Stamps Ahead

 Here is a double layout that I completed today.                            It was made using Kaszazz Home Sweet Home Collection of papers  - Scattered Posies and Pretty Posies, and also used is Olive SB Essential cardstock also available from Kaszazz.  The layout was inspired by a layout completed by Jo Collingwood, a Kaszazz consulant, that was published by Kaszazz.   I have modified the layout to suit my photos. I have given thanks to Jo for the inspiration.  Also, I completed the actual layout for my sister this past week, as she too loved the layout design. The photos are of my sister and I when we went for breakfast at a local nursery - Impact Plants and Cafe, Empire Bay recently.   Their garden was full of the most wonderful colour that really 'popped' after recent rain. Thank you for looking, Margaret 

Each month Kaszazz hold a challenge for their consultants (scrapbook, cards, off the page, etc are all considered), with the opportunity for the submission to be selected for including on their website.   The challenge this month was to use Embellishment - Feathers (6).   Here is what I have created: As you can see I have used 3 of Feather embellishments - you get 6 of the Feathers - 2 each of each design. For the background I have used Distress Oxide Inks - Wilted Violet and Peeled Paint.  I have used the stamp and die combo -Tribal Feathers.   The papers are from Kaszazz collection Nature Lover.  I finished of with Sticky Gems - Pearls around the wreath I created.  This is quick to put together layout. The photo is of my great-nephew and I - he was just 9 months here and will shortly be celebrating his 3rd birthday.  Thank you for looking, Margaret

Tomorrow, is the last Friday of term for the class I lead at a local community group.  These are the two cards the participants will be making. This card, designed by me, uses a new stamp from Kaszazz called Gum Books from the recently released Home Sweet Home collection.  The ladies (sorry, no men are in the class) will colour in using their preferred method - I have used since retired Alcohol Ink Markers.   The east coast of New South Wales, where I live on the lower edge, had constant rain over the past weekend and week, so it seemed appropriate that I feature the gum boots on this card.   This card, again created by me, uses a paper napkin/serviette applied with craft glue.  It is not a new technique.  I loved the design on the napkin immediately and I thought 'card'.   The paper napkin, that has a repeated design in each corner, has 3 plies and 2 of the plies are removed leaving the top layer for placing on the card.    Thank you for looking and grow happiness.. Margaret 

Here are the cards for the class I lead at local community group.  As I write this entry it is 'bucketing' down with rain.  The east coast of New South Wales is experiencing a wet weather experience, it is expected for several days.                                             The participants have the opportunity to change the sentiment to suit whatever occasion they want.  I found this card design on Pinterest and unfortunately a rather long search has failed for me to find it again.  I love the simplicity of this card and the movement of the rhinestones.  The blue butterfly was first coloured with markers and then die cut. Easter is nearly upon us.  Again, participants can select whatever greeting they want if they do not want an Easter card. The remainder of elements come from my stash. Thank you for looking, Margaret.

 Here, are the cards that the ladies in my Friday community group made this past Friday.  This card using Kaszazz Mediterranean papers and stamps.  One of the benefits of being a Kaszazz consultant is that you have access to cards created by other talented artists - in this case my thanks go to Kerry Collins for the inspiration for this card. The greeting inside this card.  The participants really loved this clean and simple design. Many, many years ago on one of my visits to USA I found this stamp set - Hot Air Balloon Collage by TPC Studio and it had lain in my stash for a long time unused.  Time to get it out.  I was inspired by a card Luisa Papercrafts that I found during an internet search, unfortunately I am not able to leave a thank you as it appears the link has closed, so if you are by any chance reading my blog and you are the designer thank you.   I have used Alcohol Ink Markers to colour the balloon and the sun rays.   Bling was added in the silver tape and Ranger Star Dust

Yesterday, I invited several people to come and play using Kaszazz Spring Meadow collection. I am a Kaszazz consultant so these projects use all Kaszazz products. The ladies either made a card or a single scrapbook layout. This is a longer than normal blog post so please grab a 'cuppa' and follow along with me.   Here, is what I designed for them. The challenge for me was to design two projects (one for the cardmakers and one for the scrapbookers) using the same technique.  This scrapbook layout features SB Paper - Spring Meadow, cut into a 10cm strip and SB Essentials Chestnut cut into 1" strip, scrap piece for flower/leaf outline and a photo mat for a 6" x 4" photo. SB Essentials Mushroom used for leaf. The background and flower has been created by 'smooching' together randomly Spun Sugar and Iced Spruce Distress Oxide Inks. Stamps used are Floorboard Background (on Mushroom die cut leaf) and These are they days.....and flourish stamp from Collage Stamp

Here is a little something I have made this morning.  What is it? It is an envelope pocket I have made - suitable for junk journals, art journals, scrapbooking, gift giving.  This morning I was awake at 5am and could not get back to sleep, so I opened my tablet and began looking at videos on creating using book pages.   I came across a video by Treasure Books and I was fascinated with the creation of these little works of art that start with 4 old book pages.   Here is the pocket open.  You can probably guess that the old book I used was an old Dressmaking book.  On the front l put part of a 'snippet roll'  I created earlier in the week - again a first for me - and it will not be the last.  Both great ways to use up the bits and pieces and scraps leftover from my scrapbooking and cardmaking projects.    Below, is the rest of the 'snippet roll' I created. On both projects you an see that I have used lace,  torn paper, die cuts, distress edges, machine stitching, stamping

This week and during the Calvinball crop this afternoon, I finished off designing the cards for the community card group I lead on a Friday.  I try to find designs that suit all levels of experience and likes of the ladies (sorry, no men have registered for the classes).  Here are this weeks: This card uses a new stamp called Tulip from the Kaszazz Spring Meadow collection.  The image has first been embossed with gold embossing powder and then using Watercolour pencils and a Ranger waterbrush the image is coloured in.   This is an interesting card fold that I found on Pinterest that many people have used.  The white cardstock as been folded in half and attached to single pieces of cardstock at the back.  An almost Art Deco feel to the card.   Now once again, I have been looking at Pinterest for the second card for this week and came across this rather simple to put together card.  There is an added bonus they will get to make 2 cards with the die cut circles, that have been cut in half

Layout 2 for Calvinball 2021.                                 The rules I used are 3 of a kind - 3 fussy cut leaves and also 3 stamped images, however no double dipping this day so can only count once; something you coloured -  the gum leaves and kangaroo stamps with markers; kangaroo in the photo and the stamp. The photo of me with the kangaroo was taken in 2011 when USA friends visited Australia.  We had a great day at Walkabout Wildlife Park, Calga NSW which is now "just up the road" from where I now live.  I found this photo 'in my pile' recently and my first thought - I will put that up front wondering if Calvinball would have a kangaroo rule!  And they did!   I have used all Kaszazz products on my layout (with the exception) of the corrugated paper.  Stamps are from the Flora and Fauna collection and papers from Australian collection.  An interesting fact about the kangaroo is that because of how huge and muscular their tail is, kangaroos can't jump backwa

What is Calvinball? Taken straight from the web "Calvinball is the craziest, most unpredictable and exciting online scrapbooking challenge.  It is hosted by Scrap Happy"  Click on this link to find about it. It runs for the entire month of March.  Here is my first layout  In January 2019, my sister and I together with our friends Pene and her mother, Karen went on a cruise to New Zealand.  In Dunedin, we hired a car and drove to Larnach Castle.  It was a great place to visit and one of the first things we did is all have a go quoits on the lawn.   Now back to Calvinball - there are points for all the bits and pieces you use on your layouts, art journal pages etc and even non-paper projects.  You can record your points or not, it is up to you.  So how many points did I get for this first layout?  Here goes 1 for doing a single layout 1 for this blog post 1.5 for publicity points 2 for Permanent Points (this will stay up the entire month).  For 1st March - use green and a star

 Here is a layout I have created for a Lift challenge over at Soul Scrappers   A lift challenge is where you are to be inspired by a layout that is posted.  Here is the inspiration layout for this month. As soon as I saw this layout I knew that I had a photo that I wanted to scrap and was just looking for the right inspiration to get started.   I have painted a circle with pink watercolour paper (yes, it did warp the paper slightly).   I then flicked a very old Chalkboard spray called Strawberry Shortcake.  The flower cluster came from a previous prize from Soul Scrappers.   To finish up die cut my words and numbers three times to give them dimension and scattered rhinestones around the paper. The photo is of my sister (on the right) and I and was taken at one of the functions she organised for her 70th birthday in January.  Here we are enjoying the cake she requested - meringue layered with fresh fruit and strawberries.  Thank you for looking, why not head over to Soul Scrappers and b