Stamps Ahead

Today, a layout for White with 1 , the colour this month is Green Flash. I went for a flash of Green using Dylusions paint applied onto the white cardstock.  The photograph is of my sister (left) brother (middle) and me (right) taken at a Bebarfalds store either in the city of Sydney or maybe Ryde where they had a store. That company is long gone.  I have put the photo into a Memory Protector Flip Flaps from Close to My Heart as the back of the photo has some interesting facts. Don't  you just love the name Smiling Snaps.  The writing is our mothers and it was given to our paternal grandparents for Christmas 1957.  My sister and I were as children always dressed alike - we did not mind - our mother made all our clothes. Under the flap I have put some information: I hope you enjoy seeing this 'blast from the past'.  Thank you for looking, Margaret

Today I made this cute little card, I was inspired by a challenge over at Soul Scrappers  to use a reindeer and die-cut.  Well, I covered both of these with this cute die. I used a free die that was included in Di-cutting essentials magazine, which is probably still available at your local newsagency.  I had the background patterned paper I used in my stash - it has a design of trees on it.  Yes, appropriate.  I did die cut the tree in the cardstock and applied with dimensional tape.  Here is a close up of that element. Inside I placed some of the die cut stars onto white cardstock. I really like this die and I can see many more uses for it. Thank you for looking, and do yourself a favour head over to Soul Scrappers, join and take part in their challenges.  Margaret :)

I was recently asked to lead an evening community group make Rustic Christmas Logs.  The original leader was unavailable and I was asked to step in.   Here are the ladies (and two fantastic young ladies) with their rustic log creations.   It was a fun evening and I was so pleased with each of the creations made. They will all look great on Christmas set tables this year. Thanks for looking, Margaret.

Here are a few Christmas cards I created for a class I lead at a local community college. This was first one I played with - using distress inks. I did not end up going with these colours for the ladies and stuck to more conservative Christmas colours for the one below.  This card using stamps that were 'freebies' in a Papercraft magazine this year.  I went with the gold embossing to create this elegant card. Tonight I am heading off to lead a class in a completely different craft.  Stay tuned for photos. Thank you for looking.   Margaret :)  

This layout is for song lyric challenge over at Soul Scrappers .  Now this layout really has nothing to do with the Bee Gees, even though I am posing with their sculptures in Redcliffe, Queensland.  It is about the lyrics, again not the Bee Gees but lyrics by Francesca Battestelli from the song I Am Home. The chorus includes the words, " Maybe I was made to wander, m aybe I was born to roam." These are the words that inspired me. The sticker I adhered to the handwritten journaling (by the way covering up a flower or two) also inspired by the north, south, east and west included in the song. From childhood I think I have had wanderlust - we had a family friend who we called Uncle Frank and he would go on holidays and bring us back tales of his travels and one time I remember we got the old fashioned airline bags as a gift.  Did it start then? Later, we had a neighbourhood friend, a few years older, who went on a ship to England for a year, she came back and shared with us

Here are some more layouts I completed during the past weekend at the retreat I went to, enjoy and I would love you to comment (if you are able) as I love to see where the visitors to my blog come from. I appreciate all the comments (except spam that is instantly deleted). Thanks, so settle back as I write a little about each layout. Recently, I went around to my sisters and said "it is a beautiful day let's head out for lunch and a bit of relaxation."  So we grabbed a couple of sandwiches, soft drinks and a cake from local shops, and headed to the waterfront at Woy Woy in New South Wales.  Just down the road for us about 5 minutes away.   The pelicans were resting on the shoreline, and sure enough this one, we nicknamed "Mr Percival" came over to join us as we ate - shoo, go, we have no food etc etc but he (I am assuming a he) stayed for awhile and looked at us as begging for a handout.  Not that day!!! The organizer of the retreat sets a bingo challenge

This layout is for a challenge over at White with 1 The challenge was: The colour Niagara. I think this is the first time I have done a challenge at White with 1.  I was in a quandary about just what blue was Niagara.  First a little about the photo - this time last year I was getting ready for a holiday in Europe.  One of the places that the tour went was the Swarovski Factory in Austria.  They had this tunnel of sparkle that you walked through - you can see the many reflections of me and my blue coat in the photo. I kept the layout simple as it just did not suit flowers!!!!   I did use a gelato colour watered down and applied through the circle stencil and also I used a white gel pen with the stencil for bit of added 'whiteness'.   The distressing of the layers is to give the impression that I will walk further into the tunnel - well that is what I was trying to achieve!!!.  Oh, and by the way, I am exaggerated in size in the photo as all those reflections playe

This past weekend I was on a scrapbooking retreat and I managed to complete several pages - I will be sharing with you however some were for individual challenges and so I am posting them first. This layout was for a challenge over at ARTastic Challenge Blog  and their challenge criteria was Vintage style. At little about the photo.  It is a photo of my grandfather, who we called Pop.  It shows him in his garden beside some climbing roses.  It is how I remember him - he always had his pipe, his braces and mostly wore his slippers.  He came from County Derry, Ireland in 1900 and he never lost his Irish accent on certain words.  This layout started completely different, I had plans to use a photo of the seaside, but when I found this photo I knew that I had to use it.  It seems strange using pink on a masculine page, don't you think, however the pink climbing roses dictated the colour scheme.  I made the tags, the large pink flower and the flag pennant that I added to the layo

Another challenge over at Soul Scrappers  was to use lace and/or ribbon on your card.  Here is my card, I went vintage style....  I was going through my stash of papers when I found a sheet of images in Meg's Garden, A Vintage Christmas Paper Stack - some larger and some with different images.  When I saw them I immediately thought I will go all out 'vintage'.  So I raided the lace stash and found some vintage lace, raided the button stash and found vintage buttons and the addition of a piece of twine (not vintage-haha) and added to the card.  Next I went on the internet to find a vintage greeting for the inside - see below - so perfect. No stamping, so good for those of you who do not like stamping, just a little bit of sponging. Thank you for looking.   Margaret :) It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

There are currently Christmas Card challenges over at Soul Scrappers  and I created this card for the challenge "add a wreath to your card".   Lots of fun punching out medium daisy punch from Kaszazz and manipulating them to have some dimension. I wanted it to be like a wreath hanging on a door. Thank you for looking, Margaret. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."

The next to last challenge over a Scrap Girls Retreat at home was simply "Get Messy" - here is my layout: Now get messy I did, the kitchen (aka the workroom), the layout all got messy.  First of all I used Tinby Designs Colour Crush watercolour powders to create the background. Now of course, I could not find a spray bottle that had a fine mist, so I had to use one that had only one spray coming out of it.  Never mind I like the result.  Finished of with bits of co-ordinating papers and threads from my stash.  Now I mounted the photograph, of sunrise at Corindi Beach, with foam tape, it fell onto the layout and an angle and of course it would not lift off, and then to boot it buckled on the page. Well and truly messy!!! I enjoyed the process. Thank you for looking, Margaret :)

I recently became aware of a group that distributes handmade Christmas cards that spread cheer to residents of nursing homes. Here are some cards I have designed that will find their way to this group.  I have made up several packs of these and the ladies at a community craft group, where I lead a class, will make them up A very simple and easy way of spreading Christmas Cheer.  It runs from 1st November to 14th November, 2016 This card drive was started in the USA 7 years ago.  The first year they collected 750 cards and each year it continues to grow.  Last year they received over 22,000 cards and they are distributed to over 100 nursing homes throughout USA, Canada and yes, Australia.  And this year they are branching out to UK and Europe. If you are interested and want to participate please click on this link to find out more. Updated 28/10/16 to show the ladies of Pastimes Craft Group, Ettalong Beach making their card for the drive.  Thank you ladies.

Here is another layout I have created for the Scrap Girls At Home Retreat challenges they have been running. Just waiting for the first day of summer and then I will take a photo and adhere. Here is the challenge inspiration: Thank you for looking, Margaret :)

This layout is for another challenge over at Scrap Girls at Home Retreat.  This time it was a blind scrap, you are given requirements for layout and then instructions to follow.  This photo was taken at Yandina Nutworks, in Queensland.  My friend Mel and I could not resist having our photo taken. This is a close up of the some of the layering of papers.  The patterned paper is an old Stampin' Up! (r) range and it was suitable for this as the images are Australian.  And I chose papers that could be loosely interpreted as 'nuts'.  These put your face in boards followed me around my Queensland holiday - 3 in all. The first one in Redcliffe, the next at Maleny Dairy and finally this one at Nutworks.  And of course I have photos of each time on this blog in previous posts - I hope you have the time to scroll back and find them.  Thank you for looking, Margaret :)

Continuing on with the theme of my last post - time to create. This time it was on my recent holiday to Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia.  This layout was created for a sketch challenge over at Scrap Girls at Home Retreat.  They are celebrating 11 years of being in business - Congratulations. One of things that I took with me was all the bits and pieces required to make cards with my friends daughters.  They had such a fun time making the cards - we made them over two days. Another little hint, I did the faux stitching on the larger circle by tracing around a bread and butter plate. Here is the challenge sketch. Thank you for looking back with more soon, I promise, Margaret :)

Since my last post, I have been very under the weather, however I am now back to creating and I love it.  Yesterday, I attended a 12 hour crop day (well, I managed 9 hours!) and I completed several layouts - two of which are below. Both were created from Paper Flourish kits and bits and pieces from my stash.. A little about this last photo.  I was rather limited in what supplies I had with me yesterday, and so the circles you see in brown, I stamped a soda can on the bottom and voila I have circles. I have another post coming up with another layout I completed - on a roll!!

Another challenge over at Soul Scrappers , this time we were challenged to use the word "MOVE" on a layout.  Here is my layout: These photos were taken when I visited friends in Queensland recently.  We had such a fun, laughter filled time playing Uno together.  I wanted to keep the layout playful with lots of colours. Uno, thank you for looking, Margaret :)

I am participating in a challenge at Soul Scrappers  where we are to use a "travel" quote on a layout.Here is my layout: I have used Tinby Designs Colour Crush Watercolour powder in Black Berry to create the background.  I love that you can use left over bits and pieces to create the random photo mat. The photo was taken at Buderim Rainforest Walk and Falls as I rested before heading back up to the end of walk. Great day it was to be out and about wandering. I watered down some the powders and dyed some twine and fabric - I did not use as I did not like the resulting colour as it was more pink than red I wanted.  They will be used on another project later. Here are my fingers after I coloured the twine and fabric.  Thank you for looking, enjoy your wandering whenever it takes you... down the street or around the world.   Margaret.

Yesterday I attended a 12 hour crop day for Jess - I did not make 12 hours managed 8 hours!!  At this charity crop there were two classes that the teachers donated their time for. The first class was with Jen Hall and we made this frame.  I love the background using Tim Holtz Distress Inks and lots of stencils.  I will definitely be using that technique again. The second class was with Amy Prior and she used Colour Blast products.  There is a real shimmer to the page. and I love the quote " don't let anyone ever dull your sparkle".  The photo was taken when I was holidays and staying with friends.  Emma and Chloe and I made cards together that I had prepared before I headed away.  They had such a great time making them and we made more cards the next day.  Here is a close up of the 'sparkle' on the page. I also completed a couple of layouts.  Again here I am with Emma and Chloe doing the Buderim Falls Walk. There was still a walk up the hill to go at