It's all about kraft ...

Over on Kraft It Up this month the challenge is all about .... well kraft!! 


This month KIU wants you to use Kraft CS or PP as your base and we want to see another THREE kraft items on your layout, these can be anything as long as they are KRAFT, everything is else is up to you!!


Since I actually love using kraft this was reasonably easy with me opting to use the corrugated kraft embellishments I have had in my stash for a little while and had not used.

Getting crafty with sketches ...

Crafty Sketches  is using a sketch this month designed by Kim Kendell.



I'm particularly drawn to layouts that incorporate a lot of white space and very much liked this one.

Here is my interpretation of Kim's design.

Showing my stuff ...

I've often dropped past and looked at the challenges on Show Us Your Stuff and this month I decided it was well past time I actually joined in and did some.

The first challenge of April was to take inspiration from this lovely little set of crochet slippers.



I loved the shade of pink and green and went for incorporating this colour combination in my layout.

The next challenge came from Sophie who asked us to simply use the colour green on our layout somewhere.

I use green a lot on my layouts so I combined this with highlighted blue for a male focused page.




The second main challenge was also inspiration based with this adorable little mushroom.

This was so cute with it's fresh, crisp red (or deep ink), white and green combination.  I just couldn't go past using these lovely colours on a page.

Lots of fun putting these together - I'll need to swing past here more often.

Let's take a bit of this ...

I find that I am doing more and more boy single page layouts now that my supply of girl photographs are dwindling.  This seems to happen when the 19 year old dd refuses to have her picture taken and I need to rely on her infrequent outings when she takes her own camera and takes her own self portraits.  It makes for a feast of famine experience - minimal pictures for months then 1000 in one hit yeesh!!!


Scrap the Boys is therefore a must do challenge for me as I like the male focus and inspiration.  This month was all about RE-CYCLING ....

We would like you to re-cycle some form of PACKAGING that is BOY related, this could be toy related, scrapbooking packaging, something from a magazine or book use your imagination....

I actually use labels, tags and bits and pieces taken from packaging quite a lot on my layouts.  It's amazing what you can find if you look carefully at boxes and packets.  For this layout I used a promotional sticker from a clothing purchase for my son.  It blended really well with the colours of the layout and fits right in.

Scrap Jacked April ...

Some more lovely monthly inspiration over on Scrap Jacked.  I particularly liked this interesting layout by Mandy and decided to use it as basis for my own page.

I used a stamped background to a circular photo and placed my embellishments in a similar manner to how Mandy did her's.  I really love how this layout turned out.

Now it's 123 ...

An unusual challenge over on 123 this month using mint as the colour, the word Believe and beads.  I can't say I have ever used beads as such on a layout but had some very pretty thread on ones in the deep dark recesses of my stash which I pulled out with the only piece of patterned paper I could remotely call mint and went to work.  


I decided to do a vintage style layout with this one with a lovely black and white photograph of my mother-in-law with her sister and best friends back in the 1950's.  Don't you just love the dresses and gloves - they were on their way to the movies can you believe it!!

Something ARTastic ...

April inspiration on ARTastic will come to you via Cafe on the Left Bank by Julie Podstolski (suggested by Creative Team member Debi Clark).  This is a coloured pencil drawing of tables and chairs set out on a Parisian Street early in the morning before the arrival of customers. 

Extra criteria for challenge - we'd like to see you base your entry around the theme of food.

I was really drawn to the earthy colours in this drawing and the deep richness which not only suggested a cafe like atmosphere but to me the beverage qualities of those which might be served here.

I decided to explore this theme a little more and produced layout in honour of my favourite Cage beverage - Chai.

Please come to ARTastic and see the other wonderful design team creations and join in our challenge for this month.  It 's sure to inspire you.

Yes - Life is good ...

I must admit I really like doing boy pages.  I am forever grateful I have both a girl and a boy to do pages for but my baby girl is now 19 and while I do still produce layouts for her and have a number of photographs from years back to still use, I find I am getting less and less actual photographs of her.  She's much more reluctant to pose for me and I don't see her "doing" as many things as I once did.  My boy on the other hand is still letting me take pictures and I am able to scrap him to my hearts content.


This month on Scrap the Boys we were asked to produce a layout with the title LIFE IS GOOD.  We were also asked to included handwritten journaling and to have the colour red feature on our layout.

Let's 123 ...

123 challenge blog had an very interesting set of criteria this month using metallic blue as a colour, 123 as words and something organic as an embellishment.  It was certainly one to think on.  Eventually I decided to use a metallic blue glimmer mist on kraft cardstock and to sew 100% cotton thread onto my page. I also painted the glimmer mist directly onto the letters in the word Downtown to make them standout more and it gives them a nice shimmery effect.  I'm pleased with how the page came out.

Scrap Jacked March ...

There is some sensational March inspiration over on Scrap Jacked.  In fact so many inspirational layouts it was difficult to make a decision on which one to base my layout this month.  In the end I choose this lovely page by Bec.

I actually rotated Bec's original layout and used a landscape 6x4 but kept her "Love" title.  I'm really happy with this bright , happy homage to young love.

Another challenge ...

This month Kraft It Up has a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 challenge.

1 Piece of Kraft Cardstock or Patterned Paper
2 Photos of any size
3 3 word title
4 different pieces of patterned paper and
5 different embellishments


I decided to go relatively simple with this one and use up some scraps pieces from a kit which I was reluctant to throw out as I loved the My Mind's Eye papers so much.  I have all criteria covered.

Retreat time ....

I make no apologies - I love retreats.  Spending a couple of days doing what I love with people I like is as close to nirvana as I can currently get. 

Last weekend I enjoyed some quality "me" time here.....

scrapping, eating, drinking and having time with friends.  It was pure bliss.  I managed to complete 28 layouts which was amazing since I really have not done a lot of personal scrapping this year.  I came home not only refreshed in spirit but with a reinvigorated scrapping mojo.  Did I say I liked retreats!!