UK Scrappers Weekly Challenge - April Wk 4

This week's challenge was set by the Norty Crew. The challenge was use to a Beatles song title - 10pts, either black & white or red,white & blue - 10pts, ribbon, a tree or a weaving technique - 10pts.

I have done this in digi using the Lottie Dottie kit by Amy Sumrall from the Digi Chick shop. I made the photo frame from a paper and added some stitching and outline. I put some elements together to make the flowers and tree. I have added other various elements from the kit such as the birds, the ribbon and the alphas to make the title and then put outline borders on them to make them more defined.

My Year - 30th April - Holding Hands

I am really struggling for inspiration for these daily photos and so I thought I would combine today's photo with one that I need for the UKS weekly challenge. This is me and my daughter Zoe holding hands. Look at the difference in our skin tones - she takes after Daddy.

My Year - 29th April - Nina Ricci

This is my favourite perfume of all time. It is Apple by Nina Ricci. It has a lovely fruity smell and comes in a fantastic apple shape bottle. I always get a bottle for Christmas.

My Year - 28th April - Cacti

I have had this bowl of cactus for years. It started off having 3 different cacti in the bowl. I have had to replace one and that one has now died too. But the remaining two are doing really well and have probably doubled in size in the last year.

My Year - 27th April - A lovely pear

In the continuation of my healthy eating plan, this is one of the things that I really enjoy. A lovely juicy pear. This one looked so photogenic.

SLYMI - Week 17 - Layers and Lace

Shimelle said "This week's challenge is to create a layout using lace and layers! Build up your page creating lift with sticky pads, adding bulkier embellishments and revealing hidden layers. So this isn’t a flat layout, it's very tactile, three-dimensional and using layer upon layer.And don’t forget to add a little lace somewhere on the page!"

I have used my Total Papercrafts April kit to create this layout - perfect for lots of layers. I didn't have any lace so cheated and so used some lace tape.

My Year - 26th April - Zoe gone mad

Zoe has had a shower tonight instead of a bath and she has gone really silly and mad. She is racing around like a mad man. We cannot get her to calm down. Daddy has had to carry her off to dry her hair.

My first digi template

One of the freebies on Designer Digitals yesterday was a template by Patti Knox. I have never used a template before so thought I would have a play. This is what I came up with. Most of the elements are freebies from the Digital Scrapbook Place - so a bit of a conflict of interest. Templates are very easy to use - just select your papers and then do lots of clipping masks to "glue" your papers to the shapes on the template.

Sorry even more digi

I have been lurking on the Designer Digitals website all afternoon and evening and picked up a few freebies. This is what I have made using the freebie paper and mask from Anna Aspnes. I then added a paper from Dawn Inskip's Background Doodles. The wordart is from Katie Pertiet's Girl Wordart set. I have added a few extra swirls and a grungy overlay from Trish Jones. I coloured every element using the freebie paper from Anna. The photo was taken today at Moors Valley Country Park.

More Digi playing

I enjoyed myself so much this morning doing the Digi In Deep layout that I thought I would practise some of the techniques - so here is my second layout of the day.

I tied the string round the heart and recoloured the buttons. The scalloped edges and the hearts I made.

My Year - 25th April - Birthday Girl

Yesterday was Molly's birthday. She is our cat and she is 3 years old. I couldn't get a photo of her yesterday as she was out celebrating with her pals. So my photo had to be taken this morning - she is crashed out on the bean bag - last night must have been some party!!!!

Digi in Deep - Lesson One complete

I am enjoying learning digital scrapbooking so much that I have signed up for the advanced Jessica Sprague Digi In Deep course.

Last I started Lesson One and then have finished it off this morning. It has about 3 hours of work in this layout. I love it and just hope that I can re-create something similar. It has lots of complicated things in it - chopping up flourishes to add them to text, compound masks, using layers to make it look like the string is wrapped around the circle and to make the tag look like it is hanging from the string and recolouring textured elements.

Without sounding like I am preaching, if you want to learn digi then Jessica Sprague is your lady.

My Year - 24th April - Nintendo Nerd

I had to work today and so I left Zoe at home with James rather than put her into nursery. I left her sat in bed playing on the Nintendo DS. She loves playing Dora the Explorer. As I shut the front door, I could hear them arguing over who's turn it was. Kids hey?

My Year - 23rd April - Pigeon House

This is one of the frequent visitors that we get to our garden. We seem to have a pair of pigeons who visit a lot. I looked out the bedroom window and this is what I saw - a fat pigeon poking his head out of our bird table. He soon flew away when he heard my camera going off. Why does everyone do that?

UK Scrappers Weekly Challenge - April Wk 3

This week the Bijoux Belles set the weekly challenge:

"In honour of our team leader, Tracey, we'd like you to scrap with a Scottish theme so your page needs to include tartan or checks for 5 points and use heather colours for 5 points.We'd also like to honour our friends in the Crafty Magpies, who have been keeping us on our toes in the points charts, so for your title, please use a line, or a part of a line, from the Magpie Rhyme.

One for sorrow,

Two for joy,

Three for a girl,

Four for a boy,

Five for silver,

Six for gold,

Seven for a secret,never to be told,

Eight for a wish,

Nine for a kiss,

Ten for a time of joyous bliss.

And to finish, we'd like you to match the number of embellishments on your page to the line of the Magpie Rhyme you have chosen for your title, also for 10 points, for example, if your title is Four for a Boy, then use 4 embellishments."

As usual I have done the challenge in digi. I have used the check paper from Brandi White's Times Gone By kit and the rest of the elements are from Cindy Ritter's Pixie Dust and Posies kit. I have chosen number 8 and used photos of Zoe on her 3rd birthday blowing out her birthday cake candles. There are 4 wands, 1 flower, 1 glitterry gem swirl and 2 glittered brackets making my 8 embellishments.

My Year - 22nd April - Lemmings

When I got to work today, this was sat on my desk. This has to be the best pc game ever. When I was about 14, we had a BBC computer and we used to play this game from a 5 1/4" disk. Crikey how times have changed. This one is for Windows 95 and is on a CD but it plays on my Vista laptop. Have had to have a little play already. It is as good as I remember!!!

My Year - 21st April - Strawberry

I have put on almost 1/2 stone over the last few weeks so I am back to eating good again. I have lots of fruit to eat to stop the craving for naughty foods and these are my favourite - as long as they are British ones. Yummy!!!

My Year - 20th April - Up For Sale

We are now officially up for sale. The for sale sign went up this afternoon. Just need our details to go up on the internet now and then hopefully the viewers will come flooding round and someone will make us a decent offer.

My Year - 19th April - Cup Cake

Today I went to Abingdon to a crop with some of my 365 friends and I left Zoe looking after her Daddy. They made some Dora the Explorer cup cakes - this is my one! I haven't been brave enough to taste it yet!

SLYMI - Week 16 - Scrap in the morning

This week Shimelle's challenge was a simple one:

"You can scrap anything you would like in any style you would like with any products you like, but the time that you use to scrap it should end in an AM rather than a PM!"

I did this double page layout this morning at the Abingdon crop hosted by the lovely Kay, Shirley and Sal.

The photos are from Friday's trip to Poole Park and the title is based on the Skater Boy song by Avril Lavigne. The papers are all My Minds Eye.

SLYMI - Week 15 - On the Edge

Shimelle challenged us to scrap on edge for this challenge. She gave us lots of ideas:

*Use a paper with a diecut edge

*Use a border punch on the background, any of your papers or a photo

*Attach something so it hangs off the edge of the page (like a tab at the top)

*Use a digital frame to enhance the edges of your photo

*Use paint or ink to distress or colour an edge of something

*Take something and cover the outside edge of your layout or the edge of your photo, like covering it in buttons, brads or ribbon

*Doodle around the edge of something

*Use pop dots with a frame to create a raised edge

*Take sandpaper or a nail file to the edge of your photo or cardstock

*Punch holes along an edge and thread through ribbon or fibre

*Sew along an edge

I used lots of my tulip photos and put them round the edge of the layout. Pretty simple

My Year - 18th April - Birthday Cake

Today Zoe went to Liam's birthday party. He is a little boy that she goes to nursery with. The party was a Wacky Warehouse down on Bournemouth seafront. She had a great time playing in the soft play area. She most of her dinner up and came home with a goody bag, silver helium balloon and some cake - hence the photo.

My Year - 17th April - Scooter Girl

Today, whilst James had his physio, Zoe and I went down to Poole Park to play. She amazed me by climbing up high on a rope ladder and then zoomed down the slide on her tummy - no hesitation, just straight down. I was desperately trying to get some photos of her on her scooter to scrap. When I downloaded the camera, this one immediately caught my eye!

Now We're Rockin' with Digi Lesson 4

Wow what a learning curve but what a fantastic course!

This is my fourth and final layout from the Jessica Sprague course.

It is a double page layout using a masked scalloped template. I have hand made the masks behind the photos so that I could crop the photos without actually cropping the photos.

As a double layout:

Page 1:

Page 2:

My Year - 16th April - Cast off

James has had his cast taken off today after 6 weeks of being in plaster. His leg is still broken but he does not need to have a cast on. It is quite swollen still and quite a funny colour. He will be having at least another 2 weeks off work as he is not allowed to drive. He has his first physio session tomorrow.

My Year - 15th April - Declutter

Today is "Loft" day. As part of the decluttering process, we are sifting through all the junk in the loft. This is the second load of junk to be taken to the tip. It makes you feel so much better to get rid of it all. Since James is still in his cast, I am lugging it all downstairs and into the car and then taking it to the tip. I definitely have earned the Rolo cookie I have just eaten with a cup of tea.

UK Scrappers Weekly Challenge - April Wk 2

This week's challenge was set by the Urban Faeries. This is what they set:
"For our first ever challenge, we would like you to........
1) On April 13th, Woolworths (known as the Big W) would have been 100 years old, you need to use a monogram on your layout (10 points)
2) In honour of our aussie scrapper, Winnie, we would like you to use something foreign on your layout - this can be either foreign to scrapping or from another country (5 points)
3) Use either complementary colours OR your favourite colour on your layout (5 points)
4) Scraplift from your favourites gallery, and remember to give credit where credit is due (5 points)
5)Distress or tear paper (5 points)


I have done this in digi using The Ladybug Love kit by The Gifted Goose. I have used Katie Pertiet torn paper set from the Jessica Sprague lesson. I have made my photo sepia and then bought the colour of the ladybird back. The alphas are a freebie from Digital Scrapbook Place called Red Puffy Paint. I meet all the criteria set to claim the full 30 points. The title for the layout is french for ladybird (the foreign part of the challenge). The scraplift is of Claire Wheatley's The Best of Times (Scrapbook Inspirations magazine April 2009)

My Year - 14th April - Train track

Zoe has been pestering Daddy to make her a big train track this evening. She loves the building of the track but she soon gets bored of the finished layout as the train always falls off it at the corners.

My Year - 13th April - Another tulip

Sorry but our garden is full of tulips of all colours and they are so beautiful that I just had to take lots of photos of them. I think this one is my favourite. I love the vibrant colours. Mother Nature really is very clever isn't she?

Jessica Sprague - Lesson 3

Crikey I am on a roll now. What haven't I learned in lesson 3? I just hope that I can put all this into practice on other layouts. Tonight I have used a colour website to recolour papers - check it out for colour schemes. I have cut papers without cutting them, made my own mask by combining different brushes and drawing tools, I have cut up frames and pasted them back together to make them fit photos and created my own brushes. And lastly I have made a photo semi transparent as part of a background.

The layout is a bit busy for my tastes but I am really pleased with it. I took the photos of the tulips this morning.

If you want to learn digi you must do Jessica's classes - they really are the best!!!

My Year - 12th April - Daddy's New Friend

We went to Farmer Palmers today, which is a childrens farm with lots of animals and play areas. We haven't been in over a year and so thought we would go for the Easter Egg hunt. They do lots of demos and animal petting. James found himself a new friend. What a cutie!!!

Jessica Sprague - Start to Finish Assignment

After each lesson, Jessica challenges you to make a page in under 30 minutes using some of the techniques that you have learned in the lesson. I have done the challenge from lesson one where I had to select an off-centre photo and add some journalling on to the photo. The idea is not to stress about it and not to make it too complicated.

I have used freebie papers and embellishments from Jessica's website called Strawberry Lemonade. I have used a mask to make the photo scalloped and then I have made a slightly larger scalloped mat using a paper. I have added some brushes to the bottom of the photo and to each corner of the layout. And then I grunged up the note pad paper.

Now We're Rockin' with Digi Lesson 2

Here is my attempt at Jessica's class for lesson two. We learned how to attach a grungy mask to a photo, how to put 4 photos into a circle, how to create journalling strips, how to darken paper edges and how to recolour and blend an overlay.

This course is fantastic and I cannot recommend it highly enough. The notes and videos are so easy to follow and the freebies that come with it are great. It is all self-paced so you can do it as and when you want to and the course materials are available forever so you can always go back to it whenever you want to. Can't wait to start the next course!

My Year - 11th April - Ladybird

We went to visit James' parents today and as I was walking up the drive I noticed several ladybirds. Too good an opportunity to miss so out comes the camera and a few groans from James.

My Year 10th April - Zoe and Connor

Today we went to Newbury to visit my brother. We haven't seen him since Christmas and so it was great to catch up. Connor and Zoe played so nicely together all day. They went out in the garden and played on the go cart. Connor always hated having his photo taken and now he will allow you to take a photo but he insists on doing this really cheesy grin.

My Year - 9th April - Spring Blossom

This is spring blossom from a tree in Poole Park. I do not know what the tree is but it looked so beautiful – even on such a grey and miserable day

UK Scrappers Weekly Challenge - April Wk 1

This week's challenge has been set by The Scrappin' Gigglers. They have set the following rules:

1) Scrap a photo that made you giggle/laugh because we are The Scrappin’ Gigglers =10 points
2) Use 5 of an embelli for the 5 Olympic Rings because the games were restarted in April 1896 = 5 points
3) something sparkly and/or magical for Paul Daniels’ birthday and our Tanfastic who is always sparkly =10 points
4) a title or quote from Oscar Wilde who was arrested on this day in 1895 = 5 points

I have done this is digi using Cindy Ritter's Pixie Dust and Posie kit. The photos are of a squirrel that visits our garden - he is very cheeky and has wrecked a few nut holders already but he can't resist the nuts. I have used 5 flowers. I have added some sparkly borders at the top and bottom of the page and the quote is "I can resist anything but temptation" from Lady Windermere's Fan 1892. Full points claimed.

Digital Scrapbook Place - Lesson Two

This week's lesson was all about cropping, aligning and recolouring.

I have used a bit from each of the 3 downloadable kits that came with the lesson and recoloured everything except the alphas at the bottom of the page.

2nd Attempt at Jessica Sprague Lesson 1

I have been playing to see how much I have remembered from lesson one. I have been playing with the torn paper template and made it more spaced apart. I have then added a paper from Amy Wolff's Barely There kit and the heart embellishment from Lynne Simmons Hugs and Kisses kit. The ticket is from Tickets to Love elements kit from Digital Scrapbook Place. I have placed it under the paper rip to make it look like it is curled over it.

My Year - 8th April - Rockin' with Digi

Yesterday I signed up to do the Jessica Sprague Now We're Rocking with Digi course. Last night I started the first lesson and finished it this morning. This course is brilliant - with course notes which compliment really easy to follow videos and you get tonnes of freebies. This is my first layout.

My Year - 7th April - My Hunk

This is my husband James. I took this photo of him last week. It is quite rare to get a photo of him, so while he couldn't run away from the lens, I thought I would take advantage of him.

My Year - 6th April - Diving Duck

I took this photo in Poole Park last week. There are endless captions that I could put against this photo - mainly rude ones about farting. ;-)

Scrap Like You Mean It - Week 14 Hidden

This week Shimelle's challenge was to put something hidden on your layout. I just had to use the photos of Zoe's face painting. This is a hybrid layout. I have used plain white cardstock and then used digital alphas (Sunburst by Kate Hadfield) which I printed onto photo paper and then cut out. The layout design is based on a design I saw on Claire's blog. I have hidden 2 photos under the main photo which can be pulled out using the ribbons (you can just see them peeping out top and bottom). I have then added a Bo Bunny journalling block, buttons and flowers.

My Year - 5th April - Roooooaaaaarrrrrrr

We went to Zoe's Easter Fayre yesterday at her nursery - what glorious weather! There were lots of stalls - we did an easter egg hunt by collecting all the letters in the word EASTER and then she wanted her face painted. She always refuses to have it done, but this time she wanted to be a tiger. Unfortunately it didn't stay looking this good for long as she rubbed most of it within the hour.

My Year - 4th April - More Tulips

I have been playing with my camera and I know I keep posting pictures of flowers, but I love Spring and I love this photo. The tulip looks like it has real texture to it.

UK Scrappers Weekly Challenge - March Wk 5

This week's challenge was set by Charli's Angels. Each component was 5 points and they chose them to spell out Angels

A- Any new stash - I used Lily Pad's Collaboration kit that I bought yesterday

N - Notes or Journalling

G - Glitter or glitz - I have used some glitter swirls from Caring Carie by Ali kit

E - Embellishments - I have used buttons and flowers from the Lily Pad kit

L - Lace - I used some lace hearts from Polar Fuchs Treasures

S - Sewing - my buttons have sewn middles

I took the photos yesterday at Poole Park. Zoe never goes down a slide very fast as her shoes always stick to the slide, so we were trying to convince her to go down on her tummy. She didn't understand at first but soon got it and had great fun.

DSU 160 - First Layout from Lesson 1

This course is fab and it was only about £22. I knew quite alot already from following various tutorials that I have found on the internet. But I wanted to do a course so that I can put all my knowledge together and so that I would have some proper notes to refer back to.

I have done lesson one this morning and I was surprised by the amount of new things that I learned. This is my first layout using the one of the 3 free kits that I downloaded as part of the lesson.