Thursday 19 November 2009

Scrapping & Shopping...



Hiya all! Feeling pretty unmotivated at the moment {why does that happen when there is so much to do?} Basically my energy is being spent on the "must-do's" and there's not much time left over after that. I have noticed in years gone by that this is what happens come November - end of year madness I call it! The schools seem to pile on the work/projects/orals/etc just at the time that things should be winding down...maybe it stems from the sudden realisation that the end of the year is nigh & there are still certain things outstanding. I'm not sure, all I know is that it's impossible to get into any type of festive, holiday spirit when I am running back & forth between schools, with two children writing exams & finishing at different times, and another two being plagued with last minute assignments.


That said, I have managed to get my layout done for the latest challenge over at Journaling Junkie.

Challenge 69

Challenge 69 is to use the following recipe:

1 x Photo

1 x Die Cut

1 x Textured Patterned Paper

1 x Cardstock

2 x other patterned paper

Inking

Bling

Rubons

Stitching

Scalloping


This challenge closes on the 29th of November midnight GMT- Please leave a comment with the link to your URL or email me eyeore at telkomsa dot net


So there are still 10 days left for y'all to get this one done & it's quite fun actually. Limiting myself made me steer clear of the Thickers & use up the rub-ons {of which I have aplenty!] so it was a worthwhile exercise. Somehow my layout turned out amazingly pretty - maybe I should stick to this recipe in future ;-D

The rub-ons I used were Dreamstreet "Happiness" & the rub-on letters were from a Making Memories Alphabet book. Papers are Fancy Pants {Summer Soiree}, K & Co. Dollhouse Quilted {Brenda Walton} & Bo Bunny Delilah. White cardstock - Bazzill scallop edge.

The ledger paper above & below is taken from Making Memories packaging {not good to write on because of the shiny surface but perfect for rub-ons}.

I inked the edges a bit with an SEI yellow inkpad for contrast & distressed the white with a touch of pink 'cos it was all looking a bit too sterile for my liking ;-D

The scalloped top is cut from a K & Co. Que Sera Sera doily. They are too beautiful but absolutely hellish to apply & it you looky carefully you can see that some of the yellow tore off to reveal the white underneath as the whole thing started sticking to the scrap paper I was working on when I was gluing it. Next time I will use plastic but you live & learn & I'm a great believer in not embracing perfectionism as these doilies are seriously expensive LOL! So I just sommer stuck it down & tried not to worry about it...

The paper "strips" are all one sheet (the very pretty K & Co. "Dollhouse" collection) so I just had to cut it up & add the Bo Bunny {inked with pink} in between the two strips.

Do you remember this post? {written towards the end of August this year} I tried & tried & TRIED to make headway with this kit company for my friend & I but to no avail. My e mails were left unanswered for weeks on end until I eventually got a one liner saying that I was "on the list of things to do". Well, when I finally made it to the top I requested an amount for postage & that was the last I heard. I reforwarded my e mail a couple of times & then gave up - much as I LOVED what I saw I didn't have the time or energy to keep persevering. I found this update today when I went to check out their latest kit. It seems that there are a lot of very unhappy chappies on this bandwagon & one of them would have been me had I actually succeeded in getting signed up! This is a perfect example of how sometimes bad things actually turn out to be a blessing. I am so relieved that these problems are not my own! Very sad as I really, really loved what I saw there...

I got an e mail today from a local online store with a sale on. You can find lovely Making Memories Faux Leather albums at a good price here. I have placed an order for my staples:- inks, adhesives, etc as I have started the change over of all my albums to the absolutely gorgeous WRMK ones but if you are in need of some decent post albums & reasonably priced refills don't say I didn't tell ya where to go! There are RED ones all ready for your Christmas photos & their site is easy to navigate & quick to load {which doesn't go without saying for local sites}. I am off to watch my favourite TV show now {Drop Dead Gorgeous}. It is freezing here & has been raining endlessly, day & night {like that dreadful song my teens keep playing} Actually, truth be told, I actually like that song...but as for the the rain, I want it to please go away!!!


10 comments:

Pearl said...

such a pretty layout this is ,Helen !!!
Lovely colors & papers together !

Here's a link to the Perfect Pearls I mentioned by Ranger :
http://www.rangerink.com/perfect_pearls.htm

somebody who needs to love herself said...

ohhh this is indeed a pretty layout Helen :)

tania said...

LOL!! i know that song:) also raining here and VERY cold, mother nature is for sure having some troubles. lovely layout, i saw the challenge. our kids are luckily done with all the assignments, busy with exams, but is cta's they can't learn for it, papers from the department.things they did not even learn about in the year! exiting,hey?? anyways, good work, my friend,enjoy some pancakes:)

topkatnz said...

yep a blessing in disguise that you didn't get involved in that other kit company! phew! Very nice layout there - the 'recipe' sounds like a very good idea.

Penny said...

Love this layout, Helen! It's been so cold here we even had a calf that was born yesterday die last night! Looks like Stacy Julian has quite a fun thing happening on her blog on Saturday - take a look - it might help with "getting in the spirit" with limited time! I think I'm going to do it, if I can find a nice little album today. Also check your emails.

Lynette Jacobs said...

I love what you did with this challenge...very, very beautiful...I love everything about it.

Jenny in Durbs said...

Hey Helen super l/out as usual. I always pop in & see what you are up to just seem to busy to actual enjoy the blog hopping - must be a phase. Its a mad hectic time & I say every year I won't let it get to me but it still does. Hope your days slow down soon.

Bernadine said...

Lovely layout Helen. For someone who is unmotivated you are still doing a good job of scrapping and blogger. At the moment I have no inspiration for either - hence the lack of blogging. :) Have a good weekend. :)

Ella Swan said...

Thanks for the link Pearl - will check it out - if we ever get any Ranger stuff here it usually costs a fortune...thanks for the positive reinforcement girls & Penny I'll check out Stacy's blog today to see what's happening there...Yup this time of year is just horrid & everyone tells you what fun you should be having - drives me mad! Shane has been away this week so on top of the constant rain I have been the fulltime taxi driver & chef & seem to have spent ALL DAY cooking & driving then falling totally unconscious 'til morning LOL!

Diana said...

OMG the Label Tulip drama is too much! People are so pissed, and they are not mincing words about it!
I love your layout. When I saw that list of ingredients for the challenge I immediately thought, nope, no way, not me. But every time I look at it I think, hmmmm... maybe... . No promises, as I already have so many pages to do, but if I can swing it I will!