Stamps Ahead

Today, I layout I have created for another Survivor challenge at Soul Scrappers . This time WATER.  Of course, any survival needs water. The rules were: You must scrap a page as long as it has a reference to water (in any form). Tick - on a walk early morning on a Coffs Coast beach, I found these footprints and a person fishing. Ah, the serenity of it all!! To make your page even more 'watery' (lol) you can add waves, rain drops, splatters, paint drips, bubbles etc. I started with gesso and a palette knife to create the effect of waves (May have got carried away there!) and sand. Next came various sprays from my stash which I sprayed and then used more spray water to get into all the nooks and crannies and elsewhere.  Here is a close up: All papers and embellishments are from Kaisercraft Paradise Found collection. The alphas from my stash.  I kept the layout rather simple as I called the layout Serenity. I love the beach, I live near the beach, I find places...

This layout is for a challenge over at Soul Scrappers . More about that later. The challenge was to use a close up photo of your eye/eyes on your page and to include a quote about eyes. My selfie photos were taken whilst I was getting ready for the wedding of a young lady I have known since the day she was born. I was staying in an apartment close to the wedding venue. I looked in the bathroom mirror and my first thought was "oh no it is true I have square eyes! What my mother used to say to us as kids came true!". Of course, that was a what we would now call an "old wives tale". In fact, what I saw was my reflection in the square mirror...an optical illusion!" Here is a one of the photos so that you can see those square eyes of mine - wow that sounds like a song title! My layout was initially inspired by a photograph in Art Journal Freedom a book by Dina Wakley...see below.    Whilst she used paints I got out my gel plate and acrylic paints...

In my post yesterday I shared a single page layout I had created.  I have now added a pocket page to make it a double layout. Close up of the pocket page.  Photos from top right - enjoying dinner, enjoying lunch, enjoying Pearl Harbour parade after dinner.   Isn't that what holidays are all about - enjoyment!  Close up of the main layout. Once again, I have used Kaszazz Resort Collection stamps and papers.  All products used are available from Kaszazz and yes, I am a consultant. Thank you for looking, Margaret

Here is a shabby chic layout I have completed.  The photo was taken on my birthday in December whilst in Hawaii.  I have used papers and stamps from Kaszazz Resort collection and all other product used is also Kaszazz.  I started by laying the frame, without any adhesive, onto the striped paper and using pencil marks to indicate where it would lay.  I then cut strips to each of the marks and distressed the edges. See below. A half sheet of blue Designer Paper was then placed behind the distressed edges. The next step was to mix a small amount of Leaf Green Archival Ink into texture paste and then apply though Leaves stencil.  Moving to different angles as I progressed.  I also lifted some of the texture paste from areas between each leaf. For the Flourish Frame I first used white embossing powder (note I did emboss it twice). and then I applied Broken China Oxide Distress ink and then whipped over with a tissue to get affect. For the Flourish Frame ...

Over at Soul Scrappers presently they have a challenge series they have called "SURVIVOR".  If  you have ever watched an episode of Survivor on the television you will know that participants are challenged throughout the length of the show.  The first Soul Scrapper challenge was SHELTER. Here is my layout: I first found a definition of shelter - something that covers or protects e.g. Someone made a shelter from branches.   My mind went into overdrive as I remembered that I had taken a photo many years ago whilst walking along a beach (name long forgotten) of a roughly hewn shelter on the beach. So off in search of that photo - nothing on the computer, pasted to facebook "No" etc. Off I head to my photos already printed after searching found the photo - happy face here :). The rules for the challenge were: You must add shelter My photo is of shelter - obviously created to protect from our harsh midday sun - why have a beach umbrella when you can have a hand...

Here are several of the little notebooks I have made using my gel plate prints.  I love that I am able to use the prints and not have them sitting around. I have made them for fundraiser to be held later in the year.  The mini notebooks my sister purchased overseas. Thank you for looking, Margaret.

What do you do when you have lots of scraps of paper that you have left over from your cardmaking or scrapbooking?  One suggestion is to make small gift cards - quick and easy they measure 3" x 3". Here are some I have just made. I have used a stamp from Kaszazz set - Succulents-uncut set and I have watercoloured the images. My sister came out of a short hospital stay yesterday and she gives a small gift to the staff when she is discharged....I gave her one of my cards to put with the shortbread biscuits she gave them. I am entering these cards in a challenge over at Soul Scrappers to create a Thank You card. And I am making a bunch to put into packs for a fundraiser. And THANK YOU for visiting my humble little blog. Margaret

This is another layout I have completed for a GRAB5 challenge over at Soul Scrappers . The idea of this challenge was to select 5 items from your stash (the older the better), photograph them, and then create a layout using items you have selected.  Here is my layout and following the items I selected from stash: My photograph was taken at Ala Moana shopping centre in Honolulu, Hawaii at the beginning of December whilst we were on holidays.  These arch type decorations were scattered around the centre. I used 3 of the papers from the paper pack (one I reversed to the kraft side), also several items from the old Stampin' Up! accessory pack from many years ago.  Unopened Kaisercraft wood veneers and paper flowers - both unopened - finally getting used.  Do any readers remember the alphabet rub-ons that I used, very popular and had so many of each letter? Thank you for looking, head over to Soul Scrappers and see the challenges they have. Margaret

This frame is a gift for a friend who tomorrow will commence a series of medical procedures.  She calls herself a "Warrior Princess.  I have selected words that will encourage her. I posted it off on Monday to her. She rang me today, loved it and thanked me for thinking of her. I have her approval to post to my blog. The papers I have used are from Kaszazz Whimsical Forest collection and I have used Kaszazz Stencils Destiny (selected words) and Leaf Vein.  Flowers are from Kaisercraft and Warrior Princess title using stickers from my stash.  I placed the layout into a Kaisercraft chipboard frame - I purposely left it au natural so that the emphasis is on the words.  When I sent to my friend, I suggested that she could add her own inspiration words into the hexagons. Flowers are great to use especially to hide some elements on your layout that look out of place, in this case there was a shopping bag full of shopping.! I have entered this layout into a...