Kathy's Waffle Sketch File

Jan / Feb 2011 - Triangles & Circles.

Ok, I've just realised when typing up this post to go with Kathy's sketch that I didn't include triangles; instead using circles for my bunting!  Sorry to be so dim Kathy!!!!

Materials:
White pearlescent cardstock - Prima Flowers - Brad - Papers: Prima & (turquiose) offcut from scraps - Rub on: BasicGrey - Alphas; Making Memories - LOVE diecut pressie from Rebekah Montague - Inkpad; QuickQuotes

BasicGrey cards

I was sent a load of stash recently from a very lovely friend of mine as she knows how much I love BasicGrey (Thanks Steph!)

These cards, chocolate bar and mini clipboard were made from only 2 sheets of 12x12 patterned paper.  Love the vintage/shabby chic look and feel of them.

Sneaky peek...

Sneaky peek...

Sneaky peek...

A5 card

A5 card

Materials used:
BasicGrey paper - 'Bingo' clipboard - Ribbon - Lace - Prima flowers - Martha Stewart Butterfly punch - Corrugated cardboard - Brads - Pins - Tim Holtz stamps -

Retirement Card

I was asked to make a Retirement card for a friend's colleague.  Now girlie and shabby chic I can do... but for the more discerning male recipient I had to have a little think about what was needed.

The brief was:
* gardening / DIY / Formula 1
* for a man (who turned out to be the hubby of an old school friend of mine - small world!)
* to include a poem
* needed to be A4/A5 in design

So, off to my studio I went and got to work on it.  I was lucky enough to have received a parcel of goodness from the lovely Rebekah - The Happy Scrapper which was a lovely surprise and it contained some fab papers, cardstock, embellie bits which were all perfectly co-ordinated.

I found this birdhouse paper in the box and think it's so cute and definitely appropriate for a gardening themed card.  The folder on the front is cut from a Sizzix die and contains the poem (hence the little note to OPEN). Rustic string which I frayed the ends of adds a bit of a manly feature.  The acetate toolshed, wheelbarrow and bird house were from one of Kirsty Wiseman's CDs "Call of the Wild".  I'm pleased with how the card turned out and it seems that my friend I made it for to give to her colleague is too.  Hope he likes it when he receives it.

Materials:
Cream cardstock - unknown manufacturer birdhouse paper - string - Prima flower - brad - Sizzix die - Kirsty Wiseman's CD - Papermania alphas - Pebbles Inc. candy dots

Fancy a quick snack?

Wanted to share a quick snack recipe with you that's a real hit with us all in this household.

Simply take... (Serves 1)

1 pannini
Sundried tomato & parmesan pesto
Sliced tomato
Sliced mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil leaves, chopped coarsley

Do this...

Slice and spread the panini with the pesto.
Top with sliced tomato.
Add sliced Mozzarella cheese.
Sprinkle with the chopped basil.

Put the top back on and then put onto your pre-heated sandwich press for 4-5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.  Enjoy!!!

Warning though, this dish is a little on the chewy side because of the Mozzarella cheese...

You can tell this one was my lunch because of my 'fix' in the background... DIET COKE!

Daring Cardmakers

Ooh, it's been a while, hasn't it? ;-(  Sometimes life & work just gets right in the way of what you really want / love to do.

Well, I did make this card in plenty of time but only got round to photographing it today so I'll upload it (late) to take part in last week's Daring Cardmakers challenge..... It's all about me!

This week it's Asia here and I would like you to make a card for... yourself! Use your special papers (the ones that you stash away for Queen's birthday and you know you won't use them anyway, because they're too pretty), your favourite stamps and embellishments. Make a card that will stay with you and write inside something that has a meaning to you, that gives you power and energy. Make a card, that you've never got.


Well, I made this card but NOT for me.  It's for someone who is a really lovely lady who has a lot on her plate and I guess needs time in her craft room to grab a little R&R in her daily life.  Can't say who it's for as I've not posted it out yet. But I do hope she likes it when she gets it.

Materials used:
Black cardstock - Luggage label - lace - Thickers & BasicGrey alpas - ribbon - Stickles glitter glue - Prima flowers - DelishDesigns journalling spot - chipboard rectangle - QuickQuotes inkpad

Retro toy - do you remember having one too?

Will has this retro T-Shirt that's orange with a familiar smiley face on it, so when I saw this little fella in John Lewis before Christmas, I couldn't help but buy it for him as a stocking filler from the kids.

You know what it's like.... you're just about to press the shutter and the old bugger bounces out of the frame!

So obviously I had to take another of him sitting still and posing properly for a piccie.

This young lady was desperate to have a go, but as she's so little, it was a bit of a challenge getting on it without it rolling away from her.

Ok, now for a warning....  if you have a muffin top DO NOT pose on a space hopper as it really is NOT a flattering look!

Unfortunately we don't have a picture of Jacob on it for two reasons;
1) He was being his typical teenage hermit self and was ensconced in his bedroom on his XBox.
2) Freya took it out to play in the street and got a puncture!

The puncture was repaired with a leech and seemed to be holding, until.... she bounced on it again the next day and the bloody thing split!  Well, that was £15 well spent don't you think?  It was advertised for being strong enough for adults yet a tiny slip of a 10 year old burst it!

I'd also bought him a 'stress ball' in the shape of a space hopper in the same bright orange but that had a split when he took it out of the packaging on Christmas day!  Obviously not destined for retro fun in this household eh?

Scrapbook page

Kirsty Wiseman runs a Facebook online Cyber Crop page which she used to host via Ustream weekly.  She's set a sketch and a recipe to follow and we'd crop along to her chitter-chatter while we scrapped for 2 hours between typing little notes, quips and giggles in a live chat.

With Christmas and other things that Kirsty's been busy with, she's not had the chance recently to lead the group, so I hijacked it this week with a sketch and recipe.

I wanted to see the following in my recipe:


White background.
Square photograph.
2 different patterned papers.
Chipboard embellishment.
Sentiment and handwritten journalling.
3 brads or buttons.



I chose one of my wedding photos from way back when I was young (20 years old) and slim (size 8).

My chipboard was in the form of some Cosmo Cricket Blackboard and my numbers from Thickers.  The cream ribbon was almost the same colour as my dress which I gathered and ruffled one side while leaving the other end smooth.  This was simply stapled to my page.  I chose a black flower and black numbers and flower accents to contrast with the white background.  I also double matted my photograph onto white and then black.  I chose subtle papers from Prima's Shabby Chic Collection (thanks Steph!) and picked accent colours up from that for my crochet flower and paint streaks. I also used a patterned paper tag from DeLish Designs.  I don't do white space, hence there's not too much here but I did try and keep it to a minimum while still making it lush!

Scrapbook Magazine

Remember this post from November?

Well these two layouts of my daughter have been published on page 12 in issue 52 of Scrapbook Magazine that's on sale now.

I'm really proud to see my work in print and to feature a gorgeous little model that is my beautiful daughter is an added bonus!

The papers were really lovely that were the freebie with issue 50 of the mag and re-delivered my long lost mojo to me when scrapping times were barren.

My copy of the new mag arrived today and it's got some more lovely papers with it, so I may just be creating again!  Go me!!!!!!!