December Daily...

I am thrilled to put the finishing touches to my December Daily from 2012!  My intention is to display it every Christmas on the coffee table.

It is a converted notebook, painted in acrylic white with ModPodge smeared over the top. I used pretty papers and a Prima flower to decorate the cover.


Here are a selection of my favourite pages.  The majority of papers are from Fancy Pants Designs Saint Nick 6x6 scrap pad.  I used embellishments from various sources including general craft items, from Studio Calico kits I subscibe to and scraps of paper floating around my desk.

What fabulous memories this book captures! I am not at all up-to-date with my photos so it is great to have fairly recent memories scrapped.  I am starting my DD for 2013.

Thanks for coming into my garden...
                                                    Jan x

Project Life layout...

Mary, my 14yo, took to making a scrapbook layout using the Project Life core kits, like a duck takes to water. She chose cards from the core kits Honey, Kraft and Midnight editions and combined them into what I think is a fab design. The photos she used are from 2006 taken in London with her travelling Beanie Kid, Fairy Floss. What do you think?

Stitching on the beach...

Beach stitching has been plentiful during this holiday! The sun has been shining this Spring so between sandcastle building and board games, stitching has been had.

Here is the progress on the Shepherds Bush Christmas stocking. It is stitched on 18 ct natural linen with DMC Pearl Cotton no 5.

Jan x

New Use for Washi Tape...

This pale-pink cursive writing washi tape came with my September Studio Calico main kit. I fell totally in love with it!

Who would have thought that the first time it was used would be to hold fishing line in place? There was no sticky tape at the beach house so luckily I had bought some scrapping gear with me on our holiday and we could use the washi instead!

Jan x

First Scrapbooking YouTube video!!!

Hello lovely readers,

It has been a dream of mine for a while to have a crafty YouTube channel. My 12yo son made that a reality by setting up a YouTube channel for me for my birthday!  What a special gift. He made the banner, thumbnails and music himself.

I have made two cross stitch videos and now have uploaded my third video which is a scrapbooking video.

Check out my Studio Calico August 2013 main kit review:

here

 

The August Marks & Co Studio Calico main kit was up there with being one of my favourite kits I have received over the last 12 months.  It is equal first with the February 2013 main kit called Front Row.

 

Happy scrapping...

                          Jan x

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Mail eye candy...

Look what arrived in the post today...

 

 

Isn't this the prettiest envelope?  It is from Kellie at Give a Girl a...Stamp Shop. Check out her sweet blog and shop.

 

Next was the unwrapping.  I will definitely use the envelope and embellishments in a scrapbooking layout.

 

Then finally the unveiling of the delicious stamps inside. This was a prize I won for sketch the layout at Life Project Scrapbook.

 

 I am in total love with these stamps. They will be so useful on my layouts particularly as I seem to use date stamps nearly all of the time.  The tag and arrow stamps are so cute  and versatile too.

 

To all those Aussie mums out there...happy Mother's Day on Sunday. Maybe you will be spoilt with crafty time over the weekend.

 

                                                                                                         Jan x



Guest Designer Layout...

I made it as a Guest Designer!!! The website is an Australian scrapbooking site called  Life Paper Scrapbook. I don't know if I will ever be lucky enough to be a guest designer again so I have cracked open the champers. Check out my layout here.

I had to design a layout based on a sketch so I had fun playing with the main Studio Calico Spencer kit and the card kit from March. The card kit contained the funkiest "light bulb" stamp made by Lawn Fawn. I immediately thought school layout.  My son is quite academic so it was a perfect addition.

Thanks for stopping by...
                                     Jan x

February Project Life peek...

In Project Life layouts, each pocket is a mini layout that calls for little embellishments and little letters. I love it! Here I have documented my son, Jack, playing cricket (very Australian).  Sporting photos are notoriously hard to scrapbook. With Project Lift a whole page doesn't have to be devoted to just that topic.

Thanks for peeking in my album. Enjoy your weekend...

                                                                               Jan x

Studio Calico stash...

Hooray! My Studio Calico Neverland scrapbook kit (photo no 1) arrived at my house. Like many Australian SC subscribers it was delayed by 2 weeks in Australian customs.  I feared it would never come.

I love it. The prettiest paper is on top - don't you just love it? So feminine. I heart the alphabet too.

Also in the cute brown box was the add-on from the Studio Calico February kit Big Screen (photo no 2). I adored Front Row scrapbooking kit and the add-on Junior Mints so was delighted to purchase another one from this collection.  It is just as scrummy.

I can't wait to begin playing with the products. I now own my first mask and second Mr Hueys mist spray.  I will try to be game enough to use in on a layout in the next week or two. Watch this space. 

Hope you enjoy some scrappy time...

                                                      Jan x

First Project Life pages ever!

I have joined the thousands (or is it millions?) who have turned to Project Life to record the precious moments of life.

I'm committing to creating a double layout featuring the month's highlights during 2013. Although PL is usually recorded weekly I don't think I could manage it without getting way behind.  I am using PL products that come in the Studio Calico scrapbooking kits and my own stash.

Pictured are my January PL pages...

Page 1 records memories like the hottest day ever in Hobart, Tasmania, tragic bushfires 50km away which destroyed 200 homes and my 17th Wedding Anniversary dinner.

Page 2 shares some party times for my mother's birthday and beach holidays.

What I have enjoyed about PL is that there are often lots of moments (such as my parents' birthdays) that I don't get around to scrapping. In PL I can record this type of memory in relatively little time.

Do you participate in PL?  If so, do you do weekly or monthly layouts? I would love to say hello.

Hope you had some scrappy time on the weekend.

Jan x

My First Challenge...

Happy dance time as I celebrate submitting my first layout for a sketch challenge. Check out the fun challenges on Life.Paper.Scrapbook. The sketch challenge link is here.

I love that this website is Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi. To celebrate this I used an Aussie brand predominantly on my layout.  On the basic Kraft cardstock I first stamped Kaisercraft Secret Admirer Doilie stamps. I then added Kaisercraft stickers from the Velvet Ensemble collection.  I raided Studio Calico kits to add in the chipboard stickers, charcoal grey letter stickers and leaf wood veneer. I enjoyed edging the layout on my sewing machine.

I loved the effect of stamping directly on the chipboard letters. 

The layout is about my 14 year old who has grown into a beautiful, young lady.  My sweet girl loves music especially playing her violin so the musical notes added a personal touch.

Happy scrapping... Jan

UPDATE April 2013: I won the random draw prize for the layout. I am happy Jan.

My First SC kit page...Important Bros

 

What excitement it was delving through the first Studio Calico kit I received as a subscriber to make my first layout. My fingers tingled as they touched all of my new stash. Most of these products on  this layout are from the Central High kit.

I loved the softness of the background spots with the tags and the wood veneer and ombre 6x6 patterned papers from the Studio Calico Heyday paper pack (that weren't in the kit). I added some adhesive Japanese heart border and a Plumeria border.

The kit badge was my most treasured kit item.  It looks so smart next to the number 9.  The  9 on the page has special meaning as there is a 9 year gap between my boys. You can call me crazy for such an age gap but I call it good planning. 

This title has a special story too. My eldest boy, Jack, was so sweet when he first met baby Tom and had to leave him at the end of the visit - "good night Bro" he whispered.  He melted my heart.

Enjoy some scrappy moments...

                         Jan x

Off to Europe we go...

My scrapbook journey has been firing on all cylinders over the last 6 months. I have completed more layouts than I could have imagined. Mostly they are simple but I have loved the process and enjoyed the overall effects.  I plan to share my favourites.

My scrapping hiatus has revolutionised my creative flair. I am less fussed about perfection and more about the creative process.

Like many scrappers I am also a Studio Calico kit subscriber and have loved getting "the latest and greatest" products new to the market.  The above layout is the cover page for our family European trip way back in 2006. This layout using design principles by Shimelle (I just adore her) has products from the Central High and Roller Rink kits with some Kaiser Craft lettering.

Hope you enjoyed taking a peek into my scrappy life...

Jan x