Scrapology Card Challenge

Now, I am not much of a card maker - I will occasionally make one for a good friend - I am much more a scrapbooker. However, when Lynn from Scrapology contacted me and asked if I would like to be a Guest Designer for their Card Challenge I decided to have a go!

The challenge this month is a sketch, which as you will know I do enjoy working from.

So, here is my contribution!

You + Me = Happy

I was so thrilled, and surprised, to be asked to be a guest designer for Scrapology for June.

In addition to that, they have decided to make this month their very first blog hop. You should have arrived here from Jill's blog - A Calendar of Colours - see the post titled 'The Little Things in Life'blog, if not please return to the Scrapology blog to begin.

I have had great fun designing my page, using this sketch:

and this layout by Cindy Tobey:

The technique for June is 'M for Machine Stitching', so out came my trusty sewing machine.

The photos are really old - from when we got engaged lol! I scanned them in and then turned them sepia as I felt they went with the papers a lot better like that. I had fun with my sewing machine - to tell the truth I am not that good with it, but I lightly pencilled in what I wanted to sew and then very slowly machined over the lines.

These hearts were extremely hard to do! I ended up taking my foot off the pedal and actually turning the knob on the side of the machine with one hand whilst manipulating the paper with the other!

I find it easiest to machine the strips of paper before attaching them to the layout, if the layout allows. I did that for the strip at the top, the photo mount and the strip at the bottom.

I will let you in on a secret - I didn't intend to use the pearls, but had a little accident with some glue and ended up with spots on the paper. I dug through my stash, found these pearls that co-ordinate and scattered them on. I was then really pleased with the result!

So, do pop on over to Scrapology to see my layout in full and what the other designers have come up with. Why not have a go at the sketch and technique yourself and enter their competition?

Don't forget that if you would like to take part in the blog candy hop leave a comment, follow this blog, and then proceed to Deirdre's Blog - A Pair of Ruby Martins - and see the post titled 'Best of Friends' to continue.

Scrapology's April Challenge

The challenge over at Scrapology this month is 'B is for bunting' and to use this sketch:

I am really enjoying the challenges on the Scrapology blog, so having a bit of free time this weekend I grabbed a Sarah's Card kit and got to work with another photo from Prague (I think I have nearly done enough of those now!).

I was really pleased with the finished layout. I made the bunting using a postcard we bought in Prague. It had little pictures on it which I cut out and then layed upon some butcher's twine. Not traditional bunting, but I like the effect of it.

The flowers were made with the Tim Holtz rosette die, which I bought at Ally Pally last weekend. This was the first time I have used it on a layout and I liked the effect. I have included some Russian dolls as everywhere we went we saw them in the shops. In fact I bought a lovely little keyring with one on for myself and for my friends. I am trying to put either a Russian Doll or a little wooden charm of Prague on each layout.

These little buildings were on small pegs, which I cut off the back and then glued onto the layout. Hugh spotted them for me in one of the souvenir shops - he is really good at looking for things for scrapbooking for me :)

M is for multiple photos

The Scrapology challenge for December was 'M is for multiple photos'. Although it is now March I decided to give it a go! I really enjoyed completing this layout and used some more of one of my Sarah's Cards kits - I think the November one, which had lots of lovely autumny (is that a word?) colours to go with my photos.

 It does feel strange scrapping autumn and winter photos when the weather is so lovely and it is warm outside! The blossom in Essex is wonderful at the moment. Penny went to Billericay today and stopped on the way to take photos so that I could scrap them - my family are wonderful and very accommodating to my hobby :)

The next layout is not a scraplift, nor is it from a sketch - gasp! I have started on an album for our trip to Prague. I have so many photos to scrap it is going to be hard choosing which ones to use. This is the layout for the first page.

When we had our Starbucks coffees at Stansted Hugh looked at me in amazement (for all of about 5 seconds) as I took the wrapper off the cups and put them in my handbag. It was very early in the morning and that was Hugh's excuse as to why it took him a short while to catch on to what I was doing! He is usually very quick and sometimes thinks of saving mementoes before I do! In fact, as soon as we were on the plane he gave me his boarding card stub!

D is for Double Page Layout

I've been looking at old challenges on the Scrapology website and the one for January was a sketch for a double page layout. Now, this is something I very rarely do! I decided to take the rest of the photos I had from our Children in Need day and use them for this layout. It really was a challenge for me to do a double page spread!

When I had finished it I felt it really needed something just to complete it and Hugh came up with the idea of the Pudsey Bears. I found some good images on the computer and printed them onto card, cut them out and used foam tape to raise them off the page a bit.

The stars lacey paper was one I had had in my stash for about 3 years and so I decided I could use some more up. I've still got some left though!

I've printed off the details of the December 2010 challenge and will be having a go at that next, but probably not next weekend as I have my photography course to attend on Saturday and then on Sunday we are getting together with my side of the family to celebrate my Mum's birthday.

Scrapology Again!

Having only recently discovered Scrapology I am now hooked! I love their March challenge and spent the weekend working on this:

The photo is one I found recently in my box of 'memories'. I have a box under my bed where I put all my Valentines cards from Hugh, birthday cards from him and the children and all my mother's day cards. I also have other bits and pieces that are precious to me. Penny and I were having a look through the box and I found a letter from Hugh's late Cousin Betty de St Paer-Hasapopolous(!) who lived in the States. She came and stayed with us a few times and I used to write to her regularly and send her photos. About three years ago I received an envelope in the post from her and inside were all the letters I had ever written to her, and a load of photos. She had sent them to me as she was becoming frail and infirm and said that she wanted them to go to a good home before she passed away as she didn't want them to get thrown out.

Most of the photos were those I had sent her of the children growing up, but also enclosed was this photo. The gentleman in the middle is Hugh's great grandfather, Louis Emile de St Paer, who was also Betty's uncle. The ladies either side are Hugh's Granny and his Aunt Louise. I never met Hugh's Granny or Aunt Louise, but on my wedding day Hugh's Father gave me a wonderful silver bangle which had belonged to Aunt Louise, so I feel I have a strong link with her. Hugh remembers her well as a wonderful lady with loads of spirit and love of life. Hugh's Granny married a Mr Gotch and they double barrelled their surnames, which is how my surname has ended up as de St.Paer-Gotch, which is nice as it is unusual, but also a pain when it comes to filling in forms or having to spell it out over the phone!

Anyway, back to Scrapology! If you haven't had a look at their site do pop on over. I am going to have a look at their past challenges and have a go at them too.