Retro Style

Hello Fellow Crafters!

Rare for me to create another post so soon. I wish I could be like some of these people that do blogging and scrapping for a living, having time for it on a regular basis, with no outside work distractions or life in general.  Although I suppose at the moment, with not working full time, I don't really have an excuse for something keeping me busy all day and not allowing me to be creative as I like.

So moving along! 

As well, the Muse has been in residence consistently as of late, which is rare so I thought I would take advantage of her visit.  Work with it while you can!

I have always been mad about polka dots and as well enamoured of the whole retro style "pin-up" girl look but have never really embraced it till now.  I wish I had sooner!  At this age I can now understand those 'write a letter to the 16 year old you' exercise.  I never really got it before, sounds stupid I know and thought what is the point.  It's me, writing to me, what am I going to tell myself?

  Well, I guess what I would now say is embrace who you are.  Don't ever let anyone sway you from being the way you want to be simply because they don't approve of it or think it might be ridiculous.

Be who you are meant to be and be proud of it!

I originally started out the layout with just the pink and black but wanted to add a tertiary colour to give the layout a bit more pop, so thought the green would be a nice accent.  I will probably also add some journaling behind the layout about embracing the retro style and as well about having more of a presence on Instagram . Was never really interested in it when it came out but have now found some great female role models on there that I now follow (Miss Victory Violet, The Cherry Dollface, Curve Creation, Curvy Kate, Redhead Without a Cause, Honor my Curves, Hot Rod Steffie and Hennney) 

SUPPLIES | Background paper is Simple Stories D.I.Y. Boutique, black & white polka dot paper is Bella Blvd "Borders", pink & white polka dot paper is a PL Blush card.  The black profile figurine is cut out from Barbie paper by Creative Keepsakes. The B&W puffy letters spelling out "Retro" are Making Memories. The "style" letters are October Afternoon called "Daily Flash". The black "inspire" sticker is Dymo style by K&Co.  The green "look" sticker and the "remember this" sticker are by Simple Stories.  The polaroid photo frame over the shoes is by La De Dah. The enamel dots are by Simple Stories D.I.Y. Boutique. The flower is from my stash & not in its original package so not sure the brand.  The green chipboard button is by Webster Pages. The B&W heart shaped brads are by BoBunny. The B&W mini button brads are by Making Memories. The green "nifty" sticker is Marcella by Kay and finally the brad in the middle of the flower is by Cart-us.

4th of July (Simple Stories)

Today I am sharing a recent layout I created about the 4th of July. Living in the UK the 4th of July is something I really miss celebrating.  Friends here say "you can still celebrate, if you want to."  Yes, this is true but it is just not the same when 1) everyone else isn't celebrating as well and 2) you don't get the big fireworks display somewhere or can go to an open air 4th of July concert.

 This year I was planning on getting back to the states to celebrate properly but unfortunately it just didn't come about for a couple of reasons, so I was quite disappointed about that.  

 

So here is my layout dedicated to the 4th of July.

 At least the day turned out to be sunny, which is always a good thing here in the UK so Rupert and I spent the afternoon at the park, on a long walk.

 

Then in the evening I joined Simon for a round of golf, in the buggy, at the golf club with a nice dinner afterwards.  Going out with him in the buggy is always good for a laugh or two.  So although I didn't get to celebrate "American style", it was all in all a great day.

 Left Page

SUPPLIES | Background paper is Simple Stories I {Heart Summer}. I cut a 6x8 piece and then mounted it on a bit of white cardstock, running Studio Calico washi tape (from Sugar Rush) around the edges.  Wanted to bring out some of the stripes in the bunting banner on the paper. The little gold stars are Studio Calico. The yellow sun face in the I heart Summer banner is soo old I wouldn't even know the brand, from my super early days of scrapbooking.  The "Sunny Day" tag on top of the Keep Calm photo is by Bella Blvd from their Playdate sticker sheet.  The gold glittery arrow is by Freckled Fawn. The blue "completely awesome" round sticker is from the Simple Stories D.I.Y. line and the red star from the Daily Grind pack. The blue star is Studio Calico and the white enamel dot is also Simple Stories D.I.Y. as is the "look" sticker. The green "park" sticker is from Bella Blvd. Playdate.

 

 Right Page

SUPPLIES | Background paper is Simple Stories I {Heart} Summer. Again I cut a 6x8 piece and mounted it on the reverse of Fancy Pants Be.Loved. Sentiments paper.  The "celebrate" banner at the top is from Studio Calico as is the blue star.  The red glittery #4 is an American Crafts Thicker called Pantry as is the J in July.  The other lettering is from Bella Blvd. off the Playdate sticker sheet.  The t&h are Simple Stories Typecast.  The red & white striped journaling card is by Teresa Collins Stationery Noted. The "freedom" sticker is a super old Making Memories Defined sticker that I painted with blue watercolours. The blue circular star sticker is Studio Calico and the blue Friday tag is Simple Stories Daily Grind. The red "smile" tag and the blue "real life" tag I cut out from Simple Stories paper.  The corner of the lined card with the red star on it is a snippet of a 7 Gypsies card and the dark grey geotag is by Studio Calico.

 

Not sure why my pictures look so washed out today, don't know if its the light I used or if my camera is playing up.  Tried retaking them but they seemed to come out the same.  

 

Thanks for stopping by to take a look!

 

Christine  : )

Simple Stories D.I.Y. Collection (Inspired by Kristine Davidson)

Hello Fellow Crafters!

I haven't crafted or scrapped for a while as I just don't feel like I am getting out of it what I used to, which is sad for me and I'm not really sure why.  I am still making sure to take my daily/weekly pictures and jotting down notes, just in case I do want to pull together a month of PL or Life Documented with Simple Stories but haven't actually sat down at my scrap table for over a month now.

 

As my table sits right at the entry to my lounge I do have to pass it, numerous times a day, to sit on the sofa or watch a bit of telly.  I somehow don't feel right passing it by, my supplies strewn about the table, sitting there forgotten.  I have to admit I have thought about getting rid of everything in its entirety and no longer scrapping but something stops me. 

 

Today, to my surprise, I found myself sitting down there, working with some of the new stickers and paper by Simple Stories from the D.I.Y. line.  This bit of crafting was inspired by Kristine Davidson. With TwoPeasinabucket closing down I have been downloading some of my saved bookmark images to my computer as there are too many wonderful creative projects online that I don't want to lose.

I have to admit I have been a big fan of Kristine Davidson's work and it was actually a post she did in May, (http://kristinedavidson.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/life-documented-simple-stories.html)

 with the new Simple Stories D.I.Y. & D.I.Y. Boutique collections that inspired me to create these cards myself.  In downloading her images, I visited her website again (okay, in all honesty, it's something I do a lot, not just simply because I was downloading her projects) and was then inspired to create these cards.

 I genuinely had a lot of fun creating these cards and just letting them come together. Playing around and doing whatever felt good. I like how they turned out.

I placed the cards I made in a page protector along with a picture of Rupert to see how they would look in an album.

 All of the supplies used are Simple Stories D.I.Y. collection with the exception of the pink glittery stars alongside the "It Is What It Is" tag.

 

Thanks for looking.

Christine  : )

March Simple Stories Sn@p - Part 4

This is my last post for March!  Funnily enough this layout actually captures the start of March.

If you are a regular reader of my blog (this means you Tessa and maybe one other!) I have a catch-up usually once a month with a couple of close mates of mine.  This month we decided to try a new place in Windsor called Bill's, a sort of shabby chic down to earth place that is right up my street.  We met there on a Sunday afternoon for brunch and it was fabulous!  Time with Sembi and Dan is always time well spent and such good fun. 

They truly are good for my soul!

SUPPLIES | For the top insert the background paper is simply brown cardstock.  On the left hand side I used a bit of yellow polka dot paper and on the right a 3x4 journaling card, both by Simple Stories. The sticker letters and the @ symbol are both by Simple Stories. For the bottom insert, the background paper is an old Chatterbox scrap I had stashed away.  The "eat" letters are Simple Stories.  The gold star and gold camera are both Studio Calico.  The circular "hello there" sticker is from the D.I.Y. line by Simple Stories. 

 

For the opposite page I used one of the heavy card page inserts that come with the Simple Stories Sn@p albums.  We took a couple snapshots that day so I picked a few of the best and used them.  I love the pic in the centre of the page, such a great shot.  These two can make me laugh like no one else can!

SUPPLIES | For this page I wanted a collage look so once I had the photos where I wanted them I just started layering things around them. From the top the blue polka dot paper is a PL card, the red "smile big" bingo card is by Simple Stories, the red Sunday tab on the top left is from The Daily Grind line by Simple Stories. All the stickers - genuine, life is great, captured, hello weekend and the heart this arrow are all Simple Stories. The orange polka dot tape is by Simple Stories.  The strips of paper down the right hand side are all PL and Simple Stories. The number 3 tab is by American Crafts.  The black washi tape is by Queen & Co.

 

The next insert is just a simple insert I did to document having a Diet Coke at McDonald's, for the first time in a long time! I used to drink Diet Coke like it was going out of style but eventually weaned myself off of it a few years back (after many attempts I must admit), once I learned how bad it truly is for you. My preference used to be Diet Coke in a bottle, then a can if a bottle wasn't available but typically not a fountain Coke, as I don't really like the way it tastes watered down.  But with McDonald's Diet Coke I find that it has a very distinctive taste to it, unlike any other fountain Diet Coke.  On this particular day I was driving back from signing up with a recruitment firm in Uxbridge when I found myself gagging for a drink and also a bit peckish.  So I pulled into a drive-thru McDonald's, the only one around for miles. Drive-thru's are not that frequent here in the UK as they are in the US!

SUPPLIES | For the insert on the left the striped background paper is Simple Stories and the grid paper with the journaling on it is the middle of a Project Life card.  The green "Wednesday" tab at the top is from The Daily Grind collection by Simple Stories. On the right I mounted the pic of the Diet Coke on simple white cardstock and then put green polka dot washi tape by Queen & Co around the edges.

(Shot of full page layout)

 

The pic below is a snapshot of Rupert and I in the car at Braywick Park, right before we got out to go for a walk. We were watching a couple dogs playing around on the grass near the car and I was whispering secrets into Rupert's ears  At the mention of certain things his ears perked right up, I loved the look in his eyes and how attentive his gaze became. I quickly whipped out my phone and captured the moment.

SUPPLIES | All the stickers are Simple Stories with the "Cherish Everyday" sticker from the D.I.Y. line. The pink and orange flowery background paper is by Dovecraft called Garden Party, something I found at Wilko's.

 

 (Close up of detail in upper right hand corner)

SUPPLIES | Stickers are by Simple Stories. Enamel dots are from the D.I.Y. line by Simple Stories and the enamel heart is by October Afternoon from the line called "Milk Money".

That's it.  I am officially done with all my posts for the month of March!  On to April!!

 

Christine

 

 

March Simple Stories Sn@p - part 3

SUPPLIES | Tried to use up a few scraps with the insert card above.  The top (lined) half is by Simple Stories and the bottom is Project Life Honey. The stickers spelling out "American BBQ" are called Sweet Shoppe Letter Stickers by Lilybee Designs. The star was cut out of old 7 Gypsies paper and the "It's All Good" red sticker is by Simple Stories.

Finally finishing off my March Project Life.  I had hoped to be half way through April by now, but c'est la vie! Anyway, this is part 3 for March. We returned again to The Bluegrass for another American "southern" meal!  And it was just as good as the last time! This time in addition to dinner we also had some dessert, the salted caramel cheesecake. Absolutely sinful! It was served with a handful of salty popcorn which seemed odd at first, until you had a couple bites of cheesecake & then popped a few pieces of popcorn in your mouth. Perfect together. I also love the old style white & blue enamel dishes they serve them in.

SUPPLIES | The orange "Looking Good" insert card is Project Life Honey.  The brown sticker on the picture in the upper right hand pocket is by Simple Stories as are the stickers spelling out "Salted Caramel" on the picture on the bottom on the left.

A snapshot of Rupert at Braywick, resting from a game of fetch, during a warm sunny afternoon. So warm he had to take a break in the shade underneath a bench until he caught his breath again. A photo opportunity!

SUPPLIES |  On the right the background chevron paper is by Simple Stories.  The giant green arrow card is a 3x4 Project Life card that I cut the bottom inch off of and turned it sideways. The pink heart stickers are by Simple Stories.  The green brads are by Papermania. The bigger pink striped and checked hearts (one on each insert) are punched out from scraps of PL cards.

(Close up of detail on top of photo)

SUPPLIES | The "you make me smile" sticker is by Simple Stories. The green asterisk is by Papermania and the pink enamel dot is by Freckled Fawn from the Studio Calico Sugar Rush kit.

Hard to believe that we were still having roaring fires in the middle of March and Rupert's favourite spot is always directly in front of it.

SUPPLIES | Background Paper from Dovecraft called Garden Party.  All three stickers "charmed life", "delightful" and "fabulous" are by Simple Stories. The blue and pink stars are by Studio Calico. 

 One evening while we were in Marlow for a personal appointment we realised it was getting near dinner time and that by the time we arrived home, made dinner etc. it would be quite late.  So we decided to stop at The Marlow Donkey, which was just around the corner and grab a bite to eat & a drink. It has been a while since we have been there but it always makes for a good night! 

SUPPLIES | Both the blue polka dot paper and the faded blue chevron paper are Project Life cards.  All the alpha stickers are by Simple Stories. The blue starts are Studio Calico. The blue enamel dot is by Freckled Fawn.

Now that I have been working a bit more consistently it is nice to get back in the salon again more regularly.  One way that will definitely always make you feel better about yourself, is to go to the salon to have a cut and style! I was talking to my hairdresser about maybe doing something different, a new style or cutting all my hair off, maybe a radical tint, but she suggested something a bit less radical yet still daring.  A touch of the colour pink in my hair! With all that is going on with me at the moment she suggested that a few streaks like this might be more suitable, and sensible. I like it!

(Close up of detail on insert card)

SUPPLIES | Bunting is by Helz Cuppleditch called Riverbank Revels, something I picked up at Wilkos, believe it or not. The black and white polka dot card is a Project Life insert card.

(Top half of layout)

This is a bit about the bizarre weather that you get here in the UK.  We were standing out in front of the Cox Green post office, on a warm sunny day and all of a sudden a dark gray cloud rolled through the sky over us, raining down small pellets of hail on us, making us quickly retreat to the safety of the car. Moments later, the cloud was gone and the hail quickly melted away on the windscreen.

(Shot of full page layout)

That's it for this post.  Another short one, but at least another completed layout!

Onwards and upwards! 

Thank you for stopping by to have a look and let me share my layout with you!

Christine   : )

March SimpleStories Sn@p - part 2

This is my March Simple Stories part 2 post. 

(Picture above) One afternoon after walking Rupert and having just made the bed with clean new crisp sheets I found him curled up near the head of the bed, just tucked up by the pillows, sleeping with his ball. It was absolutely adorable! The stickers spelling out "adorable" are super old and have been in my stash since early day one so not sure what the brand is.

(For the page above) I was so disappointed one day when I got in my car and reached for my favourite American Anthem CD in my glove box and found that the top half had been broken off!!  I had no idea how this happened.  The last time I had put it in the glove box it was fine. I was absolutely gutted when I discovered this as it is my "go to" CD - guaranteed to pick me up no matter what! With good old rock classics from Journey, "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Love is a Battlefield" to name a few.
Major bummer!

I love the picture in this layout of Rupert. He was sitting in bed with me one night, right at the top of the bed, all cuddled up on the pillows, actually perched up on top of them.  Simon wasn't there but I mentioned his name to Rupert and he sat straight up against the wall, like he was expecting him to walk through the bedroom door right at that very moment. Luckily I was quick enough with phone to capture it. I used the insert card by Simple Stories from the Dog pack as the cartoon dog almost mirrored what Rupert was doing and I thought it so cute.

SUPPLIES | Cut the middle journaling bit out of a Project Life Blush card and glued it onto an Echo Park card from the original Photo Freedom kit. The "good stuff" arrow sticker is Simple Stories.  The stickers spelling out "this SUCKS" are called Sweet Shoppe letter stickers by Lilybee Design.   

SUPPLIES | I am so bad with keeping track of what Project Life cards I use. This I believe is from the Blush line.  I punched holes in it to use as a journaling insert and then stuck pink & white chevron paper on the back, which you can just see on the left hand side in the picture below.  I suppose I could have loaded up the pics below with embellishments and stickers but sometimes I think that the pictures look good all on their own and don't want to ruin their pretty simplicity by putting anything further on them.

Now I can't deny that Simon is a lover of donuts, me not so much, but nevertheless we are not ones to frequent Krispy Kreme very often.  However, on this particular occasion, as we were leaving The Mission (mentioned in my previous post here) we passed by Krispy Kreme and Simon looked in the window and said "shall we go in and have a look?"  And I know what that means, like every time he just 'looks' at the dessert menu and always ends up having dessert.  So having a look really means more than that!  Let's just say this turned out to be a high calorie evening!

 Simon loves all the flavours of donuts but for me, what actually draws me in is all the different styles and the shiny colours of glaze on the donuts, all the bright colours, like in these pictures!

As the commute to Denham is quite long (or at least for me), about 45 minutes each way I have become bored with listening to the various different radio programmes in the morning.  As it is all the same nonsense and the same group of songs played over and over again relentlessly, I'm starting to find it mind-numbing. I thought it might be interesting to listen to some audio books or books on CD, so I have started with one of my favourite authors Patricia Cornwell and her Kay Scarpetta series.  I did read her books religiously for quite some time and then it felt like she went way off the beaten path with the storylines and the characters seemed to deviate from their original character too much, so I stopped reading them.  This is my first story back in the Scarpetta line and I really enjoyed it.  I do have to say though, it was a bit odd for me and almost difficult to get into it. Having been an avid reader since I could pick up a book, what I like most about reading a book is the fact that you can get lost in a book, in the story, not only lose yourself from the real world but also immerse yourself into the fictional world, get lost in the world that is being created around you, so at first I found it hard to absorb. Have to say I found myself pushing rewind more than a few times, till I got used to the rhythm of really listening, hearing what was being said and retaining it.

SUPPLIES | For this, the "Travel Time" card that was in the Studio Calico Sugar Rush kit was perfect. I cut the white frame off the card and mounted it on a bit of black chevron paper by Amy Tangerine.  The red stickers and the label on the top insert are by Simple Stories. The yellow enamel dot is by Freckled Fawn and from the Studio Calico Sugar Rush kit and the orange dot is a brad by Papermania.

 

Well, that's it for this post, a short one.
As always, thanks for stopping by to have a look, letting me share my post with you. Hope you enjoyed it and any comments you would like to leave would be welcome!

 

Thanks!

Christine x

March Simple Stories Sn@p - Part 1

I'm getting caught up on my March Simple Stories Life Documented. I am continuing this month with my monthly dividers.  This one is a bit wider than the one for February and the tab on top is offset from February so you can see both tabs for each month at the same time. I created this one using just regular Bazzill cardstock, created the template in Word, ran the cardstock through my printer to print the word "March" on it and then covered the back with green houndstooth paper from an old no name kit I picked up at TKMaxx.  I have to say at the time I didn't really like that paper then but I now wish I had more of it as I love it!

(Left hand page)

SUPPLIES | Background paper is the placemat paper that I scanned into my computer and then printed out onto white Bazzill cardstock. All the red stickers are by Simple Stories and the white chipboard stickers are American Crafts Thickers called Kitten.

 

This post is dedicated to my craving for The Mission Burrito in Reading.  Sometimes I am all right when I get a mad craving for American food and typically it usually passes as does my melancholy for America, but sometimes it just takes over and no matter what I do, I just gotta have it! This time I knew that homemade enchiladas or beef nachos just wasn't gonna cut it.  It was actually Simon that found this place, The Mission, originally, which is located in the Oracle in Reading.  I LOVE this place as the food is like it is in San Francisco in The Mission area of the city, or at least as close as you could get in the UK.  One Friday night, the craving for Mexican American food came on and I hoped it would pass as there is not much around here in the way of good Mexican food.  There used to be a great place in Marlow called Pachanga's, that was pretty authentic but it went out of business a few years back.  So disappointing! 

 

(Close up of detail in upper right corner)

 

(Close up of detail in lower left corner - Amy Tangerine Remarks puffy sticker)

 As we sat eating our ginormous burritos (actually they're not that big really, compared to America, I just took a close up of the burrito so it looks a lot bigger than it really is) I noticed a littel postcard caddy on the counter that had feedback cards in them.  I pulled one out and this is what I found on the other side.  What a great card and my first thought was "I'll take a few of these for my book. I can use these".  And use it I did!  I love it! Above is the front of the card and posted below is the back of the card, which I altered.  I simply took a large PL Sunshine card, trimmed the edges of it and stuck it to the back of the feedback postcard.  I will use it for my journalling!

(Right hand page)

Can't have Mexican food or a burrito without an accompanying ice cold Corona!! Lovely. And the meal wouldn't be complete without Cholula hot sauce either.  I was so pleased the first time I found Cholula in the UK!  It's EVERYWHERE back in L.A.!  They do say that its the little things in life that make all the difference!

In this last picture I added some digital red love hearts to the picture of Cholula and Corona!  Fun!

 

Thanks for stopping by to have a look and if you ever get the craving for good Mexican food, I recommend you try The Mission Burrito in Reading!

 

Christine  : )