Thursday 31 October 2013

An Exciting Sneak! FOUR Giveaway Reminders plus Q & A no. 1!!




Hi there beautiful people!  Happy last day of the month!!  Nope I won't be wishing you a 
Happy Halloween - sorry about that - but it's not something we do around these parts :)

I have been busy, busy, BUSY!!! this week - working on some magazine submissions 
that are due to be posted off very shortly!  It's always fun & as you can see from
 the sneak below things got a liiiiiiiiitle messy in my studio the other night - LOVE!!!


I have FOUR giveaways going on at the moment - 
and they ALL close in 2 hours!!  

So hurry over to the relevant posts for a chance to win! 
 I have a chipboard one going on HERE & I have one 
full of stamps & mists going on HERE!!

I got asked LOADS of QUESTIONS in my Anniversary giveaway post -
so I thought I'd answer THREE AT A TIME as there are too many
to be covered in just one post :)

1.  Lizzy Hill - How much time do you spend creating a blog post - on average - now?

Blog posts seem to take me about an hour to complete on average!
 I just don't seem to be able to do anything quickly!!

 My internet connection is terribly slow so I usually have to work on a couple of things at the same time.  Often I am on my mobile phone & my computer simultaneously (as my mobile phone works through a different network & is, ironically, often faster!) so I'll be checking e mails & answering  them on my phone while I'm working on a blog post.

To speed things up I email my photos straight to my blog as soon as I've edited them so that when I open up my dashboard they are already there in my drafts & I can find the post easily as I title my posts according to the names of my projects.  This saves on upload time & ensures that if my internet connection times out, which it often does here, I don't have the frustration of re-uploading images countless times until they go through 100%.


2.  Janis - What would you do differently if you started a blog today?

I'm sure everyone would do almost everything in their life differently if they had the benefit of hindsight, however, I don't believe that anything is ever wasted & do believe that everything happens for a reason & is a necessary part of our journey.

Nonetheless, if I were to start a blog today I would definitely spend less time on my actual blog initially & more time on getting my name known out & about, through challenges, etc, to draw people to my blog & build my audience FIRST.

I sat on a figure of 23 followers for my first couple of years of blogging & it took me a long time to realise that no matter how interesting, funny or thoughtful my blog posts were or how much the content I posted improved - it was highly unlikely that people were going to just stumble across my blog & start following me!

For that to happen you have to get to know people from joining Ning communities & forums & playing along with as many online challenges as possible.

3.  Helen Wallace - Which one of your blog posts is your favourite?

I don't have a favourite Helen, sorry!

 Blogging is just one of those things I do a lot &
 I just get on with it & post what I need to post :)

 I do love blogging though!



Tuesday 29 October 2013

'A Friendship That has Stood The Test of Time' - Published in Scrap 365 - Feb/Mar 2013 Issue




Early this year I was invited by Scrap 365, before I was on their 
Design Team, to take part in a "Shake-it-up" Cocktail Challenge
where 2 people are told what "ingredients" to use, then each come 
up with their own pages, which are then shown side by side.  

This was published in the February 2013 issue.



As February is the month of LOVE & Valentine's I used a Prima Heart Vine as my main embellishment, adding in other small flowers, plus embellishments from Purple Pumpkin (doilies & buttons).


My paper & blooms came from Prima, embellishments from Purple Pumpkin, hand-dyed gauze,  Artisan Elements from Pink Paislee, an 
Ingvild Bolme {for Prima} light bulb & Glitz Design alphas.


For my masking I used a genuine antique plastic doily as a mask, sent to me by dear Mitra in the US.  I used Hard Molding Paste from Golden, which created a very dimensional effect, then I sprinkled clear glitter onto the wet paste so it really shimmers!


I'm finding it difficult to keep track of my publications as there is always a long delay from when you send in to when your work appears in print, then another delay until you can show off your work on your blog, and sometimes not at all.


It sure is a thrill though seeing your layouts in print!
Definitely makes all the posting & packaging & WAITING worth it...


A yummy little Purple Pumpkin cluster...


A little mix of all my favourite things at the time...


I hot-glued the yummy Prima vine down so it wouldn't 
come unattached during it's long journey to the UK...


So finally I got to share :)
I love the simplicity of this page, but WOW I can see how
 much my style has evolved in the space of just 8 months....

Don't forget about my SCRAPMATTS giveaway!!
{see previous post}.



Monday 28 October 2013

Scrapmatts Chipboard Giveaway! x 2!!




Happy Monday everyone!  I am starting the week with a big GIVEAWAY!!  Yaaaaay!!!  Scrapmatts has kindly donated their Design Team ladies each a couple of packs to give away to their followers.

These packs have a retail value of over $35 each !!!

This is what you can win!  And I have TWO packs to give away!!

If you would like a chance to WIN this chipboard pack you need to :-

1.  Be a Follower of my blog {or join as a Follower by signing up
to the Followers Gadget with the thumbnail images at the top of my sidebar}.

2.  Leave a comment here on this post.

3.  Go to the Scrapmatts Ning Site HERE & comment on at least 3 layouts in the gallery.
(you may have to sign up to join as a member of Scrapmatts but this process takes a matter of minutes).

4.  Like the Scrapmatts page on Facebook HERE.

You have only ONE WEEK to do this as this giveaway closes on the 31st of October midnight EST!

So HURRY ALONG & make it happen!!
I will draw 2 winners early next month!!!

You could just snag yourself an early Christmas present!
Open to ANYONE, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

(and if you are a winner you will have some Scrapmatts which means you can 
enter our monthly challenge using it too - and perhaps even win AGAIN!)


Friday 25 October 2013

'Make Good Art' Layout - Scrapmatts {7 Dots Challenge}




Hi everyone!  It's the weekend!!  Well...almost!!!
Just sharing my 2nd page for Scrapmatts with you today.


Our challenge was to make something new out of some old chipboard so I decided to use the chipboard waste {the negative piece that remains once all the gears have been popped out of this 12"sheet}.


I found this saying online & not only did it amuse
 me but I believe it to be true.  I think anyone 
seriously creative is not a straight-forward person 
{well I know I'm certainly not - is that an admission?!}.  

I think to "think out of the box" requires a certain type 
of mind that you are either born with or you are not.


This saying is a favourite of mine & is something shared between me & a VERY special friend :)  It comes from watching this video HERE {which I highly recommend} & has been something my friend & I have clung to for the last year & found seriously helpful.  

It's a speech given by a famous author & details some keys to success.  We both set out to achieve our dreams after watching this video & we set specific goals which we have both since achieved.


I combined my Design Team work for Scrapmatts with the latest
 challenge over at 7 Dots - which you can read about HERE
 The challenge is to scrap something done FOR YOURSELF.  

Well that was a no-brainer for me! 

 I know that almost all I create these days is for 
Design Teams but I get to keep my work & even when 
working within a spec I have found my own style so am happy!


Yup that really is a paint brush I attached above.  
I have sooooo wanted to do that for ages LOL!


I used a random & eclectic assortment of product on this page. 
Apart from the Scrapmatts chipboard & Color Mates cardstock I used:-

 Lindy's Stamp Gang Embossing powders in 
Kaiser Russet Red, Sunrise Salmon Gold & Adobe Fire, 
as well as Magicals in Curiouser Chartreuse.  


{Magicals come in powder form in tiny jars 
(just like "Perfect Pearls"by Ranger). 
They are VERY CONCENTRATED so a jar will
 last you possibly forever!!  You mix the powder
 with ANY medium you like to create a medium.  


I used Clear Emulsion & created my own paint! 
 I also used the powder in it's original form too 
{the orange you see on the frame} as the colour 
you see in the jar & the colour that it mixes to is
 not the same - the orange powder comes out green! 


 Honestly these Lindy's Stamp Gang products are extremely cool!!

Other mediums used are Black Archival Ink by Ranger, 
Bells of Ireland Green Starburst mist by Lindy's Stamp Gang,
White Acrylic Paint by Dala, Gold Artist's Acrylic by Heritage
& Mustard Seed Paint Dabber by Tim Holtz for Ranger.


Stamps are from Prima & Kaisercraft & embellishments:-

Old paint brush, 7 Dots Studio Logo, Polish Stamps, 
staples, bolts, old jewellery, a dungaree buckle & a broken 
zip slider.'Diction' words from Authentique, washi tape.

 I also used a coaster from Mugg & Bean {my fave coffee shop), 
& a vellum bag from Queenspark {my fave clothing shop}
as these are also significant "things I do just for myself".

Die-cut from Simple Stories, some black twine, ancient
'Lily Bee' rub-ons & a lot of 'rubbish' went into this page!

PLUS LOTS & LOTS OF LOVE!!


My husband raised his eyebrows at this one which just confirms the quote I chose!  "Art should disturb the comfortable & comfort the disturbed"!!  Well I LOVED it!!!  

Both the process & the outcome & I guess this is actually 
my first art-journaling page, although it is not in the
 'correct' format it is at least a start!!



Thursday 24 October 2013

'My Rosy Life with You' Layout - Scrapmatts {Lindy's Stamp Gang} Prima Build-a-Page Sketch




Hi everyone :)
I am still having a hard time since my wisdom teeth were removed.
Looks like I may have to go back & have the whole thing re-opened
& investigated.  Just keeping you up to speed.  It's a total pain 
in the neck that there have to be these complications but anyway, 
let's move on...


I created this layout this week for Scrapmatts as my post
 went live today - haven't created anything for 2 weeks
 so it took forever - amazing how that happens...


I used a giant cog for my chipboard from Scrapmatts,
as well as some words from their Christmas Word Collections,
as they are RED so matched with the BRIGHT theme,
which was the challenge the Design Team was set - 
to create something bright. 


"COLOUR OUR WORLD"
Well you don't have to ask me twice :)  
I love colour & think it shows a person's personality.
How can one be truly exhuberant & joyful & NOT love & use colour?


Apart from the Scrapmatts & the mixed media products
almost everything else comes from PRIMA - because...
this is also my take on the Prima BAP! 
 As you have no doubt figured out by now :)


Much as I adore Kasia & her creations I had my doubts about
 this sketch& how it would work out for one of MY pages.  
Well I was wrong!  I love how it turned out!!


I embossed the chipboard gear using Lindy's Stamp Gang Embossing
Powders, which are just AWESOME!  Honestly, LSG products are
SUCH good quality.  The EP's are super easy to use.  All you need
is an embossing pad {stamp it all over the chipboard} then pour on
each colour, shake off & put it away before starting on the next...


For interest & texture I used a Ranger Paint Dabber in Lemonade (you can NEVER have enough paint dabbers - those things are HANDY!).  2 new release Prima stamps & one older one (the butterfly), some misted gauze, the chipboard, rub ons & the obligatory mesh tape :)


Prima abounds on this layout.  New Anna Maria papers, new black
 alphas, all stamps, bling flourishes, tickets, tags, flairs,
 metals,brads, flowers, bark hearts & a wooden camera! 
Overloaded perhaps but it makes me happy :)


Lindy's EP's used :- 
Candy Cane Red {Mad Hatter Collection}
Pumpkin Fiests & Sunset Yellow Orange 
{Prairie Wildflower Collection}.


A tip to achieve a chunkier look with your embossing powder:-
Invest in an Embossing Dabber by Ranger - that way you can
emboss layer after layer so you get varying thicknesses & it
doesn't leave a dead straight line like your embossing pad does!



Wednesday 23 October 2013

September Project Round Up!




Hello there!  Happy Hump Day!!

This is a new idea I have - to share ALL my layouts shown here each month, at the end of that month.  Well of course that didn't work last month, & probably won't really work ANY month as the end of the month is such a busy time, then the beginning of the month is taken up with showing off new challenges SO it's more likely to be around about the middle of the following month BUT that's okay!!!


 Scrap Around The World September Challenge Reveal



Lessology Guest Designer - 2 Year Anniversary Celebration



Lindy's Stamp Gang September Colour Challenge.



Lindy's Stamp Gang Mad Hatter Blog Hop Layout



Lindy's Stamp Gang September Video Project



Inkido Special Guest Designer Project



Scrapmatts Monthly Layout






Scrapmatts Christmas Tag Assignment



Flourish With a Bling Project 1



Flourish with a Bling Project 2

{NO kit work as my My Creative Scrapbook 
Kit got lost in the mail - no Scrap 365 Magazine
Work due to my daughter being hospitalized plus
3 gum infections for me!}


My September video HERE
{I would LOVE for you to subscribe to my You Tube Channel!}

I also got lots & lots of "Behind the Scenes"stuff sorted at
Scrap Around The World, especially the introduction of
4 New Designers who you can read about HERE.  

And while you are there please take a look at our new 
MOOD BOARD & OPTIONAL SKETCH HERE
& play along if you can!  We are open until the 31st!!



Tuesday 22 October 2013

'Paris was Pure Bliss' Layout - Inkido - Prima - Flourish with a Bling




Hi again :)  I got this post up a day early last week at Inkido.


Agnieszka arranged a little badge for me 
for which I am very thankful ♥ :)


Silly me with my pain meds from my tooth complications
thought it was a good idea at the time...So it was only up
for 12 hours in the middle of the night for a lot of people!


So if you missed it you can check it out HERE.


LOVE how this one turned out & you can read all about the
 FAB Inkido products I used over on their blog.  I also used 
some Lindy's Stamp Gang mists of course, as well as some
 Scrapmatts chipboard & some Flourish With a Bling flourishes.


Lindys Stamp Gang mists used:-

Glory of the Seas Gold Starburst
Canna Lily Burnt Orange Starburst
Pink Ladies Pink Flat Fabio
Toto's Tornado Black Flat Fabio
Steampunk Sepia Starbursts
Mission Bells Brown Starburst


I also stamped with black & brown inks, sponged with 
gesso & splotched with a Ranger Paint Dabber in Gold.



I added some extra interest by layering some small strips 
of Inkido papers under my photo & chipboard window 
frame (see above right).  Thank you for visiting!!