Found some Mojo

I've been battling a little with inspiration lately.
I often find when that happens, if I surf some "inspirational sites", it often helps...
I have some plain chip albums that have been sitting as plain chip albums for months. They're ring-bound albums that you "do up yourself", but mine haven't made it very far. Until this week.
I actually only started this one yesterday afternoon. I didn't really know where it was going but where it went seemed to be the right place...
I collected a parcel at the post office in the morning - this was a long awaited parcel. I belong to a group on in2crafts and we often have "stash swaps" (RAK swaps)... I've used a lot of items from that parcel, previous RAK swaps and some of my stash. I guess opening this parcel also helped the inspiration flow...

I started by podging some mulberry paper on one side of the front of the album, and a button patterned serviette on the other (which I bought yesterday morning - I just knew there was a use for it).
Then I cut out another serviette and podged a pic in place, then just starting sticking...
In this pic below, you can see where I stuck the Sunny Beach serviette pic, some mesh, some flowers and skeleton leaves. I glittered around one of the flowers and stuck a pearl in the centre. I've played a lot with paint - green, brown and metallic blue and metallic navy.

Mulberry paper, some more flowers, ribbon down the side...

Finally I walked into my daughter's room where her and her brother were playing on the PC, managed to get them to have a pic taken, and added that to the album.
Added some ribbon...


The end result... quite something, if I may say so myself...

Thanks for looking...
Mel

Wee Memories

I've just discovered this challenge blog that looks like loads of fun.
Hop over and take a look at Wee Memories and enter the challenges...


I look forward to entering some challenges there.
And if you hurry there's a great give-away, but it ends soon.

Pick of the Week @ Phindy's

I was so excited when I hopped over to Phindy's blog yesterday and discovered I got the "Pick of the Week" award. That means my card was chosen as the "card of the week" by the DT.
It's a real honour to accept this and proudly display the blinkie in my sidebar.
Phindy's images are gorgeous and the DT are very talented.

Just some cards I've been working on...

Make something cute

I've decided to join in Pindy's challenge #26 - Make Something Cute. I was hoping to make the same card - one baby boy and one baby girl, but time got the better of me, and I only managed to get one finished. In true "me" style, I'm entering this challenge last minute.

I've used a Phindy's Place image - Nap time. I thought it would be great for either baby body, baby girl or gender non-specific.
I thought the "Oh Baby" sentiment on the card would be quite cute. I seem to using a lot of naturals in my cards the last few days - favouring browns... But I liked the different use of paper - layering and tearing.
I added a few pearls for little bit of something and the stitching was done as an afterthought - the card was lacking in something still. I think it finished it off nicely.
Well off to enter the challenge. Hopefully I can post the baby girl card later...
Love Mel

Who's up for some candy?

My friend Theresa has recently started blogging, and to celebrate this she's offering some candy.
And this is all you need to do...

1. You must be a follower of Theresa's blog....
2. have to leave a comment here (on Theresa's blog) so that she can verify
Now tell me that is not easy...............wow.......................
She'll post locally and internationally!!!!!!!!
...a small hint of some of the goodies you will get................
PEARLS
BRADS
BUTTONS
GLITTER FLAKES
AND MORE.................
You have till 22 OCTOBER 12pm, after which she will do a draw using random.org...................

Digistamps 4 Joy Challenge #4 - Sketch

This week I decided I'd like to be guest designer for the Digistamps 4 Joy challenge, and why should I not be? :D

This week we decided to go with a sketch - this sketch has been designed by Audrey, one of the DT members.

I used one of the adorable freckle-faced cuties, and chose pinks and browns as my background papers.
On her boots, I used a combination of white flower soft and crystal glitter glue.

I used 2 different shaped sequins - a blue flower, topped by a pink snowflake, which in turn has a tiny pink pearl glued on the top. I used the same pink pearls down the scalloped border.
I've used the cuttlebug to emboss the scalloped oval behind the image and inked it in pink and brown and gold ink.

Hope you enjoyed viewing my card, and I'd love you have a look at my other work.
Till next time...
Mel

Not much to share, so I'll pull one out the hat

I have been kinda busy with a lot of things recently. I've made a few cards, which I still need to post, been busy working, and I've started brainstorming over December and January workshops I want to do.
But I haven't shared any scrapbooking layouts for a long while, so I decided I would today.
It's not a new LO, it's one I made a few months ago, but it's such a fun one.

I took these photo's toward the end of last year. This is my niece, Erin (again). She loves the camera - you may have noticed. I had the camera - she was sitting in the chair drinking from a cup (I'm not sure how much she actually managed to drink, though). She found it more fun to dip her hands in and then take a sip, and all the time looking off to my boyfriend who was next to her. He gasped every time she did it, so of course she had to do it again. It resulted in a series of fun photo's. I had to use them in the layout "DIVA licious".
I wanted the page fun and bright, so the 2 main pages are bright pink (to bring in the pink of her shorts), then I backed the photo's together on white - to make them "pop", then onto orange to "bring out" the orange of the towel behind Erin (who would've thought orange and pink would go so well together... And finally in black to bring some balance back into the bright layout. The chipboard word "DIVA" and swirl were covered in black cardstock.
I used the swirl border and dotty letterz stencils from Scrapbooking-Scrapbook with silver and orange rhinestones in 2 different sizes, which seems to work so well.


The swirls have been allowed to just slightly go over the photo's - enough for fun, not too much to detract from the photo.
I used silver thread to wrap around the word and the swirl, just to add a bit of "oomph" to the dull black - 3 wraps on the D of Diva, and 5 on the swirl (I like to use uneven amounts - it always works better). I added a little black stickles to the star and to the edges of the flowers.
Simple, blingy and fun.

Experiment with different colours - you'll be amazed at the results.

I'll catch you tomorrow with the next Digistamps 4 Joy challenge...
From Mel

Patties Creations First Challenge

Welcome to Pattie's Creations first challenge. This is my first DT creation for Pattie's - the challenge - "Anything Goes".
Wow - free reign to do what you want.
I chose an image of Pattieboop ice-skating. I did a stair-step card and kept my colours girly and icy... The snow on the mountain caps is white flower soft, and I used feathers from a boa to "frame" the main image. The ice-skates was a freebie from the CDAC group (50 members) and the sentiment is part of a sentiment from Digistamps 4 Joy.
Pattieboop and the ice-skates are coloured in watercolour pencils, blended with spirits.

Here's a slightly different view of the card. Just to add a bit of "something", I used some offcuts of patterned paper.

Here you can see a close-up of the glitter on the dress and the flower soft of the mountain tops. You can just spot a glimpse of the feather.

The ice-skates with ribbon (freebie) was matted on a round scalloped die-cut. I stuck rhinestones around the edges. The border along the bottom "step" is also a die-cut, and I used silver rhinestones in the centres of the flower cut-outs. I tied a narrow chiffon ribbon on the bottom step and a broader ribbon on the middle step.

I was a little worried about the amount of bling etc I was using (and I DO LOVE my bling), but it didn't seem too much at all. Just perfect!

From
Mel

More Blog candy

This blog candy is from Shoestring Scrapbooking.
This is what you could win:

1 12 x 12 Paper Trimmer With Pull Out Ruler

1 x Scrap Sheets Carry Bag

1 x Wooden Lettering Set - 5 of Each Letter

1 x Wooden Number Set - 6 of Each Number

1 x Making Memories 7 Shimmer Chipboard Words

1 x Baby Boy Stickers

1 x Making Memories Dimensional Girl Stickers

1 x Making Memories Dimensional Boy Stickers

2 x Small Wooden "Hello Kitty"

4 x Shimmer Swirls

Head over there, join the blog and enter for your chance at winning.

Blog Candy

Second post today.... but I couldn't pass the chance at blog candy.

Firstly, on Michelle's blog : SCRAPSHEETS AND RM CRAFT DESIGN have kindly sponsored this stunning gift for you.
You can win a kit containing some of the new range of FLORENCE PAPERS as well as a selection of the “WONDERFUL HOME SWEET HOME” diecuts collection and some matching ribbons.

Secondly, Bev is celebrating the fact that she's had over 1 million hits, and she's now on 2817 followers. She's giving away FANTASTIC blog candy. Head over and take a look...

They hatched!!!

Chatting outside on the patio yesterday with my boyfriend, I suddenly stopped halfway through a sentence, and jumped with excitement, "they hatched!". I was referring to some eggs that had been laid a while back, in 2 spots on our patio... what were they, you ask...

Can you spot it?

How perfect is this baby praying mantis? It is a perfect replica of the adult, just absolutely tiny, and instead of being green, it's brown.

It hopped around from one hand to another, and I eventually put it onto a plant (it's so tiny, I was worried it may get under our feet).
A few months ago (during winter) we watched as a extremely "fat" praying mantis slowly moved along the windowsill outside our office window. A little while later we realized she was laying her eggs. Its quite amazing - she lays them and the entire egg pouch is covered with a frothy-like substance. That eventually hardens and the pouch remains there until the weather heats up. When the babies "hatch", they emerge from the pouch (after sometimes eating their brothers and sisters....).
I haven't managed to see where they emerge from, but will hopefully see lots more, and be blessed with their presence for the coming months...

Chat later...
Mel