Time flies!

Well, time flies! I can't believe I am now the Mum of a ten year old! It's fun (yet scary) to watch her become more independent and grown up. And to think that she has only one more year left at primary school!
Anyway, the challenge for me was what card to make for an "in-betweenie" - not too babyish, but not too grown up. Favourite colours blues and purples...but NOT pink!
I remembered some old Rusty Pickle paper lurking in my stash that seemed suitably 'doodly' and found some cool badges in Paperchase...and this is what I came up with....

Supplies: Cardstock - Bazzill Bling; Paper - Rusty Pickle; Badges - Paperchase; Stamps - Sizzix; Punches - woodware; Die-cut numbers - sizzix 'bigz sassy serif numbers'

I coloured the paper using my pro-markers (fantastic pens btw). I used pliers to remove the pins from the back of the badges, and then attached them to the card using sticky foam pads. The card then opens to reveal a big glittery '10' cut using sizzix dies.

I am now thinking of all the other cards I could make using badges...so watch this space!

The littlest bridesmaid

When I first made this page for the Papermaze blog I ummed and aahhed for ages trying to decide which photo to use...and ever since then I have been meaning to make a second page using the 'other' one!

And I have finally done it! I've changed the colours to match the wedding colour scheme, but other than that it's a straight scraplift (which is ok because one will go in Jessie's album and the other in Hannah's album). I'd love to know what you think x

'The littlest bridesmaid'

Supplies: Paper - Bazzill swiss dot, My Mind's Eye, October Afternoon, The Girls Paperie; Alphabet stickers - Cosmo Cricket, American Crafts 'Thickers'; Flowers - Prima; Ribbon - RexHome; Die cut - Sizzix 'Tattered florals'; Stamps - Sizzix, Hero Arts; Bazzill In Stich'z templates;

a bit of a birthday layout...and a sketch

...and here's this month's sketch and layout!

I seem to make lots of pages using three photos and this is no exception as I couldn't choose which photo to use. This is Jessie looking ever so grown up on her 7th birthday (in new birthday clothes)...and the photos show her having just blown her candles out before we had had a chance to sing, then joining in singing 'Happy Birthday' to herself, and then finally blowing her candles out at the proper time!

I really enjoyed going all girly, and piling on the bling for this page...and I was pleased with myself for using up some old Creative Memories paper lurking in my stash (the checked pattern) - something I should do more often!

'Cake'

Supplies: Paper and cardstock - Bazzill bling, Creative Memories; Journaling card - Elles studio; Ribbon, flowers and gems - WHSmith; Butterfly border - sizzix; 

Birthday boy - some more double layouts!

Last week was Tom's 5th birthday...and as well as making some new birthday pages I've been looking back at some old ones...
I love these photos of Tom earlier this year at my 40th birthday party. He's suddenly turned into such a cool dude and he had a fab time dancing to 'Five colours in her hair' by McFly - his favourite song of all time! ....and I had a fab time making this page! It's a million miles away from the girly pink pages of the girls or even the slightly more softly softly pages of him when he was smaller. I probably ought to go shopping for some more supplies!!!!

'Air Guitar'

Supplies: Paper and Cardstock - Bazzill bling, My Minds Eye, Fancy Pants, Creative Memories; Stickers - American Crafts, Creative Memories; Sizzix dies - Phrase Boys Rock, Stars w/swirls


And I can't believe this layout is now two years old! I took these photos on Tom's 3rd birthday. I had just been reading Cathy Zielske's 'Clean and Simple Scrapbooking' when I made this and was really inspired by her style..so this is my take on it!
The journaling reads:

Tom loves his new bike…he loves the bell…he loves the ‘treasure box’ at the back…but at the moment, actually cycling is just “too hard”!
The photographic ‘evidence’ to the contrary is deceptive – he may look as though he is cycling along the pavement but actually he is stationary (far easier to get the shot in focus though!).
Instead “me look daisies”. Tom enjoyed taking his bike for a walk and collecting dandelions for his treasure box.

'Tom's new bike'

Supplies: Paper and Cardstock - Basic Grey; Stickers - Basic Grey; Embellishments - Basic Grey; Sizzix dies - Baby Says Yeah alphabet

Family Christmas cards

I promise these will be the last Christmas cards I post for a while...but these are the cards I sent to my family. They're all fairly similar in style but I had a lovely time playing with some of my new 'birthday' tools and dies. These included rounding the corners with my Crop-a-dile Corner Chomper, and making lovely snowflakes with my Martha Stewart deep edge snowflake trim punch. For Jessie's cards I also got to play with my new Letraset Promarkers. These pens are simply fantastic - they create a brilliant finish with no felt-tip lines, and the colours are gorgeous. I never knew colouring could be so much fun!

'Tom'

Supplies: Paper - Papermania 'deck the halls'; Sizzix penguin die; Lettering - sizzix 'rat-a-tat' alphabet; punch - Martha Stewart deep edger snowflake trim

'Hannah'

Supplies: Paper - Papermania 'deck the halls'; Sizzix reindeer die; punch - Martha Stewart deep edger snowflake trim; dymo labeller;

'Jessie'

Supplies: Paper - Bella BLVD; Angel stamp - hero arts; Lettering - Sizzix 'Girl's are weird' alphabet;

'Happy Christmas'

Supplies: Paper - Papermania 'deck the halls'; Stamp - Personal Impressions; Gems greeeting - WHSmith;

Christmas Canvas

Have a look at this gorgeous canvas made by Clare, a Scrap Happy regular. She has used the same sketch as I did for my 'Hannah' canvas - but with amazingly different results. I love the criss cross stitching  (using Bazzill in stitch'z) and the Sizzix Christmas tree.

Thank you Clare for letting me use it on my blog (and for the company whilst we made our canvases the other morning).

If you'd like to join the 'Scrap Canvas' class at the Christmas Craft and Crop do have a look here and drop me an email .

Better late than never...

I've been making cards...and even managed to get some made for my own family, rather than just for other people. So here's one I made earlier...

Valentines card for Andy

supplies: paper - kelly panacci; dies - sizzix, cuttlebug; dymo labeller

...and in my defence, I did give Andy this Valentine's card on time - I just didn't get round to photographing it and posting it on here:)

I don't sew!

I don't sew! Whilst I admire those who cross stitch I haven't the patience for it myself...and I've always been pleased to hand curtains etc to my Mum to make! A couple of years ago I asked for a sewing machine for Christmas and my whole family mocked me and questioned whether I would use it.

My sewing machine is perfect - it's only little but as I only wanted to sew paper that's fine (and thankfully its not quite sturdy enough to sew curtains so they still go to my Mum).

Fast forward to the present...last week 'stitching' was the class focus at Scrap Happy and I've had a fab time getting stuck in with my needle and threads (though Scrap Happy was unusually quiet as we were concentrating so much!). We used both the machine and the bazill & papermania stiching templates and I think the stitching adds a lovely bit of texture to the layouts without being too heavy.

'Hannah'

Supplies: Paper - Basic Grey, Junkitz; Journaling stamps - Banana Frog, Heidi Swapp; Alphabet Stamps - Making Memories, Hero Arts

'Pudsey'

Supplies: Paper - October Afternoon, American Crafts, Doodlebug; Stamp - Stamps Away; Die cuts - Sizzix; Dymo labeller

'Relax'

Supplies: Paper & Cardstock - Creative Memories; Letter stickers - Thickers (American Crafts); Stamp - Stamps Away

'Beach fun'

Supplies: Paper: American Crafts, Fancy pants, Doodlebug, DCWV, K and Co; Letter stickers - Thickers (American Crafts); Paper flowers - petaloo;

As I had my machine out I then also added some stitching to a batch of cards I was making:

'Boys Rock' card

Supplies: Paper & Cardstock - Crate Paper, Papermania, Creative Memories; Die cut - Sizzix

...and of course, now I want to use stitching on everything - the layout I worked on at the next Scrap Happy felt a bit bare - I think it might need some sewing! Watch this space...