You Can Always Find A Friend In A Good Book

Time for a little more action on here I think, so today I thought I'd finish off my creations from a recent DT Kit from Two Scrapbook Friends......the 'Enchanted' collection from Simple Stories.

This is a lovely feminine line full of pastels, but with a wonderful mix of modern geometric patterns, and a touch of Kraft in there too.

Can't go wrong really and with a house of girlies I knew I could put it to good use!

The only thing I seem to be struggling with recently is a lack of photo's.....for a scrapbooker my penchant for taking photographs is pretty hopeless really!

Note to self: take more photo's (or at least remember to bring your camera).

So, I lucked out when I found this little gem - no idea who took it, certainly not me so probably my youngest who unlike her Mother, is definitely 'snap' happy!

Anyone that knows my eldest daughter is well aware that this is the position she can usually be found in.........with her nose in a book!

You Can Always Find A Friend In A Good Book

The background paper starts this one off for me.  I decided to add a little colour to the 'postcard' stamp with watercolour paints.

The large chevrons were fussy cut from another sheet of patterned paper, the vines were courtesy of my Silhouette, and I used a combination of mini alpha's and more Silhouette cuts for the long long title.

There are some cute die cut paper clips found in this collection, so I layered a couple of different ones in a cluster of embellies here......

and finished things off with a scattering of enamel dots.

Just about covers everything I think.

You can find 'Enchanted' over at Two Scrapbook Friends either in person or at their online store.

Have a wonderful day.....enjoy the sunshine and hopefully I'll be back here again later this week.

Take care,
Jayne.x.

My Furry Valentine

Good morning.

It's Friday.....an extremely COLD Friday for sure, but never the less it's the perfect time to get your craft on!

I'm killing two birds with one stone today in the form of 2 DT projects.......I try my best not to do this but my time was fairly short the last couple of weeks so needs must!

I was given a great new kit from Two Scrapbook Friends containing the Hugs and Kisses collection by Simple Stories.  Perfect for those Valentine pages, but if you're like me and not much into lovey dovey photo shoots, it works great for the everyday too.

Also as it's Friday, it happens to be time for a brand new Sketch challenge over on the Scrapmuch? blog.

Team B is up this week so here's my take on this weeks sketch using the Hugs and Kisses line.......

Here's the sketch for you to play along with:

I flipped my page 180 degrees as I'm sure you can tell, purely because the background paper I chose to use has a flower cluster in the bottom left corner, and that's where I wanted to place my title.

I happened to have 2 sheets of this paper so I fussy cut the flowers from the second and stuck them over top with foam dots.

More fussy cutting for the line of hearts which were taken from another sheet of PP, then stitched with embroidery floss.

Finally, the photo (a selfie of me and my boy!) and lots of layers using a combination of papers, chipboard, paper clip, pin badge and the perfect co-ordinating stickers you can find in this collection.I also added a little embossing to the background using a stencil and pale pink embossing powder, and a little 'print' with a rubber stamp and black ink.

I also added some embossing to the background using a stencil and pale pink embossing powder, and a little more 'print' with a rubber stamp and black ink.

I think that's about all.

You can obviously find the Simple Stories line over at the Two Scrapbook Friends store so you can grab your own supplies.

Also I'd love for you to play along with this weeks Sketch-y Friday challenge with Scrapmuch?  You have until the end of the month to play along......just link up your creation over on the Scrapmuch? blog to be in with a chance of winning some goodies.  You can check out a little more inspiration from the rest of the team whilst you're there too.

Have a wonderful weekend.  We have an extended one here due to extreme cold temperatures and schools being closed......I wonder if it's too cold to shop?

See you next week,
Jayne.x. 

Inspiration Elevator - Christmas Past.

It's the 15th of the month folks which means it's time for a little Inspiration Elevator!

Our main purpose here at IE is to challenge ourselves, each other and YOU to take the creative process to the next level;  to inspire growth and change in our scrapbooking beyond our usual boundaries.
You can see all of Inspiration Elevator's previous challenges on Facebook .

 This month's challenge is issued by the creative Lisa Moen. Lisa is a busy scrapbooker who takes on every creative challenge with gusto; she works layering and clustering beautifully. This month she has a seasonal challenge for us. Here it is in her own words:

" Scrap A Christmas Past.
We all have them- one Christmas that sticks out more in our minds than others. Maybe it was when you were a child or maybe it was more recent. Maybe it was a gift you received that makes it memorable. Maybe a special visitor? Create a page, with or without photos and tell us the story behind that Christmas.."

OK so this challenge was actually a little tricky for me as anyone who knows me is fully aware of the fact that I'm not a happy Christmas scrapper!

Anything with a theme, I tend to steer well clear of and unfortunately this includes festive pages.......I know - what kind of a scrapbooker am I?!

I did create one 'Christmas Day' page quite a number of years back and included 6 years on one page! Lol

So for today's project I had to root back through bunches of old photo's till I found one which triggered a little something in me.

Christmas to me has always been about Family, and although I now live 3000 miles away from the majority of mine, it's the memories of those Christmas lunches shared with parents/Grandparents/siblings that I hold dear and miss so very much.

Unfortunately I don't have a photograph of one of those family gatherings, but I do have one which kind of changed my Christmas perspective.

One which commemorates the start of our own little family Christmas, marked by the birth of my first born.

Blessed.

I realize it's quite ironic that this photo shows my daughter surrounded by a huge pile of gifts (what can I say.....first Grandchild on both sides = spoilt rotten!) because that's not at all what this page is about.

It's about a new beginning.  New memories.  New/Old traditions, and although I would jump on a plane in a minute to experience one more Family gathering (if only finances would allow Christmas airfares!), I cherish these new family memories which will become our legacy.  They say you don't appreciate the joy of Christmas until you have children and I guess this is true.  I certainly hope I get to experience one of those Christmas lunches where I'm a Grandparent surrounded by those I hold near and dear.

On with the deets.

Papers are from a fabulous new festive DT Kit I was generously gifted by Two Scrapbook Friends......'Tinsel and Company' from Teresa Collins.  This collection is everything I look for in a Christmas collection.......if only I scrapped those kind of pages more often!  It's the perfect mix of 'modern' patterns paired with luxurious 'gold' elements.  I still have one more page to complete for the store, but find myself torn between jumping right in there and not wanting to cut into a sheet of patterned paper - it's so pretty!

Most of the inspiration for this page began with the gorgeous 'wreath' cut file I snagged from the Silhouette store......love it!

Lots of layers too of course but I continued the traditional theme by hanging the ribbon behind.

The title was cut from a sheet of glittered cardstock, again using my Silhouette.

There's an abundance of awesome stickers and brads included in this collection so I made use of most of them by either laying flat or 'popped with foam dots.

I'm not sure if you can tell but there are also wooden stars coloured with gold or silver marker, resting in the background clusters too.

That's about all from me but we encourage you to check out each designer's creation for Inspiration Elevator this month: here's a complete list of this month's participating designers!  

Lisa Moen

Ann Jobes

             Jayne Morgan - that's me!

Wendy Robinson

Katherine Sutton

Why not give the challenge a try yourself? Then pop by our Facebook page and share with us what you created!

Have a great day and I'll be seeing you again later this week.

Take care,
Jayne.x.

A Winter's Tale

This is a second and rather late in the day post from me!

If you're looking for this month's Inspiration Elevator challenge.....please scroll down or click here.

Otherwise stick around as I have another layout to share.

The reason for my late appearance is that firstly, I've been meaning to share this page FOREVER, and secondly, I wanted to submit it for the upcoming edition of the Let's Get Sketchy Get Inspired magazine, and the closing date for that is......well.......today!

Last minute of course - no surprise for me!

Anyhow, let me get on with some details.

This layout happens to be the first page I created using my recent DT Kit from Two Scrapbook Friends.  This time around I had the pleasure of working with the yummy new Christmas collection from Simple Stories......Cozy Christmas.

I loved the combination of woodgrains, glittery prints and traditional red, green and gold colour schemes throughout.........visions of a log cabin Christmas come to mind.

I had one of my 'struck with inspiration whilst lying in bed moments' for this page which if nothing else, usually means the outcome is interesting!

A Winter's Tale.

I do love how this turned out - pretty close to what I envisioned in my head for a change!

There's obviously lots (and lots!) of torn layers including patterned paper, corrugated paper and zipper trim from Maya Road.

I happened to have a few zipper pulls in my stash, so I added one of those too along with a little faux stitching.

There's 'snow' on there, in the form of Martha Stewart Texture Paste and a Tim Holtz stencil.

Lots of layers were provided by a few patterned papers, enamel dots, and the ecclectic die cut pack you can find with this collection.

As you can see I also trimmed the photo into a 'tag' shape to add a little interest.

Finally, the simple title was cut using my Silhouette and layered with glitter cardstock.

That's about all.......probably one of my faves for this year I think.

If you are local and would like to create your own version of this page, Two Scrapbook Friends are holding a workshop at 6.00pm on Wednesday 3rd December where you can do just that!  You can contact the store for more details or to reserve your spot.

So, onto the second reason for my late post.

As mentioned, I am submitting this page to the Let's Get Sketchy Get Inspired Magazine in the hope that I may get lucky and achieve another publication.

This is an awesome online publication full of lots of inspiration from crafty gals far and wide.  I was totally over the moon when the last edition was released and yours truly found she had made the cover!!

Totally honoured and thrilled to bits!

Anyhow, the next edition will be brimming with seasonal goodies, so my page will be submitted to their 'Mood Board' challenge.

Here is said board:

Fingers crossed but I look forward to the next issue regardless.

OK, I think that's just about covered everything so it's time for PJ's and a little snack for this gal.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see you next week,
Jayne.x.

Hello Specs!.......and a Sketch.

Hey how's it going?

Time for another layout on here today, and continuing with my theme of sharing my sketch too........I'm sharing the Sketch!

So, this is my final page using the Bo Bunny "Modern Miss' collection, from a recent Two Scrapbook Friends DT Kit.

The whole layout was inspired by a single sheet of patterned paper covered in spectacles........perfect for photo's of my eldest who had just acquired two new pairs!

Hello Specs!

Pocketbooth came through again for the photobooth style pics.......love that App!

I cut a honeycomb background using my Cameo and snipped out random pieces.  There's also plenty of stitching here and there.

Some subtle stamping in the background, and I also made use of a few chipboard elements included in this collection.

Finally, the title is one of my faves cut again with my Cameo using a font called 'Lemondrop' snagged from Dafont (free btw!), and of course I had to add those sequins.......perfect!

Well that's about all for that, but I did promise the Sketch so here goes #23:

I hope you can use it....just drop me a comment if you do and I'll be extremely nosey and come and take a peek! Lol

Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow as it will be Wednesday already and time to dig into my Little Red Wagon!

Take care,
Jayne.x.

You & Me........Enjoy Everyday Moments.

I've been playing around on my Silhouette Cameo, creating sketches a fair bit recently.

I must admit it seems to make the whole creative process flow a little more smoothly.  I create the sketch in the software first where everything's to scale, and I can even use a lot of the shapes/embellies that I will eventually be putting on the page.

This means I get to see exactly how the finished page will look........a big bonus for the procrastinator in me!

I don't use this method for every page, especially the artsy, fartsy throw everything on there kinda thing, but for DT work where I'm trying to utilize as much of a paper collection as possible..........awesome!

So that's how it helps me.

The bonus for you.........you get the sketch (if you feel inclined or desperate enough to use it! lol).

Everyone's a winner.

So, today I'm posting the first layout from my Two Scrapbook Friends DT kit using the Modern Miss collection from Bo Bunny.

Here's the sketch:

And here's my page.....You & Me.

This collection has a co-ordinating 12"x12" sheet of chipboard die cuts so I used lot's around here........

and for the banner too...........

I rubbed a white gelato onto a heart embossed brayer (American Crafts) and randomly added a little pattern to the background.

That's pretty much it other than a little stitching to finish things off.

Drop me a comment if you manage to use the sketch as I'd love to stop by and see the results.

Have a great day.....enjoy the sunshine,
Jayne.x.

Attitude!

Well, what seemed like eons ago, I posted the first of 2 layouts from my Two Scrapbooks Friends DT Kit using the 'A Charmed Life' collection from Simple Stories.

Finally, today I'm revealing the second.

You can check out the first here if you wish as it's totally different to this one.

However, I am loving today's layout.  It's based around an older sketch from Scrap365 and I admit, I don't usually use sketches for DT work, but when I saw this background paper I sooo wanted to use it with the sketch.

Anyhow, here goes.......Attitude!

I cut a 'tea ring stain' stencil with my cameo and got to work on the background with some yellow Glimmer Mist.

I wanted one of the main aspects of this layout to be lots of stitched circles......wish I had dug out the sewing machine though instead of stitching by hand!

There are also plenty of stickers dotted here and there, as there's a co-ordinating sheet included in this collection.

To continue the idea of a confetti of stars, I scattered wooden ones around too(coloured with Copic's and a layer of Glossy Accents).

The title is also cut with my Cameo and a free font I downloaded from DaFont......Levi Rebrushed.

So that's one collection finished!

I know a few of my white background hating scrappy Girlfriends will appreciate todays offering! (You know who you are!!)

I'll be back on Monday hopefully with another layout from a new collection.

If you happen to be attending Scrapfest this weekend I may see you there......stop by the TSF booth and say Hi!

Have a great weekend,
Jayne.x.

This Crazy Life.....and a sketch!

Happy Friday to you!

I see light at the end of the tunnel........there's rain falling from the sky today instead of that white stuff we've put up with for the last few months!

Don't think I've ever been so pleased to see rain although my hair is suffering already.  The plus something temperatures are doing nothing for my do!

Anyhow I'm excited today also, because I get to post a layout. Don't know why but it seems like forever since I last posted a scrapbook page, as opposed to a card.  Doubly excited as well, because I have a sketch for you too.

Since the Silhouette arrived in my house, bought by the jolly old guy in the red suit, I've been playing around with creating sketches using the software.  I've tried various programs before.....Paint, Gimp etc without any success.  I came to conclusion I'm just too computer illiterate!

Till now!!

I love using the Silhouette software.....so easy once you get a little used to it.  So I'm glad to say I am finally moving into the digital age as far as sketches go.......no more pencil and ruler for this girl!

Now I know you'll miss those painstakingly sketched efforts (she says rolling her eyes!) but believe me.....it's for the best!  20 mins effort compared to 2 hours work.....I'll take it!

So, I'm starting today with a pretty simple one (they get a little more involved) inspired by my first layout using my recent DT Kit from Two Scrapbook Friends...........'A Charmed Life' collection by Simple Stories.

Here's the sketch first:

Better huh?

And here's my layout:

My eldest and her Dad acting goofy at my Birthday dinner......we're a refined bunch!

I used the Cameo to cut chevrons in the background paper, then stitched around them.

This collection has a co-ordinating sticker sheet so I put a few of them to good use, together with some more shapes I had cut.

For the title I used a cute little shaped paper clip from Freckled Fawn (you can find them in the store) together with some die cut letters and a sticker.

That's about it for my page, but feel free to use the sketch if you get the urge.  I'd love to see the results so drop me a comment if you do and I'll stop by.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you next week as there are more layouts (and sketches) on the horizon.

Take care,
Jayne.x.

Chillin'

A very happy Family Day to all my Canadian friends!

Gotta love an official holiday that allows you to sit in you jammies all day.......as a 'family'....huh?

Yep that's exactly what I plan on doing today, maybe a little crafting (and laundry!) in there too, until we head out to an Anniversary celebration later this evening.

I was a little slack with my blogging last week.....only one post, so I have to get back on track starting today.

I'm catching up on a layout I should have posted a while ago, the final creation from a Two Scrapbook Friends DT Kit using the 'Happy Go Lucky' collection by Fancy Pants Designs (you can check out the first layout here).

This one showcases the (other) love of my life, our puppy Charlie on his first day home with us back in August 2013.

Chillin'

Isn't he cute?

He does however loose a little of his cuteness when he's hanging from the tattered remains of what used to be my living room curtains!!

For this page I focused the design around a fussy cut section of hexagonal patterned paper.  I wanted a little doodling in there too, so I outlined the piece with a fine line marker.

There's a variety of embellies dotted here and there including one of those rather large light bulbs (Prima I believe but I could be wrong!)you can pick up from the 'bulk' box at Two Scrapbook Friends........I love this box.....an awesome little Aladdin's cave of embellies!

As you can see I stitched a few circles around it to add a little more definition.

Finally, to keep with the 'doodled' theme, I added some to the title by cutting the word 'Chillin' with my Cameo, then doodling by hand over top.

That's all for now so I'll be back again this week when I decide what's coming up next.

I've been having fun this week by getting messy, dabbling a little more in mixed media......variety is the spice of life they say so I guess you'll have to wait and see how that turned out!

Enjoy the rest of your day,
Jayne.x.

The Family

I couldn't decide which layout to post today so I guess I'll go with the oldest.

This one is the first page from another Two Scrapbook Friends DT Kit, this time using the 'Happy Go Lucky' collection from Fancy Pants Designs.

The photograph I used is from a family dinner last Summer, during my parents annual visit. It reminds me of some Mafioso kinda get together (lol) so I actually wanted to call it 'Da Family' with a thick Italian American accent, but English grammar won out in the end!

The Family.

And now for a little 'behind the scenes' glimpse into the mechanics of this page.......more affectionately known as the 'bloopers'!

When I get a new DT kit my brain usually starts to work on the drive home from the store.  I get an idea of a particular photograph I'd like to use together with the basic layout.

I knew I'd snapped this photo last summer but hadn't had it developed yet, so I got to work on the layout that night thinking I'll just print it off when it's convenient.

There's a lesson to be learnt here.......don't ever create a whole layout based on a vertical 4"x6" photograph, only to find out later that the said photo is a horizontal 4"x6"!!

I might also suggest using re-positional tape runners (not the stuff you can't shift with a crowbar like I did!) so that when you discover your....ahem.....oversight.......you can still adjust things.

I'd even glued down the matting for the photo!

No worries, we're a resilient bunch us crafters, or rather, far too stubborn to do the whole thing over, so the one vertical 4"x6" became two horizontal 4"x3".......problem solved!

I clustered a cute little bundle of embellies on one side of the page......

(love those 'vintage' doilies, cut with my Silhouette) and balanced it with another on the opposite side.

I had to throw in that little caravan - reminiscent of my childhood memories vacationing in Wales.

I created a hanging pennant for part of the title using a metal arrow....you can buy them loose along with various other nick-knacks at the store.

Just about all I think.

I'll be back tomorrow for Little Red Wagon day so see you then,
Jayne.x.

I Love You.......Remember.

OK I am really sick of Winter now.......no kidding!

Took me an hour to shovel the ton of snow off our driveway this morning, and my back hasn't forgiven me since. Hibernation is the next step I think.

The only good thing to come out of this is an excuse for staying home and crafting, although with the colds/sickness rotating through the family right now, I doubt I'll be getting a lot of that done either!

Good thing I still have a backlog of layouts to post, so today's is from my Two Scrapbook Friends kit of a couple of months ago (my bad!), the 'Cut & Paste' collection from Amy Tangerine and American Crafts.

I Love You.....Remember. 

Some lovely neutral colour tones in this collection as well as funky patterns.

I love these canvas hearts (you can pick them up loose at the store) and I stitched another heart onto some vellum using one of the Amy Tangerine Stitching templates.

Chipboard stickers help with the title......

and I liked the idea of a rain cloud of hearts......a shower of love! :-)

There was a heart printed at the bottom corner of the page, so I stitched a vellum pocket over top to collect a few of the wooden hearts.

There's ink and a little texture paste around the edges of the page to finish things off.

I'll be back on Wednesday with my Little Red Wagon post so till then, keep warm and take it easy,
Jayne.x.