A new discovery...yippee!!

So, I have finally succumbed to the principle of a kit club!! It makes economic sense, right?, she says, justifying the break in her promise to buy NO MORE!! OK so this is my thinking, I see things, I want things, I find a way to justify buying a whole collection just because I love one element of it and then it sits in my craft room and I don't (I mean, can't) use it......ridiculous!!

All of that is in the past as I have discovered Scraptastic Club, a brilliant place full of challenges, inspiration and wonderful kits. The postage is what swayed it for me...so many kit clubs charge the earth to ship to the UK :0(....but then I looked closely at the kit and thought hang on a minute, they are offering all that I love and instead of waiting for it to come here and buying the whole lot, I can have it now and use it!!

So whilst waiting for said new kits (yes that is plural...some things never change!) I decided to play along with a couple of the challenges...skin of my teeth, as they end tomorrow!!

First one:

Subway Art....hmmm, I have just re-read the rules and I haven't actually adhered to the challenge. More haste, less speed methinks, LOL!

Oh well, here is my take:

I saw this wedding subway art in the Silhouette shop for 50 cents and thought it would be cool to cut it and use it as a mask. The mist is Tattered Angels Chalk 'Apricot'

Papers are MME Sweet Caroline, the journal stamp is a really old one, the little heart was still stuck on my block from a recent layout (random!) from Basic Grey

Number stamp is Pink Paislee Daily Junque as is the arrow. The canvas letters are Prima

I inked the edges with a chalk ink, the word stamp is from MME Indie Chic

So onto the next one...fingers crossed this one is ok!!

A sketch and colour challenge:




and here is my take:

More MME, this time Follow Your Heart

A little bit of Glitz transparency, a Maya Road heart ribbon slider and a Basic Grey super old brad!!

Cut this on the good old Silhouette and then battered up the edges with my Crop A Dile. Tim Holtz butterfly and a Basic Grey brad

Prima resin flower and some tape ribbon that I got from Etsy

I love this photo - think it's my all time fave. My Mum had it in one of those old yucky albums with the lines of glue so I 'rescued' it!! She doesn't mind (or at least what the eye doesn't see......) I'm joking, I have asked, truly!!

Thanks for popping in, can't wait to show off my kit.

Ali x 

'Sweet'

Back again!! Told you I had been busy :0)

The photos are not the best. I tried taking them when the sun had gone behind a cloud and that made the lo look like it was grey!! So waited for early morning sun and got this!!

My photography class starts next month....finally, after 30 years DH and I have a shared hobby :0) So looking forward to understanding what all the letters and buttons on my camera are for!!! Yes I know I could read the instructions but...........LOL!

Anyway, this is my take on the fabulous sketch over at Let's Capture These Sketches, I really loved this one, right up my 'white space' street :0)

Glitz paper and splattered chalk ink make up the background.

PP ephemera, TH embossed butterflies, Basic Grey heart stamps and adhesive pearls

The circle is die cut from a Nellie Snellen die

A Nellie Snellen die with a Pro Marker edge and a really old Basic Grey stamp

Thanks for popping in,

Ali x 

'My #1'

Another super workout over at ScrapFit, this time a sketch......oh how I love Diana's sketches :0)

This one is of DH as we came out of the hotel at Gatwick to go to the airport for Italy....so this will be the first of many for Project Italy!

Here is the sketch:




and here is my take:

Comic Shimmer Chalk mist sprayed and splatted

The grid and the 1 card were cut on the Silhouette. I die cut the felt heart and stitched them together. The fabric doodad is super old...I have no idea where it came from!! 

I am still trying to use up these letters...only 300 to go!! Stars are Studio Calico...love them! #1 was cut on the Cricut 'George and Basic Shapes'

An embossed glassine bag filled with the offcuts from the grid and sewn up.

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x

'Olympian'

As you can imagine the UK was gripped by London 2012 and DGD was no exception. She is now eating lots of fruit and veggies so that she can be 'big and strong to be a gymnast, synchronised swimmer and runner' for 2024!!

DD#1 and DGD came round for dinner in the garden last Monday and we ended up playing Olympics, jumping off steps, racing and discus throwing with the place mats. My favourite part of the event was when she said 'follow me and wave your flag (the place mat) and wave to the crowd' love that kid's imagination!!!

I was inspired by ScrapFit's Workout #73 'I Remember' as DGD's ability to create a game from a real life observation is something I never want to forget :0)

papers are OA 

Doily was cut on Silhouette, brads are MME

stamp is Heidi Swapp, sticker is Cosmo Cricket and letters are Prima that have been misted with Comic Shimmer

As I took the doily of the mat and scraped the waste off, some of it fell onto the page so I stuck it where it was and then Stickled it! The butterfly is a TH die

Thanks for popping in,

Ali x 

A mini album for our living room

Another little home project to share today courtesy of the great Ms Swapp ;0)

I finally managed to find an acrylic photo frame to make the project that Heidi Swapp did on Create to Remember a while ago....wish I had got another couple now!!

I bought a cheap ring binder and ripped the fastener out and stuck it to the frame. I 'framed' a  piece of Pink Paislee London Market in between the 2 pieces of acrylic. I painted a wooden skewer and the GCD Studio bird and glued them to the side of the frame.

MME Follow Your Heart paper and a layered sticker. PP heart from an ephemera pack and stamps from PP, trim from an Etsy shop.

PP paper and die cut butterflies using TH die and MS punch

Crate Paper paper and PP ephemera

Sugar Chic papers, GCD Studio chipboard and OA sticker

MME paper and my fake Studio Calico bird :0)

word cut on Silhouette, Sugar Chic paper and PP ephemera

Sugar Chic paper, PP banner and word cut on Silhouette...again!!!

I love this idea as it will be so easy to change the pages as and when I get bored with them :0)

Thanks for popping in,

Ali x 

CSI #34 'Flock Together'

....at least that would have been the title if I'd had more time!!

I lost what was supposed to be my scrapping week and instead spent it with friends and family - a proper lady who lunches every day :0)

The down side was no scrapping was done and on Thursday eve I suddenly remembered that I should have completed my GD layout for CSI the previous day....ooops! Thank goodness for the CSI Co-Ordinates and Debbi's understanding :0)

A super simple one this week of my darling Dad on Father's Day. I wanted to keep the focus on the photo as I love it (we don't get many photos together)...just as well as time was of the essence!!

Without further ado...here is the Case File and my speedy lo!!

Evidence: colours; wet medium; bird; tree (a bit hidden) ribbon on journaling, who, what, where, when, why journaling strips. 

Michelle's co-ordinates and a bird cut on the Silhouette. Paint and Stickles

The journaling card with trees pulls out and I have stapled the strips to it.

Who: my darling Dad
Why: for Father's Day
Where: in Matthew's garden
What: giving him a golf shirt
When: 17 June 2012

more of Michelle's work :0)

I really like the simplicity of this, it is so much nicer in real life (but then aren't they always?)

Thanks for popping in,

Ali x 

Happy Anniversary Sue and Raj :0)

My BF and her husband have just celebrated their anniversary and this is the card that I made them.

DD#2 was playing with my Pro Markers and having not used them for years I thought I would stamp an image and play too!!

Stamp is from Jolly Nation, the map is an old Road Atlas that was in the car and heading for the recycling bin and then I thought hang on a minute.......!!

The inside reads.......'here's to many more happy miles together'...clever eh? Even if I do say so myself!!! LOL

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x 

A taste of what has been keeping me from blogland...

Apart from all my recent holidays...one more to go!! (yes, I do know how lucky I am!!) we have been busy redecorating our living room and I have been making things to go in it :0)

I thought I would share a couple of the corners.....sorry for the dodgy quality (and quantity!!!) the room is quite dark...but getting brighter every day :0)

 I made a little star banner to add a pop of colour using Pink Paislee Soiree - I still love this collection!

 A collection of frames that we spray painted Silver and Platinum and filled with bits and bobs

an old key charm and a little painted chipboard <3

a fridge magnet Vespa from Lake Garda

you will all recognise this punch!! Good old Martha Stewart :0)

this was a Christmas decoration I bought in the sale!

a washer that I pinched from DH's garage

a vinyl word cut on the Silhouette

a painted chipboard heart covered in white buttons

a 'washing line' photo frame. Easy peasy to keep changing the photo!!

more painted and stamped chipboard hearts.

I had a lot of fun making these bits and it's so nice when people come round and comment on the originality of our 'art' :0)

Thanks for popping in,

Ali x