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.

Authentique Infused

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.

Bella Blvd Family Frenzy

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.

Echo Park Dots and Stripes, Valentines Collection.

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.

Echo Park, The Story of Christmas.

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?

Thank You cards

I love making invitations and cards, the card thing is a fairly new hobby of mine but really there is nothing better than getting an unexpected card or letter in the mail, I will openly admit that a hand written envelope makes me rather giddy and excited for what may be inside especially as these days everything seems to be done via the digital route.

 Seeing as I had to make a few of these I decided to go for the most simple yet effective design that I could muster.  The paper was a no brainer, it was pink and orange I already owned it so no extra costs and the print tied in with some of the fabric that I used for my party.  Quick, simple and stylish, perfect....well almost perfect.

I ran out of paper :(

Actually I finished the first sheet and then could not bring myself to use the second sheet as I know they no longer sell this paper and I figured it would be perfect for a scrapbooking layout of my party, so what's a girl  to do?

I dug around to find an orange that matched the Kaisercraft paper and I actually had something that was very close.  I used a damask stamp and although I did not have any pink embossing powder I did have a metallic purple so I used that, I LOVE how this turned out, win!

Okay so I had one more to make and I really could not be bothered to emboss the rest of the paper just for one card so I came up with idea of a collage.  This is possibly my favourite one out of the lot and it reminds me for some reason of serendipity squares from waaaaay back in the day, now that's showing my scrapbooking age right there LOL.

Christmas Cards

This year I was really slack and it was finally December and guess what, no Christmas cards. 

Whaaaat how did that happen?

Normally I am a good girl and start the process in about July and do little bits and pieces here and there using all my scraps up, this usually means that I usually have a multiple number of  different designs and I am all done by the end of November.  This was an exceptionally busy year and to be honest the whole craft thing has been a bit neglected this year. 

So cards, I finally got them done, it took me two days but it was a bit here and there in chunks of time that I could get away from the kids without fights breaking out and the total destruction of our house, such spirited children I have, sigh....

Christmas card design 1, all of these were exactly the same in design, the only difference was the paper was different, the reason for this is that I am so serious about using each and every scrap so rather than cutting up new sheets of paper it came down to using up what was already used and cut into.

Christmas card design 2, this was a again a really simple way for me to use up the paper that I have already used.  The idea behind the patchwork look is really simple, when I left my old work I got given a few packs of Cristina Re blank cards and these metallic lavender cards where in there.  I have never used cards with cut out windows in the front and I was having an issue finding a use for them, the patchwork look solved that problem.

Wrapping paper

I love wrapping presents and I love all the little bits and pieces that you can buy to make presents look beautiful, ribbons, doilies, bows and tags and the shinier the better.  As a rule I always have a box of supplies that I keep on hand for present wrapping and an assortment of wrapping paper for all occasions but sometimes you just don't have that perfect wrapping paper or as in today's case you run out and I have no intentions of taking my two rambunctious children anywhere near a shop today so what do you do?

DIY wrapping paper, that's what.

(Stamps: Fiskers- Kids Birthday, Fiskers Ink by Steph- Skin And Bones)

(Ink: Versa Color- Cardinal, Fiskers- High Density Blue)

Kinda cool huh, I will be honest this totally works better with smaller presents or if you have bigger stamps but seeing as this paper is for a 6 year old pirate loving boy I hardly doubt he will be looking at anything more than the fact that he has a present and it has skulls on it.

I always have a roll of brown paper and white/cream kids painting paper on hand just for this reason and you know what it really is the simplest of tasks and tasks under 5 minutes to make your very own personalised wrapping paper.

 I decided to do up an example of just how easy it really is, all I used for this paper was one set of stamps, a couple of different ink colours, an acrylic block and paper it really is that easy.

It does not matter what order you stamp in or how straight you stamp, with a random pattern like this you can get as messy as you like.  I also like to tape the corners down on the surface that I am making the paper on, when paper has been stored in a roll it tends to curl up and it just means that I can use both hands rather than using one hand to keep the paper flat where I stamp. 

There you go all you need is a small piece of ribbon which I usually pick up from Spotlight for 70c for 3 metres, curling ribbon or raffia and a bow, I buy my bows at Christmas time in big bags, they only have a few colours in the mix but a bag will last all year and they are usually under $4 and come is so many different sizes.

On a loved up card making roll....

Recently I made a layout with some old Heidi Grace for Fiskars paper and had it laying around on my desk, I was also gifted a couple of old packs of Cristina Re blank cards from my old boss, what happened was a whole lot of Valentines day inspired loved up goodness.

 (Paper: Kraft base, Grant Studios, Ki Memories, Lexel)

(Stamps: Fiskars-Punch Love, Kelly Pannaci/Sandy Lion-Borders)

(Other: Brilliance & Versacolor Ink, lace, Kaiser gems)

(Paper: Cristina Re base, Heidi Grace/Fiskars, Lexel, Bazzill)

(Stamps: Grant Studios)

(Other: Versacolor ink, embossing powder, buttons, Anchor thread, Souffle pen, Nestabilities die, scallop scissors)

( Paper: Kraft Base, Heidi Grace/Fiskars, Love Elise, Grant Studios, Lexel, Bazzill)

(Stamps: Fiskars-Baby, Kelly Pannaci/Sandy Lion-Borders, Grant Studios)

(Other: Sticko- Ticket Love, Brilliance, Distress & Versacolor ink, buttons, Anchor thread, Cricut Doodle Charms) 

(Paper: Cristia Re base, Heidi Grace/Fiskers, Bazzill, Lexel)

(Stamps: Grant Studios)

(Other: Kaiser pearls, scallop scissors, Staz On & Brilliance ink, embossing powder

This Last card was a little different for me.  I decided to cut the base short and put a strip of pattern paper on the inside of the card.  It looks good but I doubt that I will do this again, made for a nice change though.

Girly Cards

I generally don't make all that much in the way pretty girly cards but over the last couple of weeks I have made a few that fall into that category

 (Paper: Grant Studios, Lexel)

(Stamp: Melissa Fances, Fiskers-Baby)

(Other: Velvet Ribbon, Satin Ribbon, Versacolr Ink, Kaiser Pearls, Kindy Glitz)

Do you have scrapbooking paper that just wont work for you in a layout?  This paper was exactly that, I loved the design but I personally just can't fit paper with a big print into my style so instead of giving the paper away I decided to make a card from it, yes it is much taller than a standard card but I was lucky enough to have a matching envelope from a card that I was given that was the perfect fit.

(Paper: Grant Studios, Lexel, Cristina Re)

(Stamps: Kaisercraft- CS707 & After Five)

(Other: Kaisercraft Gems, Ribbon, Satzon, Adirondack & Brilliance Ink, Kindyglitz, Foam Tape)

This card was made using some left over scraps from when I was trialing my wedding invitations.   A fairly simple card the only thing that I did a little different from normal was stamp the pink background with white flourishes.  The plain pink was just too harsh so I added a contrasting pattern to make it softer.

 (Paper: Kraft Card Base, DCWV, Grant Studios, Bazzill, Lexel)

(Stamps: Bella Blvd- Flirty Clear)

(Other: Paper Mania Glitter, Zing Embossing Powder, Versacolor & Brilliance Ink, Pearl Ex, Teresa Collins Blingage)

I visited a scrap store I had not yet been to last week and manged to pick up the Bella Blvd Flirt stamps for $3.50 and I could not wait to play with them.

Ohhhh shiny Card.......

How lovely is that tinsel glitter, I have only used loose glitter once or twice before and it was not a good expeience, the Papermania glitter seems to be a bit more user friendly than the last lot I tried, can't wait to try the others I have.

Stash friendly cards....

I am generally pretty good when it comes to purchasing scrapbooking supplies and I do try to keep the spending and the amount of product that I have to a sensible minimum.  I have been a tad naughty in the last few weeks buying a few little bits and pieces here and there and seeing as I am trying to lower the amount of supplies that I buy till after we move and I have not actually crafted all that much lately I took it upon my self to use something from the stash.

A few years ago I won a competition from Scrapbooking Memories and the prize was a huge pack of Avery stickers, there was so many packs in that prize that there was no way I would ever be able to use them all so I kept what I thought I would use and I donated and gave away the rest.  That was three or four years ago and I have still hardly used a thing from what I kept, I decided that I was time to use something from my Avery stash.  

I Picked a pack of glittered flower stickers

 (Paper: Kraft base, DCWV, Bazzill, Unknown)

(Stamps: Creating Keepsakes KOTM, Melissa Framces)

(Other: Avery sticker, Grant Rub on,, ranger inks)

 (Paper: Card Base, DCWV, Bazzill, Grant, Unknown)

(Stamps: Kaisercraft, Melissa Frances, Fiskers)

(Other: Avery Sticker, Kaiser brads, Distress ink)

(Paper: Card Base, Grant, Bazzill)

(Stamps: Melissa Frances, Kaisercraft)

(Other: Avery Sticker, Grant Rub on, American Crafts ribbon, Paper Mania Glitter, Brilliance Ink)

I was so happy with the way that the first card turned out that I decided to keep going with the same look and until the whole pack of stickers was gone.  Goal achieved, used up one whole pack of the Avery stickers. 

Long forgotten scrapping....

I have been meaning to get on here and post a few layouts that I have done recently within the last few months and longer and have just not got around to posting them.

(Paper: Bazzill, Grant, Fiskers, Lexel)

(Other: Rubons: Love Elsie - Heidi Grace, Stickers: Ek Success, Stamp: Kelly Panacci) 

This was my most recent layout, I don't scrap all that many layouts of J and I, it always seems that we are behind the camera and we don't really like having our photos taken all that much.  I used a great mixture of new and old products in this layout, both rub ons I have had for years and the ticket stickers I have had for ever, the I love you title is a  sillhouette file. 

 (Paper: Echo Park, DCWV, Scenic Route, Mica paper & flocked paper- unknown)

(Other: Stickers: Heidi Grace alphas - Echo Park, Craft Affair, Stamp: Autumn Leaves, Distress Ink)  

This was the first of two layouts that I did in fairly neutral colours.  I have always loved bright colours and most of my scrapbooking and cards are a testament to that but occasionally you get photos or a theme to scrap that does not lend itself to the bright colours or overly busy papers, it was nice to mix things up a bit.  As usual I used a good mix of new and older products, the green/khaki flocked paper and the mica paper are seriously old and are from the very early days of this hobby.  

 (Paper: Bazzill, DCWV, Grant, Love Elsie, Handmade - unknown source)

(Other: Stickers: Cloud 9 - Chatterbox felt, Stamps: Kelly Panacci, Distress Ink, Buttons, Glossy Accents, Embroidery Thread) 

  I have been holding onto the DCWV Green stack paper for so long now waiting for the right type of layouts for its use, I am so glad that my kids are at the age now where it seems appropriate to use this paper. 

(Paper: Creative Imaginations, Grant, Bazzill, corrugated paper)

(Other: Ribbon, SVG files for Cricut)

I love this page, in fact it up there with some of my favourites but apart from the colours and just the way that it all came together the thing that I love the most about this layout is the fact that all it is is paper and a bit of ribbon, sure I got some help with the Cricut and some punches but once upon a time I would have hand cut all that.  I also believe that I scraplifted this from a layout that I saw somewhere, sadly it has been a few months since I made this layout and I can't for the life of me remember where I got the inspiration or who the creater was. 

 When I first started scrapbooking there was not the over abundance of pre made goodies to use in fact there was very little to choose from unless you were into Suzie's Zoo or Mrs Grossman so you had to make your own embellishments, and sometimes that meant cutting out for hours.  I just love the fact that it shows that you don't need expensive and pre made embellishments to make a good layout.

(Paper: Grant, Kaisercraft, Corrugated Card)

(Other: Sticker: Craft Affair, Stickles, Twine, Cricut)

This one is OLD, really, really old in fact I think it could even be two years old, I have no idea how it slipped past me documenting it.  Not exactly the nicest of experiences to document but lets face it anyone who  has kids had felt the dreaded tanty and I try to document our lives the good and the bad. 

Blog version 2.0

So sometime last year I decided to delete the old blog and start again.  I just had the realisation that I wanted a bit of a change plus I felt that I had outgrown the old blog which I had been merrily contributing to for the past four years, bit of a big decision for me but one that feels right. 

I have taken a few months off from blogging after I deleted the old one as the reality is that I really have not had the time to dedicate to a blog.  The last few months have been a whirlwind of planning a wedding (which is pretty much almost here, eeep), working and running a household with two small children and just general life responsibilities.

So what have I been up to in the last few months?  Here are some projects that I have been working on:

So there is, a few months of creating right there.  I actually wish that there was more to show but another thing that suffered during the past few months was my creativity which is silly really as I was working in a shop environment that sold pretty papers & embellishments.

TFL, Erin