Not Sure...

You know when you have a layout that you're not sure about. You add a bit more, you remove a bit more and you're still not sure? Well we got this great sketch by Cathy Zielske for the BPS class. Her page looked great. My page? Not so sure...

I'm not sure if it's because I'm not used to working with the sugary sweet pastel papers to that extent. But I do know that I love the super cute papers individually. Maybe too much pastels on the layout? Maybe I should have broken it up with some plain cardstock? I don't know... It is growing on me a little but I'm still not sure. It's like nothing stands out on the layout...like it needs a focal point or something. Anyway, enough of wondering...

Yummy Lilypad Goodies...

Yesterday it was time for "Build Your Own Collab" at the Lilypad again. A really super combination of colours this time. And some amazing kits made by the designers. Just before I started this post I was trying to pick my absolutely favourite kit...but it was impossible...so I ended up with two in the end. Both by Amy Wolff:

I was working with the kits late on Thursday evening and came up with this digital layout:

[Supplies: Cardboard Swirls 2 - Amy Martin, Build Your Own Borders #4 - Amy Wolff, Funky Forest - Amy Wolff, Merry And Bright Paper Pack - Amy Wolff, Doodle Button Bits - Jenna Desai, Holiday Frames - Jenna Desai, Sparkly Cheer - Jenna Desai, Scruffy & Snowy - Kate Hadfield, Sweater Weather - Kate Hadfield, 'Tis The Season - Kate Hadfield (all from The Lilypad)]

Please come back tomorrow to see some more work from the BPS class by Cathy Zielske :)

The Weather And The Lights...

I'm just working on my Christmas journal but I'm waiting for some ink to dry at the moment so I thought I would blog about the previous pages in the meantime.

This is the back side of page 2/day 2 (the left side). The prompt was all about the weather and it suited me just fine as we had some pretty snow on the 2nd. The prompt for the 3rd (about cards) I wanted to save for another day (basically because we have planned to make our Christmas cards tonight LOL!) but I had another long story about Christmas lights which I wanted to feature in my journal this year as it took up a LOT of time for us...four days of a lights nightmare LOL! I felt that it was something that was specific to THIS Christmas and something we could look back on an laugh about. So this page has a lot of writing and the back side of the page does too...which you'll see another day.

Onto some questions that I have got:

Marja - yes the circles and the rectangles with "December+ a date" are indeed by Ali Edwards.

Sarah - you asked about the paper on the left side. It's by Chatterbox and I'm pretty sure it was from last year's Christmas collection. I have one uncut sheet here, which I have just checked, but it's double sided and has no strip so I don't know the name - sorry. Hopefully you can find it anyway :)

Update on Sassafras Chipboard Plus Page 2 Of My Journal...

For those of you interested in the super cute Sassafras chipboard, here's an update: I have completely sold out of one type sorry, one type I have 3 packs left of and the other two types I have 1 each left of. So if you want to grab them at a bargain price while you can then click here.

Yesterday I posted the first page in my Christmas journal for this year, and I also promised that you'd see the backside of that page today together with the front side of page 2. So here we go:

Page 2 is made up of a transparency (by Luxe Designs if I remember correctly). If you look carefully on the right side you can spot the big black circles...those are actually printed on the transparency. I have added a photo in the middle of the transparency, stamped a journaling block onto it and journaled straight onto the photo. Then I added a punched out circle with the date. I'll show you the backside of this tomorrow but the principle is the same. A photo on the back of the photo and a circle on the back of the circle.

The Start...

This is the first page in my journal. In general I will do a front and back for one day (though there will be exceptions). Since I decided that I want to take photos of my finished pages actually *in* the album, you will sometimes see the back of a page the day after (to be able to photograph complete spreads...if that makes any sense). So this photo shows the front only of day 1. Tomorrow you'll see the back of day 1 and the front of day 2 (which makes a complete spread) and so on...

For the first day I have journaled about why I'm making my journal and what I love about Christmas. I'm kinda following the class by Shimelle, which I have done the previous two years also, but I will change some prompts...as I always have done. With me not being from the UK, some prompts just don't suit me. There are some Swedish traditions which I want to feature in my journal and of course the fact that we celebrate Christmas (food, presents, everything...) on the 24th and not the 25th etc. So I will stick with the prompts when they suit me and other days I will do my own thing... :)

My Journal...

I still have a few sets of the super cute brand new Sassafras chipboard for sale cheap if anyone's interested...

As for Twilight, I'm onto the third book now...very addictive!

And my Christmas journal...I worked non-stop on it yesterday, I just about got to eat lunch LOL!

The front cover has fabric paper on it - love the feel of it and I thought it would be a nice idea to have a fabric cover:

Unfortunately I never got the chance to decorate the cover, add a title etc yesterday. But at least I have my journal ready now. Yay! I can always work on the cover a day when I have some more time :)

The inside pages are all different sizes...

Mixed pages...patterned paper, cardstock, transparencies, envelopes, bingo cards...

...and all different edges...die-cut ones, torn ones, straight ones, scalloped ones etc...

And what feels even better is that the whole album is made using paper/cardstock from my scraps bag. Not a single new sheet was cut up for the inside pages (I had to use it for the covers as I needed such big pieces).

I never had the chance to do page 1 yesterday so I'm going to work on that one now...plus page 2 also of course :)

Journaling My Christmas...

I've been so busy lately with DT/CT work here and there, the BPS class to keep up with etc, ont top of everything else, that I simply haven't had any time at all to prepare my Christmas album. It's made me rather sad to be honest...and a little bit stressed. It's something I enjoy a lot and I don't want it to become something stressful...but this year it kinda has. So today, after making yet another layout for the class by Cathy Zielske, I have sat down to start on my album. I'm making it totally from scratch...cutting my own chipboard covers etc, so I'm not exactly making it any easier for myself LOL!

Anyway, I took a 5 min break to blog and show you what my desk looks like right now...

You can see my finished Christmas journal from 2006 here and from 2007 here. (If you hunt through the Dec/Jan posts for each year you will also find pics of all the inside pages).

I better get back to making this journal now as there's no way I will finish today even so.

Oh and I almost forgot, for those who followed my Christmas rug, I did indeed finish it late on Friday afternoon and in time for the weekend which I hoped :) Now I just need to find some time to take photos of it LOL!

Scrapping Fun...

I finished book 1 yesterday afternoon and have already started on book 2. I must have been bitten by the Twilight bug...or should that be Twilight vampire?

I can't believe we're half way through week 9 in Cathy Zielske's Big Picture Scrapbooking Class. It ends on Christmas Day - 12 weeks in total. I don't want it to end LOL! I'm enjoying our 3 weekly assignments and the long slide show that she does for us every Thursday is something to really look forward to. Not to mention her funny bonus videos that we get most weeks. I'll be sad to see it come to an end.

This is a layout done for the class. I really enjoyed doing this one. Not only did I get the chance to scrapbook some silly photos I took when mum & dad visited once, but I also had some fun playing with supplies. I stamped the flowers with black StazOn ink (they are designed by Mindy Terasawa for Autumn Leaves) and then I got out my watercolour pencils and my water brush and had some fun colouring them in :)

Digi Sales, Books and Rug...

Just a little update from me :)

Books. Twilight. I've been reading. Lots. LOL! The 3rd and 4th book in the series arrived at nine this morning. The 2nd book (which I ordered before the others) is due to arrive in the next 1 1/2 hours. It's a good job as I have less than 100 pages left in the first book. Froggy - thanks for the comment you left with info on the series, how many books etc - very much appreciated :)

Black Friday Sales...there are lots of great sales around in the digital scrapping world today. Lilypad is having a sale with 30-50% off. And Sweet Shoppe is having 40% off storewide. Not to be missed if you're into your digital or hybrid scrapping :) I've been making a little Christmassy bookmark:

[Supplies: "Merry And Bright" by Kate Hadfield & Kaye Winiecki (the Lilypad) , "Border-Line" by Lauren Grier, "DJB Smarty Pants" by Darcy Baldwin (both SSD)]

Right, I'm off to do some more sewing on my rug. Want to get it ready today if I can so I better get going...

Oooops...

So. Twilight. I read about 150 pages yesterday. And then ordered the second book! I read a little bit more today and just placed my order for book 3 and 4 (is that the complete series...does anyone know please? Or will there be more books?) All three books should arrive tomorrow :)

How did that happen...?