A Black & wite Froggy Christmas

Hi all
Time to deliver a project of the day over at the Lily pad again. Some super simple but stylish black and white Christmas cards


As ever a more detailed post can be found on the Banana Frog blog.

Well it’s time for this froglet to hop off the lily pad I’m afraid. After much soul searching and juggling of time I have decided with great sadness after 2 ad 1/2 years it is time for me to step down from the Banana Frog DT and have said my fond farewells over at the Lilypad today.

Thanks for stopping by and hopping over to the Lily pad, I hope you're well and happy and until soon Happy Crafting
Love
M x

Scrap 365!!!

Hey all just had to share this thing of beauty with you all ...


It's the cover of the new mag, I snagged a copy at the NEC as I know a lot of you did and those that have subbed will have them landing on the doormat (if they haven't already ;)) before general release on the 18th and I may be biased but I think it is FAB!!!

It speaks to scrappers of today with a real mix of layouts, mini books, off the page projects, digi scrapping and all sorts of other gloriousness to fill a crafty brain. The design team are AWESOME and I love the eclectic mix of styles from clean and simple to out and out grunge with pretty in between ... what a talented bunch of scrappers I am lucky to work alongside.

The comments from all you lovelies out there have been great and I know that Katy Fox is one happy editor knowing that you all love it as much as we do and I know for a fact issue 2 will be just as good ... I've seen the projects already ;)

So if you want to get your creative mitts on a copy hop on over to the Scrap365 blog and check out the post from 2nd November to see all the different ways you can do it!

I hope you're all well and happy out there and until soon Happy, Happy Crafting
Love
M x

My Glitzy nieces

Hi all it's that time again to share some gorgeous Glitzyness with you from Glitz Designs. This last week I have had my 2 nieces staying with me and of course I had to keep snapping away! The photos I have chosen to scrap really sum up their personalities and the Glitz embellishments let me write some meaningful aunty messages to them.
First up is Lilly ....


Completely be you always.
Lilly is such a unique, beautiful girl and I want her to always be exactly who she is, the hello kitty hat won out over a piece of Goth jewellery for instance on a shopping trip, I love the fact that she is an individual and proud of it. For the layout I used;
Glitz Designs patterned paper: Dance in Sunshine; Birds, damask, polka and raindrops
Glitz Deigns Dance in Sunshine; Trim, Epoxy Words, Paper Layers, Whatnots, Journalling stickers and Glitzers
Glitz Deigns Vintage Blue Peek a boos and Glitzers


By combining lots of strips of papers down the page I was able to use lots of the lovely paper, I love the green and lilac combo in this line with the pep of the yellow. I distressed the 2 circular whatnots to add an extra mat for the photo and added a glitzer for some extra bling. I love how the lines can cross over with their patterns and colours.


By lifting the photo on foam pads I was able to slot in the journaling block behind it, and a bird cut from a paper layer sits on top.


I love the new epoxy stickers, you can make up all sorts of sentiments with them in colours that all co-ordinate.


And lastly by adding the peek a boo from vintage blue onto some of the yellow paper I could make it take on a green hue to co-ordinate with my layout and this was my way to add my little message to Lilly

My next layout features Megan


KISYCMV
No I haven't spelt it wrong, this is Megans version of the kissing rhyme! She had us in stitches and it's just so Megan, there's no one like her! The 2 photos are the 2 sides of this complex, funny little girl.
Beautiful dreamer was the perfect line to tell the story and here is what I used;
Glitz Designs patterned paper: Beautiful Dreamer; Damask, Floral, Stripe, Polka and Toille.
Glitz Designs Beautiful Dreamer; Trim, Giant Rhinestones, Epoxy words and paper layers.
Glitz Designs Dance in Sunshine; Whatnots
Glitz Designs Vintage Blue clear stamps
Glitz Designs Teeny Alphas; Bubble gum pink


The spiral is cut from a paper layer and I only adhered it at the end so it has some movement. Strips of paper across the layout build up the background and again allowed me to use lots of the yummy colours.


I love the Pink and green in this line and used the bold pink stripe as mats for my photos to pop them off the page. The what not bunting from dance in sunshine is a perfect accent for my main photo and little word details added with the epoxy words work beautifully to tie everything together.


I created a journalling block from some of the ledger paper, punching it along the side. Adding some trim and a rhinestone added that extra bit of girlyness and the final touch is my little message to Megan in the form of the stamped heart from the Vintage Blue clear stamp collection .... I love Glitz stamps!

That's all from me for now, Thanks for popping by and letting me share my Glitzy projects with you.
I hope you're all well and happy and until soon Happy Crafting
Love
M x

Lost in Space

Hi all
Well this blog title is fitting! It is actually the title of my Project of the day over on the Banana Frog blog ...



and it also kind of sums up my recent absence! I know I have been MIA and apologise for my lack of beng here but it's been one of those months. I've been poorly sick, had visitors, TV and well just life in general has gotten in the way but all's good and I'm still alive and well.

As you are reading this I will be at the NEC taking a peek at the early issue of the Scrap 365 magazine, not available until the 18th anywhere else. I am super excited about it, I've seen a lot of the proofs and a lot of the gorgeous projects in it in real life and all I can say is it's going to be FAB and you're going to love it! So if you make the NEC hobbycraft show today wave if you see me and say hi, and if you make it any time over the weekend be sure to check out the magazine on the traplet stand!

Now I'm going to do an impression of a bus .... no posts for ages and then 2 in one day! I have a Glitzy post going live at 2pm!! So I'll either see you here or at the NEC!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you're well and happy and until soon Happy Crafting!
Love
M x

A Glitzy time with 3 Jolly Scrappers

Hi all
Last week I was lucky enough to be able to teach an all day workshop for 3 Jolly Scrappers, made all the more exciting by being able to use some of the yummy new Glitz Designs products, even before I had managed to get my hands on my fantabulous DT kit so I thought I would share pictures of the layouts we created in class.


Then and Now
This was the first layout we created. I used the idea of a previous Glitz project I created here and it was fun to use all the lovely blues in the new Vintage Blue line for a monochrome front...


...as a contrast to the pop of colour from the new Dance in sunshine line. These two lines mix brilliantly together, that flash of green either side of the central strip across the centre is the green side of the raindrop paper.


The vintage blue paper layers created some lovely embellishments, and also the frames around my photos


and with scraps of the papers and some of the paper layers we created some lovely paper flower embellishments with beads set in glossy accents for the centres. As it was a class kit we had other product mixed in, but the new Teeny Alphas from Glitz would work brilliantly on this project as would the super cute What Nots.

Next up we created a layout using the lovely colour combo of Dance in Sunshine


This is our Happily ever after
I LOVE the colours in this collection! And the splash of red from the aida in the kit works brilliantly.


We splattered the 12 x 12 base with a co-ordinating green paint and did lots of distressing


And then lots of paper cutting in strips, hand cut scallops and circles allowed me to include as many of the yummy colours from the line as I could, well it would be rude not to!


Then finally the Dance in Sunshine paper layer created a great title for my layout and the birds and hearts cut from another paper layer made some cute embellishments.

So that was 2 layouts down but I couldn't resist creating this from what we had left


My Guy
This was a great way to use up our left overs with some clever paper piecing and again also shows how these two lines work so well together.


I love the frame cut out from the reverse side of the Dance in Sunshine stripe paper backed with a paper layer to create a title block.


And a cute strip of bunting cut from the raindrop paper finished off the layout, tying it all together.

I really enjoyed sharing the Glitzy goodness with the ladies at the workshop and loved combining 2 of the fabulous new lines to do it.
Here's what I used
Glitz Designs Vintage Blue papers; Floral, Polka, Rose, Toile
Glitz Designs Vintage Blue paper layers
Glitz Designs Dance in Sunshine; Floral, Polka, Raindrops, Stripe
Glitz Designs Dance in Sunshine paper layers

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you're well and happy and until soon Happy Crafting
Love
MJM x

A spooky twist with Banana Frog

Hi all

Just a quicky to drop this off


My project of the day on the Banana Frog blog. A little spooky twist using the fairytale princess castle ... yes really :) Pop on over to the Lilly pad for my project.

I hope you're well and happy, see you Friday with 2 posts and until then Happy Crafting!
Love
M x

A quick catch up

Hi all
Well I did promise (kind of) to be a better blogger and seem to have fallen at the first week but I have a reason honest! I've been a bit poorly sick ... I was struck down with a naughty cold type virus last weekend and it's taken a while to drag my sorry self back to normality (whatever that is!) BUT I am still alive and in one piece and laying catch up with life so here goes!

Last week was crazy busy leading up to the pre launch of the new scrapping magazine Scrap 365, the response has been AMAZING and the blog hop was great, what a talented bunch of scrappers we have on board. The 1st issue is well on it's way and finishing touches are being done .... exciting! Also you can now subscribe on line! Check out the blog post 29th Sept on the blog!

Just before the blog hop, hubby was home for a whole week (shock horror) so we took a trip down to the West Country to visit his family.


Grandad had a spelling lesson with Sophie


We all went out for dinner and the girls tackled the most obscene pudding I have ever seen! Mountains of ice cream, cream, chocolate bars and smarties! Even they got beat so Sophie and Dylan had to help out .. then came the sugar rush!


So off we went to the beach to walk it off


What an amazing sunset!
It was Ollies first time on the beach but he soon got into the spirit! A mad chase with another dog saw Stan and Ollie launching into the sea, Stan took it all in his stride but I wish I had a picture of Ollie's face when the sudden realisation hit him that he was swimming. It would be titled 'how the? How did I get here' trust me it was hilarious and even funnier was seeng hubby having the 'shall I dive in?' dilemma




back to the house for cuddles before bedtime, and then the long drive home!

Oo I got some new glasses too last week, I was so excited! (ignore the pink hair in bad need of a dye job LOL)


Turquoise and black


Pink and Purple.
I have always wanted glasses in different colours to swap about with my moods and this is the start of my collection. In fact I took hubby in for an eye test when I picked up the new specs and he treated me to 2 newpairs that are more dressy, just think purple sparkly LOL Lucky me :) I'll share pics when I have them(and I'll dye my hair before I take the pics!)

Last Sunday I had a FAB time teaching an all day workshop at 3 Jolly Scrappers. If you are close enough to get to any of their workshops please go, everyone there is so lovely, lunch is delicious and you even get afternoon tea with homemade cake!! I will share pcs of the layouts we created soon, they're coming up in my Glitz Designs post on the 7th but in the mean time here are some pics of the lovelies I spent the day with.





Then the lurgy struck so that's all I have to catch up with apart from AND FINALLY ..


Stan and Ollie hugs on the way down to the West Country


They make my heart melt


2 very soggy, sandy happy dogs after their adventures on the beach. The kids were happy too even if Dylan looks very serious, he was told not to do a cheesy grin so that's the face we got LOL

So that's been my week and a bit since our last visit except for one other little excitement that perked me up no end ... I got our tickets for next years 80's rewind festival, don't know who's on yet but I'm looking forward to it already whoop whoop! I'll be back on Tuesday with a Banana Frog project, until then I hope you're well and happy and until soon, as ever, Happy Crafting
Love
M x