Scrapping boys...with pink!

Just thought I would pop in and share a layout that was I was commissioned to do for last month's issue of Scrapbooking Memories magazine. (I actually scrapped this layout back at the end of October!) The challenge that was presented to me was to scrap a masculine layout using pink. Not one to shy away from a good challenge, I wholeheartedly embraced it, and made sure the shade of pink I used was really pink! ;)

I started by searching for photos of my boys that had some pink in them, so it gave me a reason to tie the colour in. I found some from Brielle's birthday, when the boys had watched her unwrap all her presents and then excitedly run off with all the Barbie things.

Here is my layout...

{Papers by Kaisercraft; Teresa Collins; Simple Stories; Little Yellow Bicycle}

As you can see, the layout is very "busy", with lots of details to look at. I deliberately designed it in this style, as I figured the easiest way to incorporate the pink would be to use lots of layering and use other colours & neutral tones to break up the pink and prevent it from becoming too dominant.

I didn't have any trouble thinking up a title for this layout. I sourced a pic of the Barbie logo and printed it out. I am glad I did, I think it not only adds the extra pop of pink, but makes the layout colour choice much more logical. 

Here are a few close-ups...

{Lovelybug Bits n Bobs fabric button; D-lish Scraps flair}

{Another Lovelybug Bits n Bobs fabric button and lots of luscious layers!}

{Photo cut out tab from Flutterby Designs}

So there you have it - a boy layout using pink! I am pretty happy with how this one turned out! :)

Off the Rails January Challenge!

Another mid-month reveal from me, and this one is for Off the Rails Scrapbooking. This month's challenge is a gorgeous summery mood palette.

Here's what I came up with...

{Papers by The Girls' Paperie; Jillibean Soup; Bo Bunny; October Afternoon; Pretty Little Studio; 

also included are Becky Higgins Project Life cards}

And here is the palette...

I am pretty happy with the way this layout turned out. (Especially since I was able to use so many different papers from my stash!) As tempted as I am to always grab my most recent purchases, lately I have been making a concerted effort to use up some "older" products I already have...it just seems a waste for them to sit there. I find that colour challenges are perfect for this - I just go through and grab out whatever matches the palette and then choose a mix that work together. (Stash buster!)

Here's a closer look at some of those layers...

{Prima Divine Rose; Lovelybug Bits n Bobs fabric bunny button}

{Prima & D-lish Scraps flowers; D-lish Scraps sequin bow; gold spot washi tape; gold doiley & scalloped gold trim}

{This pretty girl is from Pretty Little Studio; flowers from Green Tara and D-lish Scraps}

I hope I have inspired you to bust your own stash or give the challenge a go. I would love to see what you come up with (and how much of your old product you can use too!) Thanks for stopping by and to everyone who takes the time to leave me a comment on my work. (I always try to repay the favour by visiting yours, so make sure I can find you!)
Happy scrapping! X

D-lish Scraps January Inspiration Board!

Back again today sharing my take on another of this month's challenges, this time for the gorgeous D-lish Scraps "Tutti Frutti" January inspiration board.

Here's the board...

As you can see, it's bursting with beautiful, fresh colours and includes an optional sketch. I was particularly drawn to the citrus tones (and appropriately, the board also featured an image of citrus), so I decided to focus on those. (I included a small pop of blue, but decided not to push it all the way to include the pink & purple.) I loved the sketch as well, so used that as a jumping off point.

Here's what I came up with...

{Papers by Studio Calico; Glitz Designs; Pretty Little Studio; Becky Higgins Project Life card}

And a few close ups of all the details...

{Flair and paper blooms from D-lish Scraps; felt flower by Lovelybug Bits n Bobs}

{Paper flowers all from D-lish Scraps; paper & acrylic die cuts by Heidi Swapp}

{More D-lish Scraps flowers}

Because of the placement of my journaling, I didn't want it to stand out too much and overwhelm the design, so decided to use green on green, which makes it a little harder to photograph & read (but it's there!)

I really loved working with this board, thanks for popping in for a look! X

Show Us Your Stuff November Challenge

Back again today to share my take on another of this month's challenges - this time for Show Us Your Stuff. This month's challenge is a really fun one, because you get to choose your own criteria! DT member Amanda Hartmann has designed a "Choose Your Own Scrap Adventure" challenge for everyone...

I chose to use the word love; a 5x7 photo; stitching; and couldn't decide which embellishment, so used butterflies, bow & button! hehe

Here's what I came up with...

{Papers by Glitz Design; Jillibean Soup; Echo Park; Prima; Teresa Collins; Hambly Screenprints; 

and pocket cards by MAMBI.
Published Scrapbooking Memories Vol 17 No 11 - COVER layout!}

{Paper twine bow; Heidi Swapp acrylic die cut; and loving my paper straws right now!}

{Flutterby Designs flair; Lovelybug Bits n Bobs button & balsa wood butterfly; D-lish Scraps wood veneer star}

And yes, continuing my efforts to include some (meaningful) journaling...

{Heidi Swapp glitter word sticker; MAMBI journal card}

I hope you will all get a chance to play along with us this month and choose your own scrap adventure! We have a fantastic sponsor - Flutterby Designs, with us this month which is a prize definitely worth playing for! (You all know how much I looove me some Flutterby goodies!) Looking forward to seeing lots of entries! :)

Off the Rails September Challenge!

Back again with another challenge share for you, this time it's for the Off the Rails September challenge, which is a gorgeous mood palette designed by Fiona Paltridge.
Here is the palette...

And here is my take on it...

{Papers by Graphic 45 & Teresa Collins; Alphas by American Crafts
Published Scrapbooking Memories - Vol 17 No 12}

I was inspired by a number of elements from this palette. I love that it had me create this layout using a colour combo I would not necessarily have used otherwise. I was also drawn to the gold glitter, and incorporated that by die cutting some shapes from gold glittered cardstock - including feathers, another featured element of the palette.

{Dies & cardstock both by American Crafts; assorted flowers from D-lish Scraps}

I also created my own custom glittery gold background using a stencil, texture paste and loose glitter. I simply sprinkled the glitter onto the texture paste whilst still wet, then shook off the excess once dry.

{Flair button from D-lish Scraps}

{Prima feature bloom from Wild About Scrap; gold butterfly coming soon to Lovelybug bits n Bobs!}

The final element I took inspiration from was the theme of the palette and the quote "free yourself". I put my spin on it by using these pics of my daughter behind a wire fence, and some personal journaling to her about how I hope she is always free to be herself. (I used a gold gel pen for my journaling, so it doesn't overshadow the layout composition, but still fits the colour scheme.)

I do hope you will try this beautiful palette, and I hope you find it as inspiring as I did! Don't forget to link your layouts up to the Off the Rails blog HERE before the end of the month. Happy scrapping! X 

Show Us Your Stuff August Challenge

The August challenge at Show Us Your Stuff is a "Shape Challenge". This month you need to use the following items on your layout - a square, a rectangle, bunting, a circle, a banner, a splash of paint or ink, and of course, a handmade item. You can use each shape as many times as you want and interpret them as you like, but each shape must be used at least once and be visible. You can also add anything else you wish.

Here is my take on it...

{Papers by Prima and Basic Grey; alphas by American Crafts}

I managed to easily incorporate several handmade items onto my layout. (Remember handmade items don't necessarily have to be made by you!)

{Fabric button from Lovelybug Bits n Bobs; satin flower from Burdy's Embellies; mini pinwheel from Rainbow Splendour}

{Icecream pin from My Little Bit of Whimsy; assorted flowers from D-lish Scraps}

That's all from me today, I do hope you will have a go at this month's 'Shape Challenge' at Show Us Your Stuff, you could win a fabulous prize from Rainbow Splendour! Happy scrapping, and thank you for stopping by! X

Scrap the Boys August Challenge!

I can't believe we are now into August...eeeeekkkk!!!
I'm back today to share another great challenge from Scrap the Boys. This month's theme is "Profiling", so you need to include facts about your chosen "boy" (remember it can always be a grown up one!). We want to know what makes your boy tick, so include things like name, age, likes, dislikes, personality traits, etc.

Here is my take on it...

{Papers by Jillibean Soup, Glitz Designs & Graphic 45; photo is framed using a Flutterby Designs 'Fussy Cut'}

(Now I have scrapped this layout, I am going to have to complete another one for his twin brother!) Here are some close-ups...

{Flair button from Flutterby Designs; acrylic star by Heidi Swapp; heart from Lovelybug Bits n Bobs}

{Chevron from Charms Creations}

I had so many fun "facts" I wanted to include on this layout, but I still wanted to maintain a feeling of space, so I chose to print out my journaling and cut it into strips, then used it as extra framing on the layout. Here are a couple more of my favourites...

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you will play along with us at Scrap the Boys this month, as it's such a cool challenge and we have some fabulous prizes from D-lish Scraps and Scrapbooking From Scratch up for grabs!!! 

Til next time, happy scrapping! X

Show Us Your Stuff July Challenge!

I am here today sharing my take on the July challenge at Show Us Your Stuff, which is a colour challenge - I LOVE colour challenges!

Here is my layout...

{Papers by Echo Park; Alphas by Jillibean Soup
Published - Scrapbooking Memories Vol 17 No 9}

Seeing as it's Winter here in Australia (although some days you wouldn't know it where I live), this month's challenge is a Winter-inspired colour palette. And, as always, your entry must also contain at least one handmade item (not necessarily by you).

Here is the palette...

{Image source: Design Seeds}

And some close-ups...

{Flair button from Flutterby Designs; ladybug from My Little Bit of Whimsy;

resin rainbow from Lovelybug Bits n Bobs; satin flower from Burdy's Embellies}

{Heavenly Heart from Charms Creations; Lovelybug Bits n Bobs resin heart; flowers from D-lish Scraps}

Don't forget you have until the end of the month to enter this challenge. It's a really great palette, (and even if you aren't a fan of blue, it's not as challenging as you might think!) The winner this month will receive some awesome goodies from Charms Creations (like the Heavenly Heart I used on my own layout!) Be sure to visit Show Us Your Stuff for all the challenge details plus some gorgeous inspiration from the DT!

Happy scrapping! X

Another D-lish CC Layout!

So I managed to find time to complete another of the D-lish Scraps CC challenges, this time it was Alz's Product Challenge. The challenge was to use at least 5 different types of flowers. (No problem with that here, I LOVE flowers!) I managed to use no less than 7 different types of flowers from D-lish alone! hehe (Plus some old 'flat' paper flowers from my stash and even a pearl flower pin.)

Here is my layout...

{Papers & die cut embellishments are from American Crafts 'Dear Lizzy - Daydreamer' collection}

Here are some close-ups...

{D-lish flair button from the 'Life in Bokeh' set;' D-lish pearl heart cabochon;

D-lish flowers include Cherry Blossom, Bitty Blooms, Forget Me Nots, Trellis Rose, Cosmos Daisy}

{More D-lish flowers - Roses, Cherry Blossoms; Cosmos Daisy;

Rainbow Heart resin from Lovelybug Bits n Bobs}

{And more D-lish flowers - Lilly; Rose, Cherry Blossom, Bitty Bloom;

Heavenly Heart embellishment from Charms Creations; pin from A little bit fANTsy}

I LOVED this challenge and putting together this layout...I love it when someone tells me I have to use flowers! ;)

Thanks so much for stopping by, and to everyone who takes the time to leave me feedback. X

Some exciting news...AND a layout!

Back again with another share! If you saw the recent announcement you will already know my exciting news - I am a now officially a Design Team member at Scrap the Boys! I was thrilled when Wendy asked me to join the DT, and am honoured to be on the team with such an amazing group of scrappers!

So today I am here to share my first challenge sample as a DT member, and this month it is all about "Big Boy Toys". As my twin terrors are still on the small side (having just turned 2 last week), and true "big boy toys" are still lurking somewhere in the future, I decided to scrap about their version...

{Papers by Echo Park}

Pushing each other around perched on the front of this baby walker has become a favourite pastime of late (especially the bit where you run at a wall or door and ram the passenger into it!)

{Road sign fabric button from Lovelybug Bits n Bobs; Love Candy embellishment from Burdy's Embellies}

{Flair button from Flutterby Designs}

I hope to see lots of familiar faces playing along with this challenge at Scrap the Boys this month - there are THREE awesome prizes up for grabs from Molossi, Charms Creations and Chook Scraps! Pop over for more inspiration from my very talented fellow DT members HERE. 

(Don't forget to leave me a comment when you visit me so I know to visit you too! X)

Prima Princess for Wild About Scrap

Going all pretty & girly today! I received some of the Prima Marketing 'Princess' collection to use from Wild About Scrap, which is so beautifully soft & feminine. I also had this photo (which was the best of a bad bunch - someone is ALWAYS looking away! hehe), that was taken of the kids and I recently on Mothers Day.

I was inspired by the colour palette featured in June's Prima Product Picks for this layout. Despite the fact it features the 'Something Blue' collection, I thought it was perfect for my 'Princess' based project.

Here is this month's PPP...

Here are some close-ups...

{Kaisercraft Paper Blooms & Prima Princess Fairytale Flowers, both from WAS} 

{More Prima & Kaisercraft flowers, also D-lish Scraps Bitty Blooms}

{Chippie heart button from Burdy's Embellies; Prima Mixed Media Doll Metal Embellishments from WAS}

{Dusty Attic Love You Arrow; fabric button from Lovelybug Bits n Bobs}

If you love gorgeous & girly, then I highly recommend the Prima Marketing 'Princess' collection. I am looking forward to creating with this one again!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by. Don't forget to let me know you were here so I can return the favour! X