That Friday Feeling...

It's been one of those weeks where I have been busy every night - but never the stuff I want to be doing (like scrapping!) I had year 8 parents evening last night and so that always makes a really long day. When I got home I just wanted to go to bed, but the hubster had a plate of gorgeous home made profiteroles waiting for me - yum! I am so glad I got him that course for Christmas now as I am reaping the benefits. They are pictured above - try not to drool on your laptops!

Secondly a page I have been meaning to scrap for a while as the pics are so sunny and bright and trigger great memories of a fab weekend with some great people. I had the m&m cardstock for ages and always planned to use it for a christmas layout, but it works perfectly with as a background for the red. I am "super excited" about this layout as I am loving the scallops and journalling strips at the mo! Sorry the light is not great on the pics, but we are on a triple date (!) with two of my old gal pals from my single days and need to make myself look more presentable. And what I hear you asking are two respectable, mature teachers doing with their friends on a Friday night? Probably cosmic golf and laser quest! You will see the layouts soon I am sure!

Happy weekend! xxx

Round, round, get around...!

Carrying on with the weekly challenge on one of my fav scrapping blogs - http://scrappingthemusic.blogspot.com/ The song lyrics reminded me of these candid shots from my wedding day in the summer. Our photographers were good at getting some of the unusual shots too, the little details which it is nice to remember. I was planning to scrap them with a title about paparazzi, but this works just as well. I used co-ordinating papers so it was okay to match spots and stripes as it was all co-ordinated. I doodled round the circles with dots and then used some round lettering too so it is all about circles today! I do love circles though! Can you tell?? Haha! The little circle peeking out with the ME in was printed with the lid of a tin using grey paint. The left hand corner looked bare so I stamped a boarder stamp in turquoise. The journalling reads: "I loved these candid shots - the behind the scenes views shows that everyone wanted a shot of the bride and groom, to share in our happy day! Love it!" The overall effect of this layout is very summery and I am very pleased with! Thanks for stopping by! x

A tribute to Sophie - hiiiyyyaaa!

Well I felt it was high time Sophie got a mention in my scrapbook. This is a tribute to our love of eating out - just check out all the food just for us two. I used strip journalling in alternate colours. I tried to use colours and patterns to give the page the feel of an American diner.

This layout is for http://sarahscardsltd.blogspot.com/ it was a sketch with limitless possibilities and I really enjoyed using it. I painted blue, glittery nail varnish over the black thickers title.

Have a nice day now!

Saturday scrapping...just because...

So my competetive streak is taking over and so I figured I would do a page just because. With the papers and design I wanted! So whilst watching my new guilty pleasure Take Me Out I am uploading the page I made of our mocktail night on our honeymoon. We were staying in a really swanky resort and so were a bit of a captive audience. That night we ate at the Malay market style buffet and then afterwards went to the lounge for mocktails to enjoy the entertainment. We got some exciting cocktails and then I switched to the less expensive soft drinks. However, Arne got carried away and everytime the waitress' came over said "Same, again sir?" He said yes. So about ten drinks later we recieved a bill higher than our food bill (which was pricey enough!) It was a fantastic night and these photos bring back great memories!

The left hand side has inked bubble wrap print to add some more interest and texture. The title circle is glittery vellum with yellow tissue paper underneath. I wanted it to look like a sun to reflect the climate and mood. The mocktail night subtitle is heat embossed - it was the first time I have used the yellow embossing powder and i have had it at least a year! I will defo use it again.

Twisted monkey...

I have been working on this page for months, but it was never coming together quite right. So using the sketch on http://www.twistedsketches.com/ I added two more distressed pics. I love multi-photo layouts as there is so much to look at. I added this vellum envelope with the journalling in so that my page wasn't too busy! I love the little pic of the orangutan I cut it out of a tourist mag that I picked up in Sabah. Overall a pleasing layout - liking the gold and green.

You spin me right round...

This is my entry for the lastest Scrapping the Music blog challenge. The song is about The Littlest Birds and is a melodic treat. I scanned the lyrics and found the line about - "I love you so fearlessly" I instantly recalled a date my hubby and I went on to get a break from wedding planning. We went to the Speedwell Cavern in the Peak District where we went caving.

I used a brown, fabric bird on the layout to tie in with the song's title. I used lots of paint and my fav turquoise thickers. I ran into every scrappers nightmare having run out of s' but improvised and feel that it works with this layout. The 'I love' is cut out of cardboard and is painted on and doodled on in puffy paint. I like the spiral journalling too. I was really pleased with this layout. A great song!

One way or another...

Just been listening to my new fav station Radio 2 with Alan Carr and he played the classic Blondie song. Today has been a busy day battling the crowds in Costco and Ikea. Amonst other things I was on the look out for storage solutions for my scrapbook room and more specifically to store my ever growing stash of 12 by 12 papers. We settled on this cheap option:

We are going to attach it to the side of my desk. It should make it easier for me to parouse my papers than having them in a big pile on my desk.

I am seriously jealous of Tiffany's scrapping space. Check out the link - its flipping gorgeous!!!!!

http://www.scraptiffany.com/blog_tiffany/2010/01/my-first-video.html

What a cracker!

For the Mission Create challenge blog I have completed 0008. The check list was: * Stitching * Rub on's * Curved Title * Paint * Red, Turquoise & White I thought immeadiately of this pic from Christmas day as Tamara is wearing red and I have a turquoise bow in my hair. The white came from this overlay: Also from this rick rack boarder:

The curved title was backed with a sweep of paint. I love using paint on my layouts as it is so versatille. I even painted the title letters and coated them in glitter.

The 'smile' and journalling block are rub ons. I wrote about our crackers as it is a Jones family tradition that we get really classy crackers and all look forward to the little gifts inside.

So I have been giving you little teasers, but here is the finished layout:-

I really love it! I tried to make it mirror a cracker being pulled. The sequins and buttons represent all of the goodies inside! The only concept which caused problems was the stitching as I am having a few technical difficulties with my sewing machine, so I drew the stitching on - is that cheating? Or do I get extra credit for being resourceful??! I noticed Frances who set the challenge is a teacher like me - the two seem to go well together. I bet she loves doing displays too its like a life size scrapbook page!

Keep coming with the challenges as it pushes me to try a little harder and use up some of my "special" stash! x

Sketches in the snow...

As the big thaw begins I took on mission #032 sketch challenge on http://www.twistedsketches.com/

I used stamps to make a polka dot boarder and then a boarder down the right hand side alternating black and bronze ink. I use stamps on most of my layouts and these are Making Memories acrylic stamps which I use on just about every layout.

I used clock cardstock which I got in a bumper pack from Costco. It led me to the title - Snow time like the Present. I used thickers and then outlined the title in silver gel pen. I was pleased with the overall effect and that I managed to avoid usual snow layout colours like white and pale blue. I only wish the picture did it justice, I even added white glitter to the edge of the clock cut out, but it doesn't show up!

I enjoyed this challenge and it didn't take me long to get inspired!

Snow problem....

School has remained doggedly open despite the black ice spates..but at least we are still starting at the later, more lie-in friendly time of 9.30. Some classes this week I have only had a third of the class and it has been really lovely and relaxed. It must be what it is like teaching at a private school, but I guess our kids still have more character. I am on a teacher high as my bottom set took their English GCSE early in November and we got the results back today. There were all predicted E's but one girl got a C. I was so happy for her I almost cried. Then five of them for Ds too, which is a really good result considering they struggle with reading and writing. I have made two super dooper layouts tonight and will be posting them tomorrow when all the glitter glue and paint dries. They are both for sketch contests and i am really pleased with the results of both. I have not won any yet :( and am beginnining to question my talent...so I would LOVE the boost of winning. It was exciting to see my golden girls layout in a slide show on the scrapping the music site! Woo hoo! Well it feels like it should be the weekend, but in fact it is only Thursday night... Peace out! x

The unfinished, the good, the bad and the downright vintage...

The Unfinished...I threw together this page as I wanted to try out the masking technique. I cut the trees off the card Gem's got us for Christmas. I think it is lacking something...any ideas? The good (and most recent!) Well another wedding layout in the colour scheme. I am just loving my glitter thickers from Gems (thanks!!!) I like this pic as it is more reportage style and isn't posed. I am loving my velvet boarder stickers Mara got, they are fab for zooming in on a fav part of a pic.

This layout is of our honeymoon. It is using a kit so it all co-ordinates really well together. I had seen the idea of using shells as a photo matt in SI and wanted to try it. These shells are especially picked from the Malaysian beach for this purpose, they were kicking around our kitchen for a while so thought I'd better use them. I like to slice a photo up and raise some sections with foam pads - it is visually eye-catching. I also use masking with stickers and acrylic paint - love it!

The bad - this is scrapping from my student days where supplies were limited so I had to be more creative. I loved cropping photos (as was the trend at the time) I do like the idea of using the Spanish flag in the background. Vellum is another material I never use anymore, but it can create good effects.

The vintage. You will be noticing my obsession with doilies, this one is inked with gold for that vintage style. I had this cardstock for ages and couldn't imagine what I could use it for. There is lots of inking and random little bits on this. My friend Vicky said she wanted to copy the whole page. The pic wasn't that great quality as the lighting was dimmed in the cafe. This is our fav haunt in Hyde Park called Moorish. The lovely owner gave us free cups of herbal tea and they were in the cutest little cups - we all wanted to pinch one! Bur refrained might I add!

Scrapping the music - golden girls challenge...

So I love this blog as I often use song lyrics as inspiration for layouts. My sisters and I loved the Golden Girls when we were younger! I dithered over doing a best friends layout and then remembered I had this pic of my hubby posing in his new jacket and coupled with the bronze chipboard thought that Golden Guy made a perfect layout idea. I don't often use bronze and red as a colour combo, but thought this looked vintage which the Golden Girls is!

Top ten layouts of the year....

So here are my top ten layouts of 2009 - let me know which one is your favourite.... 1) This was elephant trekking in Thailand. The picture doesn't really do it justice. The title is made from masking tape with little cut out elephants trekking across the bottom of it. I also like the E monogram in the bottom right hand corner. The green elly was a bookmark I brought over there. 2) Tandem biking in Brugge. I scraplifted this page from an American mag. I love the movement on the glittery title. I love the swirly journalling too, very simple but very effective.

3) This was taken at the Indian restaurant at our honeymoon resort. Lush food and a great multi photo layout. Like the little rosette and how I cut around the paper in the middle to give myself my own scalloped cardstock.

4) Masked title - swept away. The classic wedding day pose. I tried a masking tape frame here as I had seen this idea in SM.

5) A personal fav of mine a unique way of using up the black and white and coloured photo. A very fun page with a gorgeous overlay on the left that I had been saving up for a special occasion. I painted the letters for the title too.

6) Scraplifted this idea from an American mag I got from my sis years ago. The doilie my new fav photo matt and a great way of telling our story. I have found journalling difficult for the samey wedding pics, but thought this was a great way. The hearts are cut from a wedding card.

7) A pic from Germany last year. It is about how Arne is such a worrier and I am a bit more reckless (at least when it comes to heights!) I love how perfectly the overlay on the left allows for a sneaky lil extra pic. I got this overlay free with some goodies when I went to the big scrapbook convention in Holland a few years ago. It is great for cutting words out of.

8) A fun page which I wanted to reflect a fashion shot in a mag. I stamped the boarders with paint which I think gives a more interesting effect than ink. A very girly layout of some of my fav wedding shots.

9) A very eclectic layout of my birthday meal in Scarborough. My new fav thing is to layer lots of flowers cut with my slice and distress them and douse them in glitter. The title is handwritten (I did this in a boring meeting at school and it inspired my layout!)

10) Last, but not least, ice ice baby! These photos were taken in Paris last New Years when we found a frozen pond in the park and it gave us hours of fun. I tried to make the title look like ice cubes and then coated it in lots of mauve embossing powder to give it a snowy effect.

So place your votes now....and thanks for stopping by. Hope you are all enjoying (and being inspired by) the snowy weather....Happy New Year!!

Mission impossible? I think not!!

I have been keen to scrap these pics of our wedding cupcakes and was waiting for the right inspiration...and here it was...mission accomplished:-

This week's mission is comprised of the following concepts from our DT and Guest Designer: Deborah: Use at least 3 label stickers Jocelyn: Felt Nicole: Pink, yellow, teal Vanessa: Polka dots Christiane: Black pen for outlining

I feel like these challenges take my pages to new levels and force me to use some of the stash I have been "saving" for a special occasion...well it's here! I love doodling and polka dots and the cupcakes were teal so I managed to squeeze in all the concepts. I cut the black velvet heart from wrapping paper my sis gave me for Christmas otherwise it would have been a hard concept to fulfill.

Hope you like it...

Mission to create...

So because we are "snowed in" and off school today I have ignored my piles of marking and embarked upon a new challenge. It is on the Mission Create blog and I had to include the following five elements on my page:-

Deborah: Masking technique

Jocie: I wanna see some RED

Nicole: Grid or ledger paper Vanessa: Strip Journalling

Allison: to use stamping on your layout; anything, an image, alphabets, etc.

It was quite handy as I had this paper a few months and didn't know what to do with it.

I had these pics from our October half term trip to my hubby's home town of Brugges. Having already been to the more enticing chocolate museum we decided to check out the frites museum.

Snow day - wooo!!!

This layout is from our wedding. I wanted to do a multi-photo layout as I had so many pics to try and scrap. Black and white pics are ace as you can apply any colour scheme to them. I was running out of purple and turquoise cardstock from my other lo's! Always better together was the motto for our wedding and we had it inscriped on our rings. I used my trustee slice for the flower and the hearts. Gold and red is a striking combo!

This is when we attempted karaoke on our honeymoon and ended up getting in a strop! Typical shy Arne! He actually gave me the ace idea of stamping each letter with my alphabet stamps. I wouldn't have put turquoise and red together but I think it works. The little parrot is from the sample I have to do on my photo printer, but the ever thrifty scrapper in me didn't want to waste a thing!

So was just about to text my boss today, when I got the blissful text - snow day!!! No chatty year 10s today - woohoo! So I am using my time wisely and posting some of my lastest layouts. The bottom one is from our honeymoon in Malaysia. I got the idea from a Vanessa Matthews lo in SI, I loved the swirly cardstock lined with lots of exciting embellishments.

The apple one is of my sisters and I when we were little. I love using lace on my layouts as it gives it a rustic feel which worked really well with the apple cardstock I have been meaning to use for a while. Owls are very trendy in the scrapping world at the mo and I was excited to find these overlays at my local TK Maxx (in Harrogate) I love finding stash when you least expect it. I also used lots of chipboard on my lo's to give them depth and interest. My new fav thing is to use a doilie to mat photos - very cheap and a fab vintage look.

P.S Sorry they are not all aligned! I am still getting to terms with the "high techness" of blogging! But thanks for stopping by my blog and please leave comments as I really relish them.