Anotherchallenge layout from me

Morning all..

Just a quick one from me as I'm off to a card crop today.. I'm all packed and ready to go!

This time I went to the Scrap Our Stash blog for inspiration, and found this sketch and challenge.

This is the layout I created and I used, from the lists, Jade, and Jillibean Soup letters and a journaling card from the first one. (Iknow I'm supposed to only pick one, it was just the way it worked out) then I used Kaisercraft Hummingbird papers and added lavender from the final list.

I called it The Oldies as the donkeys were both over 50 years old..and my Mum, pictured, was 85 years young.

Well that's it.. do pop by again soon.

Elaine

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WOYWW 360

Morning all...

Today I am, again, joining in WOYWW over at The Stamping Ground. If you want to know more, do pop on over for a look see.

This is the state of my desk currently!

As you can see, I'm in the middle of painting a picture frame. It previously held a photo of my dear grand-daughter yet the frame colour did not go with any of my other frames. So..I've painted it black and I aim to go over it with a coat of Prima Gold Crackle paint too.

I've had a productive week... I had a MAJOR clear up of my room and have sorted out lots of small embellishments that I have been saving for my mixed media projects and are now all categorised. 

I still haven't replaced my ATG gun tape, but that's because I tried to and discovered that the tape I'd bought was a copycat and it was rubbish! So.. I've ordered a new one and hope the one that turns up is an original not a copy and works as it should this time! 
  
I've been busy producing more layouts too.. here are some of them:

This one I made for my friend Sues challenge over on Meandmine blog  I used some of my Counterfeit Kit, April Skies, for this one..

 from this sketch

and these two were also created using my Counterfeit Kit too

 I created this for a challenge over on UKScrappers.. to use chipboard.. which I did in abundance! Lol

This one was also for another challenge on UKS..to use this sketch..and to join in with 'Another Freaking Scrapping Challenge 'blog..to use the word lucky.

and finally I made this layout for a challenge over on Rochelle Spears website and again it was inspired by a challenge over on UKScrappers.. who set a weekly challenge and many others ..so if you're looking for inspiration, then look no further  

I used the left hand sketch of these three  to choose from and I had to use a journaling card too

and this is what I created

Well that's about it now.. so thanks for stopping by! I'm off to have a snoop around some of the other lovely desks and see what you've all been up to.

Bye for now.

Elaine
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CKCB April Blog Hop

Good morning all

Welcome to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog Hop. I'm thrilled to be joining in again and hope you will scoot around all of the blogs featured.. there is some lovely inspiration there! If you get lost along the way, pop back to the blog where you will find a full list of participants.

First though, you should have found your way here via Princy here who is new to blogging so I do hope you've left her some love to encourage her.

Meanwhile, I have been getting up to some Shabby Chic loveliness with my Counterfeit Kit 'April Skies' inspired by the first prompt for the month.

In this instance I got a little carried away and made two samples..both 'off the page'.. first a card:

I used this sketch here that was found via my friend Sues blog FrankieSues Crafty Place which led me to The Paper Craft Crew and this sketch 191

I was challenged to use three Stampin'Up elements, so I used their Winter Woodland Paper collection pack, a piece of spotty vellum from the same collection and Polka Pieces, a very old (retired) stamp set.

Next I took a tiny photograph from a wedding a few years back.. I seem to have lost the original photo so all I have is this tiny picture that was once cut to fit a small frame...and I made this tag.

I used a pre-cut tag and used Prima texture paste to create a lacy textured background. I then added lots of altered mixed media elements, a frame saved from an old Christmas Cracker (bon-bon for all you Americans! LOL ) and layered them all into an arrangement that I was happy with, finishing it off with a piece of twine.

Finally (although I've shared it before), I also made a full Shabby Chic layout here that shows how I made this layout.. as I've showed it before I didn't want to showcase it here today ,but I love it so much I thought I'd share the link, so if you want a nosey, do pop over for a look.

Finally.... if you've seen all you want to here... do continue on your journey along the hop.. and don't forget to let us all know you've visited.

The next person on your way is the lovely  and talented Julene here

and here is the full list in case you get lost

CKCB        http://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com
Lisa          http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de
Princey    http://princy1010.blogspot.com
Elaine      http://chidkids26.blogspot.co.uk
Julene      http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com.au
Natalie    http://thebigdills.blogspot.com
Jemma    http://just-jimjams.blogspot.co.uk

I do hope you've all enjoyed seeing our creations.. until next time!

Elaine

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WOYWW 359

Morning all

Today I am, again, joining in WOYWW over at The Stamping Ground. If you want to know more, do pop on over for a look see.

This is the state of my desk currently! Covered in chipboard elements for a layout I have rattling around in my head in readiness for a challenge over on UKScrappers. The task is to create a layout using chipboard.. so I've started with painting a lot of pieces with acrylic paint and gesso. In time I will add more coloured paint and ink to transform them further. I hope I will be able to share the LO with you next week.

Meanwhile..I have noticed that my desk still has my ATG gun waiting to be refilled. In my previous three weeks of joining in this blog, it has been in exactly the same place! This is because I normally struggle to change the empty reel..so there it sits.. waiting for me to change it and re-use it! I wonder if it will still be there next week?


There is a distinct lack of finished items to share with you this week because my attention was diverted over the weekend to a different craft.. this time willow weaving.

On Saturday I went on a course to make something from willow..and I came home with a 7' tall stag!!! (As you do!)

Here he is.. I've called him Dave the Deer and he is now settling in nicely in my garden. I made him in a craft barn and these are the photos of the workshop and him inside. He sits just over 6' now he's been 'planted' and he's a cute addition to my garden.

So that's it for now.. do let me know you've visited..and what you think of Dave! Lol

By for now.. have a great week everyone,

Elaine

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UPDATE: By request.. here is Dave in my new flower border we've just planted

April tag swap

hi again

For the second post of the day, I am bringing you three little tags I've recently made for a swap over on UKScrappers.

This month we were challenged to use EMBOSSING FOLDERS for our inspiration. Suffice to say I didn't know where to start.. give me some mixed media on something so small and I'm in my element.. but to create something so small with embossing folders had me stumped for a few days.

In the end though I suddenly had a thought that I should be approaching it as though it was a card.. and then, as I had recently bought a Stampin' Up owl punch, I decided I would use that.   

First, I took a stencil, yes, not an embossing folder, but a stencil and I used it like an embossing folder with my Sizzix Big Shot. To get a decent impression I had to use a shim to get enough of a rise and then I used it as a mask afterwards and inked some distress inks through the stencil to get the wood effect.

I then embossed three pieces of cream cardstock and stuck the two background pieces together with some Stampin' Up Winter Woodland washi tape which has a small gold vein running through it.

Then I embossed a piece of pink card with a dotty embossing folder and punched the breasts of the female owls. I then punched the rest of the owls from scraps and stuck them all together and added a tiny gem to the bow tie and the hair bows on each owl. 

To finish I added two small pink pearls either side of the two owls on each tag and I added a hand written label on each. I them smeared dark pink glittery modelling paste around the edges and I was happy.

In the end, although it isn't my usual style, I was quite pleased with them.. and they are quite cute.. I just hope the recipients like them too.

Thanks for stopping by.

Elaine

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WOYWW 358

Hi all

Today I'm bringing you my desk to participate in What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday supported by The Stamping Ground.. for more details, do pop over and have a look-see.

The remnants you can see are of five layouts I did this week..and on the left you can see some happy mail I received today that hasn't found it's way into their new home yet. Here is the mail

and here are the five layouts I made.. I also made four tags but I can't share them yet as they are for a swap over on UKScrappers.

.. of my beautiful grand-daughter

 (my personal favourite)

and here is a fun double layout of some old photos

and another layout here

and finally

 ('scuse the wonky photo!)

Also, for those of you that visited last week, you may remember that I said I was going to sort out all my scraps and stickers and ephemera.. well.. I (sort of) did it.. that is to say.. I sorted my scraps and ephemera but I failed at the stickers.. It just didn't make any sense when I started looking at them all.. how do you colour co-ordinate stickers that have several colours on them? Anyway.. here is my scraps all sorted into colours in popper wallets.. so much easier to find.. and maybe actually use?? Only time will tell! All my stickers are now all in one place too.

I also followed the tip of Shaz aka Silverwolf from her blogpost two weeks ago HERE. She suggested that we could make a grid for our drawers to stop our mists and sprays from falling over. No sooner had I seen her post I knew I had to have a go.. now I think you can see that mine isn't as straight as hers, but... it makes no difference at all.. and it keeps all my mists and sprays upright in my Ikea Alex drawer. Thanks Shaz! It works a treat.. and this is how it looks now it's all full up! I have a few sprays that are too tall so I shan't be buying that brand anymore... I can't have them spoiling my organisation now can I? LOL 

and this is how the drawer looks now

all in all a good weeks crafting and sorting!

Elaine

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I

My 5th CKCB Layout

Hi all

A quick post from me tonight .. here is another layout I made with my April CKCB kit April Skies.

This one is of my Grand daughter and I used some stickers from the Simple Stories sheet in my kit and the 6"pad of Authentique Classique Elegance.

Although she is a little girl and blues and such adult style papers wouldn't necessarily be the first 'go to' papers I would choose.. because it was a dark photo wearing pale clothes I thought I could get away with it.

I'm happy with the end result so here it is..

I used Heidi Swapps no.1 puffy sticker and some old foam alpha stickers for the title and I punched some scalloped circles and added paper flowers to the tags and the flower circles.

I used a Martha Stewart punch to cut two extra pieces out of the edges and backed the reverse with two scraps of dark grey from the same 6" pad.

As I said.. a quick post tonight.. so bye for now.. and do visit again soon.

Elaine

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Multi tasking challenges

Hi all

Thanks for joining me again today.

This time I am bringing you a layout/canvas that has taken me a little outside my comfort zone in that it is far more 'dimensional' than I usually produce.

Initially I started with this sketch from my friend Sue who is a great sketch designer and I took this as my first inspiration. This month she provided the sketch for a Facebook group called 'Sketchy Scrappers on Facebook' and I was immediately tempted to use it for my layout. It is a  'for fun' only group..but it often kick starts my

mojo.

Then I took my kit I'd made for the Counterfeit Challenge Blog   that I have called April Skies and I blogged here . In it I had included lots of paper roses and flowers and I knew I wanted to make a layout using them.. I had also picked out an old (very old- I'm still a brunette!) photo of me to use from a photo shoot I had won once.. this also was inspired by a challenge over on good old UKS to Scrap Like You Mean it.. and the task was to scrap an old photo..so that was the basis for it. Over on the CKCB they had a challenge to use your kit for a shabby chic inspired layout- so here it is..my take of a Shabby Chic LO.

To make it, after Gessoing the heavy card stock, I took two different stencils and used Primas Opaque Matte texture paste to create a textured background. Then, when it was dry, I misted it heavily with Turquoise Perfect Pearls and Adirondack ink. That made the paper very wet and I had to leave it for some hours before I could work on it again.

In the meantime I took lots of the flowers, some chipboard gates (that I've had in my stash for EVER), other chipboard elements, some die cuts, hearts, pearls,resin flowers etc and painted them with a covering of white acrylic paint. Then I selected different ones to paint with either Cosmic Shimmer Tarnished Silver, Docrafts Artiste Pearl Frosted Mint and Mother of Pearl.

Once it was all dry.. I carefully arranged all of the flowers and die cuts around the edge of the photo to see what it all looked like. When I was happy,I used Prima Art Basics Soft Gloss Gel (transparent) to adhere all the elements to the page. I love this gel as when it dries it is completely invisible..so you can liberally attach all the items without fear of them ever falling off.

I added Prima Zinc glass beads and a stick pin along with some beautiful turquoise feathers I'd ordered from China months ago and had been waiting for the right project to use them on.

And here is the finished layout... me, for once, looking very glamourous! Lol.. and ... I confess....I am really pleased with the end result...so pleased that I have mounted it and it is going on my bedroom wall for a little while!

Well, that's it for now.. pop back soon.., you never know what I've been getting up to!

Elaine

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WOYWW and 3rd CKCB LO

Morning all

Today I'm bringing you my desk for What's on Your Wordesk Wednesday.. If you have no clue what I am talking about, why not pop over to the Stamping Ground blog for a looksee.

Today my desk is full of nothing really.. the remains of the layout I made last night is on the desk but the rest of the mess is fairly organised and I know where most of my stuff is..I think!!

On the far left you can make out that there is a die cut sheet that is mostly empty and my plan this week is to start sorting out all my leftover sheet of dies, stickers etc and trying to put them in some sort of order... wish me luck! I also want to sort my ephemera in some sort of colour schemes too. I plan on using popper wallets for this, so if you pop back next week, I may have some of them for you to see.. watch this space!

Anyway.. here is the layout I made last night.. using my Counterfeit Challenge Kit. Someone asked me the name of the background papers but unfortunately it came in a 'job lot' and it didn't have a strip on it so I don't know.. I think it is American Crafts, but I'm not sure, so if anyone else knows, please do tell!

Thanks for stopping by.. I'm off to join in Stamping Grounds blog hop now.. laters!

Elaine

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