a few new pages.....

morning peeps....

need to keep myself occupied this morning as I'm waiting to hear from my nan who is very poorly. I wont go into details but after speaking to her this morning I feel she needs to go into hospital but shes very stubborn and wont go, Im just waiting for the call to say she has given in and is going in. Not that I want her in hospital at all, but at the moment I think it will be the best place for her. 

Over the past week I have done a few pages, I've also had another amazing delivery of new stock to launch at the 12 hour crop, its getting kinda close now, I cant wait.

I did have to make a few little purchases of my own from the shop stock as there were obviously things in there that I NEEDED!!! and I have used a couple of bits and pieces from that already.

Im one of those people who when they get something new I have to use it on a page straight away, I find it really hard to understand how people can buy new things and then put them away still in their packaging, without even taking it out to play with, and then forget that they have it?!?!?! why would you bother to buy something if you didn't want to rip it open and use it something immediately???? but who knows, maybe I'm the weird one?!?!?! lol

So today I thought I would share with you a couple of the pages I have done... and explain the process of thought that went into them.

a page with no name!!!

Ok so here's the first... and weirdly for me it has no title..... with such a nice picture of my sons I didn't think it needed a title, so stuck with a quote that I was given in a pack from the lovely Rosie Guthrie! thanks babe xxx

it says if you cant read it

"to the world you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world."

this is a perfect quote for my boys as they are always there for each other no matter what, there is only 10 months between them so they were never really aware of not being together, they still share a room, they share clothes, games everything they even have the same friends. 

I understand that one day this will change and they will branch off to do their own thing but I am sure they will always have each others backs. its lovely to see.

anyways, I started this page knowing that I wanted to use a large picture.... and knowing that I wanted my page in black and white.... then when I pulled it together just black and white looked a bit boring so I introduced the orange to it which I love.

I used my new heart punch on a scrap of black paper and played about with where it could go, then it ended up where it is now, then it need some journalling space on, so I actually tried drawing some lines on in black pen, but I hated it, so this is actually the reverse of the white paper piece that it started on :) ssshhh!!!

then I decided to use orange strips, so I cut very thin strips from the paper that I was already using (which was also a scrap piece.)

I stuck them on, and they looked a bit wonky where they were cut so thin, but I think this kind of adds to the messy non perfectionist look of the page. 

then whilst I was wondering what other elements I could add to the page I found the quotes sheet, it actually began life with a frame around it but the frame didn't work with my page so I cut it off and just went with what I had.... it must have been fate as the lines I had already stuck down were in the perfect place for the quote lines. AMAZING!

It actually sat on my table, staring at me for a few days then because it needed something extra but I couldn't put my finger on what it was...then on Tuesday when my friend Paula came to visit, I was showing her my newest stock delivery and I pulled out the overlays...as soon as this one caught my eye I knew I had finished the layout. and I think it finishes it wonderfully even if I do say so myself :)

I wonder how long it would have sat there looking if Paula hadn't of been brave that morning..... very proud of you babe for getting on that motorway and conquering your fear xxxx

Explore!

Then there is this page.... the second and last of the pages im gonna show you today.

I came across a fab sketch on the pencil lines blog see here :

pencil lines sketch 235

 I was looking for some inspiration and just thought I'd have a nosy, although the sketch itself didn't shout at me, when I looked through the designers pages and what they had done with it I instantly knew I had to do a page like this.

I chose elements from a few of the designer pages, and was inspired to use my spray inks aka glimmer mists!

and also to do some stamping, which is unheard of for me.... and also sneaked a bit of journalling in there too. 

I am always asked by people at the crop how I come up with different pages all the time.... well I guess I cheat!!! sketches are a great way to get inspiration when you're mind goes blank, and lets face it we all get those times. I wont even say days cause mine can last for months!!!

I guess I usually always scrap in the same way tho, I mostly start with a photo first..... if a picture really NEEDS to be done then it comes to the top of my list.... then I pick out colours from in my photo to choose papers. I generally use a plain card stock as a base and add patterned papers to it. this involves getting out the range of papers etc that I have in the colours that I think will work and choosing ones out that I think might look good, then I narrow it down to a few to choose my final ones from.

it helps that im quite anal and have my box of papers sorted into colour ranges.... and my plain card stock separate to my patterned papers. makes life so easy tho that I can just pull a handful out and know that they are all one colour.

then I play about with where my pics will go etc etc, obviously sketches help make this process easier.

and then I go to my embellishment bags and boxes and go through to see what I have in there that might finish it off nicely. this usually involves the same process as the papers, where I get everything out that might look OK then I push them around the page until it works for me. it might take a while but its fun and it usually works.

lastly I do my title or journalling.... my alphabets are also sorted, but not into colours, just into what they are, size, if they are glittery etc as I usually know what kind of letter I ma looking for.

I must admit I have a bit of an alphabet obsession and have tonnes of them, a girl needs to have them all incase there is something you NEED to put on!!!!

anyways I think I have babbled enough.... my washing machine has finished so time to get back to the housework before I can enter my scrap room and get playing!!!!

have a fab day xxxxx