Stamps Ahead

There is a cyber crop over at ARTastic Challenges this weekend - the theme Hollywood.  Here is my layout for Challenge 2. This challenge was to scrap using as inspiration a favourite movie and add two movie related items - Hollywood sign; film strip; Popcorn Box; Admit 1 ticket; clapboard, microphone, directors chair, camera, trophy, Hollywood star.    Many travels that you take inspire you to go to places where movies were filmed or to places that you would like to go once, twice or three times.   French Kiss is a 1995 romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline.  Three things I remember from the movie - Kevin Kline's character Luc (with his French accent); travels around Paris where Meg Ryan's character is just missing the Eiffel Tower - something she really wanted to see and eventually does and the train ride they take down to Cannes with beautiful scenery during the trip. My photo was taken in 1995 on top of an open air bus that was a hop on hop o...

 This layout was a challenge at Soul Scrappers  challenge group on Facebook  The challenge was to be inspired by the this layout by Jane Howden  The criteria - use this scape page to inspire your own scrap page.  You may be inspired by the torn papers, the shapes, the tag, fence, the creepy Halloween feel, spider web or pumpkins etc.... Not being a fan of Halloween I did not take that inspiration, however, I did love the background colour and the basic layout of Jane's.   With New South Wales beginning its partial exit out of Covid lockdown restrictions tomorrow, I am sure many people are wondering/imagining "Where to next?" as they think of  possible future travels.  Myself, I can see me travelling more in my own country and my sister is considering a trip to Paris and beyond in 2023. I searched my photographs and found this photo that I took when we both visited Europe 2015. Thank you for looking, Margaret

People often say to me "Where do you get your inspiration?".   Here is a card I created today And here is my inspiration - yes a mug I fell in love with sometime ago.  I immediately thought of the new Kaszazz range Always and Forever.   I have also used stamps from Kaszazz Nostalgic collection that had the Paris theme. Roses have been coloured with Alcohol Ink Markers again from Kaszazz. The Eiffel Tower stamp is from Crafters Companion called Le Francais. I have been to Paris 3 times over the years and it is my sister's favourite city.   I had fun creating this card.  Hope you can see my inspiration on my card.  Thank you for looking. Margaret. 

Today I am sharing 10 ATC's that I have created to be swapped with others over at Soul Scrappers . The theme was Paris. Paris is one of my favourite cities and the Eiffel Tower is iconic to them.  A close up of one of the cards. To make the ATC's I first applied a coat of Gesso to a 12" square piece of regular cardstock and allowed it to dry.  Then I cut into 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" cards.  Next I dabbed 3 colours of acrylic paint to top of each card and using a palette knife 'swooshed' them down and across the card.  These were then allowed to dry before adding gold embossing paste to a butterfly stencil.  Again, left to dry overnight. This morning I stamped a script stamp on the top, and added a die cut Eiffel Tower from gold cardstock which I affixed to the card.  Then I added the Journey stamp, and some doodling and rhinestones completed each card. They are off the USA tomorrow and I will await the return of 9 other cards from the other particip...

Settle back this is going to be a long post.  My sister is currently in France and she emailed me saying she had found a scrapbooking magazine (all in French) and she loved one of the layouts. So she set me a blind challenge to replicate the layout.  She will send me photo of the one in the magazine when I send her these.  Yes I did two layouts - let me show then and then I will set out the instructions she sent. Both photos from our holidays last December.  Can one have too much of Paris? The email instructions and my asides: 1. Imagine a white textured page e.g. raised dots (now I did not have this so I have gone with plain white) and in your mind divide it into 9 equal parts 3 x 3 2. Sew a line of 5 rows (2 to be zig zag) down approx. right 3rd of page.  Note : not all lines have to go to the bottom, at least 2 shorter. (I left some threads dangling) 3. in the middle going across the pages use the gold paint I gave you from Singapore, was it ca...

It is very hot here on the Central Coast of New South Wales today (yesterday and the day before as well) so most of the day has been spent inside with air-conditioner on.  So I have managed to complete several layouts from my recent holiday. This double page layout is of Musee D'Orsay, on the left bank of the Seine in Paris.    It was originally built in 1900 to be a train station but was closed in 1939 when its platforms became too small for the long trains of modern times. In 1986 it then reopened as a museum  featuring art produced between 1848 and 1914, the time period of the Impressionists and post-Impressionists.   The clock is a wonderful piece, you can look through the clock at Sacre Couer and we were so thrilled it was fabulous weather and we could spot it. The left hand side of the layout shows the clock.  It was so hard not to get a photo that did not have people in it (aka the top photo) but I was lucky when I went bac...

Today, I have a layout showing our visit to Patisserie Stohrer, the old patisserie in Paris.   We had read about this patisserie before we left Australia and of course just had to have a visit. It is notable as the founder Nicolas Stohrer (who was offical baker of King Stanislaus of Poland, before moving to Paris) created the Baba au rhum - or as we know it Rum Baba. I have used Make it Monday 51 Sketch from The Memory Nest - why not head over and check it out. It has been wet for a couple of days here in Sydney, so just the weather to get scrapbooking. Thanks for looking, Margaret :)

I have been on holidays (vacation to my USA friends/readers) in Europe and England for the past 6 weeks. The quote on this layout is appropriate.  Why? A week before we (my sister and I) were due to fly out to Paris, terrorism struck that beautiful city. Of course, we had some hesitation - should we go, what were are options if we pulled out, would our Trafalgar Tour still go ahead (it did) - more about that in later posts. In the end, we decided to go - take the chance and not let terrorism be the winner.  This photo was taken at sunset from one of the bridges over the Seine River near our hotel. Quite a special moment. The papers and most of the embellishments I have had in my stash for ages, I just gathered up everything that I thought would co-ordinate. Happy new year to all who read my blog, more layouts to come. Thank you for looking - and remember we only regret the chances we didn't take. Margaret :)

I am getting a tad excited - my European holiday very shortly.  Christmas markets in Europe, now what is not to like about that.   The tour starts in Paris so I am getting some pages ready for my photos when I return - I know organised - but hey that is me! It is cold and wet here on the Central Coast today, so what a better reason to get some layouts completed.  This one is for a challenge over at The Memory Nest Make it Monday No.48. Here is the sketch, thanks Leslie for another fabulous sketch:                                          I have used some of my stash of Project Life cards and a fabulous paper range called "Getaway" by Echo Park.   Now all I need is to go >>>>>>> take photos  >>>>>>> prin...

Bonjour - this layout is for a challenge over at Pixels and Paper . Why not join in you have until end of October to submit a layout. We were to be inspired by this photo and the criteria was anything goes but tell us how the photo inspired you: Big Ben in London is an iconic building just like the Eiffel Tour (yes that is right in French tower is tour).    I have kept my layout rather clean and simple. I took the photograph on my last visit to Paris, nearly 2 years ago.  I have had this photo where I could see it since then - why?  The colours, the trees, the iconic Eiffel Tour, and the statue of the man riding the horse just seems to say "I will return" or as the French would say J'y retournerai. The die-cut is from Die-namics.  Very shortly I will be taking off for another holiday that includes Paris and my camera is at the ready. Thank you for looking.   Margaret :) 

Here is a layout inspired by a challenge at Pixels and Paper Challenge blog .  Here is the challenge photo  We could interpret it in any way.  This was a timely challenge for me, as I had just booked a Christmas Market tour starting in Paris for later this year. My sister and I will have a few days in Paris (which just happens to be one of her favourite cities) pre-tour.  I last visited Paris in 2011.  The photograph on my layout was taken during that previous visit and it is looking towards the Eiffel Tour (Tower) from Montparnasser Tour (Tower).  The sun came out just as I was taking the photograph.  I was inspired by a digital layout at Scrapbook.com by Rain_dog who in turn lifted it from Oziem, according to the website, that layout had a small clock and Eiffel Tour embellishments - these are what sparked my imagination - thank you.  I first inked up and distressed the dotted DSP from Stampin'Up! which I then scrunched ...

On 1st January this year, my sister and I were in France and we decided to visit the Flea markets at Porte de Clignancourt.  My sister had visited these markets previously and had raved and raved about them, so we were looking forward to our visit this day.  Well, the French slept in obviously after celebrating New Years Eve as all the stalls were closed and did not open until much later than advertised.  We wandered around the labyrinth of market stalls and eventually found this one open and it was one of my sister's favourite from her previous visit.   A real treasure trove of unique objects. The embellishments on the page with the exception of heart and little sticker bottom right were purchased from the stall.. The background paper has french words all relating to commerce and marchandises and it was just appropriate for the layout. Thank you for looking.  Adieu.  Margaret

We have just had a long weekend here in Australia (Queen's Birthday) and it was raining, raining and more rain and not to mention cold.  I spent the weekend decluttering my craft room and whilst I was in my scrapbooking papers I found this old kit from a store that is no longer operating. It would be many years old.  I loved the poppies and I just could not discard it every time I looked at it over the years.   Well, today I decided - use it!!!  These photos were taken at Tour (Tower) Montparnasse , in Paris.  From the 59th observation floor of the tower you get 360 degree beautiful views over the entire city of Paris.  It takes just 38 seconds to get to the top. It was very windy the day my sister and I went up, earlier this year, and it was overcast but at just the right time the sun came out over the Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower) and it made for a magical moment. One of the elements of this layout are the stitched an...

Today, I participated in challenges over at Big Picture Classes , they had 12 challenges, but for various reasons (washing, cleaning, helping my sister to pack up for her move to her new home, shopping etc) I could only complete 3 of the challenges . This challenge was to use any cast-off object on a layout. It could be product packaging, scrap papers, stray puzzle pieces were some of the examples given. On the tag I have used the top of a packet of macaroons and the ribbons were from the packaging of the macaroons and some other goodies from Laduree. My sister is standing outside the iconic shop on the Champs Elysees, Paris. This challenge was to use kraft cardstock in 2 ways.  One of the joys of travelling for me is doing some research before on what scrapbooking stores are at our destination. This time it was Paris, and "Bingo" we found Le Temple Du Scrap. They had an amazing collection of  laser cut embellishments.  I have used a ruled Kraft fo...

On 2nd January, this year I was lucky enough to visit Euro Disney in Paris and one of the rides that I took was the Pirates of the Caribbean. Now this was one of the most visited rides and there was a long line up to get onto the boats that take you down into the depths. It was fun (if a little disappointing that it was not longer) but it was colourful and at times wet!!! This layout was for another challenge at Scrapbook Challenges were I had to use 7 patterned papers on a layout. I have used 8 but if you do not count the arrow at the left (not much patttern on that one) there is 7. Arr...........keep scrapping me hearties..............

I found this sketch over at 4 X 6 sketch blog and it was just right for my photos of La Tour Eiffel. I used my camera software to change the photos to sepia. I love the simplicity of this layout. Thanks for looking. Edited - Oh no.....I made a spelling mistake on the layout - it should be La Tour Eiffel.....as soon as I realised I quickly ran to the layout page and changed it!!!!

Yippee, my camera has returned from its time in repair. Time to show you some pages I have done whilst it was away. I do not like this photo, taken in a horse and carriage in Vienna. My eyes are closed and there is glare on my glasses. When I got the photo developed, whilst we were staying in Vence, France my sister said "but you are beautiful on the inside". Well, we then said that whenever we saw a photo of us that we did not like. I found a challenge over at scrapbook challenges and this layout was inspired by the digital to paper layout displayed there - reverse scrapping. For this page I was inspired by a layout in a magazine, sorry I do not have the details. This photo was taken in the Bavarian Alps. It was a very mild winter when we were there and whilst we were expecting snow in a lot of places that we visited, it was not to be. This photo was taken on the panoramic Rossfield Road. It was full of amazing views and lots of snow.