What Housework? | Simple Stories

My friend Nicky and I started a local crop around 7 years ago (I think). The group is called What Housework? Let's face it. We'd all rather be crafting!

When I saw the Domestic Bliss collection from Simple Stories I fell in love with the cute little icons. But Domestic Goddess I am not! So here's my little take on being domestic - playing with die-cuts and embellishments :)

I love this colour combo - Coral, Navy Blue, Green, Teals and a little lemon.

Who would ever think you would put a hoover on your layout?!

I'd only got a couple of sheets of paper (wish I'd have bought more), so I added in some B sides from Posh collection.

With laundry looking this good I might need more photos.

Credits: Domestic Bliss, Posh - Simple Stories (I bought mine from Funky Farm Scrapbook Barn). Flair: Stash Panache

Thanks for popping by.

Busch Gardens Love

It seems such a long time ago now, but we went to Florida in February. One of my favourite days was the day we went to Busch Gardens. For me, it always feels a little more relaxed than Disney although to be fair, it is still a lot of walking between rides. I just love the gardens bit and all the animals though.

This guy with the parrots was just hanging out on our way to a ride. The birds were truly stunning! And my little dolphin trainer in the making is always keen to get up close to any animal she sees.

I've used a mixture of Basic Grey goodies from various collections and a little My Mind's Eye thrown in. The speech bubble is something I designed on the Silhouette.

That totally awesome button is from the Just Chillin' collection which is one of my favourites from the past few months.

The fun little zip detail added a nice bit of texture. I just love the 'film strip' acetate (Basic Grey).

Thanks for popping in!

Scrap365 Blog Party Starts Today!

The week-long blog party starts today on the Scrap365 blog with giveaways all week!

But before you go, I thought I would share some inspiration with you.

I did this layout at our crop on Sunday - one of those rare occasions where I have started and finished a layout at a crop!

I love the combination of these arrows and Boutique Buttons to make a title.

 

This buttons is from the To the Point set (just loving these).

Papers and die-cuts are all Pink Paislee.

A button from Day to Day

I tucked in various tags into a pocket behind my photo mat. I borrowed some stamps (Studio Calico?) to decorate the them.

Boutique buttons are available in sets of eight buttons complete with reusable packaging. You can see the full range here and stockists in the side bar >

Thanks for popping in.

Guest Layout and New Buttons!

I am almost keeping up with one of my new year's resolutions - blogging more frequently. Ha! Who said that I couldn't do it?!

Firstly, I will share some gorgeous layouts from Riikka Kovasin who has been a busy bee in December not only scrapping but pulling together inspiration from around the world with guest artists. Go check out Riikka's blog for her own inspiration and scroll back to see projects from all over!

Boutique Button: The Great Outdoors

Boutique Button: The Snap! Decision

Boutique Button: The Happy Traveller

I love the variety and texture that Riikka gets on her layouts.

Onto new designs. I have just finished two brand new sets that will be available in stores soon. 

Arrows are such big news at the moment and I continue to adore those pointy hands. This set is a mix of fresh blue, lemon and lime with a splash of red. 

And for all you guys doing Project Life or even if you don't, this daily set adds a great touch to a page when you don't know what to say! Mainly pastel colours with a splash of red, orange and yellow to brighten your day!

I hope that you like the new designs. There are plenty more in the pipeline. I am also sponsoring a prize on Scrap365's Blog party so look out for some ways to win some of your own!

Thanks for stopping by. 

Rockin' Christmas

Phew! Are the Christmas preparations as manic for you as there are here?  It's a busy ol' time for us all at this time of year, but crafting is a great escape from all the hustle and bustle.

Riikka Kovasin has been hosting a fabulous craft advent this month with posts from amazing designers around the world. I shared one of my favourite Christmas projects with Riikka which you can check out here.

My lil' robin was made from a polystyrene egg and covered with hundreds of punched hearts.

The girls at the Solihull crop will testify to me punching and punching and punching! LOL.

 

I decorated the base with a little postbox for the robin to post his Christmas cards - you can see his letters and parcels in the picture below.

 

Fly on over to Riikka's blog for more details and check out my giveaway.

 

I am giving away two sets of buttons on Riikka's blog - check out the details here.

 

Good luck!

Only 7 more sleeps....

Welcome to the Party!

Today, I'm joining in on the Papercraft Inspirations Blog Party and sharing a simple technique that can be used on scrapbook pages, mini books and cards. I will show you how to create a simple spinner journal card that add a lovely interactive touch to your pages.

For my page, the journal spinner is a fun way to document the characteristics of my DD. You can simply turn the spinner to reveal a new trait. Here is how I made it:

Firstly, die-cut or cut out your circles. My patterned paper was a little thin, so I cut out and additional cardstock circle for the back of the polka dots. I also cut out an additional circle from scrap paper.

Glue the polka dot paper to the cardstock. Using the scrap paper circle, fold this in half and half again to create a quarter. Align this over the polka dot paper as an easy way to find the centre of the circle. Pierce the centre ready for later.

Fold your scrap circle in half again to get a wedge (one eighth). We'll use this as a template to cut out the window. Flip over the patterned circle. Now mark around your paper wedge as shown. I used a Nestability die to give me a nice edge around the outside, but if you hand cut your circle, then try using your scrap circle as a template.

Now cut out the window just inside of your markings as shown.

Now place your top circle over the remaining bottom circle and set a brad through the middle. Just move the window around and write in your journal word. I used simple one-word descriptions, but you could have other fun words or stickers. These spinners are great on cards too.

To complete the layout, I trimmed down the main paper to 9 1/2" wide and added patterned papers strips to either side. Add on stickers or punched borders along the joins for extra interest.

Layer lots of patterned papers and scraps in the middle of the layout. 

I like to tuck in tags behind my photos for the journaling.

The title was created on a Silhouette, but you could always use letter stickers and a hand cut arrow instead.

Finally add little details such as the journal tags and of course a Boutique Button. These buttons are a fab way to add a finishing touch to a page. I like to glue mine directly on to the page so they're nice and flat and secure. This button is from The Sn@p Decision collection.

The Boutique Buttons have been designed to versatile and co-ordinate with lots of different papers and styles. This buttons is from The Daily Grind collection.

If you would like to win some buttons hop on over to the Papercraft Inspirations Blog Party where I'm giving away 2 sets to 3 lucky winners!

If you are not lucky enough to win a set then why not visit one of the stockists (see the right hand panel).

Thanks for popping in today. I hope that you will pop back again soon or pop in and say hi on my Facebook page.

Morag x