Sassy Send Off sketch :: Horsing Around

It was sadly announced last week, that Cherie and Katie were closing Sassy Lil' Sketches :(

As a farewell send off, the blog is revealing a sketch a day from 2nd to 9th October. This is my layout for sketch #5.



These are photographs from 1949. They show my Nana and a family friend Edith enjoying a pony ride at Yarmouth. This is the same Edith that ended up shoving confetti down the back of my wedding dress.... I love these photos, they both look like they are having so much fun!

I switched it up a bit, by doing a 8.5 x 11 page, and kept the photos as rectangles to keep the ratios looking right. I also only used 3 photos, replacing the 4th with patterned paper to hold my journalling.

I used Bazzill cardstock, and all the papers are from Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker. The border was done using a Martha Stewart border punch, and the banner was cut from the patterned paper.

There are Sassy Lil' Sketches E-books up for grabs as prizes this week - one for each of the sketches, so 8 in total! To be in with a chance, link up your layout or card using a sketch from this week onto the blog by 23rd October.

I'd just like to say thank you to Cherie and Katie, for giving me my first Design Team spot, and by providing me with so much inspiration and support during my time with them, and wish them all the best for the future.  I will miss Cherie's sketches, and the rest of the Sassy girls :(

TTFN

xxxx

Sassy Lil' Sketches September week 3 :: Up, up and away

Tuesday in my house means grocery shopping day, although today it also means that it is time for a new sketch over at Sassy Lil' Sketches!

I will admit that I had a bit of a struggle with this sketch. I think it was something to do with the cloud shapes that Cherie had put into the top third of the sketch, and it threw me a bit! In the end I decided to substitute the clouds for some kites, and found some kite flying photos that I hadn't scrapped yet.

I swirled white and pale blue inks directly onto the kraft cardstock to make a sky, and handcut some kite shapes (picking out our coat colours) which I then adhered to the "sky" using foam pads. I added some handstitching for the tails. The rest of the layout was pretty straightforward after that :) The green paper was punched with a Martha Stewart edging punch, and the title was cut from funky foam using the Sizzlit Chunkadelic alphabet dies. I added my strip journalling to the top right hand corner, and added some more handstitching to finish it all off.

As usual, this month we have a couple of sponsors who are generously donating prizes. To be in with a chance, upload your layout using the sketch by the 5th October onto the blog :)

Our sponsors this month are:

Authentique Paper



 and

Digi Doodle Shop

Head over to the blog to see what the rest of the week 3 Sassies have done with the sketch, and check back on Saturday to see how the Switch it up gals have ...err...switched it up...

TTFN

xxxx



Sassy Lil' Sketches August week 3 :: Call me

It's my first reveal of the new term for me at Sassy Lil' Sketches, and I have moved!! Instead of being on the 7th of the month, I am now a week 3 Sassy, so my reveals are now the third Tuesday of every month!

This is my layout using the great sketch Cherie provided.



This photo of Jemma was taken on her 5th birthday, about a month after we had returned to the UK from our posting to Gibraltar. Sitting on the stairs was still a novelty for her - she had lived in a ground floor flat since the age of 10 months, so wasn't used to them at all. When the grandparents phoned to speak to her, she took the cordless phone and promptly sat on the stairs in this pose, as if she had always done it!!



I based my layout around a Fancy Pants acetate overlay I had - it fitted the sketch perfectly. Not one to make my life easy, I decided to stitch over some of the swirls on the overlay. I like how it turned out, plus the added bonus was that the stitching fixed the acetate on the cardstock, so I didn't have to find a way of hiding any adhesive! The patterned papers are also Fancy Pants.  I made a few handmade flowers,and added a few brads. I used a Martha Stewart border punch under the photo, and American Crafts glitter Thickers for the title. The ever present strip journalling finished the layout.

As always, there are a couple of sponsors offering prizes this month. To be in with a chance, link up your layout based on the week 3 sketch on the blog by the 5th September.

Our sponsors this month are.....

Our digital sponsor, Sassy Studio Designs

Our paper sponsor, Apron Strings Designs



Go and check out the blog to see what the rest of the week 3 Sassy girls have been creating, and be sure to check back on Saturday to see what the Switch it Up girls have done with the sketch! Not forgetting, a new card sketch is revealed on Thursday too!

Sassy Lil' Sketches also has released a sketch Ebook this week, head over here to find out more!

TTFN


xxxx

Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook

At Sassy Lil' Sketches, we are happy to announce the first Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook has been released!

The Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook features about 70 brand new sketches designed by Cherie Averill!

You'll find sketches for layouts with one, two, three & multiple photos! You'll even find double page sketches! Plus, sample layouts from talented designers that will spark your creativity!

Most of the sketches use standard photo sizes (4x6, 5x7, 8x10). To get extra mileage out of the sketches, switch it up! Use the sketches to create cards, double pagers, etc.! If you need ideas for "switching it up", check out the cards in the Sample Layouts section or stop by the Sassy Lil' Sketch blog on Saturdays.

The Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook is available for online viewing or you can easily download and print it. It's your choice!

Visit www.sassylilsketches.com to get the Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook & get scrapping!

If you look closely on page 30, you may see a familiar name.... Yep, I was asked to do a sample layout for the Ebook! I've had a sneak peek of the book, and it looks fantastic! I cannot wait to use some of these new sketches!

So, go on, what are you waiting for....???

TTFN


xxxx

Sassy Lil' Sketches DT

I am proud to announce that I have been chosen to stay on the Sassy Lil' Sketches DT for another term!!

Katie and Cherie have mixed it up a bit this time, with layout sketches being posted every Tuesday, card sketches posted every Thursday, and a brand new "Switch it Up" feature every Saturday!

I will be moving to Week 3, and joining a new group of gals, and I can't wait to start on the new sketches!!

Head over to the Sassy Lil' Sketches blog for the full announcement, and see who else made the team!

Thanks Katie and Cherie!

Sassy Lil' Sketches - July 7th sketch :: My boys

It's the 7th of the month, which means it's time for another sketch over at Sassy Lil' Sketches!!

As always, we have a couple of generous sponsors this month, who have given SLS some prizes to give away. To be in with a chance to win a prize, just play along with us this month - link up your layout using any of July's sketches on the main blog!

This month we are being sponsored by  

May Arts

Sassy Studio Designs

Now for my layout for this month....

Yes, these are my boys!!! Big and Little....LOL.  I took Cherie's sketch, and rotated it 90 degrees, and then adjusted the elements until it looked just right LOL. I love this photo of Mark and Tom, taken in the summer of 2004. They are sat on the roundabout at the park in Syston - the village where Mark grew up. It was pretty cool to see the kids playing on the park we played on as kids (Mark more than I, as I lived in the next village. But we did stop there sometimes on the way back from the Doctor's Surgery...)

I used a dinner plate as a template for the stitched circle, and scraps of Jillibean Soup and Fancy Pants papers. The spiral arrow is from Maya Road, and I coloured it in with a ProMarker before coating it in Glossy Accents to give it a shiny appearance. The other two chipboard elements are also from Maya Road, and I added Stickles to those after coloring them in with ProMarkers. The loopy cardstock border is from Bazzill Basics, as is the kraft cardstock. The title is a mix of American Crafts Thickers, and Scenic Route chipboard alphas. I Stickled the chipboard... I don't know what came over me that day, all this glitter on a boys page LOL.

Please head over to the blog to see what the other 7th Sassies have done with the sketch - lots of inspiration from the girls this month!

TTFN

xxxx





Design Team call at Sassy Lil' Sketches!

It is that time again!
We are looking for a few talented layout and card designers for Sassy Lil' Sketches and Sassy Lil' Card Sketches.



How to apply for our August '11 to January '12 Sassy Team

Please send an e-mail to sassylilsketches@gmail.com with the following information by JULY 7th:

1) specify LAYOUT or CARD DT in e-mail subject line

2) your full name

3) your email address

4) your blog address (or online gallery if you do not have a blog)

5) a short bio

6) one layout or card (depending on which team in which you are applying) based

on any Sassy Lil' Sketch/Sassy Lil' Card Sketch on our blogs. Please include the date of the sketch you used.

7) one layout or card (depending on the team in which you are applying) that showcases your individual style.



We welcome international applicants.



Sassy Lil' Sketches expectations:

1) Layout Sassies: Create one layout a month based on a Sassy Lil' Sketch.

Card Sassies: Create two cards a month based on

Sassy Lil' Card Sketches.

2) Share your monthly Sassy Lil' Sketch creation(s) on your blog and any online galleries which will allow you to do so.

3) Join our Sassy Lil' Sketches Forum. While active participation is not a requirement, it is encouraged. The forum is how we will communicate with our Sassy DT.



A note from us:

Our sketches are designed by Cherie to be shared with the scrappy world. We maintain the two sketch blogs for fun and inspiration. At this time there is no compensation for our Sassy DT members except the pure joy in inspiring others to create. We hope you will apply to be one of our Sassies!

Thank you,

Cherie and Katie
 

Sassy Lil' Sketches - June 7th sketch :: Flutterbys

It's reveal time for the 7th Sassies over at Sassy Lil' Sketches! I love the sketches that Cherie comes up for us each month, and this month is no exception!

Before I share my layout, I'd like to shout out to the wonderful sponsors we have for this month

Paisley and Polka Dots

and

Kich N Bleus Designs

Onto my layout for this month.

I have always loved Buddleias. As a child I can remember seeing my Gran's butterfly bush covered in an array of beautiful butterflies. Her Buddleia was lilac. The Buddleia I inherited in my garden is white, and the butterflies flock to it during August when it is in full bloom. I was really pleased with how my photos came out, the brilliant blue sky backdrop really make the photos pop!

To keep the focus on the photos, I decided to do a white-on-white layout. I have seen lots of cards done this way, and thought I would give it a try with a layout. I tried to make lots of different textures on the layout, and used 5 different Cuttlebug embossing folders to create the squares on the left hand side of the page. I used some doilies along the bottom, and a Martha Stewart border punch edges the journalling space. I used a free butterfly SVG file for the large butterfly, and a Martha Stewart butterfly punch for the smaller butterflies along the top. A loopy stitched border using a Bazzill In Stitchz stitching template mimics the butterflies fluttering flight path! I added some sparkle with Frosted Lace Stickles, and some flat backed diamantes. The title is done with American Crafts Glitter chipboard Thickers.

I was quite pleased with how this turned out, and I will certainly use the white-on-white approach again!

Please feel free to head over to the blog to see what the rest of the 7th Sassies have been creating!

To be in with a chance of winning a prize from our sponsors, link your layout to the blog before the 5th July!! I hope you will play along with us this month :)

And don't forget that the Sassy Lil' Card Sketches blog has a new sketch up today as well!

TTFN


xxxx



Bookworm

Hello!!!!  As today is the 7th, it's time again for my reveal over at Sassy Lil' Sketches! I had a lot of fun with the sketch this month, and actually got a lil' bit messy with some paint - got to get out of the comfort zone now and again...!!

This months sponsors are:

Digital Delights by Louby Loo



Ippity stamps

This is my layout using the sketch. Photos of Tom reading a book on the beach at Findhorn. He loves to read - he can sit and read a book cover to cover, and would do so all day if you let him. This day, he got cold going in and out of the water, so he just sat on a towel and read a book.

I decided that I needed to jazz up the white background, so used a Donna Downey foam stamp and some Making Memories paint. I stamped directly onto the cardstock, and then stamped 2 more stems onto spare cardstock and then handcut them out and added to the layout with foam pads for some dimension. I also dry brushed some paint onto the cardstock to add some texture. That was the really scary bit!! 

The papers I used are October Afternoon (red pattern) and BasicGrey (blue, yellow and block red). The border was done with a Martha Stewart punch. I made a little lollipop flower from the papers, crumpling the circles first and distressing the edges with my distressing tool. I added a fabric brad to hold it together.  The title is done with American Craft Lullaby Thickers, coloured in with a Canary ProMarker to make them a brighter yellow.

Please head over to the Sassy Lil' Sketches blog to see what the rest of the 7th Sassies did with the sketch, and to get the details on what you can win if you play along with us this month!

Don't forget that there is the Sassy Lil' Card sketches blog too, and they have a new sketch revealed today!! Head on over to see what they have been up to!

I promise to be back tomorrow with the rest of this weeks birthday layouts that I didn't get round to posting - whooops!!!

TTFN

xxxx

Sassy Lil' Sketches 7th April Reveal!!

It's time for another great sketch over at Sassy Lil' Sketches - Cherie excels herself every month, she is always giving us fantastic sketches to work with!!

This month we have some great sponsors, offering up some lovely prizes for grabs.

Our  layout paper sponsor this month is Crop Stop!

And our layout digi sponsor this month is....

Digi Doodle Shop

As always, we have great card sketches over at the Sassy Lil' Sketches Card blog, and their sponsor this month is...



The Crafter's Workshop

This is my layout this month...

This is Jemma doing a front flip on our trampoline. She practised every day last summer until she could do a flip and land on her feet... I thought they matched the sketch perfectly.

Please head over to the blogs to see what the other DT girls have been creating, and I hope you play along with us this month for a chance to win some goodies from our sponsors!

TTFN


xxxx

P.S. I was honoured to have last months SLS layout featured on Nikki Sivils blog on Monday, along with another of my fellow Sassies Nancy. Thanks again to Nikki, for being such a generous sponsor last month! 

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

Catching up...

No matter how hard I try, I always feel like I am always trying to catch up. Whether it's with work, or with sleep, or with the housework or just with life in general. I always have 2 "to do" lists - one with jobs that need doing like paying bills or things I need to get for the house, and one with crafty things to do. Can you guess which one always gets my attention....?

Anyway, I was putting away some layouts into their albums yesterday, after they had had their time on the "show off shelf" and I realised that I hadn't shared them here!

2 weeks ago,the Sassy Lil' Sketches forum had an online crop, called the Dotted with Love Crop. Forum members set challenges for us, and our Sketch Queen Cherie provided 2 gorgeous sketches for us as a challenge too. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to do all the challenges, but I did do 2 layouts with the sketches.

Here is the first sketch...

And this is my layout from it...

I used photos from Mark, Jemma and Dave's snowboarding trip to Cairngorm. They had a great day, and Dave took some great shots - with his phone no less. I loved that I could get 5 photos on this page, without it looking cluttered. I tilted the sketch a smidge, as it seemed to suit the photos. Dave has a habit of taking pics at a jaunty angle...

I used paper from the American Crafts Merrymint collection, and the title is cut from funky foam, using the Sizzlit Nouveau alphabet dies. I punched snowflakes in 2 different sizes, and then added some Stickles and a button. I finished it off with some doodled borders.

This was Cherie's second sketch...

And this is the layout I made with it...

Photos of Tom, on Findhorn beach, aged 4. He loves the beach, and can occupy himself for hours with just a bucket and spade - even now.

I used papers from the Fancy Pants "My Family" collection, and the scalloped border was done with my medium corner rounder. The buttons are from PaperMania, and I cut the title again using the Sizzlits Nouveau alphabet dies. A little more doodling with a white Signo pen finished this one off.

So on this weeks crafty to do list are a birthday card for my sister, and 4 different sketches that I want to make layouts from! I wonder if I will get it all done, or whether I will succumb to the ironing basket instead...

Have a great Sunday!

TTFN

xxxx

Sassy Lil' Sketches 7th Feb Reveal...

... so this is it, the time for my first DT reveal over at Sassy Lil' Sketches!

We have some fab sponsors this month - Expressions Vinyl and Lauretta's Digital Stamps - offering up some fantastic prizes, so please join in for a chance to win!

This is my layout using the sketch.

Photos of Tom taken at Pontins in Prestatyn in 2004. He really enjoyed the swings in the park there, and of course, it is 10 times better when Daddy is in charge of pushing!

I started off with everything being level and straight on the page, as anyone who knows me knows that I don't do wonky! I left the layout, not stuck down, on my desk. It was a bit of a mess on the desk, and I moved something which then moved the pieces on my layout. When I came back and saw the layout slightly off kilter, I thought that actually it looked better, and fitted in with the angles of the photos!

I used BasicGrey's Archaic range throughout - the little dino papers reminded me of Tom's shirt. The cardstock is Bazzill, as is the template I used to do the handstitching. I added a bit of machine stitching as well. And a teeny bit of Stickles. The title is cut out with the Cricut, and I added some Diamond Glaze to give them a shiny look. The border punch I used is from Martha Stewart.

Head over to the blog and see what the rest of the Design Team has been creating!

If you like card sketches too, the SLS team have created a brand new challenge blog - the Sassy Lil' Sketches Card blog - also with a brand new Design Team! Their sponsor for February is the fantastic Cosmo Cricket - so head over to check out the new sketches, and join in for a chance to win a prize!

TTFN


xxxx

SLS Jan 21st & Sassy doodling challenge

I'm finally caught up with the January sketches at Sassy Lil' Sketches. I combined the 21st Jan sketch with the doodling challenge that Pia set us on the forum.

Now, these photos aren't the blurriest (is that a word?) that I have ever taken, and boy, I am a master at all photos out of focus and blurred LOL. But they do represent to me a time when life was a blur to me. It was the last summer we spent in Gibraltar, and I had a very active toddler and a challenging 4 year old, who was desperate (and ready) to start school. Added to that, I was having trouble with migraines - I had 7 migraines in 10 days at one point - so the whole summer was just a blur to me.

I used papers from Fancy Pants "My Family" collection, and added some stitching using Bazzill In Stitchz templates. I punched out the flowers using retro flower punches, and the border strip was punched with a threading water punch. I added lots of doodling using my favourite white pen - a Signo uniball. I also doodled a border around the outside of the layout, using a Zig pen. I added a title using Heidi Grace chipboard letters.

Over at the Sassy Lil' Sketches Forum this weekend, we are having an online crop - the Dotted with Love Crop. There are some great challenges to join in with - and a couple of great sketches from Cherie. Feel free to pop along and have a look! Hope to see you there!

TTFN


xxxx

SLS 28th Jan sketch & handmade flower challenge

I finally got round to doing a layout with the 28th Jan sketch over at Sassy Lil' Sketches.

I scrapped another heritage photo - this is my Mum and my Aunt Elaine, as children on holiday sometime in the 1950s. I'm thinking it is probably the late 50s. Pony and donkey rides were popular treats at seaside towns in the UK. I love how my Mum has hold of her little sister to make sure she doesn't fall off the pony. Quite poignant too, as the sisters don't really speak to each other anymore.

I used BasicGrey Recess on this layout, and some Bazzill kraft cardstock. The edges of the papers I distressed with a Close To My Heart distress tool. The border punch I used is from Martha Stewart. The trim is one I have had in my ribbon box for a while, I'm not sure where it came from. The title is done with American Crafts Thickers. The flower is handmade...

Over at the Sassy Lil' Sketches Forum, the DT have been setting some challenges for February. Missy is hosting a handmade flower challenge, and posted this great tutorial by Christina. So while waiting for the windscreen repair man this morning, I thought I would have a go at making one. I don't have any glimmer mists or any Distress Ink reinkers, which is what Christina used, but I do have a couple of Distress Ink Pads. So I used my Tattered Rose ink pad, and made this flower.

I cut the flower shapes on my Cricut, using the Accent Essentials cart. I added a flat back pearl in the middle.

Please feel free to head over to the forum, sign up and join in the fun!

TTFN


xxxx

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

xxxx

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

xxxx

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



xxxx

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



xxxx

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

xxxx