Stamps Ahead

This is a layout I have completed documenting our first day of our journey around the United Kingdom in July/August this year.  My sister was the designated driver and I was navigator! I used lots of bits and pieces from my stash. I was inspired by a layout from Kisha over at Paper Issues (Friends and Fans) Facebook.  We were invited to do our own take on the layout - large title and pretty flowers!  No flowers on mine as I wanted it to be more travel related.   I did like the layout idea and may use in upcoming layouts.  Thank you for looking, Margaret

 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

Here is a layout I have created today for a challenge on ARTastic Challenge Blog  facebook page. The challenge was to use pen work.  We were to be inspired by this work by Thea Proctor called "The Game". Now anyone who knows me that sport of any kind is not really my thing, okay, maybe several years of playing social squash in the distant past with friends - does that count!  Remember the game of squash? I believe it has largely disappeared as a sport. I was not sure if I would enter this challenge, the thoughts of pen work did not just come to me easily. And, then I remember 'zentangles'.  What are zentangles?  They are a fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns - tangles. You use combinations of dots, lines, simple curves, s-curves etc.  I have not done much in the way of zentangles so this was indeed fun to do. I  did a goggle search and was inspired by many of the search results to draw my zentangles. This photo of me was t...

Here is a layout and card I completed for a challenge over at White with 1 April Cyber Crop.  Well, I cannot enter it as the cut-off date was 1st May (call it isolation brain)....but the grid layout and colour stumped me!!   I got in my head 'grid' and created one layout that of course did not contain blue.  And then the colour! I was thinking light blue, blue flowers, of course nothing in my photos! A long post! The challenge was to create a layout and matching card : Have I created a new technique for my background?  It came to me as I was in slumberland last night. I decided to use my paints from the layout I did for Cocoa Vanilla challenges, as they were out as I had not put them away.  So I created a grid.  Let me show you the process. To get the grid - I first penciled in the lines and then using my brush and ruler painted in the grid lines.  Being sure, to clean the ruler after each line was added!  Learnt that the hard way - ...

I wrote yesterday that I was completing a couple of layouts for my sister of her recent holiday.  Here is the one I have completed for her of a fishing village in Norway (unfortunately at this stage I do not have the name but it was at the top of the Artic Circle). My sister will need to complete the journalling.   I used a sheet of Kaszazz paper from Indigo Blue collection (no biggie using this colour as blue is her favourite colour).   I have used 3 stencils and texture paste on the background - the grid is from Kaisercraft, adventure is from Gabrielle Pollacco called Wanderlust and the other words are from a favourite of mine by Tim Holtz. Chipboard is from Kaszass and I have coloured by first applying gesso over the words, then using diluted Spectrum Noir aqua pen Azure Blue and then I finished off with Glossy Accents over the word. The embellishments came from my stash of Kaisercraft papers and they added just the right accent I need to complete the lay...

Over at Soul Scrappers presently they have a challenge series they have called "SURVIVOR".  If  you have ever watched an episode of Survivor on the television you will know that participants are challenged throughout the length of the show.  The first Soul Scrapper challenge was SHELTER. Here is my layout: I first found a definition of shelter - something that covers or protects e.g. Someone made a shelter from branches.   My mind went into overdrive as I remembered that I had taken a photo many years ago whilst walking along a beach (name long forgotten) of a roughly hewn shelter on the beach. So off in search of that photo - nothing on the computer, pasted to facebook "No" etc. Off I head to my photos already printed after searching found the photo - happy face here :). The rules for the challenge were: You must add shelter My photo is of shelter - obviously created to protect from our harsh midday sun - why have a beach umbrella when you can have a hand...

I recently travelled to Honolulu with my sister, brother and sister-in-law to celebrate my 70th birthday.  Here is a layout showing my sister and I on the balcony of our hotel.  The sun was in my eyes, that is why I appear to be squinting - that is my story and I am sticking to it. The layout was a kit I had purchased from Shop & Crop Scrapbooking (designed by Elisa Ablett) some time ago.  It is so very very hot here today.  Heatwave conditions.  Smoke from fires all around NSW make it hard to breathe, so I have the air conditioner on and have been scrapbooking.   Close up of the embellishments at the base of the photos.  What is not so evident is that I used glitter - not something I am fond off, but hey it was in the kit. The view from our balcony was fabulous, the sunsets spectacular and the general view down towards  the Zoo and Diamond Head great. Thank you for looking, keep cool and every good wish to anyone reading this for 2020...

The penultimate port on our cruise was Tauranga, and on this day it was also my sister's birthday.   After the ship docked and breakfast we headed to Tauranga via the local tourist shuttle.  Our first stop was definitely always going to be this mural.  I have loved it since I first saw it myself last year and I just had to go there with my sister this year.  Here is a layout I have created with the both of us posing as 'angels': I was inspired by a layout I saw in a 2013 Creating Keepsakes layout to create the almost wing like strips of paper.   I love how the black cardstock really pops the photos. This is a great way to use up scraps of paper that you may have.   We went on to have a walk around the shops, and a great cup of coffee (tea for me) with some delicious slices before heading back to the port and further adventures before the ship departed for Auckland later in the day. Thank you for looking, Margaret.

On my recent cruise, at each port at breakfast ship photographers would be waiting outside the eating area ready to pounce and take photos dressed in all sorts of weird costumes.  I tried as I could to avoid them BUT this person dressed as dolphin, as we arrived at Akaroa, New Zealand port, followed me and insisted I get a photo - no, no, no.  The costume was dirty and I am not one to hug and cuddle people dressed as animals!  So I got one photo just to get them off my case - as you can see I was not all that interested. Here is the layout I created: The background is gesso applied haphazardly and I have used a stencil to create the grid pattern over the gesso. Thanks for looking, Margaret

Over at Soul Scrappers they have a challenge to use a MAP on your travel or holiday scrapbook layout.  Here is my take on the challenge - a clean and simple layout: Before I left on holidays to the USA in May this year a friend gave me this sheet of paper and said 'you maybe able to use it'. It has become my title page in my holiday scrapbook - I have added the year and coloured twine and sparkly enamels to show the states I visited this holiday.   In my stash I found an cabochon with a street map on it and used this to hide my twine. There is only 6 states I have not visited in all my holidays to US - Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, and North and South Carolina.   I wonder if in years to come I have the opportunity to visit these as well. Thank you for looking, and a quote I found" "All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination." Earl Nightingale. 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...

One more layout before I head back to bed for a nap and too keep warm - okay, I was out late last night at a 6 hour crop -6pm to midnight - and sleep is calling me back. Here is a layout I created last night, for a cyber-crop challenge over at Scrapping Clearly Share & Inspire Group on Facebook. Check them out they have some great challenges at present and you have until 15th July to submit. This double page layout was for "inspired by music" challenge" I, of course, had to use the lyrics to Yellow Submarine written by John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney - my apologies to them as I changed one word - live to TOUR. The photos were taken at Catalina Island, California on my recent holiday - this is a place I have wanted to visit ever since my first visit to USA many years ago.   The submarine tour enabled me to view fish living in the waters surrounding the islands. The submarine did not actually submerge but you got the feeling that it did indeed do just that due...

Recently, I shared a layout I created for a challenge over at Paper Issues whilst I was overseas.  I am now back home and finished off the layout. The photo was taken at Fourche Lake in Missouri.  With my friends Carol and her husband David we did a morning tour around several of the areas near to their home.   This area was just so peaceful.  David has been here to fish and camp with their grandkids over the years.   Here are several other photos of the area I took.  Isn't it beautiful. Peaceful indeed and a great place to stop and have morning tea. Margaret

Why the title of this post? More about that later in the post. Who doesn't like a parade.  Here is a double page layout I have created for another challenge over at Soul Scrappers The challenge was? I hear you ask - MUSIC and to document any outdoor concert.  I am convinced that a street parade at Disneyland counts as an outdoor concert - look there is a band!  This day was very hot Anaheim and I found a bench on a porch just right for waiting for the street parade to begin at about 3.30pm...with lots of water at the ready to keep me hydrated. I have gone for very sweet colours in this layout as right across from where I was sitting was the Candy Palace and this was the inspiration for the colours I used. Here are the individual pages so that you can see more detail of the photos. Thank you for looking.  More holiday snaps being scrapped. Check back regularly to see them.  Margaret (an unashamed Disneyland lover).

One of the surprises of my recent USA holiday was to find a bronze statue of Mary Tyler Moore on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, MI.  I watched the Mary Tyler Moore show, when it aired on TV many years ago and this street was featured in the opening credits to the show.  Here is a layout I have created.   Mary Tyler Moore passed away 17 January,2018, she was a strong role model for women during her lifetime. I created this layout for a challenge over at Soul Scrappers to use corrugated cardboard on the layout. About this time last year I was at Paperific , Melbourne and did a workshop with Beck Beattie where she used lots of small stamps on a layout - I loved this technique and have done quite a few layouts since. For this one I used crinkled up plastic wrap and Distress Oxides to create my background then a short spritz of water to smudge them together.   For the cardboard (from a box that I received some goodies in) I tore of the top layer to expose th...

Playing along with a challenge at  paperissues.com   Head over there and see their challenges each month. The challenge you ask? It is called "What's going down?"  Stay clear of top and middle section of your layout and focus attention on the bottom of your layout. The photograph of me was taken in Tauranga in New Zealand in January this year. I have used Distress Oxide inks to replicate the background of photo and a Kaszazz stamp called Hand Drawn Diamonds.  I then decided to Zentangle those little diamonds. A bit of lace, Happy Days stamp and random dotting with my pen complete the layout. All products available from Kaszazz...email me if interested in purchasing. Thank you for looking, Margaret  😀😀😀

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 :)

Below is a layout I have created for ARTastic Challenge Blog - Inspiration photo for this months challenge follows: This photo of me was taken on 2 November, 1990 when I was on a 35 day coach tour of Europe. I am wearing my Ken Done top purchased at his shop down in The Rocks area of Sydney.  Boy, did I feel special wearing it, and also showing off  an Australian artist at the same time.  If I remember correctly I got lots of comments from people I met. Here is the inspiration photo from ARTastic for this month - Ken Done's Sydney night.  The criteria was a city theme.  Now, technically Boppard is a town and municipality on the Rhine River in Germany not a city BUT I had the photograph above sitting around just waiting to be rehoused (it was previously in a very old non acid free album) so it seemed appropriate for this challenge.  Ken Done's first solo exhibition was held in Sydney in 1980. Since then, he has held over 50 one-man shows, inc...

I am participating in a challenge at Soul Scrappers  where we are to use a "travel" quote on a layout.Here is my layout: I have used Tinby Designs Colour Crush Watercolour powder in Black Berry to create the background.  I love that you can use left over bits and pieces to create the random photo mat. The photo was taken at Buderim Rainforest Walk and Falls as I rested before heading back up to the end of walk. Great day it was to be out and about wandering. I watered down some the powders and dyed some twine and fabric - I did not use as I did not like the resulting colour as it was more pink than red I wanted.  They will be used on another project later. Here are my fingers after I coloured the twine and fabric.  Thank you for looking, enjoy your wandering whenever it takes you... down the street or around the world.   Margaret.

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...