Sketch N Scrap #58

I've had some very sweet photos of my niece and nephew sitting in my photo box for a few years now......and have finally managed to complete a layout with them. ( They 're both teenagers now so probably won't thank me :)  )

I 've used one of the super sketches from the Sketch N Scrap blog ...you can see all their  June challenges HERE.  

and here's the layout...using American crafts papers . 

I made this and another layout in the company of some lovely ladies in Bradfield yesterday, so big thanks to Kerry for inviting me, I had a great day :)  

The black camera was cut using Kerry's sissix die --- It was so cute I just had to cut a few more for future use!

I will add some journaling to the back of the layout and the date to the front when I can work out when the photos were taken :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Karen x

All about Fay .....

I have 2 projects to share today, both recording my eldest daughter's 18th birthday :)

Although I missed the deadline for the Scrap365 sketch challenge, I did use it to create my 8.5" x 11" double page!  I think I've only done 3 double pages in this size, but I wanted to use lots of photos.

 I've seen this done on a couple of blogs I visit...I'll add the links when I've found them!

Here's the original sketch :)

The next project is the New Scrapology Card challenge which launched today and is open till

15th July.  Check out the blog HERE for all the details of the challenge, fabulous Design Team Inspiration and a look at the amazing prize bundle.....

Our Challenge this month was to create one of the very popular "Card in a box" folding cards.

Mine turned out slightly differently as I wanted to include  photos....

This metric sized version was demonstrated to us at the papermaze crop by Karen Curd, who is an independent stampin up demonstrator . You can find her here x

So, get sticking and enter your card over at scrapoplogy . Good Luck x

Thanks for stopping by

Karen x

Blog Hop with a difference....

Last week I was invited to join a Blog Hop Tour by Mary Anne  of UKScrappers fame :) It's a different sort of blog hop than you generally see and the idea is to answer a few questions and then pass the batton on to 3 more  friends for the following week so it spreads out as it goes week by week... So, here goes...


What am I working on?

I always seem to have a few different things on the go at once. This week I'm dividing my crafty time between my design team commitments for  the Scrapology challenge blog, which is a card and a layout every month (which I can't share!), my pocket album, which is a page a month, and making all kinds of papercrafty goodies to sell on my shelf at The Thrifty Thistle. (The Thrifty Thistle is a fabulous shop in Felixstowe where crafters, not just papercrafters, can rent a shelf to sell their handmade items). I'm making peg notice boards, pencil pots, gift boxes, peg magnets and lots more!

It's amazing what you can make with a baked bean tin and some scrapbook papers!

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Well I guess the obvious difference is that I choose to work in the American A4 size, 8.5 x11" and always in portrait. The majority of Scrapbookers work in 12x12, which I now find incredibly difficult.
I don't buy huge selections of ready made embellishments for my pages, although if some come in a kit, I'll happily use them!
Most of my pages have a 'home made' look to them, I don't use lots of fancy complicated techniques or tools, and I love to recycle found/saved trinkets,tags and momentos. Cutting and sticking is what I love....
I make the patterned paper work very hard for me, and nearly always let the photo dictate my colour combinations.
I love pretty patterns and my work has to be NEAT and coordinated.....  I'm hopeless with inky, splatty, art-journaly or ecclectic styles!

Why do I create what I do?

I'm like alot of other scrapbookers that I've met in person or through blog-land, who say they've always been crafty.  It wasn't till I discovered Scrapbooking in 2006, that I actually felt at home. I've always kept photo albums, and loved my sugar paper scrapbooks, but had never combined the two.
Scrapbooking for me is FUN, its what I love to do....well it beats housework every time:)
Of course, I'm preserving memories and satisfying my creative side at the same time with something I can KEEP.
My latest layout is always my most favourite, and I stick them high up on the wall in my craft room untill there's no room left and then they have to go in an album.
If my layout doesn't have much in the way of journaling on the front...then I always write all the details on the back for future reference.

How does your creating process work?

My starting point these days is more often than not a sketch. It really means that the hard work of designing the page is already done and I can concentrate on the fun stuff .
I rarely stick completely to the original and always try to do something a little different. I pick a photo, choose my colour combinations, and dig around in my stash till I'm happy.
If I'm honest, my finished layout doesn't end up how I imagine it in my head...it just evolves.

Sometimes I get stuck with a title if it's not obvious, and that's one of the really great things about attending a monthly crop. You can bounce ideas around with other like minded folk and not just your long-suffering family!!


So, that's all from me for now..

Next week it's the turn of  Sadie  and  Elaine. Click on the names to visit their blogs... and pop back on Monday 9th June.

Sadie is one of my Scrapbook buddies at the monthly Papermaze crop in Otley. She hasn't been posting lately on her blog but I get to see her work in real life!  She is a lovely, kind hearted , fun loving family person which shines through on every layout she creates :) She takes some fabulous photos, and clearly loves creating, on and off the page.

Elaine is a fabulously busy scrapbooker who I  know from UKS and blogland. She loves challenges, is never afraid to try something new and tackles some fairly scary looking sketches whilst managing to make it look easy! She so obviously loves scrapbooking; every post on her blog is like a mini tutorial, always full of hints and top tips so it's well worth a visit.

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to pop back next week to see what Sadie and Elaine have to share.

Bye for now
Karen x

Scrapology layout for June.....

This month we are challenging you to scraplift a  gorgeous layout by Gabrielle Pollocco, all the details can be found HERE, along with a sketch to get you started and some beautiful creations from the Design team as added inspiration. The additional challenge is to use Trellis on your page, or something similar.

My layout shows our poor dog Bazzil when he was subjected to a make-over!  He did look hillarious, and had to walk around like that for days as we couldn't get the eyeliner off his fur!

The big flowers were the starting point for this layout ( unusually for me) which I needle-felted , having been shown how to do it by my friend. We used cookie cutters as a template and they were surprisingly easy to make.

As you can see , my layout is in a completely different style to the original , but you can see the main elements from the sketch quite clearly......

The patterned paper is all from the DIY shop collection by Crate Paper, apart from the background sheet which has been in my drawer for a long time.

I hope you feel inspired to have a go and enter your layout. There is of course a lovely stash prize for the winner and all the layouts are published on the blog. 

The sketch...

Please visit Scrapology to see the original layout x

Thanks for stopping by

Karen x