Real SCRAP-booking

I was super pleased with this layout....'cos I tried recycling something and it worked out pretty darn cool. Super easy too!



Happy "Being Frugal" Accident:

I made the background by cutting out a leftover portion of the 'negative' of the Tim Holtz sticker sheet (i.e. the 'holes' that are left behind after you take out all the stickers). I pasted it on the black cardstock, drybrushed with cream paint over it and got those little 'boxes' on.

Then, I stamped in paint over it with my all-time favourite Purple Onion vintage script stamp and then added bits of paper, stickers and stuff.

Quickest layout ever!

Let the Sunshine In

There is way too much sun here right now....
So much so, I chopped off a whole chunk of my hair (sorry, no pic).

But sunny days make for:

some fun with shadows: (Buddy cat mesmerised by lights on the wall)

and good inspiration for a reflection on hope: (52Q - Q20: "What gives you hope?")


So, thank God for sunshine!

For My Mum, that's Why

Its 'pretty' - so you automatically know its not for me. :o) But I do like how it turned out. Hope she likes it too. It's a memo board (you slip your photos under the ribbons)

Designed this class to be something that people could make to give to their mum's on Mother's Day, but since I couldn't take this back home till class was over, I can only give this to my mum now - haha. Don't worry, we got her other things on that day.

Some close ups of the butterflies (which was everyone's favourite bit, or so I'm told) (my favourite bit is the rough sandy glitter BEHIND the butterfly - haha):





Anatomy of a Butterfly:
Bottom layer - stamp on wood or cut shape from glitter paper
2nd layer - stamp with Staz On on transparency
3rd layer - flowers
4th layer - key tied with ribbons
* all the layers (except the key) are stapled together.

This is good prep for doing wedding stuff....

Sneaks for June Class

Hi ho! Its about that time of the month......when I show you the classes coming up in the next month. So.....here goes:

1. A layout class: REST & RELAX" (2 layouts - 'cos some of the bits are quite tedious)

We'll get to play with Fantasy Film


2. An altered art class: 7 GYPSIES RECEIPT HOLDER (collage style - woo hoo!)


3. And my favourite, a mini album with Grungeboard Covers: INSPIRED BY TIM HOLTZ


For some reason, it ended up looking rather 'Oriental....but I am loving the colours.

Phew! Was a little rushed this month....so I'm glad its done.

Taking Part in 52Q

Evelyn invited me to take part in the 52Q journaling challenge - where you basically 'answer' one question per week by creating a tag or card or anything small.

Its a fun exercise and makes a good break from designing for class (especially when your a little bit 'stuck' - which is what is happening to me right now...sigh....). Best of all, its great to see what others make and draw inspiration from it.

So, I got a pack of 52 cards:

and I've decided to alter one card, front and back, for each of the questions. I think I'll to try and sometimes incorporate the alphabet or picture from the card if it is relevant and other times I'll just cover the whole thing.

Here's what I've done so far:

Q17: What is Your Super Power?


Q18: What is On Your To-Do List Today?


That little piggy is so charming I think he is going to be on every card.

I've got 16 questions to catch up on, so let's see how I go!

Things To Buy After You Make Your Husband Happy

More Purple Onion stamps of course!!! Heh heh!

50% off select stamps at Purple Onion Designs
until Friday May 14th!
All stamps on sale are marked on the website with red sale prices

How to Make Your Husband Happy

Put your scrapbooking skills to good use and make him something he likes!

Hubby doesn't like the fact that his bible is all soft and floppy and likely to get raggedySo, with a little scrapbooking know-how, some chipboard, patterned paper, lots of Claudine Hellmuth Studio multi-medium and Sticky Back Canvas, I 'fixed' it:I kept pretty close to the colours of the original 'cos he liked it and incorporated his favourite verses into the cover. And 'cos its gonna get handled a lot, I kept everthing pretty flat and sealed it with multi-medium. Used Sticky Back canvas on the spine so that its still flexible.

So, go make something for your man - then maybe he won't complain the next time you go shopping for scrapbooking supplies - haha!

What Goes Around Comes Around...

Shirley was looking for the instructions for April's DS-BLACK mini album class and discovered that I actually had another class called DS-BLACK designed way back in 2007!!! Haha....looks like I've finally run out of names for classes!

So, just for fun, here is DS-BLACK (circa 2007):
(simple book binding project. mostly 7 Gypsies papers)
And here is DS-BLACK (circa 2010):
(all papers and embellishments from g.c.d.)
The album title is taken from the book "You are Mine" by Max Lucado and I filled the book with all my favourite bible verses, ones that I want to share with my kids.

And here's a fun technique to share from the class (its a small twist on one of my favourite happy accidents):

Faux old metal texture:(nice on chipboard)1. Stamp various images onto your chipboard with any ink (The image cannot be TOO intricate 'cos of Step 2)

2. Re-draw / colour the image with glossy accents (NOTE: if you put very little, the effect is not very obvious. If you put too much, it tends to get so blobby your details may get lost. So......guess you have to just try. If not nice, you get to do it again.....YAY! heh)

3. Cook glossy accents with heat gun (make sure you let it fester and bubble)

4. Once dry, paint over the whole thing with metallic paint (I used a Ranger bronze dabber). Dry again with heat gun.

5. Make a batch of dilute black paint and paint over the entire surface (it will look quite gross). Then use a spray bottle to spray water onto the surface (especially the parts with the glossy accents) - the water will help to make the bumps 'stand out' more and make the black paint pool in the grooves. Let any of your excess paint drip off, then heat the whole thing to dry.

So.....Do you think my style has changed? Colour preference obviously has not! Haha.

That's Not Me...I'm Chubbier Than That

Here's the 'partner' to the last layout and this one, like the previous one, features lots of Martha Stewart glittery goodness AND once again a photo that's not mine. (guess whose?)

I fell in love with the mao mao (tinsel glitter) while doing the last layout and so used LOTS of it here. (its all stuck on with double-sided tape)

My favourite bits:
1. The microbead encrusted 3D glue dots (where the word "day" is) - they remind me of a certain kind of sweet....or bug eyes.

2. The 'sunshine rays' coming out from behind the photo - made with 2 scraps of paper placed in a 'V' shape, with yellow and orange distress ink blended into the gap.

OK, no more glitter for now... :o)

These are Not My Children

They are Merdrey's nephew and niece (Gideon and Rebecca) - soooo cute right? I was working on this layout at PaperMarket and Merdrey's photos fit the layout just right!

Layout Title: "Sunny Days Sweepin' the Clouds Away

All the papers and stickers here are from American Craft's Dear Lizzy collection.

For this layout (and the other one in the class), I got to play with all kinds of Martha Stewart glittery stuff.

1. tinsel glitter (aka mao mao) - makes great grass!
2. Micro beads - great for flower centres
3. sequins - makes happy 'smoke' and 'fairy flower halos'