More News!

Here I am back again so soon! But, now that the cat is officially out of the bag I needed to share some more news... I am on the new White with 1 creative team! I have been holding onto the news for a little while and at times it was hard! So make sure you come and check out WW1 regularly to see what cool things are going down, and there is lots planned too. My official duties don't start until October, but I will be playing along this month too.

Also, I can now share my Purple Pumpkin guest design spot page. I was given the sketch a couple of weeks ago (now up at PP) and I created my version of the sketch using some of my PP goodies. So here is the sketch -

 

And here is my take on the sketch -

The Purple Pumpkin goodies that I have used are - White ticket, spotty button, chick button, small heart button and satin flower. I created the background by mixing some Mr Huey's mist in with some texture paste and using with a Studio Calico mask.

And last for today, the September Inspiration Mood Board is up over at D'Lish Scraps and is ready for you to be inspired! It is a wonderful board full of summery citrus colours, a sketch and many other bits and pieces of inspiration! Don't forget to enter the challenge too, there are great prizes up for grabs! So here is the board -

And this is my page inspired by the board -

I was inspired by the colours, as you can probably guess! I love working with a white background and these fresh colours just work so well with the white. From the D'Lish store I have used the following bits and pieces:

Loose Sequin Mix - blossom

Lime Retro Dot washi tape

Motex Writer

Fluoro Green motex tape

Wooden Asterix button

Wood Veneer Heart

Freckled Fawn Dew Drops - arrows

Freckled Fawn Enamel Dots - black/white/grey

Journal It's - mini notes - cream,

Jouranl It's - sassy spots

A cool trick with the Motex Writer - after embossing your word/sentence/date gently swipe a black stayz-on ink pad over the top to make the writing stand out a little more! Also the tape doesn't have to be written on, use it like little flags or banners to add pops of colour to your page.

Well, thanks for dropping by to share all my news! Until next time.

Katie x

Last Minute Entry...

Nothing like leaving things until the last minute is there?! I managed to get another challenge completed this week, despite the crazy week that it has been, and I even photographed it this morning, and let me tell you I am so glad I did take the time to photograph it then. See, today has been all hands on deck at the kids school fete! I have been at the school from 9am this morning until about 5pm this afternoon. Where upon I came home, showered and proceeded to cook dinner for our usual family of 5 plus 3 extra friends before racing out to watch the fireworks!

Now, with extras delivered back to their own homes and my own getting themselves ready for bed I have five minutes to myself.... ahhh the serenity! So before popping on a movie to unwind, I thought I would get back to that page that I had the foresight to photograph earlier and load it up!

The challenge that I decided to do was for Scrap the Boys, and the criteria was - monochromatic + chipboard + twine, and as I had some new photos of my boy I thought it was a good one to do! So here it is:

So you can probably guess I chose green! I wanted to create a watercolour effect background, which I did using some mowed lawn distress ink on my work surface, misted with lots of water and then swiping my background cardstock through the misted ink. It worked wonderfully! I then inked some more with stencils and stamps before adding the other bits and pieces. Oh, and I would just like to say that I love this photo of Liam! Such a cheeky little one and this seemed to capture him perfectly!

Well, that is it for tonight! So good bye from me.....

Katie x

Crazy Times and Exciting News!

Well, once again the days turn into weeks and the weeks almost into another month! This time of year is one of our busiest with many family birthdays, school fete, fathers day and also photo work, so I can honestly say I am starting to feel a little like a headless chook!

But I am trying to find some down time where ever I can to relax and scrap, some weeks it is harder than others, but I can't complain too much!

So, now for the exciting news! I have a place on the D'Lish Spring Creative Team! Yay me! Very exciting as I have been buying a fair bit of cool little bits and pieces from there recently! So keep an eye out on the Blog and FB page for the challenge to come out in September!

I have been lucky enough to win a few challenges lately too! A couple over at WWI and last months sketch over at Purple Pumpkin. I am now in the process of creating my page for their September sketch using my new PP goodies for their guest designer spot!

Speaking of WW1, I have managed to complete the August challenge, with a few days to spare! This month the challenge was White + Pastels + Masking, pastels was the only hard part!

I also have a page that didn't get completed in time for last month! It was based on one of the monthly sketches over at Stuck?!

I am hoping to perhaps get one more challenge in this month?! Maybe..... but who knows!

Anyway, until next time!

Katie x

Purple Pumpkin July Challenge

I have had a nice quiet day today, and I took the opportunity to complete another challenge before the month closes out. I decided a nice gentle challenge would be in order so went with the sketch challenge over at Purple Pumpkin. So firstly here is the sketch:

And this is my take on the sketch, with some of my Purple Pumpkin stash put to good use as well!

I also have been playing some more with the Inked techniques from the end of the Studio Calico class. I have made a layout using the repeating of a small stamped image technique, some project life cards using layered stamping and resist and lastly some little labels using kissing and watercolour techniques. Lots of fun to be able to play and whip up a little card to use later.

Well, short and sweet today. Hoping to get one more challenge done before July runs out, but will see how I go!

Catch you soon,

Katie x

Week from hell...

Not the week just gone, but the one before that! That was the week that I was called by the school to collect Erin because she had hurt herself at athletics day, to turn up and find out she couldn't walk, to then take her to the hospital to find out she had a fracture in her tibia bone! A few hours later and we are home with a full leg cast and all the fun that encompasses!

The good news is (one MRI and visit to an Orthopedic Surgeon later), the cast should come off in just a few weeks, and the fracture should heal ok. The bad news is, the fracture went near to the growth plate and we don't know if it has been affected. Worst case scenario is growth plate in that area won't grow and her leg may start to grow crooked, but we are hoping for best case, which is that it hasn't been effected at all!

A sad and sorry Erin, just after they put the cast on. Actually I think the look is more for the fact that Mum is taking a photo of the whole ordeal!

So the past 10 days have revolved around hospitals, doctors, and many trips between school to drop off different children at different times and then the same at the end of the day! The one thing keeping me going is Andrew and my upcoming trip to Melbourne! We are off on a long weekend next weekend by ourselves and I can't wait!

In the meantime, I have had a little time to sit at my desk and pull something together. I have been continuing to have fun with my Inked class over at Studio Calico. The great thing with this is I can sit for 10 minutes and just play with a new technique and then move on to something else. An excellent way to chill for a bit during the craziness that is my life at the moment.

I did finish a page for the White with One challenge, which is: White + Navy + Arrows

Played around with one of my newly created masks and some distress ink and texture past and the new Mr Huey's navy mist. A fairly clean and simple page, but I like it! Not to mention I have finally scrapped this family photo (only 2 years later...).

Well, that is about it from me for now. Catch you later.

Katie x

Inking and more...

Well I can truly say that I have re-discovered my stamps and accessories and I am loving every moment! The Inked class over at Studio Calico has just wrapped up its second week and we are about to begin week number 3, wow that is disappearing fast! This week saw us playing with heat embossing, water colour stamping, ombre stamping, chalkboard effect and stitching to accent our stamped images. I have played with all but the stitching technique, hopefully I will get to that one this week!

So, to show and tell with my playing! I have a layout which incorporates embossing and water colour stamping. The zig zag patterned was stamped onto paper that was coloured in an ombre fashion with distress inks, the background yellow dots are using distress ink like water colours, the big butterfly was inked up with distress inks and misted before being stamped and the dotty velum circles are embossed with copper zing. Lots of stamping on this page! Oh, and can you believe that is me as a little one??!!

This next card uses the same zig zag stamp (a very cool stamp!), and five different distress inks to create an ombre effect. I think I will be using this technique a fair bit more now, I just love the result!

Oh, and my class kit stamps arrived this week too!! Yay!! Next I have made some project life style cards using the chalkboard effect with white embossing on black/dark background.

The frame card was inspired by some of the new MME (I think!) that was revealed this week for CHA. That got me thinking too about creating chalkboard frames and so I made these:

All good fun!! I have also managed to do one July challenge for Scrap the Boys. The requirement was to scrap a black and white head shot of your boy/man. I chose one of Liam that I had lying around, and is so typical of his quirky personality!

Well, I think that is all from me for now! See you next time.

Katie x

Hello July!

Well, the second week of the school holidays flew by in a flurry of activity. It is amazing what some wet weather can do to dampen enthusiasm for leaving the house. The first week of holidays was wet from about Wednesday through to Sunday. Not much to do but stay at home and keep warm and dry! The second week however was different! Sunny skies and activities to entertain.

We saw World War Z with Georgie and her boys. Oh my, I was starting to regret that movie choice about 20 minutes into the film! Tense, very very tense! But now that I have had time to recover, I could actually see it again! In fact Niamh did go back and see it again with another friend, this time in 3D! Apparently even though she knew it was coming it was worse in 3D!! So very glad we didn't do 3D the first time around! Erin and I are now reading the book the movie was based on.

In a more calm moment we saw Monsters University. It was ok, not as good as the first, still had some laughs, but maybe too sedate after the zombies!! The company was excellent however as was the sushi lunch afterwards!

Rounding out the week we went off to the city and met up with my Mum, had some lunch, did some looking and then came home via the dentist for Niamh's next braces check up. Not long now and they will be off! She even wants to do family photos once they are off!! There is an opportunity not to miss.

During the week I also started Inked over at Studio Calico. So far I have been digging through my stamps and deciding that I just don't have enough of the "right" stamps! I have remedied this by ordering some more! Oh and I just found out that I was one of the June winners over at White With One! Yay me! Guess what I will be purchasing with that win??!!Hmm stamps perhaps??!!

So, back to Inked, besides realising that I need more stamps, I have been playing, a lot! Pulling out inks, stickles, glossy accents, glitter glues and even my old Tombow pens. I have really enjoyed playing too. So here are the results of my playing, some cards and project life type 3x4 cards.

These cards have used the following techniques: Stamping with markers, dressing up stamped images with glossy accents, glitter etc, manipulating a stamp. That last one is my favourite, that card is the sun one. It started out as a straight line banner stamp that I "manipulated" into a circle and stamped once with yellow, then offset and stamped again with orange. The message inside is also a straight line stamp. Pretty cool hey?!

These cards also have stamping with markers, glitter/glossy accents and also stamping on patterned paper.

I am looking forward to the next installment of techniques, and for my new stamps (including the class ones) to arrive!!

I have also completed a layout in this past week. A just because page, playing with the new masks that I had made the week before and using up older paper lines. A very boy page!

 Well, that is it for now. Hopefully with kids back at school and some time to myself I can get on and do some more crafting this week!

Katie x