sketch 341 scrapbook challenges double page layout.

it's time for a new sketch challenge over at scrapbook challenges. this week's sketch was a single page and again i turned it into a double - my comfort size for scrapping!i also set a challenge for myself - using a piece of paper that i very well could live without - you know the one... yip that big old green piece of kaisercraft. green is just not my colour - but what's a girl to do when she needs to use what she's got? I combined the green cut out with a more acceptable palette featuring blue and red with some stamping thrown into the mix and a recycled postage stamp ...
this week was a bit of a loose interpretation on the sketch - i used the left hand side of the sketch and then just did my own thing like i normally do.head on over to www.scrapbookchallenges.com to see the original sketch and what the girls did with their designs...
in the end i kinda liked how it turned out! I used some red Teresa Collins flowers cut from a piece of left-over paper from my scrap box - and when i say scrap box i really mean the pile of papers that has overflown onto my floor waiting to be used or chucked (ya right)
to pick up some of the green i used a recycled postage stamp on the right hand side to pull your eye across - just enough green not to make me wanna hate it
colour is a beautiful thing - but some colours are meant for nature - here's how i see it
yellow - only meant for sunflowers in a field
green - only for freshly cut lawns
purple - for fields of lavender in france
orange - just joey roses in the garden
and those are my least favourite colours to use anywhere, cause in my opinion they are only meant for nature and perfectly so
hope you have a wonderful week - i am heading out to Bloemfontein for some classes and will be back on Sunday - so stay a while and come back soon! have a wonderful week!

scrap africa challenge a double page layout featuring Prima Lyric.

we have a new challenge over at scrap Africa - this month's challenge is hosted by the talented and lovely Rene. we had to use black and white photos, triangles and confetti.i love challenges that tell you exactly what to do - takes the thinking out of things really. so for my layout i used the new Prima Lyric Collection *love*. i used a single sheet of paper, 2 strips of scrap paper and some washi tape - for a really economical layout. for added interest i did a simple resist embossing technique on the patterned paper (also from the single sheet) - this changed the look totally making it really unique.
i combined some delicate paper butterflies with charms and wood embellishments - simply love how the textures compliment the beautiful paper
combining the Lyric collection paper with Life time embellishments - perfect union
i mimicked the pencil lines on the original sheet of paper by using a graphite pencil to scribble on my layout - some childhood fun with adult permission. instead of using the traditional round confetti for the challenge i included square confetti punched from the scraps of my single sheet of paper - really stretching the frugal scrapping thing.
head on over to scrap Africa to see what the rest of the design team came up with - love their interpretations of this stunning challenge. remember to play along and you could win some awesome goodies. have a creative week!

embellishments with a purpose - new Prima goodies.

Over at The Wholesaler's blog we are sharing some tips and ideas on how to use your Prima embellishments - so head on over to see the entire selection and order yours today
http://www.thewholesaler.biz/blog/embellish-with-a-purpose


Have you seen the new Prima embellishments? Well then you are sure to have fallen in love with the old and new variety of gorgeous goodies they have released. I love embellishments but sometimes they are just too pretty to sit on a layout in an album, they tell a beautiful story that should be displayed and shared for everyone to see and enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, a beautiful embellishment on a layout is worth it’s look in gold if you use it correctly and to its full potential – embellishments thus are not for filling holes and empty spots on a layout just because you can – embellishments need to have a purpose and add to the overall story and not distract from the design.

Having said all of that I was in need of a quick little gift for a special friend and the new Life Time embellishments were just perfect. For my gift I used a 4x4 inch canvas and covered it using my Tombow glue stick and a thin handmade silk paper – this forms my backdrop. As embellishments I used a couple of elements together – Newsprint mini-frames, butterfly and mini crystals from the Life Time range. I love how the soft colours complement each other yet the statement they make is huge. My message reflects my friend – strong and delicate with lots of sparkle!

i just love these elements to frame little photos and sayings

 I also really love a good chunky necklace with a surprise element. I have often used scrapping elements together with beautiful ribbons to make custom jewellery that can be changed at a whim and re-purposed on a craft project. I used one of the metal trinkets tied with a piece of silk ribbon onto a chunky ball chain. I love the combination of soft and gentle with a vintage industrial feel. These metal trinkets are really amazing for jewellery as an accent piece, making a pretty brooch, used on a key ring and even as home décor.

 It just goes to show that embellishments can be used in a variety of ways – even the unpredictable, but they should always have a purpose. A great embellishment can stand alone quite comfortable making a statement – just like these wonderful pieces by Prima.

Products used
Life Time Newsprint Mini Frames [PM 56343]
Life Time Metal Trinkets [PM 563585]
Life Time Say it in Crystals - Mini Swirls [PM 563981]
Life Time Butterflies (24 Pieces) [PM 565589]
Tombow Colour Glue Stick [TB 01494]
Tombow Mono Multi Glue [TB 62191]

adhesives - Tombow Glue Sticks.

Read more about adhesives, see my tips and tricks and sample projects over here 

One of my go-to glues in my stash and one of my personal favourites too is the Tombow Mono Color Glue Stick. I often have people frown at me when I ask them to have a glue stick in their basic kit – and no it’s not the kind of glue stick you send to school for your kids to use. This is a very special kind of glue stick.

I have a ton of uses for my glue stick, and if you think about it they are pretty obvious. Why would you glue down thin tissue paper with tape that will show through, or a pretty quote printed on vellum, and why would you glue down ribbon with a liquid adhesive that will simply seep through and ruin your entire project? Right… I will give you a minute to answer those questions for yourself – done!

Ok now time to move on and explain just exactly why the Tombow glue stick is my go-to adhesive for certain papers and applications
·         I love handmade mulberry paper but because they are so flimsy and thin double sided tape, roller tapes and any liquid adhesive will simply make a line where it bonds to the paper and show through leaving a totally unsightly end result.
·         I love making invitations and printing the wording on vellum. Yip vellum as in tracing paper. The paper is thin and milky and with most adhesives this is a nightmare to adhere to any surface. Everything will show through and leave a visible line.
·         I like building up layers of papers together on backgrounds like printed tissue paper, old vintage book paper sheets and old flimsy maps that have seen better days. But should I use tape or liquid glues I will have visible lines where the papers overlap each other and the glue sits. Using a glue stick ensures that my papers overlap seamlessly and that no glues will show through my thin and delicate papers

… so in all of the above cases I will go to my favourite glue stick. The Tombow glue stick will dry with an even surface (when applied correctly) and will leave no visible marks or unsightly residue. It really is magical!

Tombow Mono Color Glue Stick in short
·         The glue is blue but dries totally clear
·         Acid free
·         Has a really strong bond
·         Is washable
·         Is totally child safe

sketch 339 at scrapbook challenges.

it's time for another sketch over at scrapbook challenges.this week's sketch was a single, but by now you know that my hearts lies in doubles and so i turned the single (right hand side) into a double creating my own thing on the left. i also scrapped our little puppies' operation - yes a memory and things we need to remember and want to remember - it's part of my real life! but the best thing about this layout is that i had a light bulb moment (well for me anyways) - i knew i had some stamps....that would work perfectly, so i went a digging and found the little *medicine* bottles from Graphic 45 - and i loved them on this layout....
i used a really old range from Kaisercraft and i also only had the 2 sheets of paper that perfectly complimented the blue of Jacks' blankie.
i punched some of the circles out of the paper and raised them onto the paper for some added dimension. love the look
combined some old 7gypsies stickers for the *operation* theme and then pulled the red through using more paper elements and buttons
and the bottles up close - i stamped them onto the back of a glitz paper that is cream with a bit of a texture and print. i combined the bottles and raised some of them to give the illusion of them being in the front of the others. so glad Jack did not have to have some of those medicines.
hope you are having a wonderful week....i am still fighting the bug and hope it will let go sooner than later! this week is a hectic creative week and so looking forward to catching up with some good friends - good people - special people, finalizing some business deals that can be quite exciting in the long run and scrapping loads of layouts! be blessed!

sketch 338 at scrapbook challenges.

well Monday has come and gone and it's time for another sketch over at scrapbook challenges. I designed this week's sketch and the lovely Chanell did a super job turning it into digital. Pure genius! so we hope you will play along with us this week - you will find loads of inspiration from the others girls by heading to the blog! we have both a single and double page version so you can scrap whatever makes you happy....and for me it's a double - double the fun!


and here's what i did with the sketch....
i used some pics from our Scrapbook Studio retreat in Feb. and my title 'stay a while' reflects a bit about that magical place! my title by the way was done with "letraset" rub-ons from about 20 years ago, maybe even more and they still worked. I used a diamond stencil on my background from crafters workshop - love those!
i used a giant 'thread spool' label on chipboard combined with pretty Prima and Petaloo flowers, kaisercraft rub-ons and Crate chipboard....
some pretty washi tape peeking out from under all the layers, combined with another kaisercraft stamp favourite
and another crate chipboard sticker element. i hope you are having a creative week filled with lots of goodness. we have had some amazing rain and that is always a good thing - i love that sort of weather with lots of coolness, mist on the mountain and soft rain on a thatch roof - bliss for being creative. thanks for popping in and sticking around - without blog readers and comments, having a blog is pretty useless(mostly). you are a blessing!

colouring with Artiste Markers.

I have always been keen on an artist first approach when it comes to crafting, scrapbooking and card making. So naturally I approach my colouring in of stamped images in the same artistic non-perfect-outside-of-tie-lines kind of way – the more natural and watercolour like the better for me. And for that reason I love the Artiste Dual Tip Markers. 
These Artiste Dual-Tip Brush Markers are available in sets of 12 markers in a pack. The colour ranges are sorted in Vintage, Brights and Pastels making it easy to pick the colours you want to work with.
They Each Have a Brush Tip and a Fine Point that can be used for larger areas or for writing depending on your needs and application purposes. They are perfect for any use in Card Making, Scrapbooking and many other Crafting Projects.

Artiste markers in short….
  • Permanent dual-tip brush markers in co-ordinating colours
  • High-quality permanent colour
  • Versatile: use them with stamps, to shade designs or add text
  • Add dramatic effects to cards, gifts, scrapbooks, etc.
  • Add stunning detail like edging and accents
  • Acid Free
  • Non Toxic
If you are a more structured kind of crafter then these may not be for you. These markers are not alcohol based but water based – which means that they need to be approached like watercolour paint. They can be used directly onto paper and cardstock but shading the colours requires water and a paintbrush. Using the brush tip and colouring onto some types of cardstock will leave you with a streaky look however.  I used them on watercolour paper and that was perfect – but use them on ordinary white cardstock with water and the paper may ‘fluff’ causing the top layer of the paper to separate from the bottom due to the water added. On a smooth white cardstock the markers worked really well even when combined with water.
Joy card
For my card I used the beautiful new range of Gorjuss stamps. I stamped the image onto watercolour paper using Versafine ink in black. I then used my Artiste markers to add some colour. And because I love the artistic not so perfect look I even coloured outside the lines and that’s OK too. Here’s how I did it….
For a Step by step colouring tutorial of my stamped image
take a look here http://bit.ly/16mb0rQ
Here's to many more hours of colouring outside the lines and using these Gorjuss images and products.
All products used in this articles is distributed and supplied by   
The Wholesaler in South Africa.
Products Used
AC Cardstock Value Pack (100 Sheets) [AC 71660]
DoCrafts Artiste Dual Tip Brush Markers (12 Pack) – Brights [DDOA851100]
DoCrafts Artiste Dual Tip Brush Markers (12 Pack) – Vintage [DDOA851101]
DoCrafts Artiste Dual Tip Brush Markers (12 Pack) – Pastel [DDOA851102]
Gorjuss Urban Stamp - I Love You Little Rabbit (2 Piece) [DGOR907108]
Mister Huey's Colour Mist - Calico Shine [AC 101284]
Petaloo Forget Me Nots – Pink [C1835-320]
Petaloo Canterbury Naturals - Blue, Amethyst [C1830-002]
Teresa Collins She Said 6x6 Paper Pad [TC HSS110]

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