'Pod'

I am a huge fan of Lileth Eckels and she recently hosted a challenge at Scraptastic Kit Club (actually it's because of her that I looked into joining their kit club).

The challenge is

1. Use as many embellishments/die cuts/ letters stickers/mists/stamps/washi ... as you like.
2. You can only use ONE patterned paper
3. and ONE sheet of cardstock. 

So off I went to play and created a lo for my Welsh album.

the patterned paper is an old piece of PP Mistables that I inked and flicked with paint

kaisercraft paint, Ali Edwards stamp, recycled (removed from a mini album I started and never finished and is now in the bin!) Anna Griffin bee

Silhouette shapes, Crate Paper chipbard

Silhouette shapes ....again! Basic Grey letters

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x 

'Behave!'

It has been some while since I took part in the CSI challenges :0(

This week I found a little bit of time to sit and rifle through my stash and come up with the criteria to solve the case....hooray!

These photos have been hanging around for a while and after seeing one of the journaling prompts was about etiquette (or rather DH's lack of etiquette!) it seemed the perfect chance to scrap them. They were taken in a photo booth at our friends' wedding earlier this year.....you have hats, wigs and various things to put on...then you get a copy of the photo and another copy goes in an album and you write them a message on the page...love that!!

papers are from my scraps folders...so easy to find the right colour now :0) Cosmo Cricket, Pink Paislee, Crate Paper, Webster's Pages

my journaling is on a film reel die tucked behind the mat

Flourish cut on Silhouette, Ali Edwards stamp

stitched fabric and Basic Grey letters....I have just found a whole load under a pile of sticker sheets!

My evidence is patchwork (of sorts), gold accent, flourish, fabric and journaling...oh and obviously the colour scheme!!

Here is the challenge if you would like to play along :0)

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x 

'Funny Faces' ;0)

I am loving that there is more and more happening in the UK blogging scrap world....and about blinkin' time, if you ask me!!!

Another lovely sketch over at Sketchbook365, it's running till 20th December so pop along and give it a go!!

My lo is of my DD#2 and DGD one evening whilst getting DGD ready for bed (she'll be wearing pink pyjamas when she comes!)

frame and heart were cut on my beloved Silhouette!! Stamp is Elle's Studio. |Letter stickers are Glitz Design

handmade paper clip bow on the photo of my little honey. leaves and star bubble cut on the Silhouette. Stamps are American Crafts 'Dear Lizzy' .....never noticed them before!

leaves misted with Cosmic Shimmer spray. Hearts are Martha Stewart

all the papers are from my pink scraps file....it's great to have them in order...in theory it is saving me a fortune!!! hahaha who am I kidding?????

Here is the sketch that inspired me:



I suppose they were hoping for a Christmas theme, but I just don't scrap Christmas.....no reason, just don't!! Maybe this year will be different as Father Christmas is featuring heavily in conversations with DGD at the moment :0)

One of the magic moments of this week was DGD being asked what she would like Father Christmas to bring her and she replied 'presents would be lovely, but most of all I would like him to bring some new slippers for my Mamma (me) as she hasn't got any and if he brought them to my house I could give them to her on Christmas morning and she would be really happy and have warm feet' ...... little treasure :0)

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x 

Because of you 'My Sun Will Always Shine'

Hello,

another She Art canvas today :0) This was has been created for DD#1 and is very much 'her colours'!!

All her life she has chosen hot pink as her colour of choice. She is about to move into her new house and has been choosing soft furnishings and paint colours and her master bedroom is going to be.......white....with teal, aqua and hot pink bedding!!!

So, this is for her to go in her new room...she hasn't seen it yet so I have no idea if she will like it!!

Starting at the top and working down.....

thank you Eila for the idea of putting beads into the paste :0)

I brought a bird in as there are birds on her new bedding

lyrics taken from the song she is named after

and here she is in full :0)

Another long and narrow canvas....lovely on the wall but rubbish for photographing!! LOL

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x 

'Worms Head'

I am playing along with the Scraptastic Kit club challenge to use a grid today. I will be the first to admit that this page is nothing like what I normally do and it has taken me a few days to think it's ok enough to share!!

I think if I did it again I would make the grid smaller and then it would be more my style. having said that it does echo the multi pocket pages in my album that are filled with journalling cards similar to this. I made up a little kit for this album so the whole thing is cohesive. So, without further ramblings here is my effort:

papers are Websters Pages, Pink Paislee, Glitz and OA

Crate paper sticker, TH butterfly painted and OA tab

arrow cut on Silhouette, Pink Paislee stamps

MME brad, Stash Panache button, Studio Calico wood veneer

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x 

'Interested in You'

Hello all :0)

I am always on the look out for Scrapbooking sites in the UK and was delighted to find a blog affiliated to one of the  shops I use Sarah's Cards Ltd and even better they had a sketch challenge!!

So using my new kit from Scraptastic Kit Club that has a lot of Pink Paislee's Portfolio line I disappeared for a bit to have a play.

It's another layout for my Welsh album of DH taking a photo of me.... taking a photo of him :0)

papers are mostly PP with a little Crate and Glitz thrown in for good measure

Cosmo Cricket sticker, Crate Paper chippie heart and my bargain find in The Range...wooden numbers! painted and glimmer glammed :0)

glorious Studio Calico stars

totally forged PP tag :0)

my most favourite Ali Edwards stamp ....love the wording

here is the sketch that kicked off my inspiration:

 you can see that I used the elements but just layered them up!

Thanks for popping in,

Ali x 

'Live in the Moment'

Feels like forever since I sat at my desk to type!!

Been super busy with life and other crafty projects, like Christmas things for DD#1's classroom, making cupcakes out of wall filling foam for my local drama group and of course fiddling about with paints and canvases......more of that to come at a later date :0)

My post today was inspired by Scraptastic Kit club's challenge and also Counterfeit Kit's challenge. Now I subscribe to the kits at Scraptastic and although I planned to play along and make a kit up this month for CKC I really haven't had the time. However, using the sentiment behind CKC, i.e. use your stash, I made the background using only my scraps!

I have been OTT OCD and sorted my scraps into colour folders and this meant that it was simple to find the right papers to make up my sunburst. I then picked out some of the elements of my new Scraptastic Kit 'When Skies Are Grey' which I just adore!!

Go to both websites for a tutorial and have a go, it's soooo therapeutic....even if a little fussy....I can't decide if I love it or loath it!!

Apologies for the rather horrid photos but it is so dark and foggy here ...so, no bright white for me!

papers are October Afternoon, Glitz Design, Pink Paislee and My Minds Eye

Pink Paislee arrow and heart, Ali Edwards stamp and MME love stamp

more Pink Paislee and another Ali Edwards stamp, Pretty Little Studio diecut, TH butterfly and random old metal thing!!

not the most flattering of photos, granted, but I love that you can see the fun we have together!! We are spinning round on a bowl shaped roundabout thing at the park :0)

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x 

'Shine On'

Yippee!! Another sketch is up at ScrapFriends :0)

I am so grateful to my bonzer mate Lizzy Hill (one of the DT) for introducing me to this site...it is the best!!

I'm not going to have many 12 x 12's in Project Wales so the ones that I am going to include are all coming from my own cobbled together kit. I love Studio Calico but I don't subscribe to their kits so I found papers and embellies that were similar to this month's kit. It will give the pages in this album a relaxed, cohesive look without having to pay staggering postage costs!!

There are soooo many photos of our beloved Basil (this holiday was for his benefit!)  this one was taken on the gloriously deserted Whiteford Beach.

papers are: Tim Holtz, Studio Calico, Pink Paislee and a smidge of Webster's Pages (yes, Lizzy you read right!) Ali Edwards stamp and brush converted to Silhouette file..easy peasy! Kaisercraft paint...my new fave. Die cut chipboard hearts using TH die. Washi tape from Etsy.

Here is the genius sketch that I just adore:



I interpreted the 'rip' by layering up a torn bit of calico.

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x

'Proper' She Art #1

Hello,

as you may have realised I have got the mixed media bug....badly!! I have just ordered more canvases and paints and am trying to find texture paste in the UK.......can anyone help?

As I unwrapped the canvas I started thinking about the daughter of one of my Mum's best friends. She and I were the oldest of the kids in my Mum and Dad's group of friends. The adults would take it in turns to host and all the kids would stay upstairs whilst the grown ups would eat, drink and be merry.....it was the 70's and children were not really included in their social lives!!!

Anyway, J and I would hang out together, having nothing in common with the younger children. As I got older I no longer had to go with my parents so J and I no longer saw each other.

J has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and is undergoing horrific Chemotherapy at present with 42 days of Radiation therapy to follow, so, as you can imagine she has been on my mind a lot.

Once I decided I wanted to do this canvas for her, the colours and words flowed. I wanted it to be strong and bright and positive....because that is what she is :0)

There are a lot of photos but as the canvas is 7 3/4" by 18" I have taken photos of each 'section'

papers are MME Miss Caroline and the stencil I used is from Prima. The butterflies are cut using the Tim Holtz die....my fave!

The butterflies represent new beginnings.

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x 

Encouraged Scrap Lifting ;0)

Hiya

I was delighted to see that over at Let's Get Sketchy this week they are encouraging you to lift the DT. It takes me back to when I first started scrapping ......that is pretty much all I did, and would then get frustrated as I didn't have the same papers and embellishments!!

Now that I am older and wiser I know that lifting doesn't mean copy :0)

I have now completed Project Italy and Project Wales begins!!

This lo is of the cottage we stayed in 'Home....for 7 days!'

Papers are Pink Paislee and Crate. A Jenny Bowlin Bingo Card, washi tape from Etsy

glassine pocket with a shipping tag (journaling on back reads 'for 7 days we lived happily in this idyllic place. Daisy Cottage, Llangenith'. The sticker is Cosmo Cricket

Speech bubble from my Scraptastic Kit, backed in Studio Calico paper, die cut heart and wood veneer heart slightly stamped!

I chose to lift Bev (the one on the left)

Thanks for popping in today,

Ali x