Keep Calm & Rock On: Challenge YOUrself March Challenge

I recently discovered the Challenge YOUrself blog thanks to my scrappy friend Leslie G, and now that I have a trimmer again decided to give it a go. Each month the blog sets a different challenge but you must include yourself on the photo. This months challenge is to use the phrase Keep Calm and... And scrap about something which drives us or makes us happy, but can't be scrapping related.

Aside from scrapping a few of my other loves/obsessions are Snoopy, friends, pink and BON JOVI!! Having been a fan since I was 13 I'm not ashamed to admit it hence the capital letters lol! Looking through my photos I came across an Instagram taken last year when I went with my boss to see Bon Jovi in concert and so made this layout

Papers: Amy Tangerine "Yes please"

Alphas: American Crafts Thickers

Embellishments: Sticker- LilyBee Design; Ticket- Crate Paper "Close Knit" cut apart; doily & stars from my stash

Hope over the the Challenge YOUrself blog if you fancy having a go (hopefully there should be a link here if I can work out how to on the blogger app lol) 

52 Cards Wks 12 & 13: Mothers Day Cards

While my trimmer has been out of action I've been having to make do with a smaller trimmer only suitable for cards, so scrapping has had to be sidelined giving me time to catch up on the 52 Card Challenge and make the Mothers Day cards. Week 12 was a colour prompt, drawing colours from this picture

Sometime ago I brought some MME Miss Caroline papers from Create & Craft, but in typical Jess fashion I hadn't used them as they didn't fit my style of scrapping but as it turns out are great for cards. This is the card I made for mumma B

I decided to pull out my very neglected flower stash to fit with the spring feel. I'm sure I'm not the only one who brought loads of flowers when they started scrapping but have never actually used them, or have left them sitting untouched on the side. 

As the papers were out I used them for Wk 13's prompt which was to use this sketch

Hmm I wonder who has a Polaroid frame die? That's right I do! This is the card u made for mumma G 

Again I used some neglected flowers but this time added some butterflies punched from some scraps of card. 

Update on the trimmer: finally had an email from Fiskars asking for photos of the trimmer, after calling me Sonia! I emailed some photos to them and had an automated response saying the department was closed until April 7th! 

BUT... a new trimmer arrived yesterday, not from Fiskars but a Stampin Up trimmer I ordered as a replacement. 

And the good news... Today I have been scrapping so stayed tuned!! 

Technical Hitch

You remember how in my last post I was so happy that I'd reached 10 layouts, a third of the way through my 30 layout challenge? Yeah, well I'm still on 10 layouts thanks to a technical hitch. My darn trimmer which I only got for Christmas is broken! The Fiskars trimmer has a wire running through the rail so you can line up where you are cutting and the blade glides along this. Well mine has frayed, which means whatever I am cutting is jagged and ruined! 

At first I thought my blade was blunt, so I brought some more. First cut, perfect. Second, slightly jagged. Then pow the wire goes! I looked online and this has happened before but Fiskars have replaced the rail. I found the email address for Fiskars UK, emailed them only to have a reply saying they do not manufacture or distribute in the UK but have forwarded my email to the distribution centre in France! Cue automated reply saying due to a huge amount of emails they will be in touch in due course! In the mean time I posted on Fiskars Facebook page who have me a customer services telephone number- in America!!

A week has passed and I have heard nothing! So I have emailed France again, same automated reply! I have also emailed the website the trimmer was purchased from and they have more human and helpful than anyone else so far! They are also getting in touch with their distributor and will let me know what they say! 

So that's my whinge over, sorry about that! Keep your fingers crossed my next post will be a happier one xx

52 Cards Wk11: SOSNSBSB

This weeks 52 Card Challenge prompt was SOSNSBSB, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. 

It is my brothers birthday tomorrow (March 17th) so I used the prompt to make a birthday card for him. Like most people I hate making the dreaded male cards so this took some thinking, but eventually I made this

Something old: I used my star punch & die, and my postage stamp punch. I also used some scraps from my scraps bag

Something new: for paper I used the 6x6 Crate Paper the Pier pad which I brought some time ago but had not used. I also used my Martha Stewart Star border punch which I brought after Christmas but hadn't used

Something borrowed: while deciding where to go with this card I popped over to Page Maps and borrowed this sketch for inspiration 

Something Blue: a dash of blue cardstock 

 

I like how the card came out and will be a versatile design to use again & again. 

A third of the way there! Layouts 9&10

I can't believe that this time last week I was just leaving for Gemma's and then onto Meadow Barn, where does the time go!?! We came home on Monday and I have had the rest of the week off work to unwind. In this time I have been scrapping as time will be limited when I go back to work next week, and have made 2 more layouts taking me up to 10, which means I'm a third of the way there in my 30 layout challenge! 

Layout 9 Ugg Chair: 

This photo was taken last November when I went Christmas Shopping with my friend Nicola in London. On our way to Harrods we stopped by the Ugg store. I could have brought everything on there including this fab chair! 

Papers: Crate Paper Close Knit, Amy Tangerine Ready, set, go

Alphas: Alison Kreft Recorded

Embellishments: Cut a parts- Crate Paper Close Knit; stickers- Fancy Pants; chipboard button- Alison Kreft Recorded; Washi- from my stash 

Layout 10 Lazy Boy:

This photo was taken one Sunday when Buster curled up on his bed for his Sunday snooze. As the photo was black & white I thought it would be good to use bright colours, and when I opened the Amy Tangerine Yes Please pad I saw the dog cut a part and knew I had to use it. 

Papers: Amy Tangerine Yes Please

Alphas: Amy Tangerine Thickers 

Embellishments: sticker- Fancy Pants; doily- from my stash; Washi- from my stash 

As I said, I'm back to work on Monday so my scrapping will slow down but I will try and make 1 layout a week...hopefully or I'll be doing the challenge until Christmas lol! 

Meadow Barn Layouts: Part 2

I'm back again with the last of the layouts I completed at Meadow Barn. 

Layout 5 Family Love:

For my fifth layout I used the sketch I had myself and Gemma 

As well as the sketch we also had to use Washi 

Another photo from my brothers wedding of myself and Ian with Vincent and Penny 

Papers & cut a parts: Crate Paper Close Knit

Stickers: Fancy Pants, Lily Bee Designs 

Washi from my stash 

Layout 6 Bon Jovi Birthday:

These photos are of myself and my boss Jess at Bon Jovi last year 

Cardstock: Bazzil 

Papers: Amy Tangerine Yes Please & Ready, Set, Go

Alphas: Alison Kreft Recorded

Embellishments: Studio Calico wood veneer stars, Doily & Washi from my stash 

Layout 7 Funky Boots:

A random photo of my pink, floral Doc Martens 

Papers: Amy Tamgerine, Recollections

Alphas: American Crafts Thickers

Embellishments: Doily, buttons, Washi & star from my stash, Elle's Studio flags, Fancy Pants sticker

Layout 8 I love you always:

Ian took this photo of me having cuddles with my niece 

Cardstock: Bazzil

Papers: Crate Paper Close Knit, a scrap of Amy Tangerine Ready, Set, Go

Cut a parts: Close Knit

Doily from my stash

So those were all the layouts I made over the weekend, kick starting my 30 layout challenge. Since I have come home I have finished another two layouts taking my total up to 10. I'm a third of the way there! 

Meadow Barn Layouts: Part 1

It's Wednesday, two days since I came home from Meadow Barn (sob), my stash is somewhat unpacked so I thought I would start to show you the layouts I made over weekend. I have now started my 30 layout challenge and got off to a good start with the final total being 8 layouts completed (only 22 to go eek!) So without further ado: 

Layout 1 The Littlest Pumpkin:

This photo was taken when my niece was a week old in the newborn size Halloween outfit my brother & SIL had brought her. As she was small at birth it was HUGE on her lol! 

Papers: Crate Paper Close Knit, Amy Tangerine Ready, Set, Go

Alphas: Alison Kreft Recorded

Embellishments: all from the Handmade Quirky Kit

Layout 2 Tummy Time: 

This layout is also for Sketchy Scrappers. Sandra set this months sketch with a colour combo option

For this layout I used the Carta Bella Hello Again collection as it had pink & green tones similar to the combo and it matched this photo of my niece having tummy time perfectly. 

Papers & stickers : Carta Bella Hello Again

Alphas: American Crafts Thickers

Twine: MME Lime Twist

Layout 3 Cutie:

Papers: Crate Paper Close Knit

Alphas: Alison Kreft Recorded

Cut a parts: MME & Elle's Studio

Doilys & Washi from my stash 

Layout 4 Looking Like Autumn

I put my hands up and admit when I received the Handmade Kit back in September and saw the Autumn wood veneer I purposely went out and took this photo to use it lol! 

Papers: Crate Paper Close Knit, Amy Tangerine Ready, Set, Go

Alphas & Stickers: Alison Kreft Recorded

Wood Veneer: from a Quirky Kit

Washi tape: from my stash 

Greetings from Meadow Barn

This blog post comes to you from sunny Herefordshire as it is Meadow Barn time again, a time for chatting, laughing, scrapping and cake! 

We arrived yesterday afternoon and started scrapping straightaway, well I needed to if I wanted to get a good start to my 30 layout challenge I've set myself. I was up until the early hours of this morning, had a few hours shut eye and then carried on again over breakfast. 

I have also managed to catch up on the 52 Cards Challenge. Last weeks prompt was to draw inspiration from this picture 

I have to say I struggled with this prompt as I havnt really got anything which matches the colour scheme. However after doing a layout using the Carta Bella Hello Again collection I thought the colours were not too dissimilar so decided to use the collection to make this card

I LOVE this chevron paper! The tag is from the collection sticker sheet popped up on foam tape. The Washi tape is from a new set Gemma had picked up for me from TK Maxx. 

This weeks challenge was to use wood, plastic and stickers. I brought some of the Studio Calico wood veneer stars sometime ago and have been seriously hoarding them! But I decided to finally use them and made this card

The paper is from the Close Knit collection which again Gemma had been holding for me. The sticker is from the Hello Again collection again. For the plastic element I added some star sequins from an old kit. Anyway back to the scrapping and cake! Xx

Introducing Amelie-Rose: My Creative Sketches Challenge

As some of you know I became a first time proper auntie (I'm auntie to my friends children but they are not family) back in October to Amelie-Rose. I'm starting to collect a few photos of her now and thought it was time to give her her first scrapbook page. I also wanted to have a go at entering my first My Creative Sketches challenge so without further ado here is February's sketch

I decided to rotate the sketch to accommodate a portrait photo which I then chopped down to a 4x4 square photo. This is the layout I made

The majority of the papers are scraps from my scraps bag, the MME butterfly paper in particular has been in there for ages and is a section of fancy edged paper. The only paper which was a new sheet I cut into is the aqua spot paper which is from Pebbles Front Porch. 

The embellishment cluster below the photo is made up of an Elle's Studio tag, a doily cut in half with the other half being at the top of the page, a flower I received in a grab bag sometime ago, a chipboard butterfly I painted with Picked Raspberry Distress Paint, and a Fancy Pants sticker. 

The top cluster is made up of the second half of the doily and arrows cut from a scrap of Dear Lizzy paper. I finished up by adding some spots of pink Mister Huey's.