Blogtober 2015 Day 4 - 12 hour crop

I did this layout a couple of months ago for a weekly challenge on UKS but can't find the challenge criteria now.  I am pretty sure that there was a sketch involved!!

I used some photographs from a 12 hour crop that we had attended earlier in the year organised by Cardinal Colours.

The background paper is Basic Grey Wisteria and the butterflies were diecut using All Occasion Dies that I was lucky enough to win from a challenge on the Penny Black and More blog.

The 12 hour crops are always great fun and a chance to meet up with crafty ladies that don't come to our regular smaller crop.  Plus we get fish and chips for our supper - so a really great day out!!  A big thank you to Jill for organising them for us.

Going Dutch - Blog post 1,000

I haven't shared any layouts in ages so thought I should show you that I am still scrapbooking.

I did this one last weekend at the 12 hour crop and it was for the weekly challenge on UKScrappers.  The challenge criteria was to pick three things from this list -

1: use sketch
2: use square photo(s)
3: use 2 different Alphas
4: use 10 embellishments (these do not have to be the same)
5: use 3 or more patterned papers
6:use a love theme (could be someone you love/somewhere you love/something you love or using hearts or Valentine's day or a wedding etc etc)
7: use punched or die cut shapes

This was the sketch -

And this is my layout -

I also fulfilled criteria 2, 3, 5 and 7

This is the title page in my holiday album for a lovely long weekend we spent in The Netherlands. The papers used are a mixture of LilyBee 'Buttercup', Fancy Pants 'Be You' and scraps of Cosmo Cricket & My Little Shoebox (collections unknown).  The titles are Sizzlet die 'Naturally Serif' and Fancy Pants 'Park Bench' alphabet stickers.  The butterflies are diecut using All Occasion dies and the gemstones are from Dovecraft.

And as I scheduled this post I just happened to notice that this is my 1,000th blog post, it has taken just over 5 years to get here.  Here's to the next thousand blog posts!!!!!

Blogtoberfest 2014 Day 5 - Service

This is the August sketch for the Sketchy Scrappers group.

 I combined it with a UKS weekly challenge which was to document about a team or group, journal your feelings about it and to use 6 of the same element.

I used some photographs from my time in St John Ambulance and journaled my feelings about completing over 30 years service for the Brigade.

I used 6 different patterned papers on the layout including Stampin' Up, Doodlebug and Craft Creations.  The banner was made using the Stampin' Up Banner blast stamp set and matching punch.

Give it Your Best Shot

It is my UKS team The Dizzy Dots turn to set the weekly challenge on UKScrappers.

Our criteria for the challenge is to use the sketch below, include stitching or fabric, use dots and to use your favourite colours from your wardrobe.

The sketch is from Pagemaps

 

This is my take on the sketch using Fancy Pants 'Park Bench'

 

I used assorted paper flowers from stash and used a SU pricking template for my handstitching.

Herm

A layout that I did for a weekly challenge on UKScrappers, the criteria was

• Summery outdoor photo
• An Island holiday
• Colour scheme - rose, turquoise and green 

I used a photograph from the lovely island holiday we took last year on Guernsey - one of our days out was to the beautiful little island of Herm.

. 

 The papers are a mixture of Simple Stories 'Vintage Bliss' and Crate Paper 'Maggie Holmes'.  I used foam thickers for the title.

Meeting Fine Bear Ted!

Trying to catch up with blogging some layouts made ages ago.

This one was done for a weekly challenge on UKScrappers back in March and the criteria was

• Use the sketch
• Square photos
• Use stars
• Use chevrons

Sadly I can't show you the sketch as it looks like I didn't save it.

The papers used are a mixture of Echo Park, LillyBee and Crate.  The photos are from a lovely evening spent in the company of Fine Bear Ted!  He was out for the evening with his lovely Mum who we always try to meet up with whenever we are in the North East (don't worry we did get her in some photos too and I am sure I will use them on a layout soon).

Bike Ride

The January week 4 challenge on UKScrappers was

• Use a black & white photo
• Frame the photo
• Use inks/mists
• Use bling
• No more than two flowers

This is my take on the challenge using a photo of me in the box on the front of my Dad's bike.

The papers are Prima 'Bloomin Retro' from a very old Sarah's Cards kit.  I framed the photo with a square frame cut with nestability dies and made the file tab using my WRMK envelope maker.  The ink splats are from the Stampin' Up set Gorgeous Grunge and the swirl was made using a photocopy of pre-done swirl and then pricking out the pattern (thanks Anita M for that idea).

The journaling reads 'We were living in Winchcombe Road at the edge of the town centre.  Dad's pushbike had a box on the front of it and he use to put me in it and take me for rides.  Dad says I use to scream with laughter but my memory is that I was screaming with fear that I would fall out.'

Blogtoberfest 2013 - Day 11 - Attack of the Little People

Last week's challenge on UKS was to use this sketch -

 and to choose other elements from this list - A theme of Change, Autumn colours, Misting, Leaves, Using a themed paper eg Christmas for a different theme, Metallic or faux metallic items, Twine, Buttons, Washi tape


I used washi tape, die cut buttons tied with twine and the paper is a Halloween paper from 'Too Cute to Spook' by Bella Boulevard.

Richard left me sat in a ring of gnomes whilst we were at the Open Air Museum in Arnhem last April.  I swear whenever I wasn't looking properly that they were moving closer and closer to me until I was completely surrounded.

Supplies:

Too Cute to Spook - Bella Boulevard
SU Washi tape
Dienamics button dies
Twine from Sarah's Cards
SU Gorgeous Grunge stamp set
SU Pumpkin Pie ink
Sizzlet Wingo Zingo alphabet die

I want to remember all of these little moments

Last week's challenge on UKS was to use the sketch below, use pink and/or blue and to either use a punch and/or stamp.

I used a Crafter's Workshop star mask and a Maya Road pearlescent shimmer spray to decorate my cardstock.

The photograph was taken on New Year's Eve whilst I was sat on the back deck of Boudicca waiting for the fireworks in Funchal, Madeira to go up at midnight.  Even though it had been a gloriously sunny and warm day, it was pretty cold at night so I was well wrapped up in my pashmina.

The diecut is MME Lost and Found and the crystal swirl is Zva creative, the smaller crystal stars are from Poundland. 

Mr P and Mr W

Last week's challenge on UKScrappers was to use this sketch, at least 5 different patterned papers and at least 5 lines of journalling.

This was my take on the sketch and I used my Onwards and Upwards blog event kit

The papers used are a mix of Basic Grey Urban Prairie, WRMK Lovestruck, American Crafts and random scraps from my scraps bag for the stars.

The photos are the two lovely chaps who come every year to our Twilight Addicts crafty retreat at Meadow Barn near Hereford.  Mr P belongs to me and cooked chilli on the Friday night, plus he also goes up to the shop for emergency supplies (usually chocolate and coke!!).  Mr W (short for wonderful) belongs to Lisa and he always makes his legendary fajitas on the Saturday night. 

Beauty

Wow I have finally scrapbooked!!!!  I attended my first crop for this year and had a very productive day - 3 completed layouts and another 2 started.

One of the layouts I did was this week's challenge on UKScrappers.  The criteria was to use this sketch -

use paints or inks, use a template, mask or stencil and to include washi tape or ribbon.

This is my take on the sketch -

My lovely niece celebrating her 21st birthday on a cruise.  I think the papers might be Pink Paislee - they were scraps left from a retreat mini book kit.  I used a studio calico mask and painted Mr Huey Boss Lady mist over it.  I punched the hexagons with a Creative Memories hexagon punch.  I don't own any washi tape so I made my own by colouring some micropore light blue with a Promarker and then I overstamped with a darker blue Versafine ink and a Bo Bunny Chevron stamp.

It was lovely to be back cropping again - I find I am much more productive when I am out of the house and away from distractions.

A Snapshot of Canada

It is the turn of the Dizzy Dots on UKScrappers to set the weekly challenge.

Our challenge is to use either warm or cool colours, to use something new and to choose one of these three sketches from Pagemaps

I chose to use Sketch 2 and warm colours

I used some mini photos from our Canadian Rocky Mountain Rail tour that we did October 2000.  The papers are scraps from a really old Sarah's Cards kit (November 2010) WRMK 'Maple Grove'.  My new element was the corrugated alphabet stickers from Pebbles Inc.  The flowers were punched using a Martha Stewart and Stampin' Up flower punch.  The leaves are a Martha Stewart frond punch and the gemstones are Zva Creative.

Some close ups of the photos -

 

If you fancy taking part in our challenge you can find it on UKScrappers here

Windmolen

This week I have helped my friend Ali from Bricabracadocio by doing a sample layout for her weekly challenge on UKScrappers.

The criteria was -

• a colour scheme that is unusual for you to use
• delve into those scraps bags and use up some scraps
• do something "arty"! (whatever that terms means for you)

The first two parts were pretty easy - I really don't like orange and brown, they are colours I normally avoid in clothes and home decor and also in my crafting.  I had plenty of scraps in my scrap bag too!!  The tricky part was doing the arty bit - then I remembered a layout by Ifa Zainon in Scrap 365 where she had drawn her own embellishments.  So that was going to be my arty element - drawing my own windmill to embellish the layout and I also went on to use a hand-drawn title too.

The chevron paper is AC Amy Tangerine, the rest is all scraps and the clouds are cut from a scrap of Cosmo Cricket and outlined with a marker pen.  The photographs are from our trip earlier this year to the Netherlands and some more lovely windmills at the Open Air Museum at Arnhem. 

Spa Nights

The weekly challenge over on UKS for this week was to scraplift one of Karen's (aka Scrapdolly) lovely layouts.  I chose this one -

I used a Sarah's Cards kit - Cosmo Cricket 'Social Club' and some photographs from my last Champney's spa break in 2010.  The cluster of journalling stickers are a mixture of Cosmo Cricket, October Afternoon and other bits from my scraps bag.  The title is Crate paper alphabet stickers.

Tinsel Toby

I wasn't going to do last week's challenge on UKS but I was at the Frozen North crop at the weekend and everyone there was doing it, so I decided to join in.  I was able to borrow some white paint and made a stencil using an EK Success star border punch.  The other requirements for the challenge was to leave some white space, use an odd number of photographs and use a non-summer photograph.

I used a lovely picture of my sister's dog bundled up in tinsel.  The papers and alphabet stickers are Echo Park 'For the Record'

Nature Will Find A Way

I haven't done a UKS weekly challenge in ages but when I saw last week's challenge I knew I had the perfect papers and photographs for it.

The challenge criteria was - 3 or more photographs, a colour combo of greens, lilacs and purple and a theme of outdoors or nature photos.

This is my layout using Basic Grey Wisteria

These lovely flowers were photographed by my Dad at Qaqortoq, Greenland - despite the long harsh Arctic winters and very short summers, the place was abundant with wild flowers and apparently five types of orchid grow here - it is amazing what nature can do!!

The Master Thief

The April week 2 challenge on UKS was to use lots of paper, use a Nursery Rhyme or Fairy Story for your title and to use a photo of an animal.

I used a photograph of my sister's dog Toby who always steals Mr P's slippers when he is here - after googling for an appropriate title, I found that there is a Norwegian fairy tale called The Master Thief.

I used Fancy Pants 'Happy Together' which was the Sarah's Cards January 2011 kit - I can now finally say that 7 layouts later I have finally finished this kit though there are enough bits and bobs left to make some cards with.

The title is Pebbles alpha' stickers and the butterflies were punched with an EK Success punch.

A Country Girl at Heart

The weekly challenge a couple of weeks ago on UKS was to use this sketch

I found this photo taken when I was about sixteen on the farm that my grandparents lived and worked on for most of their lives.  I still miss going there and seeing the photo has reminded me how much I hate living in a town, where people all live virtually on top of each other and there is little open space.

The other criteria for the challenge was to use five different papers and to use distressing.  The papers I used were all leftovers from a class at last year's Sarah's Cards retreat - My Mind's Eye 'Fine & Dandy'.  I punched the butterflies with an EK Success punch and then coloured the pearls orange with a Promarker.

Gullfoss - The Golden Falls

Last week's challenge on UKS was to use red & black as the colour theme, feature stamping on the layout and to also feature movement.  I chose these two photographs from our Icelandic cruise last year for the theme of movement.  Sadly the weather was horrendous for our visit - I braved an absolute downpour to walk to the first vantage point to get these photographs.  I let DH do the viewpoint that looked down onto the falls on his own and I stayed in the coach but it was raining even harder by then so he only managed to get a quick bit of video.  Still we want to revisit Iceland one day and have more time there so will hopefully see the falls again and see all the rainbows that form in the mists on a sunny day.

I used a Pagemaps sketch from January 2010 for inspiration.

The papers are Craft Creations and Stampin' Up and I used dotted swiss Bazill for my background cardstock.  The title was cut using a Sizzlet 12" alpha die - Naturally Serif.  The butterflies are a Hero Arts stamp - I have a set of three small butterfly stamps and they are my favourite butterfly stamps, I never bother putting them away at the moment!!

A close up of the journalling -

February week 3 challenge on UKS

It is the turn of the Twilight Addicts social group to set this week's challenge on UK Scrappers.

Our criteria for the challenge was to use the sketch, use a group of photographs and to take inspiration from a favourite book.

This is the sketch -

And this is my take on the sketch using photographs from Christmas Day -

My favourite Christmas book is Dicken's A Christmas Carol so I used a quote from the book instead of journalling.

Paper - Webster's Pages 'Sweet Season'
Title - AC Thickers
Holly - Sizzlet holly garland cut up
Flowers - EK Success medium retro flower punch
Swirls - MFT die
Border - Martha Stewart punch
Pearls - Sarah's Cards

I am looking forward to lots of people joining in and seeing how they interpret the challenge