Catch-up

As you know, work has been getting in the way of my creativity and my blogging. No making = nothing much to blog about. Then I went from no making to not doing anything else overnight, and that's why you haven't seen me. It's also why my house is covered in a thick layer of dust and little bits of paper, and looks as if the complete contents of both our wardrobes have been moved into heaps in and around the ironing basket, and every door has creased shirts hanging from it.

Just after we'd waved goodbye to the visiting family after Christmas, a chest infection came to stay instead, and it stuck around for a long time. I had 10 days with a fever that paracetamol and the first antibiotics combined didn't touch, and 3 weeks of attempting to sleep sitting up. I haven't been that ill since I had something that wasn't glandular fever, when was living at home with a father who smoked. That's maaaaany years ago.

Once the second course of antibiotics kicked in and I was starting to get back on my wobbly feet again, I was asked if I would produce a farewell scrapbook for our Team Rector, who was leaving us on March the 8th. March the 8th was the only date on my calendar for the next 7 weeks. There was no life after it. "Ask me again after March the 8th" became my catchphrase. While I was deep into it, with the study floor mosaicked with black card-stock, photos, luggage tags, and printed die-cut labels (sorry and THANK YOU DH!), the Team Rector himself asked whether I would make him 60-odd hearts for the Parish Open Day on Valentine's Day. I couldn't really say "well actually I'm teensy bit busy at the moment" so I took a couple of days out and came up with these (and another 24, but you get the idea).

Meanwhile, as I had suspected might happen, the album grew into a bit of a monster. By the time I had finished it (officially at 9:40pm on March 7th) it had 50 pages and had taken upwards of 180 hours. Its sections featured the clergy and churches, parish events, parish groups, and 16 pages of messages from the people (blood out of a stone, anyone?) and matching photos of them. Sounds easy doesn't it? Nope, had to rally round volunteer photographers to snap them while the Rector wasn't about and also while he was. Subterfuge and deception right under his nose, in the very house of God!

Here are a few pages from it. I'm not going to show the personal pages, obviously. The colour scheme was black with the liturgical colours of red, green, purple and white, with the alternative colour of blue. I added gold touches as well, and used mostly the same die-cut fonts throughout for cohesiveness.

 

Here are the Team Rector and his wife receiving the album on the dreaded March the 8th. It's not easy to see here, but it's a good 3" thick and weighed enough to need both hands to hold it. I received a lovely little e-mail thanking me for it. I'm very proud.

 

That's what I've been up to. I've also made some cute Mothering Sunday things, but they will have to wait for another day. Watch this space!

Pink all over

#171 is the final Scrap Whispers challenge in this game. It is to create your page from one of the delicious colour palettes provided. That's all! Easy, right?

I chose this sugary pink palette:

to make this LO:

You can play too, for just 2 more days. Actually, you can choose any of the challenges for this game, as long as you enter them within 2 days, and you will be entered in the Grand Prize Draw. Go on over and have a look? http://www.scrapwhispers.com/

I also want to show you this pretty, pretty card that I made for a friend's birthday. I'm entering it into these challenges:

Less Is More: masking/stencils (I used a doily as a mask)
CASology: blush (pink, obviously!)
Simon Says Stamp: glitter (Pink Stickles)

Thanks for looking, and have a happy first day of spring!

Circles!

Over at Scrap Whispers this week, the challenge is a horizontal band of circles, inspired by Jenn K's beautiful LO where she has put her photos in the circles. My inspiration LO goes in a slightly different direction, and is based on one photo and a sketch from this week's UK Scrappers challenge.

I was in the local church choir before we moved to Singapore, and I still kept in touch with them. After two years, one of our dear basses e-mailed me to say that he, his wife and daughter were stopping over in Singapore on their way to Australia, and could we meet up? We had a lovely day walking around Chinatown and taking a boat trip down the Singapore River, before jet-lag took them over and they had to go back to the hotel and rest.

That was 7 years ago, and I'm back in the choir, and that dear bass now sits right behind me. He still talks about that day, but I think his over-riding recollection is of the exhaustion rather than the country!

Isn't the sketch a lovely one? So versatile - I can see myself using that one again, maybe the other way up. I really like those banners.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Scrap Whispers new game!

The new game on Scrap Whispers is now on!

The first challenge is "minimalist" and the inspiration for it is this little page that I put together after DH's and my afternoon at Westonbirt Arboretum last weekend. It was the first break he has had for such a long time, and we really needed it. These leaves are just stunning in the sunlight.

Do you want to play along with this? Hop over to Scrap Whispers and join in!

Didn't it rain

DH and I went to see Hugh Laurie earlier this year on his "Didn't it rain" blues tour, his second one.

What a gifted man. Seriously. I grew up with a crush on him as a comedian on Fry and Laurie, Jeeves and Wooster and Blackadder, before falling in love with him all over again as House 20 years later. And now to see him singing and playing - and dancing - live on stage was the icing on the cake.

His manner was unexpected quiet. But the self-deprecating, apologetic awkwardness in real life only reinforces the talent behind his portrayal of the brilliant and broken American doctor. And that's another thing, that accent. I have American friends who have been gobsmacked when I proudly claimed him as a fellow Brit. "You mean he's not American?" I can't do accents. I'm in awe of people who can, and he's got it quite perfect.

OK, enough of the hero-worship. Let me show you the LO I did of the show. It was for umpteen challenges: 2 pieces of die-cut paper (SJ CoW), tickets (SJ), autumn colours, misting, book title, sketch (UKS and SoW).

Challenge entries

Just in case the Gallery uploads don't work (and they aren't looking good at the moment) here are my entries.

Scrapbook.com Gallery Inspiration Anniversary Challenge
Tier 2 thank you card for my Mum. You can't see it on this photo, but on Mum and You there is major sparkle from my new clear Wink of Stella pen.

This is also for this week's Simon Says Stamp "anything goes" challenge.

Tier 1 birthday LO:

This LO is also for the ScrapJazz August Embossing Challenge. I embossed and sanded the pink Core-dinations whitewash paper behind Chris's birthday.

Breaking the drought

I'm entering challenges again. I've still been entering challenges, but I realise that they haven't needed blog entries, they've all had their own galleries to upload to, so I've been neglecting my little blog. Maybe if I give it a make-over, that might remind me to to give it some more attention.

Anyway, this card breaks my blog drought, and I'm so happy with it!

It is for:
Basic Grey - flowers (I used Scarlet's Letter, Sweet Threads and Kioshi papers)
Creative Card Crew - great outdoors
Cute Card Thursday - good luck charm
House Mouse - sparkle
Simon Says Stamp - pins
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Stampin' for the Weekend - pink & green photo inspiration

And this one, my first attempt at a side step card, is for Charisma Cardz - no patterned paper. My nephew really loved it yesterday, despite telling me that Hex is the Skylander Giant that he likes the least. Last time I saw him, she was his favourite. Ho hum. The vagarities of being only-just-7!

Just one more! This is for the first challenge in the new Scrap Whispers game, which is to be completely linear, with no curved lines anywhere. Having set the challenge myself, I then wasn't sure I could pull it off (haha) but I actually love this.

Just a reminder that anyone can join in the weekly challenges, not just the game players, so if you want to be in with the chance of winning a prize, check out the site!

Scrap Whispers Challenge #136 - round the corner

We're powering through the latest Scrap Whispers game, around halfway through, with everyone pretty much on schedule and having lots of fun.

While the game is going on, the weekly challenges continue. These are open to everyone, not just the players, and there will be a prize pack awarded to a random winner at the end of the game. Why not play along?

This week's inspiration is from our Guest Designer Steph McBryne's innovative use of titles. Here is her page:

And the challenge is "round the corner" - to create a page using her title design. Here is what I came up with:

Isn't it effective? Why not join in the challenge as well, and be in with the chance of winning a prize pack? Pop over to Scrap Whispers and take a look around.

Volunteers' Morning Tea

Back in 2011 when DH and I lived in Perth, Western Australia, we were heavily involved in the church, spending many hours each week working for them and with them. DH and I, along with other church members, were put forward to the City Council for a recognition award for our services to the church. The Volunteers' Tea was for all charities in the town and we shared a table with the WI and Toastmasters. We got a certificate and a photo of us shaking hands with the mayor, so I scrapped them both using Creative Scrappers sketch #247.

Farewell BBQ - SW Mix it Up Challenge #131

We're almost finished with the first Scrap Whispers game of 2013! We just have the final LOs to come in, then there will be the Big Reveal and the announcement of the winning team.

While we're all waiting for that, here is the last challenge of this game, and a reminder that all entries for the challenges must be in by this Sunday.

We have given you Nora's lovely LOs one final time, and asked you to take one element from each to create your LO. I have gone with the big dots from Sassy, the labels from Shucking Peas, and the design from Christmas Day, to create this:

You have one week to show us what you can do, so hope on over to Scrap Whispers and join in with our final challenge!

Winter's day

This one is for Creative Scrappers' sketch #246, one of their last. That makes me sad, because I love their sketches and their DT's interpretations, and the way the whole blog is set out. I love the BIG, well-lit photos and all the white space and clarity. It rests my eyes and clears my mind. I will still be visiting it well after the new challenges have stopped, I know.

I seem to be on a blue and green roll at the moment. This particular one is Paula's fault, because it follows ScrapJazz Challenge of the Week (COW!) with her idea of something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.

Old = the Smooch Spritz ink, purchased in Australia at least 2 years ago. It's got a bit thick and sticky.
New = Strictly speaking the photo is the newest, but the green dotty paper was only purchased around November. For me, that's new.
Borrowed = the sketch of course.
Blue = the ribbon of course. I got it at the Perth Craft Fair in 2010 so it's pretty old too.

In the clouds

What do you think of this one then?

It's for umpteen challenges: Shakespeare quote, green and pearls from UK Scrappers, scraplift from Scrapbook.com, "A" title and theme from ScrapJazz BC, and ScrapJazz CoW of patterned paper only.

Isn't it PRETTY? Haha!

Pink, black and bling

This week at Scrap Whispers, the challenge is based on Nora's lovely Sassy LO. We challenged you to create a page with the theme of pink, black and bling.

I created this one as inspiration, from photos of our niece's birthday last year. The photos, taken over about a minute plus one from an hour later, tell the story of her favourite present better than any words. Obviously her name is not LLLLL!

Anyone can join in this challenge, just hop over to the blog and have a look around. You never know, you might even win a prize!

An interview

Scrap Whispers is back folks! Back with a vengeance. The game has started, the teams have been allocated and dates decided at record speed. The first secret LOs will be sent out on Friday for the first players to lift.

Meanwhile we have some great challenges in store for you, all inspired by our wonderful Guest Designer Nora Noll. The first one is to scrap an interview. I e-mailed my DH some questions to answer, because he has a way with words and I know he could make me laugh. But he spent most of the weekend battling with our new, improved (NOT) BT hub, so I let the poor man off. Instead I had a nice little chat with our pet gecko. Well he didn't say much, but you can get a lot from body language.

I used sketch #242 from Creative Scrappers, and combined it with the Challenge of the Week #2 from Scrap Jazz which is spots, stripes and brads.

So, are you going to take up the challenge to scrap an interview? You don't have to be a Scrap Whispers player. Just drop in, create your LO and post it on your blog, link back to Scrap Whispers in your post, and then enter using the Challenge Entries button at the top of the blog. Easy. See you over there!

Last supper

Creative Scrappers always publishes beautiful sketches for us to play with, and their first sketch of 2013 is no exception.

I've stuck fairly rigidly to it because I love it just the way it is. My LO is about one of the dear friends to whom we had to say goodbye when we left Australia.

My Bo Bunny Apple Cider 6"x6" paper pack matched the small amounts of colour in the photos perfectly, without making it look autumny. Because it isn't autumn at all, it's March and still high summer in Australia.

While I'm here, I'd also like to show you a winter birthday card. I had a play with sponging, which I'm not 100% happy with yet. Maybe I need to invest in some fancy sponges rather than using make-up sponges. I think I'm managing better with masking than I usually do though. You can't tell from the photo, but I stamped and inked straight onto the card without making a mess! The black frame has been cut out and stuck on around it purely so that the bottom of the stamp has some definition. I'm just realising even as I type that could have done that so much more easily if I'd just stamped the image onto a difference piece of card and matted it on the black - what a dunce!

I'm entering it into these challenges:
CASology: winter
Charisma Cardz: monochrome
Creative Card Crew: snow and ice (see the Stickles?)
Less Is More: black, white and a dash of colour (I hope there isn't too much)
Stampavie: blue and white

Christmas Day LO

It's amazing what can be achieved with a little motivation. Even better for clearing up than the kick up the jacksie of visitors staying, is the incentive of scrapping for getting my desk cleared. Here is yesterday's work, and proof of the work of the previous weeks.

See the labels and the pine-cones? Those are just some of the Christmas presents from my DH, bless him. I love my new Spellbinders!

Frugal scrapping?

I have this rule, which I almost always follow, of not cutting into a fresh piece of 12"x12" patterned paper to make a card. I only use scraps wherever possible, or 6"x6" paper. As I had an idea for a card which needed fresh paper from my beautiful Basic Grey Sweet Threads collection pack which I have hardly used yet, that meant that I had to make a LO first. {grin}

Apologies for the rubbish night-time photo - I might take another one tomorrow if I get time. You get the gist though. This is our precious niece very carefully handling one of the two wild slow-worms that have been living in our greenhouse lean-to over the summer. How blessed are we?

And... (cue drum roll) here is the card which I wanted to make all along, using the backs of those mouth-watering papers:

It is for our friends in Singapore whose daughter turns 4 in a couple of weeks. I've given Whiff of Joy's Willow a dark complexion and the darkest hair I could manage with the Copics I have. I really love this.

Basic Grey: ribbon and lace (and Sweet Threads papers and sticker)
Whiff of Joy: shabby chic
Simon Says Stamp: anything goes
Stampavie: sparkling (Stickles)
Cute Card Thursday: letters/numbers (the Making Memories age sticker)
Stampin' for the Weekend: floral
Sketch Saturday: sketch

Wishing my life away

No I'm not really. But on this glorious early autumn day, with the sun shining on the beech leaves which the sea wind has dried to that delicious rust already, to be thinking about Christmas seems as if I'm trying to hasten it. And I'm not! Autumn is my favourite season, and today IS all the reasons why I love it so much.

But challenges go as challenges go, and this one happens to be for Christmas.

Now isn't that pretty? It's called a Double Dutch Fold card. I had a practise run last week and made a birthday card for a friend which I can't show you yet, but it's very pink. This blue one has:
pearls and swirls for Stampin' for the Weekend
Christmas for Creative Card Crew
anything goes for Simon Says Stamp with about an hour to spare!

It is also a lift of a lovely card for a challenge over at Scrapbook.com in their Gallery Inspired Challenge. And for the same challenge, here is the LO which I started at the new crop I went to on Saturday. I love it, both the LO and the crop!

Sketch #2

OK I used the Creative Scrappers sketch again. I rotated it this time, for the ScrapJazz photo inspiration challenge:

I love the red and yellow with the grey and white, along with those blue photos. Shame I didn't have any flowers or Copics in quite that "subtle" orchid purple/pink!

Love this sketch!

Creative Scrappers have come up with a great sketch. I just kept seeing things I wanted to do with it. See what I mean?

I used Basic Grey's Life of the Party shapes which DH bought me, and the journalling is done on Papermania's Portobello Road paper with the matching flag ribbon.