What I've Been Up To Lately...

The months are whizzing by and I nearly missed loading a post for September! Never fear, I managed to get one in just in time. And, if we go by USA time, then I have a day to spare :)

Since my last post I have been creating here and there and unfortunately I was also sick which sucked my creative mojo. I finished my double page 2012 layout - this is one I do every year with index photos. This year I added fold out pages on the outside edges to create room for journaling and more photos. I had held off working on this project as I wasn't sure how to 'handle' the content. Last year was challenging for me health-wise and I wanted to document it yet still remain positive. I think I managed it.

Last weekend I finally got my creative mojo back and added photos to the mini albums made at CAD earlier this year. I really enjoyed creating them and I even used pink stickles (I am not a pink kind of girl).  Thought I'd use my September post to show you how they turned out:

 

 

 

These are photos from times with good friends in Auckland over a couple of visits last year. I love, love, love that I finally used some stamps from my collection that I have never used - that's right I said never. At least I can feel a little less shame now, right?

 

 

These photos were from a trip to Canberra to visit dear family friends.

 

 

 

 

These photos were from a family trip to Melbourne and I love the family pictures we took at a restaurant one night.

 

There you go, that's what I have been up to lately.

Pulling Out The F Word

Today's post is all about things beginning with F. Don't worry, you won't have to cover your ears! Family, Frills and Flourishes was all I was going to say :)

The challenge at Southern Girls' Challenge this fortnight is Things Beginning With F. I am submitting the following layout for the challenge. The details are here .

This is only the second time I have done a shaped layout. The paper itself is lovely so I didn't want to over embellish it. I coloured the bling with my new Kaisercraft Fusion Alcohol pen I bought at SENZ this year but it ended up being too dark green. I then pulled out my new favourite play thing - liquid pearls - and carefully dropped some on each pearl. It turned out a perfect match. Man, I love liquid pearls and need every colour.


Materials: Paper (Kaisercraft, Kaskade), Bling (Kaisercraft), Liquid Pearls (ranger), Pen (Kaisercraft), Roller Stamp (Joannes), Ink (Stampin' Up!), Ribbon, Flowers, Doily, Bling Branches (home décor item).

Sophie's Card - Take #2 Inspiration Emporium

This is the other card I made for Miss S.  I haven't heard [yet] if she has pulled anything off this one but at least there was nothing for her to harm herself with on this replacement card!

I am entering this card on the current monthly challenge on the Inspiration Emporium blog: Happy Birthday America or Other Birthday Celebrations.  Naturally, I didn't make a happy birthday America card but I am pretty sure a simple 1st birthday card is almost as important.  The details for the challenge are here .

Here's the replacement card I made as it was attached to the wrapped present. I am pretty chuffed with the wrapping as I don't normally spend that much of an effort on the gift wrap.

The embossing folder I used was one that came in a sale bundle ($3 for 5 -Bargain!). I instantly fell in love with this folder and can see myself making a whole lot of these in various colours.  I think you could give blank versions with different coloured centre squares with different sentiments stamped on them as gifts. The gift receiver could put a card together according to their colour preference and sentiment required.

Materials: Cardstock (Stampin' Up!), Embossing Folder (Craft Concepts), Glitter (Martha Stewart), #1 and 'S' (American Crafts), Tag (Making Memories), Paper (DCWV), Doily, Twine

Sophie's Card - Take #1 No Spoolin'

Remember a little while back I mentioned I made a really cool (I think) card for the first birthday of the divine Miss S? Do you remember that I realised after I made it that it is inappropriate for a 1 year old - bits that can be pulled off and other bits that are pointy (ouch!). Can you tell I don't have children?  But it was so cute (I may have said that already).

I am entering this card in the current challenge at the Southern Girls' Challenge blog : No Spoolin'.  No using anything that comes on a spool - twine, ribbon, cotton. Washi is ok but I didn't use any here. The link for the challenge is here . 

Without further ado here is my card:

The button was in a stashie I won as a letter to the editor in Scrapbooking Memories.  When I fist saw it I thought: when would I use that? I think it works perfectly with the honey comb embossing.  This was one of the cards I made with the Sizzix diffusers but I ended up covering the diffused centre circle as I didn't know what to do with it.

For once there is no stamping on my card - shock horror! (I couldn't find a small Best Wishes stamp in my stash)

Materials: Cardstock (Stampin' Up!), Flag and Button (Two Sisters), Embossing Folder (Sizzix), Flowers.

Teressa Collins Giveaway!

Teresa Collins has a massive giveaway today on her blog - one (or more) lucky person will win 4 (yes, FOUR) of her new collection packs! Excited much.

Here's the link: http://teresacollins.typepad.com/teresa_collins/2013/07/cha-come-visit-us.html#comment-6a00d8344adac153ef0192ac287951970d

Your Welcome and good luck!

What Do You Do When You Are Grounded?

What do you do when you are grounded? Why, create of course! I was supposed to be heading to our fair nation's capital last weekend but Wellington got hit with its worst storm in 45 years! My flight was cancelled which I was quite happy about in the end as the gale force winds registered at 200km an hour! Yikes! I was rebooked the next morning to fly to Palmerston North then bus down to Wgtn but I turned down that option. I can't really complain because there were people in far worse situations: no power, roofs missing, 2.5m snow in South Island etc).

The flight cancellation left me with a cleared schedule and the thought: what does one do when one is grounded? I made the most of my free time and read, caught up with friends who had 2 tickle monsters residing in their house, and created (of course).  A packet of Sizzix Diffusers (*cough*) may (*cough*) have arrived at my house recently (I admit nothing). I had to give them a try, right? I must admit I was a little bit at a loss as to what to fill the diffused bits with. I tried different techniques with each one. I ended up completely covering one with flowers and I thought: fat lot of use using the diffuser then! I really liked that card though and decided to make it for little Miss Sophie who turns 1 in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately I realised after I made it that if she is anything like her oldest sister (Miss 5), she will pull all the decorative bits off her first birthday card from me (true story!).  Also, I used a flag/pennant from a prize which is actually quite pointy and therefore dangerous to 1 year olds! Looks like you will be seeing me make a[nother] 1st birthday card on here soon :)

The other project I worked on was a mini album I completed the bones of over a year ago. It is a book for my youngest niece about our stories, our relationship, our photos along with words of wisdom.  All I needed to do was fill in the journaling.  I finally sat down to add some stories and pulled out PL type stamps to add words and phrases to photos and the journaling cards.  I intend on getting her to fill in cards too.  My cards are along the lines of: The story of ... and there is even one that says: I must really love you because.... and I added all the children's shows and movies I have sat through with her!

The album is a $2 one I got from Target in America. I've had it for years and I started making this at the end of 2011 I think!

This is what it looks like now:

I used Tim Holtz tissue tape for the first time on this project and it started a love affair

I even went to the trouble of mirroring the title on the inside page - boy, I must really love her :) PS I did not dress her in the watermelon outfit! Her mother, my sister, did and it was just for fun. Honest.  Unfortunately, my niece's gorgeous auburn hair turned blond as she got older.

The album has paper bags in it that I embossed and inked. This might have been near the beginning of my love for Tim Holtz and his distress inks. Lots of BoBunny ETC range in this album and lots and lots of inking and stamping. Each double page spread has a paper bag (filled with photos and cards for journaling) and pockets.

You are forgiven if you are thinking that this book is a little masculine and not girly at all. Green is my niece's favourite colour so that was the base for the album and the BoBunny ETC range was very me (it's a book for both of us).

Seeing as I don't have pictures to load of the updated journaling I will let you in on the original funny story that was the impetus to make the book. The Story Of The Madarin: Eden (age 2) was asked if she would like a mandarin.  She said, "Yep!" and scrambled off her seat and ran to the back door. She opened the door, looked out and came back in saying: "She's not there". "Who?" they asked. "Aunty Manda" she replied. Turns out she thought they were asking her if she would like to let Aunty Manda in!

Cute, right? :-)

I will load pictures at some point it's just I am time poor now that my travel has been rescheduled for this weekend! Full on week of work after my time off then I'm off to SENZ for the day!!!! I am booked into a class run by Scottie Crafts in Auckland - they may also have been the enablers who provided me with the Sizzix diffusers (I admit nothing!)

If you made it to the end you will find out, not only a cute story about my niece, but also that I am entering this in Inspiration Emporium's June Challenge. The challenge is Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue. Now, this album is quite old and I started it over a year ago. But, it is new because it is completely different to its original state (some may say it looked better before I altered it). I have used older product from my stash (metal charms, 'borrowed'  luggage lock, paint).  Unfortunately it is not blue.  I hope it fits their criteria - the details for the challenge are here . 

Materials: Album (Target), Paint (Making Memories), Tissue Tape (Tim Holtz), Ink (Tim Holtz, Stampin' Up!), Stamps (various - time poor!), RIbbon (Stampin' Up!), Papers and Chipboard(BoBunny), Embossing Folders (Cuttlebug), Mesh, Embossing Powder (Ranger)

Set The Timer!

Just to prove I can do cards quickly I decided to create a card based on the previous one I made and time myself.  I felt very rushed doing it under the pressure of the timer and, of course, when you are trying to be fast, things get in the way (draws close on your fingers and washi sticks to your scissors!).  From start to finish it took me 8 minutes to complete the card. If I wasn't so anal about inking the edges of things it would've been quicker. I just had to ink the edges of the arrows (with a stamping marker). It really did make a difference as they now look like they have some depth to them (as if they are cut from chipboard rather than just cardstock).I actually made two as you will see from the picture:

Apologies for the photo.  I did load a second one that is better but it still doesn't show them off very well. If I tilt my laptop downwards away from me then I can see the details on the bottom of the picture. Hope that helps - apologies if you have a PC!

 

So, in 16 minutes I have 2 cards for my stash - brilliant. Mind you, the 16 minutes does not include clean up!  I think I am getting a little bored with this sketch now; as I am sure you are. Time to look for a new sketch to work with methinks.

I am entering these cards in two challenges:

Simon Says Stamp n Show - Kraft. Kraft is the base for these cards and I took inspiration from one of the cards on their blog which had the combo of white ink on kraft.  The details are here .

Southern Girls Challenge - Give It An Upper Cut and Punch It Out. Their challenge requires you to use a punch or die cut. I used an arrow punch on my cards. The details for the challenge are here  .

Materials:
Kraft (Ormolu), Washi (7 Gypsies, Somi, other), White Cardstock (Stampin' Up!),
Arrow Punch (EK Success), Stamp (Kaisercraft), Ink (Stampin' Up!), Red Pen (Stampin' Up! - for inking the edge of the arrows).