AMANDA JONES DESIGNS

Sketches

2012-02-10T15:11:00.006Z

It's almost the weekend! Yay! This week I shared my first set of sketches over on the Papermaze blog - a card and a layout sketch. Here is a peek at the projects I created using the sketches.

I used the Basic Grey Picadilly collection for these projects which will be up in the shop soon!

For details and to see the sketches check out the Papermaze blog :)

Have a happy weekend!

Signature Series giveaway!

2012-02-03T16:01:00.003Z

Happy friday everyone! Today Northridge Media are having a HUGE giveaway on their Signature Series facebook page! The following link will take you there if you do not already 'like' the page: www.facebook.com/northridge.signatureseries

Tell all your friends, too! The more likes they get, the more they will be giving away!

And if you want to catch a sneak peek of Teresa's book, the first in the series, visit this link: www.northridgepublishing.com/forms/sneak-peek-of-the-teresa-collins-signature-series

I'm also sharing ideas for scrapping formal photos on the Design Team blog, you can check it out here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fun folded flowers

2012-02-01T10:35:00.000Z

This month I was lucky to be able to play with the BG Picadilly collection for Papermaze and I had a great time creating this layout and learning a new technique!

I'm sharing a step by step of how I created the folded paper embellishments on the Papermaze blog, so check it out if you're interested :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Amanda x

Change is good!

2012-01-16T09:24:00.000Z

Good morning and happy Monday to you!

Teresa Collins has revealed her new collections for Winter CHA and WOW, they're beautiful! I'm such a lucky girl to be a part of her team :) Teresa has outdone herself this time around and has changed things up a bit, adding lots of colour and a bit of whimsy whilst still keeping her trademark sophisticated style.

Today Teresa is giving away 3 of the Fabrications collections on her blog! Just head over and leave her a comment to enter :)

Have a great week!

Catching up...

2012-01-10T13:39:00.000Z

Happy Tuesday! I recently succumbed to the temptation to purchase a Silhouette Cameo... and yesterday I finally had chance to create a couple of things with it :)

I had a big parcel of October Afternoon 'Sidewalks' collection for Christmas, and I used it for all of these creations. This first layout feeds my total addiction for everything chevron at the moment! Love the chevron background (cut with the Cameo)!

On this layout I cut the leafy vine and doily on the Cameo. Oh, yes, those long hours of hand-cutting time are behind me!

And this was just a quick card made with one of the random things I cut out on the Cameo. I had to force myself to stop just cutting things out and actually use them!

I have some news to share, too, which is that I was invited to join the Papermaze DT and I'm going to be in charge of the monthly sketches over on the blog. Yay! You can read the announcement here.

Speaking of sketches, have you stopped by the Ruby Rock-it blog yet this week? I have set a sketch challenge there and you could win an entire collection of Ruby Rock-it goodies if you join in! There are tons of beautiful creations from the DT showing their take on the 3 sketches, too.

Thanks for stopping by :)

The old and the new...

2012-01-04T20:37:00.000Z

Today I am sharing my favourite layouts from the last Teresa Collins Designs release on the DT blog.

I'm so excited about Teresa's new releases for the upcoming CHA show! If you are looking for a sneak peek of one of them, check out THIS post on her blog ;)

Also, the Ruby Rock-it party continues today with my contribution! I created a wrapped gift and a gift card holder. I have a couple of peeks here for you and you can see the rest on the blog.

Both of these projects were created with the new Vintedge line :)

See you soon!

Let's get this party started!

2012-01-02T17:20:00.000Z

Happy New Year! I know, I'm a little late, but our household has been struck down with flu for the past few days and we kind of stumbled into 2012 in a daze ;)

Anyway, I've eaten today and finally have the energy to put fingers to keyboard. And not a moment too soon, as I have a PARTY to tell you about! Over on the Ruby Rock-it blog for the month of January we are celebrating the new year with the new Ruby Rock-it collections set to release at CHA Winter 2012! Each week you will have the chance to WIN some brand new goodies if you play along with us. Yay! If you want to know more you'll have to head on over there :)

We're also giving stuff away on Facebook - just come and like our page (we want to get to 1000 fans by CHA) and let your friends know about us! Be sure to say I sent you...

Of course, I have some more sneaks for you, too...

Yummy! LOTS more to come this month and see projects from the team over on the blog right now!

Here's to 2012, may it be a great one for you all!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T12:54:00.000Z

Not long now... I hope you're all ready for the festivities to start!

[What was the point in trimming the tree, exactly?!]

Happy Christmas to me! I have been invited back as an 'Alumni Designer' (I think that's Tessa's polite way of saying OLD, hehe) for Precocious Paper. I'm thrilled that I get to design with those yummy goodies for a little longer :)

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and new year! I hope you have a wonderful celebration with your loved ones :) See you in a few days!

Teresa Collins and Xyron!

2011-12-23T19:58:00.000Z

Teresa Collins has announced a fun new partnership on her blog today!

Not only that, she is giving away a whole load of amazing goodies! Check out this post for details of how to get in on the action! There are lots of my faves on her list of must have tools. Quick, don't miss it!

And so it begins!

2011-12-20T23:05:00.000Z

I have something to share with you! I can't tell you much, but I can show you this...

I love the build up to CHA each winter. I love window shopping for lots of new supplies, and this is one collection you should definitely add to your list! Keep your eyes peeled for more new pretties at the Ruby Rock-It blog!

I also have a little Christmas project up over on the Teresa Collins DT blog. Check it out if you need a last minute boost of inspiration!

Until next time...

Almost...

2011-12-17T17:25:00.000Z

It must be almost Christmas! I love, love, LOVE December, and one of my favourite December landmarks is my Mum's birthday on the 18th. When her birthday comes around I know it's EXACTLY a week until the big day :)

Well, that day is tomorrow, so I thought I'd share the card I made for her...

I made the base for the card with scraps from my 'neutrals' drawer, by cutting and stitching together lots of strips. A few patterns, some textured metallic card and some vintage notebook paper... yum :)

The cluster is a vintage crochet doily, scrunched into a flower shape, topped with a fancy bow and a velvet prima flower. I love the creamy golden colours and that it looks just festive enough for a December birthday!

There's lots to celebrate this month and I always find that it's easy for New Year's Eve to sneak up on you before you know it! Today on the Ruby Rock-it blog I'm sharing some projects relating to my December traditions, including this cute New Year tag.

It would be wonderful if you can find time in your busy December schedule to stop by and check out my post and the work the rest of the DT are sharing this month :)

Remember to take some time to ENJOY the season! Have a great weekend!

Very Merry

2011-12-09T22:27:00.001Z

Hi folks! I've been busy playing with goodies from the Very Merry line from Precocious Paper, getting more and more things checked off of my December to-do list.

I adore the butterfly doilies and used one to make this Christmas card. I love how they make a simple card so much more special. I teamed it with some paper scraps from the Teresa Collins Christmas Home collection.

The sweet spots were just begging to be used as Christmas ornaments so I created this card with a few of them.

I topped of this gift with a couple of the felt roses and a cupcake poppy - love the silvery poppy!

And finally, as it's Tony's birthday today, I created this gift tag for his birthday present using a cupcake poppy from the Very Merry sampler and one of the sweet spots. This line is not just for Christmas!

Happy weekend! Thanks for visiting :)

Christmas canvas art

2011-12-05T16:45:00.000Z

Ho ho ho! I am feeling exceedingly festive today :)

Have you checked out the Teresa Collins DT blog recently? There are so many fun and inspiring Christmassy projects over there from the team. Teresa doesn't have room to have everything featured on her own blog so if you're not following the DT blog you're missing a lot of yumminess!

I'm sharing how I made these Christmas canvas designs over there today...

Seeing as it doesn't look like we're going to be getting any snow here in South West England for a while, I'm still scrapping those snow pics from last winter.

It snowed just before Christmas last year, so we're hopeful for this Christmas, especially now we're further from the sea. Fingers are firmly crossed!

We all love the snow in this family, and I love that the Christmas Home line caters for snow as well as Santa :)

This whole LO is based around those paper snowflakes that kids like to make. I'm just a big kid and couldn't resist adding them to my page.

And finally... I just wanted to share a giveaway that's happening over on the Ruby Rock-it blog. Comment on THIS POST for your chance to win! There are giveaways on the Facebook page, too, so be sure to 'like' us there!

I'll be back later this week with my December art journal progress so far. Have a great week!

Welcome, December.

2011-12-01T14:58:00.000Z

I'm so happy it's December at last, my favourite month of the year! At least, it is if I ignore the to-do list that's getting longer ;)

I have never in my life completed any kind of daily December project. I've started several, but have never even come close to finishing. So this year I decided to make the anti-Christmas book. Yes, I know, it looks pretty Christmassy on the front. I've still got a few finishing touches to add.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas. But with so many Christmas activities and preparations to make during December, I think I am going to need a little time out from it all. So this little book is my December art journal. It's slightly less than 6"x4" and I made the covers by repurposing the covers of a vintage book. Each day I will take some time to make an arty mess in here and recharge my batteries so I'm ready to face the next December day.

I first primed the cover with gesso before taking a polka dot stencil and creating a dimensional design using molding paste. I then went over the top with some white acrylic paint. The original cover was red and I like that you can still see a pink hue under the paint.

I then randomly stamped partial text images over it using versamark ink and used gold mica pigment powder to highlight the script. To top it off I added some pieces of old sewing pattern, a silver frame and a paper poinsettia, highlighted with more of the mica powder.

I repeated the texture on the back, but otherwise left it plain.

I'm ready to face December now! How about you? Leave me a link to your DD posts if you're doing something this year, I'd love to check them out!

2 more

2011-11-28T15:42:00.000Z

We had a fun weekend... I surprised the boys with our 'family' Christmas present, a very cute, very fluffy kitten. We called him Jim so, now, we have Rosie and Jim ;) So far, Rosie hates Jim. But we're working on it!

I also thought I'd share a couple more layouts I created with the JBS Mercantile November kit and Antiquarian add-on.

A simple page with some paint, handmade flowers and punched leaves. Me, aged 1.

Here I am again, also aged 1. Lovely socks with sandals on this one ;) I used various scraps and those fab foil frames to create a random grid design.

I am working on my December Daily album at the moment. I've never completed one, ever, so this year I am doing something completely different. I'll share it soon.

Have a great week!

Playing with stamps

2011-11-23T20:26:00.001Z

I am gradually using more and more pink in my crafting. I love teaming it with aqua and yellow, it's one of my favourite colour combinations.

I recently got my hands on a few sets of Darkroom Door stamps from Papercrafts TV and had some fun experimenting with them here. I created the tags by first stamping a design in black ink, then stamping a second design in versamark ink which I then embossed with clear powder. I finished them off with a spritz of mist.

I'll be back soon with some more creations. In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who are celebrating this week!

It's on!

2011-11-22T13:29:00.000Z

So this month I'm involved in a little race with my JBS kit... Doris set a challenge on the forum for us to see how many items we could make with our November kits.

I have 3 so far. It only arrived yesterday lol so I have some catching up to do! The good news is that I am almost done with LO #4 and still have way over half my kit left, so bring it on!

Anyway, here's what I've created so far...

I've been scanning a lot of older pictures lately, and this is a picture of me as a little girl with my mother and maternal grandmother. I think this is the only photo I have of us together as my nan died when I was very young. I'm glad I was able to get this one scrapped.

Another one of me as a little girl, this time with my very first bike :) (Gotta love that jogging outfit. Thanks, Mum. LOL!)

I love this picture of Lewis with my Mum. She has always been his biggest cheerleader, and I love the happiness on both their faces :) Wow, can't believe he is 9 already.

Watch this space, there will be lots more to come, I'm sure! Happy Tuesday!

Feeling Christmassy!

2011-11-18T19:11:00.000Z

I've been busy making lots of Christmas projects lately, and I have to say I'm feeling the Christmas spirit already. It's my favourite time of year :)

Have you seen my latest creations on the Precocious Paper blog? I recently had the opportunity to create with the Very Merry sampler and so I took the chance to get ahead with some of the decor projects I had planned.

I love the wreath I made and can't wait to hang it ready for Christmas. You can see the rest of my Designer Friday projects here :)

Have you managed to get your hands on a copy of the very first issue of Scrap365 yet? Mine arrived last week and, seriously, wow! There is such a huge variety of amazing projects, not just limited to scrapbooking. In fact, one of my projects in the magazine is a Christmas wreath. I seem to have a bit of a wreath addiction of late ;) I just love that layout on the cover by Mahlin Wiggur. Right up my street!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend!

Christmas chalkboard - Teresa Collins

2011-11-12T17:10:00.000Z

Today I am sharing how I altered this Christmas chalkboard on the Teresa Collins DT blog, using the gorgeous Christmas Home line. Whilst you are there, check out the other wonderful Christmas project ideas that the DT have been sharing so far this month!

Have a fabulous weekend!

November Scrap Rat kit

2011-11-01T22:53:00.000Z

The new Scrap Rat kit has been revealed so I thought I would share some of the layouts I created with it this month :)

There are only a couple left available for purchase so be quick if you want one!

Happy Halloween & some news!

2011-10-31T16:37:00.000Z

Yes, we're embracing the festivities here - it's hard not to with a 9 year old! That's our pumpkin, 'Jack-ula'. Get it? Jack 'o' lantern... Dracula... well, we thought it was funny ;)

So, in the spirit (no pun intended) of all things spooky, I thought I'd share this altered frame I made with Teresa Collins' Haunted Hallows collection.

I love this collection for halloween! It's chic yet quirky :)

Those little spider stamps are so cute! I've used them on so many projects this halloween!

And it wouldn't be right to make something without a bit of Blingage!

I altered the frame itself with gesso, paint and glimmer mist to get the spooky distressed look. It's now hanging on my front door waiting to greet the trick or treaters this evening.

I also wanted to share the exciting news that I have been invited to be a part of the new Ruby Rock-it design team! You can meet the rest of the talented girls on the team and see a layout I created with their goodies over on the blog today!

Happy Monday!

ScrapFest layouts

2011-10-30T13:35:00.000Z

Last weekend was ScrapFest over on Jenni Bowlin's site and although I couldn't join in with some of the fun (darn those time diffrences!) I did play along with most of the challenges. It was great to play along just for the fun of it :)

Today I thought I'd share the layouts I created for the challenges, so sorry for the picture heavy post! All of these were created with my JBS kits.

Briana Johnson's Home Decor challenge:

Becky Novacek's Mix it up challenge:

Jil Sprott's journaling challenge:

Betsy Sammarco's quote challenge:

Celeste Smith's sketch challenge:

Lisa Dickinson's scraplift challenge:

Megan Klauer's white space challenge:

Doris Sander's Pinterest challenge:

Waleska Neris' colour challenge:

Mindy Miller's odds and ends challenge:

Whew! I can't remember the last time my mojo stayed long enough for me to complete this many projects all in one go!

Today we're carving our pumpkin in preparation for tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by - have a great Halloween!

Haunted Hallows mini album

2011-10-18T09:29:00.000+01:00

If you're looking for a simple and fun way to capture halloween memories with or for your kids you might want to check out my post over on the Teresa Collins DT blog.

There are more pictures and details of how I created this using just scraps from the Haunted Hallows line, over on the blog. The rest of the DT are also going to be sharing some amazing halloween projects for the next week or so, too, so make sure you check those out too!

Sunday challenge

2011-10-16T15:25:00.000+01:00

Today there is a new challenge over at The Studio! This week we are challenging you to create an altered background for your layout. Here's mine!

I altered my background by scrunching up a piece of tissue paper (I used a vintage sewing pattern) and pasting it onto my cardstock. I then painted over it with gesso and used a variety of mists and masks to create a random design.

Yesterday I found out I am going to be an Auntie! Yay!!! I'm very excited about it :) I foresee lots of baby shopping in my future!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Come on November!

2011-10-13T15:30:00.000+01:00

I am eagerly awaiting the end of October when I officially will be leaving work and being a work/stay at home mum. I am hoping my mojo will fully return in November! I've been in a bit of a slump since we moved house. However, when I am feeling less than inspired, I always pull out my Jenni Bowlin kits as they normally work a treat to get those creative juices flowing!

We had a BBQ at the end of the summer at my parents' house. In my opinion, my parents do not have enough BBQs! They are the best :) Anyway, I took this photo of my Great Aunt out in the garden during the afternoon.

I usually split all my scrap supplies up and sort them by colour as soon as they enter the house. The only exception is my JBS kits, which I split up but they have their own JBS kit section ;) They all work really well together, so I always forget what came in which kit. So, let's just say all the supplies are from 2011 kits, lol.

I will be back to share a cute halloween project idea in a few days. Until then, enjoy your weekend!

Carolina Breeze

2011-10-04T10:17:00.000+01:00

Have you seen the mid-release from Teresa Collins Designs? Isn't it lovely? Such a beautiful yellow and grey combo!

Teresa has a few sample projects on her blog that you should check out, including the rest of this beautiful mini album she created:

And if you're quick, you can be in with a chance to win a collection pack of this beautiful line! Just leave a comment on this blog post for your chance to win.

Have you seen the new website My Craft Channel? Teresa has a show on there too, and the first episode aired yesterday. You should really check out the site - lots of fun shows and all for free!

It looks like the sun has finally departed and we're back to dreary, damp weather, so I guess I'll be spending most of today playing with paper and glue. Yay! Have a great Tuesday!

Colour challenge

2011-10-02T15:47:00.000+01:00

Today Anna has set us a colour challenge over at The Studio. I created this layout with the October Scrap Rat kit which had perfect papers for the scheme :)

The Make and Create shop is sponsoring this month, so come on over and check out our challenge for a chance to win!

I hope the weather is as lovely where you are as it is here. So hot! I can't believe it's October! Enjoy the rest of your weekend :)

Blog hop winner!

2011-09-28T11:40:00.000+01:00

Hi folks! The winner of the Scrap365 blog hop has been announced over on the Scrap365 blog :)

I've also had a few people ask about subscriptions, so here are some details for you. If you'd like to subscribe to the new magazine then the number to call is 01684 588599 (0044 1684 588599 for international subs)

UK customers can take advantage of the 3 issues for £3 deal which was offered at Ally Pally. This is only open to UK subscribers, sorry!

Designer Friday!

2011-09-23T20:48:00.001+01:00

It's that time again... the time I get to play with yummy goodies from Precocious Paper and show you what I made! :)

I created this layout to document a fun day out we had a couple of years ago - the only decent picture I have from that day is this one. However, we also visited a butterly farm and so I used the butterfly embellishments instead of a picture :) The Butterfly Doilies can be found here and the felt Sweet Spots are here.

I especially love these felt roses! I love handmade flowers but I am way too busy (read: lazy) to make my own every time. It's much easier (and usually prettier!) to let Tessa do the hard work for me ;)

Today is my son's birthday. He is nine. Yep, nine! He's had a lovely day - had a friend over for tea, got a new bike and was generally spoilt rotten. Tomorrow we're taking him bowling. I'm fairly certain he will beat me, I've not been bowling for years! I hope to live to tell the tale :)

See you soon!

Scrap365 magazine blog hop!

2011-09-22T18:00:00.069+01:00

Hi everyone, I'm excited to welcome you to the Scrap365 blog hop! Hopefully you arrived here from the Scrap365 blog. If not, you might want to zoom over there and take a look!

Welcome to my blog :) I am thrilled to now be able to share this secret I've had to contain for far too long! I am so excited that we are going to have a new scrappy magazine! It's is also exciting for me to be able to tell you that I am a part of their design team :) Mostly, I am just genuinely over the moon that the peeps responsible for the fabulous Craft Stamper mag are going to be producing a scrapbooking title. It will be available 18th November on the newsstands and digitally worldwide! Wahoo!

OK, so let me tell you about our blog hop prize! If you leave a comment on EVERY DT blog AND the scrap 365 blog you are in with the chance to win a year’s subscription to Craft Stamper magazine and over £20 worth of stamps!

Also, if you are going to the Big Stamp and Scrapbook show at Alexander Palace in London over the weekend of 24th September, be sure to visit the Traplet stand (#63) for a sneak peek of the mag and a special subscription deal!

Now, let me introduce myself to those of you who've not visited me before... I'm Amanda Jones and I live in Devon, UK with my big man Tony and my little man Lewis, who's eight years old. I've been playing with paper and glue since I was a little girl and have been scrapbooking in the format we currently know for more years than I'd care to mention out loud! I have an eclectic style, one day creating a very minimal, graphic project and the next a textured project with layer upon layer of pretty papers and embellishments. It all depends on my mood and the product or photos that are inspiring me at that moment.

I currently design for Teresa Collins Designs, Precocious Paper and Photocentric and you can find some classes I'm teaching over at Miss Art's Papercrafting School! I also own Scrap Rat kit club and run The Studio Challenges site.

I'll leave you with some recent projects I have created to give you an idea of my style and the kind of things you might see from me in the magazine.

To keep updated with the latest on Scrap365 you can follow on twitter (@scrap365mag.com) and like the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/scrap365).

Your next stop on the hop is the lovely Kim Woods!

Thanks for visiting :)
Amanda xx

Making lists

2011-09-18T13:40:00.002+01:00

Wahoo! I am finally moved in, sorted out and have internet! It's been fun getting back into my creative groove this week. And interesting, as I now have a bit of an odd scrap space set-up going on :)

I don't think I could manage in my everyday life without lists. I constantly make lists. I even make lists of lists I need to make. So when Val set us a list challenge at The Studio this week, I jumped right on board!

My lists often make their way into my scrapbooks. It's a quick and easy way to get your thoughts onto the page, and I find it easier to fit more journaling with a list as it's already broken down into manageable chunks that you can squeeze in wherever they will fit :) The list on this page states a few of the things I hope for for my son as he gets older.

Stop by and visit us at the Studio! If you play along with our challenges this month you could win a fabby prize from Ella Publishing!

I am super excited about something I have to share here on Thursday evening. Make sure you stop by for an exciting piece of crafty news!

New kit and see you soon!

2011-09-01T00:02:00.000+01:00

This will be my last post for a couple of weeks as I move house tomorrow morning and will be without internet for 10 days or so! How will I manage?!

So, here's a little preview of the September Scrap Rat kit to pique your interest! It's on sale now in the store :)

And, of course, here are some of the things I made with it. I feel kind of wrong saying it as they are like my babies, but I think this is my favourite kit ever!

You can see the rest of my projects (and more from the DT) in the gallery here.

See you in a couple of weeks!

Precocious Paper - Birthday Blog Hop!

2011-08-29T14:00:00.000+01:00

It must nearly be my birthday! I love my friend Tessa's birthday as it's a reminder that mine is almost here ;)

Are you ready for a little blog celebration? Tessa is celebrating her 30th birthday with a blog hop sponsored by her Etsy shop, Precocious Paper. Tessa is giving away over $100.00 in product and 20 designers are sharing fabulous projects in her honour. You don’t want to miss this! You can join us by starting at Tessa’s blog here. If you’ve been hopping along and just came from Tessa’s blog, you are in the right place.

Tessa sent me some of these beautiful 'Autumn Afternoon' sweet spots to create with for the blog hop, and here's a layout I made with them. If you fancy picking some of these up for yourself, check out the coupon code at the end of this post!

Would you like some Precocious Paper goodies to work with? If you complete the entire hop, leaving a comment on every designer’s post, you will be entered to win the grand prize – the September, October, November and December Samplers! That’s a $54.00 value and dozens upon dozens of hand-crafted scrapbooking embellishments. Follow Tessa’s blog to be entered to win a $20.00 credit to the shop, and if you follow Precocious Paper on Facebook, you could win another $20.00 credit. Tessa is also giving away surprise credits to blog hop participants, so be sure to leave a comment on this post!

In case you got lost somewhere along the way, here's a list of the blog hop participants:

Tessa – http://precociouspaper.blogspot.com/
Amanda Jones - http://blog.amandajonesdesigns.com/
Elise Lindsey - http://lovelisy.blogspot.com/
Mindy Gallagher - http://prettylittlepaperlove.blogspot.com/
Liz Weber – http://lizscardsandlayouts.blogspot.com/
Mandy Koeppen - http://mandykoeppen.blogspot.com/
Sara Zenger – http://sarazenger.blogspot.com/
Windy Robinson – http://windyrobinson.blogspot.com/
Lisa Andrews – http://lisaandrews.blogspot.com/
Anna White-Sharman – http://madetoscrap.blogspot.com/
Heather Leopard – http://thespottedleopard.blogspot.com/
Rebecca Keppel – http://www.myclutteredcorner.com/
Clair Rigby – http://www.obstinatepursuit.blogspot.com/
Yara Freytes – http://itssummereveryday.blogspot.com/
Julie Tucker-Wolek – http://thetuckerwolekclan.blogspot.com/
Heidi Myers – http://notbusyenuf.blogspot.com/
Jan Tatomir – http://jantatomir.blogspot.com/
Suzanne Spokus – http://scrapwithsuzy.blogspot.com/
Diana Fisher – http://designbydiana.blogspot.com/
Heidi Sonboul – http://queenofpaper.blogspot.com/
Tessa – http://precociouspaper.blogspot.com/

Tessa has added many new things to her shop as part of the celebration, so be sure to stop by and take a peek. If you use this code during check out - AJBBHFREE - you will receive free shipping and a free thank you gift.

Thank you for stopping by and happy hopping! Your next stop is the talented Elise Lindsey :)

Free class this weekend!

2011-08-23T11:46:00.001+01:00

The kids are heading back to school and you should too!
The headmistress at Miss Art's knows that new backpacks, school supplies and first day apparel can reduce a crafters budget to milk money, so for this weekend only she is offering you a tuition free class.

Beginning on Friday, August 26th, you will have 3 days to check out one of our most popular classes for free, no subscription needed. In "The Secret Garden," the talented Stacy Cohen teaches you how to create a shadowbox efffect on your layouts by adding dimension through layering and creating beautiful floral clusters. Stacey even earns a little Extra Credit by providing you a step-by-step demonstration on how she creates her trademark crocheted page accents.

We hope to see you in the class room and if you enjoy our class that you'll be kind enough to leave an apple or a comment for the teacher.

Guide to mists

2011-08-20T23:37:00.000+01:00

Hi guys, just stopping in to let you all know that my new Miss Art's Class, The Miss Art's Guide to Mists is now open! See this post for the details :)

We're in the throes of packing up as we move house in less than 2 weeks, so apologies if it's a bit quiet around here for a while! See you soon! :)

Simple Scrapper

2011-08-16T10:17:00.000+01:00

Have you visited the Simple Scrapper website? As a slightly obsessive organiser, I love the Simple Scrapper site. I've taken some of the classes over there and Jennifer has a great way of providing just the right amount of information without overwhelming you!

I'm excited to share a guest post I wrote for them which is now live - Scrapping with kits: get organized without spending a penny. I'm sharing the process I use to ensure that my scrapbooking time is productive and enjoyable. Here's one of the layouts I created as part of my work:

Come and check it out and let me know what you think! And if you leave a comment you could win a camera bag from Jo Totes :)

Happy Tuesday!

New Class

2011-08-12T09:59:00.000+01:00

I'm so thrilled to share with you my latest class for Miss Art's Papercrafting School! If you have ever been bamboozled by all the misting products out there, then this is the class for you! Below are some details and a little video to give you an idea of what is involved.

When trends hit papercrafting, they can be overwhelming. What starts as one product and one manufacturer becomes a cloning experiment with similar products popping up like Dolly sheep on the pastures of Scotland. Knowledge is power, the power to stretch your budget, the power to create the effects that you really want in your artwork and the power to know how things work. The Miss Art’s Guide series was designed to empower you to make the best possible product selections and to teach you the basics of how these products work. The Miss Art’s Guide to Mists will demystify this amazing medium. Our maven of misting, Amanda Jones, will compare 9 leading mists brands and products. In 5 videos she will show the pros and cons of each mist, demonstrate their differences and compare spray patterns, shimmer and color saturation on paper, acrylic, chipboard, and canvas. The following brands are included in this review:

Mister Huey- Studio Calico
Glimmer Mist- Tattered Angels
Chalkboard Mist- Tattered Angels
Coloringz- Shimmerz
Maya Mist- Maya Road
Smooch Spritz- Clearsnap
Perfect Pearls mist- Ranger
Glitter Mist- Art-C
Radiant Rain Mists- Luminarte
Cosmic Shimmer Mist- Creative Expressions
Cosmic Shimmer Chalk Mist- Creative Expressions
Adirondack Color Wash – Ranger
Mica Mist- That Special Touch

The Miss Art’s Guide to Mists is available on 8/20/11 and is a great prep class for Sara Webb’s Demystifying Mists class coming on 9/1/11.

August

2011-08-07T11:53:00.000+01:00

I just realised I haven't yet blogged about the August kit from Scrap Rat! Here are a couple of the creations I made with the kit, you can see more in the DT gallery.

A simple card :)

The crochet flowers were handmade by Kerry at The Craft Garden. Super cute!

Today is reveal day over at The Studio and our challenge is book-related. Come and join in for a chance to win a gift voucher for Scrap Rat! (Got your eye on that kit up above? You could win £15 towards it!)

Here's a little peek at my layout. The rest of the DT have done an AMAZING job! I hope to see you there :)

The Studio

2011-08-03T11:33:00.000+01:00

This past Sunday we announced our team for the next six months over at The Studo Challenges! I'm excited to be returning to our previous format of twice-monthly challenges with a monthly sponsor. In order to kick off the next six months I've posted a mini-challenge, with a prize!

The new and returning team members each shared a favourite layout. Here's the fun, summery layout I shared:

To enter to win a gift voucher to Scrap Rat you just need to lift one of the layouts featured in Sunday's post (international entries are welcome)! Can't wait to see your creations!

Some things just have to be said

2011-08-02T11:30:00.002+01:00

Dear whomever,

Please accept this email as MY invoice to YOU for the £24 outstanding balance on my car insurance policy, vehicle registration KV53 ZXJ.

This policy was cancelled on July 31st 2010. It was declared off road at that time, because this is when the tax ran out. As requested by your unhelpful customer help team I sent the ORIGINAL SORN notification to you. Apparently you have not received it, and therefore will not accept that I do not owe you £36 for insurance I never wanted and had indeed cancelled. I have wasted enough time and effort sorting out YOUR mistakes. If you want the document which YOU lost YOU will need to contact DVLA to get it.

My annual car insurance cost was £180. Which divided by 12 gives a monthly cost of £15. Mulitply that by the number of months I actually had the policy (eight) gives you a total of £120. If you then take the amount of money I paid you up until July, (8 x £18) the total is £144. I'm sure you will agree that this leaves an outstanding balance of £24 payable to ME. I do not owe you £36.

If this invoice is not paid within 7 days I will be seeking my financial compensation through the courts. Believe me, I am stubborn enough to do that for the sake of £24 as a matter of principle. Ask my husband.

One thing I can guarantee is that you will NOT be receiving £36 from me. I DO NOT OWE IT. The series of mistakes made were the fault of Swiftcover and not me. If I get one more call, text, or letter from REGAL debt collection agency I will also be adding a harassment suit to my claim.

I am doing this by email as it seems your call centre only records the calls you decide suit your needs.

Regards,
Amanda Jones

***Edited to add - It totally worked and I have had my money back within 4 hours. If only I'd sent this 12 monhs ago!***

Nockliers ;)

2011-07-30T13:29:00.000+01:00

Whenever we go out, Lewis has to take somethng with him. Recently, he's been bringing along his binoculars. Or 'nockliers', as he calls them.

This layout features L with the beloved 'nockliers' on a recent walk. In these pictures he's looking for boats out at sea :)

I used a mix of old and new supplies on this page. I never thought I would use up those BG 'June Bug' stickers and rub-ons!

Do your kids have things they like to take out on walks? The binoculars are getting old.. we could do with some new ideas!

Smiler :)

2011-07-26T09:50:00.000+01:00

One of the nicknames most commonly given to my son when he was small, by family and strangers alike, was 'Smiler'. I spent countless hours standing around the supermarket as he charmed anyone female within a 50 yard radius. He would just smile. And smile some more. And then, when he mastered how to say "Hiya!", well, you can imagine.

Nowadays, he still has the cutest smile, but it's not so easy to get a picture of it. Well, not a natural 'non-cheesy' version, anyway. This picture is close to a real smile! Hurrah!

I used up some more stash from my Jenni Bowlin kits on these pages.

This layout features a favourite photo of my son when he was a toddler, sitting at the top of the slide in the park.

I painted a chipboard piece to match the page and layered with a vintage button and baker's twine to make a custom embellishment. The heart brads wre originally hot pink so I coloured them with a red permanent marker so that they matched my boy page.

Summer

2011-07-24T15:05:00.000+01:00

The rain is pouring down today, so I thought I'd think warm thoughts and share this layout I created with a photo of me and my friends at the school summer fayre, circa 1986 :) We were the flower girls. I can't remember who the "Queen" of the parade was. I think it may have been Alison Rombach. Can any of my old school buddies remember?

I used bits and pieces from various Jenni Bowlin kits to make this page.

I coloured the canvas banner piece and the SC notions flower with blue mists, to coordinate with my page.

I love finding old school pictures. I have been scanning in alot of my old photos recently, so you can expect to see more dodgy old childhood pictures on my pages in the near future!

Feeling a little 'animal'...

2011-07-22T17:13:00.000+01:00

Are you ready for a peek at the August sampler from Precocious Paper? Tessa puts together the most amazing colour combinations and this one is no exception!

Our little Poppy dog who is no longer with us :(

LOVE the lollipop flower! I paired the chartreuse flower from the sampler with charcoal grey - a combo I'm liking a lot lately. The photo is Lewis with one of the many dogs he's walked as a volunteer dog walker :)

And lastly, this page featuring our kitty-cat, Rosie. I love her little bulging kitten belly in this shot. Cute!

It occurred to me, after creating these, that I had used pet pictures for all three pages! Not quite sure what that's telling me...

I'm on a bit of a scrapbooking mission today. I've made three pages and Lewis has made two of his own. He has started requesting 'proper' scrapbooking supplies as he is no longer satisfied with the box off cast-offs and left overs I put together for him a couple of years ago. Isn't one scrapbooker in a family expensive enough? Lol!

Paris mini album - Stampmaker

2011-07-21T13:21:00.000+01:00

Can you believe I've never been to Paris? It's on my list of places to visit... I just never seem to get there!

So, to make my mini album I borrowed Teresa's Paris pics! I created it with the TC Posh line, and my Stampmaker. I created some personalised Paris and travel stamps, along with some of the stamps from the free June download from Photocentric.

I decorated the spine of my album with lots of blingage pieces.

I don't make mini albums very often - I find it difficult to stay focused on them for long enough to finish them! This one came together very quickly and easily!
The Stampmaker sold out in the first 50 minutes of the show yesterday! Rumour has it they may be back in stock in August, so keep a look out if you missed out ;)

It's day 1 of the summer holidays here, and I'm loving having my little man at home with me. The sun has even come out to play. He's spent most of this morning asking for cuddles. I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon, for both of us!

Happy summer!!!

Turn on, tune in

2011-07-19T15:42:00.000+01:00

I just wanted to let you know that the Teresa Collins Stampmaker is going to be on Ideal World and Create and Craft TV tomorrow.

Ideal world TV:

9am GMT
Sky 644 Freeview 22 Virgin 747 Freesat 812 & at www.idealworld.tv/

Create & Craft TV:
5pm GMT & 8pm GMT (if it hasn't sold out)
Sky 671 Freeview 36 Freesat 813 & at www.createandcraft.tv/

Here's a little peek at one of my projects that will be on the show :)

In other news: apologies if my blog looks a bit squiffy for a few days, I'm having a bit of a redesign at the moment!

Enjoy your week!

Studio Sunday

2011-07-17T11:26:00.001+01:00

The latest card challenge is live over on The Studio today - a simple challenge to use chipboard on your card in some way. Here's my take on it :)

All bits and pieces from my scraps drawers, topped with a chipboard flower from Cosmo Cricket.

Also, I just wanted to share that we have a couple of past kits on sale at 20% off in the Scrap Rat store at the moment :) Clearing things out to make room for the new kits coming up. Discount will be automatically taken at checkout. You can view our kits here!

Time is running away with me at the moment - I have to get back into the swing of blogging! Enjoy the rest of your weekend :)

Teresa Collins Summer Release & HSN appearance!

2011-07-08T21:52:00.000+01:00

Are you ready for Teresa's latest collections?!

You can find out more on Teresa's blog, but here's a little taster for you! :)

World Traveler

Haunted Hallows

Christmas Home

Love, love, LOVE these papers! They are even yummier in person!

There are also some beautiful layouts and projects on Teresa's blog by the DT.... and you will find this halloween layout I made over there too :)

Also, Teresa and Photocentric will be live on HSN tonight showcasing the Stampmaker! Times are 6pm and 3am EST (11pm tonight and 8am tomorrow UK time). Those outside the US can watch live at HSN.com

What? It's July already?

2011-07-01T17:39:00.000+01:00

Bye bye, June, wherever you went. And HELLO July! The sun is shining at last, this week. That is definitely a good thing as my son is off to his first Cub Scout camp this evening!

Another good thing? The July Scrap Rat kit is now on sale! And we've launched our new blog today with a chance to win an Odds and Ends collage kit from Cosmo Cricket! Come and join our blog to see how to win!

You can find inspiration in the DT gallery as usual, and here are a couple of my projects...

Have a great weekend! I am kind of nervous about the whole Cub Camp thing, based on my experience of Guide Camp. Ugh, it was terrible! Maybe one day I will share that story ;) I'm sure he'll be fine....

Designer Friday!

2011-06-24T18:37:00.000+01:00

I was thrilled when this beautiful mini sampler arrived in the post from California! :) I'm always extra happy when my Precocious Paper goodies arrive, and this month was no exception!

I decided that the colours were perfect for a home decor project. I painted and distressed an old frame - you can read more about how I created it on the Precocious Paper blog.

I haven't decided whether I'm going to keep it or give it as a gift yet. That probably means I'll be keeping it ;)

Head on over to the Etsy shop to snap up one of these lovely little kits! Tessa also has a pink option available in a limited quantity.

Thanks for stopping by - have a good weekend!

Still On the Edge

2011-06-17T10:03:00.000+01:00

Today I'm sharing a peek of another layout I made with Teresa Collins' On the Edge collection. The June newsletter is now available, so run over and sign up to see a whole load of On the Edge inspiration from the design team! You'll be able to see the full layout above in there along with step-by-step instructions, too.

Also, Teresa's Cricut Expression cartridge 'Sophisticated' is now available! You can have a look at it or purchase here at the Cricut store!

Is anyone getting excited about CHA yet? I'm looking forward to seeing all the new goodies be revealed from my fave companies. I'm going to sulk for a little while, though, as I can't go to the show ;) I'll get there one day...

It's Friday! Have a great weekend!

Here comes summer!

2011-06-14T23:18:00.000+01:00

Technically we still have another month and six days until school is out for the summer, but I'm already getting excited about the prospect of spending some quality time with my little dude :)

I created this page using the Teresa Collins Designs On the Edge and Notations 12x12 collections as a reminder to me (and my son) of how much I am looking forward to our summer together. Apart from when he was a baby, this will be our first summer spent together properly, without me working.

In reality, I'm sure I'll be pulling my hair out after the first week ;) But hey, I'll be able to scrapbook about that, too, right?

You can see more details, supplies and instructions on the Teresa Collins DT blog today.

Thanks for stopping by!

Making cards

2011-06-11T17:22:00.000+01:00

Every couple of months I sit down and make a batch of cards so that I have some on hand for those times when you need one in a hurry.

I usually grab a coordinating collection of supplies to make life easier. This time around it was the American Crafts 'Classics' line.

[sorry for the bad lighting in these pictures!]

If you're expecting a card from me in the next few weeks, you perhaps should have looked away before now ;)

Of course, I couldn't resist making a quick scrapbook page whilst I was in my craft room. I finally had chance to break open last month's Studio Calico kit.

Actually, it wasn't a quick page - it took what felt like forever to trim out those little flowers! It's a picture of my mum and brother (maybe in Gibraltar??) in the seventies. Gotta love my mum's glasses!

It's turned into a beautiful evening, so we're off down to the seaside for a walk. Enjoy your evening!

Girls and boys

2011-06-10T18:50:00.000+01:00

Today I'm sharing both a girly layout and a boy (well, man) layout. I finally cleared enough space in my craft room today to be able to create in there. Of course, once it was tidy, I couldn't leave it that way. My table was just begging to be used!

I had an urge just to make something pretty and girly.

I often find myself creating pages with no patterned papers. This one uses a multitude of die-cuts and embellishments, but no papers. It makes me wonder why I have 5 cropper hopper files full of paper! And that is after clearing out about 50% of it and donating it!

The photo was taken of me on my second birthday, enjoying my new pram and doll. I actually remember this day. Is that weird? I was pretty young to remember it. I remember playing on the ground outside the front door with the ants, too ;)

I don't know if this is my earliest memory - I also remember having my nappy changed on the bed when we were on holiday at Butlins! What's your earliest memory?

I've been waiting for what seem like ages to find the right product to use with this old photo of my Dad 'climbing the rigging' on one of the ships he served on when he was in the Navy. When my Jenni Bowlin kit arrived last month I knew it was perfect!

There's no way you'd catch me climbing up there with no safety harness!

I was a good girl and tidied everything away again after creating these pages, ready to start all over again. I love the possibilities of an empty desk!

I'm enjoying having my kiddo back from his residential trip this evening. He came back filthy and exhaused, and has not stopped chattering since he got home. I was most impressed that he appears to have washed, cleaned his teeth and changed his clothes several times without my presence. Mums of boys reading this will understand. LOL!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Punky Scraps Blog Hop!

2011-06-05T15:03:00.006+01:00

It looks like the beautiful sunshine has departed to be replaced with rain - or at least it has where I live. So, what better excuse is there to join in with the Punky Scraps blog hop!

Here's a list of the participants... you may want to start at the beginning to get all the details & see the prize :)

Punky Scraps Blog http://www.punkyscraps.blogspot.com/
Jolanda http://www.jolandascrapsels.blogspot.com/
Kerry www.socksandscrapbooks.blogspot.com
Nina http://www.pasigmom.blogspot.com/
Amanda Jones http://www.amandajonesblog.blogspot.com/ (you are here!)
Michelle www.myanaloglife.blogspot.com/
Tamara www.mumto2angels.blogspot.com/
Camilla www.scrapp77.blogspot.com/
Sarah Hurley http://www.sarahhurley.blogspot.com/
Cheryl www.craft-thing.blogspot.com/
Elin www.elinsscrapblog.blogspot.com/
Jodi www.jodis-sraphaven.blogspot.com/
Marie http://www.littleyellowhousekits.blogspot.com/
Tiffany www.bkfastattiffanys.blogspot.com/
Mandy www.forscrappingoutloud.blogspot.com/
Wendy Morris www.scrapnspire.blogspot.com/
Dawn www.mojomayhem.blogspot.com/
Jess www.thehappyscrappyplace.blogspot.com/
maureen www.scrapblog.maumautte.com/
Hayley www.haystersscraps.blogspot.com/
Kat http://www.kraftykat9.blogspot.com/
Natalie http://www.njmacs.blogspot.com/

You can find all the deatils you need on the punky scraps blog!

This is the sketch we'd love you to play along with:

And here is my take on it:

[all supplies from the Scrap Rat June Kit]

My layout features a rather bad 80s picture of me (and my brother's legs) on the swing my dad build for me when I was a little girl!

Happy Hopping!

Scrap Rat June Kit Reveal!

2011-06-01T09:43:00.001+01:00

[For kit contents list and more images click here]

I've made lots of projects with the kit this month, and still have lots of it left to create more! Here are a couple of my creations, and you can find the rest in the DT gallery.

I made my own flowers and frame with the canvas paper, and layered the flowers up with the Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine. I love how they turned out! I used the negative from the frame I had cut out as a mask and used it to mist another frame.

This 'A' I decorated by painting it with gesso, spritzing with a little mist and then covering the front side with some of the yummy Glitz paper. A simple bow and flower combo finished it off. This is now brightening up my office :)

Now I'm off to start sifting through the DT entries. I hope to make a decision and email everyone in the next couple of days. I will email all who applied one way or another. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your amazing talents with me!

Have a great Wednesday!

Vintage decor

2011-05-29T10:24:00.001+01:00

I've not had much creative time this week as the In-Laws have been visiting, but I did have time to create a couple of little decor projects. This first one I created as a thank you gift for my Aunt.

I decorated this mini wreath for her, using some flowers, a sticker sentiment and lots of my favourite seam binding.

The little bird cage was stamped, shaded with Copics and then I gave it a little coating of stickles and topped it off with a baker's twine bow. I am finding it increasingly difficult to create anything without adding baker's twine!

I don't know if I am really slow in catching on to this tip, but you know those little anti-static bags you can buy to stop things like glitter and embossing powder from 'sticking' to your projects where they're not wanted? Well, I discovered that if you rub one onto the back of a sticker, it stops it from being sticky and you can use it mre like a die-cut. I knew you could do that with baby powder, but never realised I could use my anti-stiatic bag. Duh! It's a lot less messy! ;)

This is a small canvas that I created with 2 intentions. Firstly, I've not made a new decor item for my living room in a while and, secondly, I wanted to try a new background technique.

To create my background I painted it with a generous layer of gesso, and then ripped up some pieces of a vintage sewing pattern. I scrunched them a little bit before pressing them into the gesso and then painted over them again with more gesso. I then painted a coat of Mod Podge over the top to make sure it was all sealed, then took a script text stamp and stamped it randomly over the background using StazOn ink. I tried to ink the stamp unevenly and make the impression lighter in some places than others, to give it a weathered look.

I really like the effect and can see me using it often! I also painted this little metal frame, and a vintage bingo number with the gesso. I love the look of metal painted white, and almost any metal items I use in my crafting end up painted before they're allowed on the page! Oh, and I spy a little more baker's twine on there ;) I do have to give a little shout out to a store I found recently, The Ribbon Girl. I'd never used her before but I ordered one afternoon and it arrived the very next day, beautifully packaged. She has a gorgeous selection of seam binding and baker's twine. And no, she's not paying me to say that, LOL, I have no idea who she is!

Anyway, I have to run and get the little dude ready to go out. Grandma and Grandad are taking him out to buy some pet goldfish. Not sure how they will get on with the cat!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Designer Friday!

2011-05-28T10:37:00.000+01:00

It's one of my favourite times of the month today - the day I get to share some Precocious Paper yumminess! This month I had the pleasure of working with the June Sampler, 'Summertime'.

Here are a couple of layouts I made with the June Sampler. Isn't it luscious? There are more projects on the Precocious Paper blog along with a special Memorial Weekend offer!

My little man :)

And me, back when I was in the Brownies, dressed as a sailor for a carnival parade. You know, back in the days when it was OK to stick a bunch of children on the open back of a lorry and nobody worried about it. And as far as I recall, nobody I knew fell off or got hurt. Now our carnival parade is a few kids walking round a field. Not quite as festive, huh?

I hope you like them. Make sure you visit Tessa's blog to see the special offer she has going on this weekend!

More Core'dinations layouts

2011-05-24T11:50:00.000+01:00

We had a great time with our blog swap last week, and I have a few more layouts to share with you today created with Teresa Collins On The Edge and the "Core'dinating" (sorry!) cardstock line!

Here I used one of the On The Edge chipboard album covers as a base for my photo, and tucked my journaling behind it.

This layout was created to document a special place we recently discovered - my journaling was added after taking the photos as I need to keep it a secret :)

A totally 'boy' layout, moody teenager face (my goodness, he's only 8!) and all!

There are lots more beautiful projects over on the TC DT blog too if you're looking for a bit more Core'dinations inspiration!

Layouts, blog swaps and Cricut cartridges!

2011-05-20T20:48:00.001+01:00

Hello! I've been MIA this week as the computer with all my project photos on it had a bit of a 'blip'! I really need to learn to be a bit kinder to my laptop, especially when I rely on it so heavily!.

Have you signed up to receive the Teresa Collins Designs newsletter yet? If you have, you'll have seen these 2 layouts from me already, created with the Notations album kit. If not, go and sign up! The girls have made some GORGEOUS albums with the kit, as well as some layouts.

Teresa Collins Designs Notations – Alpha stickers and die-cuts

Teresa Collins Designs Notations II – Die-cut frame

Teresa Collins Designs Posh – Trims

Also used: 5 White paper roses. Black die-cut scallop cardstock, cream cardstock, blue and dark gray glimmer mist, black inkpad re-inker, black ink pad, black journaling pen, adhesive, Cricut Expression, Cricut Cake Cartridge.

Instructions

Preparing your page components:

1. Cut the following pieces from your supplies:

• 10” circle from cream cardstock (I cut mine using my Cricut Expression and Cake Basics cartridge.

• Trim the lined journaling die-cut from your notations kit to the right size for your journaling.

2. Using a paintbrush, paint your large die-cut frame using the blue glimmer mist

3. Adhere your photo behind the frame.

4. Spritz some blue glimmer mist onto the cream cardstock circle, and also drip some spots of black re-inker direct from the dropper.

5. Adhere your cream circle to the black die-cut cardstock

6. Draw a black circle about ¾” in from the outside edge of the cream circle

7. Colour 3 of your white roses with blue mist and 2 with dark gray.

8. Ink edges with black ink and attach ‘NOTED’ tab to the side of your journal card

Assembling your page:

1. Arrange your framed photo and journaling card next to each other towards the right side of your page.

2. Stick down your journal card and then attach your frame using 3D foam adhesive.

3. Trim the ‘remember’ tab in half and adhere, overlapping, on the right side of the frame.

4. Trim an individual bloom from the black rose ‘Posh’ trim and adhere it, with a blue rose, beneath the remember tabs.

5. Cut another black rose from the trim and adhere it to the left of the frame, beneath the journal card. Also adhere the remaining paper roses in the same area.

6. Add your title above the journal card and write in your journaling to finish off the page.

This next page I had a lot of fun on with my mists and paints. Ahhh, wasn't I cute? ;)

Teresa Collins Designs Timeless - Notations Album Kit

Teresa Collins Designs Sports Edition II - Red stars paper side B

Other: Glimmer mist, gesso, paper edge distresser, Copic Markers, canvas flower, plastic flower.

I trimmed the SE II paper to 10"x10", distressed the edges and sprayed liberally with 3 shades of brown glimmer mist. I then spread a thin layer of Gesso in a random way with a credit card around the area of the page that my photo and embellishments would sit on. Finally I removed the lids of 2 shades of orange glimmer mist and made some large splatters. I then soaked up the excess with a paper towel, and the Gesso acts as a resist to give texture to the darker areas. Then I distressed the edges and coloured areas of the clock die-cut with Copic markers, and also dyed the canvas flower with Copics.

OK... and there's more! Teresa's Cricut Imagine cartridges are available to buy now at cricut.com! Word has it that Black and White is sold out already, but they should be back in stock on Monday. I know there are a lot of you out there waiting for this release, so scoot on over and grab yours. They will only be available on the Cricut website at the moment.

And finally - it's the final day of the TC and Core'dinations blog swap! There are prizes to be had so stop by our DT blog, Teresa's blog and/or the Coredinations blog to find out how to get in on the action!

Phew, I think I covered everything! I'm off to visit my nan tomorrow which will be nice - we haven't been down since before Christmas. Seriously, where has this year gone?! Then I have a creative day planned for Sunday. What do you have planned for the weekend? Whatever it is, have a good one!

Core'dinations Blog Swap

2011-05-16T21:57:00.000+01:00

This week the Teresa Collins DT are having a blog swap with Core'dinations! It's day 1 today and there are some gorgeous projects over on the Core'dinations blog using the Teresa Collins Core Amor cardstock.

I am also sharing this layout with a tutorial on the TC DT blog, so please do stop by there and say hi :)

Sorry it's a quick post. I have to run now - the 4th trip to hospital for us recently, this time it's the boy! Wish me luck!

More weddings

2011-05-10T15:35:00.000+01:00

So, today is the day! Tonight (or rather, tomorrow) at 12.30am my brother is getting married! In keeping wth the theme, I thought I'd share this set of wedding stationery I created using the Teresa Collins Stampmaker. I made these for an assignment, and they are currently winging their way to Mexico... hence they are not written in English, but you get the drift!

I mixed in quite a bit of product from the Timeless line, including papers and trim, along with some gorgeous Blingage pieces to give them the 'wow' factor.

I created stamps for all of the text, and also the little heart. I love the amount of detail you can create with the stampmaker.

I decorated the spine of the menu with some glass beads and more Blingage.

Such an easy way to create personalised stationery!

A simple thank you card, with a punched border and stamped heart.

I am totally in LOVE with this little gadget! In fact, I have a date with it tomorrow as I want to create some goodies with the latest free negative download from TC Stampmaker. There are some really cool designs this month!

I have been poorly for the past week and have not yet had chance to create anything with them. The rest of the Stampmaker DT have been busy creating though, and you can take a peek at their work here.

I'll be back in a couple of days, once I'm all caught up, with some things to share!

Wedding fever!

2011-05-02T20:57:00.002+01:00

I've had weddings on the brain these last few days. I enjoyed watching the Royal wedding on Friday on the TV. No way was I going to travel to London for half a chance at maybe seeing 'something'!

In a little over a week my brother, Steve, is getting married in Las Vegas! I won't mention the fact that I'm not speaking to him as he is not taking us with him ;)

I managed to get a nice picture of him and his finace, Elaine, when they visited at Easter. Today I made this layout to document one of their last days as an unmarried couple.

I used purple on this page, which is unusual for me! But it's a colour Elaine loves so I thought it was appropriate.

Lots of layers and little details...

Although we won't be there, we will be watching it online. In preparation for the big day, T and I have been watching other weddings in the Chapel. It's great fun! ;)

All of our holiday weekends are done now for a few weeks, so it's back to normality tomorrow. I am looking forward to a nice, quiet day with the house to myself!

Have a great week!

Pencil Lines Sketch 236

2011-05-01T22:22:00.000+01:00

I've been a busy bee this month! I am guest designing for Pencil Lines this week and the new sketch has just gone live.

I'll leave you with a peek at my layout - you'll have to visit them to find the sketch and see the wonderful creations from their talented design team.

[Supplies from the Scrap Rat May kit]

I'm also sponsoring Pencil Lines with a prize of the Scrap Rat May kit :) So come and join in with us for your chance to win!

And if you've been patiently waiting for the Miss Art's Papercrafting School to open, today is the day! They are now open for business and with monthly subscriptions starting at just $5 you'd be a fool to miss it!

Get creative!

2011-05-01T13:02:00.000+01:00

Have you been to visit the Get Creative challenge blog? This is a Greek based site but they accept entries worldwide and they have a whole lot going on over there :)

Irini, the owner, is a sweet friend of mine and she asked me to guest design for them this month. Plus, I kept them back one of our SOLD OUT Scrap Rat April kits as a prize for them, so if you missed that one you might want to go and play along!

Here's the LO I created for Get Creative...

[All supplies from the May Scrap Rat kit]

...now run on over and check out the rest of the DT work and see what they're all about!

I'll be back later today to share something else, too! I know, 3 posts in one day! Whatever next?!

Scrap Rat May Kit Reveal!

2011-05-01T00:06:00.000+01:00

Hello strangers! I have been so busy, but that is NO EXCUSE for neglecting my poor little blog! I will try to be a better blogger now that things have calmed down a little bit :)

So... I have a few exciting things going on tonight and tomorrow, starting with the launch of our May Scrap Rat kit!

A helping of yummy Echo Park and Crate Paper in here, mixed in with lots of other goodies! You can see the full contents list here. As always, we also have our vintage extras included for subscribers only.

Here's a little preview of one of my kit layouts from the DT gallery. You will have to visit us to see the rest and what the other talented girls have been up to.

We are also giving away some Echo Park goodies, kindly donated by Madison at Echo Park in our May reveal giveaway over on the Facebook page. Stop by and leave a comment there for your chance to win :)

I'll be back with a little more to share later on. Have a great Sunday!

Playing with new toys...

2011-04-20T18:54:00.001+01:00

It's a lot like being a little kid at Christmas, when you get a new crafty toy to play with. At least, it is for me. This past weekend I had chance to play with my Teresa Collins Stampmaker. I admit, the thing scared the heck out of me. I needn't have worried though as a) it was WAY easier than I imagined and b) Photocentric (who make the machine) are insanely helpful, and can even explain it well enough for stupid people like me to understand ;)

So, I hesitantly present to you my first Stampmaker project:

I designed 2 little sets of stamps, and combined one from each set with some TC On The Edge papers to make a boy card! I always struggle with boy cards, but this was was easy peasy! I used a dot border stamp and a grungy phrase on here.

Here are the negatives I designed to create the stamps....

And here are what the stamps I used for this project looked like once they were done in, like, 5 MINUTES! You can't even buy them that fast, people. Actually, this isn't exactly what they look like. They're usually a pale pinky-red but I forgot to take a pic before I inked them up with StazOn ;)

So, welcome to my newest addiction!

And one last thing... did you see my video tutorial on the Teresa Collins Design Team blog? My accent is quite a hit amongst my American friends, lol! Making it was fine.... watching it back to edit it was horrid! I'm such a dork.

Designer Friday

2011-04-15T18:06:00.001+01:00

It's time to share a Precocious Paper project with you today :) I'm still fixated on the sewing pattern petals and I used them to create this canvas for my Mum for Mother's Day. I spent ages searching for the perfect quote and this one sums up what I wanted to say perfectly!

Tessa is sharing a coupon code for the store today and you can also catch a sneaky peek of the May sampler on Tessa's yummy layout, so be sure to stop by her blog! :)

White space

2011-04-13T20:00:00.002+01:00

Do you want to know more about my Embellished White Space class that will be running on 1st May at Miss Art's Papercrafting School?

Here's the class description and a preview video of what you can expect!

Do you struggle with feeling like your pages are empty or awkward if you leave blank spaces on your projects? In “Embellished White Space”, Miss Art’s Teacher Amanda Jones dispels the myth that white space means boring and blank by showing you different ways to subtly embellish your backgrounds. You will also learn about the design advantages of white space, and how make it work for your unique style. During this 101 level, 4 video course, you will learn how to avoid the feeling of “emptiness” while making the most of the visual benefits of white space.

I had so much fun putting this together, I hope to see some familiar faces and make some new friends in my class!

Sporty stuff

2011-04-12T23:10:00.001+01:00

I created lots of sporty projects last month that I haven't yet shared. My little man loves ALL sports, even though he lacks a little in the coordination department lol! He tries so hard and it's so cute watching his little face scrunch up in concentration. All of the following projects were made with Teresa Collins' Sports Edition II line.

Last summer he went through a bit of a tennis addiction, and he still likes going over to the tennis courts across the street to practice.

I made this to hang on the back of his bedroom door. He loves it and it is a reminder for him to always try his best.

The skateboard. He wanted this so badly for Christmas. He finally got nice enough weather to take it out a few weeks ago and to my surprise no bones were broken. Yet. ;)

His longest lasting sporty obsession. Daddy is very happy with this.

More tennis....

And Lewis just being Lewis :)

Whew.... no wonder I''m always tired!

Have a great week!

Do you want to win the Notations mid-release?!

2011-04-07T18:13:00.000+01:00

I was so thrilled to find out that Teresa had designed a set of 12x12 'Notations' papers! I love the mini album kit and now we have a 12x12 version :)

How GORGEOUS is this?! Look at all those dies cut papers. Plus, you can WIN this entire collection! Teresa is giving away 3 sets - check out her blog to find out more!

Back to school!

2011-04-01T20:52:00.000+01:00

I've been waiting so patiently to share this new site with you! Alyssa McGrew, who currently runs Stash to Treasure is shaking things up a bit and launching a brand new site - Miss Art's Papercrafting School! I'm a big advocate of online learning, mostly because I love taking classes and there aren't many that run where I live. You can take online classes no matter where in the world you call home :)

Here's a little more info about Alyssa's new venture for you:

Have you ever wished there was a school which only taught your favorite classes, that had the best teachers and where tuition was so affordable it left you plenty to buy the most stylish school supplies? Miss Art's Papercrafting School is a virtual academy for every student who wants to learn the latest techniques from the industry's leading experts. Subscriptions to our monthly classes start at $5.00 and include live online chats and personal email responses from your favorite designers. Consisting of 2 - 12 videos with unlimited monthly access each class is the perfect blend of individualized crafting and supportive learning. You may purchase our reasonable kits to compliment your course or pull items from your own stash using our detailed supply lists. Learn why going back to school has never been more fun at Miss Art's Papercrafting School.

Sounds cool, right?

There will be more info coming up over the next few weeks, and the site opens officially on 1st May. In the meantime, check out the following blogs next week for some fun giveaways! There's also some more info on Alyssa's blog right now :)

Monday: Bethany Kartchner http://www.creativeruminations.com/
Tuesday: Heidi Kelley http://www.seesterk.blogspot.com/
Wednesday: CarrieAnne Deloach http://theserendipitousscrapper.blogspot.com/
Thursday: Stacey Cohen http://www.stacycohen.blogspot.com/
Friday: Alyssa McGrew http://www.alyssasscraps.blogspot.com/

Oh... and did you spot it? My new blinkie is right over there ;)
-------------------------->

Have a wonderful weekend!

Scrap Rat April Kit!

2011-03-31T20:56:00.038+01:00

I'm so excited to finally reveal the first Scrap Rat monthly kit!

[For subscription info and more images click here]

It's filled with some of my favourite product from the Winter CHA show, and it really is packed with goodies! Click here to view images of the full kit, plus the exclusive vintage goodies for subscribers only :)

I had a lot of fun creating with my kit, and so did the design team (except for poor Tessa whose kit is still trying to find its way to her!) - I have made several layouts and a card, and still have plenty of product left to make a few more things which I will share later on.

The design team gallery is filled with gorgeous inspiration - check it out!

If you want to know more, you can find all the details and purchase a subscription here while stocks last.

I hope you love our first kit as much as we do! :)

Sewing Pattern Petals

2011-03-29T22:16:00.000+01:00

I think, if I had to choose, the sewing pattern petals would be my all time fave Precocious Paper product. They are amazingly versatile. I'm sure I could find a use for them on every single one of my projects if I really wanted to!

So, I was pretty thrilled when Tessa told me she had created a DIY kit - a ton of the petals and backs that you can use to create your own, fun combinations!

Here are a few layouts I created with the kit. I still have over half the kit left, too!

Simply paired with brads (and a paper flower)

Layered with canvas flowers and vintage buttons.

Topped off with some AC flair.

You can see more, plus fellow DT member Nikki's gorgeous canvas project, over here.

I'm off to bed early tonight after a hectic week so far. I really need to learn how to switch my brain off at night! I want to say a little thank you to my friends who kept me smiling this week after Tony went into hospital. Fingers crossed he'll be home soon. x

Do you want to be a guest designer for the Scrap Rat Kit Club?

2011-03-26T12:25:00.000Z

I'm just swooping in here today to let you know about our Guest DT opportunity and a chance to win the first ever Scrap Rat kit!

Here's the info:
Scrap Rat Kits will be choosing a May guest designer from our Facebook fans at midnight GMT next Friday to celebrate our LAUNCH PARTY! We will also be selecting a (random) winner to take away our April kit! To take part in BOTH contests, simply post a link to your blog or gallery on our Facebook page between now and then, and you'll be entered!
[international entries are welcome. If you are already a subscriber and you win either contest, you will receive your kit free of charge that month]

I'm so busy this weekend! It's good busy, but still busy. I promise to post some projects soon!

Enjoy the weekend!

Super thrilled!

2011-03-25T14:33:00.000Z

I'm so excited to share that Tessa has invited me back for another term on the Precocious Paper design team! I've been a huge fan of Precocious Paper ever since I first 'met' Tessa, back when we were on the Sketchy Thursdays DT together. I am so proud to be able to work with her gorgeous creations again!

I don't have much else to share today as the rest of the goodies for the first ever Scrap Rat monthly kit have just arrived. I'm busy admiring, I mean, packing kits :) Look out for some more sneaky peeks very soon!

Don't forget to stop by at Precocious Paper today and congratulate the rest of the new team here!

Perfection

2011-03-21T18:04:00.000Z

It feels rather ironic naming this post and layout 'perfection' when today has been anything but perfect! It started off well but went rapidly down hill from there.

So I made a happy scrappy page! Scrapping is such great therapy.

Just a simple page with a photo of some of my local scenery discovered on a recent family walk. It was a fun (but tiring) day and I love this peaceful photo. I needed to find peace today ;)

I'm still not getting bored of butterflies. It's a good job really, seeing as I have enough butterfly embellishments, punches and dies to open a craft store!

I'm also making a conscious effort to use more patterned paper. I frequently make my pages using only cardstock and mist so those papers are piling up! I don't know why I don't use them. I think it's laziness. It's quicker to spritz and go than to spend hours selecting papers. Shall I let you into a secret? It took me almost a whole DAY to select the papers for this page. I am way too much of a paper perfectionist when it come to choosing my patterns! The page itself took 45 minutes. That seems a little out of proportion to me. I need to find a happy medium! But when I select my papers quickly, I'm never happy with the finished page.

Maybe I will share my scrapping process soon. Well, my processes. My quick process and my slow process ;) Then you can tell me where I'm going wrong!

Right, that's all for now. I must get the dinner in the oven. Have a good evening!

A quiet weekend

2011-03-20T20:27:00.000Z

Wow, I didn't realise it had been so long since I updated my blog! I managed to get a few layouts made this weekend, despite an absence of printer ink. It was a good reason to use up some of those photos I printed and never really felt inspired to scrap. Since I have no photos yet of the layouts I made this weekend, I thought I'd share a couple I made last month and haven't posted yet.

My little thinker :) Boys + flowers = just fine.

My little dog walker :) I used a sketch from Pencil Lines for this page. I saw a cool technique for making frames from paper bags, and that is what I did here. I wish I could remember where so that I could share it! If you know where I saw it, please post me a comment so that I can link it up.

An actual, real layout of ME! These are so rare, I think they will be worth millions one day ;) Plus, if you look closely you will see I used purple. Purple! I NEVER scrap with purple. Well, I never used to, anyway. Purple and me on the same layout? This one will be priceless in years to come LOL!

I hope you have had a good weekend. We've had a quiet one, enjoying a little bit of sunshine while it lasts!

Fancy a sketch challenge?

2011-03-14T15:21:00.000Z

I've just posted the 15th March sketch over on Scrap With V - it was my turn to design the sketch :) Come and check it out, and play along for a chance to win!

Here's my take on the sketch.

See the funky stitching along the top of the photos? Totally happened by accident ;) I was too impatient to wait for my paint to completely dry before sewing, so the cardstock kept snagging and getting stuck. I liked the look, so I went with it. Hopefully I haven't done any permanent damage to my sewing machine!

Did you know that Scrap With V is also sponsoring the March challenges over on The Studio? Come and play there, too, for another chance to win :)

Dirty knees rock!

2011-03-10T16:39:00.000Z

It's my day over on the Teresa Collins DT blog today :) We've each answered some fun questions and are showcasing some of our work throughout the month of March. There's lots more awesome inspiration to come from the rest of those sweet girls.

Here are the layouts I have up today created using the Sports Edition II line.

These photos were taken after a muddy but fun football practice. Is there anything more boy-ish than those bruised, muddy knees?

Lewis got the new skateboard he wished for for Christmas and this past weekend was one of the first times this year the weather was good enough for him to try it out. There were less scrapes than I expected, especially since we couldn't find his knee pads!

I used lots of bits and pieces from the Sports collection on this page. I am in love with the net trim. Must get me some more of that! There are some step-by-step instructions to completely re-create the LOs over on the DT blog.

Also... Teresa is back on HSN on Monday (March 14th). She'll be demonstrating and selling the Stampmaker. It was so fun to watch and get ideas the last time she was on. She will be on at 2 a.m. and 10 a.m. EST - if you're not in the US you can watch live on HSN.com!

That's all from me for today. I have been so busy this week! Hopefully things will settle down for a couple of days and I can catch up on everything. It's almost the weekend already!

Scrap Rat peeks and a bit of excitement!

2011-03-07T15:00:00.034Z

Click here for The Studio blog hop post!

Yesterday, I took a couple of sneak pics of some of the elements you'll find in the very first Scrap Rat kit! I'm overwhelmed by the positive response I've received about the kits so far! Thank you!

Yummy!

If you are really interested in the kits I would strongly advise signing up for the waiting list as we will be giving those on the waiting list first refusal on subscriptions when we launch on April 1st!

I also want to let you know about our kit LAUNCH PARTY! It will be taking place on our Facebook page and we'll be giving away an April kit to one of our fans as well as choosing a guest designer to work with our May kit! Plus, if you blog about our launch or invite your friends to like us too, you can earn extra brownie points ;)

And...did you see? As if my life isn't exciting enough right now, I was super thrilled to discover that I was picked as the monthly Customer Spotlight over on the Jenni Bowlin blog! You all know how much I love JBS, so you can imagine how excited I was! ;) Plus I get $20 extra to spend there this month. Bonus!

The Studio Blog Hop!

2011-03-04T17:00:00.048Z

It's officially the weekend where I live and it's time to have some fun!

Welcome to The Studio Challenges blog hop! You should have arrived here directly from The Studio blog, but if you haven't you need to go back there to start!
We hope you feel inspired along the way, as we have this beautiful sketch, kindly designed for us by the super talented Anna Bowkis - Founder of the Pencil Lines sketch blog. Each design team member from The Studio has created their own project based on this sketch.

Here is my interpretation...

Apart from the die-cut paper and the dyed cardboard flower from Precocious Paper, I created this entirely from my scraps and things that were laying around on my table. It didn't do much to use up that huge collection of unused papers I have! I'm finding I'm reaching for my scraps more and more, lately. Maybe I should start cutting up my new papers as soon as they arrive just so I can store them with my scraps?!

Our main sponsor for a prize on The Studio blog is Scrap With V. Ness is a sweetheart and I know she has put a great prize package together :) In order to be entered for the main prize you must be or become a follower AND comment on ALL blogs along the way.

There will also be some other prizes along the way which our Design Team have kindly donated. There are some awesome goodies up for grabs! To win these, you need only comment on and follow the blog which is giving the prize. The randomly chosen winners for these prizes will be announced at that Design Team member's blog, so make sure you check back after the hop!

The Blog Hop starts today, March 4th and runs through Tuesday 7th March with the winner of the major prize to be announced on The Studio blog.

Thank you for visiting and taking part in our blog hop! Don't forget to comment and follow me to stay in the running for the prize!
Your next stop is Anna :)

Have a great weekend!

A paper bouquet

2011-03-03T08:42:00.000Z

I had a lot of fun recently creating this pretty floral arrangement in an old candle holder, using some of the new Teresa Collins papers.

I'm sharing a tutorial over on Teresa's blog if you'd like to see how I made them.

Teresa was guest blogger over at Creating Keepsakes, too, with another flower tutorial. She created hers with her Cricut and her new reflective and glitter papers. Check it out here!

Both Lewis and myself were wiped out with a nasty bug yesterday. Fingers crossed I'll regain enough energy today to play with the box of goodies I received from Teresa yesterday. I'm tellin' ya, it was torture receiving that box and not even having the strength to open it! My favourite thing in it? The Notations kit! I knew it was fabulous, but in person, WOW! It's perfection :) I'm so glad I have ordered some in for Scrap Rat. I'm going to have a few happy customers once they get their hands on these!

Some of the DT girls have already started creating with their goodies. Jamie Harper has the most beautiful layout on the DT blog using Teresa's Core Amour Core'dinations cardstock. Can you believe how busy Teresa has been? That woman is a MACHINE! LOL!

Anyway, I'm off to eat some breakfast and regain some strength for an evening of creativity later on. Have a great Thursday!

Did you see?

2011-03-01T16:00:00.001Z

Visit the shop to find out more!!! So excited!

My cub scout

2011-02-27T13:00:00.001Z

I created another page using my Feb JBS Mercantile kit, to document my son's transition from Beavers to Cubs. This kit is so cute! I'm trying to get back into the habit of creating just for me...

I know, it's a layout! If you're missing the cards you can check out today's challenge on The Studio - there are some amazing cards from the DT over there!

Mistin' and stitchin'

2011-02-26T15:36:00.001Z

Happy Saturday, everyone!

I'm extra happy today as my poor old car had its MOT and passed. Yay! I knew she could do it ;)

Just a quick post today as I am super-busy working on the shop, ready to launch the new shop front and big announcement next week!

I have posted a quick tutorial over on the Scrap with V blog today, showing how I created this card background. If you're quick, there's also a chance to win on the post below mine :)

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Home

2011-02-25T17:29:00.002Z

It wasn't until I moved back to where I grew up that I realised. A few weeks ago the thought crossed my mind that nowhere else has ever really felt like home. I've moved around a lot of times since I flew the nest, tried out a lot of new lives, and none of them fit. This one does. I made a layout to document this realisation.

[Supplies from the JBS Mercantile Feb Kit]

Are you home right now? I'd love to know where you call home.

Butterflies and banners

2011-02-23T15:50:00.000Z

When we moved to our new home last year, I bought a new dresser for my living room. Actually it was a vintage cabinet, but it was 'new' to me. I bought it with the sole purpose of displaying some of my vintage bits and pieces, and all the 'off the page' projects I keep churning out :)

Here's one of the latest additions to my cabinet.

Papers: Teresa Collins Designs, Posh; Teresa Collins Designs Blingage: Gentry's Glitter, Stephanie's Gems, Jamie's Gems. Other: Frame from local discount store, silver chain from unwanted jewelry piece, embossing powder

I handcut the butterflies from scraps of cardstock and then embossed them with clear powder, melting some of Gentry's Glitter into the powder to give a glitter finish that won't rub off when my 8 yr old son's inquisitive hands poke around at it ;)

There are more frame projects over on the Teresa Collins DT blog here for your viewing pleasure!

Don't miss the celebrations!

2011-02-22T08:56:00.000Z

Inspired...

2011-02-21T14:45:00.000Z

I was inspired today by Cheri's blog post, in which she shows a glimpse of her art journal. I have this little vintage book cover which I altered to create my first art journal. The problem is, it's still sitting there waiting to be used.

So today I'm sharing this little book with you, in the hope that it might motivate me to do something with it!

The cover was a vintage book cover which I painted with white acrylic paint. I added a metal frame, also vintage and painted white. I used a Sassafras Vintage Brooch flower in the centre of the frame.

I left the inside covers blank to embellish later.

I used pages from a different vintage book inside the journal, and bound it together using my Bind-it-All.

So, now I just need to start using it! Any tips to get started, anyone? :)

Have a great week!

More cards...

2011-02-20T13:39:00.000Z

So I'm wondering if I should change the name of my blog to 'mostly cardmaking...' It seems that I'm making more cards than layouts lately! I have a couple to share today.

This one I made using a 'sweet spot' from Precocious Paper.

And this one was created with the Teresa Collins 'Posh' line (the chipboard piece is from 'Giving Thanks' line).

Such a versatile line considering it is predominantly PINK! There are more Posh cards on the DT blog here :)

I was meant to be in Birmingham today for 'Stitches' but we couldn't make it due to unforeseen circumstances. We've had a lovely long walk down to the beach and got lots of photos instead, so now I have no excuse not to get scrappy later on! I've got a bit of cooking and cleaning (ugh) to get done and then it's creative time!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

I ♥ grids

2011-02-18T19:58:00.000Z

I have been a fan of grid designs for as long as I can remember. My philosophy? If nothing else is working, go for a grid! I was looking back through my albums and there is definitely a grid trend running through them, especially on my older pages.

So here is another grid design, created using these new Sweet Spots from Precocious Paper.

I love fresh colours teamed with white, and these embellishments were perfect for the job. You can see projects from Mandie and Anna on the blog today if you need a bit more of a hit ;)

I need to set aside a few creative hours. I have so many ideas and projects in my mind at the moment that they've kind of got blocked in there. Am I the only crazy person to feel like that sometimes? I need to get them out one way or another!

Have a great weekend, everyone. I'm taking a trip up to Birmingham on Sunday to the 'Stitches' trade show. Tracie is picking me up wayyyyy too early for a Sunday morning. I hope she's prepared for my early morning grumpiness. ;) Is anyone else going? Give me a shout if you are, and maybe we can grab a cuppa! I am already looking forward to seeing a couple of crafty friends :)

Teresa Collins

2011-02-15T21:45:00.000Z

I'm back from my long weekend away and have a few things 'Teresa Collins' to share :)

Have you signed up for the Teresa Collins Designs newsletter? You don't have to be a retailer to sign up - it's full of yummy projects and inspiration for using your product once you get your hands on it! You can find previous newsletters on the site too, here.

This card of mine was featured in the February newsletter.

I mostly used product from the Posh line for this one. I love that there are lots of pretty elements you can cut out and use to embellish your projects from these papers. For more 'Posh' inspiration from the DT check out the Newsletter!

Also, we now have a Teresa Collins Design Team blog. There will be several projects posted each week from the DT. You should come and check it out, these girls are amazingly talented AND some of the sweetest girls I know. February's projects will be focusing on the Posh line! You're in for a treat ;)

In other news: I have been offered an actual job! It's bittersweet.... lol! I was secretly kind of hoping to win the lottery and not have to return to work, but it seems that dream was not to be. I'll still be buying my ticket every Saturday, though ;) Gotta fund this stash habit somehow, I guess.

Have a great week. It's good to be home!

13 on the 13th

2011-02-13T22:38:00.000Z

So, today is 13th Feb and our challenge over at The Studio is to create a card using 13 of something! It's our first card specific challenge - we'd love for you to join us! You could win a 3 month subscription to the Masterful Scrapbook Design series if you do :)

I chose to simply add 13 gems to my card.

I'm finding myself making a lot of cards recently. I think this is because they are so quick to make compared with a scrapbook page. Even if I don't have the time to create a layout I can squeeze a card in to get my little dose of creativity and restore my sanity ;)

I'm visiting family this weekend and on my brief facebook visits I've been seeing lots of lovely Valentine's projects from people. I've been terrible this year and have created next to nothing! So, I can't share anything with you, but do check out Teresa Collins' blog as she has a pretty great free Valentine's download for you if you're lucky enough to own a Stampmaker!

I am burning to create something, but my scrap space is a few hundred miles away today. I'll be glad to get home in a couple of days.

Exciting stuff!

2011-02-09T14:00:00.000Z

Have you spotted the sneak peeks of Teresa Collins' new Cricut Imagine Cartridge?

If not, you'll want to head over to her blog right now! I can't wait to try out her designs - it's definitely what I've been waiting for in the cartridge department before taking the Cricut purchase plunge!

Scrapping with the girls

2011-02-07T12:29:00.000Z

I fully intended to take my camera with me on Saturday when I went to my local crop, but completely forgot. So I can't share any pictures! However, I can share the projects I made for a couple of little classes I taught.

Tracie provided yummy kits mostly filled with Glitz product. I taught this LO plus a cute mini bird wreath.

The bird is made using a Sizzix die.

I also created a LO based on the class that Tracie taught, but I have yet to add my photos. I'll share as soon as I can :)

We had a wonderful day! Thanks, Tracie!

The other thing I wanted to let you know about, is that The Studio forum has reopened! I'm so excited to see lots of our regulars back again, and looking forward to making new friends! Come and join us if you can :)

Give it up for Fridays!

2011-02-04T19:30:00.002Z

Yeah! It's Friday! Who doesn't love them?

Did you see my little tutorial over at The Studio this week? I created a frame for my home - click here to view the whole project :) I love indulging my girly side with projects.

Supplies: Vintage frame, Teresa Collins POSH collection papers, vintage playing cards, Teresa Collins Blingage gems, Bubblegum Pink Glimmer Mist, adhesive by Therm-O-Web.

And for those of you looking for an excuse to get your die cutters out, check out the latest challenge at Sarah Hurley challenges! I made my card using the Wonderland CD and my Tim Holtz flower die :)

Enjoy your weekend! Do you have anything planned? I'm off to my local crop tomorrow. Looking forward to good company, good scrapping and yummy food! That is, if I can get this class finished I'm supposed to be teaching! Haha!

PS there are only a handful of my Vintage 'Envy' kits left! I'm so pleased you like them, and if you've not yet got yours you'll need to be fast!

Vintage kit - Envy

2011-02-03T10:40:00.002Z

These kits are now live in the Scrap Rat shop! They are VERY limited in quantity due to the majority of the contents being vintage items, so don't hesitate if you want one! Price is only £15 with free shipping to the UK. [International customers can purchase for £18 including shipping - drop me an email to amanda@scraprat.co.uk and I will invoice you via paypal, while stocks last.]

This kit is filled will vintage goodies in deep greens and aged neutrals, with a splash of blue and yellow.

Each kit contains:

2 large illustrated vintage dictionary pages

2 vintage book pages - text

2 small vintage dictionary pages

1 vintage short hand book page

1 vintage bingo card - green

18" lace trim

2 vintage playing cards - 1 each of leaf and green/gold circle designs

2 small vintage playing cards - bird designs

3 vintage game counters - 2 small blue, 1 large green

3 vintage plastic letter tiles - 1 green, 1 yellow, 1 blue. Letters will vary.

2 vintage word game tickets - blue, words will vary

9 vintage buttons - green, yellow and blue

Plus the following exclusive Scrap Rat products:

Scrap Rat acrylic stamp - circles and hearts ledger

Scrap Rat Lil' Snippets - Green and Black starburst die cuts, 20 pieces

Spin me a yarn - vintage wool, forest green (3 yards)

I created 3 layouts and an altered frame with my kit and still have bits left over!

All items from the kit except glimmer mist and green alphas. The butterfly is from the kit packaging.

All items from the kit except my white Mr. Huey :) I even used the glassine bag from the packaging on here to mat my photo and tuck behind the bingo card.

All items in the frame are from the kit except the brass spoon and cream flower.

All items from the kit except blue alphas and paint.

I had a lot of fun creating with this yesterday! I am working on some more kits, too, so check back soon!

Studio Sunday

2011-01-30T19:26:00.000Z

We have a sketch challenge for you over on The Studio today. Here's the sketch I designed:

And this is what I created for it:

I also added the challenge of making a handmade embellishment for your page, so I made a little flower from strips of patterned paper, topped off with a coordinating button.

Be sure to stop by and check out the work from the rest of the design team, they've outdone themselves this week! Plus keep your eyes peeled for an intro to the new DT girls who start their term next Sunday! Woohoo!

Happy Sunday!

Have you heard?

2011-01-29T16:45:00.000Z

Did you see the big announcement from Teresa Collins yet? CHA is kicking off as I type this, and Teresa has announced that she is teaming up with Provocraft to release a Cricut Imagine and an Expression cartridge!!! And, that's only the beginning! You can view the announcement video and read more on Teresa's blog.

I'm so happy for Teresa and excited to soon have the opportunity to try out her cartridges!

I wish I could have gone to CHA this time around and shared in the excitement, but it was not to be! Maybe I'll get there in the summer :)

Have a great weekend!