Saturday, February 23, 2013

How cute?

I love my Cameo all the time, but sometimes I love it even more than that!

I bought these files on one of my little spending sprees at Silhouette America - I have a sub to feed my addiction :)



They are just too cute aren't they?  and such a good way of using up part used or unused sheets of patterned paper from my stash.  I am going to fill these with Easter goodies and give them to my godchildren and other assorted friends.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Silhouette Negatives

Sometimes when you cut things with the Silhouette, the negative is as nice as the diecut.  If you can get them off the mat intact they can make interesting additions to layouts or cards.  I couldn't resist this gorgeous POW! glitter paper negative and positive to use on a layout of my DS.  The title shows just how divinely thinly it will cut as well - love love love it!!



With some Studio Calico printables from a previous class, all I had to do was journal.  I kept thinking that I should do more to the layout, that somehow it was too easy.  But I can't see what else it needs so it will stay as it is - at least for the moment!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Using up Old Stash... or WOYWW?

Inspired by my friend Claire's mega clearout recently, and a wish to have a better idea of what I have available I have made tentative attempts to downsize, sort, order and use up stash.  I haven't bought anything for ages and Project Life is helping me take miniscule bites on a daily basis, not to mention using up 'precious' embellishments that have been lying around for ages unused.

As a committed scrap hoarder, I have faced up to my addiction and have been through my scrap bags - cutting up part sheets into 5x7 or 6x4 pieces to make cards, chucking those bits I will never use and generally being a bit more sensible about little pieces!  However, this is left!!



Somewhat of a mountain don't you think?

Another source of happiness in using up old bits is my Silhouette which can transform old scraps into new embellishments, backgrounds and titles of delight!!  These can then be painted, inked or embellished further if the colour scheme is unhelpful.  The only problem is that sometimes you love the negative as well - which is great, but doesn't help with the using up of stash!!

Here are some of the things I have cut recently and stored in a Paperchase A5 document file.  This stops little bits getting bent or spoiled which would be a shame after I'd been to the trouble of cutting them on the Silhouette from my scraps.




I'm thinking they will be ideal for cards as well as layouts.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A little more scrapping

Fresh from the Bright Ideas Class, yesterday's prompt was to 'Go Big'.  I had just the photo!

From an idyllic evening in Galicia last year, this photo showed the stillness of the water at dusk and I wanted to scrap it big!




More from my Lilybee kit and some simple stickers, washi tape and a drinking straw, a little bit of journalling - you don't need much when the photo is just what you want.  I thought the swirly buttons just reminded me of gently moving water.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Bright Ideas Part 2

There have been some great ideas during this class at Studio Calico - not necessarily new, but it's always good to see a fresh take on something that you haven't done for a while.

This time it was an ad inspiration  which you can see in on this Pinterest link (as the class is sign up only) here.  I liked the combination of shapes and the way some of them overlapped the edge, but I didn't want to scrap with a small photo as I didn't have any, so I tried to work out how I could use the placement ideas with a large photo.  This is what I came up with:


Now yellow is not my first go-to colour when I'm scrapping, but I had a sheet in a kit with Lily Bee papers from Sarah's Cards last year which I was trying to use up and the yellow door in the photo led me to make the decision.  The 2 card matched the door perfectly and I was off!  I needed to keep the palette under control as I'm not a big fan of multicolour madness so stuck to the two shades of yellow, pale grey and black, with some small wooded touches (I couldn't resist the tree button).

I wanted to replicate the title in the bottom corner as seen on the ad, to mix shapes and to add some dimension as the ad shows little 3d boxes.  I decided sewing would do the trick, along with some layered embellishments on the shapes.

The top right shape is cut from Prima wooden button packaging with a Studio Calico stamp backing acetate added to it.  As ever there is ancient stash included - the flower centre has been hanging around so long I can't actually remember who made it!



Thanks for looking.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Studio Calico Bright Ideas class

... and some layouts from the recent North Cheam Crop.

Inspired by some of the ideas in the classes, particularly Shannon Tidwell's Colour Pop, I had a go at a neutral background with some small additions of colour.  I'm afraid I didn't tart up my background with stamping, sewing etc. to make texture - I can only carry so much to a crop!!  I'm really pleased with the result though, especially having the batik butterfly on the layout - I have had these for at least 18 years - from my card making days - I have a couple left and have always wanted to incorporate one onto a layout -tada! it's happened.



The title is from a My Minds Eye sheet which I have had for a while, but wishful isn't a word I'd use on its own as a title - however, as the journalling reads, 'wishful thinking' sums it up much better '... I wish she would get rid of that fringe and she wishes I'd let her follow fashion in peace!'  Definitely wishful thinking as neither is likely to change our minds in a hurry!  Thanks for looking.

The next layout is also of my DD, in full beauty - I absolutely love this photo (and she does too, for once).  She was outdoors in the snow, happy as can and ready for any snowballs coming her way.  I love the smile in her eyes and the glow in her cheeks.  Teenage years can be wonderful!!


The paper is SEI from a couple of years ago - can't remember the line.  Gorgeous rose ribbon and Prima buttons - chipboard star shapes and snowflake stamps, a bit of K&Co lacy tape and a die cut from my Cameo, lettering from Sassafras.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Inspired by.... Sainsburys Magazine

I'm not one to see inspiration in everything I see, and I often have trouble even interpreting sketches beyond the most literal copy, but I saw this on the side of a page in the Christmas Sainsburys Magazine, I was immediately inspired to have a go at a layout.



In typical me-style, it has taken a while for ideas to percolate - I do this with many of my layouts, but this is my first attempt at using the inspiration.  I think there will be another one in the 'series' using smaller items but as I was sorting through stash I 'found' the chipboard - long forgotten - which forms the base of the design.  Add that to some snow photos from January and I had the beginning of a layout.

This is how it turned out:





The extra embellishments are - remaining bits after I had cut some Christmas lanterns on the Cameo - most of the scraps were miniscule, but these were retrievable and reminded me of snowflakes, so I hoarded them with something like this in mind.  Ancient snowflake brads - I am down to my last couple now, and they will probably be used up on PL given that we are having more snow right now.  I stamped little snowflakes directly onto the paper and the little red dots came with the Cosmo chipboard - they add just the right touch of another colour.  The silver snowflake is another negative from a Cameo cut which I couldn't bear to throw - that glitter paper is soooo precious :)  The chevron heart is a precious new embellishment I had in my Advent Swap - thank you Santa!! and the little turquoise heart and camera (on main photo) are digital embellishments from American Crafts.  And thank you MA for the gems :)

I don't seem to move far away from White Bazzill at the moment - this is a Swiss Dot version, but I'm running out so I'm going to have to challenge myself to use something else - or buy more!!  My Bazzill stash is dwindling and is probably less than 1 inch high now for all colours!

Friday, February 08, 2013

Some simple cards

I've been inspired to make cards recently, with so much internet inspiration, there's almost too much choice, so I started with something simple - a couple of birthdays coming up, and a friend who recently had an op are the likely destinations of these cards.






I made full use of some Bazzill scraps, plus scraps of Anna Griffin (ancient), Echo Park and I think it might be October Afternoon papers.  I inked a Pink Paisley mistable card and stamped it with a message, and I raided my collection of washi tape to add coordinating stripes to each card.  Stamped messages and gems finished off the cards.  Thanks for looking.

Wednesday, February 06, 2013

A card from my Silhouette!

Well, sketch pens are the bomb as far as I am concerned.  They can do just what I can't - draw!!  and they can size things that stamps can't - I can have my cupcakes any size I like!! The drawings can  much more detailed than a cut file and I can choose from the various coloured pens available.



I printed this on the Silhouette using a Sketch file and pen instead of a blade.  Then I added Promarkers, beads, gems, glitter and ribbon to make them prettier.

I love it when a whole new world of possibilities opens up!