The Dress (Lets Get Sketchy)

Hello and welcome to our final challenge for 2014 over at Lets Get Sketchy, can you believe that?!!  This week is the 5th week in December, which means a special challenge to make a monochromatic layout.  I choose to go with pale pink, based on the ribbon on the dress.  

These photos are actually a print out of a dress that Azaria was to wear as a flower girl for our friend's wedding, except that she changed out the pink ribbon for a black ribbon.  I started with the texture paste butterflies, then added pink gelato with a plastic bag and water.  Then I built my layers around the pictures and the Open Book Card.  The layout is made with my October Hip Kit (which I'm trying to kill right now!).

I added a pop of black and gold, but the predominant features are pink.

A close up of the butterflies and gelato paint:.

My final touch was to add the stitched border as the layout was missing something.

Make sure you play along in this final challenge!

Get Inspired Christmas Edition (Lets Get Sketchy Magazine)

Merry Christmas!  It's actually Boxing Day here in New Zealand, but it's possibly still Christmas depending on where you are in the world.  Well I've been a bit MIA around here due to the absolute craziness of Christmas build up!  We had our special service at Church yesterday, and all of us (except for Brielle) were involved either singing or speaking (Sam read out a verse and sung).  Shaun and I sung "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", one of my favourite songs.

We had two delicious feasts,  lunch at my inlaws and then dinner at our house with friends.  

Well today the Christmas edition of "Get Inspired" is out and you can find the link to it here. I have one unseen layout in it.

I made this one with Kaisercraft's Mistletoe collectable die cuts.  I lightly adhered them in a rough circle around my photo, and then sewed around them three times.  I layered the photo on top of papers and a die cut.  The thickers are old American Crafts in lullaby font (one of my all time favourites).  I finished it with some brads, a button and black India ink.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas celebrating Jesus and spending time with family and friends.

Hello (Lets Get Sketchy)

Good morning!  Well December is so crazy busy, I really admire all those who can get their December Daily albums made during the month.  Lately we've had the school Christmas show, Church Christmas show (both written and directed by Shaun), school prize giving, and now we are officially in day two of the Summer holidays (with a total of 6 weeks).  Right now the older two are out in the paddling pool.

Today is our third reveal over at Lets Get Sketchy, and we had an awesome sketch by Bev Code.

I choose to scrapbook two old photos of Azaria when she was 3 (I think, still to find the date of the photos and add it to my page).  She had lost her beloved teddy bear and told us Teddy was in a black bag.  After about 6 weeks Shaun was cleaning the garage and found Teddy, yes in a black bag!  Shaun told her to shut her eyes then when she opened them he gave her back Teddy!

I used Dear Lizzy Polka Dot Party, and a kraft doily I got from a crop and have been hoarding!  I kept the layout really simple because I love the papers.  

And here is the sketch:

Have an awesome week, and make sure you join me in last minute shopping!

Christmas Home Decor (Artfull Crafts)

Good morning!  Today I'm on the Artfull Crafts blog with two Christmas home decor projects that I made.  I love making something new each year for Christmas, and it's fun to unpack our box of goodies that have been stored away in the attic until December!

My first project is a decorated wreath.  I purchased the plain twig wreath from The Warehouse years ago, and found it last school holidays when I was tidying up.  I used the Teresa Collins Candy Cane Lane collection (which you can purchase here), and a Couture Creations bow die.  Here it is on our front door.

Traditionally wreaths seem to be loaded up with bits and pieces, but I believe in this instance, less is actually more.

 A close up of a bow.

I made these stars with this punch by Epiphany Crafts.

My second project is a frame, and I wanted it to sit next to the sequin frame I made last year.  I was inspired by the trees on this layout by Lexi Bridges at Studio Calico.  I used Simple Stories DIY Christmas (which you can purchase here).  I freehand cut the triangles, sewed down the middle, lifted the edges of the tree, and finished it with a small star.  The "merry" is from a sticker sheet of words and icons.

I freehand cut the triangles, sewed down the middle, lifted the edges of the tree, and finished it with a small star.  The "merry" is from a sticker sheet of words and icons, and I machine stitched it to secure it and for texture. 

The background paper is a 4 x 6 cut apart journalling card.

Have a blessed rest of your week!

Christmas List Clipboard (Artfull Crafts)

Good morning!  I'm up on the Artfull Crafts bog today with a handmade Christmas gifts, and I chose to turn a boring old office clipboard into a Christmas shopping list holder.  

I used the Simple Stories DIY Christmas Collection, which you can find in the shop here, and Smash washi tape (black with small white polka dots).  I used the American Crafts version of this extra sticky tape to adhere the patterned paper onto the clipboard.  I stuck the washi on the top and bottom of the board, mostly because it was easier than removing the clip.  

Here is the clipboard with my shopping list:

I used the phrase "Making a List" from the song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", because I wanted the list to be of people to buy for, not items to buy.  I used American Crafts Thickers in black glitter from my stash.

A close up of one of the embellishment clusters I created:

And a close up of the top of the clipboard:

Thanks for looking.

Safe (Hip Kit Club)

Good morning!  Yes I'm back again so soon!  I have another layout to share with you, created with my October Hip Kit.  This layout is the second page to the bath time layout I created here, and I tied the two together by keeping some of the same papers and features.  I based my layout on a sketch from Stuck?! Sketches, but was too late to enter it.  It was perfect for this story as it featured three photos.

I created the gold masking, by stamping off the mask once I had sprayed it for the original layout.  I had a lot of fun with my sewing machine on this one, such a relief to have a new machine that can handle all my layers!

The journaling on this page goes into more detail about Brielle's first bath, and how she cried at first, but then seemed to enjoy it.  I can't believe she was so tiny!

And here is the sketch:

Thanks for looking!

Captured (October Hip Kit)

Hello again!  Today I have a layout to share that I made with my October Hip Kit first, but forgot to share.  I've actually already scrapped these photos, but had forgotten, and scrapped them again!  It wasn't until I was sorting out layouts into album piles that I realised!  No worries though, as it means one layout for each girl. 

When I get my kit I go through all of the papers and separate out the ones that I want to use for full backgrounds.  When I only get the main kit and no paper add on, I can only really do this with two papers, and only if I want to sacrifice the other side.  This pink and white ombre was so beautiful that  it had to stay in one piece.  All the papers and embellishments are Maggie Holmes Open Book, with a couple of vellum pieces from the Notes & Things ephemera pack in last months kit.

Lots of stitched layers on this one, and I left my threads long.

I used the texture paste and mask from the kit for the background.  Those gold thicker words are amazing!

Thanks for looking!  

Sweet Love (Lets Get Sketchy)

Happy December 1st from the Southern Hemisphere!  That means only 24 days until Christmas, and the first day of Summer!!!  And it also means its our first December reveal over at Lets Get Sketchy!  

This week we had an amazing sketch by our leader Brenshevia Baker, and I'll be honest, at first glance I thought I'd find it challenging due to the diagonal line. However, I found that it all comes down to paper choice.  I dug deep into my stash and decided to use Crate Paper's DIY Shop collection, which I really need to get used up.  And yes I chose another photo of Brielle to scrap!  I'm really loving tags at the moment, especially tied with plain old string!

And here is the sketch:

Its a busy month ahead, but make sure you play along!

First Bath (Stuck?! Sketches)

Well hello!  For the past three days I've been under the weather with the flu, and after spending most of my time either lying on the floor while Brielle played, or sleeping in bed while she slept.  I finally felt well enough to make a page last night.  I decided to play along with the latest sketch over at Stuck?! Sketches.  I haven't played for a while, so it was so awesome to get right into it as I just love all of Laura's sketches!

This layout is made with my October Hip Kit.  I already have my November kit waiting, so I'm eager to progress with all the gorgeousness that is October's kit!  This layout is page one of a two pager (still in the making) about Brielle's first ever bath, which she had here at home by Shaun.  Things seemed to have changed a lot in the 5 years since I had my last baby, and now the midwives are all about delaying the first bath as soon as possible, which I totally agree with as they are born so clean and fresh!

I was inspired by Ashley Fowler (Hip Kit DT) who also used the chevron mask with gold spray.  I used Heidi Swap  Gold Colour Shine, and used to mist to make the large block in the back of the sketch.  The background woodgrain is Studio Calico, and all of the other papers and ephemera are Maggie Holmes Open Book (Crate Paper).  The cork embellishments are Elles Studio.

I've probably said it in another blog post, but I ADORE those gold glitter thicker words!  

I had a fantastic time using my new sewing machine on this one!

There are some many pieces of ephemera that I decided to make my own layered and stitched embellishments.  I left my threads long for extra interest and texture.

A tiny piece of journalling, because I still have three photos to scrap that will tell the majority of the story on the second page.

And here is the sketch.  When I saw this one I absolutely knew I had to play along.  Stuck?! is also doing a Guest DT call, so I'm linking up and trying out for that too.

Thanks for looking!  Enjoy the rest of your week, I know I will now that I'm on the mend :)

Two More Hip Kit Layouts

Good afternoon, well its been 4 seasons in one week here!  We've had sun, warmth, snow and now rain again!  Can you believe the Crown Range got closed with snow two days ago!  It's meant to be Summer here in case you're wondering, but such is life in an alpine resort!

Today I have my last September layout and first October layout, both made with my Hip Kits.  

The first layout was made with scraps, and was one of those "I'm really done with this kit, but this I can get one more page" layouts.  I decided to go all out with the gelatos in the kit, and then layered some banners from the top, and some of last of the embellishments.  The photo is Brielle in a cardigan knitted especially for her when I was still pregnant by someone very special to our family.  

The second layout is my first layout with my October kit, and what is amazing about this one is that I actually cut up the paper into an A4 (approximately 8 1/2 x 11).  I don't make many this size, but sometimes small photos need a smaller page to be able to shine.  This photo is Sam's first ever official school photo.  This is the first year our school has had them and I hope it's an annual event now, as they're so good to look back on.  

I started with the texture paste and star stencil, then layer my papers and goodies.  I finished up with dark blue Mr Hueys splatters.

And a close up of my layering.  That feather is fussy cut out of the Elles Studio paper.  In fact pretty much all of the main paper in this one is Elles Studio, with Maggie Holmes ephemera.

Happy scrapping!

Life (Hip Kit Club)

Hello, I'm very excited to announce that I've killed my September Hip Kit, and am now working my way through my October kit.  I'm very excited to report that I've learnt how to use my new sewing machine, so I was able to complete a couple of layouts today yay! 

This layout is Brielle's birth (C Section) captured by our anaesthetist (who just happened to be a photographer).  The photos are very full on and detailed, so I sewed a pocket to contain them.  I labelled them 1-10 in order, and then put the photo of the three of us as number 11 on the front of the pocket.  I love that I'm able to include them in her album, without full view.

I kept this layout very simple, with no mixed media so I could focus on the main photo and that gorgeous floral paper.  Sooo happy to be sewing on paper again!

The Special Delivery die cut is from last months Hip Kit, and I'm so glad I kept it for this page!

Thanks for looking!

Details (Lets Get Sketchy)

Hello!  Can you believe it's midway through November already?!  That means its time for our third week reveal over at Lets Get Sketchy!  This week we had a fun sketch by Jenessa Franco.

This layout is reflective, and is all about the song that I sung at the end of my pregnancy.  When I find a song I love I have to sing it all the time!  The song I sung was Oceans (where feet may fail) by Hillsong.  I especially loved to sing the chorus and bridge, so much so that once Brielle was born it would settle her, and she smiled for the first time when I was singing it.

So on this layout I journaled the story and included the lyrics.  Such a beautiful song recorded for her.  I used my October Hip Kit, which is full of gorgeous Maggie Holmes Open Book by Crate Paper, and Elles Studio.  Crate Paper products are awesome for distressing the edges, which I did with my scissors.  I choose to scrapbook just one  4 x 6 photo, and added the tag for the "third element".  Absolutely adore those gold thicker phrases!

And here is the sketch:

Bless you!

September Hip Kit Layouts Part 1

Hello!  Today I'm sharing two layouts I made with my September Hip Kit.  I haven't shared these yet, and I have two more to share once I've worked out how to use my new sewing machine.

This first layout is made with my favourite paper in the whole kit, from Crate Paper Notes & Things. I cut it along the central lines, then placed it back together with a gap.  The photo is of Brielle at 3 days old when we transferred back up to our small local hospital.  It was such a blessing as my original midwife (from first two babies) was rostered on and looked after us.

My second layout is of Sam and his cake at his 4th birthday.  I really wanted to play with the triangle dies and feature them.  I used some gesso to tone down the blue cardstock, then layered the triangles with some embellishments.

Thanks for looking!

Clean & Simple Christmas Cards (Artfull Crafts)

Good morning!  Can you believe we're into Christmas crafts over at Artfull Crafts already!  Today I'm on the blog with three simple cards that I made with some new product that Liz is carrying in the store.  Simple cards are definitely my style, as card making is second to scrapbooking.

The first two cards are made with the Simple Stories DIY Christmas Collection. This collection is perfect for my style of cards, as its all about starting with a foundation and then adding layers embellishments.  You can find the collection in the shop here.

This card was made by layering some patterned paper, a card foundation on pop dots, and then a chipboard tag tied with tinsel.

I made this card in record time.  I love the background paper as it's appropriate for a Summer Christmas.  I added the banner piece, then the chipboard button.

My final card is made with the Teresa Collins Candy Cane collection, which you can find in the shop here.  This collection has a gorgeous piece of paper with cute hand-drawn trees which I had to fussy cut out and use.  I layered them over a piece of paper, and added the glitter ribbon to ground them, and a red star on the middle tree.  This card is definitely my favourite of the three!

Thanks for looking, and make sure you check the Artfull Crafts blog each day for more Christmas crafts and projects.

Last Day (Lets Get Sketchy)

Hello again!  Its the first week reveal for November over at Lets Get Sketchy!  Can you believe its not long until Christmas now!!

This week we had an awesome sketch by Brenshevia, and I loved it because it had three photo spots.

I chose to scrap these three photos from Azaria's last day at Childcare.  They always have a final mat time in which the leaving child is presented with a gift, and parents are invited.  Of course I had to capture the moment (in between tears!).  This is Azaria with her favourite teacher.  I used my September Hip Kit.

And here is the sketch:

Make sure you head over to the blog, and then play along!

Lets Get Sketchy "Get Inspired" Magazine!

Hello, well I'm very excited to tell you that the 5th edition of Get Inspired is now live, and you can find the link here.

I have the following three layouts in my section, and all are made with a Hip Kit.

The first one is about Azaria at 5, what she's up to, her favourite things, food, friends, tv etc.  It has lots of Shimelle and Crate Paper Notes & Things.  I've been doing these types of pages for the kids every year and I think it'll be great to look back on them in years to come. 

My second page is about Brielle and her love for blankets.  Even now at nearly 7 months the best way to settle her at bed time is to give her a blanket to snuggle.  Of course I pull it off her face all the time, but she pulls it back up.  No concerns about this baby kicking her blankets off!  I absolutely love that Crate Paper paper and had to feature it as a background.  More Shimelle and Notes & Things on this one.

For my third layout I scrapped this photo of my girls.  Black polka dots on white are so classic, and I really wanted the photo to be the focuss of this page.

This issue our featured manufacturer is Pink Paislee, and I scrapped this photo of Sam and Brielle with the Switchboard collection.  I used a mask and gesso to for the hearts, then layered my hearts and puffy stickers.  I die cut the "Love" with my Cuttlebug.  It was great to get a photo of Sam scrapped amongst all the girly photos!

Check out the magazine, it's fabulous!

December Daily with Kaisercraft's North Pole (Artfull Crafts)

Good morning! Today I'm sharing two pages of my 2013 December Daily made with Kaisercraft's North Pole Collection.  When I first saw this collection I knew it would work perfectly with the supplies I'd already pulled for my album, which primarily included October Afternoon's Sleigh Ride (released last year).  North Pole has a gorgeous Christmas colour palette mixed with features of chalkboard.

Before I show you the two pages, here is the cover and first two pages, made with cardboard that I cut  a window into and painted gold.  The background paper and stickers are by Teresa Collins.  For my 2012 DD I had lots of literal white space with white cardstock as my base.  For my 2013 DD I wanted to embrace lots of pattern with simple embellishment.

The gold doily is from Studio Calico.

The back of my cover page includes stickers from October Afternoon, explaining the book and with the names of my family members and our age.

These next two pages are made with North Pole.  I've chosen to include Instagram photos, and I made my own hashtag for them, so that I'm able to remember exactly what the photos are about, allowing me to create this album months later.  I find creating a December Daily during the month of December too much pressure!

The first page is of my kids starting their advent calendars, and the first chocolate is always very exciting!  I fussy cut "Tis the Season" from a piece of patterned paper.  The banner is a sticker, and the scallop border is a die cut from the 6x6 paper pad.

The second page is of the pregnancy diabetes test I had to take, and shows the disgusting glucose drink I had to drink quickly.

Thanks for looking