She's So Sweet...

There's not enough hours in a day, or days in a week to do everything at the moment! I haven't read anyone else's blog for a week now - I think I'm getting withdrawal symptoms. Still, some busy and full days do have their wonderful moments...

On Saturday, I got a visit from my grandchildren. Alistair is HUGE! He's one bonny baby, and that's for sure! Liy is sweeter than ever, and as she left to go home she said to me...

"I love Nonna's house"

"Why's that?" I asked

"Because you live there" was the wonderful reply I got. How sweet and adorable is that?

I wanted to scrapbook the moment - but couldn't find the right photograph. Still, I did find a pile of photographs that I wanted to scrapbook anyway, and found in that pile a really lovely photo of Lily when we visited Romsey World Of Water. I'm not entirely happy with the layout - but I think this is because I'm just itching to do another mini album (I have 2 ideas in my head)... I decided to use a lot of blue and green instead of girly-pink for this layout...

I used a background paper from the Mariposa range... then chucked a whole load of other stuff at it - one of the new papers I had as well as leftovers from My Minds Eye, some Papermania, a bit of Prima, a lot of cosmic shimmer, a splash of bling and pearls, lace, bits off of old flower arrangments and some stickles. Oh, and a little bit of sewing :)

Squiffy Sunday Sneaky Peek

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...

Today is a hot sunny day - perfect gin-and-bitterlemon weather.

And I'v had three.

Large ones.

Oops :D

As well as a 'gin day', today is an 'embellish your mini' day for me. It's the mini album I made to go into the mini trunk, and it's supposed to be simple and purple. Trouble is, I think the gin-influence has made me a tad more flamboyant than usual, and I have only two pages finished that are full of flowers, butterflies... and glittery bits! I don't do glttery bits!

So, although it's definitely NOT a Wednesday, I thought I'd let everyone in on a sneak peek of how my workdesk looks today.... squiffy-stylie *lol*

I think my gin-induced creativity has made me prone to messiness (spot the gin and bitter lemon taking pride of place on my desk *lol*)... and at some point this evening I'm expecting someone to have to rescue me from a glitter overload. Once again I say...

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...

think I shall pay for this tomorrow *lol*

However... squiffy though I may be, my cutting lines seem to be extraordinarily straight, my lines are relatively well-spaced (and I can't do straight normally), and I'm quite liking the whole OTT look of my mini album :)

Tomorrow I may see things differently... I'll let you know (if I'm able *lol*).

Messy! Making Flowers...

I have had such fun, making a whole lot of mess *lol* It started with this layout I've been planning (I'll be posting that later tomorrow) - I guess I was just being fussy with the flowers I wanted to use. I like to make my own flowers - I know it takes time and effort, but I feel like a layout is REALLY mine if I tried to craft as much of what's included on the layout as I possibly can. Anyways... the colour palette was purple - dark, aubergine purple. These flowers also had to be antique looking, sort of dusty and old, and I knew I had nothing with that sort of colour in my scraps bag that I could use to make paper flowers, but I did have some bridal rose petals that I had bought for 99p a while ago (one of those "I might use this one day" purchases). They were a good base colour - browns and creams - and with a little bit of pizzazz, I knew they'd be perfect. At a craft fair I had attented, I had bought a Shimmerz Spritz in 'Purple Passion' that I thought would make the petals into what I needed them to be. The colour was too weak, but I then had a sudden brainwave (those don't happen too often - the shock nearly floored me!) and remembered that I had some Moon Glow's Starburst Stains left over from my card making days. No purples, but two parts 'Frosted Purple Iris' (which is actually bright blue) to one part 'Poinsettia Red Gold' gave me a gorgeous colour! Two days later, and my fingers are still purple from the inks - but part of crafting is making messes and having fun with it all (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!). After a quick drying with the heat gun, the petals were almost perfect - but not quite. More purple! Felt tips seemed a pretty good idea - well, felt tips scribbled onto the petals and then sloshed a bit with a water pen to blend it all a bit. Still, my trusty pink silicone baking mat (Poundland - bargain!) stood up to the ink better than my fingers and nails (will they ever recover?!) and another blast from the heat gun and I was really happy with the result. I decided that sewing the petals together would be best as hot glue can sometimes become a bit bulky. I pleated each petal, stitched once to hold the pleat in place and then added another petal - keeping the same needle and thread, and sewing a pleat first before sewing the petal with one stitch into place. Using five or six petals, I got a nice effect - and then I used a hot glue gun to stick each petal next to it's neighbouring one to make a nice shape. I chose grey accents (half pearls, 5p for about a hundred) as I thought this might keep the 'antiqued' feel going.

Stash diving (my favourite pasttime!) found some little purple paper roses that sat perfectly in the centre of some of the flowers and these, as well as the half pearls, were stuck on with the hot glue gun. I'm really happy with the results - and I can't wait to blog the layout I used them in as it's one of my favourites so far!

In The Summer Of '64

Actually, this layout is called "Hugs On The Beach"... and I love this photograph of my parents so much! It was taken (I think) at Lulworth, before 1966 (I know this because it was before my parents were married – no wedding rings) and I think it may have been around 64-65-ish. They always have been a very lovey-dovey couple, and it's nice to look back on photographs and see that they were in love from the very start... so sweet! For this layout, I first cut a circle out (using pattern-edge scissors – scallop edged) of 'imaginisce' “Now and Forever” collection (Roman Columns). I edged the circle with burgundy pigment ink, then quickly sprayed onto the edges Ink Potion no.9, holding the paper up and letting the ink run in rivulets over the paper. Next I used a blending tool which had been used with brown ink and blended over the whole paper, edges first and then over the surface so that where the Ink Potion had run, it would pick up some of the ink. Next, I sprayed with 'Ancient Copper' Cosmic Shimmer Mist from a distance of about 12-18 inches or so (outside!). When dry, I pricked out another circle about an inch in from he edge. I folded some almost-sheer scrap ribbon in half and gathered this lightly as I sewed it onto the card stock using the pricked-out inner circle as a guide to where it should go. “Sonnets” (Creative Imaginations) was the next choice – using this as my 12”x12” backing paper (cut into a scalloped circle) and also to mat and layer the choice of photograph. For the photograph and layering I roughed the edges with a scissor blade and used the burgundy ink on the edges too. Burgundy thread was used to circle the photograph, to help pull in the black and white photograph to the colour scheme. This same thread was also used to create some swirls (seems to be quite my trademark now *lol*) from the edging of the photograph, that I decided to offset from the centre towards the right of the layout. Liquid Pearls in “Gold Pearl” was used on every scallop round the edging of both scalloped circles (ever started to do something you wish you hadn't? *lol* It took ages!). Next came the hardest part for me... leaving the Liquid Pearls to dry properly without poking them every few minutes! Now for the absolute favourite part of scrapbooking for me (apart from finding old photographs and finishing a layout)... Stash Diving!!! Brads, Prima flowers, Creative Imaginations chipboard pieces, a lot of bits'n'bobs I got from “Feathers-n-Favours”, and just 'stuff' I've had cut out and floating around for ages. The hardest part here was sewing on the little ribbon roses, but I managed it in the end without tearing or ripping the cardstock. More Liquid Pearls to add a few extra flourishes here and there, and all's finished :)

Grandbaby I Have Yet To Meet...

I am so excited at the thought of becoming a Grannie again... I planned this layout in my head... but then decided to just start poking around in my stash and see what appealed to me most. The process was very relaxed - I just 'let it flow' and the layout almost created itself :) I know it's very samey-samey... but it's my 'style' and how I do a layout *lol* I decided that rather than the original idea of using monochromatic scheme - possibly black and white - I would let the scan photo stand on it's own, and use muted tones around it instead... I chose creams, greys, and a soft lilac-ey sort of colour as well as white. I started off with a blank cream 12x12 sheet, and embossed with white my favourite stamps - the poem "Love Is Not..." and a "Wonderful" definition stamp. I only used black inking on this layout, as I wanted it to stay quite 'pure' looking - and softened looking too. Of course, lots of stitching was used (grey, cream, and white threads), as well as sticky pearls from DoCrafts and also Papermania. The tiny silver/pearl roses are handmade, and the butterflies, bows, and other flowers were a bargain at a £1 craft supply shop.
I can't wait to meet my new grandbaby in January :)

Nice Niece

I came from a small family - just my brother and I... and my husband only has one brother (who has never married or had children), so I have just one niece - and she is such a beauty!
I created this layout quite a few weeks ago and couldn't decide whether I wanted to add lettering to it or not. For now, i'm leaving it as it is.
I have no idea what the background paper is, and all the flowers are made by myself. Of course, stitching appears as usual - but not as much as in previous recent layouts. I loved using liquid pearls - I quite often forget I have them, and making the dragonfly bodies and centres of the flowers was so easy with the liquid - even if I do find it difficult not to poke and prod to see how much they're drying :) I also used spray glimmers on the papers before making the flowers.

Time on Mothers Day...

Yes, it's that time of year again when Mums all over the country spare a few moments of the day to hug themselves with happiness and love that they had children who trash the kitchen whilst making us a cup of tea that we can drink in bed at seven o'clock on a Sunday morning :) Actually, my youngest waited up last night until the hands of the clock ticked past midnight, and then she presented me with a bouquet of flowers (how had she hidden them from me??) and a beautiful card with a message inside that made me cry (with joy).
Now to the layout I finally finished... It was wonderful to have a spare few hours to do anything I wanted, and so Saturday night I stayed up finishing this layout of my eldest daughter in her prom dress. She looked so amazingly beautiful in her matching blue dress and shoes and even a handbag and tiara to complete her perfect outfit. We spent months searching for "The Dress" - and in the end, she didn't get to go to the Prom at all. She had changed schools, and had decided to go to her old schools prom, not the one held at the new school. At the very last minute, the headmaster of her old school told her that she couldn't go as she wasn't a pupil there any longer (though he had agreed she COULD go beforehand... Mr Schofield, you are an ****!).
I used the Basic Grey "Cashmere" paper (from the Urban Couture Collection) for the background, and a piece of blue Core'dinations paper from the Colour Stack for the middle of the layout. Ranger Inks in China Blue, Faded Jeans and Walnut Stain were used, as well as a lot of distressing with scissors. Lots of flowers and brads, and some ribbon threaded through the plain paper to embellish the page, and I felt quite happy with how it was coming on. Once again, hand stitching was used to finish everything off - a layout seems unfinished to me now without me getting out a sewing needle or the sewing machine. The lettering is acid-free childrens foam shapes I bought very cheaply - love a bargain! I stamped the letters with the same flourish stamp I used for the plain paper - just to tie together all the elements. The added touch was to tear into the background paper and take chunks out, then sew over these gaps with the same thread I used throughout the rest of the layout - I quite liked the effect.

Brighton Boats

On 5th February, I went to my very first craft show at Brighton, with my mum. A walk along the beachfront for some fresh air, and I came across these boats with their masts all lined up against the sky - it was about 2.30 in the afternoon, but the light was quite good (even for my phone camera at 1mp!). Plain papers were used for the LO, and I used a Martha Stewart punch for the edges of the inner blue card. The shell was one I picked up from the beach, and the knot is a sailors knot that I learned to tie just for this layout. The small frame is from Wicked Witch embellishments.
The scrolls and swirls were cut from cardstock, using the leftover matt from Tim Holtz Grungeboard as a template... I hate waste!

Nonna's Love...

I've had this LO in mind for a while, and finally managed to get it done (in between making gift boxes and sewing pockets into craft bags)... "Nonna" is what my granddaughter calls me - we make a joke that I'm the nanny who says "No!"... hence "Nonna". In all honesty, it's because she's only a year old and can't say much at all, and "Nonna" is easier than "Grannie" - thank goodness! The journalling reads: "Nonna may hold your hand for a little while, but your heart she will hold forever". I started off with plain papers again and used a white gel pen to create the background. The plain black card is a core'dinations plain black sheet, sanded and distressed almost to holes! The sequins are all hand sewn onto the LO, and the gems are cut-offs and leftover "bling". The flowers I made myself using scraps from the rest of the LO, and the two backgrounds are machine-sewn together using white cotton thread.

My Beautiful Naomi

My eldest daughter - she takes after her nan, who is also absolutely gorgeous! I love the Papermania capsule collection in Heather... it's just a shame they don't supply a 12x12 paper collection. So I used a couple of sheets from the the A4 pad, torn and inked, and then layered this onto a Core'dinations 12x12 piece of cardstock. The flowers are both from the capsule collection, and also handmade ones by me. I used a white gel pen for writing round the edges of the cardstock and also the photograph. Naomi will shoot me when she finds this on the web - she hates this photo! *lol*

Fun In The Sun...

Something a bit brighter this time. My two eldest when they were younger - poor Nomes got soaked by her big brother at least 10 times a day that summer! I don't feel completely comfortable creating the more 'fun' LO's - distressing, grunge and lots of inking is more my style *lol* BUT... I was very heavily influenced after discovering Dawn Inskip's "vegetarian" The blue paper was plain, and then embossed by me, and the yellow patterned paper is from 'Me & My Big Ideas' (CP-10), All 'embellishments' are just piccies found on free clipart sites, and then altered to suit the LO and cut out by myself (argh! *lol*) except for the button bees (from a haberdashery). The lettering is kids foam letters (only 99p per pack of over 300!). More handstitching (again!) to finish the edges.

Happy, Happy, Happy!

I really enjoyed making this LO... though it was hard work, and took some time to complete. Well, I say it's completed... but I'm wondering whether I'll be adding something extra to it or not... Anyway, a quick explanation of the photograph - I was holding my granddaughter and one of my daughters snapped this picture, where I think I look truly happy and contented. Worth scrapping, I thought :) I used some plain paper my daughter Beth and I had sparkled up a bit with some gold ink and watercolour paint in a spray bottle. KandCompany Life's Journey Dictionary Flat Paper and deLiSH INdulge series (La Fraise - Appetiser) were also used. A lot of inking, sepia accent, distressing, and crumpling followed :) The flowers were all handmade (by me). I have to add too that all those pearls were stuck on by me... one by one!

My Girl...

A member of UKScrappers had an amazing LO with butterflies across the whole page punched from photographs of her sons. I used this idea (when I find out who it was, I'll give proper credit) and punched out butterflies from photographs of my daughter, Naomi.
The difference here is that I decided to use photographs starting from when she was just 5 hours old, right up to the most recent picture I had of her, and stagger these up the LO - meeting up with a beautiful photograph she had taken just over a year ago. All the papers were plain... until I got hold of a stamp, pearl embossing powder, and a white gel pen :)

*** The lady with the amazing original idea is.... Caroline, aka Canny Crafter

The Finished Product

After my previous long-winded post, I thought I'd better show the finished product... My Love
The little cherub button is so sweet! I wasn't going to add anything after the ribbon, but I think the flowers and button are just enough... A little decadent and rich, but not too fussy or overdone. Just a note here... I HATE this photograph of me - but I chose it because Hubby looks so sweet in it - finally a photograph of him where he's not pulling a silly face, blinking, or just acting the fool. Gotta love that man :) I'm almost itching to add something to the left hand side of the layout... but I realise that that would probably ruin it completely.

Another snowy LO

Using a set I received from DoCrafts, I chose a simple background paper with not too much pattern so as I could add the swirls and liquid pearls to the layout.

The hardest choice I had to make on this layout was which way to lay the main paper *lol* everything else I had already cut out and inked/chalked/distressed, so it was so easy to put together. The snow has all but disappeared now in the area in which I live... and for all my complaining about it, I'm missing it already.

Up All Night!

I've been up all night creating this layout of my nan and her son (my Uncle Robert). I don't acually do sewing and every little embellishment on here has been sewn on ~ bar a couple of brads I used. I even sewed little x's onto the LO! I loved the colour combination though ~ burgundys and browns ~ though the browns weren't my usual choice... this time I chose orangey hues from the K&Company paper (Life's Journey Collection for embellishments and matting/layering), which I thought played off the burgundy and the dark brown thread I picked out, really well. I'm choosing a more saturated and fussy type of layout recently...I like the flowers and the cluttered feel of the finished product.

** LO altered 28th January 2010, photograph here updated to show the added gold accent swirls on left hand side of LO (I wasn't happy with the original burgundy-inked stamping, as it didn't 'flow' properly).