Our Family

I saw a sneak peak of Kaisercraft's Sea Breeze range back at the start of the year on Instagram and I've been eagerly awaiting it's release ever since. I just love the large floral patterns, which I immediately thought would be perfect for fussy cutting, plus that beautiful turquoise colour pallet. Here is my first layour using this range, showcasing a beautiful family portrait by Divine Life Photography from Harrison's first birthday shoot.

(Removed for possible publication)

I'm trying to scrapbook on a budget at the moment to make me use up some of my supplies. I purchased the Sea Breeze paper pack and everything else came from my stash. I love those rhinestone swirls and even though my stash is running low I happened to have the perfect green shade waiting for this layout. The frames and tags are actually diecuts from the Blue Bay range but the colours matched perfectly. Kaisercraft stamp to add some extra texture to the background.

I based this layout on the April Kaisercraft Challenge sketch.

Sleepy Elf - Scrapmatts DT

I snapped this photo of my brother back in 2012, taking a quick nap after our Christmas breakfast to prepare for a big day of celebrating ahead. LOL He doesn't know I've scrapped it but hopefully he wont mind. :)

 

 

I have struggled to paint the star bursts in these ornaments every time I use them but this time I think I nailed it. I painted them with a pin head rather than paintbrush. :)

Scrapmatts chipboard used: CB1215 Scrap Words 17, CB1183 Christmas Ornaments 10, CB1212 Scrap Words 14 and CB1096 Reindeers 05.

 

I based this layout on the November Kaisercraft sketch. Pretty much besides the Scrapmatts chipboard, everything else is by Kaisercraft. I have used the Mistletoe paper range and stickers, two texture stamps, pearls, decorative tape and mini-alphas.

 

The Best Gift Ever - Scrapmatts DT

I was going through my collection of pre-printed photos (which currently occupies TWO shoe-boxes, why do I keep printing more?) and came across this series of Christmas photos I took of Harrison last year. The DIY photoshoot was so much fun and I really liked the results but for some reason I haven't scrapped them yet. I couldn't resist this little face though. :)

 

 

This is my second Scrapmatts DT layout for this month. I loved the plain string circles Andrew and Sofie released a while ago but recently they made them even better by adding stars, dots and arrows to the circles. I've used the stars version here (CB5138 String Circles 02) embossed in gold, along with CB1097 Floral Spray 01, CB1212 Scrap Words 14 and CB6097 Assorted Words 19.

 

 

Kaisercraft has a Christmas-themed mood board as their September challenge, so the photo worked perfectly for this challenge. The layout has to be 80% Kaisercraft products so basically anything that isn't Scrapmatts is by Kaisercraft here. We have cardstock, Mistletoe patterned papers and stickers, lace, stamps, mist, rhinestones and a very old brad.

 

 

I used the current sketch over at Stuck?! Sketches for this layout as well, though I did deviate a bit. I rotated the sketch to the right, and then changed the placement of a few things. I think you can still see how I used the sketch as the basis, hopefully. :)

 

 

Lastly, Stuck?! has combined with Scrap Our Stash who are a new challenge site for me but I decided to give it a go anyway.

L - lace

A - alpha stickers

Y - yellow (gold)

E - embellishments (brad, chipboard)

R - red

S - stickers

 

You & Me: Create Life

Whilst pregnant, I had a very fun maternity photoshoot with Rachael Wilson Photography. It is such a freeing experience to look at your body, which is bigger than it has ever been before and possibly covered in stretch marks and swelling yet still love it. I was amazed that I was growing a whole person inside me and wanted to capture the magic of that experience. Rachael certainly delivered and managed to walk the fine line between looking classy in lingerie/semi-nude and just looking cheap. I have chosen a fully clothed photo to photo on this layout though. :)

 

 

I showed this layout to Ben and he got a huge smile on his face. He said it could be one of his favourite layouts I've ever created. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out as well and enjoyed getting messy in the background.

 

Kaisercraft have changed the way their challenges are running this year. Rather than releasing weekly sketches they will be doing one challenge at the start of each month, with the specific type varying. This month they went with a colour challenge which also had to include paper blooms and a stamp. The colour palate just happens to match their new release XO range, which I had been eyeing off anyway so I used this as an excuse to head down to my local store and pick up some papers. The range is so crisp and clean in design, I couldn't resist messying it up a bit on my layout to create a different effect. Since the layout needs to be mainly Kaisercraft products I have used their: cardstock, patterned paper, paper blooms, clear stickers, mini-alphas, 2 texture stamps and pearls.

 

 

 

I told you I was loving the January Stuck?! sketch for my last layout, I've gone with their mid-month release for this one.

 

Reach for the Stars, Josh - Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch

My local Kaisercraft outlet is running a competition this month using the new Blast Off paper collection. I picked up some supplies at the start of the month but had forgotten I had also bought the collectables until I sat down to create my entry this weekend. The collectables are just so adorable! I had to use them as the main feature on this layout featuring little Joshua, who is the child of my other friend who had a baby a little over a year ago. This is his first appearance in one of my scrapbook pages.

 

 

Once I placed all the different collectables I added some twine to link it all together and then scattered some star-shaped brads, pearls and rhinestones around. The wooden flourish had been painted with perfect pearls to give it a metallic finish. 

 

 

I have used Saturday Sketch June #1 as my inspiration for this LO.

Dream Forever Today

Another scheduled post today as I have more family visiting this weekend (it's been a busy month). My mum and dad have come up to visit because it's my birthday on Sunday.

 

This LO is for the Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch #2 for May. I have used the beautiful One Fine Day paper range with some Periwinkle collectables, pearls, rub-ons, lace and assorted flowers (resin, fabric and paper).  Photo is by our wedding photographer Daniel Sheehan.

 

 

Couple of detail shots showing the different layers and textures. I really like all the variety in the embellishment cluster.

 

Here is the beautiful sketch I worked from:

Eros

What is up with all these flowers on my layouts recently?! I'm not normally a big flower person, yet the last three layouts I've done have been covered in them. This LO is a little bit different because it is for my local Kaisercraft outlet store in Robina. They are running a competition where you putchase a kit and need to make a LO using nothing but the materials in the kit. Their new Remember Me range is beautiful so I decided to give it a go.

 

 

The kit came with some rubber stamps so I actually stamped and fussy cut a lot of my flowers. I also used an embossing tool to give them a bit of dimension and curl (a trick I picked up when I did the flower sampler class at their store last year) and then covered the cardstock in a glaze to make it shiny. Flourishes were created from individual pearls and title is from their mini-scrabble letters which I have stamped over as they looked a bit plain raw.

 

I have based this LO on the Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch #3 for April. At least since I used the kit from Kaisercraft I know have used at least 70% of their products on the LO. :)

Gold Rush

Another LO using some old photos, this time from 2005. Ben and I had taken a short holiday to Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. All I remember from the holiday was arriving a few hours before check-in opened so we found a Plaster Castle Fun house and painted up a model each (I did a snail and Ben did a dwarf), the motel we stayed at had a basketball ring in their parking lot and we went to Sovereign Hill. I'm sure we did other things but I guess that is the downside of not having started scrapbooking back then. :)

 

 

This LO was inspired by Sketch #5 for Kaisercraft's Saturday Sketch in March. They didn't put up a sketch blueprint like they normally do, so instead this is pretty much a scraplift instead. I used the Miss Match collection including their sticker sheet. The flourishes are also Kaisercraft, they used to be border flourishes attached to flowers but I didn't think they suited my style so I cut them apart. There is some Kaisercraft lace and pearls as well.

 

"Savy” by Lori Williams

 

 

Lastly, Kaisercraft is also running a bonus competition for people who take part in their sketches yet have never won. This will be my 15th LO based on a Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch so I hope I qualify (you can see them all here). All you need to do is include a photo of youself creating the LO, so here I am. I'm certainly not one of those people who keeps a tidy desk!

 

 

Love

So I've been stuck inside all day as all of Queensland is currently subject to severe weather warnings. I live on the Gold Coast and we are just about to get possibly the worst four hours of it soon, though possible tornado and flood warnings will remain for the next two days. Kind of ruined our Australia Day long weekend but right now I'm just hoping to get through it without any serious damage.

All of this time inside was the perfect chance to create another LO though. Went with a recent photo of me and my grandparents taken when I was in Melbourne last December. Journalling is hidden behind the layering, the 'love' tag pulls out so you can read it but I wanted to keep this one personal.

I normally avoid flower clusters because they can be very expensive but the sketch I worked from needed some. The green ones I have die-cut from a matching sheet of paper before hand-rolling. The brown one are those simple paper flowers from Kaisercraft but layered up and scrunched.

 

I worked from the Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch #4 for January. Papers are all from the Periwinkle Collection which is beautiful with it's cream/brown/aqua/grey colour scheme and lots of nature images. I've also used rub-ons, chipboard, flowers, mini-alphas and pearl florish from Kaisercraft.

Directions

This is the last LO I have from the retreat I took part in. I managed to get this one half done and it's just taken me this long to sit down and stick it all into place. The photo is of my parents from when we went exploring at Springbrook National Park and I just thought it was a really nice photo of the two of them.

 

The 'Ritchie explore' referred to in the journalling is a thing of family legend. At some stage we were trying to travel somewhere and Dad managed to get lost however typically didn't want to admit it so we drove around aimlessly for a while until we managed to get back on track. He claimed he was exploring and as our surname is Ritchie any time since when we have taken a needlessly convoluted path to get somewhere or have become hopelessly lost it has been referred to as 'Ritchie exploring'.

 

I was worried we would end up on a Ritchie explore either on the way to the National Park (it was over an hour's drive away through twisty mountain roads) or once we were inside the park itself (an old fear from previously getting lost while bushwalking with dad). I'm pleased to report we actually did quite well and no exploring was necessary. :)

 

 

This LO was inspired by the Kaisercraft October Saturday Sketch #2. I have used the lovely Great Southern Land range, some pearls, some chipboard, alphabet stickers, some fabric and paper flowers and some old-school brads all from Kaisercraft. This is the sketch I was working from:

 

 

Speaking of the retreat, I mentioned that there would be a group photo of us all celebrating the 70's themed night and here it is! I'm a bit upset that I'm hidden away in this photo because I had gone out and purchased a shift especially for this night but it gives you a great idea as to the feel of the night. :) If you are looking for a retreat to attend in South East Queensland I totally recommend signing up for the next one Ann runs. I think dates are May and September 2013 with a cruise in August 2013 as well. 

 

 

Live Laugh Love

This is the first LO I completed at the retreat and I had already fussy-cut most of the blossoms prior to leaving. The young girl is my mother with the photo taken in the mid 1960's by her aunt for a photography course. Something about these photos just lent themselves to creating very girlie layouts.

 

 

This LO was primarily inspired by the Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch #1 for October. The sample LO was just so lovely and I immediately thought of using the blossoms from the English Rose collection which even though it's now an older range I still love. Plus, it matched so perfecting with the background paper and title strips from the brand new Periwinkle collection.

 

 

The weekend warm-up at ScrapFIT requires you to use either bows or buttons (or both) on your LO. I have a small pink bow on top of the white fabric bow. The white bow is actually a Kaisercraft rossette which I have unpicked and tied up to ensure it matched the rosette on the LO perfectly. 

 

Finally, the Southern Girls challenge this week is to 'Tie a ribbon around it'. Looks like I'll be using those flower ribbons again. :)

Cute

I'm just sneaking this one is by the skin of my teeth! I think my sister will kill me if she ever finds this LO but I couldn't resist using these photos. :)

 

 Created for Kaisercraft Saturday Sketches using sketch #2 for August. I used so many different ranges of paper for this one (Blae & Ivy, Hunt & Gather, Pet's Paradise, Dancing Jewel). Large blooms are Kaisercraft petals which I sprayed with GlimmerMist. Stickers, bling and chipboard are Kaisercraft too.

 

 

Colour choices were inspired by this great Yummy Scrap from Scrap Friends. If you're looking for a new challenge blog check this one out for sure. Attached to a great store, they run colour challenges once a month and also monthly sketch challenges.

 

 

Bond Uni Graduation

Just to demonstrate How Times Change (the topic and title of my previous LO), here is one with my brother, sister and I in 2009 when I was graduating from University with a Masters of Criminology. Just a small step forward from graduating Grade 6! :) I wasn't happy with the professional photos taken on this day, however the casual ones taken before the ceremony were quite nice.

This LO was inspired by a few different challenges running this month. Firstly, I was inspired by the beautiful blue/tan of the bird at Show Us Your Stuff. It reminded me of the lovely Prairie Lane collection by Kaisercraft however it turns out I only had two sheets left from that range, hence the addition of the pink/orange version of the same patterns known as the Penny Royale collection. Their Try This technique for the month was book paper blooms and you can see I included a pink one in the right bottom corner. The bloom also counts as my handmade embellishment for Frosted Designs Fab Friday challenge. Oh, I also handmade the fabric covered button.

I figured since I was planning on using Kaisercraft papers I may as well use one of their fantastic Saturday Sketches as well. This LO is based on the #1 sketch for June. Kaisercraft papers, die cuts, brad and rubber stamp were used, mixture of Prairie Lane and Penny Royale collections. I've signed up to complete a full-day class at the Robina Kaisercraft outlet with a friend next weekend. I'm looking forward to learning a lot of new flower-making techniques and also getting a chance to hopefully pick up some of the newish Great Southern Land collection.

Lastly, the blue/pink/orange colour combo is perfect for the Scrapbook Kits With a Difference colour inspiration for this month.

Jet X

It's another LO featuring my sister and her partner. They can up to the Sunshine Coast for a wedding in 2010 and drove down to spend two days with me and Ben. We've done most of the tourist attractions on the Gold Coast now so for some reason I agreed to go on an exteme jetboat ride with them despite knowing I get sea sick. We made it back to land just in time!

I loved the bold red/white contrast in this picture. This one was created for the Kaisercraft May Saturday Sketch #1. I have used their Lovestruck paper range, which as you can see is easily adaptable to non-romantic LO's as well. I really like the bold colours and intricate patterns in this range. I've just tried to research it and it looks like this range may have been released in 2009! :O

The sketch called for some strips of paper with journalling on top but I decided it was finally time to try the paper rolls technique. I think it looks quite effective and Ben really liked the effect. I've learnt you need to be careful what kind of paper you use though. The yellow is by another company and is a bit thicker so it didn't hold it's shape as well.

Below is the May #1 Kaisercraft sketch I had to work from. You also have to make sure 80% of the work is Kaisercraft products. I've used their cardstock, papers, pearls, rhinestone and fabric flower. Alphas are American Crafts and doilies are from The Chip Chop Shop.

Zoo Garden

I was reviewing my recent LO's and noticed they were getting simpler and simpler in design so decided it was time to try to layer things up again. I found a great sketch over at Kaisercraft for their Saturday Sketches competition and sat down to get started this evening. Both the photo and the papers are ones I've had for a while. I was planning on doing some basic journalling about seeing the animals at the Zoo, blah blah blah but once I started writing I was reminded of how much I was missing my family prior to this visit. I wouldn't have remembered those emotions and some of the other events of that trip without this journalling prompting me so hurray for meaningful journalling!

 

Here is Saturday Sketch #2 for April from Kaisercraft:

I used the three pages of Hey Birdie paper I had. It's an adorable range from 2010, I think. I didn't have any of the other embellishments or products from that range, so all the details are hand-cut from one of the sheets. Ribbons, twine and dress-pattern paper from my stash.

End result is still a simple and crispt LO but with a lot more layers than normal. My husband, Ben, said he likes it and thinks its more 'my style' than recent previous work.

 

This LO was published in the November edition of Scrap Street Magazine. See it here.

Christmas Joy

This was a productive weekend for me, I managed to get a second LO done. :) I was looking over some blogs and realised it had been a while since I took part in a Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch. The #2 sketch for February was perfect for these Christmas Carnival papers I had been saving. The colours were amazing, I really enjoyed doing a Christmas LO with non-traditional colours. As per the challenge requirements, almost everything is by Kaisercraft.

Again, I focused on adding multiple layers to this LO which I wanted to showcase in the detail show below. You can see the Christmas trees have been raised to two levels. There are pearls around the entire scalloped circle. Lots of little extras in the embellishment cluster too.

This is the sketch I worked from, Saturday Sketch #2 February:

The Walk LO - Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch July #1

Here is my entry for the #1 July Sketch for Kaisercraft's Saturday Sketches. I have a whole heap of different Christmas papers by Kaisercraft but my problem is none on them match the whole pile of Christmas embelishments I have! For this LO I've used the Home for Christmas paper range, Christmas Carnival stamps and Belle rub ons and brads. Wooden florish, pearls and rhinestones are also all Kaisercraft products.

Here is the sketch I worked from: