Sketchy Friday at Scrapmuch? - It's All In The Smile

Well hello there!

Another week has flown by but I have finally finished work for the day, so it's time to catch up on this weeks Sketchy Friday challenge over on the Scrapmuch? blog.

This weeks sketch is a beauty and I definitely see myself using this one again sometime.  Here's my page for this week:

It's All In The Smile

And here's that sketch I mentioned:

So, obviously I flipped it 90 degrees to accommodate the proportions of my photographs, but I do love working with smaller prints so this sketch suits me perfectly.

I started with a fabulous wood grain patterned paper from MME for my background (can't go wrong with a wood grain in my book!), then continued with a Tim Holtz stencil and some Martha Stewart Texture Paste for the sunburst element.

A single flower flourish and a looped/stapled strip of paper for embellishment.

I love that some of the most effective embellies, such as this simple curled piece of paper, happen to be the cheapest and most accessible!

Finally, a little random stamping to complete the look.

That's me done, but I know you're dying to create your own page with this weeks Sketch so go ahead!  Just don't forget to link up over on the Scrapmuch? Blog to be in with a chance of winning this months prize.

I'm off to go see what the rest of the Team has been up to so have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you next week,
Jayne.x.

Right Now

Blimey.....where did the week go?

I'm quite looking forward to a night in tonight - first one this week anyhow!

My sporadic blogging is becoming a habit too unfortunately, so time to get posting.

This is another page I created a couple of months ago, just never got around to posting.

It's just another everyday kinda page, but it does have me in front of the camera instead of behind for once.  I believe my youngest was the photographer during one of her snap happy phases last Summer.

Right Now

Pretty simple really.

I believe I used an older sketch from Scrap365 that was printed and sitting in my stash for ages.

Chalk ink and a stencil for the background together with a few stitched butterflies.

Silhouette die cuts, brads and a few layers.

Followed by a few more and one of my faves........a pin badge/button.

Papers are a bit of a mix but mostly old MME.

Short and sweet today but I'll try and make it back with another page in the next couple of days.

Have a great weekend,
Jayne.x.

Sketch-y Friday at Scrapmuch? - (Wo)Mans Best Friend

Hi there, it is definitely Friday which means it's time for a beautiful new Sketch, and a wee bit of inspiration over on the Scrapmuch? blog.

Team B is up so time for me to get myself in gear.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with this page, maybe because it has pictures of my favourite furry guy on there!

(Wo)Man's Best Friend.

On our camping adventure last Summer, we happened upon a steam train so we took a little excursion seen as doggies were allowed.  Charlie of course spent most of his time with his head out of the carriage window.

Much fun!

Maybe we should all take a hint from our four legged friends.......enjoy life's simple pleasures!

Here is this weeks super Sketch:

So for my interpretation I changed up the vertical panel a little by using a sort of square patchwork instead.

If you really want the look of stitching on your page but really can't be bothered to either crank up the sewing machine or tackle things by hand (like a certain person!)I have a little tip for ya.

Distress the edges a little of whatever you're intending (not!) to sew, then actually pierce the sew lines before doodling a faux stitch with whatever colour you like.  It definitely takes a little more time than just regular faux stitching, but also not as long as the real deal.

The outcome is far more realistic and it's not quite so obvious that you've cheated (even though you have technically cheated!).

I love this background paper - perfect for anything really, so I had to go and mess it up a little with some random splatters from a bottle of white Mister Huey's.

You might also notice some of my faves on there......wood, metal, my homemade enamel dots (melted Hama beads)and of course layers.

I randomly punched a couple of half circles into one border strip which made the perfect slot for another fave - a little flair!

Papers are from MME Now and Then.

Well that's all from me but we'd love for you to play along with this weeks Sketch - just link up over on the Scrapmuch? blog and you could be in with a chance of winning!

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

Sketch-y Friday at Scrapmuch? - Laugh.

Can you believe it's December 5th already?

Are we feeling festive yet?

I'm just about entering a mild festive panic, wondering when I'm going to get all my gift shopping done as I've been working without a day off for the last couple of weeks, and don't have a free day in the near future either.

The joys of working retail.......'tis the Season!!

We have plans to start putting up decorations and the tree tonight at home, and probably for most of the weekend in and around more work shifts.

I think there could be wine involved! (hopefully!)

Today however, it's time for a brand new Sketch-y Friday Challenge and therefore DT Inspiration from Team B over on the Scrapmuch? blog.

I'll go right ahead and fess up what I did before I post my page.

Earlier in the week on the day our DT pages were due, I thought I was well ahead of the game having completed my page a couple of weeks earlier (for once!) at a scrappy retreat.

This theory flew right out of the window when I realised on the day of posting, that I'd actually used the Sketch intended for the for the next reveal......duh!

Plan B - scramble to put a page together that evening after work, to submit the next morning.

The reason I'm sharing this with you is that I've come to a conclusion.

I scrap better under pressure.

I'm not saying my pages are necessarily better, but I always feel happier with the results.  Maybe it's the lack of procrastination that moves the creative process along nicely?

Eh....who cares?!  All I know is I was more than happy to complete a page that didn't look like something from the last period of the day in Kindergarten.

You can make up your own mind. Lol

Laugh.

I love the title alpha's that I've been hoarding forever from Prima - perfect for this page as 'Laugh' is what we did!

My Mom uses a wheelchair for the most part to help her get around, so whenever we're out shopping she becomes our trusty truck/trolley (voluntarily I might add just in case anyone feels they should report me to some sort of society for protection of the elderly!).

We usually start laughing at some point when the pile of goods reaches her chin.  My (older) British friends will appreciate when I say, remember the kids TV show Crackerjack from years ago with Ed Stewart (Stewpot I think we used to call him!)?

At one point in the show, kids had to answer quick fire Quiz questions in order to win, and consequently hold prizes.  We're not talking iTunes or Gift cards here......we're talking good old fashioned actual toys in boxes, so obviously the more answers they got right, the harder it became to hold everything.  If they answered wrongly, they got a Savoy cabbage to hold......drop the cabbage and you loose!

To cut a long story short, in the midst of our laughter and serious loading of our substitute 'truck', my Mom asks "Where's the cabbage?"

This was not very productive!!

Anyhow, back to the page.

Thank goodness for the Silhouette on this one as there are plenty of cut elements.......

I'm also glad I finally got to use another hoard......patterned papers (Fine and Dandy I think!) from My Minds Eye.  Also had to get another one of my faves on there - wood.

Finally.....back to that title and a couple of stamped chevrons which remind me of tire tracks.

Maybe one day I'll share the story of 'Nanna', her wheels, and a little trip to Old Navy.......how one Grandma can bring down a whole store!

Think I'll save that one for another time.

Here is this weeks fabulous Sketch......

Why not join us by linking up your own creation over on the Scrapmuch? blog.  As always , there's a prize to be won!

That's it from me so have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you next week,
Jayne.x.

Sketchy Friday at Scrapmuch? - We Are Family

Good morning.

My computer is still co-operating......a blogging friend suggested I pat it and tell it what a good PC it is everyday, so it's the most loved appliance in our house right now! Lol

Another Friday has rolled around which means it's time for a new Sketch Challenge over on the Scrapmuch? blog.  Team B are up this week so I have a layout for you, and I was a very good girl for digging into my paper stash this time around.

I decided to use some I've had for a couple of years from the MME Lush collection which is pretty monochromatic, so I paired it with touches of gold........a hot trend right now.

We Are Family

I put the trusty Silhouette to work in cutting a heart and a 'Polaroid' style frame with wording added.

Embellies are in the form of sequins, twine, buttons, and some acetate stars from Heidi Swapp I also found in my stash.

More cutting for the title.........all of the gold pieces are cut from a single sheet of Bazzil foil cardstock I found in a 'winnings' stash I received a while ago.

Finally, a few layered pennants, brads, and a little doodling through a honeycomb stencil from The Crafters Workshop.

That's about all for my page, but here is the awesome sketch Laura provided for this weeks challenge.

I flipped it 90 degrees clockwise to accomodate my photo's.

Why not try your hand at this one and link up over on the Scrapmuch? blog to be in with a chance of winning a prize?  You have until the end of the month to play along with any, or all of the four sketches provided.

We also have a couple of new DT members joining us.......intros are over on the blog so why not drop by and say 'Hi'.

Have a great weekend.  I'm hoping to get my craft on at some point (around work and laundry!) so I hope you do to,

Jayne.x.

Happy Day

Hey, how's it going?

My title suggests a 'Happy Day' and it would be if I didn't have a nose that's glowing like Rudolph and a voice which might be considered sexy in a husky kinda way, if it wasn't for the fact that the congestion makes me sound like I'm wearing a nose clip!

My little one was sick all last week and was kind enough to share with her Momma......joy!

Oh well, I'm cheering myself up with a happy kinda layout.

I finished this one a few weeks ago but as usual, I'm playing the blogging 'catch up' game.  The layout was inspired by an older Sketch from Stuck?! Sketches.........

Here goes......Happy Day!

Pretty much stuck to the sketch exactly here.....if it ain't broken etc......

Plus the fact that the background paper is busy enough to fill in the gaps.

I got folding with an accordion heart - you can find the tutorial here.

Added a few acrylic paint splatters here and there......

and a cute cluster of embellies here......

I'm loving my sequins right now - they seem to be making their way onto every layout I create these days!

Papers for this one are from My Minds Eye.

OK, I'm done so I'll be back again tomorrow once I've dug to the bottom of my 'Little Red Wagon'.

See you then,
Jayne.x.

Such a Handsome Boy!

Well hello there.

I know I don't usually post on a Sunday and at this hour no less, but two reasons for today's visit:

1. I didn't have to work today.....well not my 'paid' job anyhow!

2.Today is the deadline for the November Sketch Challenge over on the My Minds Eye blog and as I actually managed to complete a layout using this months sketch (for once!), I thought I'd better actually post it!

So here goes.....you knew it had to be done, a page showcasing my handsome young man.......Charlie!

Isn't he cute?

Here's the sketch that inspired things:

Papers on this page are obviously My Minds Eye with various stickers, die cuts and trim added here and there.

Buttons and fancy metal brads......

I picked up an absolute bargain a couple of weeks ago at a yard sale, a Making Memories Tag maker and all the accessories to go with it......$2!!,  So I got to play and make a co-ordinating tag for this page.

Finally, a few sequins dotted around.

I think that's everything there, so I'll be back in the next day or two with another layout.

Enjoy what's left of the weekend,
Jayne.x.

Hair Raising!

Hi there.

Don't you just love it when you wake up to this.......

Happy October to ya!!

So, as you can probably guess....I am NOT a snow fan, which is why I'm going to cheer myself up with a nice little layout here today, then some happy scrapping later.

I don't seem to have had much time recently for 'scrapping for pleasure', what with family and home commitments (you know I'm talking about that puppy right?!), and DT responsibilities.

Not that I don't enjoy my DT work, of course I do, but sometimes ya just want to sit and scrap whatever the heck you feel like.....yes?

So today's page is just that.......for fun!

It was inspired by a great sketch from the lovely Laura Whitaker over at Stuck! Sketches.

This site is a fabulous resource for sketches if you're ever in need of inspiration.

So as there is a prize involved if you enter a layout (bonus!), this baby will be heading over there.

Guess we'd better get on with it.

Here's today's page:

Hair Raising.

Remember that puppy I mentioned earlier?

I apologize if this photo and those following may seem a little blurred or hurried maybe, but this if the following shot.......

.....Charlie!!

I snapped  the next few minutes balancing on one leg whilst holding him off with the other!

The joys of puppy hood!

There's an abundance of 'Whiteout' on here, together with Washi tape and a doily.

Layers, semi-circles, hand cut hearts and lots of doodling.....I do love a good doodle on a layout!

There's even a little 'stamped' chicken wire here and there, and finally, I placed the title and a few more embellies in place of the journalling.

Papers are from My Minds Eye and there you have it.

I'll be seeing you again soon, so enjoy the rest of the day,
Jayne.x.

A Happy Anniversary!

Hello again.

Tuesday marked the 47th Anniversary of my parents Wedding Day.....not bad eh?

Unfortunately it was also the day we waved them off over the Atlantic, back home to England.  I tell ya, I loathe that drive home alone from the airport........just makes it very apparent that I've driven a full car load for a month, then suddenly on that return trip home......there's me!

Oh well, I have to look forward to next year when we can once again have fun, laugh with (and at!) one another and generally drive each other crazy as families do.........worth every moment!

In honour of their special accomplishment, I thought I'd post on here the card I made for them, a few days after the fact I know, but at least for once, they did actually receive it from me on time!

Happy Anniversary!

A Mo Manning stamp (Jack and Ginger) came through for me on this one, together with a crafty friend.....thanks Dee!

I wasn't sure if I might get a flip around the ear when my parents saw this, as despite the 47 years, they are not actually this advanced in age........hence the sentiment to soften the blow!

I couldn't resist though, as it's such a sweet image - perfect for the 47 years of marital (ahem) bliss I'm sure we can all imagine and aspire too!

Jack and Ginger are coloured with Copic's - dusted off for a second time in as many weeks, and papers are from an MME 'Breeze' 6"x6" pad.

The layout was also loosely inspired by this weeks Deconstructed Sketch.

Have a wonderful day.......I'm hoping that each and every one of us gets to achieve our 47 year status, but more importantly.....be sure to enjoy the journey!

Take care,
Jayne.x.

Little Red Wagon #187.....Put A Cork In It!

Hello.

Tammy is hosting over on the Little Red Wagon blog this week and she'd like us to 'Put A Cork In It'!

In a polite fashion of course..........anything of the cork variety on your creation.

I haven't put a coloured image on a card for a while, so I dug into my stash and pulled out one I'd coloured a while ago - just hadn't made it to a card, so here goes:

I also found a sheet of cork I've had in my stash forever, so I hand cut myself a little spatula and mixing bowl.

Digi is from Pollycraft and coloured with Copic's.

Papers are MME and the layout was inspired by Jens sketch from last week, over at The Deconstructed Sketch.

Short and sweet today, so why not head over to Little Red Wagon and check out the creations from the rest of the Girlfriends.

Have another great day and I'll see you soon,

Jayne.x.

Summer Fun

Technically I'm a day late in posting this, but I'm sure no-one cares.......hopefully!

It was my turn to host yesterday's Crafty Challenge over on the Two Scrapbook Friends Forum, so here's the spiel I delivered there:

"Today I'd like you to move away from the comfort zone!

Go on.....you can do it........right out of there!

Think of what you usually create......then do the opposite.

Think of the tools or embellies you usually use......then reach for something different.

Think of your style, that comfortable, fabulous niche you've spent years trying to establish and perfect..........then throw it out the window, be brave and try something new!

OK maybe that is all a little OTT - sounds more like a movie trailer than a Crafty Challenge, but you get the general idea I'm sure.

For this challenge, you don't have to do everything completely opposite to what you would normally would.......I don't want to push you over the edge here, but choose at least one element (or maybe more if you're feeling brave enough!) and try another direction.

For example:

If you consider yourself primarily a 'Scrapbooker'........make a card.

If you usually create single layouts..........go for a double.

If you always use a plain cardstock background......get some pattern in there.

If you're generally one for the clean and simple modern look.........go for a layered, vintage feel.

If you hate a particular embellishment/technique and would never consider allowing it near one of your creations..........go wild with it.

I have a girlfriend who hates buttons and would never use them on a card or layout........personally I think anyone of this view is quite possible insane (not the friend in question of course!), however my point is we're not judging today so just try it...........what you hate another will love.  You may have fun and discover a new fave in the process.

So............
I am definitely NOT a double layout kinda gal. I'm lucky if I create one per year, so that's what I did.........think I've satisfied my quota for this year!

Generally, I also rarely use a plain cardstock for backgrounds preferring more subtle patterns/textures.

So there are my opposites, and here's my sample:"

Back to today's 'Live' feed.........

I realised when posting yesterday that I'd forgotten to add the journalling strips, right under the word 'FUN' and yep......still haven't gotten around to doing that!  You'll just have to use your imagination.

I got to work on this layout with the Sew Easy Circles tool from We R Memory Keepers.

If there's anyone out there like myself, who has the Sew Easy tool and heads but didn't really use them all that much, I suggest you go out and buy this thing.  It really does give it a whole new lease of life.

More over here, together with a few pennants.

I found some nicely matching flowers in my stash, and made a couple of flags from toothpicks and paper scraps.

Inspiration for this page was from a sketch by Susan Stringfellow over on Sketch Savvy.......you know there was no way I was attacking a double with no Sketch!

Papers are 'On The Sunny Side' from My Minds Eye.

That's it for today so I'll see you tomorrow for another delve into the Little Red Wagon.

Have a good day,
Jayne.x.