Scrap Africa Challenge No 30 - 'Scrap your Stash'

Hi everyone! I've just realised how long ago I've last been here.  Life has been very hectic lately, but I've been having loads of fun! Today I just want to pop in quickly to share the latest Scrap Africa challenge with you.  The challenge is hosted by fellow DT member, Erica Houghton. 
Here is what Erica has to say:  'Challenge No. 30 is all about Scrapping Your Stash! Dig deep and pull out those collections that are 3 years or older; if you're newer to scrapbooking and don't have paper older than 3 years just use your oldest paper. We'd also love to see you use some of those older products that are possibly not so "in" at the moment e.g. rub-ons, eyelets, etc. Get creative, have fun, and use up some of your stash!'

Now isn’t this a challenge we can all play along with?!!

For more information and to see all the beautiful examples of the rest of the DT and Guest DT members, go HERE.

Here is my example.  Everything used on this card (except for the flowers) are from a very old Kaisercraft collection, called ‘Chapter One’.  I gave the card to my daughter who is currently writing her uni exams.

A close up of my flower cluster.  The big roses are from Kaisercraft and the smaller roses and leaves are from Green Tara.

The rubon in the corner as well as the butterfly are from the Chapter One collection.  The rhinestones are from Kaisercraft too.

Another few close ups for good measure. :)

We would love for you to play along with this challenge, as I'm sure we all have old stash waiting to be used. :)  You have until the 30th of June to get your entries in!

I'll be back in a few days with more to share.

Have a great week everyone!

Until next time.

M xox

Scrap Africa Sketch Challenge #30 and Prima 'Time Traveler'

Hi everyone!  Just a quick post to share the new Sketch Challenge over at Scrap Africa with you.  It's another gorgeous sketch designed by the very talented Denise Van Deventer.

My take on the sketch using the beautiful Prima 'Time Traveler' collection.  I was lucky enough to receive this collection in my May DT kit from The Scrapbook Store.  The photo was taken on my parents' wedding day in 1959.  I have added my journaling on the back of the layout.

A close up showing some of the stencil work. I've used the Crafters Workshop Mini 'Live Love Laugh' and Mini 'Art Is' templates together with texture paste mixed with black Shimmerz Paints.

 I love the little Prima resin angels. :)  All the flowers are from the 'Time Traveler collection.

 The title is a wood veneer word from WOW.

The chipboard leaves and word strips are from the TSS chipboard collection.

I hope you get a chance to play along with the sketch.  I would love to see your entry!  To get all the details and to see the rest of the Design Team's gorgeous examples, take a look HERE.


I have also created another layout using the Prima 'Time Traveller' collection.  This time I teamed it up with photos of Thandi, our Dachshund puppy taken in 2007. :)  I've cut one of the patterned papers into strips and used it to weave a background for my photos.

 A close up to show more of the weaving.  If you were wondering... Thandi is the Zulu word for 'precious'. :)

The leaves were cut using the Poppy Stamps 'Small Marianna Vine Outline' die.

All the flowers are from the 'Time Traveller' collection.

That's all I have for today.  I have just returned from the TSS retreat this past weekend and I'm leaving again on Friday to attend the Craft Expo in Brisbane.  So many exciting things happening right now!  Better go and get some sleep. :)

Thank you so much for popping by my blog.  I appreciate it.

Until next time!

M xox

Maja Design 'Vintage Autumn Basics'

Hi everyone! Hope the new week brings you lots of joy.
Today I want to share a layout I've done using my DT kit from The Scrapbook Store.  I simply love the quality of the Maja Design papers.  Here I've used the 'Vintage Autumn Basics' collection.

I've used the Crafters Workshop 'Mini Brick' template and white embossing paste on my background, then painted on some diluted Glimmer Mists in brown and pink to match my papers.The title is a chipboard phrase from Scrap FX.

I've also used 2Crafty 'Clock Face frames' and 'Summer Leaf Stems' which I painted white and then inked the edges. The flowers are Petaloo blooms and the gorgeous resin angel is from Prima.

More Petaloo blooms and 2Crafty 'Summer Leaf Stems'.

A last close up showing off more of the finer detail. :)

That's all I have for today.  I'm off to bed now to get some much needed sleep.  Thank you so much for visiting my blog and for the lovely comments you always leave behind.  I appreciate it.  I apologise for not being so blog active myself... time just seems to be getting the better of my these days.  I remain positive though. :)

Have a great week everyone!

Until next time.

M xox

Scrap Africa Challenge No 29

Hi everyone!  Hope you are enjoying a relaxing weekend wherever you are.
Today I want to share Scrap Africa's new challenge with you.  The card makers will love this one!

The challenge is to create a masculine AND a feminine card.  For wonderful inspiration from the DT and to get all the details, have a look HERE.
I have used the Maja Design 'Vintage Autumn Basics' collection for my cards.  It's a stunning collection with the most beautiful soft patterns.  I've added a Prima resin birdhouse and Prima button, as well as a Petaloo bloom and some Green Tara mini roses. 

 

I've used the brown tones of the collection for my male card.  Just added a 2Crafty 'Clock Face frame', a few Tim Holtz metal gears and a couple of die cuts. All products are available at The Scrapbook Store.





I hope you'll get a chance to play along.  There are some awesome prices up for grabs.  It will be great to see your entries.
Thank you so much for popping past my blog. 
Until next time!
M xox

 

May Sketch challenge at The Scrapbook Store

Hi everyone!  Today I want to share the May Sketch Challenge at The Scrapbook Store with you.  For a while now I've been pondering with the idea of designing my own sketches, but just didn't know where to start.  With the help of my gorgeous scrappy friend Denise van Deventer, I finally got on my way and in no time I was totally addicted.  To get to the point... I am now the new sketch designer for The Scrapbook Store!  I hope you will like what I've done and will play along.  There's a $40 store voucher up for grabs and  it includes free shipping!  You've got until the end of the month to get your entries in.  To see the rest of the DT's gorgeous creations and to upload your entry, go HERE.
Here's the May sketch.

And my take on the sketch using the Glitz Design 'Carpe Diem' collection.  The photo is of my friend's little girl when she was only a few weeks old. 

 The deer, the phrase sticker and the hearts are all epoxy stickers from the 'Carpe Diem' range.

Love these cork heart stickers from the American Crafts 'DIY Shop' collection.  I've cut the title on my Silhouette machine.

 Here's another layout I've done with this collection.  The photo was a 'selfie' taken on the night of my son's actual 21st birthday.  We were on our way out to dinner.  I've used one of the new Prima stencils called 'Floral Rose #2' and scraped over with some texture paste using an old credit card.  Once it dried, I put my stencil back into place and wiped on some colour using my Prima chalk inks.

I've used a variety of Prima flowers from my stash and a few of the die cuts from the 'WhatNots' pack from the 'Carpe Diem' collection.

That's all I have for now.  I'm busy working on some projects, so will hopefully be able to share soon.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog.  I appreciate you taking the time to do so.

Until next time!

M xox

Scrap Africa Sketch Challenge No 29

Hi everyone! Just wanted to pop in quickly to share Scrap Africa's May sketch challenge with you.  I've used the gorgeous Kaisercraft 'Kaleidoscope' collection for my take on it. 

 A close up of my flower cluster and random stamping.

 The beautiful butterflies included in the 'Collectables' pack.

  Here is the beautiful sketch designed by the gorgeous Denise van Deventer. :)

I hope you can join us in this month's challenge.  There are some awesome prizes up for grabs!  To see the rest of the DT's stunning examples and to see what you can win, have a look HERE.  You have until the 14th of May to get your entries in!
That's all for today.  Thank you for popping by and have a super weekend!
Until next time!
M xox

More of Prima 'Something Blue'

Hi everyone!  I hope you are all refreshed after a wonderful Easter break. We had a very much needed relaxing weekend and I feel like I can take on the world again.  Now I just need to do something about the weight I've gained after eating all that yummy food and chocolate! :)
I have been busy creating with the Prima 'Something Blue' collection for The Scrapbook Store this month.  Here is another layout, that is totally different from the one I shared last week. :)
I've used a photo of my mum's sister on her wedding day in 1958.

The flowers are all from the 'Something Blue' collection.  I just adore the new Prima doily lace stickers.  They are so delicate and very easy to use.

The title is from the Heidi Swapp 'Vintage Chic' Buzz words.  It fitted perfectly with this collection.

The word 'together' is also a Prima lace sticker.  I also thought this little Prima resin angel would work well in the mix.

That's all I have for today.  I have more layouts in the planning, so will hopefully be back soon with some to share. 

Thank you for visiting today.  Have a beautiful day.

Until next time!

M xox

Scrap Africa Challenge No 28

Hi everyone! It's the middle of the month and with that comes a new challenge at Scrap Africa.  It's all about Distressing with a Difference this month.  The distressing needs to be done with household items and you need to tell us what you''ve used in your blog post.
I have used the beautiful Prima 'Something Blue' collection from The Scrapbook Store for my example layout.  The photos are of my friend's little guy.  Isn't he just the cutest?. :)

My distressing was achieved using masking tape, a torn cardboard box, tea on some of the flowers and the muslin, and all the paper edges were distressed using a pair of scissors.  Here's a close up of my flower cluster which includes the muslin and ink distressed cardstock leaves.

The big calico flower was cut using a die and then distressed using tea. The flair badge is from the Prima 'Everyday Vintage' collection.  I've added torn strips of masking tape to add to the distressed look.

I've used the Tim Holtz 'Bubble' stencil with some texture paste on the background and more torn masking tape and a piece of torn cardboard box.

Strips of hessian and pattern paper for added texture.  The small wood veneer scrap words are from the TSS chipboard collection.

 And finally, a wood veneer title from WOW.

I hope you will take up the challenge and search through your cupboards to see what you can use to distress your layout.  You have until the end of April to get your entries in.  For more information and to see the rest of the DT's awesome examples, have a look HERE.
Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a wonderful Easter weekend!
Until next time.
M xox

April Sketch Challenge at The Scrapbook Store

Hi everyone!  I'm still around, just not getting much time to blog these days.  A bit late with sharing this month's sketch at The Scrapbook Store too.
Here is my take on the sketch, using the MME 'Now & Then Dorothy' collection.

I just love my Petaloo flowers. They come in the most beautiful colours and designs. :) I've used my new Crafters Workshop mini 'Sketch Grid' stencil and some texture paste on the background.

 The enamel shapes in this range were really fun to use.

 A few crocheted doilies I had lying around were just perfect for this sketch.

Here is the gorgeous sketch from PageMaps.   

 

I hope you get a chance to play along.  There's a $40 store voucher with free postage up for grabs.  The winner gets determined by random draw which means anybody can win! To check out the rest of the DT's beautiful examples and to upload your entry, check out the Gallery here.  You have until the end of April to get your entry in.

That's all for today.  I'll be back soon with some DT work for April.  Thank you for visiting my blog.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Until next time.

M xox



Scrap Africa Sketch No 28 and MME 'Now & Then Dorothy'

Hi everyone! Hope you didn't fall for any April Fool's jokes today. Lol!  I must admit, I was extra careful today not to believe everything I hear. Well, it's a new month and there is a new sketch challenge at Scrap Africa.

Here is my take on the sketch. The photo is of my SIL photographing a big tree in the Boranup Forest south of Margaret River.  I have used the new MME Now & Then 'Dorothy' collection.  All products are available from The Scrapbook Store. 

The barcode on the bottom left of my photo and the 'Now and Then' are part of the strip at the bottom of one of the 12 x 12 pattern papers. The Petaloo blooms matched the colours perfectly.

Blue Fern Studios has the most amazing chipboard pieces. I have painted over my title chipboard using gesso and then painted/dabbed on ink in brown and teal until I was happy with the result.  The Tim Holtz 'Rays' stencil is on of my favourites. I've used Lindy Stamp Gang mist to give it a deep sunshiny colour and then created some texture over the top using texture paste and a Scrap FX stencil.

 I love how versatile the Journal card pack is. I've used two of them on this layout.

I hope you get a chance to play along.  There are some awesome prizes up for grabs.  To check out all the gorgeous inspiration from the rest of the DT and Guest DT members, have a look HERE.  You have until the 14th of April to link up your entry.

That's me for today.  I better go and get some sleep (story of my life).  To everyone who wished me luck and my son a happy birthday... the party turned out really great and everyone had a wonderful time.  Now I just need to catch up on all the sleep I've lost!  Thank goodness they only turn 21 once! :)

Thank you so much for popping by my blog today.  I really appreciate you taking the time to have a look.  Have an awesome week.

Until next time.

M xox



'Blue Fern Garden' for The Scrapbook Store

Hi everyone! Hope you had a lovely weekend.  Mine was great, but very busy.  We are getting ready to host our son's 21st birthday party on Saturday.  I can not believe how fast these 21 years went.  It felt like yesterday that I was holding our first tiny (okay maybe not so tiny) little bundle in my arms for the first time. I am so proud of the wonderful young man he is today. :)
I want to share another DT layout I created for The Scrapbook Store using the beautiful Blue Fern Studios 'Blue Fern Garden' collection.  I've used a very old photo of my mum with me, my cousin and my brother, taken in 1967.

I've used the Prima Marketing 'Finnabair - Bubbles' stencil and texture paste on my background. I then painted a variety of watered down inks and mists to create some softness around my photo.  The Petaloo blooms matched in perfectly.

And I just had to use this little Prima resin angel.  These are brand new to the store and oh so cute. :)

The Blue Fern Studios 'Small Garden Daisies' chipboard is so gorgeous too. I've covered it in a layer of gesso and then inks and mists until I was happy with the result. 

Just added a bit of stamping here and there on my page using the Kaisercraft 'Sheet Music' texture stamp and my page was complete. 
Now it's time for bed, as tomorrow is Monday and a work day for me.  Thank you for visiting my blog and for all the beautiful comments I always receive.  I really appreciate it.  Have a wonderful week!
Until next time.
M xox