More Scrapping

Competed two layouts this weekend for the Red Earth Scrapping October Challenges.

This one is for Susanne's Challenge. We had to use more than 3 photo and a green/pink colour combo.  These photos were taken on Christmas Eve last year.  I keep wanting to scrap them but they just weren't right, then this one came along and they were perfect.
As part of the Australian Girls Choir, Mikala sang at both the opening and closing of the lights of Christmas display at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney.  The opening night was covered on the Channel 10 weather with Tim Bailey.  They were then asked to perform on the last night, Christmas Eve.  The light show on the Cathedral was amazing.  It was good being so close to the girls as they were singing.  Kaitlyn and I were actually making Mikala laugh.

My second layout is for Helen's Sketch Challenge at RES which is also October 1 sketch at Stuck?!  Helen's extra criteria was buttons - have used lots of them.

I love using old photos of the girls - they were so cute.

Thanks for looking and I love reading your comments.

RES

Have also completed Susanne's challenge at Red Earth Scrapping,
We had to create a layout using products or techniques beginning with the letters of  SPRING.  I really enjoyed this one. It really made me think.

All my elements start with:

S - Stamps, sticker alphas, string

P - PP, pink, poppies

R - Rubon letters, ribbon, red

I - Indi girls paper, ink

N - nine buttons

G - glimmer mist (chipboard) Green

I just love these poppies in our garden.

TFL

Scrap the Girls

I haven't completed a Scrap the Girls challenge in absolutely ages.  Wanted to do this theme a couple of months ago for another challenge, but Mikala wouldn't co-operate and her photo taken.  I got her on a good day!!!!!
She has to wear a bow every where at the moment.  She has 12 bows!  Luckily they suite her.

Have used paper clips and a bulldog clip.

TFL

White with 1

Have completed the September White with 1 challenge.  This is Mikala on her 17th birthday with her youngest cousin Liam (5).  I made the cake and Mikala decorated it.

I am not really good at doing pink, even though I have 2 daughters, but I like how this has turned out.

Thanks for Looking.

Red Earth Road Trip

Wow two posts in the one night!!!!
The Red Earth Road Trip finished in August and I have only posted the first two weeks!  Here are the rest of my layouts:

Week 3 Sydney

Week 4 Tennant Creek

Week 5 Dunk Island
 ( I won the prize for this week)

Week 6 - Snowy Mountains
This layout is white on white (looks blue).  A few weeks late for this one, but I completed it.

Week 7 - Great Ocean Road 

This challenge was any size other than 12x12.

Week 8 - Burnie

Week 9 - Barossa Valley

This was a double page challenge.  I did extra - a double double layout.

Week 10 - Emerald

Week 11 - Canberra

Week 12 - Canowindra

I won the weekly prize for this one as well.

I really enjoyed the Red Earth Road Trip.  It made me create a layout every week - which is an effort.  But I completed them all (one a bit late though) and I didn't do all the cards, but I am pleased with my effort.
To top it all off I was lucky enough to be pulled out of the hat as the winner of the competition.  I was so excited.

Thanks to Helen, Linda, Susanne & Mistra for all their hard work during this competition.

Slack Blogger

Where has the time gone.  I am sure it has just vanished.  Although I haven't been blogging I have been creating.  As you can guess like has been pretty busy in the Smith household.  I have been doing a couple of extra days at work, the finals series at netball is very full on for me - the grand final was 2 Saturdays ago, so I am slowly wrapping up all the paperwork - only to start the next phase.

Have completed the September Stuck?! sketches which are also used as Helen's Sketch Challenge over at Red Earth Scrapping.  Loved doing both of them.  It has been quite a while since I have completed both monthly sketches (and remembered to upload them).

Here is my take on the 1 September sketch:

 I love using multiple photos.  This was the perfect sketch for these photos.  I am also proud of myself that I didn't use any flowers!!!

Here is 15 September sketch:

Love this photo. Our friend was taking a photo of Mikala and I, then Kaitlyn just came and jumped on my lap.  This was at the end of a really great day.

Thanks for looking.  Will post the rest of my layouts in a couple of days (hopefully).

Red Earth Road Trip

I have been really slack and haven't blogged about our last 2 weeks on the Red Earth Road Trip.  Have completed and uploaded the entries in the nick of time though.  Looking back I have realised that I am 4 weeks behind - where does that time go!

Ok Week 2 we visited Lake Argyle WA and Mistra challenged us with a pink layout inspired by pink diamonds.

Our special item was some bling.  We also had to make a card with a bird:

Week 3 we visited Sydney - my home.  Susanne set this challenge.  It had to have a photo of family and use blue to represent the beautiful Sydney Harbour.  This week special item was a ticket.  I didn't get time to make a card for this one.

Last week, Week 4 was Tennant Creek.  Helen asked us to use spots and stripes to represent aboriginal art and earthy colours.  Our special item this week was gold brads (mine is in the centre of the lace flower).  As the photo is of Kaitlyn and her friends during Earth Hour this year I challenged myself to only use scraps.

And here is the card again using spots and stripes in earthy tones.  Gave this one to a special friend on her Birthday.

Ok now I am up to date.  This week, Week 5, we visited Dunk Island (would have absolutely loved to be there in real life).  Linda challenged us to use a water themed photo and blue. The special item this week was a butterfly.  I just love these photos of Kaitlyn at Shoal Bay.

And the card this week was to use tropical colours.  I gave this card to my sister for her Birthday.

Thanks for looking and thanks for your comments, I love reading them.

Kraft it up

Although I stalk the Kraft It Up! site all the time, I think this is the first challenge I have done!  The challenge for July was to get inspiration from this picture.

Here is my layout:

I have taken inspiration from the 3 cupcakes; flowers; the daintiness of the cake stand (using lace); and the polka dot pp as the table cloth.  I picked these photos to use the colours from the cupcakes, teal & pink, but it just fell into place using the red, black & cream. 

We had just bought out first digital camera and what a great way to "play" with it than spending the afternoon at the park.  The photos were taken in December 2003 - It's fun looking back at the photos of when the girls were young and to see where they are now 8 years later.

Another Stuck Sketch

Yesterday I decided that I would do the June 15 sketch at Stuck Sketches. Mind you it is due in by midnight tonight. And I did it!
I love this photo.  It was inspired by a photography challenge at Home and Scrapped about the season.  It only too 2 months but I finally scrapped it.  It was a beautiful autumn day and as I drove up the driveway after picking the girls up from school just loved how the rose looked against the Japanese Maple - white/pink against the orange/browns.
Luckily it suited this sketch perfectly.  I have also used a great technique from the lovely Mistra at Red Earth Scrapping  on the Dusty Attic chipboard fern.  Love how the fern now has some depth rather than just flat chippy.

Here is a closeup of the fern.

Stuck Sketches

Completed the June 1 Stuck Sketches this afternoon. Love it when a layout comes together quickly.  Was looking around for some inspiration to scrap this afternoon and remembered this sketch and these photos.  An I completed  & photographed it this afternoon - miracle. Wet public holidays are wonderful!!!

This is another layout with photos from our Thailand trip. Slowly getting through them.  These were taken at the Tiger Temple a couple hours out of Bangkok.  It is a Buddhist Temple who rescue animals, especially Tigers.  The patting of the Tigers is very controlled and I still don't know how I feel about it, but I suppose it is a way of making some money to support the tigers.  This was on the top of Kaitlyn's list of things to do!!

White with 1

Wow two months in a row I have completed the White with 1 challenge.  This months challenge was white & red & polka dots or circles.  I loved doing this one.  The red spotted ribbon & flower fit really well.
When we were in Phuket Kaitlyn loved all the Frangipani's that had fallen off the trees.  She collected heaps.

Red Earth Road Trip - Cowra

The Road trip has started.  Spent the week in chill Cowra the home of the lovely Linda.  Just about to pack up and head to the warms to northern WA.  Linda posted some wonderful information about Cowra, definitely have to visit now.  The first challenge had to have Friendship or Peace in the title.  Here is my layout: 

For all the nastiness with Twitter & Facebook, Mikala has made some good friends through Twitter and following local bands.  There are a number of girls who meet up a band gigs.  She has found a passion, although a very time consuming one.

The second part of the challenge was to make a card using paper folding representing the Japanese influence in the area.

A birthday card for my beautiful inspirational friend. (hope she received it in the post before she sees the blog!).

Also completed the White with 1 May challenge.  It was White & Orange & Scallops.  I actually was going to use these photos for Mistra's Red Earth challenge but the first piece I picked up was the orange cardstock, so it developed from there.  I just love the orange/pink peeping through the grey sky & water.

Although I always stalk this blog, this is first one I have actually completed and posted!!!!

Life has been sooooooo busy here lately. As usually May tends to be full on in our household. We are right into the netball season and have heaps of family birthdays and activities during May & June.

Last weekend Red Earth Scrapping held their May Cyber Crop.  Luckily for me Helen extended the deadline to the end of the week and I managed to get all the challenges completed.

Mistra's challenge was a nature layout with a Haiku poem included.

Helen's challenge was to make a card:

And Kate ran a class:  This is not usually my style at all, but I do like the finished layout.  Maybe I need to branch out a bit!

Thanks ladies for such great challenges.  Can't wait for the Road Trip to begin - not long now.

Finished this layout last night.  Don't usually scrap at night, but found this photo, used the sketch from Linda's May challenge at Red Earth Scrapping which is also the latest sketch at STUCK.
This photos just popped out at me the other day.  Hadn't really noticed it before but it just struck me.  It is so serene and regal.

Finally

I'm getting this going!.  Life has been very hectic over the past couple of weeks.  It always is at the start of the netball season.
This layout is for Linda's May 1 sketch challenge at Red Earth Scrapping. Linda added the criteria of using PP as the base! This is also the first May sketch at Stuck?!. Not sure if I am happy with this one, but it is done.

I also joined the Handmade Flower swap at Home and Scrapped.  These are my flowers.  They are actually a dusty pink with an off white center. Although they are very simple I like them and had fun making the,.

Thanks for looking.  Hopefully I will be able to keep this going regularly.

Thursday 5 May

Need to really get this going!