Scrap Around the World Guest

I am joining the rest of the Scrap365 team as guest on a great challenge blog, Scrap Around the World.

Our inspiration for the challenge;

Now I have to start off by saying my photo of the layout is pants. I have tried to get a great shot of it but I'm white challenged!

What you can't see from my photos is the sparkle!

I used a yellow chalk ink through the stencil and then coated it with a very sparkly 'Wink of Stella'. It really glistens in the light.

 I adore these colours - perfect for spring.

Of course the balloons in the original mood board were a perfect fit for my photo. I also sprinkled on gold embossing poweder here and there for more sparkle.

I hope that you will pop over to the challenge and join in the fun - I really enjoyed it!

Charity Crop Success!

If you've popped in recently you will know that I was organising a crop in aid of the charity that I work for; The COB Foundation.

Well the day was fabulous - great to see people so many people from so many different places! We raised a whopping £764! I'm so pleased for COB as it struggles to raise money because let's face it, no one wants to talk about bladders! (If you don't know what I'm talking about, hop on over to the COB Foundation website).

Jackie Ashton taught the first class of the day. I love the idea of making a patchwork background. The layout also featured a fab little mini-book for more photos or journaling.

The second class of the day was by Julie Taylor. I love all the tags and different border punches in Julie's class.

Both layouts were really versatile and suited so many different types of photograph.

Bonus Kit Mini Album

Although I didn't teach on the day so I could run around like a headless chicken, I did make a mini-book from an extra kit. The album features lots of flaps and pockets and the pages are stepped so you can see the fabulous colours and flags from the front.

The kit is complete with instructions, unique embellishments (designed and made by moi) and everything you need to make a fab album.

I have just a few extra kits available for just £15. If you are interested then please email me - cropkat@gmail.com and I can send you all the details.  All proceeds will go to the COB Foundation.

Thank you to all of you who supported the event - you have done a wonderful thing!

Playing with Prima for Scrap365 Magazine

Lucky me got to play with Prima's Something Blue collection kit last month. I adore the collection's wonderful mix of flowers and shabby-chic images mixed in with modern and vintage details. Being as spring is my favourite time of year because of the beautiful spring flowers and blossom, it's perfect inspiration for layouts.

Circles are a favourite feature on my layouts - they're perfect for focusing your attention on your photo and embellishments. A double mat layer adds a touch of luxury.

The base paper features a lightly drawn frame which I cut here and there to add more detail. Crumpling the corner you can see here means that I could tuck a journal card underneath. The best way to get a good crumple is to lightly spray the paper first with water, crumple and allow to dry naturally.

I love to reveal the papers below the base - it's a great place for more flowers. I dyed some muslin to add more texture before layering flowers and leaves.I pulled apart a little twine which makes great tendrils. 

In this layout, I went for a more linear approach, layering up the edges of the page with punched borders and distressed edges. By using strips of paper, a little goes a long way!

I love inks but I have to use them in a very confined manner! I opted for a little stenciling and stamping in soft Victorian Velvet Distress Ink. Adding stamped layers helps to add depth without bulk.

Simple strips of paper make wonderful banners. I created my own vellum feather. Cut out a simple leaf shape and glue a small length of twine down the centre. Then snip towards the centre to make a feather!

I hope that you enjoy playing with Something Blue as much as I do. 

Don't forget to check out Scrap365 blog for daily inspiration - *sigh*.

Thanks for stopping by.