoes! All colours, buckles, heels, boots, laces, buttons, who could resist?

This is my layout on shoes for last Friday's TGIF challenge, slightly late I know, but it has been one very hectic week! Long hours and little sleep - I could sleep for England right now, and really need to go to bed once this is posted. Hope you like the layout and are having a great, productive week.

Seashore Moments

This is a double layout I made last summer of a day out on the beach when I was knee high to a grasshopper! I drew the starfish on white cardstock and then chalked the edges with a creamy brown chalk eye, and drew the leggy starfish freehand using a quickie glue pen and covering it in chocolate glitter. The weed was on a small section of the paper and I extended it freehand and again covered it in green glitter.

I added final details with stickers, a tag, and a title.

That's Torn It....

This layout on the theme of Autumn was a challenge to create a layout by being able to use paper only, by ripping or tearing it by hand - no form of machinery could be used to cut the paper.

To do this I used Marmalade Distress Ink over a piece of orange cardstock to give a textured background. I then mounted my photo on red paper, carefully tearing around the edge, I placed this just off centre and then using cream paper tore three strips and lay them to the right, muting htem by adding dark brown chalk eye around the edge of each strip to bring out the texture in the tear. I then stamped the branches, the owls and the title. To finish I added leaves torn out of white paper.

The stamps I used a a mixture of Basic Grey - Grow Your Own Garden, and Stamps Away owls.

I used a template of a stem of leaves, drew the shape in pencil, tore them out and then added orange chalk to mute them and a chocolate brown pen to add detail of the veins.

Rhapsody in Blue

A challenge set was to produce a layout using one colour only - I chose blue. I used a photograph I had manipulated on Photoshop, where I merged a skull into my own portrait. Sounds a bit scary I know, but I originally did the manipulation as an example for an exam question on Time, and I got an interesting result. I based the whole layout around the theme of time and all paper, stamping and embellishments use different tones of blue:

First I added Weathered Wood Distress Ink to the background blue cardstock to create a mottled effect and then stamped the clocks all over in midnight blue Stazon. I added a strip of darker blue paper down the right hand side and stamped this with wording and layered on a hand drawn skull in light blue paper:

I added embellishments around the photograph using grunge board elements which have been coated in bright blue UTEE:

To join the two halves of the layout I added different shades of blue brads, topped with blue Stickles to complete the layout:

The stamps I used are Kelly Panacci clear stamps - Time Flies, from Sandylion.

All the products I used I purchased at Scrapbook Sisters: http://www.scrapbooksisters.co.uk/

Day Trip to France

Earlier this year I attended a class at my local Crop held by Scrapbook Sisters. Jane Dean was our teacher and showed us how to make a layout with a moving mechanism - the top right photo has a pull to the right which reveals two hidded photos when pulled out. I love the mechanism and will be using it again on other pieces of work. I chose to record a day trip to France with my family:

I added embellishments and detail with flowers, buttons, stamped letters, brads and journalling: