Stamps Ahead

I was fortunate that I had several overseas travel destinations in 2024.  I have lots of travel papers and embellishments in my stash - time to use up some of them.  I decided to make an accordion journal. It was so much fun to do.  I made the tie, earlier in the year, just right for this journal. Following are photos of the album. Front cover. Approximate size of album is 9.5cm square (3 3/4") A pocket holding tickets and pieces for adding journalling. This flip out will be for me to list the places I visited this year - South Pacific Cruise, another South Pacific Cruise that did not make it to South Pacific due to weather but did go to Airlie Beach and Cairns. I also visited friends in Missouri and Florida in USA.  Finally, I met up with my sister in London UK (she was also travelling) and together we had a car journey around UK, Scotland and Wales.  I put several photos my travel in this journal. This tag was a photo a sign in Florida when I was overwhelmed w...

The Scrappy tags workshop I developed was held today and here are the participants tags they created.  I was able to handover $275 to Pastimes Craft Group Ettalong Beach for their continued mission support.  A good time was had by all and a great morning tea (sorry no photos).  This photo above shows the messy mat I made for each participant - a little bit of Oxide Inks though a small stencil in top left corner.. Love that little heart on the house 2nd from right. Thank you for looking and remember 'It's beginning to look like Christmas".  Margaret

This is what I made on Saturday - I was inspired after watching a great video from Shanouki Art thank you. The video showed how to use a full 12" page of scrapbooking paper.  The video showed how to use a full 12" page of scrapbooking paper. I was so inspired I put my hand on the first piece of Christmas paper I could find (it was not the full 12" as it had been previously cut into) but I went with it.  I have used other items from my stash as well.  Here, are a few other photos: Reverse with small pocket. All the items.   Thank you looking, I will be back shortly with more Christmas ramblings. Margaret "It's beginning to look like Christmas, everywhere you go" - Lyrics by Meredith Wilson  The shops are beginning to decorate, the internet is a "buzz " and YouTube is wild with ideas - ramblings from Margaret Crawford!

My sister recently led the youth group (teenagers up to age 14) at her church and the activity would be that they would make gratitude journals.  Here are the sample covers that I designed for them.  They had to be quick to put together and interesting enough that they would enjoy making. My sister and I cut out the strips and stamped sayings - many choices for them.   They were each given a pack containing a note book  the strips that we cut.  They then selected the sayings they wanted on their journal and finally they added the circle stamps to finish off their journal.  Feedback was that they really enjoyed this activity with several of them even putting some of the sayings onto pages in their journal. This is a great way to use up scraps from other paper crafting projects. Thank you for looking, Margaret

This is a layout I created for the May Mystery Bag challenge at Soul Scrappers Challenges The challenge was to add an umbrella or umbrellas to your page.  This photo of my niece taken when she was about 3 and half when we visited her Dad on a building site he was working on - if I remember correctly it was in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney.  I have recently been looking through old photos (to scrapbook, of course) when I excitedly came across this one - Yay, I can do the challenge!  This became a small stash busting challenge for me. Read on..... I delved into my stash - and found the painted kraft cardstock that I was going to use for challenge many moons ago - didn't use it and there it sat waiting for its day in sun! So I cropped it down to a 10" square. Then I found the background paper that I am calling the little umbrellas you put in drinks! The cut out umbrellas were all I had remaining from 2 sheets of Dare 2B Artsy paper and the felt embellishments were from a ver...

This layout is for a challenge over at ARTastic Challenges  Facebook group - the challenge Christmas themed and must include stars. The photos of my sister and I were taken at Kirkton Park, Pokolbin, in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, were we were having a high tea to celebrate my birthday.  This tree was in the foyer.   Whilst I would have been tempted to have a photo of the both of us without our masks - I decided to use this photo as a record of the Covid restrictions in place then.   Hopefully, Christmas 2022 we will be different, however, we will continue to wear masks as long as needed and probably past that to protect ourselves, family and friends in years to come. Thank you for looking, why not click on the link and participate in the challenge that will end at the end of January.   Margaret

Over the past couple of days I have been making paper 'snippet' rolls.  What are they I hear you ask? Firstly, let me show you what I have made with my 'snippets; Here is a definition I found on the web " A snippet roll is a  long strip of paper or fabric that is decorated with bits and pieces of paper, fabric and findings . The person making the snippet roll determines the length and width of the roll. There are no rules as to how long or wide a snippet roll must be."  I was fascinated as I searched further and further on the web.  So I had a go using paper scraps!  My thing then became what would I do with them?    There is a market/fair coming up in September.  My sister saw the larger Tyvek pencil cases (4) on special at Typo and I found the smaller pencil cases at Kmart.  Perfect to place the my snippets on.   I also showed my sister how to make them and she has made hers for the front of art/faith journals that will also be so...

Here is a little something I have made this morning.  What is it? It is an envelope pocket I have made - suitable for junk journals, art journals, scrapbooking, gift giving.  This morning I was awake at 5am and could not get back to sleep, so I opened my tablet and began looking at videos on creating using book pages.   I came across a video by Treasure Books and I was fascinated with the creation of these little works of art that start with 4 old book pages.   Here is the pocket open.  You can probably guess that the old book I used was an old Dressmaking book.  On the front l put part of a 'snippet roll'  I created earlier in the week - again a first for me - and it will not be the last.  Both great ways to use up the bits and pieces and scraps leftover from my scrapbooking and cardmaking projects.    Below, is the rest of the 'snippet roll' I created. On both projects you an see that I have used lace,  torn paper, die c...

I lead a community card class each Friday during school terms.   With Easter approaching I asked my ladies (there are no men attending) did they want to make an Easter Card.  Yes, BUT they did not want bunnies, chickens, eggs, yellow, pastel colours etc. So I came up with this card - they loved it. I found the design on Pinterest - it is a great way to use up scraps of paper. This card is going onto an Easter card challenge on Soul Scrappers. Thank you for looking, Margaret.

Looking for a card that can use up your scraps?  Well, I was.  This is the card that I made.  I was inspired by this vintage type card I found on Pinterest by Mona Pendleton .  I was inspired by the tape paper and the pennants below.  I just happened to have my sewing machine out so that came in handy as well.  Thank you Mona, I have left thanks on your blog for the inspiration. Thank you for looking.   Margaret :)

For the past couple of weeks I have been leading a group of ladies, at a local community group, as they complete scrapbooking layouts.  I concentrated on showing them techniques they could easily replicate.  This week I wanted to include sewing machine stitching on their layouts. This is a layout I completed and it shows my sister and I enjoying pancakes with Raspberry Sauce in Berlin, Germany and yes we are still eating our way around Europe!!! Here is a close up of some of the stitching.   I went to Pinterest to locate a sketch that I thought would be ideal for including stitching for beginners onto paper. I wanted straight line stitching with no curves.  Here is the sketch I found.  It is from Shimelle . Thank you Shimelle for the inspiration. The other good thing about this layout was that I could show them how to use 6" square patterned paper and it would be a good way to use papers from your stash. Thank you for looki...

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to spend most of the day creating.  Here are some pages I have created for challenges over at Soul Scrappers: This was for challenge CC44 - where we were required to make 3 cards with frames as the main feature. I have called my collection - "Variations on a theme".  I have used Sizzix Photo Frame Die, and Stampin'Up! (r) word dies (never used before and now retired), their beautiful Butterly Die and cardstock.  The patterned paper is from the a range by Inspired by Stamping.  Next is a layout for their MYC19 challenge - Picnic (indoor or outdoor). One beautiful day earlier this year my sister and I decided to pack an impromptu picnic and head to beach for lunch.  Time to relax - just read, walk, and photograph.  Looking forward to more warmer weather shortly after a very cold winter here in Australia. The next layout was for Challenge FS2S8 Surf's Up challenge. For this one I went for a double...

A current challenge at Soul Scrappers is to: "challenge for you this month is to find a few of those half empty sheets (of alphas)  and figure out a creative way to use them on a layout, 2 cards or an off the page project.". My alphas are not stored neatly - they are all over the place, in plastic boxes, cardboard boxes, even in suitcases - don't ask.  One of these days I will get them organized. So as I was looking for half used alphas, I also found half used vellum stickers and even a fabric sticker - so I decided my layout would include all the stickers.  The photos of my sister and I were taken at Coffs Harbour (on northern coast of NSW) last year.   Please excuse the more quality of the photo of the layout - I recently had a fall - camera in hand - and the digital screen cracked and the camera is currently at the camera doctor for a quote to be fixed.  So mobile (cell) phone to the rescue. Thanks for looking,  Margaret