Cosy does equate to small ....

Over on Arch-scraps this month Julene is calling for layouts with fences or gates shown somewhere and I'm happy to oblige.  I hope she will excuse my digital page this time around but I am extremely time poor at the moment and digi equals fast for me.

ARTastic November ...

Our November inspiration on ARTastic comes to you by the very talented fabric artist Kay D. Haerland with her gorgeous art quilt Under the Canopy. (yes people, this is a quilt!!).

Additional criteria - fabric and stitching

 

She's a local to me and will be having a solo exhibition in December.  If you would like to see some of Kay's quilts up close and personal her work will be on show at the Gosford Regional Art Gallery from December 1st until January 9th.

Gosford Regional Art Gallery
36 Webb St,
East Gosford, NSW 2250 (1½ hrs North of Sydney)

For further information please see Kay's website.

The ARTastic Creative Team have done some wonderful work so please stop by and check it out.  We'd love to see some of your work submitted as well.  Fabric can be as easy as using ribbon and sewing on a button can count as stiching so please give it a go.

I used a fabric heart and then did running stitch around it plus through the lace - sewed on a few buttons and hey presto!!

A Happy challenge ...

 

 

I'm such a last minute Nellie !! Rushing now to get this layout up I have done for the Challenge #31 over on Challenge Me Happy where the theme was "Anything Goes" - that's my kind of theme :)

 

 I loved putting this page together using the very last bits and pieces from a Crate Paper range called Random and I am really happy the way it came out.

 

Can't wait to see what Challenge #32 has in store for us.

Going underground ...

Another month and another layout completed from my pile of Honeymoon photographs.  I am truly beginning to think this was one of my less than brilliant ideas and perhaps leaving them as slides might have been a better solution.  However the problem is once you start .... well you sort of are obliged to finish:)

So since I'm plodding through these I decided to use a visit to Monkton Farleigh in Wiltshire, England as my theme for Julene's inspiration challenge over on Arch--Scraps.

 

Monkton Farleigh was a fascinating tourist stop.  Certainly not somewhere we probably would have ventured by ourselves but due to local knowledge (we were staying with family) it was a great way to pass a few hours. Sadly it is no longer open to the public and has fallen prey to vandalism and decay.

 

I took inspiration from the corrugated tin and the rustic colours seen in the Mad Max 2 Museum and transferred this to my layout using corrugated cardboard, kraft cardstock and a rust glimmer mist sprayed across the base.

 

 

Keep em coming Julene - I'll get this album finished eventually!!

 

 

 

Being ARTastic in October ...

Our ARTastic inspiration for October comes from Liza Posar with this bright and cheerful mixed media piece.

Added criteria - Handmade flowers.

 

The creative team has some absolutely stunning pieces to show you and there are some equally amazing prizes this month.  Come on over and play with us won't you?  We even have a step by step tutorial on how Chantelle put this gorgeous little canvas together.

 

 

Scrap Friends colours ...

Scrap Friends pallete challenge this month had an interesting combination of food inspired colours.

 

I've created a simple layout using tags rather than patterned paper.

 

 

Some birthday candy ...

Scrap Friends is having a birthday and in celebration is having a sensational give-away on their blog of some gorgeous birthday candy kits.

It closes on 3rd October, so to be in with a chance to win you just have to share on your blog/facebook/twitter/social network Scrap Friends blog link and become a follower. Then don't forget to use Mr Linky on their blog to link to your blog. Winners will be announced on the 5th October.

Plus on Oct 3rd - Oct 4th there will be a huge birthday sale!

Something new ...

In my random searching of the internet I recently came across a little challenge blog called Scrap Africa and a challenge this month to scrap a layout using this rather different inspiration piece.

The interpretation of this was left largely up to the viewer and since they happily take international entries I thought I would give it a go.

I wanted to use some bright happy colours to help portray those that are normally found in a simple packet of crayons. I also wanted to focus more on the living life to the full side of the inspiration piece.

Another new challenge blog ...

Another challenge blog I have stumbled across recently is The Studio Challenges and I thought I might enter in at least one of their challenges this month - two if time allows.

The first is to create a page using numbers as a main element – a title, subject, design feature, whatever works for you.

I decided to use several numbers as part of the main embellishment feature on my page.

 

I've been trying hard to get my son's school album up to date and since these photographs are from Year 2 and he is now in Year 8 you can see I haven't been all that successful lol.  Never mind, I can at least say that I have another page done.

Archi-Scraps meets Wiltshire ...

Joining in again with Julene and her Archi-Scraps challenge blog,  where this month she threw me a slight curve ball when she introduced this Australiana style home as our inspiration piece.

 

Since I wanted to continue on with my honeymoon album layouts  I thought I would take the pale wall colours and grey roof surrounded by greenery and transport myself to Wiltshire in England to the very quintessential village of Castle Combe.

 

This heritage listed village with a population of 350 features buildings in the Cotswold style with thick stones walls and half cut stone tiles. It is extremely pretty and welcoming place and a must see stop on any English tour.

 

 

Getting a little Creative ...

I was inspired by my friend Shazza to enter a challenge on a site new to me called Get Creative.  The first of their monthly challenges involves finding inspiration from this really vivid photograph.

Since I am a total sucker for anything in hot pink and teal blue/green I just had to do a layout ... and I just love how it has turned out. 

 

 

 The second challenge was to use this inspiration piece to create a card.

 

 

 

I particularly liked the circular mirror and the colour combination of gold, green and off white.

 

 

 

The third challenge for the month was a layout sketch.

 

 

 

I decided to use a small picture of my daughter and her boyfriend and replace the other two picture slots with image cards I had in my stash.  I also managed to use up some older supplies I have had sitting around for quite a while.  It always feels good when you can use some of those :)

 

 

 

The final challenge for the month was a card sketch.

 

 

 

Again I managed to find some older items to pull together this simple little card.

 

 

 

Thanks Get Creative!  I'll be back :)

 

 

 

Cold Feet ...

The September challenge on Scrap that Song is to use a song with the word WINTER or COLD in it.

Oooo easy peasy!  I love this song although it is rather sad - sorry couldn't find a live version. 

No matter what time of year (this picture was taken in December!) my daughter has cold feet - she's a bit of a frog that way.