{Glitter Adventure}

Christmas Album | Day 13...

2012-02-01T12:58:00.003Z

What goes on a certain day/date in my Christmas album varies from year to year (depending on what's happening and what we're doing etc)...

But there are a few days like the 24th (the day Christmas is celebrated in Sweden) and the 31th (New Year's Eve) that will always feature the "same" thing in my album every year...

So is the 13th. Why you say? Well, here is my page...

The tradition of Lucia. On the 13th of December every year. Like many things, this was originally a religious celebration. Today it's mostly celebrated...well, just because it's celebrated :) I'm so pleased that we can watch the Lucia program (which is shown early in the morning and then repeated late afternoon on TV) over the internet. Nice to be able to keep one tradition even though you're not in the same country :)

Christmas Album | Day 12...

2012-01-29T10:54:00.002Z

Yay I'm making some good progress on my album now :)

The background for this page was actually a white piece of cardstock which I had lying in a cardboard box while spraying (misting) some other items. I picked it up to throw it away one day but really loved what I saw and decided to cut down a piece to use for my Christmas album. That I just happened to have used shades of red and green mists was just perfect too :)

The page describes what has now become a tradition since a few years back for us. To buy Ravensburger's 1000 pieces limited edition Christmas jigsaw every year. Something that we really enjoy! We don't really do jigsaws for the rest of the year, so to sit down with this while paying some Christmas music in December is just really special and cosy. *smile*

Mmm... Cupcakes...

2012-01-27T10:50:00.003Z

Well it's Friday so I think it's a perfect day to talk about yummy cupcakes. :)

Allie had created this super cute kit which I guess was a Valentine's/Love kit really, but I spotted some cupcake images in there too and that was all I needed to scrap a cupcake layout :)

[Supplies: Cloud 9 - Lliella Designs (from SSD)]

These cupcakes are my faves. And if everything goes to plan *fingers crossed* my handsome boyfriend is coming home with a box of these tonight. Yay! So an even more perfect day to post this layout on.

Wishing you all a great weekend :)

Christmas Album | Day 11...

2012-01-24T11:27:00.003Z

As I'm typing this my printer is very busy printing out 26 photos (some of them with 2 smaller images on each) for my Christmas album catch-up plan...

Normally I send off to have my photos printed as it's cheaper but I figured I'd print them myself this time just to get the job done asap. Also it didn't really seem worth the postage for "only" 26 photos. I do have other photos (from Christmas etc) that I want to get printed too but I wasn't sure when I'd get the time to sit down and go through those... So this seemed like a good compromise.

Thanks to all of you who have commented on my catch-up plan. I appreciate both the encouraging comments and the support in feeling that I'm not alone doing this :)

Christmas Album | Catching Up Plan...

2012-01-22T10:42:00.001Z

I'm always in the same boat. Since I spend part of December away from my stash, I always have some part of the album to do after Christmas. The amount of days might vary slightly from year to year though. This year it's even worse as I have also been very ill for several weeks...

So I thought I would share my strategy which I use every time...

I make sure I take photos every day during December. Since I have a pretty good memory, the photos remind me of the stories I want to write. This year I have 3 days when I was literally too ill to even pick up the camera. Fortunately on the 3rd day I asked someone else to take some photos. The other days I will just have to work with anyway...

So my next strategy is this: take my album and flick through it from where I need to start (the date which I last made a page for). I will go through the pages one by one (since they are all different sizes) and at the same time go through each photo folder (=one day at a time) on my computer. I will have a pad next to me where I will write down which photos I want to use for which day, what size I want them printed at and how many photos I want for each day. Also I will write down the "subject" for that day.

So my list might say:
20th Dec "Wrapping The Presents" 2 photos at 10x15 cm - portrait and one 10x7,5 - portrait.

This is what I aim to do this weekend. Work out what photos and what size I need and what goes on which page. This list will then make it SOOOO much easier to finish the pages. Just work along it page by page when I have some spare time and get it done that way :) It will just take whatever time it takes and I'm happy with that. :)

I normally finish my album in February and this year it will definitely be the case that I can't finish in January...

Hope this was of help to some of you who might also have pages to finish. If you do, I'd love to hear from you and what strategies *you* have for finishing :)

Flower Power...

2012-01-20T10:37:00.003Z

Well whether you're ill or not, there are still CT commitments that have to be done... so here's a layout which I worked on yesterday...

[Supplies: These Moments Trims & Fringe - Amber Clegg, Betwined - Amy Martin, Mega Label Pack - Amy Wolff, The Bliss Project Journal Cards Pack 1 - Gina Miller, Vintage Poinsettia - Sahlin Studio, Vintage Poinsettia Papers - Sahlin Studio (all from The Lilypad)]

...brings a change also in between the Christmas album pages :) I thought I'd go for something very non-Christmassy when scrapping this one.

Are you in the same position as me with lots of pages from your Christmas album still to do? Then please come back at the weekend when I will share my strategies for catching up and getting it finished :)

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 10...

2012-01-17T10:08:00.003Z

First thanks for all the sweet comments left on my post, and e-mails, about me being ill. I have really appreciated them. I have felt really bad that I have virtually left my blog without posts for nearly 2 weeks. :( I'm still not feeling 100% cold or stomach wise and I saw the doctor again yesterday but, *touch wood*, I am slowly getting better. So I figured that I'd at least get a small blog post done in between resting :) Yay!

So here we go, day 10 of my Christmas journal. And yes I have an awful lot of catching up to do regarding this but more on this and my plans about it another day...

This was the back of that felt page which I had a bit of a glue situation with at first. I don't normally work with felt and it took some time to find the right glue to work with paper AND felt.

This page is all about lights and a mini Christmas tree that we have in our bedroom window (at Christmas obviously, which it isn't anymore LOL!) The little smoke spiral coming out of the house is actually a tiny bit of a Doodlebug sticker border which I just happened to spot as I was working on this page and thought it would make some cool chimney smoke :)

Sorry...

2012-01-09T10:58:00.004Z

Sorry for the lack of posts. I'm ill and have had the worst bad luck. Being broad over Christmas and New Year I first got some sort of stomach bug. A BAD one. Couldn't keep anything down for days and had to see a doctor abroad two times doing several tests etc. SUPER weak and ill. Then before I even recovered I got the WORST cold I have ever experienced in my whole life. I'm now here 10 (!) days later (since the cold started!) and the cold is NO better whatsoever. Crazy! I'm exhausted just sitting on this chair typing this... so I'm off to do some more resting. If anyone have some amazing getting-over-very-bad-colds remedies please post... I can't take much more LOL!

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 9...

2012-01-03T11:08:00.002Z

Oh this was a tricky page to make!! The Making Memories Christmas album, which I used as my base this year, had a few felt pages in it (two I think - so it will make 4 pages in total). And oooooh did I have fun trying to attach my papers and photos to this material *giggle*

I needed a wet glue but of course I didn't want any messy dried glue blobs anywhere. Anyway, in the end I found my Tombow glue worked well as long as you gave it plenty of time to dry before you tried to move anything.

As for the page it just documents decorating for Christmas and our traditions around that :)

Happy New Year...

2011-12-31T11:16:00.000Z

Wishing you all a Happy New Year! :)

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 8...

2011-12-29T11:05:00.002Z

A few quick and easy page for a busy day. I have talked in the past about how I make our Christmas cards. How I make a prototype in advance etc...

I always include that prototype in my Christmas album that year and this is the one from this year. As I said, it's only a prototype so not quite like how the final card turned out... but still it's fun to have it documented in my album :)

The Happiest Of Holidays Card...

2011-12-26T11:22:00.002Z

[Supplies: Copics and Glitter + Colour In Christmas - Kate Hadfield, Photo Frames No 7 - Jenna Desai, Frosted Grunge - Fruitloop Sally, Cheerful - Tickled Pink Studio, (all from The Lilypad)]

Another card featuring another bit of happy Copic colouring - yay. *smile* Oh and I went a bit glitter mad on this (as you do of course!). Maybe not so obvious on this smaller version of the photo, but in the full size one the camera has REALLY picked up the glitter. As in waaaaay more than in reality even...!

I love the digital Christmas stamps that Kate Hadfield created so I just had to use some of them on this card. The full kit comes with 6 different ones and I picked 3 to use for this card.

Seeing you soon with another page from my Christmas album :)

Merry Christmas...

2011-12-24T10:13:00.000Z

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas! Hope you get an amazing holiday!

Holiday Seasons Card...

2011-12-22T11:19:00.002Z

[Supplies: Glitter & Copics + Deck The Halls - Kate Hadfield, Kim Jensen, Santa's Helper - Kaye Winiecki, December Stories - Designs By Lili, Washi Tape Strips - Sahlin Studio, (all from The Lilypad)]

I really really enjoyed making this card. I don't know exactly why. I guess I'm just a happy girl when I get to sit down and colour with my Copic markers maybe :) And Christmas trees always make me happy, real or not :)

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 7...

2011-12-21T11:01:00.002Z

My first page with no photos in this album so far! See the little green page in the pocket with the "gifts" tab? Well that's a list of what we have got everyone for Christmas. But of course it might not be the best idea to pull out the tab/page and photograph it...so I left that inside as I took the photo of today's page.

Oh and that canvas pocket that I have used... it is sooooo old!! By L'il Davis, which I don't even exist anymore. I got two packets of these pockets (two different sizes in each) in a scrapbooking kit ages and ages ago. I never knew what to use them for. But I never gave them away/threw them as I just KNEW I'd find a use for them one day :) 1 used, 3 to go LOL!

Christmas Card...

2011-12-19T11:16:00.001Z

Another little break inbetween the pages in my Christmas album on here and time for a hybrid card that I made as part of my Creative Team work for Kay Miller:

[Supplies: Glitter + Christmas Is Coming - Kay Miller (from A5D)]

It's that time now... getting busy, busy, busy for Christmas. So I'm going to keep this very short today :)

Got some more cards to show you soon!

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 6...

2011-12-18T10:57:00.003Z

...and here's the back of the transparency page that I used for Day 5:

It's easy to always take photos of your tree standing next to it. Inside. But we kept coming home (in the dark) and I kept seeing how cosy it looked day after day from the outside...

And one day it just dawned on me "why not take a photo from the outside?!" Can't believe I have not thought about that before LOL! Anyway, the camera came out from the handbag and this is the result. I'm pretty pleased as it's only a point and shoot camera and I had no way of using a tripod either :)

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 5...

2011-12-15T10:49:00.002Z

This page was rather a tricky one to photograph. I tried holding it in my hand but it made no sense. So instead I decided to put it down and photograph it on my cutting mat like I have with all the other pages...

The base of the page is a transparency but thanks to the snowflakes in the opposite corners I think it makes it pretty easy to see where the page starts and ends. And funnily enough this turned out to be the perfect page base for the day as we had our very first snow. Okay, so being from Sweden, that's not really "snow" as I'm used to it (more like "powder" LOL!) but nevertheless it was indeed our first snowflakes and I love to document that occasion every year :)

Can Not Wait... For Christmas...

2011-12-13T12:10:00.003Z

I thought I post a few different things in between the pages from my Christmas Album just to make the blog a big more varied :) And yes, don't worry, I'm still working on my album LOL! I have just printed out photos for today's page...

Anyway, onto some digital scrapping :)

I've been working with this super cute Christmas kit by Lliella Designs (well, actually she kinda ONLY makes super cute kits as that is really her style!)

[Supplies used: Merry Little Christmas - Lliella Designs (from SSD)]

Right I'm off. Got a pile of birthday presents to wrap this afternoon and some CT work to do where I get to play with my Copics. *happiness*

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 4...

2011-12-11T11:22:00.003Z

One of my favourite Swedish Christmas traditions! The one of celebrating advent on each of the 4 Sundays before Christmas Eve. Lighting one candle each Sunday (in a special advent candle holder with four red candles) and having Glögg (kinda like mulled wine) and gingerbread cookies. So special! :)

This of course, going back in time, was something very religious. Today most families in Sweden still celebrate the advent Sundays with the candles, glögg and gingerbread without it really having any religious meaning to most of us anymore (I guess just like most of us celebrate Christmas).

Looking forward to tonight and the 3rd of Advent :)

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 3...

2011-12-09T12:04:00.004Z

Time to make Christmas cards. I always make cards for close family & friends and the rest get bought. It's a happy middle ground. :)

Already after the summer I start playing with card ideas in my head. They evolve, they change, they get abandoned... I just let whatever happen with my thoughts happen. Then I make a "prototype". This might get slightly altered by the time we make the batch of cards but it's pretty much what we stick to. If I haven't made the prototype by the end of October/early November I get stressed about it. And I always get stressed about it LOL!

Anyway the prototype got made late November and at the weekend we sat down and made out cards. And yes, I said we. And yes I get help by my other half! It's kinda become a tradition by now. He's quite happy to help as long as he gets "jobs" to do that doesn't involve very much previous crafty skills. Punching (loved the corner chomper!) and other rewarding jobs are always popular, but I even got him to quite happily colour with Copics this year :)

(And NO we do not have a giant snowflake on the wall LOL! I realised it looked like this when I saw the photo of this page. In reality (looking at the page) it's very obvious to see that it's a kraft snowflake embellishment with glitter which I have added on top of the photo. It made me giggle when I saw the photo though :))

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 2...

2011-12-06T10:58:00.003Z

It's interesting you know... when I start making my Christmas album... Usually in November, making the pages and often the album covers too, I never know how my album will turn out. What I mean is that I never really have a plan as to how I want my pages. Just photos? Just writing? A mix of both? BIG photos? Lots of small ones...? I never make a plan...

Yet only a few days into my journal and it always seem to take on a certain style of it's own. This year (without making a conscious decision) I'm definitely heading for a more photo based album with a little writing to go along with it. I think I will mix smaller and larger photos and more or less tell my story through those.

On both my 1st and 2nd day, approx 3/4 is taken by the photo(s) and only approx 1/4 is used for journaling. So that's looking to be my general theme for this year. Something that I'm happy with as I love Christmas itself and Christmas photos :)

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 1...

2011-12-04T10:36:00.004Z

So it was the first day of my Christmas album for 2011 and I was really excited! On top of that I had the perfect photos to start it off with. The photos I took at the Christmas market we went to :)

There wasn't a specific photo that really stood out for me. So rather than printing one big photo, I decided to print lots of small ones to try and capture the general cosy feeling of Christmas. This makes me so happy. Twinkling lights make me very happy! :)

Apart from that I have not used very much on the page. All "old" stash. A journaling card from last year, a printable from last year and some snowflake embellishments.

Right I'm off to make Christmas cards :)

In Progress...

2011-12-01T11:12:00.002Z

Last night we went to the Christmas market in Manchester. Or you could almost call in marketS as it's spread out over several different streets (a small distance apart), open spaces and squares. And WOW was is busy! At one stage you really had to push yourself through the crowds! But it was still nice, very cosy and I'm glad we went :)

Above is a photo of what my desk looks like this week. Major preparations for Christmas cards making :)

And on top of that? Today = December 1st and the start of my Christmas album. Hope to work on that a little later today :)

Christmas Album Cover...

2011-11-28T11:55:00.002Z

After the weekend of Christmas album pages, it was time to sort my cover. Or rather the photo that was on the cover...

I wanted something quite simple as the cover is already quite decorated with the pre-printed design.

After a hunt in my Christmas stash I found this sticker, which was a perfect fit for the cut-out in the album, spelling "Christmas":

I also wanted the year on there... and not much more really. But Christmas NEEDS some glitter so I outlined it all with Stickles glitter glue:

After inserting it into the window of the album, here's what the final result looks like:

...and I'm ready for December 1st :)

Christmas Album Time...

2011-11-26T11:39:00.004Z

Yay! It's that time of the year again. Time for my Christmas album. I don't know how many years I have done this for now, but I love it :)

Most years I make my albums completely from scratch (covers and all). But November has been SO busy for me (way too busy actually!) that I just really had to think of some time saving ways... And I remembered the Christmas album by Making Memories that I bought last Christmas...

I would have loved making my own covers. But this year it just wasn't to be. As hard as it was to admit LOL! So enter this album:

It comes with a plastic protection and looks like this once it's removed:

Another bonus is that is has lots of funky pages inside already... :)

Printed transparencies, felt, cardstock, patterned papers and scalloped edges. All different pages. Just how I LOVE my Christmas album to be like :)

It came with 10 sheets so a total of 20 pages. I make my album from the 1st to the 31st of December so I needed some more. I got patterned papers and punches out and added some more pages:

All different sizes. Just how I have learnt that I prefer to have my album like :)

I have not added any dates yet as I like it flexible. This means that I can move the pages if I eg have a day when I want lots of photos featured I can make sure I use a larger page etc.

Now all that remains is to sort the cover. Fortunately it's quite nicely printed already. But I can't (see the first photo in this post) have a picture of a random family on the front LOL! So time to do something about that another day...

Are you going an album too? I'd love to hear about it :)

What Am I Doing...?

2011-11-24T11:38:00.002Z

Christmas music is playing and I'm working on something... but what am I doing? Any guesses...?

More info at the weekend... :)

Getting More Copics yay...

2011-11-21T14:12:00.004Z

First of all: Alexis (hoping you'll see this!) you asked me a question on an older blog post but never left your e-mail address, so I can't get back to you. If you see this and can post your e-mail in the comments below I'll send you the info you needed :)

Secondly: I'm really excited as I'm going to get some more Copic Sketch markers. I don't buy them very often due to the price but I got some money for Copics yesterday (it was my birthday) so I'm going to sit down in a little bit and work out what shades I need next :) *excited*

[Supplies: Digital image coloured with Copics. Beary Christmas - Kaye Winiecki, Kitschy Christmas - Sahlin Studio, Jennifer Barrette, A Thankful Heart - Tracie Stroud (all from The Lilypad)]

And talking about Copics, I have a card to share. It's made using digital kits for the Lilypad and a digital stamp (the bear with present) which I have coloured with Copics. :)

This Was Fun...

2011-11-18T12:10:00.003Z

I've been playing with some more techniques from the Holiday Boot Camp class. This time lots of distress inks, perfect pearls and snowflakes. A bit more "messy" than my usual crafting but definitely fun as a change.

I can see myself doing this more often too :) (Now can someone just please give me a few more hours each day?! LOL)

It's hard to make the shimmery bits show up well on camera but here are a few photos... hopefully it gives some idea of what it looks like in reality :)

The snowflake is made using a Martha Stewart punch which I love and some Stickles. When I say "some", I mean "lots"!

I probably won't be blogging over the weekend as it's my birthday on Sunday. So I'll see you next week. Have a great weekend everyone :)

Snowflake...

2011-11-16T14:30:00.003Z

A quick update today as I'm totally rushed off my feet... *and breathe*

Another version of yesterday's card:

The snowflake is totally covered in glitter. Yum! :) *smile*

I think I prefer the snowflake to yesterday's Christmas tree. As for the colours on the background... I'm not sure which one I like most. It was fun to make a slightly different version of the same card though :)

Card Mania...

2011-11-14T14:39:00.003Z

...I've been in such a card making mood lately. Good I guess with Christmas coming up though :)

And the Holiday card class I'm taking is only helping to fuel my creativity and inspiration regarding cards. :)

The card below is my own variation of a card that Jennifer McGuire did for the class last week.

It's using the faux letterpress technique. It was the first time I tried this and at first I had some problems getting the ink to work in an even way with the embossing folder. But a few background tries later and I had sorted out my problem. :)

I really loved this technique and the card design in general so I'm thinking I might make another. More green card this time maybe....

Christmas Cat...

2011-11-11T11:49:00.003Z

As I mentioned the other day, when I was making a card (thanks for the nice comments left on this - made me smile) for the Holiday Card Boot Camp class that I'm taking, I enjoyed that card so much that I was playing with the thought of making a slightly different one. But still the same initial design. Well, I did :)

Some of my all time favourite stamps are the cat stamps by Penny Black. And I've got a cute Christmas set with a cat hanging in a wreath which I have been meaning to use. So this being a "hanging ornament" design made it perfect to put my stamp to use :)

The image is coloured with Copics and then I have used Stickles glitter and Glossy Accents on a few selected bits. The rest of the card is the same as my bauble card from the other day.

Bauble Card...

2011-11-09T10:13:00.003Z

I'm taking a short 2 week online card class by Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner at the moment that started on Monday this week. The card that Kristina made on Monday really inspired me and I got crafting. :)

This is my version of her card. She used blues for the background strips (I used greens) and she used a bauble cut by a Silhouette die cutting machine. Something that I wished I had sooo much. But seriously, I really can't justify the cost of it. So it was "thinking cap" time...

At first I was just going to use any other item (stamp?) as a focal point (ie not a bauble). But then I came across this Hero Arts stamp set which I had that contained a decent sized bauble stamp so I decided to use that. Here's my version of the card...

I enjoyed making this card so much that I'm toying with making another version of it. We'll see...

Bonfire Night...

2011-11-07T11:35:00.004Z

On Saturday it was Bonfire Night here in the UK. Bonfires and fireworks everywhere. Well actually the fireworks started already earlier in the week here and some bonfires were held on Friday or Sunday too... so it's almost been a weekend of it.

Here are just a few of the photos I took. Firstly bonfire time...

And then a fireworks photo. I find these REALLY had to take (any tips anyone please?) and this was the only photo that really turned out pretty ok. Sure so the firework could have been more centred in the photo... but I still like it :)

And then we have the "failed photos". I took these two photos you can see below from the car. While it was moving and we were looking for somewhere to park the car. So really they should be totally failed photos. I was just going to delete them. However when I saw the result I kinda really liked it... they look like "spooky Halloween images". Cool! :)

2011-11-05T11:12:00.003Z

I've been playing with this cute winter kit yesterday. I love winter kits. And I love cute animals! And I love the sweet little characters that Kay Miller creates, so this kit was just perfect for me. Not to mention the colours. I could not have asked for more. Greens (yay!), aqua, hot pink and white. Sooooo perfect :)

[Supplies: Chilly Cheer - Kay Miller (from A5D)]

It's been really, really dark (weather wise) here for days so the light was all funny when I took this photo. It doesn't really show the true shade of the colours. But if you check out the kit in this post you can see the correct colours!

This week has definitely been a card week for me. It might not seem like I have made so many cards on the blog, but I have some which I can't put on here yet due to Creative Team work and using kits that have not been released yet. So they will have to appear later... :)

Scor-Pal Question...

2011-11-03T14:07:00.003Z

"annotations" left the following question in regards to my Scor-Pal post the other day: "I have not had any problems with my MS Scoreboard, but then again, I don't use it very often. Are Scor-Pad's channels deeper? Am glad you have one you love!"

Well to be honest I have no idea what it is that makes the MS score board jump tracks when you score, and the Scor-Pal not. So...

*grabs both boards to compare*

Hrm...The depth... it's hard to tell... The grooves on the MS scoreboard are kinda rounded at the bottom while the ones on the Scor-Pal are totally "square". I don't actually think there's much in the depth of them at all. But where there is a difference is in the WIDTH. The MS ones are narrower and I guess that's why the scoring tool doesn't want to stay in the scores of the board. Interesting!

Hope that was of some help!

I'm still awaiting my new version Scor-Pal from the US. Hoping it will come very soon now :)

Today I'm working with the following kit. I'll share what I have done when it's finished...

Birthday Card...

2011-11-01T11:52:00.003Z

It's my little niece's birthday very soon. Ever since she was a baby (she's now turning 4) she's had this rabbit that's been her favourite toy and comfort without fail. She loves her rabbit!

So when I spotted a rabbit stamp a few months ago I knew it would be prefect to use on a card for her as it looks so much like her soft toy rabbit. :)

I had fun trying to match my Copics to the colour (in my head) of her rabbit. And I really enjoyed having a play with the Martha Stewart Fridge Scissors. I can see a lot of fun projects being done with these.

My niece is very "girly" at the moment and loves anything pink and/or glittery. So pink colour and glittery Stickles of course had to feature on the card too :)

Scor-Pal... Excited!...

2011-10-27T12:10:00.003+01:00

Remember this post a while back about wanting the new Scor-Pal...?

How I was so, so disappointed in the Martha Stewart one (which just jumped tracks all the time!) and how I love my very old Scor-Pal but that I really wanted to upgrade to the new one? Yes that post! Well, I'm so excited and I just had to share...

Thanks to the very helpful lady at Scor-Pal (that you so much if *you* see this!), I have just this morning bought the new Scor-Pal from the US. I guess it will take... maybe nearly 2 weeks (?) to get here, but I'm already excited and can't wait. :) I also bought the Scor-Mat to go with it as I have always wanted it (never had a Scor-mat for my old Scor-Pal).

Anyway, if you're in the market for a new scoring board I can seriously recommend the Scor-Pal, it is way, way better than the one from Martha Stewart!

Too Cute To Spook...

2011-10-25T11:32:00.003+01:00

The other day I mentioned that Kate Hadfield has started to make digital stamps. We'll she's not the only Lilypad designer who's done this... I'm sooooo happy! :)

Look at this cute bear stamp by Kaye Winiecki... (you can get it here)I'm totally weak when it comes to teddybears so this was something I really could not resist. :)

I teamed the stamp with a Halloween kit by Kate and Kaye and then picked some Copic colours to match the elements that I printed from the kit. I looooove sitting there with my Copic chart and matching the colours (seeing what's the nearest suitable colour that I have is) to papers etc. It just makes me so happy :)

[Digital image coloured with Copics. Supplies: Oogly Boogly - Kate Hadfield, Kaye Winiecki, Boo Bear Digital Stamp - Kaye Winiecki (both from The Lilypad)]

Cool News...

2011-10-21T10:32:00.004+01:00

Kate Hadfield has started making digital stamps! I'm soooo happy! Love her images and they are perfect for digital stamps - yay! I know she's been wanting to venture into this for a while so I'm really pleased that she's given it a go :)

Look at this:Aren't they just great? :) You can get them here. Can't wait for what she will release next... These are so much fun colouring with your Copics (or Promakers or whatever you use). Here's my first hybrid card playing with Kate's new stamps:

[Supplies: Digital image coloured with Copics. Supplies: Oogly Boogly - Kate Hadfield, Kaye Winiecki, Monster Treat Digital Stamp - Kate Hadfield (both from The Lilypad)]

This Is Life...

2011-10-18T12:16:00.002+01:00

This layout is rather busy for my taste. The photos are very busy in themselves and I'm thinking, in hindsight, I should have picked a less busy background and embellishments. Oh well! It's easy to think of those things afterwards... :)

Today I'm finding it a little difficult to get in a creative mood. Maybe because there are lots of other things needing to be done (that I'm doing), maybe it's the extremely dark weather, maybe it's something else...? Next in the pipeline is a card... But I have no idea what to make. I think maybe getting a few stamp sets out and picking a stamp for a focal point might be a good start. Then I at least can have that "in my head" while doing other things. This is usually how I (at the weirdest times, often while I'm about to fall asleep at night) suddenly come up with design ideas...

A Spooktacular Day...

2011-10-15T12:22:00.003+01:00

I've been playing a bit more with the Oogly Boogly kit I had fun with the other day. In fact, I enjoyed making that hybrid card so much that I just had to make another one :)

[Supplies: Oogly Boogly - Kate Hadfield, Kaye Winiecki (from The Lilypad)]

I liked the frame by Kate so much that I decided to use that one again. And then I just went for some different colours and different elements in the kit compared to my other card. Well that is, apart from the pumpkins. I had to use them again... But instead of making them extremely large, I made them very small this time and just added them along the corner on this card.

I had so much fun making these Halloween cards :)

Trick Or Treat...

2011-10-13T11:02:00.003+01:00

I've been working with a very fun new Halloween kit by Kate Hadfield and Kaye Winiecki at the Lilypad... Love cute Halloween kits :)

Anyway, I got the kit and I usually make layouts for my Creative Team work. But since we don't really celebrate Halloween as such I don't really have any Halloween photos... Well, maybe only the odd pumpkin or something...

So what to do? Then I thought it was a looooong time since I did some hybrid cards (I've kinda gone off them a bit, only due to the ink cost though). But I love them. :) And I love making cute Halloween cards. So I thought, why not...?

Below is my first card using the kit:

[Supplies: Oogly Boogly - Kate Hadfield, Kaye Winiecki (from The Lilypad)]

Flying High...

2011-10-10T10:49:00.003+01:00

And no it's not me in the photo LOL! I'm not one for heights...

Recently (the first weekend in October) we had the most amazing weather. Over 26 degrees for 5 days in a row. Unheard of and beat the weather we had all summer here in the UK (am I so glad we got to spend some amazing summer weeks in Sweden!!).

Anyway the summer clothes came out (in October!! They were already washed and put away for next summer) and we went for a picnic. Up in the hills. Where some people (some sort of flying/gliding club? I really don't know the correct term!) had decided to go gliding (?) It was so amazing sitting there watching them all up in the sky. Or running off the cliff and just gliding out in the air just next to us. Very cool indeed :)

[Supplies: Autumn Swirls - Fei Fei's Stuff, Splatteriffic 12 - Karah Fredricks, Autumn Moon Ephemera - Sahlin Studio, Autumn Moon Papers - Sahlin Studio (all from The Lilypad)]

Now today's weather on the other hand should hardly be mentioned. Rainy, grey and VERY dark. It's not far off lunchtime and I'm sitting here with the LIGHTS on LOL!

Wishing I Had A Scor-Pal...

2011-10-06T15:38:00.003+01:00

Well I kinda do have one... Or I do... But I need one! Let me explain my dilemma :)

Basically I SO want the new Scor-Pal (the one with more lines) but I don't know if (a) I can justify the cost when I have the original one and (b) if I can even buy it in the UK yet... (it's so unclear whether it's the new one or not in online shops)

(original Scor-Pal)

The Scor-Pal above is the one I have. And I love it! I use it every time I make a card without fail. But I want more score lines. So a while back (last year?) I got the Martha Stewart score board. It's got loads of lines plus a cool envelope making tool also. But no matter how much I try to get used to this one I really can't. I find it jumps out of the score lines. It's very hard to stay in the tracks. Which of course messes up your card stock. I've even tried different scoring tools. But they still jump (any tips anyone?). :(

(new Scor-Pal)

...so I discover that there is a NEW Scor-Pal! With MORE scoring lines! Yay! I'm thinking since I like the original so much (and it never skips out of the tracks when you score - unlike the one by Martha) I'd really, really, really like this. I'm guessing the chances are that this one will be as great to score with as the original one...!

But can I justify such a purchase to get some more lines...? I sooooo want it! I don't know what to do. And I'd love to get the Scor-Mat (which I never had with my original one) too. So that adds another cost.

Dilemmas. Dilemma. What would you do...?

Exhausted... But With A Little Smile...

2011-10-04T12:39:00.004+01:00

I'm exhausted today. I really don't know what's up with me. I'm not sleepy. Just sooooo exhausted in my body. I feel battered. Totally. Completely. Like lifting an arm is impossible. Even writing this is a huge effort. Sitting on the chair is hard work. Yesterday was a very stressful day, so I'm hoping it's just some reaction to that. I really don't want to be coming down with something...

I'm so "broken" I haven't really managed anything all day apart from reading etc (I'm re-reading the Harry Potter books for the... I-don't-know-which-time).

Despite this incredible exhaustion something did manage to put a smile on my face a little while ago. I got an order in the post which I have been looking forward to a lot...

Studio Calico Mr Huey Shine Spray, Amy Tangerine American Crafts Mixtape (washi tape!), some more foam pads for my Tim Holtz inking tool, a set of Colorbox chalk inkpads, 2 lots of Hero Arts stamps, some distress inkpads + distress stains.

I'm really pleased to finally add some more colours to my Tim Holtz inkpad collection. Something I have been wanting for ages... :)

Another fun (and new thing to me) is the Distress Stains by Tom Holtz. I have never tried these before so I'm looking forward to have a play with those...

But if I had to pick one item I like the most, right now, it must be this Christams stamp set by Hero Arts. I just love those snowmen :)

Despite feeling so tired this fun parcel caused me to want to do something. I'd love to create a chart (just a simple name + a bit of a colour dab/swatch) of my Tom Holtz inkpads and distress stains. I find these kind of colour charts to be SO useful when I work on things. But I don't know if I really have the energy for that today. Maybe I just have to *think* about making a pretty chart and look happily at my new stash for today... :)

Fun Folded Card...

2011-10-01T10:35:00.001+01:00

I love folded cards, cards that are slightly different than usual, but I rarely take time to make them. This time I spotted a cool card by Kristina Werner which I loved so much that I had to make one :)

It's very much a "scraplift"... well, is there a different term for that when it comes to card making? A "cardlift"?!? Does someone know please? Anyway...

I used Kraft card stock and the same butterfly punch as Kristina (since I just happened to have it) but the background and text stamps are totally different to what she used.

I hope the photo above gives you some idea of how it works. It's hard to show in photos. But I think (hope) you get the idea :)

You need two strips of Kraft card stock for this card (which you glue together). Or in my case, you need three, as I scored one of mine in the wrong position at first LOL!

It a square card that folds out to be pretty long and the greeting (made up of several stamps) is stamped in between the butterfly background :)

I'm really glad I took the time to try this - a very fun card indeed :)

Yes Indeed...

2011-09-28T10:58:00.005+01:00

Following on from this post the other day, and my love for the Penny Black cat (and indeed hedgehog!) stamps I had the following comment/question left by Kat:

"I LOVE Margaret Sherry's cats as well!! :) Lovely stamps, got several of her Cross Stitch patterns, too. :) And the hedgehogs are fab, too. Do you know if they have anything new out this year for Christmas?"

Yes they do indeed :) *big smiles*

First of all they have this one (below) which I bought a few weeks ago. Totally adore the cat hanging in the wreath LOL! :)

This also have this one (again please see below) for Christmas 2011. I have not got this one (yet!?!). I so love the cat with the presents in the bottom corner!! But that's the only cat, which is a shame. So I don't know what to do. But I'm planning another stash order, maybe even later today, so I'm thinking it's a huge possibility that this might go in my cart:
And then we come to the problem, for me. Halloween stamps. This I believe is a new set for 2011 (yet again, see below please). I always want to get the Halloween cat/hedgehog sets by Penny Black but never do. I stick to Christmas and Valentine's.

Reason? We don't really celebrate Halloween here, neither do we have the need to send any cards.

Problem? I LOVE making Halloween cards and these stamp sets really appeal to me! I struggle every year to resist them.

Can I resist this year...? I don't know...!?! We'll see...

Hope this was of some help Kat :)

Love The Cats...

2011-09-26T14:14:00.003+01:00

I'm sure I have mentioned several times here on the blog that I really, really like cats...

Both little cats (pets) and big ones (tigers, lions... etc). And when it comes to stamping it's the same. I love cat stamps :)

My favourite ones are the cat stamps by Penny Black. I have boought the special "T For Transparent" cat packs (Christmas, Valentine etc) now for several years...

I can't get enough of them and I'm so happy everytime it's a new holiday and a new stamp set is released featuring the cat :)

...and I love stamping with them too (not just admiring them LOL)! Colouring them with Copics (and the little cute hedgehogs that often are in the stamp sets too!) make me so happy :)

Things Are Slow...

2011-09-23T10:46:00.003+01:00

I've hardly got anything done this week because of my knee. Well, I guess that's not quite true... I have gotten things done, but I have definitely gotten a lot less done... and in terms of crafting I have not even been at my desk for the last 3 days. A bit of digital scrapping has been happening but that's about it.

Knee is getting better but slowly. Yesterday I could not feel any improvement but today I think it's a bit better. So I think it will be a slow indoors type weekend for me. Lots of hugs, Kindle and iPad :) Sounds pretty perfect anyway :)

Studio Calico...

2011-09-21T09:03:00.000+01:00

Scrapbooking kits...

I'm not sure about you but I think it might be something that's especially tempting/good when you start off scrapping. I know I tried a few. I can't remember when it was. I mean, if it was exactly when I started or maybe a year later. Anyway I tried a few. Some I liked and some I didn't. In the end I fell for the US ScrapGoods which I think I maybe had for about 2 years. But I got tired of it. You got 2 of every paper. Something that I didn't really like unless I REALLY loved a paper...

Then I was recommended ScrapRoom. Like 4 kits in 1. This I loved!! It was a great kit. LOTS of variety :) But again from the US. I think I had this for about 2 years also. Then they raised the prices and suddenly it started getting caught in customs. After several high customs charges I had to say goodbye to it.

This was maybe... 2008? 2009? Since then I have had no kits. Until now...

Studio Calico has been tempting me for about a year now. I've been so close to signing up several times. And a few weeks ago I finally signed up for it. I couldn't believe how excited I was after I'd signed up!!! I started off with the kit that was already the current one (August) and I got this about 2 weeks ago...

*love* Greens! Yum!!

And then yesterday my second kit (now according to the proper subscriber schedule) arrived. September:

Love the woodgrain Thickers, the Amy Tangerine stuff etc.

This is fun! I'm glad I had such a long kit break, but I'm also enjoying getting a kit again. Not sure how long for. But at the moment it's big *love* :)))

Ouch...

2011-09-20T10:57:00.003+01:00

I'm a little stuck today. I twisted my knee in the shower last week but it was fine straight after. Twisted it again 2 days ago. Fine after. Then yesterday evening my knee suddenly gave in twice with extreme pain within the same 5 minutes. Today I could manage a few steps (thought it was fine at first) and then suddenly it gave in again with lots of pain. Today I'm going to take it very easy, give it plenty of rest, not really walk, but do some gentle bending exercises.

So today I'm sitting on the bed with my laptop. Going to try and get some Creative Team work done if I can... But I haven't got my tablet here (or even my mouse) so it might be fun...!

Any suggestions for quick knee fixes please...?

I'll be back tomorrow with something fun that I have got...

A Cat Named...

2011-09-18T10:37:00.002+01:00

[Supplies: Purrfectly Fuzzy - Lliella Designs (from SSD)]

I had so much fun creating this layout! This is made with a super cute kit by Lliella Designs featuring lots of cats. Some of them instantly made me think of my sister's cat so it was very easy to know what to scrap. :)

I love cats! And I love scrapping cats. And I would love to have a cat or two of my own but a the moment (travelling to Sweden to to see my family a few times a year) it really wouldn't be practical. And I wouldn't have the heart to leave him at a cattery. I really couldn't. But one day in the future I will definitely have a cat... or two :)

BBQ Love...

2011-09-16T10:32:00.003+01:00

Feels a bit funny sitting here blogging about barbecues today...! It's only 13 degrees outside right now and VERY grey. I would even go as far as saying there's 5-10% fog about...

Anyway I was working with some digital kits and one in particular which was perfect for barbecues so I picked out some photos from July and our only weekend here in the UK (we had some great weather during our 3 weeks in Sweden in July though!!) when it was really barbecue weather...

[Supplies: Al Fresco - Kate Hadfield, Friday Layered Papers - Baers garten Designs, Friday - Baers Garten Designs (all from The Lilypad)]

Journey Destination....

2011-09-13T14:02:00.003+01:00

This was a difficult page for me to scrap. It was actually a challenge I picked up from a cyber crop that Shimelle held a few weeks back. The challenge was to use white, aqua and red. White and aqua? Oh yes! I'm all for that. I love scrapping with aqua :)

Red!?!? Oh dear! I'm not a red scrapper (and I rarely buy red items or clothes). If you'd given me hot pink to work with, together with the aqua and blue, I would have been very happy! But here we were... R.E.D. *deep breath*

I tried to keep aqua as the main colour...but of course I had to get the red in there. As the papers and photos were in place I was not happy. I simply do not pick red as a scrapping colour (unless we're talking Christmas of course! Then it's a totally different story). But... having added some beloved butterflies, flowers and a scalloped journaling spot and... well... I'm okay with it. Okay. Okay and happy that I took the challenge...

...but I'm keeping red for Christmas! :)

My First Work...

2011-09-10T14:12:00.001+01:00

...as part of the Creative Team for Baers Garten Designs. *so excited*

[Supplies: Days Of School Elements - Baers Garten Designs, Days Of School Papers - Baers Garten Designs (both from SBG), Sugar Maple - Sara Gleason (from the Lilypad)]

During the summer I took the very first class that Online Card Classes offered. A great card class by Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner. So much fun inspiration and ideas :)

Monday is the start for their second class. Or Jennifer's I should say. She's holding a 2 week class called "Inspiration Showcase" which I signed up for as soon as it was available. I'm so excited and really can't wait for Monday and the start of the class...

And with that, I better go and finish my paper scrapping so I can get this desk clear and ready for the class... :)

Christmas Scrapping & Cards...

2011-09-08T10:17:00.002+01:00

This is a layout that I did the other weekend for Shimelle's cyber crop. It was just a challenge to use some type of grid on your layout. So I decided to square-punch my photos and use them to create a grid pattern. Love grids!! :)

Anyway, this has kinda made me think about Christmas (I love Christmas!) and I was thinking about cards. Have you started yours yet? Maybe *thinking* about them? Kinda playing with ideas of designs in your mind etc...?

It's been on my mind a little lately. Every year I think there's plenty of time (and there probably really is as I'm a very organised person) but I always end up feeling a little rushed in the end regardless. So the cards have definitely started to sneak into my mind a little lately. A snowman here, a reindeer there.... and some Christmas trees are jumping about in my thoughts sometimes :)

Some Exciting News...!!

2011-09-05T15:23:00.006+01:00

Over the weekend I got some exciting news. I feel so, so honoured! I was invited to the Creative Team for Baers Garten Designs! Yay! I have gotten to know Iara's amazing graphic designs as she's been guest desiging at the Lilypad for the last month or so...

Recently I have been working with the kit below. Check out the banner, the journaling spots, the graphic/ledger papers etc!! *drool* I'm in love! :)

Thank you Iara for making my day and for inviting me to be part of the Baers Garten Designs Creative Team! :)

Squirrelling Away...

2011-09-03T10:59:00.003+01:00

I mentioned on Thursday that I was VERY tired. Why? Well for the last... soon 2 weeks I guess, I have had the most terrible neck/shoulder cramps and pains. Really bad, like agony to even try and brush my own hair or tie my shoes!

On Wednesday I gave up and went to the doctor as it just got worse and worse. Result? I got some really strong pain killers. But I also got some powerful muscle relaxing medicine to try and stop the cramps (the cramps are ultimately what causes all the pain in between the cramp attacks). And muscle relaxing... well it kinda relaxes the whole of me (not allowed to drive!!) and I'm feeling very tired/drowsy LOL! So I pretty much feel like doing nothing... I'd rather curl up with a book that trying to sit at my desk getting some crafting done LOL!

Anyway, crafting IS still being done (though sleeeeepily!) and I have just been working with a cute autumn kit by Kay Miller to make this layout...

[Supplies: Autumn Moments - Kay Miller, Pieces Of My Heart 9 - Kay Miller (both from A5D)]

A Barn With A Difference...

2011-09-01T13:52:00.002+01:00

Very quick update with a layout today. I'm sooooooooo tired...

Love My iPhone...

2011-08-30T09:37:00.002+01:00

[Supplies: PJ Party - Kate Hadfield, Eva Kipler, Edged - Amy Martin, Simple Journalers Pack 2 - Gina Miller, Ledger Papers - Shalin Studio, Shasta - Sara Gleason (all from The Lilypad)]

When I saw Gina Miller's Journalers & Frames for iPhone photos I really couldn't resist working with them...

At first I felt a little stuck. What was I going to scrap about? Then the obvious came to me. iPhone frames = iPhone love! Of course! Yay! :)

There's a lot of journaling (in lime) down the right hand side about how I wanted an iPhone for so long but couldn't really justify the cost...

Then my iPod Touch lost it's mind (it went mad!) about 1 1/2 years ago. After spending a whole weekend trying to fix it, restoring to factory settings etc, without any luck... well that just seemed to be a good reason to finally get that iPhone :)

Best In The World...

2011-08-27T10:05:00.002+01:00

I've been doing a lot of paper scrapping the last week and a half (and enjoyed it so very much!) so now it's time for some digital Creative Team work. The layout below was done for the Lilypad...

It just HAD to be documented. The best ice-cream in the world. Which we get to have every summer in Sweden. And to be honest, it wouldn't be summer without it... They are gigantic (!), you really couldn't manage more than two flavours as you get several scoops for each... and they are totally amazing! Even for someone (yes I know, weird!) who doesn't even really like ice-cream and doesn't really eat it during the rest of the year...

[Supplies: Al Fresco - Kate Hadfield, Maths Class Alpha - Kate Hadfield, Ledger Papers - Shalin Studio, Apple Sherbert Layered Papers - Baers Garten Designs, Friday - Baers Garten Designs (all from The Lilypad)]

Birthday Surprise...

2011-08-25T10:40:00.002+01:00

Oh this is weird. I thought I had blogged yesterday and I hadn't... oh well LOL! Not sure how that happened.

(Sorry about the glare on the right side).

My Dad recently had a "big birthday". As a treat he took all of us ("kids", partners, grandkids) to Tenerife for a week. It was a fantastic trip!!! As a surprise one day we sent drinks to Mum & Dad's apartment in the afternoon with a cryptic note to get dressed up and meet us at the hotel gates at 17:00. (The photo is taken by me while we're waiting for them to turn up as we decided to be there 10 mins early at the gates)

In secret we'd sent out a "pre-patrol" (some of us) earlier in the day and found a really nice restaurant which we'd pre-booked and they would also arrange so there were drinks and strawberries for a toast when we arrived. It was such a great evening, so nice to treat Mum & Dad and the food was even more impressive than we could have hoped. A true and perfect birthday surprise!

I Miss Heidi Grace Stash...

2011-08-22T10:48:00.002+01:00

Oh how I miss the scrapbooking supplies that Heidi Grace used to release...!

They were always so fun and pretty. I found I liked most of the collections and still have a lot of the stuff that I use every now and then. I was rather upset when she just disappeared a few (2?) years ago. Anyway, as I said, I still have some of the stuff and still love and use it. Just like I did last week...

The background paper for this layout is by Heidi Grace. It was very hard to photograph (hence the glare at the top of the page). It's a really beautiful shade of pearlescent blue colour with white fluffy (flocked!) clouds on it. Perfect for my beachy photos I thought.

Better go and catch up on my Project Life album now, need to get some photos picked and ordered...

Go Retro...

2011-08-19T10:33:00.003+01:00

Well kinda. Or not really at all. I mean "retro"... you think normally maybe... some decade(s) ago. Right? Shimelle's "retro" challenge for the cyber crop last weekend was just to use a photo pre-2011...

As I had a pile of photos printed from last summer that I wanted to scrap, I decided to use some of those. So my layout does fit the challenge, only it's not really "retro" to me :)

The background paper I used is old. Seriously old. I think I got it in one of my first kits when I first started scrapping. I don't even know who makes it. The backside (which I think is really the front!) has a diamond-type pattern. But I liked this side. Kinda kraft-like and also quite "sandy" looking which I thought went well with my sea photos...

Signature Accent...

2011-08-17T15:23:00.002+01:00

I'm continuing to working though some of the fun challenges from the weekend. This time it was all about making a layout featuring one of your signature accents... We'll this one actually has a lot of things that I use a lot...

Firstly the colours. Green of course! But I also love white, pink and aqua. A rarely make a layout without some kind of journaling spots, preferably something round. And stickers. Love them! Plus glitter. Glitter or jewels fit nearly everything :) Mixing alphabets is another thing that I do a lot. So a very typical "me" layout today :)

Busy Scrapping...

2011-08-16T12:04:00.004+01:00

This cyber crop by Shimelle at the weekend has really got me busy paper scrapping. Something I love so much :)

Below I have my response to 2 of the challenges from the weekend...

"Add To The Story"-challenge: basically grab a finished layout and add more journaling to it. I did this layout quite recently but it only had the tiny white/orange journaling spot at the bottom right corner. I decided that this photo definitely needed more of an explanation so I added a larger journaling spot on the left side. Much better now I think :)

"3 Is A Magic Number"-challenge: Use something in groups of three. This is something I do a lot anyway so a very happy challenge for me. Normally I might make it a bit more obvious than on this layout, but... We have three little sticker hearts... a purple one near the bottom on the right, a blue at the top of the journaling circle and finally a pink heart near the little date spot by the giraffe's head.

Time to get some more scrapping done... :)

Paradise...

2011-08-15T11:59:00.005+01:00

I've just enjoyed a morning of paper scrapping! So much fun! I'm hoping to continue a bit this afternoon too, if time permits :)

Another challenge from Shimelle's cyber crop was to use patterned papers to embellish your page with. Yay - this makes me happy :)

I love patterned paper and use it EVERY time I scrap. Quite often for the page background itself even. I love using it for journaling spots and cutting it up into strips... using it the same as you would use ribbons. So this was a challenge (or really, not a "challenge" as such for me, as I love it!) that really suited me perfectly :)

I no doubt will be back with some more paper scrapping very soon...

Outdoor Eating...

2011-08-13T11:00:00.003+01:00

Shimelle is running an on-line crop this weekend. A fun thing for me since the last few days have been a bit... slow, shall we say, as I'm fighting a rather nasty summer cold & cough. Yuck!

One of the challenges was to use "stickers from more than one collection and/or manufacturer". So my page above is perfect for that. Without getting all my sticker sheets out from yesterday again (and I'm too tired from my cold to do that!) I think I used stickers from... 4-5 different collections which also were from 3 different manufacturers. Not bad going :)

Hope to get some more done later or tomorrow...

Silent Night...

2011-08-09T14:35:00.003+01:00

There's nothing like a bit of Christmas scrapping in the middle of summer LOL!

I love Christmas so I could scrap it all year round. These are a few photos from last Christmas. Everyone was dressed so much in red that it just seemed the obvious choice for my background colour too. And some Ali Edwards' stamps too of course... which I mentioned my love for in my last post :)

Happy Birthday...

2011-08-06T14:31:00.002+01:00

...no it's no-one's birthday today. Just some birthday scrapping taking place :) And to be honest it wasn't really anyone's birthday at the time of taking these photos either. Just a later delivery of some birthday gifts that were impossible to deliver on the right day...

I love working with the pinks, limes and browns on this layout. Yellows... not so much! But I guess it sort of worked as the (Prima?) paper I used kinda pulled all the colours together anyway. Lots of fun with Ali Edwards' stamps too. I love using her stamps on my layouts :)

Little Handsome Boy...

2011-08-03T11:21:00.001+01:00

A layout I did a while ago of my nephew's Christening. The reason it's not made my blog until today? I have been too lazy to take photos of it. Yep that's the truth LOL!

For some reason I have a tendency to want to avoid taking photos of layouts. For some reason (?) it seems like it's "hard work"... makes no sense LOL! I guess it's the same reason I tend to avoid putting layouts into albums... until the pile is just far too high and I have no choice but to tackle it LOL!

An Amy Tan Kinda Mini Book...

2011-07-31T14:11:00.001+01:00

Sometimes it's fun to make something different. And I'm sure a lot of us have seen the mini books that Amy Tan does. Quick, easy and fun! :)

So I decided to give it a go...

This is what I started off with. Lots of pretty papers in different sizes. I decided to set myself the challenge that I was ONLY allowed to use scraps and I could not use a single full sheet of patterned paper or cardstock. This makes me happy :) I love working with scraps :)

Once I had created my book, got all the papers chosen, scored, folded and in the order I wanted, I used bulldog clips to hold them in place while...

...I used some pretty baker's twine to hand stitch the spine. What you can see is the cover (the book is lying flat open for stitching the spine)... kraft cardstock covered with a very old (Fancy Pants?) piece of transparency.

Fun project :)

Doughnut Love...

2011-07-28T12:06:00.002+01:00

[Supplies: Maths Class Alpha - Kate Hadfield, Tiny Marker Alpha - Kate Hadfield, Over The Rainbow - Kate Hadfield, Studio Flergs, Flat & Frayed - Gina Miller, Basic Kraft - Gina Miller,
Primavera - Gina Miller, Summer Seeds - Gina Miller, Sun Splash - Gina Miller, Grow With Love Letters Edition Jan - Sara Gleason (all from The Lilypad)]

And the journaling goes...
"I’ve never been a doughnut fan. All my life I have never considered a doughnut to be anything I’d choose over something else. There would always be a better, nicer alternative. Maybe a bun, maybe a cookie, maybe something non-baked. But never a doughnut. And as far as supermarket bought doughnuts go, this is still the case. They really are not that nice. They really are not worth it at all.
But then... bring in Kripsy Kreme and we’re talking something totally different. Doughnuts yes. But not just any doughnuts. Kripsy Kreme doughnuts. And they are really in a league of their own! Here it’s definitely a case of “why WOULD you chose something else?” Seriously, can anything beat them? Filled doughnuts, original ring doughnuts... they are all amazing and I can’t get enough of them! Which is kind of a totally different problem..."

*** I'm intolerant to wheat & gluten so this is something that I really shouldn't eat, something that makes me ill, yet sometimes (why?!?) I still can't resist...

BBQ Time...

2011-07-25T10:00:00.003+01:00

That's something there has been an extreme lack of this "summer". And I say "summer" because... well, really there hasn't been any summer weather, has there? June, July... it's hard to believe it's supposed to be summer here. The most common temperature we have had is 14 degrees... yes only 14 - crazy! And lots of rain, and clouds... and did I mention rain?

Anyway "BBQ Time" is all about a layout I made as part of my Creative Team work for the Lilypad and Kate Hadfield...

[Supplies: Maths Class Alpha - Kate Hadfield, Star Spangled - Kate Hadfield, Tiny Marker Alpha - Kate Hadfield, Sun Splash - Gina Miller, Primavera - Gina Miller, Basic Kraft - Gina Miller, Grow With Love Letters July - Sara Gleason (all from the Lilypad)]

We did manage one BBQ so far. The first week in July gave us a very nice Saturday so we grabbed the chance to have a BBQ while the weather was good. And that was really a good job because after the weekend it was back to miserable weather again! Surprise, surprise!

An Amazing Tropical Paradise...

2011-07-22T13:55:00.003+01:00

I knew what photos I wanted to use as soon as I saw Kay Miller's "Mermaidia" kit. The colours instantly appealed to me but I also spotted the palmtrees in the kit straight away. So there had to be palmtree photos in my layout :)

You can get the kit here at After 5 Designs. She's also got some really cool page templates. One which I have used for this layout:

A Little Dino...

2011-07-20T11:05:00.002+01:00

Last week of Summer Card Camp. It's such a shame that it's not a longer class as I have so enjoyed this! And I feel really, really lucky to have won a place in this class (though I would have signed up for this anyway and had my eye on it even before I won). This week's colour combo is so "me". Greens - yay! :)

I love Penny Black's transparent stamp sets and I had my eye on this cute dinosaur stamp set for a long time (we're talking like 2 years ago or more I think). But I couldn't justify it as what would I use them for? About a year ago they suddenly turned up mega cheap in a sale so I grabbed them. Now? I have a little nephew who will be 1 in the autumn and they are perfect for little boys cards :)

I used my new Hero Arts stamp (masked off a square in the middle) for the background.

The card is actually a "scraplift" of a plane card that Kristina Werner did last week for Summer Card Camp. I loved her cloud stamps but I don't have any cloud stamps... so I kinda looked at her stamps and free drew the clouds. The dino is coloured with Copics :)

More Rainbow Scrapping...

2011-07-19T13:50:00.002+01:00

I mentioned last week when I scrapped with this pretty rainbow kit that I felt I was going to use this particular kit for many crafty items...

With a rainbow kit I of course had to scrap... a rainbow! I had some photos from the other year of the most strong and bright (and full/complete!) rainbow I have ever seen in my life. As we all know, taking photos of rainbows is tricky. They tend to turn out a lot paler on the photo than in real life. Same with these photos. But because it was SO bright in reality, the photos turned out pretty ok anyway (though nothing in comparison with reality)...

[Supplies: Over The Rainbow - Kate Hadfield, Studio Flergs, Grow With Love Letters June - Sara Gleason (both from the Lilypad)]

Playing With New Stamp...

2011-07-15T10:06:00.003+01:00

The other day I got a great new background stamp. Straight away I knew I wanted to have lots of fun colouring it in with my Copics. :)

Above is this week's colour combo for Summer Card Camp. So I got my Copics out (plus my Copic colour chart) and started trying to match the colours to my markers. It's always hard as monitors display shades differently... but these are the colours I came up with:

YR30 Macadamia Nut, E04 Lipstick Natural, E25 Caribe Cocoa, R29 Lipstick Red and E47 Dark Brown.

I coloured in selected parts of the image (I already knew I wanted to leave some parts white) and then I used some Ranger white enamel accents on a few shapes too. In reality these enamel parts looks really white, slightly raised and glossy but that doesn't really show up so well in a photo.

A greeting stamped on a homemade banner, some flowers, a button and some embroidery floss later and the card was complete. :)

Fun With Beads...

2011-07-13T14:25:00.003+01:00

I've done some more playing with the cute Over The Rainbow kit that I mentioned earlier in the week...

My little niece loves beads... making necklaces and bracelets. Who doesn't? :) But all kids bead kits are so limited. Yes they might have pretty boxes with lots of compartments & beads sorted into colour groups. But when you stop and look at how many beads you actually get (not so much!) for what you pay it's not so good. And of course I want her to get LOTS of beads! So instead we bought some big packs of pretty beads plus some elasticated cord and an empty pink box...

As we got home I came up with the idea of personalising it with her name and some pretty flowers. This is what I started off with:

And here's the finished box:

[Digital Supplies: Maths Class Alpha - Kate Hadfield, Over The Rainbow - Kate Hadfield, Studio Flergs (both from the Lilypad)]

I'm pretty sure she's going to love it and I can't wait to give it to her when we see her next :)

Beautiful Blooms...

2011-07-11T13:58:00.003+01:00

Thanks for all the nice comments that have been left about the cards I made for the Summer Card camp class - they have made me very happy :) So, really, thanks for taking the time to comment :)

I've been working with the most amazing colourful happy kit by Kate Hadfield this week. It literally is a rainbow full of colours and it makes me smile so much :)

Nice and colourful, eh?! :) It's called "Over The Rainbow" (it's available right now here at the Lilypad) and it's a collab with Studio Flergs.

[Supplies: Maths Class Alpha - Kate Hadfield, Tiny Marker Alpha - Kate Hadfield, Over The Rainbow - Kate Hadfield, Studio Flergs, Sun Splash - Gina Miller, Basic Kraft - Gina Miller
Grow With Love Letters June - Sara Gleason (all from The Lilypad)]

The first page I made with this I teamed with some beautiful kraft cardstock. The next one I make will be a lot more colourful...

A Little Bird...

2011-07-09T11:23:00.002+01:00

I was tired and in pain... but still wanted to work on a card for the day, and take advantage of the class and the great inspiration. So I decided to follow a video for the class by Kristina Werner, rather than doing my own thing...

So this is kinda a "scraplift"... of a card... whatever that can be called LOL! Her card was different in the way of different patterned papers, ribbon and a different stamp. Otherwise the idea is the same.

So, simple card making without having to think, but still that happy feeling of being crafty :)

Birthday Card...

2011-07-08T11:15:00.003+01:00

I'm so enjoying the Summer Card Camp class. I've already got a few cards done which is great. :) I kinda wish I had even more time to make cards for this class. But hey, you can only do as much as you have time for I guess...

I've become totally in love with making kraft cardstock cards during these two weeks of class. There's just something so..... great with it :) I can't put my finger on what exactly LOL! I'm sure I'm making another one VERY soon!

The previous cards I have made for the class have all been very dimensional. This one not so. Lots of stamping and Copic colouring. Happy girl :)

Lazy Days...

2011-07-07T13:52:00.003+01:00

Ouch, just sitting here with some toothache after having been to the dentist this morning. Not fun!

Anyway onto something more fun, some digital scrapping. :) Kay Miller has released two great kits today. The first one is a template kit:

And the second kit is a Sweet Summer kit. Check out the house! And the little cat + dog! So cute :) This was a "definite" kit for me :)

I knew I wanted to use this kit as soon as I saw it and I chose to pick some recent photos from this weekend when we finally had a few days of summer weather.

[Supplies used: Pieces Of My Heart 5 - Kay Miller, Sweet Summer - Kay Miller (both from A5D)]

Right I'm off to find some more pain killers...

Making My Own Butterfly Embellishments...

2011-07-04T11:36:00.000+01:00

I think we all know how expensive scrapbooking supplies can be, right? Tools are more of an investment, that get used often, so a bit more justifiable. Paper and cardstock I'm fine with, but some embellishments I think are just far, far too over priced. I don't know if it's just me, but I find it easier buying patterned paper than embellishments. Like you can get a lot of sheets for £10. Yet for £10 you might only get two little packets of embellishments...

Anyway, at the weekend we went to a craft shop. There I saw these super pretty embellishments by Jenni Bowlin, a pack of pink and a pack of blue butterflies:

I really, really wanted them. But they were £4.30. For a pack of FIVE. That's nearly £1 per little butterfly! A small piece of card and 3 tiny gems. That's a lot. But I kept coming back to them in the shop and wanted them badly...

Then I had this idea - why not make them myself? I found a Martha Stewart butterfly punch, on special offer, at £9.99. Apart from that I used scraps of card & paper and some little gems I'd had for ages. 10 butterflies later and I'd nearly "earned back" (£8.60) the amount I paid for the punch (£9.99) already. AND I actually prefer the colours shades that I chose too. This was fun :)

Flowery Birthday Happiness...

2011-07-02T14:20:00.001+01:00

I have really, really enjoyed this first week of Summer Card Camp. It's so inspiring and it's definitely a class that's a great one to take. I really can't wait for next week's colour combination. I hope it's got some GREEN in it :)

I'm really hooked on making these transparency cards. Though after 3 I think I might just try something new next LOL! Again I varied what I did compared to the other days. Today white is the big colour and I have gone for yet another different shaped window/frame on the front of the card.

I've decided to try and make "useful" cards, rather than just "random cards for the sake of the class". Therefore I'm trying to aim for my most used cards of all ---> birthday cards in Swedish. That way I'm learning fun techniques from the class & make cards PLUS at the same time I have cards that I need for the future :)

Another Version...

2011-07-01T11:15:00.001+01:00

I have decided to make 3 versions of the transparency cards... or at least, I think, 3 versions. Maybe only 2. Definitely 2... as I have done one more already :)

This time I decided to pick one of the other colours as my main colour for the card. Today it's blue. I also wanted to do something different with the shape. So I went for a square card and a different type of shaped window/frame.

It's another Swedish Birthday card. And what fits a birthday better than some cake and in this case a cupcake? Yum! :)

Summer Card Camp...

2011-06-30T11:01:00.004+01:00

(Yay Blogger seems to be back working like it should now!)

When the Summer Card Camp class by Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner was announced I was really excited! I knew it was a class I really, really wanted to take. I kept looking at the page with the sign up details every few days, really wanting to sign up (and intending to do so too!)

And then - Yippee Yippee Yay! - I suddenly find out I have won a place in this class via Nichol Magourik's blog. I was (am!) so, so happy!!! :))) As I really, really, really wanted to take this class. So that was just the nicest surprise :)

Anyway, onto my first card using a technique that Jennifer showed us - making a transparent window...

The colour combination is one we were given for the class this week. At first I was struggling a little bit with purple together with orange. But it's definitely growing on me now :)

As I cut my own apperture in the card (plus outside frame) - this card took much longer to make that I first thought it would.

It's a Swedish Birthday card. Grattis - Congratulations :)

I'll be back tomorrow with some more from the class...

Blogger Being Silly...

2011-06-29T13:26:00.002+01:00

Have written a post and needed to add some photos... but Blogger is being silly and won't add photos :( Have tried all morning. Will upload as soon as it works again :)

Edited to add: 4 hours later and it's still not working! I'm giving up for today now. Will try again tomorrow :)

Happy Colours...

2011-06-26T13:25:00.003+01:00

Got a great parcel in the post yesterday! The new 2011 Copic Sketch colours - yay! So much colour happiness :)))

Faves at this minute: YG61 Pale Moss (of course!!), YR30 Macadamia Nut, BG53 Ice Mint and RV55 Hollyhock...

Though I think E23 Hazelnut will be one of the colours I will use the most out of this batch. I find pale/mid browns get used a LOT :)

So Worth It...

2011-06-24T11:28:00.003+01:00

For the last few days (since Wednesday morning) I've been sorting, tidying, sorting, tidying...until I have been exhausted. My scraproom is TINY! If I hold my arms out I can touch both (opposite) walls at the same time. And if I turn 90 degrees and hold my arms out I can touch the other two (opposite) walls at the same time too. Get some idea of how small of a room it is? Won't even hold a single bed as the room is too short. On top of this, the room has 2 (!) doors and 1 window. So not much left, eh?

Based on that, you can probably already imagine that my scrapping desk is very small too. Just over 1 metre long. And even though I'm keeping my desk clear in between scrapping sessions and I'm a very tidy person at heart, things happen.... My desk is also my laptop space = not much work surface left. So when I scrap I have to pile supplies around my chair, leaning against the wall, the desk leg, anything that's available. These piles have a tendency to take over the floor (the little floor I have!!) which I hate (being a tidy person). So I have spent a loooong time these last few days sorting through my piles, dividing stuff... Putting things away in the space where they really belong. Moving things around to have certain items more to hand etc etc.

After nearly three days of doing this I'm exhausted. My brain is exhausted from trying to come up with good storage solutions for things that are nearly impossible. And I'm exhausted from crawling under my desk, having things collapsing on me, moving things, lifting things, trying to get to awkward things...

But it's finally Friday and I'm NEARLY done! Yay! And I feel sooooo much happier when I walk into my scraproom now :))) That was SO worth it! :)

I'm Back...

2011-06-21T12:34:00.003+01:00

Oh what a yucky few days I have had. Felt really, really ill. It's not gone completely, but I feel much, much better compared to a few days ago!

Anyway I wanted to jump straight in and make sure I get some replies done to some comments that have been left on my blog in the last few days...

"Make My Day UK"/Kate - you asked a few Instax questions and left an e-mail address to contact you at. I wrote back with the reply straight away and I hope you have received it. I have not had a reply from you, so if you for some reason did not get the info, please contact me again. But I hope you did get my e-mail with the info in time :)

"Frenchpossum" - thank you for the nice comments on this old post. I'm really pleased that you enjoy my blog and also that you managed to get hold of one of those boards. :) So pleased you enjoy it and that you also find it a "must have tool". It's great, isn't it?

Okay, high time for lunch here... See ya!

I'm ill...

2011-06-17T13:54:00.000+01:00

...will be back posting asap!

Following + Fun...

2011-06-14T10:02:00.002+01:00

First the "following" bit.... I got a question by Heather Getson yesterday: "Gorgeous album. TFS! How do I follow your blog?" Thanks Heather - glad you like my album :)

As for "following"... you know what? I had NO idea. So I did some research and found out what I needed to do. You should now be able to follow me if you like. Check out the coloum on the right, a little bit down, just below the "information" section :) Hope that helps!

And as I added this, I saw I already had 96 followers which totally surprised me. So obviously you've already been able to "follow" my blog... somehow... LOL!

As for the "fun" bit of my title ---> My Instax camera is here and I'm in love :)))

Finished...

2011-06-12T11:35:00.004+01:00

I mentioned this pretty kit on Wednesday. Friday was "in progress" photos day. And today... here is the finished album. "Finished" as in ---> ready to use and add photos + journaling in :)

And here's a quick look at my summer album and just some of the pages inside...

I'm a huge fan of the Sassafras papers with built in borders at the bottom. Love them! So I had lots of fun with some of those in this album.

Borders, tags, ribbons, journaling spots. A mixture of lots of little items were used...

...once I have added journaling and photos I think a few more embellishments will be added to some (all) pages too.

The cute house is actually part of the packaging that some ribbons came in. Loved having it as a page in the album :)

So what will I use it for? A little summer album. June/July/August (as some of you might have spotted one some of the tags spread through the album). I'm even thinking it might be an album for my (soon to be taken) Instax photos perhaps... :)

In Progress...

2011-06-10T11:22:00.003+01:00

I mentioned this kit on Wednesday which I wanted to do something with... And the idea was a minibook. Well, here are some "in progress" photos...

The finished book size is 7x5 inches...

And it has 20 pages inside. Of varied sizes. I L-O-V-E (mini)books with different sized pages inside. There's something so fun and happy with those...somehow :)

A mixture of full sized pages (same size as the cover), tags and journaling spot pages...

My favourite tool when it comes to making minibooks? The Crop-A-Dile! It's invaluable. I've had it for a few years now and it gets so much use! One of the best tools I have bought (together with scissors (of course!), trimmer & Bind-It-All).

Watch out for the blog post with pictures of the finished album coming soon!

Oh and I have ordered it! *Excited* But it says delivery is approx "7-8 working days"... so I'd better try and be patient. Won't be easy...! :)

Instax Thoughts & A Pretty Kit...

2011-06-08T14:34:00.003+01:00

Thanks to Gabbina and Casey Wright for the comments you both left on my post the other day. I really appreciate it! :) And no, I have not bought one... Yet! But it seems that everyone else who I have been in touch with, who has one too, are really happy with it. So I feel it's only a question of time now... Not today. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe I'll order one at the weekend...? We'll see...

Onto something else. This pretty kit above that I have... And before anyone might ask, no sorry it's not a kit that you can buy anymore :( I think it will become a minibook. As you can see there are bookrings and bookcovers included in the kit and you got instructions for a minibook. So I think a minibook it will be... More on this another day...

Any Opinions? Advice Needed Please?...

2011-06-06T11:53:00.002+01:00

I've been wanting it for a year... maybe two! Every month I'm there looking at them on the internet. Several times a month sometimes... I want one so, so much! And have been wanting one for so, so long!

Sometimes I even have one in my basket. Being soooo close to ordering it...

There is no doubt that I would find it SO much fun :))) I would love it to bits for sure! Only how much use would it get? And would the cost of film put me off using it...?
If you've got a Fuji Instax Mini I'd love to hear your opinion please?! :)

It feels like my final decision is going to be made VERY soon... No matter what it will be...

Smash Happiness...

2011-06-02T10:46:00.002+01:00

Yay my Smash goodies have arrived and I'm soooo excited!! :)

"Annotations" - thanks for your comment that you left regarding the Smash items and my blog. Very much appreciated! :) You said you got the red Smash journal? You know what? As much as I prefer the blue and pink ones when it comes to the outside cover, I actually think that the red one might be my favourite when you look at the pages inside :)

I also got the little Smash journaling pads, the Smash tapes and a spare Smash pen. I figured those "pen&glue in one pens" could be really useful for other projects too :)

Anyone have any experience with 2peasinabucket's customer service please? This was the first time I ordered from them and unfortunately there was a problem with my pink journal. All the pages except the first one are upside down in the book LOL! Sent them an e-mail (or actually opened a so called "ticket") 24 hours ago when the parcel arrived but I'm still waiting. Hoping to hear from them soon!

Joy...

2011-05-31T12:04:00.002+01:00

This layout is another example of what I talked about the other day ---> not a single piece of cardstock in sight! (The pink background is a faint patterned paper and the backside of a more bold pattern).

I've been thinking about this even more since my last post and realised that: not only do I NOT know when I last used cardstock as my background but also I do NOT know when I last purchased cardstock! As in what YEAR even!? Maybe 2009? Or 2008?

Anyway, without even realising this, it seems like I have done the right thing at least. Sometimes, in the pretty stash world we live in, it's easy to buy pretty things without stopping to ask yourself "Do I ACTUALLY use this type of item a lot in my scrapping?". And this time, I have got it right, not buying cardstock when I don't use it - even without realising so. Yay for that :)

{Glitter Adventure}

Christmas Album | Day 13...

Christmas Album | Day 12...

Mmm... Cupcakes...

Christmas Album | Day 11...

Christmas Album | Catching Up Plan...

Flower Power...

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 10...

Sorry...

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 9...

Happy New Year...

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 8...

The Happiest Of Holidays Card...

Merry Christmas...

Holiday Seasons Card...

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 7...

Christmas Card...

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 6...

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 5...

Can Not Wait... For Christmas...

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 4...

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 3...

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 2...

Christmas Album 2011 | Day 1...

In Progress...

Christmas Album Cover...

Christmas Album Time...

What Am I Doing...?

Getting More Copics *yay*...

This Was Fun...

Snowflake...

Card Mania...

Christmas Cat...

Bauble Card...

Bonfire Night...

Scor-Pal Question...

Birthday Card...

Scor-Pal... Excited!...

Too Cute To Spook...

Cool News...

This Is Life...

A Spooktacular Day...

Trick Or Treat...

Flying High...

Wishing I Had A Scor-Pal...

Exhausted... But With A Little Smile...

Fun Folded Card...

Yes Indeed...

Love The Cats...

Things Are Slow...

Studio Calico...

Ouch...

A Cat Named...

BBQ Love...

Journey Destination....

My First Work...

Christmas Scrapping & Cards...

Some *Exciting* News...!!

Squirrelling Away...

A Barn With A Difference...

Love My iPhone...

Best In The World...

Birthday Surprise...

I Miss Heidi Grace Stash...

Go Retro...

Signature Accent...

Busy Scrapping...

Paradise...

Outdoor Eating...

Silent Night...

Happy Birthday...

Little Handsome Boy...

An Amy Tan Kinda Mini Book...

Doughnut Love...

BBQ Time...

An Amazing Tropical Paradise...

A Little Dino...

More Rainbow Scrapping...

Playing With New Stamp...

Fun With Beads...

Getting More Copics yay...

Some Exciting News...!!

Smash Happiness...