Sweet Day Collection Cards

For this month's cardmaking, I reached deep into my stash and pulled out the Sweet Day Collection by Echo Park. Have you ever used a collection kit? They make cardmaking so quick and easy!



There are a few important birthdays coming up in the next few weeks, and I knew if I wanted to give handmade cards  that I would have to make several in one sitting....which usually would have me admitting  defeat right there ;)

These came together almost effortlessly and in minimal time (which never EVER happens around here), and I realised why when I looked carefully at the kit packaging...it was designed by Alisha Gordon, who used to be (and maybe still is?) the editor of Cards magazine! Lots of the elements on the sticker sheet were obviously designed with cardmakers in mind, and it was all too easy to whip up 5 in a hurry...love that!

Another tick off my to-do list for February...which is probably just as well, because it's such a short month!

Happy crafting

TTFN xxx

Sweet.

                           It's not often I make a scrapbook page with little or no journaling.

With this page, however,  I wanted to highlight the photo of my gorgeous girl...and let's be honest here...I was desperate to use this sheet of paper by Teresa Collins :) Of all the new releases at CHA this year, this sheet of paper was the one that caught my eye....please tell me I'm not the only one out there who gets obsessed by sheets of paper!

So I kept it simple, and let that gorgeous piece of paper shine....because the thought of cutting it sent shivers down my spine :) I added a little lace tape, a die-cut butterfly, some Thickers and a tiny enamel dot, and called it good.

Luckily for me, i bought two sheets...I wonder if I'll be able to cut the next one?

Have a fabulous day

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2013 - Week 7

Hello Project Life Week 7...nice to be back on track again this week :)

This week my colour scheme was taken from the "one day" journal card on the right side of the layout, which is from the Photo Freedom collection by Echo Park. Yellow, grey and white is one of my favourite colour combinations right now ;)

Of course, the spots are from Echo Parks Dots and Stripes (my all time favourite!), but I've also pulled items  from Teresa Collins, the PL Clementine Kit, the PL Mayfield Mini Kit, and various other manufacturers from my stash.

It's funny...I thought I was really going to struggle with photos this week. It got to the weekend, and I had hardly any photos on my camera...thank goodness for my iPhone! My children are now so used to Project Life that they remind me to take photos fairly regularly, and that has been my saviour this week. Thank you children xxx.

The blurry section in the top right corner is some personal journaling about the rather crappy day I had on Thursday...thank goodness for new days and fresh starts :)

And that was Week 7.

So...how are you going with it all? I've noticed the flurry of Project Life that was taking place all over the internet seems to have died down a bit, and I'm wondering if some have dropped of the PL bandwagon? If that has happened to you....take a deep breath, get a bit creative to fill in the gaps of the weeks you've missed (think TV shows you're watching, everyday stuff you can photograph as fillers, movies you've watched...the internet is a great resource for images!)  and hop right back on!

And another piece of advice (even though you didn't ask for it LOL) ...get back to basics! Project Life is NOT a scrapbooking contest...it's about recording your memories for you and your family. Don't get caught up in feeling like each page has to contain oodles of product and all the latest and greatest. These are your memories, and they are better recorded simply than not at all!

Sorry...just had to get that off my chest ;)

Have a wonderful day
TTFN xxx

Keep Calm and Snap On ;)

I have a quick and simple layout to share with you today, made with my very favourite colour combination...red, white and turquoise ;)

The red houndstooth paper from Bella was a random Spotlight purchase, and I love it to bits (wish I had bought more?). I sat it on my desk, determined to use it before it was engulfed into the stash, never to be seen again ;)

I'm finding lately that if I keep stuff out in plain sight, I am much more likely to use it. I'm also finding that I don't have big blocks of time to craft, so making a pile of possible stuff to use on a layout on one side of my desk, and adding to it every now and then, makes the final "stick down" a much quicker process.

These photos were taken when I'd finished my Ruby Banners quilt a few months back. I had the big one printed specifically to put on a 12x12 layout, and the smaller ones were Project Life leftovers...love the variety of photo sizes!



I had all my Snap Life supplies out for my PL spread this week, and realised some elements would be perfect for the goodie-pile taking shape on the side of my desk...TOO EASY! Then it was just a case of playing around with the layout, adding some journaling, and sticking it all down.

This could totally revolutionize my whole scrapbook process...or it could just mean that my desk is never clean ...LOL! We'll see how it goes :)

Linda and Tracey (and Alex, too) are coming over to work on our 12 Months of Christmas crafting project this afternoon...can't wait! Have you made a start on February's project yet?

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2013 - Week 6

Hello Project Life Week 6!

 I'm a bit late with posting this spread here on the blog...the photos have been on my camera since Monday!I'm afraid it's been one of those weeks around here, and without going into details, I am very glad it's almost over (although I probably won't be so pleased when I go to put Week 7's pages together without photos...eek!)

My colour scheme this week was totally dictated by that red and pink February calendar card, right there in the middle :)

I went to use it last week, and realised that the week had both January AND February dates in it, so the card just didn't work...so I popped it straight into a page protector for Week 6. This week was all about back to school, and getting into after school activities, with a big chunk of everyday life thrown in ;)

 Bits and pieces from my Olive kit, Mayfield mini kit, and Snap Life are all mixed in together, with random stickers and embellishments...I love mixing it up!

Another week documented ;)

Thanks for popping in to visit!

TTFN xxx

Falling in love...again ;)

With each block that I finish on my Scandinavian Rose quilt, I fall a little bit more in love.

 I got off easy this month...the stitchery is comparitively small, and I started stitching it late in January (couldn't resist making an early start), so I'm finished nice and early.

Which is probably a good thing...the stitchery for March is HUGE!

It's a scorcher here in Perth today, and I'm planning on turning the air conditioner on and settling into some machine quilting, and Farmers Wife block construction...unless the children's laughter from the pool lures me in that direction ;)

Hope you have a wonderful day

TTFN xxx

Right now...

...I am loving this combination of turquoise, grey and yellow :)

The colours for this layout were inspired by Merryn's  very pretty turquoise and yellow top, and let's face it... a very good excuse to use some of Teresa Collins new line, Memories. The turquoise flower paper isn't even my favourite, even though I adore it  :) 

The whole line is lovely....beautifully textured paper, great die-cut accesories and cute enamel dots (which I've used as a flower centre, above)...very very yummy.

The yellow paper is Amy Tangerine Sketchbook Sadie's Story, and the flower is vintage Prima...ie, been in my stash for years!

Layout number two completed for February...and I am really loving playing with pretty paper again!

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2013 - Week 5

Hello Week 5...the last week of a very long school holiday break for us here in Western Australia :)

I love that this week has a photo of each member of our family...that doesn't happen all that often!

I've mainly used elements from Echo Park's Photo Freedom Volume 1.  There are so many products out there that are perfect for PL (like this one!), that I have to ask myself if buying a full kit again this year was worth it...I've only used it for one week out of 5 so far. But then....well, it IS designed by Heather Bailey, and I just didn't have the willpower to resist!

The mini kits are a different story :) There are a couple of cards from my Mayfair mini kit on this spread, as the colours match perfectly. I guess the idea is to mix it up!

 I finally got motivated and sourced some replacement  ribbon for my typewriter, so gave it a whirl on these pages. I love how much journaling I can fit onto the pages with it, but forgot how easy it is to make mistakes! I'll refrain from calling it a "vintage typewriter" because it was actually bought new as a gift for me when I was a teenager...and that would make ME vintage too! LOL!

The round stickers with large letters have been in my stash for many many years, but I think they are perfect for this spread...stash busting at it's finest :)

Another week down...how quickly they go!

How are you going with your PL journey so far?

TTFN xxx

Patchwork and paper = happiness!

Patchwork and papercrafting are two of my very favourite things, and I had a chance to play with both yesterday...gosh, I love weekends!

My first project was my Mystery Block of the Month for February, which is called Lime Sherbet by Bonnie and Camille.

This one was a very easy block to piece, and went together in no time...love that!

I packed up my sewing machine, and pulled out my new papers that I received during the week...online shopping and happy mail is a whole other world of happiness :) 

Summer Fresh by Simple Stories is not a new line, but I've been waiting to get my hands on some for a while...it's so pretty, and there are lots of journal cards which will be perfect for Project Life. I couldn't wait that long :)

The sticker sheet has so many great elements! The papers are a bit more muted than the ones I've been using lately (no white!) but gorgeous just the same.

I used this sketch from Inspired Blueprints ...

...as I figure if I'm going to be scrapping a bit more again, it might be a good idea to mix up my layouts a bit.

I had no photos on my "current" pile that suited the papers or sketch, so did a random reach into my boxes and boxes of other photos (a totally overwhelming place in my cupboard!) and came up with these, from my friend Jo's 40th birthday party in 2011.

The ledger paper is Basic Grey Basics, and the yellow dots is Echo Park Dots and Stripes...my all-time favourite!

Thanks so much for popping in, and enjoy what's left of the weekend.

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife - The Better Late than Never Edition

Hello there...happy Saturday and happy February to you!

So I didn't quite make my end-of-the-month cut off date for my Farmers Wife blocks this time, but I figure better late than never, right? After all, it IS only the 2nd Of February and  life has been pretty busy around these parts!

So without further ado, we have Block 96 Tulip...

and Block 99 W.C.T.U (can anyone tell me what those initials stand for?)

and Block 100 Weathervane...

and finally, Block 101 Wedding Ring

The days of skipping all over the place with the blocks are definitely over! For quite a while there, I was choosing the easier blocks to make each week and I'm afraid it has caught up with me...no more easy blocks left :) Serves me right, huh? LOL.

Hope you are looking forward to a relaxing weekend. I'm going to have to face all the book labelling and back-to-school preparations that I've been putting off for weeks now...wish me luck!

TTFN xxx