Thinking of You Tag - Take It Make It Challenge April - Craft Stamper Magazine

Hello Everyone

I am playing along with the 

Take It Make It Challenge April - Craft Stamper Magazine

I absolutely love this magazine and it was not avail in our CNA stores for months.

I happened to see the March issue, just by chance and snatched it up quick time! ;-)

It inspired me to play along with their challenge this month.

I made a tag,

I used a Tim Holtz stencil for the background and then a Penelope Dee and Penny Black stamps for the swirls and the pretty flowers,

I stamped the flowers on patterned paper, with old writing, which I then fussy cut and added some white gel pen highlights.

I love the soft colours of this tag.

Thanks so much for stopping by and thinking of me.....

Have a fabulous day!

Denise x

Special Love Mixed Media Layout - Berry71Bleu

Hello Everyone

 

Apologies for having dropped out of cyberspace for a little while.

It was school holidays and then Easter.  My brother was also here from the UK.

So sadly blogging took a back seat.

 

It was really quality and quantity time with my family! ;-)

 

I am back, however, today with a vintage layout for the Berry71Bleu challenge this month.

 

Here's the gorgeous mood board.

 

I created this mixed media page of my Grandparents.

I used the gorgeous Barn Market vintage papers from Riddersholm Design.

I did some intricate gesso stencilling around the photo too.

The gorgeous chipboard piece is a Blue Fern Studios piece and was aged, using gesso and all purpose ink.

I also did a fair amount of stamping on the background too.

 

I really love how this vintage page turned out. Vintage certainly does not have to be dark and dreary,

There is still time to play along.

 

Our wonderful Sponsor this month is:

Established in 2000, 7gypsies has enjoyed being a part of the craft and scrapbooking industries. 7gyspies has taken a few journeys along the way, with the caravan’s final destination with Canvas Corp. 

a bit of the 7gypsies story…

A young architect who wanted to be a painter met an Australian school teacher with a penchant for collecting things. They married and traveled the world together, having 7 kids on 3 different continents. As age mellowed them, they settled in the southwestern US and began designing for the scrapbooking industry, drawing upon a lifetime of traveling and experiences. 

  

The Canvas Corp family welcomes this amazing brand, with a penchant for preserving the original inspiration behind the brand.  This catalog brings together vintage and brand new 7gypsies products.

the gypsies today… 

With a focus on preserving the inspiration for the brands and the product line, the 7gypsies development team has designed a number of vintage inspired collections that have a look of the past but are relevant to the creative market today. We have converted a considerable amount of products to production in the USA, while continuing to source world-wide to find the most exciting products, designs and technologies.  We are excited to release our most exciting collection Architextures™ which is going to take the 7gypsies brand in many wonderful new directions. 

Web- Blog - Facebook - Instagram - Youtube 

7gypsies give the winner of the challenge one of their "Junk Packs" - a collection of vintage papers, handmade papers, fabric, tags and more with a writing and lettering theme. No two are alike. AND  as an there is a chance to win a additional prize - if you both submit an entry for the Berry71Bleu Challenge & the current Canvas Corp Brands Challenge you are eligable to win a second prize. You will find a link to the Canvas Corp Brands April Challenge under our Challenge board in the right sidebar. 

Have a fabulous day!

Denise x



Upcycled Body Shop Box - Graphic 45

Hello Everyone

I decided to join the April Upcycling challenge with Graphic 45 and so I upcycled a Body Shop Box.

I used up all sorts of bits and bobs from various Graphic 45 collections.

Here's some close-ups.

I am not sure exactly what I am going to use it for yet.  Maybe just a gift box or a little trinket box.

But in any case it will certainly be used! ;-)

Our internet woes have at last been sorted out.  So that is certainly one thing that I am really pleased about.

I hope you have a super evening!

Denise x

Spring Tags - Berry71Bleu April Challenge

Hello Everyone

I am up on the Berry71Bleu blog today with Spring Tags.  There is a Spring Fling challenge this month.



I took my inspiration from the colours and Spring blooms.

I used Graphic 45 scraps to make these tags and did quite a bit of fussy cutting too!

I had some Scrapininec chipboard, which I had from my Zeus and Zoe DT days and I used these as well.

I know somewhere and at some point, that I can use these tags to hopefully put a cheer on someone's day! ;-)

I have really been good lately with purchasing scrap supplies...but a local scrapbook shop had a huge sale on Graphic 45 papers and accents....it was just too much to withstand and so I got some yummy goodies, which I cannot wait to play with! ;-)

Anyways...I hope you have had a scrappy day! ;-)

Thanks for popping in!

Denise x

Changing Seasons - 7 Dots Studio April Challenge

Hello Everyone

It is a very chilly day in Johannesburg and just as I walked in the door, the rain drops began to fell! BRRR...
so a very apt page to share with you today! ;-)

I am just in the nick of time to submit this page for the 7 Dots Studio April Challenge here.



“April showers bring May flowers”

So this is my take on the challenge. I apologise in advance, if the photo's are not so great, because with this very dreary weather outside, the lighting was awful.

In our part of the world, May means that autumn is almost over and winter is surely on it's way! So hence the reason for the title of my page. My journalling says: Month of May 2014 - The Aloe blooms twice a year! Once at the start of Spring and then again at the start of winter.  May has come and it's a sure sign of the changing seasons!

I used the gorgeous Love is in the Air papers and an Illumination sticker, along with some of the Illumination stamps. The colouring was super for this page, and I just enhanced a little more of the orange.

I used 2 Enmarc chippies, which I crackled and aged. The blooms are BoBunny and Prima and the stencil also Prima. I have been on a mission to also use my stash and so the title is a mix mash of alpha rub-ons. The washi tape is My Minds Eye.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I really do appreciate your visits!

Denise x 

Life - Scrap Around the World April Challenge

Hello Everyone

Today was the perfect day! Perfect weather, perfect company and a perfect lunch! Just a beautiful and gorgeous day! ;-)

I finished a page for the Scrap Around the World April Challenge. This is the stunning mood board below by Riikka Kovasin.



I know that it's not a colour challenge, but I really did love the colours of the board, as well as the crackled little board and the beatiful butterflies. So these were the things that I incorporated into my page.
The thoughts on life were also inspiration and hence the theme of Life (and thoughts) for my page.

I did a lot of work on the background and really enjoyed playing with the different techniques etc. I will show you a close-up below, which gives you an idea of the crackle, stamping and paints.

I really dove into my stash and used some rub-ons and goodies, that I have had for ever and a day! ;-) So I really pleased about that.

I used the Vintage Chic collection from Heidi Swapp, which is still one of my favourite collections.

Just in front of the big butterfly is a chipboard and this is actually my pullout for my journalling tag. That's why I also have the little "Note to Self" rub-on there...

I often hear of people whose lives are really so short, for whatever reason, and again this week it was a reminder to me, that life is precious and everyday is a gift! So this is what this page is about!

Thanks for stopping by!
Have a super evening!
Denise x

April Challenge - Berry71Bleu - Handmade Flowers

Hello Everyone

The April Challenge is up on the Berry71Bleu Blog.

Handmade Flowers April Challenge with Tracey Gregory

Tracey here with the April Challenge! I don't know about the weather where you are but here in New England/USA winter just won't go away. Since there aren't any flowers yet blooming in my garden, I decided my challenge would be to create your own flowers! 

This month we challenge you

 to create a project

 using handmade flowers !

There must be at least ONE homemade flower on your project.

 It's not limited to a scrap page-think canvas, home decor,headbands,anything your creative mind can dream up! There are hundreds of flower tutorials out there for flowers made out of paper,felt,cloth,twine,burlap,coffee filters,etc..

For links to all of the flower tutorials pictured above and many more see my Pintrest page here.

Here is my project for inspiration:

We are so blessed to be able to play with the generous products supplied by our sponsors. This month we are featuring 7Dots, Um Wow and The Darkroom Door.I used the papers from the 7 Dots Dreamer Collection (my all time fave) and water distressed my edges with watered down gelatos. I created a background with multiple colors of gelatos, blended with water then stamped with a stamp from the 7 Dots Cold Country Collection. Using the circles from the paper,I created various size Lollipop flowers and tucked them in behind my picture.

The flying bird Um Wow chippie was first colored with gold gelato, Rub n' Buff in patina, then crackled with Ranger Crackle accents. I used UmWow mushroom chippies as foliage by treating them to Stampin' Up Verdigris embossing enamel. I found some beautiful vintage lace at a thrift store and used to create one of handmade flowers and topped it with a Recollection metal flower which was also treated to a patina.

My other flowers were created with coffee filters and Spellbinder Spiral Blossom 1. I spritzed them with Heidi Swapp mists in Gold,Mustard and Turquoise before I rolled them up. Each flower is made up of 2 to 3 blossoms rolled together. The lace pictured above is the same as the lace in my flower and the cameo is from Recollections.

I used the Darkroom Door filmstrip and word strips here,both colored with gelatos and embossed and cracked. The tags tucked in the sides are also Darkroom Door which I shaded and added some seam binding.

This all makes for a chunky layout. I was inspired by a sketch for Once Upon a Sketch and then it took off from there!

I created 3 different types of flowers for this layout and mixed them in with 3 packaged flowers. For the challenge you only have to have at least one handmade flower but you may find it so much fun you make more!

Check out the fabulous sponsors and prizes for this month:

First Prize:

Studio Shirel Pop & Colours Workshop

Second Prize:
Studio Shirel Pop & Colors #2 Workshop

3rd Prize:
Darkroom Door Paper Collection

Sponsors:

Studio Shirel

http://shirelstudio.blogspot.ch/

Facebook Page

Pop and Colours Workshop #1 - Art of Background 

Six weeks of workshops with step-by-step detailed examples and videos! Do you like to play with inks? Dirty hands, paint in the hair and stains on the apron don’t scare you? Then this workshop is for you! Whatever your style, learn how to create backgrounds very personal using the techniques presented in this workshop! I requested internationally famous guests who will share their secrets for making scrapbook pages from A to Z. Each week two different step-by-step (videos or photos and written explanations) will be presented. Each week, icing on the cake, sample pages created by the various artists using each technique will be shared. These examples will show you that the techniques are adaptable to all styles! The workshop will focus on scrapbooking pages, but the techniques are obviously suitable for other media (Art Journal, Project Life, mini-album, canvas Mixed Media etc.).
There is no time limit to subscribe to the workshop and it will be available for a period of one year from the beginning of the workshop (ie 18 October 2014).

Pop and Colours Workshop #2 - Around the World

10 weeks of workshops in video! Did you like Pop and Colours Workshop #1 - Art of Background and you want more? Well...we do have more! Pop and Colours # 2 - Around the World is based on the same principle. Our team of renown international artists will share their secrets for making scrapbook pages through exclusive videos! Different styles will share the spotlight: freestyle, shabby, mixed media or graphic style, you will find types for all tastes! Class started on January 3, 2014 and all the content will be available for a whole year. You can join us at anytime within this year!

Darkroom Door
Website: http://www.darkroomdoor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darkroomdoor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/darkroom_door
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/darkroomdoor/
Flickr Group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/darkroomdoor/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/rachelgreig
Blog: blog.darkroomdoor.com

Darkroom Door is owned by photographer Rachel Greig and graphic designer Stewart Yule who combine their talents to design a unique range of rubber stamps and papercraft products suitable for card making, scrapbooking, invitations, collage, mixed media and altered art. As the name suggests, Darkroom Door products have a strong photographic element in their design.

Products include: Rubber Stamps, Photo Stamps, Background Stamps, Frame Stamps, Collage Stamps, Word Block Stamps, Montage Sheets, Photochips, and Filmstrips along with a wide range of accessories for all type of paper crafts.
 

Darkroom Door also has a fabulous blog that is updated regularly with projects created by many talented artists. Check out the Darkroom Door website to see their full product range along with a gallery full of projects and ideas!

Design Team Sponsors

Website: http://umwowstudio.com 

Facebook: http://facebook.com/umwowstudio 

Blog: http://umwowstudio.blogspot.com

We're a US based company who has recently changed directions and moved to chipboard embellishments! Our designs are fresh, new and on trend. We pride ourselves in the quality of our chip and our dedication to the trade. With our passion for paper crafts and our knowledge of industry
we can safely say you'll love our goods and their high quality!

  7 Dots Studio

http://7dotsstudio.com/

We are a team of creative women who cannot image their world without paper, glue and the creative process. Scrapbooking is our passion and we love to share our passion with other scrapbookers. For this reason, 7 Dots Studio exists. The quality of our products is our top priority. Our collections are made from thick (250gsm), acid-free, lignin-free, archival scrapbooking paper. We also offer high quality cardstock stickers.

Please note that if the winner(s) of this challenge are international they will be responsible for shipping costs.

Make sure you follow our CHALLENGE RULES.