my mum got taken into hospital on Monday evening, she is getting better tho...but wont be out just yet. what a nightmare!!!! get well soon mum xxxxx
Ive not managed to do as much scrapping as I would like as Ive been hospital visiting and Ive also not been feeling too great myself..but I thought I would share this page with you as its the first one in a long time that I haven't done for any challenge, or class or anything...I scrapped it simply because I fell in love with the photo and needed to do it immediately!
its a picture of Elsie that I took a couple of days ago whilst we were in the garden, having lunch.
the journalling although blurred scanned in, says about how she always gets in such a mess when eating and also says what her favourite foods are at the moment.
Another lazy sunday here in the Clark residence.... well I say lazy but I am always busy even if I dont get dressed lol. washing already been done and is out, altho im waiting for it to rain any minute.... kids have had breakfast and Elsie has already had her morning nap and woken up form it again. and Pual has already been to the car boot and is picking up some shopping on the way back home..... all before 10am too! so maybe not too lazy just not out and about.
so anyways...in the time Elsie was asleep and Lola had watched the rugrats on tv I managed to do this layout totally and completely inspired by Shimelles pink hoopla challenge over at her blog. here it is:
you'll have to excuse the picture being blurry as my scanner did not like the large gems that I added to the page...but you get the idea right??
when I watched Shimelle on her video putting this page together I was in complete awe of how she layered things up and made big embellishments out of small chipboard flowers... I said to my hubby...I wish I was as talented as Shimelle.... and he came and looked over my shoulder and said, you could do that..... mmmmmm yeah I can recreate pages, styles looks and embellishments in my own way but I dont have the instinct to think outside of the box on my own...It would never have crossed my mind to take a chipboard embellishment and back it with cardstock then frame that cardstock to make a beautiful new embellishment..... that is why I am still a learner.... 8 years on lol.... thats why I love this hobby, it never gets old, there are always new things to use, try and new techniques to learn to keep you evolving into a better and more confident scrapper.
thankyou Shimelle for your inspiration and teaching..... loved this one xxx
as my husband just commented.... im on fire today!!!!
here is number 2 page for the day:
done for the big picture festival as the word of the day is Nest... and also for Shimelles after cyber crop challenges... I chose to take inspiration from the layout itself, the paint and the picture set up.. loved it so thanks Shimelle xxx
day 5 of big picture classes summer festival.... I know its not really called this but I never remember the other name so this is what I call it! you should take a look, some really inspirational stuff going on over there.
anyways this is my page based on yesterdays word which was Enjoy! I also collaberated it with Shimelles challenge to use your trade mark things on a page..... well if you know me you will know I love alphabets and I have masses and masses but I do have a favourite and its this one by sassafrass.... I think it makes every page pop, I use it all the time lol. so it had to appear.anyways heres the page:
Im not suire on the colours that I used...I love te white background and the green map paper but I tried to pull together colours from her mad stripy carid and im not sure it has worked but im not stressing over it. its done now.
ok so im back with more boring pages for you lol.....
yesterdays big picture class summer festival word was Give..... so I combined this with Shimelles half page challenge to come up with this very very simple page relating to exchanging rings on our wedding day.
I wanted to keep it simple so that the focus was our beautiful rings.... the purple on the resist alpha links in to the gem on my finger nail and also the accent colour at our wedding.
so another completed page for my overflowing albums..... yesterdays word of the day over at big picture classes was less...... this got me thinking, it wasn't until I came across this picture taken on Monday that I started to think about life with less kids and how its so much better with more and that's why i did this. I also incorporated shimelle Laines 3 is the magic number challenge into this page by using 3 different colored ric racs and 3 different colored buttons all grouped together.
I used the dull greys for the less list as it is boring and dull without my kids, altho there would be some good points now and then lol....and for our pic and for the more list I chose bright colours to symbolise the fun and games we get up to
thanks for looking heres the page:
p.s sorry about the scan its a bit rubbish but you get the idea xxx
the next installment of Shimelles cyber crop challenges.... this one was all about retro.... we had to use photos taken before 2011.... so in my box of pics that I took to my mums, cause I did this there..... I had 4 photos that fitted the description..... this was one of them, I turned them around to face me and got Lola to choose one from looking at the backs and she chose this pic.
probably because it was originally on an orangey colored paper as I had started another page yonks ago with it but didn't like it so pulled it apart and its been in my box ever since. so actually im pretty glad to have finally made a page with it.
I also decided to make the page slightly retro in design....... I will admit I had to Google image retro images before I started as Im a bit thick like that but I found lots of symmetry, loads of pics where the lines looked as if they were going down a wall then across the floor (i chose this look) and lots of circles and bright colours, but all very minimalistic.
so thats how this page came about:
thanks for looking xxxx
today is a new week for big picture class, motherload so will be doing something for that today xxxx
or rather Lola does.... she loves strawberry milkshakes from TGI fridays but insists they must put strawberries on the side.... we had to ask our server specifically!!! and usually when Uncle Marcus is at work there she gets 2!
this is another page for the Shimelle cybercrop challenge form this past weekend...I am slowly but surely working my way through the list lol. I have been thinking about this page since last night..... I sketched a few possibilities out on my ipad before deciding on a final one as I worked through it this morning.
I ran out of a's from my favourite letters..... (I already have 2 sheets so thought it bes tnot to get another) so replaced it with a heart, I have seen someone else do this with a monkey for a 'y' lol and I liked it.
so today was day 2 of the summer festival thing over at bpc... and the word of the day is wonder!!!
It took me all day to think about what I was gonna do for this subject, some people over there have done about them being wonder woman and picking out elements of their lives that they are super at, others have done things that they wonder about and some about the wonders of the world..... I had no clue.
so when I sat down to do it I was stumped...... I decided to look through my photos for inspiration and came across a pic of Elsie when she was only 3 days old...... she was asleep and I have always wondered what babies dream about when they sleep...so there it was, I had a pic and I had a title.
I remembered seeing a really nice sketch when browsing pencil lines blog so found that on my ipad and away I went. here is my creation:
soooo...... my boys came back last night after two weeks away, firstly with their grandparents to Devon and then to their dads for a week...so its been a long quiet 2 weeks but I have missed them loads. and you wouldnt think it the way they argue sometimes but Lola missed them terribly too, she had the biggest grin on her face when they got home it was lush.
anyways..... my grandad brought down a photo today of the boys when we were in the pancake house in centre parcs a few weeks ago, and it rally made me take note of how grown up they were getting and how different they were becoming. it has always been said how alike my boys are, there is only 10 months between them and they always used to get mistaken for twins...but that cant be possible now as they are 2 completely different people.
Daniel...the eldest who is 10... is more like me in looks and how he acts. he is sensitive, caring, loyal and wants to help people...he is also the slimmer of the 2.
where as Michael is so much like his dad... big and bulky..... with such a laid back attitude that sometimes its hard to ake him move his butt unless its towards a computer. I swear if her was on fire it wouldn't bother him!!!
the photo inspired me so much that I had to scrap it tonight even tho I have had a very long weekend and we had just got back from our family meal out to celebrate my birthday..... heres the page:
so I made this page with 2 challenges in mind..... firstly as you will know Ive been busy doing the Shimelle Laine cyber crop weekend and this is one of the many pages that she has inspired me to do. this challenge was a colour challenge and we had to use red, white and aqua blue..... this was so easy with this photo.....
the second thing I was thinking about as I made this page was the week 7 class for big picture classes, which is about having elements on the page which tell the story without reading the journalling...or having no journalling.
I wanted to write stuff about them so needed words on my page but I think the elements say quite a lot without them, to me the bright colors say they are happy, and young..... the red box with the big title squeezed into it represents my boys getting too big for my liking! and the arrows just shows you the subject.
im not sure im getting along too well with the making elements work for me bit but at least im trying and they mean something to me xxxx
I cant get enough of it at the moment.... all the challenges flying around at the minute has really got me buzzing and excited about creating pages again. its fab.
so I bring you 2 more pages for shimelles cyber crop from this weekend.
this first one is for the paper embellishment challenge where we were only allowed to use a couple of sheets of paper to embellish our pages. so I did do this but added a title not in paper, not sure if this breaks the ruoles or not....sorry if it does xxxx
pictures are of Lola on the parc when we went on holiday and the journalling tells how she was told she couldnt go on the park cause we wanted to get back to the apartment and she did it anyways.... then smiled sweetly as if she were an angel!!!
we know different eh baby!!! :)
the second page is for shimelles grid challenge, and I also incorporated the big picture summer festival day 1 word into it which happens to be 'share'
the pics are of my hubby and the boys going down the rapids at centre parcs.... I loved doing this grid, and usually they are a little pet hate of mine, but I think it works really well here.
so thanks Shimelle once again xxxx
im sure I'll be back later or tomorrow with more so watch this space xxxx
yesterday was amazing.... I have such brilliant, loving special friends, each one caring, generous and all for me.... too much to take in in the space of 6 hours, a bit over whelming but perfect with it.
I had lots of birthday cards..... some handmade by my talented friends obviously..... lots of jewellery, which I love!, 2 humungous... and I mean massive bunches of flowers which were delivered by 2 different florists.... really lovely I also received balloons galore, vodka and chocs ,yum yum, an amazing frame with everyones comments and wishes on it that was at the crops...and some that werent at the crop yesterday(lots of planning went into it!)
and also a basket full of 30 things that I love all put together by my best friend Ali...she must love me millions for the effort that she went to to make yesterday a surprise and with so many gifts for me. I love you too babe, millions!!!oh and Ali also made a fair few cupcakes which went down a treat!!!
here is a pic of a few of my fabby crop friends..... this will be going in my new signature frame to remind me of the fun day I had on my 30th x
arent they beautiful!!!!
so anyways.... I did manage to do some crafting too whilst being very aware of things going on around me and paranoid at the same time.... I am still trying to play along with Shimelle Laines cyber crop weekend and I must say im loving, really loving all of the challenges that she has come up with....if you read this Shimelle...you are a star!!!!
It has inspired me loads and it even had me up at 2:30 am saturday morning sketching out a page on my ipad cause I didnt want to forget it!
here is the page in question which I put together for the second challenge which was to use up stickers from different ranges, I htink I can safely say I did that!
and also linking it into my big picture class lesson for this week, I thought about the page and how it comes across to people just taking a quick look and the elements that go into it..... so heres my page followed by the analysis...
so the 4 lines around the outside..... to me represent my children who I talk about in the journalling.... 2 thicker lines around the outside for my 9 and 10 year old boys and 2 thinner lines protected in the middle to represent my 3 year old and 5 month old girls.
then the coloured z's not only represent sleep...but I thought the bright colours also stand for the colourful almost lifelike dreams that I have.
I had great fun with this page and I actually like it a lot, I hope you do too.x
so now onto the second layout of the day...also a Shimelle challenge. this one was to start our own page from a preset starting point that Shimelle had set, we werent allowed to choose pictures or anythign until getting to this particular point in the page so I went for it. it was really hard for me as I always start with photos first but there were papers in my new studio calico kit that I really wanted to use so I used those and flowed from there. here is the outcome of that challenge.
its a special page for me as the journalling tells how proud I am of Elsie for getting to grips with her little arm. she is now using it to help do things, in this photo she is using it to hold her rusk in her mouth.... such a proud and heart wrenching moment for me at the same time. she is such a quick learner and a very smart girl. she is gonna go above and beyond my hopes for her.
thanks for looking and Shimelle...thanks for the inspiration. xxxxx
Its friday the 12th august..... I have a vodka and redbull in my hand, and scrapping stuff in the other whilst waiting for my lamb curry to turn up. Lamb because I have found out that after almnost 30 years of eating it, I am now allergic to chicken!!! or so I think, theory will be tested tomorrow evening, so I will let you know.
Tonight is good for a few reasons.... well I say good,m some things are good some are not so good..... I turn 30 tomorrow!!! OMG how scary is that!!! where did 30 years go? where did the 15 years since I left school go???? how can I possibly be this old already?
so tonight is my last night in my 20's, hence the vodka to celebrate.... only a couple tho as its my crop in the morning...another good reason to be happy! cant wait to meet up with all of my lovely scrapping buddies and have some laughs. Im a little scared as I know my bestie is up to something, planning secret things but im past caring, just gotta do everything as normal cause really its just a normal day and take the rest as it comes....
its also a good day because today Shimelle Laine started her cybercrop weekend..... woohoo... a whole weekend of classes and challenges and I get all day tomorrow to play, and the bonus is for once I get to do this with my friends!!! yay!!!
anyways here is my first offering for the Shimelle cyber crop..... the challenge was to use the free downloadable elements that MaryAnne contributed ..... I printed them all off as I didnt know which I was gonna use, but to be honest I think Im gonna use the pink ones next anyway... so here it is:
the pic is of my boys.... who rarely get a look in now that the girls are here and they are getting older...they hate photos and the girls are around more often and much more willing to pose!
anyways this was a rare moment that I got to spend some time with them without the girls around, when we were on holiday in centre parcs..... we took them to go on the quads which they were a little wary of but enjoyed the experience.
I think the circles represnt the wheels and I also used the journalling block which has slipped down behind the photo..... sorry xxxxxx
yesterday was the start of week 7 of my big picture motherload class and this week our theme to think about is pages without journalling.
I hardly ever do pages with journalling so thought this would be easy, but when you go into more depth about this weeks assignment it says that a reader must be able to know what feelings and events you are trying to get across without having journalling present. by use of colours, where you place items and photos on your page and elements that you use on it.
I did this page as a starter....which I also tied in to this fortnights Ribbon reel challenge:
Im not sure I did so well using elements and things that represent what this page is meant to.
I read that green....... or now is aqua blue?!?!?! means harmony..... so that works for me, plus the cloud paper was too cute not to use!
I added the banner to represent my celebration at having such good beautiful daughters, the hearts symbolise the love I have for them and that they have for each other. and the clouds (apart from looking lovely) symbolise the dreamyness lmao...... I kind of gave it a go but would only grade myself on this first task a C for effort...must try harder!!!
must say it was kind of off putting as I have just got my new studio Calico kit, which is super big as I added a few little extras into my basket as a birthday present to myself.... so obviously HAD to use bits form in there.
Anyways, they worked perfectly for the ribbon reel challenge and I love how it works with my black and white photo of the girls. good enough reason for me.
I noticed on facebook last night that Shimelle had posted a pic of her latest sketch challenge...being a sucker for sketches and challenges I had to give it a go today. so I visited her blog, downloaded the sketch to my ipad and decided to have a play.
the photo I wanted to use had Lola looking downwards and to the left, so I really wanted the photo to be in the top right corner, so I opened a photo editing app on my ipad and flipped and turned the sketch around to suit where I needed the pic to be.
mine is gonna look completely different to everyone elses pages on there but thats what its about right??? making the sketch your own?!?!?!
anyways heres the pic.... let me know what you think xxxxx
the layout itself is all about Lola being 3.... what she loves and what she hates.
in a nutshell she loves doing her own thing and hates listening to others!!!
ive had such a lazy day today...... im not even dressed and neither are my girls.... such tramps in this house lol.
me and hubby have been taking it in turns to play with Elsie and Lola so the other can do stuff, and my stuff was scrapping hence the 2 pages already today.
I am really getting into journalling on my pages, i wonder if that will carry on after this week?!?!?!?
but anyway here is the page i just completed
using this months sketch from ...once upon a sketch.
its the first time I've ever heard of this site but its inspired me to do this page which is fab, I've added it to my faves now so i can keep playing along every month.
so Ive done 2 more pages since posting last time, and wasnt that only yesterday?!?!?!?! oops...cant you tell its raining and miserable here lol
the first one is called hey macaroni! and tells the story about Lola announcing that she knows how to do the Macaroni dance (macarena to me and you) and then continued to show us her skills. did have to get her to do it slow mo to take pics tho!!!
here it is:
for the first time ever I copied the format of a page ive done before to make this one. except the last one used paint and this one uses paper. i just thought th little pics would look perfect this way and I do love it.
the second is a page about Michael an his fear of wearing helmets, or rather the fear of not being able to get them off of his larger than average head. poor boy, he gets it form his dad! lol
here is that one:
I used the pencil lines sketch for this week to complete this page. and I also used the number plate sticker that has been sitting in my stash since I first started scrap booking which was 8 years ago!!!! boy did that feel good!!!!!
this week on my big picture class we have been discovering the topic of journalling on our scrapbook pages....
its not something that i do very often, and certainly not in big chunks like i have this week, I have found it quite hard, but also fun and enjoyable and i have just discovered that my husband prefers my pages with journalling to without. he wouldn't like me telling you this but the one of elsie that I am about to show you made him cry lots when he got home from work. the power of words eh!!!
so here it is:
i think its clear to see the emphasis in this layout is the journalling, i wrote a letter to Elsie explaining about her birth, the shock we had, how I felt, and how i feel now. I tried to add the letter but blogger doesnt like it sorry x
and here is the second page i have done this week:
this shows lola in her pj's and the story being told is about our once struggle to get her to bed, which suddenly changed overnight. now she is brtilliant and has her own bed time routine.
i think ive said enough for now. have a fab day xxxxx
not now obviously but almost 3 years ago I married Paul.. and yep im still scrapping wedding pics!
i needed to share this one with you today as I designed it for the ribbon reel challenge for this fortnight, it features inspirational colours from the photo that was chosen, including pink, aqua and white/ivory... plau a very hard to miss lace flower.... I also got a bit of brown in there and some buttons and some other ribbons which are attached to a bit of hidden journalling.
I started off this page with a scrap lift of kirsty wisemans page in mind but couldn't find it when i looked and so did my own thing... quite like how it turned out.
thanks ladies for another fab challenge xxx
and now another page that I have completed today just because I really love it and I hope you wont mind me sharing......
doesnt she look cute!!!!
elsie moo wearing goggles before our last trip to the pool whilst at centre parcs.
