Purple Pumpkin April Sketch Layout...

Today is my first "official" blog post for Purple Pumpkin. Want to see what I got up to? 

I created this layout using the Purple Pumpkin April Sketch, and lots and lots of Purple Pumpkin goodies. I just didn't want to stop, lol! You can find a list of everything I used on the Purple Pumpkin blog. 

I love all things girly, so these doilies and bottle caps were perfect for my layout. 

And tags and tickets - got to love those too!!!
Other products used: Jillibean Soup papers, die cuts, and stickers; Kindy Glitz; Kaisercraft rhinestones. 

Purple Pumpkin April Sketch Don't forget to get your entries in - you still have time. Entries close tomorrow. And no, you don't have to have Pueple Pumpkin products to play. 
Happy scrapping!
Cheers, xxx

PaperHaus Cupcake Love...

One of the things I love the most about working on the PaperHaus design team is the opportunity to create new things, and to play outside my comfort zone. And today's share is no different - you can find more details about this project on the PaperHaus blog.

I recently purchased this $5 cupcake stand at a discount store. As soon as I saw it, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. Which is kind of funny for me, because usually I like to think about it for a bit first. I created this the same day that I purchased it - another first for me, lol!

I had these Kaisercraft papers sitting on my desk from another project I had just completed (a  mini album which I will share eventually), and it all just came together by accident. Yes, truly. 

And by creating the paper flower cupcake, I can display this all year round. :-D

I can't wait for my girl's to have their birthday's this year so that I can use this for their birthday cupcakes. Fun!!!!!
Oh, and I am not finished with the off-the-page stuff yet. I found more glorious items in the discount store, so stay tuned. :-D
Hope you are having an awesome weekend. Cheer, xxx

One Day At A Time...

There are so many personal things going on in my life at the moment that need my attention. As a result, my poor blog has suffered, and has been neglected. Hopefully, over the next few weeks things might return to normal (fingers crossed!!!)
In case you didn't hear the news, I am now on the Purple Pumpkin design team. I can't wait to start sharing my PP creations with you. This is going to be so much fun. And don't forget there is a monthly sketch competition that you can join in, even if you don't have Purple Pumpkin products. 
After 3 months, we have finished unpacking and have settled into our home. In case I haven't mentioned it before, I am TOTALLY in love with Mount Barker, and cannot see me leaving here, EVER!!! I think I have finally found the place that I will call home for the rest of my life.

Here's the view from my back yard. Yes, it is cold and windy here, but I love every second of it. I'm not sure that the rest of my family feels the same way, but I guess they'll get used to it eventually. There is nothing I love more than finally being able to wear jeans, boots, hats, and jackets, after years of sweating in Queensland.
It is currently school holidays here in South Australia. I've survived one week, and still have one more week to go. Wish me luck, lol! 
Tomorrow we are going shopping for winter school uniforms - nothing like leaving it to the last minute...sigh... I have tried several times over the past few weeks to get this chore done and out of the way, but life has had other plans.
My eight furry babies are doing well. And are growing. Big. And bigger.

Loki, our most recent addition, is growing so very fast. He is a beautiful, smoochy, loving boy. 

Wicca and Spook. A beautiful pair of sisters that I cannot imagine life without. They are two of the most loving, placid cats I have ever owned.
I have another cat that will be joining us soon. I am taking in Midnight, the cat that has lived with my mother for the past 10 years or so, but which once belonged to me. My mum has terminal cancer, and time is very limited. I expect her fight will soon be over, and the pain will end. It's been so hard watching her fight this battle over the last couple of years, only to lose in the end. Life is just so unfair.
Over the next 2-4 weeks I have lots and lots of scrapping projects that I will share with you, and even some new exciting scrappy news. But I have to wait till until the projects (and news) has been shared on the respective blogs/sites. But I can share that Scrapbooking Memories has just picked up two of my layouts - it's been ages since I've submitted anything, so this will be exciting.
It is extremely cold, wet and windy here, as I am typing this, and all the cats are sleeping on my bed. They have absolutely NO interest in going outside today, lol! Yeah, I don't think I do either. But at least I can go and play in my scrap studio. :-)
Hope everyone is having an awesome weekend!!!
Cheers and hugs, x

PaperHaus Introduces "Remember Me"...

There is a new monthly blog segment over at the PaperHaus Magazine blog. We call it "Remember Me". It's all about recording "me" - my photos, my stories, my life. And each month our design team will share new creative ways to record your stories. So pop on over to the blog and check out what we have for you this month! 

"THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY"

Here's my take on "Remember Me". I decided to list all those things that make me happy. And I reinforced those things with matching embellishments - cameras, butterflies, a photo of a rose, stars, and colour (and lots of it!).

I had so much fun creating this "happy" layout.
It was a nice change to create a layout about me.

I've recorded a list of all the things that make me happy 

(yes, I know I have listed butterflies twice, lol! Ooopps!!!!). 

Created using the Noel Mignon "Melrose" kit. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you are having a great scrappy day!!!

Outside My Comfort Zone...

A colour combination of orange, blue and yellow is so far outside my comfort zone, it isn't funny. Never, in a million years, would I think to choose this combination to work with. But I decided to be brave, and attempt to play with the Prima Zephyr paper range. A challenge is always fun!!!

"OH, HOW I ADORE THEE!"

Here's my end result. I am pleasantly surprised in how well these colours work together on a girly layout - I wasn't expecting it to come out so feminine and pretty. 

There are lots and lots of details in this layout. Lots of tiny, little pieces. 

Yes, in this case, it's definitely about the details.

I used a mask and texture paste to create this damask design. The colour was created with Pan Pastels.

I misted and stamped on the Prima canvas shapes, and I coated the chipboard alphas with Glossy Accents to create a beautiful shine. 

A texture and dimension shot. So many layers and levels.  I won't lie - this layout took me a long time to create. I had this image in my mind, and I kept working until I got it correct. But it was worth it - I am entirely happy with the end result.
Thanks for stopping by. Happy scrapping everyone. xxx

Purple Pumpkin April Sketch...

The April sketch is ready for you over at Purple Pumpkin.  I don't know about you, but I can't wait to play with this sketch - there are soooo many possibilities. And yes, I will share here on my blog once it is complete.

But in the meantime, you have until the 30th April to complete this sketch challenge, and link it up to the Purple Pumpkin sidebar. And there will be two lucky winners - one chosen by the Design Team, and one chosen as a random prize draw. So even without using Purple Pumpkin products, you still have a chance to win. Want more details? Just click here. 
Happy scrapping!!!

Imaginarium Designs April Projects...

Today is my share day over on the Imaginarium Designs blog. In my usual style, for my April projects, I went all out with the colour. Lots and lots of colour!!!

"BORN 2 FLY"

I used a lot of the techniques and tricks that I learnt at the Finnibair workshops to create this layout. But there are some major differences - I didn't use any black spray to create a grungy look, I coated all my chipboard with white Gesso before adhering it to my layout, I used Glimmer Glam and Glimmer Glaze for added colour, and I finished off with Pan pastels. 

Here are some close-ups. Lots of layers, details and colours.

I love the dash of lime green. :-) It's one of my favourite colours.

Here you can see how the Glimmer Glam (blue) has coated the metal trinkets. 

It has given a lovely finish and colour to the layout.

Can you see the owl embellishment in the corner? I made that myself. I found a plain metal heart that was dangling on a clip chain, and simply adhered the metal owl to it. Isn't it cute!

I used the Prima Fairy Flora paper range to create this layout. I fussy cut some of the flowers and leaves, and added them after the layout was dry. I think it helps tie the whole layout together.  

The big blue flourishes you can see on the base of the layout was originally a Imaginarium Designs chipboard frame which I cut into several pieces. Yes, the blue corners on the layout are also a part of that frame. 

My second project for April is a tag. I haven't done one of these in quite a while, and I loved every minute of creating this one. I have used Glimmermists for the background colours, and embossing powders for the butterfly and stamped title. 

I used a glitter embossing powder for the butterfly. It gives a beautiful sparkle and glimmer, and it's such a rich, vibrant shade of red. I've decided to make another similar tag in shades of pink - I'll share it on my blog once it is complete. 
Thanks for dropping by today. I hope you have a wonderful week!!!
Cheers and hugs, xxx

Pinterest + Mojo = FUN!!!

Has your mojo gone on holidays? Then you are in luck - over the next short while, PaperHaus will be bringing you several articles on how to find and inspire your mojo. Lucky me, I'm up first!!!

Now anyone who knows me well, knows I am a HUGE Pinterest addict. Seriously. If you don't know what Pinterest is, or you would like to check out my Pinterest page, just click on the "PINTEREST" link on the side tab. Pinterest is where I head whenever I feel my mojo needs a little help. 

Or sometimes a lot of help, lol!!! :-D 

I found this Pinterest  image above, from J.Crew, and used it as my inspiration to create my layout. I know the image doesn't look that exciting, but if you look at it as a template for a layout (a bit like a sketch template), then you can see the endless possibilities. Please click on the link here for more details on how I did this. 

 "FAMILY PLAYTIME"

If you look closely you can see how each item of clothing in the image, represents a piece of paper on my layout. I seriously had a great time creating this layout. It's amazing how much freeing it is to have your design already established for you, and then just have to add embellishments and details. You don't have to "think" or plan as much. Which makes a nice change occasionally. 

 I machine stitched each piece of paper to add texture and details. And I kept the embellishments and details to a minimum because of all the bright colours. I didn't want to have too many things competing at once. 

And I matted my photos with a black frame - something I haven't done for quite a long time, but I am really happy with the end result. The black helps the photos stand out from all the other background colours.  Thank-you for dropping by, and don't forget to keep an eye out on the PaperHaus blog - there will be lots more Mojo Motivation articles coming up soon!!! Happy scrapping everyone. xxx

PaperHaus April Sketch Challenge...

The new sketch is available over on the PaperHaus blog. And guess what? We are looking for another guest designer blogger to join in the fun!!! 

PaperHaus April Sketch (designed by me!!!)

So, what do you think? Do you want to join in the fun? All you have to do is create a layout based on this sketch, and upload it to the PaperHaus Blog before the 20th April. All the details can be found here.

This is my take on the April Sketch. I created this while away on a retreat, so my supplies were kind of limited, and I had to be creative, lol! But I am happy with the end result - and I just LOVE this paper range from Simple Stories. It's so girly and feminine. 
Thank-you for stopping by! Happy scrapping!!!

SWAT April Sketch Challenge...

The new April sketch challenge and twist is up over at the SWAT blog. 

This month I decided to have some fun with the sketch design and added hexagons, tags, and multiple photos (not that you have to use multiple photos - you can use just one if you prefer).

The twist is to use Die Cuts (think Cuttlebug, Slice, Sizzix, Spellbinders etc.)

"CAT NAP"
This is one of the layouts I created at the Escape 2 Create 2013 Retreat that I attended last weekend. Now just remember, a sketch is a jumping off or starting point for a layout. You DO NOT have to copy it exactly. In my layout, you can find many of the elements from the sketch, but not all. In the end, I did not use the hexagons - I used a different Moroccan design instead. 

I loved using the Die Cuts. Sometimes I am so slack and forget that I have several die cut machines that I should, and could, be using. The die cuts added the perfect finishing touches to this layout (I used the Observations, photo corner, file tab, flourishes and buttons die cuts on my layout). 

I found a new addiction - this twine from Stamping Up. I actually borrowed it from a fellow scrapper at the E2C2013 retreat that I was attending at the time. Now I have to get my hands on some more. Are there any Stamping Up dealers out there who can help me out? Pretty please???

Thank-you for stopping by today. I hope you are all inspired to come and play over at Sketches With a Twist. Don't forget to upload your layout to be in the running for a prize. Here's the link: SWAT.
Cheers and hugs, and lots of happy scrapping. xxx