Stamps Ahead

This is a layout I created for this month's challenge at White with 1 . Our challenge was to use shades of brown with a white background and to include vintage book pages on the layout. The photos were taken at a recent retreat I attended and the Saturday lunch was a high-tea Alice in Wonderland style - with tables decorated and several people dressed as characters from Alice in Wonderland. I have created a collage of papers from an old Alice in Wonderland book - Chapter 5 A Mad Tea Party. Some stencilling and stamping in Ranger Distress Oxide Ink Ground Expresso.   I loved this quote in Chapter 5, it put a smile on my face.  'Up above the world you fly, Like a tea-tray in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle .......'" Thank you for looking, Margaret

I volunteer at a local charity 2nd hand store, and we were recently donated a worn and torn Chindi rug. I took the rug home and disassembled it, soaked and washed over 300 pieces of fabric - all different sizes and fabrics. What to do now with them all? I decided that I would run a free workshop, where I volunteer, to make a simple beaded tassel.  So, I have been busy making kits - 10 lengths of fabric torn into approximately 3" (8cm) strips 16" (40cm) with beads and jewellery findings. All the colours are so fabulous.  In addition to the tassels, I have used some of the scrappy bits to make cards, wrapping 20 lengths of fabric (this time full width as they came out of the rug), and other items to show how participants can use the tassel that they make.   I also made some gift cards (2 to a pack) with all funds to 2nd hand store.  I did take the photo of the cards with their packaging (except top left hand one). Then this morning I decided to make each participa...

This is my layout for this months challenge at White with 1  challenges.  The challenge be inspired by a Monopoly board - could be the game itself, or houses or cards or going to jail even. Create on white cardstock and select one colour from the image (red, blue, green, yellow or silver). I went with blue. I found in a local op-shop at u-build Monopoly game that was just right for this challenge.  All embellishments are from the game. Photo was taken at The Lock-up in Newcastle, NSW during a visit there in September 2025.  It is a heritage building/jail (1861) and is now an arts space and creative hub.   Why not check out White with 1 challenges they have a new challenge every month. Thank you for looking, Margaret 

 Here is my layout for CSI Case File No. 479. I have used the colour Lemon from The Scene and the Colour Scheme.  For evidence I have used florals, flowers, leaves, ice cream, limes or other food (Birthday cake - sponge with cream and strawberries made by my mother), frames, something round (the typeface numbers of the year 1952). The topic I selected was to document a summer memory (as my birthday is in December and it is summer in Australia then) and for writing format Joy slip - one line beginning "Todays' bright spot..." and this is tucked into the top of photo on the right. On the reverse of this slip I wrote "What I would tell my 3-year-old self. Photos are of 3-year-old me sitting on the front veranda of our childhood home in Asquith, NSW.  Dad had made the bench out of tree branches, and it features in many photos of our childhood.  Mum made all our clothes and was the most wonderful cook - neither my sister nor I can make a sponge cake like she could!...

I was thrilled to be asked to be a Guest Detective/Designer for CSI June case files.  Here is the layout I designed for Country Cooking Month File No. 478.  Criteria for the Case File was to draw inspiration from the scene, the evidence and testimony I have the red from the scene.  For evidence, I used patten paper, cooking themed items (Cakes, tarts, sandwiches and much more) from Mad Hatter's Tea Party, brads.  For testimony I used 3 of the June prompts -What reminds you of your past? The best kind of laughter is.. and where do you always have fun? I have journalled the answers to these on the back of the tags under the 3 photos at the top.    My photos were taken at Scrapping Clearly retreat Down the Rabbit Hole recently held in Gundagai, NSW. On the Saturday we had a Mad Hatters Tea Party lunch, and the sign was one of the decorations as we walked into the hall where retreat was held.  The printed papers are from Stamperia Alice in Wonderland pape...

Here are the Artist Trading Cards (ATC's) I made for the April swap at Natalie May Scrapbooki ng. The swap was to make ATC's with theme "use your stash". I was required to make 11 ATC's to swap. This was the first time participating in the monthly ATC swap. Everything I used on the ATC's did come from my stash. But, first a little tale... I initially started with a piece of a sheet of heavy-duty white card stock that I believed was enough to make the required number of cards...well, it turns out I didn't I only had enough for 8!! What to do? Left the decision overnight!! I decided to cut up the eight I made into 1" strips and create new background.  What did I use? For original 8 cards I used layered techniques inspired by a virtual retreat I did with Seth Apter this time last year. For the new backgrounds I used the same colours I used for the above strips and sprayed onto the now 12" x 12" white cardstock.  I then applied gesso over this s...