Time for....Music

Here is this weeks take on Ronda's theme for the Capturing Time Minibook. I had real fun with this one as I haven't had chance to craft at all this week. I've been fighting off a viral infection & having to deal with stress from work. The work thing is kinda sorted, well until next Friday at least, but the virus is still hanging on.

I decided to fashion this page in a similar way to my front cover as the paper & transparency (both Crafty Individuals) were just perfect. I also desperately wanted to incorporate my new stamp (Artful Mosaic) which I had on order from Joan in Netherlands & it finally arrived Monday. I stamped it onto some scrap Bazzill (Avalanche) coloured it with various pigment inks & then clear embossed it. The effect is lost in this photo. The photo on the adjoining page is a close up that I took last year of my fav CD's. I couldn't print it large as it blurred so I turned it into a fake polaroid shot. Stamps & other embellies remain the same throughout the book.

I can't live a day without music playing in my home. If I'm very stressed very gentle classical stuff helps me to fall asleep, I have a CD player by my bed. I have an eclectic taste in music & can't say anyone song is my favourite.

Got Mojo?

I saw this week's theme over on Micayla's blog & had just about finished this layout. I thought it fitted quite well as I used Heidi Swapp pink polka dot tape for my journalling to sit on. The papers are all BG, Sultry (Dressy,Stylish,Whisper,Fashionable,Fandango & Friar) all cut into 7 - 6in x1in strips.

The photo is another of my favourites in my "best ever taken gallery". Die cut chipboard Sultry. Title is small foam pink letters by craft work & HS Newsprint. Also used a floral HS photo corner. I guess Im a HS kinda girl!!

So Got Mojo theme is Fashion. Go to your wardrobe & pull out something colourful & pretty. Well in my wardrobe I have this dress. Okay the colours aren't the same as the papers but I adore it. I wore it for my sister's wedding to my now deceased BIL. I have only worn it once since. As you can see it was some time ago!!! Anyhow, I have recently lost 22LBS & can still get into the dress some 10 years on!

OLW- Think

This is my piece for the latest One Little word challenge.

I have never painted on a layout this much before & I'm not totally happy with it. I didn't want the journal piece to look so much like a block. Guess I need to practise more. I knew my writing would not be visible on the cardstock so applied white acrylic to stick my homemade transparency title on & continued down the page so I could write on it.

I used part of my February Bellaboo kit. The sheet of paper used was a double sided Fancy pants design, Wildheart- Wild Iris. The red scalloped border along bottom & flower from the Titles & tags included in the kit from Fancypants Mulberry Road collection.

The photo turns were also included. I cut two tag shapes from the sheet of paper. One just normal tag shape (using a template I picked up made by Dovecraft. Very invaluable item) & added a brad from my stash. The other a scalloped punched out shape to add my monogram "h" & stamped the word happy. Silver button was a freebie in a paper kit I bought a few weeks ago.

Edited to add that the photo is 5x7 & courtesy of Captured by Kirsty (Kirsty Wiseman) taken in Feb at my team Scrap Shoppin' Girls, retreat.

More minibook pages & Tamara's sketch #45

Here is my third post about the minibook pages. It takes me right up to the current week's theme, change. The photo used for the Change page is courtesy of Captured by Kirsty. My fav page is Dream as I used my own background & stamped my favourite girl image in the photo section. I did this because she looks very much as I did when I was small. I must dig out the photo & put them on here to show the comaprison. The card is the first I have made in ages the sketch appealed to me. I am right off cardmaking right now!!

For this page I used Rangers Paint dabbers & then inked some Tea leaves chalk ink circles over the top.

Sketch #45. I used BG, Blush & Heidi Swapp brackets.

Happy is a Crafty Individuals stamp.

More Pages of minibook (5-9)

This post follows on from yesterday with more pictures from the Time minibook. I love this format that Ronda selected. Its fresh & clean & so easy to achieve.

My fav pages so far have to be play, spring & go. But, I adore all my photos. The sea picture is courtesy of my dad. He took this one in Australia.

Back Blogging & Some Art!

I have given blogging etc a break until I could get myself sorted. Stress at work & various other things was too much. My cyst will be with me for 3-5 years so I'm used to it now. Thanks for concern & for asking about my friend. I will be seeing her on Saturday, she is okay. She has to wait 6 months before she knows what will happen.

I started this minibook at the weekend, inspired by my dear blog friend, Ronda.

I have struggled to create anything for over two weeks but these cute 4x4in pages are so easy to do. So, Thank You, Ronda for giving me the boost I needed. I look forward to more. I am caught up to week 13 & today will be wk 14. I can share more later.

Front Cover

Late Attempt at Arty Girlz

Well here is my attempt at the Arty Girlz Challenge. Not one of my better efforts but I am so frustrated I needed creative outlet. I had bad news from a friend which I can't share on here, but it has reminded me of my own health problems & how afraid I was when I was diagnosed this time last year with cysts.

Crafting is like a friend, always there when times are bad & I can't believe its bailed out on me. Still my flat is thanking me for it. I have lived here 10 years now & it shines like a new pin. Working full time makes you very lazy. I have found cleaning very therapeutic despite the fact I clean our office for an hour each morning before I start my real job at 9am. Perhpas there is a lot to be said for the art of Feng Shui & maybe my creativity is blocked by the lack of flow in my home. I'm not going as far as to re arranging all my furniture but clearing piles of clutter is more likely to be of help.

Not much crafting going on!

I don't know about anyone else, but crafting is taking a backseat at the moment. Im working on a minibook but enjoying the process of putting the pages together. Im enjoying reading & more importantly I am getting all my housework done! You know the boring stuff such as paintwork, windows, washing net curtains, taking down the winter thick pairs & putting up the flimsy light ones that make it feel airy & cool. I enjoy cleaning right through room by room, & it has to be done when I'm really in the mood. Last night just before bed I decided the bathroom needed cleaning. So, I did! Sunday morning at 7.30am, I got up to make a mug of tea & ended up washing all my kitchen cupboard fronts & paintwork. But it feels so good now its done & perhaps once it is I might get down to more crafting again.

Another Forum Challenge

For the April Monthly workout a layout was selected. It had to contain stamping & have happy connections. Sounds easy.... well as most of the girls are not scrappers, they made some gorgeous stuff. You'll have to check out their individual blogs in my sidebar for their creations.

I selected this photo of a mate, Irene, who I once worked with. The journalling is hard to read but she was the radiant bride to be & her father daren't smile as his front tooth fell out two hours before the ceremony! I stamped the corners & also added the damask stamp on the red paper. Then I stamped two leaf swirls under the fabric bloom. I made the centre of this flower using diamond glaze & lots of gold seed beads.

Paper is a scrap from some stuff given at the retreat in Feb. It suited her dress perfectly. It was a stunning dress all hand stitched & beaded. Cost £700 in a bridal shop & she bought it overseas off Ebay for £45!

OLW - Today

I really don't know where my scrapping mojo has come from but I am very grateful as my card & mixed media mojo has flown out of the window. It could be I have had great photos to work with, Photobox are a fabulous printing company with a fast, efficient service. It certainly saves me a fortune in printer ink!! When I saw this week's theme for One Little Word I just knew what to do.

I was flicking through these photos last night, taken on our team retreat & I was a bit down with things. I found myself grinning from ear to ear & actually laughing out loud as I could remember each shot as if I was still there. I knew I was grateful for the memories. So my journalling says I am grateful for the time I spent with these lasses more than ever...today.

No matter how bads things get I have such fabulous memories of this weekend. Although it was February & we had a bit of snow, the golden sunlight made it feel autumnal so I used these scraps of Scenic route paper. The green flowers are handmade from acetate.

Forum Notebook Swap

On the mixed media forum, we had a monthy swap. We were all given a name from the members taking part & our task was to create an altered notebook for them. I got Joanne & this is what I made for her. Her favourite colour is purple but as I very recently did her a full on purple card I decided to experiment with some of her other favs. My inspiration came from Indian summers with rich jewel colours of sari silks & opulent gold. I loved this so much I fashioned a similar one for my friend, Louise's leaving present & I am working on my own.

This is the front cover. I selected clear fronted perspex type books so the cover protects the artwork. Stamps various from my collection, girl by Crafty Individuals (my fav image)

Back cover, just coverd with some BG blush paper & stamped with the Heidi Swapp Damask stamp. A clock & time words. Sticker 7gypsies.

Arty Girlz - 3D & My NSBD layout

With it having just been Bank Holiday & several of my colleagues have left, I have been very busy at work. I completely forgot to check the challenges. Although having said that I need a break from them all. I am in scrapping mode & as Im quite unhappy at work I can only create sporadically. Cards are just not working for me, layouts evolve over days.

However I did quite well & managed this card for Arty Girlz, 3D theme. The BG chipboard flower is covered in paper, the edges sanded & inked with my gold Krylon pen. Papers are Papermania, Simply elegant.

This is a page layout I created for National Scrapbooking Day. It is based on one of the cybercrop classes I had no time to complete. I have given up trying to get a better photo of this. The greens are far more zingy, none of the gems cam be seen in the corner rub on at the top of my photo & half the title is obscured.

It reads, Ready for my close up! The class was Up Close & Personal. The journalling isn't very clear either, it says although this is quite an old photo of me now it remains my absolute favourite. The lady got my make up just right & I look so natural. And I can't believe I missed off my lime green ric rac!!!!

Papers are Sublime, Kaisercraft. Title stickers from Range. The acetate flowers are hand made.

Minibook & Tag

I made this minibook during the Cybercrop weekend. This picture shows it closed the shot below shows the inside. All the notepaper is divided by panels of patterned vellum. All paper, brads & vellum, Papermania. Stamps, Crafty Individuals. Blooms, Dunhelm. Ribbon & bits from stash.

This tag was made for one of the cybercrop challenges, Beautiful Tag. It came in handy as you will see in the picture below. Jade left work on Friday & I made her a girly card wishing her good luck in her new job.

Saturday was National Scrapbooking Day & although I slept most of the day, I did get a page started. It is now completed & another is half done. I will pop back & share sometime soon.

Thank you for all the lovely comments on my layouts. I am so thrilled to be able to scrap again.

More Designs from the Cybercrop

These three pages are what I created during last weekend's cybercrop.

The first one was a challenge to use no patterned paper. No challenge for me as I love making my own backgrounds etc.. The other two were classes I took. The second page features photos taken on my 40th birthday photo shoot last year. The bottom one also uses photos from my 40th. They were of my bouquet of flowers. This page had to have stitching on it & I enjoyed doing it so much it spured me to create the daisy page in the post below.

All I have left to share from the weekend now is a minibook & a tag. However, as it's National Scrapbooking Day today & Bank Holiday weekend, I have plans to create more art. I have to shake off this hangover first as yesterday saw another work colleague leave & we gave her a night to remember! Wish I could mind, lol. Im not able to drink as much these days!!

Tamara's Layout sketch #42

I'm a little late getting this finished, but I really fancied doing one of Tamara's layout sketches for a change instead of the cards. I also wanted to use this fabulous photo of the humble Daisy. Paper was given, as was the paper daisy. I stamped the 4 daisy heads & coloured with inks & then hand stitched the stems & leaves wth green embroidery silks.