Long time no see....

Phew, it's been a while, has it not? Well, I am sure that the end of year is not only creeping up on me, but on many of you too. Why does everything always have to happen at the same time at this time of the year?!

Enough of that... I did get a bit of scrapbooking done over the last few weeks. I've designed two classes which I will be presenting in Mossel Bay during December and January, I've packed a quite few extra kits to take with for the ladies in the Southern Cape, and I've completed a layout or two for Pics 'n Tales.

For this month's challenge at Pics 'n Tales, we used this sketch from Pagemaps:

There were some really lovely pages at class yesterday! Be sure to keep an eye on the Pics 'n Tales Facebook page over the next few days to see what the ladies came up with. Here is my interpretation of the sketch:

 

 

 As you can see, I changed it a bit. I used one large photo instead of a piece of patterned paper and moved the banner up right to the top of the page. I also did not include any small photographs in the banner. The tag had to make way for an ornate bookplate, but the butterfly stayed. And apparently also invited all its friends along... I just love these tiny butterflies - who can resist them?

The colour scheme in this layout also presented me with an opportunity to use some [very, very] old gaffer tape from my stash. The pearl accents added just the right amount of bling to finish it all off.

 

Vintage beauty

Ever scrapped one of your favourite childhood toys? Well, when I was designing a new class for Pics 'n Tales recently, I took a photo of one of the dolls that shared my life as a little girl. Her name was Cindy, and she was a ballerina doll. I was struck by how pretty she is. She still evokes those little girl "princess" feelings in me - even today! So what better way to celebrate her, than to make a layout?

For inspiration, I used the current sketch from Scrap365's sketch challenge. It is based on a layout by Yana Smakula, and looks like this:

I used Kaiser Craft's Hidden Treasures range. I love the colour scheme of this range, and specifically wanted to bring out the gold / bronze colours in the patterned paper. To do this, I used Ranger's bronze metallic paint, combined with a bit of blue and green paint on the tag. Once it was dry, I stamped and embossed a sentiment on the tag.

The leaf pins add a fun element, along with the mesh bow, which is tied with washi tape.

In the opposite corner, I added a little golden bird from Making Memories, holding a tag which says : "You are my happy thought". I thought this was quite appropriate... {Don't you just LOVE the earrings?!}

Paint splatters, washi tape, pearls and bunting flags were used to "pull everything together".

I loved working with this sketch, as it allowed me to showcase not only a well-loved toy, but also this gorgeous range of paper from Kaiser Craft!

Destination unknown

I am systematically making space in my stash for new goodies. This means that I am really trying hard to create projects with all the heaps and heaps of paper in my stash, using embellishments that I already own. As you would know, this is a bit of a daunting task. Why don't we ever seem to know just how many patterned papers we own, until we try to "work them away"?! Needless to say, progress is slower than I expected...

Luckily there are so many awesome websites with great sketches available these days! This week I used this sketch from Stuck?! to create a layout with a bit of a nostalgic theme:

I used a scanned copy of a very old picture, and wanted to create a vintage look to go with that. The paper is mainly from Prima, and most of the embellishments were cut from the same paper range.

 

Silver Stickles add sparkle to a chipboard flourish, to tie in with the title and a silver glitter leaf to the left of the layout.

 

This little bird already had a crown on its head, but I could not resist using this totally adorable little Prima crown instead. It is tiny, and just perfect for this spot...

 

This is what the finished layout looks like:

 

As you can see, I changed some of the elements a bit - used old book paper instead of a doily, move my title to the other side of the page, used one photo instead of three... In other words, made it my own. I loved working with this sketch!

Take a good look at the (not so) little orange mouse in the little girl's arm. You will see another layout soon featuring that same mouse, created by that same girl many years later...

 

Upcoming PnT class

Here is a little sneak peek of this weekend's Pics 'n Tales class:

We will be using Teresa Collin's Memorabilia Range to create a cute mini album, using a set of file folders, beautiful stickers, patterned papers. ribbon, hat pins, sequence... For more photos, go here.

There are only a few extra kits available, so contact us to reserve yours today!

Playing with left overs

I had a few scraps left over from the latest kit I designed for Pics 'n Tales, and did not want it to go to waste. I used Teresa Collins' Memorabilia range, and just loved the colour combination. I am not particularly fond of orange, but quite enjoyed working with it as part of this funky range. (For a sneak peak at the Pics 'n Tales project, go here.)

I started with a white piece of cardstock, fully planning on making a single page with the left over orange paper. However, somewhere along the line, orange turned into blue. I have no idea how that happened! Maybe something about how my favourite colour is blue?!

Anyway, I played with different inks on water colour paper, then added acrylic paint with a bit of a shimmer to some areas on the water colour paper, and then stamped over it. This was then dolled up with the use of a border punch, and added to the reverse side of the orange paper.

Next followed some black ribbon and seam binding coloured with Distress Ink.  My photo was mounted on an embossed white cardstock mat, with a banner added below the photo. A few stars and a heart decorated with silver stickles followed.

I used different chipboard letters to create the title, added a rub-on and a stamp to the title and voila! Layout done. Actually, I added a bit of journaling to the right and below of the stamped hand afterwards. It reads: "This is us Kiddo - always looking forward, together."

I must say, I'm glad I did not go with the orange...

Really proud moment

Today, I am really proud to say that I've made it onto the "Most Wanted" list for CSI's challenge no. 91. I really enjoyed doing this challenge, so it was a major bonus to make it onto this list! Thank you for all the wonderful comments, ladies!

CSI Case File 91

Color, Stories, Inspiration's Case File 91 challenged me to scrap about something that I would not normally use as a subject for one of my pages. The details of the challenge looked like this:

I think I was drawn to the challenge because of the awesome picture of a "hot air balloon" that resembles a teapot! I am such a sucker for hot air balloons....

The colour scheme for the challenge was teal, off-white, pinkish-coral red, buttery yellow and khaki green. I used off-white cardstock for my background, and used yellow cardstock and teal patterned paper (Glitz Design) to add colour along the side of the background. The pinkish-coral red, more teal and yellow, as well as the green can be found in the flowers that I cut from Crate paper. I also used the pinkish-coral red for my title, as well as a group of butterflies "flying" across my layout.

 

There was a great range of "evidence" to choose from. I opted to use the leaves, wet medium (Mr Huey's color mist - gold and pretty pink), border punch and the teapot accent. I loved the bit of glamour that the gold added to the layout, so I repeated it by adding golden threat to the arrow, photo mat and along the left edge of the background.

 

 

I used a number of the clues provided for the testimony. My journaling is about my daily coffee routine, but also about the surprising fact that there's nothing like a cup of tea to relax me...

 

The photograph in the layout is of a beautiful antique tea cup, saucer and side plate. I found this little gem in the old jail in Riversdal. This building has been transformed into a whole lot of tiny little shops selling the most beautiful treasures. I just loved it, and I'm glad I could use one of them as the centre piece for this layout:

 

 



 

Thanks for a great challenge, CSI! 

Scrap Africa "Washi tape and Twine" Challenge

Don't you just love working with paper that really "grabs" you? Ezme designed a really stunning, dramatic layout for Pics 'n Tales this month, using Kaiser Craft's Curiosity Collection. After I completed my version of the layout, there was so much goodies left over, I just could not resist making another layout with this gorgeous paper range.

I knew that Scrap Africa's current challenge asks for layouts using washi tapes and twine. I also knew that I had a few different washi tapes in my stash that would go perfectly with the Kaiser Craft paper, so I made this:

After cutting out a few butterflies from the patterned paper, I brushed them with Ranger's Distress Stickles. 

I tied a piece of twine around patterned paper and tucked it underneath the rest of the patterned paper. Washi tape in different designs complete the background of the layout. A bit of fussy cutting ensured that small details could be added to the layout, like the crowned bird amongst the flowers to the left of the photograph, as well as the rose on the right of the layout.

 

Buttons, bling in different colours and a chipboard title complete the layout. In order to balance the white frame of the photograph, I used a white pen to add some doodling around the edges of the black background, and also added a few white cross stitches.

 

I love how both these layouts came out. Really two for the price of one...

Happy days

 

I seem to be on a roll as far as scrapbooking is concerned at the moment. I attended the SA Scrapbook Convention at Spier with a group of friends last weekend, and had SUCH fun! Normally my unfinished projects from the Convention sits in a pile of unfinished projects for quite some time before I get around to finishing them. This year is a bit different - I've already got two double page layouts completed and in the album.

 

So I thought I might as well use this creative momentum and do a bit more. This is a layout that I completed yesterday:

 

I don't know what it is about hot air balloons that I find so attractive. Maybe it is the whimsical beauty of it, maybe it is the idea of flight, or maybe they just add a little something special to a layout. Whatever the reason, these beauties from Basic Grey added just the right amount of "happiness" to my layout.

 

 

This picture was taken at a time when my life changed dramatically - for the better. It is a reminder of time when I was able to start thinking about "happy days" as a reality instead of a dream, again.

 

The colours, flowers and the butterflies all add to a colourful, cheerful layout - a fitting theme for the photo.

 

 

Case File No. S365-1

I find the challenges on the CSI blog very interesting. Each week, they provide us with an inspiration board, as well as ideas to use to create beautiful projects. This month, they collaborated with Scrap365 magazine, and provided the following information:

 

When I was WAY, WAY younger, I travelled through Europe for a month, in a car borrowed from a friend. One of the first places I visited, was Gouda in the Netherlands. I found a little market place with the most beautiful cathedral. Once back home, I found out that the pictures of men in traditional clothes, carrying big, fat, round cheeses on weird wooden contraptions, that I had seen in magazines when I was a child, were taken here! There is an annual cheese festival in this market place. Obviously none of those guys were there on the day that I was...

 

Here's the layout that I created:

 



I used a combination of Simple Stories, Echo Park and some very old Making Memories paper. To this I added washi tape, a few Kaiser Craft rub-ons, some tiny green flowers and a bit of stamping.

Here are a few close-ups of the details:

Thanks for stopping by, and thank you CSI for such a great challenge!

Precious moments

What fun it was to make this page of my now "all so grown up" son, in his full body swimsuit, playing with kelp at the beach at Oudekraal when he was about 3 years old! Those little legs, the cutest little bum in the world, and the gasps when he entered the FREEZING water in the little bay. No wonder they say that a picture speaks a thousand words. This really did bring back a lot of memories.

 

 

This layout really is a product of a "search and rescue" operation through my stash. Nothing on this layout was specifically bought for this purpose. Leftovers can be beautiful too...

 

 

A bit of fussy cutting allowed this gorgeous cluster to be visible. The bright red moth is a rub-on which I rubbed onto white cardstock before cutting it out and adhering it with foam tape to create a dimensional element. Washi tape helps to create interest to the left.

 

A new border punch was put to good use on the right hand side of the layout. I used a few red postage stamps and part of a stamped doily to balance the red moth on the other side of the layout.

 

Butterflies that once graced the packaging of a set of Bo Bunny's rub-ons were given a new lease of life to complete the cluster of embellishments around the title. Stamping and a quote to add the obligatory "wise words" complete the layout.

 

TFL. Until next time!

 

 

 

Prima August BAP

Prima has a new "Build a Page" challenge, using this sketch. The only other requirement, is that you use about 90% Prima products:

  

I rotated the sketch, and used a smaller photo (8 x 4"), to create this layout:

  

 

I combined the Almanac and Nature Garden collections, which has been sitting in my stash for a while. I originally bought this paper for a different project, but changed my mind when I printed this photo for the challenge. That sweet little fairy - who can resist her?





 

I cut out a second fairy, so I could raise the image for a more 3-dimensional look on the layout. A touch of Shabby Shutters Distress Stickles adds a bit of bling to the flower that she is holding. A few more Prima touches, such as the swirl, flowers and canvas alphabet stickers complete the layout.

 

 

The tiny Prima butterflies in different colours, scattered "randomly" over the layout, picks up on the butterflies in the patterned paper, and also helps to tie the colour scheme together.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 



 

Old layout, new look

Welcome to my new blog! This is where I will be sharing projects I make "just for fun" - so no class kits here... For information on class kits, please continue to visit the Pics 'n Tales blog, where we will continue to provide information about the classes presented at Pics 'n Tales.

I recently taught a class in Hartenbos, and helped a few of the ladies who did not want to use the class kit, to put together their own combination of paper and embellishments to create the same layout. This is the layout that I taught:

After the class, one of the combinations I'd put together, was still left on the table, an I couldn't resist this gorgeous Kaisercraft paper. So I recreated the same layout, but this time swopped the two pages around:

I added a little bit of bling to some of the smaller details, to make the page "sparkle" a little. This girl is so beautiful, she doesn't really need anything to make a layout shine...

A few close-ups of the details:

 



Thanks for visiting my new blog. Be sure to check in again soon!