CRII - Feb challenges

Well, I've had a good weekend and got more scrapping done than I have for a long time. I've finished both the layout, and the card for this month's challenge at my online group.

We had to make a layout based on a sketch from Everything-About-Scrapbooking.com this month. I took the opportunity to scrap some photos from our trip to New Zealand last month, specifically of the Government Gardens in Rotorua. The sketch was for a double page layout. This suited me fine as I usually make double pagers, although I haven't done that many lately. I didn't really stick to the sketch as I accidentally picked a portrait photo in the bunch, and I should have had all landscape photos! Still, I stuck to the main idea of the sketch and I really like how it turned out. Here it is (click on it to see it larger).



I used the "I Wish" (Christmas!) Simply Scrappin kit from Stampin Up! I used the Old Olive cardstock, cut a piece of the green patterned paper for the tops of each page, and the half circle at the bottom of the left hand page. For the "ruffle" across the middle of each page I cut the strip (4 times) from the other patterned paper. I simply folded it to look like a ruffle. I used two strips for each page. Then I sewed it onto the page.

For the ruffle around the half circle I used some Stampin Up! chocolate chip 2.5cm double stitched grosgrain ribbon. It was really easy to make into a ruffle. I just pulled the stitching on one side of the ribbon then attached it to the back of the circle with double sided tape. Some sticker embellishments from the kit finished off the circle. I was impressed that I could use a Christmas themed kit for a very non-Christmas layout.

For the titles I used some Lush rubons from Delish Designs that I won in an online crop last year. I absolutely love this script and would love to buy some more, but haven't been able to find it anywhere that I've looked so far. I then added a small border sticker from Art Stamps Australia that I bought at the craft show last year in Canberra. I always find something I like at their stall and it's always well priced too. This border has some sparkle in it, but it doesn't show in the picture. The scalloped embellishment is also from the SU! kit. I put it on with foam tape so it would be raised off the page.

As to the photos, they are (left to right and top to bottom) the gazebo, the lovely pond next to the gazebo, a kauri tree trunk (love those colours!), the Rotorua Museum that began it's life as a Bath House and Spa in 1908 (very interesting museum and worth the visit if you go to Rotorua), and L behind the Maori posts and carvings at the entrance to the park.

The second part of this month's challenge was to create a card from this sketch from Card Patterns. I didn't have any idea what colours I would use until I went through my scraps to find a piece of cardstock big enough to use as a card base. I found a piece of cardstock (from my TLC stash, I think)and then went about finding patterned papers to go with it! I'm really not sure who made them as they were all scraps. The only thing I can tell you is that I used the Friendly Flowers stamp set from Stampin Up! for the pink flowers in the middle diamond, and their Spring Solitude stamp set for the sentiment. The diamonds were put onto the card using foam tape, and then I added a button that I'd tied a bit of floss through before attaching. I like how it turned out, except that I think I should have inked the edges of the green flowered paper to make them stand out more from the background. Still, I hope whoever gets it will like it.



I hope you like my creations. Till next time. Happy days!

PageMaps Scrapdango Sketch Contest

Over at PageMaps blog they are having a sketch contest with fabulous prizes from Scrapdango. The sketch was for an 8.5 x 11 page, but I only do 12x12 so I altered it to fit the bigger size. Here's my take on it. (Note you can click on any photos on the page and see them larger.)


The papers and embellishments I used were from my local scrapbooking store (Wrapped in Paper)'s monthly layout competition kit. The kit contained a sheet of Bazzill cardstock, one full sheet and three half sheets of patterned paper from SEI, glitter cardstock strips from UPIKIT, 4 flowers (I don't know who from) and a sheet of alphas from Raspberry, called Princess. This is what the kit looked like before I used it.

I also added a chipboard flower from Bella Chipz, Versamark inks (bark, orchid and fresh green), a rhinestone brad, some light green floss, a pink flower and some ribbon from my stash. I finally fixed the needle on my tiny sewing machine and added some stitching through the ribbon, and on the top right corner of the layout.

I used the back side of the multi coloured striped paper to cover the chipboard flower and inked the edge of the stem part with the green ink, and inked the flower part with the orchid ink. Then I added a pink flower from my stash, one of the green flowers provided and kept it all together with the rhinestone brad. I added a few x stitches over the stem.

For the journalling block I used the green stripes from the multicoloured striped paper.

The photos were taken from the train that runs between Cairns and Kuranda, in far north Queensland. G and I took the Skyrail (gondola) up to Kuranda. After a lovely day in Kuranda we came back down the mountain in the train. About half way down the mountain the train goeas across this bridge right in front of these falls. They're not the most spectacular falls I've ever seen, but still pretty nice. The most well known photos of the Kuranda Scenic Railway are always of the train on the bridge in front of the falls, in fact it's part of their logo. That would have been a more spectacular photo, but not possible to take from the train :)!!

Till next time, happy days!

January Project 12 Layout

Here is my first layout for Project 12, a challenge being run over at Scrapbook and Cards today. Every month Becky Fleck of PageMaps provides a sketch and you then make a layout using the sketch with photos of that month. This is January's sketch:

Initially I didn't like how this layout was progressing, but once it was finished, I think it turned out well.

We had a very busy start to the year. The kids each went to camp - K to an international Girl Guides camp in Geelong, Victoria, and L to the Scout Jamboree at Cataract Park, in Appin, NSW. G and I took the opportunity to have our first holiday together, without children, since our honeymoon. We took off to Cairns in Far North Queensland. We only had 4 full days but we packed in the activities. We visited the town of Kuranda, went swimming on the reef at Green Island, visited the rainforest at Cape Tribulation and went white water rafting.

On the children's return we went to New Zealand for 12 days. We stayed in the North Island, visiting the area around the Bay of Islands, took a tour to the tip of New Zealand at Cape Reinga, and visited the thermal pools etc at Rotorua. We also took a boat through the glow worm caves of Waitomo. All in all it was a great month!

Well, back to my layout. I used the Swirls and Flowers template (TCW77) from The Crafters Workshop to draw the swirls around the flowers. I then pierced holes along the lines and used floss to stitch the lines on. The flowers are Tye-Dye Gypsies from Flora Doodles by Petaloo. The rhinestones next to the stitching are from Kaisercraft.

For the edging under the top left photo and the bottom right photo I used one of my border punches that I haven't used in ages. It's Aztec - Basic borders punch from EK Success. I used it with the Link 2 Link guide. (They obviously don't make these anymore as I couldn't find them on the EK Success website to put a link in - shows how long I've had it then I guess!)I then rolled the middle triangle over my paper piercer. The paper is relatively thin though so doesn't stay in place that well. Maybe someone should make some "hair spray" for paper!

For the "Busy" title I used some glitter stickers I got on sale. Being Canadian I'm disappointed to say that these stickers from Forever in Time (MultiCraft Imports), a Canadian company, are not good stickers. I had to put glue on them to make them stick to the paper. But, once I did that they're really quite nice. I added a flower and some more rhinestones and voila!

The paper I used is from a scrapbooking kit I bought from Aldi last year. I didn't save the packaging so I don't know who made it. It came with an album, patterned papers, alphabet stickers, die cut frames, tags, alphas, and embellishments, as well as borders and four layered embellishments. I used some blue TLC paper from my stash for the journalling sheet, and cardstock from my stash as well. Don't know where that came from either! I used the alpha stickers from the kit for the January sub-title. I didn't want to stick them directly on to the paper though so put them on foam tape so they would be raised off the page. I think it makes them classier than they really are.

And finally for the photos. On the left hand page, the photos are all from New Zealand. Clockwise from left they are: my family atop the lookout on Urupukapuka Island in the Bay of Islands, L&K at Whangarei harbour, and a REALLY New Zealand scene, a giant Kiwi with the NZ flag painted on it, with a sheep underneath. This photo was taken at Otorohanga, a Kiwiana town between Waitomo Caves and Hamilton. Here's the photo so you can see it properly - just click on it for a larger view!
On the right hand page the photos are of G and I on the beach at Cape Tribulation, K at ACE Girl Guide camp with some of her tent mates, and L getting ready to go to Jamboree. (I blurred the faces of the other kids since I don't know whether their parents would be happy to have them posted online.)

Till next time, happy days!