The sweetest dog ever...

So I finally summoned enough courage to download and scrap photographs of my dog Chandler [taken 4 days before he went to doggy heaven :(].....Yeah...I was in denial for a while..he was the sweetest dog ever. 

I was inspired by the challenge at Scrap it with a Song and the combined challenges of OUAS +CSI.

My evidence:  birds, flowers,  newsprint pattern, dog accent, misting.

My testimony: Document a pet. 

Supplies: Echo Park patterned papers, Crafter's Workshop templates, Prima template, canvas letters and paper bloom, Maya mists and wood embellishment, Golden fiber paste, Karen Foster dog stickers, SRM sticker sentiment, birdcage cut with Cricut, brads, ribbon, lace, button, twine, white pen.

P/s: Some reminders:

1. This is the last weekend to play along with LESSology Challenge #18: It's a Wrap! :)
2. Don't forget about my guest Colleen's shabby chic challenge which ends next Friday.
3. Have a fabulous weekend friends! :)

*Edited* This layout made Top 3 at Scrap It with a Song!

How to choose the "right" photos for your layouts.

My photos are not perfect. Sometimes I don't even manage to capture that unforgettable moment because I was busy savouring it instead of fiddling with my camera. I take a quick shot after the moment [Okay it could be days after the moment...same place, still counts! *LOL*] to use it to support the wonderful story of that amazing moment. Most of the time I make do with what I have captured and try to creatively weave my story with clever crops/editing/cover-ups. *winks*

Here are 5 suggestions on how to choose the "right" photos for your layouts.




1. Put together a series of "in-action" shots.

So my niece got some pretty hand-me-downs from her cousin and my intention was to do a fashion shoot type spread [Okay....so I'm the idealistic aunt who initially thought I could "direct" a 9 month old.]. It ended up being a series of funny expressions instead. Still fun. And still showcased the pretty hand-me-downs. :)



2. Play up a blurred shot.

Sometimes when all you have is ONE blurry shot, consider making it black and white [a lot more forgiving] and play with filters and shadows to make the most of the photo. My sister and I were at Universal Studios and were evidently more interested in playing than posing for the perfect shot. *LOL* So, I crop the photo close and wrote some of my journaling on a dark spot in the photo. And then embellished like crazy around the photo in bright colours. Were you distracted? :)




3. Have fun with consecutive customary pose shots.

In most celebrations, there's the customary [read: cheesy] pose shots where not everybody is looking at the camera at the same time [someone blinks, someone's mouth is wide open etc]. Personally I like to include consecutive shots and play up one almost perfect shot. Here, the nephews were woken up at 6.30am in the morning to cut their grandpa's birthday cake.... I used 2 black and white photos and 2 coloured photos to create interest. And added those cute ducks as distraction too! *LOL*


 

4. Make the cropping seem intentional.

I was laughing so hard when taking shots of my nephews playing with the yam plants that I didn't take full shots of the plants they were posing with. So I made the photo the focal point and created a whole scene around it. Notice that the scarecrow is wearing green...yeah...I can be sneaky...*winks*

5. Use composite shots to tell your story.

So my intention was to take shots of my nephew and niece posing with their grandma but I couldn't get everybody to cooperate. So I ended up using composite shots taken throughout the day to help tell my story.

There you have it. 5 ways to choose the "right" photos for your layouts. What do you think? What other tips do you have?

Shopping is really hard work...*LOL*

I confess. Whenever I go on a trip, I don't count calories. I just eat what I want. :)
There's nothing I like more than hot chocolate and a red velvet cupcake.
Especially after doing really hard work. Like shopping. *High fives all around*

I love map paper. This was scanned and printed on kraft paper [my travel pages are all 8.5x11]. Playing along with the challenge at Skissedilla.

Supplies: Bo Bunny patterned papers, Imaginisce road trip embellishment, Balzer Designs stamps, Jenni Bowlin letter stickers, brown pen, tag, twine, map printed on kraft, ribbon, car brad.

P/s: Come play along with my guest Colleen's shabby chic challenge! :)

*Edited* I made Top 3 over at Skissedilla! :)

Howdy friends! :)

 

 Howdy friends! It's time for another Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps challenge! :)

It's a Western challenge! I coloured my Cowgirl Chloe with Copics and paper-pieced her hat and top.  I then fussy-cut her out and matted her on a piece of leather. 

Supplies: Echo Park patterned papers, Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps image, Copics, SRM sticker, Jenni Bowlin pearls, Heidi Swapp clear stars, Fiskars edge punch, leather, corner rounder.

When J was king for a day...

So littlest nephew J got to stay over last weekend. He was napping when his parents left for a dinner party. It happens when you have 4 kids like my brother does. They decided to proceed with the 3 that were awake! *LOL*

Oh well, he enjoyed being king for a day since he didn't get picked up till dinner time the next day. 

I was inspired by the sketch at Stuck!

Supplies: Echo Park patterned papers and stickers, Crafter's Workshop template, American Crafts thickers, Maya mists, Daley Rowney texture paste, plastic hand paper clip, buttons, ribbon, brown pen.

P/s: Day 1 of the Let's Get Trendy Now!2 workshop starts today! Are you joining in the fun? :)

*Edited* This layout made Honourable Mention over at Stuck! :)

A sweet card to end the week! :)

Hello there friends! How about a sweet card to end the week? I was inspired by the Gallon/Quart/Pint challenge at Moxie Fab World. [Love that neutrals don't count! *LOL*]

Some Graphic 45 paper scraps, fussy-cut blooms topped with Ranger stickles in rock candy for a sparkling glass finish, ribbon, trim and tulle. 

Supplies: Graphic 45 patterned papers, Ranger stickles in rock candy, SRM sticker, ribbon, trim, tulle, corner rounder.

P/s: Some reminders:

1. Sign up for the FREE Let's Get Trendy Now!2 workshop. It starts next week.
2. If shabby chic is so your style, come play along with my guest Colleen's challenge.
3. LESSology is celebrating her birthday this month...come play along with LESSology Challenge #18: It's a Wrap!, enter our random giveaway to win 2 sets of Lawn Fawn stamps and download our FREE e-book featuring 14 awesome gift-wrapping ideas! :)

Happy weekend friends! :)

When nephew #2 got to choose his own photo...

So nephew #2 got to choose his own photo for his canvas and this was the one he chose. *LOL* 

Lots of fun with the textures here. I put all the paint colours on at the same time, then did a dabbing action with a rag. When that dried, I added some fiber paste with a chevron template. Then went over it with the same rag. I finished with some lace and ribbon, fussy cut October Afternoon creatures and some clay embellishments. :)

P/s: Come play along with my guest Colleen's challenge! :) And don't forget to sign up for the Let's Get Trendy Now!2 Workshop! :)

I am a sucker for cute stuff.

While looking for a place to lunch in Geelong, I spotted the cutest pig in cool shades from afar and decided that I was going to dine there! *LOL*

Okay, I'm a total sucker for cute stuff. I snagged a napkin which I cut up and used on the layout.  *LOL* I enclosed the name of the cafe in plastic packaging material and then filled it up with liquid embossing for my very own handmade embellishment. :)

I was inspired by the combined challenges at OUAS + CSI.

My evidence:
Use packaging, buttons, circles

My testimony:
Handwrite, break your journaling across several spots.

Supplies: Crafter's Workshop template, Maya mists, Balzer Designs stamp, EK Success letter stickers, buttons, napkin, packaging, liquid embossing, ribbon, white pen, black pen, corner rounder.

P/s: Have you signed up for the Let's Get Trendy Now!2 Workshop?

So this is the secret project I have been working on...will you come join in the fun?

Hello there friends! This is the secret project I've been working on! :)

We [me + blog pals Amy Tsuruta & Julie Tucker-Wolek = cool stuff galore!] had so much fun in the first workshop back in May that we decided that we needed a Let's Get Trendy Now! 2 workshop. It is our way of thanking you for your tremendous support on each of our blogs.

sneak peek at my projects for the workshop

This time we are covering washi tape, household supplies, stencils, punches/diecuts and hexagons! :)

You will receive an email with a PDF attachment of 3 brand-new projects showcasing a trend [a card, a layout and an altered item] each day plus a link to a private blog where we will share our tips and tricks. You can upload your inspired projects to our Flickr group and we will pick some winners to win RAKs! Doesn't it sound fun? Sign up in the form below! [If you are having issues signing up, please leave your name and email in the comments and I will add you to the system manually. Thanks!]

Leave me a comment to let me know that you've signed up! :)

The importance of a fire escape route....

 

When I check into a hotel room, the first thing I do is look behind the door for the nearest fire escape route...[there's a reason why they have it in every room]*LOL* Fire engines can only reach the 7th floor of a building and I'm not prepared to jump [hey, serious fear of heights!].

 And then, I would take a photo of the room [er...before I mark my territory with my stuff...*winks*]....

And a snapshot of the view from the window. :) [Okay it was a much bigger photo...I just really wanted to use the frame!]

I was really inspired by the combined challenge at OUAS + CSI.

My evidence:
Leaves, misting [on tag],  fibers, tone on tone, scatter elements across page

My testimony:
Scatter your journaling, use speech bubble

Supplies: Graphic 45 patterned papers, Craft Affair chipboard numbers, American Crafts chipboard letters, Cosmo Cricket letter stickers, Hero Arts stamp, paper doiley, leaves, brad, washer, brown pen, key embellishment, ribbon, tulle.

Would we end the week without at least one canvas? :)

 

You didn't think we would end the week without at least one canvas did you? *LOL* Afterall, it is my latest obsession. :) I went to the craft supplies store and came out beaming...all I bought were blank canvasses...[It's like getting new shoes - my eh..other obsession! :)]

I love the canvas I made for my niece last week so I made 3 more for the nephews! :) This one features littlest nephew J....my "not-so-secret" fave. *winks*

Supplies: Crafter's Workshop templates, Golden fiber paste, Maya mists, Love Elsie frame, chipboard letter, rub-on, lace, ribbon, deer iron-on, googly eyes, clay embellishments, paint.

P/s: I've been working really hard on a super secret project....just for you! Any guesses on what that might be? [Insert dramatic music] What's that? You want a clue? Hmmmm, okay...here's a very big clue...it involves chicks. Are you excited yet???? Happy weekend friends!

Meeting a bloggy pal in Melbourne...

During my recent trip to Melbourne, I had the chance to meet up with my bloggy pal Lynnda Hosni of ArtyScrappy. :) 

We had lunch at a lovely patisserie...We had lots to talk about since we grew up in the same country. :)

A little Crafter's Workshop template and fiber paste Chevron action, stamping on an ice-cream stick [Yes, we eat a lot of ice-cream here!], pull-out tag with hidden journaling [Hehe...not telling you what we chatted about...*LOL*]

I was inspired by the sketch at Creative Scrappers. Also entering it for the challenge at Frosted Designs - I took the photo of the patisserie with my iPhone.

Supplies: Bo Bunny patterned papers, American Crafts chipboard letter, Maya mist (for chipboard), Jenni Bowlin letter stickers, Fontweks and Balzer Designs stamps, Crafter's Workshop template, Golden fiber paste, MT tape, tag, twine, brads, ribbon, black pen, spiral paper clip, circle punch.

P/s: Come join in the anniversary celebrations over at LESSology - we just turned ONE! :)

Spreading a little sunshine....*winks*

You know what it's like when you come home from a country with a climate totally different from yours? Weather envy. Seriously. Even though it was freezing in Melbourne [okay it was 5 °C with strong wind...I'm used to 34°C with humidity..lol], it was nice to walk in the sunshine without breaking out in sweat! *LOL*

Speaking of sunshine, the new challenge at Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps is up...

Supplies: Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps image - Suitcase Ruby, Copics, Maya mist, Ranger Stickles,  My Mind's Eye trim, brad, button, paper blooms.

And now I'm spreading a little sunshine to one of my blog readers! *winks* Last week, I sneaked a surprise giveaway in one of my posts [just to see if you were paying attention..*LOL*]. It was really fun reading comments from people who actually read the small print...hehe..I can be sneaky at times! *winks* Maybe a few more surprises this month?

Congratulations Cindy deRosier! You are the winner of a personalized canvas! Please email me with your mailing details! :)