Welcome Little One - mini album

What a mammoth effort I have put into this mini album I have to share with you all today.  Here is my DT creation for the latest challenge at Southern Girls Challenge where this time the theme is my all time favourite - FLOWERS - yay! !  I am also entering this into the I am Roses monthly challenge as I have used their gorgeous flowers throughout.

 This gorgeous little album measures 6" x 6" and is FULL of tags, cards, flaps, pockets, booklets and quotes.  Throughout I've used papers from the Kaisercraft  'Pitter Patter - Girl' paper collection and collectables.  Every edge has been inked using TH Spun Sugar distress ink.

I got the idea for this from one of the lovely Maja DT's -  Cathy McGrath who showed off her version of this album here.   I followed her link to the You Tube tutorial where she learnt this from Ginger at My Sisters Scrapper here.  Its a 6 part tutorial, but well worth every minute.

Still photos really don't show this off to its full potential, but I hope you can see it well enough to enjoy and be enthused to make your own.  It really is quite easy.I

 

 

There are LOTS of places for photos and journaling.  Inside every page a large 6" x 6" photo mat is tucked (you will see them with the tabs to help pull them out.  I made a couple of small envelopes which store more cards, for journaling and the waterfall on the inside back cover adds even more photo mats.

 

I tried to use as much of the extras on the sticker sheet and collectables as possible.  And of course it wouldn't be a girlie album without heaps of drop dead gorgeous flowers.  I've used some rosette roses, but mostly I am Roses blooms.  Here I've used Daisies, small daisies, cherry blossoms, S10 blooms, rosebuds, leaves.  And of course pearls, rhinestones, satin ribbon & seam binding.

 

Now this is finished I am packing it up very safely and posting it off to my best mates daughter in England who just this week had her baby girl.  I'm hope Ally will love this and put all her photos and memorabilia of Lani's first days in here.

 

Card making time

For someone who isn't a cardmaker lately I'm making lots.  They are usually quick and easy to make if you need something in a hurry - obviously I don't fit in this category as sometimes they take just about as long to make as a layout.  So today I have 2 cards to share, with this first one being my DT entry for Southern Girls Challenge.  The theme this week is Anything Goes, so lets see lots of entries this time.

Some of you may have already seen this card as it was entered in the Scrap-a-bull facebook monthly challenge.  This card was for the 2nd part of the challenge, the criteria was to create a card with a heart and banner. I will also enter this into the Artfull crafts monthly challenge.

Part One of the Scrap-a-bull challenge was to create a multi folded card, which I made this stepped card for.  I will also enter this into the I am Roses monthly challenge as this has lots of beautiful IAR blooms on the front.

 

Follow the link I have supplied for you on my tutorials page to a very helpful tutorial for this awesome card.

Time for an Art Journal page

Time for something a bit different with this project.  The theme this time at Southern Girls Challenge is 'Stickers & Tape' of which I use neither.  For that reason I straight away thought of doing a page in my art journal using these different supplies.

I started by following the beginnings of an Andrea Walford express journal page, which used the stencilling, washi tape, cotton & ink splatter.  Then I added the stickers which came from the Kaisercraft Curiosity collection. 
After outlining the words, I started outlining the birds & butterflies but decided because of how the stickers had been cut out, they actually looked better not outlined.

That's my little step into the 'unfamiliar', I'd love to see yours too.  Come and join us for this challenge, there are some awesome prizes to be won from our fabulous sponsors.

Mia's Christening

I've found a new challenge site and what great timing, its their birthday this month at Scrap around the World and they have gone all out with prizes from their fantastic selection of sponsors.  This  is their fantastic Inspiration Board I've used.  Straight away I loved the delicate shades of pink, the roses and the sparklies which reminded me of this gorgeous christening photo I've used, and of course it was a great celebration.

I've created this layout trying out a new style to me, which is successfully used by lots of hugely talented ladies out there.

I've used lots of Kaisercraft papers from the 'Precious Moments' & 'Key to my Heart collections' (5 actually if you are counting), which I have layered up once all were distressed, punched or stitched, with the photo layered up on a total of 8 different layers.  The lace layer breaks up the background a bit.  Dusty Attic chipboard, BoBunny  & I am Roses blooms add more of the soft feminine feel to the page.
Enjoy these closeups

 

Also I'm using this lovely layout as inspiration for all the entrants at the latest Southern Girls Challenge where this time the theme is 'Tic Tac Toe'.  I've used the first line on the grid which is 'Lace - Patterned Paper - Roses'.  This type of challenge ends up with some amazing combinations and is such fun, I can't wait to see what you all come up with.  As usual there are great prizes to be won here from our fabulous sponsors.  Why not join in. 

Facebook Challenges with SMS & SGC

As an introduction to the blog hop which is scheduled for Sunday US CST time (Monday morning NZ time)  Jody has organised some challenges for everyone to enter on Facebook as well.  They go live throughout the day, so please join in the fun and try a few of these for yourself.

Sorry but these times are US CST times, with the challenges starting at Saturday 2nd May:
8am     Sketch layout
12pm   Planner
4pm     Treasure Hunt
8pm     Card
These are my contributions:

 

The LO and card have sketches provided on Facebook, while the criteria for the Treasure Hunt (for this I've made the tag) is to 1. Use something still in its bag unused (the stamp), use something gold (the lettering is written on gold foil), use something cork (SMS chevrons), use an office supply (staples). 

 

Please visit us on the official Facebook page here and join in the fun, we'd love to see your work.

 

As I've used lots of flowers on my layout I am also entering it into the monthly I am Roses challenge.

Tane Mahuta

Time for another challenge at Southern Girls Challenge and the theme this time is STARS.  I wanted to do something a little different so have let stencils and this awesome photo speak for themselves.

 

I've started with my ever favourite Kaisercraft paper, from 'Precious Moments' & 'Timeless Classics' collections.  I've added some modelling paste thru this gorgeous Imagine if . . star stencil, distressed, stitched, then added lace & burlap to the layers.

 

Handmade burlap bloom, crocheted & prima flowers keep the page uncomplicated while matching the colour scheme perfectly.

 

I LOVE the kiwiana chipboard available at Imagine if . . , infact they are the only company that I'm aware of that produces this type of product.  Here I've added some flocking to the koru pieces.

 

This felt kiwi is a perfect companion for the mighty Tane don't you think?  As he IS the star of the forest I hope I have done him proud.  'Tāne Mahuta (Lord of the Forest) is New Zealand’s largest known living kauri tree and without doubt its most famous, it is believed to be over 200 years old.

Thanks for joining us here at Southern Girls Challenge, I hope this has inspired you to try something a little different.

Playtime

Gee how time has flown.  Here I am back again with my 1st layout since rejoining the Southern Girls Challenge DT.  Lou has selected a 'Boys Theme' for this latest challenge, so I was excited to do something with this awesome photo of my son Troy playing with his xmas present (oh dear, poor neighbours).

 

Such a fun page, which I tried very hard to keep simple . . . . this is real hard for me, and to do a page without flowers is such a rarity.  This is the back side of a Kaisercraft 'Now Boarding' paper, with lots of random bits of paper, stencils & splotches.  Several Imagine if . .  cogs just add a little more of a 'male' feel to the page.

 

When creating this I had in mind to enter a challenge at Artfull Crafts where this month one of their challenges is to add 'splatters & splotches', so now I've ticked both boxes.

 

I would love to see you all support both these challenges, as they are both NZ based, and we've got to support the locals now don't we??

I'm Back

Finally after 7 long gruelling months, my job has come to its seasonal end . . . so now I'm back.
I've been working in the busiest Avocado packhouse in New Zealand where we packed in excess of 1 million trays for export, which is a new record high.

 

 

Now once I catch up on all the jobs around the house I'll be free to get my teeth back into some serious crafting, with extra DT duties and lots of challenges and competitions out there to participate in.

Firstly I am glad to be back on the DT with the cool ladies at Southern Girls Challenge, where they have the coolest bunch of ladies and the most amazing collection of sponsors with awesome prizes for you all to win.  I can't wait to get started, my first project is due there on 12 March.

I'm still on  the DT for Imagine if . .  and am thoroughly enjoying using the evergrowing selection of chipboard, felt and MDF products.

So busy, busy times ahead.

Presently I'm getting into my vegetable garden, which despite very little TLC over the last few months, is producing extremely well - I can see lots of pickling, preserving and jam making coming up.

Love our Dog

Time for another new challenge at Southern Girls Challenge where the theme this time is 'You spin me right round baby' (circles).  Straight away I thought of using circle shaped photos, and then the rest just grew from there

 

I started with a Heartfelt Creations paper where I've distressed the edges, then lots of texture was added using 2 different TCW templates.  A bit of ink was rubbed under the larger stitched circles, then I just stitched the smaller circles to match in the corners.  The awesome little dogs, chipboard word & lettering come from Imagine if . . .

 

This closeup shows the lollipop flowers (yes, more circles) with the clear beads in the centres.  The satin fabric I've used was different thickness, hence the different effects I've got when heating the edges.

 

This has been a fun page to make, especially when I realised that I haven't actually made a layout since the last SGC layout I made 6 weeks ago.  I've been too busy doing OTP creations for SENZ, which is finally upon us this weekend.  I hope some of you can make it and go and see some of my work, and that of the other awesome designers at the Imagine if . . stand.

 

Thanks for visiting, please leave a comment, as I will when I visit your entry into this challenge.  Lets see what you can all do with circles.  Good luck to you all.

Better than Most

Well here we are, time for a new challenge at Southern Girls Challenge, where the theme this time is 'Shimmer'.  Check out what the other talented DT's have come up with as inspiration for you also.  There are some great prizes are up for grabs from our awesome sponsors.  So here is my offering:

 

I started with a paper from the Prima Ledger pad (which just arrived yesterday), which I inked with TH Walnut Stain, then used a TCW template with coloured homemade texture paste to add a bit more interest.  The shimmer on my page comes from the Bella Glitz glittered cardstock that I've used to matt the photo on. In my mind beforehand I'd imagined a large square of this after going thru my Round the Page punches, but alas the card was too thick for the punch to handle, so back to good ole trusty scissors.  A bit of lace, zig zag trim, IAR flowers, TH Alpha tiles add extra interest to the page.  

 

I've used a couple of the dies from our sponsor Marriane Design here which I use quite regularly, the flourish & the mini roses (which I absolutely adore, they are so easy to make).

 

The bird & birdcage are chipboard pieces from Imagine If. . ..  The birdcage was painted then embossed with TH Distress Embossing Powder, whereas the bird was flocked with several different colours to give this mottled look.  Again more Marrianne Design diecuts finish this top corner.

 

I love how this page has turned out, as it is so different to how I first planned it.  I hope you'll find it a bit different to all the other gorgeous DT examples, and will come along and take part in our challenge.

 

Thank you for visiting, I can't wait to see your entries.

Kayden

Time for a new challenge at Southern Girls Challenge and this time Lou has chosen 'Stripes'.  Easy peasy I thought until I received my new toys - 3x Martha Stewart 'Around the page' punches, so I just HAD to use one of these on my layout.  Actually incorporating stripes with pretty edges really made me think a bit, and then when I decided to use this gorgeous boy photo I had to be very careful.

 

Here I've used a random paper from my stash, which I punched with the 'Large Spiral Arches' punch, then kept everything very simple and let the photo & trucks speak for themselves.  Don't you just love these gorgeous felt trucks?  They come from Jo at Imagineif and come in a set of 3 (digger included as well), you can buy these in felt or chipboard, gotta love them for anything boy related. 

 

I am really happy with how the edge has punched, I can see I'm going to have fun with these.  I've managed to keep the whole page clean & simple, but it was hard as this is not really a style I do much.  Overall I'm please with the end result. 

 

Thanks for visiting, I'm glad to share this with you all and hope to see your awesome projects on our challenge site also.

DT Call for Southern Girls

DT Call - SGC are on the hunt . . .

"Hard to believe that 6 months has nearly passed since our last call.  We are on the hunt for some members for our happy little group.
If you think you may be interested, check out the following info:

We are an open blog so any type of paper crafters can apply.  We are a 3 weekly challenge and the team is split into 2 groups so you are only required to do 1 project per month most months.  We have lots of fabulous sponsors and sometimes they give us images to work with (YAY).  So check our sponsor list and see if these companies are your thing.  If you are a scrapbooker, PLer or OTP artist you will not need to work with the images unless you want to.
We are pretty chatty, about loads of stuff not just crafting, so be prepared to work those fingers in our group message centre on Facebook.
You will need a blog.
You will need to be able to use digital images if you are a card maker.
You will need to be a member of facebook as this is where we do our communicating.
The term is 6 months with an option to reapply.

If this sounds like a DT that may appeal to you please contact Lou & Trace at southerngirlschallenges[at]gmail[dot]com with an email telling us a little about yourself, current (if any) DTs you are on, fave techniques/styles, that sort of thing and attach your fave 3 projects for us to see and also add a link to your blog please. 
We are looking forward to perusing the hundreds of applicants emails and eagerly await all your lovely blog links.
Call closed 14 Feb 2014."

I have been on this DT for the past 6 months and have enjoyed every moment.  They are a fun group of ladies to be involved with and I have found the workload very manageable.  I plan to stay in the group for the foreseeable future if they'll still have me. 

Lost in Thought

Well its a New Year already and here at Southern Girls Challenge we are celebrating by inviting you to show us your new things with the latest theme being 'Out with the old and in with the new'.  As usual we have fabulous sponsors onboard for this one, so here I am showing off my new Martha Stewart Doily punch, which I LOVE . . . . AND using scrummy embellishments from the fabulous Retail Girl . . . (I'm drooling now). . . simply love all her flowers and pearls.

I started this layout by punching the circle page from Donna Salazaar paper, added an old doily, distressed my photo, then got crazy with the gorgeous flowers (some from Retail Girl, and some I've made myself).  I learnt lots from watching Tash on You Tube, who is now the new designer for Retail Girl. . . beautiful work girl.  A gorgeous Kaisercraft pearl flourish, and Retail Girls flatback pearls finish off the page.

I LOVE this page, the colours, the flowers, the pearls are ALL so YUMMY.  What a perfect coincidence I was wearing this colour dress for my photoshoot.

Thank you for visiting, please leave a comment as I will when I visit your creations.  Remember you can email your entry into us if you don't have a blog entry to link. 

Xmas tags

Time for another challenge at Southern Girls Challenge, so this time we at Team Lou are showing you some lovely 'Texture' (lumps, bumps and all). 

 

 

Here I have created some xmas tags, taking bits of ideas from two friends creations - Sue & Fiona, and blending them together.  Firstly I've die cut my tags using Tim Holtz dies, then embossed them.  I love the look of the corrugated card with the lace & ribbons, and love using manila cardstock as well.

 

I've actually already sent two of these off with other goodies, and I suppose there's no reason why you couldn't even hang them on the tree if you really wanted to.  These were very easy and quite fun to make.

 

Please now share your lovely creations with us at Southern Girls Challenge for the chance to win some lovely prizes.  Remember if you don't have a blog we are quite happy to accept emailed entries.

Thank you for visiting, we look forward to seeing your entries.