The June kits are here….

at 123 Scrapbook. Lots of yummy goodness from the Paper Inklings Mythical range.

Check out the promotion collages I made using Picasa – just love what you can do so easily with this programme.

I am Woman cc at 123

This month’s theme has been “I am Woman”. From tonight we are running the cc with games and a chat in our 123 Chatroom and will be posting up the challenges for the week. You have until next weekend to get your entries in for a chance at winning store vouchers.

I got to play with the stunning Kaiser Grandiose papers this time – and they are simply glorious. Lovely rich hues of brown, red and creamy yellow. The pattern combinations are ideal for layering – and that’s exactly what I did. I’m not much of a ‘layerer’ generally – but it was really easy to do with these papers. I also cut out a section of the circle patterns to produce a scalloped strip, into which I put some eyelets with some string tied through them like a ribbon. Underneath this I put a row of circles punched out from the patterned papers. Love the effect.

I got the chance to use up some old stash too – some Op-shop buttons and left-over Prima flowers. There was this cool metal button that was perfect for the larger layered flower. More string – this time in the button centres.

For the title I re-did that gob-smackingly gorgeous chippy technique using the walnut ink crystals. Was perfect for the layout. Lots of inking with the Colorbox chalk inks to match the colours in the patterned paper. A bit of a mixed title – I’m getting much more comfortable with using the little Carolee’s Creations alphas.

The journalling is hidden. I was a little naughty too – since this month was supposed to be “no little girls allowed” – and the layout is about Madame as usual. The only problem is I don’t scrap myself – I’ve done all the photos I have of my grandmother and my Mum does not want hers on public display. So there was not much choice left for me for a layout. To stick as close as possible to the theme though – I have journalled about how in her most recent photos I can see the woman within. The tag is hidden behind the photo – since it is pretty personal in tone – but it talks about the ‘glimpses’ of the woman she is growing up to be, the strengths and characteristics I think she will continue to develop as she matures. It’s amazing watching your children grow – and when you look back you can see how the seeds of who they are when they are older can be seen in them from a very early age.

So the criteria for my challenge are:

1 – layering – pile them on thick girls, I want to see layer upon layer.
2 – scallops and flowers – I don’t care how you combine them, just want those pretty shells and blooms on there somewhere.
3 – string, string, string, string – everybody loves string.

Aside from the criteria – I’d like to challenge you to scrap a reflective moment for yourself: it can be a self-reflection or one of another woman in your life or your relationship with someone else – whatever – I just want to see you do a layout that has some deeper meaning, one that comments on who you are right now.

And here is the final layout:

Prima – Flirty Little Secrets

It’s no secret that I love the Flirty Little Secrets range from Prima. You had to get out of my way fast when it was finally available for purchase.

I’ve not had much of a chance to play with it unfortunately – but I did manage to sneak in this little layout for my 123 Notebook layout for this month. Although Coy and Meander would have to be the standout pages in the range – I wanted to work with the greens – Memoirs and Frock. They are such gorgeous papers and work really well together. The delicate pattern on Memoirs is just beautiful – with its green on green script and rose pattern and just the hint of white flourishes here and there – this is a stunning girly paper.

I confess I was also hoarding the matching Flirty rubons and they were perfect for this paper combination. The teal ‘other’ side of Frock is exactly the same teal as the pattern on Memoirs. The darker teal paper also sets off the lighter greens really well. I used it as a frame for the layout and the photo by ripping the top paper to reveal the darker teal underneath.

I’ve used twine (thanks Kars for the idea – I have a huge ball of it now ) rather than ribbon or thread and the “grungyness” of it makes a nice contrast to the delicate patterns and overall ‘girly’ feel to the layout. I layered some of the Essentials flowers with it – topping them off with a small organza rose (stolen off a bit of ribbon), which I coloured with Glimmermist to match the red in the Ruby paper.

There needs to be a contrasting colour to “kick-start” the softer ones and the drop-dead red of the roses in the Ruby paper was perfect. So I made some flowers out of the paper – check out my Notebook post in the forum on how to – and then decorated them with some Kaiser pearls. Could not be easier. There are 2 sizes to the flowers and I simply layered the smaller ones into the large ones.

The chippie title is an old one from Scraplets. Wilma does not have it in stock at the moment – but if you want it, it might pay to ask her to get it in for you. The shipping tag was meant for journalling (it’s coloured with Glimmermist to match the Ruby paper) – but I found there was nothing I really wanted to say. For me, this is a layout to simply enjoy the beauty of the photo. She was doing nothing special – just smelling some daisies (complaining they had no smell was what she was actually doing ) wandering about the back yard. I really love random little photos like that. The beauty of childhood is so fleeting – you should take as many photos of this time as you can. I know I wish I had more of my boys when they were this age. (Sigh – there speaks the mother of 3 teens)

So if you have not gotten around to checking out the Prima Flirty Little Secrets range of papers and flowers yet – do the woman in you a favour – and go get some now from here. Just leave me a couple so I can get some more.

sneak peek – lesson 6

Oh my gosh I love this lesson. So much so, I HAD to do two layouts, as DS2 wanted one to match the one I did for DS1.

Here is a sneak of them – since I need a piece of chippy to finish off the second one – the full layouts will be posted when the second one is finished. I HAVE to use this technique again – it is just stunning.

For DS2

For DS 1

And cause I LOVE this little chippy heart so much – a sneakie of it…

123 cc layout

Yeah – I know it is late. I was not happy with the original one I did. The pink Prima studs were just the wrong shade of pink and everytime I looked at it I winced. But it took a bit to get the time to replace them – and they were a buggar to get off, let me tell you. DON’T make a mistake with these things, they stick like superglue.

I got to use the yummy Flair Designs papers this time – lurve the birds. Thought I would play with the journalling blocks as well – and very nice they are indeed. Not as ‘vintage’ as I would like the layout to be – but I think I am all antiqued out at the moment.

That gorgeous velvety leaf is one of the new ones by Green Tara that Wilma has gotten in. Very yummy. Just a little more inking on this one to make it perfect. You can also see the stitching that I did to replace those horrible pink studs. Much nicer.

The title was simply inked and Kindyglitzed – simple but delicate – and suited the layout.

And here is the final layout – a sweet picture of Hubby and his little princess enjoying a kiss and cuddle.

May Sketch

Lol – this was originally my lesson 5 layout for Chippy Highschool. Then I got reminded it was my turn for the sketch this month at TSE. Oops!!

I am hoping to see some gorgeous layouts of the women in your family – Mum, Grandma, Nana etc – to go with the sketch.

Create a layout using the sketch and upload to the gallery here and a card using the sketch here - for your chance to win a gift voucher prize.

Here is my layout – using Basic Grey Porcelain papers and those glorious Prima vines – with the title and chippy flourish done using the technique from Lesson 5.

and my card – which is on it’s way to Nan for her birthday.

Chippy Highschool Week 5

So we are in week 5 of Chippy Highschool and this week we are designing our own chippy. It’s a re-hash of an old favourite (technique) for me – one I often forget to think about doing when I am doing my titles – but resist embossing using a (script) stamp is a great technique.

I did have a girl layout for it – but then realised I needed to use it for the Sketch for this month at TSE – so another layout was done in a hurry. A boy one this time – using the smashing boy papers out by Graphic 45. I love these papers – and ever since I saw the layout done at Scrap Etc I have been itching to do something for one of the boys.

DS1 got an Ipod for Xmas from his Granparents – and it has hung out of his ears ever since. The whole teen I-am-not-here-I-cannot-hear-you-thing happening. Nothing like having to yell at someone less than a metre away for them to hear you. Sigh. I just rip them out of his ears now – you can get a good whiplash affect happening if you do it carefully.

I used an old french script wooden stamp I have had for what seems like forever – and my favourite AED glitter embossing powder to do the title and script. The flourish is a Scrapping Outback design I think, though the title is Scrap FX – both of them I got from Scrapping Outback here.

Yeah yeah I know some of the script is upside-down – blasted stamp image is reversed to the actual stamp and I had to stamp twice on each chippy – so got one of each way. Sigh. Not changing it now. I’ve used a selection of Colorbox chalk inks and Tim Holtz distress inks. The Timmy ones are probably better to use as they wipe off more easily – but I wish he had as many colours as Colorbox has.

I tried my hand at making a Timmy tag too – one of his stamps that are not clear but not rubber totally either. Will be using this one again – I love the way it turned out – but next time I want to do it with black Stazon as I reckon that would be awesome.

And here is the final layout.

Thanks again for another great class ladies – I’m having a ball.

Newsletter and CC time at TSE

Lol – I have lumped the two of them in together, since I used the same paper range for them.

When I saw the Kaiser Sugar Sugar range of papers I knew they would be perfect for a Bazzill stitching template I had. Could not wait to pull the papers out and start stitching. I thought I would try something different with them. I had seen someone else do this at an lss I popped into – rather than use the template just as stitching – combine it with some paper and make a stitched paper piecing. I love the way it turned out.

The title of the layout comes from Madame’s pj’s – the words written on the front of them – and Julie at Scraplets has excelled herself in creating for me the perfect chippy title to go with my layout. I’ve simply inked it with chalk ink and a little Kindyglitz – perfect!!

I’ve used the pink cupcake patterned paper as the background for the layout and created an interest point by cutting up some of the strips from the strip-pattern paper and sticking them vertically on the left side of the page. I’ve trimmed the edges of this strip to reflect the looped pattern on the paper – adding further interest to the strip. That chocolate loop pattern is one I really like – so I then cut some more to make a frame for my photo and Kindyglitzed it to make it stand out. The chocolate stitching around the edges of the patterned paper mirrors the looped pattern in the paper strip and takes up some of that empty space I hate so much.

With all those yummy colours to play with – both soft and bright yellows; pinks and coral-reds; chocolate browns and soft oranges – it’s easy to make the layouts look different, even when you are only using a limited number of them. And the patterns are lovely too – who can go past the four small patterned papers (the orange spot; pink cupcakes; chocolate party treats and multicoloured splotches) – the yellow and coral background papers and the glorious strips and cakes papers (both of which beg for cutting up)?

If “Daddy’s Little Cupcake” was soft pink/chocolate and coral – “Cupcake Cutie” focussed much more on the yellows and corals in the papers. I’ve used a different – brighter – section of the strip paper and a bright yellow cardstock for the base of the layout.

Some bright coral border stitching gives it a funky edge and the title – though chipboard – has this time been inked brown and covered in Dimensional Magic to give it a glossy look. I rarely think to finish off my title chippies this way – should do it more often as I love the look. The small dots you see on the title were punched out of the patterned paper using one of my eyelet setters.

The journalling is on a transparency sheet – I simply printed straight onto the sheet with my colour inkjet printer (not all transparency paper can be used this way though – so check yours first). I’ve used the patterned paper to again make a small frame for one of the photos – that curly doodled pattern is so cool for frames.

And here is the final layout – just love my little cupcake enjoying one of her favourite foods. She nibbles all the edges off first, licks off the icing and then eats the cake.

“Let her eat cake” started out life as a single layout – but then I found that I had to use more photos to capture the story I wanted to tell. Orange is the dominant colour this time, supported by yellow and brown.

The yellow strip is simply a series of punched out circles attached with double-sided tape to the page and then stitched down (the tape alone won’t hold them). You can see the Kindyglitz ‘icing’ on the yummy cut-out cakes too.

With all the photos on the page I went for simple with everything else – a simple inked chippy title, strip journalling and two clusters of embellishments (some of those yummy cakes). The larger photo on each page has a cardstock matt that I doodled the edge of – and cut out – to match the loopy pattern in the paper. But most of it is just layers of lovely paper.

And here is Madame happily downing her first birthday cake – to the last crumb and icing smear on the plate.

With “Sugar and Spice” I’ve tried to mix up the colours again – coral, yellow, brown and off-white this time.

The focal embellishment for this page was the chippy cupcake – another Scraplets masterpiece. I coloured the cupcake with alcohol inks using a technique I can’t share with you just yet (apologies) – and a touch of Kindyglitz for the frosting.

After the layout went into the newsletter I changed my mind on how I wanted the page to look – and took off the cupcake (I will use it somewhere else) and replaced it with some flowers.

How could you not make cards with these papers? Luckily for me, I have friends with birthdays this month – and a great excuse to make cards with this ‘party’ range. I’ve tried to showcase each of the materials/techniques I have used in the layouts in these cards. As you can see – I again used the Bazzill Stitching Template to create one of the cards…

whilst another uses one of the Scraplets cupcakes (this time with patterned paper on it)…

and the last has some of those gorgeous cut out cakes from the patterned paper. None of the cards is complicated in design and they took very little time to create (yeah yeah – other than the stitching bit and that is only because I am such a slow sewer).

And finally to the cc layout. With it being party time at TSE – it was time for balloons, cakes and cheering.

And a party isn’t a party without a cake – or at least a layout about one.

Ok – yours doesn’t have to be a layout about a cake – but you do have to follow these criteria for my cc challenge.

1. Journalling on a handmade journalling spot.
2. Must include brads somewhere
3. Must be about SOMETHING special rather than someone – a favourite
gift, bunch of flowers or an object associated with a celebration.

And here is my layout for this challenge – simplicity itself – but what a yummy cake it was.

It’s not too late to join us at the cc – layouts have until next weekend (midnight Sat I think) to be uploaded. It would be lovely to see you there.

Chippie Highschool – Lesson one

Okay – finally got my layout for the first lesson done over the weekend. Gosh I love the way this one turned out – even though mine is not quite what it should have been. It was supposed to be holo glitter only but there were probs with mine (involving small children and loose lids) so I had to use a mix of a little fine glitter and some of what was left of the holo glitter. To tell the truth I love the result though.

The technique for this lesson (part 2 of it – will show part 1 some other time) should give you a title that looks like it has been opalized. Mine isn’t quite that since I don’t have a lot of the holo glitter – but it’s still cool all the same.

Like all the other layouts the chippy all comes from Outback Scrapping and you can find it in the store . Love their gorgeous new range of birthday themed chippy.

Added in this crown and gob-smackingly gorgeous flourish as well.

I have been dying to get my hands on the papers from Glitz Designs – the two new CHA ranges. OMG – they are soooo much better in real life. Love em. This layout gave me a chance to play with the girl range – lovely loud pinks and black. Need to play with them some more – when I get some free time – am so busy now that I am back at work. Had forgotten how tiring it is to teach all day.

Anyway – here tis – my babydoll and her layout.

Stitching a layout frame – Afternoon Tea – by Scrap Within Reach

One of the reasons I really like Basic Grey, is because they have the most versatile background papers I know of. The soft muted patterns of what appears from a distance to be a plain colour – reveals upon closer inspection – an intricate and interesting arrangement of contrasting colours.

So I was more than impressed to find that ALL the papers in the Afternoon Tea range by Scrap Within Reach have similar background papers on the reverse side. Not only are they easy to use – in a lot of cases you don’t need much by way of embellishment, because the paper has it all. I often have a little giggle at those people who like to “create” their own papers from scratch, with multiple inkings and a lot of work – why bother – when companies like this have it all done for you??

For this ‘heritage’ layout I picked a photo that I thought would suit that style of scrapping (shush – it has an OLD person in the photo – that should make it ‘heritagey’ enough). In kindness to my poor Aunt’s advanced age, (don’t you dare tell her I said that either) I converted it to sepia to help minimise the wrinkles, (it also ’softens’ the photo) and to get rid of the clashing colours in the photo (why is it rellies won’t ‘get with it’ and wear your choice of clothes for photo shoots??).

The colours in the paper remind me of my Aunt – and the stitching that is such a feature of the layout – is also for her. She is a hoarder of pretty things – embroidered linen, butterflies, flowers etc – and lives in an old style Queenlander, the sort with the wrap-around verandahs with lacy bits. So you can see that my design is a tribute to her and not just a random collection of things.

Do the stitching FIRST - it creates less wear and tear on your layout.

I stole – oops – borrowed my stitching pattern from one meant for card-making. It cost me $1 and was surrounded by printed flowers you could cut out and put in the middle of the card. But you can ‘borrow’ these patterns from any stitching pattern you find. Here is a close-up of a section of the stitching.

It is well worth the time though – I am very happy with the finished product. Be prepared to use up a fair bit of thread too – there is a complete skein of thread in this plus part of another. I had to make a frantic dash to Spotlight to find a second one to get this finished.

The flower clusters are mostly old Prima’s from one of the early Artful Collage Collections I think (the purple ones are a more recent release) – and some divine Carnation flowers I got from Spotlight (they come in a pack of 6). An old button and some pink beads to decorate – and don’t forget the Green Tara leaves to finish. Just perfect.

Just a little more detail to be seen here.

I’ve inked the base paper behind the photo with a lovely, soft purple chalk ink. The paper doily underneath though, has been coloured with Butterscotch alcohol ink. There is no Kindyglitz on this at all – in fact, no real glitz of any sort – it just doesn’t suit the layout.

I added some old-style ribbon and a lucky find of 2 metal photo holders to finish off underneath the photo, but the bit that makes this layout really about my Aunt is the butterfly. It comes as a diecut card – meant I think for journalling (again – this is more a card-making product than a scrapping one) – but I cut it up, inked it and stuck it in appropriate spots on the layout.

So now I have a layout that automatically brings to my mind, memories of my Aunt – as a person – and not just about her on the day she first met Madame. And this is surely the entire point of heritage layouts, the preservation of memories.

So have a go at using stitching to create a frame – if not for the entire layout, than try it just as a frame for the photo. Nor do you have to make it a complete frame – I think the good part about this particular pattern is that it can be used in bits – I could see the corner pattern used on a corner in a layout – and the spiral could be used alone as well.

And have a look at the Afternoon Tea range of papers here - I think you will be very surprised at how good they look in real life, as the computer images do not do them justice.