Matching card - In the Stars

 

Would you believe it if I said that my nearly 4 year old helped out with this one!  Usually I stamp when he isn't about as he likes to try everything.  This card was needed that day for a birthday and we had time so why not. I used the paper that we wrapped the gift in as inspiration, colour and all.  The embossing folder is a recent purchase and added a bit of depth.  We had fun racing the stitching around the edge with a heavy foot to start.  The little details came together bit by bit.  I cut and he said where to put things.  A great joint effort.

Colours:  white, pacific point, wild wasabi
Stamps: in the stars (SU)
Finishing touches:  solid stars embossing folder (craft concepts), stitching, white embossing powder, star punches (unknown), rhinestones, denim bakers twine (the twinery)

Stamp Club November - Christmas ribbon wreath

The challenge for this month was to create a 3D project that you could put a gift into.  After a busy week I almost wasn't going to complete the challenge but was inspired by a card by Lyn at The Mango Boys and Me, with the link to create your own christmas wreath from a ribbon.  The new in colour ribbons from Stampin Up looked great.  As the main focus was on the wreath I found a simple fold it box to put it together with.  Without much in the way of Christmas papers I decided to go vintage and used a piece from the Salebration set - Everyday Enchantment.  Pleased with how it turned out.

Colours: cherry cobbler, gumball green, very vanilla, early espresso
Stamps: snow swirled (SU)
Finishing touches:  gumball green stitched ribbon, maraschino bakers twine (the twinery), everyday enchantment DSP (SU)

Determined to Finish my Album

Finally a chance to get back to the album that I have been working on.  While I love the photos and telling the stories the album has been giving me challenges because the pages are stuck in and not easy to scrap on (or photograph).  So I am keeping it simple. I added the torn paper and the newspaper look to reflect the story. This page is the start of 4 or 5 more that I have also started.  I decided to go for starting the basic layout and then I will go back and add the detail and the journalling.  I have had a good clean out of my stash and using the kits I put together it is working well.  I press on.  When I am done I will be sorting through photos and printing them ready for a new way to scrap.

Back in the game

While organising I put together some kits for making cards.  I had some bits and pieces that I wanted to use so I added elements that I could use with it.  This one is using a Heidi Grace kit - Orchard.  I teamed it up with the Reason to Smile stamp set from Stampin Up.  A chance to get creative again.

Colours:  old olive, blush blossom, certainly celery, tangerine tango, very vanilla
Stamps:  reason to smile and sanded (SU), text style (PTI)
Finishing touches:  orchard kit (heidi grace), ribbon (SU), distressing tool

October Stamp Club

The challenge for this month was to use a material heart that we were given.  Stumped at first my usual kick start is to pull out some bits and pieces with similar colours and themes.  As I did I decided to make it into a card for my hubby.

Colours: baja breeze, cherry cobbler
Stamps:  friendly words wheel (SU), beautiful things (kaiser)
Finihsing touches:  fabric heart, stitching, buttons, red tag sale alpha die (cuttlebug, glitter, colour spritzer, red striped and baja breeze seam binding ribbon (SU), distress tool

New beginnings

It has been sometime since I wrote.  Where have I been? On Sunday September 16th, 2012 my world was changed forever when I got the news that my Dad has passed away suddenly.  It has taken some time to get back to routines and do more than just going through the motions of life.  You can read more and a poem that I wrote for him here.

So I haven't been creating.  I was in the middle of the Big Picture Classes -Big Idea Festival when it happened. Apart from one card I made for Stamp Club Challenge (still to post), and some sorting, today was the first time that I have sat down to create.  It feels good to be back in the game doing something I love.

Big Idea Festival Day Nine - Learn and share

The challenge was to share something that someone has taught you.  This is one of my most important lessons on life and I learnt it from my son. Love that I have somewhere to share the things I learn on my blogs.

As I sat down to do this challenge I was feeling rather blah and unmotivated.  As always it just takes starting to get motivated.  And it came together.  Love it.

Big Idea Festival Day Eight - Joy

I love Karen Grunberg's work.  Her challenge was to scrap something that brings you joy.  Her message was really inspiring.  She talked about living in the moment and not missing what is going on right now.   Because I don't have any photos printed from the last two weeks  {Well two years} it dawned on me to capture that.  Right now disappears in a instant.   I can't capture it.   Am I fully aware of what is going on and enjoying it?  Lately I have been focused on what I want to be doing - looking ahead.  A reminder to slow down and enjoy myself on the way to where I am going.
 

Big Idea Festival Day Seven - Big Photos

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I have been seeing a lot of pages done with big photos as the focal point of the layout.  I decide to go with the photo as the whole background.  I had lots of challenges with this one simple as it looks.  Still learning the ropes with digital.  In the end I called it finished and then remembered that I should save it first before making it into a jpeg image because you can't go back and change it.  The journalling is hard to read.  You can read it here as it is from a post that I did.

I realise as I have been doing the challenges that I need to get on to printing more recent photos. Definitely on the top of the priority list.

Big Idea Festival Day 6 - Get Real

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Cathy Zielske challenged us to get real.  We look at others life and works and feel like we  can never measure up.  The reality is that we get to edit and show what we want others to see.  Often we don't get to see what they aren't doing and what else is happening in their lives.  Time to get real with each other.  Live is messy.  Make it a part of your story.  You can read more about my story here.

Exciting news

Do you remember this post.  It was my entry into Scrappin Patch's Scrap your stash challenge.  Well I have won.

Exciting.  I haven't been into challenges but have been giving more a go.

Big Idea Festival Day Five - Happy Creating

This challenge has to be my favourite yet. On Day Four I said my goal was to do more creating. This challenge has set me up so well for being motivated to scrap. May Flaum writes on the end of posts 'Happy Scrapping'. She gave some great tips for how to be happy scrapping. If you want to hear then sign up here. The class is free.

Nothing makes me happier than a sort out of my tools and supplies so I can be using them in the best way possible.  Something that has been challenging me a bit is wanting to scrap more with friends. But it is so hard to take everything you need.  So I cleared out my trolley that I have only been using for papers and found some different containers.  It also gave me a chance to clean out all the bits that I haven't been using that are clutttering up my good stuff.  I am going to put them together in kits to make better use of them.  Very tempted to sign up for May's Kit-tastic class.

After the sort I had some fun putting together a tag to add to the bag of the extras to add when I go out to scrap. 

Happy Crafting

Big Idea Festival Day Four - Scrap your goals

This challenge followed on really well from Day Three - Dream Journal.   When you know where you are headed you are more likely to get there. My goal at the moment is to get creating.  As I started putting together the page I started pulling out bits and pieces and realised just how much of a rut I have been in. 

Journalling reads ' Once upon a time I felt free to try new things, I had a purpose for all the little things I found {usually on sale}.  Now I am stuck.  What seemed like a good idea at the time is now stopping me from moving on.  I have discovered what I really like, my style and how I want to move forward.  So I am finsihing the nagging and clearing out the bits to make way for the good stuff.'

So I will
Spend at least 15 mins a day in my space doing something towards a project.

Big Picture Idea Festival Day Three - Dream journal

We all have dreams.  How many of them actually become reality?  What is missing?  The action required to bring it about.  A quote I love 'in order to get what we want we have to know what we are willing to give up to get there'  challenges me to keep moving forward.  I already had a journal for the purpose of writing my dreams.  This challenge has made me take action to actually start believing that I can do what I want to do. 

So much more inspiring to write in I think.

My dream to set up a studio/function centre 

where I can help people to simplify their lives 

to discover what they were made to do and go out and do it.

I am a teacher

I am an encourager

I am creative

Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful

Big Idea Festival Day Two - Fun Photos

The challenge was to have some fun with your photos. My boys never like posing for photos. The ones that turn out the best are the candid shots. Now I have a great list to add to ideas for taking photos that are more than just a record of an event. Here's to having fun making memories. I have been recording the details in a diary as I go. It is always the things they say or the little details that you forget when you go to scrap them.

This one is # 6 Experimenting with different angles

and # 15 using silly props

Big Idea Festival Day One - Happy Mail

We all love getting something in the mail other than bills.  How often do we send something?  I couldn't do just one.  These are going out some of the great people in my life.  The idea is to pay it forward and send something on to someone and make their day.

Colours: rich razzleberry, baja breeze, not quite navy
Stamps:  wonderful words additions (PTI), hey cupcake (Elzybells
Finishing touches:  papers (my minds eye), wonderful words die and edgers no 1 die  (PTI) ,button, carribean bakers twine (the twinery)

Stamp Club Challenge September

This month the challenge is to do something different with your punches.  Always great to get the most out of your tools and supplies by discovering new ways that they can be used.  So the punches that I have used are:

photo corners for the 'arrows' border

round tab punch for the brackets

circle scallop punch for the rolled flowers

I was going to try and put them altogether but it was too much so I ended up with two cards using a similar design.  Love how they turned out.

Colours: not quite navy, pumpkin pie, white
Stamps: in the stars (SU)
Finishing touches: round tab punch, photo corners punch, white embossing powder and patterned DSP (SU), dimensionals, stitching

Colours:  not quite navy, very vanilla, old olive
Stamps:  hope perches (verve), grunge me (PTI)
Finishing touches:  round tab punch, circle scallop punch, big shot textured impressions embossing folder, metallic brads, ruffled ribbon island indigo, victoria crochet trim and everyday enchantment DSP (SU), dimentsionsls, stitching, heart die (cuttlebug)

Scrappin Patch - Use your stash challenge #3

 Scrappin Patch has a challenge each Wednesday morning.  This week is a colour challenge.

The first card was the idea I started out with. 

As I started pulling out papers and bits and pieces to work with I came up with something more detailed.  It made sense to make them both as I had all my stash out to work with.  It was great to use some of my supplies that I hadn't already played with.  Love the seam binding; ribbon for tying bows.

These are the colours in the challenge.  At first I thought they would be tricky to work with.  I was pleasantly surprised by how they came together.

For You

Colours: very vanilla, so saffron, calypso coral, baja breeze, chocolate chip

Stamps: paper tray (PTI), whimsical words(SU)

Finishing touches:  ittly bitty buttons (SU), deb divine embossing folder (cuttlebug), seam binding ribbon baja breeze (SU)

Speak the truth

Colours: very vanilla, so saffron, calypso coral, baja breeze, chocolate chip

Stamps: words of wisdom and notebook paper (verve), pattern peices (SU)

Finishing touches: paper (grace taylor), stitching, seam binding ribbon baja breeze, lots of tags label and linen thread (SU), rounded rectangle die (verve), twine (the twinery), rhinestones (kaiser), buttons, spool (nostalgia),

Challenge Me Happy #28

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I found this fabulous homegrown site for challenges Challenge Me Happy and I have been wanting to take part in one of the challenges.  So I have {all be it sneaked in on the last day}.  The challenge was 'when I grow up'.  You can find the details here.  It was a double challenge really because it was scrapping about me.  Something that doesn't happen often and is sometimes harder.  I guess that was the reason behind the challenge.  Great timing as I have been thinking on these things of late.  Great to get my story down.  It has started me thinking about the other stories I have to tell.