About a Girl - Smile

I decided to play with the second challenge for June over at About A Girl.  I love this site as it allows me to indulge in my love for all things scrappy and girly!  The latest challenge was to use bright colours and patterns, which is a style I enjoy.

My layout is about my sister who was my head bridesmaid.  I love the photo, as it was taken on one of the disposable cameras at our wedding (nearly 10 years ago).  Being black and white it worked perfectly for this challenge.

Here is my layout:

I used some Echo Park, and Jillibean Soup (background patterned paper) for this layout.  It was lovely to dive into my stash and use some product I've had for several months.  I decided that I didn't need to add much embellishment, as I wanted the hot air balloon patterned paper to feature.  I've been adding a doily to pretty much every layout lately, I love them!  I also doodled some lines around the papers to separate them, and finished with some mist.

Thanks for looking.  I've been blogging for 2 months now and love it!  Please follow me (not with Google+ though. . .)   as I have lots more to share, and I'm participating in a special blog hop in mid July!

A Birthday Girl & A Sketch Challenge!

Today my baby turned 4!! So hard to believe how fast the last 4 years have passed.  Azaria was born at 3.30am in Invercargill Hospital after a two hour ambulance ride (one of the few down sides of living in an isolated mountain resort town!).  She is such a blessing and a delight to us!  Just like me she has a love of pretty stationary and paper!

Beautiful Azaria Jade

I decided to play along with the latest sketch #6 over at The Paper Bakery.  I loved this sketch and used the lovely Maggie Holmes for Crate Paper collection.  I decided to keep this layout pretty simple with embellishments, as I just love the paper so much.  Lately I've been pushed for time, so have enjoyed using one collection to make a page.  My layout is a photo of my sister in law, husband and I at last years fundraiser winter ball for the upgrade of our local town hall.  A pretty special event as Shaun and I met in in stage show that played there.

Here is my layout:

And here is the sketch:

Thanks for looking!  We're off for a family dinner for Azaria, have a blessed day x

Scrapstuffz DT Intro and last chance for June Challenge!

There are two more design team intros over at Scrapstuffz "Inspired By" Challenges! These ladies are super talented and lots of fun! If you want to play along with the current challenge you have 3 more days to link up. Otherwise make sure you visit on 1 July for our first official challenge.

Switching to Bloglovin

I'm making the switch to Bloglovin so if you're following me on Google+ please come and follow me.  Just click the icon on my home page.

Cards with Machine Stitching

I made these cards a couple of months ago from one of my Studio Calico kits.  This was when I first started sewing on my layouts and cards, and I just love the texture that it adds!  A huge polar blast hit New Zealand, and we've had some snow in the last 24 hours in Queenstown.  I had to take photos of these cards lying flat again, due to grey skies and terrible light.

Thanks for looking.  Stay safe and warm!

Lovely - About A Girl

About A Girl Scrapbooking challenge blog had a challenge starting on 1 June (running to the end of the month) to use a doily or doilies in a girly layout.  As my Paper Bakery Kit (for May) had this beautiful piece of Maggie Holmes for Crate Paper patterned paper I was keen to play along.

This page is of my beautiful niece Lilly, and the journaling tells of how we love her because she is girly, yet tough!

The only addition to supplies from the kit are the lovely gold thickers, which match so well with the gold splatters on the background paper.  I cut a doily up and layered it with the photo and my embellishment cluster. The embellishments are from Crate Paper's DIY shop ephemera pack, and the flair is an exclusively from The Paper Bakery.

Thanks for looking :)

Lucky Charm Cards

A few weeks ago I shared here that I'd set myself a little challenge to see how much I could make from the remnants of a Studio Calico kit, resulting in one layout and several cards.  Well a couple of nights ago I decided to do a similar challenge and make some more cards with some of my Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm leftovers from recent scrapbook pages.

Here are some of the scraps I had from my layouts:

And here are the cards I created (as we are now approaching mid winter and the light has been terrible for taking photos of my work. I had to lie these cards flat to get a decent photo):

I love the smaller canvas size that card making involves.  As you will see, I particularly love teeny tiny cards!

Oh So Lovely - Lets Get Sketchy

Wow  its hard to believe that June is already half over, which means its time for week 3 reveal over at Lets Get Sketchy!  This week we had an awesome sketch designed by the very lovely and talented Brenshevia.

As you may have figured out, I'm going through an "in love with Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm phase" at the moment!  My layout features a two Instagram photos of my daughter, the smaller of which I added doodling and a phrase with a recent new Iphone App called A Beautiful Mess. The most amazing this about these photos is that my daughter is actually wearing jeans without a skirt over the top!!! AND she even let me plait her hair!  Such an event had to be photographed and scrapped!

As well as Dear Lizzy, I also used a couple of chipboard frames, which are new from Crate Paper's The Pier.  They are so easy to use, can be cut and layered, and also stitched on.  I've been wanting to make a confetti pocket with these silver stars for a few weeks now, and this layout was my perfect opportunity.  I used a thickers packet and my sewing machine.

And here is the sketch:

I stayed very true to the sketch. I put my banner under the confetti pocket, and used the third photo as a place for my journaling tag.  I can't wait to see what you make with this sketch!  Make sure you link up with us at Lets Get Sketchy!

Home (The Paper Bakery Sketch)

A couple of weeks ago I joined The Paper Bakery Kit Club.  I did lots of research of kit clubs online, and after helpful advice, and the fact that Sarah is so lovely, I made my decision. Their kits suit me because they are full of beautiful product, and contain interesting exclusive items.

 I was so excited this week when my first kit arrived (I'll share the pages I create soon), and as they have an active blog here I decided at the last minute to play along with the latest sketch challenge (#5).

Here is my layout.  It is a photo of my daughter that I took a few days after our first big snow dump.  We have a small pond at the entry to our community, and in Winter it often freezes over.  The kids were so excited to stop and have a look on the way home one Friday night, and we had another play in snow.

And here is the sketch:

I used more Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm from American Crafts (Paper Bakery kits are not required to play along).  I just love this line so much that I'm loving making pages without adding product from any other lines or manufacturers.  I love working with banners, and really wanted the beautiful papers to feature, so I made the banners large like the sketch, but switched the bottom line of banners to hang down.  I bent up the ends of the banners for dimension.  I used the 6x6 paper pad to get the most out of the scaled down patterns.  I was a little intimidated about scrapping such as strong landscape scenery photo, but I think it works really well with Lucky Charm. 

Scrapstuffz "Inspired By" Challenges Design Team News!!!

At the end of May I shared here that I was applying for the Design Team call over at new challenge blog Scrapstuffz "Inspired By" Challenges.  Well a couple of weeks ago I got the news that I had been successful!  I'm so excited to share this with you as its a huge honor and blessing to be working with an awesome group of talented ladies who love scrapbooking as much as me!

For our reveal, all DT members were asked to create a layout inspired by the "psychedelic fish".

When I first looked at the image I must have been craving sugar, as my first thought was Licorice Allsort lollies!  I think it was the colours interspersed with the black "licorice-like" lines.  I've very recently rearranged my craft room to move my craft table away from a window where the sun was damaging my products.  I opened an old chest belonging to my Granddad, and was happily surprised to find a bag containing photos from Shaun and my wedding nearly 10 years ago.  Many of the photos were black and white, and were taken by our guests with the disposable cameras on the tables at our reception.  These photos called for some lovely Maggie Holmes for Crate Paper products, and I scrapped this layout, with inspiration from the strong spiral pattern in the image.

I've finally used one of the beautiful Maggie Holmes clips!  So lovely that I want to keep a couple of them just for my hair!  I've purposefully hidden them from a certain little girl who loves scrapbooking and all things pink and girly!

As I don't yet own a Silhouette Cameo I hand cut my spiral by firstly sketching it on to a piece of thick packaging, cutting it out, and then tracing around each piece on the patterned paper. I actually love that it is uneven.  I embellished the layout with die cuts and stickers from the Maggie Holmes collection and Crate Papers Fourteen collection (which is also lovely), and some brads from My Minds Eye.  I of course added  ink splatters to show movement around the spiral, some machine stitching, and finally I anchored the layout on a piece of patterned paper from Fourteen.  

Please join us by playing along with the challenges each month.  I look forward to seeing what inspires you!

Smile

I created this layout for the current June Week 2 Challenge over at Lets Get Sketchy.  Its not my week for reveal, but I loved this sketch by Ashley Horton so much that I had to play along, and I immediately knew what photo I would use.  I've never been in a photo booth before, but last April I installed an App on my iPhone that would achieve the same style group of photos.  These photos are of my beautiful niece and I, she is growing up so quickly into a lovely young lady, and I wanted my journaling to reflect my thoughts in a letter to her at this time.

This is the sketch.

And here is my layout.

I used a Studio Calico kit again; I have a stockpile of them that I'm trying to use up.  Two Peas in a Bucket also has a challenge on for scrapping photo booth pictures, so I'll be entering it there.

Thanks for visiting, come back soon!

ScrapStuffz "Inspired by" Challenge 1

ScrapStuffz "Inspired by" Challenges is an exciting new challenge blog that has monthly scrapbooking challenges to create a layout based on an image.  For the very first challenge, you can win two packs of Studio Calico Wood Veneers (potty people and the new Atlantic burnished circles).

The image for your inspiration is this cute "psychedelic fish".

You can check out the full details of the challenge here, however please note that the Design Team call has now ended.

What I love the most about this new challenge blog is that you can take whatever inspires you from the image, and translate it into your layout.  The more people that play along, the more fun it will be!

Be blessed this Sunday x

Wedding Blessing Albums

I love being asked to make cards and presents for people. Two couples in our church recently got married and we held special wedding blessings for them. Our Pastor asked us to pray and bring a word for the couples. All the cards and words were given to me and I made a mini album for each couple. I was given two cute albums from the Warehouse and some paper and embellishments.

Out of respect for the couples I won't show you the inside of the albums, but here they are stacked on my craft table x

Love the powerful words of scripture and promises of God that are inside.

I'm off to a crop with my lovely local scrappy friends tonight. I'm planning to work on an album for a special wee girl.  Have a blessed Saturday night xxx

(Sneakily) Capturing Real Life

After doing my invoices yesterday I went to the supermarket to do a decent shop (after being off sick for 3 days). I then planned to get in some quality scrapping time on a DT page before taking Sam to rugby training.

I pulled into the garage and immediately had a call from my husband Shaun (he runs a childcare) asking if I was busy, as Azaria had put a bead up her nose! I hurriedly put the frozens in the freezer, the cold items in the fridge, dumped the rest on the kitchen floor and rushed back into town. 

A miserable little girl was waiting to be taken to the doctor. As I was sitting in the waiting room I thought to myself, I must get a wee sneaky photo so I can scrap the memory for her!  Is that madness?! I don't do Project Life (did half of 2012 but couldn't keep up), but I do want to scrap more than just milestones.

Anyway, when no one was looking I snapped this one on my iPhone:

Turns out that it was a button from her new top, and it came out easily with no pain or drama. As soon as it was out she was a different girl, immediately asking the nurse "what are those lollipops for?" ;)

Here's a photo of her about 15 minutes later, and it's blurry because she's sooo much happier and wouldn't keep still.

The more I scrapbook the more I want to record not only the good memories and milestones,  but also the realities of everyday life. No doubt I'll have these photos scrapped on a page soon, with an array of buttons as embellishments!!!

Love Melissa x

P.S. I'm working on a soon to be revealed LO, very exciting . . . watch this blog!

Lets Get Sketchy - Lego Party

Hello!  I'm so excited that my DT term has officially started over at Lets Get Sketchy!  I'm so blessed to be designing with such a talented and lovely group of ladies from all over the globe.

Here is my layout of my son's 5th birthday party last March, made with a past Studio Calico kit.  It was a Lego themed party, so I made a lego cake with his Ninjago figures as toppers!    Of course it had to be "goodies" vs "baddies"!! So easy with sponge cake, mini muffins and butter cream. I love this photo of my family!

I  love the texture that vellum adds to a layout, very subtle yet effective, and as you can see I love layering.  The Basic Grey frame and viewmaster were a challenge, my sewing machine is very old and I wasn't willing to risk it, so I stapled the elements to the page.

And here is the sketch:

Make sure you play along with us at LGS!  I can't wait to see how this sketch inspires you.  

Thanks so much for visiting, I just started blogging in May, so please come back soon x