Christmas Book

After seeing the Scrapbook Sisters blog tonight where Julie has uploaded pictures of the last class project I remembered that I had promised to upload pictures of mine. I used photographs of Matthew and Holly when we went on the Santa Express on the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch railway in 1996 (I think!) - the year that is not the place.

Over Christmas I have also finished a Bo Bunny travel word book that I started at a class much earlier in the year so I will add photos of that soon,

It's nearly Christmas..........

It's nearly Christmas and this year I really must try to take more photographs so that I have some photographs for Christmas layouts even if I have to persuade the family into a little photo shoot.
Until then here are a few layouts that I have finished recently.



This first one uses Heidi Grace papers (one of my favourites) and I particularly like the little birds which is an image that I have used quite often recently.The photograph was taken about 16 years ago at my nieces christening and it was the last time we saw my grandad.
The second layout features a photograph from around the same time and is of me and Matthew at a quiet spot in Maidstone. Again I have used Heidi Grace papers and the three little owl are a Papermania stamp.The writing on the photo is white pen written on a strip of acetate which I wrapped around the top of the photo.The third layout is using both sides of only one piece of patterned paper but at the moment I can't remember exactly which paper it is! As I look at the layout now I feel that the centre of the flowers need some extra embellishment, maybe some babyblue liquid pearls.I finished a little Christmas book recently at class at Scrapbook Sisters so I will post some photos of that as soon as I upload them to the computer.

A few layouts....

Here are a few layouts, not particularly new stuff but just some that I haven't shown before.

I am still making Christmas cards at the momment, then as soon as I have finished I can create some new layouts. I have lots of new papers that are waiting for my attention.

My First Award

Well, I have received my first award from Scrapbook Sisters. Thank you ladies!

This award states that:

This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY- nearness in space, time and relationships.These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends, they are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

I have to pass this award on to eight other crafters;Roz, Paula, Winnie, Gabrielle, Totty, Marion

Joanne (Mainly Flowers), Bubs

Cricut Experiment

I love my Cricut machine and often use it to cut titles for my scrapbook pages. I tend to use it less often to cut shapes and images so after seeing a few ideas on the Cricut forum I decided to give it a go myself, making a layout using only shapes cut from the Cricut. I decided the photos that I took a few years ago when we went on a big Reed family trip to the Ashdown Forest and Winnie the Pooh country, were particularly suitable to use with the Winnie the Pooh cartridge. It was a fun project to do and I learned alot about layering up the shapes to create the right shadows and backgrounds and the cartridges do much more than I ever thought but I did miss crafting with patterned paper.

Don't you just love Basic Grey?

I have to admit.........I have a serious addiction......yes, and it's collecting Basic Grey. I have a tendency to collect it rather than use it. I did make a layout recently using some of my BG Lilly Kate papers but I cheated........I used ones that I have duplicates of, so I still have at least another sheet (or two) left. The photo in this layout does not show terribly well as it was taken at dusk but it gives a feeling of just what we like about Cornwall - those relaxing evening walks on the beach.

I also used BG in class recently at Scrapbook Sisters which was easier as it was in the class kit and I didn't have to take it out of my precious collection. The photo is of my cat Hope and I particularly like the shape of the trees and the little bird. I have an idea that I may be able to use a similar technique to make Christmas trees and robins - watch this space - you never know I may even use my BG papers (but I'm not promising!)

I'm pleased......

........with this layout. My style of scrapbooking has changed a bit recently. I'm not afraid of the white space anymore! I don't feel that I have to fill the page anymore and it is ok to leave some empty space on the page.

This layout fits my new style and I'm pretty pleased with it and the way it looks.

The papers are Sea Glass by K & Co and the letters are cut from a sheet of KI Memories Pop Culture Lace Cardstock. The photos were taken on holiday this year and the layout was made in class at Scrapbook Sisters.

It's been sooooooo long...........

...........since I last blogged. I have finally photographed a whole big pile of scrapbook layouts....didn't know that I had produced so many recently. Scanning the layouts took so long so photographing and then cropping them in PSP worked much better. Of course I say this like it was me that actually scanning, photographing and cropping but I must confess that it was my lovely husband Martin that did all this for me. So now I have lots of layouts to show you.

Today's double page layout is from a class that Jane Dean taught at Scrapbook Sisters. It was scheduled for the day that I went on holiday this year so Julie and Karen arranged an extra kit for me. Jane was teaching a class designed by Karen Burnisten with a great pop up house when you open the layout.
I took the kit to a recent Friday night Scrap Attack and along with fellow scrapper Caroline we both made a start on the kit - I was pleasantly surprised that it was easier than I had expected but was still a challenge.

Promise that I will blog again soon and not leave it for more than a month again....well, I'll try.

More Cards.......

Recently Karen and Julie at Scrapbook Sisters (where I work) asked me to make some cards using some of the 12 x 12 papers that we stock in the shop. They were fun to make. Here are some of them;

New Layouts

Recently at my Thursday night scrapbook class we used some Basic Grey papers .I just love Basic Grey and have quite a collection at home which I often take out and stroke and who knows one day I may even use it! The papers we used were mostly from the Boxer collection. The first one shows a photo of my children and my sisters first two children outside Windsor Castle - we had been to see the changing of the guard. They all look so tiny when now the eldest drives his own car and the youngest of the four is about to start GCSEs.

The second layout is my husbands side of the family outside the hotel we stayed in at Rye, Sussex when we suprised my father-in-law with a weekend away to celebrate his 70th Birthday. I am not entirely happy with this second layout and feel it need some alteration but not sure what yet - I'm sure it will come to me.

And the remaining pages....

Hooray, at last I have been able to upload the last few pictures, fuzzy though they are.

As promised.......

As promised here as some photos of a mini book that we made in class at Scrapbook Sisters. It is a piano hinge book. I have made a larger version before at the Japanese book class and it took me ages to make but this time I found it much quicker to make. We could make our own choice of cardstock and papers which is fatal as I am the Queen of Indiscision. Well after much deliberation I ended up witha beautiful set of double sided papers and orange and lilac cardstock! They were the only colours that seemed to match the papers and although not my ususal choice of colours I do quite like the combination. I chose to include photos of my cat, Hope and I am leaving the last page free to include a copy of her family tree which I was given by the cat breeder. I have kept the pages fairly simple ( well, not much matches orange and lilac) and have just used the patterned paper as embelisments with a few rub ons mostly. The photos are not very good because as usuual I have left it too late for good light but you get the idea....

Well, there are a couple more pages but blogger is not co-operating tonight so maybe the second installment will be tomorrow.

Golden Anniversary and Birthday Cards

After not blogging for ages, I thought it was about time I updated my blog. Here is a card that I made for Scrapbook mum and dads golden wedding anniversary. They had a lovely garden party with many family and friends.

Last weekend it was my brother in laws 50th birthday party. He had a Hawaiian themed party in his garden which considering it rained most of the evening you would think would be a washout but it was infact a fantastic party and we sheltered under various gazebos and in the marquee. On the same theme I made him a Hawaiian birtday card with the Cricut paper dolls cartridge - not my usual style but he liked it.

I finished a mini book today about my new cat while I was scrapping at a friends house www.scrapcat-sue.blogspot.com . I will photograph and post pictures soon.

The little houses have arrived.......

I posted a while ago about The little Boxes on the Hillside swap that I had joined........well, today I received 19 little houses in the post (another one is on it's way) and they are fantastic.

Not a great photo I'm afraid - as usual I should have taken the photo earlier in daylight but as you can see there is a great selection there. I just need to decide now how I am going to display them - I may attach them to a ribbon and hang them up in my craft room.

Birthday Cards

Well, look at this , two posts in one week!..........and as promised here are three birthday cards that my mum has asked me to make for her friends who have birthdays in August and September.

This first one is for a 70th Birthday and I have used the Graphic 45 Baby to Bride papers which are absolutely georgous. See them here.

The second card has a stamped foxglove which is painted using Chalk Eye ink pads and Art Quest paints to highlight. The patterned paper is Crate Paper but I can't remember which one as it was an off cut from my extensive drawer of scraps. I'm very into the layered circles and scalloped circles with greetings at the moment.

The last card is for a lady who is a dog lover but being a cat lover I don't have much dog stuff in my stash. I found this little doggie diecut which I have previously used wityh tartan ribbons and papers on Christmas cards. The backing papers on this one is a double sided paper by S.E.I. called Park Buddies - Dogwood. I hope mum likes them!

It's been a while........

It has been a while since I last blogged so here is a catch up on a few things that I have made recently. This is a layout I made in class recently. The photo's of Holly were taken by Martin at Alexandra palace in April - and yes it was as cold as it looks.

This second layout was started at class on Thursday and I finished it yesterday at the Scrapbook Sisters shop crop. This was one of the first photos that I took with my new digital SLR - just need to find out how to use it better.

And lastly another layout made in class - I really enjoyed using these papers. I like the circles - I definately have a circle thing going on at the moment.

I have been making some cards for my mum to give to a couple of her friends so I will post those soon.