Vintage on the run...

Just a quick post for now and I am hoping to blog again soon (later today or tomorrow) with some of my more recent layouts.  LOAD really has me busy this time around for some reason and I am struggling to manage my time - or maybe that's not so surprising after all! ;-)

I am busy creating and sharing in the community but that means that I am behind on my blogging and catching up with my favourite blogs. You know who you are and I will be dropping by whenever I can - I haven't forgotten you!

But I wanted to try to keep up with Jingle Belles and this week is all about the Spirit of Christmas Past.

Having recently discovered the joys of free vintage images online, I decided to use another one of the many pictures I found online as the basis mixed up with some music paper and some spots.

Not completely vintage maybe, but another one for the pile!

Is a card without pretty paper even possible?

Jingle Belles are determined to stretch me with their challenges, that's for sure.

You will know that my scrapping style is throw as much onto a page as I possibly can including several pretty papers from my never dwindling stash.

Well, I'd like to make cards like that too.

But this week's challenge #18, Cardstock Christmas suggested by Jess Moyer was to use only cardstock and embellishments. Gulp.

So, I kept it simple, using some pretty SEI elements onto a plain white background and a silver CC rub on for my title. And called it done!

So yes, it is possible. Just don't ask me to do it again!

The final score

It's May!

That means that it is already day 2 over at LOAD. My first layout was really hard work. As if I hadn't been scrapbooking recently which was a bit bizarre as I have done a lot of scrapping since February LOAD. Never mind! I will find my rhythm soon I guess. More on that later in the week.

But first, let me finish off the April Counterfeit Kit Challenge.

I had 6 layouts (as well as a mini book and some cards) as my target but there was still quite a lot still in my kit so I decided to quickly do my March 12 on 12 layout too.

In the end it turned out all wrong! I have a template, measurements, a design. And somehow it was all mixed up and the measurements were completely off which threw me and then I was too stingy to print out my journalling again - I liked this lined paper too much.

I put it together, worked on a bit of embellishment and called it done. I also decided to include a small tag with the day on it - I noticed that another one of my fellow 12 on 12'ers always put the day on and I think it's a great idea. My days often undergo major schedule changes so I want to try to remember this in future.

Really, not a great layout. But that's ok. It's done and marks the end of three years of 12 on 12s. This is such a great project and relatively easy - it's not a whole month in review but you can see what was the general trend each month. I especially like to see the changing seasons.

I really have to improve the whole self-portrait. You'd think I'd be better now after three years. Live and learn.

And last on my list of goals for the April kit was to create a few cards with the scraps. So I ran off a couple of easy, general cards. Nothing grand but I like that some really old stuff was used up here and homes were found these neglected bits.

The final score for the month is:

• 7 single layouts
• 1 mini-book (photo album scrapbook)
• 3 cards
• 26 photos used on layouts (ok, so my 12 on one is a little cheaty)
• 32 photos used in mini-book
• 32 brads (remember that secondary goal of mine from the beginning of the month?!?)

I'm happy with the results and am looking forward to Thursday when the new kit challenge will be posted. That, coupled with LOAD should be a good combination. It's going to be a great month.

Can't wait!

Bet you don't know what I'm up to today....

.... I've got a day off.

I'm sitting inside.

I've got the TV on.

The scones are sitting on the side ready to be scoffed.

The bubbles have been poured.

And a tear or two have been shed.

Yes, I'm one of the 2 billion (!) people world-wide watching "THE" wedding today!

SOOC so it's a bit wonky! But you get the idea!

Can't help it - I've loved it all!

What do red vellum and Earth Day have in common?

This week's Jingle Belles challenge was inspired by the combination of some junk mail and Earth Day. 

Kathe Deck is this week's guest designer (she can be found on her blog here) and was inspired by a red vellum envelope she came across when sorting through a pile of junk mail. She went home thinking, ""It would be good for something...oh, it would be great for a Christmas card... wouldn't it be really great if the Jingle Belles gave us reuse/recycle theme? Maybe they'd tie it to Earth Day or something like that..." 

Well, they did!

So re-use, re-purpose, re-cycle or up-cycle.

Out. Of. My. Box. 

I don't know why I found this so difficult - I want to be more eco-friendly, honest! But my mind was blank. It has taken me all week to just decide to go for it.

I had a Christmas card that I cut up for the white glitter background, the sentiment and the snowflake (which was on the front and I adore), then I used some Prima packaging as a splash of colour and then the ribbon was an odd scrap I had which probably came off a present. The cardstock is just from my supplies but is part of my unloved collection of colours that I am trying to work through for my Christmas cards rather than just throwing away. 

Can you believe that it's week 17 already? 

May is just a few days away....

New photo, not so new layout

Back from my Easter sightseeing and it was amazing - I will share some piccies soon. We walked, we sat, we ate, we drank and we soaked ourselves in the history and beauty of the place. It was a stunning few days...

But back to reality with work and scrapping.

As mentioned in my previous post, I completed another layout using my Counterfeit Kit some days ago but hadn't noticed that my photo of it was pretty pants! (What is it with the light these days? I thought everything would get easier for photographing my layouts once the days got longer and sunnier, although I think this might say more about my photography skills right now.)

Anyway, I got out there earlier this morning and took another photo so that I can share it with you - it's still not perfect, but it's better.

I've got so many fun fair photos that it's difficult to know what to do with them all. But one or two more of these types of layouts can probably still be made. Crange Kirmes (Kirmes = fun fair in Germany) is a classic tradition in the region where we live. It's quite famous and I know that I have written about it before, especially as Ted and I have gone every summer for the last few years.

I manage a few rides but have noticed in recent years that they hit me harder and harder! I think I'm getting too old for this malarky but Ted is grateful that I do manage some of the stomach tumbling ones!

I wanted to make this a bit lighthearted and whimsical, so I included some glittery clusters and somewhat mismatched products. I think it worked.

Oh, and I did some serious stealing the middle of my papers to make the pretty ones go further!

I want to get the last of the kit used up and posted by the end of the month because May's LOAD is looming now... which is pretty exciting.

This kit has been so much fun to use up and I have created 6 really different layouts - goal reached! Now I just have to run off a couple of simple cards using the leftovers and I will have done everything I wanted to do this month.

I'll be getting ready for LOAD this week. Tidying, sorting, organising, thinking.. can't wait!

Easter Greetings

I'm enjoying a bit of Easter sightseeing which I will share with you soon.

But it's wonderful to have a long weekend with gorgeous sunny weather and nothing to do but spend time together and take some wonderful (hopefully!) photographs.

How's the Easter weather where you are? All I can say is that I broke out the factor 30 today to protect my overly white and pasty coloured English skin :-)

Anyway, really just a quickie to say hi wherever you are and whatever you're doing.

I was going to post a layout I made using my Counterfeit Kit but I've just realised it's a horrible photo (with a horrible blue tinge to it for some reason) so I won't do that after all.

How about a little photo album scrapbook (PAS - a la Stacy Julian) instead?

I had a handful of AC scraps left in my kit, so I added in some more scraps and created this little album in next to no time. I used letters (BG)  and stickers (old Love Elsie!) from the kit although now I have to go back over and do the writing again as all the ink smudged on the stickers. I might have to just cover up the writing with some paper and do it again. Don't you hate it when that happens - pen or sticker problem?

Super cute, super simple, super fast. Loads of photos used up at once.

One happy (Easter) bunny here wishing you many eggs and lots of chocolate tomorrow.

Wednesdays are to DIE for!

Another Wednesday, another Jingle Belles challenge, another Christmas card to add to the pile!

We've been challenged to use die cuts - of any sort - on our cards.

I really wanted to go to town on this one. Drag the Cricut out, use the Christmas cartridge that I "had" to have, you know.... the whole caboodle!

But then I ran out of time. And I went for the easy option.

I cut two scalloped circles with my Cuttlebug, used a Cosmo die-cut shape and a snowflake sticker on top.

Simple, but done.

Calendar Inspiration

In my last blog post, I talked about a fun new widget I'd installed on my blog listing special days and famous birthdays. I also talked about a class I did in the past over at BPC based on the great book, The Scrapbooker's Almanac, which takes inspiration from the calendar - special days, birthdays, anniversaries. That got me thinking...

Well, never one to underachieve, I've been at it again!

Thursday last week (14th April) listed "International Moment of Laughter Day" and "Look Up At The Sky Day".

Both of these just screamed, "Lisa pages! Scrap me!"

So I did.

My Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit (still without name, shame), has proved so successful this month and is almost all used up. But not before it helped me with these two layouts.

They were both completed almost exclusively with the kit - I added in a few more brads I think (ever mindful of my objectives from the beginning of the month).

"Look Up At The Sky Day" was perfect for a handful of sky photos which is one of my favourite subjects. I am fascinated by the clouds, the incredible colours, the play of the sun behind the clouds or even buildings. I have dozens and dozens of photos of sky. This couldn't have been more perfect. I even just lifted the day's name directly for my title.

Layouts like this make me happy.

I made a couple of ribbon flowers but would like to ask anyone who has made these how I can avoid getting glue EVERYWHERE! I ended up placing these pearls on the flowers just to cover up the globs of glue that I couldn't get off. Up close, it's not a pretty sight. 

Has anyone got any advice for me?

And then came "International Moment of Laughter Day". Created just to capture gorgeous, sweet, kiddie photos. When I looked through my current crop (all around two years old now!), I had a whole pile of niece and nephew giggles to choose from. But these of the Diva of the family made the final cut as I couldn't imagine how else I would use these super cute shots of the little monster, other than a more abstract topic like this.

Not so sure about the cluster here but I wanted something a bit whimsical not to mention some brads. Simple journalling using the day's name as the basis and finished. 

This layout makes me happy.

Have you noticed a theme here?

Scrapbooking makes me happy. 

Isn't that great? 

Do you know what yesterday was?

No, I don't mean that it was Saturday!

Yesterday was, in fact, Husband Appreciation Day!

Some time ago I did a BPC class by Elizabeth Dillow, based on her book The Scrapbooker's Almanac, called Red Letter Days. One of the fun things I learnt was to see what special days or anniversaries or even famous birthdays there were across the year that could be used as inspiration for pages - either directly or more abstract. At the time, I noted down a lot of special days in my diary as I came across them - for example it was Incredible Kid Day back in March (more on that day another post), or Read In the Bath Day back in February. Therefore, I was really excited to find a new widget on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge site that lists famous birthdays and special days. I immediately added it to my blog (bottom right corner on the sidebar) and was interested to see what was coming up.

When I saw Husband Appreciation Day (how kitsch and sweet is that anyway?!?), I knew I had to do something. Now I don't need a special day to tell me to appreciate my husband or some random date on the calendar to remind me of what I have, but I thought it would be fun to mark the day in a Lisa way. A rhubarb krumbie (what we call a "crumble" in our house - yet another long story!) had to be made as it's his favourite and let's face it, it's a doddle to make! And a layout should be done.

I did my usual of just grabbing a couple of completely unrelated photos and making it work! (Or not, depending on how you look at it!). I used my counterfeit kit but ended up adding in a few more AC paper scraps and a couple of AC journalling minis. The rest is all out of the kit.

I hadn't intended it to become this bright, but it just evolved this way. Originally, I had a picture in my mind of lots of cardstock showing and what others might call, shock horror, "white space". But alas and alack, it was not to be and the result is this no-white-space layout! But that's only what you expect from me, isn't it?

I do loads of layouts like this. Just noting down little things as and when I think about them. Commenting on things from different perspectives and just generally rambling. It makes me happy!

Have a great Sunday!