alphas

UKSA Blog Hop - Scrapping Scraps

06:00

Hi scrappy friends! I'm sad to say this will be my last blog post for UKSA, as I am leaving at the end of September. 

The theme for this blog hop is 'scrapping your scraps'. I don't know about you but I'm terrible for saving every single scrap of a collection I love, and I can guarantee I'll never use them again! 
My personal bugbear though is the amount of Thickers and Alphas I have left, and can't bear to get rid of! Either I've used all the vowels, or I've got alphas that match a collection and not used them, and they don't match any other papers. I also tend to use a lot of the 'ready made' titles and phrases in a collection, leaving the alphas redundant.

So, with this in mind, I decided to make a layout using up some leftover alphas. It still didn't make much of a dent in my stash though!




I used 7 (count them!) different alpha collections on this layout! I also used embellishments from several different collections It was very satisfying, and I'll definitely be making more layouts with long titles to use up alphas.

Thanks for reading, please be sure to hop by the next person and complete the loop to collect all the letters for the scavenger hunt. Once you have completed the loop and have all the letters you can enter the competition by heading to the Blog Hop post on the UK Scrap Addicts blog. There you will find a entry form, powered by rafflecopter, simply enter your answer and email address there before 8pm on the 5th October for a chance to win a Traveler's Notebook creative kit from UglyBugPlans, some beautiful washi and stickers from Pretty My Page and an adorable charm from Sarah.
The winner will be announced over on the blog on the 6th October.

My letter is ... C

And the next blog to visit is Gemma Summers.

chasing dreams

A catch up with tons of layouts!

21:21

Hi guys! Sorry I haven't done much blogging lately, I've been busy doing various challenges for National Scrapbooking Day.

Here's a few of my recent layouts...

'Cheeky'

A layout for a challenge to use circles as the predominant design element at Hey Little Magpie. I used Crate Paper Cool Kid and flair from Cuts2luv. The alphas are Pinkfresh - I love them so much!

'Stop and smell the flowers'

A layout for the Paper Issues Notable Quotable challenge. I used Pink Paislee Oh My Heart, and combined my two favourite techniques - fussy cutting and stitching!

'Best of Friends'

This was a page for the sketch challenge at Paper Issues, and I used Elle's Studio Live, Laugh, Love. The bunny cut file is a free UKSA file, and the title is from a free Paper Issues cut file.

'You're my happy'

A layout for the Free File Friday challenge at Paper Issues, which was to use a free Paper Issues floral cut file. I used the 'negative' cut outs here because they looked far too pretty to waste! This layout is mostly Elle's Studio Live, Laugh, Love, with stickers from Maggie Holmes.

'Dream'

A layout made for the new Add It Up challenge at Paper Issues. The cut file is free from Paper Issues, and I used Elle's Studio, Crate Paper Cute Girl, and Maggie Holmes Bloom.

'Mum in a million'

I made this page for the Paper Issues New Issue Monday challenge, and I used Maggie Holmes Chasing Dreams and Bloom.

'Muzzy love'

A layout for a mood board challenge at Hey Little Magpie. I used Crate Paper Cute Girl, and the cut file is free from Paper Issues.

'Awesome'

Really enjoyed making this messy inky page for a multiple photos challenge at Hey Little Magpie. I used Dylusions Ink Sprays and black Distress Ink for the background. The cut file is the All Boy file from Just Nick Studios, and I've used Simple Stories So Rad.

'Here there be dragons'

A really fun page made for the Pinspire Me challenge at Paper Issues. This is the Doodlebug Dragons Tales collection, and the large dragon and title are both from the Silhouette Design Store.

'Live life in full bloom'

I made this layout for a 'monochrome plus one colour' challenge at Hey Little Magpie. I couldn't resist this bright yellow colour scheme and I really enjoyed pulling out all the yellow bits of ephemera and stickers I had! The flair is from Cuts2luv and there's a bit of every collection on here!

'Enjoy the simple things in life'

A layout for the Paper Issues Take 5 Tuesday challenge, using Pink Paislee Sweet Freedom.

'Be brave'

My DT layout based on a sketch for the UKSA blog, I used Crate Paper Cute Girl.

'This is what life is all about'

Last months DT layout for the UKSA blog based on a mood board. I really enjoyed stepping out of my comfort zone and painting the watercolour tulips. I also used Elle's Studio Live, Laugh, Love, and the flair is from Cuts2luv.

'Cute'

A page I made for the UKSA sketch challenge for NSD. I used Elle's Studio.






facebook group

Paper Issues - Notable Quotable

13:26

Hi everyone! Today I'm playing along with the new Notable Quotable challenge on the Paper Issues Facebook group. This months inspiration is...


When I saw the quote I immediately knew which photo and papers I was going to use! 
This photo is my cute stepson smelling the daffodils on a walk we went on. 
And the perfect paper for the quote was Paige Taylor Evans' Oh My Heart - 2 whole sheets of flowers just begging to be fussy cut! 

First I cut the title on my Cameo and hand stitched around the edges of it. I placed my photo opposite and arranged the fussy cut flowers in a wreath shape, tucking them around the title, too. A few ink splatters later and I was finished - quite a simple page really, with my 2 favourite techniques - fussy cutting and hand stitching!

Thanks for dropping by!



facebook group

Paper Issues - Take 5 Tuesday

10:25

Hi guys! Well sadly my 4 month term on Paper Issues is up, but the good news is that I'll still be playing along with the challenges in the Facebook group!

Today is time for a brand new Take 5 Tuesday...


I used Pink Paislee Sweet Freedom, and I chose Prompts:
2: blue
6: frame
7: triangle
8: sticker
13: patterned paper

And this photo of my cute and cheeky little man swinging on the zipline at the park.

This collection is very American but I had to have it because the colours and patterns are gorgeous! I particularly love this navy flower paper that I've used for the triangles. I used the star vellum on top of it to tone it down a little, and attached the vellum with staples since glue tends to show through.

I now need to take photos with lots of red and blue to match the rest of the papers! LOL!

Thanks for popping by!




elodie lusseau

Paper Issues - Scraplift Sunday

11:00

Hi scrappers! It's that time again for Scraplift Sunday over at Paper Issues, and today we're lifting this beautiful layout by the talented Elodie Lusseau.


I decided to pull out an older collection for this scraplift, and one of my all time favourites is the 'Wildflower' collection by WRMK.
I rotated my page by 90 degrees anticlockwise, and did lots of fussy cutting! 



annelie

Paper Issues - Scraplift Sunday

11:00

Hey guys! It's time for another Scraplift Sunday over at Paper Issues, and today we're lifting this gorgeous layout by Annelie Maddock.


I decided to use the fun and colourful 'Oh My Heart' collection by Paige Taylor Evans, with this precious photo of my parents, taken recently on a family walk.
As you all know, I absolutely love fussy cutting, and there's some awesome papers in this collection just made for this purpose!
For the title I used gold acetate Heidi Swapp words, and I thought the title was perfect, because I really am thankful for every day with my parents and family, especially since they moved close to us last year. There's many more of the precious moments and good times together.



emoji love

Paper Issues - Product Spotlight Simple Stories Emoji Love

11:00

Hi guys! It's time for Product Spotlight over on the Paper Issues blog and today we're shining the spotlight on Simple Stories Emoji Love.

I only had the ephemera and cardstock stickers so I dug out some perfect paper from my stash - I think it's Bo Bunny Calendar Girl. 
I distressed the edges and matted it onto matching cardstock, I think the distressing gives a bit of interest to an otherwise plain straight edge.
I then used white texture mousse in the middle of the page to create a 'background' area where I wanted the focus to be.

I chose this awesome photo of me and my bestie, and picked out the perfect pieces of ephemera and stickers. Only she will understand the poop emoji reference! I love this girl to bits!

This photo was taken at a scrapping retreat weekend, and we were trying to print it out on her Selphy to scrap straightaway, but it kept printing out the wrong size. We ended up with loads of the same photo so we gave them out to people - to scare their kids with. One lady even asked us to sign one for her, it was like being a celeb for the day! LOL!


a flair for buttons

Paper Issues - Scraplift Sunday

11:00

Hi everyone! Today is Scraplift Sunday over at Paper Issues. and we're lifting this amazing layout by the talented Cat Martin.


I absolutely love those little squares on the background! They are so effective with the brick effect border that I wanted to replicate that and not use many embellishments. I think Cat's are from a Websters Pages paper, so I used this gorgeous cut apart sheet from the Websters Pages Nest collection, along with this cute photo of my youngest son.
The border sheet is from the same collection, as are the stickers, and the flair is from 'A Flair for Buttons'.
This turned out to be one of my favourite recent pages!



bloom

Paper Issues - Roll the Dice

11:00

Hey scrappy friends! Today on the Paper Issues blog it's time for a new Roll the Dice challenge. 

This months challenge is to use 2 tags and 6 stickers.

I used Maggie Holmes Chasing Dreams and Bloom. They both went really well with this photo of my adorable niece playing in the sunshine!

The great thing about Maggie Holmes collections is that they all work really well with each other, so you can mix and match different collections. 

I also used this gorgeous FREE Paper Issues cut file.

I managed to stick to 2 tags, but I used waaaaay more than 6 stickers. Including the title I used 15 in fact! I absolutely love these fussy cut roses, you can get so much use out of one sheet! 


Do head over to the Paper Issues facebook group and share any new creations with us!

free cut file

Paper Issues - Mix It Up Monday

11:00

Hi everyone! It's time for a new Mix It Up Monday challenge on the Paper Issues blog!

Got salt?

Grab your watercolours and paint away. Add some salt and let it dry. Shake off the salt and see what appears!

I decided to go with subtle since I've never used this technique and wasn't sure how it would turn out.

 I used watercolour card for my background, and made a soft, delicate wash of light green, which I then dabbed with some scrunched up tissue paper to give a subtle effect. 
I sprinkled it with my Very Best Himalayan Rock salt (lol!) and left to dry. The effect was quite faint and subtle but I liked it.

I used Pink Paislee Oh My Heart collection, and a FREE Paper Issues cut file. And the cutest picture of my youngest son on Comic Relief day with his red nose on!


Do have a go at this fun technique and share your new projects on the Paper Issues facebook group!

amanda jayne baldwin

Paper Issues - Working Title

11:00

Hi guys! It's that time of the month again, on the Paper Issues Blog, when Amanda gives us a new Working Title challenge! 
This months theme is all things floral!

I knew immediately that I wanted to use the Pink Paislee Oh My Heart collection, and this lovely black floral paper was perfect for a stand-out cut title.

I cut my title with my Silhouette Cameo and hand stitched around it using a pretty pink embroidery thread to match the beautiful cherry blossoms in my pic.

I tucked some fussy cut flowers in and around my photo, and some little birds I had also fussy cut.

I love fussy cutting and the Oh My Heart collection has several papers which are just made to be fussy cut!


If you'd like to join in this months Working Title challenge, just head over to the Paper Issues facebook group and show us your new projects!

Paper Issues - Cut It Up

11:00

Hi guys! It's time for a new Cut It Up challenge over on the Paper Issues Blog today. 
Here is the new cut file that the talented Stacie Ebnet Dietz has designed...


I used the Pink Paislee Oh My Heart collection for my layout. I also decided to try using my sewing machine on a page for once. I do lots of hand stitching but me and sewing machines have never got on so I thought I'd give it another go! Big mistake!!!

Let's just say I'll be sticking to hand stitching from now on. 

I cut a border off my background cardstock, distressed the edges and matted it onto the lovely patchwork style paper. All looking good so far.

I got my sewing machine out ready to stitch a border round the edges of the cardstock. Set it up, all going well. Position my paper, put the foot down on the needle, turn the machine on.... and woah!! It ran away with my paper - literally zoomed off and snatched the paper out of my hands! I managed to get it slightly under control and you can see the result below. Some very wonky squiffy borders, and lots of loose thread! 


Anyway, I decided it went well with the distressed card, so I kept it!

Do pop over to the Paper Issues facebook group and join in the challenge with any of the fab free cut files!

cut file

Paper Issues - Pinspire Me Mood Board

11:00

Hi everyone! Today on the Paper Issues Blog it's time for a new Pinspire Me challenge.
Here is the mood board...


I was inspired by the gorgeous flower plates on the top row. I sat and thought for a while how to make my own cut file but my Silhouette designing skills aren't quite up to that level yet! So I used a reverse image search on Google and found a clear picture of the plates. I imported a screenshot into Silhouette Studio and traced the image to make a cut file. I had to tweak a few little bits as the leaves were very intricate, but that's about the limit of my skills! Lol!

I searched high and low for black card, and this was my last piece!! So I pressed print and crossed my fingers that it wouldn't go wrong! Luckily it didn't, and I managed to create a beautiful cut of the flower.

I used Pink Paislee Oh My Heart to back the cut file and embellish my page. I wanted to keep my page fairly simple in order to showcase the gorgeous flower cut.

This photo of my youngest son and stepson is one of my favourites, so I converted it to black and white so it didn't clash with the yellow flower.

I chose a few colourful pieces of ephemera and stickers, and added my title along the bottom.



cool kid

Paper Issues -Pawsitively Pets

11:00

Hi guys! It's time for a new Pawsitively Pets challenge over on the Paper Issues blog today!
This months prompt is to use 3 different manufacturers on a project. Easy!

Since we don't have any pets I have to be creative every month on this challenge, but I love the challenge!

I chose this photo of my son and stepson at The Sealife Centre in Manchester, and tried to go for an underwater theme to match the photo.
The background paper is from an old collection by Kaisercraft, I think I bought this when I started scrapping 7 years ago! The torn map paper is from a fairytale collection by DCWV, again very old! I do love the map paper though and was very pleased to come across it in my stash.
Once I'd layered and matted my photo I tucked some tags and labels behind it from Shimelle's Go Now Go collection.
I found the nautical flair buttons in my stash, and used blue striped bakers twine to hang the wooden anchor from one. 
The beautiful white resin sea creatures are from Prima Marketing and again have been in my stash for a while.
My title is Crate Paper Cool Kid thickers, which I wrapped in bakers twine for some added interest.


I do hope you'll join in with the challenge this month on the Paper Issues facebook group.

chasing dreams

Paper Issues - Take 5 Tuesday

11:00

Hi guys! It's time for a new Take 5 Tuesday on the Paper Issues blog today!
Here are our prompts...


I used...
1. turquoise,
3. colour of your choice (pink)
4. patterned paper
5. polka dots
7. two or more fonts


I used the new Maggie Holmes collection, Chasing Dreams, and Crate Paper Oasis.
I absolutely love this frames paper I used for my background, I wish I'd bought two so I could fussy cut one as well!
The flower cut file is FREE from Paper Issues, our talented DT member Stacie makes the free cut files and they are amazing! 
I cut some of the frames out with a craft knife, and decided to pop the blue Maggie Holmes paper behind them to give them an 'aquarium' look to echo my photo of my gorgeous little man at the Manchester Sea Life Centre.
I'm really pleased that I managed to use flowers and pink on a boy layout, and it still doesn't look girly!

Please do pop over to the Paper Issues facebook group and share your new Take 5 Tuesday layouts with us for a chance to win a gift voucher.

chasing dreams

Paper Issues - Issues Round 1

11:00

Hi guys! It's time for new Issue Monday on the Paper Issues blog today.

Our brief this month is - Put the Pedal/Petal to the Mettle/Medal. 
Suggested ideas:

- Use metallics and/or metal embellishments.

- Create a project using flowers or about gardening and spring.

- Share something about transportation like bicycles, motorcycles, cars (your first car or current ride), toy cars.

- Show us a project about awards and/or accomplishments.


I went for a metallic gold effect title, from Heidi Swapp. 

The papers I used are from the Crate Paper Oasis collection. I thought the background paper was a perfect match for my photo! 
The leaves and flowers are all fussy cut from one of the Oasis papers, and the bird die cut is from Maggie Holmes Chasing Dreams.
I kept my page quite simple so the photo was the main focus of the page, framed by fussy cut leaves so it gives the effect of looking through foliage at the lake picture.


Pop over to the Paper Issues facebook group and join in this months new Issue Monday for a chance to win a gift voucher.

cassie box

Paper Issues - Scraplift Sunday

11:00

Hi guys! It's time for another Scraplift Sunday over in the Paper Issues facebook group, and this time we're lifting this gorgeous layout from Cassie Box!


I have to admit, I struggled a bit with this one because Cassie's layout is already awesome and I just love how she gets so much dimension in her layers!
I gave it a go however, using this photo of my adorably cute 4 year old niece with her new glasses, dressed as Red Riding Hood!
I used Crate Paper Cute Girl and I think I will be using this collection a lot more for scrapping photos of her.


Pop over to the Paper Issues facebook group and have a go at lifting Cassie's layout!

design team

Paper Issues - Notable Quotable

11:00

Hi guys! It's time for a new Notable Quotable challenge over on the Paper Issues blog today!
Here is our inspiration...


I was immediately inspired by the boots, the clouds, and the quote. I had some blackboard type thickers that I knew were perfect for this challenge. 
I decided to use Paige Taylor Evans' Oh My Heart collection, and the dark background paper looked just like a dark overcast sky! 
I printed pictures of an umbrella and wellies off the internet and used them as templates to cut the patterned paper. I glued them onto white card, stitched around them, then carefully cut them out.
I fussy cut some clouds from a Shimelle Little by Little paper, and after tucking my photo under the umbrella, I arranged the clouds around. 
I also fussy cut some flowers from one of the Oh My Heart papers and tucked these around the wellies and the photo. The photo is of me and my boyfriend, and was perfect for the quote as he really is my sunshine and always cheers me up when I'm down!
I had to doctor some of the alphas slightly as I had run out of E's and had to use upside down 3's, and I even cut up an 8 to make an S!


I do hope you'll pop over to the Paper Issues facebook group and join in with this months challenge!

chasing dreams

Paper Issues - Sketchy Saturday

11:00

Hi guys! It's Sketchy Saturday over on the Paper Issues blog today, and here's our sketch...


I used Maggie Holmes Chasing Dreams collection, along with a few elements from Crate Paper Oasis. 
I fussy cut the roses from one of the Chasing Dreams papers, and paired my papers with this photo of my daughter, me and my boyfriend from a walk we took one weekend a few weeks ago. 
I'm finding that I'm getting more adept at sketches recently. I used to take them far too literally and had to position every single element in the same place as the sketch, using the same shapes. 
As such I didn't like using sketches, preferring to create my own pages, but I slowly came to realise they are just a rough idea and you can still make the pages your own. 
I know, I know, I'm slow on the uptake!


If you fancy having a go at this months sketch, do pop over to the Paper Issues facebook group and share your creations with us for a chance to win a gift voucher.

cool kid

Paper Issues - Scraplift Sunday

11:00

Hi everyone! Today is Scraplift Sunday over at Paper Issues and we're lifting a layout by talented UK scrapper, Christina Howard. 
Here is Christinas original page...



And here's my take on it...



This was a really fun layout to lift! I used mainly Crate Paper Cool Kid, with some Simple Stories and Amy Tan papers. Do join in with Scraplift Sunday, and pop over to the facebook page to share your layouts!

chasing dreams

Paper Issues - Spring Crop Weekend

11:00

Hi everyone! 
I hope you managed to join us over on Paper Issues over the weekend for our Spring Crop! There was 23 different challenges altogether, so it kept me busy! I was also at a scrap Retreat this weekend so I had plenty to do! 
I've popped pics below of the layouts I managed to participate in.

Let's Get Fussy: Pull out those scissors and show us your fussy cutting skills. Make a big impact with a hand cut out design for this challenge.


Stick It to Me: Use stickers of all types on your project. Let's see how many stickers you can pile on your page!


Live Out Loud: Create a project using no cardstock or solid colour paper. All paper must be patterned.


 Somewhere Over The Rainbow: In a primary rainbow the colours are in the order of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Use at least 5 of these colours in a project for this challenge.


 Selfie Saturday: Design a page about you. Pull out your best selfie and show us who you are.


 Stitched Up: Get out that thread, ribbon and twine. Design a project using stitching of any kind - machine, hand or faux.


 Spaced Out: Two thirds of your layout needs to be negative/white space. Show us something light and airy.


Firstie Friday: Share a project documenting something you have done for the first time, the first thing you do in a morning, or even include numbers in the title.


Are You Feeling Lucky?: Use the word luck or lucky in your title or use the colour green in your layout.


Sketchy Sketch: Let's see your take on the following sketch.



All the Pretty Flowers: Design a project using a floral background.


Cut The Crop: Use one of our free cut files to create a project.


Freaky Friday: Let's switch it up! Use holiday papers on non-holiday photos, or vice versa. You could also use masculine colours with a feminine phot or vice versa.


If you've joined in any challenges don't forget to enter them in the album on the facebook group.