My Greatest Gifts..... G45 Winter Wonderland

Good Morning

It's Anita here with you again and today I have a layout to share using some more of the festive G45 Winter Wonderland papers.
This is one of my favourite photos of when our girls were a lot younger ( and still happy for me to get my camera out!)

Normally I scrap either standard 6 x 4 photos or 7 x 5's .....but just for a change I thought I would super size it and print out on an A4 sheet. I used 2 identical sheets of Winter Wonderland , with the first one I gutted the middle section out and fussy cut around the flowers and bird that over hung the border edges.

 I then took the 2nd sheet and fussy cut just the flowers and bird and popped them up on foam pads before layering them onto the bottom sheet, creating a decoupage effect.

I popped the completed borders on the top and the bottom of the photo and then added ivy leaves, wooden pine cone shapes, AC Thickers, pearly swirls and some little chipboard word strips. I also cut a couple of small panels from the Nordic Greetings sheet and added a sprinkling of Stickles here and there to finish the page off.

Winter Wonderland is just one of the many beautiful collections from G45 that are on sale in the shop, their intricate details can be a bit mind blowing when you first see them and its almost a shame to cover them with photos, but if you cut them up and use smaller sections they can work perfectly.....and they really do come in the most stunning variety of designs and themes.

What is your favourite size photo to scrap with? Do you mainly stick to 6 x 4's or do you like to venture out with other sizes?

Warmest wishes

G45 Winter Wonderland

I am over on the Papermaze blog and I have been playing with some sheets from the stunning festive collection from G45 called Winter Wonderland. It is a Scandinavian inspired collection with the addition of swallows, robins and traditional holly berries and poinsettias.

I thought for a change, rather than create a scrapbook page, I would make a bauble for our tree and a couple of cards to start off the pile I need to make ( I am so NOT a natural card maker and really struggle with them!)

So, I started with a large glass bauble which I removed the metal hook and top from until I had finished it. I cut lots and lots of strips from various sheets, with widths ranging from 1 cm to 1.5 cms and into lengths of 6 inches long.

Woodland Whimsy
Scandinavian Sampler
Yule Post
Pretty Poinsettia

I rolled each length up into tight little coils and then popped them into the bauble before they slightly un-ravelled. I carried on until the bauble was almost full, then popped the hanging hook and metal top back on. The top was a shiny silver and didn't really sit well with the vintage tones in the papers, so I cut a thin strip from one of the sheets and wrapped around the top. Then cut a few short lengths of organza ribbon and tied them onto the hanging hook to finish it off. I think I will probably make a set of 4 or 6 to put on our actual Christmas Tree when we get one. I always look forward to our annual visit to the local Christmas Tree farm to pick one.

These papers also lend themselves well to creating cards.....and as I am not really very good with cards, it was an ideal opportunity to use the Rustic Holiday sheet with its decorative panels to adorn the front of my cards. I also matted each layer with some Antique Gold mirri board.

And then popped on a few red flat backed crystals just to finish them off.
So now I need to pull my finger out and make a little pile of cards to give to my fellow crafty friends when we next meet at our Christmas crop.

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There is a vast selection of paper collections from G45 over on the shop site and they cover all sorts of themes.....or if you specifically wish for the Christmas collection I have used today, you can find it here.

Warmest wishes Anita xx

Very Merry ......with Simple Stories.

Hello There, I am over on the Papermaze DT blog with my first posting for November.
I have used some papers from the Very Merry collection by Simple Stories this time and teamed them up with a photo taken in the lead up to Christmas 2016. (apologies for the poor quality of the photos, the lighting has been dreadful with such dreary and drab weather)
I had just got the Snapchat App on my phone and had great fun playing with the various filters on there that add some really cute and often funny features to your faces ( not to mention some random ones that are just downright bizarre!!!).
We were heading on a family trip out to do some Christmas shopping, but our youngest Daughter was busy elsewhere, so we sent her a Snapchat message of my eldest Daughter and I.

As with all collections from Simple Stories, there are various double sided sheets. Some are purely patterned each side but there are also some sheets of Journalling elements plus Vertical and Horizontal Elements and of course the various sticker sheets and Snap Cards.

I based the layout on a sheet of  Seasons Greetings
I also cut a couple of Vertical Elements out, one of which I used as a photo mat.

I then cut various flower and leaf clusters out from a sheet of Peace on Earth 
and placed them around the page in various places. I cut up a few random
rectangles and stacked them to look like presents and tied them up with some red organza ribbon.

Various papers blooms, glittered Ivy leaves, Sequins and MDF laser cut shapes were added just to finish off the page.

 I have several other Snapchat photos that I have had printed and I am looking forward to scrapping with those too!
 I will have to have a look and see what other Simple Stories Collections will work well with them.....there are so many various sets available at the SHOP covering all different themes that I am sure finding something suitable will not be a problem.

Hope you have had lots of scrappy fun so far this month and I look forward to catching up with you later in November,

Warmest Wishes
Anita xx

When you Love What You Have ......Kaisercraft Golden Grove

Hello There......I am over on the Scrap Paper Scissors blog where I have been using the rest of my beautiful Kaisercraft Golden Grove papers for this layout. This is such a lovely colour-way to play with and is perfect for both scrapping and making cards too.

I cut a large circle out after drawing round a plate and also punched out lots of small circles, which I then stuck all the way round the large circle to create a scalloped edge.

                     
                              I felt that the scalloped circle was a little plain and so I popped on flat
                                        backed pearls and crystals alternately onto each scallop.

I used a dark green piece of cardstock and tore a jagged mat for the photo to sit on and then brushed some Icicle Stickles around the torn edges to give a soft sparkle

The papers have some rather stunning flowers on and these were fussy cut and layered on foam pads in various places around the page to help add a little dimension.
There were a couple of teeny butterflies in amongst the flowers so i cut them out and added to the quote panel and raised the wings. Then popped a green organza ribbon bow on to finish.

I finished the page by adding little twinkly highlights here and there with some more Icicle Stickles......Jeez I love that stuff!! It is probably one of most used items in my stash! Can't beat a little bit of sparkle eh!....

This gorgeous collection from Kaisercraft can be found in the shop here  along with a vast selection of other gorgeous and fabulous goodies......grab a cuppa, sit down and have a good look....you will be glad you did!

Happy Scrapping!
Warmest wishes Anita xx

There goes my Hero........ Chesterville Collection from Blue Fern studios

 Hi There, I am over on the Scrap Paper Scissors blog at the mo with one of the new Blue Fern Studio Collections....and one of my favourite men.

I am working with some of the new Chesterville Collection from Blue Fern Studios....it's a rather lovely masculine, grungy collection and it makes a really nice change from the floral and pretty paper ranges that are more often about..

I am a huge fan of the rock band The Foo Fighters and I am particularly fond of the lead singer, Dave Grohl....a hugely talented man who writes a lot of the bands songs and music.....and I just really have a *thing* for him! It also made a change to scrap a 'non family' layout

I planned using a standard 6 x 4 photo of him, but wanted also to make a big impact. Years ago I used to print a lot on acetate/transparencies and use on a layout and thought I would try that again for a change. I printed a close up of his face onto an a4 sheet and used it as a background for the layout. I also printed some of the lyrics from one of his songs onto acetate to use.

I had some chipboard edging and used some cosmic shimmer in Black Pearl and some Distress Stickles to grunge it up. I used the same colours to distress the edge of the photo, which I layered over part of the acetate.

I poured some blobs of Cosmic Shimmer Inks and let it run down the layout and also dabbed some Distress Stains in various areas. I then layered up some tickets and a chipboard frame and finished the layout with a metal bookplate and some metal letter embellishments

I really enjoyed making this, its made a nice change to branch out and do something different.

You can see the whole Chesterville Collection here in the shop along with lots of other delightful Blue Fern Studios products.

Happy Scrapping!

Anita xxThere goes my Hero

Love you Most................. Golden Grove from Kaisercraft

Hello there, I am over on the Papermaze blog at the moment :)Love you Most

I have been working with some left overs of the Golden Grove Collection, from Kaisercraft.
( For some reason in my first photo of the whole layout the page seems to have taken on an orangey hue. It is definitely more yellowy in real life....as you can see by the other photos lower down this post)

 The soft, rich gold reminds me of late summer hazy sunshine and we head out as often as possible for some evening walks locally. One evening in particular we visited Pevensey Castle and although the castle itself was actually closed, you can still walk around inside the castle walls and enjoy the sun casting it rays across the grounds.

For my layout I used various left overs from my earlier page using the same collection, Be Grateful  and added a couple of other sheets.
My page was made using 2 halves of different sheets, cut diagonally and held in place with a band of paper.

Originally I planned this to be a nice, clean sharp page.....HHhmmmmmm...... well I don't do clean very well. I thought I would just give it a little gentle dab and splat here and there with a Distress Stain .....well that led me to then giving it a little squirt of Dylusions Spray . Unfortunately the dabs I had already done were not dry and the spray merged with it and made a bit of a murky mess!!!

At his point I felt like throwing the page away, however, not one to admit defeat easily, I rummaged around in my boxes of stash and pulled out a pot each of gold and green embossing powders. 
I sprinkled some little piles of each colour onto the murky splats and also sprinkled some in different patches across the page. I then heated with a gun from underneath the page so it didn't blow the loose powder away and actually quite liked the result....Hurrah!!

I mounted the photo on some Bazzill and then added lots of fussy cut flowers and other bits and bobs from the sheets. I also printed out some butterflies onto white smooth cardstock and added a few to the page.

So.....I guess the lesson I have learnt here is even if you think you have completely messed up a page when you are part way through it....carry on, even if its in a different direction. Its surprising how they can come out sometimes.
For the lovely Golden Grove collection and many other beautiful Kaisercraft products ( not to mention a huge range of every scrapping item you could need) please pop over to the SHOP.....there is also a rather good Summer SALE on, don't leave it too long and miss out!!

Thanks for looking and I hope you enjoy the rest of August.....especially the sunny days.

Warmest wishes
Anita xx

Be Grateful .......Golden Grove from kaisercraft

 I have been having a play with some of the very latest collection from Kaisercraft, this one is called Golden Grove and its a stunning set, filled with the gentle sunshine hues of summer combined with the rustic charms of country style flora and a sprinkling of rich fruits and golden blooms.

I used a sheet of Vanilla cardstock for the base and I inked gently round the edges with an old dark brown inkpad. The centre of the layout was simply a die cut sheet from the set called Orchard and I cut of lots of random flowers out that matched and layered them up for some dimension.

I really love this photo, its of my youngest daughter a few years ago with some of her cousins, sat on the flower banks at our local reservoir. I knew as soon as I saw the papers EXACTLY what photo to use and I think it works perfectly.

Rather than matting the photo I decided to dry brush with a cream acrylic to create a softer edge.

So....lots of fussy cutting later and the addition of some pretty half pearls, Stickles and raising some sections up on foam pads to create some dimension and I am really pleased with the result.

I have used the following items :

Orchard Die Cut

Grateful

Vanilla Cardstock

Half Pearls

Icicles Stickles

Prima paper Butterflies

Cream Acrylic Paint

Thanks for looking and make sure you treat yourself to some of this collection......its fabulous!

Indigo Skies......A Collection of Cards.

Hello again,
 I would like to share a few cards that I have made using some left overs from my selection of papers from the beautiful Indigo Skies collection by Kaisercraft.

The first one was made for my lovely friend and fellow DT member, Lynn for her birthday. I made her an 8 x 8 easel card.

 The card was decorated using various papers sections, butterflies, crystals, a doily, some die cuts and some gems. I made a rectangular shaker box which I filled with sequins and popped on the front, to add some extra dimension and movement.

I also decorated the inside of the card with papers and crystals and popped a raised sentiment on it, this works as a stand point to hold the card open.
I am really not a card maker, but I was rather happy with how this one came out and I am pretty sure that Lynn liked it too.

This paper collection is just sooo pretty and it makes it much easier to design with. I made a few other smaller cards with the rest of the left overs......I think I need to go shopping now to get some more of the collection.....I am absolutely smitten with it!!

The papers I used across this set of cards are as follows:

Blue Moon ,
   Misty,
 Storm,   
 Windswept,
Washed Out
Chambray

Well that's me done for now....I will be back to see you in July!

Have a super weekend!
Warmest wishes
Anita xx

Surround yourself with those that make you happy xx

It's not often I get totally bowled over by a paper collection...however this release from Kaisercraft has most certainly done the job! It's called Indigo Skies, is truly beautiful and combines stunning butterflies, soft denim, white washed woods, marbled stormy hues amongst other things. This collection is perfect for scrapping the girls...or the boys! And I couldn't wait to get playing!

I used a sheet of blue cardstock for the back frame of the layout, then trimmed a couple of thin strips off a sheet of white cardstock. I spritzed a little misting of Dylusions Ink Spray in London Blue and drew lightly in pencil round a tea plate to give me the outline of a circle to follow to create my wreath on the page.

I had chosen our Christmas Day 2016  Family Selfie to use on the layout and printed it in black and white as I felt this sat better amongst the blue tones and on the white ( I plan using the same pic in colour on some Christmas papers at some point)

Next it was time to cut out lots of bits and pieces to create the wreath.

So I chose 3 sheets of the papers to use. The butterflies are on the Chambray sheet and compliment the flowers on the Misty sheet perfectly. I also cut up some sayings from the Blue Moon sheet too. I stuck the various items down following the pencil outline as a guide, overlapping some areas and folding the wings back on the butterflies to give dimension.

I also popped on some sequins ( one of my favourite embellishments at the moment!)

I chose a wooden title saying Family that I found in my stash which I was going to paint, but I wanted a really deep sheen finish and decided to use some Gilding Flakes instead in Silver, this gave a really pretty finish. Some little flat backed crystals on the butterfly bodies finished the layout off perfectly without over doing the glitz!

Gosh, have I mentioned just HOW much I love this collection!!!

As I had cut out a few extra bits and pieces and had some left over I thought I would throw together a 2nd layout super quickly....so out came the spray inks again.....

I absolutely LOVE these butterflies.....so pretty!

And that Chambray paper.....well it just looks like someone has torn a pair of jeans up.

I LOVE it!

Do yourself a favour and pop some of these beauties in your basket when you are next in the shop or online, they are just so lovely to scrap with.

Later on this month i will be back with some cards I have made using the same collection.

Til then, Happy Scrapping!!

Warmest wishes

Anita xx

My Heart is Full......Kaisercraft wildflowers prt 2.

Hi There, today I am here with my final post for May ( How DID we get to the end of May already this year??)
I would like to apologise for the low quality of the photo's, due to camera issues I have had to use my phone for this post. And for some reason the layout looks lopsided and crooked in places in the pics...I promise it really isn't though ;)

Not sure if you have seen the delightful Wildflower Collection by Kaisercraft yet or not, but if you haven't, do yourself a favour and pop over to the shop. It's really beautiful and such a pleasure to work with, with its delicate palette of colour and soft watercolour designs....what's not to like?

I used the reverse side of a sheet of Vines for my layout, which although very pretty as it was, I decided I couldn't just leave it alone!

So I used a 12 x 12 Stencil and some Texture paste and created a little bit of dimension. I then dribbled and splattered some Cosmic Shimmer Mists in various areas and blew through a straw to create runs of gentle colour (some of which drizzled into the texture paste).

I used a couple of aqua toned small doilies to mat the photo of my youngest daughter when she was a cheeky wee nipper! I then made a cluster of paper blossoms and leaves and added a sprinkle of sequins and crystals.

I absolutely LOVE using sequins on my layouts, I think they are one of my favourite embellishments. I like to liberally sprinkle them about, but i also love to pile a huge cluster on sometimes with a good size dollop of glue! So for this page I made an oversized photo corner and generously piled them up!

I cut a couple of over sized flowers out from a sheet of In Bloom  and embellished the stamens with some AB crystals which sparkle and capture the light beautifully.

The sheet of Wings is covered with multi-coloured butterflies and I cut out a couple that blended in well with the page.

I finished the page by adding a quote cut from a sheet of Gathered 
and sprinkling a few more sequins and crystals .....and then I made myself stop ha ha!

I really enjoyed creating this layout, I feel like my creative mojo may well be coming back to me again....well I hope so anyway! Enjoy whats left of May and I will see you again in June.

Warmest wishes
Anita xx