WATER BABY

WEDNESDAY, 17 DECEMBER, 2014

For this layout I did sort of what I'm calling "freestyling".  I don't know if that's a real thing or not in scrapbooking but that is what I am calling it!

Typically when I start a page or layout, there is some planning involved.  I use the term planning loosely as I am not one who goes so far as to draw a sketch or anything like that, nothing that organised.  

However, once I do decide which picture or pictures I am going to scrap I lay that photo down on the page where I think that I want it to go, usually on the paper that I think I am going to use. 

I then pull out all my stock, well not all of it, but the products or items that I think that I will want to use with this photo and/or paper, if I have made that choice yet, in regards to paper.  I will then place the items I like around the page, adjacent to the photo, not sticking anything down yet or adding adhesive until I am certain where everything goes and that I like the look of it.  

Sometimes I may switch or move everything around more than a few times. 

Once I am certain that I like what I see and will be happy with the "final" layout I start sticking everything down where I have chosen.

With this layout I decided not to do that and to take a different approach.  The only pre-planning was deciding what picture to scrap and that I wanted to go with a blue coloured scheme to go along with the water photo and title.  

So I just randomly started pulling things out and sticking them down as I selected them, rather than going with the approach of being certain first and shifting or shuffling everything around  more than a few times.

I also wanted to try a bit of mixed media with this layout.  I started with the polka dot template in the upper left hand corner and a bit of water colour paints.  I decided to keep the template on the page and shifted it to the right slightly, then glued it down. I also did a bit of painting behind the photo and mixed some blues and greens together.

Below is the finished page.

 

 SUPPLIES | Background paper is simple white cardstock by Bazzill. The blue word stickers "Super Cool" and "Water" are by Simple Stories.  The polka dot template at the top left is by Simple Stories. The blue stickers on the photo are Simples Stories as is the blue camera flair button and the love hearts stuck on the Elle's Studio scalloped circular tag. The cutie pie bingo card is by Simple Stories. The blue scalloped trim, at the bottom of the photo, just above the title is by Bella Blvd as is the blue polka dot photo corner. The blue chipboard stars and blue paperclip are Studio Calico. Finally the snapshop sticker is by Echo Park. 

Now I have to say that I don't know how I feel about the page.  It does have some, shall we say, "artistic" ability to it.  I don't hate it but I don't know that I love it either.  Although,in saying that, I did enjoy the process of just putting stuff down on the page as I picked it up. 

It was freer. Like when you were a kid in first or second grade and it was the session of class where you got to work on art projects. You never gave great thought, typically, to what you were doing.  You just grabbed a pot of paint or two, a giant pad of paper for your easel and went to town!

DECEMBER ALBUM

WEDNESDAY, 17 DECEMBER, 2014

Today I am sharing Day 15 & 16. (Yes, I have skipped Day 14, which I am still working on but didn't want to fall behind with 15 & 16 so I am going to post it).

DAY 15

"FAVORITE HOLIDAY SONG"

The inspiration for the design for this page/layout came from Robyn Michelle Houston. You can find her original post here on Facebook in a Smashing group that I belong to.  When I saw her page I really liked it and then when the prompt came up for "Favorite Holiday Song" in my Capturing December list, I thought I would use her page for my inspiration. 

Below is my version of her page. 

The photo prompt for today, Day 15 was "Favorite Holiday Song."  To be honest, I would be hard pressed to pick just one so I picked my top 5. 

Below is a close-up of the list.

This is the backside of the layout. I was going to use this as the front of the page, but as you can see it printed out crooked so I flipped it over. I added a few pics of the crooners on the Top 5 list to make it a bit more colourful and fun!  

SUPPLIES: The background paper is simple craft paper that I believe I got in a Studio Calico kit ages ago. The striped paper behind the Top 5 list is from the Simple Stories Cozy Christmas 12x12 paper pack. All the stickers used front and back are also Simple Stories. The wood veneers (ornament & red snowflakes) are Studio Calico which I have coloured with glitter ink.

DAY 16 

"OUTSIDE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS"

I have to say that Outside Christmas Lights (in abundance) are something that are somewhat difficult to find in the UK. Having grown up in the US I became so accustomed to neighborhood after neighborhood going all out when decorating their houses for Christmas. 

However, here in the UK, not so much. Now don't get me wrong, the Brits do indeed enjoy celebrating Christmas - having office Christmas parties, going down the pub for a festive drink or two, doing Secret Santa, and exuberantly shouting out (for the month of December) "it's Christmas!", or letting people get away with things they normally wouldn't because "it's Christmas!". As well, if you go to London you will find quite a few stores have decorated for Christmas with decorations and lights.

But when it comes to individual homes, not many people will put up lights or decorations, which is something I just find odd. I did read something the other day though, when I went online to look for neighborhoods where we could go to view Christmas lights, probably wishful thinking on my part. I came across an article about a man who lives about 20 minutes from us over in Sonning who likes to do Christmas "American style" and I do mean proper American style. Loves to cover his house in lights and all kinds of decorations.  

Well, long story short, his neighbors have complained about the noise, the lights, the people coming by, etc. so he has been issued an ASBO (for those not in the UK who may not know what this is - its stands for Anti-Social Behaviour Order)

As I read along I found out that this year, 2014, he is only allowed to put up 300 lights, which actually sounds like a lot. But I have come to find out that this is only one string of lights. Not very festive or indicative of the Christmas spirit. So, I've surmised that you can celebrate Christmas in the UK just as long as you do it civilly, don't disrupt anyone else and do it tastefully, keeping the outward festivities to a minimum! 

SUPPLIES: The Shine Bright paper is from an old Studio Calico kit as is the gold star. The red alphas are from Lilybee Design called Sweet Shoppe. For the back page, the red background paper is from the Cozy Christmas line by Simple Stories. The two stickers at the top left and the little house on the bottom right are also from the Cozy Christmas line.  The glittery silver star is by Freckled Fawn. The alphas spelling "outside lights" are Lilybee.


Hope everyone's album is coming along nicely!

I am surprised that I am keeping up with this but I do admit, that if I had kidlets running about, was busy with in-laws, office parties and loads of Christmas shopping plus other holiday festivities I don't think I would have time for this.  So I give credit to those crafters who manage to do all of the above AND keep a December album!

Happy Scrapping!

OCTOBER - SWEATER WEATHER

TUESDAY, 16 DECEMBER, 2014

(This blog entry was written at the time I took these pictures, which I do sometimes to ensure I get the journaling accurate. So this perspective is from October although I didn't get time to pull it together and post it until December)

We have been really lucky with the warm weather here, from a UK perspective. It is unusual for it to be so warm this time of year.

SWEATER WEATHER
However, this week the weather has finally turned. We caught the tail end of Hurricane Gonzalo and it has been windy, wet and rainy.

Within minutes there was two to three inches of standing water by the back door. I captured this reflection as I was sitting there watching the rain come down. 

I think the hats, gloves and scarves will need to be taken out of the back of the closet this week!

SUPPLIES | Blue chevron paper is by MME and came from the SC Two Scoops kit. Alphas are Amy Tangerine Thickers by AC. The bobble hat, which I love is an old Jolee's Boutique that I have had for ages. The rain drops are Jolee's and the cut up typed words are from Pebbles - Garden Party.

INSTA-PAGES

TIME FOR TEA & CAKE and I LOVE CHALLAH

This is the back of my Insta-page titled Sunday Dinner & Good Dog.

Found it enjoyable creating these little squares and it's also a good way to use up your teeny tiny scraps.

Both pics were taken using a new app I love called Photofy.

SUPPLIES | Polka dot paper is by Simple Stories as is the cup sticker. The pink paper is part of an insert card by Echo Park and the ampersand is Cork by Studio Calico. The beige cardstock is Bazzill with the alpha stickers by Simple Stories as well as the chipboard love heart and the bread & bakery embellishments are Jolee's.

SOMEONE IS TIRED

I know my pages are monopolised by pictures of Rupert but I just can't help it! To me he is so very cute!

This particular day we went for a very long walk in Cookham and ended up with a very tired dog.

Plus, in this moment captured, he was quite smart! He stole the cushion from the kitchen chair (which I was unaware of until I saw him under the table) to put over the wooden beam underneath the kitchen table to make it more comfortable to lie on.

SUPPLIES | Alphas are a mix of Simple Stories Typeset, Stickers Letters, Urban Traveller and Daily Grind. The "This is a dog's life" is from the Simple Stories Dog line. The big arrow is K&Co and the green background paper is called Sand & Surf by Stephanie Hunt with Bella Blvd. The pink background paper is from Garden Party by Pebbles. The pink love hearts are by Studio Calico.


STUDIO CALICO OCTOBER LOAW#3 CHALLENGE

This was shared in a post for the October SC LOAW challenge here.

I included it here simply to show where it went amongst the other pages in my album.

That's another one done for me.

See you next time!

OCTOBER - PEPPERBERRY & POSER

       TUESDAY, 16 DECEMBER, 2014

(I am desperately trying to get caught up. I so don't want to go into the New Year still posting October and November! It may be a lofty goal but I am going to try to get my October & November pages finished at the same time as my December album. I expect it may be an impossible feat.)

POSER
Rupert is such a poser!

I have had many pets throughout my life but I have never known a dog with such a big personality as his.

He really does make me laugh sometimes!

I was sitting in the easy chair next to him, working on something and looked over at him on the sofa to find him sitting like this.

Hilarious!

Leaning on the armrest of the sofa like a person. I just had to capture it.

The 6X8 Snap albums don't come with 5 x 7 page protector inserts so sometimes when I want a photo to stand on its own I create an insert with some cardstock or heavy duty patterned paper.

SUPPLIES| The red paper is a scrap so I am not certain as to the brand. I wanted the word "Poser" to stand out so used bigger alphas for this word than "Hello."  These are AC Thickers called Kitten. The yellow "hello" die cut sticker is by Simple Stories. The black file folder tab on the side with "remember" is by Pink Paislee.

PEPPERBERRY
I love Pepperberry! If you are not familiar with them, they are the clothing line side of Bravissimo. 

I think they make some really lovely clothes so I always enjoy shopping there.

I'd been coveting this full skirt coat for quite some time.

As Winter is around the corner I thought it best to go shopping for a new Winter coat as I desperately need one.

Although I had my heart set on this one, sadly I was disappointed when I tried this on as it just didn't suit me.

Another entry completed for October!

Think I only have one more to post and then I am on to November!

Fingers crossed!

DECEMBER ALBUM
MONDAY, 15 DECEMBER, 2014

Today I am sharing Days 11, 12 & 13 along with a few regular pages. 

DAY 11

"GREEN"

The photo prompt for today, Day 11, was "green".  This one was quite easy for me.  It was either a close up picture of a tree branch or a Christmas bauble, so I chose this one. 

Very simple.  Popped a 4 x 4 pic on the back of an old Christmas card, added some gold and green stars and the number 11 in red chipboard letters. 

DAY 12
"CHRISTMAS WREATH"

I did not use the prompt from Capturing December for this day as I had something of my own to include.  Today I put up our Christmas wreath on the front door.  I would have put it up sooner but as we were planning to move last Spring (yes it's been that long) all of our Christmas decorations had been boxed up and were being stored in Julie's shed.  So we had to go collect them so I could put them up this weekend. 

I know this page may seem a bit busy with all the bits and pieces but its miles better than what it was originally. It was on the front of the page below, which is red & white stripes. Let me tell you, the red glittery letters just didn't work on the red & white striped paper, it was a bit too psychedelic and made my eyes hurt just looking at it. 

SUPPLIES: The background paper is by Simple Stories from their Cozy Christmas line as are the word stickers at the top of the page, the stars and the holly sticker at the bottom of the page. All the wooden veneers are Studio Calico. The red glitter letters spelling out Christmas are from a cheap pack of stickers (don't know the brand) that a friend from the states sent me in a care package and the all capital red glitter letters spelling out Wreath are AC Thickers called Pantry. 

DAY 13
"REINDOG"

I also did not use the prompt for this day, which was family. Although I suppose my picture for this day could sort of apply to that prompt. 

Whilst shopping at the weekend we needed to stop by the pet store for a few things for Rupert, bones and whatnot. In the process he just happened to acquire a few new items, as well as what we stopped there for, the item below being one of them!

Whenever I see dogs with Christmas antlers on it always reminds of the little dog in The Grinch who Stole Christmas.  Too cute!

SUPPLIES: Background paper is by Simple Stories as are the three stickers and the love heart at the top of the page. The #13 is by K&Co (super old) from a line by Brenda Walton. The black chipboard letters are Thickers by AC called Jewelry Box.

OH WHAT FUN
As I am also including my regular day to day photos in my December album, this next page does not apply to one of the Capturing December photo prompts. 

We were at the petrol station and Rupert had hopped into Simon's seat when he got out of the truck to fill it with diesel. When Simon got back in the truck, Rupert wouldn't budget from his seat but simply climbed onto his lap. I just happened to snap these pictures as he was doing so. Tugs at your heart. 

COZY CHRISTMAS
This picture is of a small insert I created as I was in a crafty mood and wanted to create something that didn't pertain directly to a picture or a page.  

Everything you see is Simple Stories with the exception of the Polaroid frame which is by La De Dah and the gold star by Studio Calico. 

This is the back of the Cozy Christmas insert, which is still blank at the moment. Need to find something to put there.

That's my December album for now!

Hope everyone's album is coming along nicely!

DECEMBER ALBUM

DAYS 8, 9 & 10

WEDNESDAY, 10 DECEMBER, 2014

Today I am sharing Days 8, 9 & 10.

DAY 8

"ORNAMENT"

Today's photo-a-day prompt was "Ornament". I played around with this page for ages, trying different things - scraps of patterned paper, embellishments, different layouts on the page.  

Then I just decided to keep it simple. 

A single photo. A close up of a gold ornament. 

The number for the day. 

The title. 

And a sticker embellishment.

SUPPLIES:  The Christmas themed background paper is from my stash so quite old, it's by Daisy D's called Christmas Memories-Garnet. The metal tag is by Making Memories. The glittery red number 8 are Thickers by American Crafts called Pantry. The green stickers spelling out Ornament are by Simple Stories. The "tinsel" sticker is Cozy Christmas by Simple Stories.  

DAY 9

"WHAT YOU'RE READING"

I expect with this prompt it was imagined that I would be capturing a typical Christmas story, if I had children and was reading a bedtime storybook to them for the holiday season.

At the moment I am reading 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane'. Not exactly a Christmas themed story. 

I had originally started this book a while ago but struggled getting into it. I decided to persevere and give it another go as I have had a few books that I've struggled with to start in the past which have then turned out to be great books.  The Hunger Games being one example. 

I know this layout is not exactly Christmas themed nor in the usual Christmas colours but as I am including everything, my regular happenings plus Christmas related events I wanted to use papers that would echo an ocean like feel.  I'm also glad that I persevered as the book is turning out to be really good! Can't put it down. 

SUPPLIES: I have used a multitude of supplies on this layout, some of them scraps so brands are unnameable. I do know the background paper for the top layout is Sonnets by Sharon Soneff through Creative Imaginations called Maps Paper. The dark blue paper with the words "The End" on it is by Chatterbox. The chipboard letters are Thickers called Kitten by American Crafts. The rest of the alphas are Simple Stories. The water bubbles on both pages are super old by Creative Imaginations called Bits & Baubles. The silver card stock is Bazzill.

Disclaimer: Now I did just say I was going to keep things simple but bear in mind I did create the page for Day 9 after Day 8 & 10. As well, as there isn't enough natural light to use during the day to take photos, I am having to use artificial light to take them, which is washing out the colours in the photos unfortunately.

DAY 10

"WRAPPING PAPER"

The photo-a-day prompt for Day 10 is "Wrapping Paper".  Again, I tried to keep this page simple as well, as I had spent a fair bit of time on the previous pages from Day 6 & 7.

Didn't want to spend too much time or fall behind. 

I originally had this layout on the previous page, the one below, as I thought the wrapping paper design would go well with the pattern on the paper, but it seemed too busy so I put it on the back side of the insert. 

This background paper is by Simple Stories from the Cozy Christmas line, which I am just loving at the moment, as is the 3 x 4 "Don't get your Tinsel in a Tangle" card. The washi tape is bits of paper by Fancy Pants cut up to look like washi tape.

That's me for now with my December album!

Surprising myself even that I am staying on top of it! 

Although in saying that I don't really have much time for anything else but this!

Onwards and upwards!

See you next time!

DECEMBER DAILY 

DAY 5 TO 7

MONDAY, 8 DECEMBER, 2014

Today I am sharing my December album days 5 through 7.

Now I didn't have anything actively happen on the 5th day that could have been construed as Christmassy and the photo prompt for the day was "Your View".  

Well, I expect they were imagining that I would be able to capture a Winter Wonderland, however that is not the case so I didn't think that a pic of my back garden would be that exciting for a Christmas or December album. 

However, when I woke up on Saturday morning, there was a layer of frost on the ground. And I thought hold on a minute, this would have been perfect for yesterday, so was going to use photos from Day 6 for 5.  Then I thought, why not just use them for Day 6 and skip Day 5. Why make it more complicated and crazy than it needs to be. Simplify.

Besides, in viewing other December albums online I have noticed that there are quite a few people this year that are not doing daily but are simply just adding things as they happen. 

So in that vein, this is what I decided to do with Day 6. I can always swap the prompts around as well if need be down the line to ensure I try to include them all. 

DAY 6

"YOUR VIEW"

This the full two page spread for Day 6. I also included a smaller insert which I made from a Christmas card cut in half. Thought the "Let it Snow" phrase was somewhat appropriate for the theme.

For the photo in the top pocket I thought it was amazing that I could zoom in enough to actually capture the tiny little ice particles on the garden table. Its like a teeny tiny ice forest. 

For the bottom pocket I used some very old metallic frosty white paper (very apt) by Papermania that I was looking to get rid of. Worked perfect for the phrase "Jack Frost nipping at your Nose!" I included a couple snowflake brads by Accent Depot and also a tiny 3-D snowflake sticker by The Paper Company. (Just between me and you I had to put it right over the "O" where I smudged the ink as it wasn't dry when I popped the card into the pocket)

For this page I included a mock playing card with Frosty the Snowman on it along with a snapshot of footprints on the grass (I love the crunchy sound the grass makes when you walk across it after a frost)and a picture of the frost covering the branches of a shrub. For the journal card I created this insert with some leftover snowflake paper, half a Cosmo Cricket tag, a round "super" sticker by Simple Stories, a Dymo style "cold" sticker by EK Success and finally some glittery stars punched from an old Christmas card. 

DAY 7

As I had something of my own to add on this day I did not need to use the prompt as a fallback. However I may use the prompt for this day which was "Bright", further down the line. 

We had planned to attend the Annual Cookham Christmas Fayre this year as we missed it last year. I have to say I was really looking forward to it. 

Cookham is a small well to do village close to where we live, home to a few historical figures and also a couple of modern day t.v. and sports celebrities.  

We frequently walk Rupert along the Cookham Moor at the weekends so thought it would be easy to just go for our walk and then carry on up the high street to the fair. 

The weather was lovely at first, chilly but a bit sunny. There were loads of shopping stalls to peruse along with numerous food and beverage stalls.  

We were happily enjoying ourselves, about half way up the high street when the heavens opened up and rain lashed down upon us. In moments we were soaked to the bone as was Rupert and unfortunately had to call it a day. 

A couple snapshots of us in the car on the way home as we didn't get a chance to take any whilst at the street fair.  Simon is pulling his "Bah Humbug" face and I'm just laughing at him being an angry dork. The Bah Humbug card I created in Word and the Bright card is a compilation of Simple Stories and Pebbles.  

Another Christmas card insert with some AC Thickers called "Eric" spelling out JOY and on the back a picture of the Costa Hot Chocolate we got on the way home as we didn't get a chance to get a hot drink at the fair. 

Something to warm us up!

We do love our Costa Ho Cho's!  And the Snowman cup was so cute! This time we tried the Toffee Fudge Brownie one, which was so delicious!! Creamy & chocolatey! Was tough to share it.

That's my December album for now! 

My first week out of the way.  Only three more to go!

DECEMBER DAILY

DAY 3 & 4

SATURDAY, 6 DECEMBER, 2014

Today I am sharing Day 3 & Day 4.

I am trying to keep up with the whole "daily" aspect of this project. I do admit it is a bit of a task.  I know how easy it is to fall behind, you miss a day or two and before you know it you are a week behind. Hopefully I can be completely done with and on top of Day 7 by Sunday evening. 


DAY 3
"RED"

Day 3's photo-a-day prompt was Red. I have to say that I was struggling to think of something for this day as I did not go out of the house but instead spent it baking.

I love baking in general but it is a completely different ballpark this time of year. So many lovely things to bake and so many new recipes to try!

As I said I was struggling to find something red and it didn't dawn on me until Simon said your cookbook is red. Bingo!  So this became my picture for Day 3.

I have also found a couple recipes on Pinterest that are brilliant for the holiday season that I have yet to try. So I expect there will be more baking to come in the next few weeks.  

One is a Candy Cane Mini Donut recipe that you can find here, courtesy of Paper & Stitch.

Another is this simple but absolutely yummy looking recipe here, courtesy of cookingclassy.

However on this particular day I was working on something else!


DAY 4
"JOYOUS"

For this day the photo-a-day prompt was Joyous. Unfortunately I did not have a photo for this day that would depict the feeling of Joy. 

As well, at the moment we are kinda in a place where Joyous is not what we're feeling. As I didn't have a picture I included some journaling about this day and put it on the back of the insert card for the purpose of privacy. 

This page, with the photo above and below, doesn't directly pertain to the Capturing December Photo-a-Day Challenge. They are filler pages that I created in the Christmas spirit. 

That's me so far with my Capturing December album.

As always, thanks for looking! Wondering how everyone else is getting on.

Happy Scrapping!

SUPPLIES USED: Day 3 - Graphic 45 Domestic Goddess paper. All word stickers (genuine, Wednesday & the real deal) are Simple Stories. The pink recipe ticket is by Melissa Frances called Kitschy Kitchen. Day 4 - Graphic 45 Domestic Goddess paper. BoBunny Father Christmas tag. 7 Gypsies #4. Gold star & arrow are Studio Calico. Green striped paper is Simple Stories & Joy circle is by Cosmo Cricket from Mitten Weather. The bottom card is my own. For the filler page, the reindeer insert is a photograph printed on white cardstock and the other pocket 4x4 is Simple Stories background paper and a tag from the BoBunny Father Christmas line plus gold ribbon & a gold star by Studio Calico.