March Week 1 - Spring Retreat

I managed to scrap this photo of our first retreat whilst on our second retreat. The challenge arrived just at the right time, I'd taken lots of offcuts of Junebug with me and had planned to piece them altogether in a mosaicy / quilty way. This just meant it was given some structure.


I now realise that I need a square punch (thank you Susi!) and a Sew Easy (thank you Sue!), but this is no time to be indulging in new stash... or is it? The excessive use of GA doesn't show up in the picture, it's a lot shinier in real life.

Anyway, Spring in the title, scrunched flowers, a splash of yellow and squares. All included.

Scrap Map Saturday ~ Springtime

This week at Creative Craft World the Scrap Map Saturday theme is "spring / seasons".

Thought at first it might be a problem as I didn't seem to have many pictures from Spring (or autumn, or winter...), certainly not eight of them! I don't have photo printing capabilities at home, I always send them out to be printed, so my photos are always sized at whatever options I'm allowed on Photobox.

Then it occurred to me that, obviously, sketches are jumping off points, they're for kick starting your mojo and sending it off to scrap. My mojo came up with this:

{Forde Abbey in Dorset, Easter 2009}

I cut one photo into six pieces, displaced them a little and filled the gaps with daisies and my journalling. Also made my own background with Distress Inks (mustard seed, peeled paint & faded jeans) and a Maya Road butterfly sheer sheet.

Once I'd done that I didn't want to cover up my background any more than I had to, so I added a teeny title.

Then I had to go away and play with the Sheer Sheet as I'd not used it before and it's FUN!

Retreat Classes

Thought I should at least get one entry up tonight about Retreat #2 before my muscles decide I can't sit here any longer! So, I'm starting with the classes that we took with Sandie Vincent last Saturday. I've not played about in PSP trying to sort them all out, quite frankly, my arse cannot be arsed!

{Nikki Sivills - Sweet Cherry Pie}

I used pictures of Baby Me for the first class, desaturated so that they (hopefully) match the paper a little better.

{Fancy Pants - Love Birds}

Again with the Baby Me pictures!

I then became overwhelmed and exhausted. Making a little person is quite tiring and upsets your insides. Anyway, I didn't do the final class when everyone else did. I was guided through it later that evening when I was feeling a lot better. This is the result:

{Echo Park - Little Girl}

I had another Baby Me picture all ready for this one as well, but in my absence from class, Jen printed out these fab pictures of the Bijoux Belles cupcakes that Sarah had made for us. Quite a few of the others used this picture too and it matches the papers a lot better than my original choice would've, so yay!

The classes were great fun. I learnt some new skills and all the paper ranges were ones I'd never come across before and probably would never have considered buying. Being outside the comfort zone was a new experience as I'd not taken scrapping classes before.

Scrap Map Saturday ~ Fun?

My first layout as a Guest Design Team member for Creative Craft World - and I choose to scrap a picture of me in a bikini!!

The theme this week is 'circles'.


Oh yes, don't I look miserable! I never really grasped why going to beach is a fun thing to do. Sand gets everywhere. Of course, now I go to the beach, turn my back to sea and study the geology of the cliffs. Much more fun than beachballs. Although, I suppose I'll have to take my baby to the beach at some point. Maybe I'll suddenly discover the fun?

This is the very last of my Cosmo Cricket Snorkel paper, had so little that I punched the smaller circles from the larger ones and teamed it up with Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety to make it go further.

I Distress Inked the background with Broken China and Faded Jeans, then Glimmer Misted over the top. Still a bit of a newbie when it comes to Misting, but I'm pretty happy with how this came out. Doodled on the circles (yes, I cheated and used a Template!) and the journalling lines.

Scrap Map Saturday ~ Love

The theme this week was diagonals. I had what I thought was a good idea... and then I became a little side-tracked and forgot what I had planned to do.

I used my new Artemio stamps that I bought in Paris at the beginning of the month and then was going to stamp the hearts so that the text was diagonal inside the hearts... as you can see, that didn't happen. Still, once the hearts are stuck on at jaunty angles the text is diagonal to the page, so it sorta worked!


These were some of the wedding photos that I'd a hard time deciding how to scrap. They're either a bit fuzzy, or there was too much background or we're pulling funny faces. Trimmed down and grouped together like this I think they actually work. Perhaps there's something to be said for multiple photo layouts?!

Oh, and I seem to be the Guest Design Team member for March *blush* - thank you Creative Craft World!

Frankie

A couple of screen grabs from the 3D scan we had done on February 14th at Bourn Hall. He's right up against my wall with very little fluid, so he looks odd and squishy!

Holding his feet. Very little else to do!

February Week 3

John drinking beer, painting the sash windows and in a box!

This is what you had to do this week:

1. We want you to scrap using primarily black and white - done
2. Use three pictures on your layout - done
3. Use a different single four letter word - done

February Week 2

The WC for last week. It was a close call getting it done as my Parentals had been visiting in the week and I almost forgot to do it. Still, that's what lazy pre-baby Sundays are for - scrapping! Getting it scrapped doesn't necessarily equate to getting it photographed, but here it is:


This week the instructions were as follows;

At least 3 pp's - done, I actually used four of my new Rouge de Garance papers.
Border punch - done
Multiple photos - done, using three pictures is quite a lot for me.

I love these papers and spent ages trying not to cover up some of the details that were underneath once the pics went down. So I did my usual trick of gutting the paper, which meant I could use the details of Eiffel Towers arranged into a cog as an embellishment. Also cut the paper so that the lamp showed up and the tower leg could overlap.

Used Glossy Accents on the lamp, but then John pointed out that the light should really be white, so I painted it. He was right, of course, looks much better white!

The photo on the right shows (sort of) the searchlight on top of the Eiffel Tower.

Wicken Fen

{click for full size!}

Frankie isn't even here and already his Nana is embarrasing him...

Scrap Map Saturday ~ Our View

This week the challenge on the Creative Craft World Blog is to use chipboard on your layout.


I've used chipboard Thickers, a chipboard bracket and tag by Maya Road.

This is my first layout from our recent "second honeymoon" trip to Paris showing the views that we had from our balcony.

I bought the papers in Paris, first time using Rouge de Garance and these are from the gorgeous "Gustav" line featuring the Eiffel Tower and architectural plans of the Tower.

Project 12 January 2011

{click to enlarge}

Continuing with the Project 12 again this year, well, in theory anyway! The paper was cheap from TKMaxx, a total bargain and I've never used WRMK papers before and they're not bad.

This layout covers the Baby Bump, John in the box that all our White Company baby stuff came in and our end of the month Second Honeymoon trip to Paris.

Scrap Map Saturday ~ Kiss

My entry for the Saturday Scrap Map challenge on the Creative Craft World blog, this week with the theme of Love.

I've used some of my new stash from the gorgeous Jan/Feb Quirky Kit and a photo of Mummy and I on a ferry! I love that jumper I'm wearing. :)

Jan Week 5 - Belles

I promise I did this weekly challenge in time! I just put it somewhere safe for the GA to dry - and forgot all about it. Still, that's better than my usual trick of dumping something on top of wet GA and spreading it everywhere.


From the huge choice of options I went for a theme of friends, and the techniques of doodling, hand written journalling, distress ink and one stamp. Sketch used.

Pictures are Susi and Maria, fellow Bijoux Belles, on our visit to London and The Eye. Maria is tucking into a Screme Egg - the halloween version of the Easter treat.

Scrap Map Saturday ~ Our Wedding Day

This week the Scrap Map challenge is on a love theme, so I have chosen to scrap my wedding. As you can see, we had a big guest list... :)



I've used some of the Penny Lane that I used in my wedding album (which still needs to be photographed and uploaded, must get round to that), distressed some coredinations and used a whole piece of lace cardstock (thank you, Sarah!) without cutting it up! *gulp*

The thickers were dull, so I stickled them a couple of times, they look a lot goldier in real life.

Duncan

My childhood friend and closest thing I had to a brother.

This is how I'll remember him.