Macaroon heaven ...

The Lollipop Ladies - Challenge #77 is now up on the blog.

 

Wow now don’t these look good enough to eat!!

 

  Macaroons with the added criteria of ribbons

 

I decided to make a simple card using left over paper scraps.  I found some paper that I think represent the macaroons well - both in colours and circular shapes and added a strip of ribbon across the join. 

 

 

To just be a bit different, the strip of brown dotted paper is actually on the base of the card (the top layer is cut slightly shorter than the base) and comes to just beyond where the front piece ends. It gives a nice effect while still leaving plenty of room for your message inside.

 

   

The challenge sponsor ...

$10 Voucher (thanks to  Andrea)

Please link up your entries in the sidebar :-)

* Prize will only be offered if 7 or more entries partake in the challenge.

 

We’d all love to see your creation so please come and play along with us.

Scrapping a girl ...

Scrap the Girls had a colour challenge this month using green, orange and pink as their palette.  It's quite an unusual colour combination but the DT have some lovely layouts up as inspiration.

I've gone with mainly green and orange with a touch of pink on a kraft background.

Wings ...

The first challenge on The Studio Challenges this month of September is to be inspired by the word WINGS in whichever way you like!

Oh the possibilities ....  birds, butterflies, bees - real or in embellishment form ... so many winged creatures from which to choose but it came down to what I readily had in my stash and I've gone with butterflies - tiny felt ones to be exact.

Scrap our stash for September ...

Scrap our stash have two challenges each month.  I've decided to enter the first one.

Create a Travel Themed LAYOUT

 AND... you must include the following STASH items:

At least one of the following premade embellishments: 

airplane, train, bus, car, motorcycle, bike, or boat. 

AND that's not all...

 you must also include a travel signage embellishment

 

 

I've used some photos of a trip my family made to far north Queensland some years back now.  We had a terrific day in Port Douglas.

 

 

I've used a car embellishment and then lots of arrows plus an arrow road sign brad.

 

 

 

 

Orange Paperie for September ...

Orange Paperie has a mood board for their inspiration this month ... I wish the image had been a little larger so we could have seem more of the details but I've managed to take a few of the components for my own page.

 

I decided to use a picnic theme and incorporate some items of food and the bicycle as embellishments.  I've also kept to the paler colour scheme used in the mood board using lighter, muted shades with a couple of touches of colour.

 

 

 

These three little people were all born a day apart on the 25th, 26th and 27th of March.  Their Mum's met in hospital and became firm friends.  These little guys are now heading towards 21 next year and it is hard to believe they were once this small.

 

Get Creative September ...

I so like the challenges on Get Creative this month! 

They are ANYTHING GOES!!

you heard right.... anything goes

any theme, any topic, any sketch, any colour scheme

create whatever you like!

Get Creative usually has a layout, card and tag challenge each month but I'm not sure I will get to the tag.

Here is my card ... a little black, white and teal.

 

 

and my layout uses some left over supplies from an older Lilly Bee collection kit - feels good to finally use these bits and pieces up.

 

 

Sketchbook 365 ...

I've often dropped into Sketchbook 365 and soaked up some of the lovely inspiration they have on offer on the blog but as yet I have not ever partaken in one of their challenges ... until today.


This month's sketch is based on a layout by Lisa Saunders and I finally decided to take the plunge and do a layout of my own.:

 

I'm really partial to vintage layouts - I sometimes feel they say so much more in a single photograph than a truckload of modern days digital images.  In the days of old black and whites you only had the one chance to capture something meaningful - no reshooting, no zapping off another dozen quick shots - a once only opportunity and no way to know if what you had captured was acceptable until days or even weeks later.

 

 

Digital Supplies:  Scarlett Letter by Gennifer Bursett - Pixels and Paper Co

 

 

This my Grandmother and her sister - they came to Australia from England in the early 1900's - one settling on the far north coast of NSW and the other in the far west.  Getting together wasn't quite like it is today - no fast trains, no quick weekend jaunts to visit.  Seeing each other was a rare occurrence, even speaking on the telephone was reserved for those special occasions of birthdays and Christmas.  Communication was via letters, written with great care and sent with love.  I often wonder what it must have been like for two sisters with similar hopes and dreams who had come so far from their birthplace together to settle in a strange land and then be kept apart by circumstance. 

 

 

 

 

Frosted Designs 3x3 ...

Frosted Designs is currently running with a 3 x 3 challenge....

Pick ANY 3 of these items and use them at least three times ...

 

Arrows

Hearts

Stars

Shape:  Circle, Square, Hexagon, Chevron

I've used 3 x arrows, 3 x stars and 3 x circles ...

 

 

 

Sketches with a twist ...

I have to admit the sketch over on Sketches with a Twist (and the added criteria) was an extremely challenging one this month.  It took me quite a while to come up with a suitable theme to use for the sketch.

Use Heat or Dry Embossing on your layout .....

 

 

Eventually I decided on using up some very old chipboard embellishments from a Cosmo Cricket range.  I've had these little guys in my stash for what seems like forever but kept coming back to them thinking I'll use them in some way at some time.  Then I found this little photo tucked away in my yet to scrap stash and a twinkling of an idea came together.

 

 

I hand stitched the "scroll" and added in a gold heat embossed stamped image (cut in half) which actually matches in well with the toaster, toast and coffee colours.

 

This challenge really challenged me but I'm pleased with the end results.

 

Scrap the Boys ...

Scrap the Boys have an outdoors activity as their September inspiration.

While searching through my album of yet to scrap photographs I came across these of my husband and son heading off down the street ready to clear the area at the back of our fence of weeds and overgrowth.  As we border a national park this is an important job each year ready for the summer months.

So sweet ...

The second word challenge over on Use Your Words is SWEET and of course this had to be a girl layout - I'm so lucky I have both.

My daughter was oh so sweet as a little thing - she's now 20 and while still lovely she's very much her own person and sweet doesn't suit her so much these days.  I've been going back over her albums and pulling a few pages out that I really don't like and re-doing them - this was the case for these photos.  I can't redo everything and nor do I want to - her albums not only show her growth as a person but also mine as a scrapbooker.  There are however, a few horrors in there which I look at today and mutter "What was I thinking?".

It's tough ...

Use your words have two word related challenges each month.  The first is TOUGH. 

Of course I had to do a boy layout for this one and I knew I had the perfect photos to use.  These were taken at a friends farm during winter.  The boy loved the outdoor freedom and took off like a shot, climbing all over the fallen trees, in and out the fenced yards and lying in wait for the other kids in the long grass.  He had such a good day !

 

It sure is tough being a boy :)

123 Get Scrappy #2 ...

Another fun challenge over on 123 Get Scrappy using a challenge board ...

 

I've gone with straight across the middle row - circles (buttons), rhinestones and die cuts.  It feels good to be using up some older supplies which have been sitting in my stash for far too long.

 

 

Using stitches on my stuff ...

The current challenge on Use Your Stuff is all about stitching. Use either a machine, or hand stitch on your project somewhere.

I actually love hand stitching on my layouts - I don't do it constantly but I do think it adds a certain something to a simple page and besides it is quite therapeutic and fun! 

 

 

Feeling blue on Archi-scraps

Archi-scraps is hosting a particularly elegant image this month as their inspiration piece.

 

 

The criteria is to use the colour BLUE.

 

 

 

When I first saw the vivid blue of the gated archway photograph for this month my mind was cast back to the time I spent on Mykonos, an island off Greece where so many of the window shutters, doors and gates are painted the same brilliant blue.

 

I hope you feel inspired as well and come join us this month.  You have until 7th October to get those entries in.

 

 

Archi-scraps is also on the lookout for a new design team member or two.  All the details are on the blog so please check them out.  Applications close on the 7th October.

The Lollipop Ladies Challenge #76

Now who on earth doesn't like Smarties?

 

 

Not me!!

 

#76 challenge on The Lollipop Ladies is to use Smarties + a Die or Punch

 

Did you know ....

 

The original Smarties colours were dark brown, green, light brown, orange, pink, violet and yellow.

 

Smarties have been manufactured by Nestle Rowntree in York in the UK for over 76 years.

 

If all the Smarties eaten in one year were laid end to end it would equal almost 63,380 miles - more than two-and-a-half times around the Earth’s equator.

 

Smarties are not distributed in the United States, except by specialist importers.

 

Since I really like bright and colourful cards using Smarties was perfect for me.

 

 

This challenge sponsor ...

$10 Voucher (thanks to Andrea).

Please link up your entries in the sidebar :-)

* Prize will only be offered if 7 or more entries partake in the challenge.

 

Hope you can come play with us :)

It's spring on Pixels and Paper Challenge blog ...

Spring is here and we are on the downhill run to Christmas - both exhilarating and yet depressing at the same time!

This month on Pixels and Paper Challenge Blog we have what I think is a really delightful inspirational photograph.  It is simple yet really can produce so many thoughts. 

 

What do you see when you gaze at this image?  A beautiful little boy, amazing soulful eyes, a mop of curls, a hand knitted jumper, flowers, a hand extending friendship or love, an age gone by  ......

 

so many things from a simple picture!

 

Here is my take on the inspiration piece ....

 

 

 

I was drawn to the eyes in this inspiration photograph - they say that the eyes are the window to the soul and I have always felt that you can see well beyond the surface when you look into someones eyes.  I have used a vintage photo of my husband as a young boy - he probably won't like me saying he's vintage but I'll counter the slight with a comment on how beautiful and expressive his eyes are. 

 

 

You have until the end of the month to create your own masterpiece.  We'd love to see what you can make of this photograph. 

 

ARTastic in September ...

Gosh it's less than 4 months to Christmas ... now how on earth did THAT happen!!

This month we feature Michael Cartwright with Holiday Homes

Criteria – Quirky and fun – let’s see some lighthearted, whimsical entries

 

Michael says … I paint in two distinct techniques. Brightly Coloured Quirky Cottages and Traditional Landscapes. Both styles explore the beauty of Western Australia’s south coast where I live. There is no shortage of subjects to paint in this part of the world as the area displays a vast array of delightful scenery. Whimsical scenic towns collide with traditional local history from where both techniques derive.

 

I love the quirky, fun layouts our creative team have for you this month why don't you call past the ARTastic blog and check them out?

 

You have until the end of the month to submit your own creation - we'd love to have you join us.