GYSO #4

Another fun sketch this week at Get Your Sketch On. And this week I decided to go a bit pink....

I found this photo of Jemma taken on her 3rd birthday in her new inline skates and pads. Jemma loves to skate, and this is where it all began. The courtyard where we lived in Gibraltar was perfect for learning how to skate, as it was long and flat and completely enclosed, so no traffic or pedestrians to get in the way. Jemma learned to ride her bike here too.

I used Sassafrass and American Crafts papers, Bazzill cardstock and American Crafts Thickers. I coloured the thickers with a Canary Promarker, as the two sheets were slightly different shades of yellow - probably sunbleached, and now I know why they were such a bargain at TK Maxx.... I added some stickles on the top, so they tied in with the glitter on the stripey American Crafts paper. The border is punched with a Martha Stewart border punch. The buttons are from PaperMania. And the flowers are Prima ones. I doodled the borders using a Zig pen.

I have a confession to make about the flowers. They were not part of my plan for the page. But as I came to take a photo, I noticed some pen marks in the bottom left hand corner. So I added the flowers to cover them up! I don't know how the marks got there. But I was using a double ended Zig pen, so maybe I didn't have the lids on properly...

Journalling reads - For your 3rd birthday, you got your first pair of inline skates. With stabilisers. Rosia Court was the ideal place for you to perfect your technique, and you soon left the training wheels behind.

Sigh. I miss that place. The 4 years we spent in Gibraltar were the best ever. I would go back in a heart beat, although half of what made it such a special time were the friends we made. It wouldn't really be the same. Not that there is any chance of it happening again anyway...

TTFN


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Birthday cards

The busy social life of my 8 year old!! Tom has 2 parties this weekend, so I needed to make 2 cards. I saw a beautiful card on the Simply Sassy blog, and had to google some instructions, as I had never made a Stair Step Card before. I found some great ones here.

The cards were made with scraps, naturally! For the boys card I used some BasicGrey, and I am not sure what the paper was that I used for the girls card. The image stamps are both from Sugar Nellie - Manga boy, and Purrfect friends (without the cat!). I coloured them in with ProMarkers. Sentiment stamps are from Studio G (For my friend) and Elzybells. I cut the 8's out using my cricut and SCAL. A couple of buttons and a flower and I called them done :)

I've spent the afternoon chatting and crafting with my pal Erika, mainly chatting, as we haven't caught up in ages!

TTFN

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GYSO #3 top 5

The lovely girls over at Get Your Sketch On voted me top 5 this week! Thank you so much, I am really, really enjoying playing along with you each week!

Sketch 4 is up, and it's another good 'un and the DT have made some lovely examples to inspire us all. I have been picking a photo for this one...

I have a date with a drill today, not looking forwards to it at. all.

Hope your Wednesday is more pleasant than mine...

TTFN


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Sketchy Thursdays 1.20

I am really enjoying joining in with the sketch challenge blogs at the moment. They have really given my mojo a boost! And here's me thinking, not that long ago, that the only sketches around were PageMaps!!! Although, I do and always will have a special place in my heart for PageMaps...

Anyway, on to this weeks sketch over at Sketchy Thursdays.

This is Tom in the treetops at Rothiemurcus, near Aviemore. He was quite at home up in the trees, and even did the course by himself a second time, as his poor Mum was quite frazzled after her experience round the course. I am not good with heights. But I try to overcome my fears for the sake of a family activity...

I used Jillibean Soup and American Crafts papers, and Kraft cardstock. I stamped leaves on the kraft cardstock using a PaperTrey Ink stamp and Versamark ink, just to give it a bit more interest. The circle tag was made with my Making Memories tag maker, and the alpha stickers for the title are from PaperMania. I found some suede/leather thread in my ribbon box as an alternative to the ribbon in the sketch. I used some foam pads to raise up the tag, one of the photos and the journalling to add some dimension.

I'm having a day off from being poked with needles today - yesterday it was blood being taken for tests (3 vials of the stuff, must have been at least half a pint LOL) and tomorrow I have the dreaded dentist, and I need a filling done, so that's more needles for an anasthetic. Not looking forward to tomorrow at all...

TTFN


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GYSO #3

This is my page based on the sketch over at Get Your Sketch On. I loved working with this one, and finally, finally made myself cut up and use my beloved Making Memories shaped ledger paper, which I had been hoarding for what seems like an eternity! I flipped the sketch to it's mirror image, as I had photos with Mark facing to the right, and then jumping to the left - I have a thing about people looking/doing stuff off the page, they have to be looking/doing into the middle... I added my journalling over the photos, as I am quite wordy when it comes to journalling, and I'd never have made it fit otherwise!

These photos I took last summer, at our village's harbour, when Mark had gone down with the kids to do some harbour jumping aka dookin'.

I swear sometimes he thinks he is a super hero... One of these days, he'll realise he's getting a bit old for all this carry on, but until then, he can be my hero anytime!

Journalling reads - You look like Mr Incredible, but sometimes you are more akin to Captain Chaos or major Disaster... You don't leap tall buildings, preferring to leap into the harbour at high tide... Figures...

The papers I used are Daisy D's and Making Memories. The cardstock is Bazzill. The alphabet stickers are American Crafts Thickers. I used a Martha Stewart border punch, and the stitched arrow was done with a PaperMania stitching template. The buttons are from my button box, and the trim is from my ribbon box...

I am amazed that I can actually use coloured cardstock as a base for a layout - it's been a while since I have used anything other than kraft or white!

I have a busy time ahead, with doctors and dentist appointments this week, and Tom has 2 parties next weekend so I have to make cards for those. Next weekend we have my brother in law coming for a flying visit. And I also have a pile of stuff on my desk right now, waiting to be done. I'm sure I'll fit it all in. Hang on, I have to go to work too, so maybe something will slip by the wayside...

TTFN


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I can't believe it...

I made Top 5 for BOTH of Get Your Sketch On's first 2 sketches, and won the prize for sketch 1, which is a Goodie package from We R Memory Keepers!

To say I am gobsmacked is an understatement! I am really enjoying their sketches, and I am in the middle of a layout using sketch 3. If you enjoy using sketches, head on over, you won't be disappointed!

TTFN


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SLS 14th Jan Sketch

Cherie provided another fab sketch over at Sassy Lil' Sketches last week.

Another chance for me to use up some scraps, and this time it was the Jillibean Soup scraps leftover from my Shoulders layout that were put to use!

I inked up one of my Sugar Nellie Gorjuss girls for this card, and coloured her in with ProMarkers. The sentiment stamp is from PaperTrey Ink. I found an oddment of trim that went perfectly with the sketch, and added some machine stitching and a button to finish it off.

From February, Sassy Lil' Sketches will also have a card challenge blog - and will be posting more card sketches, on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th, just like the layout blog! There is an awesome DT lined up, who are ready to inspire you with their work, and some great sponsors with amazing prizes to offer! I can't wait!!

TTFN

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Get Sketchy #70

Time for another card! I used this weeks sketch over at the Get Sketchy card challenge blog for this card. And I also used the Add on sketch over at Sketch Support. Two sketches on one project, never managed that before!

The stamped image is one of Sugar Nellie's Simply Sassy stamps - delightfully called Luv a Latte. I coloured her in with ProMarkers, and punched her out with a 2.5" circle punch. I added some chalk ink round the edge for a background. The mug is the add on sketch at Sketch Support. I followed the measurements given on the sketch, and then added a chipboard heart instead of a snowflake. I added a heart tag to make it look like it had a tea bag in it! I added some swirls out the top using Stickles for the steam.

This is another one of my cards made from scraps, all the papers are from the scrap box again. I don't know who makes the duck egg blue polka dot paper, but the other paper is Echo Park. I used my sewing machine to add some stitching around the edge. The sentiment stamp is from a Personal Impressions set.

I think this card is going to a friend of mine, who has just found out her 8 year old daughter needs open heart surgery, to correct a hole in her heart. This little girl was Tom's first girlfriend at nursery, and her misses her lots, especially as she now lives the other end of the country.

TTFN


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Sketchy Thursday...

... on a Tuesday?!!

I found out about the Sketchy Thursday blog, after visiting my fellow 7th Sassie Missy's blog, and saw her great layouts using their sketches. Always a sucker for a good sketch, I thought I would play along this week.

When I saw the square photos on the sketch, my mind instantly went to my heritage photos - a lot of the older photos I have were printed out 3.5 x 3.5 inch square. Inheriting my Gran's photos has left me with a lot of this size. So I went through the box, and found these 4 pictures. They are of my Great Aunt Annie. She was my Gran's eldest sister - she was 22 when my Gran was born - the oldest of 10 children. All I know about her is that she married a guy named Tim, and moved to America, living in Pompano Beach near Ft Lauderdale in Florida. I have more photos of her and her husband, and with what look like her daughter/son and 2 girls who could be her grandchildren. The mystery is intriguing to me, I am desperate to find out about her and her life and her family - hey, I could have distant cousins in America!

Something that is poignant to me, is that through the photos, I see her get older, and I also see her getting ill. She died from cancer. And I can see it happening. There are 2 photos I have of her in her bed, with her husband and also her grandkids. She looks very ill, but she still has lipstick and nail varnish on. They were probably the last photos my Gran saw of her sister.

Anyway, back to the layout...

I loved all the layers on the sketch, and tried to match the colours in the photos to different papers. The papers are from Sassafrass, Little Yellow Bicycle, Echo Park, Jillibean Soup and Crate Paper. The jounalling page is from Making Memories. I cut my title from Funky Foam using the Sizzlit Nouveau alphabet, and added some Waterfall Stickles for some added sparkle!

TTFN

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Shoulders

On a Monday at Creative Soup, they have Mojo Monday. Last Monday, they had Get Sketchy, and the sketch they used was designed by Cherie from Sassy Lil' Sketches. So how could I not use the sketch? Anyway, here is my take on the sketch.

For a change, I scrapped a 8.5 x 11 page. All the papers are Jillibean Soup - Pasta Fagioli. The photo was taken a few years back, when Tom's little legs couldn't always make it round the woodland walk we loved in Culbin Forest. Mark used to carry him on his shoulders. Tom is now too big to be carried, but I'm glad I captured this while I could.

Thank goodness it's Monday... Now you don't hear that too often! But this has been my long weekend at work, so as of 9pm tonight I will not be back in work until Thursday!! I plan to do alot of playing in my craft room, and organising my files on my new laptop (!) and experimenting with the SCAL program that Mark installed for me to use with my Cricut...

TTFN

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GYSO #2

I love this sketch over at Get Your Sketch On. I do like the odd circle or two! I found these photos that I took in 2006, of the kids at Roseisle beach, which were perfect for cropping into circles. I used my new Spellbinders dies in my Cuttlebug to cut all the circles.

I remember this trip to the beach. It was at the end of a long summer - Mark was deployed for the whole of the kids school holidays. They had me tearing my hair out at points, with their constant bickering and arguing. Tom was just starting to hold his own against his big sister, and rebelling against her constant need to boss him about. I decided that this afternoon, we were going to take a walk through the forest and along the beach. I took the camera. That afternoon has been documented in so many layouts, as for some reason I had a good day with the camera! Being by the sea always makes me feel calm, I love to go and sit and feel the breeze and listen to the waves, and that day I remember thinking how nice it was not to be being a referee between the kids, and that I too could enjoy the beach. And I watched them playing. Together. Nicely. It was just what I needed.

Journalling reads : Watching you 2 on the beach, reminding me that you can be friends, proving to me that behind the squabbles, there is love. Thank you.

Another layout made just from scraps. My Minds Eye and some other papers that I don't know the name of. Cardstock is Bazzill Kraft, and the typed words are stamps from Close To My Heart. The little twig hearts came from somewhere, but not quite sure where. Probably some random craft shop! The title is done with American Crafts Thickers. I did a bit of doodling round the edge with a Zig pen.

TTFN


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100% Tom

Sometimes, when I am going through photos to make up a print order, I will see a photo I love and I order a 5x7 enlargement of it. When it comes, I then don't know what to do with it. I am not typically a one photo on a page scrapper. I do scrap those kinds of pages, but normally I like to get 2 or more photos on my layouts.

This week at Sketch Support, they are featuring a 2-page sketch. I remembered about my 5x7 enlargement, printed out a smaller photo, and took the right hand side of the sketch, flipped it and made this...

These photos are just typical Tom. One minute boisterous boy, next minute quiet and reflective. He really is a character, my boy :)

I used Sweet Water and Crater Paper patterned papers, Bazzill Kraft cardstock and some American Crafts Thickers. I inked, stamped and then Diamond Glazed some Maya Road chipboard stars to use as embellishments. The word stamps are from Close To My Heart. I added some machine stitching around the photo and journalling block, and down the side of the layout.

I love getting a 2 page sketch and making one page layouts from them. I like it when I can get more for my money!

TTFN


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SLS January 7th Sketch

The first sketch of 2011 is up over at Sassy Lil' Sketches, and as usual, it is a cracking one! The DT have done a great job with the sketch, it's a bit scary to think that next month it'll be one of my layouts on the reveal!

I used photos from my parent's wedding day on this page. They look so young! And that's because they were young...!!! I used up more scraps from my scrapbox for this layout, and chose soft, muted papers. Because they were such scrappy scraps, I have no idea who makes the papers, but I think some are Creative Imaginations.
I made the flowers out of tissue paper, stamped with a Prima script stamp, with 3 mini pearls in the middle.

There are a couple of great sponsors for January - Tidbitz in Time and CoCoDingo - offering up some fab prizes this month. I hope you'll join in with us this month, for a chance to win!

TTFN



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GS #69

Second post of the day, and it's a card this time. This uses the Get Sketchy #69 sketch. And it's another card made just from scraps.


The little house stamps are from One Four Zero, which I have had for eons. I coloured them in with ProMarkers. The sentiment stamps is from Elzybells, which unfortunately is no longer trading :( The papers are BasicGrey and My Mind's Eye, and the holey cardstock is Creative Imaginations. I did a bit of machine stitching to finish it off.

I can't believe I haven't found card sketches sooner, considering what a sketch addict I am!!

TTFN


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GYSO #1

On my hunt around cyberspace for new sketch sites, I found Get Your Sketch On - a brand new sketch blog which launched on the 1st January.

This is my layout based on sketch #1


I used Crate Paper Snow Day for this page, which documents the traditions we have about our Christmas Dinner. I replaced one of the photo spaces with a journalling block, for 2 reasons. One was that I had a lot to say (nothing new there), and secondly as the photos taken of me at the table were just awful. Now I am trying to embrace my captured image, but these ones were just too bad. There is embracing, and there is humiliating...

TTFN



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Dinosaurs!

Wow, it's Sunday already?? How did that happen. Oh yeah, work happened...

Plus I have been working on some DT work, that I can't share just yet. Yay, I've always wanted to put that in a blog post!!

Anyhow, here is something I can share. Card #2 in my quest to use only scraps to make cards in 2011.

I used a card sketch from the brand spanking new Sketch Support site. This is Allison Davis's new site showcasing all things sketchy. And this week the sketch was a card sketch. So I took the sketch and rotated it, as I wanted to use this chipboard dinosaur.

Would you believe I bought a whole box of BasicGrey just for these chipboard dinosaurs? Yep, I bet you do. I have been coveting them, and now I think it's time to use the stash not just look at it ;) The whole card is made from scraps, all BasicGrey Archaic scraps. And the sentiment is an Elzybells stamp.

My card collection is growing, and I'm enjoying making cards again. The sketches I am finding out in blog land help alot ;)

Off to play with more sketches...

TTFN

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Today...

• I tackled the ironing mountain, and defeated it.
• I took the car to the garage, and didn't look like a complete girl when trying to explain what was wrong with it.
• I failed to get Jemma out of bed before 10am for the second day on the trot even with an alarm clock. Not looking forward to tomorrow morning, trying to prise her out of her pit at 7.30...
• I think I should get a job with the UN, as I have been dealing with warring factions (ie. siblings) all day.
• I am looking forward to the kids being back at school tomorrow.
• I am making lists.
• I am thinking about decluttering. Only thinking.
• I am trying not to feel guilty about having overdue library books. I hate being late with anything.
• I'm wondering what this year will bring for us, and trying not to worry too much.
• I'm gearing up for change.
• I'm still striving for balance.
• I have nothing crafty to share today.

That is all.

What's happening in your world today?

TTFN

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Twice as Sassy...

My fellow Sassie Pia set up a challenge over at the Sassy Lil' Sketches Forum to see if anyone was willing to join her by making cards this year only out of scraps. Now I have a large scrap folder bursting to the seams with scraps, so I said "Why not" and put my pledge in for 26 cards made out of scraps for 2011. This is number 1.

Now my title says "Twice as Sassy". There is a reason for this.

1. I used a Sassy Lil Card Sketch - this is the sketch from 14th December

2. The image on the card is a Sugar Nellie Simply Sassy stamp! This little cutie is called Bella Bunting, and you can get her here.

I coloured her in with my ProMarkers, and then hunted through my scraps for some, erm, scraps! The polka dot is from October Afternoon, and all the cardstock is Bazzill. The sentiment stamp is from a Studio G stamp set. The flower is made from a leftover piece of a punched border, gathered into a circle and then a button added on top.

I'm not a confident colourer, but these stamps are just so lovely to colour in! I even managed to make her have a hairdo like mine, with a few streaks in, and she also has my hazel eyes LOL. I know that this is one image I will turn to again and again.

TTFN


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London, Baby, Yeah!

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would use an Austin Powers quote as a layout title LOL. But I did, as it was perfect for my page ;)

I used a sketch from the Launch party for Creative Soup - a new challenge forum that started on the 1st January. Be sure to head over and see what they are cooking up - there is going to be alot of inspiration from the girls to get your creative juices flowing!

I used an American Crafts page kit that I bought at TK Maxx (complete bargain too) and was delighted to find a sheet of patterned paper with a tube map on it! Just perfect for a London page! The photos were taken on Westminster Bridge, just in front of the Houses of Parliament, as we were crossing to go for a trip on the London Eye.

Cardstock - Bazzill Basics

Patterned Paper, ribbon, badge buttons, alpha stickers - American Crafts

Chipboard circle and arrow - Maya Road

Thread - DMC

I am really enjoying my rejuvenated mojo this week! I love to have a few layouts under my belt early on in the year! I'm hoping to make a few cards this week too - I have one in progress on my desk, and a couple of sketches to help me along :)

TTFN

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Scrapping with scraps

When I saw the 28th December sketch at Sassy Lil' Sketches, I knew I had some photos that would work just perfectly. I had been flicking through my storage albums, and came across photos of Jemma at her 3rd birthday party. One of them had been taken by a friend using an Advantix camera, which when printed out was a long thin photo. Pulling out my scraps box, I found the perfect paper to go with Jemma's cute dress - I adored that outfit.

So, armed with a retro flower punch, a pair of scissors and the Spellbinder dies my Mum sent me for Christmas, I set about dissecting the papers to add as embellishments to a hand stitched circle. And check me out - no kraft cardstock in sight!!
I cut my title from funky foam, and added a generous amount of Stickles for some sparkle. I really do like how this turned out! I really love the combination of aqua and fuschia. A lovely girly layout of my not very girly girl!

Journalling reads -

@ three

You had just become a big sister.
You loved the Fun Song Factory.
You had a joint birthday party with your best friend Daniel.
You loved going swimming.
You went to First Steps nursery.
You played outside every night.

I was quite amazed about how much I could write about Jemma from when she was 3. It was 8 nearly 9 years ago, and I had a demanding newborn to deal with, but I suppose there are just some things that stick in your memory. I'm sure there are plenty more things that didn't, but I'm happy that something did stick.

Cardstock - Bazzill Basics

Patterned Papers - BoBunny Press, Sassafrass Lass

Funky Foam - Craft Planet

Dies - Spellbinders, Sizzix Sizzlet "Nouveau" and "Chunkadelic" alphabets

Punch - PaperShaper Retro flower

Flowers - Prima marketing

Glitter - Stickles glitter glue

Thread - DMC

I hope you have all recovered from seeing in the New Year. Today is another quiet day, well it is for some... I am in to work this afternoon, for my sins. Himself has gone to the gym, I think he realises that he maybe has over indulged a wee bit this holiday season, so this is him starting the New Year health kick off...


TTFN



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A Lil' bit Sassy...

... no really, I am!



I am honoured to announce that I have been picked by Katie and Cherie to be on the Layout Design Team for Sassy Lil' Sketches! I am still in complete shock, and when I read the e-mail I just bounced around the house with the biggest smile on my face! Thank you, girls, for giving me this fantastic opportunity. I'm so excited to be working with such a talented bunch of scrappers and card makers!
I am a 7th Sassie, so my first reveal is on 7th February. I cannot wait. O. M. G. as my 11 year old would say LOL.

To finish off the year, I spent a little time in my craft room. I picked a Sassy Lil' Sketch from November 7th, and printed out a couple of photos from Christmas Day. Every year I try to scrap one page about Christmas before the New Year, and I just squeaked in with this one! The light isn't great in our lounge, and Mark did use the flash on some photos, but I didn't like the harshness the flash put into the photo, choosing instead the grainier more natural looking shots.




These photos are probably 2 of my favourites from the year. I don't normally like photos with me in them, but this year I have started to embrace the concept of me being captured on film... I don't think I will be starting to take self portraits in a mirror just yet, but I realised that there aren't many photos about of me around. So, it's a case of suck it up, and grin and bear it for the sake of the occasional photo, even if it is just to prove that I was there!

I managed to make this layout entirely from scraps - I had some October Afternoon and BasicGrey seasonal papers lying about, and they were just the job. I am working on not making a layout using Kraft Bazzill too! I realised that I have used Kraft as a base for my last 6 layouts, maybe more... I do love it so!

Cardstock - Bazzill Basics

Patterned Paper - October Afternoon, BasicGrey

Alphabet stickers - American Crafts

25th December tag - Shabby Chic

Flowers - Prima Marketing (I think!)

Buttons - from my button jars

I hope you all gave 2011 a great welcome. We went to the cairn in Hopeman, making it with seconds to spare! We had become engrossed playing Game of Life on the Wii, and left later than we were planning! We met our friends at the cairn, and then the men went on the beach and let off some fireworks - but we didn't let the brisk wind and horizontal drizzle dampen our enjoyment of the "display"! We headed back to a friends house for nibbles and refreshements - in my case a cup of tea, I needed warming up - and a bit of Just Dance 2 and Michael Jackson Experience on the Wii. We headed home just after 2 am, and fell into bed. I am hoping for a quiet day today, and a lovely roast beef dinner at teatime!

Enjoy the start of this shiny new year, whatever your plans for the day may be! Hoping 2011 is a happy, healthy and creative one!

TTFN

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