Scrapping Challenge

Believe it or not this is my first entry into my local Scrapbooking Store's monthly challenge. I've been a regular at this Store since it's inception about 3yrs ago. I've really come to love seeing the ladies there on a weekly basis and for any reason I can't visit I go shakey. I've especially come to appreciate my friendship with the Store's Manager Lyndal. We've clicked so well and have such a familiar sense of one and other.

Anyway, the theme of the layout had to be about the word "journey", whether this be a trip or a life journey. Since DS#2 turned 21, and of course I still hadn't have had the time to do even one layout for his special day, this gave me a special opportunity to cover two birds with one stone.

Here's hoping the other visitors to the store vote a few votes my way to win this month, fingers crossed.

Photo Frame

I was asked recently to help my Brother present his friend with a photo frame for his 50th Birthday. I gave Clive a frame like this for his 50th a couple of years ago and I must say I was chuffed that he asked me to complete one for his friend. For one thing, it meant he actually liked the gift I gave him. This is no mean feat as the years go by it gets harder and harder to think of something personal and useful at the same time.

Here's the one I completed for my Brother's friend.



I referenced a lot of what I did on the photo frame from the original images that I kept from Clive's gift. I was published in Scrapbooking Memories back then and recently I noticed that it appeared again in a current compilation publication by SM.



Once you actually calculate the size of the photos against the size of the frame there isn't much else to do except adhere and attach several embellishments to suit your theme. If you find yourself short of photos try replacing some with colourful patterned paper. Try to keep this as flat as possible so this won't compromise the glass against the items. There you go - a simple yet stylish gift for either member of your family or a dear friend.

Brisbane Botanical Gardens

Why is it so hard to get a teen or preteen to do anything and to be happy about it? DD has spent the last two weeks of school holidays cooped up at home, doing chores and not much more. Finally, an opportunity to go out in the sunshine and all we had was 'this is boring', 'are we going soon' and 'can I have some ice cream'. What is in their phyche that makes them want to resist anything that would possibly make them a smidgen happy, and me for that matter? You honestly don't know how hard it was to even get these few photos from her. But, boy when she let's me I get some fantastic photos.

I think it's been close to 15 odd years since we've ventured to the Botanical Gardens at Mt Cootha. There's now a whole new section that either I can't remember or they've added since last time when went. They've still got the ducks though. And, we still got to feed them even though the water in the pond was pretty low. Another extra little treat was feeding the turtles under the platform overhanging the pond. We counted at least five of them, but, boy were they slow at eating the bread before the ducks invaded.

The rain forest section was good but it would have been nice to have seen even a small waterfall. A little cooler at least than the open sections of the Gardens. The Japanese Gardens below were so spectacular and so picturesque.

A Piece of Me

Isn't it always the same. Well, I know it is for me anyway, that no matter what, I never seem to end up on a layout unless it's for one challenge or another. Umm, today it changed. I have some photos that I've touched up from the original slides and got them printed for future use one day. Today is the day. I've started with my first layout about me and my childhood memories. I suppose this is at least one way to get your mug shot on a page without cringing that 'gee I look fat' or 'boy am I looking old'.

I'd love to show you more but I've just been asked to send this Layout along to one of the mags for publication. Hopefully it won't be too long before I can upload the whole image. Stay tuned....


Let's see what the next layout brings out.........

We Dare You Challenge

This week for the We Dare You Challenge the DT was asked to distress a page. My inspiration came from a layout from Tracey Warren. She used a sheet of corregated cardboard for her background and grunged up the paper with ink and tearing. Very effective Tracey and thanks for the inspiration.

I'm not so sure what I'm in for with the next challenge - 'something bad about yourself' - now what could I possible say for this one.....ummm

We Dare You Challenge

The next in the Scrappit 'We Dare You Challenge' for the DT was to use a 'Not so good Photo'. My photo was of my two DS but this was of such poor quality as it was taken some 18years ago. With a little bit of touching up in Adobe Photoshop it was at least presentable to use on a layout. Still blurry but I was really pleased with the results.

Scrappit Challenge

Jan from Scrappit had a wonderful blog Scrapbooking Challenge for March http://scrappitblog.blogspot.com/, to create any single layout using 5 specific items from a given list. These were to use 2 pieces of Patterned Paper, Chipboard Letters, 5 blossoms, Ribbon and Strip Journaling. Here was my take on this challenge.

Stay tuned for April Challenge.

Scrappit Now Kit - April - sneak peak

Oh this is such a great pack from Scrappit. I just can't wait to show you more so's here's a quick sneak peak of the layout I've created. This is definitely a girly pack and has some beautiful papers from Raspberry. I can't wait to show you more............umm you'll just have to wait till the15th though.

Scrappit Pack - April

I was so impressed as I flipped through an American card magazine's little 'Home' card, I chose to create a card similar to the one I viewed. You've just got to the luv the simplicity of this design. And, by adding a black doodling outline, this compliments the card's theme. Add a pierced whole outline around the 'grass' paper and this funky design is complete. Easy hey!

Scrappit Pack - April

As promised here is the latest pack from Scrappit. One of their April Scrappit Packs with the cutest Scenic Route paper. I made a pact at the beginning of this year to try to use an older product purchase with every new layout I create. I am such a huge fan of journaling tag books and am quite ashamed to admit exactly how many I actually have. This was a fantastic opportunity to use some of the smaller books I have as background mats for my smaller photos. Not only did I use these books, I also used the large Making Memories books in a cluster to the bottom right of my page.

Silver thread highlighting already self coloured flowers and a frame around my third photo was a great way of adding a simple but effective embelishment. With a scalloped edge to the top of the layout and a complimentary pink scalloped edge on top completes the page.

We Dare You Challenge

This week we had a very challenging We Dare You Challenge from Scrappit. 'Messy' OMG that is definitely not me, what was I to do? Well there you go - something always comes of nothing in life. Katie was showing me her Artwork from 1st Term and low and behold she had created a very bright and colourful piece. Ah, just what I need to create my layout. First I chose a coloured cardstock to compliment her painting. Next, I cut her artwork in a freehand circle. To keep with the 'Messy' theme I chose a couple of diecuts and coloured the flowers with some watercolour pencils. Next I added a grunge look journaling block and a flourish overlay to compliment the page. Lastly a bright chipboard title. I must say I quite like the finished product......but I'm not sure this is really going to happen too frequently.