Scrap The Girls - June

Being sick and off work this week with a rotten winter virus, I had a bit more time on my hands to do some scrapping (in between sneezing, coughing and nose-blowing that is!), so I decided to have a go at this month's Scrap The Girls Challenge.



The challenge this month was to create a layout using this colour palette....



As soon as I saw those colours, I thought of Basic Grey's Bittersweet range from a few years back.

You know when a paper range really takes your eye, you buy it, and then because you love it so much, you always put off using it because you're 'saving' it for some extra-special project? Ridiculous right?

Anyway, that was me with BG's Bittersweet, and because I recently decided to stop hoarding beautiful things I love, and just get in there and use them, that's what I did with this layout.

Here is a close-up of the embellishments I used, and my doodling around the edge of the white cardstock...

A2Z Scraplets Blog Hop

I have spent the last weekend (and then some) working on an entry for the A2Z Scraplets Blog Hop Challenge.

I used one of my favourite photos from the photoshoot Elise and I had with Leanne Stamatellos in January last year and here is my interpretation of the sketch...



The challenge entries were to be based on the following sketch...



Here are some close-ups of the detail....



I used an A2Z Scraplets chipboard 'leftover' as a mask for the Glimmermist butterflies in the background of the layout and covered one of the butterflies with vintage sheet music and crackle-finished and distress-inked the chipboard as well...



I can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with for this challenge.

My latest scrapping...

I've been doing quite a few layouts recently...nothing in particular, just what ever I've felt like.

I've been working with a couple of the photos that Leanne Stamatellos took of my daughter Elise and I back in January last year, playing around with cropping the photos and the contrast, brightness and colour etc for something a bit different.





And here is a double I did of Elise's boyfriend Elise on a recent driving adventure. You can click on any of these images to get a larger view of the detail...

Scrapchat 2011 CJ

This year thanks to the urging of the wonderful Alison Callcott, we girls at Scrapchat are taking part in a CJ (circle journal) swap.
I think we have developed the perfect formula for a CJ by just sending on our entries to our fellow participants to put in their own album instead of sending the whole album from person to person.
History has seen way too many friendships lost along with CJ's that never make it back to their original owner. This way, if there is someone who doesn't complete their allotted and required entry, at least the owner of the CJ still has their album in their hands.
I know it's a negative (but realistic) way to think about it, but sh*t happens, and this way pages (and whole albums) lost in the system have much less of an impact on the original owner.

Here are my first 2 entries for this swap so far....

First off the rank is an entry for Sarah whose CJ subject was "A Day In The Life Of....". This was lots of fun to do, and I chose a typical Wednesday for my subject...



Here is a close-up of the first page...



...and the second page...



The theme for the second entry for Brooke was "Favourite Nursery Rhyme, Poem or Story" and I chose "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat" for the main reason that my Mum was a wonderful storyteller, and an even more amazing poem reciter, and I hear her lilting voice as she recites this lovely poem by Edward Lear.....such a precious childhood memory.

Here is a picture of both pages I created plus the sign-in tag....



The first page which I created with lots of little bits of paper and I couldn't resist using an image of Moon from The Mighty Boosh....



...and the second page...



I'm really enjoying the challenges of these CJ entries which are taking me out of my comfort zone, because I know that that is where some amazing creativity can happen when you least expect it to. Stay tuned for more of my entries as I walk this journey. TFL xxx

I have finally found the culprit.....

....who has been making a bigger mess of my outdoor undercover area than I do!! So many spider webs, that just keep coming back no matter how often I remove them. But after seeing this magnificent creature up close, I couldn't bear to destroy this industrious spider....



After some research on the internet, I found that he is a Net-casting Spider or Deinopis subrufa.



This intriguing spider sets its trap at night. The rectangular white net is spread between first two pairs of legs....



The third pair of legs has threads to stabilise the "net".



The fourth pair of legs are used to hang onto its support. When a passing insect comes near the net it splats it over the victim, and tangles it in the trap.



These photos were taken in the morning and I think the spider may have been asleep, so the net in these photos isn't as taut as when it is actually hunting.
Pretty awesome though, none-the-less!

Here is the finished canvas....

This is what I ended up creating last weekend....



Seeing as I posted some sneak peak photos last weekend, thought I had better put up the finished canvas.

If you are interested in seeing the step-by-step progress photos, my Design Team post at Scrap 'N' Craft With T has the whole story.

The trouble is...now I don't know what to do with it...any suggestions?

A Sneak Preview.....

I'm working on a new project....



I lost my scrapbooking mojo last night, but still felt like creating something, plus I needed something for my regular Monday DT contribution to Scrap 'N' Craft With T's blog. So I decided to try some totally unplanned mixed media art on canvas.



The weird thing is, I don't know if it's good enough to put on Tan's blog....I can't tell if it's actually good or not. I have no trouble running a critical eye over my scrapbooking, and I am a pretty good judge as to whether I have created something decent or not, but assessing my own artwork is a whole other kettle of fish!



Well, I do actually like it, and I had TONNES of fun making it.....trouble is, I don't know if it's finished or not...I keep adding bits and pieces and getting extra possible ideas.....hmmmm!



If you want to see the progress photos and the finished???? result, you can check out the Scrap 'N' Craft With T blog on Monday after 7am, and while you're there follow the link to Tanyah's online store where EVERYTHING is drastically reduced!

TFL xxx

Scrap The Girls

Wow, I can't believe it's been three months since my last post! I guess I can use Christmas as an excuse?

Here is my entry for the February Sketch Challenge at Scrap The Girls.



Here is a close-up of the flowers I added to the layout....



This is a layout about my gorgeous niece(in-law) using this sketch as a base....



I have never taken part in one of these challenges before, and I am looking forward to seeing what everyone else comes up with from this sketch.

A card using a great new product....

Here is a card I did last week for Scrap N Craft With T using a fabulous new crackle product called Viva Decor Croco Crackling Color. I used this fab new product on the heart on this card...so much fun working with this product.....







There are quite a few processes to creating the heart used on the card, so if you're interested in seeing how I did that, you can read the step by step instructions here.

Some unexpected visitors.....

On Friday afternoon, I looked out my back window to see a couple of uninvited, but very welcome guests in our pool....



How cute are they? They ended up staying and swimming happily around in our pool for over an hour before flying off elsewhere. We fed them some bread, which they eagerly gobbled up....



We're really hoping that they'll come back and visit some time.

Design Team Callout

Just letting you all know that Creative Girls @ Scrap N Craft With T is on the search for another Design Team member. You need to be able to create one project (layout, card or OTP) each week from the products supplied by Tanyah from her shop. You will also need to know how to post to a blog and upload your projects each week with instructions and/or sketches etc.

Tanyah offers her Design Team a very generous 30% off purchases in her shop, and each month supplies at least $25 worth of products to use for your projects, although from my experience on this team, it usually ends up being way more than this.

Interested?

If you would like to know more about what is required please email Tanyah at cardartbytanya@yahoo.com.au or use the same email address to send in your application including a link to your blog or site that showcases your work with scrapbooking layouts, cards and OTP projects. Good luck!

Here are some of the projects I have done as part of this Design Team lately.

Firstly a card for an older person...



The front of the card.....



...and inside the card.....



Next is a double page layout of my son Sam's 3rd birthday 23 years ago!!! How cute are those photos?



To even things up, here is a layout I did of my beautiful daughter Elise...



I'll share the rest of my Design Team creations in another post or feel free to check them out on the Creative Girls @ Scrap N Craft With T blog.

Thanks for looking and don't forget to consider applying for Tan's DT position! xxx

A couple of photos....

You've got to love how beautiful everything looks after rain. Everything is washed clean and colours seem to be more vibrant. I love the way raindrops make even the most mundane plant transform to a bejewelled beauty.

We have had some beautiful light but steady rain here overnight and this morning and I couldn't resist the temptation to try and capture some of nature's finest work. I was a bit limited with what I could photograph as it is still raining, so these shots were taken from the safety of our awning. I had fun playing around with some of my macro filters.

Maybe I should invest in one of those Japanese hats with an umbrella attached so I can venture further afield in the rain!

Here are some of my shots....

And one more.....

Here is my first Creative Team layout for Chelley Bean Designs.
Chelle asked the four of us to create something with her Romantic Roses which come in 9 gorgeous colours. Check out the amazing creations the other three talented gals came up with here.
Chelle also requested that we dress them up or alter them somehow, so I made mine into a spray of flowers inspired by Prima Flutter Vines.



This is my favourite layout of all the ones I have done lately. Huge thanks and kudos to my favourite photographer, the hugely talented Leanne Stamatellos for taking this beautiful photo of my daughter Elise at our photo shoot at The Rocks in Sydney in January this year.

Thanks for looking and happy scrapping until next time. xxx

A new layout...

Here is the first project I have completed in my new Deign Team position with Scrap N Craft With T using some lovely papers from Graphic 45.



This wonderful photo from Scrapchat's Retreat last November was taken and edited by the very talented Tracey Thorne...thanks Trace...you're a genius!

The whole post about this layout can be found on Tan's blog here.