MONDAY SIGH - WHAT CAN I SAY - PUBLISHED, TIRED AND WALK...

Life just seems so full on at the moment, really and truly blink and it's Friday blink again and it's Monday which means Christmas is hurtling towards me and I'm not at all prepared, added to that that I need to slow the season down to enjoy it and I'm unsure of how I'm going to manage that, thankfully my Journal Your Christmas is right around the corner, so hopefully that will allow me to take stock a little - we shall see!

So I'm sharing layouts at the rate of 2 to 3 a day - you may ask if this is a never ending pile - I shall answer - nope the end is in sight which is worrying as I always have some 'in stock' as it were.  Might have to head off to find me a challenge to get me going again on the scrapbook layout it isn't as if I don't have enough photos to scrap now is it!

So first up a layout of the one and only time I've ever been published, it was in the now defunct Scrapbook Magazine and was organised in its entirety by Jen at Wear Crafts (she is a star).  I obviously had to capture this moment in a scrapbook layout!

Next up the aftermath of a weekend retreat in the Peak District for said 15 year old, we did have to wonder whether he would cope with the 20 day expedition to Lesotho if this is what he was like after a weekend, but we needn't have worried he managed just fine! 

And the two of them stood by a giant tree when we went to Bodnant Gardens, a fabulous day out and a stone's throw from where we were staying!

I hope Monday finds you positive and happy and that your day is kind to you and that the weekend arrives quickly!

WEAR CRAFTS - NOVEMBER LAYOUT - THE FINAL ONE

Evening all, well the last layout created using these gorgeous Simple Stories legacy papers, if you fancy getting your hands on something similar then pop over to Jen's Wear Crafts website!

I have one single layout left to share, I matted the paper onto the green background, hand cut the flag elements, punched a couple of butterflies and hand stamped the Just Us title.  Photo taken on a frozen beach at Centre Parcs in January!

Hope you've enjoyed the layouts I've shared through the year - wonder what Jen has in store for 2016?

WEAR CRAFTS LAYOUTS

The lovely Jen at Wear Crafts sent me some gorgeous 'We are Memory Keepers' papers recently (if you want to have a look at these - there is a link here which shows the great range Jen has in). 

So these are the layouts I created using these papers. 

First up said 15 year old enjoying the conservatory at one of the cottage holidays we stayed in earlier in the year. Definitely Home from Home! 

Next up I loved the 'tie dye' effect of these papers, really pretty.  A pop of Yellow and I pulled this layout together.  Photo taken on our way in to the Harry Potter studio in London earlier in the year, giddy doesn't come close.  

Next up hubby and son inside an ancient monument on Anglesey.  It was an amazing place to visit if I'm honest.  The papers aren't my normal style (lots of flowers aren't usually the path I go), however I like the simple sketch outline of this paper, so I matched it with some of the graduated yellow paper and then 'coloured in' a few of the buds on the paper to bring the two together.  

Next up a sculpture we found in Conwy of mussel shells, right on the front in Conwy.  I cut out the circle and used the 'frame' to create this layout.  I softened the photo, title and tag using a corner punch.  I used a stamp to create the 'dotty' background on the white card stock.  

I then hand punched the hearts and the running stitch around the edge and completed with a running stitch with embroidery thread. 

 Next up I used some of the leftover elements to create this layout, lots of 3.75" x 2.75" cards with a mix of two photos taken at Chatsworth of two naughty ponies pushing against each other!  Such fun to see and so tiny! 

Next up a photo of the three of us in front of Swallow Falls in Wales, a beautiful and easily accessible waterfall if you ever get chance. 

I added the stenciled green dots on this layout in two different distress inks. 

Another Harry Potter layout, this one is the three of us in front of the Mirror of Erised, showing my heart truly desires! I added an inked backgrounds, a computer generated title and adding a little hand stitching. 

A poignant layout given yesterday's Remembrance Day, me taking a photo of hubby and said 15 year old, when we went to visit the Poppies at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

And finally, I decided to take the paper literally to generate this layout.  The stars map is lovely and I wasn't sure if I'd ever create a layout of the three key stars hand prints from Harry Potter that we took earlier in the year.  However, cutting the photos into circles and dotting up the paper I think I just about got away with it. 

I hope you've enjoyed looking at the layouts and some of the things I've been documenting!

USING UP A KIT

Earlier in the year I managed to get hold of a gorgeous mini book kit from Jen at Wear Crafts and I dutifully made the mini book (which I love so I've made loads more since).  However, I did have a bag of leftover bits of paper left and I really couldn't throw them away, being a Yorkshire lass you don't waste when it comes to scrapping.  

So after I'd moved them around my desk a few times I thought it was time to use them up.  The background papers were from my stash, the leftovers created the embellishment.  

Photo of hubby when we were on holiday earlier this year. 

I put my heart die to good use and managed to create lots of mixed hearts, which I added to the layout below, I think they draw the eye to the photo, taken at the grotto at Chatsworth!

I also decided to go very geometric with this layout, creating lots of squares to highlight the Instagram photo and I also enjoyed putting the pieces onto a black background to really make it pop!

This one helped me document some fabulous photos of the oriental room at Harewood house, the wallpaper with its none repeating pattern is gorgeous and doing the three strips across the page allowed me to include more than one photo despite none of them being the same size.

So my question is - do you have mini book spares lurking somewhere and if so - what do you do with them?

WEAR CRAFTS - OCTOBER LEGACY PAGES

Evening all a couple more layouts created using the papers from the lovely Jen at Wear Crafts.  If you fancy some new stash or just want to look at the latest goodies - then head over and take a look, you won't be disappointed!

The first layouts was ripped borders and sheets of paper.  The hole at the top was created cutting out other elements and then overlaying papers to cover the whole and offset a similar shape and design on the page.  A 'Love' title and matted photo and it was complete - simple!

The photo was taken of the amazing Rock Garden at Chatsworth it always reminds me of the Flintstones!

Then paper onto simple cardstock, a strip of 'negative' hearts inked and some offcuts, to a matted photo!  The sentiment was on the wall of a local coffee shop that me and hubby had sneaked to, one Saturday morning - it reminds me of that time - bliss!

If just shows the versatility of these papers if I'm honest!  Hope you are having a Happy Scrapping time!

STARS AND FRAME

Well continuing the theme of sharing more layouts (I've done another 29 this weekend and the night isn't over yet)

Here is one of my sister (on the left) and our friend Amy at a Charity ball earlier in the year. 

This layout is completely made up of off cuts from a mini book I made using a kit from Jen at Wear Crafts, I honestly didn't know if I'd manage to get any more out of the kit, but just shows you what great value it was as here is another layout using the elements left over

This layout is the view from the Grotto at Chatsworth - out over the pool.  The hearts have once again been made using the remnants of the same kit mentioned in the layout above!

I actually really enjoyed working with pink for a change as well, hope you lovely people have had a great weekend.

WEAR CRAFTS - LEGACY PAGES - SEPTEMBER

Evening all well a couple more legacy layouts using papers from Jen at Wear Crafts, head over and have a look at what she's got available.  These are the Simple Stories legacy pages and Jen has been holding a year long monthly class using these same papers at her Creative Space!

The photo was a meal out at Center Parcs taken by hubby.  I created three giant tags which i placed on the page and then added the photo and an assortment of embellishments from little Butterfly buttons to cork arrows, to create the finished layout!

Some of you may remember the wavy border page from earlier in the year, this is using the border element of the cut out with a simple plain cardstock sheet in the middle, I then added an assortment of stamped images and washi tape with a couple of painted red hearts and some hand journalling to create this finished layout!

Hope this provide a little inspiration - happy Scrapping!

OH IT'S BEEN A WHILE

Morning all, well it's been a while since I did regular blogging, not sure why it stopped if I'm honest, perhaps life got in the way, perhaps the Summer was simply too awesome to be sat at a computer - nope not that one.  But I find myself in September, my birthday hurtling towards me as if I'm not offended at being another year old and Autumn is upon us.  Crafting has taken an exceptionally long hiatus, actually scrapbooking has, crafting generally is threaded through my life in some format if I'm truly honest!

But I really do want to get back to recording the journeys through life in my scrapbooks, so I thought a blog post and input from you lovely people might help.  Strangely the blog folder is not bare as it were and there are still a good few layouts for me to share, so that's where I shall start.

This first layout I've actually shared before minus the photos, the papers were from Jen at Wear Crafts and I'd had them an age before I finally turned them into a mini-book, but they were so utterly cute that I wanted to create a couple of layouts as well, so I primed them hoping I might get a couple of Halloween piccies that would do the trick, needless to say last October said 14 year old and hubby did not disappoint!

Here they are pretending to throw up the pumpkin - I have no idea why - they obviously found it highly amusing however!

I think perhaps they were emulating this - all I can say is boys! This is another layout using the final dregs of that kit, I really loved those papers, they had amazing glitter on!

Next up sculptures from last year's Beyond Limits at Chatsworth and on the grounds that this years is about to commence I thought I had better share.

And said 14 year old priming the pumpkin, some of the fun is from the preparation itself!  The papers were part of a Secret Santa I took part in last year and these too are making a come back, truly can't be at that time of year already!

So the hope is that by emptying that folder I put my best foot forward and stop climbing on the sofa and start sitting at the craft desk, we shall see if it works.

WEAR CRAFTS - LEGACY LAYOUTS

Evening all, a couple more legacy layouts created using gorgeous papers from the Wear Crafts website.

The first one is a favourite, I loved the tree on the ledger paper, and really didn't want to cover it up, so I puzzled a while over how to add to it and realised simple button embellishments would be just the thing.  I added the journalling on the ledger element of the paper, included three photos of badminton at Center Parcs and an offcut from a border punch.  The title "Quick" reminded me that we were trying to get in as much play as possible, including swapping sides and mixing up the people!

This layout, shows some of the amazing 'project life' style elements.  I used them within a frame of overlapping card strips to create a border.  Adding to each element, I added the journal block to the tree cut out, I mounted the clock onto foam pads and and the hearts as well.  The photo was an instagram shot taken of a favourite look out point we venture across occasionally and was taken in a moving car!

If you fancy some fun stash then head over to see Jen at Wear Crafts and have a ponder what she's got available.  There are some fabulous papers to play with - happy scrapping!

CKCB - AND FOR MY FIRST TRICK

Good morning, well it's Monday already, can't believe how quickly the weekend's disappear or is it just me.

When I put the kit together this month, I realised I'd done my usual which was to grab all the papers I had that met the criteria; the issue with this is that this means my kits are always huge.  Therefore I decided that my first task was to make a big dent in the stash by creating a mini book.  I got a mini kit recently from Jen at Wear Crafts and I loved the instructions and you know what it's like when you first make a mini book, the instructions are fresh in your mind so it's easy to recreate further mini books so I decided to create (and fill) a mini book.  

I decorated the front of the book using one of the frames I created, the book documents a day trip out to Nostell Priory.

Then the pull outs from the pockets

 

I will share some layouts with you in the next few days, but I had a ball creating the mini book!

WEAR CRAFTS LEGACY PAGES

Evening all, well I've been sharing the layouts I created with the gorgeous legacy papers from Jen at Wear Crafts.  If you fancy looking for some new stash then pop on over and have a look you won't be disappointed.

So what did I do with the pages - well these fabulous papers have gorgeous red roses included on some of the sheets.  So these were ideal for an Alice based layout.  I created a wavy border top and bottom, put onto plain cream cardstock, double matted the photo and created a wavy bracket to mount the computer generated title.  I used one of the project life style cards cut down into a square to create the journalling card at the bottom right.  I also added some hand stitching.  The photo was taken at Chatsworth's Christmas display which was Alice themed and this was the White Rabbit disappearing down the rabbit hole!  You needed people on the page to give it a size perspective!

And then a page made up of three photos, hand journalling and title matted onto a contrasting background.  I think this has a really modern feel to it, despite the papers having quite a heritage feel to them.  The additions of a couple of tiny embellishments in the shape of cork arrows and buttons are just enough to create a really fun layout.  This documents a walk around Center Parcs very early in the morning, where we witnessed a weather phenomena called hoar frost, where the crystals are create from water droplets and appear to grow upwards, it reminded me of the iron filings 'trick' we did in science when I was at school.

Hope you have a happy scrapping time!

A LITTLE BIT OF WEAR CRAFTS

Now it has to be said that I have a slight weakness when it comes to mini books - as anyone that knows me will know.  I can't help it, pretty papers and constructing tiny books!  So you can imagine my utter giddiness when I spotted Jen's mini book for May can't you! Here is a link to the original blog post.

http://scrappyjens.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/may-mini-book-monthly-scrabook-kit.html

And here are the two colour ways that Jen had available 

A fabulous kit and I know that the blue one was limited stock when I last checked!

http://www.wearcrafts.co.uk/product/may-mini-book-monthly-scrapbook-kit-blue-option/

Here is the link to the pink one

http://www.wearcrafts.co.uk/product/may-mini-book-monthly-scrapbook-kit-pink-option/

So not only do you get all of the above pretty papers and they are seriously pretty - a certain thickness to the papers to lead to a luxurious book, but you get the all essential instructions to create a mini book for the grand price of £17.99 - I know - crazy right. 

So Jen sent me the kit and the instructions and I was giddy giddy giddy to create 

Now the instructions say - make a dummy one up first so you know what you are doing, bearing in mind I had never seen the original (other than photos) - but anyone who knows me also knows I can be a tad impatient so I set too with great gusto.  Jen's instructions were fab - I only made one error (and it was my impatience that cause it) but I loved the finished item anyway and it didn't detract from the book or it's effectiveness!! 

I love also the fact that it looks so different depending on the different papers that you select! 

An inside view

And from the top 

Now the joys as Jen rightly points out when you have instructions to create a mini book you get to use them over and over again!

Now never one to avoid putting temptation in my way, Jen ended up with some gorgeous, no let me say that again GORGEOUS, new papers recently - I just loved the hearts and the colours ways.  So I was uber giddy to get my hands on them.  Now I know what you are thinking 'Mr and Mrs' but I don't have any wedding photos to scrap this year.  Well initially I thought about getting some of my own wedding photos from years ago reprinted, then when I started to look through, whilst there is a decidedly wedding element to these papers, there is also a decidedly 'love' theme to them too!  

http://www.wearcrafts.co.uk/product/carta-bella-rustic-elegance-collection-kit/

So I set too with my mini book instructions and started to play! 

Can I just say that I absolutely love the end result.  There is no reference to wedding in this book whatsoever, so I can use it for photos of me and hubby with recent photos without a stress in the world.  (Can you see what I meant about gorgeous papers). 

The inside of the book!  

A view from the top! 

And I enlarged the original card dimensions from the instructions - that's the fab bit of mini books isn't it - an ability to tweak and play with them! 

I had the most fun with these - I really did, the only 'added' elements to the kit were a peach cardstock to create the bigger pull out page elements! (More room for photos that way). 

Now I was creating this on Saturday afternoon and I was as they say 'on a roll' so I rummaged again to look for a different colour way of papers!

Now earlier in the year Jen got hold of some fabulous Simple Stories Life Documented papers, the packs were lovely and in addition she also got some calendar pages.  Now one side has a month and a calendar sheet and the other side has some great patterned paper.  If you want to see the range check out the link below.

http://www.wearcrafts.co.uk/department/simple-stories-life-documented/page/1/

Again the gorgeous papers are a great quality so ideal for creating mini books!

So using exactly the same instructions I created another mini book! 

The inside - just to show you the versatility of the mini book and these papers!  Again I added a little plain cardstock to get some of the papers to 'pop'.  

A view from the top 

And the side 

So if you are in need of some inspiration and want something really versatile that can be used over and over again, I don't think you can do any better than that fabulous kit from Jen! 

And before you think these will take an absolute age to make, whilst the first one was a bit of a plod to get my head around the instructions (probably 3 to 4 hours), once I had I managed to create two further ones in an afternoon - I kid you not! 

And the question is will I be using the instructions again?  Well of course, it's only Sunday and I've got an afternoon free and the weather is lousy so more mini book making this afternoon!