Sandra

Sandra has shared something really special with us.

Not only has she met the 5 words or more title challenge, but also challenged herself to journal directly onto the cardstock with her printer - fantastic!

She says -

Hi Amanda!
Here is my answer to your challenge... and boy did I find it a challenge!
I am still not 100% happy with the title placement.
I have set myself a challenge this year to try something new on each page..
this time it was journalling onto the layout... usually I put it on a tag or journalling strips.
So hence the font being so big!... Lesson learn't. lol
I also feel rather over exposed with the journalling subject... I suppose I could of hidden it... but chose not to.
So sorry, a bit of heavy reading, and I suppose cryptic too.
The photo is of me, at the age of 13.... the journalling is me, at 40, talking to the 13 year old me back then.

Great challenge.. and one I will try again in the future!
Cheers
Sandra

I love all your paper placements. The colours you have chosen are fabulous. What a great photo of yourself!!!

The title placement looks excellent to me and wow at your journalling - so personal. I know that i have often scrapped 'difficult' topics and found the art of getting those thoughts down on paper very healing.... I hope you did too Sandra.

famous five (words that is)

challenge done. phew and not as tough as I thought.

I cant show too much as this is a gift for a special person in my life (thanks Meredith for the idea of it in the first place!!), and I dont think she lurks here very often. But, just in case......

This is an off the page project using a Heidi Swapp Mirror book. And I just loved it. Gave the whole thing a brand new dimension.

I just know that 'she' will love it too.

Challenge 31

Hi girls.

Due to Sue being away, Meredith's computer having a meltdown and Tiff off scrapping.......................i will post another challenge :)


This challenge is


to use






a






very long title on your page.

Now i haven't done up an example as i honestly haven't had time to scratch myself this week! But i am envisaging titles that have MORE then 5 words in them. No more one worders. Nope to two or even three words.

Let's get all long, big, convoluted and take up a lot of room with your title.


I want it big and loooooooooooooooooooooooooooong.

(title that is)

spot the diamond

have a good look. It is there.


found it yet????

Trish is playing funny buggers on us LOL. But trust me its there.

Great to see you back Trish.
I remember you showing me these pics a little while ago. Great masculine LO chick. The line of green dots above the i in brushing reminds me of paint drops.

Kerryn's diamonds.

woohoo - here is another new face which i am sure you will all know from the retreat.

Welcome Kerryn - glad to have you participating in this diamond challenge!

What fantastic diamonds you have made here! love absolutely everything - the paper, the colours, the funny photo and what a classic title! Your distressed edges and stitching look so effective.

For those who are having trouble remembering, Kerryn was one of our 'special' Adelaide guests and was an absolute POWER scrapper! She finished a massive number of pages on the retreat!

It is so great to see you here :)

how to comment on the blog

To leave a comment on the Blog

Left click on the word ‘comment’ at the end of each post
A new window appears with a text box
Type in what you would like to say along with your name (important, otherwise unless you have a google account, we have no idea who you are)
Left click Anonymous
Left click ‘publish your comment’

how to save and email a layout to us for display

There are many ways to skin a cat (apparently - never tried it myself) but this is Tiff's way.


To email your photo or scanned image of your LO.
Save it as a jpg on your computer
Right click on the file
Send to
Mail Recipient
Left click yes to make Picture smaller
Your email window should open with the file attached
Pop in one of our email addresses
Type in a short spiel about your work
Send.

Maryanne's dimonds.

Fabulous fabulous fabulous example of how you can make diamonds work so well for your pages. Another great example - see what an array of diamonds we have had! Stamps, paper, shaped pp, stickers, rubons, decorative edges!

Also note how Maryanne has maybe deliberately or possibly accidently used a technique called 'mimicking' where as the patterned paper looks like a snakes skin................

(this is a very loose and abstract 'Amanda' interpretation of that technique. A more direct way would be if there were snakes on the paper i guess! LOL)

Whatever the case this is great. That orange is so striking and omg i just love love LOVE that sassafras lass little strip along the bottom. I just *have* to have that paper now Mary!

Marika's diamonds

Wow - now they are coming out of the woodwork!

Woohoo.

Two here from Marika. A very funky diamond patterned stamp - i just adore what she has done with the paint. That stamp pattern looks amazing on Noah's page.

and the paper on this one looks like it was made especially for our challenge. Awwww at the title and such a very cute photo!

It is great to still see some retreat girls in that scrapping groove.

Maybe some more diamonds will turn up in my inbox?

Sandra's diamonds

Sandra says -

Hi Amanda

Here is my 'diamond' layout.

Journalling says....

When I look at this photo of you, I am struck by how much you have changed.

You have become more independant, more assertive, more confident.

You have more 'attitude', forever asking questions, and questioning our decisions!And you have a great sense of fair play.

All this before you have even become a teenager!

I LOVE you.And I LOVE the person you are becoming.

Love seeing all the layouts on the blog lately and they are all truly awesome!!

Wow Sandra! This is a fabulous interpretation of the diamond challenge. As you can see, they can be as big or as discreet as you like. Sandra has opted for some small series of diamonds (rubons i think?) which look fantastic with her diamond-y ribbon. The green paper and the orange-y tones look awesome together - really striking. And to finish it all off she has used the most beautiful close up shot of T - STUNNING! The journalling is also very very special.

Well done Sandra. You have come so far with your scrapping and i am loving seeing your transformation and confidence grow!

Jenny in the sky with diamonds

I was feeling most unloved - no diamonds in my inbox at all. "Hmmmmmm," I wondered "is this challenge too much, too tricky, too challenging?"

but nope. Jenny has come to my rescue with a great diamond example. She says -

Just made this card and Wa La, you've again, made the challenge to fit what I've made. Thanks. Jenny F

So it seems that Jenny and I are linked telepatically! Woohoo!

Fantastic example of diamonds Jenny - i love that photo (beautiful bright blue tones) and that stitching effect down the side is fabulous! A really lovely quote too - very appropriate for the photo.

I think there is something in that for all of us.

Thanks Jenny :)

rough cut diamond

I used my Kaiser Cutter with the perforatting blade to get the diamond shapes on the pink cardstock. And with the pinking blade for the right hand edge of it too. VERY handy tool.

Double diamond ...

Challenge 30

Quick quiz - What are a girls best friend?

Instant disqalification if you replied 'dogs' - LOL

Nope it is DIAMONDS (apparently - i wouldn't know) and so for challenge 29 i have pulled some diamonds out of my hat......so to speak.

Diamonds were all the scrapping rage about 3 or so years ago. Heidi Swapp brought out these stamps and stickers

I am not a huge victim of the 'gotta have the latest and greatest' trend but somehow i did get roped into the intense NEED to get these diamond stickers. At the height of their 'hotness' they were so hard to get hold of in Australia. By the time i finally got them the ride was over and diamonds were not so great anymore. In fact we had almost reached saturation point because i couldn't bring myself to use them and 3 years later they are still intact in my stash (up until today that is!).

Another diamond pattern you might see around is the Argyle pattern.

Anyway see how you go with this - give me some diamonds! Email your creations to myself. For those of you that think you can trick me by sending a page with bling diamonds on it - nope nope nope. This is not what i mean by diamonds. NO bling - this is the diamond pattern only.

oh and here is one i prepared today for you as an example.

The bottom section is cut off thanks to my scanner!

sew on and sew forth

LOL. I just love a play on words.


Sandra. You are one funny chick with a wicked sense of humor. This is her message in my inbox.

I have finally finished the layout that I started at the retreat.And I used a sewing machine!! You would not believe how big a deal that is for me!I haven't used one since I was kicked out of home economics!.. true story.Thanks to all the girls who encouraged me and especially Marika who helped by threading it and getting it started for me.I am so encouraged by my little effort I am thinking of buying a sewing machine!..(maybe a second hand one in case it ends up with the same fate as the one in home ec class ;)

I did manage to see this one at the retreat in an unfinished state and wowsers, now it is done. And done well. The Puzzle sketch requirements were a butterfly, a journal spot and a flourish to be used amongst the elements on the page.

Totally awesome Sandra. Dont forget to go to Puzzlesketches to give her a vote. (Sandra when does that happen by the way??)

Ps anyone got a second hand sewing machine for sale??

Message from Marika

Hi Amanda just wondering if you could put up this page that I was working on at the retreat the girls were wondering how it turned out. Thanks to Meredith who I scraplifted the postition of the photo and the patterned paper position from. Also captured these sunset photos from in the car on the way home from Adelaide thought they turned out well since I took them through the window whilst driving.

wow wow wow - what great photography Marika! That sunset is amazing - brilliant.

Love the paper you have used in this layout! So bright and funky. Just right for your photo. The trees and the colour orange just work so well together here. Thanks for sharing Marika. You clever girl.

what a wrap.

Link for Nicole's blog here.
Nic was one of the four Adelaide girls that came over and she has put on her blog a glowing rundown of the weekend. she also has same very noice pics too.
have a look and dont forget to leave a comment to say Hi.

t

she's done it.

yeee- frigging - haaaa.

Sandra will be published.

She asked me to remove her 'work' from the blog.
You'll find at least the description of what I am excited about here.

In case you cant tell, I am a fair bit excited for her.


CONGRATS CHICK.
SO WELL DESERVED.

So correct me if I am wrong, but does this bring the tally of bloggers published or to be published up to 3?These girls only started submitting projects since being involved on this blog.

That gives me lots of warm fuzzies inside.

;)

I also would love to give a big shout out to Maryanne who has her second LO in this months SM mag. Vol 11, Issue 1. pg 101. Submission call was for 'Days gone by'.

We all said the Maryanne had the vintage look down pat. Seems like we weren't the only ones!!!!!

Amanda has a LO in that gallery as well. Congrats chick.

Marika. Which issue is yours in?????? Cant wait to see it.

well done bloggers. To all of you.

t

Maryanne's retreat LO

Maryanne has sent this awesome page to me which she was working on at the retreat. Her words in the email gave me a giggle so i will copy and paste below :

She said-

heres a LO I started at the retreat, but was kind of stuck on.anyway threw a chip shape on, some thickers, and some journalling, and Im saying its done.

You know Mary that there is a very talented scrapbooker i know called Dee Molina who has a style that she calls 'throw shit on a page and see what sticks'. Incidentally i notice that Dee is thinking of winding her blog up - bugger! This TSOAPASWS method works so well for Ms Molina - she is a very very clever and talented scrapper whose freestyle and innotive pages are so inspiring.

I love how Maryanne has used the very strong colour of red with a tinge of green for effect. The tree is fantastic - i love seeing how people add and interperate Ally's chip shapes - they look so good on a page. Great series of three photos too Maryanne.

Your colour combos are great - your pages certainly have the 'it' factor.

Marika's retreat LO

oooooooooooooooh loving the colours in this Marika :) Lovely brights which are beautiful with this super close up cutie photo. Those wavey type of lines are sooooo in atm! Just stunning work.

Marika says -

Thankyou all so much for the most fantastic weekend it was a pity it went so quick. I haven't laughed so much in ages and had such a relaxing time just having to worry about me. Thankyou again. Attached is my favourite page didn't get many done if I did it again I wouldn't have done all of the classes so that I could have got more free scrapping done.

I agree that everyone was really relaxed and happy - it was such a nice environment to be in! It was also great that there was so much creativitiy in the room (example shown above!) and if you were feeling a bit blah and mojo-less a quick trip around the shed got the creative juices flowing very quickly again.

Hmmmmmm would love to see some more pages from the retreat up here!