Some Halo Goodness!

Just a quick post from me to share this card I made...

I used Echo Park 'Victoria Gardens' pp as the base and teamed it with some Kaisercraft transparency (both from Handmade By Suzanne), then added a misted paper doiley. I couldn't think of a better embellishment to compliment all that, than one of Handmade Halo's ornate resin frames. The centre of these frames are empty, allowing you to fill with whatever you wish. I used book paper, which I inked slightly and then topped with a mini flower. I love the little cluster it's created...

These frames are just one of the many gorgeous resin items available in the Handmade Halo store. So if you are looking for that 'something extra' to add to your creations, then be sure to pop over and have a look! :-)

Stuck?! Sketches August!

I couldnt resist playing along at Stuck Sketches again this month, as I just love the sketches there! I was very honoured to have won the July challenge, so for me this month is simply about playing along and getting another LO done. I based this one on the August 15th sketch and used my Fancy Pants 'Baby Mine' kit from Handmade By Suzanne...

For this LO, I used the 'Baby Mine' die cut and cut the centre piece from it so I could use it as a frame over one of the other sheets from the range. I also used some coordinating chipboard and journalling embellishments, then added a paper doiley (of course) and some book paper...

Amongst the embellishments, you will also spy a gorgeous ornate resin frame from Handmade Halo...

For those who didn't already know, I have recently joined Corinne's new DT at Handmade Halo, and am excited to be able to share my work using HH products with you. If you haven't checked out the store yet, then be sure to pop over HERE and see the many gorgeous (and UNIQUE!) products that are on offer. You can also check out the amazingly talented bunch of girls I am working with by visiting their blogs from the links in my sidebar. :-) (You can also find Handmade Halo on Facebook HERE.)

PS - Because the FP pps were so deliciously girly & baby themed, I couldn't help but make this card while I had them out on my desk (as there is a certain special scrappy friend of mine out there who is about to have her own little pink bundle arrive...if she ever decides to move out of her current accomodation!) ;-)

Some more Fancy Pants!

Back again (I know, so soon...what the? LOL) with another Fancy Pants 'Baby Mine' LO to share. For this one I opted to do a non-baby LO to demonstrate that the range can be quite versatile and used for other subjects besides babies. This LO was completed for Ant's August Monthly Challenge at Scrapbooking Top 50, which is to use spots, a pin and stitching...

Besides the Fancy Pants pp, I also used some Pink Paislee 'Daily Junque' printed tissue paper that I still had left from last month's Handmade By Suzanne DT kit (I seriously LOVE this stuff!) which I scrunched and then adhered with Ranger multi-medium. There are also a variety of handmade embellishments on this LO.

For the button, I used a Fancy Pants filter paper embellishment, (which I coloured with glimmermist and then stamped), to cover it. (The filter paper embellishments absorb mists & inks really well.) Alongside that is a Burdy's Embellies book print chipboard button that I inked with distress ink and then tied with some seam binding...

I also used this stunning glass heart pin from A Little Bit fANTsy...

And a lovely lime lollipop from Charms Creations...

And just a little reminder that if you are reading this and haven't entered my Lovelybug Bits n Bobs giveaway (see post HERE) then you should!!! (It will only take 1 minute of your time.) Entries close this Friday! :-)

HBS August Sketch Challenge!

Argh! This month is VERY quickly getting away from me!!! :S I finally managed to photograph my LO for the Handmade By Suzanne August sketch challenge today. The sketch is from our resident designer Michelle Fowler, and (of course) it's a gorgeous one...

I decided to switch the sketch around a bit (surprise, surprise say those that know me...LOL) and also change the size of it. Here's what I came up with using my Fancy Pants 'Baby Mine' DT kit...

As soon as I saw these pps, I HAD to scrap this picture using them, as the big stack of animals reminded me of all the toys DD takes to bed...LOL Besides the Fancy Pants pps, I also used a FP filter paper embellishment, which I scrunched and then inked with Tim Holtz distress ink. (The filter papers are very versatile and soak up ink & mists like a dream!) The title alphas are Sassafras Lass 'Golden Rod'.

Get your entry for the sketch challenge in the gallery HERE by the end of the month and you will go in the running for the randomly drawn $30 store voucher. (So everyone has equal chance of winning!) If you win, I can assure you, you will have no problem spending it, as Suzanne's store is JAM-PACKED with fantastic products. To see the latest and greatest in store, visit the new products section HERE

My August Monthly Challenge!

The August monthly challenges have been posted up at Scrapbooking Top 50, and my challenge this month is a colour challenge. The challenge is to either use the colour combination of blue & yellow OR pink & green, but you also have to "tone it down" by using lighter shades to give your LO a soft look. In addition, you also need to include use of a punch (or die cut shape if preferred), and at least one messy medium (such as ink / paint / mist - of course, I used all three!)

Here is my sample LO...

I used Echo Park 'Country Drive' pps from Handmade By Suzanne for this LO - *sigh* aren't they gorgeous? To add to the 'soft' look I was trying to achieve I also used paper doilies, book paper & paints to create the background. When it came to the embellishments, I kept it very simple with a beautiful handmade flower from Joyful Blooms, bird pin from Treens Trinkets and some paper flowers & leaf.

Stuck?! Sketches LO!

As soon as I saw the 15th July sketch posted at Stuck?! I couldn't wait to do it! There was something about it that just drew me in, so I pulled out some supplies and got 'stuck in'...hehe I am REALLY happy how this LO came out, especially since I put a lot of time in layering up the colours & textures on the background.
Here's my LO...

For once, there is NO patterned paper on this LO, instead I used some Pink Paislee tissue paper that I got in my kit from Handmade By Suzanne, a paper doiley, Gesso, assorted glimmermists, inks, my Crafters Workshop 'Cosmic Bubbles' template, stamps & bubble wrap to create the background - I really love the effect it all created!

A few other goodies used include Kaisercraft wooden butterflies (which have a touch of Kindyglitz applied to them), Websters 'Trendsetter' green trim, and my own Lovelybug Bits n Bobs fluffy button...

I LOVE the gorgeous Green Tara mini roses (I used lime here) and I clustered them with Green Tara mini flowers, some other paper flowers from my stash and some little flowers that I made using the tissue paper...

So there you have it! A bit 'artier' than I would normally do, but I am so happy with the result, it might not be last one like it! ;-)

HBS July Sketch Challenge!

The Handmade By Suzanne July sketch is yet another gorgeous offering from our resident sketch queen, Michelle Fowler...

Upload your take on the sketch by the end of the month, and you go in the running to win a $30 store voucher (plus free post!) The winner of the challenge is randomly drawn, so all entries have equal chance of winning. You can upload your entry to the gallery HERE or pop over and see what the rest of the DT and other members have come up with.
Here's my take on it...

This LO was created using Echo Park's 'Country Drive' pps - they are soooo gorgeous, and perfect for scrapping all the pics I took at the show a few weeks ago. There are also lots of handmade goodies on this LO - spotty fabric button from Lovelybug Bits n Bobs; crochet flower from Lime Tree Creations; yoyo flowers from Burdy's Embellie's; bird pin from Treen's Trinkets.

Thanks for stopping by and to everyone who leaves me lovely comments, they really are appreciated. I have been a bit slack on the blog-hopping of late as have had a bit of unpleasant personal stuff going on, but rest assured I will be back hopping your way soon! Might have to have a giveaway soon...I see I am hovering quite close to the 100 followers mark!!! :-)

Echo Park 'Country Drive'...

As I mentioned in my previous post, this month I received Echo Park 'Country Drive' in my DT kit from Handmade By Suzanne, and I just LOVE it! Two layouts in two days and PLENTY more to come (you've been warned! LOL)
This layout was created for Vicki's June monthly challenge at Scrapbooking Top 50, using a pic of Brielle taken a couple of weeks ago at the show (perfect for 'Country Drive' dont you think?)...

Besides the 'Country Drive' pps, I have also used some of the coordinating element stickers; AC 'Sunrise' Thickers; Green Tara paper flowers; Lime Tree Creations crochet flowers; and lots of Tim Holtz 'Antique Linen' Distress Ink.

Here is what the journaling reads...

A few other things you might spy are a Kaisercraft wooden butterfly; Shabby Chic Crafts 'Spring' doiley and a Charms Creations lovely lollipop...

Hmmmm...I wonder where my 'country drive' will take me next??? ;-)

My July Monthly Challenge!

The new monthly challenges have been posted over at Scrapbooking Top 50, and this month I am hosting a sketch challenge. Just for something different I decided that this month we would use an 8.5 x 11" sketch (which could also be used for a 12 x 12" LO), and just to make things a bit more interesting, I am also challenging everyone to keep it SIMPLE this month. That is, restrict your use of embellishments and really let the photo shine.

Here is the Page Maps sketch I have chosen...

And here is my take on it...

How gorgeous are those pps? They are brand new Echo Park 'Country Drive' from Handmade By Suzanne. I LOVE this new collection and was so excited when I received it this month! Besides the pps, I have also used some of the coordinating Elements Stickers, a Shabby Chic Crafts 'Spring' doiley and a Green Tara flower.

I even kept the journaling simple by using printed strip journaling...

If you've never done a challenge over at Scrapbooking Top 50 before, I'd love for you to give my challenge a go this month! (We would love to see some new faces join in!) :-)

At last, another scrappy share!

Finally - something scrappy to share! This LO has actually been sitting complete on my desk for days, and I just hadn't gotten around to taking a pic of it yet. This was completed for a challenge over at Scraptivations, which was a 'bingo' challenge. You had to choose a row of criteria from the bingo card below to include on your LO...

I chose the diagonal row which included punch, season, twine and one photo. Here is my LO...

The LO was created using My Minds Eye 'Lime Twist - Happy Go Lucky' from Handmade By Suzanne. To cover the challenge criteria I used my Martha Stewart 'Monarch Butterfly' punch, scrapped a single Summer pic and used some of my fave Twinery bakers twine. Also included in the embellishments are a Lovelybug Bits n Bobs iceream button, Burdy's Embellies yoyo flowers, Joyful Blooms satin flower, Green Tara mini flowers and the journaling is printed on MT masking tape.

If you haven't already done so, be sure to check out the Handmade By Suzanne June Stocktake Sale! There are fanastic bargains to be had right across the store and it all ends on 30th June! :-)

'Enchanted Garden' CC Challenge...

It's started!!! (The Scrapbooking Top 50 'Enchanted Garden' Cyber Crop, that is.) There are 5 challenges to choose from and some great prizes on offer - you should pop over and see what's happening HERE, we love having new faces play along! :-)

This month my challenge is the 'Enchanted Colours' challenge using this 'enchanting garden' palette...

The challenge is to scrap a LO using ANY COMBINATION of colours from the palette (plus minimal black & white), and to also include polka dots. I had to prove it could be done and actually used ALL the colours from the palette AND plenty of polka dots...

I used more gorgeous My Minds Eye 'Lime Twist - Happy Go Lucky' from Handmade by Suzanne for this LO. It was sooooo perfect! Besides the large die cut & the pps, I also used some of the coordinating stickers and frame.

There are lots of other little goodies in the details on this one - 2 toned stitched ribbon; Green Tara flowers; Lovelybug Bits n Bobs fabric button; Lime Tree Creations crochet flowers - I had so much fun with the layering!

I do hope you will pop over and give my challenge a go! ;-)

June Scrap the Girls

The June challenge at Scrap the Girls is a colour challenge. Hmmmm...do you think I could resist this one...LOL

Here is my layout using the palette...

The yummy pink & white pp I used is from the new My Minds Eye 'Lime Twist - Happy Go Lucky' range from Handmade by Suzanne and was the PERFECT base for me for this challenge! I also added a few bits of Jillibean Soup 'Blossom Soup'; some Hambly Screen Prints transparency; Green Tara mini flowers and The Twinery bakers twine.

I used 2 colours of chalkboard glimmermist on this LO - 'Polka Dot Pink' on the doiley and 'Chalk' flicked directly onto the cardstock. (If you are in the market for glimmermists - either regular or chalkboard, you can currently snap them up at 25% off in the stocktake sale at Handmade By Suzanne. That means around $8 for the chalkboard ones!!!) The alphas were all old Thickers & BG ones from my stash.

As I said, I couldn't resist playing along at Scrap the Girls again this month with those gorgeous colours as the challenge, and I am also pleased to report that my efforts for STG last month earned me a 3rd place! I was very excited to know that my layout (which I actually loved) was also appreciated by others. :-)

Handmade By Suzanne June Sketch Challenge!

Another month whizzes by and brings with it a fresh new sketch from the amazingly talented Michelle Fowler for the June sketch challenge at Handmade By Suzanne...

Entries for this challenge close midnight, 30th June and there is a randomly drawn $30 store voucher (plus free post) up for grabs! You can see the sketch and all the wonderful interpretations of it HERE in the gallery.

And here is my take on it - 'The Golf Cheat'...

For this LO I used the new release My Minds Eye - Lime Twist 'Happy Go Lucky' pps. I've also used some of the coordinating stickers and 'Together' tiny alphas from the same range. The gorgeous green trim is Green Tara bud & bow ribbon, which I highlighted with a few Green Tara mini flowers and a beautiful handmade flower I received in a swap.

(Note my daughters contribution to the LO - smudged journaling!

'What does that say mum?' she asks as she rubs her finger over it!)

The glittery alphas are 'Rainboots - Aqua' Thickers (I also used them on my previous LO, coz once I had them out I couldn't put them away!).You can snap these up (and heaps of other styles too) at BARGAIN prices at the moment. Check out the range HERE The clouds on my LO were cut from a sheet of Jillibean Soup 'Blossom Soup' pp (the whole range is currently 25% off - it's well worth a look, I loved it!). There are also my other 3 current staple items - sewing, paper doiley & The Twinery bakers twine.

Seriously, if you haven't checked out the Handmade By Suzanne stocktake sale already, then go take a peek! Soooo many bargains!!! :-)

Once Upon A...Sketch

Although I always say 'I must journal more of the little details' on my LO's, I don't always follow through, so that's why I was determined to do the 1st June challenge at Once Upon a...Sketch, as it gives me the kick in the bum I need! LOL The challenge was to not only use the sketch provided (see it HERE), but to also journal at least 2 sentences about the female in the photo.

Here's my take on the challenge - 'Quad Bike Riding', using the yummy new My Minds Eye 'Lime Twist - Happy Go Lucky' pps I got from Handmade By Suzanne...

For my journaling, I decided to see how it would print using the yummy MT masking tape and I was pretty happy with the result (it just takes a little longer for the ink to dry than it does on regular masking tape). If you haven't tried using washi tape before, check out the awesome range available at HBS HERE (they are currently on sale at 25% off!)

For the embellishments on this LO, I had a dig through my stash and decided to use up the last of my Kaisercraft 'Bubblegum Hills' chipboard flowers (which you can still get for around $2 / pack if you're quick) and a couple of butterflies cut from pp of the same range. I also used Green Tara mini flowers (still love these!), The Twinery bakers twine, and 'Sea Mist' satin ribbon. The large alphas are AC 'Rainboots - Aqua' Thickers (another item you could snap up 25% off!) and the small ones are MME 'Happy Go Lucky - Together'.

There will be LOTS more My Minds Eye to come...I am sooooo lovin' these new ranges!!!

Scrap the Girls!

YAY! I finally managed to get my May Scrap the Girls entry finished yesterday! (Just in the nick of time...phew!) This month's criteria was to scrap a layout based on an important female in your life (of course, I scrapped my daughter) and to include at least 20 words of handwritten journalling.
Here is my layout...

I used My Minds Eye 'Alphabet Soup' pps & chipboard elements for this LO, a paper doiley (of course, LOL) which I coloured using 'Key Lime Pie' glimmermist; and American Crafts 'Rainboots' and 'Sunrise' Thickers. I love this pic of us that was taken on Mothers Day and thought it would make the perfect subject for this challenge as I wanted to record some of the details from the day...

Here you can see a yummy My Little Bit of Whimsy textured button tied with 'Honeydew' bakers twine; Green Tara mini flowers, Little Yellow Bicycle chipboard flower; MME owls and the fabric strip was stiffened and shaped using Ribbon Stiff. (If you haven't tried Ribbon Stiff yet, you should definitely give it a try! Stay tuned for more ideas, as I will be doing a feature for Handmade By Suzanne shortly!)

Show Us Your Stuff!

As Lovelybug Bits n Bobs is sponsoring during May at Show Us Your Stuff, I thought I should play along with one of this month's challenges. If you haven't played along before, then pop over and have a go! (These days everyone is bound to have some handmade embellishments in their stash.) May challenge #1 was to create something using ribbon / trim / lace, and of course, a handmade item.
Here's my take on it...

I used gorgeous Websters Trendsetter pink ruffle trim to make the little rosettes, and added some extra ribbon in my embellishment cluster. I also included a handmade cupcake button from My Little Bit of Whimsy; Kaisercraft 'Bubblegum Hills' chipboard pieces, a hand-dyed crochet doiley and a paper doiley coloured with chalkboard glimmermist. The pp and journal card are both Echo Park 'Summer Days' (there's not much left on my desk now...LOL) from Handmade By Suzanne.

Speaking of Handmade By Suzanne - have you entered the May sketch challenge yet? There's just over a week left to get your entry in with a $30 store voucher (plus free post) up for grabs! Click HERE for the sketch. :-)

A 'Fairy Tales' CC Chall!

I warned you there would be more Echo Park (and this still isn't the last of it...LOL) The next LO I completed was for Ant's 'Fairy Tale' Challenge for the Scrapbooking Top 50 May 'Fairy Tales' CC. Ant's criteria were to create a LO using a fairy tale as the title; a photo not normal shape / dimensions (I cut mine down to be squarer) and bling!
Here's my LO...

I used Echo Park 'Summer Days' pps, alphas, journal card & chipboard stickers for this LO. I also made a flower from some gorgeous Websters Trendsetter pink ruffle trim to match the flower that was on Brielle's headband & top in the photo and the yummy blue tape is MT masking tape - all available at Handmade By Suzanne, of course! The fabric button is one I made and the balloon embellie is from a swap.

Don't forget if you would like the chance to win a $20 store voucher (plus free post) to spend at Handmade By Suzanne, then pop over to the Scrapbooking Top 50 forum and complete my 'Frog Prince' CC challenge! Entries are open until midnight Sunday and you are more than welcome to complete as many (or few) challs as you wish (just make sure you at least do mine! LOL) It's an EASY challenge that can suit anyone, I promise! You can see all the chall details in my earlier post HERE

OMG...it's an Echo Park DOUBLE!!!

That's right, don't adjust your screen - I actually scrapped a double layout!!! (Don't worry, I shocked the hell out of myself too! LOL Apologies in advance for this long post, there's lots to show!) This LO was created for Ant's May Monthly Challenge at Scrapbooking Top 50, which is to scrap a LO using paper piecing in a quilt type design, bling and stitching. I pulled out all the stops and used my Echo Park 'Summer Days' kit from Handmade By Suzanne and am pretty happy with the result...

I used soooo many bits & pieces on this LO - the main elements being the Echo Park pps, chipboard stickers, alphas & journal card...

Lovelybug Bits n Bobs 'Ballerina' button...

Burdy's Handmade Embellies chipboard heart button (which I coloured with chalkboard glimmermist)...

Charm's Creations lollipop flower, Kaisercraft mini crochet doiley, Treens Trinkets bird pin...

Gorgeous Websters Trendsetter Green Fashion trim, bakers twine, pearls and even the label from the pp...

I've got more Echo Park to share, but think I'll leave it at that for today as my patience is all used up from uploading all those pics...LOL