3 Scrapbooking: 1st Birthday

I've been putting off scrapping Kai's 1st birthday as its quite a major event & I wasnt sure if I could do it justice, but I took up Shimelles 24th challenge to just dive in & scrap a milestone, and decided I could always redo it if & when my scrapbooking improves. AS it happens I currently like it :)

You see the Mickey mouse fabric circle? thats off the babygrow Kai was wearing that morning.

Can you see it in the photo on the top left?
This fits in perfectly with Shimelles challenge of using fabric (17) & using unexpected supplies (7)

The journalling I did in letter form, a letter to Kai explaining to him what his birthday was like, this meets challenge 12, write a letter. On the letter I repeat the first line in the last line "You had so much fun on your first birthday" giving more emphasis to it.

Theres also a sparkly "1st" - challenge 11, & its a double layout - challenge 14

& thats it!!!! Hooray!!! All 24 challenges completed in 1 week - thank you Shimelle for setting them :)

3 Scrapbooking: Ironbridge

I have divided pages but I actually prefer to do the same effect on a sheet of 12x12 paper so that the other side can still be used in what ever format I want.

I grouped together all the items I had linked with this day, a postcard, a map, a paper bag, and 2 photos. I then looked for journalling cards and paper that would match nicely. I added some washi tape with gears on to connect them all, adding a strip of yellow chevron & blue hexagons to a sheet of card to make it tie in with the others.

I cut the image off the bag with a circular die cutter, and the title off the map, using both of these to make the title 4x6.

I want to enter this into Shimelles challenges....
2. Use 4x6 photos
7. Use unexpected supplies (bag, postcard & map)
21. Divide your page

2 Scrapbooking: Slide

I manage to combine this weeks UKS challenge along with some of Shimelles with this page.

The UKS challenge was to use the layout sketch for a masculine page, use flowers on it and some ink.

Along the top I used patterned paper tags in the colours of Kai's clothings, under the photos I used washi tape & paper in the colours of his slide ladder, the background sheet being the main colour of the slide.
I stamped the date onto a tag, added the title & journalling.

This layout also fits nicely into Shimelles 13th Challenge - Highlight your favourite papers, I think the tags show up my favourite red & blue papers perfectly.

I also want to enter it into the following Shimelle challenges..
15. Line it up
16. Record hope or gratitude
20. Scrapbook smaller photos

4 Scrapbooking: Cardiff (Dr Who)

There's something rather exciting when you get a shot of inspiration and you sit down to get started. Its also rather relaxing to get a pair of scissors out, guillotine and start working on a new paper piecing project. I had this spark of creativity while looking through photos to see what could meet Shimelles 9th challenge, Fancy Cutting.

Theres certainly plenty of cutting here....

I used a small star stamp as a border punch, and also cut around photos of the displays to use (my fav Dr Who baddies are the weeping angels). Of course the most time consuming part of this page, and my favourite part of it is the TARDIS. It is all handcut by scissors or guillotine. A labour of love made mainly out of a single sheet of 12x12 blue card that has been inked to add shadow & make it look older/worn. The "police telephone" sign was printed as was the sign at the top. The windows are strips of blue card over inked up vellum, which is place over peachy-yellow to give it the illusion of a light being on inside, I used this same technique with the light at the top except, as this is much brighter, I didnt ink it.

Ruth brought along some glittery 12x12 sheets the the bloggers weekend in May for a challenge, I kept mine untouched as I wanted to use it on my Dr Who layout with the thought of a starry universe, which fits in perfectly with Shimelles 11th challenge, make it sparkle. I couldnt just stop with a bit of glittery blue paper though, oh no, this person who oh so rarely uses glittery products went on to use a sheet of black glitter card, silver glitter card to mount half the photos on AND a glittery chipboard title!

Other features of interest on the page (apart from the photos) are...

The wrist band I wore to get in the exhibition multiple times, and...

A Doctor Who stamp I received on a package that I felt was very in keeping.

2 Scrapbooking: Keep Your Face Always Towards the Sunshine.

I've never tried using a moodboard before, I tend to think of ideas & either keep them in my head or make a few notes on a pad. But I'm willing to give things a go, HEREs the moodboard I used for this page with the thoughts of sun, water and bubbles. On there you'll find a pin from Jennifers Onwards & Upwards blog event, happening this weekend (go lookie-see), its actually a prize but several things on there resonated with the page I wanted to make.

The sun is a sheet of 12x12 bazzil that I sat with a pair of scissors & cut out & then mounted onto card.
The bubbles on the paper & washi tape not only reflects the water theme but the bubbles Kai is blowing on the photos on the right. I added a small amount of green to reflect the gorgeous greenery in the garden.

I had to cut a small amount of the chevroned journalling box off so I used this on the right of the page to add a tiny bit more journalling.

2 Scrapbooking: Playground Pals

Probably the most neglected parts of my scrapbooking supplies are the items I see on other peoples work & think "oooo, they're gorgeous!" before purchasing them myself. Having received them I then cant quite figure out how to work them into my own style. So that was my plan for Shimelles 23rd Challenge, use some of those unloved products.

Cameras, obviously very fashionable in the scrapbooking community as we take photos so often, but having pictures of them on the scrapbook pages has now taken off. Great idea, I initially thought before buying them, & then they sat in a draw, in a cupboard and in a box for quite a while.

I pulled out my papers with camera images on, cutting one of the largest out and using a different sheet on the page, matching up some bazzil with the colours on it. Out came the wooden cameras, and the washi tape.

I also wanted to add toadstools similar to the ones in the photos so I used my circular die cutter and crop-o-dile to create them, along with a little bit of reshaping from a pair of scissors.

4 Scrapbooking: Dashing Through The Snow

No, not a reminder of the snow from this year but in January 2009

When Shimelle gave her first challenge for NSD, Scrap in Pink, I literally groaned. I'm not a big fan of pink, I like it as a dash of shocking colour, As many of you know I've had bright pink hair, and bright pink trainer pumps, but as a whole I avoid that stereotypically girlie colour.

So I sat & thought, flicked through my papers & with a light bulb "ding" moment I took on the challenge.

(Click on the picture to enlarge)

I scraplifted an earlier page I did HERE but this time I stuck to the colour scheme pale pink, baby blue & brown - the pink & blue giving a lovely frosty feeling & having snowflake die cutters definitely helped with this.

The Journalling reads ..

"A gentle walk in the snow with the sledges, myself, Zack & Kai.

A couple of detours off the path & even a try at snowboarding."