Inspired by... Sparkly Shoes!

Take one little pair of sparkly shoes:

Add some card and pink ink, sponging and masking, vintage vogue stamps, a butterfly punch, heat and stick powder and some dazzling diamonds glitter...

And you get one happy afternoon and a pretty girls birthday card, which I think fits in with the latest challenge (Birthdays?) over at Corrosive Challenge.

Now just to get to the Post Office....

A Bold Bright Card with a Tropical Feel

It is no secret that the Bold Bright colours are not my most favourite - although I have been trying to use them more lately and have been pleasantly surprised more than once!  I do love the Kaleidoscope patterned papers though - they seem to me to be a slightly subdued version of those bold brights, and so not quite so scary!  They do make me long for a nice Fiji holiday though - I think they have a fun tropically kind of look.

So of course when I saw those wine glasses in Makeesha's inspiration photo, I thought of a nice fruity drink to go along with those tropical papers.  Here is the photo:

And here is the card:

I based this card on the latest sketch from Stamping 411 again, but abandoned the planned brads for knots in the ribbon instead.  Because the colours in the paper are not too bold and bright, I was able to use pumpkin pie ribbon, even though the card is a nice bright only orange, and I don't think it looks out of place.

Not quite a Fiji holiday, but it is sure to brighten someones day!

This week my Baby started School.

Not a lot of blogging, or even creating this past week or so.  I have been a little distracted.  School is back, and now I have two school boys.  My baby started school.  My middle baby that is. His first day was Wednesday.  You can be sure that I followed him with the camera for as long as I could, and then met the bus with camera in hand at the end of the day.  So much scrapbooking potential - the photos and the words...

How do you describe this face?

This was after excitment had given way to nerves, and that sick feeling you get in your stomach. 

It was also the beginnings of a minor panic attack...

"Mum, we forgot about my lunch!"

No baby, remember, we put your lunchbox in your bag

(visable relief)

"Oh yeah, I forgot"

He had been thinking that since we had forgotten to pack it, he would have to buy his lunch, but didn't remember his pin number, let alone how the whole buying your lunch thing worked or even how to find his way to the cafeteria in the first place. 

All that on top of the usual first day of school stresses.

Poor Boy, no wonder his face looked like that!

The good news is this is how it looked at the end of the day...

Then there are the words.  You can be sure we gave him the third degree from the moment he got home.  Turns out school was:

• 
  
  fun - when he got to play in the toy kitchen - four kids at a time, and he pretended he was a broomer (that would be a person who uses a broom to clean stuff) and asked for a coffee and something to eat.
• 
  
  scary - when he was first outside and nobody was playing with him.  Then a 'dude' came over and said 'Hey Dude, come and play' and they played spies and Campbell was the mission leader (and it was back to being fun again).
• 
  
  awesome - when he got to play Mr Men on the computer
• 
  
  sad - when he couldn't find Hayden after lunch.  We had told him they wouldn't have lunch together (with 600 children at the school, lunchtime is a staggered affair) but had failed to point out that that would mean playing together after lunch would also not be an option.  Turns out that was when the yucky tummy went away.  After he stopped crying (oh no. Crying. Mum's heart breaks!), and started playing with the other 'dude' from his class.
• 
  
  funny - when the teacher (a man) was showing them the dressups and modeled a (girl's) hat
• 
  
  not to mention - filled with anticipation - he couldn't wait to go the next day, and was most looking forward to playing in the arts and crafts area, and playing with his new friend (that would be 'the dude')

Then there would be the list of after school snacks consumed.  Including, but not limited to, a two egg, potato omelette (and yes, there are photos). 

Yep.  Definitely a LOT of scrapbooking potential.  Now I just have to figure out this new routine of ours (bus stop at 7.15am!) and find some time to sit down and actually do it.  The scrapbooking I mean. And count down the minutes until the bus comes home again.

Dude!

Random bits and pieces...

Today I got to do something I haven't done in a while. I went to a papercraft class. Five blissful hours out of the house doing crafty stuff. It was the first time I had done a class for months - and best of all, because I wasn't the teacher, I didn't have to do the prep! I got to make a really cute little stationery set, using some lovely papers. I need to take some photos and then I will share some more of that!

Add to that I have a lovely new book to read...

Clean and Simple Scrapbooking - The Sequel, by Cathy Zielske

I am trying to make it 'last' as long as possible, and so far have just looked at the pictures. I do know that when looking at a book about scrapbooking, the pictures are pretty much where it is at, but still, I am just looking, not actually studying them yet. Much. Except a couple of pages where I couldn't resist a read. Glad I did too, as Cathy made an excellent point that I thought I would share. I'm not sure about you, but I take a LOT of photos. I don't scrapbook at the same rate. The to do pile grows much faster than the done pile (those are all my points!)

Cathy suggested a photo album. Not a scrapbook album. Not a 'temporary storage until I scrapbook them' photo album, but instead an actual, old style photo album, with maybe a note or two about what is going on, and then leave it at that. Because it is nice to get the photos out of the box (or off the computer) and where people can see them, and because not everything needs to be scrapbooked.

Good Point Cathy. I think I am going to buy a nice photo album (or two). Amazing how that the pressure lifts when you remember that you don't have to scrapbook it all! Cathy Zielske - putting the fun back in scrapbooking! Go check out her blog if you don't already.

In other news, the launch of the Spring Mini Catalogue is fast approaching, and there are a few things in there that I am especially excited about, but that's all I'm going to say for the moment! I will be sending out copies to my stamp club members. If anyone else would like one please contact me and I will add you to the mailing list. I will also add a link on my sidebar to the online version, just as soon as it becomes available (1 August).

In other, other news, I was so happy this week to discover that this card had been chosen as one of the lucky top 20 in Kristina's colour challenge round up! Wow - that was a buzz. Thanks to all those lovely people who visited to check out the card, and especially those who left lovely comments. There are a lot of incredibly talented people who participate in these challenges so I sure do feel special this week! I've said it before and I will say it again - challenges are fun, and, well, challenging. If you haven't already you should try it!

Finally, I suspect that my posts may be few and far between the next couple of weeks as we are having guests and will be out exploring again. I had planned to be super organised and do lots of projects this week, so I would have a wee stockpile of blog stuff all set and ready to go, but I got a new book instead. You can probably figure out the rest!

Inspiration from the SU Idea Book and Catalogue

After a few days holiday, and then a few days catching up (sleep, laundry, emails, more laundry!) it was time for a creativity fix. I made a deal with my kiddos - let Mummy play now, and we can all play together later. They agreed, but since their sense of time and mine are not always in sync, I didn't want to be mucking around too much - time could be short!

Cue the Idea Book and Catalogue...

I think I have already mentioned that 'Fifth Avenue Floral' is one of my favourites, and the samples in the book are one of the reasons. So elegant, and so pretty every time. I had been planning on making a card like this one (on page 82) for a while, and today was the day. Here is my take on it...

It is a little different from the catalogue sample, but not by much. Instead of a circle behind the 'hi' I decided to use the large oval punch. I used the jumbo outline alphabet to stamp the 'hi' on choc chip card, and then carefully cut it out (rather than cover chipboard letters as in the catalogue sample). The ribbon colour is also different - choc chip instead of white (there's a reason it was brought out of retirement by SU!)

One of the reasons I liked going to the Idea Book for inspiration was that the project came together really quickly. The design part was all there for me, ready to copy or tweek as desired.

It is also a really good starting point for other projects. It is so easy to swap out materials to fit what you have in your stash, or change colours or greetings to suit - like in this next card I made.

You can also change the orientation of the card, or play with the positioning of the different elements, like this last sample.

This time I went back to the 'hi', but substituted a punched border for the ribbon of the original. I also added a bit of sponging around the edges of the oval and stamped flower section, just to change the look a little.

And then, just as I was on a roll, my time was up. Darn it! Will have to file those ideas away for next time.

In the past the idea book and catalogue included a list of all the 'ingredients' at the back for each project shown throughout the book. This year they have been left out, but a full list (with photos) is available on the Stampin' Up Website - click here to go straight to it (or use the link on my sidebar). Don't forget too, that even when the catalogues are retired - the ideas book part of it doesn't have to be. Happy creating!

Aiming to scrapbook from a different perspective

A couple of weeks ago I had a reminder that my children see the world differently from me, a lot of the time. That isn't a new thing. Most mornings I ask Bridie what she wants for breakfast, and she replies, with total outrage in her voice, she doesn't want breakfast, she wants FOOD!! Just to clarify, most times, when Bridie wants FOOD, she actually means potato chips. And there I was thinking breakfast was food too! (For the record - she doesn't get potato chips!) Different perspectives - it's kind of hard to miss.

When it comes to documenting their adventures and achievements though, I am guilty of forgetting about that. Most times I am documenting what I think is important, the way that I saw it, and hoping that they like the final product. They do (whew), but they are liking the way Mummy documented her perspective of their activity. This month I am aiming to include a lot more of their own perspective in my projects, their projects, our projects.

So how to go about doing that? I have a few ideas, and a couple of projects that we have started on. I want this mixture of perspectives to be the beginning of an ongoing change, so I am thinking these ideas and projects need to be easy things, or they might not happen.

• Maybe the easiest thing to do will be handing the camera over. This is not a new thing - we have done it before, but actually using those photos for a project is the next crucial step. Juggling one camera between three children will also prove interesting (and may even be worthy of a scrapbook layout of its own!) We are about the head off for a few days holiday, so we shall see how that goes...


• Getting their input into my layouts - especially those layouts about things we have experienced together. That is not difficult, right? Finding out what did they like? What did they not like? What was their favourite bit? We all went to a symphony orchestra concert at an incredible outdoor venue at the weekend. On the way home we asked them for one word to describe the evening. Bridie said 'the music was AMAZING'. Hayden wanted to go with amazing too, but changed it to EXCITING. Campbell summed it all up with 'WOO HOOO!' Are those not great words for a layout?


• There is a park nearby that we go to often. It has occurred to me that we all love it there, and all for different reasons. Bridie loves the playground. Campbell loves that he plays T Ball there. Hayden loves looking for bugs, and wildlife. Peter was amazed to see a wild deer roaming around. And I am loving taking photos of all the beautiful wild flowers and plants. Next time we go I am planning on taking photos of every one's favourite bits and putting it together on a layout. Watch this space!!


• Perhaps the thing I am most excited about, are the 'holiday scrapbook kits' I have made up for the boys. Of course then Bridie wanted one too. Mini albums for them to scrapbook themselves, with a little help as required. So far so good - the kids are as excited as I am. Campbell has 'scheduled a meeting' for tomorrow morning. When I am reading the newspaper, he has asked that I please come into his room so we can have a talk about his scrapbook. Bridie wants to write some more of her 'story' tomorrow please, and Hayden has requested we print out some photos tomorrow so he can get stuck in. Did I mention we are supposed to be going on holiday tomorrow kids? LOVING the enthusiasm!

So that is the plan so far. Does any one have any other good ideas for scrapbooking with children? Any suggestions would be most welcome.

Oh, and sorry about all the words (and no pictures) this post. I promise, we have photos coming - especially now there are FOUR scrapbookers in the house!

A change of scenery

Why do you scrapbook? Who do you scrapbook for? (Do you scrapbook at all?!)

For me, it is mostly about my kids. Capturing their lives - the good, the not so good, and the down right embarrassing (oh yes - I have a LOT of photos that I am saving for 21st birthdays!)

Today I finished a scrapbook layout (shock, horror!! More on that later!) and when I went to put in into Bridie's album, we of course had to stop and look at the rest of the book. Then Campbell wanted to look at his book. Then they both wanted to look at Hayden's.

They spent ages - comparing baby pictures, questioning if it really was them, asking me to read 'the story', and wanting to know 'Who's That? Who's That? Well whose THAT?!' (I'm sure we haven't changed that much!)


This is a reasonably regular occurrence. They really are proud of 'their books', and I should add, their sense of ownership is STRONG! Last year Campbell smuggled his album out of the house so he could proudly show his friend next door. Unfortunately, in a squabble with the friend over which page to look at first, the spine of the album was torn. Not completely in half, but a good effort. He was devastated. I wasn't overly impressed myself. Then I realised, that is part of the story of 'his book' - maybe I should do a scrapbook page about that!

Today as I watched them studying their books, and listening to the (minor) squabbles over which page to look at first, it occurred to me that this is why I do what I do. What better inspiration could there be? That has also got to be another reason why scrapbooking is more important than doing laundry - right?!

And I got a new photo to greet you all with too!

Saying Goodbye

The past few days have been sad ones in our house. Not only did we have to say goodbye to our visitors yesterday (and I have to say, although they weren't exactly noisely, it sure is quiet around here today, and we are missing them a lot!) we have also been saying goodbye to our Gran, who passed away on Thursday.

One of the things that I enjoy most about this hobby, is sharing it with friends and family. Not only by giving cards etc, but also sharing the opportunity to create stuff, especially with my children. I love that they enjoy and appreciate what I do (craft stuff anyway, not so much the laundry etc!) and that they can join in. I wanted to suggest to them that perhaps we could make Gran some cards, but Bridie beat me to it - asking if they couldn't please draw Gran a picture. Better and better. Something they really wanted to do, and not just to make Mummy happy.

They all sat down to their creating, and Hayden and Bridie were soon happy with what they had done. Campbell on the other hand, surprised us with the time and care he took over his picture, first carefully drawing it with pencil, and then colouring it all in. He was at it a long time. He asked me to write a message on the back, and then added some more drawing there.

The thing that struck me the most about his drawing was the fact that Gran - who he had drawn first, had something in her hand. Since the rest of the drawing involved planets, and rockets and the like, I feared that what Gran had might be some kind of laser, or gun, or other favourite boy accessory. When I asked Campbell what it was, he told me it was Gran's walking stick (with a 'how can you not know that?!' look on his face).

Of course. Gran's walking stick. It was a relatively recent (past couple of years) addition to Gran's life, and is not really something I think of when I think of her. For Campbell though, that walking stick is a major part of Gran's identity (He and Bridie both were quite partial to that walking stick!) - so much so - that it was right there with her in his picture.

I have been thinking about this a lot since then. The different ways that we see, and remember things. It occured to me that this has huge significance when it comes to scrapbooking. Most of my scrapbooking is about my family - especially the kids - and milestones big and small, that they are experiencing. Things that I think are important, and with the exception of perhaps this layout, where Hayden had some input, all are entirely done from my perspective.

I am thinking I might need to change that.

I did have a couple of projects rolling around in my head already that were going to involve the boys creative input. I am thinking that I need to get them out of my head and into the 'box' and really make them happen.

Vague, I know. Once they are out of my head, I will share them, I promise.

In the blink of an eye...

First a confession - this isn't a new project, but I thought I might share it anyway, because it kind of fits in with the 'Arthur Howard' theme I have been running with lately.

A couple of years ago, we were watching Hayden do something, I don't remember what now (good story so far?!) and it suddenly struck me that he was growing up. Fast. When the heck did that happen?! So I asked Peter - when did Hayden get so big? and at the exact same time as he replied 'gradually', I thought to myself - 'in the blink of an eye'. Thoughts that followed this...

1. Boys and girls see things differently!


2. Wouldn't that be great for a scrapbook page?


3. Perfect for the Ali Edwards layout I saw in that mag - now which mag was it...? (for the record, it was Creating Keepsakes, July 2006, p76

Hayden was born pre digital camera - so we have a LOT of actual photos of those first few years. (We have a LOT of photos of Campbell and Bridie too, but they are of the digital variety - not actual prints). Many of those photos are bad, or duplicates, or fuzzy etc - they are never going to feature on a layout of their own. But on a layout like this, they are perfect! Just cut them into circles, size depending on the photo, and you are good to go. There were 14 photos on this layout....

fourteen!

Not to mention some stuff from the stash

(at the time Hayden was 7).

Now this really was a super quick and easy layout - perfect for clearing out those shoeboxes of photos (sorting through the photos was probably the longest bit). A little bit of handwritten journalling around the outside of the page (part journaling/part frame) and there it is - still one of my favourite layouts. Other than a piece of cardstock, and all the photos, the ingredients for this one were simple - some Autumn Leaves rub on lettering, Tim Holtz Design 'H', '7' and tape measure strip, and a black pen.

If you were impressed by the fact that two years on, I could not only remember the ingredients, but also the page number of the magazine that had the original Ali Edwards layout, then I have a little secret. Although I would like to lay claim to a freakishly mega memory, it is pretty clear that that is not the case. It all comes down to what is happening behind the scenes....

Yep, right there on the back of the layout - ingredients, inspiration, and of course the date and a name. Maybe you all do this already, but if you don't, you should start! One day you might need to know that stuff!

Before we had kids...

life was different. Very different. Cue another Arthur Howard inspired layout...

This was a fun layout to do, and it was very quick and easy - I suspect you will be seeing a few more along these lines in the future! Although I have done a few mini album projects, all of my album layouts have been 12x12 (30x30cm)... until now. This was the first time I had done a layout 'this size' ('this size' being a hybrid between A4 and letter - I may need a separate post to explain that one!) ANYWAY...

The original plan was for a 12 x 12, and then, as the journaling grew, chatterbox that I am, the plan changed to a double page layout. Next thing I know I am checking how it would look 'this size' , and the 12 x12 plan had been abandoned.

The beauty of this size, and the reason it is suddenly now my favourite, is that you just type out the journaling, and print it on the card. No fiddling about to get it in the right place. No figuring out how to get my computer journalling onto my 12 x 12 card using my A4/letter printer. No cutting. No sticking. Just type and print. SIMPLE.

To add a little interest, and help to break up that big block of journaling, I changed the letter size to emphasize different words or sentences. The 'titles' were the largest size, and I also used a different colour to help them be seen (they maybe could have been a little bit bigger again, but this size is nothing I cannot live with). The first page was life before kids, the second page was life with kids. For both pages I started many of the sentences with 'before we had kids' to help tie them together.

To finish up I added a strip of patterned paper, and a sticker border to the bottom of each page, and then attached the photos on top of that. The photos are all from different occasions, but all show us being big kids. I am thinking I may make a note of dates and locations on the back of the layout, but the front will stay as is - the photos are really just to reinforce the sentiment in the journalling. This way the emphasis can be on the words.

I decided against any additional embellishments - this one is going to be a nice, simple layout. I went through a phase a couple of years ago when lots of my layouts were like this - some computer journalling, straight lines, minimal fuss and bother. They are still amongst my favourite layouts. Combine that kind of simple with 'this size' layout and those albums will be full in no time!

When you were 8, now you are 9...

Here it is. The first of the Arthur Howard picture book inspired projects. (See this post if you have no idea what that is all about!)

This project was a direct CASE of the book (remembering the book was 'when I was five... now I am six...'). It is a double page layout, but one of the things I really like about this idea, is that each page would work just as well as a separate, stand alone layout. I'm going to put them in the album together, but one day down the track, if we want to change it around, we can. That way I also get to count it as two projects. That is important. I need all the projects I can get on the done pile!

So, to the details. The colour of the card and patterned papers is Baja Breeze - I think this may be a happy replacement for the recently retired soft sky that I was rather fond of. The numbers were from the great SU 'Simon Lower' chipboard set- also recently retired (I know, that is not helpful to you, but hey - check me out! I'm using stuff from stash!) covered with the baja paper, then sponged with a little ink around the edges. Letters for the titles were rubons from a pack I got from Warehouse Stationery in Tauranga, a while ago - Color Rubz 'Upper West Side' by Scrapworks. Great value! I will be sad when I finally get to the end of the pack (more stash stuff used though!)

Another paper from the Baja Patterns paper pack was used for the layout background panel, and a third paper was used for the journaling blocks (the lines on the paper made that easier).

To add a little interest, (and because I was experimenting a bit!) I wet the edges of the patterned papers, and rolled them up to create a border. Wetting the paper first makes it easier to crumple it the way you want, and an added bonus is that when it dries it stays where you put it. I used an aqua painter, but a wet cotton bud will do the job just as well.

These double sided papers were especially good for this technique - you get to see a hint of the reverse, but because the same colours are used it is kind of a subtle effect - not too in your face and distracting.

That was about as complicated as it got. The rockets were cut from a basic grey patterned paper and the dinosaurs were stamped using the prehistoric pals stamp set, and a mixture of old olive and choc chip ink (NZ readers, pretend you didn't read that bit about the dinosaur stamps - hopefully this stamp set will be coming to a mini catalogue near you soon!)

Most of the journaling was in the boxes, but some I added around the outside of the photos and the rocket/dinosaur. I am really liking the idea of journaling that doubles as a frame. I think this is also a good way to get started with handwritten journaling if you are not usually a fan (I used to HATE it!) - somehow it just isn't quite so in your face as a big block of journaling might be.

I think what I like best about this project, is that Hayden got to have some input. Often, other than posing for photos, or saying or doing something silly/funny/clever etc, my kids don't get a lot of input into how the projects get put together. This time it was all about what Hayden's interests and activities were - and who better to tell me what they were than Hayden himself! I really enjoyed seeing him look at the finished project, and see what I had done with his ideas - the things that were important to him. A wonderful reminder of why it is we do this scrapbooking thing!

A little bit of blog stuff to end on - I am still trying to figure out why the heck some photos can be enlarged when you click on them, and some (all of these!) don't. Sorry about that. Any ideas please let me know!

Scrapbooking inspiration

So you know about the colour inspiration challenges that I have recently discovered. While they are great for getting me creating, and, so far, pushing me a little out of my usual colours comfort zone (and that, of course, is a good thing!), they haven't yet helped me get those scrapbook pages finished.

Each new day seems to have new photo opportunities and topics that really should have a page of their own. The list gets longer. The pile of completed pages doesn't seem to grow quite as quickly! (Peter despairs because the computer is jam packed with photos - again! oops!!)

But then a trip to the library provided just the inspiration needed to fill in some more empty page protectors. Now this is not the first time I have found inspiration at the library - I have been known to bring home the odd book about scrapbooking, or photography, in the hope that something might rub off on me! This time though, inspiration was found in the picture book section. The book that Campbell chose to bring home. A great little book by Arthur Howard, called 'When I was Five'

Now, without giving away too much, it is about a boy remembering when he was five - his favourite car, dinosaur, hiding place, best friend etc, and how that has (or hasn't) changed - now he is all grown up (that would be - aged 6).

So who doesn't think that would make a great scrapbook project?

(Bridie likes this book too!)

I am thinking not only good for age comparisons (Hayden - when you were 8, now you are 9), but also looking at a particular age (Campbell - now you are 5 - maybe that backpack mini album he requested a couple of weeks back?!).

Not forgetting the whole 'growing up' theme (Bridie wore a 'Princess pull up' to bed last night. Up until then, she had been in nappies at night. Pullups were on special, so cheaper, and I thought to myself - the girl is growing up - why not make the move to pull ups?' Probably more than you ever needed to know - but the look on her face, she was so proud of herself! Making that transition from baby to little girl (or big girl, as she prefers to be known!) - if that isn't worthy of a scrapbook page I don't know what is.

And then there could be the special milestone birthday projects - 5, 13, 21, 40.....

Or other comparisons...

• primary school versus secondary school

• living 'here' versus living 'there'

• country kid (Peter and I both grew up on dairy farms) versus town kids (our children are true townies - I was a little sad the day that thought dawned on me - I think we were visiting a farm and they complained of the smell...)

• before I had children (my house was oh so quiet!!) compared to the bliss/chaos/noise of motherhood .....

• how about some inter-generational comparisons - whose grandfather (or father?!) didn't have to walk x miles (pre-metric days of course) to school, rain or shine, with no shoes? Back in the dinosaur days. Good times!

• life before the internet/microwave/dishwasher etc. My how times have changed - and that's just in recent years!

Making this list has just reminded me of this layout, done a couple of years ago. Not the greatest in the world, but it fits this particular theme - who knew how different doing the laundry would be with a baby girl in the house!!

So I am thinking that this particular source of inspiration should be good for quite a few projects. Now I just need to find a way to fit more hours in the day. And more quiet.....

My plan is to be working on these projects, in amongst what ever else comes along, and sharing them with you. My hope is that if you are in need of inspiration then this could help. Arthur Howard may be the new Ali Edwards. Or maybe not quite. Might have to see what actually comes from all of this before we make that call. But still, who would have thought one little picture book could provide us with so much scrapbooking potential?!

If 'When I was Five' by Arthur Howard doesn't inspire you, check out some other picture books. You may find just what you were looking for. If nothing else, you may find a new colour combo! Don't forget to let me know about your inspiration, and resulting projects!