Eden in bloom...

When I was ill a few weeks back I spent a lot of time with my laptop in bed catching up with scrapping videos on Two Peas in a Bucket and one of the mood to scrap videos by Lizzy particularly inspired me as I liked the composition, the misting and the border effect on her finished layout.

On our recent pre-baby trip to Cornwall we were lucky enough to visit the Eden Project and I particularly loved all the colourful flowers and so we both posed for a picture in front of the blooms which co-ordinated best with our outfits! What a scrapper hey?

I liked the idea of getting messy with paint and stencils and so used a doilie as a mask

 and 

smooshed yellow paint on.

I was hesitant about using purple, yellow and red together but I love it.

I used the rule of three with Amy Tan embellishments to add interest to the page.

I liked the idea of creating washi tape flags to embellish the photo.

Hopefully it doesn't look like too much of a scraplift - I just really loved the original layout and it worked really well with the bits and pieces that I picked out from my stash.
Thanks Lizzy and Two Peas for the inspiration.

Vintage style layouts of Budapest...

So I hope that I have whet all your appetites telling you how many layouts I have completed in the last few weeks whilst I have been off work. I have been completing lots of 8.5 by 11.5 layouts as this is my favourite size and I am still scrapping our fantastic mini break in Budapest (more about it here) Perhaps because I have been listening to lots of retro tunes on magic fm I have gone for some quite vintage inspired layouts.

The first layout is about the Children's Railway and the little conductors on board who were trying to sell us lots of cute little trinkets about the railway. I used a variety of Daisy D vintage papers, washi tape, ribbon and I even got the needle and thread out and sewed some buttons on. I photoshopped the picture and added a sepida tint so that it has a nostalgic feel to it - which is the feeling this railway evoked in me.

The second layout features one of those classic pictures taken in front of you - when we were on the cable car on the way down from the railway stop. We managed a better one with the instax mini and so I decided to mix it up - I also added a generous dose of bakers twine around the picture and then just tucked the instax into it. I used one of my gorgeous Jenni Bowlin journalling card spots as my title and then expressions stickers for the captions.

I am linking up to Purple Mailbox.com love linky. I have just discovered her blog recently and I am in awe of the amount of layouts she manages to create with so many details and lots of paint and misting effects. She has a totally different style of scrapping to mine, but yet I have picked up some good ideas on her blog. I am looking forward to seeing what everyone else has created!
Join my on Monday for my new Messy Monday's tutorials beginning with STAMPING WITH PAINTS some layouts and ideas that I have been playing around with recently.
Have a great weekend - even if you're a Brit and are caught in all of this crazy rain!

Wedding layout...

Hey!!! Here is a little (wonky) page I completed earlier this week. Lots of butterflies, a sprinkling of bling. I think I used a sketch but (as usual) I can't find it now! Looking at in now I think I should have edged the thickers so that they stand out more. I cut off the journalling spot and used some embellishments I found in an old kit which I never used - a good find! I am still trying to come to terms with using my slr. Somehow the person in the foreground was in focus but the people in the background were blurred. I have been wanting to do that for ages - but can never manage it. Any ideas how I could do it again?! Lol! xxx

Taking stock...

So tuesday gave me the chance to try this Twisted Sketches sketch and to scrap some of my holiday pics - double whammy!! The twist was tree and well these stocks are made from wood and I think the cardstock looks like wood too! I am loving the overall effect and am pleased with the colour scheme and the way it all came together. I edged it in yellow acrylic paint as I always like pages to pop with a border. This is one of my fav magpie moment homemade embellies - the flower. The petals are made foam packaging and then the bud is a yellow button and topped off with a rhinestone.

These are my fab new stamps that I used for the title and I think it adds to the feel of the layout.

I relied most heavily on Lisa's sketch as I really liked the scallops and all her little journalling spots. Tomorrow is hump day and a step closer to back-to-school madness so I am scrapping as much as I can whilst I have the spare time! xox

Fruity fajita night....

So fajita's always remind me of my fav Friend's episode when Ross invites Rachel and Joey (the new and recently outed couple) round for dinner. He keeps saying "it's fine!" in that tone of voice which completely suggests otherwise. Then he says "the only thing that wouldn't be fine would be if you don't like Mexican as we are cooking fajitas!!" Of course it is not the same without the accents, but if you have seen it I am sure you will agree that it is soooo funny!! So during graduation weekend we went for mexican food and Laura and I opted for fruit fajitas for dessert. It was a feast of toffee, mascapone cheese, chocolate flake, pancakes and caramelised peaches and bananas. But it was surprisingly not sickly. I used lots of clashing patterns taking inspiration from this new blog I have found called Scrapjacked. The title was stamped and then thickered (my new verb!!!)

I love making flowers from paper and distressing them. I added the ribbon to give it some more dimension and make it stand out. I am pleased with the end result - my fav layout in a while.

I am looking forward to their next sketch....

Spring Fling...

Now the sunshine is out, I can shed mt black winter coat and enjoy the great outdoors...I decided it was time for a spring layout. Bunting is compulsory and lots of flowers. I made my own embellies with punches and lots of inking. I dabbed grey paint of for my journalling block.

I have always loved this pic that my bro-in-law took of my sister and I last easter. The journalling is a homage to my family's love of town hopping. There is nothing better on a nice afternoo than to so and wander round a quaint little village or town, grab a bite to eat and browse in the shops. Us Jonses love to hit the road!

I completed it for butterfly crafts new challenge. Hope it bring a spring smile to your faces!

Teenage kicks...

So this is my latest layout of our charity shop outfits in London. I used this fab sketch. Laugh was great twist and I had fun leafing through photos finding one that was fitting. It was a laugh wearing these crazy outfits and seeing all the funny looks we got. I used my trustee glimmer mist - I seem unable to complete a layout without it! Then a hambly overlay and some random snippets of paper. I felt that the more colours I used the better as it's a clashing outfit so a clashing page was fitting. I love making my own flowers too and so this was my main embellie. Hope you like it as much as I do!