Speed Scrapping! Again

Right it's 11 in the evening and I have just picked up a photograph and have decided to Scrap it onto an 8x8 layout! When I have finished I will post it here! Who reckons I can do it before midnight. Not sure I'll actually get the photo uploaded by then, but to make the page... that's my goal!

Speed scrapping - I'm just grabbing anything and sticking it on!

UPDATE - Well I didn't quite finish it before midnight, but about quarter past so not too bad!

So pictured is the result! (and it's now 12.30am)

Mother's Day Cards

Well the time is nigh in the UK for Mother's day... yes it's on 2nd March this year (this Sunday) which is a good 3 weeks earlier than normal!

Well I'm not ready am I! tut!

Mum will be so disappointed if she didn't get one this year, so I hurridly put a "normal" but very humorous card in the post this evening, just in case I don't manage to make one in time for the post to get it to her before the day!

And I don't want to rush it do I?!

This photo is of the Mother's Day card I made for Mum last year. She is really into green and very much soft greens and pinks. I always like to put a photograph on this card, it makes it so much more personal!

I hope you are a little better organised than I and have already made your card!

Stamping for Scrapbookers

Here is a nice little article about using stamps as backgrounds, from the scrapbooking families.com site.

I think I will be doing a demo on stamping for beginners at my April Crop at ScrapBuddies. It is a very versatile medium and a part of stash that is very econimical, especially with the advent of acrylic stamps.

The word "pink" was stamped on this layout. It pays to deliberately jiggle the letters so that they look like that are supposed to not line up!!

And in case you are wondering... the word "Boots" was printed onto that piece of paper and then cut into a tag shape, and I have added clear gloss to the letters for a bit of depth.



By the way, Anyone interested in an ebook about how to photograph yourself well? let me know!

Make a montage - use up your photo frames

I was doing a bit of tidying up (rare thing I know but has been known to happen LOL!) and I came across a couple of photo frames that I have been given - some of them my hubby had rescued from someone throwing them out which have naff prints in them. (Only the best for me! LOL)

I was keeping them for a nice photograph, 5x7 or 8x10" size, you know the sort of thing.

Well I thought "why don't I just make up a montage of a few photos to place in these frames!"

So, that is what I shall be doing! I will probably use a digital layout format, although as long as no raised embellishments are used, I could make up a montage using traditional scrapbooking techniques.

The difference between what I am suggestion here and a scrapbook page...?

Well a straight montage is just a collection of photos placed together really, as opposed to a scrapbook layout which includes other things, but I will probably do a bit of both.

So if you have some unused frames that you would like to have displaying something rather than stuck in a drawer waiting... why not arrange a 2 or 3 photos on a piece of background paper instead of waiting for one big photo. You can always replace the montage when you find that photo that's just right... but I bet you won't want to!

The photos here are just a couple more of my Inde. The one below where he's jumping all over me trying to lick my face, hence the expression, was taken by my daughter! (with my Digital SLR! - and yes I always make her put the strap around her neck, because it's heavy and prone to being dropped by little hands!!)

My Team Scrapbooking Challenge on UKScrappers

Here is my entry/example for this weeks challenge on UK Scrappers!

This is the challenge...

Our team name is done in purple and ribbon is in our name so if you use purple and ribbon 10 points (5 points for only using 1)
February is pisces which is water so the theme has to be water 5 pointsthere are 29 days this feb so you have to use 29 of something OR 2 & 9 of something 10 points
and finally something metal or sparkly 5 points

And this is my entry editorial:

This is my entry for the Rockin Ribbon Raiders Team Challenge.

Water ThemeUse Ribbon - loads (I lurve ribbon)

Use 29 of something... buttons

Something sparkly... Sparkly brad bottom right of main photo (see closeups!)

Something purple... 29th Button is purple - can you spot it? (answers on a postcard please to... only joking) You'll have to check out the close ups!

Papers - Basic Grey from the Two Scoops, Blush and Urban Couture collections

Bazzill Green cardstock background and white title

Ribbons and buttons from various (non-scrapbooking) sources.

Sparkly brad from Team member 'Pink Lady'.

The title was cut using Craft Robo - Font: Script MT Bold.

As the white card of the title stand out as much as I had hoped it would I "added" a shadow to one side of each letter using a green/blue pencil. This help define the edges. (see last picture)

So far the ladies are working like demons sins it went live this morning and some ladies have posted their completed layouts already... how quick is that!

A Beaming Smile!

I couldn't resist putting these pictures up here tonight! Self indulgence maybe, but as much as a laugh can be infectious, I believe a genuine smile can be too!

This is my daughter having real fun trying to master the art of "rising trot", during a private riding lesson this morning! She was failing miserably, although she was trying to get the hang of it!

I realise that I am her mummy, so may well be biased, but I know a true smile of joy when I see one!

I AM SO THANKFUL FOR MY CAMERA!!

What would we be without our photographs... eh...? Well we certainly would find scrapbooking difficult now wouldn't we! LOL!

But there are some photos that just say it all! And these are amongst them!

By the way - I shall be making an announcement soon about some freebies that will be available when you sign up for interest in my new Scrapbooking ebook, more details soon!

Keep a Notebook for your Scrapbook

By notebook, I do actually mean the old fashioned little notebook made of paper and not the fancy pants laptop technology that is available today! LOL

I have mentioned this TIP before, but some things are worth reiterating - it is a really useful habit to keep a notebook handy at all times to scribble down those little conversations one has some days (usually noteworthy ones with children) which you can scrap at a later date.

These are great for those pages with either no photo, or a photo you really want to use (of the person(s) in the conversation) but have nothing specific to use it for.

Your notebook need be nothing more than a "value" notebook bought in packs of 5 at your local supermarket, it's just a piece of paper when you need one (and of course carry some sort of pen). Both of these I carry in my handbag at all times, along with various other things like a veritable pharmacy and a nappy bag and a spare pair of my daughter's knickers! The things we keep in our handbags, eh!!!

Something my daughter said recently I wrote down...

I asked her what she was doing and she said..."I brushing Harley, because he's melting"!

Anyway, the pic here is just an up to date picture of Inde, who is now just over 6 months old and training up well!

Chivalry is not Dead!

Well I had another flat tyre on my car this morning, on the way to taking Honey to nursery!

Same tyre as before (front near side(left!)), went down last December. It was repaired as apparently there was nothing wrong with it and it had "most probably come off the rim" so the garage reset the tyre onto the rim then and I have been driving on it ever since!

Ironically it was the wheel on the other side (front off side) that I was keeping an eye on over the last couple of days as I suspected that one of deflating slowing!! The trouble is, as you can see from the photo, my tyres are soooo low-profile it is actually difficult to judge whether they are slightly flat or not!!!!

"Does that tyre look low to you?" I ask my hubby,
"I don't know, they all look low to me!" he retorts! LOL

Anyway, the reason for this post is not to explain about my tyres, but to tell you of the chivalrous behaviour of two men who came to my aid!

I pulled the car over into a slip road-type layby, because I just knew what had happened and wanted a flat area away from the busy road to jack the car up, especially with a 4 year old hanging around the car (who of course can't be in it whilst it's on a jack!)
Thankfully it was only a about a hundred yards or so till I stopped (still managed to ruin the tyre though!).

I got the bits out and started to attempt to undo the wheel nuts! Joke! They were on too tight!
"Hey ho" I thought "I need to ring my hubby to see if he can pop out to help, failing that it's a call to the AA!"
Well my hubby said he was just waiting for his staff to arrive in the office and he would be along as soon as he could (only about 5 miles away).

In the meantime I found another (Longer) spanner for my wheel nuts and so, standing with all my weight (and I'm no cream puff I can tell you! LOL!) the nuts eventually started to give way!
I was just undoing the first when a van pulled up and two chaps got out and asked if they could be of assistance!!!

"Wow" I thought, "how nice of them!" They were travelling to a property only a few hundred yards away (from where I had pulled over) to put up some fencing and had seen that I was trying to change a wheel, so they stopped!

They changed the wheel over very quickly and were just tightening the last nut when my hubby arrived!!! (I had telephoned, but he had already left the office).

So as the title says... chivalry is not dead... someone came to my aid and I was, and am very thankful, and so was my hubby.

And as they gave us a business card I will say a BIG THANK YOU again to Rory Clifford of Down To Earth Landscaping based in Bungay, Suffolk Tel: 01986 896623 and his co-worker (sorry don't know his name!) who came to mine and my daughter's aid this morning!

Those unusual photographs for Scrapbooking

We are always looking for something different aren't we... unusual photos of loved ones... well... try taking pictures from behind... no not YOUR behind silly! LOL!

I mean take a picture from behind - like people, things, animals. It's a different angle.

This picture for instance, I took on Sunday whilst eating our lunch outside in the sunshine... can you believe it!!! It's February!

I was sitting on the bench and these two were sitting on the side of the pond. I just thought the pose was nice and so quietly went upstairs to retrieve my camera and luckily they hadn't moved much!

So there's a challenge... keep your eyes peeled for unusual poses!

Humor from the land of Oz

A fellow team member on my RRR team at UKScrappers pointed us in the direction of a blog written by a mad who calls himself a scrapbook widower!! He is based in Australia and this particular entry from a few weeks back (during their very hot summer time) I found laugh out loud funny!

It's a funny blog in general and well worth a visit to put a grin on your face... and have that fleeting moment of recognition for your other half!!!

Oh So Frosty! - Photography

Ah, the simple cobweb... they always look beautiful when frosted or dew laden don't they?!

I took this photograph yesterday morning... for two reasons.

One was because I know that our frosts don't stay for long and I need some "cold" pictures for variety of scrapping and possible Christmas card uses, so I dashed outside whilst amidst sorting out my daughter to get ready for nursery. Standing in the cold without a coat on snapping away.

The second reason was to enter a picture in this month's photography contest on UKScrappers. The theme being capture the moment. I've also posted another photo, just for fun...!

Yes, it a "mid Yawn" shot of my Jack Russell "Toffee" taken on Sunday in the lovely sunshine.

I have to say that most of the time my camera... which is a Fuji S602Z... is mostly set to automatic "everything" and does me proud!

I did buy that particular model because it had manual focus, but I use it very little to be honest. However, one of the reasons for that is that it is actually quite difficult to see the slight variances in the sharpness of the focus mainly, I assume, due to the reproduction of the image in the viewfinder!

But still, that camera was one of the best £400 I have ever spent (circa 2003 - in time for the birth of my daughter!)

Embellishments for free!

Here is an article about keeping a look out for those freebies all around us! The article is from Scrapbookingfamilies.com

Collecting Non-Traditional Scrapbooking Embellishments
by Nicole Humphrey

Scrapbooker's are constantly on the lookout for new and innovative items to use or try in their scrapbooks. This carries over even beyond the local craft store and scrapbooking store. This happens when they are browsing the local dollar store, or the local hardware store. But what about looking around your own home?
We had a pile of clothing set aside to donate. It had been sitting there waiting for me to go through it, because I knew there were some pieces that just wouldn't be good for someone else. Some had missing buttons, holes in the knee, tears on the sleeve, stains on the front, etc.
Finally a few days ago, I underwent the task of going through it all. Mostly so I could get it out of the house. But while I was making a pile of clothes to trash, I realized something. Some of them had really cool buttons, and some had designs and pockets and lace and all these other coveted items that I love using in my albums and on my layouts.
So what did I do? What any sane scrapbooking gal would do. I grabbed a pair of scissors and cut and cut and pulled and trimmed and placed them in baggies for future use. I figure not only did I frugally make an outfit last a LOT longer than it would have, like years in my albums if you want to get technical. But I also was able to obtain some scrapbooking supplies, basically for free.
All together I collected several pockets I will use as pockets on the page. I also collected a couple of belt loops, because they look super cute with ribbon strung through them. I also collected any buttons, beads, and other clothing embellishments to use as scrapbooking embellishments.
Here is a sample of what I did, as well as a baggie full of embellishments off one of the outfits.
Nicole Humphrey writes articles for the Scrapbooking Blog and for the Frugal Blog. She also guest blogs on a variety of topics.

How to Use up your Scrapbooking Scraps

Here are 3 of the Page Accents I made for the ScrapBuddies crop yesterday.

These are all made using scraps of paper, card and ribbon and some freebie stickers (with a few buttons or brads).

Now these can be used as items to use on a page layout or can be used on a card, just adding a sentiment, such as Happy Birthday or whatever is required.

A little tip... if you have no words on your accent, you can quite often turn the item around landscape or portrait to fit the siutation. As in the pale Page Accent here. As soon as you start putting on words or the papers have a particular way up, then your options are limited, but either way, they can make cracking standbys for emergency cards or pages!!!

Page Accents - quick easy scrapbooking layouts

Well this is a much shorter post than it was!!! Blogger strikes again cos all my text and pictures just disappeared! How annoying is that!!! arrggh!

So I am rewriting it, but a shorter version!

Here are two layouts I made today at the ScrapBuddies Crop. They were made to show how quickly you can put a page together using only a photo, few scraps and a page accent.

In both I made the page accents first and then came across the photos to match in. The rest were only a few embellishments or scraps of card ... et voila!

Ideal for quick pages, especially as the trend at the moment is to keep it minimalist and for lots of blank space!

I've used up some freebie items from packs, like stickers. The "ribbon and danglies" at the bottom of the 2nd page is purchased from a sewing shop! Don't know but I think it is supposed to hang around the bottom of a lampshade!!! LOL!

Quotes for Inspiration

Most of the time, when scrapbooking, our starting point for a page or book is a photograph - or group of photos.

But sometimes it is a refreshing change to lead with something else. For instance, you could try starting with a colour and then fitting your photos (or whatever) into that theme... that's a bit like a challenge I suppose.

However, as an alternative, why not try using a quote as your starting point on your layout?

Here is a link to a good site with lots of quotes categorised under a large number of headings, for instance, this one is under the "Curiosity" heading which is a good one for children's layouts.

"It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education."

Albert Einstein

So why not try starting a scrapbooking page from a quote and see where it takes you!

Page Accents - Use up those scraps

The theme for my crop this weekend is Page Accents. I did a workshop about them last year at ScrapBuddies and I think most of the group got on well with them.

The great thing about them is that it is a good excuse to use up all those scraps. Things like odd alphas and left over bits of sets of embellishments can be used up willy-nilly!

There are a number of ways to get started with Page Accents, but I have found the best way is to collect some bits together based on colours first. Them make up some accents large or small with the colour as your starting point.

Another way is to pick out a particular embellishment you wish to work with and find items and papers to match in with it.

I find it best to stay away from specific themes, ie, baby, holidays (vacations), etc. You can always add specifics when you use the accent on a page or card. Words like "inspire" or "fun"... ambigious words, are good to use as they can cover a multitude of themes.

Best thing to do is just gather your bits and tip them all out on the table and dive straight in. And another refreshing thing to take advantage of is to try to make them up as you go along! Don't plan too much, as I have mentioned before. Grab bits, throw them together, stick it together and then look! It's a good way to "just do it" - and besides if it's really that bad... you've only used scraps!

Valentine Maze book - final pictures

Here is the last lot of photos of the Valentine maze book.

Last couple of DPSs and the front cover showing the lovely flower on the front.

Again kept the patterened paper showing and only embellished a little.

Even more Valentine Maze book pages!

Ok, hope you're enjoying these pages I have been posting! Here are two more DPSs .

Top picture - I decided to get my white gel pen out and do a little bit of "faux" stitching! Again I didn't want to cover up the patterned paper too much. The ribbons were just squitty left-overs. The pink piece already had sticky tape on so I just stuck that one down, and placed some complimentary pieces over the top, stapling matching ribbon to the other photo.


Bottom picture, again I wanted the patterned paper to show, so the right hand page is only embellished with a rub-on heart and the word happy.

Both pictures are on the left page in this DPS with stapled ribbons and a diecut layered flower with button embellishment - simple!

I have sanded the edges of the photos and then coloured them with a little purple, to match the embellishments.

I think the last lot will be posted tomorrow.

More Valentine Maze Book pages

Here are some more pictures from my maze book for my hubby!

As you can see, I kept things very simple, just a picture, two strips of ribbon and a couple of metal alpha embellishments. I didn't even do anything to the edges of the photos!

The picture below shows the use of just two pictures (with their edges sanded) both on the same page. I didn't want to cover up too much of the flower on the paper, so all I have done on the left hand page is use a rub-on "Love"... simple!

Valentine Maze book for a man

This is a photo of a DPS in a maze book I have made for my hubby for Valentines Day.

I have to say that since I "found" scrapbooking, Valentines Day has been a fairly slimline affair for my hubby as I given him a booklet as a gift ever since! I do still get him a teensy box of chocs or a Mars Bar (his favourite) to go with it!

However, my hubby says that they are the best presents "ever". He really enjoys receiving them and looks at them whenever we are apart for a few days (he says!).

I'll post some more pix throughout the week, but this time I have kept the book quite simple and let the background papers show through. The black pages I thought were more stylish this year and I avoid all the usual reds and pinks for slushy Valentines - not keen on them at all.

Last year the book was a mixture of colours, blues and burgundys, the year before that it was all chocolately colours and so this year it's black and white with a bit of purple and orange and a splash of magenta... ooh er!

The papers by the way are from Dovecraft... 8x8 papers by Kate Knights called "Amethyst - Floral Prints".

Bubbles!

Well, the sun was shining today! It was actually quite warm too! So we were out on my mum's balcony having a "bubble fest"!!!

My mum is known in our family as the Bubble Queen... she says it's for the kids, but we all know the real reason is because SHE wants to be a kid with the bubble machine! LOL

So we had the bubble machine going full pelt, Honey was blowing as many bubbles as she could from her little bottle, mum was producing huge bubbles from a "wand" and I was making medium size ones (about 6 inches across) with a gadget from the large pack of bubble making gadgets!!

And the sun glinted and glistened off them all! - Ahhhhh, lovely! Yep there will be more bubble scrapbooking layouts in my album!!!!!!!

Just keeping in touch!

Hi there, just keeping in touch... I was going to post a picture of something fantastic that my daughter and myself might have done today, as we are staying with my mum for a few days.

Unfortunately we didn't "do" anything ground shatteringly interesting, but more than that... I haven't taken any pictures!! LOL

So, here are a couple of quote from humorous fridge magnets... just for a giggle...

"If at first you don't succeed... try it your wife's way!"

"men are like chocolates... wait too long and only the wierd and nutty ones are left!"

"I didn't say it was your fault.. just said I was going to blame you!"

"I'm really easy to get on with as long as you learn to worship me!"

"WARNING! I have a character defect and I'm not afraid to use it!"

A Crafty way to use up scraps!

This photograph shows another DPS (double page spread) in my "In the Mirror" album.

This stamped frame and quote and the heart, were all left overs from something else. The stamped image was actually a test image before stamping directly onto a layout - do if they are good enough, keep your "test stamped images" for another purpose!

However, the main "crafty way" I wanted to let you know about was the background papers on these two pages.

The papers are actually photocopies of an original background paper, but some of them are lighter than others and there wasn't enough to do an even 2 page spread. So I vertically ripped up the paper and mised up the different tonal pieces and created a background which was coherent over the 2 pages.

So if you have some scraps which just aren't big enough to cover the whole of what you want, cut or tear them and mix them together to create your background!

Simply Visual Scrapbooking Freebie!!

Well this is my first foray into the world of giving away my own digital creations!! So hopefully, you will be able to download this freebie!

This is the background paper (12x12) which I designed using my own daughter's nursery painting! The paper is called Stormy Twilight and I am hoping to make up a whole FREE kit based on the colours of this paper! So watch this space!

So HERE is the link for the download... if you download... do leave me a comment, some feedback maybe!

Technically this paper should be suitable to print out "as is" and use in traditional scrapbooking!

Top Tip for printing your photographs economically

I was reading somewhere today that because their scrapbooking students confessed to not printing their photographs out due to the costs of getting them printed, she (the teacher) had added a section to her workshop about how to organise yourself to send off for prints.

Very commendable, but in this day and age of really good home printers for under £50, there is a lot going for printing your own.

The best way to print your own (if we are talkiing scrapbooking here) is to get as many onto one A4 sheet as possible. I have talked about this before, but it is a frequent topic of discussion!

I use Fugifilm A4 gloss sheets. If you buy on the internet, you can get a pack of 20 for £7.99. 40p per sheet.

In the photo here I have printed 8 photos using Microsoft Word. Yes some are small, but I have included the photos for 2 layouts on one sheet of paper. 20p per layout!

Of course there is the ink on top, say twice that? still only 60p per layout! again shop online.
My printer is an HP Photosmart which has a separate cartridge for good photo printing, it is a scanner and also a photocopier and all for £49.99, and I think they are actually £39.99 now!

But the most important thing here is that you print them to the size you wish, little or no wastage.

Scrapbooking Layout - Using Basic Grey Two Scoops Collection

This is a layout that I have just MADE myself do!!! My mojo was languishing somwhere or other - so my husband said he would take the puppy out for a run (in the coooooold weather) and my daughter wanted to go to, so I was left alone for a little while and ran upstairs to get on with something.

My trouble is that I have been over thinking stuff! I can plan too much sometimes and you can't help but try to do things properly - ie get it all on the page before sticking or making holes (just in case you want to move something).

Well I thought... sod it... I'm just going to make this up as I go along... so I did!

I love the Two Scoops stuff from Basic Grey at the moment and the photos seemed to go with this particular patterned paper (called Ice cream Parlour) and so I let the patterened paper "do the talking" on this one!

The denim flowers are from Lakeland, the swirl stamps (from the Two Scoops collection) on the right side were embossed with silver glitter embossing powder which was a bit too sparkly for me, so a little technique I used was to just over heat it in places to distress it a bit. It fades the embossing, but beware of discolouring your paper/card.

Inspirational Words

It seems to be common practise that words are used as inspiration for a scrapbooking layout, or any other craft for that matter, purely on the merit of the interpretation of the word itself.

In other words, choose a word and scrap a page, or tag, or even a whole mini album, just about that word, or what it means to you, or how it has effected your life, etc, etc.

Now I used to think, as possibly a lot of you do that creating a scrapbooking page (for instance) purely for this reason was a waste of scrapping time when there are all those photos sitting in their boxes waiting to be used.

Well I suppose the answer to that one is combine the two. Choose a word and then match some photos to it, or find some photos and just use one word as your inspiration for the resulting layout!

So to this end... my Inspirational Word for today (this may become a regular feature?!) is CHANGE.

Here is a link to a similar type "Inspirational Word(s)" collection at the Paper Pesto blog - this link takes you to their No 8 tag using the word CHANGE.

Here is a link to a website... Inspirational Words of Wisdom and to the page full of "Change Quotes - A collection of change quotes which are inspirational".

Hybrid Scrapbooking - What's that again?

I was surfing around the web... as you do... and found this blog.

Di Hickman's blog has a link to a free template as a temptation to visit the Prima Hybrid website.

I haven't had a chance to take a good look at the Hybrid Scrapbooking site myself yet as I only found it today, and I believe it only actually launched yesterday, so a brand new site.

Hybrid scrapbooking is the mixture of digital and traditional scrapbooking, so it will be interesting to see what this and other sites will come up with for us scrapbookers.

I do believe that hybrid scrapbooking will grow a lot in the coming months as more and more people try out digi scrapping! I shall be checking out the sites and reporting back to you all.