Ten Minute Tuesday - on a Wednesday!

Morning everyone, we are having loads of computer issues at work and I completely forgot to publish my ten minute Tuesday post yesterday.  So what is Ten Minute Tuesday hop on over to Vickis blog to see what this is all about.

Although I have been happily playing away in my art journals I haven't felt the urge to scrap for some months but finally, on Sunday I was inspired by the monthly challenge over on UK Scrappers where you had to use a Dr Seuss quote.  I thought it was perfect for this photo if.ny lovely daughter Fiona with her pink hair.

 I doodled around the edge of the cardstock with a pink posca paint pen then sprayed on some bubblegum pink dylusions spray.  I matted the photo on to a scrap of patterned paper then doodled a heart behind the photo. I put on some strips of washi tape, a button badge, a figure which I painted pink again with the poca pen and finished it off with the camera transparency froma  recent Quirky Kit.

To finish it off I stamped the quote as the title.  I used the quote " Why fit in when you were born to stand out" was ideal for Fiona

 So there you have it, my first layout in months,  very simple but I'm hoping it has kick started the mojo as I have a pile of photos waiting to be scrapped.  This only took me a.couple of ten minute sessions on Sunday to complete.

 What will you create with your ten minutes this week.  Why not join in and let us all see.

Crafty Catch Up

Hello there. If you have been reading my blog you will know that I spent last weekend at my friend Heathers crafting away with my friends and UKS teamies. I really haven't had the urge to scrap much for the last couple of months but did manage three layouts which for once I was happy with so hopefully thats the scrap block broken for a while. The first one was for a challenge set on UKS by Sian. There had to be lyrics to a song, musical notes and hidden journalling. I hate getting my photo taken but my friend Lesley took this one of me on one of our recent trips to Lochhouse farm where we have spent many a happy scrapping weekend, and I quite like this one. I sprayed some dylusions ink on the background and was firstly dismayed to get such a solid pool of the turquoise ink but eventually turned it to my advantage by stamping the title on it. My hidden journalling is on a tag in a glassine envelope tucked behind the photo and the song lyrics are from I dont wanna talk about it by Rod Stewart and I journalled these around the photo,. The words I chose read " I can tell by your eyes that you've probably been crying forever, the stars in the sky dont mean nothing to me, they're a mirror.

Next up is this one which was for the house challenge also on UK Scrappers. Three quotes were given to take inspiration from and I chose "Whatever you decide to do make sure it makes you happy" I got Heather to take a photo of my incredibly inky hands and used that for the layout. I scribbled some blocks of colour with neocolours and wiped over them with a baby wipe. THey turned out more solid than I wanted so I think I need to practise a bit. I stamped on a doily stamp, put on my photo and used a cosmo cricket sticker which reads "She had colourful dreams". I used the title Happy Hands - because when Im all inky and painted it really does make me happy.

Finally, this one was for the challenge my friend Dee set on UK Scrappers. You had to use colours from a given palette, mesh and circles. The photo I used Ive had for ages of some Poppies dancing away in the brereze by the beach at Beadnell. I sprayed on some ink again, for the mesh element I stamped a background stamp and finished the layout off with a mixed up font title. THe map was from a Plundered Pages pack I bought from Julie Kirk, Notes on Paper, and its an old 19th Century Map of Britain but it did feature Lindisfarne and Bamburgh so it was just perfect for this layout.

Lucky Snapping in 2013 - May

Im late posting my pic again which was actually taken during the first week in May. I did manage to snap my view on a fairly sunny day and its nice to see a blue sky appearing.  Roll on the summer I say, because I have had enough of winter weather thank you very much.  Today we had sleety showers on the way into work.  Sleety showers in May!!! What on earth is going on.  It brightened up as the day went on but its still blooming freezing outside.

I also managed to do my simple layout using my photo for my wee accordian book so that it is up to date as well, Im really quite pleased with the way the book is  shaping up so far and once I get June's done I will display it on my fireplace I think.  Im just hoping the Studio Calico Snippets papers Im using for this book last but I am beginning to think I might need to invest in a couple more sheets just in case!

Rik Rak Ravers Circle Journal (April)

Running late with this one as my previous attempts just wouldnt go right for some reason.  This month I had pages to do for Lesley's gorgeous journal which is very pretty and vintage in style. Her theme is Quotes which could be used in scrapbooking.

She was adamant that she wanted a painty inky page but everything I did would just have stuck out like a sore thumb so I tried to do it a bit painty but with a kind of vintage vibe.  I think it worked out okay in the end but I just hope she likes it.

 I painted on the background then used a variety of stencils to sponge some more paint through, I used a vintage ledger one, a harlequin and a leaf one.  I moved some of the templates slightly then overstamped with some white paint to soften the effect. I love the burlap everyone is using just now but had none so cut a couple of bits of hessisn from an old ASDA shopping bag and ripped some corrugated card and painted it for texture.  I inked a small doily and added it to soften the effect.

I love this quote and stamped it on a plain page of a charity shop vintage book find in brown stayzon ink.  I did likewise with the image stamp,which I just love,and is by crafty individuals.  I finished off  some over stamping with paint and a bottle lid,  a doily inked slightly and some words from the Tim Holtz chit chat range.

Its winging its way to Lesley now and I just hope she likes it okay.

For my May one  I have Julieanns to do on the theme of "Change" so my thinking cap is on as I'm determined to come in on time with this one.

Ten Minute Tuesday

Hello there fellow bloggers.

Tuesday has rolled round again and it's time to join in with Vicki's  Ten Minute Tuesday, hop over to Vicki's blog  The Biskit Barrel to see what it's all about.

This week I decided to scrap the April photo for the View a month challenge on the Lucky Snapping in 2013.blog.  I made the accordian book and scrapped January to March at my recent weekend away so only had my April pic to do to  keep me all up to date.  Each wee page is only 6 x 6.making it easy to scrap and that coupled with the fact that I'm only using papers from the one collection (Studio Calico Snippets - chosen as they have a dinky wee sticky tab for each month plus I loved the colours) meant that its easy to grab the bag Im keeping the papers, the accordian book and my printed photos for each month and get going with my ten minute slot. It's blooming hard to photograph though lol.

What will you do with your ten minutes this week?

The Annual birthday Shirt

The weekly challenge on UK Scrappers last week was set by my cropping friend Linda. 

We had to pick three layouts from the gallery and scraplift One, take the colour combo from One and a technique from another.  I cant Link to.the ones I chose as Im blogging from my phone as my computer hasnt been fixed yet *sigh*

I used papers from my latest Quicky Kit.  The photo is my son Fraser,  when he was young he always seemed to get a new St Mirren top for his birthday.  He still supports St Mirren but as he is 21 buys his own tops now.

My First Solo Challenge on UK Scrappers

Hello, this week Im hosting my first solo challenge on UKS.

I love doing the weekly challenges and have helped host before as part of my Team and crop group.

I wanted to use a sketch as they are great for kick starting a.sluggish mojo.  I also wanted folks to use some paint or ink as I love getting messy.  I sew on a huge proportion of my layouts so sewing was a given.  Finally as this week sees the remembrance of the birth if Scotland's greatest poet, Robert Burns I asked that a either a title or a quote from a poem, not necessarily a Burns One was used.

Heres the sketch I used which I found whilst wandering around pinterest.  The photo is of myself and four of my scrapping friends and UKS teamies at Lochhouse Farm on one of our twice yearly visits there.  My quote is from the Burns poem, Green grow the rashes o, and reses "Auld nature swears, the lovely dears, with every hour that passes o, her prenticed han' she try'd on Man, and then she made the lasses o" which basically translated from the Scots says that nature was practising when she made men but perfected it When she made women.

UKS December Week 2 Challenge

In between rushing around making my Christmas cards I managed to do the weekly challenge on UK Scrappers. I used one of the sketches provided, coil colours and new stash.  The papers are Teresa Collins Now and Then from my latest Quirky Kit.  I love them and might need to invest in more of them after Christmas. Photos are of DD Fiona ages six out sledging with her brother.  Shes 19 now so as you can see Im still playing catch up with the Mountains of photos lol

September Week 2 Challenge

This week our crop has taken a turn at setting the weekly challenge.

First up Donna chose this fab if rather challenging sketch

The other criteria were to use chipboard, sew on the layout (either real or faux) and to use washi tape or ribbon.  These days it would be more of a challenge for me not to use sewing on a layout as I love doing it and it seems to sneak on to almost every layout I do.

Here is my example.  I used Echo Park Note to Self papers which I love, I have now used most of my collection pack.  The photos were taken in Barter Books in Alnwick when I was there in July.  I absolutely love spending time there and go as often as I can when I am down in the north east.  Its an utter treasure trove of a place.  The title came from a review someone had done on the internet and I thought it very apt.

I used two of the buttons from the pack I ordered from Stash Panche run by Morag Cutts, you can check out her etsy shop or they are now available from Angel Crafts and Merly Impressions.  I thought these were the pefect finishing touch and will be ordering more soon.