The Greatest Show On Earth.

Good morning.

I've been a very slack blogger of late so starting this week I thought I'd make the effort and post (hopefully!) a little more regularly.

Although today is Monday and usually brings with it a healthy dose of the 'blahs', I'm feeling quite uplifted!  Probably due to the fact that today is my Birthday, but more likely due to the fact that I don't have to think about prepping/cooking dinner tonight (Lol).........we're dining out in honour of the numerous years (!) I've graced the planet :-)

Anyhow, I have lots of layouts to catch up on so I thought I'd start today with a double!

Now you know me and doubles - like oil and water.....we don't mix too well, but considering it's only January ie. one month into 2014 and I'm already posting a double page, I think I'm doing pretty good.

My quota is approximately one per year so I'm done....mission complete......I just won't linger on the fact that this was one I actually finished last November, and I'm only now getting around to posting!

Oh well, it's here now - not one of my best (doubles never are!) but fun memories:

I made a toothpick flag and stole borrowed another from my bff Carola......she's get's a little touchy if her 'mention' is not here (lol).

A little bit of paper folding up here, and I finally found a use for these chipboard stickers from K&Co that I've had in my stash forever!

I also made a pocket behind one of the photo's to hold the 'ticket' journal tag.

Papers are from Simple Stories I think, and that just about covers everything so time for me to go.

I'll be back bright and early on Wednesday morning for a new Little Red Wagon challenge cause guess what? I've actually made my card already.....must be a miracle!  No crafting at midnight on Tuesday for me this week.

Have a great day and I'll see you then,
Jayne.x.

Day At The Museum.

Hello all.

Thank goodness it's Friday and I have a day off.........well almost - the 3rd load of laundry is in the dryer, one more in the washing machine and I'm just about to start prepping dinner.

Time to take a break though for one little blog post.

Another layout just for fun and this one's a double!  Yep definitely got my quota of doubles in this year........anymore than one does it for me!

This one's been gathering dust since the Spring so it's about time it made an appearance:

Day At The Museum

Everything's pretty self explanatory - no rocket science going on here so I'm not going to bore you with details.

Just a few close-ups........

Papers are from the 'Family Ties' collection by Pebbles.

Time for me to move on to dinner preparations......beef stew........hey it's snowing out so it couldn't be anything else!

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

A Birthday Tradition......almost!

Good morning, thought I'd hop on here bright and early for a change.

Time for a layout today, one that's been sitting there since I completed it some time in April!  It's documenting my hubby's Birthday last year, so I'm just scraping in under the wire by blogging it before this years event.

We seem to quite often end up at The Keg for his Birthday celebration......definitely no complaints from me cause if someone else is cooking dinner, I'm happy!

This one's actually a double too.....Wow.......certainly exceeded my twice annual production of doubles for this year!

Here goes:

So I guess technically this is two singles, because I completed them both as individual layouts.  However the papers are obviously from the same line (S.e.i) and the photographs are of the same event......so I'm claiming a double!

I covered some chipboard shapes, used a little hardware and got to work folding a chevron strip.

There's a little more metal on the second page.......a Maya Road heart, a charm, more hardware and a stapled, folded paper strip.

I'm guessing this page was during my 'rediscovery' of that old favourite.....eyelets!  Certainly got rid of a few on here.

And that's all.

I'll be here again tomorrow as it's Wednesday.....Little Red Wagon day!

Hope to see you then so enjoy the rest of your day,
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.

The Sugar Bush.

Hi there, thanks for dropping in.

I have a double page for you today.......yes ANOTHER double that I created, and it's only January!  This means I probably only have to do one more this year to double my usual quota.

In all fairness though, this was again another layout I started at the very end of my scrappy weekend in November, and I finally decided to finish it last night.

The wait must have been worth it because I am happy with it at least........makes a change for any double I scrap.

So here goes with 'The Sugar Bush'.

Layout inspiration for this one came from a Pagemaps sketch.

The papers I used on here, from Authentique's 'Thankful' collection are technically Fall themed and this layout is not.......as you can see it's more Spring related (well a cold, maple syrup season, Canadian style Spring!) but I love the rich earthy colours and knew they'd work perfectly with the Kraft background.

I had to get some more of those wooden veneers that I'm lovin on there.........

............and another in the form of a word, layered on rolls of patterned paper.

I die cut a few tree branches to create 'the bush', then used my Dymo labeller together with Tim Holtz Kraftcore cardstock for the journalling strips.

And that just about does it!

I'll be back on Friday with a cute card, so till then, be safe out there,
Jayne.x.

A double!.....yes you read that correctly.

Good morning and the start of a Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends out there, I hope.

Today I have a slight variation in my normal programming.........a double layout!

Yep I can hardly believe it myself......this girl does NOT do doubles!  Not that I don't like them, I think they're awesome if they're done well, but I unfortunately don't usually do them very well!

They just don't come very easily to me and I find them a little restricting.......everything has to balance out just so.  This is my way of saying that when I create a single page, I throw it on there!

Anyhow, today's page is another result from my scrappy weekend a little while ago, and for once I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.

The Distillery.

I think I might have discovered my remedy to making my doubles look at little better........matt everything!

Only problem there is ........5 sheets of cardstock for this one!  So there we go, my excuse for not creating doubles......far too expensive!

There's quite a bit of fussy cutting going on with the layered flowers, and a few die cut elements.

Also lots of layers here and there.

 And of course more fussy cutting and die cuts together with a Thickers title.

This layout was inspired by a sketch from Sketch Savvy and papers are from the Teresa Collins 'Everyday Moments' collection......love the colour scheme in these papers, very clean don't you think?

That's it from me for today but I may be back tomorrow......I'll see how the mojo moves me!

Have a great day,
Jayne.x.