Yum Yum...

I'm off to have the flu vaccine in a bit so I better hurry this post a little - sorry!

I just wanted to share with you this kit by Lliella Designs. Slightly unusual theme (for a scrapbooking kit I mean) of cooking. However I'm sure we all have cooking/food related photos in our photo libraries, don't we?

And this is the layout I came up with using the kit the other day. I always love it when I get to use Kraft cardstock - yay!

[Supplies: Home Cooked Meal - Lliella Designs (from SSD)]

Right I'd better run...

Have a great Saturday :)

A New Tool...

Earlier in the week I got a new tool to play with. Sew Easy by We R Memory Keepers...

I was a little unsure about it before I bought it... but in the end I decided to gamble. I always like sewing on layouts and since my sewing machine is so unreliable it should really be on the tip (if someone can recommend a good reliable one to a decent price, please leave a comment!), I figured I'd give this a go.

When it arrived I played with it a bit on scrap card. Just to practice, to see how easy I found pushing it in a straight line (no problem for me at all) and just generally to get the hang of how much pressure to use etc. Of course also to test out the different heads/patterns :)

I then ventured onto a layout (which I have yet to finish as I'm playing with my Copics and Christmas images at the moment)...

I really enjoyed the sewing and it's great that you can just use ordinary embroidery floss once the colours run out that I got with the Sew Easy kit too :) I also love how you can make different sewing patterns (using your imagination and there are also some suggestions supplied) for each lot of holes/patternhead.

After the first play I can say that I really like this tool so far and think I will get a lot of use out of it :)

Found Something For My Copics...

Yay I have finally found something that will store my Copics. :) But before I go on, I just wanted to say thanks to Paula, who also suggested some great storage for Copics... only I had bought mine when I saw your comment Paula. If I hadn't found this, I would probably have gone for your suggestion as getting the Color Cubbies from the US would have cost a fortune! Anyway...

Went shopping yesterday and found this great storage for my Copics...

I love the fact that each compartment has space for more markers to be added (as I'm sure they will with time, birthday, Christmas etc) and also that I have 4 spare compartments at the top. These will come in very useful for re-inkers, which I will be ordering my very first ones of later today. Need to refill my reds. Think I coloured too many Santas last year and now they are running a little low LOL! :)

I'm so pleased to finally have my markers sorted. They are each sorted by colour family. So all blues (B) together, all blue-greens (BG) in another compartment, all greens (G) in the next and so on. Feels great and will of course be very handy when looking for a certain shade.

It's funny how a different container can make your markers look so much more or less. My previous container was full, so it looked like I had "loads of markers". In this storage it suddenly looks a lot less LOL! Anyway, birthday is coming up next month and I know something I will wish for...

Finally I'm leaving you with a baby card I made with a cute little elephant (stamp: Maya Road). My sister had a little baby boy last week :) "En Pojke" = "A Boy" in Swedish.

Okay I'm off to do some colouring with my Copics... Feels soooo great to have them sorted and stored handy on my desk :) I'm a very happy girl :)

Cute Cats...

I have to show you this cute cat kit that Kate Hadfield has released this weekend. She's a guest designer at Catscrap this month so, unlike most of her kits, this one can not be found at the Lilypad. The kit is called Here Kitty Kitty (great name!) and looks like this:

Loving cats, and hoping Kate would make a doodle cat kit some time, I totally had to scrap with this kit asap :)

[Supplies: Here Kitty Kitty - Kate Hadfield (from Catscrap), Blues 'N Greens - Kate Hadfield, Deckchair Alpha - Kate Hadfield, Piled Pieces 2 - Amy Martin, Film Clipping Masks - Sahlin Studio, Lined Journal Cards - Sahlin Studio, Vintage Worn & Torn Papers - Sahlin Studio (all from the Lilypad)]

Is the weather as terrible where you are? This must have been the darkest, worst weather week I can think of for a loooong time. Only two days (Thursday and Saturday) have we had what I would consider to be "proper daylight". The other days (inc today) haven't ever gone light. It's been soooo dark, cloudy and misty. Plus lots and lots and LOTS of rain. It just doesn't stop. Hopefully next week will be lots better as I could do with some nice light :)

And The Storage Hunt Continues...

Thanks both to Charlotte and Marja for the Copic storage ideas. I would LOVE the Color Cubbie shelves that Jennifer McGuire etc use...

(Photo copyright: Jennifer McGuire)

...but unfortunately they don't seem to be available in the UK as far as I can see (if someone knows otherwise, please leave me a comment). However these would be totally ideal for me. I could sort the markers by colour groups and they would not use up too much valuable desk space. So now I guess the hunt continues... Maybe there's something similar around here in the UK? Anyone knows please...?

I've been looking at IKEA and similar places but found nothing like these little shelevs so far...

Above is a layout which I have been meaning to scrap for a while. Photos are nearly 2 years old now - of my cousin getting married just before New Year's Eve in 2008. So pleased I have finally got these photos into my album :)

If you have any other great Copic Sketch storage ideas, please do let me know. Thanks!!! :)))

Help - Copic Sketch Storing Ideas?...

I need some help with good Copic Storage ideas... for the Copic Sketch markers. I'm not particularly keen on the official Copic Storage like the Wire Stand or the Plastic Boxes (Wire Stands would take up too much precious work surface for me and I don't really get on with the plastic ones).

I need something that is good to keep on my desk and doesn't take up too much work surface (as my desk is very small and my scrapping space is already competing with the laptop + printer).

At first I just created a cardboard box which I decorated with pretty papers. This kept being pushed out of shape by the weight of the pens... so eventually I had to give up on that idea...

Then I bought this proper box. Unfortunately I can't remember the brand. It's from a range that also has bags in the same fabric. Brown with white, baby blue and baby pink dots. You can see the look a bit on the right side of the photo above. I'm sure someone will know the name of the company...?

Anyway, this box has been great and I have liked it a lot. Even though I would have preferred something with dividers of some sort so I could keep all blues together, all greens together etc. The only problem I have is now that I have had about 15 markers lying by the side of it for months as they don't fit in it... and of course any new ones in the future would have the same problem. :(

So can someone help with a good Copic Sketch storage that:
* is not the official Copic storage (as it's not really what I need)
* works on a desk but doesn't take up too much workspace
* preferably has a few dividers/compartments so I can split the markers into colour groups

I'd be sooooo grateful for any advice/tips - THANK YOU!

Seaside...

These are photos I have been meaning to scrap for quite some time. Photos I got from Mum & Dad, which they took on a trip to Madeira two years ago.

In the handout for May Flaum's BPS (or, I should really say: BPC now!) class, there was one specific assignment that made me think of these photos immediately. To be honest, I can't really think of what it was now as there were no layouts about sea or Madeira indeed LOL!

Anyway, I'm really pleased as I now have these two photos scrapped and in my album (...well, when I take a moment to add my pile of layouts to an album that is... that can sometime take several months and the pile just grows and grows LOL!)

Saturday...

Hope you're all having a great Saturday! We're having a very cosy day here. :)

I've baked glutenfree breadrolls (plus a little loaf with the leftover dough), we've got some barbecue beef in the slowcooker for tonight (to go with the newly baked bread rolls) and I have bought a new fun game for my iPad a little while ago called Fiona's Flowers (I love Time Management games!)

Above is a layout which I made for May Flaum's "Adventure In Scrapbooking" class. I'm really enjoying this class still and I'm getting loads of layouts done. Makes me very happy! :)

Christmas...

And no, don't worry, I'm not going to go on about how Christmas is getting closer or closer, how many days it's left or indeed if anyone has already started organising or buying presents LOL! I'm talking about scrapping Christmas. Something that I love to do no matter what time of year it is :)

The layout above is another one which I have done for May Flaum's class. I love JUST using scraps and open packages of items while scrapping. Of course I need to use a full sheet (cutting it down to the size I need) for the background, but apart from that I don't allow myself to cut into a new sheet of paper, or open a new pack of embellishments for these class layouts. Such a great feeling! I've always been good with using scraps of patterned papers etc but this is cool.

I have done some digital CT work this morning and now I'm going to dig out some cardstock and get working on this class some more. Have a great day everyone! :)

Adventures In Scrapbooking...

I mentioned last week that I'm taking a BPS class at the moment which I'm enjoying a lot... It's by May Flaum and it's called "Adventures In Scrapbooking: Use Your Stash". I LOVE this class! And even though you can substitute stuff for most classes, this is specifically one which is "do NOT buy anything, use what you have" kind of class.

Like I said, most classes you can substitute things for anyway, but some might be based on some very special items that are more or less necessary. Like I would love to take Donna Downey's upcoming BPS class. But not only is it a quite pricey class, it also has a HUGE supply list (I think we must be talking hundreds of pounds to buy every single item listed) and a lot of those are special fabric/art-type supplies which are not easily substituted. So no matter how much I'd love to take that class, it's just a huge no no for me. :(

Anyway, back to this class by May Flaum. It's so cool. Dig out old supplies, keep them nearby, and mix with new. Finish things. Use up half sheets of stickers and opened packets of embellishments.

She also goes through some cool info on working out what you buy vs what you USE. I know this is kinda obvious, but if you don't sit down and really THINK about it, you might not pay attention to it. Like I love chipboard, but I really don't use naked chipboard. I'm a fast scrapper and to take time to cover/emboss or paint chipboard while scrapping - well it just doesn't happen for me. So buying naked chipboard (no matter how much I like it) is a bad thing for me as it won't get used. Then take something like flowers or journaling spots/stamps, that's something that I use a LOT, so that's a good purchase for me. :)

Like I said, a really cool class, which I'm enjoying a lot. It's been 2 weeks and I have done 9 layouts for it. Pretty cool, eh? I hope to start on week 3 maybe tomorrow... Got some digital CT work to deal with first...