More layouts to share...

I was asked a while back to do some Guest Design work for Scrapagogo. The following are the layouts I made using their June kit.



The papers made me think of patchwork quilts so I tried to replicate this using cross stitches to join the pieces together. I also tried to make the Thickers look different in each layout. In this one, I distressed them using an emery board.



I think is my favourite layout that I've done in a while. I liked how it all came together. The flower embellishment was made by using a border punch on a strip of patterned paper and then scoring and pleating to bring it together.


Lots of hand sewing on this layout, both as a border and to embellish the Thickers.


Another patchwork style layout. This time I used the sewing machine to join the papers. I did more paper folding to make the heart which you can see in detail above and my twist with the Thickers this time was to cover them in glitter.

It surprised me how much of the kit I actually used. I need to make sure that I use my regular kit in the same way instead of collecting stash!

Twisted Sketches

I saw a link the other day to a new sketch blog and thought I'd play along: http://www.twistedsketches.com/

I dipped back into some old stash (my favourite thing to do at the moment - I'm loving rediscovering things!) and made my own mask to make the border with some glimmer mist.

I'm enjoying making my own embellishments too - the flower is a strip of paper that has been punched and then folded.



The photos are of Evie 'at the beach' a few months ago. The journaling reads: A rare warm March day in Scarborough. We had to go to the beach. Grandma bought you a new bucket and spade! You spent ages digging and filling your bucket from the sea. Lots of fun!

Apologies for the poor photo!

neglect...

That pretty much sums up how I've treated my blog recently. Not sure if anyone actually reads anymore.

So to catch up:

Oliver is now ten months old. He's crawling, climbing and generally into everything. He's just got his first two teeth too.

Evie makes me so proud. She is so keen to learn and get messy! I gave her my old camera to use and she took some really impressive photos. The teachers at nursery keep telling me how creative and imaginative she is. No idea where she gets that from!

I'm still taking lots of photos. Just a few weeks left of my course and I need to start getting my portfolio together of my best ten shots. These are a couple of my favourites:





Managing to do some scrapping in between running the house and business.

Oh and I'm an Auntie at last! My SIL had a gorgeous little girl called Martha who's now four weeks old.

So, back to the layouts...

Using up some old stash here - papers that I've never touched and some really old bits of ribbon.


Graeme and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary last week. I made this for him in place of a card. Again, using up old stash, particularly some Crate paper that I've had for years.

You never know, I may actually update again within the next month!

Photos...

I started an Open University photography course a couple of weeks ago and any spare time is spent taking pics/reading for it. I thought I'd share some of my work so far as there isn't much other crafting going on around here right now...

From our weekend on Anglesey:






400 steps and we climbed them all!







Some other pictures for my weekly assignments:







and my personal favourite from this week:

Writing 'Evie'

Last week I noticed that Evie had written her own name on a picture that she had brought home from school. It evoked such a strong sense of pride and a rush of love for my little girl (and a tear to my eye too!). I knew that I had to get her to do it again for me so I could use it on a layout. Not only did she write it in perfect, large letters, she also insisted on typing it too! She must have known how good it would look on a page!



Nearly all the supplies are from the April Studio Calico kit.

Journaling reads: It brought tears to my eyes when I saw your name in large, irregular letters. You really are so clever! Not only can you spell and write your name, but you can type it out too!


How cute is that!

Guest Designer spot...

Emma at Ribbonmad was kind enough to ask me to be a Guest Designer for their May monthly ribbon kit.



I decided to use the ribbons as a mat for the photo in place of patterned papers. I tried to embellish the ribbons in a variety of ways, using embroidery, beads and staples to show some different ways in which ribbons can be used.

The journaling reads: You and Patch are totally inseparable. It's almost impossible to find a photo of you without some evidence of your lifelong companion and comforter. He really is truly loved.

I don't believe it!!!

Yes, I've done it. I've actually finished a layout!

I've had this one on the go for well over a month. I love this photo of Evie and her Grandpa from a year ago when she was a flower-girl at my BILs wedding. The papers/flowers were all from a Studio Calico add-on kit and the rub ons are all by Crate Paper. I wanted to keep it simple and let the photo speak for itself so there's just a little bit of journaling along the scalloped edged paper.

Not a great picture of it but as ever, click for a bigger version :)

TFL xx

eta: Gold star goes to Rach for spotting my mistake with the date! Not the first time and probably won't be the last time either that I put the wrong year on a layout. At least it's a sticker that I can peel off and change :) Thanks hun for letting me know!

I've been in trouble...

I got a telling off yesterday for not updating my blog for so long (you know who you are Missy!!!) so thought I'd better do an update.

Working hard but enjoying it. Oliver has settled well into nursery life but has been almost constantly ill for the last month. This has affected his sleeping and ours too unfortunately.

Had a relaxing Easter back in Scarborough. Evie had fun doing an Easter Egg hunt and we were glad of some family time together away from work.

I'm still keeping up with my photo a day. I don't want to bore you with 3 week's worth so I'll just share some highlights (all my pics are on flickr if you're interested).

Not much scrapping happening due to lack of energy and time. I've had one layout on the go for a couple of weeks which I may manage to finish today (you never know!)

I've just signed up to do an Open University photography course which I'm looking forward to so you may see a lot more photos and less scrapping around here in the next few weeks.

One thing I'm enjoying right now is Kirstie's Homemade Home. I've got seriously house envy! It's got me really fired up into getting my sewing machine out for something other than scrapbooking!

Right, some piccies then...

Project 365 - week thirteen

I've begun to realise this week just how much I love taking photos of flowers. A few feature this week as ever. The bluebell and daffodil are growing in my garden right now: signs of Spring.

Where have the last eight months gone?

My little boy is eight months old today!

Right now...

• Everything goes into your mouth!
• You are starting to eat lumpy food like chopped up pasta.
• You love sucking on pieces of bread!
• Your favourite foods are sweet things; fruit and yoghurts
• You're not that keen on drinking water
• Your eyes light up when you see Evie - you adore each other
• You sit up confidently and can reach down for things without falling
• You can do push ups and have started to crawl backwards
• You are desperate to stand up and often arch your back when we try to sit you down to stay standing
• You love to be tickled, especially by Evie
• You like toys which make noises, paticularly your steering wheel toy
• You love 'boinging' in your 'Rainforest Jumperoo'
• You're really happy going in the swings at the park
  
• You enjoy looking at books
• You are getting very vocal. Gaga and Dada are your words of choice

One day soon, this will become a layout :)

Project 365 - week twelve...

Nearly three whole months done!

Had a bit more time for photography this last week and I'm really pleased with the pictures that I've taken.

Sibling love...

Scarborough Castle...

South Bay beach at Scarborough...
Sleeping lion at Chester Zoo. His 'wife' was laid alongside him: it looked so intimate and cosy...
Whilst trying to capture some bubbles, I managed to take this shot of weird-frozen-bubble-blowing action...
This is the rose bush that grows up against our fence. My first shot of the year was of the branches of it in sihouette. I noticed today that it had started to bud and loved the shades of red of the new shoots...
Thought it was about time we had another Oliver shot so we had a mini-photoshot this afternoon whilst he was playing. He was fascinated by this button on his playmat which was handmade by a family friend. I love watching him learn and discover the world around him...

Big sister...

Time really does fly: Oliver starts nursery on Monday and he's eight months old on Friday! He had his second visit this afternoon so I came home and made the most of some time alone and knocked out a layout.

This is a photo of Evie and I on the afternoon before Oliver was born later that night. Used some old papers and Thickers as well as some new tickets and tape for my Dymo. A bit of handstitching down the middle of the circles of paper, a few rub-ons and some hand journaling to finish it off.

The long title reads: 'Who would have thought that in only eight hours time you would be a big sister!'

Journaling reads: 'Evie and Mummy in the paddling pool trying to keep cool on one of the hottest days of the year. A couple of hours later, I went into labour. This is the last picture of us just being us.'

Using fabric...

A few weeks ago I noticed that there were some fabric scrapbook kits available here and really liked the look of them (quite a bargain too!).

Here's the first layout that I've managed with the kit:


...lots of random cross stitching to hold the felt in place and some imaginative use of Thickers to get the letters I needed for the title.

Got loads of the bits left including the Russian Dolls patterned material which is too cute! Wonder if I can get Evie to play with her set of dolls for a photoshoot...

Project 365 - week eleven...catching up

Had a very hectic time last week. Finally settling into my new role although still lots to learn. Managing to still take my pictures although sometimes very rushed attempts before bed. Here are my photos from a week ago:

Crocuses/croci in our local park: I loved the lone yellow one.

Just messing around with a tripod and creating some movement

Chinatown in Manchester

Woodland at Alderley Edge

Lily

Rice and pasta in jars in our kitchen

Sleeping Charlie. For some reason he had taken his blanket out of his bed and chosen to lay on the floor. Strange doggie!

Be back later with a layout to share...

Happy Mothering Sunday...

Just me and my kiddies...


Oh and Trina, if you're reading, finally pictures of my new 'do'! :D

Project 365 - week ten...

Last week's photographs. Didn't have a lot of time most days so just had to make do with the shots I took. Had a bit of time to myself on Sunday and had fun playing with water droplets.

(Evie's mess!)