Wednesday 5 November 2008

Layout 1 - November 2008 - She's protected by her cuteness...

This is the first layout I have ever posted onto my blog and have now seen that the photos come out one ON TOP of each other instead of one below each other, so SORRY FOR THAT and will get it right next time, need to remember to upload the one I want to appear at the top LAST and not FIRST...


Above is a close up of the chipboard scroll I used, which I cut in 'half' very easily and placed both papers RIGHT NEXT DOOR to one another before marking with a pencil and then cutting with the aid of a metal ruler and my favourite Making Memories craft knife.

I usually flip my backing-papers over before I begin, then line them up perfectly and stick a strip of masking-tape (very easy to remove) down the centre to join the pages, then scrap the whole layout and only split everything down the centre at the very end. PERFECT for ensuring that everything lines up just right, but REMEMBER TO LOOK FOR THE JOIN LINE when positioning your elements, so you don't split a photo in an inappropriate place, or disjoint your journalling in a weird place and make it difficult to read.

I placed the chipboard scrolls in the positions I wanted them in then FLIPPED THEM OVER and glued them directly onto the back of the floral print - using Tombo,my favourite glue, which can be used very sparingly.

I cut out the scrolls with the craft knife then carefully sanded the edges with an emery board, great for all those curved edges. This revealed the white core of the paper which helped the scrolls to STAND OUT more and be more STRIKING. I then cut out a selection of flowers from the same paper and stuck FOAMCORE behind to BUMP THEM UP, then used double-sided tape on the other side of the foamcore to stick the flowers to the layout. I added dimension first by inking them quite heavily with a blush pink inkpad then used a chestnut roan one for the edges.


I chose the best photo of the shoot & enlarged to a5 size,then cut it down to more of a square shape. I double-mounted the main photo only, with white bazzill (the new variety with raised dots) then bright pink Colourmates as the photo was quite dark and the white edge really lifted it. I corner-rounded the main photo and angled photo only, for a bit of variety & interest & added a little 'scalloped-tab' to the side of the angled photo, which I first cut down to a distinct rectangle.


This is the same photo before I rotated it. I don't know how to delete an unwanted photo once I've already uploaded it, so if any of you blog geniuses out there know how to do it I'd love you to leave me a comment with instructions, thanks!


To 'ground' the layout I used a lovely mulberry polka dot paper which I tore at about one third (+-10cm) which I find always gives a good balanced look. The tearing revealed the white core, which gives good definition. Note the interesting juxtaposition of elements in the above photo, where I have the 'scalloped tab' next to a 'jelly word', which is angled over a scalloped sticker strip on the right-hand side of the focal photo, with the scalloped journalling spot overlapping the strip at a slightly higher point and a scalloped photo corner just below the journalling spot. A lot of interest around the main photo and the journalling, to highlight this as the MAIN section.


A close up of the journalling spot, from My Mind's Eye. I scrunched it up then inked it with a Making Memories Blush Pink ink pad, which settled on the folds, before flattening it out and edging the scallops with Chestnut Roan inking. I then matted the whole 'spot' onto an offcut of pink floral My Mind's Eye paper before 'foamcoring' it to the layout for added dimension. I have no problem with hand-journalling and used a brown Staedtler fineliner pen.

At last, you get to see how the whole layout came together. I used a mid grey plain cardstock as my backing paper, which provides a neutral background that is neither too pale nor too over-powering. So there you go, pretty simple huh?

I went through a phase of doing a lot of single layouts in September, but it seems to be doubles for me in October/November. I have no problem scrapping either and am not fussy about whether my single layouts 'match' each other in my albums. Life is full of different colours and so are my albums, I just scrap the photos I take and their quantity dictates whether I will make a single or a double layout, ie:- If I have a lot of photos in the same theme then I do a double, or if I only have one or two, then I do a single. It's that simple!

Well my last post was so "short and sweet" that I am 'editing' it and you'll find it in the next paragraph now...no 7 liners for MY blog! Well dinner was appalling. Do NOT go there unless you are willing to pay R580 for 3 people (BEFORE tip!) and if you prefer not waiting 1.5hours for your food to arrive...Honestly, Shane and I should travel with a TV crew. We really should make a documentary on the abysmal Durban restaurant scene! To add to my food complaints-went to M&A today with Chelsea after her exam and paid R15.50 for a cappuccino. Isn't that disgraceful? R15.50 for a grapetiser too. I realise that restaurants have a lot of overheads but R15.50 is disgusting. Oh well, there goes the one place I enjoyed going....Going,going, GONE!

Below is my post from Wednesday night. Time has absolutely flown this week. My 2 eldest kids are writing exams so pick-up times are all awry and hence I am in and out of the car for a large portion of the day, up and down the highway, half an hour per trip and at least 4 separate trips per day...

Not much time to post today. Am off out for dinner at Splashes. Shane's boss is in town without his wife so we are taking him out for a meal. I know I will enjoy myself 'cos I enjoy his company and we can always talk 'current affairs' as we both read a lot. I have heard how nice the food is so am finally trying it out (we've lived here nearly 3 years now...) Hubby is calling and I'm blogging!!! No make up on but my dear daughter has straightened my hair while I've been surfing the net. Let's hope she's done a good job 'cos there's not much I can do about it now:-) I'm 5 minutes behind time already...

I have spent 2 days this week at my dear friend Jacqui's house, scrapping away! I promised her an 'honourable mention' on my blog as Most Improved Scrapper of the Year for 2008 as she has just gone from strength to strength and is "Going like a Boeing" now. She has been conscientiously plodding away for months now and has really made a dent in her pile of photos and filed the balance in an album. Very organised...Well Done Jax!!! (applause people!!) I am also giving her another impromptu award for Most Wonderful Friend of the Year so she walks away with not one, but TWO awards, well done girl! Thanks to scrapping we have found each other and spent many an hour enjoying each other's company and documenting our life journeys at the same time, how's that for great time management?!

I have got myself sorted out for my Scrap & Chat days by printing and categorizing my photos into layout order and have bought some more beautiful new paper to scrap them with. Sparkle cardstock by Cloud 9 Design & Imaginisce, plus lovely double-sided prints from My Mind's Eye and some unusually sweet designs from Basic Grey. Can't wait to start working on them in the morning...for now though I have some GREAT NEWS! This afternoon I took some photos of my 3 latest double layouts (at last!)...It was raining unfortunately so I had to use a flash so the colours may not be completely true but hope you enjoy them and would love some feedback!

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