My New Blues

Hi there scrappers

Got a personal layout for you this time, I don't usually do layouts of myself. This was something to commemorate though, so I snapped a selfie and did a 12x12 layout.

Few years back I was diagnosed with Meares-Irlen Syndrome and have been wearing coloured glasses ever since. For the first 12 months I was going with the Irlen Spectral filters which while costly were doing the trick of helping me with my dyslexia, visual processing and reading, along with general anxiety due to photosensitivity. After a bit of research I changed to a much more cost effective alternative done through a local optometrist, Cerium Colorimitory. And wow did I get a much better result although a few months back I noticed some old symptoms crop up. I went and had my color retested and collected my new filters a week later. They were awesome!

I did the layout to remind myself how beneficial these filters are.

The background is a basic weave Kaisercraft cardstock that I used a Prima stencil and some "tinsel" Colour Shine from Heidi Swapp. I added a bit of stamping over the top of that in a few places with some kaisercraft texture stamps. 

The papers for the photo stack are some scraps from my Cafe au Lait collection available on my webstore. 

The cogs were cut out with my Silhouette Cameo and then stacked and glued to make them a bit more dimensional. They were then painted and stained and covered in Tim Holtz's rock candy crackle medium, which is so awesome. 

I then added vintage photo stain over the top to give that rusted aged look. 

To title the pages I pulled out some kaisercraft letters and embossing powders. 

I hope you like this layout, and thank you for reading.

Cafe au Lait: Vintage Layout "Times Gone By"

Hey Crafters, 

I am really loving working with this new collection Cafe au Lait.

Today I have a lovely vintage layout using some of the 12x12 papers which I had printed at a local print shop on A3 paper. This time I went with simple 80gsm paper, which surprisingly still held up well to what I threw at it.

The photo is of, I think, my maternal grandmother's extended family. I am not too sure as there were no names on the photo that I found in my family pictures. I really just like how the photo looked. 

I have used old music sheets stacked behind the photo with a couple old book pages as well. The Donna Downey Studio Damask Stencil in the background was done using Prima's Finnibair Art Extra Vagance Texture Paste - Copper Crackle with a bit of misting over the top. I had a few scraps of the Cafe au lait cardmakers set on my desk which I turned in to tags and tuck them in behind the photo.

The wood flourishes are Kaisercraft Wood flourish Ornate Corner which were painted with Tim Holtz Distress Paint- Antiqued Bronze which came up really well.

 

Product list.

Kerry-Jean Watson Papers-Cafe au Lait

Kaisercraft Weave cards stock- Coffee Bean

Kaisercraft Weave cards stock- Cream

Kaisercraft Wood flourish Ornate Corner

Prima's Finnibair Art Extra Vagance Texture Paste - Copper Crackle

Heidi Swapp Color Shine - Bronze

Donna Downey Studio Damask Stencil

Old music book pages

Vintage Accents-Vintage brads

Tim Holtz Distress ink- Vintage photo

Tim Holtz Distress Paint- Antiqued Bronze

Remember to leave question or comment and Happy Crafting!

Cafe au Lait: Layout "Mischief"

Well Hello all, great to see you back again.

I have been very busy with this new collection, really loving it and I hope you are as well.

This layout is of a friend, and the title is very fitting. There's mischief in those eyes. He is a big kid and revels in the that fact, be he is very kind and caring man at the same time.



I have used the 12x12 Cafe au Lait collection for this layout which was printed on 80gsm and really held up to the texture paste and spray that I threw at it. The page I used that first glued to a cardstock backing to fill it out to the 12x12.

The "Mischief" title was cut using my cameo, love that thing but i just don't use it enough. I covered the title in some glossy accents for the final effect. The circles and compass rose are from Creative Embellishments which I just love. Adding the Keyhole just broke those circles up a little. All the papers behind the photo are from the cut and create page of the collection which are included in the Digital Paper Pack.

Please remember to leave any questions or comments below and happy crafting.

On my Craft tablet

Hello crafters.

I have had a MASSIVE few weeks and I most certainly did burn out mentally, physically and emotionally. The latter is not a good place to be for someone who has depression. 

Over the Easter weekend I was in no so great shape and noticed I had this layout sitting on my craft table which has been there for over a month. With the intention of trying to get myself back in a better mental state I actually got it finished and I LIKED IT! 

Over the year there have been many studies talking about art therapy helping people with depression and other mental health issues. I for one find it deeply beneficial as it was the entire reason for starting scrapbooking. I have been doing art all my life from painting to textiles and fashion and jewelry. Scrapbooking for me indulges my  Stationary Obsession as well as the creative expression. With scrapbooking you are usually working with a photo, I tend to emotionally connect with the image and the moment or a memory around the photo, for me this helps focus the mind. However it is important to choose the right photo as scrapbooking a picture of my dead mother would have been a disaster.  

The weekend after I did this layout I did two other layouts which I still need to take photos of, hopefully this weekend. 

What does scrapbooking or paper crafting do for you, tell your story, I would love to hear.

My Big Brother

Hey Crafters, 

After my move 4 weeks ago, I found some layouts I had been working on during December.

During December, while in my second stint of recovery from my surgery, I pulled out some photos of my brother and did some quick layouts. I had some recent photos from his visit to Adelaide in 2014 and a few I pinched off his Facebook gallery. 

  

I didn't spend too much time of planning these layouts and just grabbed papers and embellishments and put it all together in under an hour. I rather enjoyed the process, sometimes it is just good to do things a little differently. Stops activities from becoming predictable. 

The idea was to use methods and techniques I hadn't for a while. Stamping and sprays and things along that line. Also pulled out embellishments that I haven't used for a while. Overall it was a load of fun and now that my craft corner is set up I might do this regularly. 

Mixed media Adventures

Hi crafters

Now that I am getting back into crafting mode after my recovery from surgery, I thought I would have a play with some mixed media journaling. 

As a first attempt goes I am rather happy with this. The one downside to doing work with sprays and wet media is waiting for it to dry (and you can't always use a heat tool), so I have worked out a method of working on two projects at the same time. 

Let me know what you think.

Grandparents wedding day

Hello readers and creative types.

I have been unwell for a few months now and I had some good days recently. As a result I hauled out a couple photos of my grandmother on her wedding day. This one is a lovely photo with the wedding cake, remembering this was taken in 1932.

I wanted too to use Marion Smith's Nirvana Collections from Meg's Garden because I loved the colors which would also match many of flower paper and fabric flowers in my stash which I had added some lovely paper leaves.

Also added to the lay was some dusty attic chippies that I won in a draw a few months back.

I hope you like and please leave a comment or any questions you may have.

My Grandparents Wedding day

Hello Craters and Readers 

Here is another layout done with Marion Smith's Nirvana Collection available at Meg's Garden.

The photo is an informal family picture on my grandparents wedding day in 1932.

Included are some Dusty Attic chippies I won a few months ago.

Paper flowers and leaves

No 36 layout

Last weekend was my birthday and due to being ill for the last 5 and some months and surgery 2 weeks ago, nothing big was planned as we really had no idea how I would be feeling.

In the end I got a free breakfast at Paleo Cafe, walked around Tea Tree Plaza, got some Pixar toys and bought the obligatory cake and went home. This for me was a huge day and I enjoyed every minute of it. Yesterday I did my usual birthday layout to add to my scrapbook collection.

Photo Journal #2

Hi Crafters

Back in March I showed you my first coptic stitch bound photo journal which I was very proud of and really enjoyed the entire project from making the book to filling it and completing it. I had to do it all over again only this time I wanted to make it bigger. Little did I know HOW MUCH BIGGER it would be.

Here is a video of me talking about the project and going through the second photo journal.

I hope you have enjoyed this and are inspired to maybe give it a try your self.

Leave a comment or any questions.

Family Album Speed freak and The one of all of us

HI there crafters!

I have been adding to my massive family album that I created and finished not to long ago. I will be doing a video of all the files soon so that you can all see what I have been doing. 

I found some wonderful pics of my older brother when he was a littl'in, They were standard prints but I love using those Kaisercraft polaroid frames, which I had a few left. I didn't want to make the layout too complicated, so I kept it simple with a few embellishments. 

This was a family shot taken back in 2001. My dad decided before he left to go live in the UK he would head down to Walpole, Western Australia to surprise my brother for his birthday, who was living down there with my mother at the time. Well the Lada 4x4 broke down halfway and the surprise was a bust as we had to get my mother and brother to come rescue us at Manjimup. For various reasons it wasn't the best of trips and the photo kind of captured that. By the time this photo was taken we were all very independent individuals and the idea of family unity was a very much over with.

That may seem like a sad story, but it is at least an honest one. I feel as a scrapbooker, it is unrealistic to expect there to always be happy moments to memorialise on the page.

Meg's Garden : Correspondence memories of my mother

I have many sheets of proof prints of portrait shoot my mother did as a young women, these are GREAT for scrapbooking.  The page I used for the background is one of my favourites of the Correspondence collection. I used some of Kaisercrafts Sage weave Cardstock for photos mats which just added another colour tone to the layout. 

Again I used some of the fantastic Dodo Vine wire as well as some of Finnabair's Prima Market trinkets which I just love using here and there, the leaves especially. The flowers are these beautiful Silk & Organza Primula, the Small Rose Blue and Cream and White Gardenias. 

This is another layout I did with those photos of my mother, I think she was pregnant with my older brother when these were taken but I am not sure. Again I have used  Finnabair's Prima Market trinkets with the leaves and metal embellishments and the Butterflies Transparencies. The flowers are a combination of the Small Blue Roses, Oatmeal Coloured Flowers and the Small Roses. The lace trim is Cotton Lace which is lovely and soft and works so well in the layout.

Correspondence Vines and Bird Cages

The Correspondence collection works really well with vintage photos as I have found yet again. The photo is of another distant Great Aunt, this time of my mothers side. My grandmother was the last born out of 9 children in 1904. This has to be one of my favourite layouts because of the colours. 

Once again I have used the Correspondence collection for the background and the tiles of paper in the background. The flowers used are a collection of Azaleas, Cream and White Gardenias and the Small Blue Paper Roses with the Copper Paper Leaves both medium and small.   

As I have used those lovely blue roses I thought I would add some more of that turquoise to the layout by using the Blue Vintage Brads and then some gems down the right.  Behind the Kaisercraft bird cage is a fantastic product I have been getting used to working with called Dodo Vine Wire. The clockface is also from one of Meg's Garden Elements papers called Old World Time.

I hope you like this layout as much as I do.