Gotta Craft Kit Layouts

Thought I'd share my layouts I did with the March kit from Gotta Craft featuring the gorgeous MME Penny Lane patterned papers. I was particularly fond of the bird paper and I have a really weird obsession at the moment for all things bird/owl related, strange really as the cat often brings them back home dead!! Birds not owls...yet lol.

Weekly Challenge

Monday was the turn of my team, Blooming Pages, to set the weekly challenge over on UKS. We tried to keep it simple and choose the Chinese New Year celebrations as our theme.

So if you fancy having a go then you need to...

Scrap an animal - 10 points

Use traditional Oriental colours of black, red or gold - 10 points

Some form of stitching - 10 points

I must admit it took me a while to find the right photo and even then I had to change it to black and white, I finally settled on this little otter who look liked he was attempting to do the Mexican wave lol.

I also managed to scrap a photo for my eldest son's album, I love this photo and I really didn't want to desaturate the colour so after a bit of searching I remembered I had an old kit from GottaCraft with Birdie Bits from Dream Street which I thought would work perfectly with the backdrop.

It took me quite a while to cut the scallops out and a whole week to stop finding escaped seed beads lol, its not the most masculine page I've done but they are standing in front of a garden and in my defence gardens have flowers so why not the layout :)

Sudbury Park Layouts

Where does the time go...20th January already and whoops I haven't blogged since the 5th, in my defence I have been crafting behind the scenes and enjoying the peace and quiet now everyone is out all day.

GottaCraft's January kit went on sale on Friday and sold out pretty much instantly, not surprising really as it contained the gorgeous Lemon Grass papers from Crate Paper. I loved these papers when they were released last year and couldn't wait to start playing.

Both of the layouts feature my boys playing in the gounds to Sudbury Park and I knew they matched the papers perfectly...well a Mom's gotta try and co-ordinate her boys lol.

I love this photo of my youngest, its just typically him... full of fun and mischief.

Coming or Going...Absolutely No Idea!!

Its that time of year when my feet never seem to actually reach the floor!!

Back from holiday which was nice but the washing pile isn't so pretty to look at and the washing machine is groaning at me again lol.

Kyle is 12 on Monday and you'd think getting age 12 balloons or even Happy Birthday would be easy wouldn't you...well not if you live in a little town, we have 6 card shops and not one has any balloons, can you believe it and the woman says 'we've got 11 or 13' yeah that will work cos he's 12!!! Can't write what I actually wanted to call her this morning...blah.

I'm also in 3 Christmas swaps one of which is the big Advent one over on UKS so I'm busy scribbling lists of who I've got, what they need, want or have and to add to that I fancy taking part in Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas, well I never said I didn't like a challenge lol.

I want to take a trip to the NEC for the Craft Show so I'm busy nagging my husband to take us and HIS credit card...bless he did buy me the new Making Memories Slice thinking it might shut me up...nah didn't!!

Right before I go and yes I know its late but here are a few Halloween layouts I did using the kit from GottaCraft...go on buy one and scrap your pumpkins or even your monsters :)

Slater xxx

Holiday Time...Whoo Hooo!!

Well I'm all packed and ready for our 4* luxury mid week break away at The Imperial Hotel in Blackpool starting tomorrow.

I know its probably going to be freezing cold but who cares its Blackpool and if you can't enjoy yourself there then where can you. The boys are really looking forward to seeing the lights in all their splendour and me and Jay are just going to look forward to the break after spending 2 and half years renovating our house without a holiday, I think we've well and truly earned this one so who cares what the weather throws at us, we're not bothered!!

I will leave you with a layout I did last night using a kit from GottaCraft featuring Crate Paper. I pretty much used everything in the kit apart from the flourish stamp from Basic Grey. Claude the cat belongs to my Mom and Roger and he's just so scrummy and very heavy but loves to stop by for a fuss especially off Kyle!!

Have a nice half term week, and I'll be back with plenty to talk and scrap about :)

Hunting

Finally I have a layout to share with you, no don't faint I know its been a while lol.

Truthfully I've been scrapping layouts ready for a page kit from GottaCraft to celebrate the wonderful high jinks of Halloween.

Right, back to my layout which is an Easter one minus the traditional Easter embellishments which I don't use since I developed more style. We were having a egg hunt at Gran & Grandad's home...good job the sun shone that day lol.

I have to say I'm totally addicted to this pompom ribbon and don't mind confessing I have it in several colours cos its just fun and funky and very, very tactile :)

I've used a kit I purchased from GottaCraft featuring Crate Papers and the Blue Hill collection and embellishments and of course my pompom ribbon. I normally avoid Easter, Birthdays and Christmas pages because they all become a bit samey but I really do like how this turned out, a bit different without any sign of a bunny, chick or egg!

Design Work for GottaCraft

OMG right now I'm having cavity wall insulation installed and boy oh boy it's noisy and rather off putting as all the mortar drops between the cavity making me wonder whether the house will still be standing at tea time lol, and I so wish you lot could see my cat...her ears are that far back because of the noise she looks like she's done a stint in a wind tunnel, so funny :)

Anyway here are a couple of layouts I did with June's kit with papers and embellishments from Cosmo Cricket Dutch Girl (sadly now sold out). I have to say when my lovely friend Sandra (shhh don't tell her I said that) said it was Dutch Girl, I was stunned into silence having two boys my obvious thought was...has she gone bloody mad, but then I decided to see if the papers really would work with a boy photo and guess what they do!!

Firstly is a layout featuring my Gran as a young lady and wow what a stunner she was...now you know where I get from lol lol, I angled the photo against one of the journalling cards, added some AC Thickers for the title and my obligatory blossom, I also used a blanket stitch down the side in keeping with the age of the photo which was distressed a little with sandpaper.

Next is the one layout I hated and had so much trouble with it...hmmm what was I thinking a layout featuring my boys...but I stuck with it and now I actually quite like it, I ripped off a quarter of the patterned paper and matted onto card stock curling the corner over and secured with a brad, lots of the button chipboard and die cuts all sanded for a cleaner finish, the title was cut on the Robo and mimicked the journalling card sentiment that was cut in half and matted back onto itself and hey presto a boy layout from girl inspired papers...god I'm good lol!!

Just a quick one of Kyle on his 1oth Birthday with his new MP3 player which apparently has to be updated now for an iPod, bless. I cut a circle and added the journalling around the edge, used 7 Gypsies & Autumn Leaves For The Record stamps for extra journalling about dates etc, AC ribbon and an off cut of a Doodlebug frill, some brads and a button and its done.

Here's a little card I was just messing about with while waiting for something else to dry.

And finally an acrylic bookmark for my youngest son's teacher at the end of half term hence the initials RA in the corner, a Hero Arts Dandelion stamped with Staz-on, a covered chipboard heart and added to the bookmark, which for now has stuck in place but I don't hold out much hope once all the little kiddies have man handled it lol.

OK folks, take care whatever you are doing xxx

It's Been A Week!!

And I'm still in complete agony with my teeth. I know it took some moving but nevertheless I am taking Ibuprofen and Paracetamol every 2 hours alternatively but nothing seems to relieve the pain and discomfort. Luckily for me I have another appointment tomorrow morning for a filling the other side, so fingers crossed maybe tomorrow they can get to the root, ahem, of the problem. Failing that I'm asking for a set of false teeth that I can pop in a glass beside the bed at night, how very attractive lol.

Anyway, here are a couple of layouts I did for April's Gotta Craft kit (now sold out) which was all K&Co. While I loved the papers and the brads are to die for, it did have me stumped for a while until I found a cute photo of an otter I took last year at Chester Zoo and then found this super duper posing shot of my boys and wow they make my heart sing, com'on I'm allowed to be biased...they are handsome :)

Let me know what you think :) xxx

Sunflower

Too Cute!!

Picture Perfect

Boys 'n' Bugs...Still!!!

Hello, we still have germs in our house, well not in the bathroom the amount of cleaning I've done, but the boys do...I'm hoping its come/coming to and end now, I'm touching wood, actually I look like a tree hugger I'm hanging on that tight lol.

Anyway, last week I scrapped this photo of Kyle, my eldest on Sports Day, its rather sad and every time I look at this its with a very heavy heart. He was told off for squirting water on the grass by his teacher, who made that year of School hell, but he triumphed and came out the other side and now enjoys his last year of Primary School. He also won a couple of races. I used mainly Rhonna Farrer papers and matching rub-ons which I added onto the Chip Chatter title to make it more visible.

If you fancy having a lovely kit just as a treat then pop along to Gotta Craft and pick up their new March kit, its from Dream Street Papers called Paint Your World, its rather nice and mines on order.

Who Stole January!!

Wow, February already...pinch, punch 1st of the month.

Sorry I've been missing in action, last week I had horrible tonsillitis, one course of antibiotics and I'm back fitting fit, working hard on Design Team stuff for February's release date.

So I'll share a little joke that my Mom sent me, it'll appeal to every woman.

It finally all makes sense...I never looked at this way before MENtal illness; MENstrual cramps; MENtal breakdown; MENopause; GUYnocologist and when we have it really bad, its a HISterctomy! Ever noticed how womens problems ALWAYS start with MEN?!!! lol

I made a card last week for my step-dad whose now safetly had his birthday so I can share it with you, made from Gotta Craft's January paper kit and December's kit for the little owl stamp (both have sucessfully sold out), Heidi Swapp 'Happy Birthday' stamp and a self adhesive ribbon from DCWV completes the card, I think he was pleased, too late now :)

I Don't Do Snow

No she certainly doesn't!!

February 2007 and we had a lovely settling of pure white snow and so I decided (alright... granted a little tight) to show Lacie and put her outside so I could get some snowy shots. Well she was not impressed, I got the impression from the photo I've used she was uttering under her breath that she doesn't do snow, hence the title and she's such a pickle puss it suits her.

The snowflake I stamped using Making Memories Christmas foam stamps with white acrylic and added frosted lace Stickles.

The layout is again from Gotta Craft's January kit, title hand cut with my usual 4" scissors, can't do little scissors the BIGGER the better lol. Dymo font was downloaded and enlarged to go with the page and a Heidi Swapp Snow rub-on which I now hate, I have rubbed these onto photos and they work fab but oh no not on textured cardstock, my ice had melted in my Baileys by the time these stuck on and boy did I need a swig after that challenge :)

Take Care xxx

Moody

I absolutely adore black and white papers, its got to be the best way to scrap in my opinion of course. Photo's look 10 times better when printed that way too, it creates a more dramatic and striking page or photo (well I think so), and so here's another page done with the Gotta Craft January kit.

This one is of Kyle my eldest, I was taking shots outside last September for a course I was doing and having spent a fair time in the wet posing this was the look I got when I said 'oh just a few more' so I called it Moody...nearly added an extra bit on the end but resisted the urge lol.

I used my new Bazzill In Stitch'z on this page, first time too, and wow what a difference it made to the page. I slightly spoiled the title as the 'y' blobbed, but hey I'll get over it...being the perfectionist I am it may take a little while lol. Having said that, I am rather pleased with the two creations and they sit side by side in my album, sometimes it just comes together.

Take Care xxx

Lashes

Not the teddy bear kind...the ones attached to your eyelids lol.

Both of my boys have the most amazing eyelashes, and it seems to be that us girls who crave long lengths are never lucky enough to be born with them, yet the male species seem almost blessed with length, life can hard when your a woman searching for that next pot of mascara.

Anyway this is a layout I did for the Design Team gallery over at Gotta Craft (link below) with the January kit which I just love, probably because its Doodlebug. I wanted to keep it simple but classy to compliment the papers, I did the font on Word with Scriptina, printed it in mirror and painstakingly cut it out by hand, honestly I did!!

I used a Doodlebug frill to edge the patterned paper, a few brads, two black blossoms and hey presto, simple yet effective - hope I've inspired you to pop along and order your kit :)

Take Care xxx