LOTS of Great News!!

Hello everyone!  It's a quiet week on the blog, which is always

 an indication that it is ANYTHING BUT QUIET in real life!! 

 It has been a particularly busy week for me but I promised some

 good news & actually have  4 PIECES OF HAPPY NEWS TO SHARE!!

I am delighted to announce that I have made the 7Dots Studio Design Team!  

You can see the announcement HERE.  The DT list reads like a who's who

of scrapbooking movers & shakers & I am honestly so stoked to be on it!!

New Design Team for July-December 2014

DT coordinator - Keren Tamir - Canada - http://kerentamir.blogspot.com/

Louise Nelson - Australia - http://louise-justloolabelle.blogspot.com/

Wiosanka - Poland - http://smakizycia-wiosanka.blogspot.com/

Riikka Kovasin - Finland - http://paperiliitin.blogspot.com/

Frau Muller - Ukraine - http://fraumuller.blogspot.com/

Melenia Agapides - Greece - http://melenia313.blogspot.com/

Sandi Smith - Canada - http://sandi-smith.blogspot.com/

Elena Olinevich - Belarus - http://eleele-handmade.blogspot.com/

Irina Gerschuk - Russia - http://irinagerschuk.blogspot.com/

Elena Morgun - Ukraine - http://studio-sunshine.blogspot.com/

Anna Rogalska - Poland - www.annar-mojepasje.blogspot.com

Anna Komenda - Poland - www.skrapowisko-proznosci.blogspot.com

Nadia Canizzo - Australia - www.samnadia.blogspot.com

Ebony van der Starre - Australia - www.welcometoebsspace.blogspot.com.au

Stephanie Papin - France - www.partiesdescrap.blogspot.fr

Tanya Dudkina - Ukraine - www.1littlehedgehog.blogspot.com

Pascale D - France - www.pbhobby.blogspot.com

Tatyana Sidorenko - Belarus - www.montylek.blogspot.com

Helen Tilbury - South Africa - www.helentilbury.blogspot.com

Marilyn Rivera - USA - www.marylinrivera.blogspot.com

DeeDee Catron - USA - www.deedeecatron.blogspot.com

Belladonna - Poland - www.belladonnacrafts.blogspot.com

9 of these ladies are my team-mates on other teams too so I know I 

will have a wonderful time with old friends & making new ones too!!

And there are some Guest Designers for the coming year too!

Tara Orr - USA - www.eachmoment-onlyonce.blogspot.com

Dorota Dołęga – Poland/France - www.miniaturyzacja.blogspot.fr

Sylwia Gryczuk (Tandi Art) - Poland/Ireland - www.tandiart.blogspot.ie

Maja Stokk - Sweden - www.stokk-eyovine.blogspot.se

Daria Pneva - Russia – www.daria-pn.blogspot.ru

Tanya Palamarczuk - Ukraine – www.chshe4ka.blogspot.com

Solange Marquez - Brasil – www.solangescrap.blogspot.com.br

Sandi Clarkson - USA - www.softsideofsandi.blogspot.com

Anita Stokes - Australia - www.sweetneatz.blogspot.com.au

Marta Lapkowska - Poland/Ireland - www.artisycrafty.blogspot.ie

Francine Westmoreland - United Kingdon - www.purple–peanut.blogspot.co.uk

Wilma Voermans - Switzerland - www.swissdutchy8.blogspot.com

Karen Knight - Australia - www.altered-ink.blogspot.com.au

Lisa Gregory - USA - www.what-a-beautiful-mess.blogspot.com

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Now for some MORE wonderful news!!

I have finally scored a DOUBLE with PRIMA!!

I had both my April Prima projects featured!!!

Both the BAP & the PPP I entered - woo hoo!!!
I am an unashamed Primaholic as you are all fully aware by now...

Based on their sketch

Based on their Product Pick

If you love soft, romantic, floral type products Prima is the place for you,

although these days they have diversified into so many really modern 

products too like trendy Pocket Page scrapbooking, etc.  They have it

all & their quality & selection is second to none!

Honestly one of the reasons I became such a Prima fan is that most of 

my scrapbook shopping is done online as there is really nothing local

for me that has a decent selection of the latest products.  Going online

is my only option if I want to keep up to date but ONLINE SHOPPING

TAKES A HUGE AMOUNT OF TIME! So here's the trick...

I learnt some years back is that if you shop by MANUFACTURER 

it speeds up the process A LOT & this is where PRIMA IS GREAT 

- because they have everything you need so you are not store

 hopping & you can pop everything in that cart, pay & you're done!!

----------------------------------

STILL MORE GOOD NEWS!!

Last month I also entered the Scrap Friends Challenge

 {they are now renamed Kreative Koncepts & under new ownership}

The colour challenge was REALLY CHALLENGING which is just what

I LOVE.  Actually having a challenge rather than "anything goes!!"

Always great to stretch those brain cells a bit & in return be rewarded

with making something work despite the restrictions of, say, a bright

colour way as was the case here!

I have a stash of brighter papers from the days when they

were more "my thing" {oh yeah I've toned it down a LOT

over the years!} so it's always great to have a chance to use

up some older stash & when mixed with new stuff it slips

by undetected!!  I did tone the shades down a notch but

still!  The colours are all there :)

So I was featured in the TOP 5 - yay!!

That means I get next month's Colour Mood Board early

& get to Guest Design for them which is always great!

I have been a bad blog hopper of late & miss you all!

Time is not on my side this month as my day's are hectic

& my evenings have been full & busy too!!  I live in HOPE

that I'll get to catching up on a lot of beautiful blogs at some point!

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND CREATIVE PEEPS!!

Video Speak for Newbies {Filming tutorials - What you NEED} PLUS a Sneak Peek for Inkido & an Upcoming Announcement!

Hi there everyone!  I hope you all had a beautiful weekend!!  I did.  

I spent time with my {now} small family of 4.  We sure do miss our other 2 kids,

 both away at uni now, but with Skype & Facetime we probably speak to them

 now more than we did when they were at home!  Haha just kidding!!

For now I have no new work to share but that doesn't mean there hasn't been

 stuff going on "behind-the-scenes!" There sure has!  I have prepared my very 

last layout for Inkido {Papercraftscandinavia} as my term ends in June. 

 I'm "going out with a bang!" with a video!

That will be coming up in the not-too-distant future {5th June} & I have 

been learning the ropes of a NEW VIDEO PROGRAM! 

{Above is a terrible iphone photo of my current "rig!"}

 My journey into video has been arduous for various reasons:-

 1)  I have a tiny countertop that isn't wide enough to accommodate a tripod

 & doesn't have shelves on either side to accomodate a rod to support a

 camera with a mount/gorillapod.  This means setting up takes me an hour

& involves a mic stand, lots of masking tape, 2 clamps & supporting my

camera with them using 2m of twill tape :)  NOT FUN...

2)  I thought that using Windows Movie Maker was a great idea seeing that

it was free & very simple.  Wrong.  Not all the time.  Blogger & Picasa are

free & simple enough & BRILLIANT.  WMM is NOT.  It's oh so tempting

to keep at it because the linear editing system it offers is so easy to use.

Problem is it doesn't work! 

 For short videos no problem but mine are 2 hours plus (to create a layout,etc) 

then require editing of many clips into 10 minutes of so.  No, no, no & no. 

 12 hours of failed editing later I spent $40 on video software & am not trying 

to learn a foreign language {video speak}.  No way around it though so I have 

accepted my lot & the struggle continues :)

Non-linear video editing is much more difficult to learn for non-techy types

like me, but I will do it because it has to be done.  And you can do it too!

3)  South Africa has the slowest Internet upload speed in the world.

Very frustrating but this is a given & cannot be changed.  Not by

me anyway.  So that just involves patience of which I have plenty.

4)  I haven't splashed out on a camera mount.  This is because at most sites

like this one you can find reasonably priced mounts which then cost a stupid

amount in shipping to reach anyone outside of the US!

CRAZY DAYS!  NOOOOOT HAPPENING...

--------------------------------------

I've found a reasonably priced local option at last & am so delighted about it.

Once I have collected it I plan on reviewing it & letting ALL LOCALS 

{SOUTH AFRICANS} into the secret. 

 {In case you gals want to film tutorials too}

SO WATCH THIS SPACE...

--------------------------------------

My recommendations for anyone with the same predicament as me.

{Not enough space & a counter top too narrow to accomodate a tripod}

BUY A MIC STAND - they are inexpensive - EVEN IN SOUTH AFRICA

- & they work well standing at the side of your desk as you see in my photo.

Then acquire a basic mount {thanks to GoPro being available & popular in

South Africa there are various mounts available here now} - all pricey of

course but as I said I am looking into a WELL-PRICED MOUNT & will

keep you posted & recommend the seller to you if things work out!

*As for my Upcoming Announcement I will be sharing that here tomorrow :)*

Scrap 365 Magazine {UK} June/July Issue & Sneak Peek!

Have you seen or heard of Scrap 365 magazine?

It is a brilliant English scrapbooking magazine that employs a large

& diverse international team & I am one of them!  Lucky me I know!!

It is a dream come true & our editor, Ali Parris, is one heck of a gal

& really rocks her job!  Times are tough for print mags & it can get

disheartening when so many people are spoilt by too much free

 information being so readily available online so to keep on thriving 

REAL MAGAZINES NEED TO SELL!!

You can buy the issue for under 5 quid {no GBP key on my laptop!}

RIGHT HERE or better still subscribe for a year & save 5 pounds!

SUBSCRIPTIONS PAGE HERE.  Issues can be shipped anywhere

in the world & you can get a price estimate for your location.

The June/July issue has a loose "recyle/upcycle" theme going on & my contribution

to the issue is an article on how to create using office/stationery/household supplies.

My page cost me next to nothing to create.  

This is important for internationals as not all of us 

are blessed with access to cheap crafting supplies.

  Many of us in the world have to buy imported product that has had shipping costs 

& duties added on to it & hence it has become up to SIX times the actual cost! 

And no discounts,coupon codes or Black Friday sales around here!!  

Product can be YEARS old & still selling at top premium price!

Of course we all love our new stash, even if it costs more for "internationals"

{I ain't ever giving up my addiction to special brands!} but at the same

time there are things you can do to stretch your dollars or your rands

& I lay them all out in this article!

I love a REAL magazine & take it with me in the car for while I am waiting

for kids at soccer practice in the evenings etc & love having some bed-time

reading material too. 

There are some places where only the REAL THING will do!!

Follow the Scrap 365 BLOG to get a taster of the talented team!

Whatever your style Scrap365 is INSPIRATION OVERLOAD!!

Go get your weekend reading now :)

"Dad & Patti" Layout - Inkido Challenge May 2014

Hi again!  Here is my Design Team layout for Inkido this

 month, based on their fresh & beachy May Mood board.

 I took the colours & textures from the board but didn't have any beach photos to hand,

 so, as my printer is broken at the moment, I looked through my most recently

 printed photos, & used a lovely, light, well-matching one of my D-I-L & partner.

I layered up lots of lovely Inkido papers & inked the 

edges using Ingvilde Bolme chalk inks from Prima.

I enhanced the beautiful Inkido papers with a mask from Prima

 {an older one of a floral swirl - still a favourite!}, some Prima alpha stickers

 & bling SIIC swirl but the tiny confetti bling comes from Inkido.

All the little flowers are from Inkido & very pretty & versatile 

as they are cream & can be misted up to match your page.

The shabby stamping is a vintage corner stamp from Inkido & comes in really handy!

Inkido always brings out the really shabby in me!

  I love to ink up, tear, punch & distress their papers.

Thanks for your visit today!

Inkido papers can be ordered from The Flying Unicorn here.

I have ordered from them before & they ship internationally at actual cost.

{lucky for me I get Inkido papers in return for my Design & Promotional work for them!}

"Grad '14" Layout - Prima Product Pick Competition May 2014 Free Spirit & Something Blue Collections

Hello & Happy Hump Day!

We have had a spate of public holidays here in South Africa

& now that they are over an average week seems to drag

on forever...so at least we are at the mid-way point now!!

I joined in with the Prima Product Pick as usual this month again.

I seriously love the Prima challenges each month & love the

 prompt it gives me to create with their beautiful products.

I LOVE pale colours, especially for scrapbooking so creating this 

came so easily.  I'm teaching my first real-life class soon so 

decided to try to create a layout that would be interesting but

 still easily replicable, as a kind of a "run-through" practice.

I used the new Free Spirit collection of papers together with some

 pastel flowers & some Princess leaves, & some SIIC bling

 from Cartograpgher's Desk.

I also used the "Fly" & "Crown" buttons from Prima which I won 

fromKasia Krzyminska from Poland, last year.  And of course some

 Ingvild Bolme Resins.  Just love them. Classy & exquisite.

To get the watercolour look of the stenciling above I first sprayed through the stencil

to create some fine misting then I flipped the mask over & used it as a stamp.

I used the 6 inch Damask stencil {one of my all-time favourites} together 

with hard modelling paste then sprinkled it with embossing powder whilst

 still wet & embossed the yellow colour on using my heat gun.

The "Keep Calm & Plan On" sentiment card along with the base paper

 come from the "Something Blue" Collection whereas the paper used to layer 

under the photo & down the side of the page come from the "Free Spirit" Collection.

Thanks for popping by today :)

"Dear Dreamroad" Layout - Prima Build-a-Page Sketch Competition - Prima Stationer's Desk/Princess Collections & Ingvild Bolme Resins & Metals

Hi there all!  Back as promised today to share the close-ups 

of my Dear Dreamroad layout {using the Prima BAP for May}.

I started off with some paper from the Stationer's Desk Collection, 

which was bluish grey so perfect for my photos, helped along 

with some more blue misting.

For my 2 main accent colours I chose black & white so stencilled with both 

colours using different Prima masks.  I used Wendy Vecchi black embossing 

paste for the circle stencil, which was a bit thin for it so it leaked a bit, but it 

all adds up to a cool mixed media look so doesn't bother me.

I also used Prima flowers, acrylic pebbles, arrow bling & Ingvild Bolme resins & tassles.

I also used some Prima art tiles, brads & a couple of older flowers that

 I LOVE & was SO HAPPY to finally be able to find the perfect page for ♥

I also used some of the new Say-it-in-Crystals sparklers that are great

 for filling in here & there in your clusters & at opposite corners of the

 page if you love diagonal compositions like I do.

I tucked in a couple of light-bulb embellishments from Ingvild Bolme too

 & also used a couple of very awesome Princess Collection paper-clips,

 which are GREAT embellishments as they are so unisex.

I just ADORED the sketch & went with the whole feel of it which 

resulted in a very free interpretation that I really enjoyed!  

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR VISIT TODAY ♥

Learn about MASKS - A QUICK Mixed-Media Background Tutorial & my Prima Sketch Layout for May!

Hi to you all!  How are YOU?!?  I sure hope you are feeling better than me!

I am a bit down with the flu but fighting it with some great medication -

 Linctagon & Corenza fizzy-tablets mixed TOGETHER {pharmacist's tip!!}

plus AIRMUNE {she swears by that too!} so Google those if you don't 

know them & add them to your healing arsenal for the Winter you 

Southern Hemispherers like me!!

Oooh what a BAP eh?!  Great sketch!!  Just CALLS for Mixed Media

 & who am I to say no?!?  I love it - don't you?!?  So how to tackle it?!?

If you have any problems with that READ ON!!

--------------------------------------------------

Learn about...MASKS!

1.   Get yourselves some masks!  I own quite a few now but can't

afford to buy more than a couple per season, but they soon add up.

I recommend PRIMA masks of course but TCW {The Crafter's Workshop}

are also mask specialists & have many great designs, as do 3rd Eye &

a lot of other companies I'm sure but I only own from these 3 places!}

* I tend to buy 6"ones more readily than 12"ones for a few reasons:-

1)  They're cheaper!

2) They're easier to store!! {my studio is tiny}

3)  They're cheaper to ship {I only order 12"ones if I am also ordering paper 

- as it's the same size so I require a big box when buying paper anyway - 

as I do most of my scrapbook requisite shopping online due to my location}.

4)  Most importantly/surprisingly I've discovered I PREFER THEM!

I like white space on layouts & keeping things in proportion & the size

of the designs on 6 inch masks is just a touch more delicate & I also

find them easier to manipulate when I am working with them so 

6 INCH MASKS WIN!!

---------------------------------------

Quick Mixed Media Background Tutorial

Step 1)  Using modelling paste - apply to certain areas of your layout

{for this page I used the central section of the layout on each side}.

Step 2)  Dry off with heat gun or leave to dry naturally.

Step 3)  Using coloured paste {such as Wendy Vecchi's Black 

Embossing paste} apply to other areas of your layout

{for this page I chose all 4 corners}

Step 4)  Dry off with heat gun or leave to dry naturally.

Step 5)  Choose a strong colour of mist that will match the accent

embellishments used on your layout & spray in quick, short & sharp 

bursts across your layout {for this page I chose the top left & bottom

right hand corners}.

Step 6}  Take the lid of your mist &, holding the top, forcefully FLICK

 the wand above your page to get some SPLATS {do this on the floor

to protect your curtains :)}

Step 7}  Using an inexpensive but top quality paper glue, apply it

all over a piece of 12'' paper {I use the free inserts that come inserted

into the plastic sleeves of new albums} making sure to get close to the

edge - outside border - of the page.

Step 8)  Lay your DRY mixed media background page paper you've

just made, carefully on top then use a brayer {roller} to flatten it out 

across the top.  THIS WILL FLATTEN YOUR PAGE ALMOST 

ENTIRELY & inserting it into it's plastic sleeve in your album will

sort out the rest!  Paper does warp when liquid is applied but a 

good-quality paper goes a LONG way to preventing this problem.

I recommend Prima, 7 Dots Studio & watercolour paper!

You can do it!!

{in 8 easy steps!}

Mixed media is all about a series of steps but when broken down

 they're not so overwhelming are they?!

* BIG TIP!  Sometimes paste bleeds under the mask

 {see top right of my layout} 

So???  It doesn't matter!!  Love it anyway!!!*

IT'S YOUR ART!!!

{Sharing the close ups tomorrow :)}

"Look Up" Creation for Everyone {A Must-See} !! {not designed by me!}

Hi everyone!  Hope I got your attention!!  

I'm busy right now getting some Design Team work prepared

ahead of time so thought I would share this AWESOME VIDEO

with you instead today! 

 Seeing as it is MONDAY I thought this could be
 a GREAT START to your week!! 

It definitely profoundly affected me & I am going to do my best
to do what is realistically possible for me to cut down on my smart
phone usage when I am out & about for sure!  

Don't want to miss a real-life opportunity :)

It is racking up millions of views &  is honestly

the best way I've ever heard ANYONE sum technology up in words.

For any adults, parents or not, it's important that we convey to our
children that there is a life outside of technology & put boundaries
on it for us as well as them!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

May Challenge at INKIDO!

I am only due to make an appearance on the Inkido blog on the 19th of this month 

but there is another lovely Mood Board up & ready for you to play along with, 

so if you are keen for a challenge check it out HERE!

Play along if you can!  The winner always receives a lovely pack of goodies!!

"Love My Boy" Layout - Prima Promotion for Scrap 365 Magazine

                     Hi again!  Back today with my last layout for the Scrap 365 Prima Promotion!

Stationer's Desk proved to be a very versatile collection as I used it for a layout 

about my daughter & her boyfriend, one featuring my Dad in law with his new

 love & now here I've used it for a masculine page too!

I don't like strong, definitive papers.  I find them difficult to work with.  

All the Prima designs always have a soft touch to them, no matter 

which designer designs them.  Then of course there is always the B side, 

of which I am a HUGE fan!  

I used a Prima 12inch mask with modeling past for the raised grid design, 

which I echoed with the dry-wall tape & again with the brick wall stamp. 

 I also added some Prima packaging to my layers & some lovely gold

 Martha Stewart twine which naturally loops very nicely.

I did a lot of rolling & ripping on this layout to get the grunged up effect, 

alongside some strong misting & dripping. To tie the blooms in I droppered

 some mist onto them too as well as sponging on some gesso.

I added some of the new Prima bling to my page, together with a new Ingvild Bolme

 metal plate. I've used up almost my entire package of these already  - LOVE!

I really loved having the opportunity to work with so many new & lovely Prima

 products recently!  Thank you very much to Ali Parris at Scrap 365 for allowing me

 the opportunity to do so :)  & of course to Sharon Lakkonen for sending us each a 

yummy goody pack of Prima treasures to create with!  I hope you have enjoyed

 taking a peek at my creations.  Thank you for swinging by my way...

Check out the Prima blog here {if you don't already!} it's the one place I pop into 

almost daily as it really is a never ending source of eye candy & creative inspiration!