LOOKING RUFF LAYOUT

SUNDAY, 15 MARCH, 2015

Hello Fellow Crafters!

I have been in a bit of a crafting funk lately, seem to have lost my crafting mojo earlier this week. 

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Wanted to sit down and finish my PL for February but it just wasn't happening.  I do hate when that happens. You find the time to scrap and then nothing comes. 

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I played around with a lot of stuff, seemed to get out all of my supplies on my desk, as if this would help but I just couldn't create anything. Nothing felt right. I fiddled around with pictures, changing things - the background card, trying different colours, the position of the pic on the card, adding every embellishment known to man and nothing. 

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So I put it all away and went back to basics, just creating a standard layout, which I blogged about here. 

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Then after I created that layout I found myself playing around with another photo that I wanted to scrap. I said to myself that I would do something quite different from my usual page, a bit more abstract, lots of tiny details and also use a bit of paint. 

This is what I ended up with and I like it!

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A close up of the cute pic that inspired the layout!

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As always, thanks for taking the time to drop by my blog!

Happy Scrapping!

FEBRUARY PROJECT LIFE PART 2

TUESDAY, 24 FEBRUARY, 2015

Hello Crafters!

Today I am sharing part 2 of my Project Life for February. This post is up through Valentine's Day.

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This first page includes my February title card. I would like to get monthly dividers for my album but I'm not keen on the BH ones so not sure what else is out there OR alternatively, if I could make my own and what I would use to do so.

In my last post here, I talked about my title card and how I got the inspiration from Michelle Wooderson. Below is a close up of a filler card I created for the top right pocket as I needed something to go here. 

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The background card is PL (Kraft) and then I punched out a circle of white card after I printed "Don't forget" on it. I added a small gold star from Studio Calico.

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I know I already did a layout with one of my snow pics but I wanted to also include these other shots in my day to day PL. I added some really old rub-ons by Deja Views in a winter theme to the photos. 

In my last post I was finishing up Thirteen Reasons Why.

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Since then I have started another YA book called Slammed by Colleen Hoover, which I have whizzed through! I simply took a photo of the book cover and then mounted it on black cardstock, adding the hashtag #currently reading. 

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Well, with this next layout I will now be found out, that I am a Walking Dead fan.  Yes, I admit it, I have always been a zombie lover. Ooooh, reading that back that sounds a bit creepy and weird. What I mean is I have always been a zombie film fan, even though they scare the living crap out of me, all the way back to the original black and white George Romero days of "Night of the Living Dead".

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I have so desperately been waiting for The Walking Dead to come back on after its mid season break. Honestly I've been counting down the days until it returned. As I am meant to be documenting the day to day and this is kind of a big deal in my week I thought it only seemed right to include in my PL. I document about movies we see, so why not this?! As it airs one day after it airs in the US I have to make sure to stay offline from Sunday night to Monday night to make sure I don't accidentally see any spoilers. Nuts I know!

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As I really enjoyed the episode with Daryl and Beth, the relationship that developed between them, plus with them both being two of my favorite characters, I just had to include the pic below especially with the way the mid season finale ended. It was heart wrenching. 

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The full page (The insert has 2 6x6 pockets)

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In the top pocket I used yellow paper by Simple Stories as my background paper. I wanted the title to be the opposite of the words in the photo above it. The alphas are AC Thickers by Amy Tangerine. I added my journalling to the photo with white text. 

The back side of the 6x6 insert page. This photo of Simon makes me laugh so much. I met Simon at the front door one day when he came home from work and it looked he had been given a really bad spray tan, hence the title "fake tan?". I jokingly asked if he was planning a holiday to Marbs, popular here in the UK as is the fake tanning. Sometimes so much so that people go orange in colour, which is exactly what he looked like. It was actually just brick dust as he had been on the grinder all day. So funny. He was nice enough to let me get a picture.

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The background paper is Teresa Collins. The white alphas are Kaisercraft with both the stickers in the upper left hand corner by Simple Stories.  The pseudo blue polka dot washi tape is actually a strip of paper cut off the top of a PL Kraft journal card as is the grid paper I typed the journalling onto.

I have yet to fill the top 6x6 pocket in this insert. I will have to use it for something later in the month.

The next page that I am sharing is my Valentines Day layout. My title card below I created with supplies from a kit by My Minds Eye called Lost and Found. Everything is My Minds Eye except the letters spelling out Valentines which are by Bella Blvd. 

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We had planned this night to go out to the cinema and then for a meal.  We weren't too fussed really as we are not ones to make a big deal out of Valentines Day. We thought we'd have a casual evening - go see American Sniper and grab a burger at Five Guys. We were surprised to find out that American Sniper was sold out, which was a genuine surprise as we imagined that with it being debut weekend for 50 Shades that everyone would be going to see that. So our movie plans were a bust and then much to our dismay, Five Guys was shut. So all in all, not what we had loosely planned. We ultimately ended up at The Handmade Burger Company, which was just as good. 

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My Valentines Day page

I included a couple pictures of the restaurant and then added a few fillers cards from the same kit by My Minds Eye, Lost and Found.  I also included the little brochure about the restaurant that they have on the table in the utensils bucket and also the little tag they have on the wooden stand where you put your table number after ordering at the bar. I thought the tag would make a nice addition to my album. 

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I have added a 6x8 pocket page to include our Valentine cards in the album.
This is the card that I made for Simon also with the Valentine's Day kit called Lost & Found by My Minds Eye. I am not much of a cardmaker but I had fun with this card. 

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Here's a photo of the back of the insert with the card Simon gave me in it. 

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On the back of the page I included a 6x8 photo of my burger - a New York Deli Burger! Pastrami is so commonplace in the US but not something that is so common here in the UK. I always delight in the opportunities when I find it here. 

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The back of my Valentines Day page in its entirety. A photo of Simon looking so serious, which he always does, plus a photo of both of us and a photo of me in my red Valentines outfit. I have yet to complete my journalling on the 4x6 card but I will do so later. 

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That's my February PL part 2 done!

Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog.

JANUARY PL PART 3 

MONDAY, 09 FEBRUARY, 2015

Today I am sharing my final Project Life layout for January and I'm very happy to be able to say that as I do so want to start on February!

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The first completed page

I had most of this page completed from my previous post except for the two lower pockets down the right hand side. 

Close up of the pockets completed

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I have finished The Husband's Secret and started reading Thirteen Reason's Why. I have also now finished this book as well. 

The next completed page

I included a snapshot of an almond croissant that I bought from the bakery. Not something I would usually photograph but they were having a special offer at the bakery and as well it not something that I usually eat, pastry that is. But I just couldn't resist as almond croissants are my favorite! I included a picture of Rupert on one of our walks at Cookham.

It got so cold this week that the bird bath actually froze. Poor birdies. Met with Sarah for our monthly catch up at Stubbing's Cafe for tea and cake. Sarah has now completed her Yoga coursework and has become a licensed Yoga instructor. I have been supporting her in new endeavor by going to her beginning classes. 

Rupert genuinely looking sad when I took the Christmas decorations down. 

Close ups of individual pockets

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I wanted to try some of the double 6 x 6 inserts as thought this would be a fun size to work with. 

Close up of the 6 x 6 pockets insert

Front 

I had most of this page completed from my previous post except for the two lower pockets down the right hand side.

Back of the insert

Close up of the bottom pocket

I joined a Facebook group for Planner Addicts in the hope that they would help inspire me to become more organized this year. I have come to learn that they are genuine addicts and will probably more than likely get me addicted to loads of stationery rather than help me to actually get organized!

I also purchased a monthly/weekly planner from Paperchase to help me be more structured in my organization. Here's hoping it wasn't all in vain. 

Thanks for taking the time to drop by.

Hope your documenting 2015 is progressing along nicely!

JANUARY PL PART 2

TUESDAY, 27 JANUARY, 2015

Hello Fellow Crafters!

Looking at my post date above I cannot believe that January is nearly over. Where did the month go?

Today I am sharing a few pages from my January Project Life. 

I have to say that I am liking the bigger size album this year. A change was definitely needed and I am glad that I chose to go with the 9 x 12 size. Although with the bigger size I do feel that I haven't done that much yet this year whereas with the smaller 6 x 8 size it definitely fills up quicker. 

The first page

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Just before the Christmas break I was having difficulty with my right shoulder. It got to the point where just after the new year the pain became unbearable so had to visit the GP. She referred me to a physiotherapist. 

I cut up the flier from the physio clinic and inserted this into (4) 3 x 4 pockets.  I also created a mock patient assessment file card (don't worry, that's not my real NHS number). Found a little file folder tab from The Daily Grind kit by Simple Stories and enjoyed using my new sewing machine to attach it to the top of the card. 

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I'm not necessarily a Marvel fan, one way or the other but one afternoon I found myself sitting in front of the telly watching Captain America - The Winter Soldier.  And I have to say it was quite a good film - a fast paced action packed adventure! Enjoyed it! 
(This insert is design I) 

The top (2) pockets

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The bottom pocket

A pic of Rupert, full from his dinner, sitting in the kitchen, dozing with contentment as we eat our dinner. He brings me such joy! 

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I also got a chance to do another full size 9 x 12 layout. I am really enjoying being able to work with this size. 

I know I already used this photo on my title page but I really liked it and we so rarely take pictures together (something I aim to do more this year) so I thought I would use it for a full size layout as well. 

I wanted to do a lot of layering with this layout as well as use a pink colour scheme. I am trying to make an effort to use up more of my stash this year as I have quite a lot to use so this was my first attempt at that. 

A close up of some of the smaller details.

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My next page including a new year pic, what book I'm currently reading and some pics of all of us.  

Inserted a 2015 card at the top of the page. A very cute photo that Jason posted on my FB page just after the New Year which is totally my sense of humour! 

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Last year I saw a lot of crafters regularly include in their albums what they were reading. This year I thought I would do the same. I am currently reading The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. 

I found this great printable on the Happy Go Lucky blog by the lovely Kara, which you can find here. The printable was much larger but I scaled it down to fit into a 3 x 4 pocket.

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More pictures of Rupert as he is the child that I document! This is a daily ritual with Rupert. When Simon comes home for the evening this is what Rupert does.  It makes us both laugh so much!

As you can see this page is not complete. I have a few spaces yet to fill but I wanted to get it up and posted on the blog.

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I have been coveting shoes like these for ages and finally found a pair in the UK, which is not an easy task.  There are many companies that carry shoes like this but mostly in the US or even some in Australia. But I always hesitate to purchase them from outside the UK as the postage would cost a small fortune and as well, if they don't fit and I have to return them I will then lose again with the return postage.

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So this was a great find for me and I ordered them straight away. Took more than a couple weeks to arrive and when they did I was so excited, like a small child on Christmas morning! I was absolutely gutted to find as I was unpacking them from the box that there was a gouge on the outer heel of the right shoe. It doesn't come through completely in the small photo above but in real life you could clearly see it. So sadly I had to return them, after all that. 

I had my yoga mat out as I make an effort to exercise at home at least three times a week. Rupert always likes to roll around and rub his face all over my yoga mat once I'm done exercising. Don't know why he does it but I find it so adorable!

After looking back on my pages I have noticed that they do seem quite busy with all the polka dots, stripes and bold colours. 

Wondering if maybe I should tone it down it bit...?

Thanks for taking the time to drop by my blog!

STARTING MY 2015 ALBUM

WEDNESDAY, 14 JANUARY, 2015

As mentioned in my New Year's post I have a lot of catching up to do! I have nearly finished with my December album but have yet to post the completed pages here. 

I have however started on my new album for 2015! It arrived in the post over the weekend and I was just too excited by its arrival and simply got carried away.

I wouldn't say I'm a chronological scrapper but technically I feel like I should have posted my completed December album pages here before my 2015 album. 

Nevertheless, below is a photo of the album I chose for this year.  It's the American Crafts Raspberry 12x12 craft album.  The past two years I have been using the Simple Stories 6x8 albums to document my memory keeping.

I have enjoyed using the 6x8 size and have done so since 2013. The pages are fairly quick to create in the smaller size plus it is different from what I am typically used to. 

I have always been a 12x12 girl but more than a few years ago, due to numerous house moves I had to pack away all my scrap supplies. Then, long story short, as I was living in limited space I didn't have the extra room nor money, to be honest, to pursue my hobby.

It was only in 2013, when I happened across Simple Stories that I took up scrapbooking again in a limited capacity, as I still did not have much space to scrap in.  

However, now that I've been scrapping again for a few years and really have the taste for it, I've genuinely come to miss creating the larger sized layouts. I feel you just can't create the full page layouts with the same impact in the smaller size as you can in a bigger size album. Plus having managed to sequester a small corner of our lounge to scrap in I have decided to go back to a bigger size album now. 

Now I know there has been talk over at Studio Calico about the 9x12 albums coming out this year, but with no specific release date. Being somewhat of an impatient scrapper I didn't want to either fall behind waiting for the release of the albums or scrap pages without an album to put them in. 

So I took inspiration from Marcy Penner and decided to cut down a 12x12 album to 9x12. You can find Marcy's tutorial here. 

Below is my finished album, or should I say at least for now. I wanted something simple but I am not sure that I like what I have created. Bonkers I know!

This is my title page which was fun to create. I used a mixture of PL cards and metallic Charmed cards by My Minds Eye. 

These pictures are from our last walk at Cookham during the Christmas break. However, as it fell at the end of the two weeks it also made it the first walk of the new year at Cookham!  It was so cold and Simon & I were trying to bundle up to keep warm. 

The page below includes some pictures of me with my new haircut for the New Year. I felt I desperately needed a change so booked into the salon on January 2nd and had my super long hair chopped off into a much shorter middy style vintage cut. I was a bit hesitant at first but am very happy with the results. 

A page wouldn't be complete without a few pics of Rupert. Simon was making the bed and Rupert climbed in and managed to tuck himself up. Very cute!

This is a PL Blush journal card with a day of the week bubble and B&W arrow by Simple Stories. The heart is punched from scrap paper.  I then stitched across all of it. 

This is my introduction page leading into my album. 

The polka dot background paper is by My Minds Eye and the pink stars are Studio Calico. I haven't embellished it as I wanted the words to stand on their own but I feel it does need something underneath it. 

As I said I came back to the bigger sized albums as I missed creating full page layouts. And this is my first full sized (nearly) layout which I enjoyed immensely! I went a bit old school with this - some inking and aging of the paper and also some good old fashioned paper tearing!

This was a 12x12 page protector that I cut down to 9x12 and sewed up the open side. You can see my wonky stitching there on the left. 

A close up of my antiqued paper tearing - an old school technique that I still enjoy doing. I think it was the perfect technique for this layout. 

I've had this tag in my stash for ages and thought the creepy old house on it would work well with the theme of this page. I antiqued it, distressed it, crinkled it up and inked it a bit before adhering it to the page with a few wrinkles in it.  

A close up of the actual photo I took that inspired the page as I think the other picture didn't do it justice as you couldn't see the detail in it. 

If you can't make it out it's a picture of the moon through the branches of the trees on the lane next to our house. 

That's the start of my 2015 album which I hope you've enjoyed!

A good start I think.

Thanks for taking time to stop by my blog.

Christine x