Just because.....

Hello all, it has been a very long time since I created anything just because....... Sometimes life is so hectic, the 'must do' and 'have to' gets in the way of the 'want to' and you forget why you got into this hobby in the first place!

After a long break I have returned to Scrapbooking in a 12x12 format and I thought I would share these two layouts which weren't made as workshop projects or for display, but simply because I had the photos and the germ of an idea.

I found these photos languishing on my phone but when I went to print them the photo paper slipped in the printer and they printed over two sheets. I decided to use them anyway, just as they were chopped in strange places, but I felt they actually added to the chaotic feel of the layout. The papers I used are a mix of Prima's Garden Menagerie and Lost and Found from 7Dots Studios with a bit of washi tape and some Kaisercraft stamps. The whole thing came together really quickly and I am pleased with the finished page.

 

The second layout started with these striking photos of the Water of Leith Walkway in Edinburgh, a city very close to my heart. I was born in Edinburgh, was a student at Edinburgh University and the Headmaster and I started our married life in the city some 36 years ago. Like all cities where underneath their public persona there often lurks a darker side, Edinburgh had it's share of less attractive areas which have been redeveloped and transformed over recent years. Each time we return we find ourselves amazed at the changes, sometimes so significant we find ourselves lost without familiar landmarks, but thrilled at the vitality emerging from the desolate.

I decided to go with the reflections theme with this layout using my last remaining sheets of my all time favourite Dreamer collection from 7Dots Studios. The base paper was a little darker than I wanted so I gave it a light wash of gesso to knock it back a bit, the dies are from Hero Arts Stamp and Cut Planner range by Kelly Purky, the stamps from Kaisercraft, finished off with the title from the reverse of the base paper, reversed. I was really pleased with how this one turned out, exactly as I envisioned - a rare occurrence for me lol!

Thank you for joining me, I won't stay away so long again as I have resolved to make time for more projects 'just because'.

 

Val x

 

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Be at Peace

Just stopped by to share a very simple layout I made over the holiday. Sadly my Mother was never really at peace in her lifetime, my hope is she is at peace now.

The doily die is a fab new one from Prima and the clocks and cogs are by Kaisercraft, the stencil is Tim Holtz and the stamps are also Kaisercraft using papers and tags from the Lost and Found collection from 7Dots Studio. The photograph was taken during the Second World War and sent to my Mother's brothers who were serving in the Far East, I found it whilst going through an fascinating album one of my uncle's maintained of his wartime service. They scrapbooked too!

As this year draws to a close I wish you and yours a happy and successful New Year.

Val x

 

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Bad, bad blogger!

Hello everyone - no, not Mr Blogger, just me. I am trying not to remember how long it is since I shared anything here, no excuses just life and a lack of mojo I'm afraid.

Finally, I have made a little project that wasn't intended as a workshop, with an idea that started out exactly as it finished up - a remarkable achievement for me lol!

I gathered together a leftover canvas board, texture paste, stencils, gesso, scraps of paper, stamps (of course), inks, embossing powders, washi tape and liquid acrylics.

 

I started by adding texture with gesso and texture paste - most of which was lost as I got a bit carried away with some papers left over from a 6x6 paper pad which were just randomly cut into strips and layered in place with Eco Green Crafts Matte Medium. I then added some strips of washi tape and got to work with some Kaisercraft background stamps and WOW detail embossing powders in Black and White. I then dripped some liquid acrylic in a very vibrant green plus some random splatters and topped that with some further stamping on some scraps of white vellum plus the title, which is a freebie stamp from the cover of a recent edition of Craft Stamper.

 

 

I made a variation if this project in my Journal which I am thinking of using as a blog background if I can work out how to size the image to get it to load - techie son required.

 

 

I really enjoyed making this one, lots of ink, paint and stamps with my favoutite black & white papers, right up my street and if it's your kind of thing too Snazzys have asked me to run a workshop on Saturday 11 January - full details over at http://snazzystampingandscrapbooking.co.uk/january.html

 

That's all from me today I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year xx

 

 

 

 

Colourful Pages

Yes, really!

I promised myself this year I would experiment with more colour in my journals, especially colours I don't like, and here are the first two pages made during Snazzys AJ Sundays at the end of May & June.

 

Back in the dark ages, when I was a girl, I was very pale skinned with very blonde hair and my Mother used to dress me in red to 'cheer' me up.  Problem was add a bit of heat, or a bit of sun, or a bit of cold, or a bit of exercise never mind embarrassment and my skin could exhibit every shade of red going lol! 

 

Consequently, I loathe red, never wear it, rarely work with it, don't own anything red. What better colour to start with - once I had been shopping.

 

Postbox Red Dylusion's Ink Spray, Ranger's Distress Inks in Barn Door, Fired Brick & Festive Berries plus Tsukineko's Versafine in Crimson Red & Satin Red all found their way to my studio and onto this page - I did buy some Cherry Pie Ink Spray too as it looked pretty red on the label but on an empty white journal page it looked pink ;o( 

 

I was in need of sunglasses to cope with all the colour so added some Gessso stamping with Kaisercraft Background stamps, texture paste through a couple of Prima Stencils, Chequerboard & Crackle, (which turned red as I hadn't dried the Ink Spray, interesting effect tho') and Tissue Tape inked with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink to try and tone it down a bit - that went well then lol!

 

I think I quite like the page but I still loathe red!

 

The following month it took me all of two seconds to come up with a colour I dislike almost as much as red. That would be orange then, very closely followed by yellow - haven't worked out what it's for other than when a circle of it appears in the sky from time to time.

 

Set me thinking...

 

 

Dylusions Ink Sprays in Lemon Zest, Pure Sunshine and a touch of Sqeezed Orange with Scattered Straw & Mustard Seed Distress Inks, topped with Wild Honey Distress Paint scraped on thinly and it was certainly orange, extremely orange. I added some of last month's red Distress Inks to try and warm it up (I am becoming my Mother!) then consoled myself the beautiful Donna Downey stamps from Unity, I had finally treated myself to would hide most of the sins.

 

I then covered everything with a couple of thin coats of Gesso to create a sort of sunray effect and to try and calm things down, then stamped Hero Arts new Stamp your Story stamps in Archival Ink in Saffron, Distress Ink in Ripe Persimmon and Picket Fence Distress Paint. I then added the flowers and words with stamps from PSX (there's a blast from the past!) and MM in my favourite Versafine Onyx Black ink.

 

I like this page marginally better than the red one but am so grateful I told myself I need only use each colour once in my journal, what a relief!

 

Thanks for persevering with my inky exploits.

Back soon xx