Simple Joy

Challenge #34 at Challenge Me Happy was to use a sketch.  I do enjoy using sketches as they help me kick start an idea, especially when I need a little help.

Here is my take on the sketch.  For some reason the photo isn't looking so good - for a better view please click on it.

I stamped the background for abit of interest - I love my French Script stamp.  I used the leftovers from a Scrapbook Circle kit & it all came together rather well.  Love those hexagons.

Thanks for looking.

The Paddling Pool is missing!

Challenge #33 at Challenge Me Happy was to use a colour combo.  I managed to find the colours in an older Scrapbook Circle kit, which I hadn't finished up.  I kept it quite simple as wanted the photo and the story to shine. 

I love this photo of the girls as well as the story behind it ......so pleased I got it down!

An Afternoon at the Cinema

Challenge #32 at Challenge Me Happy was to use a photo for inspiration.  It was a gorgeous photo (as you can see) and I had so many stories that would have fit perfectly with this.  We live in a city where lanterns are part of the history and culture, and where many of the celebrations have lanterns as part of their decorations.



I had received October's Scrapbook Circle Kit "News Flash" and it really helped me select the photo that I wanted to use.  I was lucky to have included in my kit some Crate On Trend Vellum Garlands that I just had to use.  Plus the colours of the Crate On Trend paper and Dear Lizzy's 5th & Frolic sticker's were just perfect - those gold stickers!! 

All of this, plus the above photo helped me choose my story I wanted to scrapbook.  This photo was taken at Chinese New Year (HUGE celebration) where the lanterns are out in force and they just bring such a happy vibe to the city.  It's a time to celebrate and enjoy being with family.

U R 2 CUTE

Challenge #31 for Challenge Me Happy was anything goes.  I do enjoy these types of challenges as you can stick to your usual style, try something new or whatever.  I'm coming to the end of my Scrapbook Circle "Sunshine Day" kit.  This was a favourite kit - was full of great papers, colours, products - I just loved it and I'm sorrry that it's just about used up.

I've been putting my 2012 Project Life album together and as usual, I always manage to print too many photos....not a bad thing of course.  I came across this photo of my elder daughter reading to her younger sister and knew it needed a special LO.

Oh So LadyLike...

Now that my children are settled back at school, my husband has returned to work (he's one of the lucky ones that gets the summer off) MY routine can be restored !!!

Challenge #30 for Challenge Me Happy was to make your own emblishments.  I came across this photo of my daughter and couldn't resist it.  I wanted to incorporate the heart sunglasses and wanted to do something slightly different - so I made an origami heart.  The art of creasing paper is not only fun but also you get to create something wonderul.  I must try this again.  The Amy Tangerine papers and all produt used came from one of my Scrapbook Circle kits.  To follow on with creating I misted some Heidi Swapp Banners and alphas to get some specific colour. My journalling card I made with some scrap paper.  I was really pleased with how this LO turned out.

Challenge Me Happy Hoopla - Word Layout

I had high hopes to get all 7 challenges completed but time has run out on me.  We are now on summer holidays and to celebrate we are going to see family and friends in NZ for a few weeks.  Will be fun but not so sure about those cooler (freezing) temps!!  And then to the beach - am sure I'll have lots of new inspiration to scrap when I get back.

Here is my take on Michelle's challenge incorporating the word HAPPY.  I used mine in the title.  I used a combination of Scrapbook Circle kits to create this layout.  I also used a little washi tape - have to say I'm having fun with this product.....might become a regular staple on my layouts.

A sketch for Challenge Me Happy Anniversary Hoopla

Challenge Me Happy have a fun challenge going on at their website for the next month.  There are 7 challenges.  Marie's challenge is to use a sketch.  I saw this and thought immediately of 2 photos which I've been wanting to scrap for a while but have been waiting for the 'right' moment.  This was that moment.  

I had a few pieces left over from one of my Scrapbook Circle kits which I wanted to use.  To also keep in with my 'secret agent' theme I did some hidden journalling on the tag.  I really like how this turned out and my daughter thinks it's pretty cool too.....being a secret agent and all that.

How exciting....

I was reading the Challenge Me Happy blog as the winner of Challenge #23 had been announced....and it was me!!!  It was such a thrill to see that my layout had been selected.  Thank you for selecting me!!


This has to be one of my favourite layouts.  It just came together so well using Scrapbook Circle's The Story kit.   Click here to see my layout.

Tranquility at Dusk

It's been a while since I've posted but it's been a crazy time since March.  I've had a trip back to NZ for nearly a month and then when we got back it's just been go, go, go.  For all my best of intentions I haven't really been able to do much scrapping.  Hopefully that'll all change.


Challenge #23 at Challenge Me Happy really got the inspiration going with a fabulous sketch.  I love the grid background and with my new Scrapbook Circle kit - The Story I was all good to go.  I really love the softness of this layout.  

I was feeling rather inspired by this sketch so thought I would convert it in a double layout.  I'm working on an album of a holiday taken in NZ in 2010 - it's a work in progress but it's safe to say I'm getting there.  It's a 9"x9" album which is a different tack from my usual size but it works for the story I want to tell.  I used the new Amy Tan Sketchbook papers with the dollie mask by She Art from Pink Paislee.  What a fun mask that is!!

I think this sketch will be used more than once!!  LOVE it !!!

My Sweet Girl loves to Read

Challenge #19 for Challenge Me Happy was to create your own emblishments.  I had received my March Scrapbook Circle Best.Day.Ever kit full of the latest Dear Lizzy (which I just love) and other fabulousness and had an idea of what I was going to do.  I also had seen this great idea from Sketch Support with the use of banners.  It was Add On Sketch #15, so I modified it to make it work with my layout.  I created the banners and put them together to go "into" the Dear Lizzy chipboard shape, like a vase.

I thought I would try something slightly different too and that was use my new Studio Calico Mr Huey spray to give a splatter look on the base paper.  I really like how this layout turned out.

Also, should let you know that I had a little help for the title.  I knew what I wanted to say but just couldn't find the right words.  So asked the person who the layout was about for ideas and the title came straight from her.  So just had to use it.

Ssssh show us a secret..

After completing the masking challenge for Challenge Me Happy (click here for post) I was inspired to do another layout with another mask.  It was a Heidi Swapp tulip mask.  I found these 2 photos of my daughters that weren't taken at the same time (I think there was 2 weeks between them).  We were doing some baking and I asked them to smile.  They both gave me the same pose and tilted their head the same way - just classic - so of course had to scrapbook them.  In completing the layout I realised that wasn't much room for journalling - which tied in well with the Southern Girls Challenge #19 to do something hidden.  I created a journalling tag and slipped it behind the top photo.  To do this smoothly I raised the photos so that the tag would slide in easily.  I used papers from the Crate Paper Random collection thickers from American Craft and letter stickers from October Afternoon.

While we were waiting

Challenge Me Happy's challenge number 18 was to use masking.  This is not something that I often do but thought it would be abit of fun to play with.  I've got heart masks that Heidi Swapp did and they do get used - just not very frequently.  So I used Silver Spun Tattered Angels Glimmermist to bring the heart out and I also traced a smaller heart mask for my journalling to match my daughter's heart on her sweatshirt.  Everything else came from a Studio Calico kit.

10 years ago.....

This is the theme for Challenge Me Happy challenge #17.  I really had to think about what I was doing 10 years ago.  When you think about it 2002 just seems so long ago.....but it's not really. 

There's been a project that I've been wanting to work on for a long time and this challenge really conincided with it.  Ten years ago I returned back to NZ after being in London for 4 years.  Prior to landing back on the shores I spent 5 months travelling around Europe with my husband to be.  And what a time we had !! 

I kept a travel diary and it's full of bits and pieces of 'stuff' that I collected on our journey.  Which is invaluable, and I'm so grateful that I kept this journal (as this was back in the day when digital cameras were starting to make their mark) as I double exposed a roll of film.  I still to this day have no idea how it happened as I took ALOT of photos and had ALOT of film, and they turned out all ok.  So for the first couple of "film" that I used I don't really have any photos BUT I do have my journal. 

To kick start my project of our adventures I began at the beginning with our first stop - Biarritz. It really did bring the memories back.  I used Scrapbookcircle's "remember this" kit full of new products by My Mind's Eye and Rhonna Farrer - LOVE this product. 

Sorry that the photo quality isn't the best - it's been a week of grey and dismal weather.

Thanks for looking.

What 1 wears out!

Challenge Me Happy has their new Challenge #16 up.  I was wondering what they would come up and they didn't disappoint.  It was a recipe challenge.  These are just so much fun and can be challenging too as you can only work with what the recipe states.  In this case the ingredients to use were :

1 photo

2 different cardstocks

3 journaling spots/tags/etc

4 words in the title

5 patterned papers

6 butterflies

Mist/ink/paint and border punches are freebies!

When I saw that I was able to use butterflies and 6 of them I knew where to go.  One of the kits from Studio Calico had a supply of fantastic butterflies (which I hadn't used up) and I had a little paper left - so that is where I went.

The 2 cardstocks I used were my staples - Kraft as my base and vanilla to matt the photo.  I also used the white to make the number 1 stand out as wanted to include it in my title. The papers used are all American Craft Pebbles.  I had a strip of pink that I used to fold over to give the tag abit of something extra.  I would normally have used ribbon for this but paper works just as good.  And of course used my stickles to give the butterflies are bit of shine.

Thanks for another great challenge

Challenge Me Happy - Challenge #15

I've been following this challenge website for about 6 weeks now and haven't been able to create a layout for their challenges.  I guess Christmas and all that entails got in the way.  But that has all changed now !!

When I saw the theme for Challenge #15 I knew exactly what photos to scrap and what I would use.  It probably helped that I'd sorted through my boxes (I kid you not) of photos and got things in a (sort of) organised fashion so I knew what photos I had AND where they were!!!  

I used Scrapbook Circle's "Note to Self" Kit with an Amy Tangerine Brad and Fabrips from Studio Calico (I just LOVE these).  Plus I can't create a page without using a bit of ink aswell as my trusty Stickles - always looks good with something shiny!!  On the corrugated chipboard I tried out my Glimmer Glaze - you can't really tell in the photo but there is a light shimmery colour on the edges.

Now I eagerly await the next challenge....