Sketch n scrap April 15 - Oliver at one

I made this layout using the April 15 sketch n scrap no. 31. I dont have very many photos from when my son was young as my hard drive broke so I want to keep even the most mundane of pictures I had stored elsewhere..... The sketch is a little unusual, but worked well with my Kaisercraft stash of Grandiose - Chevron paper, Little toot journalling diecut and Cock a doodle doo stamps. I also used Tim Holtz distress ink and Maya road mist and a Thickers letter! Sketch is below:

Happy

This layout is a last minute attempt at a couple of challenges I havent yet entered this month. The theme comes from Scrappy frogs - April spring themed  challenge and I added Go fish - make your own flowers and Use it tuesday - flowers for mum. The photos I chose are the last few I hadnt scrapped from the Floriade festival in 2011. Floriade is a spring themed festival, celebrating the flowers blooming in Canberras central park. To go with the layout and 'flowers for mum' theme I chose all these little punched out flowers, my kids love punching out small flowers and shapes from my offcuts and scraps bag, gluing them together and giving them to me to use (they also cut out some leaves for me) so they really are flowers for mum as well as hoarded supplies (The sticker I used to write the blurb is also about 2 years old, and was one of my first scrapbooking purchases). They are also homemade, so fulfill the criteria from Go fish......

My daughters next plan is to sell her punch cut flowers on ebay and save up so she can go to Thailand with my sister hahaha.

I also used a sketch from Sketch n scrap for the layout shown below:

 

The layout was made using papers from My minds eye lost and found - union square combined with a fussy cut Francheville Cranberry True love - right floral piece. The rest is mostly varied offcuts with an American crafts Amy Tangerine sketchbook camera, DCWV Once upon a time circle and a couple ofcircles cut from Kaisercrafts hummingbird collection. I also used a Kaisercraft Prickled pear stamp.

123 Challenge - Today

This is my entry for the 123 challenge - it includes whitewashing, plenty of duck egg blue (from the ultimate go to collection - MME lost and found portobello road, and the word Today (we are best of friends)

Kaisercraft April sketch week 4 - Im gunna getcha

This is my entry for the Kaisercraft Saturday sketch #4. I found a cool photo of some friends during a night playing laser tag for my birthday afew years ago. I paired it with some Kaisercraft patterned papers from the Velvet ensemble collection and my check in paper pad to make this layout. I also used prima washi tape and little greenish letters and a random arrow from my stash! Sketch is below:

Scrupmuch April sketch #4 - Little mother

I made this layout using April Sketchy Friday 4 over at Scrapmuch and some cute photos of my little nephew adoring his cousin. Michelle is such a natural with smaller children.... I used Paper Pizzazz autumn paper and My minds eye lost and found union square collection. To make the title I traced wordart onto vellum from the computer screen, then coloured it in and cut it out. Sketch is below:

Scrapmuch April week 1 challenge - Christening

I made this layout for the April week 1 sketchy Friday challenge over at Scrapmuch. I just love double  pages when I can get them right! I had these 3 pictures from my sons christening and used them with My minds eye lost and found union square collection, and a die cut sheet from Kaiisercraft madame Boutique. Im really happy with the layout, I think the colours and sketch went nicely toogether. The sketch is below:

Scrap your story April challenge 9/ Prima build a page entry - Let it snow

This is my entry for Scrap your story #9 - more than 2 lines of journalling. I used Primas April build a page sketch as inspiration, shown below. The sketch had a few snowflakes so I decided to go with these photos of us getting ready to go summer snowboarding in Austria. I used Primas lifetime collection and a Kaisercraft 13th hour transparency with some stickers, paints and stamping....

Sketches in thyme #109 - Once upon a time

This is my entry for Sketches in thyme #109, and it was a long time coming! I started with the sketch, and decided to take the opportunity to use these gorgeous blown up photos of my daughter eating a chip so daintily.... I got the papers together, glued on the base and then stopped! I jst could not work out how to make it work! I put it aside for days, then afew more days and another couple before a flash of inspiration hit, and I finished it off with some star confetti, Disney princess stickers and a title cut from my beloved DCWV Once upon a time stack, Im finally happy with it - just not very experienced with 2 pagers, even though I love them, especially as I have so many series of photos to use! So glad I got this one done as I really do adore these pictures..... Sketch below!

 

Papers used include DCWV neutrals stack, DCWV Stardust stack, DCWV Once upon a time stack, Kaisercraft Magic happens and American crafts 5th frolic

My minds eye April 15th sketch challenge - Slovenia

I made this layout for the April MME sketch challenge. I decided to use this photo taken at Lake Bled, Slovenia whilst rowing back from the island. I loved Slovenia - I never even knew the country existed, but after travelling there I was mesmerised. I have never seen water that colour outside of a tropical island and for such a small country it had an immense amount of beauty, from the lakes and gorges to the alps to the villages, castles and karst. It was truly an amazing place to visit. I think this layout, using MME Lost and found Portobello Road collection lets he photo shine. The journalling is very simple, and asks Slovenia - Could this be the most beautiful country in the world?
The sketch is below, and makes use of the trend for banners:

 

Im also submitting this layout  to The paper girls - travel theme. Despite not being eligible due to living overseas its nice to put myself out there and hopefully help to inspire others the same way Ive been inspired since starting online.

13arts/Paper secrets/Color me scrappy April challenges - Swarovski Krystalwelden

I made this layout to combine a couple of challenges, 13arts required at least two media, at least 3 butterflies and lots of green, I used the below sketch from Paper secrets  with the twist of using wood on the layout (the title)  and Color me scrappy gave the colour scheme (with plenty of greens) and a requirement to use 2 of the same photos and butterflies. I chose this photo of me at the entrance to Swarovski crystal world because it matched the colours and I had two handy! It was such an amazing place - artwork galore, every creation glittering, I have afew more photos to scrap from there!

 

 

About a boy April 15th challenge - Little artist

I made this layout in response to the current challenge over at About a boy. The challenge is to showcase some of your sons artwork. I actually kept these little shapes he painted in my embellishments box in case they could help tell a story, well now they have their own layout.... /unfortunately I dont have any photos of him doing art (art is quite rare now preschool is over...)so I just picked a random photo to go with it!

Guess who?

I combined afew challenges to make this layout, and I have to say Im really really happy with it... who would have thought confetti and triangles could be so inspiring?

I started with the Scrap Africa challenge for mid April - requirement is to use triangles, black and white photo/s and confetti. I chose this photo as it one of only a couple in black and white and decided I would also go with the "Guess who" theme over at Childs play challenge because the photo left me guessing who the other girl in the picture was (with my sister and I as kids) and got me thinking about childhood and all the people we meet and friends we lose along the way. I went looking for a sketch for inspiration and came across this one (shown below) from Scrapmuch. I went through my stash and stumbled on this gorgeous background paper ( I cant believe I bought it on sale not too long ago) and just had to use it as it went perfectly with the theme I wanted to portray. I added a cutout 'world' from a Birchcraft 'My holiday' paper and the other elements to satisfy the sketch, tossed on some confetti that I made using a star cut out punch and added some brads to satisfy the 'Brad Pitt - use brads' requirement at Red Carpet Studio Challenges. Unfortunately I was missing a letter or two in the right colour and had to wing it a little - my 's' made from two sixes has a bit of an ugly join, but no other colour worked so well!

Here is the sketch:

Zeus and Zoe/ Scrapmuch/ LPS colour challenge - NOW

I chose this photo for the Zeus and Zoe April challenge - Life as it is now, remembering to document from behind the camera..... Like many parents I dont have a lot of photos of myself, but this one is from an outing with a friend of mine who took this set of pictures. I think this photo really represents life right now, theres really no time or money anymore to be myself and focus on the things Id rather be doing. My identity is solely tied in with being a mother 24/7 so Ive had to adapt and love what Im doing. Here I am reliving some childhood moments (and Im still the best at elastics...) This layout reflects the photo and mood: bright, chaotic and fun. It was so bright it was hard to get a button on there - but I used a sparkly one inside the 'O'. I used a sketch from ScrapMuch Friday 19th April and used the colour scheme from Life Paper scrapbook again as it suited perfectly!

                                       

Life paper scrapbook colour challenge #3/ Lets get sketchy April week 4 - bridge

I made this layout combining LPS colour challenge 3 with this weeks sketch from Lets get sketchy, shown below. I found these 3 photos of the view over Lake Burley Griffin while in Canberra. I love the colours in them and they worked well with the LPS colour scheme too so I combined them. I used Sandylion background paper which had the red blue and aqua in it and matched the photos perfectly, then followed the sketch....

 

13 arts new collection!!!! Be quick

Ok I just have to say I am completely, totally and utterly in love with 13arts papers..... although they are available online in Australia, it is only by the sheet and I just want them all so I am desperately trying to win some this month somehow.... At the moment they have brought out a new collection "faces of spring" and you can enter to win it here:
http://13artspl.blogspot.ca/2013/04/faces-of-spring-oblicza-wiosny-new.html 

They also have challenges on their site.....

Skissedilla #207/ The color room 13arts April - Kooky

 

I made this page combining the sketch at skissedilla and the 13arts  palette over at the color room. I found these kooky little photos for the sketch - she is holding a fake eyeball with fake blood all over her fingers.... They matched perfectly to the colour scheme and I printed them to match the sketch layout below. I used a prima mask and Versacolor white ink with Kaisercraft 13th hour transparencies, Merci flowers, Kaisercraft rub ons and American crafts 5th frolic paper.

The paper bakery April 20 challenge - Keeping it cool

I made this layout for the sketch challenge over at the Paper bakery kit club. I didnt have any doilies so I used circles, then came up with the idea of adding the circular photos to show these photos of my daughter showing off her turn on ice with a spectacular fall....  and instead of choosing 2 photos I used all 4 -the sketch is below!

My creative sketches April challenge - Stellar memories

I created this layout for the April sketch challenge over at My creative sketches.Sketch shown below. I love an excuse to use my large photos.... This is a 5x7 version of the warrior canoe show over at Mitai maori village, Rotorua, New Zealand which we really enjoyed, and was perfect for this sketch. I used toned down colours to highlight the photo.

Stuck sketches April 15th challenge - at four

I made this layout using using the April 15th sketch over at Stuck. It uses a large square photo so I trimmed this gorgeous shot of Ali to the right size. I love how the simplicity of the sketch encourages the photo to shine, and this one of my favourites, so Im very happy with how it turned out! I used Kaisercaft and Craft concepts background paper, Bella oriental paper fussy cut, Kaisercraft bling and Prima flowers. Sketch is shown below:

Lasting memories #136/ The color room #148 - Just we two

I made this layout using inspiration from Lasting memories and The color room. I was inspired by the following quote:

It's the times we're so crazy,
that people think we're high.
It's the times we laugh so hard,
we can't help but cry.
It's all the inside jokes
and "remember whens".
those are all the reasons
that we're best friends!

- Unknown

I found these pictures of my best friend and I out dancing and being crazy, which really reminded me of the quote above, which forms my journalling - and the colouring was perfect for TCR color scheme for April shown below....



               
I used Kaisercraft love notes background, Kaisercraft tigerlily flowers, Kaisercraft Magic happens peach paper, DCWV neutrals stack and Thickers letter stickers

Sketch with colour April 1/ Pink elephant April challenge - Questacon

I created this layout following the Sketch with colour April 1st challenge (shown below) which Ive been wanting to give a try. I made the majority of the layout using DCWV neutrals stack, but it needed something extra and I found these great little tools to fussy cut from Kaisercraft Konstrukt 6" paper pad... I think they really pulled the layout together. The photos are from Questacon, Canberra September 2011. Its an awesome hands on science themed museum and everyone had  great time.

Im also entering this layout at The pink elephant for this week as 'anything goes'

 

 

CSI Challenge #68 - Unsettled

I created this layout for the CSI challenge #68 below. It shows our final night at our old house, eating pizza out of a box as everything was packed away....

Keeping the best sketch 58/ Scrap your story #8 - Grubby

 

I made this layout using the awesome sketch over at Keeping the best shown below. I really loved this sketch, and took the opportunity to use up a stack of my offcuts! My scraps stash is looking so much tidier now hahaha. I also incorporated the Scrap your story challenge #8 to use stitching in your layout. I incorporated these faux stitching rubons by DCWV. I matched the layout with a picture of my daughter at 2 after she had drawn all over herself. I think it really suited the style of the layout.

Sketches in thyme April 2 - Magical smile

I made this layout for the Sketches in thyme mid April sketch challenge below. I love these cute photos of my daughter in her special dress, and they were perfect for cropping to fit the sketch....