Love - 123 Challenge August

Hi scrappy people out there!!

Well, it's been quite awhile since my last blog post - 5 months!!! And it's been just as long since I've actually done any scrapping!! Sad I know, but it was for a good reason... Back in March we found out that we are expecting Baby no.3!! We are over the moon - it is an answer to lots of prayers! It has however meant that my scrapping has taken a bit of a back seat since then as I've been lacking the energy and motivation to do anything much at the end of the day. Plus most of my spare time is spent getting organised for the arrival of our baby in 11 weeks time.

However, this week I decided enough is enough, and I needed to get my scrappy mojo back! So I decided to jump online and see what online challenges could get my creative juices flowing again. This month's challenge at 123 Challenge Blog was perfect...

 

Colour: Baby Pink

Word: Love

Technique: Stripes

We found out at our 19 week ultrasound that we are expecting a precious baby girl, so this challenge was perfect for scrapping one of our ultrasound pictures. Here is the layout that I created...

Throughout the layout I used mostly pink with a few splashes of yellow and blue, keeping the colours soft and 'baby-like'. I used the Heidi Swapp word 'love' as the title for my layout.

And here are some closeups...

For this little cluster of embellishments I used some pretty Prima flowers, and chipboard stickers from Simple Stories (banners) and MME ('Perfection').

Here I used another Prima flower and a butterfly from a Heidi Swapp Ephemera pack. I've had that 'It's a Girl' canvas sticker in my stash for years... Glad to have finally put it to use :)

I cut this phrase out of a sheet of American Crafts paper. Originally it said 'Love with all your heart', but I added some little letter stickers to change the wording to 'Love u with all my heart', as I thought that was more appropriate to the layout.

Hope you enjoyed looking at my layout - thanks for visiting my blog! I had lots of fun playing along with this challenge and getting back into my scrapping again!

Rusks - Scrap the Boys March Challenge

Hi there!

I hope that you are having a lovely weekend so far! I would like to share a layout with you today that I created for the March challenge at Scrap the Boys.

This is the challenge for this month...

COLOUR COMBO- GREEN, BLUE & YELLOW

I love this colour combination and I love what the design team at STB have come up with for this one!

Here is my take on the challenge...

I adore these photos of my son Isaac... He was about 6 months old and we had just started giving him rusks to chew on. He loved them - they would keep him occupied for ages as he munched on them. The funny thing was, I think most of it ended up on his face and clothes rather than in his mouth! 

I've been having lots of fun playing with my new Silhouette Cameo that I got a couple of weeks ago! I created this background with one of the cut files that were already included in the software. I really love the effect! I wanted the background to be the main feature of my layout so I kept my embellishing fairly minimal.

Here are some closeups...

I used a couple of items from a Heidi Swapp Ephemera pack as well as some Studio Calico wood veneer chevrons and a My Minds Eye sticker mounted with foam tape.

This vellum star was also from the HS Ephemera pack and I popped a MAMBI Chipboard sticker on top.

I also created the title for my layout using my Cameo. I used a font that I already had on my computer and then I mounted the letters up with some little foam dots to give them added dimension. And... some more Heidi Swapp goodness... the flags underneath my title!! (I really really love the Ephemera pack... I've been using bits & pieces from that pack on all my layouts lately, there's just so much in there!)

And here is a closeup of my journalling! This little journal tag was cut out of a sheet of Echo Park paper that I've had for awhile. The 'enjoy' sticker is Heidi Swapp and the wood veneer arrow is WOW.

I really had a lot of fun with this layout and I'm pleased with how it turned out!

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog and have a look at my layout! I'd love it if you leave me a comment - I love to read them!!

You are my Sunshine - 123 Challenge February

Hi there!!

Today I am sharing the layout that I created for the 123 Challenge Blog for their February challenge. Due to a delay in the challenge being posted, they are leaving this challenge open till 22nd March, so there's still lots of time to play along! I really love joining in with their challenges each month... I love how they make me think outside the box and expand my creativity! This is the February challenge...

COLOUR = PURPLE
WORD = SPIRIT

TECHNIQUE = TEXTURE (*Anything that will give your page texture)

Lots of scrappers find purple a hard colour to work with, but I actually quite enjoy using it... I find it very calming. So the challenge for me came with the requirement to use texture as I don't use a lot of 'mixed media' in my scrapping. But I enjoyed the challenge and this is what I came up with...

I created 'texture' using my purple Faber Castell Gelato through a Kaisercraft chevron template.

Here are some closeups of my layout...

Can I just say that I am more than a little bit excited because... I just purchased a Silhouette Cameo!! My title for this layout was my very first attempt using it, and it was really easy and sooo much fun!!! Can't wait to try out some more things with it!!

As required, here is my use of the word 'spirit' :-)

This butterfly was also cut using my Cameo and then I mounted it with some foam tape. I also 'sprinkled' (a.k.a 'carefully placed' as if to look like they have been sprinkled!!!) some sequins amongst my embellishments, and applied some Kaisercraft rubons.

My flower cluster includes some Kaisercraft paper blooms, a Prima flower, and a BasicGrey chipboard sticker. I also made a little bow with purple ribbon and popped it in amongst the cluster.

Thank you so much for taking a look at my layout and for any kind words that you leave me - I really appreciate each person who takes the time to leave me a comment!

I love this girl - D-Lish Scraps February Challenge

Hi there!

Today I've got a layout to share that I created for the D-Lish Scraps February challenge. They provided this inspiration board to work with...

There is lots to be inspired by here!! This is the layout that I created...

I was inspired by the 'love' theme, as well as the colours, the hearts, the arrows on the card, and the clouds hanging from the mobile. I also used the sketch for design inspiration, but I converted it into a double layout.

I took these 'selfies' of my daughter, Abigail, and I when she was only 2 years old. We went away on a 'girl's weekend' together, just the two of us! We had so much fun and it was lovely to have some uninterupted quality time together! We so need to do that again...

The patterned papers that I've used are mostly My Minds Eye, except for the pink which is Imaginisce. The clouds and rainbow on my layout I fussy cut from a sheet of Kaisercraft patterned paper.

Here are some closeups of my layout...

I used a Stampin' Up Thinlits die to create the 'I <3 u' and then I popped a Heidi Swapp heart on top which I inked up with pink Versamark ink. The arrow is a wow wood veneer... they seem to be making an appearance on my layouts quite often of late!

These hearts are Heidi Grace chipboard stickers that I've had for ages... they worked perfectly with my colour scheme and also the theme of my layout. The flowers on my layout are Prima. You can also see in this picture that there's a clothing tag tucked in underneath the blue patterned paper... I used this to do my journalling on.

The little banners at the top of my layout were created using both a Stampin' Up stamp and a punch... I think that they're super cute! I used some foam tape to mount them up and give them dimension.

I created my title using Bella! chipboard alphas. The little mini alphas are Kaisercraft.

I hope you enjoyed visiting my blog and taking a look at my layout! I will love to read any comments that you leave!!

Happiness - SUYS February Challenge

Hello!

Today I'm sharing a layout that I created for the February challenge at Show Us Your Stuff. The challenge is to use this quote:

And as always you must use a handmade item on your layout as well.

Here is my take on this challenge...

I'm really quite happy with how this layout turned out. I often tend to use bright colours rather than pastel colours, but this time I used pastels and I think they worked perfectly for these baby photos of Isaac. I even used a touch of pink which I never use on 'boy' layouts, but in this case I think it worked :-) The background patterned paper is Heidi Swapp (I'm so loving using Heidi Swapp papers and embellies at the moment!) and the other patterned papers I've used are from the Pink Paislee Colour Wash collection (I totally fell in love with these papers as soon as I saw them!).

Here are some closeups of my layout...

I used the quote as my title. I had fun mixing it up by using a combination of mini alphas, shapes, and stickers for the title! I think that it creates a bit of interest. The heart is from a Heidi Swapp emphemera pack... I inked it up then I applied a coat of gesso to tone down the colour. The 'happiness' sticker is also Heidi Swapp :-) The '&' sticker is from an AC Amy Tangerine sticker pack.

This is my handmade item... banners! I cut these out from the reverse side of one of the Pink Paislee patterned papers so that they would co-ordinate perfectly.

A closeup of the embellishments on right hand side of my double layout. I used a few bits and pieces that I've had in my stash for awhile that matched the colour palette. I also tucked a paper doilie behind. Doilies seem to find their way onto most of my layouts... they're just great for layering and adding a bit of texture :-)

And here is a closeup of the embellishments on the left hand side. I positioned the wood veneer camera over one of the hearts on the patterned paper so that its peeking through the hole :-) The arrow is another Heidi Swapp embellishment and I've given this the same treatment as the heart.. a bit of ink and a coat of gesso.

I hope you enjoyed looking at my layout... Thank you so much for coming to visit my blog. I would love it if you left me comment!!

Best Ever Nanna - Scrap the Boys Feb Challenge

Hello Everyone,

I hope that you all had a happy Valentine's Day yesterday and got to spend some time with someone that you love! This Valentine's Day marks 16 years since my husband & I started dating!!

Today I would like to share with you a layout that I created for the February challenge at Scrap the Boys...

The challenge criteria this month is to create a layout featuring your boy/s and

“Someone Special” in their life!

"Best Ever Nanna"

I have put off scrapping this photo for so long because it is a photo that is very precious to me and for this reason I wanted to make sure that I did it justice when I scrapped it. It is special because sadly it is the only photo that I have of Isaac with his Nanna. My mother-in-law was diagnosed with motor neuron disease when Isaac was a baby and the disease progressed so quickly that she passed away in just a few short months.

When I saw the criteria for this month's challenge at STB, I knew that this was the prompting I needed to finally scrap this photo. Nanna was certainly "someone special" in the lives of her grandchildren. She loved them unconditionally, she enjoyed spending time with them and she loved to dote on them. I wanted to create a layout that would be a reminder to Isaac about the special bond that he had with his Nanna, even if their time together was short. My journalling, which is a message for Isaac about how special his Nanna was, is tucked behind the photo in a glassine bag. I hope that in years to come that he might read it and be reminded of how much he was loved by his Nanna.

The pastel colours in the Heidi Swapp 'Serendipity' collection of patterned papers were perfect for my layout. The 'best ever' tab and butterfly sticker are also Heidi Swapp. I created the heart banner using punched out hearts and I popped them up on foam mounting tape for dimension.

A few more stickers, die cuts and a WOW wood veneer arrow pointing towards the photo were the finishing touches to my layout!

Thank you for coming to visit my blog... I'd love it if you leave me a comment to let me know you've been here!

Dora - 123 Challenge

Hello scrappers!!

Just popping in to share a layout that I created for the January challenge at 123 Challenge Blog. I was so thrilled to be chosen as one of the November winners, and I love the challenges on this blog so I have joined in again this month. 

This is the challenge for January...

I found this one a little "challenging" as I don't usually use a lot of orange or feathers on my layouts, but I gave it a go and I'm happy with the end result!

Here is the layout that I created...

And a few closeups...

I found this feather in my backyard a little while ago, and being the scrapper that I am, I of course put it aside to use on a future layout! So glad to have put it to good use!

I used the word 'live' in my journalling :-)

A closeup of the right hand side of my double layout.

And a closeup of the left hand side.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog and taking a look at my layout! I'd love it if you leave me a comment too!!!

Cake and Gifts - L.P.S Colour Challenge

Hello and thanks for coming to visit my blog...

Today I am sharing a layout that I created for the December Colour Challenge at Life.Paper.Scrapbook.

These are the gorgeous colours for the challenge:

And here is my layout that I created using these colours...

The 'My Girl' collection from My Minds Eye was perfect for this challenge and they complemented these photos of my daughter on her 2nd Birthday so well. Abigail was the first grandchild and niece on both sides of our family, and so she has always been spoiled by her grandparents and aunties and uncles! On her 2nd Birthday, all of our extended family came over to celebrate with cake and gifts for Abi. And then a few days later we celebrated again with a 'Wiggles' party with family and friends. She is very blessed to have so many people around her who love her and who want to spoil her!!

Here are some closeups of my layout...

I used stickers from the 'My Girl' collection as well as MME Enamel Dots, MAMBI Chips, and WOW wood veneers to embellish my layout.

How cute is this gumball machine from the MME Sticker Sheet?!! I mounted it with some foam tape to give it dimension. I also included some Studio Calico Wood Veneer chevrons pointing towards the photos.

I left lots of space on the left hand side of my layout as I wanted to include a large title. I created this lettering using a Die-namics die and a QuicKutz die. The tricky bit was gluing all the letters down as I ran out of tape in my Xyron sticker maker!

A closeup of my embellishing on the left hand side of my layout... More stickers, chippies, wood veneers, and enamel dots :-)

I hope that you enjoyed taking a look at my layout! Thanks so much for taking the time to visit and for any comments that you leave - I really love reading them!!

Mandy