My blogging has been so neglected as has my scrapbooking, i am blaming it on the pandemic!!! for the lack of connection to the kids, not seeing them for all that time therefore not taking all those photos!!!

i think this may be the last layout i made in 2021 and this photo is during the summer when i had the kids over during the half term.

I'm determined 2022 will be different, 

I'm planning some picnics in the park , something easy that doesn't take too much planning!!

and they can drop in and out easily.

just need to get through these dark couple of months, I hate January and February and spend most of my time wishing for spring that takes so long to come, I see the signs , get excited but then it all stops, goes on hold for another month, then another one!!

it will come, it always does!!

this year we have moved our retreat from October to February, something to look forward to, 18 days and counting!! its over 2 years since the last one and I cant wait!

in the middle of  the first 2020 lock downs when we were thinking it will all be over by the end of summer to now February 1st  2022 and we are still predicting the end of it and in all that time we had managed to keep it out of our house, but it had to get us in the end and it did!! 

but today is release day, we have both been poorly, not too poorly thank fully, thanks to the vaccines I'm sure but its back to work today and then count down to retreat and then looking forward to spring 2022

bring it on!!

 

Happy Days-Scrapbook Layout

 Loving my page for The Mad Scrapper using the Daydream range by Cocoa Vanilla studio.

so easy to use with all the bits and pieces to make a lovely layout.

Using pieces from the ephemera pack , the cut apart sheet and the 12x12 pages.

I gutted my first sheet as it only goes to waste under the top sheet and gives me more to play with. the border was about 2" I used a ruler sat along the edge and a craft knife to do this.

For the next sheet to go on top I used a ruler to tear down to keep it straight but give me the distressed look I wanted, this then went on the border back ground piece. The gutted piece just makes a lovely frame and I would always use the darkest sheet for this.

My photo which is 4x6 was then mounted on the leftover from my gutted background sheet.

I used one of the pieces from the cut apart sheet for my journal square, I loved the rainbow and added my journaling to this following the curves of the rainbow, love this feature, it adds great interest I feel.

I then added pieces from the ephemera pack, my title, houses, the top rainbow and flowers, all added using a mix of double-sided tape and 3D foam pads to raise where I needed them to, the front house some of the flowers are raised, the hearts on the journal square.

    

   

 I finished by adding a few sparkly gems here and there mixed in with the floating flowers, just finishes it off lovely I feel.

Summer Journal

 Summer Journal, 

using the Sunkissed range by Cocoa Vannill Studio from 

The Mad Scrapper

I'm getting ready for Summer, waiting patiently!

I created this fun and easy journal just waiting for all the photos and stories of our summer.

A very easy to make project.

Starting with 12x12 sheets from the range I cut them, leaving them mainly 12" wide but cutting down to 7 or 8" deep and then folding in half and using the cut off pieces too so nothing goes to waste.

 

I then placed then together, deciding which colours and designs I liked next to each other and mixing the sizes, adding the smaller in between the larger, you can even trim some off so the widths are slightly different too, to see things poking out make for a much more interesting finish.

when I was happy with the way I had the pages, I then fixed them in place with a long reach stapler and then bound with some ribbon and tied on the outside.

I decorated my cover using the cut apart sheet, layering pieces up and using some 3D foam pads to add some height, from my stash I found some bobble ribbon which I added to the edge of one of my inside pages and to my cover, tucking it under the main title cut out.

I have then decorated the inside with some of the pieces from the ephemera pack. and any leftover strips from my page cutting .

It's now ready to add my photos and journaling as we go through the summer, a great project to take away with you if you have a portable photo printer, some of the ephemera, the cut apart sheets, some journal blanks and some glue and you are good to go. 

  

using the just gorgeous Sunkissed range, I used 12x12 sheets, 

Summer lights,

Just chillin, 

Good vibrations,

 Sunny days

fun in the sun cut apart sheet 

and the die cut ephemera pack.

here is the full range.

Nature Trail- Scrapbook Layout.

 Another design for The Mad Scrapper 

I had no idea for this before I sat down to work on it, i am very happy with the result.

Nature Trail

For this page I used just paper 3 ... 12x12 sheets and a plain white cardstock,

 I love it when some papers have just everything you need to complete your page, i sometimes find I am spending far too much time trying to find other bits and pieces to fit!

I started with the hello happy for my base and cut round the right-hand side of the middle 3 butterflies only, lifted them up from the page and then backed with an off cut from one of the other pages.

My photos started off 6x4,  I trimmed them down to allow me to fit the 3 photos on my page and then mounted them on white cardstock just to allow the photos to lift off the page and not sink into the back ground. I put them aside to work on my back ground.

I cut three pieces from the other papers, remember these are double sided papers so great for using more of the design, I didn't measure the pieces just went with the size of my photos and placed them down and trimmed until I was happy with the sizing, I then distressed the edges with open scissors, please be careful doing it this way, there are distressing tools available to buy for this.

I then fussy cat the large flower, looks a bit hydrangea like to me, one of my favourite flowers!

I placed my backing pieces and photos down and moved around with my flower until I was happy with the layout and then stuck them down, you can do this by picking up corners and sticking down or by taking a photo to look back on to take up and layer your pieces on, I tucked my photos under and on top of the flower, I love to have things overlapping!

Next was making my title I look one of the papers and hand wrote my title using a journaling pen, cut round it roughly and then roughly coloured with a gold paint pen. I gently inked the edges and mounted on 3d foam pads to lift it off the page slightly.

Next, I fussy cut 3 more butterflies from one of the other papers, inked then gently, shapes them and placed around my title.

Lastly, I went round my main backing and my layered pieces with my journaling pen, just roughly bordering them, it adds a frame to my work and gives it a great finish I feel, jut roughly no ruler just a slightly wobbly line, in fact I think I went round 2 or 3 times, i love to finish things off this way, it's a great detail so simple but adds a lot to a page. 

Scrapbook Layout-Free Spirit

Free Spirit, Scrapbook layout.

 

 I do love flowers!

This page is of my granddaughter Mia at my son's wedding a couple of years ago, I have titled it Free Spirit because she is just that!

 For this page I just loved the main background sheet so didn't feel the need to add to it which I quite often do its beautiful.

So, I could get straight into my layout without waiting for back ground dry which I normally have to do when I have been playing and adding texture.

  

  

Lots of layering on this page, firstly I cut strips of 3 of my papers not too important on the width but ranging from 2" wide down to 1" wide and 10" long down to maybe 8" long so that they can layer at different levels.

Two of the strips I cut points in the bottom like you would on the end of a ribbon to stop it fraying. i distressed all the edges of my strips , you can use a craft knife, dedicated distress tool, or an open pair of scissors (being very careful)

From the playing card sheet, I cut out 3 of the journaling squares and distressed the edges of these too.

I mounted my photo which is 4"x6" onto one of the papers, this can depend on your photo as to which one you use.

I then played around and decided on where I wanted them all to go, using the photo to move things around and work out the spacing. at this point I take a photo so I can look at it as I stick them all down as it is so easy to forget where I wanted it all to go! you could even put light pencil markings if it helps when placing.

I then added my photo using 3d foam pads at the bottom but not at the top to level things out as the top was slightly higher off the page.

I didn't glue or put my 3d foam pads too close to the edge of the photo as i wanted to be able to tuck things under the edge of the photo.

 

I then did some fussy cutting from one of the sheets and cut some die cut leaves and flourishes, I decided where I wanted them all to go and layered them up using a mixture of 3d foam pads and gel medium as my glue, tucking leaves and flourishes behind the layers of my strips and journal squares.

My title was one of the cut apart pieces from the playing card sheet that I cut with a round punch and distressed the edges.

I then added my flowers and my title. 

Lastly, I covered my photo and splattered with the oxide ink pad watered down a little to allow me to pick it up with a paint brush.

products used.....

Paisley and vine papers.

             whimsy- background sheet- strip

             splendour- fussy cutting- strip

             nature- strip

             playing cards- journaling squares- title

49 and market flowers- scarlet

distress oxide- festive berries- for splatters

round punch 

leaves and flourishes dies 

Scrapbook Page Layout.

My First design for Janine at The mad Scrapper

Happy to be playing again and these papers are just lovely and bright, although hard to find something to match up to this set of photos, nothing is as bright as these photos!!

Using the Blue Fern Studios ,Paisley and Vine modern collection.

 

  

Sometimes I can just pick up a base sheet and go with it and other times I have to add, this is one of those times, I felt I just needed to add to it and as the photo is of making a mess, I needed a bit more of a messy back ground so I started by adding some stencilling through a circle stencil and using a green ink and a sponge.

I went over again using 2 stamps that help to create backgrounds, sort of splatter designs, you could do just the same by actually splattering, i used a

I loved the diamond sheet from the collection and used them as diamonds, I cut a strip off as a base cutting the diamond shape and also cut a few of the actual diamonds separately. I inked the edges of the diamonds just to help them pop off the page as the colours are very closely matched.

I cut some more strips from the different papers from the collection and added a little stamping for interest, used a punch for the heart circle and to make the arrows all from the papers in the collection , I made a little camera embellishment with a stamp onto a scrap of one of the papers, again I inked the edges to help them pop and make them a little grungier as it's not a clean page and it definitely wasn't a clean day when taking these photos. 

putting it all together, I layer all my elements on the page moving around until I am happy with the design, I find this is the time to take a photo to look back on as I fix everything in place because I am very likely to forget where it all goes.

I started with the strips at the bottom and then added my photo which I added using 3d foam pads so that it lifts it off the page a little and allows me to tuck bits behind so remember not to go right to the edge with the sticky pads or you won't be able to tuck things behind.

Next it was the separate diamonds tucking under here and there, the arrows, I double mounted the 2 on the left, the photo and heart on the right and the title on the left with the diamond tucked underneath.

I ended up by covering my photo and splattering with the same ink that I used to edge my pieces, I watered it down a little on my glass mat so allow me to splatter with it.

Items used....

Paisley and Vine papers - Whimsy, Pathway, Splendor and playing cards.

Distress Oxide, Faded Jeans.

Distress oxide, Mowed Lawn.

Camera stamp

splat stamps

arrow stamp

circle stencil

arrow punch

circle punch

Scrapbook Layout - Explore

Scrapbook Layout - Explore

One of my favourite photo's of Loki, I think the non posed photo's more often than not make the best photo's he was just being himself doing what he does.

The photo and the papers complement each other, the fussy cutting picking out the greys and greens from his hoody and the stencilling, and the papers picking out the the browns from the wood.

The page is made up in 3 layers, firstly the stencilled leaves, using a Finnabair Impasto paint sponged through the stencil onto the base sheet, taking into consideration the placing of the photo and embellishments so that the stencilling can be seen poking out the sides.

Then second layer is the layering of the back papers, different widths and lengths going vertically and horizontally, I distressed the edges of these strips to add more texture to the page.

The die cut leaves are are in this layer too, layered up with the strips again taking into consideration the placing of the photo so that the leaves can be seen.

I take several photo's as I go along of the positioning of things so that when I place them all and am happy I then take them apart and glue them in place but can forget where they were so a photo is great to look at for the gluing part.

The last layer is the photo and the fussy cutting plus the title, the photo is mounted and then I use 3D foam pads so that it adds some height and allows me to be able to tuck things underneath, again I have placed all my pieces on and when I am happy I take a photo to look back on. 

I have placed  a flower under the E of the title using  3D foam pad  to raise it up level with the photo to keep the title level.

Some of the flowers are tucked under the photo and some are overlapping onto the photo and overlapping each other.

Lastly I have added my flower to finish.

Kit available with full instructions and supplies to make this page ... Scrapsnscribblesuk Page Kit

 

Scrapbook Layout- Family

Scrapbook page kit

its pink!! not a colour i would normally use to this extent, its not that i dont like pink, i do but not normally this much.

love this though

and have made it into a kit available from my etsy shop.

here.....  scrapbook page kit- family

fussy cutting one of the things i love to do,

 plus added tactile elements, not just the paper,

 its got MDF, hessian, silk and paper flowers too.

plus it has stencilling on the base 12x12 paper for even more added texture.

                 

Holly Jolly Christmas Tag

Holly Jolly Christmas by AB Studio, a lovely christmas paper pack, part of my latest kit from 

Thompsons craft supplies

this time a christmas tag.

 

for this project i used.....

AB Studio Holly Jolly Christmas papers

Pentart glitter paste

pentart modeling paste

from my stash i used,  red acrylic paint, 3d foam pads, clear gesso, gel medium.

firstly i covered my tag with paper from the pack and then i coloured my paste with the red paint and stencilled it onto the back ground.

i  then did some fussy cutting and using the 3d foam pads and gel medium i layered up my design.

i then went over thw whole thing with the clear gesso, when that was all dry i added the glitter paste to the raised stencill on the back ground and the baubles and candy canes.

lastly i watered down some white gesso and some of the red paint separately and splattered all over with both.

 

Journal - Holly Jolly Christmas

 Christmas journal double layout using Holly Jolly Christmas by AB studio, a DT project for Thompsons craft supplies.

.for this project i used......

AB studio holly jolly Christmas papers

thompsons craft supplies flower collections

lots of fussy cutting, the tags, wreath and lots of other bits.

from my stash i used some ribbon some red acrylic paint,3d foam pads, 3d gel medium, clear gesso.

i cut my background papers to size and distressed the edges with open scissors (whoops be careful)

 i stencilled some red paint on through the stencil we used for the recent retreat.

i cut out 2 tags from one of the sheets and punched the holes out and added my ribbon.

then it was simply fussy cutting and layering, the different elements.

layering using my 3d foam pads and 3d gel medium to gain the height.

i added some paper flowers and lastly i splattered with watered down red paint.

got to love the splattering.