It's The 1st Saturday Of The Month ....

Which means that a new challenge has launched over on The Happy Scrappers challenge blog. This months challenges prompt is Birthdays/Celebrations, the DT including myself produced some lovely Scrapbook Layouts as examples, so now I can show you the one that I made!

This photograph was taken almost a year ago now on my grandson Mason's 2nd birthday, & I can still almost hear my son Paul saying to him
"Blow like this Mason, blow your candles out"
The Elmo cake that my son made tasted really nice, even if I did have a surprise when I was handed a slice of Red & Blue coloured marble cake. Why does it always feel so odd when we eat anything coloured blue!?!

Although my LO looks like it is set in a frame it isn't, it's actually part of the paper! I wanted to create the look of a pin/notice board for my LO for a more casual look & think I managed it. It really was very simple to put together with just a few scraps from my 'oddments' box. The only thing that was taken from a new packet are the American Craft 'Thickers' which I used for the word Mason & the number 2. The little cupcake embellishment I made myself with some pieces cut from a scrap of patterned paper & built it up in 3 layers so hat it stands proud from the page. Other than that it's just more patterned paper. 

I am happy with the finished result....

Thank you for visiting today

~ Jane ~

There's a New Challenge Blog .....

I am very excited to learn about this impending challenge blog in particular, because it's for all of us Scrapbookers! I know that there scrapbooking challenges out there in blogland, but a lot of them are in based in other countries or are based on sketches. I am not knocking any other challenge sites out there, they are all fantastic, but I am loving that this one is based right here in the UK.

It is going to be a monthly challenge & called The Happy Scrappers The 1st challenge will go live on 5th May 2012. There will be no prizes up for grabs, but oddles of inspiration from the Design Team, fellow scrapbookers & their blogs.

I will be there to join in the fun, will you join us too?!

An update on the.....

*VALENTINES Craft Stamper HEART Challenge*
As well as the Craft Stamper magazine Apron that I am offering as a prize, Katy Fox, is also going to give a £20.00 Goodie bag to the challenge winner too (for blog entries only ** there are seperate prizes in the group, including an apron) You can read what Katy has written on the Craft Stamper blog, she has written a lovely piece for us The Cupboard Trilogy 

....
http://craftstamper.blogspot.com/

Craft Stamper Magazine

craftstamper.blogspot.com

Made a Little Card for .....

A challenge set on The Craft Cupboard group on facebook. The challenge was set by one of the admin members Vanessa & the brief is to create a card suitable for a child between the ages of 1 - 16 for any occasion. Vanessa is very kindly offering a Spellbinders "Fluer de Lis Squares" Die as a prize, I don't have that one yet & would love to win it ... The challenge will be judged by Vanessa's 3 children, which I think is a great idea.

Here is my card, I haven't added a greeting yet, because I'm not who I will be sending it too or why.

Happy Valentines Day ...

I am off out babysitting later so my son & daughter in law can go out for a meal, so my other half will be spending the evening with the dog... I hope that you all have fun whatever you do to cellabrate Valentines day.

I have a Valentines Challenge over on The Cupboard Trilogy blog. It runs from today through to 1st March, there is a Craft Stamper magazine embroidered apron up for grabs for the lucky winner. You also have 2 chances to win, but you have to enter with 2 different Cards, Scrapbook LOs or 3D projects to get both.

There is a clause though, your entries MUST include the image of the freebie stamp that was attached to the February edition of the Craft Stamper magazine.

The reason that I have chosen to use that particular stamp is because it was designed by Sarah Lawrence, the owner of Crafty Notions, who sadly & suddenly passed away in December 2011. So this challenge is a tribute to her.

The challenge will be judged by Katy Fox ~ Editor of the Craft Stamper & Scrap365 magazines ...

I hope that you will all try to join in with this fun challenge! 
You can find The Cupboard Trilogy blog HERE

Take care

Jane x

Photo Challenge...love this one!

I have been challenged by Jules to a photo challenge and this is what I have to do:

1) Go to the 6th photo folder saved on my PC (or not if you file them in a different way)

2) Choose the 6th photo stored and upload to to your blog

3) Write something about the picture.

4) Then challenge 6 new people to join this challenge....

Anyways, it just so happens, that I have been busy recently scanning in loads & loads of vintage family photos, in preparation to having them printed off to use in my scrapbooks!

My photo of my dearest grandfather Charlie Cook, when he was a younger man, funny, I never knew my grandad with hair or a moustache, so it was quite a surprise to find this photo. He resembles one of my uncles in this snap! I loved my grandad, but I knew him with glasses and white hair, always in a crew cut style. I remember I used to love to sit on his knee and rub his head, because his hair kind of prickled and tickled my hand LOL ....

He was one of the founder members of the Chippenham Wheelers in Wiltshire, along with my grandmother and 2 mutual friends I believe. They used to cycle all over the country and my grandad could still be seen out cycling approaching his 90th birthday, when he finally took heed and conceeded that he really wasn't safe anymore.

Sadly, he is no longer with us, but I have no doubt that he is sat, watching his family in a celestial armchair somewhere in a better place, with his 'Sweetheart' my grandma, by his side!

So without further ado, I am passing this challenge on to

June

Sally

Mandi

Jackie

Sarah

Chris

Come girls play along, and let me know if you do so that I can come and see your photos ;)

Index Card Box

This box started out as a Washing Powder Box, but it was so strong and when you close it, it just stays that way without popping open again.....far to good to throw away, as I knew one day it would come in handy for something!

I am a complete airhead when it comes to remembering birthdays, even within my own family. So this year I am determined to not forget a single one, so I created this box to hold index cards, one for each member of the family or friend.
I also made dividers, one for each month of the year. Will it work? honestly,
I just don't know, but it's certainly got to be worth a try!

Over on the ScrapaGoGo Clubhouse, one of my fellow design team members Nicola has challenge all GoGo Kit subscribers to use up our old /past kits. On this box I used papers from January 2008 kit, from Making Memories 'Noteworthy Range'. I chose not to embellish the box any further, because it going to sit on my desk and I really don't want it to have to much on it that collects dust...not fond of dusting me!
It also fits the requirements for this weeks Arty Girlz challenge, which is "anything but a card" just nicely.
1) I began by carefully stripping of the advertising paper from the box, leaving a blank chpboard base to work with. I choose to strip some of it right back to expose the corrogated card, to give it a distressed look. This is of coarse optional...
2) I then painted my box with acrylic paint and set aside to dry
3) I cut out panels of patterned paper for each of the sides, I left the bottom simply painted.
4) Glue the panels in place, I chose to make them slightly shorter, to allow the paint to show at the edges.
5) I then glazed the whole box with matt glaze {gesso} tinted with a little paint and allowed to dry completely, which did lift the paper a little...but I like that look, again it is just preference.
6) Finally, I rubbed a little gold leaf wax embossing paste on areas that I wanted it, when dry I then buffed it up!

TMTA ~ Cloth & Paper

Here is my take on this weeks Think Monday, Think ATC's challenge...where we were asked to use Cloth & Paper! I have tongue in cheeked titled this ATC "Fangs for the post"

I think I may have a new addiction!

I created this collage this evening for a challenge. The theme was inspired by the October challenge over on the Vintage Veranda, where the theme is

'The Groaning Table'

The collage fills the criteria for the 55th challenge over on the Arty Girlz blog, where they are asking for us to use 'Clipart'
You can probably see that there are holes punched into the side of this page, thats because it's the first page in an Envelope Album that I am making to store my ephemera clippings in. The envelopes were made a long time ago, but I had not done anything with it until now. I wasn't happy with the patterned paper that I had covered them with as it no longer fitted with my theme. So, I took a piece of wide lace and dabbed an ink pad all over it until I was happy with the effect. I've never tried this technique before, but will certainly be doing it again!

I didn't win this time, but

Here is the Altered Envelope that I entered.

I had great fun creating this collage, which is quite obviously LONDON
I'm not disappointed that I didn't win, because I was up against some very tough competition.
Thank you everyone that took the trouble to vote on this fantastic challenge, that was set by Chris, on the Paper Dolls blog
I am a sucker for a challenge, and try to take part in as many as my time will allow.

Don't forget to pop on over to see who created the amazing winning piece!

TMTA

Here is my ATC for last Monday's TMTA challenge with the theme of COFFEE!

Paint dry brushed on to Textured Cardstock, droplets of Glossy Accents, Rangers metalic pearl Dabber paint smoothed under the mug, and stippled for the froth, then dabbed lightly with a brown ink pad for chocolate dust!

Arty Girlz # 54

Here is my take on this weeks Arty Girlz challenge,

they have asked for us to use RED.

I decided to go with a stamped collage this time!

CB & Arty Girlz Challenge #53

The Arty Girlz Challenge this week we were asked to make something in the theme of 'Autumn'My project is an ATC

I have used a mixture of paper leaves, skeleton leaves and fabric leaves, various inks, woollen fibres and accent beads!

I've also used this ATC as my entry for the Numbers challenge over on the

Crafts Beautiful forum

TMTA Challenge

Here is my ATC for this weeks challenge over on TMTA

Where we were asked to create Homophones!!!

Nope, I initially didn't know what it was either?

But, it's when you use a words that sound the same, but have different spellings/ meanings.

Mine combines Sea & See

Think Monday - Think ATC Challenge

Dance to my tune!

I sat and had peaceful afternoon croping images out of magazines today, great fun it was too. Why? because it's a fantastic way to get great pictures for collage work and ATCs. I personally don't buy them, but a neighbour across the way saves hers for me, so I guess you could call it recycling LOL

I created the above ATC for the challenge over on TMTAC where this week the keyword is

DANCE

Arty Girlz Challenge #48 ~ Shapes

Here is my entry to this weeks Arty Girlz challenge, where we are asked to add shapes to our project. I have created an ATC and have tried something that is quite different for me, but I really enjoyed doing it. What I didn't realise was that the scan would pick up the different layers of colour, including the squiggle! In real life you don't see that ochre squiggle coming through, but I am quite happy that it's there, it looks quite arty I think LOL I have used glossy accents on it too for the windows and the moon, so is quite textural in real life.I will go and add this to my ATC swap lounge now!

Arty Girlz Challenge #46

Here is a quick card I have sat down and created this evening for the Arty Girlz challenge #46, which this week see's the theme of 'Vintage'
I decided to use efemera and make a collage, highlighting with copper decopatch paint. I'm not sure if it classes as a 'moo card' or not as I'm not sure of dimentions needed for it to class as a Moo??

Arty Girlz Challenge #42

Made this card for this weeks Arty Girlz challenge is to follow a sketch, not my usual style but I have made a pledge to use up bits of stash that has been hanging around for a while. That being the case, I am quite happy with my take on the challenge!

Sketch Saturday Challenge #5

Here is a very quick card I made for this weeks Sketch Saturday challenge! Also, of coarse it helps with the 'Dusty Stamp' challenge too!

Tired Today

I haven't crafted today firstly because I have been very tired for some reason and slept quite a bit, and secondly because Alex went back to University today after his half term break. I always seem to have a lack of motivation on the day he returns to Birmingham *sigh*

So, rather than not blog at all I thought I would show you one a my LOs that I did some time ago, and decided to bring out for another airing :)

The photo is of Thredbo, a small town nestled high up in the Snowy Mountains in NSW Australia.
For this page I used papers by Rusty Pickle from his 'French Market' range. I also used alphabet nad snowflake rub ons directly on to acetate to create the title. I hand made the large snowflake out of mountboard and used a tiny file from a set by Basis Grey, to file in all the tiny spaces to shape it crisply. Buttons and stickles were added to just finish off!