The Story

My second unfinished project that finally got completed at the Queensland Scrapbooking Retreats getaway at Tamborine Mountain was this one. Perhaps this time from a 2014 craft expo, this one was designed by Kerri Gurney for Couture Creations. How great does that background look with the embossed surface which has then been sanded for effect?

I didn't still have the instructions for this project, so I had to just make it up as I went. I think there were meant to be a lot more pockets and lift ups, and I know I have two clear arrows left over that were meant to go on there somewhere. Still, you can see how the main photo lifts up and there is some hidden journaling hidden behind that. 

I was really impressed to find that the rub-ons still worked perfectly, even a number of years later!

Below is how far I had managed to get in the class before packing it away for a number of years. You can clearly see that I haven't stuck the main photo mat on straight, but it was adhered so well I couldn't pull it off to fix it. It's less noticeable with the photo stuck on top on an angle though. 

Relationship Goals

I'm back from a lovely weekend retreat at Tamborine Mountain run by Queensland Scrapbooking Retreats. I didn't get anywhere near as many layouts done as I thought I would, but I still had a great time. I took a couple of unfinished projects along in the hopes of finally getting them completed. 

This one was a class taught by Kim Ewins for Craft Queen at a craft expo way back in 2013, I think. Now you see why I needed to finally get it finished! I actually had to re-stick down all the background layers because the glue had deteriorated so much in the intervening time.

Kim's pages always have a beautiful amount of layering and stitching on them. Lovely Scrapmatts chipboard flourish under the photo there too. 

You can see the stencil work in this close up. I also really liked the idea of using distressed fabric circles as part of the background.

Now here is the ridiculous part: The image below is where I left the layout at the end of the class in 2013. Literally, all I needed to do was add a title and it was done! I couldn't resist adding a scattering of sequins to the layout as well, since I was touching it up anyway.

A True Love Story

This layout is the result of my second class at the recent Brisbane Scrapbooking and Paper Expo. This class was taught by the amazing Krisy Podolak for Colour Blast. Krisy was an amazing tutor, providing a concise and information colour-theory information session before we got started on the layout

This is a heavily mixed-media layout, with gesso, ink sprays, stamping, texture paste, paint flicking, paper, material, chipboard, string and stickers. I know some people don't like mixed-media because of the drying time but we actually completed this whole layout within the two-hour class (with a bit of time to spare!). Krisy is a girl after my own heart who embraces a 'just stick it down and move on' approach to scrapbooking and is happy to create for the art of it, not always the memory. 

It was a great deal of fun and even my mum, who is traditionally a card-maker who shies away from mixed media, was happy with the result of her layout.

Cocoa Vanilla Studios Expo Class

The Scrapbook and Papercraft Expo is wrapping up in Brisbane today. I have previously gone 2013-2015 as part of my design team responsibilities with Scrapmatts and Couture Creations but have never gone just for the sake of going. This year my mum suggested she fly down from Gladstone and we go together, which was an offer too good to refuse. We went on the Friday and Saturday, completing 5 classes (and a bit of shopping). I'll share the projects as I actually manage to complete the mall. :)

Our fourth class, the first on Saturday, was with Zoe Pearn who is the founder and designer of Cocoa Vanilla Studios which is one of my favourite scrapbooking companies at the moment. We got to do two pages using the beautiful Wild At Heart paper range and I actually managed to get ALMOST all the way through both during the class! Expect to see a few may layouts from this range, because I now had a HEAP of papers and embellishments to match but also because I love the watercolour feel to it.

The printed chipboard in this range is wonderfully thick and sturdy, with a peel off adhesive background which makes it very easy to use. I also fell in love with their glitter dots because I'm easily distracted by sparkly things. :)

Zoe told us she created the second page just to 'use up the scraps' we had left over from the first page. I wish all my scraps could turn into something so beautiful! When you have such a beautiful background paper to start with, you barely even need to add anything more. 

The embellishment pack has a huge variety of designs, with a great mix of words and shapes including butterflies, hearts, stars, arrows and frames.

I had to do a bit of fan-girling and get a photo with the lady herself after the class. Unfortunately, my mum is not the best photographer and this was the only photo that wasn't blurry. I look so grumpy because I'm still in the middle of talking. Anyone know why all my crafting inspirations are short? :)

Love This - Beck BT class

It was a very busy weekend for me! Ben and I left Harrison with some friends and went to see Ant-Man at the movies on Friday night. Quite an enjoyable movie actually. Saturday I spent at the My2Angels scrapbooking retreat, scrapping from 10.30am until around 9pm. I somehow still didn't manage to get much done but it was bliss to have some uninterrupted scrapping time rather than having to do 30 minutes here and there around caring for Harry. Lastly, on Sunday I took part in the Color Run.

 

 

I had great plans for my time at the retreat, I was going to finish Lynda's wedding album (you know the one, it's been on my to-do list for the past three years) and then complete all these unfinished projects I have from various classes I've attended. Unfortunately, things didn't quite go as planned. I got to basics of three more of Lynda's pages but need to re-print two photos for two other pages. I need to go back over the whole album and add embellishments to the basic layouts.

 

I did however manage to finish this layout from Beck Beattie's class at the June Scrapbook Expo 2014 (yes, over a year ago!). It really didn't require much work to finish it off, I'm just so bad at pulling these projects out again if I don't finish them at the class. Anyway, it was fun the play with the textured spackle or whatever it was and I realised I got some new Gelatos in that kit, so I've added them to my collection.

 

Hope you had a great weekend too!

 

 

Its Your Smile That Captures My Heart

Class three was on Monday, the tutor was the fantastic Tina Connolly and this was hosted by Couture Creations. This is the second time I've taken a Couture Creations class at an expo and the kit always comes with some great extra products you can continue to use, in this case a sanding block and embossing folder.

 

Tina creates lovely messy, layered pages which is style I have previously tried my hand at but am not sure I nailed so thought I might see how an expert did it to get some more ideas. I enjoyed creating all the paper strips, adding the lace and builders tape then some punched scraps, gesso and acrylic paint circles. The black border also used a couple of different embossing and distressing techniques. I was very happy to also complete this layout in class and didn't need to add anything to it once I got home.

All the Couture Creations tutors dressed up in a Once Upon A Time theme for their classes, Tina was Aurora/Sleeping Beauty. Doesn't she look amazing in costume?

 



 

Tina had an amazing tutor display filled with so many amazing layouts. I also really loved her journal covers and was so tempted to sneak one into my bag. :)

 

Once Upon a Time

Class two was another Scrapmatts sponsored class, this time run by Sonia Thomason. I have always thought Sonia created beautiful layouts however her shabby chic style with so many flowers and layers is way out of my comfort zone. This year I figured the only way to grow and improve in my own scrapping was to try something new so I signed up and had a great time.

 

 

I didn't have to add a thing to this layout once I got home, it was perfect at the end of the two hours. :) I think the only thing I changed in the design was my placement of the second butterfly. The chipboard frames were perfect for showcasing these photos of my grandparents at Nana's 75th birthday party a few years ago.

Sonia wasn't so keen on posing for a photo with me at the end but I talked her into it. She is another fantastic tutor who is happy to see you customise the layout to suit your own style.

 

If you want some idea of the rest of her amazing work, here is a photo I snapped of her tutor display. There were so many layers and textures to the layouts, I wanted to reach out and touch them.

So Happy Together

So the first class I took at the Scrapbook and Papercraft Expo over the weekend was titled On This Day and the tutor was Angella Peardon. The class was sponsored by Scrapmatts and yes, I still love taking their classes ever after having been on their design team for 1.5 years. You always get to play with new release chipboard, the instructions are very easy to follow and the project is specifically created to be completed during the class.

 

 

One of the features of this LO was the tag we created. It was optional as to whether it was included in the layout or not but I liked the look of it so it's stuck down now. I didn't make too many changes to this layout as I really liked the way it all came together. Only things I added at home was some red ink to the chipboard hearts, the alpha stickers to the tag and glued down the arrow charm which came in the kit anyway.

 

Here you can see Angella and I with the layout as created in class. Angella is only around 145cm tall and I'm 176cm so I've had to lead down quite a way for this photo! :) Unfortunately, Angella has decided to step away from the Scrapmatts team to focus on some other projects she's working on. I'm looking forward to seeing what else she's been cooking up in the background.

 

 

Lastly, this is a quick snap of part of Angella's tutor display at the Expo. There's a reason when she's known as the Off-The-Page queen! :)

 

 

This layout also fulfils the criteria for the current challenge over at Challenge YOUrself, which is to include the men in your life.

Scrapbook & Papercraft Expo 2014

I'm exhausted, my feet and back are killing me and yet I had to the absolute best time and it was totally worth it! I've just spent the past three days at the Scrapbook and Papercraft Expo in Brisbane, which some people may consider a crazy idea given I'm 6.5 months pregnant at the moment but I really wanted to squeeze one more of these events in before I give birth.

 

I started the Saturday with some free time so went for a wander to look through all the stores. It seemed smaller to me this year with less exhibitors but that couldn't have just been my perception. It was definitely quieter this year with less people coming through the doors. Sofie had asked me to work on the Scrapmatts stand for a few hours during the middle of the day on Saturday to cover other ladies teaching classes, so I started there just after 11. Scrapmatts are the best design team to be part of. Sofie and Andrew, the owners, are just lovely people (who are very generous with their products: I think I have enough chipboard to last me for another two years and still walked away with some extra products) and the design team is filled with encouraging, creative people. We all went out for dinner after the show on Saturday and had a great time catch up and relaxing together.

 

 

You can see some of the craziness the Scrapmatts DT ladies get up to during the show below. Our DT leader, Angella, was trying to get Sonya back for an earlier occasion she had photo-bombed. It doesn't quite work when you're only 4 foot 9 though. :)

 

 

Couture Creations also asked me to do some demoing, which was a bit of a new thing for me. I always like to help out where I can though so signed up for 2 hours each day and was assigned to The Scrap Cottage's stand. The ladies from that store were lovely and they carry some great products at competitive products, so check them out. You can see the table at their stand advertising my appearance (made me feel like a celebrity!). The challenge was that was also my workbench and the Big Shot took up at least a third of that space. I also only had five dies to work with so had to be a bit creative in terms of my projects. The second photo shows some of the samples I created.

 

The Couture Creations DT girls are also a little bit crazy. The tutors decided to dress in costume for their classes, so here are Kerrie, Tina and Tracey with me just before I started demoing on the Sunday. Another lovely bunch of ladies who I'm looking forward to getting to know better.

 

 

 

I also signed up for four classes over the weekend and managed to pretty much complete three of them, so my plan is to start sharing the details of those from the 11th as I have my first Couture Creations reveal for June tomorrow. Hopefully, I will complete the fourth page by the end of the week too so I can share them all. Otherwise, it may be relegated to the pile of unfinished projects I still have from LAST YEAR's expo! :(

Craft Queens Christmas Cards

 Here are some more cards I created at a class during a craft expo back in October which I only just found again while cleaning this weekend. We made the first three cards during the class from some Graphic 45 papers and washi tape. I added the ink edging and pearls just yesterday after finding them again.

 

The kit came with enough materials to make a some more cards, so yesterday I sat down and made three more cards of my own design. There are enough materials left that I could probably make a few more if I really wanted to. It's always good to have some spare cards in your stash.

 

Don't forget about my 5th blogoversary giveaway. Entering is really simple, you just need to leave me a comment on the giveaway post by clicking the image below.

 



Happy Good Friday Everyone!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you are enjoying the opportunity to spend time with family or however else you choose to spend the time. I have spent today trying to get on top of cleaning the house, more specifically my craft room. I'm always mildly relieved when I hear other people confess they are a messy scrapper, as it makes me feel better about the fact I seldom put away my tools after finishing one project before moving on to the next.

 

However, upon viewing my scrap room this morning I decided it was simply out of control (a combination of note tidying up and still moving everything into the garage from the craft room which will become the nursery) and I had to spend today organising everything.

 

Yes, not only was my entire desk covered many layers high but I also leave things half done on the floor! The good thing about tidying everything up meant I finally got around to putting up a lot of the other display pieces I wanted on the wall. I've also realised I have lots of embellishments that I rarely use yet don't want to get rid of for some reason.

 

Whilst I was cleaning, I also found so many half-finished projects from various expos I've attended in the past year. I am notoriously bad about forgetting to finish a project if I didn't get it done in the class. To start with, I want to share a set of cards I did at an expo I think in October. I think this might have been a Kaszazz class but I can't exactly remember.

 

 

This easel card was fun and easy to create.

 

Because the expo was in October we did a Christmas card. I liked the idea of the different opening fold.

 

 

Lastly was a matching stamped card and envelope. I don't think this one really worked as a design even in the example. Overall it wasn't a class I would have chosen to take but I was at the expo with a friend and they were keen.

 

Don't forget about my 5th blogoversary giveaway. Entering is really simple, you just need to leave me a comment on the giveaway post by clicking the image below.

 



Family Fun - Expo Class LO

One of my goals for this year was to take more classes, so it was an easy decision for me to attend the Brisbane Scrapbook and Papercraft Expo this year and complete some classes. I only had one day free though, so trying to pick three classes out of the 30 available was much more difficult. Sometimes I pick classes because I love the look of the finished LO but other times I pick a LO because I want to learn a new technique. This LO was one of those choices.

 

 

I got to play with texture paste, embossing folders and die cuts. While they are all things I have used before I did pick up a couple of new tricks, plus the folders and die cutting plates were included in the class kits so I got to pick up some new supplies as well.

 

I wasn't really 100% with the LO when I got it home, however this weekend I sat down a had a play with it to add a couple more touches to it and I'm happy with the result. You can see in the detail shots I added a metal filigree piece which I trimmed into three pieces. I also stitched around the edge, doodled around the title and added some journalling to the bottom.

Stitches and Craft Expo and Love Forever LO

The Stitches and Craft Expo was on this weekend at the Brisbane Convention and Entertainment Centre. I took the Thursday off work and went along. I took part in two classes, one to create an interactive scrapbooking LO which I still need to finish and the Scrapmatts card class. You can see Anne teaching the class below, I'm second from the left.

 

 

We had the in-laws staying with us over the weekend so I didn't get much of a time to create anything. I thought I would use this chance to show off one of the full LO's I created for the Scrapmatts product swap with Flourish with a Bling.

 

The heart frame is one I've had in my stash for ages though I did use it as a mask on a previous layout. Photo is my husband and I taken at my work Christmas party last year.

Scrapmatts products used: CB1188, CB4005, CB1146, SW006. Florish With a Bling products: Chloe pearl florish in Olive green.

 

 

The little birdie chipboard is a new release and they come in a range of sizes in the pack. So versatile and easy to use. The Love title has been painted black, then covered in Dimensional Magic and had some glitter sprinkled over it while it was still wet. The sprigs just made the perfect finishing touch to the flower cluster. You can see in the big pearl florish I left it on the acetate backing because it was going over a lot of different levels.

Christmas Bauble Card

As I mentioned in my last post, I went to the Brisbane Craft and Quilt Expo over the weekend. I didn't manage to sign up for any classes this time but I like to make sure I always create something to bring home to show my husband so I stopped off at the Kazazz stand to complete their free make-and-take class.

 

 

This is a pretty simply card using distress inks, stamps and kindy glitz. I have recently increased my supply of distress inks so it was good to see some different ways of using these products.

 

The middle bauble has perfect pearls rather than kindy glitz because I managed to wipe a receipt over the front of the card before it was dry so I had to touch it up at home! :(

Craft and Sewing Show

I went to the Craft and Showing Show at Brisbane yestday with a good friend. It was such a good day browsing all the stalls and doing a couple of classes. We signed up for the last two spots in Angella Pearson's Scrapmatts class (sold out in 10 minutes!). Scrapmatts are one of my favourite chipboard companies, they have such versatile products and are very well priced. The class cost $20 and included materials for the three cards I made below plus a whole heap of extra chipboard and cardstock to make more cards at home. 

I'm not too happy with the photo because it doesn't show just how vibrant the colours of the cards really are but I couldn't get a better photo in the overcast light.

My friend is into beading, so we also signed up for a beading class. I actually did alright with the class this time and was making good progress, unlike the last time I tried this. My friend and I have an arrangement though where she gives me her kit from the scrapbooking/card making class we do and I give her the kit from the beading class oncewe're done with the class. :) Last thing I need is to start ANOTHER hobby!

I was trying to stick to a budget this time so I didn't pick up too many new purchases. I bought a couple of new pieces from Scrapmatts (I think they only sell at shows so the change to buy more is one of the reasons I go to these shows every six months!) and also got a generous little gift pack because I had RSVPed on their Ning site. I spent $2 on a couple of die-cuts which I'm thinking of using as misting masks, another $2 on some metal charms. Bargin of the show though was some hemp cord I found at a bead store. It looks just like twine (maybe a bit thiner) but rather than paying $5 for 10m because it's the 'in' thing right now, I got 12.8m in four different colours for a total of $7!

Oh, don't forget my button giveway here. Last giveway I'll be running since they get no interest. LOL

Brisbane Craft & Quilt Fair

I went to the Brisbane Craft & Quilt Fair yesterday with two of my friends. They are both more into beading than scrapbooking so we ended up having to stop at almost every stall there! :) We signed up to do two classes, the first was a beading/wire work class to make a bracelet and the other was to make a wish bear. It's fun to try out new hobbies at these expo's.

I was able to complete the whole bracelet during the class. We had to make the wire beads from a length of wire, so that was a cool thing to learn. We only had time to complete this little heart from the bear kit. 

I finally got the depth of field thing to work in this photo! :)

This is what the bears will eventually look like if I get around the completing the kit. It's from Krazy Kreations.

I also managed to pick up some great new products at the fair. I got that Martha Stewart corner punch set for $30, looking forward to a chance to use it. I also finally caved in and purchased some Liquid Pearls. If anyone has some tips for how to use these please share them. And of course I had to pick up some new Scrapmatts chipboard!