April Sketch at Handmade by Suzanne

Happy Easter everyone! I hope by now you are nice and relaxed and that you are having a weekend filled with wonderful family time.  I just want to share the new sketch at Handmade by Suzanne with you.  I think it's a beauty but then, all Shell's sketches are beautiful. :)

And my take on it. The pic is of my friend's precious little boy.  He was born very prematurely but is growing up into such a lovely little boy and he has such a beautiful soul. Love him to bits!  I've used the gorgeous MME Miss Caroline 'Fiddlesticks' collection.  Lol! Have I ever told you how much I love MME? :):)

A close up of some of the layered and label stickers in this collection.  I've also used my Crafter's Workshop 'Mini Circle Grid' template to continue the circle theme throughout.

A crocheted flower made by me and another layered sticker. :)

And one more close up... just for good measure. :)

Now, why don't you give the sketch a go?  There's a $30 store voucher with free postage up for grabs!  The winner gets determined by random draw, so all you have to do is enter!  You can see the gallery with some more DT inspiration HERE.  If you want to read all about the latest products arriving and catch up on all the latest news, then have a look at the HBS Blog or your can sign up for the newsletter.

We have my parents and my aunt visiting at the moment.  DH is on 3 weeks leave from work, DD is on school holidays and my DS has a week of from Uni too.  We will be going away for a week starting Monday and I am looking SO forward to it.  Lot of fun, laughter, drinks, boardgames... you get the whole idea I'm sure.  Lol! So if I'm not here as often as I should be, you know where I am!
Have a wonderful Easter and  thank you so much for popping in and leaving such wonderful comments.  I appreciate it.
Until next time!
M xox

Scrap The Girls' April Challenge is up

Hi everyone! Happy Monday to you all! A nice short week for all of us and then it's Easter! :)
Make sure you check out the April challenge at Scrap The Girls this month.  It's super easy!  All you have to do, is create a layout based on the following sketch and remember: GIRLS ONLY. :)

Here is my take on it.  I've used the gorgeous Bo Bunny 'Country Garden' papers and added a little extra using my Crafters Workshop  'Tile Texture' and 'Mini Branches Reversed' templates and some Glimmer Mist. I've made my own tags using Kraft cardstock and a couple of circle/hole punches. :)

A close up of my little cluster.  I've used a Basic Grey bloomer (which I altered a little), a Prima flower and a Lovelybug Bits n Bobs button.

I love the Green Tara Paper string and Mini Roses.

The pics are of my DD and one of her best friends while on our Anzac Day outing in 2010.  Can't believe that's almost 2 years ago.  Feels like yesterday.

I would love to see some of my blog friends have a go at this challenge.  There are always great prizes up for grabs. You can see the rest of the CT's gorgeous layouts here. :)

The mountain of washing is calling me.  Better get going!
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful week!
Until next time.
M xox

Believe

My poor neglected blog! I've been SO busy with all things non-scrappy that I had no time to scap for over 2 weeks. Things are starting to slow down a little... for the next week anyway. I have so many deadlines to meet, so I better get scrapping! Lol! Just want to share another layout I created with my DT kit from Handmade by Suzanne. I've decided to play along with Stuck Sketches again, doing their 15th March challenge this time. Here is the sketch:

Here is my take on it. :)  I've used the Simple Stories 'Fabulous' range.  I purposely went for a boyish layout (Lol! Well sort of!) as  I love the orange and turqouise in this collection. I made use of the opportunity to use my Crafters Workshop 'Mini Gears' template too. Oh, and my Martha Stewart 'Swirling Lace' Punch Around the Page set got a bit of attention too. :)

The flowers are a mixture of old and new Prima as well as another little handmade one.  The new range of Prima flowers are all so beautiful, it's so hard to choose!  The leaves were made using my MS frond punch.

I just love all the the Prima wooden buttons that's available now.  Perfect for those boy pages.  The new Kaisercraft word rubons are lovely too. I have used the word 'believe' in 2 places.

It was my boy's 19th birthday on Monday, so I made him a quick card using the Echo Park 'Times & Seasons' collection. I have used this range for so many projects already and I still think it's one of my favourites. :)

Hope you are all having a fantastic week.  I will be doing my rounds on the blogs soon.  I apologise for not leaving much love on your blogs during the last couple of weeks. :(  
Thank you so much for visiting!
Until next time.
M xox

Once upon a sketch

Hi everyone! Every month I have the best intentions to play along at Once Upon A Sketch but time always seems to get the better of me.  This month I did it!  The deadline is tomorrow night, so I'm even early! Lol! What gives you the idea that I'm a last minute kinda girl? :)
Anyway... here is the sketch that you need to base your layout on.

The focus of your jounalling and the theme of your layout has to be bsed on YOU and something that you are really good at.  As I'm not really all that keen to scrap my own pic or talk about myself, I have decided to mention some of the positive aspects of my personality, which is that I'm caring, sensitive, loyal, friendly and loving. Although, I don't know if being sensitive is always such a positive. :)
Here is my take on the challenge.  This is one of the many pics that I considered as my profile pic to appear with the articles I'm currently doing for Scrapbooking Memories.  I found fault with every single photo I considered.  I suppose being a 'self critic' is one of my 'not so good' points. :)

I turned the sketch on its side to suit my photo better. :)  I've used my gorgoeus DT kit from Handmade by Suzanne.  I just adore the colours in this Simple Stories 'Fabulous' collection.  Here is close up of my flower cluster.  The big one is a Prima flower and the 3 smaller ones I've made myself using some scrap pattern paper.  The rhinestone swirl is from Zva Creative.

 A close up of my title and journalling. :)

I've use some of the gorgeous new Kaisercraft Ribbon roses in the 'coral' colour and another self made flower.

Can you tell how much I love my Martha Stewart 'frond' punch?  Hehe... one of my favourites.
I think that's all for today.  I've got a million things I still have to do today, so best I get up and go do it!
Thank you so much for visiting and for all the lovely comments you leave.  I really appreciate it.
Hope you are having a fabulous week!
Until next time.
M xox

She is fabulous

Hi guys! 
I'm just flying through to share my take on the 1st of March sketch over at Stuck Sketches. I've used my gorgeous DT kit from Handmade by Suzanne.  I love this pic of my DD. :)

All the pattern papers and stickers are from the new Simple Stories 'Fabulous' collection.
Here is a close up showing those gorgeous Prima flowers (which is 35% of at the moment!) and the new Kaisercraft wooden leaf. I by accident had a part of my leaf broken off, but then decided to use it in two parts like that anyway. :)

A doily by  my lovely scrappy friend Chantelle, who owns 'Creative Bits'.  I bought these from her Clearance Sale.  I've used the new sitcky back canvas from Ranger to back my photo on.

 Here is the sketch if you would like to give it a go.

That's all for today!  Thank you for popping by and I hope you have a wondeful day and weekend.
Until next time.
M xox

March Sketch Challenge at Handmade by Suzanne

Hi there everyone! I hope you are all having a relaxing Sunday afternoon with your family or friends.  It's a little on the hot side in Perth today, but I'm not complaining, as at least it is not humid. :)
I just want to share the new sketch for March at Handmade by Suzanne with you today.  Our sketch designer, Michelle Fowler, has once again done a fantastic job!! Here is the sketch:

And here is my take on it. I've used the new Bo Bunny 'Alora' collection for this.  Bright colours aren't normally my thing, but I'm almost happy with the way this turned out. Lol!  The pic is of my DD and a friend when the friendship was still very new back in January 2008.  Both of them have grown up so much since. :)

 A little close up of my flower cluster.  I've done a lot of fussy cutting here.  Don't you just love those little wooden toadstools from Kaisercraft?!!

I've cut two of the birdhouses from my pattern paper and layered it with foam tape.  I've created the punched edge using one of my Martha Stewart Punch around the Page sets.

 I seem to be using a lot of banners on my pages lately. :)

I hope you feel inspired to give the sketch a go!  There is a $30 store voucher with free postage up for grabs and the winner gets determined by random draw.  Al you have to do is enter!  Just upload you take on the sketch into the GALLERY before the end of March.
If you want to get all the latest news and find out about all the latest products that hit the Handmade by Suzanne store, why not sign up for our newsletter?  You can read the latest newsletter HERE.
Hundreds of new products have been uploaded into the store over the last couple of days.  You can find all the new products HERE.  There is also a March Maddness Sale going on at the moment with prices discounted by 35%!
That's all for today.  Thank you so much for visiting and have a great week!
Until next time!
M xox

Scrap The Girls March Challenge

The March Challenge is up at Scrap The Girls and there are some awesome prizes up for grabs!
The challenge this month is to scrap a layout about a
CELEBRATION (PICTURES OF CELEBRATIONS, CELEBRATING, THINGS/EVENTS YOU CELEBRATE ETC.)
That's it! Pretty easy, hey?
Head over to the STG blog to see all the CT members' gorgeous inspiration. Here is my example:

The pics are of my friend and her newborn baby girl in September 2009.  I've used the gorgeous MME Follow Your Heart 'Be Happy' collection. Hehe... still haven't have enough of MME!  I've used some Prima flowers and there's that date stamp again!

 A close up of some masking I did using my Crafters Workshop Mini Chickenwire Reversed template. There are so many new CW templates in the store at Handmade by Suzanne. Lol! I want them all! I've hidden my journalling on the kraft tag under my photo.

I didn't have to add to much, as the paper is already so beautiful. :)

You've got until midnight on the 31st of March to enter.
That's all for today. I hope you are all safe and well wherever you are.
Thanks for visiting and have a lovely day!
Until next time!
M xox

1966 Family Home

It's a great day in Perth today with the maximum temperature set for around 27 C. We've had some horrid humid weather last week so I'm enjoying it while it lasts. :) 
Just want to share a layout I did following the Kaisercraft Febuary Saturday Sketch #1. I've used Kaisercraft 'These Days' pattern paper and collectables as well as Kaisercraft Paper blooms and Mini Paper blooms. The wooden 'Iron Gate' is from Kaisercraft too. The brick pattern on the background was made using the Crafters Workshop 'mini bricks' template with some texture paste and Glimmer Mist (once it dried).  I've added Basic Grey mini alpha stickers to the title. The pics are of the old farmhouse I grew up in and what it looked like in 1966. My parents renovated it a fair bit over the years since these pics were taken.

A couple of close ups. :)

This is what the sketch looks like.



That's all for today! Thank you so much for visiting and for all the beautiful comments you always leave. They make my day. :)
Have a wonderful Sunday!
Until next time.
M xox

February... the month for love

I decided to fit a 'love' themed layout in while it's still Feburary and since I haven't done a Valentines Day post. I thought it would have to be one of hubby and I. :)  I've used some gorgeous MME papers again. This time it's the beautiful 'Dolled Up' collection's turn.  I couldn't pick one collection, so I got four!  Lol! Told you I love the stuff! :)  I'm also entering this layout into Sue's Monthly Challenge over at Scrapbooking Top 50. 

 The layered stickers in this range are to die for. The big butterfly is a sticker and I cut the little ones from one of the pattern papers.  I've used the Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page 'Cherish' set for around the blue woodgrain paper.

Some more of the layered stickers and I love the new fused pearl trim that's now available from Handmade by Suzanne.

You can see all the beautiful new CHA stock arriving at the HBS shop HERE.  You also have until the end of the month to participate in the sketch challenge to stand a chance to win the $30 store voucher that's up for grabs.  You can see the sketch and all the gorgeous entries and DT examples in the gallery here.
That's all for today.  I've got another layout to share, but am running out of time.  Will have to leave it for another day.
Thanks for visiting and have a lovely day.
Until next time!
M xox

She's a sweetheart

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend doing the things you love! I spent a fabulous day with some scrappy friends yesterday and I finally have something I can share.:)  Remember those MME collections I was getting so excited about?  I played with MME all day and I was in heaven!! Lol!  I've created this layout for the new Bird Is The Word challenge where you have to use the word 'heart' on you layout.
And here is the girly layout I promised using the MME Miss Caroline 'Dilly Dally' range.  This pic is of my sweetheart DD taken about a month ago.  She has grown up way too fast. :(

 A little close up of my cluster using some of the layered stickers and buttons from this range.  I've teamed it up with some Green Tara Mini roses and a 'Zva Creative' flourish.

 And my title with a cute little heart pin from the collection.  I've used the Martha Stewart 'Floral Vine' punch on the red border strip. Oh, and I rediscovered my date stamp that was hiding under some stash.  I haven't used it for years, but you will see it popping up everywhere on my layouts from now on. :)

All the product used are available from Handmade by Suzanne.

Well, that's all for today! I've got more to share later in the week. Thank you so much for visiting and have a great week!
Until next time.
M xox

The new MME collections are here!!!

Oh, I've just realised what a bad blogger I've been this week. Sorry! :( 
It doesn't mean that I haven't been busy creating though.  Problem is, I just can't show you yet! :)
What I can show you, is a layout I've created with my DT kit from Handmade by Suzanne, using the brand spanking new MME line called Miss Caroline 'Dilly Dally'.  Oh my!  My daughter looked at me strangely when I first saw this in the HBS shop as I was hyperventilating from excitement. Lol! Not that any non-scrapper would understand...
Well, here is my first layout using this gorgeous range.  We had a family outing early January this year and went go karting. What fun! The kids loved racing their parents.  Unfortunately I couldn't take pics of us in the actual go karts as we were all racing together and there was nobody left to take the pics. :(

The Dilly Dally range is so versatile and is ideal for creating boy or girl pages.  My next layout will be a girly layout.

I covered the Scrap FX chipboard 'pennant flag' with some of this pattern paper.  Love how it turned out. :)  Just look at those cute little heart pins. 

Love the 'Mini Skull and Crossbones' from Dusty Attic.  Perfect for all those boy layouts.  All it needed in this case was a bit of black paint.

I so, so loved working with this range and I can't wait to create my next layout!  If you want to check out all the gorgeous new MME ranges and other new arrivals, you can find it HERE.
Now, I'm off to go and spend a some time with my DH.  He has been working way too hard and extremely long hours lately and I've missed him.
I'm hoping to catch up on all my favourite blogs over the weekend and maybe have more layouts to share during the next week. :)
Thank you so much for visiting and for all the lovely comments you may leave.  They make my day.  Have a wonderful weekend!
Until next time.
M xox

February sketch challenge at Handmade by Suzanne

The new sketch challenge is up at Handmade by Suzanne and it's another beauty! I've had my example done for a couple of days now, but we had no sun in Perth for the last 2 days, so I couldn't take a pic of my layout until today.  Not that I'm complaining... it also meant that the temperature has dropped to under 30 C, Got to love that!
Lol! Before I get to carried away about the weather, here is the sketch.  As always, there is a $30 store voucher up for grabs and the winner gets determined by random draw.  You've got until the end of February to get your entry in. :)

 

And here is my take on it.  I've used the Echo Park 'Times and Seasons' collection. It's one of my fave Echo Park  ranges this far.  All products are available at Handmade by Suzanne. :)  The pics are of my DS during a photoshoot before his Year 12 ball in 2010.  He was waiting on the side while the others were getting there pics taken and we snapped these 3 pics of him... just being himself I guess. :):)

 A close up of my title. I've used the Tim Holtz mini rosettes die to make the rosette.

 And another close up of the 3rd pic of my wacky boy. :)

There is always a lot going on at Handmade by Suzanne, so if you don't want to miss out on anything or any news, why not sign up for the newsletter?  The latest newsletter can be viewed here.
Okay, that's all for today. Thank you so much for popping by and have a wonderful weekend!
Until next time!
M xox

Scrap The Girls February challenge

Hi everyone! Schools have started across Australia this week.  Today I paid school fees for the very last time!  Such a weird feeling.  There are going to be many more 'last' moments for us this year as our baby (16 years old) has started Year 12 today. :(  I'm excited for her but also sad as it will be the end of an era for us. It feels like it was not that long ago that she had her first day at school.  Lol! Must mean that we're getting old. :)
Today is a new month in an almost still new year and that means a new challenge at Scrap The Girls.  The criteria for the February challenge is to use turqouise as the dominant colour, chipboard somewhere on your layout and the word 'love' in your title.  Easy, hey?!
Head over to the STG blog to see all the CT members' gorgeous inspiration.  Here is my example.

I've used MME 'Lime Twist' pattern papers,  Crystal Palace 'Star Burst' from Prima, assorted flowers from Prima and Kaisercraft paper blooms for my cluster. :)

The cloud chippies are from Dusty Attic and can be found here.

The fence is from Dusty Attic too and the chippie flower is from Scapware.  I've used the Martha Stewart 'Daisy Fan' Deep Edger punch for the strip at the bottom.

So, why don't you give this challenge a go?  I would love to see you enter.
That's all for today! Hope you are having a wonderful week.
Thanks for popping by!
Until next time.
M xx