Leftovers anyone?

Quick layout I threw together today using left over bits from two different kits - one from a retreat last year and one from a class in 2007 I think (I really should have a sort out more often!). All the bits are from either Scenic Route or Sassafras Lass.

Nothing better than sitting outside a street cafe in the sunshine, having a little breakfast and watching the world go by heh?

If anyone knows what the swirly die cut I'd love to know - it came in the kit but I need more!!!

What's your favourite colour?

I did this layout for the Gingersnaps colour challenge - this was the most easy peasy challenge, to create something using your favourite three colours. My favourite three colours are brown, cream and blue so a seaside layout fit perfectly.

My scraproom and living room are both decorated in these colours and I get through more brown cardstock than you would believe!

The papers are Creative Imaginations, Basic Grey and Stampin' Up!. I've stamped the netting with a gorgeous background stamp from Innovative Stamp Creations which is one of my fav stamps ever. The seaweed is a Stampington stamp. All the edges of the paper are distressed and the little journaling card has been crumpled up and then flattened out to give it texture.

The picture is another from Cape Cod - beautiful beaches. My OH cannot get enough beach.

A little toot...

I am totally delighted to have been asked by the lovely Bev at Banana Frog to be a guest DT member for 2010. I am so chuffed :).

Not sure when yet but I am looking forward to it! Love a challenge.

Not more flowers...

Yep sorry, flowers again, and pink. Not like me at all - perhaps I ought to lie down...

I decided I really ought to scrap some photographs of my Valentine flowers. This might not seem like a scrap-worthy subject, but this is the only time in ten years my dearest OH has had flowers delivered to me, so I think it is! I can count the number of times I've had flowers at all on one hand!!!

In the interests of speed I decided to use a Basic Grey collection pack (Urban Prairie, quite an old pack). It didn't help much - I still procrastinated somewhat over the layout but it's done now :).

Where it says 'pull' top right I've created a little pocket behind the photo where I've placed the card which came with the flowers as it had a sweet little message on it :). The large flower is that Hero one again coloured with H20s this time. The journalling block is a Hero as well - a big giant ledger stamp that I lurve lots.

ETA - I meant to say this LO was inspired by a Sarah Youde LO in the latest SBM. Thanks for the kick start ;).

Something you might not know about me...

Well it's Thurs again so time for my non-crafty post of the week.

You might not know about me that I studied Art History at University and developed something of an obsession with Soviet art and design as a result. I have quite a substantial collection of books on the subject and wrote a paper on the role of the pottery industry in Soviet propaganda for my Masters degree. It would probably send all of you to the land of nod but for me there is something endlessly fascinating about the utilisation of art (which is all about freedom of expression) for the purposes of the state.

You can wake up now!

More pretty flowers

But this time stamped ones, not real ones. This is made with one of the new Hero Arts stamps my other half got me for Valentine's and I love it!

The card is simply made using one of my favourite inkpads ever - an Aurora Tricolour Brilliance pad. I use these tricolour pads such a lot. If you are lazy like me and can't be bothered with colouring in, this technique is fab. Stamp and emboss the image then just apply the inks with Cut-n-Dry or cosmetic sponges etc working outwards from the centre. Takes seconds to colour the whole flower. For the background I just stamped the same flower in the same ink going off the edge, then added a blush all around the border, again with the same ink. The leaves a die cuts.

Think I will be using this stamp much more :).

Valentine's

A quick pic of the flowers that were delivered yesterday morning courtesy of my other half. I can't remember the last time he got me flowers so it was quite a surprise! Aren't they pretty?

Not only this, but he got me TWO Hero Arts stamps as well - a creation with one of them will follow tomorrow.

Charming

A little teeny mobile phone charm I made using Innovative Stamp Creations stamps and Stampbord. I used the inchie stamp from Tranquil and a flower from Let it Bloom to make this.

The flower is stamped onto a scrap of Basic Grey paper and the whole thing is sealed with Glossy Accents and edged with Krylon. The dangle is actually an earring finding with a few beads added. Simple!

Quick cards

I finished up the last of my Sarah's Cards Jan kit making a few quick birthday cards. That's more or less the end of the kit now - four layouts and three cards isn't bad I don't think.

The butterflies on these are stamped onto Glimmer-Misted card for a smidge of sparkle :). The card at the back is made using part of a Fancy Pants transparency I didn't think I'd ever use on a scrapbook page.

Always useful to have a few extra birthday cards around if you are as forgetful as I!!!

A labour of love!

Another UKS challenge today - this time to use hearts, red and song title with the word 'love' in it. I predictably scrapped the dog (he's better looking than the OH) and chose one of my fav songs for the title - I Love My Dog by Cat Stevens.

The top part of the LO is created with Glimmer Mist and Glimmer Screens (oh how I love Glimmer Mist!). After spraying I traced around the shapes for definition using a fine liner pen. Some of the hearts are stamped and some are doodled. You can't quite tell in the picture but they are all layered at different heights using 3D foam. That took a while and patience I don't really have!!!

I my mission to use up stash (New Year resolution) the stickers I used are totally ancient - like four or five years old I think. In my mission to stop stroking my papers and cut them up the papers here are my precious Basic Grey.

I quite like but my goodness is it pink!!!

As the theme is love I am entering it for the Romance challenge at Gingersnap Creations too.

Thanks for looking peeps :)

Watch out for mush!

Bit mushy this LO but the UKS monthly challenge was to scrap your loved one - so here he is. I love this photo of us because we look so happy! We were having a fabulous time in glorious sunshine over in the USA so it isn't too surprising we were jolly that day.

Papers are BG Granola line - I am getting to the end of my pack of these now, one of my favourite ever paper lines. Thank you to Suzy for the rik rak and Alix for the teeny blue alphabet letters.

If you like it go vote for me in the UKS challenge LOL.

A couple of challenges

All the jobs are done and I had a bit of me time today so as well as doing a layout which I'll share later in the week, I also got around to making the OHs Valentine card. I used the sketch on Basic Grey Challenges (the papers are BG Archaic and Bittersweet) and it also counts for the Our Creative Corner challenge which is 'masculine valentine'.

It's not a very traditional Valentine but I think he'll like it. The stamp is by Bam Pop - nuts but I just love it!!!

UKS Challenge

My layout for the UKS weekly challenge where the theme is pink, bling and old stash. I can't even remember buying these papers so they must be old!

It might not look like much but it took ages!!! There is lots of doodling with a fineliner, the stars are cut from paper and matted onto black then doodled over too. It's a bit bright for me but I kinda like it.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Something you might not know about me...

I thought each week I would post a little something that isn't craft-related as I have lots of hobbies, although crafting takes up most of my time.

You probably don't know that I like to collect decorative items from the 1920s and 1930s. I've been collecting Art Deco since I was about 11 years old, although I've slowed considerably in recent years as I am running about of space to display my goodies!

Here is a recent purchase and I still have to put my own photos into the frames. I love the angular lines on these and even better they were a bargain too.

Old friends

I've nothing new to blog so am jumping on the bandwagon and posting some of my favourite older LOs which are no longer on UKS after the gallery cull.

These are some of my 2008 creations that like for various reasons.

Watch out for beavers!

A layout all about the beavers we never saw on holiday in New England. We saw lots of knawed logs, lots of lodges, but sadly no critters. It was exciting to see the 'evidence' that they were there though so I wanted to remember it in my holiday album.

Papers are mainly Crate Paper; not sure what the wood one is. I used a little bit of BG Origins chipboard and a Sizzix die cut too (I truly lurve my Big Shot). The beaver is an image I found on the net, printed and decoupaged. Cute ain't he?

TFL x