July Scrapology Card Challenge - embossing

Marion Emberson from Sugar and Spice Crafts set the challenge this month - to use embossing powders. 

I have so many of them, and don't use them nearly often enough. 

This is the card I have produced. 

I started with the Craftwork Cards blank and covered it with Pink Bazzill cardstock.  All the other bits are from my pink scraps bag. 

Patterned papers are Papermania, SEI, and I used the smallest bits of Making Memories paper to create the banner - I thought it was perfect here! 

I embossed the greeting and the baby carriage in silver and then used corresponding accents, which the sun really picked up. My friend Fran recently had a baby girl and named her Cora - I hope she likes the card. 

The stamps are by Judikins and EK Success. 

Thanks for stopping by - and why don't you dust off your embossing powders and take the challenge?

Sketchy Scrappers June Challenge - Annie's Letter

Jess set this month's sketch, which is below. 

I had to think about this one, and thought it would be more fitting for a heritage type layout.  I remembered that there was an additional layout that I wanted to do, on the other side of a photo of my maternal great Grandmother.  Some time ago, my mother gave me a photocopy of a letter from her grandmother to her on the occasion of my birth.  I've probably had the photocopy knocking about for seven or so years, so when time permits I will get a better and more pristine copy.  But for now, I am happy that I've preserved the memories in a safe and fitting place. 

I ended up turning the sketch 90 degrees left and took a bit of latitude to suit the layout.  Here is my finished product:

My friend Tara gave me a doily some time ago and I had used it previously as a mask.  I spritzed it with Teal and Sunlight Cosmic Shimmer mists so that the colour tied in with the patterned papers I wanted to use.  I folded up a sheet of 12 x 12 cream vellum to form an envelope for the letter and then for some added interest, I ran the completed envelope through the Tim Holtz "Postal" texture fades (embossing folder) with my Big Shot.  I really like that effect.  I stitched a button on but actually used a glue dot to adhere it together.  I used my Prima "Say it in Studs" swirl as a template and copied it onto acetate using a Promarker to spot out the placement of the gems and then glued them on individually.  That part was very time consuing and a real test of the eyes at night but I am pleased with the final result.  Luckily I had some other blue gems as I ran out of my original bigger sized ones and there is a slight colour difference but nothing which stands out dramatically. 

The great thing is now I can use up the left over bits of patterned paper and card and make some cards with the leftovers. 

Supplies:
Cream Bazzill cardstock
Cream vellum
Patterned paper:  Paper Adventures "The Vintage Workshop" in Slate:
                            Vintage Vines
                            Antique Brocade
                            Old Fashioned Floral
Tim Holtz "Postal" Texture Fades
Doily
Cosmic Shimmer mists: Teal Wash and Sunlight
Prima Flowers "Petite Mums Victoria"
Spellbinders Shapeabilities Nested Pennants
Crayola Gel pen
Martha Stewart punch
Blue Gems
Pearl on a String

Button

Lace

Ribbon

The journalling is rudimentary, but it reads:

Enclosed is a photocopy of a letter written from my Great Grandmother Annie to my mother on the occasion of my birth.  Dated January 1964.  She died 30th June, 1964.

A great challenge set by Jess, as it pushed me to finish something that was started many years ago.  Thanks for stopping by. 

July Scrapology Challenge - Y is for Yarn

This month, over at Scrapology, we are once again looking to a fabulous layout by Gabrielle Pollacco, "You make me smile"  to scraplift. 

I particularly loved her colour choices, and the use of all the different materials and textures.  Whilst Gabrielle's work is known for her stitching and her distressing, I think the main point of interest on this layout is all the gardening embellishments, which are so cute! 

My starting point for this layout was the choice of papers.  My friend Heather recently gave me a collection of Daisy D vintage papers, which I am determined to use up so they don't malinger in my stash like most of my other supplies!  I cut half an inch off each side of the Lullaby Stripe paper and then inked around the border before stitching it to the Bazzill Dotted Swiss cardstock below. 

This adorable photo of Henry at just over two weeks old is another in the series by Lisa Roberts, a local photographer.  I have now scrapbooked the bulk of these pictures and it will be sad to see them end - but there will be many more waiting in the sidelines, of course.  I did originally paint and distress a matt for the photo, but it was somewhat distracting.  So I pulled a generic piece of check blue paper from my stash - I think it was from a paperpad my mother-in-law bought me when I first started scrapping - and then double matted with with cream cardstock found in that colour scraps bag. 

Funny how things look different on the screen - the large journalling block looks nearly too heavy for the layout, whereas it doesn't look that bad irl.  Still - it is my philosophy these days to use what I have on hand and not to buy additional things for layouts - so as the colour matched perfectly, I decided to use it! 

The quote is beautiful and was enough with this matching photo of Henry. 

"Reach high for Stars lie hidden in your soul. 

Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal. "

Pamela Vaull Starr

I filled the gap between the photo and the Fancy Pants "Delight" Notebook Journal page with some more Daisy D's paper.  I added the ruler ribbon to emphasize the "reach high" aspect of the poem.  I used the Rhonna Farrer quote rub-on against some plain cream journalling patterned paper from my scraps bag, as I felt the maroon lines would be too distracting.  All other embellishments used were either from the Daisy D's collection, or found by rifling through my stash.  I thought the "wish" skipping stone went perfectly with the dark background of the photo - yet another thing I must have had for eight years from when I first started scrapbooking.  In fact, I think I remember buying these from Artbase on my first ever trip to a scrapbooking shop. 

Seeing as how our challenge was to use yarn, I had yet to incorporate it into my layout.  I took the string off a antiqued label from a Rusty Pickle bottle of buttons and glued it to the scalloped journal paper.  I still didn't think it was anchored, so I found two silver heart sequins, which I have coloured blue with a Promarker, and then glossy accented them to the page.  Hopefully it doesn't look too much like an afterthought! 

Supplies:

.  Bazzill Dotted Swiss cardstock, Papermania Natural earthtones cardstock (cream photo matt)

.  Daisy D's Lullaby Stripe and Nursery Alphabet patterned papers, large photo corner sticker, photo

   anchor sticker, yellow dotty file folder sticker, green dotty son sticker

.  Creative Imaginations cream journalling stripe patterned paper

.  Fancypants "Delight" Notebook Journal, "Powder" lace wrap, "Harvest" Fashion sense pin

.  Rhonna Farrer Rub-on Expressions

.  Making Memories "Animal Crackers" velvet brads

.  Queen and Co heart sequins

.  Rusty Pickle distressed string

.  Artemio "Boy" felt teddy bear and "baby" word

.  Teresa Collins "Ruler Ribbons" for Junkitz

.  Nostalgiques Paper Buttons by Rebecca Sower

.  Artistic Scrapper Skipping Stones by Shannon Watt

.  Sassafras Lass Paper Whimsies "Shindig"

.  Chocolate brown felt heart - unknown

It would be great if you would consider joining us at Scrapology and having a go at this month's challenge! Thanks for stopping by.  :)