UKS Team Crop

Every month on UK Scrappers my team mates and I get involved in a mini cyber challenge to try and increase our scrapping. In October we were given a sketch by Jo (taken from Shimelle's blog, always a wealth of inspiration there!)

....and although I was late making the LO, I'm even later posting it here!!!

I used photos detailed here, to make an autumnal page about Harry. I turned the LO 90 degrees to suit my portrait photos, and added a bit of blanket stitch.

A lovely crafty weekend is ahead, 2 crops!!!

Can't leave the festive..

..totally behind yet, as I have too many Christmas photos to scrapbook. Even though I make my journal I always try to make sure I make one Christmas 12x12 page for each of the children's scrapbooks, and then another for my own 12x12 Christmas book.Here's the one for Katie's book. We had been making felt decorations for the Christmas tree, and Katie finished this lovely one. I got on a bit of a roll, and made quite a few this year; once a crafter, always a crafter. This LO met the weekly challenge on UKS set by my team-mate Dawn. I had to use a sketch, I drew my own based upon this lovely LO I found by Larissa on the Creative Therapy website (see the link at the side).

The next part of the challenge was to use patterned paper by altering it in some way. Funnily enough I had been searching through my crop bag and found an old, but very pretty set of Dena's Christmas papers, never used (Oh the shame of it!) so I used my Eclipse to cut 2 very large flowers, one slightly bigger than the other, distressed one edge, mounted one on top of the other and spritzed it with red Cosmic Shimmer mist. You can't see this too well in the photo, but it does look very pretty.

Next was chipboard. Another search found a Christmas set and hardly used, so the title 'Joy', gingerbread man and bauble were covered with paper and the edges sanded. Finally a piece of ribbon was required, so I used an old piece of DCWV ribbon, and pleated it under the photo. I also added buttons punched with Martha Stewart button punch (fab as it emboses too) and the ever popular bunting... well it did appear on my sketch, so to leave it out would just be rude!!

Even though much of the stash was old and languishing in my bag, I am really pleased with how the page turned out, so many thanks Dawn.

I think I need to get used to a stash diet too, as the contract for my job runs out at the end of March when the lady returns from maternity leave. I did chat to someone at a party last night who may know of something next term that could keep me ticking over. I think I'm ready for a permanent post from September, so there's no more worring about where the next job is coming from.

Out at a crop today, looking forward to meeting friends not seen since Christmas.

I survived...

.. my first two days as a Primary School teacher! The children are lovely, and generally hardworking, and I'm actually having fun with people who want to learn (now that's a novelty!)

A quick post today as Katie is clamouring to get online as we still have only one computer working.

This LO includes photos taken last Autumn when Harry and I had a day out (just the two of us) at Kenilworth Castle, as he had a teacher training day and I wasn't working.

It was made as my team on UKS set the weekly challenge (see here if you want to have a go), and I had a go at drawing a sketch for others to have a go at (for the first time). It was funny, as once I got started on the page I changed my own sketch by turning it through 90 degrees!!

I used Papermania papers, a Martha Stewart punch, the title is stamped, and there are loads of tiny papermania buttons tied onto the bottom, with a stitched scallop border. Took ages, but I was at a crop chatting away, so didn't mind! The papers are made with scallop circles, wet, scrunched and a pile of around 8 stacked and stitched together. Makes a lovely 3D embellishment.

Got to go, am about to be lynched by a hovering teenager :)

White space... or not white space?

Regular readers may recall that i had a chat about the idea of white space (bits with not much on!) on pages a while back, and i came to the conclusion that really, it's not for me.

Well this weeks SLYMI challenge on UKS was to follow this sketch. Aaaaaaaargh! I disliked the sketch so much that i left it until yesterday to complete the challenge. But a challenge is there for making us try something new, so, complete it it did.

and....here is my page, i used Cosmo Cricket patterned paper for a bit of interest in the background, made a mirror image of the sketch, added a bracket to frame the journalling, a bit of lace, and picked a really cute pic of Hannah from way back. Photographed it, uploaded it, job done.

As is my habit i blu-tacked the most recent page up in the kitchen, i have the three most recent LOs of the kids up, to give me a bit of inspiration, and the kids like to see them there before they go into their albums. Well, this LO kept looking at me accusingly.. "I'm not finished, you know...., you need to add more to me.... look at all this space that needs a little something adding etc, etc"

SO, I gave in, took it down and below is the page after i added a few extras.

Not much extra added, a doodled border around the edge, a bit of stitching, and a few die cut flowers and pearl brads. Don't want to influence you in any way... which is your preference? Is it better, more finished, or have i simply copped out and white space is the way forward?

Even after the additions, when Hannah came home her comment was, " i like it Mum, but it's not like one of your usual layouts!"

New LO

Used a sketch as part of this weeks UKS challenge for this LO. I rarely use sketches. but am really pleased with how this one has turned out. I will def use it again! I like the way it makes the most of standard 6x4 photographs, and includes space for my journalling.

Scrapped some of yesterdays photos, used the B&W ones for this page.