Guest Designer - Apple Tree Lane Designs

Hi girls,

I was asked by the lovely and talented Monica Brady who owns Apple Tree Lane Designs to Guest Design using her gorgeous handmade flowers.

Lovely, Beautiful, Darling

I decided to use Monica's gorgeous pink taffy showstopper flower with one of her mint fabric roses to make a soft and pretty flower cluster.  I also used some of the light pink twisted raffia tied in a bow and loosely draped to frame the cluster.  I kept it fairly simple as I wanted the flowers to be the main focus and to help draw the eye to my photo.

List of Materials:  MME Follow Your Dreams, Basic Grey Ambrosia pp's, MME frame, Apple Tree Lane pink taffy Showstopper, mint Fabric Rose & light pink Twisted Raffia, Prima flowers, D-Lish cherry blossoms and pearl pin, my2angels leaves, Crafters Workshop chicken wire stencil, Cherry Blossom Glimmermist, Martha Stewart butterfly punches, Kaisercraft pearls, Craft Queen pearl flower trim, Versamagic Aquatic Splash chalk ink, button


Perfect Just The Way You Are

On my 2nd LO I have used another of Monica's Showstopper flowers - Latte Chiffon Blossom and teamed it with an peach Fabric Rose.  I went with another cluster to accent my fussy cut elements and layered papers.  These flowers would go beautifully with all the fabulous new neutral toned ranges of papers like Prima Almanac, Nature Garden and Printery, Simple Stories Documented and Bo Bunny Etc.

List of Materials:  Simple Stories Documented, Prima Almanac, Pink Paislee Butterfly Garden, Basic Grey Little Black Dress pp's,  Apple Tree Lane Latte Chiffon Blossom  Showstopper, peach Fabric Rose, D-Lish cherry blossoms & leaves, MME layered sticker, Bo Bunny diecut journal, Prima Almanac journaling notecard, Coffee Shop Glimmermist, paper doily 

The stunning crystal bling centres are what make Monica's showstopper flowers exactly as described... a Showstopper!!!  They really make the most beautiful accents to a feminine page, so if flowers are your must have item, I would definitely put the next sale date on your calendar!!  Pop on over to Monica's blog and check out some sneak peaks for the upcoming sale.

Wednesday 21st - Friday 23rd of March 2012
starting at 7:30pm AEST and ending at 8:00pm AEST.

all flowers will be made to order

Thanks so much for stopping by :))

OUAS - Guest DT

Hi Girls,

Well here is my 2nd LO for Once Upon a Sketch, which I am Guest Designer for this month.  The criteria for the March 15th challenge is:

Journaling Criteria: Finish this line "I miss...".
Tell us about someone you are missing right now and why. Your journaling can be as long or as little as you like, but we want to hear all about someone you are missing!

Ideas for journaling: missing time alone with your partner, missing your old self, missing your children because they are off to school, university or living away from you, missing your children being young, missing a friend you have not seen in a while, someone in another country, someone that has passed away, a mentor whose advice you could use, a relative you wish you lived closer to, someone you regret having an argument with, missing a pet.

Miss You

This was a really difficult page for me, as I chose to create a LO on how much I miss my mother.  It has been over 21 years since my mother passed away... she was only 55.  I still think about her and miss her nearly every single day.  I don't have very many pics of her as she hated being photographed, but I finally managed to dig an old one out and tried to enhance it as much as possible.  I love that she is smiling here.

I actually had to create 2 LO's for this challenge.  I got so caught up in mixing papers and elements while I was creating my 1st page, and just as I was putting the finishing touches on it I realised I had forgotten the sketch aspect of the challenge.. so this is my 2nd attempt.  I will give the other LO to my sister.. she was very happy about my mistake!!  I decided on hidden journaling for this LO with a pull out tag.


List of Materials:  Kaisercraft Sweet Nothings and Dec 25th, Basic Grey Curio, Websters Lullaby Lane, Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe pp's, Scrapmatts chipboard frame, Prima flowers Prima flower centres, Websters rose trim,  Basic Grey office tabs, EK Success border punch, Craft Queen ribbon, Bella pearls, Sassafras Lass alpha stickers, Carolee's mini alphas, shipping tag, Glitz Design stamp, Smooch Spritz, Gesso, Memento ink

Remember that you are allowed to also create a card or altered project based on this sketch and theme and instead of the journalling criteria you need to use a quote.
YOU MUST combine our journalling criteria with this sketch..

 Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving some love.. your comments really make my day.


Cheers
Cathy :))

Bird is the Word - Charm

This fortnight's word at Bird is the Word is "CHARM".  All you have to do to enter is use the word in your title or journal somewhere on your creation, which can be a LO, Card or OTP.  There is a fab prize up for grabs and a chance to be a Guest Designer.  Check out the site to see all the gorgeous creations from the talented DT girls for some inspiration and there is also an optional sketch for you to use designed by Mary Thomas.

Here is my take on this fortnight's word.  I love using quotes to convey what I am feeling and this one went perfectly with my photo.

This photo of Luke taken in New Zealand in a forest setting inspired the "Botanical" theme to my LO.  I am totally addicted to Crafter's Workshop stencils and used the tree bark stencil on my background to create some texture and the lovely maple leaves are new chippies from Scrapmatts.  I inked them in Autumn tones and used some of the threads pulled from the hessian to wrap around the leaves to create some dimension.

List of Materials:  7 Gypsies, Basic Grey, Websters, Provocraft pp's, Scrapmatts chipboard, Crafters Workshop stencil, EK Success binder punch, Tim Holtz Salvage stickers, Time Holtz tickets, Glimmermist - chocolate, Hessian, jute twine, Versamagic chalk inks, Jo Sonja texture paste.

Sketch designed by Mary Thomas (optional)

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THANKS
Thanks so much to the girls at Scrap The Boys and Scrap The Girls for choosing my entries from last month.  I was so excited to win a prize from D-Lish Scraps and Scrap Therapy.. woo hoo, I get to do some shopping!!!  Here are the winning entries.

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving some love :))

Scrapmatts - For the Boys

Hi Girls,
This month at Scrapmatts the theme is Boys and Men, which is probably a good thing for me as I have been fixated on feminine LO's lately... ADORE working with all things girly and pretty!!  It was nice to get grungy with some masculine creations though.

Guitar Hero Legend

The grunge style just suits a teenage boy LO to a T.  I used the Scrapmatts Music Frame 05 to frame my silhouetted photo of Luke and added some metal brads to the guitar and my background.  I also used the Music Notes 02 in my little cluster and just inked it to match.  Had some fun with another Crafter's Workshop stencil and paint on my background... am totally in love with them!!

List of Materials:  Bo Bunny, Prima and Ruby Rock It pps, Scrapmatts chipboard, Crafters Workshop stencil, BG and Bo Bunny stickers, Martha Stewart border punch, Thickers and Adornit alphas, Ruby Rock It chipboard, my2angels star charms, Kaisercraft  & assorted metal brads, midnight blue Glimmermist, Versamagic ink, cream paint.

Cool Dude

Had a play with a Crafter's Workshop number stencil and some ink and paint to create a grunge background and mixed some red teal and black pp's together to make this LO pop.  I used the new Assorted Words 09 chippies for part of my title, which I embossed and inked.  These chippies are perfect for your male LO's, you get 11 different words for $10.. what a bargain!!  I also added some Gear Frames... there are so many different cogs available at Scrapmatts and I love them all!!

List of Materials:  BG and Glitz Design pps, Scrapmatts chipboard, EK Success binder punch, Crafter's Workshop number stencil, American Crafts Thickers, Rouge De Garance rubons, Versacolor ink, red paint.

Discover

Made a quick card by layering and tearing a couple of different pp's then used the Scrapmatts, Kites, Name Plates and Assorted Words 02.  I altered the chippies by using a Cuttlebug embossing folder and ink.

List of Materials:  October Afternoon and MME pps; Scrapmatts chipboard, Versamagic chalk inks, machine stitching.

Dream Big

I made this card for my nephew's upcoming 21st birthday, using the Assorted Words 01, Clocks 01 and Gears 02 and 05 which I altered with ink to match the new range of Ruby Rock It Vintedge kit.

List of Materials:  Ruby Rocket Vintedge Kit, Scrapmatts chipboard, BG and Authentique alpha stickers, Kaisercraft brad, Versamagic chalk inks.
Sneak Peeks

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving some love.. your comments really make my day.

Cheers
Cathy :))

Scrapmatts Challenge - Layers

Hi girls,

This month at Scrapmatts the lovely and talented Jolanda Simons is hosting our challenge.

The challenge is...make a male card and use layers

To be eligible, your creation MUST also have Scrapmatts on it.  The prize will be a $25.00 Scrapmatts gift voucher.  Members need to upload their entry by the end of the month into the normal gallery and just call it 'March Challenge' and we will move it into an album.

Check out the link HERE to see how the Design Team were inspired by Jolanda's challenge.

Here is my take on this month's challenge.  I went for a vintage inspired card and had fun layering pp's, chipboard and stamped elements.

Enjoy the Journey

List of materials - Graphic 45-A Proper Gentlemen, Prima-Reflections , Pink Paislee-Back to School pp's; Scrapmatts Filmstrips 02  and Pageborders 01 chipboard; Tim Holtz stamps; Tim Holtz distress ink, Versamagic ink.

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving some love.  Have a fab day :))

SO EXCITED!!

Hi girls,

Well I have more exciting news to share.  As of the beginning of April I will be on the Design Team for Berry 71 Blue.  I get to work with the gorgeous and talented Marivic Clifton's stunning handmade tags which you can find in her Etsy Shop.  Here are a few samples of her amazing vintage inspired tags.

Look at the amazingly talented ladies who also made the Design Team.  To see their gorgeous work, just click on the links below.

Agnieszka of Bellaidea - Poland/Canada
Amanda Aveiro - Washington US
Channa Suitella - Greece
Helen Tilbury - South Africa
Keren Tamir - Canada
Renea Harrison - Tennessee US
Vicky Varvadouka - Greece
Marivic Clifton - Texas US

Thanks again Marivic.. can't wait to start creating with your delicious tags!!

Thanks for stopping by and leaving some love.. have a fab day :))

OUAS - Guest Design Spot

Hi girls,

So excited... as a winner last month at Once Upon a Sketch, I was asked to be a Guest Designer for this month.  Here are the details for the 1st March Challenge. Check out the blog site to see all the gorgeous creations from the super talented Design Team.

The current challenge is one that will push you out of your comfort zone because you have to scrap a layout or create a project about YOU. Many MANY people find this daunting...I can understand that. I personally do not have a problem scrapping my self as I want my children and those I leave behind one day to know the real Nadia. But I was SO SO SO surprised to learn that my Design Team really struggled with this. This saddened me...it saddened me as I see SO many wonderful qualities in all of them, yet it astounds me how hard us women are on our selves. We truly are. I think one thing we are ALL good at for certain, is just being WOMEN in this day and age!! 

SO I am particularly keen to see you all find something that you are good at, as little or as big as that might be and be confident enough to share it with us here. I cannot wait to see your entries!! Come on ladies..its time we believed in our selves and put our selves first just this one time..!

March 1st Challenge

Journalling Criteria/Theme:

All About Me!

The focus of your journalling and the theme of your layout has to be based on YOU and something/s that you are really good at. Don't be shy! We are all good at something as small or as big as it might be.  

Ideas for journalling: being a good mum, cooking, talking, understanding people, organising, cleaning, gardening, studying, computers, fashion, exercising, scrapbooking, good at my job, maths, languages, writing , drawing, painting, photography, running, craft, sewing. Maybe you can talk about an aspect of your personality..your sensitivity, your 6th sense, your patience, your strength or bravery, your ability to stay positive. 

Remember that you are allowed to also create a card or altered project based on this sketch and theme and instead of the journalling criteria you need to use a quote. You MUST combine our journalling criteria with this sketch..

Needle and Thread

This was a bit of a challenge for me, as I don't normally create pages about myself, but thank goodness I found something that people tell me I'm good at, which is sewing.  I ended up really enjoying creating this LO and had fun adding some pretty habadashery items to my page, I even used some of the fabric in my photo as an embellishment.

Materials Used:  Kaisercraft, Prima, Graphic 45, Crate Paper pps; BG leaf sticker, Prima flower, Scrapmatts dress form; my2angels charms; Tim Holtz stamp set; EK Success punch; Dienamics doily die; Tim Holtz distress ink, Crafty Secrets Sew Nice; resin flowers; BG alpha stickers; Kaisercraft pearls; handmade pin; fabric, muslin, crochet doily, buttons, ribbon, machine stitching

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving some love

Cathy :))