Ms Pacman

The wonderful Doris came up with a new stash busting game called Ms Pacman. The details/rules are over at the JBS Mercantile forum here. i thrive on these kinds of challenges because they keep me focused. No indecisiveness about which product to use mid way through a project, because it's not allowed! It pushes me to look creatively at the supplies i do have and figure out ways to make them work for me. i really love seeing how i can get different projects from the same collection of product. Here's my Ms Pacman Kit:

Supplies: Paper: Studio Calico, MME, Pebbles inc, Fabric Swatches: Ormolu, Brads: Jenni Bowlin, Washi Tape: Masking Tape, Border Stickers: Basic Grey, Other: Twine, Buttons

Doris challenged us to create a layout and two cards but i ended up doing two layouts and one card. Rules are meant to be broken, right? Here's the first layout i did:

Although i like the finished layout, i'm not happy that your eye isn't immediately drawn to the photograph. The designs of the papers are too busy and the hand cutting i did is distracting. But i can live with it. i still have lots of photos left to complete the telling of this story so i'll add them into my album in divided page protector right next to this layout.

i am not the greatest artist with my craft knife, i am not a very precise scrapper and eyeball everything. But i can mange fairly straight cuts if they're small enough and i like to add interest to my patterned paper with this technique sometimes.  The graph design from Studio Calico is one of my all time favourites and i grab it in every colour they release. i barely have any of this navy left so i wanted to do something different with it. As triangles are so on trend right now and work well with this pattern that's what i went with. i also like that the sharpness of the angles supports my theme of the page (crocodiles).  i left a couple of the triangles blank so you could see the kraft cardstock and backed some with different papers. They really stand out against the navy. i'd like it if the triangle trend stuck around for a while yet. What do you think the next 'trend' will be, maybe diamonds?

Let me talk you through some of the 'techniques' i used on my pages.

i'm not sure if we were allowed to use punches or not for this challenge, but the yellow paper from Pebbles inc that i had included in  my kit already had lot of starbursts punched out of it from a previous project (in this post). So i decide to try & work that into my design. It seemed natural to house buttons and brads in the negative space. i really love how the brads are bumpy like a crocodile!

One of the things we had to include in the kit was 1 yard of trim, but only 11 inches of any one trim. i'm not sure if twine really counts as trim, but we'll go with it as it's one of my all time favourite items. Something i often like to do is add twine along the top of my page. But as we were only allowed 11 inches of any one trim it wouldn't stretch far enough! uh oh! i ended up tying two ends of  different coloured twine together to get around that. i really like the effect and will be doing this again for sure.

The Heidi Swapp Chipboard letters i picked out were glossy so i wasn't sure how it would take to mist or other mediums. i always experiment with the numbers that come in these types of packs as i hardly ever use them anyway. i tried spraying mist on one to see how it would take. As i was expecting, not very well. But i dabbed it with kitchen roll and found that some of it did get absorbed into the edge of the chipboard number, so some of the white still showed through, giving a kind of mottled effect. i quite liked the distressed look so i ended up using this technique on both of my layouts.

Here's layout number two:

The 'it's a fact' banner on this page is actually from the back of the packaging of my Ormolu fabric swatches. When i received my package from Ormolu i tweeted about my delight at the packaging and that it would be working it's way into one of my projects. Kaitlin told me that they had recently redesigned the packaging with that in mind! So very cool. i am a huge fan of their products and it's a real added bonus that they are earth friendly too! i added a little bit of stamping to one of my swatches using StayzOn and i was really please with how it took, no bleeding at all. Although my stamp wasn't in my original kit, i think i can get away with it under the 'unlimited techniques rule' ;)

There's no reason why you can't use washi tape just like patterned paper. On this page i cut it into short strips and stuck it right down. i also cut up one of the border stickers into three to create a repetitive design.

i also got to work on this green herringbone paper from Studio Calico, and made lots of random cuts. i didn't back it with patterned paper as it would have been too busy, but i think it does add some interest to the page.

 i stuck with triangles for my card. i'm hoping i can get a way with using stamps again!

i didn't even end up using the diagonal striped paper from MME, so that's still waiting to be used on another project. But other then that i don't have much else left from my kit left. i'm hoping Doris sets another stash busting challenge soon because it really keeps me motivated!

She's baaaaack!

She Who Must Not Be Named moved out at the end of October to go travelling for 3 months. Honestly i was dreading those three months without her...but i have a wonderful new flatmate, i've kept myself occupied and we managed to keep in touch via e-mail and skype, so i managed not to completely lose the plot without her around. However, i'm thrilled she's back on British turf and am looking forward to having her closer and excited to cause mischief and mayhem together again. Life is so much more fun with my bestie at my side. It did feel like a piece of me was missing with her gone.

Paper: Studio Calico, Crate Paper, Stickers, Chipboard, Buttons: Crate Paper, Tags: Studio Calico, Stamp: MME, Punch: EK Sucess, Other: Tiny Attacher

i've mentioned before that she does not like to have her picture taken and i will probably get in trouble for posting this layout, but i had fun with it and it's not very often i get to scrapbook her, so i'm pushing my luck ;) Lot's of Studio Calico and Crate Paper here and did you notice some stamping again? Really trying to get more use from my stamps & ink & loving it. 

Scrap Rat July Kit!

Just stopping in to let you know that the Scrap Rat July Kit is now available & it is SO pretty! i'm not a designer for this month, we take it in turns so you get double the inspiration! However, i heard the words Studio Calico & Cosmo Cricket and knew i'd need this kit in my hot little hands! So i purchased one. Which means i'll be back later in the month to share what i did with it. But you can check out the DT Gallery to see the other Designer's beautiful work.

The new Scrap Rat Blog also launched today & there's lots of fun stuff planned for it, so make sure you become a follower. If you hop over there now and leave a comment you'll be in with a chance to win an Odds & Ends Collage Kit from Cosmo Cricket (kit subscribers are already automatically entered)!

Happy weekend everyone!

V Festival *Crate June Sketch*

Yesetday i was discussing music festivals with a friend. i didn't go to one last year as i was busy moving in July and this year i have other adventures planned for the summer. But how i wish i could attend one! They really are the most fun. Our conversation inspired me to scrap a picture from the last music festival i attended. i designed this layout using the June Crate Paper Sketch, this one was reeeally fun to play with.

Paper, lace, buttons: Crate Paper. Mist, Alphabet chipboard: Studio Calico, Ink: JBS for Ranger, Other: date stamp.

i think this was my favourite photo from V Festival in 2009, such happy memories. This was my first time using the new chipboard letters from Studio Calico. Usually i find 'self-adhesive' chipboard letters not that adhesive (yes, i'm looking at you AC & MM!). But i was delighted to find that these are super sticky. Yay!

i got my baby back! (and the JBS winner!)

My Canon Baby that is. And technically i didn't get it back, i just bought a second hand one as that was going to work out cheaper then getting mine fixed. Oh how i have missed her so! i'm a happy snapper again :)

Everything Studio Calico except the studs from Basic Grey.

Last month when i was reading Warm Bodies i came across such a wonderful passage that i instantly had to get up and scrapbook! i ended up using a quote from the book for this page: 'you should always be taking pictures, if not with a camera, then with your mind. Memories you capture on purpose are always more vivid then the ones you pick up by accident'. So true, don't you think? A good reminder to stay present and aware. This page uses my favourite papers from Studio Calico evvvvver!

And now for the JBS winner. Thank-you all for you sweet comments, i wish i could send you all some happy mail! i used the random generator to pick a winner:

Congrats! Please e-mail me with your address at alexa underscore gill at yahoo dot co dot uk ! :)

More iNSD Layouts

A couple more layouts to share for challenges over at Studio Calico...

Kit: Joyride - Studio Calico, Paper: MME, Sassafrass, Studio Calico, Ticket: MME, Gems: MME, Wood Veneer Frame & Stars, Rub-ons: Studio Calico, Alpha Stickers: Sassafrass, Sticker: Jillybean Soup, Other: Embroidery Thread, Twine.

This one counts for the challenge to use wood or woodgrain on your pages the one for  hand stitching and the colour challenge!

Paper: American Crafts, Hambly Tape: American Crafts, Rub-on: Embossing Powder: American Crafts, Ink: JBS for Ranger, Versamark, Mist: Maya Road, Stamp: Studio Calico, Chipboard: Maya Road, Alphabet; Cosmo Cricket, Journalling Card: Elle's Studio, Punch: Martha Stewart, Other: Toothpicks, Buttons, Glitter, Twine.

This one covers the challenge for stamping and using tape. i used one of those Maya Road clouds to make a cupcake this time and added a little glitter. And in case you're wondering...Raspberry and White Chocolate is my favourite flavour cupcake! You can always win me over with one of those ;)

A word on banners. i was not a fan of this trend to begin with and was hoping it would pass quickly, but lately i've found myself wanting to add them to my pages and now i kind of like them a lot. The trends usually get me in the end...

Think i'm going to try and fit in a few more challenges before the week is out, i seem to be a lot more productive that way!

Elle's Studio Pages

i have always been a fan of the stuff that Elle comes up with (she is so talented). As you know, i always handwrite my journalling so am often on the look out for places to house it, sometimes stickers and journalling dots can be a pain because my pen won't flow on them properly or the ink gets smudged, but not Elle's stuff! Anyway, i have fallen in LOVE with her latest release, handmade layers. It is the perfect mix of vintage and modern and has such a sweetness about it. And for my UK pals, you'll be pleased to learn that Elle's Shop has low international shipping prices too! Here's a couple of pages i did using the handmade layers collection:

Paper: Crate Paper, Alpha Stickers: Sassafras, Journalling Spots: Elle's Studio, Doilies: Cosmo Cricket, Mist, Stamp: Studio Calico, Ink: JBS for Ranger, StazOn, Other: twine embroidery floss, date stamp. Bottom photo credit: Adam Sayward

In March, i went to stay with a friend in Oxfordshire and we visited Blenheim Palace. We loved it there and had a grand time exploring the grounds and getting lost in the maze! i'd highly recommend it for a day out if you're ever in that area.

Paper: Crate Paper, Alpha Stickers: Sassafras, Buttons: Crate Paper, Journalling Spots: Elle's Studio, Mist, Stamp: Studio Calico, Chipboard: Maya Road, Pearl: Prima Marketing, Punch: Woodware, Embossing Powder: American Crafts  Ink:  JBS for Ranger, StazOn, Versamark, Other: Crochet Doilie, Embroidery Floss, Buttons, Vintage Lace, Beads, Date Stamp. Photo Credit: Steph Bracher.

i have to say, this is the most FUN i've had creating a layout in a long time. Which is saying a lot, because it's always fun. i think because i got a bit techniquey, it felt more like playing. i sprayed the vintage lace with mist to make it that light shade of pink. i use mist in this way so much these days, i wonder how i ever scrapbooked without it. And i enjoyed creating the ice cream cone too. i used a Studio Calico herringbone stamp to make the 'cone' and i double embossed a cloud chipboard piece with Zing! to create the 'ice cream'. Then i just glued some beads on for the 'sprinkles'. i was glad to get a different use out of the cloud chipboard piece. i think i'll be making a cupcake out of one next :) If you have any other ideas on how to use them, please comment and let me know!

Milkshake Monster

Happy Friday everyone!

i've had a relatively quiet week but i did go and see Swan Lake On Ice last night which was pretty awesome. i think ice skating is so beautiful and graceful and the costumes are always so sparkly!

Just wanted to share this layout with you today. You may have noticed of late i've been using a lot more scraps of paper and bits and pieces on my layouts lately and i'm finding this really works for me. And yeah i know chocolate milkshake isn't very healthy, but i love it and nothing will make me give it up! i do limit myself to a bottle a week, it's usually a special treat at weekends. It's even more of a treat to get a nutella milkshake from Shakeaway. Mmmmm...

Papers: Sassafras, Cosmo Cricket, Studio Calico, Stickers: Sassafras, Mist: Studio Calico, Button: from own stash

This was made using the Back 40 kit (which amazingly, is still available!) and Open Pasture add-on from Studio Calico, i'm making an effort to try and use up some of my older kits and this one has been getting a lot of use. i wear navy a lot so the Indie Girl papers from Sassafras work with a lot of my photos. i wish we could get full sheets of just the donut banner sticker from Sassafras as it's always my favourite on the sticker sheet. I already had to order another bottle of the Atmosphere Mr Huey because i'm almost out, i use it all the time! The photo on this layout was taken with the webcam on my laptop and then processed using Poladroid.

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend, thanks for stopping by!

Love for my Mamma

Paper, Stickers, Brown Alpha Stickers: Sassafras Lass, Blue Alpha: Cosmo Cricket, Stamp: Studio Calico, Butterflies: Jenni Bowlin

It's my mamma's birthday today. She's the most amazing mum of all time. i'm sure most people think that, but mine really is. She is so generous and caring and selfless. She has done so much for my sister and i and we love her forever and always.

Halloween is my favourite

i've mentioned before how much i LOVE Halloween. You know how in the The Nightmare Before Christmas the town Mayor starts planning the next Halloween on the 1st of November, and freaks out when they realise Jack has gone missing and is all like 'We've got to find Jack! There's only 365 days left until next Halloween! (364)' well, that's me. At least that's what one of my friends suggested this last December when we were watching it.Yep, i'm a total Halloween nut.

Papers, Stickers: Girls Paperie, Stamp, Mist: Studio Calico, Buttons & thread: own stash

i usually start planning my costume months in advance, sometimes i'll make it myself but last year i found a costume on-line that i loved and had to have. One of the advantages to forward planning is that the costume is much cheaper to buy in August then it is in October! So i don't feel too bad about buying an outfit that i'm probably only going to wear once. What with Halloween not being such a big deal here on our little isle it can be hard to find themed scrapbook supplies. i'm not too into theme scrapping anyhow, and i HATE purple, which most Halloween themed lines incorporate. i generally just try and make do with what i've got in my stash but last year i did manage to get some cuuute SC pumpkin stamps that Laura kindly picked up for me and the yummy papers from Girls Paperie which i've used on the layout above. The other day i was working with some Mix & Mend from Sassafras, designed by the fabulously talented Michelle Clement (who by the way has collaborated on another collection, which i'm soooo excited about!) and i noticed that the colour scheme would probably work for a Halloween page, so i got to work.

Papers, Stickers, Orange Alpha: Sassafras Lass, Green Alpha: Basic Grey, Mist, Stamp: Studio Calico
Photo Credit: AveryFineDesign

The banner stickers that Sassafras started releasing as part of their collections last year are one of my go-to embellishments these days. i love to cut them up and layer them, it's so simple! My favourite part of them are the leftovers though, the bits that weren't necessarily intended for use. And this line with all the stitched details and walnut ink splotches means all the hard work is already done for you, love it!

In other news: Remember that 8 is enough post i did last week? Well i failed to mention that each month you can enter to win a kit from Studio Calico and a gift certificate for Ella Publishing. And on Tuesday i had an e-mail from Angie Lucas to say that i was the January winner!! i am beyond excited!! Check out the lovely things they said about my layouts in this post! If you'd like to enter email entries to submissions@ellapublishing.com, with “Eight is Enough” in the subject line. e-mail pictures of all four of your layouts (each sized to 800 pixels tall maximum), plus a picture of your eight original supplies, and an explanation of how you stretched each layout. What are you waiting for? Good luck! 

8 is enough!

Surprisingly, it is actually more than enough!

If you haven't heard about Ella Publishing then you really must hop over there now, or after you're read this anyway. i totally love their ebooks, they are super stylish, affordable and packed with lovely things by awesome designers. One of my favourite purchases from them was the Eight is Enough ebook, which some of the Studio Calico Designers worked on, and i would highly recommend it. The idea of the book is to choose 8 products and make 4 pages from just those 8 products (but basics like cardstock, pens and trimmers are allowed extras). i decided to take up the challenge. 

These are the products i chose:

Papers: October Afternoon & Studio Calico (kit exclusive), Stickers: Studio Calico, Ribbon: My Minds Eye, Brads: American Crafts, Buttons: Making Memories, Mist: Tattered Angels.

and the B-sides of the papers look like this:

My approach was to pick my supplies and then chose photos to go with them from the hundreds that i already have printed out. i tried to pick colours that i knew would go with my travel photos as i have an endless supply of them, and i figured i'd find this easier if my photos had a common theme, so i went with the blue/cream papers. i then picked out the red to change things up a bit. i liked that the Dear Lizzy brads also had a pop of yellow in them too. Got to love how most manufacturers produce double sided patterned paper these days. Have you been scrapping long enough to remember the days when patterned paper was just that - paper? The thickness of paper and only single sided, say WHAT?! How times have changed. My favourite paper, which i could easily have used on every page was the graph paper from Studio Calico. It came in the Granny's Cupboard, but luckily for me it also appears in their Documentary collection on the B-side of Window Seat. i've already bought quite a few extra sheets of that, it's so usable. Originally i had picked out some cream alphabet stickers and i was planning to change the colour of them with the mist if i wanted to, but i went for the Studio Calico Anthology stickers instead, two different font options and plenty of stickers. i did a title on each page and i never ran out of any of the letters, although i did have to improvise a little bit towards the end :)

In all honesty i didn't think i would find this challenge all that hard because i am not much of an embellishment girl, i love my buttons, brads and ribbons but i can leave all the other pretty things if i need to. And i did find it easy to work with just those 8 products, in fact i didn't even end up using the mist at all on my first 4 pages, so really this post should be title 7 is enough! But i was really surprised at just how far i could stretch my patterned paper and how few embellishments i ended up using. i always knew i had a simple style but i don't think i realised just how simple. So i had a little look through my albums and my favourite pages design wise, the ones i was instantly drawn to, are definitely the uncluttered ones with lots of white space. And don't get me wrong, if you are a scrapper that uses lots of embellies & layers then power to you, i just can't seem to pull it off. The pretty paper and bits are fun to play with, and i DO love the creative process, but when i look over my pages it's the photos + journalling = memories which mean the most to me. So from now on i'm going to try and focus on a more simple approach (although this won't help in my never ending quest to dwindle my supplies!). 

Here's the first page i did:

i kind of scraplifited myself for this one based on the page i did here, but flipped it. i sometimes like to play with angles when i'm shooting photos but it can make scrapping them a bit tricky, so i just opt to scrap at an angle too. 

Page 2. 

The 'freebies' like cardstock came in handy, because it meant i could introduce a whole other colour without using any of my eight supplies. Sneaky! i cut out the patterned paper behind the photo to stretch the paper that bit further. i really like the ribbon on ribbon here. This picture was taken at Lake McKenzie on Fraser Island in Australia. 

Page number 3. 

This is where things started to go a bit pear shaped. i actually redid this page. Not entirely, but where the map paper is now on either side of the photo, i originally had crammed in loads of buttons in an attempt to try and use them all up.

It was just too much, so i cut the layout to pieces, re-jigged and reassembled with the patterned paper in place of the buttons. i also moved the journalling because i wasn't happy with where it was. i am not usually one for re-doing layouts, i'm normally a 'it's done, move on and stop fretting' kind of girl. i can't think of a time where i've done it before, but i was not happy with the way it looked, it was bugging me so i had to change it. i'm happy with how it turned out in the end and i'm glad i re-did it.


Page 4.

i knew some of my Tokyo pictures would go well with the red October Afternoon paper,  and i used the quote paper on the reverse to mat the photo and i also cut it so that i'd preserve the 'sweet memories' quote. 

At the point where i'd done 4 pages i still had lots of paper scraps left + a whole load of buttons, brads and a few bits of ribbon. i didn't want to put the scraps back into my stash so i just carried on making more pages.These pages actually came together the quickest, i think i am more productive when i have less product to work with!

Page 5.

i was annoyed at myself for not using the mist so far. There's so much you can do with mist, i love to spray it on my background card, have fun masking with it, but it's also great for changing the colour of stuff too. i ended up using a few splotches of it on this page, but not much. It's funny because it seems every page i do at the moment has a load of mist on it, but i obviously wan't feeling it for these pages. i tend to have 2 styles of pages, the simple linear/graphic style and the artsy/messy style with little bits and pieces here and there. i like to flit between the two. That's what i love about scrapbooking, that there are no rules! If i chose to have mist as one of my 8 products again, i'd really challenge myself to use it lots of different ways, i was very lazy with the mist this time around!


Page 6.

Photo Credit: Miss

This page came together easily as it was just a case of messing around with the scraps that i had left. i also used some of the packaging from the MME ribbon in the top right hand corner.

And last, but not least: page 7.

Photo Credit: Miss

i really didn't have much patterned paper left at this point. i originally had this picture on my desk intending to do a page about the gig we were at when it was taken. But the October Afternoon map paper i had left over made me think of our life living in our town within a city, so i decided to scrap about that instead. i used some Co'ordinations Cardstock the wrong side up to add a bit of texture. There is minimal product on this one and it was so quick to make, but it turned out to be one of my favourite layouts of the bunch.


i really loved this challenge, it forced me to look at the supplies in a whole different light. i didn't work on these layouts consecutively, i just worked with this 'kit' when i felt like it. My pages came together quite quickly as i didn't waste time faffing over which products to use, and i am all for that. This would definitely be a great way to go if you are someone who goes to crops. The double sided paper meant i had 6 different patterns to choose from so the layouts didn't all end up looking the same. i'm pleased also that i didn't just end up doing travel layouts so it means these will be spread throughout a few different albums. Anyway, i'm sure no one is ever going to look through them and say 'hey, didn't you already use those papers and stickers on another layout?!'. Heeee! All in all, it was a great exercise to use up some stash, so i think i'll try and do it every month or so. Next time i think i'll pick some embellishments that i'm not so comfortable with and see how i go!

Anyone else given this a go? Link me up if you have, i'd love to see!

ETA: i am thrilled to announce that i'm the January winner for the 8 is enough contest!! Check out the lovely things they said about my layouts in this post! If you'd like to enter email entries to submissions@ellapublishing.com, with “Eight is Enough” in the subject line. e-mail pictures of all four of your layouts (each sized to 800 pixels tall maximum), plus a picture of your eight original supplies, and an explanation of how you stretched each layout. Good luck! 

My Friend Across the Pond

i loved last week's SC Sunday Sketch based on one of Stephanie Howell's layouts.

Sketches are a great starting off point for me. i love the creative process but sometimes it's fun to let go of the pressure of designing and just follow a sketch, it certainly takes me less time to put a page together!

i've had this photo sat on my desk since December (although it was taken in 2007 and yes it's not a particularly flattering one of either of us!), waiting for me to tell the story of Dianne & i's friendship. Then as i was sorting through supplies i came across the Jet Set paper from the SC Documentary line & knew it would be perfect for this page. 

We met on the first day of my round the world trip, in Tokyo. i'd already been out on my own to visit a temple and met a (hot) Aussie guy, who had been very friendly to me. The chap had told me where he was staying and said if i wanted to get something to eat later then to ask for him. However, one of the last things my mum had said to me at the airport before i left was DON'T TRUST ANYONE (i think by this she meant men), and this was still ringing in my ears. So i decided not to go, and headed back to my hostel. Then i sorely regretted not going to meet him because i didn't have anyone to eat dinner with and frankly Japanese blew my mind at that time, i didn't know what any of it was! It was very quiet back at the hostel but Dianne was in my dorm and i got chatting to her so we went out for dinner and that was that. i couldn't have struck it any luckier because Dianne's grandparents live in Tokyo and she can speak Japanese, so she was somewhat of a tour guide for the next few days. i'm sure that i would not have had such a fantastic time there if it wasn't for her, the underground system is terribly confusing, she took me to some pretty cool places i would never have found on my own and steered me away from the oddest foods. So for that i will be eternally grateful for. Not only that, but Dianne has become a wonderful friend. It turned out we had lots in common, we both love photography and have similar taste in books, she is always recommending things to me (i usually have to wait a few months for them to be released here though!) and i in turn tell her about the latest British indie music she needs to check out. She visited me back in 2008, coming in August hoping to catch the British summer, but typically it rained the entire 3 weeks!  Unfortunately i haven't had the pennies to go and visit her in Washington yet, but it's on my 'to-do' list, i would be there tomorrow if i could! We keep in touch over e-mail, facebook and skype (but not as often as we'd like) and we instantly fall back into our friendship, i really feel that i can tell her anything & she always gives me wonderful advice. Plus she sends me the most amazing happy mail, full of scrapbooking stash and  Reeces pieces! My heart is full of love for this girl! It's about time she was scrapbooked. 

In other news i went to see The King's Speech last week. i go to the cinema a fair bit, but rarely mention it here. i urge you to go see this movie! It is hugely entertaining, sad and funny. Colin Firth's performance is outstanding and he deserves all the awards he's been nominated for! i LOVE awards season!

My camera broke (insert big sad face)! It needs a new circuit and will cost about £150 to fix!! i think it will be cheaper to try and get a second hand body instead, so i'm keeping my eye out. i'm feeling very lost without it! Luckily, my flatmate has a camera that she never uses so i'm borrowing that for now. Don't think i'm going to have many pictures for my Document 2011 project for January though!

Also, i am very confused about all this Zodiac nonsense, apparently i'm an Ophiuchus now, what?!? i have a phobia of snakes, so this can't be true!

i love to hear your stories

Another page made with the SC Metropolitan kit, the colours in it are amazing, i think this is my favourite kit since Granny's Cupboard and i am kicking myself for not picking up extra SC paper, i am in love with the Sassafras exclusives, and i've nearly used up all the entwined blooms too!

i was inspired to make this before Christmas after spending the afternoon with my Nan, but the only photo i could find of us together is from 2008 (check out the blonde hair!). i really enjoy spending time with her, she makes me laugh so much! She entertains me with stories about my mum & her siblings when they were growing up, about the early days when her & granddad started going out, and about growing up in the war as the oldest of 10 kids! She has lived a rich life & i love to hear about it & i know she will not be around forever to tell me stories, so the time i do get to spend with her is cherished.

Projects for 2011 + My OLW

First off, Happy New Year! (yeah, i know i'm a week late). i hope you and yours are healthy and happy in 2011, that's certainly what i'm hoping for myself this year.

i am not one to make New Years resolutions. My philosophy is, if you want to change something, start now. But i am a lover of making goals, for instance i have my 30 things before 30 to work on. i have also put together a list of things i'd like to do locally this year and there are a few projects i want to work on in 2011.

Last year i did so many fun things but i hardly documented any of them! This was mostly because i didn't print any photos in the latter half of the year. i'm kind of mad at myself about this. i also wasn't the best at taking pictures in oh-ten, i was trying to live more 'in the moment' but honestly i missed taking photos and having them to scrapbook. Also, my printer/scanner hasn't been working for the last 6 months which was problematic and meant that i couldn't scan in my pages.

This week i did a huge order at photobox (they had free delivery and a half price offer on 5x5 & 5x7 prints). i loathe uploading and ordering photos, it's so time consuming (which is why i put it off for 7 months) but nothing inspires me more then a new stack of photos. And i ordered an all in one wireless printer. i'm so excited about this! i'm really hoping it's going to motivate me to scrapbook more because i'll be able to print the occasional photos at home, which i think will make a huge difference. i'll be able to scrap memories nearer to the time when i've made them or as the inspiration strikes for a page, go take a picture and be able to scrap it straight away!

It should also help me with Ali's One Little Word class that i'm taking at Big Picture. You can read all about Ali's One Little Word project here if you're not already aware of it. The last time i chose a word was in 2007. That word was Adventure. It helped me keep focus and i really did do a lot of adventuring that year! It encouraged me be more open to new experiences and people and it was a fantastic year.

Note to self: Make more space for word stickers in your life.

This year my chosen word in Magic. i recently asked a friend if he believed in magic. 'Magic is a gimmick' he replied, he believed in the concept of magic but realised the practicality behind it. 'i believe in magic' i said, 'it's otherwise know as love'. 'Love is a feeling or emotion, whereas magic isn't' he said. My response to this was: 'Love is much more than just a feeling or emotion. And magic is greater then trickery.' This i truly believe.

To me, magic and love go hand in hand. Love is the whole purpose of life, love IS pure magic. The connections we make with other people, that's magic. Magic is the feeling that anything could happen. Magic is excitement, possibilities, fun, adventures, happiness, the feeling of being alive, you can find magic in most things if you look hard enough. That's what i want more of in my life, i want to sparkle again. i have some fun things planned for 2011 but i really want to open my eyes to the magic of the every day. i did not love 2010 and i really want to love 2011 with all my heart, so i'm going to have to focus on making it a magical year.

The ticket/washi tape/button embellie combo in the top right hand corner of the photo was lifted from this layout of Kimberly Neddo's.

i believe in the power of words. i have certain words tattooed on my body which have great meaning to me. i have them posted around my bedroom. i constantly write quotes down and lists and goals. i read and absorb. Words have an effect on me, they inspire. i'm looking forward to inviting more Magic into my life in 2011 and the OLW class is one way of being more aware of it and documenting my journey along the way.

i'm also planning on doing a Document 2011 project, summarising each month of the year. Which will hopefully make me take more pictures and actually print them. i wasn't aware of Shimelle's Document 2010 project until a few months into the year, so i didn't partake but it's something i want to embrace in 2011. i'm super inspired by Laura's post here showing all her Document 2010 pages.

Another challenge i've set myself is to aim to read at least 26 books this year, because i haven't been making enough time to read and it's something i really enjoy. At first i thought about trying to read 52 books in a year, but there's no way i'd be able to read a book a week, so i decided to set my goal a bit lower and try for half as many, a book a fortnight is much more achievable for me. And i took the time to sign up for goodreads last night too as i've been meaning to do that for about a year (procrastinator, much!).

So, what are your plans for the new year, any projects under way? i'd love to hear about them!

SC Sunday Sketch

Just stopping in to share a page i made using this week's sketch from Studio Calico.

It's been a while since i used a sketch and i'd forgotten what a great jumping off point they are. i had so many ideas for this one but i knew that paper from Basic Grey would go perfectly with these pictures. And i'm in love with that graph stamp.

Mi-Pod & a Pencil Lines Sketch

Adam has been one of my dearest friends for over 5 years now and as long as i have know him there has been one constant passion in his life: Music. i will often get a phone call or text telling me about the latest act that he has discovered and he will implore me to listen to them. He loves the divas of the world, the Beyonce's and the Gaga's, but he has a broad taste that includes most chart music. He always knows about the latest and greatest and if you want to be in the know too then he has started his own blog.

Here's a page i did this past weekend about our friendship, in fact i finished the sewing while i was on the phone to him yesterday. It's based on Pencil Lines sketch 103. Pencil Lines just celebrated their 4th birthday last week! i've been following the blog since the start and they've gone from strength to strength and you can never fail to find inspiration there each week. As part of the birthday celebrations each DT member picked a sketch from the past and i decided to play along with 103. Be sure to check out the blog! i used bits from the October Studio Calico kits and threw in some October Afternoon stickers. 

i had a very busy week last week seeing Marina & the Diamonds (she was fab!) Darwin Deez (who did some amazing dance skits, i think this was my favourite gig of the year! It was magical.) and the Social Network (seriously worth a watch). i also took a little day trip up to London on Saturday to hang out with family in Portobello Market. i'm planning on taking things a little easier this week and making decorations for our Halloween Party next weekend.  

Scrapbook Share on Sunday Returns!

Yay! We finally have internet. i am soooo happy. i can get back to regular blogging now. Tomorrow i get my desk for the craft corner/scrap space too. i am so excited to finally get that little area sorted out, it's the last thing to do. i've been pretty busy this weekend spending time with family and getting out and about around town. i'm so in love with the weather we're having at the moment, it's gloriously sunny but living on the coast means we get a breeze too so it's the perfect temperature. Happy summery days!

A few months ago i won a 'Golden Ticket' to see a sound check & an acoustic pre-gig gig with Biffy Clyro (one of my all time favourite rock bands). i thought i had blogged about it but i couldn't find the post, although i can't imagine that i wouldn't have mentioned it seeing as it was one of the highlights of the year! We also got to meet the band very briefly and they were very gracious indeed. So i scrapped a few of the photos, taken on my iPhone because most venues won't allow SLR's.

 This is an old page, because i am rubbish at sharing. i used the Quilting Bee Studio Calico kit. i'm so glad i bought extra SC paper that month as that English Tea paper is a firm favourite of mine and i wish i had more of that Sassafrass paper too, it's probably the loveliest Sass paper ever! You don't need much embellishment with such pretty paper.

Here's some close ups of the ribbon embellishment i made.

i'm so happy the internet got installed in time for all the CHA gossip and sneaks, i think it's going to be a fun week!