Stamps Ahead

I have decided to play along with a challenge over at Pixels and Paper challenge blog  - here is my layout.  The challenge was to use distressing in some form on your layout. On the recent long weekend I travelled up to Brisbane to Scrapbook and Paper Expo and one of the classes I did with Beck Beattie was playing with all different backgrounds using watercolour paints. This background was made by sweeping 3 colours from a palette of watercolour paints across the white background. See photo below for what I mean by a palette.  I think I got these many years ago in America and have never used them.....until today. The photo is of Beck Beattie and I taken on the weekend. I then coloured some whitecard stock with the colours I used for background and a green to make the flowers and leaves and to embellish the title "Make Amazing Happen".  I used my scissors to distress the edges, then scrunched them up, then sprayed with water and allowed to dry. Some rand...

Here is my layout for a challenge over at Pixels and Paper challenge blog: The challenge was to be inspired by the following photo and the criteria was Vintage Style.  Of course I was inspired by the suitcase in the inspiration image. About my photos - several years ago my Uncle George (Dad's brother) passed away and his wife gave us this suitcase full of photographs and memories.  Well, what a find it turned out to be.  My Dad was still alive at this time and he could identify some of the photographs inside.  I have subsequently made several layouts showcasing some of the photos - more still to be done.   It was an eye-opener to my maternal Grandmother's side of the family.  My father's parents were travelers (is this where I got my travel spirit from?) they would travel by coach, train and car to places within Australia and kept notes, postcards, photos and brochures etc from their trips.  It is family folklore that t...

I completed this layout for a challenge at Pixels and Paper . I am in Berlin, Germany. These photographs were taken on a cold, wet and windy day in Berlin.  They are of a sculpture called Berlin and my journaling (from Wikipedia) , in part says "First conceived in 1985 and unveiled by the husband and wife sculpting team of Brigitte Matchinsky-Denninghoff and Martin Matschinsky.  The sculpture's principal motif, a broken chain, was mean to symbolize the severed connections between West and East Berlin due to construction of the Berlin Wall." I have kept the layout rather simple.  I went searching in my stash of paper for map paper and could find bright coloured maps; maps of Australia; maps of anything and everything --- and then I found this paper.   I did not want colour as I wanted the sculpture to be the main focus and the more and more I looked at the paper as I was laying down the photos - I was struck by several things:- The words We...

I am getting an early start on a challenge over at Pixels and Paper .  In October we were at Red Rock, NSW and my sister and I went for a walk along the beach, soon after arriving. I stopped to look at the beautiful vistas when all of a sudden in came a wave, I saw it just in time and run for dear life!!!   My sister not so lucky she ended up standing in the water, clicking away and laughing at the same time!!! Here is a close up of the tag I made.  I used 2 blue distress stains, Antique Linen Distress stain then I sponged Antique Photo over it to get a sand like appearance.  White embroidery thread to represent the waves and some pearls and rhinestones for bling. Here is this months inspiration photo from Pixels and Paper - tell us how you were inspired by the photo.  Can you see my inspiration? I took the design aspect and created a sketch layout. I then put my 4 photos across the top.  Below the photos is my tag where the ...

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 I have completed today for a challenge over at Pixels and Paper challenge blog : And here is the inspiration photo: The criteria was anything goes but tell us how you were inspired by the photo. I found this challenge a challenge (if that makes sense) I did not have any wintery type photos, and certainly  had none that featured an umbrella.  Okay, Margaret do not be so literal.   I went for a black and white background - that if you look closely could be rain!! I had a photo taken New Years Eve this year (technically 31st December, 2014), it was a dull and overcast evening,  looking towards Gosford from Koolewong (on the Central Coast of New South Wales) and so I decided that I would put strips of brightly coloured paper down to resemble the large firework burst on the photo.  It was looking a bit flat so I wet the ends of the strips and wrapped around a toothpick to curl the ends.  See close-up below.  I ha...

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 ...

Last Wednesday, Lynette a friend of mine (we both worked together) called in after she had attended a meeting in Gosford, NSW.  She arrived at about 4pm on a very hot day - cup of coffee, chat and then a stroll on the beach.  But first, she need some flip flops or thongs as we call them here in Australia, to replace her work shoes.  And then we set off for our stroll along Umina Beach. Both Lynette and I have had family members affected by breast cancer (which I will not go into here) however, suffice to say that I support any initiative that raises funds for research.  Avon has these great flip flops in their current catalogues and I just fell in love with them.  I purchased a few pairs to give to my visitors when I take them for a stroll along the beach. And they are only $5 a pair. The paper and summer stickers are from Echo Park - the cork stickers from K-mart.  The cork stickers did not behave themselves - almost like sand they kep...

 This layout was completed for a challenge over at Pixels and Paper Challenge Blog - the inspiration photo is below with the added criteria of anything goes but tell us how you were inspired by the photo.....so here goes my entry.    On seeing the challenge picture, I immediately remembered that I had photos that I had of my sister hugging a tree in Melbourne city earlier this year. The colours reminded me of the knitted and crocheted installation on the trees. Apparently when I checked Google today there is a tree hugging day on 20th March - who knew!!!  This was our hug a tree day and it was not 20th March!!! about.com  advise hugging trees is a feel-good experience. This is a close up of the pennants I made to put on my layout.  So how did I make them? Here are the ingredients. Silks Acrylic Glaze (4 colours used Ginger Peach, Sapphire on Ice, Olive Vine, Plumeria), 100% cotton lace, a cheap paint brush and a non-stick c...

A new blog that is a sister blog to ARTastic Challenges is  Pixels and Paper Challenge  and the current inspiration photo is below, it has no set criteria and you can interpret the photo anyway: Inspiration photo: Just after Easter this year I spent several days relaxing at caravan park in Macksville that was alongside the beautiful Nambucca River. (oops just realised I put wrong river name on my tag - got to fix that asap).  The little boy in the photo (whose name I do not remember) was staying there with his family and he took the opportunity to go fishing on the jetty provided by the caravan park.  I wandered down there and he looked so relaxed and enjoying his fishing and he said to me "you can take my photo if you like". His parents later confirmed to me that it was okay to take his photo. The photo reminds me of when I was young and as a family we spent a lot of time fishing - in boats, on jetty or on the sand. I still love fishing and just thi...