Birthday Countdown

It's that time of year again when we get ready to celebrate DGD's birthday :0) Three this year - where does the time go??

Something that I spied at My Craft Channel was this little cutie designed by Heidi Swapp, with a free printable to download. I thought it was such a lovely idea so picked up a 99p frame from Ikea and got DH to drill a couple of holes and apart from cutting and matting....job done!!!

Paper are all from my scraps - October Afternoon, MME, Pink Paislee. A little bit of lace and some tulle stitched to the last page :0)

Give it a go!!! Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day,

Ali x 

Workout #62 'Smile'

Good morning everyone :0)

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I am posting this for the ScrapFIT challenge by the skin of my teeth!! But as it's done I thought I might as well get it uploaded.

The challenge is to use XO on your layout.

The photo is of me and DH (looking gangsta!!) at my cousin's wedding back in October. I wasn't going to scrap it as he isn't smiling but then I thought scrapping is about recording moments, and this is what DH thinks is highly amusing....grrr!!!

Background is Heidi Swapp Invisibles - inked with Weatherd Wood and misted with water. Papers are Anna Griffin and Teresa Collins. Stamps are Personal Impressions 'Textures' and the camera is MME

Thanks so much for popping in, have a lovely day!!

Ali x 

****** Lucky me, this layout was chosen as the winner!! ****** 

CSI Case File #8 'Shine Bright'

Good morning,

thought I would get this posted before I take the dog out in the glorious sunshine we have here today :0)

Today's post is the latest CSI challenge and this one is, by far, my favourite!!

My layout is a photo of my DD#1 and DGD but it is my DD that is the star of the show!! Ever since they were little I have used the phrase 'shine bright, my little star' to encourage, wish luck and generally big them up! So when the testimony called for 'the star of the show' I knew what my title was going to be :0)

Papers are MME Fine and Dandy and a little Lost and Found. 

Instead of journalling I wrote my DD a letter. It is all about when she gave birth to DGD and how everything was fine but then within minutes she was being rushed into theatre for emergency surgery. It is a letter describing that moment and how even though she was dosed up and pretty much unconscious, when the midwife tucked the baby into her side her instinct was to hold her baby - drips, lines and all. It is a story of the power of maternal instinct, strength and my eternal love and pride. The reason it is for her to read when she is ready is because it has taken her some time to deal with what happened to her.
Key is Tim Holtz, flowers are old Prima.

Silver star is craft metal that I ran through the Cuttlebug with a chipboard number. I die cut a n old road map and highlighted pob with a Tim Holtz facet. The yellow jelly flower is Heidi Swapp.

Letters are Jenny Bowlin Bingo Tiles and Cosmo Tiny Type. The little tag came from  the Daily Junque ephemera pack.

Tim Holtz holder attached with homemade washi tape. The stamp is Teresa Collins and has also been used with  paint dabbers. Splodges of green ink - although it looks black in the photos!

Star stamp is Teresa Collins done in Studio paint. Anna Griffin embelly

Thanks so much for stopping by, I really loved making this and the letter writing was truly cathartic! Have a wonderful day :0)

Ali x 

'Explore'

Yay! A little more crafting today and I have managed to complete the impromptu challenge from Let's Get Sketchy in time :0)

So with DGD safely tucked away in nursery today and with Mummy collecting her I whizzed through my jobs and had a little play with the MME papers that were sitting on my desk - I am in the middle of a mini and this layout is made with the scraps - thrifty!!!

Here is the LGS sketch:

and here is my DD#1 and DGD on a dog walk last Autumn. I have used so many photos from this particular day - but there are too many lovely ones to leave unprinted :0)

Misted with Cosmic Shimmer Chalk Mists and Tattered Angels Chalkboard . The papers are MME Lost and Found. The bird doily is cut with Cricut 'Cindy Loo'

Tim Holtz Journalling tag and compass sticker. Spellbinders dies, MS butterfly punch.

Pink Paislee misted wooden word from 'Nantucket' line. Yellow staples (come in a pack with blue, purple and pink - 4000 for 99p!!!!)

I really had fun with this sketch and all the odds and ends on my desk :0) Thanks for popping in!

Ali x 

Frosted Designs #35 'Fun'

Good morning!!

Today I have a fun layout to share using the lovely sketch from Roberta at Frosted Designs! I love the simplicity of this sketch and chose to keep my layout clean and simple.

The photo is an 'unofficial' one of DD#2 and her chap at their engagement party :0)

Here is the sketch:




and here is my take:

Again I used embossing paste - glossy white this time. I then dabbed on some Cough Candy Jenny Bowlin paint. The butterflies are teh Tim Holtz die and then some are stitched and the other one I attached some wire to. The flower flourish has been cut on the Cricut and little pearls added to the centres. Super simple and super quick!!

Thanks so much for popping in, have a great day :0)

Ali x

CSI Case File #7 'True'

Well, hello!

I wasn't sure I was going to get to post this today as we have been super busy but I am pleased to say that I now have five minutes to quietly type and share the layout I did yesterday for the latest CSI challenge :0)

Really pretty colours this week, yes I know, bloody lavender again (!!!) but with the red and the grey I was able to cope with it!

I am also submitting this to the new challenge site Let's Get Sketchy! as they have got a mini sketch challenge to keep everyone going until their big launch in March :0) Looks like it's going to be a winner, and I for one can not wait!! There is also an Impromptu Challenge to look out for (I shall be finding time for that later in the week!)

Here is their sketch:

I have titled my layout true because, and here is the geeky bit, the definition is:

true  (tr)

adj. tru·er, tru·est

1.a. Consistent with fact or reality; not false or erroneous. b. Truthful.

2. Real; genuine. 

3. Reliable; accurate: y.

4. Faithful, as to a friend, vow, or cause; loyal.

5. Sincerely felt or expressed; unfeigned: 

6. Fundamental; essential:

7. Rightful; legitimate: 

and so it goes on!! The photo is of DD#2 and her fiance at their engagement party and as everyone was watching the fireworks I just happened to turn the camera onto them and caught this moment. True love would have been too corny and somehow would not have seemed sincere, so, I stuck with just true.

Evidence: colours - sorted. Papers are literal scraps of Anna Griffin Cecile that have been distressed with the WRMK tool.  White card has been matted onto dark grey pearl cardstock.

I am still loving the embossing paste! Evidence was stripes  (can I get away with a grid???)  I have scattered mica powder over the wet paste and then spritzed with water and hairspray to set it - cool eh? I think it looks really metallic. The grey pearl is from Prima.

I stuck a bit of homemade washi tape and then a really pretty button which looks nothing in the photo  but is faceted and sparkly in real life! The metallic letters are Anna Griffin and so is the butterfly.

A little bit of lavender stitching - grrrrrr! And a peep at the 'cluster' of flowers. Green pearls in the centre. Journalling is based on 3,2,1.

Thanks for looking and have a great week!!

Ali x 

Scrapbookers Anonymous 'Gentle Man' and 'Sending Love Your Way'

Hello everyone,

I know I shouldn't be looking for more challenges because I am spending too much of my free time in my craft room, but when I stumbled across this site I couldn't resist!!

I love the idea of using up all my old stuff and with this in mind I pulled out some old Websters Pages paper and got cracking with their challenges. Why did I buy this stuff??? It's very pretty but not at all my style!!! I think I get caught up with what I see other people create and I fall in love with what they have done but can never do it myself! Anyway I did my best with it and here are the results:

A - Z Challenge:  G is for.......Gentle Man :0)

My DH at the Winter Wonderland show in Hyde Park

Tim Holtz clock face and stickers are Websters Pages

Heart die is Spellbinders 

Die is Spellbinders and the flower is an old Prima one

I don;t know where the little fabric ticket came from, but it's super sweet :0)

Letters are Pink Paislee and man is stamped with Sassafrass Lass alphabet. The die is Nellie Snellen.

The sketch was from Page Maps 

     super eh?

The next challenge is to use 3 hearts (hmmm I didn't notice the 3 when I did the layout!!!!), well it is February :0) 

My layout is of DD#1 and her chap on his birthday. for some reason they was a big gap between them so I chopped it in two to get them closer together!

Mist is Tattered Angels Hot Pink Chalkboard

Heart die is Spellbinders, stamp is Hero Arts, flowers and leaves are Prima, rolled flower is made by me!

Hearts were stenciled through negative of die cuts with Jenny Bowlin Dabbers - Malted Milk, Cough  Syrup and Chewing Gum. The little hearts were punched with a Tonic Studio punch

I may get away with the challenge as I did put 3 hearts at the top of the layout, lol!! Anyway, it feels great to have used papers that have been collecting dust for sooo long! The rest is going to DD#2 so that she can create something pretty :0)

Thanks for stopping by,

Ali x 

Frosted Designs Card Sketch #12

Morning,

thought I would play along with this sketch as it was such a cutie :0)

Papers are MME Fine and Dandy. Stamps are Hero Arts and the doily is Spellbinders

Thanks for looking and have a happy Valentines Day....for the first time in about 10 years I actually sent my DH a card! Didn't get one in return but did have a lovely note stuck to the fridge - and that was before he found the card!!!

Ali x

Bird is the Word 'Journey'

Hello all,

I am loving that I am able to fit more challenges in this week :0)

My layout, inspired by the word journey, is of DGD and DD#1 taking Basil for a walk. Just as I took this photo DGD started reciting the poem 'We're going on a bear hunt'

I'm not sure whether it is familiar to all of you, if you are interested you can see it being performed here: Michael Rosen on YouTube

Anyway the crux of the poem is that they go through various things on their journey to find the bear. All of these are represented in the layout.

Long grass - cut on Cricut
River - blue Chalk Mist
Mud - ink splats with Perfect Pearls dropped into it and then blasted with hairspray!
Forest - stamped American Crafts 'Dear Lizzy' trees
Snowstorm - stamped Inkadinkado snowflakes
and of course a bear!!

Papers are old American Crafts that I found in a random box! 

I really like how the hairspray has smudged the mica powder - you can see it even better in the photo below :0)

I really enjoyed playing with this one. The new word is out so go and have a play with 'HEART'. Thanks for stopping by,

Ali x