Lovely to see you here...

Lovely to see you here...

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Spring has sprung...

Well today is a celebration for our youngest daughter, she has been skating for 3 years and to celebrate we are going skating.  Since she only came out of her cast last week because of her broken foot, She is excited to get back into skating. to Also it is spring holidays here so we are making the most of this glorious weather.

To celebrate such a wonderful day I have a layout I wish to share with you.  I used this sketch from a Facebook site that I am on and ended up with a layout that we love.  Okay so I only followed the main part of the sketch but a sketch doesn't have to be followed completely it just gives you a start if you need one.  Since my brain is in holiday I thought this would be a great way to get one layout done.


 My finished layout in all it's shimmering glittering glory…No journalling as this will go in an album with heaps of Project Life surrounding this event early this year of my step-sisters wedding where these two were apart of the bridal party as you will see from my previous post - Photos are a Big Deal.


I used Heidi Swapp scalloped ribbon that I sprayed blue in different hues on the big scallop I added lots of glitter to it which took about an hour to dry, I was too scared to use the heat gun in case all the glitter went everywhere & I had to start again.  Waiting, waiting until it dried then I got started & put it all together bit by bit.  I love working off the colours that are already in the photos…  This one was simply white, a beautiful bright blue & silver bling - diamonties.  It looks so much better in Real life plus this was taken with my iPhone 4s camera not bad quality for that.

Thankyou reading this post I hope you enjoy your time with your loved ones & scrap those memories… Now please excuse me whilst I go & make more memories to cherish - skating.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

It's so sweet to join in at The Scrap Suite...

I have figured this internet out…finally…lol
Early in the morning it is ready to rock and roll.  Whats the saying "The early bird gets the worm!"  Well here it's the Early bird catches the internet!  Now that being the case I shall be able to get back on track and share with you more often what I am up to with my layouts.

At The Scrap Suite on Facebook you can join in monthly cyber crop challenges & the ladies really come up with some brilliant ideas to challenge & stretch the brain…lol… What I love most about this monthly cyber crop is you have the whole month to do a challenge!! So if life throws you a curve ball you still have the whole month to join in & play along.  Plus there is always a kids challenge for our little ones who take an interest in your stash.
This first layout I wish to share was for the July crop… It was anything goes with a twist - now the twist was using D-Lish Scraps product… D-Lish Scraps you ask, well click on the link & check out the yummy supplies in this store.   
I really had fun with this layout using stamping ink with a template to create the dotted background.  The pink paint I used another dots template but then used a bread & Butter knife to swipe across the page.  Now you see all the embellishment on this page including the chipboard word & corners they are all from the D-Lish Scraps store.  I really like little flowers that are in stock in the store.   


This page for another challenge was using a technique that was on trend… So I grabbed out the gelatos that I don't use very much & used them like crayons on the background, using a paint brush & water I swiped over the top of the gelatos setting them into place.  Those blue dots I used another dot template & texture paste with some blue paint, idea taken from the daughters clothing.  Those gorgeous doilies are from the shop and so are the chipboard words love, fun.  Heidi Swapp arrows & chipboard chose Happy circle.  Plus my journaling which is on this page but this layout is also part of a bigger spread of 6 pages and some Project life too.

 Okay onto the August challenges which by the way are still up and running.  This next layout is a sketch challenge.  
Now I had issues with this layout from the beginning as I couldn't use any patterned paper that I had nor could I use any card stock other than white as nothing worked with this photo, it seemed to make her look really white & stark.  Then I had to figure out what colours to play with to achieve a suitable finish for the photo.  Well okay out came the gelato watermelon colour & gold embossing powder.   I then used gyprok mesh & coloured it black with a StazOn stamp pad.  Black glossy cardstock behind the photo & a hot pink ribbon boarder to match her shirt.  Heidi Swapp words for my heading plus some extra bling.  Worked out better than I imagined & don't I like that for an outcome.

The latest challenge I have completed was blue & green should totally be seen with a colour swatch to use.  Well I dived into hubby's photos from when he was 16 and this is what I came up with.  Mists, inks, texture paste, twine, gyprock mesh getting messy with it & loving the outcome!!!  I usually struggle with doing boys/man layouts but I am getting there thanks to the lovely Beck Beattie and her ideas from Scrappy Chat designs where she has challenged me to embrace my style.  Thanks Beck!

As another day is truly underway, be thankful for the little things as well as the big stuff.
Embrace your style & those you love.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Photos are a big deal...!

Wow it's been too long since my last post, I apologise.  I have just figured out I can use hubby's iPad (shhh).  Once this house is finished we are definitely moving to where there is better internet reception and closer to a high school which we will chose for our eldest daughter next year. Yes you read that right high school - I am almost beside myself with that notion, Year 7 is now high school.  Well after hours on the iPad & iPhone I just figured out I cannot upload from hubby's iPad so I am back on my iMac to share with you all that I have been up to… 

What I wanted to share today is the importance of taking those photos, not for just the big events but also for everyday, to remind ourselves of the wonderful life that we have.  I have just spent 3hrs on my photos downloading to USB drives ready to print from this year, now this is not to say I haven't backed up which I try to do regularly.  This year has been full of big events but also small ones too & without photos I wouldn't remember half of it or the emotions attached to these times.

The end of February I was on camera duty for a Show skate night for our club to "Show the Love for Steve".  This night saw me as club photographer take 1200 photos in three hours of the antics that everyone got up to that night, to celebrate the life of a wonderful man who's life touched the skating community around the globe.  Also this night was our youngest daughters first night skating in front of a crowd which she did very well at.  The memories in these photos will fill a 12x12 album on it's own.


We blasted into May with a wedding!!!  My little step sister married her lovely man & I have a new step brother.  Even though it was windy & a slightly cool morning it was the perfect day.  I was the photographer for the day & roped my hubby in to help as well...oh my and was I worried I wouldn't be able to take the right photos of the wedding.   I didn't have to worry I was working with a beautiful bride, a relaxed bridal party & great family = biased much.   I love many of the shots that we got - so full of fun & emotion.  
Our daughters were apart of this special occasion - the cheeky little flower girl made my dad, step-mum, my big bro, hubby & I laugh many a time during the day.  It was her first wedding party & I couldn't believe how well she behaved!!!  

This photo of the happily married couple would have to be one of my favourites - their first quite moment together after the ceremony.

 The end of May our eldest daughter competed in her second competition for the year, in Artistic Rollerskating which is her challenge that she thrives on… My albums are always celebrating these special moments that I once again catch on camera.  Without these photos I would not remember that this was the day she received two bronze medals for two events which saw her grinning from ear to ear!  Plus look at that height off the floor.

 Now without photos how would I remember the day, the emotions, the fun.  Then along comes the journalling so that I can convey these words, these feelings about these days too those who look through the albums, including our girls who love looking through these photos and they can enjoy the day all over again.
And this is why I scrapbook…
This page was made for my sisters wedding, a family photo dad took of us.  This page sits with many other pages including some project life which I like to incorporate hence the no journalling on this layout.

This is the reason that we love the beach… works well for mixed media.

My daughters antics waiting for her sister to finish skating resulted in this layout & I really love it.  I used a lot of embossing powder to create the background.

 I finally figured out the layout to create, for these skating photos from last year.  Mists were a great way to add interest to this layout, that keeping it simple so that the eye is drawn to the photos. 

This layout is all about the journalling that goes with the photos.  It speaks volumes when you can read the story.  You become engaged with what is happening & understand why the photos are there.

 I am still figuring out what I want to write about these photos…I was just a little girl with my big bro & I only remember snippets of these days from the actual photos.  My parents have told me alot from this time at the Gold Coast where we always holidayed.  The yellow fun in the sun paper, is the main paper that I used backing onto the blue for added definition.

Kaiser craft paper was used for this layout… Another holiday on the coast with my family when I was a little girl.  I can remember more about this day just from the photo & will be journalling as such.

 This page is one of my favourites…
Wow look at my mum after having two kids - lucky lady she is a stunner!!  Journalling has been added in two ways, around the circle & the yellow strips.  I remember nothing from this holiday at Kirra - Gold Coast I was too young.

 The last page I wish to share with you is of my daughter last year.  Her dress up day at Kindy and she decided that she wanted to be Elsa… Okay dress bought that was easy…photos taken & Queen Elsa pose certainly down pat.  Now came the challenging part, scrapping these photos.  As usual I draw on certain colours in my photos & work from there - trying to create a layout that suits this actual theme - Snow Queen.  
I just love how this page turned out, when I started I had no-idea what it was going to look like, I just went for it.

Well if you stayed with me all through that long post, Thank you very much indeed.  It has been a year full of ups, but also full of a few downs where two precious members of our family passed away.  In my grief I work through layouts to help.  At this stage I cannot as yet scrapbook these members that I loved so dearly, but in time I will be able to do so which will include all the emotional journalling that will be present on the page.  
Until then I will keep scrapping the happy times until I can scrap those I have lost.
Hence why I say photos are important and so is spending time with those we love, because you don't know if tomorrow will be yours.  
Tomorrow the sun will rise again.  
A new day will begin, but right now is the here and now.

So enjoy those precious moments, even if they are full of chaos, family are the ones we love the most.