Single sheets challenge

I completed a layout and card challenge for the CRII member's site that I belong to. The challenge was actually lifted from the Apron Strings Blog.

It was a double challenge to make 1 layout and 1 card from
1x sheet cardstock
1x sheet patterned paper
1x any chipboard accent
1x a couple of blossoms
1x length of ribbon
The creator Lori from Apron Strings blog says ..."Remember, besides a title and journaling no extra items can be used. If you need more cardstock to create your card, that is the exception."

Initially I thought this might be difficult, but it turned out to be relatively simple, considering that I'm a pretty simple scrapbooker anyway. I didn't use any ribbon, and didn't need the extra piece of cardstock and even have a bit of cardstock and patterned paper over! Want to see what I actually created? Here it is:



I really did only use one sheet of patterned paper - it was just that it was double sided so I got two different patterns from the same sheet. The paper is from the Urban Garden series from Stampin Up! For the layout I cut off part of the cardstock and the patterned paper. I then stuck them together to make one 12"x12" sheet as you can see from this photo of the back of the layout. I added the photos, and wrote some journalling onto strips of the reverse side of the patterned paper that I used my Stampin Up! word window punch to round the corners on.

The title "Hamilton" was made from some foam alphabet stickers that I painted with moonlight Smooch. The flower embellishment was made from the Roof Garden Accents & Elements kit of stickers/die cuts from Stampin Up! I painted the centre of the flower with Smooch too.


I used a raw chipboard flourish from Porta Craft. I painted it with gesso, then painted it again with the Smooch. Altogether I really like how this one turned out.

In case you're wondering, the photos were taken along the river front in Hamilton, New Zealand, during our trip there in January this year.

For the card, I cut a piece off the remaining cardstock and folded it in half so that it would fit into a DL sized envelope. I simply cut some narrow strips from the patterned paper, added a flower embellishment, and then a TLC rub on from my stash for the sentiment and the card was finished! That's the quickest I have ever made a card, but I think it is quite effective.


All in all this was a fun challenge - why don't you give it a try too and show me what you come up with!

Till next time - happy days!

Project 12 - April layout

Well, here we are again, another Project 12 layout completed, this time for April 2010.

Here's the Page Maps sketch that I was working to.

Instead of using two photos on the left hand page though, I used a single 5"x7" one.

Here's my take on the sketch with photos from April.



Once again I used the same papers that I have been using all along for this project. I mounted a large glittery embellishment from the kit on foam tape for the right hand page, although I added some TLC swirl rubons coming out from under it, as well as a small flower rubon on the centre of it. I also used a Beutron button from my stash, and some Purls of Yarn, (Angel tones) feathery fibre.

On the left hand page, as well as the fibre, I also used another button, and an epoxy sticker that has been in my stash for way too long! I mounted the stickers for the month on foam tape, in exactly the same way as I have done for the other months so far. The paper I used to print the journalling on was from one of those inexpensive packs of patterned paper I bought from a department store early on when I first starting scrapbooking. Finally to finish the page off, I used a TLC Happy Birthday rubon over the title, and drew fake stitching around the title and the journalling paper.

Here are the pages singly. You can click on them to see them bigger.


The month wasn't all that busy, Gary's birthday, a weekend Guide camp for Kyaa and school holidays. The kids and I made a couple of bike trips around the lake and completed some geocaches at the same time. We got caught in the one thunderstorm during April and got absolutely soaked! We went out to dinner for Gary's birthday, and Kyaa enjoyed her camp in Sydney. For the rest it was pretty quiet, and relaxing, and we just enjoyed the beautiful autumn weather.

Till next time, happy days!

Spring Hello Card

I don't often make cards, usually just for challenges, and this was no exception. On the Page Maps blog there was a challenge to create a spring card using this sketch:
I actually really like this sketch and making the card wasn't hard at all! Here it is.


As you can see, I rotated the sketch so that the card was in a portrait orientation. I made all the papers myself from the photo I used on the card. {I took this photo at Floriade, Canberra's annual spring flower festival, last spring. I was trying to take a photograph of the wasp on the blossom, but the light through the tree branches and the blossoms, along with the blossom buds and the insect ended up making an unexpectedly wonderful photo in my opinion. I've used it for a scrapbook page before.}

First I made the kaleidoscope. {You can see more of my kaleidoscopes on my MemoriesInKaleidoscope.com website.}


Then, using this tutorial, I made the plaid paper. Lastly I printed some lilac coloured paper, with the lilac colour sourced from the photo and darkened a bit. I used a Stampin Up! scalloped edge punch for the edges of the papers. Then I wrapped some black fibres around the photo and mounted it onto the card using foam tape. Voila - a spring card!!!



Till next time, happy days!