Fall Fun

Alrighty, here I am back again today with my final submission to the Lets Get Sketchy 'Get Inspired' magazine........deadline closes by the end of the day so I have to get my skates on!

This layout will be submitted to their 'Mood Board' challenge - a new category they have introduced this time around and I LOVED it!

I always find this type of challenge inspiring as there are so many ways to interpret, and the whole 'mood' thing gets the creative juices flowing instantly!

Here's the Mood Board which you can also find over on the Get Inspired Magazine blog:

Isn't it gorgeous?

The first thing that hit me was that I wanted to include denim leaves on my page........my only hold back was trying to find a 'Fall' kinda photograph.

I think I must have scrapped most of them, cause I couldn't find a single one on my phone or camera!

I finally hunted down an oldie, sitting in a pile my FIL had brought over from England a few years ago.  I reckon this one is approx. 5 or 6 years old but still a goodie.

Here goes........

Fall Fun. 

There's quite an abundance of stamping, texture paste and distress ink on the background, but it looks fairly subtle which pleases me.

Layers of fabric paper, burlap and corrugated cardboard all add to the texture, as well as a little washi tape, wooden embellies, and I distressed the edge of my photo with a sandpaper file.

Here are those denim leaves I envisioned!

I picked up the leaf stem and flowers over the weekend and knew they would work perfectly on this page, but I had to have those denim leaves!

I decided to cut some extra's with my Silhouette and added the wine coloured buttons (masquerading as berries!).....another vision! Lol

Finally when I chose the papers for this page, the heart patterned fabric paper had just enough green on there to satisfy the colour scheme on the Mood Board.......unfortunately I covered most of it up whilst getting carried away with my layers!

I chose to add a little more in the form of a wooden circle, placed over a torn piece in the background paper.

That's about all I think so I'll be heading over to the Get Inspired blog to link up.

Have a good one and I'll be seeing you again tomorrow for a Little Red Wagon post.

Take care,
Jayne.x.

A Very Alice Halloween

Hello again.......another 'double post in one day' from me here!

This may become a habit.

The reason I'm in your face yet again, is that I really wanted to submit a couple of pages to the Let's Get Sketchy 'Get Inspired' magazine and you know me.......always last minute!

The deadline I believe is Wednesday, so you'll just have to put up with me again tomorrow for my second submission.

They have changed the rules slightly over at Let's Get Sketchy.....no more specific categories for submissions. They have however, included a new 'Mood Board' challenge (loved it and I'll get to that tomorrow!) and a Sketch challenge, where if you link up, winners will be included in the newest issue of the magazine.

Fingers crossed!

I managed to complete a few pages over the weekend whilst at a local fundraising crop, which means it's perfect timing for me to submit.

Today I'll be linking up to the Sketch challenge, so here is the assigned sketch which you can also find over on the 'magazine' blog:

I decided to rotate the Sketch 90 degrees CCW in order to accommodate my photograph which is from Halloween 2013.

A Very Alice Halloween

As mentioned previously on here, I'm thoroughly enjoying rediscovering 'old school' techniques and embellies, so I decided on embossing powder and a 'free hand' glue bottle for those circles.

There are layers of cut and torn paper here and there with just a touch of hand stitching.

Finally, I used my Silhouette to cut part of the title and a couple of tickets.

I dotted a few epoxy stickers around.......Heidi Swap if I remember correctly, and did you happen to notice the googly eyes?

Can't have a Halloween layout without googly eyes now can we?

That's all so I'm off to link up this baby, cross what needs to be crossed and wait!

Have a good evening and I'll see you tomorrow,
Jayne.x.

The Scrapbookers Blog Tour

Good morning lovely people!

I for one love scouring blogs online, blog hops especially, as they are the easiest and richest source of crafty inspiration.

I was therefore delighted recently, when a fellow scrapbooker and all round immensely talented lady, Laura Whitaker asked if I would participate in the Scrapbooker's Blog Tour.....an honour indeed!

So what's it all about?

Well, basically it's meant to provide a little insight into the creative process of a wide and varied assortment of blogging scrapbookers, by answering a few simple questions.

Doesn't sound too heavy right?

So here goes:

1. What are you working on right now?

Well, over the weekend I had the opportunity of attending a local fundraising crop which meant I actually got a few layouts completed within the day.  This was the last page I started but didn't finish.

It's actually one of those rare 'selfie' kinda pages which would never have been scrapped back in the day!  Now though, my girls are growing up fast and take control of my phone or camera on regular occasions.  This means I'm more often found in front of the lens rather than behind it IE. more scrapbook pages of ME!

2. How long does it take to create a project?

Well this varies obviously, but I guess the honest answer is loooong!  Too long usually. I'm a self confessed procrastinator/perfectionist when it comes to my pages and only just recently posed a challenge to myself and fellow Inspiration Elevator DT members, to create a page in 30 minutes or less!

I landed a happy result with this page.......

but in reality I would say most of my pages take at least 3-4 hours.

3. What are my favourite things to create with at the moment?

Right now I'm really enjoying re-discovering 'old school' products - embossing powder, eyelets/brads and using them in new ways on a layout.

During the last couple of years 'backgrounds' have also become increasingly more important on my pages, so these days I find myself reaching for a variety of mixed media products.......gesso, texture paste, watercolours, mists, gel medium, stencils......the list goes on as I'm discovering new (to me) products I enjoy using.  Distress inks, stamps and stencils are a definite fave which is fairly surprising considering I was once scared to death to stamp anything on a layout!

4. How does my creative process work?

This generally depends upon the project.......if I'm working on samples for Two Scrapbook Friends then my starting point and inspiration will be the new paper collection I'm given.  I'd then choose photo's I think will co-ordinate and move on to a basic layout design and embellishments.

If my project is for the Scrapmuch? Sketch DT, then obviously I'm inspired by the provided Sketch, then move on to choosing photo's, papers etc.

For my own projects and challenges I tend to start with the photographs I'd like to scrapbook and carry on from there.

I create in a converted closet in my bedroom and I'm guessing unlike most, I scrap in relative silence......no music or TV, as I'm fairly easily distracted!  I don't even snack whilst creating - unbelievable for a self confessed life long dedicated snacker!  I get a little lost in the process I guess, and forget everything else.

5. How do I become inspired and stay inspired?

The Internet is a fabulous source for inspiration.  The blogs of fellow scrappers inspire me constantly and then of course there's Pinterest!!

Two or three years ago I also discovered a UK magazine called Scrap365 (I'm sad to say they have recently ceased publishing a stand alone magazine) and I think this probably changed the way I scrapbook!

I was and am totally fascinated with the fabulous mix of mixed media/scrapbook layouts and find this is still probably my biggest source of inspiration today.  Before starting a page I'll quite often flick through the pages of old issues, and before you know it, the adrenalin kicks in and creative juices start to flow.

There's always a notepad on my desk too where I jot down ideas for techniques and embellishments.

6. What is my signature style?

This is probably the hardest question of all because after 7 years of scrapbooking, I still don't have the answer!

I guess in recent years I've settled into a happy mix of 'light' mixed media backgrounds paired with a modern collaboration of scrapbooking designs.

In reality, I don't think I want to settle into only one style.....I get bored easily!

If I occasionally look back through my scrapbooks, my pages tend to jump from one thing to another and so on.  I'm not quite sure if this is a good thing or bad as I'm guessing like many other people, I quite often look at the work of other designers and wish my pages looked like theirs!  I think having a definite style would at least give me a little more comfort or confidence when starting a new page, instead of the labour of love they quite often turn out to be!

At least there is one good thing to be taken from this.......it does tend to keep things fresh, as I never quite know in which direction my layout will be headed!

Well I think you've heard enough from me, so now it's time to tag another scrapbooker.

I nominate Joanne Burton.

Most of my blog visitors will know her as the co-owner of a local scrapbook store Two Scrapbook Friends and believe me, she has quite the talent herself!

Her pages are a constant source of inspiration.....fresh, elegant, and beautifully finished just like the lady herself, so I know you will not be disappointed!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a wonderful day,
Jayne.x.

Little Red Wagon # 256 - Anything Fall

Hello again, this is my second post of the day!

As I'm feeling much better, I thought I'd better catch up on this weeks Little Red Wagon post.

My card has been sitting there patiently staring at me for the last couple of days so I guess it's time to reveal!

Carolyn has re-joined the Team recently and she is leading this weeks challenge with 'Anything Fall' so here goes:

Pretty simple here really as the Silhouette did most of the cutting work for me.

I used up some leftover scraps of Echo Park papers, then added a few stickers, bling and ribbon to finish things off.

Why not join in with our 'Fall' challenge this week.....we have moved into the season after all!

Just remember to link up over at the Little Red Wagon blog, and don't forget to check out some inspiring projects from the rest of the Girlfriends too.

I'm off to finish packing for a 12 hour crop tomorrow which means I should have a few more projects for posting at the end of it!

Have a great weekend and I'll see you Monday,
Jayne.x.

Sketch-y Friday with Scrapmuch? - Grade 2

Good morning.

I disappeared for the last few days cause things have been rather busy around here, plus if you remember from my post on Tuesday, I was in the beginnings of a delightful head cold!

Well I'm pleased to say the battle has been fought and I won, earlier than expected actually.......the cold seems to be on it's way out!  Just as well really cause I'm heading out tomorrow for a delightful 12 hours of fun scrapping and NOTHING was getting in my way!!

Also, today happens to be the day for a brand new Sketch over at Scrapmuch?, and Team B are up so let's do this!

Grade 2

Look at that face!

I thought I'd better get up to date with scrapping last years schools photo's before this years arrive!

I've been hoarding these papers (Simple Stories) for a year until finally, they've reached the top of my 'to do' list.

I cut a few pieces using my Silhouette, and covered some chipboard for the number '2'.

Made use of a few stickers, and I can't tell you how many times these paper clips have been put to good use (they're actually from the K & Company 'Smash' book collection).....

And finally, a few ink splats using distress ink and a stencil......

I had to get a little doodling in there just to finish things off but apart from that, we're done!

Here is this weeks awesome Sketch for your creating pleasure........

We would love for you to play along and link up over on the Scrapmuch? blog.

Also, don't forget we have a Sketch Design Team call ongoing at present, so you still have a little time left to get those applications in!

That's it from me so I'll be seeing you again soon.

Have a great weekend,
Jayne.x.

Kisses.

The starting of a head cold for me today, shared with me by my darling daughters, so I feel sorely tempted at this precise moment to lay my head down right where I sit and probably drool a little into the keyboard........but NO!

On with the show and a layout today.

For the last couple of weeks I've been working on two new DT Kits for Two Scrapbook Friends, so I'm starting with a collection called 'Truly Scrumptious' by The Paper Loft.  I might be persuaded to launch into a rousing Mary Poppins medley, if only my throat weren't quite so sore.......saved by the bell I guess!

Anyhow, for some reason I had a real roller coaster ride of inspiration when completing my last four pages........first one eh OK, second liked it, third hated it, fourth loved it.......get the picture?

So today you're stuck with....."eh OK".

Better than "hated it' I guess!

I should clarify the reason for it being 'eh ok', and I'll do just that in a moment (hint: it was my own doing!) after I've posted said culprit.

Kisses

There's actually quite a lot I do like about this one.........love the photo of course - hubby and eldest DD.
Every time I look at it, it seems as though she's in the midst of an 'awwwwww shucks' moment, whereas in reality it was a typical tween mid 'what are you "doooing" kinda thing!

I quite like the effect of the Pearlescents from Bo Bunny, which I worked over a doily stencil using a palette knife.  Also the raised border edge, which was cut using my Silhouette.

I love the switch of cheesecloth, spritzed with a couple of shades of mist to help co-ordinate.

Also love the layered border strips and the chipboard heart, roughly covered with a little yellow embossing powder (my old/new scrapbooking fave!)

Fussy cut popped hearts.....not my fave and not entirely as I envisioned but I can live with them.

Now we get to the real reason for my self inflicted 'dis'like of this page.

Upon returning form the store with this collection in hand, I had a few ideas running through my head and wanted to jump right in there.  I had decided to use a little water colour on the corners of the paper, and knew I should prep the page with a little Gesso first to prevent that horrible wrinkly page effect.

Nope......too eager to get on with things, no time (or patience!) to sit around waiting for stuff to dry........let's go.....water colours and stencils it is!

Closely followed by that horrible wrinkly page effect when things eventually dried out (with a little help from a heat gun!), then made worse with the use of my iron to try and flatten things.  Of course this meant the page only curled and wrinkled more.

From then on it was a downward slippery slope of 'eh' ness trying to make amends for my foolishness eagerness in the first place.

Ah well,lesson learned and I'll take heed from the things I do like.

Moan over with for today.  I think it's probably time for a warm drink and Advil!

Tomorrow is Wednesday which means I'll be back ready for a new challenge over at Little Red Wagon.

Enjoy your day and I'll see you then,
Jayne.x.

Little Red Wagon #255 - Shaped Cards

This week over at .........

.....the Girlfriends and I are all getting in shape!

Basically meaning Jan would like to see 'shaped' cards.......no squares or rectangles allowed, and if I remember correctly she did stipulate to the DT that we couldn't use circles either!

Booo!!

So, call me a cheater but I knew my Silhouette would be doing the work for me on this one.  I headed over to the Silhouette store to peruse the hundreds of card designs (and I mean hundreds!) and an hour or so later finally decided on this........

I could have chosen loads really, but I knew my girls would get a kick out of this.

Funny thing I realized when taking the photograph - I scrap in my bedroom and must have subconsciously created this purse to compliment my decor......hence the beautifully co-ordinated props!

If you're feeling the urge to get into shape, why not get creating and link up over on the blog.  The Girlfriends have of course been busy conjuring a hearty amount of inspiration for you.

I'll see you Friday with........Oh I don't know but something I'm sure!

Have a good one,
Jayne.x.

Inspiration Elevator #27 - Go BIG or Go Home.

Good morning.......a delightful Monday morning no less!

It also happens to be the 15th of the month, which means it's time for another generous helping of inspiration from all of the creative ladies at 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 the mundane.

You can see all of Inspiration Elevator's previous challenges at our blog and catch us on Facebook .

We are thrilled to welcome back as a guest designer with our team, the very talented Christine Meyer!

This month's challenge is issued by the creative Christa Uttley. Here is her challenge for us, in her own words:

 GO BIG OR GO HOME: Scrapbookers as a rule use what photos they have on 
hand or if you are designing, whatever pictures allow you to best 
showcase your lines or express your paper lines. This month's challenge 
is to be very deliberate about your photo choice because we are going 
BIG! Bigger than 8x10 if you can do it. Recently, I saw a friend using a 
12x12 she had printed at the local
Costco and was stunned at the power this GIANT image had on her story
telling. (If you'd rather not spend any extra on your photo then scrap
those large baby pictures or a wedding shot you have lying around.)
Think scenic vistas or think about all the details that go missing in
your world and blow them up. Be brave!

 Here are the MUST DO's: Must be at least 8x10 in size. We want this
GIANT photo to take centre stage and tell the story in a big way.

So there you have it........BIG is the word!

I must admit, this kind of challenge has been on my scrapbooking bucket list for quite some time.  I'm so glad I finally get the nudge I needed in order to accomplish the task.

I chose a photograph from our recent camping trip, and had the print developed at Costco as an 8"x12" for $1.99.......pretty reasonable I'd say!  I'm already thinking of my next 'oversized' project, but first, here's the result of this month's endeavor:

Summer Daze

There's one thing for sure when you're scrapping large photographs - you can complete a page fairly efficiently as there isn't an awful lot of room to fit too much on the page!

I started with the 'Homemade' collection of papers from Pebbles, and if you were over here on Friday when I posted this layout, you may remember me saying how much I LOVE this line.  I actually did run out and buy extras to make sure I could complete another 1 or 2 pages with them!

Today's effort is page #2.

Layers of torn paper and 'faux' stitched edges create the background........

The pretty flowers are fussy cut from a sheet of PP, and there's a vine tucked in there from a Silhouette cut file.

Another fussy cut flower, plus a single piece of flare provide the sunshine........

Finally the title is made up of Thickers and another Silhouette cut.........

That's just about all.

Here's a list of this months participating designers......we encourage you to check out each of their creations, then head on back to try the challenge yourself:

Christa Uttley

Wendi Robinson

Katherine Sutton

Lisa Moen

Lisa Speigel

Ann Jobes

Jayne Morgan - that's me!

Guest Designer: Christine Meyer

Now it's your turn to 'Go Big' and get creating.  Just remember to link up over at the IE blog as we'd love to see your 'BIG' inspiration!

Have a great day,

Jayne.x.

Sketch-y Friday at Scrapmuch? - Shine

Another Friday has rolled around which means there's a brand new Sketch from Laura over on the Scrapmuch? blog, to get the creative juices flowing.

This week Team B is up to provide a little inspiration, so that means a layout from yours truly.

I gotta say I love today's page!  You know sometimes you just really like how things turn out........sometimes they're just eh, and others completely blah, but this one is my friend.

I honestly didn't add anything extra special either!

Just goes to show what a great Sketch and some fab papers (Pebbles) can do.

Edit: I ran out yesterday to buy more so that I could get another page out of them!

Shine 

I started by putting my Silhouette to work in cutting a 'sunburst' pattern from the script paper, then layering the floral behind.

A few more die cuts from my Cameo to layer behind the photo's.

These shots make me smile.......my youngest has a thing for 'fake' glasses.  She was almost a little disappointed at her last eye exam when she was told she had 20/20 vision!  These photo's captured the modelling of her latest addition to the fashion collection.....geek style!

The title came easy - wooden veneer phrases by Studio Calico who must have known I'd be creating this page.

Finally, another Silhouette cut file, together with journalling courtesy of my Dymo.

Co-incidence or what?  It wasn't until I'd finished the page that I decided to actually read what the script was all about.

Top line - "Be you. Don't let anyone dull your sparkle.........Be the reason someone smiles today.........The time to be happy is now......Don't forget to be awesome".

Exactly the message I was trying to get across and it was there all along!

Here's this weeks fabulous Sketch for you to play along with......

.......just remember to link up your own creation over at the Scrapmuch? blog to be in with a chance of winning a prize.

Well that's about all from me but I'm hoping to be back tomorrow with another layout.

Have a great weekend,
Jayne.x.

Little Red Wagon #254 - Cork

Good afternoon/evening!

I had to dash into work earlier today so my plan to get my Little Red Wagon post on here this morning didn't exactly pan out!

Oh well, better late than never I guess.

This week Joanne is holding the reigns..........

and she would like to see us get creating with cork.......you know, that stuff you would normally find standing between you and a bottle of Vino (if you're lucky enough to find one these days that's not a screw top!)

So anyways, here's my offering.....

I decided to stamp and fussy cut my cork sheet, so to make my life easier I chose the simplest stamp I could find..........can't get much easier than a few straight lines!

Did you see what I did there......'Home Tweet Home'!

Yeah I'll admit I'm not quite the creative Queen of The Pun, not like Jan or anything.

Why not dig out that cork you know you have hiding at the bottom of your stash just like mine was, and link up a fabby creation over on the blog.  The Girlfriends have been busy at it again, and left a little inspiration waiting there for you too.

I'll be seeing you sooner rather than later I hope so till then, have a good one,
Jayne.x.

Love You To The Moon

Happy Saturday!

We made it through the first week of school, or part week anyhow!  Only another 40 something to go.

I didn't quite make it back here yesterday as time ran away with me.  We're having a mini Spring Fall clean out.....tidying out the garage ready for Winter, having a clothing clear out, so yesterday I managed to find 8 bag loads for the consignment store.

I've yet to tackle the coat closet.......almost afraid to venture in there!

Anyhow, I am here today and I have the second layout from my Two Scrapbook Friends DT Kit using the 'Ahoy There' collection from Carta Bella.

I mentioned in my first post here that I love the quality of Carta Bella patterned papers, and today's examples are no exception, but they do have the added bonus of including a  Kraft patterned paper.........could it get any better?!

My page is also a tribute to my DH who doesn't get scrapped all that often, although he seems to have made a few more appearances lately!

Love You To The Moon.

Ooooh look at all that white space!

Yes, I'll admit, I was itching to fill it, but nothing seemed to work so I left it 'as is'.

The main design is obviously the variety of triangles both paper (which I stitched to the page) and chipboard (which I painted with acrylic paint).

I had a completely different title and idea for this page, but when I was flicking through my stash looking for something else, I came across a package of journal kinda tags from Jillibean Soup.

A new title was born!

Of course I had to use another of those lovely nautical wooden stars, and a touch of messy stitching worked well.

Finally.........embossing powder!

My new, old, reborn love!

I've thrown this stuff on everything recently and I'm thoroughly enjoying using old stash in a new(er) way.

This time I applied it over a 'brush stroke' stamp and placed it here and there around the page.

I think that just about covers things so I guess it's time for me to get ready for work.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you next week,
Jayne.x.