123 Challenge Blog - June 2020

Love love loved this months colours - and I enjoyed the title too. If you haven't already done so please pop over to the Facebook site and follow their challenges each month - its a really lovely friendly group of crafters' and I always love to enter. You'll find them here at Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/545504716253306

Lots of pretty pearls ... my favourite embellishment (next to sparkle) and an assortment of lovely Prima flowers from my huge stash.

 The butterflies are part of a collection I purchased at the Reject shop of all places - a really nice quality acetate.

I retired from 35 years in the Defence force three years ago and one of my biggest dreams was to have a little craft studio where I could leave my messes out and work on several things at once. Thanks to IKEA and a wonderful local builder my dream came true.

Hope you like my layout - I loved making it .... Blessings Delsie

White with 1 - June 2020 (Whisper White)

I really loved the white on white challenge. I had a lovely photo of my daughter in law Jade and I thought it perfect to scrap with the white.  I used my favourite Couture Creations cardstock as a base and used the same for the handmade flowers.  There are just SO MANY 'whites' I didn't want to risk there being a shade difference when the flowers were placed next to the photo.

 
Of course after the challenge of trying to use very white paste for your stencil, and trying to keep the title unobtrusive you face the ultimate challenge .... TRY TO TAKE A PHOTO!!!

Well I persevered and I'm happy with the result.  The 210gsm was perfect for making the flowers ... once dry they have held their shape really well.

I hope I've managed to inspire someone ... Look forward to next month.  Blessings ... Delsie

Scrap the Girls - June 2020

Its been a particularly hectic month - consequently I haven't had as much time as I'd have liked to scrapbook.  Things have settled now so here is my entry for this months Scrap the Girls. It's a sketch challenge ... this type of competition always brings out my OCD tendencies but I've allowed myself a little artistic licence (most unusual for me).

I've used a particularly loved recent photo of my eldest girl Alison who headed off overseas just a few days ago for six months military service.  Very proud of her continuing the family traditions but I confess I worry about her and the dangerous environment she will be operating in. My beautiful grand-daughters are already missing their Mum.

I always had a love affair with Prima hydrangea petals - I was actually in Canada when they launched their very first product - those lovely round five inch tins of petals in 5 colours. Its amazing to see how far they have come.  I'm also a huge LaLa Land dies fan - They have the most gorgeous dies and I use them often (especially in my card making) 

Anyway - here is my layout - I hope you like it and it perhaps provides a little inspiration to someone.  It's a very simple layout - but I did enjoy doing it.  Blessings ... Delsie xx

Friday Night Live - May 2020

One of my favorite pursuits involving scrapbooking is the Friday Night Live challenge conducted in a Facebook forum once a month.  A page map is posted at 8pm and participants have two hours to complete a page based on the map, photograph and upload their entry .... and chat together with other online participants.  A peer vote decides the nights winner and a small gift is posted out.  It’s a lovely idea and great fun.

I confess I occasionally need to add a little more ‘fussy stuff’ after the final bell is sounded so my entry is sometimes not as polished as I’d like. I spent 20 minutes this morning adding a little more tizz.

Here’s my entry for this months challenge. It was great fun ... perhaps if you’re reading this you might care to try next month. I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself.

Thanks for stopping by .... Delsie xx

123 Challenge Blog - May 2020

WOW .... was feeling very challenged this month with the colours to be used.  123 Challenge Blog provided its usual challenge of sketch, colours and title - which I really enjoy. However I wasn't going to let it get the better of me so here is my creation.  The black, white and grey proved an interesting palette - and I had to dive deep into my stash to locate some petals and pieces to create my flowers ... then I added a few white velvet leaves.

Another photo featuring my beautiful elder daughter Ali - this was taken in Idaho on her last visit (with her best friend Camille).

I've used a lovely piece of printed cardstock from the 'Awakening' collection by Piatek Trzynastego. I loved the soft grey leaves as a background. Then lots of little scraps of black/grey prints. I also found an old Prima bling packet with a perfect colour combination.

I've managed to collect a nice stash of vellum stickers - in this case an antique clock  They are terrific on the page - very smooth and nearly always totally invisible at the seams. I did lots of double matting too - I like the sturdy finish it gives my pages.

Thank you for stopping by - Blessings Delsie xx

Scrap the Girls - April 2020

Well I confess I`ve moved way out of my comfort zone this month for the Scrap the Girls challenge. Very daring colours and odd layout idea (for me). The task was to scrap `adventure` and dig out our holiday photos.  The photo in this layout was taken during a cruise with my dear friend Heather. We had a wonderful time cruising around the south pacific. 

I found this wonderful piece of canvas cardstock - the colours and texture are amazing (sadly my photography is not great!!) and it seemed to scream at me to give it a try.  In the same collection I used a piece of 'shiny' coated retro print that cut up well into leaves.  A little pink and purple bling and ... one completed layout.

I've added a couple of close ups - its really hard to appreciate what beautiful paper it was.Hope you enjoyed the page - thank you for stopping by ..... Blessings Delsie xx

Let’s Get Sketchy - April 2020 Challenge

Lots of fun this month ... I seem to have been accident prone to the point of madness.  I completed a lovely page for the challenge only to spill a can of soft drink all over it.  It was beyond recovery. So I decided to dig out a large box of half finished projects to see what I could find. I actually started this one several years ago. It seemed to fit the criteria very well and I spent some hours finishing it and assembling all the loose parts. Let’s Get Sketchy provided a fun page map to interpret. I’ve used my favourite combination of flowers and bling.

I dug out my Martha Stewart circle punch to make a lovely doily and gussied up some chipboard.

I utilised some old K&Coy papers - a few pieces of metal and my usual assortment of bling.

Thank you for stopping by - I hope I’ve inspired you in some small way. 

Blessings ... Delsie xx

123 Challenge Blog - April 2020

Had a lovely weekend and took the time to enter this months 123 CHALLENGE BLOG. unlike lots of challenges out there this group is very prescriptive.  They provide three colors, the title and a page map.  It makes to think hard and go searching through your stash to find the perfect pieces.  Here’s the guidelines for this month.

I struggled a little initially finding the necessary shades that worked together but I do have a huge stash to look through so I knew I’d locate bits eventually.

Here’s my page ... used an enlargement of a recent photo of my elder daughter Alison. She’s a nurse and currently battling the Coronavirus outbreak on the front line as an emergency nurse. 


It’s hard not to worry when she’s in close contact with patients and then goes home to her own three daughters. It’s not the best photo .... the color seems to have leached out a little but I guess you can get the general idea.

I hope you like my page ... I certainly enjoyed playing along in the challenge - I’m already looking forward to May.

Blessings ..... Delsie xx

White with 1 Challenge - April 2020

Continuing to enjoy my retirement and the ability to scrapbook as much as I like.  This new post is for White with 1 using a sketch and the color Lime Chaser.  I pondered which pictures to use and settled on my two beautiful fur babies Millie and Rose.

I spent some time using my maths skills to divide up the area with the patchwork section and then decided to add to my idea by double matting the pieces. Happy to say it appears to have worked well and I’m quite pleased with the effect - it’s added some nice dimension to the layout and I  think inking the edges gave it a nice finish (Distress ink - tattered rose).

Here’s my page: this first angled shot provides a better view of the various dimensional elements.

I hope you like my interpretation .... I look forward to next month,

Blessings ... Delsie xx

Let’s Get Sketchy March Challenge

EDIT:  Excited to announce I won the March challenge and have been invited to participate as Guest Designer for May - very excited.

Another lovely afternoon and evening scrapbooking. I’ve just completed a page for the Let’s Get Sketchy challenge. I tried very hard to keep the three photos in a straight line but I just couldn’t do it.

It was a nice straightforward page map allowing plenty of scope for various styles. Whilst I enjoy clean crisp layouts my first love is always shabby chic.



Here’s my page featuring my elder daughter Alison with her best friend Camille.  The two of them manage to get together every two years .... across an ocean and then several internal flights between Brisbane and Boise Idaho.

I had some fun assembling various petals to create the flowers I wanted. 

I really enjoyed the challenge ... I hope you like my page. 

Blessings ...Delsie xx

Scrap the Girls - March 2020

I’ve had a wonderful afternoon creating a page for the March challenge over at Scrap the Girls. 

The mood board was quite challenging for a girlie bling scrapper like me but I found myself enjoying the experience - my style is definitely getting broader.  It’s an interesting collage .... I couldn’t find any bones to add to my page but I did feel inspired to dig out some metal and feathers.

Here’s my layout ... featuring a lovely ‘selfie’ my elder daughter took of herself.  I enjoyed gathering my supplies. I created some blooms from my huge stash of petals and found a few pretty bits of brick a brac and bling.

I think this angled shot gives a nice view to the texture. 

I’m just loving retirement from the workforce .... my new craft room is heavenly and I look forward to entering this monthly competition. I hope you like this creation ... my daughters lovely photo was an inspiration too.

Blessings .... Delsie xx

White with 1 Challenge - March 2020

After well over a year of packing and unpacking, sorting and tidying I’m finally able to return to my love of papercrafting. What better way than creating an entry for White with 1 (Bubblegum) a colour that screams PINK.

I found a gorgeous photo of my granddaughter Bree having a wonderful conversation with her teddy. It seemed a good place to start .... I’ve added lots of Prima blooms, a little bling and utilised my Martha Stewart punches to provide some interest to the cardstock and glitter paper. 

I’ve always loved the effect of ‘paper lace’ related from punches. 

I dived into my big flower stash to find some petals and create blooms. 

Well I hope you like it ... I know Bree will. One of the fabulous things about being a retired grandmother is you have time to scrap your memories. 

Blessings ... Delsie xx

Flowers ..... !!!

I'm busily trying to get s little organised for my relocation in a few weeks .... so mountains of bottles and jars, packets and boxes are being opened and checked for contents. I knew I had lots of loose petals but I now think I have enough to fill a bath!!  

Consequently I've been experimenting with said petals with a view to creating some embellishments of my own. This is only a first run ..... but I'm quite pleased with the result. I'll post up a page as soon as I've used them. 

Till next time ......... Blessings ..... Delsie

123 Challenge Blog - June 2017

This months challenge at 123 Challenge Blog asked for Colour- White; Word - Love and Technique - Bling. Anyone that knows me knows I LOVE bling. A slight twist on the word love, I've used some cute hugs and kisses with liberally applied Kindi Glitz for added sparkle. I love the way whites makes things pop when you layer them.

 

Lots of pretty white writing on the pale pink background paper offset by crisp white car stock with some rose gold highlights. Love this picture of my Hill Fairies (three grandchildren) they are so very different but so alike (that's the Irish in me 😄). It's a little hard to see all the sparkle .... I've added a close up. 

 

Thank you for stopping by ....... blessings Delsie

Stuck?! Sketches - 15 June Challenge

   This sketch layout looks like a lot of fun.

There are times I feel my old fashioned style has gone out of fashion - but never mind ..... I love it and with four gorgeous granddaughters to scrap what better way to celebrate their timeless beauty. This months second challenge from  Stuck?! Sketches was the perfect opportunity to let my shabby chic out. 

I've used some beautiful Stamperia papers again this month .... I just love the finish they put on their papers - it allows me to spritz, mask and ink without fear of damaging the delightful print pattern. Here is my youngest granddaughter Bree, smiling with excitement as she was a bridesmaid. 

Lots of little bits and pieces (and my beloved Catalina die from Memory Box) to frame the photo. I've hand made the flowers from tissue and white glue and added my usual bling and a few metal embellishments. The edging is done with Martha Stewart punches ..... and inked with Distress Ink Tea dye.

Thank you for stopping by ...... I hope you liked my page.

Stuck?! Sketches Challenge - May 2017

Now I'm settled into my new rental (while the house gets built) I've got loads of time to scrapbook and papercraft.  Couldn't wait to play around with the lovely challenge from Stuck Sketches this month.

Just adore this little girl - one of my honorary 'grand-daughters from Canada.  They don't come much cuter that Miss Ashley.

I've chosen some papers from Kaisercraft's Peek a boo collection and added a little piece of 'green' from an old K&Coy stash.  Flowers from Prima and of course a little bling. I've used a Kaisercraft die for the 'lace' and La La Land stitched circles.

 Thank you for stopping by ..........

White with 1 - April Challenge

Found myself with some time (finally) to enjoy crafting. Roughly six months to go until I move into my new home ..... but I've decided I can't wait (and miss out) on all the fun in the interim.  I've managed to locate enough supplies and tools to keep me busy as I nest in my rental and dream of the studio I've designed to indulge my obsession.

Blue in any shade is a favourite for me .... and this months challenge (Helium Blue) from White with 1 and the accompanying sketch for inspiration was a fun hour.

I've used some old really K and Company paper I found in my search of the storage facility  yesterday. I didn't manage to locate my vacuum or TV but scrapbook boxes popped up immediately. I've added bits and pieces of like coloured stickers, bling and die cuts.  I really love these photos of a much loved 'Niece' from Canada whom I visit as often as I can.  Jesie is such a delight and is growing into a confident and accomplished young lady.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my page - I hope you liked it.

123 CHALLENGE - APRIL 2017

After many months of packing and moving I've finally found the time to enter a scrapping challenge. I've been looking and planning to enter the 123 Challenge Blog for months .... there just always seemed to be so much to organise and arrange with my relocation interstate (not to mention to try and locate some supplies).  This months requirements' were too close to the heart to ignore Colour - Pink ........ Word - Beautiful and of course the Hearts.  So here it is - my beautiful Emi enjoying making mudpies.  She's so little in this photo - hard to believe she's a teenager now.

A little sparkle, some paper flowers mixed with Prima and a few die cuts from vellum.  I've used an old piece of pink gingham cardstock from Wild Asparagus (I loved their papers).  A few punches from Martha Stewart, a little homemade texture paste and here it is.

Whilst I desperately miss my scrap room and all my packed supplies its nice to know you can still get some little treasures at the local discount store.  I can hardly wait for my house to be built and move in. Forget my new kitchen .... I cant wait to unpack the craft supplies :)

Thank you for taking the time to look at my efforts.

ANOTHER LOVELY BOX COMPLETED

I'm definitely on a role now with creating my pretty boxes.  This one I've decorated with Blue Fern Studio paper and added some beads, lace flowers and pearl bling.

I found a lovely pair of brass scissors to hang off the ribbons, along with a heart and a few beads. Once again I've used a set of Tim Holtz feet.

I've used a clear crystal knob (from my stash) and added some medal embellishments to the corners and Kaisercraft metal corner caps.

I've put two thick coats of Modge Podge (lustre finish) to seal the inside.  It will stand up to the rigors of whatever gets put inside.

The pearls are part of an old Prima collection and the chipboard (coloured with Distress Lavender ink) is from Imaginarium.

I really love the way it's turned out.  No time to waste - more gifts to make ....Christmas isn't far away.