4 on Friday

Last week Alexa very kindly posted a PDF and gave details all about her 4 on Friday idea..........the idea? Well, to use the same basic template to create a layout and thereby reduce the 'thinking' time and letting you get on with the creating bit.

If you know Alexa you'll know her normal scrapping style, it's very simple but very stylish. So in honour of 4 on Friday's inaugural week I thought I'd try 'simple'. What do you think? It's the first time I've printed my title directly onto the background cardstock, very radical for me. I'm always in awe of Alexa's skills and how she manages to combine digital and traditional elements so successfully. I'm hoping to pick up some tips :) After making my photo into a pop art poster I mounted it onto some cardstock and then I ............well that was it really other than the addition of the multi coloured gems under my title.

I like how my layout turned out and I think it was made easier by the fact that I used the 4 photos and also meant I didn't have any journalling to include. The conclusion, whilst I enjoyed creating this layout I don't think I'm made to scrap 'simple'. I don't think I'm precise enough or maybe it's because I want to be too precise - this layout had me measuring to the millimetre! Or maybe my usual style enables me to cover my mistakes easier.....mmmmmm. Something I do know is that I'm going to enjoy using 4 on Friday to try new ideas and you never know I may even give 'simple' another try.

Why don't you pay Alexa a visit at http://simplyalexa.typepad.com/trimmingthesails/2010/07/four-on-friday-1.html and create your own 4 on Friday layout I know she'd love to see it.

Daisy, Daisy.......

I'm just in time to post my card for this month's challenge at Squiggle Stamps which was to include scallops, stitches and swirls. I have some scalloped paper trim, a handstitched a swirl or two and sitting on my card is Daisy available as a digital image from Squiggle Stamps. She has featured on quite a few birthday cards I've made this month and I'm sure she'll be appearing on many more. As it's nearly the end of the month you know what that means? Yes, nearly time for my completed July calendar 365 pages to be revealed. Don't faint I actually have my August pages ready to go........I know amazing :-)

I Want Candy

Over on UK Scrappers I'm taking part in an altered tag swap and this months theme was 'growing old disgracefully'. My first thought was to look back to my childhood and remember the sweets that I used to enjoy (and still do), like flying saucers, tutti frutti, cola bottles, aniseed balls, spangles.......you get the picture. That's where my little freckled shrimp came in but my idea moved on to using love hearts instead. Good idea in principle but not in practice so I had to be satisfied with using just the wrappers instead. Another of my childhood favourites that's still going strong is Chupa Chups lollies although they don't taste the same today. I recently saw on a TV programme that Salvador Dali designed the logo in the 60's - did you know that? You learn something every day. I also included the song title 'I Want Candy' a song from the 1980's, Annabella Lwin the lead singer with Bow Wow Wow wasn't much older than me at the time and had a very daring haircut.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone else's take on the theme when I receive them.

What were your favourite childhood sweets?

Create 10 continued steps 5, 6 and 7

Feeling inspired by the layering technique used in one of the earlier classes I made this anniversary card......... ..........which leads me onto the next class. Class 5 was all about using a favourite paper and a not so favourite one. I love this Que Sera Ocean Voyage paper and had been admiring it for a while wondering how to use it and I need wonder no more as the deed is done - gulp. The favourite paper was backed but a not so favourite one and lurking in my stash I had a 12x12 featuring a sunset photo by Craft Creations. I have no idea why I bought it! There must have been a reason but it doesn't look like any sunset I've ever seen. The square journaling blocks detail 'loves' and 'hates'. My 'loves'? - coffee, all things crafty, cats, music and the beach. 'Hates'? - mornings, mess, waste, ironing, work and boy bands. It wasn't so easy to find embellishments for my hates, do you have any relating to ironing?
Class 6 used some wooden frames to create a wall hanging. I chose instead to use just one frame and create a monogram. The letter itself is cut from corrugated cardboard and painted with acrylic then aged with a bit of distress ink in brushed corduroy............and yet more scraps used up, die cut labels to create a layered base to mount my letter.

With this class came the option to create a layout and I spied some holiday photos still to be scrapped. Don't you just love a hammock? Well Sonja does, look what she spookily blogged today.
I sometimes think we must have been separated at birth we are so similar. The layout has punched circles from yet more scraps to form a circle which has been machine stitched over with the addition of some small buttons. The title letters are some leftover from another project and are Sassafras woodland whimsy. Oh and the scalloped cardstock from a big stack I thought it was a good idea to buy at the time! Now I'm on a roll and using things up I think I'm going to cut them down make a minibook and try a bit of 6x12 scrapping.

And finally for today a card using some ideas from class 7 including - yes, more scraps, some machine stitching and a cluster of paper flowers which I teamed together with some long forgotten brads.

Today I received the last of the classes to my inbox but I think the ideas the whole workshop has given me will continue to grow and I still have more to share. I'll even be back with a bit of sewing.

Until then - Happy Crafting

Scraps Galore

I had an enjoyable Sunday afternoon with a bit of alfresco crafting in my garden. In the shade of an umbrella I made these.................. continuing with the Create 10 workshop and even more scraps used up. I used my nestabilities again and some circle punches to cut out and layer up paper and felt into these pretty embellishments. Unfortunately I didn't have time to create the lovely heart wreath that was the project of the day but I hope to soon.
However, I did use one of the embellishments I made on this layout when I spotted that it was created using some of the same papers I'd picked for the layout.This project was all about using up fibres that seemed to be very popular at one time - have you got any lurking in your craft supplies? The photo is of my Nan's parents on their wedding day in 1920. Again another photo that I'd printed out ages ago, it was obviously meant to be.

Finally I used the extra project idea to inspire this card with the addition of another of the layered decorations.

There is something very satisfying about using up scraps...............especially when they are too pretty to throw away ;-)

10 days of creating.......

This week I signed up to the Create 10 online workshop over at Crafty Templates. 10 days of projects delivered straight to my inbox. I'm hoping to use up lots of my ever increasing scrap pile and use photos that I've been meaning to scrap for a while - I've made a good start........ You may recognise some of the papers used on my layout from the card in my previous post. I chose scraps that were in ice-cream colours and luckily most were big enough to die cut to make the background and matching embellishments. For this I used my circle scallop and label nestabilities die and a couple of circle punches.
The second class arrived today and the result? - yet more scraps disappearing from my bursting scrap drawer and a pretty layered effect layout.

I think this class is going to be fun and most of all achievable. The fact that I've managed to do the first two projects without spending any money is also a bonus. I'm looking forward to seeing what my inbox brings tomorrow...........

Cupcake Inspirations

Now, I know my post yesterday mentioned cakes on my art journal page but I'm not obsessed -honest! And if my work colleague is tuning in she will back me up, I even said NO to a chocolate chip muffin today.
........however, I have found this inspiration challenge blog {Cupcake Inspirations} and who could fail to be inspired by yummy cupcakes. I chose to be inspired by this weeks cupcakes using the gorgeous colours and a seaside theme. Yes, that is a pink shrimp sweet you spy that I used as an embellishment - but that's another story which I'll share soon. If you think he looks a little freckled, he is! Unfortunately he was in the line of fire and got splattered with spray ink in another project. It happens! Well it does in my craft room ;-)

Getting Messy

I've been having fun and getting messy with some art journal pages. I didn't really have a plan I just wanted to try some techniques, see what worked and what didn't. The stamp I picked up and used for this page is a cupcake..........mmmm maybe that should have told me something at the beginning. I still think it looks a bit unfinished but the journaling reads ' Why are cakes bad...........when they taste so nice?' Why indeed!

......Anyway back to the journal page. I built up lots of layers of first gesso, then acrylic paint in red and hot pink with a touch of yellow. The stars are stencilled with gesso, cupcakes stamped with black ink all finished with a spritz of shimmerz spray ink and some tiny tape measure.

This is another page yet to be journaled built up in a similar way but with some additional collage elements. I love the bit of book page I used it says ' even educated fleas do it'. The butterfly is one of many that I have which is a copyright free image that I printed onto safmat. They make brilliant stickers.

The techniques came courtesy of Journal Artista who has some great tutorials on you tube.

I don't know what the weather is like where you are but after the heat of last week things have turned a bit more showery and windy here. After a downpour last night a double rainbow appeared......

Me a wallflower?

A very good friend of mine sent me a link to a brilliant tutorial for making a felt dahlia corsage. Now, whilst the instructions were very clear and I could see how lovely the end result could be I'm ashamed to say I abandoned my attempt. Yes, I baled out early. The tutorial did say that the stage I got to was the most frustrating - how right it was. This is my attempt, I'd even bought special fabric glue but it just didn't want to stick and drying took forever. I'm not the most patient........Perhaps one day I'll revisit this little project but just as likely it will get lost in the blackhole that is my craft room. Then around the same time I saw these fabulous fabric wall sculptures and decided to recreate one in paper on a somewhat smaller scale using the same technique as the felt dahlia.

This is my prototype it measures about 12" in diameter and is made from 12x12 double sided scrapbook paper. At first I thought about mounting one on a square canvas but then remembered that you can buy self adhesive rings for hanging posters and I think one of these would work well to mount directly onto the wall. If I make another I think I might try to add another layer of petals or make a beaded centre but I'll definitely use a more striking colour combination.

You never know where inspiration is going to come from do you?

Pollycraft Challenge #51

The challenge this week at Pollycraft is to use a sketch. I don't usually make cards in this way but I'm enjoying visiting challenge blogs and it's a good way of boosting my card stock. The sketch was also good for using some of the many scraps I seem to accumulate. Are you the same?

The digi stamp is a Pure Innocence one.

Refashion

Do you sew? If so you may be familiar with the sewing magazine Sew Hip. I picked up the August edition today after I spotted an article featuring a smock top. I've been wanting to make a top like this and had even tried to make my own pattern from an existing top I own but using the pattern in the magazine seemed a much easier option.

The top in the article was refashioned from a skirt, shirt and headscarf. I was going to make mine from scratch but I didn't really have any suitable material then I discovered a long forgotten skirt at the back of the wardrobe.............
Instead of a headscarf which is threaded through the neckline to make the straps I used the fabric belt of a dress. I'm not absolutely happy with how it turned out as the material is a little see through (the skirt had a lining!) but now I know it fits ok I'll make another and choose the fabric more carefully. The top in the magazine also had a waist channel with ribbon threaded to tie at the front and was a little longer than mine. I'm not sure if I'll make any changes to my orignal other than the fabric - we'll see.

Tip: I traced the pattern from the orignal onto some tissue paper with a Sharpie.

And having seen Julie's post today her fabric brooch would go very well with my refashioned top :)

...........and totally unrelated I thought I'd share these photos of Dracunculus Vulgaris sometimes called a Dragon Lily which grows in my garden. I can understand why it's 'vulgaris' as when in flower is smells like rotting meat to attract flies which act as pollinators. yeeukk!! How can something so exotic looking smell so awful (and believe me it does)? Sadly, or maybe not, the flowers haven't lasted long in this heat. But then I think we've all been wilting in the heat this week........

Half way through the year - really?

click on picture to enlarge

Yes, the end of June means I'm half way through the 365 Calendar Challenge

This month's page was made in honour of Glastonbury.

Yep, you guessed it I haven't created July yet but then that's nothing new ;-) but at least I'm still going