{time with us}

New Scrapware layout

I have a new Scrapware layout featured over on the blog today ...

It uses the new frames and flourishes

I used jelly roller glitter pens on the chipboard and then finished with a thin coat of a glossy sealer. I love how they turned out.

Cheers
Kim

At long last...

It appears that I am in a stable position with my photo storage.  The drive I dropped is completely cactus.  Then the drive that I recovered onto from the dead drive was having hiccups - so I quickly got most of the files and backups onto a drive that Gary had and went out and bought myself the bees knees of external harddrives - a mirrored 2T drive.  It is two separate hard drives in the one box and one is specifically dedicated to mirroring the other.

It appears that I may have only lost a few photos from May.  May was a busy month, so there was not a lot of photo action happening anyway.

So hopefully now I am in a position to edit the photos that I have been taking of all the layouts that I have been creating!  I have been busy - a lot of DT stuff but also just some stuff for me.  YEY

Benson and I even spent a few hours today creating together quietly in my study.  It is the perfect weather for it.  Though luckily the weather did hold this morning and I got in a session with a personal trainer - I think I will know all about it tomorrow.  LOL

Ok, hopefully this will be my last words only post for a while.  Thanks for sticking by me!

Cheers
Kim

Seriously ...

you are probably thinking that I have dropped off the face of the earth!

I have to say in the last couple of weeks - nearly.  Work has been very busy, scrapping has been very busy, life in general has been very busy ... and then I dropped my external hard drive with all my photos on it.  It is working - just - so for the last four days I have been copying photos to a new hard drive, which includes photos of my layouts (what is left from the last hard drive disaster that I had!)

I have never had a problem with an external hard drive and then in the last two months two total disasters.

Anyway, I am on the homeward stretch with the transfer AND even better, today is day 1 of 5 weeks of holidays - YEY!!!  So expect 5 weeks of creativity coming and hopefully lots of sharing.

I also have a huge list of "jobs" that I want to get done.  Today was a good start with a complete clean out and reorganisation of the pantry.  I threw away so much out of date food it was embarrassing.  Unfortunately my pantry is in an old fireplace hearth and is very difficult to access and very easy to lose stuff in.  Now it is organised, I am hoping to keep it that way and actually use up the stuff that I have.

Tomorrow I have an interview for an ebook that I am participating in - more info to come on that later, but it should be released later this year.

Wednesday I think I will tackle my wardrobe!!!

OK, that's it for me - i promise to have something creative to share tomorrow.

Cheers
Kim

Themed inspiration with GCD

It is my turn to interpret this month's theme on the GCD blog ...

I have taken my inspiration from the rich layers of colours that work around a central plain space - and I have interpreted that by making a detailed "quilted" background that works around the central plain spot of the journaling page.

I have then included details in the journaling space, just like the dolls have details in the center panel on their stomachs.

Here is a detailed shot of the quilted background ...

I finished the layout with one of the beautiful antique style buttons and some of the chipboard word strips - definitely a favourite product of mine!

All of the GCD products on this layout are from the Homespun Chic range by Melody Ross.

Other products - American Crafts letters, Bazzill cardstock, Glimmermist by Tattered Angels and Kaiser pearl.

I hope you find lots to inspire you with this theme!

Cheers
Kim  :o)

Away with work

... for the next few days!

I got lots done on my weekend away, but the majority I can't share at the moment.  There is a GCD Studios post coming up in a couple of days with a new layout.

Lisa announced the new Storyboard Kit's DT and I am delighted to be working with Tatum and Ebony on this great team!

And last but not least, I am told that my classes at Scrapbooking Delights are sold out and there is a waiting list.  So if you were thinking about coming - sorry  :o(    There is some good news though, it looks like there will be another set of classes scheduled towards the end of the year - watch this space.

OK, that's it for me.  Going to relax for a bit and try and think about what I have forgotten to pack!

Cheers
Kim  :o)

Technique - creating texture on white core papers

I have a technique entry on the GCD blog today on creating texture on white core patterned papers.

I am not a big user of plain pattern papers and when I was working on this layout, I wanted a way to "dress up" the plain blue paper that I really wanted to use on one of the pennants.

This is the layout ...

and this is a close up of the pennant in question ...

The paper was originally a plain blue paper and by putting  a plastic template under it and sanding it with a large emery board, I was able to create a soft polka dot design on it.  It is so simple but effective!

Step 1 : select your template, I chose a dotty one

Step 2 : place under paper and holding paper in place sand across the surface of the paper.

Step 3 : you will end up with this type of pattern!

Step 4: use your paper however you want - I chose to cover one of the large chipboard pennants from this set and then use it in the super sized pennant banner at the top of the layout.  It is a great way to bring new interest to a plain piece of white core pattern paper

All of the GCD papers and embellishments in this layout came from Artsy Urban, with a touch of Homespun Chic and Zippity Collection.

Other products: Thickers by American Crafts, bauble ribbon from stash.

I hope you have an opportunity to try out this easy but effective technique soon to make a change to a piece of patterned paper in your stash!

Cheers
Kim  :o)

Turning Three

I took this photo of Christian (my godson) at his 3rd birthday party and it was just perfect for this layout all about him at this age.  It is up on the Jillibean Soup blog along with a heap of other fantastic layouts ...

Some detail shots ...

I just love using Jillibean Soup products - they rock the "boy" appropriate ranges!!!! I am off retreating today for the weekend - that is if I even finish getting packed ... Cheers Kim :o)

I am teaching!

I am going to be teaching two classes at my LSS, Scrapbooking Delights, on the 17th of July.  I am so excited to be doing this one off day of teaching using American Crafts Dear Lizzy and Jillibean Soup!

Full details of the classes can be found on the Scrapbooking Delights blog.  Places are limited and Sandra tells me that they are already half booked!

I would love to see you there

Kim  :o)

Been a bit absent ...

sorry about that! 

I had a great Mother's Day yesterday and I hope all other Mum's (or Mom's, as the case may be!) did as well.  Not really a sleep in, but hey you get a lot more done when you don't sleep in!

We walked to a local cafe, had a super nice coffee and walked back - around 1 hour walk. 

Benson contaminated himself with gluten last week by eating the mother's day present that he bought me from the stall at school.  Yes, lovely - and it came with a big dose of lying to try and cover it up too.  So when we got home from our walk (he walked and scootered) he was knackered and slept for a couple of hours.  It appears that the consequence of gluten for him is fatigue.  Poor little man - we reinforced to him that his needing to sleep was a consequence of the very large heart shaped chocolate cookie with sprinkles that he ate - so hopefully some of it sunk in.

Then we went and got some photos printed - quality was crap on so many of them that I came home and printed a heap again on the home printer and they look super.  Commercial local print shops are just a constant source of disappointment to me, so I also did some online shopping and ordered some new ink and papers.  I think that home printing is going to become the norm for me.

I have been asked to participate in a new ebook which is exciting and I can't wait to be able to share more details with you  :o)

Now a share ...

I made this flower ...

I love this photo that I got of the two of them! So sweet.

Ok, I am off to finish writing a paper for a conference that I am presenting at next week.  I am now on the countdown to my holidays - in two weeks time I will be at the start of a 5 week break!  YEY - I am looking forward to it ... and no, I am not going away - I am planning on doing a whole load of nothing.

Cheers
Kim  :o)

GCD Theme inspiration

The Facebook Team for GCD Studios had an awesome inspiration image to work with this month ...

As one of the international girls I have the pleasure of preparing a project using this image for inspiration.  I loved the tie dyed look with the colour progressing from light to dark and interpreted it in this card ...

The three items I used with variegated colour are the layers of patterned paper, the tissue paper flower which I lightly sprayed with pink glimmermist and the hand dyed crinkled seam binding ribbon.

Yes, I did dye the ribbon myself in a marathon of dying with Cass one night - between us we did about 180 odd metres of ribbon!

All products are GCD from the Homespun Chic range except the ribbon, tissue paper and mini letters.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  I am doing some photo editing tonight in preparation for a retreat next weekend!

Cheers
Kim  :o)