Layout 100: play

Hi!

Or maybe I should be saying Woo Hoo!  I made it to 100 layouts!  Here it is:

It's a bit different to what I'd normally do, but I'm really pleased with how it turned out.  I don't like the Paisley Petals DSP at all, but I think they suited this double layout well.

The photos are of Hudson and are a sequence I took in October.  I didn't think much of the photos until I laid them out in order and realised they reflected his personality so much. I wrote about it in the journalling:

I love how this sequence of photos of you playing in the surf at Lady Bay so perfectly capture your personality.  You may need a little help getting to where you want to go, but once you're there you live life to the fullest.  You may get knocked over, but you just pick yourself up and get on with things.  And when bigger waves come, you know we're there for you.  I love your joy and your determination Hudson.

You can see all the expressions in his face - the uncertainty, the joy, the fear and finally, the determination.  He's one special little man!

Ink: Always Artichoke
DSP/Cardstock: Paisley Petals DSP, River Rock, Always Artichoke, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Simple Letters Alpha Dies, White Baker's Twine, 1/16" Circle Punch

Thanks so much for following my little blog in 2011.  I hope you've enjoyed my cards and my scrapping and found a little bit of inspiration somewhere along the way.  I wish you all a happy and creative 2012 and look forward to reading your comments and visiting your blogs in 2012.

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 99: Up On Daddy's Shoulders

Hi!

I wanted to scrap some gorgeous photos of Rob and Hudson on the beach.  We'd taken the kids for a walk on the beach a couple of weeks ago.  We thought it was too cold for a swim, but the kids had other ideas!  Rob had Hudson up on his shoulders while we walked.  The beach is no place for a stroller!  I had been taking photos of the kids in the water, and then just happened to turn around and snap a few of Rob and Hudson.  They are some of my favourite photos from that walk on the beach.

Isn't that an awesome quote to go with the photos?  I did a quick google search for daddy's shoulders quotes and found this one.  It's actually the title of a children's book by Matt Berry.  It took me forever to cut out, but the end result was worth the effort.

I love that look of sheer happiness on Hudson's face!

Ink: Real Red and Pacific Point Stampin' Write Markers
DSP/Cardstock: First Edition Specialty DSP, Real Red, Pacific Point, Very Vanilla
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alphabet Dies, Large Star Punch (retired)

Tomorrow I have my 100th layout for 2011 to show you.  I'm thrilled that I met my target for the year, and I actually made it a few days early, as I completed the layout on the 27th.  Hmmm, I wonder what goals I should set for myself in 2012?

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 98: At The Beach

Hi!

Oops, this layout published early - I hit the wrong button! It just means the numbers are out of order.  I'll have layout 99 on the 30th and 100 on the 31st.

I realised recently that I don't take as many photos of Alex as I do of Hudson and Ada.  They tend to play up to the camera, but Alex's autism means he doesn't like looking at the camera.  I have a heap of photos of him looking off to the side, but very few of him looking directly at the camera.  This means I usually have to catch him by surprise to get him looking.  The photos I scrapped on this layout were ones I caught using this method.  I love them - they are the best I have taken of Alex for ages.

Once again I am using the Everyday Enchantment DSP that will be one of the Sale-A Bration offerings.  I love that even though the DSP is quite pretty and girly, it doesn't look out of place on a masculine, beachy layout.

I used some of the Blue Denim Jean Ribbon and some Linen Thread to keep the layout masculine.

Ink: Crumb Cake
DSP/Cardstock: Everyday Enchantment DSP (SAB), Crumb Cake 12 x 12 Textured, Very Vanilla
Other: Big Shot, Simple Letter Alpha Dies, Blue Denim Jean Ribbon, Linen Thread, Sponge Dauber, Alpha Rub Ons (non SU!)

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 97: Tooth Fairy

Hi!

Wow, only 3 more layouts after this one 'til I hit 100!  Today's layout shows my daughter Ada and her first two missing teeth.

It's been a while since I used any of the Flirtatious Specialty DSP, so I decided to take a break from the Sale-A-Bration DSP and use some of it for Ada's layout.  She loves the pretty patterned paper.

Ink: Melon Mambo Stampin' Write Marker
DSP/Cardstock: Flirtatious Specialty DSP, Daffodil Delight, Pretty In Pink
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alphabet Dies, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Daffodil Delight Brads, Daffodil Delight 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon (retired), Whisper White 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon (retired), White Baker's Twine, Tag Punch (non SU!)

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 96: baby face

Hi!

I love the photo of Hudson on today's layout.  I took it in October, about a month after he turned 4.  The photo also makes me a little sad.  He has such a chubby, baby face in the photo that seems to have disappeared ever since.  It was his last 'baby face' photo, and a reminder that he's becoming a little boy.  My baby is growing up!

I wanted to keep the photo as the focal part of the layout, so I went very minimal with everything else.

I used more of the DSP and a brad that is a part of the Sale-A-Bration offerings.  I used the DSP to cover some chipboard swirls from my stash.  It took a while to do, but I love the end result!

Ink: Soft Suede, Versamark
DSP/Cardstock: Everyday Enchantment DSP, Poppy Parade Textured 12 x 12, Poppy Parade
Other: Everyday Enchantment Brad, Chipboard Swirls and Alphabet (from my stash), White Embossing Powder, Distressing Essentials Kit Files, Sanding Block, Sponge Dauber, Tombow Adhesive

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 95: woteva

Hi!

Today I have a little sneak peek of some of the upcoming Sale-A-Bration products.  This year Stampin' Up! are offering a choice of not only 4 stamp sets, but also a DSP pack and a brads and ribbon pack.  My layout features the papers and embellishments.

Aren't those papers gorgeous!

In the photo above you can see a bit of one of the ribbons and a brad from the embellishment pack you can choose with a purchase of $100.

I used some more of the ribbon to create a body and antennae of the butterfly.

I used more of the ribbon to create a multi looped bow for the layout.

Ink: Soft Suede, Poppy Parade, Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spray
Stamps: Artistic Etchings
DSP/Cardstock: Everyday Enchantment DSP (SAB), Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alpha Dies, Beautiful Butterflies Die, Scallop Circle Punches, Circle Punches, Everyday Enchantment Ribbon and Brad (SAB), Mini Glue Dots, Basic Jewel Rhinestones, Sponge Dauber, Paper Snips

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 94: November

Hi!

I'm edging ever closer to 100 layouts!  Here's a look at November's monthly double.

In Adelaide it is traditional to put the Christmas tree up on Pageant weekend, which is mid November, hence all the Christmas photos.  November was a busy month for us, so it was hard to cull all the photos!

Ink: Concord Crush Stampin' Write Marker
DSP/Cardstock: Cheerful Treat DSP (hostess), Concord Crush, Lucky Limeade, Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alphabet Dies, Circle Punches

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 93: October

Hi!

Merry Christmas!  I hope you are all having a wonderful day with your nearest and dearest.  I've scheduled this post so I can keep up with my goal of 100 layouts by the end of the year without having to blog on Christmas Day.  Today I have my October summary layout for you.

Look - there's my favourite photo again! lol

I have quite liked doing these monthly summary layouts and I'm going to continue them into 2012.  They are much more manageable than the weekly 8x8 layouts I did in 2010!

Ink: Lucky Limeade Stampin' Write Marker
DSP/Cardstock: Berry Blossoms DSP, In Colour Patterns Stack DSP, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alphabet Dies

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 92: run run run!

Hi!

Are you liking the scrapbooking?  I'm still racing to meet my 100 layouts deadline, but I think I can do it!  Today I have a layout using the Frightful Sight DSP for a non-Halloween project.

You've already seen this photo a few times - it's one of my favourite family photos from this year.  This layout tells the story behind the photo.  We were in the middle of nowhere and decided to take a photo using the timer on our camera.  We set up at one picnic table and I took the camera to the other table, which was far away.  I had just enough time to run back to the family before the timer ran out.  I didn't find out 'til later that Rob was taking pictures of me running back!  Let's just say I'm not much of a runner!

I used the brads to cover up a tear on the circle journalling spot.  What's the saying - there's no mistakes, just creative opportunities!

Ink: Old Olive Stampin' Write Marker
DSP/Cardstock: Frightful Sight DSP, Cherry Cobbler 12 x 12 Textured, Old Olive, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alpha Dies, Simple Letters Dies, Corner Rounder Punch, Flower Brads, Sanding Block, Circle Cutter

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 91: Fun at the beach

Hi!

Today's layout is the final of my digital layouts (for now!), but the second one I made.  This one was made completely from scratch.  I wanted to have a really good play around with some of the features of the software.

I had lots of fun with digital stamps, punches, brads and drop shadows.  I hope Stampin' Up! bring My Digital Studio to Australia soon!

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 90: So Happy Together

Hi!

Today I have the first of the My Digital Studio layouts I completed.  I chose to make a predesigned layout so I could get a bit of a feel for the program.  All I had to do was drop the photo in place and add my journalling.  Easy!

All the hard work was done for me.  Remember, My Digital Studio is not avaliable in Australia, so if you want to get it here you need to let Stampin' Up! know about it!

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 88 and 89: Calendar Front Pages

Hi!

I was lucky enough recently to go and visit a fellow demonstrator who has the digital software from Stampin' Up called My Digital Studio.  It isn't available in Australia (yet!) unfortunately.  I had a play around and made 4 different layouts.  The two I am showing you today were actually the last two I made, they are both the same, just the colour and the year changed.  They are going to be used as the title pages for my monthly layout album - one for 2011 and the second for 2012.

They were quite easy to make, and once I'd done the first I just cut and paste to make the second!

If you're keen to get access to My Digital Studio you need to email Stampin' Up! and let them know just how much you'd love to have it.  I certainly will be!

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 87: Naughty or Nice

Hi!

I was very organised this year and made my Santa photo layout before I had the Santa photo.  You can see the layout here.  Well, I guess karma decided to have a bit of a laugh because when we went to have the photo taken, we couldn't get it done at our usual place.  So off we went to the next place and had the photo taken.  It wasn't until later that I realised I'd scrapped for a portrait oriented photo and I had a landscape oriented photo in my hands.  Sigh.  It just shows that some things are best left 'til the last minute!

I used the Letters To Santa DSP on my layout.  I cut out a heap of words and phrases and then couldn't decide on how to include them on my layout.  I eventually noticed that they were all different lengths and so I arranged them in a Christmas tree shape.

Look at those children - butter wouldn't melt in their mouths!

Ink: Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker
DSP/Cardstock: Letters To Santa DSP, Old Olive 12 x 12 textured, Red Glimmer Paper
Other: Postage Stamp Punch, Small Star Punch (retired), Paper Snips, Paper Doily (non SU!)

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 86: tag!

Hi!

My eldest son Alex went to a birthday party way back in April at a laser tag centre.  I've had these photos sitting on my desk since then, waiting for inspiration to hit me.  Finally it did, so I was able to scrap them.

Would you believe my inspiration was bubble wrap?  I used some of it to stamp the background!

I simply used my brayer and some Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint to 'ink' the bubble wrap, and then stamped the cardstock.  So easy, and yet so effective!  I like the rough look of it - not every bubble stamped perfectly.

Don't adjust your screens!  The above photo is meant to be sideways so you can see the journalling.  I was stuck on how to add the journalling because I didn't want it to stand out too much. In the end I decided to try more of the Shimmer Paint with my blender pen.  It was a bit tedious having to reink the pen so often, but I think the effort was worth it, as I got the look I was after!  You can see I sanded the edges of the photos to give them a border.

Stamps: Bubble Wrap
Ink: Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint
Cardstock: Basic Black
Other: Big Shot, Simple Letters Alphabet Dies, Brayer, Sanding Block, Blender Pen

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 85: September

Hi!

Today I have the last (for now) in my monthly double layouts.  I haven't yet printed the photos for October, November or December, but I think I will need to do that before Christmas so I can try to finish my 100 layouts.

This layout uses some of my favourite papers from the Big Top Birthday pack.  It's so bright and cheerful!

Ink: Tempting Turquoise Stampin' Write Marker
DSP/Cardstock: Big Top Birthday DSP, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Simple Letters Alphabet Dies, Bird Builder Punch

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 84: August

Hi!

Here's yet another of my monthly double layouts.  August is a busy month, as both Rob and I have our birthdays in August.  We also took a trip back home for a wedding and to see my family.  My wonderful family looked after the children for the weekend so that Rob and I could attend the wedding.

The kids also had Grandparent's Day at school and a few playdates.

I made this layout after I'd made a few boxes using the Petal Cone Die.  The flags around the title are some of the leftover pieces from the die cuts. I just wound some Baker's Twine around them and tied a bow.

Ink: Wild Wasabi Stampin' Write Marker
DSP/Cardstock: Just Add Cake DSP, Wild Wasabi, Poppy Parade, So Saffron, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alphabet Dies, Tasteful Trims Die, Petal Cone Die, White Baker's Twine

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 83: July

Hi!

Here's another of my monthly double layouts.  This one is for July, which is Ada's birthday month.

I replicated the circular theme in the DSP on my layout by cutting four large circles and placing them on the pages.

I used my white signo gel pen to create faux stitching around the whole layout.  It didn't look quite finished until I added the stitching.  I also drew around the letters in the title - my hand was a little wobbly that day!

I broke the faux stitching lines to include a bit of journalling about each of the photos.

Ink: White Signo Gel Pen
DSP/Cardstock: Berry Blossoms DSP, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade
Other: Big Shot, Simple Letters Alphabet Dies, Circle Cutter

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 82: Fire Station Visit

Hi!

Today I have some digital scrapping for you.  I haven't done much digital scrapping, but I found these free templates on the Creating Keepsakes site and I had to have a go.  They are pretty easy to use if you have a bit of an understanding of PhotoShop.

Hudson's playgroup went to visit a firestation, and these are some of the photos from the morning.  The layout took me all of 10 minutes to do.  I think I like the digital, but it will never replace traditional scrapping for me!

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 81: June

Hi!

Here's another double layout in my monthly summary series.  It's June, which was a bit of a quiet month for us.

I used a sheet of the Well Worn DSP and matching More Mustard cardstock.  I just trimmed the DSP by hand along the zig zag created by the pattern in the paper.

The title was cut using the Timeless Type Alphabet dies, I just cut off the serifs for a different look.  I also covered the letters in a layer of Crystal Effects.

While I had the Crystal Effects out I also placed a small dot at the intersection of each of the lines in the DSP.  You might be able to see it in the photo above.

Ink: Not Quite Navy, More Mustard
DSP/Cardstock: Well Worn DSP, More Mustard, Cajun Craze
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alphabet Dies, Paper Snips, Sponge Daubers, Crystal Effects

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 80: May

Hi!

One of the tasks I set for my scrapbooking this year was to create a double layout for each month, just a snippet of the things that we did that month.  This layout is the one I created for May.

Each month I choose a favourite photo and print that full sized, and the rest I print at quarter size.  The white blobs are erased faces for privacy.

After I die cut the word May I ran it through the Big Shot again in the Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder.  I thought it suited the papers I chose for the layout, just a little bit playful.  You may be able to see the embossing in the photo above.

Ink: Lucky Limeade Stampin' Write Marker
DSP/Cardstock: Cheerful Treat (Hostess), Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Simple Letters Alpha Dies, Petal Cone Die, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Itty Bitty Punch, Circle Punch

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 79: The Boy In The Box

Hi!

Waaaaaayyyyy back in January I challenged myself to complete 100 layouts in 2011.  I was going really well until November got swallowed into a black hole of sickness.  So here I am, mid way through December, and I'm up to layout 79.  Not too bad considering, but I still want to complete my challenge.  You're going to be seeing a lot of layouts before the end of the year!

This layout has been floating around on my desk half finished for about 2 months.  I had the DSP and the photos stick down, but I just couldn't finish it.  I think I was stuck on a title.  I eventually settled on The Boy In The Box for the title and then the rest of the layout was easy to finish.  It's so frustrating getting stuck on one little detail like that!

I got out an old favourite stamp set for this layout - Baroque Motifs.  It was one of the very first stamp sets I purchased, but it hasn't seen much ink lately.  I love the way the textured cardstock has an effect on the image.  I was after this rough kind of look and it worked perfectly!

The shape of the DSP came from a piece of paper I had in my stash.  I just traced it onto the DSP and hand cut it out.  I liked the curves in the paper and how they offset the angular photos and title.

Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Ink: Basic Black
DSP: First Edition Speciality DSP, Real Red Textured 12 x 12, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Real Red
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alpha Dies, Decorative Label Punch, Spiral Border Punch (retired), Small Alpha Stickers (non SU)

Catch you later,

Tina

Grand Big Top Birthday!

Hi!

Do you have your sunnies on?  No? Well, go get them then!  Today's card is bright.  Very bright!

I combined the Big Top Birthday DSP with the Hostess stamp set Ain't Love Grand for this card.  It was made for my neighbour who recently celebrated a birthday.

I love the Big Top Birthday DSP.  It's so bright and cheerful!  I didn't have the Pacific Point star on the card to start with, but I felt like the Baker's Twine was getting a bit 'lost' in amongst all the stars on the DSP.  The star punchie was a quick and easy way to give the twine a boost.

I stamped the marching man in Basic Black ink and then coloured him using my Blender Pen and coordinating ink colours.

For the inside I reached for the star punch again.  This time I punched through the Whisper White layer so that you can see the Real Red layer through the hole made by the punch.  Sadly, the star punches have been retired by Stampin' Up!, but you could just as easily use any of the punches we stock to get a similar effect.

Stamps: Ain't Love Grand (hostess), Happiest Birthday Wishes (hostess)
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight
DSP/Cardstock: Big Top Birthday DSP, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Pacific Point, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Scallop Square Duo Bigz Die, White Baker's Twine, Dimensionals, Blender Pen, Large Star Punch (retired)

Catch you later,

Tina

Meeting Shelli

Hi!

Today I have a layout featured on Stamp A Memory.  It records the evening when I met Shelli Gardner, the founder and CEO of Stampin' Up! at the annual Convention in May this year.  Here's a little sneak peek:

I hope you can pop over and take a look at the whole layout.  Click on the photo to take you there.

Catch you later,

Tina

Just Add Tania Gould!

Hi!

The team at Just Add Ink have come up with a new challenge - to CASE a card from a selected Design Team member, in this case Tania Gould.  So off I popped to look through her blog for inspiration, and boy did I find some!  Tania is one very clever papercrafter.  The card I finally settled on to CASE was this card.  I loved the 3D flower she'd made, and since I wanted to have a go at a similar flower it was the perfect card to CASE.  Here's my version.

I love these flowers, but a bit of forward planning is necessary to make them.  You need to wet the cardstock, and so you have to wait for them to dry before you can use them on a project.  You can find the tutorial for making them here on Joanne Leddy's blog.

A bit hard to see because it's stamped in Pink Pirouette, but the greeting is from Happiest Birthday Wishes.

Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes (Hostess), Perfect Punches
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Marina Mist
DSP/Cardstock: Beau Chateau DSP, Marina Mist, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla
Other: Big Shot, Little Leaves Die, Lots Of Tags Die, Large Oval Punch, Fancy Flower Punch, 5-Petal Flower Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Pink Circle Rhinestone Brad, Basic Jewels Pearl, Sponge Daubers

Catch you later,

Tina