Monday 18 April 2011

Glitzy Springtime and Bunnies

Hi all,
Spring is here and with it arrived a box of new goodies from Glitz Designs on my doorstep. It's contents made me smile as much as the blue skies, the flowers in the garden and the lambs in the field, the new lines are yumsville and I know you're going to LOVE the new stamp sets. So what better thing to scrap first than some Spring photos!


This layout is inspired by the beautiful Spring day today and the 'song' I have journalled. It is from one of my all time favourite films Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory (the original Gene Wilder version, love you Mr Depp but Gene rules this one!) and I sing it a lot at this time of year, but originally it came from As you like it by Willam Shakespeare and even then he was quoting from a celtic ballad 'it was a lover and his lass' ... hmmm best stop waffling and let you know what I used!

Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse papers; Banner, Stripe, Block, Floral, Carte Postal, Polka
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace paper; Butterflies
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse and Love Games Clear Stamps
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse Glitzers
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse Paper Layers
Glitz Designs Teent Alphas; Burnt Orange, Cream, Bubble gum pink, aqua block, yellow block, apple green block
Glitz Designs Maya cardstock stickers


I cut out all the shapes I needed for the fields, rainbow and clouds etc distressing edges as I went. When doing a collage like this I use a plain 12 x 12 piece of cardstock to build it on so I don't waste too much of my precious paper (this also means it's a great way to use up scraps!) The colours and patterns of the afternoon muse papers are great for my happy spring collage, love that polka paper!


The hot air balloon and sun rays are made using the new stamps. So useful and so much fun not to mention brilliant stamps that give a great image every time.


I took some photos of the lambs in the field next to our house and cut them out to fit into my collage and cut out the photo of my nieces (a great way to lose a dodgy background)


With scissors still in hand I cut out lots of flowers from the floral paper even ones that were missing petals (as they are tucked under flowers in the design) and those around the edges as they still work when I layer everything up.


Once I'd layered all the flowers around my photo and tucked some behind the 'hills' I cut out some of the butterflies from the laced with grace paper, curled the wings and added them all over the collage.


Finally I set to with the teeny alphas. My favourite all time alphas ever and I LOVE the new additions to the line with their mixed up style of letters, the colours make my heart sing! I added some doodled journalling inbetween and doodled in places on my collage


and that was it done, a happy spring time layout with one of my favourite photos of my nieces. My second layout stays with my beautiful nieces and something else that happens at spring time ... Easter.


This is a record of a really fun Easter weekend spent with them and my sister. Decorating eggs, eating roast dinner and driving the girls crazy with a fiendishly clever Aunty Michelle treasure hunt LOL. Here are my ingredients;

Glitz Designs Laced with Grace papers; Rose, Stripe, Polka
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse paper; Floral
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace Peek-a-boo
Glitz Designs Laced with Grace Clear Stamps
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse Peek-a-boo
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse Cardstock Stickers-titles
Glitz Designs Afternoon Muse Paper Layers
Glitz Designs Clear stamps Distressing set 2
Glitz Designs Teeny Alphas; cream


The orange tones with the playground imagery from Laced with Grace mixed with the Afternoon Muse yellow were perfect to tell my story. I broke up the orange 12 x 12 by stamping, using a distress stamp with yellow paint, around the area my photos would sit to tie everything all together.


I stamped images on to the yellow paper and also adhered one of the Afternoon Muse peek-a-boos onto it to pop it off the page.


I lifted my photos by matting them onto some of the polka paper and cut out the photo of my bunny eared niece to create a photo embellishment of my own.


I framed my cut out niece with a peek-a-boo from Laced with Grace and as it has a cut out centre I could pop her out of it on foam pads for dimension. I added an orange butterfly from the paper as an extra embellishment.


The cut out stamped images, cardstock stickers, a paper layer and those gorgeous teeny alphas finished off my layout. Another happy layout that makes me smile

So what new Glitzyness will you use to make you smile? .... warning! You will be spoilt for choice .... whatever it is please share it with us and now there is the perfect opportunity to show off your Glitz with the new Monthly challenge, see details here and get Glitzy and creative!

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share my projects with you. I hope you're all well and happy and enjoying Spring, until soon Happy Crafting
Love M x

Monday 4 April 2011

Old Techniques and favourite stamps!

Hi all
It's my turn to share a project over at the Lily pad. A revisit to an old chalky technique and some of my favourite Banana Frog stamps


As ever the step by step instructions are over on the frog blog so why not hop on over and check it out, and while you're there snag a bargain, there's an AMAZING sale on stamps in the shop!!!

I hope you're well and happy, I'll *see you* soon, until then Happy Crafting
Love
M x

Friday 1 April 2011

NEW and absolutely FREE craft stamper e-zine

Hi all

Have you heard about the new kid on the block?? We all know and love the Craft Stamper magazine right? Full of inspirational projects covering all crafts with a twist of something different thrown in for good measure!....

..... Well today see's the launch of the craft stamper e-zine FREE to download NOW


and packed full of projects, 12 complete step by step projects to be exact, all projects chosen from the best of 2010 by the readers so what are you waiting for? ....

.... oooh! wait! there's more! add this....


...Blog button to your side bar (adding this link http://www.craftstamper.com/ezine/ to it) and then go to the Craft stamper website and leave a comment, there is blog candy available so really it's a win, win situation for all of us .. a free e-zine and the pleasure of spreading the word about it with blog candy thrown in for your efforts woo hoo!

So go download and spread the crafty word to one and all wherever you can shout about it, from face book to the roof tops and anywhere in between .... you know it makes crafty sense!

I hope you're all well and happy, enjoy your craft stamper e-zine and I'll see you soon .... Happy Crafting!
Love
M x