Nuts About Sketches #154 - X-treme tubing

Good morning! British Summer Time is here as the clocks went forward yesterday. We found it a struggle to get up this morning, thank goodness for alarm clocks! Looking forward to a bit of warmer weather arriving soon, and making the most of the lighter evenings!

This weeks sketch over at Nuts About Sketches is a one pager, with lots of circles - I love circles! I even made circular photos, something that I haven't done before. 



I chose photos from our trip to the water park in Turkey from 2008 for this page. The circles are zoomed in, cropped photos of the 4x6's - I already had printed out copies of the main photos, and I just printed out the cropped ones. I used my circle Nestabilities dies to crop the photos into circles - they made it really easy to centre the subject in the circles.
This particular water ride was called the "Tsunami", and I didn't even think about riding it! Tom was too little for it, but Jemma was OK, so she and her Dad took to a ring each. At one point, I thought Mark was going to fly off the top edge, as he built up such a speed! He actually hit the top ledge with his arm, and ended up with a nice bruise! Jemma thought it was great fun, whizzing up and down the slope.

I love the colour combination of aqua and yellow, as I think it looks really summery, and it went perfectly with the photos. I used a white cardstock background, and wanted to add something to make it less plain. If I had any mists, I probably would have tried them out, but alas I am a mist free scrapper..!! I used some swirl stamps instead, to give a water/wave effect. I added some Frosted Lace Stickles to the swirls for a bit of sparkle.

Cardstock: American Crafts, Bazzill Basics

Patterned Paper: Echo Park, (sun is made from scraps of unknown origin!)

Stamps: Autumn Leaves (Rhonna Farrer Swirls v2)

Ink: ColorBox Cat's Eye - Cyan, VersaColor - Canary

Chipboard letters: Scenic Route

Alphabet stickers: American Crafts Foam Thickers - Lullaby

Buttons: Fancy Pants

Glitter glue: Stickles - Frosted Lace

Punch: Martha Stewart border punch

Thread: DMC

Dies: Spellbinders nestabilities Circles

Die cutting machine: Cuttlebug

Please head over to Nuts About Sketches, to see what the rest of the DT has done with Shawn's great sketch!

*****

Life has been a little bit hectic around here lately, and continues to be so again this week. Last week, the kids had a dance performance at school, a school disco, and then they both had a very demanding belt grading at their Tang Soo Do gym. I am pleased to say that both Tom and Jemma did very well, and were both awarded their red belts. Unfortunately for me, this meant a weekend of sewing red trim on their suits.... One of these days I will get myself a thimble....

This week sees Mark and the kids going off to see the X-Factor Live Tour in Aberdeen and Jemma performing at the "Lossie Rocks" shows at her future High School. I think Friday will be gratefully welcomed, especially as the kids are breaking up for the Easter holidays for 2 weeks then. And yes, I know that Easter does not fall within those 2 weeks, but here in Scotland, they traditionally take the first 2 weeks of April as holidays, whether Easter happens then or not!

Wishing you all a creative week!!

TTFN

xxxx

Nuts About Sketches #153 - Tarptastic

Monday morning again. How does it come around so quickly? I'm not ready for this Monday to be here - it means that my week's holiday is over, and it is back to work for me this evening :( All good things come to an end, I know, and I am now looking forward to my week off in June....!!

Monday means it's time for another of Shawn's fabulous sketches over at Nuts About Sketches. This week is a 2 page sketch!

Tarptastic - I love making up words!!! These photos were taken one windy afternoon, when Mark got bored and decided that he would bodge tape the old blue tarpaulin in the garage into a huge bag, and see what would happen if he took it into the street...  Lots of chaos and fun, that's what. The bag filled up almost like a hot air balloon! At one point, poor Tom was lifted off his feet. But they all had fun. As did half the neighbourhood kids, who couldn't resist coming for a look as they passed the end of our cul-de-sac...

I used a kraft cardstock base, and added strips of Coredinations card, which I scored lines on using a Hougie Board and then sanded to add a pattern. I made little pin wheels using patterned paper, a punched flower and a brad. After I had finished, I felt that it needed something else, so I got out my swirly stamps and added a couple of flourishes, using white ink. I think I was trying to simulate the look of wind... A dash of rik rak and a few buttons finished it all off. And for once I didn't use strip journalling, although I was tempted...

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics, Coredinations

Patterned paper: BasicGrey, Jillibean Soup

Stamps: Autumn Leaves (Rhonna Farrer Swirls v2)

Chipboard letters: Scenic Route

Alphabet dies: Sizzlet Nouveau

Brads: Making Memories

Buttons and rik rak : from own stash

Please head across to the NAS blog, to see what the other DT girls have been creating this week, it's always inspiring!!

TTFN

xxxx

GYSO #11

This week, I have managed to play along with the girls at Get Your Sketch On.

As it is Tom's birthday today, it is only fitting that the layout is about him!

The photos are from Cove Bay, a small bay about 15 minutes walk along the coastal path from our village. There are lots of rocks to climb and explore, and little caves and tunnels carved in the rockface from the years of erosion from the sea.  Tom is a perfect size to fit in these holes. And he loves to explore them.

I pretty much stuck to the sketch, using 2 smaller photos instead of the one large one. The title was done using Sizzlit Chunkadelic alphabet dies, and a Cuttlebug embossing folder. I swiped a brown ink pad over them, and also outlined them with a brown Zig pen. I used my sewing machine to add a (wonky) stitched border.

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Patterned Paper: Fancy Pants, Jillibean Soup

Punch: Martha Stewart

Chipboard elements:  BasicGrey

Button: PaperMania

Before I go, I have another Tom-ism. This morning, he was up early, so he could have his breakfast and still have plenty of time to open his presents, and start on building some of his new Lego sets. Anyway, he came through to our room after his breakfaast, and said "When I woke up, my tummy was full of butterflies. I still have butterflies in my tummy, but now they are covered in Weetabix... That feels weird"  Sometimes I look at him, and think "Where on Earth did that come from..."

TTFN

xxxx

A card for the boy...

...who is going to be 9 tomorrow. Now how on earth did that happen. He made me laugh last night, as he was going to bed he turned round and said "Mum, it's my birthday the day after tomorrow, that means I have been alive for 9 years. 9 years of life, doesn't it go so quickly..." This from the mouth of a nearly 9 year old. It sure does go quickly, my little man.

Another card made entirely from scraps - leftovers from the Tyres layout and a few other odds and sods from the scraps file.
It is based on card sketch #4 over at Sketch Support. I changed it slightly, by using 9 candles instead of 10, and adding the 9 in the top right hand corner. I added some stars I punched out with probably one of my oldest punches - I think I bought it while we were stationed in Gibraltar, about 10 years ago! - and added a few flat backed jewels.

Card blank: PaperMania

Patterned Papers: Jillibean Soup, Scenic Route

Number sticker: American Crafts

Punches: Dovecraft

Sentiment: Craftwork Cards

Flat back jewels: PaperMania

The parcels are all wrapped, the cards are arriving in the post, and the new bike is hidden away in the shed. I have a cake for tomorrow night, after the slap up roast dinner he has requested (after being dissuaded from Mac'n'cheese...) and the boy is beyond excited that it is his birthday. As only nearly 9 year old boys can be. Me, on the other hand, still can't get my head round the fact that he is going to be 9... my baby can't be 9....

TTFN

xxxx

GYSO #10 - Tyres

I am too late to link up Sketch #10 from Get Your Sketch On again this week! I knew I would be. But I went ahead and did the page anyway, as I do love their sketches and I knew exactly what photos I wanted to scrap when I first saw the sketch.

These photos were taken in the summer of 2005, when we visited Twin Lakes - a "theme" park near Melton Mowbray (home of the famous, and delicious, pork pie!). I say theme park, but it had large outdoor play parks, and 2 indoor play barns. And a petting zoo. And 2 boating lakes. And lots of things to keep kids, big and small, happy in all weathers...
The kids love any type of adventure playground, and they loved these tyre tunnels, quite the biggest ones they had ever seen. Bear in mind that we had only returned from Gibraltar the year before, and they had been quite deprived of adventurous playgrounds, as there aren't really any on the Rock ;)

I decided that I wanted to use up the remains of my Pasta Fagioli papers from Jillibean Soup. I cut a large circle by drawing round a dish and then, using a 1 inch circle punch, I punched out enough circles from my scraps to go round the edge. I handstitched them onto the large circle.

I then cut a rolled flower from Laina Lamb, using my Cricut. I bought these SVG files from Two Peas, as I have really caught the flower making bug. I know that SCAL and Cricut are a big talking point right now, but I am going to make the most out of both while I can ;) I rolled it up, and added some Stickles.
I stamped a leaf spray using VersaMark ink and a PaperTrey Ink stamp, onto Bazzill card, and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I then handcut it out. I punched out some butterflies, using my Martha Stewart punch, and layered them up, adding Stickles to the wing edges.

I finished off the layout by adding the strip journalling, adding a doodled border using my Signo white pen, and adding the title - even using mismatched fonts!!

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Patterned Paper: Jillibean Soup

Stamp: PaperTrey Ink

Ink: VersaMark

Glitter Glue: Stickles

Digital cut file: Laina Lamb art and design

Stickers:American Crafts.

TTFN

xxxx



Nuts About Sketches # 152

Monday morning means it's time for another new sketch at Nuts About Sketches. This is my take on Shawn's sketch.

I used this photo of Jemma jumping off the sand dunes at Findhorn beach. This is a long time favourite activity of the family, usually ending up with them bringing home half the beach in their trouser pockets!!

I kept to the sketch, omitting a couple of elements. I distressed the edges of the papers, and also added some hand stitching for a bit of detail.

Patterned papers: Jillibean Soup, SassafrassLass

Cardstock: Bazzill

Journalling spot: Jillibean Soup

Buttons: PaperMania

Embossing folder: Cuttlebug

Alphabet stickers: American Crafts, PaperMania

Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities

Head over to the blog to see how the other DT girls interpreted the sketch!

I'm on holiday from work this week, so hoping to get lots of crafting done. I want to get ahead with my DT work, and also do a few challenges myself :) Oh, and there is the small matter of a little boy's birthday card that needs making...

TTFN

xxxx

A Wintry Wednesday morning...

...here in the Highlands of Scotland. Luckily it is not enough to bring any disruptions or for snowmen, but it is the polar opposite to the lovely spring like weather we have had for the past week. I think Spring is having a little vacation...

I have a couple of layouts to share with you today. The first one is based on a sketch from Pencillines.



I had fun with this one, making some flowers by folding strips of paper and then adding buttons on top. I even made a lacy looking one by using a strip of paper I had punched with a Martha Stewart punch. I handcut some leaves out again, and handstitched some swirls using a template.

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Patterned Paper: BoBunny Press, Making Memories, PaperMania

Stamp: PaperTrey Ink

Buttons: PaperMania

Alphabet Stickers : American Crafts

Stitching template: InStitchz by Bazzill Basics

This second layout is based on Get Your Sketch On #9. I was a bit late is doing this one this week, with having a short deadline for an assignment, but I still loved the sketch, and sat and did it yesterday :)



This is Tom, back in 2007, with his recently purchased (for a pricely sum of 20p) beanie cat, who he called Choco. He was hamming it up for the camera, which was a recent purchase at the time for me (and a bit more than 20p) ready for our upcoming trip to New Zealand.

I kept this one nice and simple, no handcut leaves on this one! I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder to add some texture to the strip behind the title, and I also coloured in the Thickers with a Promarker to make them a slightly darker shade of grey. I added a bit of white ink to the background paper as I was going to write directly onto the paper, then had a change of heart and stuck with some journalling strips again...

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Patterned Paper: Fancy Pants Design

Alphabet Stickers: American Crafts

Embossing folder: ProvoCraft

Buttons: PaperMania

Now the sun is out, and I expect the white stuff will be gone by lunchtime. I hope that the Spring like weather returns soon, I was getting used to having the windows open again!!

TTFN

xxxx

Nuts About Sketches 151

This is my first reveal as a Design Team member for Nuts About Sketches! This week's sketch is a great two-pager, with lots of scope for different themes.

I saw the trees and I knew what I wanted to do with the layout...

These are photos taken from the top station of the Christchurch Gondola, in July 2007. I had put these photos aside to make a mini book with, as I was sure I had finished scrapping layouts of our New Zealand trip. But after the news came through of the devastating earthquake in Christchurch on 22nd February, I hunted out all my NZ photos, wanting to relive the memories, and trying to remember what I saw back then as opposed to the mangled buildings and destruction I was seeing on the news. When I saw the first sketch Shawn sent me, I knew these were the photos I wanted to use. I can't imagine that the scenes from the top of the Gondola are much different today, although down on the ground I am sure that things are a different matter...

On to the layout itself... 

I made the trees using 3 different sizes of circle punch, and the trunks are a branch stamp from the PaperTrey Ink set called Take a Bough - I stamped it onto kraft card using Memento ink, and hand cut them out. The white trees are Hambly rub ons, which again were put onto kraft card, and hand cut out.

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics

Patterned Paper: Jillibean Soup, BasicGrey, BoBunny and Fancy Pants

Acrylic stamp: PaperTrey Ink

Alphabet stickers: PaperMania

Rub ons: Hambly Studios

Pen: Signo

Please feel free to head over to the Nuts About Sketches blog, to see what the other DT girls did with the sketch!

TTFN

xxxx

Sassy Lil' Sketches 7th March reveal

It's that time of the month again - time for the 7th Sassies reveal over at Sassy Lil' Sketches.

We have a fabulous sponsor this month, Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker , who sent the whole DT some of her newest collections for us to work with.

This is Jemma at her 3rd birthday party, enjoying her party tea!

Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker were generous enough to send the International girls on the DT some digital files of her new collections debuted at CHA, so I was able to print out some of the papers, and accents to use on my page. I also used papers from 2 different collections - It's your day and Summer.

Head over to the SLS blog to see the beautiful work my fellow 7th Sassies have made with the sketch!

As always there are prizes up for grabs if you link your layout up to the SLS blog, so please feel free to play along with us!

There is also a new card sketch up today over at the Sassy Lil' Sketches Card blog, the DT girls over there have been busy too!

TTFN

xxxx

Water lot of fun

This is a layout I did using Sketch Support's One Page Sketch #3.

The photos are from out Turkish holiday in 2008, from the day we spent at the waterpark. I love that I could crop my 4x6 photos to fit the sketch.

I used a patterned paper from Echo Park, and cardstock is Bazzill. The title is done with American Crafts Thickers and cardstock stickers. I made the rossette flower and added a button and some thread to finish it off. I handstitched a border around the edge of the patterned paper, using embroidery thread, and used a Martha Stewart border punch as edging for the photos.

TTFN


xxxx

Nuts About Sketches...

...but I am sure you all know that by now LOL. But now it is official, I am more Nuts About Sketches than ever - as I was announced as part of their Design Team today! I am truly honoured to be asked to be a part of this great team, and I am so looking forward to working with Shawn's fabulous sketches and get to know the rest of the NAS DT girls!!

This is the layout I made with the sketch Shawn provided for the DT call...


Photos are of my gang on the Tree top Trail at Landmark.

I used up the rest of the BasicGrey Nook and Pantry paper I had leftover from my That Look layout, and cut out the doily shapes by hand. The striped paper is also BasicGrey, from the Archaic collection. The other papers are from BoBunny's Flutter Butter collection. The cardstock is Bazzill Kraft. I made more handmade flowers coloured with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. The leaves were stamped onto BoBunny paper with VersaMark ink, and embossed with clear embossing powder before handcutting out. The stamp is from PaperTrey Ink. I seem to be using this stamp alot just recently!!
I punched a border using a Martha Stewart border punch, and the chipboard alphas for the title are from Scenic Route.

So I have had quite a good start to March I'd say... Especially as Mark found out that he wasn't in any of the redundancy brackets that were announced yesterday. Although that doesn't mean he won't be in any future cuts, but it's enough to know he still has a job and his career. For now. Just taking one day at a time, seeing what life throws at us. It'll all come out in the wash, I'm sure...

TTFN


xxxx