Aussie Scrap Source

weekend inspiration: introducing collage press

 

 

Carole reports that these papers by Collage Press are simply stunning, the colours are gorgeous. Carole used the Camden range of patterned papers to create her typically three-dimensional layout, as well as the co-ordinating diecuts, tags and journal sheets to highlight this layout.  She created wonderfully textured three-dimensional flowers created from the Island Retreat patterned paper and some buttons.

Carole used a holiday photo for this layout, but you could use absolutely anything as these papers are so versatile. Carole also added touches of blue to highlight the red and some stitching and a little inking.

 

 

 

Using products from Jackson Lodge range by Collage Press, Nicole created this gorgeous layout with ease. The subtle patterns made the perfect background to start and then Nicole hand cut some of the large patterns from the other papers to soften the edges. She found the heavier weight of the papers made edges easy to ink and distress and the letter stickers are gorgeous - the perfect sizes and lovely colours.

She used elements from the die cut tag sheet and a journal card then finished off with brads from Crate Paper and rub-ons from the Been There Done That range. Sometimes we need to create practical and factual layouts of events and this range makes it simple.

 

 

Chris was itching to use the Margot range as it suits her style and colour preference perfectly! Combining the gorgeous papers with some Heidi Swapp bling, some felt shapes from Jenni Bowlin and Queen and Co. Chris then 'tied' it altogether with the crisp white ribbon from Strano. Chris said she also loved the huge alpha sticker sheet that comes with the Collage Press ranges and she was easily able to put together a two tone title.

 

 

Jane Jones has created this gorgeous mini album celebrating family using the vibrant colours of the black, red and green in the Grayson Hall range of patterned papers. Thanks Jane for sharing your creation with Aussie Scrap Source.

 

 

Our own Aussie talent, Renee Dowling has recently been appointed to the Collage Press design team.  Her talent isn't new to us, as she treated us to astounding layouts almost every week of our Whose Layout Is It Anyway series and we're not surprised she has been recognised internationally now too!

As one of her first projects for Collage Press, Renee created this delicious sweets box from the Camden range.  Here has used the papers, alphabet stickers, die cuts and stamps.

 

She also shares with us this stunning layout using the wonderfully masculine colours of the recently released Jackson Lodge range.  We're constantly struck by her strong sense of design mixed with just a touch of whimsy.  Thanks Renee, for allowing us to share your projects here.

 

 

We love how differently both Renee and now Jill Sprott from the Collage Press design team have used the Jackson Lodge range. Jill has also used some of the Camden range to create this very stylish mini album. Thanks to you too Jill for sharing with our readers.

 

      

Finally, happy Halloween!!  And many thanks to Julie Overby for inspiring us with this layout also created with the Jackson Lodge range. Julie has used the range of papers, stickers, die cuts and stamps so perfectly on this layout of her daughter. Thank you Julie!

design team challenge: brackets

Suz loved this expression she heard recently as it summed up exactly how she feels about being a mum - so much work and stuff goes into every day that sometimes they can be long and hard, but the years, they just fly by.  Surely it was only yesterday that these two were both in nappies?

Suz created this layout based on a sketch by Cathy Zielske in her Design Your Life workshop at Big Picture, and realised that the four little boxes in the sketch would work perfectly being 'bracketed' by the scrumptious Serendipity Sassafras Lass rubons.  And there's actually no patterned paper at all in this layout - plain Aussie kraft cardstock has been inked and embellished with the co-ordinating Sassafras Lass Flower Flair rubons to create a gorgeous design.  To tie the three elements together Suz also used a few of the rubons on the edge of her photo, as well as arranging the title directly on the photo.  I think we mentioned recently that she has rediscovered these delightful Heidi Swapp Apple Pie iron-on alphas, which she has mingled with with the new BasicGrey micro chip chocolate letters to make this evocative title.

 

 

Brackets are extremely versatile and come in an array of sizes and different materials such as chipboard, felt, paper (to be hand cut), stickers, rubons and stamps.   For this layout Mel has worked with the Sassafras Lass Doodled Brackets and stamped them around the outer edge of the cardstock to create a black border. There are seven bracket stamps in the pack, all different with straight and curved edges.

Sassafras Lass also have Doodled arrows, borders, stars and alphabet stamps to match in with the brackets perfectly. Simply place the acrylic stamp on a mounting block and stamp away.

 

Nicole cut the large bracket border from a sheet of Teresa Collins "Journal it" paper and used it to balance the black areas on the right hand side of her page.
She echoed the bracket shape on the left by adding a bracket-shaped journal block also by Teresa Collins and finished by attaching a trimmed down card pocket to hold her son's precious favourite football cards.

By using the bracket edges on her main elements, Nic was able to add energy and interest to her page.

When Caz shoots catalog photos for a local lighting company she is often "helped out" by her 2 cats. They "help" with the packaging, "help" in the light box and even "help" up the ladder. If she chooses to ignore this "help" then Lizzie bites her ankle until the "help" is recognized or at least played with. Caz has used some Tim Holtz grungeboard brackets to emphasize the clever play on words in her title.

 

 

 

     

Truth be told, Steph started out wanting to do a mini bracket book with the new Heidi Swapp Dream Dining Room Papers. But things didn't quite turn out the way she would like, so she decided on a layout using two of the books pages for a frame of the photo of her Mum. She was so happy with the result, the shape of the bracket pages gives the layout an interesting dimension, and combined with the new Heidi Swapp Ghost Frames and Paper makes a beautiful surrounding accompaniment.

The other feature of this layout is the lush black velvet flower, this too being a Heidi Swapp new release. Steph has teamed the drama of black with the palest of blues to lift the weight of this embellishment and bring a touch of femininity to this colour palette.

pow! christmas

We bring you a veritable treasure trove of christmas magic in this bumper post - and it's only  just the beginning of our ideas and projects for celebrating this christmas in scrappy style.

 

 

 

 

Carole just loves Christmas so anything she can create early is always a bonus. Carole used Little Yellow Bicycle Christmas Magic products to create this gorgeous Wreath for her front door. She used the The Medallion 12x12 Lace Cardstock for the Wreath, which she cut the middle out of, and then embellished with baubles and flowers made from the patterned papers.

Carole also used the beautiful Favourite Felt Shapes, snowflakes and swirls.  She also incorporated some felt accents to the center of flower which she made by cutting out strips and snipping the sides of the felt with the scissors and rolling them up to create little buds, and some cute little pom poms, and glitter.

For the final touch Carole added a gorgeous gold bow - SEI Holy Lane Ribbon, and a cute little stamped bird from the Spring Fling Clear Stamps.

Caz created these cute candle wraps from the Holly Lane range by SEI. Some of the papers already have beautiful foil accents on them so Caz just layered strips of the paper and added in a few more foil stripes using double sided tape and the foil sheets from We R Memory Keepers.

Heidi Swapp bling and a layered flower creation finish them off nicely. The candle wraps can be slipped off when the candle burns down too far and slipped onto a new candle. They would make great Christmas presents for teacher, neighbours etc.

There's not much that says Christmas like red and white - as shown in this layout by Nic Howard. Basicgrey Wassail has gorgeous soft tones for the base of this layout and then Nic has added black cardstock and Heidi Swapp letters for contrast. A single photo adorns this layout, with most the detail in the sprinkling of BasicGrey Ambrosia buttons and Queen & Co pearls. You'll also notice Nic's signature curling on the various layers of papers, creating a layout that is simple, yet detailed.

  

 

 

Suz highlights just some of the stunning papers from BasicGrey's Mistletoe & Pear 12x12 paper pad with this layout of her children on Christmas Morning.  Though the photo was so beautiful she couldn't resist blowing it up, she has framed it with strips of patterned paper and a touch of Hambly transparency to reflect the rainbow in her daughters dress.

Scrapping Clearly Acrylic circles have been backed with more of the BasicGrey and then embellished with rubons and Suz's newest obsession - Pink Paislee's Pixee Stix - glitter tubes that come in 15 amazing colours. 

Here Suz has used the decidedly cute Deja View's Flurries & Frost range of patterned papers, die cut tags and transparent glitter stickers.  She has combined this with Queen & Co felt fusion on which she has doodled flourishes simply with a black pen, and Love You More gem brads.

 

Finally, a couple of Christmas cards.  Inspired by one she saw in Craft Business magazine, the design is stunning in its simplicity -  a cut out section of a half triangle is simply folded over to make the other side of the tree.  You need a double sided patterned paper to make one of these simply, and BasicGrey's Fruitcake is perfect.

Suz has embellished her 'tree' with more DejaViews glitter stickers, Queen & Co Jewels and attached a glittered Queen & Co star at the top.  The sentiments is actually a white SEI iron on from the Holiday Hoopla range - which she has Glimmer Misted and inked for that gorgeous rich brown colour.

 

 

Another gorgeous Christmas card design, this is a three-folded card that Suz has created from BasicGrey Mistletoe & Pear papers and embellished with her perennial favourite - Hambly Screen Prints transparent stars.  A Grungeboard bookplate has been GlimmerMisted, and Suz is happy to report that the Grungeboard withstood heat from the iron just fine as the sentiment is another from the SEI Holiday Hoopla pack.  Suz used a LuminArte Radiant Rain dauber to change it to a beautiful bright red once it was ironed on.

The final touches included inking the edges of each fold, glittering the edges of each of the stars, and borders of beautiful Jenni Bowlin rubons.

weekend inspiration: little yellow bicycle

The cool green and blue colour combo, along with the huge range of quote stickers and embellishments make Vita Bella from Little Yellow Bicycle a diverse range easily adaptable to a huge range of themes and photo types.  Here Nicole used it on a favourite photo taken by Raylene Wilkinson almost two years ago that had been awaiting the perfect paper and in this range Nic found it!

She pleated and distressed the stripes for texture, then embellished the rest of the page with papers, journal blocks, quote blocks, ribbon, stamps, letters and a brad all from the Vita Bella range and also added the white glittery letters from Little Yellow Bicycle's Delightful range.
Some of the papers are foiled to give them that added interest and the stamps are absolutely gorgeous.

Jaimie says - I love the Vita Bella range so much - it is so elegant and rich. I especially love how it is not gender determined as I struggle to find papers to suit my sons. I couldnt get enough of the chipboard and cardstock embellishments and found it so easy to put together this page, so beautiful.

Left overs are always perfect for cards and Jaimie was able to add two more to her card box for future use. With simple layering of the Vita Bella chipboard embellishments and cardstock verses partnered with rubons and pearl brads makes for a lovely and elegant card set.

 

Sometimes as you go to push the button on the camera, things change at the last minute and the photo you were aiming for is not quite what you end up with. Just as Caz went to take a photo of her cat Raphael lazing up against the guitar that the kids had left laying around on the floor, he yawned. Not what Caz was after but the kids said that it looked like Raphy was singing and playing the guitar so the photo stayed.

These Little Yellow Bicycle papers and cardstock stickers in the Zachs Life range fit not only the colouring in the photo but also the theme perfectly. Caz mixed a couple of the fabric borders and 2 cardstock stickers (one of which was mounted on chipboard) to make the title block for the layout. Another fabric border was cut lengthwise into 3 strips to create a frame for the photo.

 

 

As the name suggests the Delightful range by Little Yellow Bicycle is just that, delightful. The colour range is very pretty and made up of sweet pinks, oranges, blues, greens and other soft colours.
For this layout Mel has combined the Roses and Plaid patterned papers (which are double sided) and teamed them with Delightful rubons and glitter cardstock stickers to create a page of her neice's new love of looking at beautiful books.

This adorable layout by Candice M. Reszko has used the Delightful range of papers from Little Yellow Bicycle and we think you'll agree that the soft, pretty papers go perfectly with the adorable little girl in the photos. The butterflies and flowers add a gentle touch to the layout and we loved the scallops and different layers that Candice added.

Denine Zielinski created this funky layout titled 'mismatched winter'. The clever placement of the circles featured on Denine's layout really draw your eye to each photo on the page. Outlining each circle with mini beads is a fabulous idea and the black beads look striking against the photos.

This gorgeous layout by Tania Willis shows off the beautiful Delightful range perfectly! The sweet girly colour palette suits all things cute and feminine, thanks so much Tania!

We're very excited to welcome to our post Cindy Tobey, who created this adorable page from the Delightful range. We love it's detail yet elegant simplicity and her very clever use of the die-cut border.
Thankyou Cindy for allowing us to share your gorgeous page here.

A big thankyou to Renee Foss from Little Yellow Bicycle DT for kindly giving permission for us to showcase her stunning work using the Vita Bella range. THANKYOU Renee!

Renee's page is stunning in its simplicity with the rich greens given pop by being layered on the dark blue. The uncluttered embellishments are just the right finishing touch for this beautiful page.

Again Renee shows how each design in the vita bella range matches perfectly - her focus photo is the first thing the eye sees and the colours in the photo are brought out by the gorgeous greens and deep blues on her page.

Finally we have to say how lovely this LO is. Renee has kept this page simple and uncluttered with just the right amount of embellishments to add interest to her project.

Gorgeous work Renee - thanks for allowing us to share your layouts.

   

We're very happy to be able to show these gorgeous cards by Canadian scrapbooker Jennifer Roach. We adore the richness of these cards and how she layered so many beautiful bits and pieces. Both cards are tactile and gorgeous and we think whoever receives them will be very excited! Thanks Jennifer.

  

Another gorgeous card by Jennifer Roach, we love how she cut the papers to utilise the printed frame on the paper and then layered the elements within that frame. Fantastic.

design team challenge: arty

 

 

 

'Arty' isn't something Nic Howard normally would consider her style but she took on the arty challenge like a trooper. Nic mentions she perused several blogs and galleries before finding inspiration from a Jill Geraghty-Groves layout, and it was all go from there.
Nic used a sheet of Aussie Scrap Source basic kraft cardstock as her base, spraying a random pattern with Coffee Shop Glimmer Mist.

She then used some corrugated cardboard packaging as a base for her photo, adding colour and interest with Wheatfields glimmer mist and a light layer of white acrylic paint. Grungeboard numbers, swirls and hinges were also treated with several layers of different coloured glimmer mist before being layered onto the layout. Queen & Co mini sprinkle brads were used to hold the 'hinges' in place, and the layout was finished with a title cut from white Aussie Scrap Source cardstock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Starting with a mid-sized canvas, Nic painted a randomly textured background layer using Polished Pigments and set it aside to dry. She printed her photo onto calico which gave a soft and textured appearance and layered it over Glimmermist covered tulle and other sheer fabrics also sprayed with Glimmermist.

She applied blended colours of polished pigments mixed with acrylic medium to Grungeboard elements and letters, and also to a Jenny Bowling chipboard heart. The beauty of using the Polished Pigments on the Grungeboard is how the texture becomes glimmery and highlighted.

Depending on how you mix the pigments into the medium also determines it's finished texture - for example, Nic kept it smooth for the embossed Grungeboard, but allowed the pigment to remain lumpy for the Jenny Bowlin heart giving it a gravel like rich texture.

Nic added other letters and elements from BasicGrey's Eva and Urban Prairie ranges, felt ribbon from Queen and Co, ribbon from SEI, and embroidered fabric pre-coloured by painting with polished pigments.

 

 

 

 

 

Suggesting the arty challenge was perfect for Steph, because she wanted to create something whimsical, feminine and pretty for her studio wall. Steph started with a old book cover and painted it randomly with LuminArte Twinkling H2O's. She then got an hymn sheet and sprayed it with a fine water mist, which she then crumbled up. This technique gave the hymn sheet a old worn look, which Steph wanted to achieve for this project.

Next she grabbed some tissue paper that you can get from any newsagent and traced around two glasses - one medium and one small. After cutting around the circles, she crumbled them and placed the small circles on top of the large. They were sewn together with a button. Steph then used the Glimmermist to colour her roses. She used glimmer Mist on the owl Glimmer Chip and added accents with Heidi Swapp Chandelier Jewels and Hambly Transparencies.

 

 

 

Some more art for the self-confessed art-challenged, Suz has created this layout using plenty of techniques, but she admits she's used them sparingly.  This layout combines a clean, linear style with the fun of playing and getting messy. The cardstock is a Scenic Route plain white with blue checks background paper, which Suz has altered using Patina and Gold Glimmer Mists over a beautiful flourish Glimmer Screen. 

BasicGrey Chipboard MIni Monograms have been altered in several different ways - first Suz applied Pink Paislee Pixee Stix glitters in gold and green.  Some letters she left just like that, on others she has sprinkled Inque Boutique's Silver Pearl embossing powder over the top.  In some spots this has melted both the embossing powder and the glitter, creating gorgeous colours and textures.  She has inked the edges of each letter for more definition.

pow! iron-on transfers

The lesser noticed relation of the rub-on, iron-on's can bring a gorgeous dimension and texture to your layout pages.  Check out our design team examples.

 

 

For this layout Mel has used an SEI Iron On (Boy Graphics) and ironed it directly onto the patterned paper, slightly onto the photograph. The trick to using an Iron On so that it doesn't warp your paper (and photo) is to place a tea towel (or something of similar thickness) over the Iron On before ironing. They're really versatile and can be used on a wide range of items - fabric, wood, paper and just about anything that you can heat slightly with an iron.

There are some really cute images in the SEI Boy Graphic sheet too - lots of boyish bugs, signs, tree and wording, which are just perfect for those hard to scrap boy layouts.

 

 

 

Steph had been wanting to use this SEI Iron On for quite some time, so when this chance arose, she couldn't help but use the Little Yellow Bicycle papers as a background. The iron on is actually flocked and because of this gorgeous texture Steph chose to continue the tactile theme by including some soft feathers which echo the little stork and baby softness.

Steph also used her favourite Glimmermist - Pink Taffy - which she used on the Glimmer Chips Butterfly Wings, and embellished them with an "m" for her daughter Madison. The Heidi Swapp crown finished off this separate embellishment perfectly.

Suz has rediscovered iron-ons with this challenge, and you'll see a lot more these gorgeous Heidi Swapp Apple Pie alphas in several layouts in the near future.  And here's a tip:  If you don't have, or can't be bothered getting out the iron, you can just carefully pull them off their backing and glue them down!  Saves all that messing about when there's small children around, and means there's no risk of warping papers or melting any transparencies you might have lurking on a layout.

 

 

 

 

To create this cute little 8 x 8 wall hanging, Carole used the very cute range of SEI Doodley Doo Boy patterned papers and diecuts, but what made this project really special were the gorgeous Iron On Transfers - they were so easy to use.

Carole used some of the Iron On shapes on patterned paper, and then cut them out and layered them onto the wall hanging, she also used them on the Diecut Tags and also they worked really well on felt, which she then cut out and attached with pins or foam tape. Carole really loved the versatility of the iron ons, and how neat they looked when applied.

Carole also added some branches and then glued some cut out leaves onto the branches which held the Wall Hanging together.

Caz loves the Heidi Swapp iron-ons letters as they come in so many colours and fonts and are perfect for personalising clothing and presents for family and friends.  They go on so easily and can be added to anything that is fabric and can be flattened over an ironing board end. They are also machine washable and stretch and bend really well with your clothing. 

Here she has used iron-ons in Centre of Attention Lowercase, colour Sea, to personalise her daughters shoulder bag.

Create your own designer jeans with Heidi Swapp iron-ons. Caz glammed up these jeans belonging to her daughter with the sweet Apple Pie lowercase font in pink. Add a funky belt and you are all set.

Do you have a friend with a favourite saying that is really hard to buy for? Make them their own unique t-shirt or underwear with their saying on it. These iron-ons in Newsprint are actually a gorgeous silver glitter.

Nothing says I love you like a personalised pair of undies!

weekend inspiration: tinkering ink

Bright colours seemed perfect to frame the mini photos of Steph's girls. Tinkering Ink's Retro Metro line is energetic and colourful and the patterns match up beautifully. Here Steph has shown that you can mix and match different patterned paper and the result is funky and fun. The eclectic elements such as the Hambly Chandelier Rub Ons and the Sassafras Rainbow Rub On add to the quirky elements that Steph loves so much.

 

 

 

 

Some time back, rather on the spur of the moment, Suz decided to sign up for Cathy Zielske's 'Design Your Life' class at Big Picture, and as since then she hasn't been able to make there be more than the usual 24 hours in a day, Suz realised to get through this class she would have to combine it with her blog workload- so we're happy to announce you'll be sharing the journey with Suz to become a better designer! 

This layout is the result of the pre-class assignment where Cathy encourages participants to make their page reflect themselves and their lives, and what could be more Suz than Tinkering Ink's beautiful new Beau Jardin range of patterned papers, mixed with a little Hambly and other bits.  Check the close up of Tinkering Ink's new 'Rip Strips' - self-adhesive strips of printed canvas - here Suz has pleated it but the possibilities are endless - scrunching, ruffling, zigzagging or laying on flat for texture.

 

 

Another layout by Suz using the new Becoming Green range of patterned papers by Tinkering Ink.  Based on kraft cardstock, this collection of designs has been printed on 100% recycled, 30% post consumer waste product and is sold in sets of 12 double sided patterned papers.  Certainly more subdued in design than Tinkering Ink's usual signature, this was a limited edition print run so get it while you can.

Suz found it the perfect medium on which to record memories about the event at her son's school where they kids were challenged to recycle all sorts of objects to create cards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bright vibrant colours of the Tinkering Ink Wild Woodland are simply gorgeous and Carole loved mixing the papers and layering the flowers onto this layout which she cut out of the pattern papers. Carole also used the Gorgeous Glitter Stickers and Diecuts to embellish and cut out the cute bird and folded it to make the bird stand out, which she further embellished with glitter.

Using a white background for this layout also made the colours and patterns to these papers really vibrant, so arranging the pieces, to create the layout, took no time at all.

 

 

 

 

Caz had fun playing with the Tinkering Ink Beadles. She wanted to see what she could do with them apart from making jewelery so tried them out as a handle for this chipboard purse she made for one of her girls. She strung them on reasonably sturdy wire and they work a treat. Such a cool idea.

 

 

 

We thank Iris Babao Uy for allowing us to share her stunning take on Tinkering Inks Al Fresco range of patterned papers. We love the burst of colour the cut out flowers gives the page, and the strong contrast when mattered on a black cardstock base.   Always blown away by Iris's work - thanks again for sharing here.

 

And now, a big thanks to Roree Rumph of Alabama for giving us permission to show you these stunning cards she has created using Tinkering Ink papers...

Made from the Botanical Bliss line using patterned paper, felt embellishment and Chipboard letters. Simple and Stunning.

 

These cards would be sure to brighten anyone’s day. Roree has used the new Retro Metro line on both of these.  How groovy is that flower in the second card?!

 

 

    

And finally, this beautiful Christmas card was made using the new Yuletide 2 collection.  Thanks again Roree - your talent delights us!

scrapping trends: small photos

 

  

Heidi Grace Meadow range of products are so gorgeous with the beautiful blues and creams, and a great range of stickers and diecuts, which Carole loved to use on her layout.  Carole added stitching and pearls, and then added a little cute stamp from the Pink Paislee Range of clear stamps, with some pretty lace, and ribbon.

 

 

Nic Howard shows us that a layout can be effective with the same photo repeeated more than once. While one photo could have been added to this layout, the grouping of four gives the effect of 'many' or 'time and time again' which suits the topic of this layout quite nicely! Nic created strip journaling to lead the eye down the layout to the photo. Pink Paislee paper forms the base of this layout with embellishing from Hambly, Crate paper and Heidi Swapp.

 

 

 

When incorporating an intentionally small or dramatically cropped photo the most common urge is to fill the page with more photos or loads of products. While a full page can be a stunning look, Donna wanted to test the theory that a small photo and a little product goes a long way.

Here the small photo, combined with other smaller elements such as Carolee Creations Tiny alphabet stickers and dimensional foam stickers, is given centre stage with enough embellishment to keep even the most discerning scrapbook enthusiast, satisfied.

 

 

As seen in For Keeps Creative Paper recently, Caz shows the effect that can be gained from scrapping a photo of your child taken each year. It's sometimes not until you get all these pictures together on the one page that you realise just how much they have changed/stayed the same over time.
Caz printed the circle borders onto her background paper and then mounted each of the small photos on chipboard and added brads and the year the photo was taken.

 

 

 

As scrapbookers we are told that the photo is the emphasis of a page and rightly so - however by using a smaller photo or photos you have the opportunity to play with complimenting product to create interest to a page that might otherwise be overlooked due to a smaller than normal sized photo

Jaimie used a smaller tightly cropped photo of her daughter and then built around it using a variety of product to create a framed effect to showcase the photo adding interest and dimension to her page and allowing her to have an enormous amount of fun at the same time.

 

 

    

Small photos are fun to work with and are perfect to help tell a story on a page.  For this layout Mel has used 8 photographs of her daughter unwrapping some Christmas gifts and placed them inside a giant button heart created using BasicGrey Archaic buttons.  The buttons were adhered into position using dimensional magic and a large title was added with Ambrosia original mini monogram letters.

pow! bling

No page for any little fairy is complete without a touch (or more) of bling and Heidi Swapp bling never goes out of style! Nic added Heidi's bling here in the form of circles highlighting the smaller photo, and also as a lift for the sparkly SEI Ally's Wonderland chipboard flowers. She cut one of the squares into a photo corner and topped off the gorgeous girly-ness of the entire page by attaching a Heidi Swapp chandelier crystal to her journal tag button.

The SEI flowers come packaged in a gorgeous re-usable little round box and have a delicious coating of teeny sparkles. Also from the SEI Ally's Wonderland range is the huge ric rac and sweet sequin ribbons that Nicole added here!

 

Suz has used bling on bling on this very colourful and reflective layout.  She has handcut randomly shaped hearts from the divine BasicGrey Urban Prairie patterned papers and either outlined or embellished each of them with different coloured Hero Arts Gemstones.  These gorgeous little jewels come in two sizes in strips with very discreet adhesive which can actually be bent and curved around shapes as well as left in straight lines.  Suz also loves her ghost letters which have a timeless appeal and here she has outlined them in different colours to 'reflect' the hearts above as well as re-inforce the theme of the layout which is about her daughter decorating glass jars.

 

 

As far as Donna is concerned, it's all about Bling! She loves it and definitely can't get enough - every colour & every shape. Heidi Swapp Bling! is one product, in particular, that Donna has to include on a layout. A page just doesn't seem complete without it. She particularly loves Bling! borders due to their versatility. Donna simply cuts the number of jewels she requires from the strip and applies to her page making it possible to create her own shapes and curves.

 

 

 

Bling has become a basic for many scrappers these days with so much on offer from shimmer papers through to the trusty brad - which has had a major makeover - with all the beautiful gem brads in every colour of the rainbow available for addition to any page. Jaimie has placed her colourful Love You More gem brads on her page to add 'pop' to her hand embroidered design. Heidi Swapp tiny bling flowers and a subtle title ensure that the page has colour and interest while the focus remains on her photo.

 

 

For this layout Mel has used Junkitz blingz (stars) to gently scatter across the page, combined with Heidi Swapp Metallic Silver chipboard letters and Junkitz rhinestonez. The rhinestonez (jewels) have been added randomly to the title to help add a Christmas feel to the layout.

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steph had lots of fun with this Tinkering Ink Flower Booklet, decorating it with Basic Grey Urban Prarie and lots of gorgeous bling. Heidi Swapps Bling Circles were perfect for the shape of this OTP project, and added just that little bit of glamour which highlights the sweet papers.

On the cover under the little bird are Heidi Swapp Chandelier Crystals, one of Steph's favourite bits of bling. They just finish off this project and give it a whimsical feminine accent.

weekend inspiration: rose moka

 

Creating this layout was something Carole really enjoyed - all the paper piecing and shapes worked so well with the bright gorgeous colours of Rose Moka Appel de la Nature.  The cardstock is heavy and good and sturdy as well, great to manipulate and change, really lovely to use.

Carole finished her layout off with plenty of stitching and some cute little stamping creations done with Pink Paislee Vintage Moon Clear Stamps.  She also gave the frame surrounding the edge of the page some dimension to make the layout look as though you are looking through a window.

The Rose Moka range of papers are just beautiful. Bright, fun and really rich colours. For this layout Mel has used Rayons Ardents, Graffiti, Grande Envolee and Ecorce (which are all from the Appel de la Nature range) combined with Technique Tuesday's Fundamental Swanky Frames. The patterned papers have been adhered to the frames, lightly sanded on the edges and then machine stitched onto the page. The little Jolly Snowman stamp (Hero Arts) ties in perfectly with the photo and title.

We have the lovely Alison Shearer to thank for the above two layouts - her photography just gets more and more stunning and the light and colour in these oversized photographs are wonderful.  In both she has used several of the Rose Moka Appel de la Nature range - we love her paper pieced house in the Homebody layout using the Rose Moka woodprint, and those grids are perfect for handwritten journalling.  Thanks Alison for allowing us to share your pages.

Kathie Link gives the Appel de la Nature papers a deliciously whimsical and fresh feel in these two beautiful pages - we love how she has offset the very bright papers with the more muted vintage diamond pattern.  A very clever use of stunning patterned papers - thanks Kathie!

scrapbooking trends: patchwork backgrounds

  

 

Nic mentioned that when she heard the words 'patchwork' and 'scrapbooking' together, it immediately made her think of Loretta Grayson. Nic had Loretta in mind when she made these patchwork flowers from layers of Pink Paislee Spring Fling and Pop Fashion papers. These papers were used to create the layout base first, and then the coordinating flowers were sewn on the side and embellished with the new Queen & company rhinestones.. The title was created with Pink Paislee fashion and Hero Arts Alphas.

Donna decided to push the boundaries of what 'patchwork' actually is, just a little. This particular photo was a little too blurry for a photo album and almost didn't make 'the cut' for a layout, but in this context (patchwork) it seemed perfect. Donna has used same-sized peices of multi-coloured papers to simulate the idea of motion - kind of like that seen in cartoons.
It doesn't quite scream 'patchwork' in the traditional sense, but is still eyecatching a little different to the standard form layout.

 

At the opposite end of the scale, taking a completely traditional interpretation of 'patchwork' into consideration, Nicole Finlayson was inspired by the old-fashioned sentimentality of the 'crazy patchwork' method of making quilts and used that idea as the base of her layout of this gorgeous photo of her husband and daughter by Raylene Wilkinson.

The worn and earthy colours of the "Grandma's House" series by Paper Loft were the perfect starting point for a crazy patched base, and the embroidery added over the top emphasize the feeling of warmth and love portrayed in the photo.

 

As noted above by Nic Howard, "Patchwork" scrapbooking also known as scrapbooking "quilting" was pioneered by an Australian artist named Rett Grayson, with her creations containing beautiful landscapes and trees. Steph saw this as the perfect opportunity to have a go at a landscape using the gorgeous new Sassafras Lass Papers and Chipboard and inspired by Rett. The colours and little characters fit beautifully into the picture that Steph was trying to create.

Not all scrapbook layouts have to have photos on them, sometimes the most profound moments in life are found in quotes and images that reflect your thoughts and feelings.

We're also thrilled to share a Loretta Grayson original on the blog!  Rett was happy to allow us to feature this layout originally created for the Two Peas garden as a fabulous example of her own paper-quilting skills.  Like Steph's above, there's no photo here but just an incredibly beautiful representation of a moment in time.

Another Australian artist who we're proud to feature a lot of is Kathie Link, and she's also long loved the patchwork and paper quilting looks.  This is created from the Scenic Route Paper Grafton range and is just a delicious portrayal of toddler and his dog.  Note the dimension created by the stitching around the sun, the rays and even the fringing Kathie created for the grass.  Thanks so much Kathie!

pow: 6x6" and 8x8" patterned paper pads

Mel has used Basic Grey's Boxer 6x6 paper pad to create this layout of her daughter Bella. What's really fabulous about using a paper pad is that you have a whole wad of beautifully matching patterned paper all ready to go and easy to flick through while you're deciding which sheets to use.

Mel cut out a series of 5cm squares from the pad and machine stitched them into position onto a sheet of kraft.  She then added a photo, floral accent (BG Boxer chip stickers) and striking red title.  An extra effect was added to the Scenic Route Berkeley alphabet letters by using a Tim Holtz Texture Hammer.

To finish off and balance the layout a small photo corner was fashioned using excess paper from the pad (and placed on the top left hand corner of the photo) while a couple of red stars were scattered across the page (Jenni Bowlin Apothecary stickers).

 

 

Paper pads are a fabulous way to purchase an entire range of papers without breaking the bank balance. Here Jaimie uses the Memoirs range of patterned papers in a 6x6" paper pad from Inque Boutique which contain three to four sheets of each of about fifteen designs.  These make creating a layout using this size paper perfect as  'joins' can be hidden under embellishments and photos giving the illusion of using a 12x12 sheet of paper - the best of both worlds.

 

Here's a fab thing to do with 6x6 papers - make 6x6 layouts out of them!  Suz created four separate layouts using the Inque Boutique Cabana patterned papers each detailing one of the activities her family had enjoyed at the local Show,  and then joined them to make a 12x12 layout.  Each layout can stand on its own with photos, title, journalling and embellishments, but also combines to create a cohesive page, and because all the patterned paper came from a single range Suz knew that the colour palettes would all work together no matter how different she made each square. Using a paper pad in this way takes all the hard work out of mixing and matching!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caz's family has 2 billets staying with them for the first week of the school holidays as part of a sister city program so decided to make them each a small album to take home containing some of the photos she has taken of their visit.

When choosing products for this challenge Caz couldn't go past the Deja Views Fresh Print Mango 8x8 Paper and Punch-out Tablet as it contains everything you need to make at least 2 mini albums. 20 printed papers and 283 card-stock elements including 2 sets of alphas. Everything co-ordinates beautifully and made it a cinch to put together the albums.

 

   

 

 

   

The 6x6 and 8x8 paper pads are perfect for cards as well, as Nic Howard found out when she looked through one of the 8x8 Cosmo Cricket Hello Sunshine pads. Each page was in miniature with separate pages of words, sentiments and strips. The bright colours of Hello Sunshine, paired with the fun shaped papers in this pad made creating 3 cards quick and easy.

weekend inspiration: queen & co

 

Working with the Queen & Co Fusion Scroll and Vine Felt was really lovely for Carole as she loves to be detailed and the felt allowed Carole to do this with the Trinket Box that she has made, also using the Technique Tiles and Timeless Chipboard Elements.

Try leaving the protective backing on the Felt Fusion, so that they don't have to be stuck straight onto paper, then the felt can be layered and 3D into your projects to give them body and depth.

  

Caz used the Queen & Co Felt Fusion as the patterned background for this fun picture she made for her daughters room. She added grungeboard wings painted and then glittered and a halo of tiny paper flowers and jewels to the photo. By leaving the glass out of the frame she was able to layer the different elements and create a lovely tactile 3-dimensional look.

 

Queen & Co Felt solids are a must have in any scrapbooking stash. They are an adhesive backed solid strip of felt, perfect to use just as a strip or fabulous to cut into shapes etc.. for a layout. For this page Mel has used the solid blue felt to draw her title onto, then hand cut out each letter before adhering onto the right hand side of the photo.

Queen & Co Felt solids are a must have in any scrapbooking stash. They are an adhesive backed solid strip of felt, perfect to use just as a strip or fabulous to cut into shapes etc.. for a layout. For this page Mel has used the solid blue felt to draw her title onto, then hand cut out each letter before adhering onto the right hand side of the photo. She has also adhered a full 12" strip under the scalloped piece of patterned paper, adding just that little bit of extra texture.

 

 

Starting with a base of kraft cardstock and Michael Miller Fabric paper, Nicole created a cosy and tactile layout by laying strips of Queen and Co Felt Fusion ribbon snowflakes to create a photo mat and then she layered her photos on top before adding an additional strip of felt ribbon swirls along the bottom edge to soften it. She highlighted the swirls by attaching some Queen and Co jewels and finished with some Technique Tuesday snowflakes coated in Glimmermist!

Sherry Wright created this beautiful 'first steps' layout using a selection of Queen & Co brads, felt and jewels. The rich colour combinations of red and blue look striking with those super cute photos. We loved Sherry's use of brads along the edge of the large bracket - very cool.

Anabelle O'malley was kind enough to let us share this bright bouncy layout with you, featuring Queen & Co felt, brads and alpha dots. It can be hard to scrap pictured from kids play places sometimes due to the bright primary colours. We love what you have done here. Thanks Anabelle.

         

 

 

Anabelle has also been kind enough to let us show you some great card ideas using the Queen & Co felt ribbon, flower frenzy flowers and the gorgeous felt brads.

We are so excited to welcome Johanna Peterson to our blog sharing her gorgeous little sandshoes, adorned with delicious Queen and Co. Felt Frenzy ribbon and jewels. Wouldn't these be gorgeous with a little Summer dress? Thanks Johanna, I bet these look sweet on your little girl!

design team challenge: big patterns

 

Big patterns need not mean big headache - like the pattern but worry it might be too much?? Try this - Jaimie cut out various sections from the Luxe Hendrix paper and then overlayed it on top of the reverse side of a second piece of Hendrix paper. By doing this Jaimie has toned down the very bold colours and patterns of the Luxe paper with the softer patterns and tones of the reverse side.

She matched the colour palette of the paper with Deja views and Artic frog alphas for her title and Pink Paisley and Scenic Route diecuts teamed with brads and BG rubons complete her embellishments.

Well when you think big patterns, you really can't go past Hambly. It seems no matter how many times Steph tries, she just can't shake this love affair with Hambly Transparencies. This beautiful baroque flourish compliments the soft palette and overall femininity of the layout and all girl photo. Its sheer quality looks stunning on the kraft paper and gently overlaps the image of Steph's daughters creating continuity of movement.

Tinkering Ink are famous for their large bold patterns, and Suz says one of the methods of incorporating them successfully is simplicity.  Keep your photographs simple and not too busy, and if you're using more than one photo, arrange them in a block so that they are still a single element on a  page.  Visually this means the large pattern doesn't overpower your photographs, but balances them instead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Enjoy wading (pardon the pun!) through this plethora of images of a mini album created by Nic Finlayson.  Starting with a Basic Grey Undressed album, Nicole added the large patterned papers from the Teresa Collins Boardwalk range to create this gorgeous keepsake album of a weekend they spent at the beach. Adding oversized wave, surfboard and tree shapes from the range created a beachy feel immediately.

She also included a few base papers from Tinkering Ink, Paper Loft and Hambly overlays finishing off by embellishing each page with Sassafrass Lass stamps and assorted Been There Done That rub-ons, which were a perfect addition to this very Australian little album!