School days

You might have guessed that I'm a little bit addicted to Pinterest. It's true. I love it. Adore it. Can't do without it. It's taking over! *wink wink*

921 pins and counting.

Well. it's all very well pinning and pinning, you also have to do something with all that inspiration. So I did.

The LOAD prompt for School Days made me think of my very last day at school when I dropped out shortly before our final A level exams. I love this photo and will always be grateful to whoever took it for us and for whoever sent it to me a few months later when I was already in France. It sums up so much and takes me right back.

I wanted to use this pin {here} which I fell in love with right away and adjusted it for my smaller photo and embellies.

Then I realised that there wasn't really enough space for all the journalling I wanted to include and for the first time, I made a 6x12 extra page just for that. Nothing ground breaking as I know that many out there are doing exactly this, but new for me. It worked so well apart from the fact that I didn't have any more cream cardstock and had to make do with coordinating paper. But with the second banner, I tried to tie it in a bit better.

February Counterfeit Kit Challenge Record kit, layout #2

Another layout that just makes me happy and brings back bittersweet memories. I try not to regret any decisions I've made but sometimes, just sometimes, I wonder if I should have stayed at school. But then the chain of events that was triggered on this day and leads up to where I am today would be different and I wouldn't be the person I am right now. And that would be sad...

My February Counterfeit kit, Record, is proving great with its combination of colours, patterns and journalling opportunities. I do need to print out some more journalling cards at some point but so far, loving the mix. 

Another share

Another January Counterfeit Kit Challenge Resolve layout from the LOAD prompt "the more things stay the same".

Love this cute photo of me and my baby sister matched up with me and my baby sister's "baby". Just a simple page using up these pretty yellow supplies and a few embellishments. 

January Resolve kit layout #5

I wasn't sure how I was going to use this OA with the printed adverts so I was happy to find a way to make it work. I didn't only want to use the yellow dotted paper and think that it works with the nostalgic feel to the comparison.

Just a layout or two more from this kit - I may be late finishing it off but I'm getting my money's worth out of it during LOAD :-)

Such a great combination

You might have realised that I've gone quiet the last couple of weeks which means that I'm busy doing something that's taking up a lot of my time! Well, as it's February, that would be LOAD!

So far, 9 days in and I've created every day although some days are definitely more difficult than others. But one thing that's helping is the combination of the daily prompts from Lain - this month focussing on our stories from the past - and my Counterfeit Kit Challenge kits. It helps that I have kits ready to go with a mix of newer and older products that I love. I grab a kit (I have a few which are not really quite finished) and off I go.

So today, I just thought I'd share a layout I created using my January "Resolve" kit.

At first, I was skeptical about whether I'd want to follow the prompts which are all helping us to dig up those stories from our recent or distant past, but I've found that each day had brought up a lot of happy memories from eras (60s, 70s, 80s!) that haven't really featured all that much on my pages and that I've wanted to capture.

January "Resolve" kit - layout #4

A layout featuring a photo from my 18th birthday which seems a lifetime ago (well, I suppose it is!) made for the prompt "Who Am I Now?". A bit introspective to cover up the fact that I have serous hair envy - can one actually be envious of one's previous self? Hard to imagine that just 6 months later I chopped it all off to my shoulders when I went off to France. What was I thinking!?

I think that the only thing I added in for this was the fabric brad and the twine but I add twine onto almost every layout so it's a bit of a staple product that I don't put separately in my kits.

More soon...

Re-living the 80s

Breaking into my February Counterfeit Kit Challenge "Record" kit made me smile. I had a lot to say for the layout I created to the LOAD prompt "Home Sweet Home" and I knew that my products would be great with its focus on story. This lined background paper from BasicGrey is perfect for this and now I need to run out and get another half dozen sheets.

I used a complete 6x6 sheet from my super cute Crate Paper pad that Helen sent me in our Christmas embellie exchange and it was perfect to mirror the pretty flowered wall paper that I used to have in my teenage bedroom which turned. After that, I didn't think it needed much as this was one was all about the journalling. Just a bit about what made up my room and why it was so cool!

I was in love with this room once I had completely grunged it up with all those posters on the walls. My friends and I shared a lot of teenage angst and a whole lot of fun in there and it was nice to look back and remember.

February Record kit layout #1

When's the last time you walked down memory lane while looking through photos from all those years ago? I can totally recommend it. I'm loving making these layouts this month.

Things I Loved... January

I'm not keen on January. It's long, cold, dark, unexciting and all the fun of Christmas is long behind us - or at least this is how it feels.

We had mild, windy but horribly wet weather this year which certainly didn't help but looking back at my photos, I can see that it isn't all bad and that is one of the reasons I love doing this month in review as inspired by Deb. It shows us the good side of life even if you memory plays tricks with you!

The New Year started off quiet with just the two of us having a cosy evening together until the clock struck 12 when all around our neighbourhood, the fireworks started and went on for almost an hour. I'm terrible at taking these photos and should really prepare a bit more to get better shots.

Pigs are the symbol of good luck at New Year in Germany so there were marzipan ones and the cutest little New Year card from a neighbour to go with the lucky 4 leaf clover that I received as a surprise present. I have high hopes for the good luck that these two items will give me this year!

We kicked off the year in style, if not in a healthy way, with my all time favourite breakfast - french toast with maple syrup and bacon. Mmmmm. Starting off the year how I intend to go on. At least once a week, I try to do a proper cooked breakfast to kick-start the day (and pile on the calories!)

One of the last photos of our pink tree. I left the exposure long (I think) to get this starburst effect on the lights. I was sad but ready when we took it down and packed away all those pretties until next year.

My one little word was hanging around with a few others on stickies on my computer for a few days until "the one" jumped out at me and made its presence known. It's a good word and I have high intentions. :-) A bit of positive proactive decision making is on the cards. And a wonderful pinterest find sent to me by Pam to help that word settle into my life. I've now printed this out in small and have it in my wallet as a constant reminder.

Counterfeiting with glitter for challenges gets me out of my rut and trying new things which is all good fun.

After not managing to make Christmas Plätzchen, I finally got around to an afternoon's baking and thrilled a certain chocolate-loving someone round here with his favourite chocolate hazelnut cookies.

At the end of the month, our granny celebrated her 90th (!!) birthday in style with a party with ALL her children (3), grandchildren (11) and great-grandchildren (7)! What an achievement. This adorable cake was made for her by my very good school friend, Geraldine, who just happens to be an über-talented cake designer. We were all knocked out by how she got my gran and her sofa down to a t, right down to cute Fergus and it was wonderful to see my gran surrounded by family, celebrating this amazing milestone.

These days, no trip back to the UK is complete without a mini photo session with the Chance monsters who are getting more adorable and gorgeous every time I go back. This time was no exception. They like to tease me with the fact that I'm the ONLY one in the family (well, except for my dad) who can't roll their tongue! I have dozens of such taunting photos which seriously need to be turned into a page about this subject sooner rather than later!

Maybe not the most exciting month of the year, but a good one and a nice way to start the year.

Wednesday Jingling

I really wanted to catch up with the Jingle Belles challenge this week as I mentioned in yesterday's blog post (here) and am thrilled to have managed it this evening.

This week's challenge (a banner holiday) is to use the gorgeous Jingle Belles blog banner as inspiration for our cards.

Today I decided to go with a bright red base along with a touch of mint green and cream and a touch of retro. These wonderful Cosmo papers, which were a sweet pressie from Libby, are perfect for this.

Again, while I had the papers out, I ran off two so I'm even ahead of the game now! 9 cards already! Go me!

Making time for Christmas cards

I'm still trying to get back into a regular rhythm for the Jingle Belles challenges and I missed a week last week. Ok, so I'm a bit busy with LOAD some of which I'm hoping to share with you soon, but it really doesn't take so much time to run off a card. I just need to get back to seeing Tuesday evening as my Jingle Belles evening and get with it :-)

Anyway, even though I missed last week, their prompts are good for two weeks this year so I still had time to join in on prompt #3 "A Banner Holiday" which is to take inspiration from the Jingle Belles blog banner. It's been updated for the new year and is totally retro-gorgeous!

I spent some time thinking what I could take from this - colour, font, design, any of the elements - and then when I opened my Christmas drawer the first thing I saw was some Sassafras Life At The Pole papers and the colours just reminded me of the blog banner - a sort of minty green and a creamy background. So I went with that. And I decided to get a banner on the card (although that turned out a bit dodgy if you ask me!). In the end, I ran off two cards while I had all the papers out which means that if my plan of making another one tomorrow doesn't happen, then at least that is two cards for the two weeks which is my minimum goal.

Like I said, I'd like to find the time tomorrow to make another one or two from this prompt but we'll have to see if I can fit it in! The banner really is so lovely that I'm sure I can come up with something better than this!

7 down 53 to go to hit my goal!

The February Counterfeit Kit Challenge Kit Reveal Blog Hop

Hi and welcome to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit reveal blog hop!

It's lovely to see you here for our  hop - right here at the beginning of the month  - so that we can show you the kits we've created from the Scrapbook Circle inspiration kits chosen by CKC for this romantic month of February. 

If you've just arrived here, you might want to think about starting at the beginning of the hop either by going back to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge site or by dropping in at this month's wonderful Guest Designer, Brenda Smith at The Imperfect Scrapper. And if you've come via the talented Julie Ann, then you are on the right track. :-) 

We were given two kits to choose from this month, a Valentine themed "You + Me" (here) and a December kit "Note to Self" which rather caught my attention. 

"You + Me"

"Note To Self"

I loved the overall feel of the kit with the strong colours and the focus on journalling with themed papers and plenty of journalling cards. While mine hasn't got quite the same colour tone, I went with something quite strong and most definitely NOT Valentine for my kit which I've called "Record". 

I added it lots of bright papers and intend to add in some printed journalling spots - just need to get around to going through my pins over at Pinterest to pick out half a dozen or so to print and add in. I kept away from the more yellow tones of the original kit as I've been working so much with yellow recently, so it will be interesting to see how easy I find it to work with what I have picked out.  (Again, if anyone is interested to know exactly what's in the kit, let me know in the comments and I'll post the list.)

There's quite a lot of older stash in here as well as some items and some of my precious exhange items that I received from the wonderful Helen. I'm excited to get going with it :-)

And you might wonder why I didn't go for the Valentine themed "You + Me" and all I can say is that there might be something else to share later in the month *wink, wink*!

I hope you feel as inspired as I do to get going with your own inspiration kit. Leave me a comment to let me know you were here! I love to hear from you.

Next stop on the blog is the talented Margie (here) and if you'd like the full list of participants, you can find it below. 

Have fun hopping and see you over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog!

Guest Designer: Brenda Smith  http://theimperfectscrapper.blogspot.com/

Crystal  http://crystalscraftycreations.blogspot.com/ 

Glinda  http://razzledscrapper.blogspot.com/

Helen  http://craftimperfect.blogspot.com/

Jemma http://just-jimjams.blogspot.com/

Jen  http://mypair-a-dice.blogspot.com/

Julie Ann  http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com/

Lisa  http://lisahausmann.blogspot.com/   <--- you are here!

Margie   http://scrappinmargie.blogspot.com/   <--- your next stop!

Milissa  http://millermall.blogspot.com/

Rebecca  http://howiburb.blogspot.com/

Susanne  http://www.snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com/

Bethany  http://inspiredscrapper-bethany.blogspot.com/

Meridy  http://www.meridy77.blogspot.com/

Sprinkling the confetti love

I have to say that I have loved all three of this month's Counterfeit Kit Challenge mini challenges. To recap, we had resolutions {here}, then there was glitter {here} and now we have confetti!

To begin with, I was unsure about what to do. Should I use foil table confetti (of which I have bags and bags and bags) or something a bit different? I've seen quite a few ideas online recently but didn't want to copy anything directly and in the end just went with what I thought would be pretty although it has been inspired by online finds.

One of my favourite border punches is my Martha Stewart heart punch and since the summer, I have also tried to use the tiny hearts that are punched out. They really are tiny and fiddly to ink and glue but it never takes as long as I think it's going to and adds such a pretty touch. I've used them scattered on a minibook and a romantic layout and decided to do something similar turning into a confetti feature.

I started off punches lots of border lengths and then carefully picked the hearts out. At first I put them into a clear mini plastic envelope I've had since way back when but it didn't really fit the style I was looking for so I made a small envelope from vellum and added most of the tiny hearts in there. I secured the envelope with a pin but I don't think those hearts are going anywhere!

Then I painstakingly inked the rest and popped them into my mini Xyron so that they could be more easily attached. I'd already made up the page and decided to splat some Glimmer Mists (granite and apple) across the empty corner. Then came some glue splats covered with glitter just to add another element and also to try this technique that I've seen a couple of times online recently. The hearts were then sprinkled over this area. Pretty pretty pretty!

Yes, the facial expressions are often a bit funny for these self-portraits! Especially as I don't know what faces are being made behind my back so to speak! But I try to use every photo I can - funny faces and all.

I'll definitely be adding glitter splats to my layouts again in the future - I love this look ;-)

Everything is from my Resolve kit except the vellum, the pins and that tiny BG alphabet. I've now added this alpha to my kit as it seemed perfect.

I've now made three layouts from my kit and think there must be at least another three layouts to be made. I will be aiming to finish off this and other kits during LOAD starting February 1st - the kits are the best help when making daily layouts :-)

Pre-LOAD212 Blog Hop

Welcome to the LOAD 212 Blog Hop!

I'm so thrilled to see you here, whether you are a fellow LOADster or one of my regular blog friends. Please DO leave me a comment to let me know you were here.

If you've arrived here from Jennifer, then you are on the right track and if you've come here directly, you might want to go back to the beginning and drop in on Margie where the hop fun starts. You are bound to pick up a whole LOAD of tips and tricks if you check us all out :-) (pun intended!)

Anyway, it's almost February which means that LOAD 212 is just hours away and this blog hop is not only to get my brain into gear and prepared to start but also to help some of the newbies get to know what to expect. The first time can be a little overwhelming but we are here to help! Many of us have done this several times and it IS possible, as crazy as it sounds. And it's the most fun you'll have scrapping, that's for sure!

February 2011's LOAD wrap up page

So, today I'd again like to repeat, cut and paste and generally offer some of the advice and suggestions I've put forward before for making a layout every single day for a month. I've taken my posts from earlier and updated them a bit it so hopefully there is something for everyone even if you think it looks familiar!  I've added in some of my wrap up pages and the beautifully indulgent piles of completed layouts at the end of each LOAD - if those piles don't get you motivated, I don't know what will ;-)

For those of you who are new to the idea of LOAD, it can be done. Many of us have several LOADs under our belt with 100% layout completion! And boy, do we feel good at the end of the month.

But at the same time, it's not essential to commit to a layout a day - some members just join in the fun when they can and find that they get a lot more done than they normally would and that makes them feel good too. 

The key is to do what you can. And my number one tip is to keep it fun. 

As soon as it's just a slog, that might be a sign to give it a break and maybe try something non-scrappy for a day or two. Life gets in the way - we all understand! Kids need feeding and houses need to be kept, oh and there's that little thing called a job! Life is busy for us all so do what you can and enjoy it.

May 2011 wrap up page

Saying that, I've continued to have fun now for 8 LOADs (which includes two informal LOADs) and have completed more than 250 layouts just in those months. Again, that makes me very happy! I managed FOUR months of daily layouts in 2011 if you can believe it and I'm raring to go again this time around. Even when it feels like it's taking too much time, or I feel a bit uninspired at the start of the day, I always feel good when I've taken the time to create and have uploaded my finished page to Flickr and have taken the time to see what my fellow LOADsters have created! And I feel even better when I look at my pile of creations.

My July 2011 wrap up page

** Even if you are not participating in LOAD, I am sure you can find something here that might help you speed up your process or even something to inspire you to join in next time. I use these techniques pretty much every time I create. I am a very slow scrapper but I still manage to make dozens of pages most months. **

February's LOAD. I really got into my stride this time around and February is a great time of the year to do LOAD - really gets those creative juices flowing.

May was a mixed month with lots and lots of colour and dimension and distressing. 

Informal LOAD in July (the one I did with Pam!) Such a bright month - I think I was influenced by Pam's colourful scrapping and her happy personality.

Informal LOAD in October 2011 - so much dimension here!

This is a list you may have seen before but I'm posting it again as it really is the way I approach most of my scrapping. I've edited it a little to keep it updated and have changed the order to reflect the steps that we might have to go through to get our layouts done. Let me know if that makes sense :-)

1. Clear space:I tidy up my scrapping space after each project. Completely. And for those of you who know me, you'll appreciate this is difficult and unnatural for me. I'm naturally an untidy person! But I put every scrap, pen, glue stick, ruler or ink-pad etc back where they belong - even if I take it back out again after 2 minutes. Clear space = clear mind. Now, if I could only apply that to the rest of my life...  
2. Use that stash: I see this as an opportunity to use up papers and products that have been lying around a long time but that I still love. This is not the time to be precious. I will not be buying any new stash at all for this month but I have several partially used up Counterfeit Kits from August through to January and there will be my February kit, as well as a page kit I've committed to create, to use. Making up your own kits (CKC is a wonderful resource for this) can make your own products feel like new as you combine them in new ways. Make sure you can see the products that are inspiring you at the moment or that you want to use up - if you have them in view, they are more likely to be used up. And think about the excuse you will have to go out and stock up again when you have finished as you will have used up SO much of your stock!
3. Preparation: Each day I think about what I might scrap. What picture I might use. What I have to say that day. If I have a bit of free time (I travel on public transport and so have a lot of time to kill!), I might even write my journalling out to a story that has come to mind. And I have a pile of photos - good, bad and a lot in between - on my table, and my storage binders to hand. Often, I just have a bit of a rummage, see what catches my eye and am off. This month, Lain has created prompts for us to mine our own stories from the past and I'm excited to see how that works for me. I have a lot of older photos and it would be lovely to remember some stories to go with them. In the past, I've checked out the prompt early in the day and let it stew in my mind until the evening when I will decide if I'm following it or not. I more than not follow the prompt but really, I'm not going to let that stop me if I have a brainwave of another idea. If the prompt doesn't resonate with me, I will either just store the idea for another day or ignore it and do my own thing. I have to say though, that even if the prompt hasn't jumped out at me at first, I will often find that the layout I've made using it is one that I love. 
4. Sketches/Pinterest/Favourites: I have Page Maps 1 & 2 books and I love them. I use them all the time. There are a million and one sources online for sketches including Page Maps itself where you can find all the archives as well as the new month, or another great site is Sketch Support, which also breaks their sketches down into one or two pagers. Pinterest is fabulous as long as it doesn't turn into a time sucker. I have a board just for pages and I have found myself turning to that over and over again in recent months. I've tried out lots of new techniques and styles from this board so I know that I can find inspiration in there. And of course, my Flickr favourites is full to overflowing with favourite layouts and creations from previous LOADs. So so so many beautiful layouts that can give me the inspiration I'm looking for.
5. Glue & Go: I learned this on my Heidi Swapp class in 2007. Yes, I move things around a bit before I decide on position, but I'm talking 2 or 3 minutes, not all evening. (If that's not working, try walking away for ten minutes then come back and go for it.) Then, it's Glue & Go. And live with the result. And love the result!
6. Handwritten journalling: In the past, I've hand-written almost all my journalling when time is short. No, I don't particularly like my handwriting. But it's mine and there's not a lot to be done. Hand-writing is quick, easy and I don't need 16 attempts at getting it just so. If the hand-writing goes a bit skew-whiff, I accept it. It's typical Lisa to have a few mistakes in there after all. Saying that, I love strip journalling and with practice this can be done quickly and easily on the computer. But I'm not hooked on only having printed journalling. It's probably a 60% hand written ratio for me.
7. Quick techniques: I try to return techniques such as border punches, inking the edges,  distressing or clustering which give good results with minimum effort and time. Although I might do a bit of stamping you won't find a lot of that on my pages - it's too hit and miss, and very time-consuming for me. Not to mention the fact that the ink ends up in places it really doesn't belong... several ruined tops later...
8. Perfection is over-rated: I'm not the first to state this (Lain reminds us again and again), but it's so true. If you are doing work for a design team or a magazine, then it might be appropriate to get things just right - I check spelling, straighten things up, write and rewrite my journalling until it's just so. But the layouts for LOAD or in fact, just for me? They very often contain a mistake or ten! Over inked? Not quite straight? Colours not perfectly matched? Glue showing? Embellies not optimally placed? No problem, move on!
9. Be part of the LOAD community: The community in our LOAD Flickr group is wonderful. I make sure I make the most of it. I spend (way too much) time in the gallery getting inspired and commenting on layouts. I know how thrilled I am when I get supportive positive feedback on my uploads and so I try to pass on the love. Even if you just look at the last 5 or 10 uploads before yours in the gallery you'll be amazed at the talent and creativity out there. I make sure that I "favourite" those that I really love and am inspired by so that I can go back to them again and again. Scraplifting is the highest form of flattery after all! And the message board is great too. I go in and read the latest and use it for tips and tricks or generally connecting with my fellow LOADsters. It's a great resource.  I've made some wonderful scrapping friends over the last year through LOAD and this is really special.
10. Have FUN: Possibly the most important thing that I remind myself is to have fun. I'm supposed to be enjoying myself. No pressure. This is a hobby and nothing to be taken too seriously. Life gets in the way sometimes and if that happens, then I will not stress about it, I will just do what I can. I make sure I'm enjoying the process. I might experiment. I mix it up. I will use different products, different photos, different colours. More or less journalling. 4x6 photos one day and then chopped up or tiny photos the next. This way, I don't feel like I'm slogging through something. Now that might work for you - the target of a completed themed album for example - but I save those kind of projects for when I'm not under time pressure. I like to play and do different things every day. I'll be telling stories, using up product, preserving memories, remembering happy times. And that IS fun!

From back in May 2010

And finally to share with you today, my final page for LOAD October 2010

So, take a deep breath, clear off your scrap space, print off your photos, stock up on your adhesives, collect your supplies so that they are near to hand and enjoy the ride! 

The next stop for you will be Monica at her blog Scrap Inspired and the whole list of bloghop participants is...

Margie 

Kelli 

Jennifer 

Lisa       <---- You are here

Monica       <---- Your next stop

Kimberly 

Eileen 

Danielle 

Pam 

Katrina 

Cate 

Gayle 

Heather 

Gina 

Kristie 

Janet 

Have fun and thanks so much for dropping by - make sure you let me know you were here!