Stamps Ahead

 Here are the two other layouts I created whilst on the recent crop evening Inspired by a layout in a long ago Kaisercraft magazine and using up bits and pieces in my stash.  The photos are of Flatford Mill in Suffolk, UK.   John Constable painted his famous painting "The Hay Wain" here. A quick and easy layout - using strips of 6" x 6" (15cm x 15cm) strips of paper cut into random sizes  A great way to use up those paper pads in your stash - use the embellishments at rear of most of the pads for extra decoration.   Photo taken at Clacton-on-sea in UK, when we were visiting our 2nd cousin and we met up with her for dinner.  Thank you for looking.   Margaret

It is a rainy Sunday here on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. A day perfect for staying in and creating. No fishing here today! Here is a card I have made, perfect for my brother when his birthday comes around next year.  I was inspired by a card by Sona D on The Male Room blog.  I just loved her card and decided I had to make it! Yes, I have left a thank you for Sona on her blog (link above).  This is a 15cm (6") square card.  I have used various items from my stash: Kaszazz - cardstock, die greeting happy birthday, rhinestones, small background stamps and papers for small banner and light blue. Kaisercraft - fish, circle die the brown banner paper. Unknown - that piece of blue I found lingering away in my stash and it was just the right colour. How long it has been there? I don't know! Thank you for looking, Margaret

What do you do? There are many ways to use up left over scraps of paper and embellishments. This notebook (and 5 others) I made for myself and to give away. These were made using products available from Kaszazz and use scraps I had left over from some recent projects. Firstly, used my gel plate and Ranger Distress paints to colour white cardstock.  I loved the way they spread on the gel plate as I applied the paint prior to using brayer.  Another piece of brayered cardstock. Next, after paints were dry I cut to size and I applied texture paste.  Then once the paste was dry I used scraps of paper, stamps and ribbon to finish off the notebooks. More recent notebooks I made are below. I made these notebooks (actually about 20)  for charity fundraising. They are made with Kaisercraft papers and embellishments from my stash. Thank you for looking, 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...

My last card classes for the year at local community groups this week.  Here is a card I  designed for upcoming Thursday class.  It is a pop up card that will fold flat for postage.  I found the pattern for the base card on the internet.  This is what the card looks like on the side. I am adding this to Soul Scrappers challenge to use a poinsettia on a Christmas card. The papers, sequins and alcohol pens are all available from Kaszazz and the stamps are Kaisercraft. Thank you for looking, Margaret

Here is a layout I created for a White with 1 challenge ..... to use the colour chocolate. This photo was taken, during a recent visit, at National Arboretum in Canberra and the sculpture, on the top of a hill, refers to a line in Dorothea Mackellar's great Australian poem My Country. The script in the sculpture is inspired by her own handwriting. This layout using Kaszazz chipboard coloured with Coffee Archival Ink, the ink was also used to add colour to the texture paste I have used on the Kaisercraft stencil (waves but ideal for this layout).  I have also used Kaisercraft stamps to complete the layout. Thank you for looking, Margaret

In my previous post I wrote of winning a prize on the Unmistakable Creations cruise I took in January with my sister and friends to New Zealand.  Here is a layout I have created using the Paisley Days collection I received. The photo was taken at Larnach Castle, Dunedin, New Zealand and with our friends we are having morning tea in their beautiful tea rooms.   Below is a close up of the texture of the background. More on that below. I was inspired by a layout by Lisa Amiet on the Kaisercraft blog. I have left her some love on the blog. I was really taken with the background technique. The background was fussy cut from 12" (30cm) sheet of paper in the pack and smaller pieces adhered with foam tape to create raised surfaces.  I have also raised the photo and several of the smaller embellishments.   Thank you Lisa. I have decided to add this to a Paper Issues (Friends and Fans) Scraplift Sunday (7th April) Challenge - check them out and join the group for ch...

Recently I have written about the cruise that my sister and I took in January - and as well as the layouts we completed as part of our scrapbook cruise we also had some challenges that we could complete if we wanted.  This layout was for a bingo challenge and I took the line Chipboard, Mixed Media, Single Photo and Ribbon. I completed it on the cruise with left over papers and bits and pieces and little blue organza bag with ribbon I had with me (of course I gut it up to add additional texture behind the photo of me on the tender from boat to Akaroa, New Zealand. I took a sheet of the beautiful Kaisercraft paper from their Scrap Studio Collection and then brushed it all over with Dusty Attic Gloss Varnish - it gave it an almost leather like feel and made the paper stronger.  Paint, adding other images from papers were given, glossy accents gave the layout its finished look. Here is a close up look - what looks like stamps are actually images on acetate that I had left over...

Here is a layout I have completed for a sketch challenge over at Paper Issues (Friends and Fans) on facebook. Kaisercraft papers and embellishments.  Photos to be added later. Here is the completed layout with photos added.  The photos are of my sister and I enjoying morning tea in Napier, New Zealand with a plate of mixed lamingtons. Thank you for looking, Margaret 

Latest challenge over at Soul Scrappers was to add 'snow' somewhere on your card. Here is my card: I have used a Kaszazz stamp - Silhouette Santa's Sleigh, and a Kaisercraft House die-cut.  For the snow effect I have used Stickles Star Dust Glitter Glue (again available from Kaszazz) to highlight the torn edges of my papers. I loved the way this card turned out and I hope you do as well. Thank you looking, Margaret Contact me by leaving a comment if you would like to know more about Kaszazz products available.

Here is the card that the ladies that I lead for cardmaking in a local community group made using the Distress Ink technique I featured on my last post. Instead of the wood veneer shown here, the I gave each of the ladies used a chipboard bauble. And, here is another one I created.  I have used a Kaisercraft die for the embellishment. These are such fun to make and the ladies really enjoyed making their own colour creations. Until next post, have fun creating whatever you do - cardmaking, scrapbooking, sewing, patchwork, quilting etc etc.  Margaret :)

A miniature daffodil growing in my yard...after one of the hottest winter seasons on record and with most of New South Wales in drought a little bit of rain on Central Coast over the past few days. Here are some cards I designed for my classes at local community centre.  A clean and simple Christmas card that was a big hit.  Kaisercraft die in corner and Holly stamp from Kaszazz.  Greeting from my stash. Coloured with Alcohol markers. Classic car.  With the exception of the cog die all product from Kaszazz. Once again, Alcohol markers for colouring in. Inside of the card. Thank you for looking.  I will share this weeks cards later.  Cheers for now, Margaret :)

Today I have completed a layout for a challenge over at ARTastic challenge blog.   Here is my layout: The challenge was to be inspired by this artwork by Roger Kemp 'untitled' and criteria was to use pen in some way on your layout. I was inspired by the pink colour and the seemingly unplanned nature of the penwork.  Now to be honest this was not my first attempt at doing this challenge.  My first attempt was to draw a grid (like the stand the mermaids are displayed on) and then go from there.  Well, I was not happy with how it was coming together and ditched it!   My photo was taken on Catalina Island, off the coast of California and I took the photo initially for some friends I met on a cruise I took in April 2017 who were Mermaid Mad.  I love the colour of all those dolls together and the fact that they came in all sizes. Now, I am not one those besotted by Mermaids - they are fictitious and I like to deal in reality - I have never watched an...

I am leading a scrapbooking workshop this coming Saturday.  It is a fund raiser that will assist raise funds for a school in Kenya.   The ladies, most of whom I know, love to use new techniques to them. A long post follows, so please stay with me. The first is a single page layout and they will be making the following layout, which I have shared previously on my blog: The ladies will choose their own Dylusions Spray Inks to create their own background to match their photo of choice. The next session on the day will be a double page layout: This is a based on a technique called "bookending or bracketing" that I found on the website of Debbie Hodge .  It is a mixture of two of the layouts in that article - Katie Scott (I love the use of multiple photos on her layout) and the layout created by Gretchen Henniger (I was inspired by the wide papers bracketing the lay out and the use of paper doilies).   I sought further inspiration for the photo frames I have crea...

Here is the title page for my scrapbook layouts from the above cruise.  It was designed by Melissa Kennedy of Unmistakable Creations .  It was the very first layout we created in our classes whilst at sea.  Here I am ready to start the classes and wearing the apron that Melissa gave to each of us.  Papers are from Kaisercraft (with a note that Melissa specifically arranged for the paper with our ports of call to be included in our kit). Thanks for looking, back to creating, Margaret :)

I am just back from a South Pacific (including Tonga) cruise that ended in Auckland, NZ, my sister flew over from Sydney to join me there and we had 8 days along the top end coast of New Zealand. One wet day we decided to stay in and scrapbook for the day.   I had just come off a Scrapbooking rruise with Unmistakable Creations and had got her some papers whilst on board. I showed her some challenges on Soul Scrappers and here is what we did. My layout is for their Layout Challenge SC118: I have used Kaisercraft range Whispering Ivy and this paper range was one that we used on the cruise, I have used left overs from the kit supplied to create this layout. The large flower was fussy cut. What is not evident on this photo is under the cluster on middle left there is a white doily poking out.  Photos to be added later. This is the layout my sister created, again using a Kaisercraft range of papers I gave her.  Paris is one of her favourite cities.  Again, photo...

This weekend I was at a scrapbooking retreat local to where I live.  First I want to share with you sunset Friday night. In one word - SPECTACULAR. Look at the reflection on the water. Here is the first layout completed this weekend that I am sharing. Completed for a sketch challenge over at Soul Scrappers . The photograph of me was taken on World Chocolate Day July 2017 and here I am enjoying a cup of hot chocolate to celebrate. The sketch follows. I have used a Kaisercraft emboss resist paper (that does not show up well in the photo but it is embossed with flowers and leaves) and I added watered down Gelato's in two colours randomly onto the paper, I have fussy cut the flowers from a piece of paper I had in my stash, applied lace and some added embellishments. Thank you for looking, Margaret :)

Yesterday, I was the class leader of a scrapbooking day that raised funds for a school in Kissi, Kenya. Here are the layouts that I taught. Many people also contributed to the day with food, donations of goods etc. Thank you to everyone. I do not represent any particular company and use product from many sources.  Where possible today I have indicated those sources.  Melissa Kennedy owner of Unmistakable Creations kindly donated packs of Kaisercraft Marigold papers and stickers to the event.   Here is the first layout that they got to make  - now several of the ladies wanted to make a 'boy' page and in the pack was paper suitable for them to create a male version of the page.    The photo on my layout was taken on our April Cruise with Melissa - why not check out her website Unmistakable Creations  and see what cruises she has coming up. Thank you Melissa for your donation - the ladies loved the papers. This is the second layout they ...

Okay, so having found somewhat of my 'Mojo' back I have decided to put this layout into a challenge over at Challenge Yourself  blog: These are photos of my sister (right) and myself (left) on the deck of Explorer of Seas during one evening on ourrecent cruise. They were difficult to decide just what to do with them - as we did not co-ordinate our outfits (haha) and the deck was so 'out there' with its colours.   In the end I decided as the photos were so busy to go with a busy paper that includes many of the items in the challenge photo below.  I felt the photos in the challenge were definitely 'feel the ocean breeze'.                                        All papers and embellishment are Kaisercraft.  Maybe I will get some time over the weekend to do a more subdued...

Today, I am sharing several layouts I have created on my return from recent Royal Caribbean scrapbooking cruise to South Pacific and Fiji with Unmistakable Creations and led by Melissa Kennedy.  More to come including some of the layouts we created when the ship was at sea. It was my sister's first cruise.  Here we are at Circular Quay - our brother met us for a cup of tea before we boarded and helped to carry our bags to the drop off point. Professional photo of us as we boarded the Explorer of the Seas.   For this layout I applied Gesso, with my hand and fingers,  to the blue background paper.  One of the finds of our cruise was the beautiful Mare Island.  It is the second largest of the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia. We were on the first tender off the ship and got to explore and walk the beach before the rest of the boat descended onto Yejele Beach. It was great to have the ocean breeze as we wandered on the white sands. Anothe...