Sunday, September 27, 2015

Everyday Obsession....


I have been spending a bit of time in my craft room lately while I have become a netflix widow (thank you weeds), and I managed to make a quick layout one evening, quite a feat for me seeing how long it has been since I have been in that room.


Both my husband and I work within the coffee industry and these little paper cups of caffeinated goodness are a daily must, they are a huge part of our everyday life


I have been enjoying making layouts without the traditional 12x12 sized sheets of pattern paper and using paper from smaller sized stacks and project life cards, also how great is that thickers font?  I was not sure how I would ever use it but it was perfect for this layout, I love when things like that come together.

Saturday, September 26, 2015

First Moment....

This is the second in a serious of UFO layouts that I have been getting through and finally able to get into an album.
I have had some issues with a couple of the layouts that I made last and this was one of them.  I am still not sure if it has been a heat or cold thing or a combination of the hot days and cold nights but there has been issues of glue lifting and curling paper, very frustrating but I haven't had an issue for a little bit so we will keep an eye on that one.



About a year ago now we went over to Moreton Island for nine days and this is the first layout that I have made from that trip, I have so many ideas for the photos from Moreton, I guess the problem now is actually getting started on them.

I knew that I wanted to use light blues and yellows for this page I mean just look at those beautiful soft colours of that sunset, you couldn't through in brights on those photos.  Another thing that I just knew I had to use was the charcoal Addy alphas from Studio Calico, a beautiful font in a soft neutral, perfect.


The hardest part of this layout was the embellishments, I am a hoarder of hearts and brads but nothing beach or sea related.  The vellum shell that you see in the bottom right corner was the source of many a curse word, I knew that I wanted to have a shell on this layout but I have a Cricut and no cartridge with shells and I could not find a single image anywhere of the right shell for this layout so I free handed a shell and fussy cut just like the good old days.  I will tell you what, boy am I glad that we have die cutting machines these days, I just don't have the patience for that kind of carry on anymore, ha.

Add in some misting drops, a watercolour starfish and a couple of complementary sequins and you have embellishments perfect for a soft pastel coloured beach themed layout.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Beach babes....

Well, well, well, guess who finally got around to finishing off a layout.  Yep that's right I finally have finished off a UFO project. 

A few months back when these photos were taken I knew that I had to get them scrapped right away.  This is my daughter and the daughter of one of my best friends, we both knew each other as kids and our mums were friends in high school so these girls are third generation friends, very special really.





The layout....I am really loving the look of framing or matting the whole layout and one of the best ways to use up pattern paper that you no longer have a use for or isn't quite your style is to use it as a frame.  Pretty sure I would have trouble using a red watercolour with floral print but as a mat, perfect.

Another great trick to stretch your stash is to use those project life cards up by using them for layering.  I only used two sheets of pattern paper in behind the photo one was that gorgeous feather Sassafraslass and some very vintage KI Memories, the others however were MAMBI pocket pages.  I am not a project lifer but I still have quite a few packs of them around so this is a great way to use them up.


I am in love with these small Prima alphas and those Pink Paislee Luxe Arrows.  I have used the arrows a few times lately and find the colour combination though rather neutral works really well with a variety of different colour combinations.

Finally those extra photos that you don't have room for on your scrap pages or maybe don't want to include on your layout........put them into a pocket page or project life style album insert.

I don't do double page spreads but sometimes I would like to add in a few more photos.  This is a great compromise to that as you don't have to scrapbook them but they are included with the whole story that you are telling. 


Monday, August 17, 2015

CHA Summer loves....

So it is that time again when the end of year scrappy releases start hitting the shelves, yay.
I knew that it must be getting close as Spotlight have been having some pretty decent sales on scrapbooking goods and recently started putting clearance prices on a lot of lines.

Now for the releases.....

Honestly I don't need anything much these days as I have not been scrapbooking but I can still have a look and lust after some of the new lines making there way onto the shelves, here is my favorite picks.


Ohhhh how I love this line.  It is pink and girly and filled with all the things that I love in life like cakes and doileys and cutlery and tea cups and pots.  I will be buying this line.



I am not too keen on the rest of this line but there is no way I am going to get away with not buying a sheet of this double sided paper....Hello Doughnut pattern, get in my paper stash.


Authentique Trick or Treat
Ohhh man, this is the line that has finally made me sad that we don't celebrate Halloween in Australia.  Probably wont be buying any of this line but it is a beautiful collection and I would love to be able to use it.


Another line that I will be buying.  I am a huge fan of polka dot paper and I use pink polka dots the most, nothing too fancy but an essential in my scrapbooking.



I LOVE this paper so much.  What I love about it is that it is quite obviously Rudolph from my childhood favorite Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.  I will be buying a sheet or two of this but seeing as I didn't use the Christmas lines that I bought last year this will be the only sheet  from this line that I buy.



Lawn Fawn Winter Scripty Sayings 
Ohhhhh I love this stamp set.  As far as stamps go I have fallen into the "practical" only category, how many times can I use this stamp, is this something that I can use multiple times, will this show it's age.......you get the idea and well this stamp is one that I could use every year.

Well that is that for the 2015 mid year picks.  Nothing really blew my mind with these releases but there is still quite enough things that I would love to spend my cash on.  What have you liked from these new releases?







Monday, July 6, 2015

Ohh Long neglected blogger..... Laying the honesty card down right now, I have been a very bad scrapbooker and have become a collector of paper craft supplies rather than an avid user of said products. Part of the problem that I have is with the house that we are currently living in and the space that my scrapbooking area is housed, I will make a post on that a bit later but at the moment I am in between behaving as a sane normal person who has serious reservations about the storage of her precious hobby goods and the flactuating weather and insect colonies and of being a princess about the whole situation and downing tools. Anyways just a little post of some of the goodies that I have picked up in the last few months to get me back in the hang of this blogger thing.







Saturday, January 24, 2015

It has been a while.....

To be honest I have not done anything in the way of crafty endeavors in the last few months really, I did attempt to make some Christmas cards in which I did manage a few but I never got around to finishing them all off and then......I lost them and ended up not sending any Christmas cards (face palm).
At least I am super organised for this Christmas, lol.

I even scoured all my LSS and the internet for this yummy paper line....  Gosh it is pretty though.


Things have been super busy and stressful over the last few months at casa de Joffe.  The house we had lived in for many years got put up for sale and then we had dramas with open houses and changes in real estates. 
Miss Teela is going in for her fourth foot operation and has been in and out of casts in the lead up to that with a postponement from the hospital thrown in for good measure and then there was the move and all the cleaning, packing, unpacking, purging, fighting, extra costs and then school breakup, Christmas and a 6th birthday thrown in for extra measure, oh and I lost my job so that was helpful.



The only bonus of all that rubbish happening is that this is now my view from my little craft space instead of an absoloute nightmare inducing electric blue wall, I seriously hated that colour with every inch of my being.



And we did get to see a couple of days like this spent with friends over the holiday period, this is certainly one perk of living on the east coast of Australia, another is having a huge amount of friends back home who all live within a ten minute drive to beaches or an hour to something far more secluded and empty like this glorious spot.





Just a little sneak of something that I have been playing around with, I only need to get oneself to Officeworks to purchase a toner cartridge for the printer as I don't care for my writing on layouts and those things are more expensive than filling my car with petrol...and that's saying something on the rort that is printer ink prices.