Stamps Ahead

I recently designed and made-up kits for a craft group. I included instructions for the leaders to follow. Here they are: And the extra - a card that could be for any occasion - birthday, congratulations, Christmas I have not made many cards since I finished up teaching classes so it was fun to get out supplies and to get creating. Thank you looking, Margaret

Here are 3 fun and colourful whimsical houses I created this morning. I used some bright papers and cut the whimiscal shapes and attached to cardstock with glue stick and then I machine stitched around I was inspired by a photo my friends, Jenny and Lyn took in August in Qaqortoq, a Southern Greenland cruise port. They have been on 3 month journey around the world and this was one of the ports they called into. Here is the photo they took and served as my inspiration - the colourful houses stood out to me Thank you for looking, Margaret

 A layout I have today created for a tic-tac-toe challenge at Soul Scrappers. The challenge grid. I selected stamping (2 favourite texture stamps applied with white paint and Arrows stamped in Archival Ink); Hexagons (die cut to various sizes - the smaller ones I scrunched up and applied Vintage Photo Vintage Photo ink to mimic the stones on the beach) and 1 photo of me taken on Llandudno Beach, Wales on 25th July 2024.    I used Unmistakable Creations Water's Edge collection papers and embellishments.   Thank you for looking, Margaret

This is a layout I have created for this months  White with 1 challenges  - Burgundy with Flowers Other layout from my visit to Epcot, Walt Disney Resort, Orlanda, Florida USA on 22nd May, 2024 with my friend Kathy, who lives close to the resort and visits often.  This beautiful display of living flowers, leaves and cacti really caught my eye.  It was part of EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival Topiaries - every Disney character and one-off displays, like this one, were throughout the Resort.   For my layout I have used a very old Kaisercraft collection called Treasured Moments - one of my favourites and I will be sorry when I have used it up.  Flowers are a mixture of embellishments from the collection plus fussy cutting from some of the pages.  I did use Aged Mahagony Oxide ink for the scattered dots using another favourite stamp set.  Thank you for looking, Margaret

The Batheaston Toll Bridge, a single lane bridge, has been operating since 1872. It is a Grade 2 listed structure. My sister, a friend and I were lucky enough to stumble across it in 2024. We walked it no cost! We had a giggle or two on reading the signs.  I was inspired to create this layout after seeing one by Chrissi Maddix on Scrapbook Fantasies Creative Family facebook page.   It uses papers and embellishments from their Nature Lover collection. Thank you for looking, Margaret

I was inspired by paintbyles to create this quick to make small journal cover Cover denim and fabric pieces from my stash. Vintage button that I have had for years, ceramic bead purchased last year in a gallery in Tea Gardens, NSW, stamping, my handwriting and cord made from calico I had tea dyed.  Signatures will be added later. Covered open. Inside.  Now before you say or think "oh my she has posted photo upside down!"  No, it was an  oopsie' that I will embrace as I place signature in future. In all it took my around 1 hour to put this together using items on my table.  I can see more in my future. Thank you for looking, and thank you to paintforbyles for your inspiration.  Margaret

 In April this year I purchased a kit from Hillbilly Scrappin  of the Stamperia Romantic Collection - Journal with instructions by Jenny Curthoys to make this double page interactive layout. Following are individual pages. Hopefully you will stay with me to the end. At this stage I have not added photos to my layout. On the left are two little books that are slipped into the pocket underneath. Great to add journalling or more photos. There are also two blank photo mats included in the pocket. I made the photo matt to flip back so I could add more photos or journalling underneath. These flips have a belly band and waterfall flap placed on its side. This is the front of the flip you see above. I had 1sheet of patterned paper left over and I made a companion or stand-alone layout page. I love interactive layouts as you can add so many photos.  Also, the kit is no longer available from Hillbilly Scrappin! all sold out! Thank you for looking, Margaret

Melissa from Unmistakable Creations Group on Facebook  set an interesting challenge (more later) here is my layout  Melissa has recently seen a number of layouts using embossing folders as backgrounds.  Her challenge was to use our embossing folders with white cardstock and create your background and then create a layout using one of the Unmistakeable Creations collections.  I used the Water's Edge collection. Thank you for looking and why not visit Unmistakeable Creations and check out the ranges.  Margaret.

This weekend I have been watching and creating with talented artists, from around the world, in Free Taster Sessions.  Here are the results of two classes I completed. From a class with Meaghan Early - Fabric Found Word Clusters.  My words were found in an old poetry book and I found myself reciting the poems as I searched for just the right word. This was a class with Lisa Goddard - Affirmation boxes in fabric and paper. This is the front the matchbox (available, if you live in Australia at Spotlight in a pack of 6) - all sides were decorated. I have also used gesso, paint and charms.  Slide the drawer up and here is the middle. Also shown is the back of the box. I have created this box for a friend who is celebrating a milestone birthday and tomorrow we are meeting for lunch - this will be her birthday 'card'.  Rather, than create a specific birthday theme I decided to go with a box that could be opened any day of the year.  I will be making more of these - as...

Have you heard of the 7 Coloured Earth in Mauritius?  Here is my art journal page inspired by this area It so happens that the owner of Hillbilly Shenanigans and her friend are on a world cruise that called into Mauritius recently.  They took photos of their visit to the location.  They are documenting their travels and setting small challenges along the way.  This challenge was to be inspired by one of their photos of this truly amazing area in Mauritius. The earth is mainly different types of red, gold, browns and purples. For my art journal page, I first took a sheet of heavy white card stock and applied several Paper Artsy Paints with a spatula.  I allowed this to dry and then using a now discontinued Kaszazz stamp with black archival ink randomly.  I DID NOT LIKE IT!!! The inner critic was saying throw it away and start again!  Well, I nearly did and then I realised I still had punches on my desk from some recent creating and decided to punch squa...

A selection of cards I made using left over pieces from making my art journals this week.  A couple have a simple greeting, and all others left blank suitable for many occasions. Thank you for looking, Margaret  

 This is a small 2" x 3" (5.3cm x 7.8cm approx.) journal I have made this past week: Inside and back pages, using stamps, doodling, acrylic paint pens, punched circles, fussy cut images. They are a work in progress that I can come back to at any time and play more. Why so tiny? Sometimes when creating opportunities arise and you change course. I started with a 12" (30cm) of 350gsm white cardstock (CS) and an A4 sheet of white CS - that I sprayed with 4 spray inks in my stash. Allow to dry completely - I left overnight to dry.  Then in the morning I cut, the larger sheet into 6" x 4" pieces. These were than to be folded in half.  All good so far, for the first 6 pages and then for some reason I cut the remaining 6 pieces in half ending up with 12 pages that are sized 2" x 3" - no worries I love mini journals. A couple of photos Spray inks on the A4 sheet - of course, by this time the green spray decided to run out!  The other 2 journals I created - now...

Sharing two layouts I have done recently.  Autumn layout for a new, to me, challenge group on Facebook  The Hut Creative  (Autumn layout) and the other another layout from the recent Scrapbook Fantasies Virtual Retreat.  For this layout, I created leaves using several types of paper and then die cut them using Sizzix die Leaf Fragments, and arranged them around my photo taken in Taralga, NSW during Autumn this year.  The background cardstock is from 3Quarter Designs Mocha Fix Collection. For colouring the leaves I used watercolour powders from Lucys and Colour Crush.  With the leaves I did not use I created tags and clusters to use on later projects. This layout was designed by mother and daughter - Alicia and Naomi-Jon Renshaw - of Scrapbook Fantasies.  I have used more of the beautiful papers in their Very Vintage Range.       Thank you for looking, Margaret 

Here is a mini book I created during the past weekend virtual retreat with Scrapbook Fantasies  using their May release Very Vintage. Several photos follow: Cover - I used a stretch ribbon as my closure so that it can cope with photos to be added later. Internal flaps will hold at a minimum 12 photos.                             Now, a little confession - at the beginning of this project I found all the measurements confusing and several times I thought I am giving up!! However, I believed in myself to finish and put together a prototype using single sided scrapbook papers in my kit - it helped so much. Thank you for looking, Margaret