Karen's Creations ...

Hi Meredith,
Thought I'd share the"LOVE" ;) I haven't gotten to the challenges yet (I will, I will) but yesterday I did some scrapping, YAY!!! (it feels like forever) I have been inspired by some of the other girls who are trying different size LO's and decided to give it a go. I'm hooked!!!! I think you don't feel like you have all this space and need to fill it up, if this makes sense?! LOL. I'm hoping to spend a day just scrapping this weekend with a beverage or two ;)
Cheers have a good weekend.
Karen D

Karen just looking at these layouts fills me with the need to scrap soon!!

Love the colours the A4 type size, the white space, the photos, the embellishments ... just love them both ...

right I'm off to scrap ... !!!

Marika - Sue's sketch

Marika has turned Sue's sketch onto it's side and come up with a fabulous page! Love the embellishment cluster and those papers just pop against the black! Very cute beach photos too = what little surfer boys you have Marika.

And that stripe paper looks familiar too ;-)

beautiful work and great alternative interpretation.

Book of She ... Tracey

Howdy Meredith,

Attached is my layout for the She challenge. I took a photo of it at an angle to avoid the glare and when I cropped it, it now looks entirely crooked. In real life it is all pretty square.

Anyway, this quote is very fitting for my mum, this is her at 17 years old. 'She made the whole world feel like home. Celebrate her warmth.'

I stuck with a layout I've done a few times but enjoy. I am so into this striped paper and I only have a smidgen left.... I'm a bit upset about that!!!
Hope you have had a great day.
Tracey

Oh Tracey what a beautiful photo!! Love the colours you have used, the layed flowers look so effective. Really like the red font too for the quote. Such a stunning layout ... fabo!!

Have you used a rub on in the top right hand corner? And that striped paper looks like a Basic Grey one ... ???

Ali E's tip of the day

15. Read more about the Art of Finding.

Now i have only had time to skim read this but as far as i can see it is about collecting bits of memorabilia from our lives and using them. While this is great for 'memory lane' type scrapping it also strongly advocating the message of 're-use and recycle'.

I am not a huge fan of collage - it just isn't my style - but i do agree a page with lots of interesting bits and peices really makes you want to look at it for hours to see what else you can find hidden!

Further along the road ... Trish's travels ...

Hi Meredith
As promised. The bottom line in red actually says "Germans 4 1/2".
Cheers Trish

Great photography Trish ... you must have known we were going to have a travel photo slot :-)

She ... by Tiff

"Hi Meredith.

Oh I love this one. It came together so well.

Lots of different influences are involved here.

1. Sandra's home made Prima Lollipop Flowers

2. Nic's use of the Prima Flowers on her 'Life with you is Sweet' LO at Puzzle sketches

3. The She...challenge at e2c

4. The gorgeous photo of Annie taken by Amanda Hall.

5. Very loosely based on a sketch from Page Maps. (well it gave me the germ of an idea, but ended up nothing like it lol)

thanks.
Tiff"

Tiff ... the pink and black look stunning together, the flowers are gorgeous with those leaves and the punched decorative border is beautiful. The photo is beautiful too!! You should be so pleased with this layout!!

Sandra - she

Sandra says:

Hi Amanda
Here is my entry for the 'She' challenge...REALLY love these quotes. When I saw this quote in the list Narrelle came to mind...This is a scraplift.....look familiar?? lol
LOVED your Cry layout with young Sean, sooo used this layout as inspiration to try something new (lol.. again) and played with my photoshop.

I used photoshop to erase the background and make the photo lighter... there is a technical term there... but beyond me at the moment, and then printed the photo on to cardstock.Soo much fun... and scared the s#*t out of me too! 3 pieces of cardstock later (lol) and finally got to stick something on the page. Not 100% happy, but as Ali
says... just stick it on and move on!

thanks for the inspiration

Thank YOU Sandra. It is a huge compliment to be scraplifted and what an amazing job you have done. That quote is PERFECT and love the finished effect with the blue/teal papers picking up N's top. Stunning Sandra. You should be 110% happy chook!

Dont forget that you can forward your layouts/ photos / challenges to any one of us (Meredith, Sue and me) I am feeling like a bit of a blog hog atm so sharing out the posts would be fabbo :) We need the other two E2C ladies to feel the love as well!

Tracey - travel

Tracey has forwarded these great travel shots onto me for our travel photo theme.

She says:

Love the background in this one as it looks more like a painting. It was taken during a dust storm, hence the look. This is near Angorichina, Flinders Ranges

This one is taken on the walk into Wilpena Pound. Just love the scenery up there.

Great photos Trace! The trees and path look awesome in this bottom shot and i thought it really was an old painting effect on the top one - fantastic.

amanda - Sue's sketch

the scan is a bit fuzzy but you get the idea. Did journalling strips instead of laying pp horizontally.

Ali E's tip of the day

14. Collect stuff (and not just scrapbook supplies). Mail pieces. Tags. Bits of stuff. Cut it up. Grab a manila folder or a basket or a box (don't make it complicated) and stick stuff in there. Regularly dip back into that spot for ideas and inspiration.

This is something that i do not do = i wonder if you do? I don't really venture far from the scrapbooking products side of things. I collect ideas and that is about it. Do you have a storage place for all those little finds?

Trish's Travels ...

Trish sent me some photos from some recent travelling ...

"This was taken just north of Pt Augusta on my recent trip to Marla. "

I think this is a classic photo ;-) ... only in Australia. I grew up on a station northwest of Woomera and they didn't have those signs back then!!

"This is "travelling" home from Coffins from a night shift. This is a sunrise at Edilillie."

Beautiful Trish ... very serene.

Thank you for your photos.

Sue's - 'She' challenge

When i first read this i thought, oh wow....that's too hard for me! And while i was out walking the old brain cogs got going!

I knew which photo i wanted to use....one of my Nanna Proctor many years ago....enjoying a cuppa tea at some supper dance. I love this photo of her. Just which quote to pick was probably the most difficult....so many suited this grand lady.

I have been wanting to use my new Tim Holtz bird/ branch stamp, these new October Afternoon papers that i purchased at Lock shop on Saturday, plus cut some card in a semi circle........and before i knew it, the page had come together.

Challenge completeo!

Ali E's tip of the day

13. You can never go wrong with circle or square punches.

I have been experimenting a bit of late myself with round-ness on my pages... and do you know what? I am loving the effect.

Marika - she

*insert bulging eyes*

O.M.G. Marika. This is GREAT. love love love love the blue paint, the combo ofpapers and that clear dymo. Your photo is incredible - what a great shot! And oh my goodness i just love how that quote gives me goosebumps on that page - so beautiful.

and is this a smaller size i see too? Great work - good on you for experimenting size wise. You are total proof that bigger isn't always better and that great things come in small packages. We have been telling our men that for ages so now we need to believe it ourselves LOL.

Tiff - she

oh wow this one is amazing Tiff. Really lovely.

Tiff says:

the Prima Petite Fleur vine just sets this one off perfectly. Great timing for these quotes as I have a number of Annie photos coming up that they will suit perfectly. So you may see a few from me this month. ;-P I put in an extra pic so you could see the 'watermark' print of the quote. Very very subtle in real life. Amanda Hall
Photography ;-D

that prima vine is perfect there Tiff. Lovely use of that quote.

Maryanne - photo challenges

Maryanne has sent me two images for last month's looking down photo challenge. She asked me to decide which one i liked better but i couldn't either. LOVE the vicious look of this first one

and the crispness of the photo in this next one -

Maryanne says :

this is our[sort of] cat lucky.Scruff rescued him from one of the cells at the yeelanna silos around 7 years ago.Hes never really become domesticated,still a little feral, and actually went missing for a couple of years but turned up again around a year ago!!

Fabulous- love these!

and i almost fell off my chair when i saw this next one for the current theme of TRAVEL.

Maryanne says:

And heres something for the travel challenge....very appropriate for me as I will be going to nsw in 3 weeks time and have been getting a little concerned about travelling with all this swine flu about.Have even been considering one of these....but maybe not..

classic shots Maryanne. Funny fish!

Ali E's tip of the day

12. Just stick it down. If you have been looking at a single layout for days and days and days it is probably time to just stick it all down and move on the next. Isn't it awesome that there is always another story to tell?

again i think i may have to frame this one and sing it like a monk's mantra 'stick it down, just stick it down'

Trish's gift

"Just a little project I have finished for an 80th birthday pressy. Its for a lady Mum and I stayed with in Port Augusta on our way to Marla recently. We both were given a cup of tea (saucer included) in bed each morning,ohhh bliss. I know it doesn't fit a challenge but someone suggested rather strongly that I should send it in LOL. Any guesses who?
Cheers Trish S."

Wow Trish ... love those bling embellishments and the flowers with the brad centre!! I am sure the lady will love your gift! An amazing lady by the sound of it too!

Hello June

Welcome to June and here is a whole bunch of new challenges we hope will inspire you to create!

Sue's Sketch for June

Sue says -

Here's my sketch challenge for June. I have distressed the edges of the papers, added various embellishments and even some rubons up along the side - which aren't part of the sketch..... so have fun and i look forward to seeing what you all come up with.

Amanda's Challenge

Ok well my challenge is to make a layout but incorperate a quote..........some very specific quotes actually. Don't worry - there is a LOT you can choose from. Just choose one and let the quote inspire you.

These quotes are from a great empowering book by Kobi Yamada.

{She} ...by Kobi Yamada

• She must be something special. She is. Celebrate her.




• She loved life and it loved her back. Celebrate her passion.




• She listened to her heart above all other voices. Celebrate her wisdom.




• She pursued big dreams instead of small realities. Celebrate her priorities.




• She saw every ending as a new beginning. Celebrate her resiliency.




• She discovered her real measurements had nothing to do with numbers or statistics. Celebrate her self-esteem.




• She was kind, loving and patient…with herself. Celebrate her tenderness.




• She woke up one day and threw away all her excuses. Celebrate her accountability.




• She realized that she was missing a great deal by being sensible. Celebrate her spirit.




• She turned her can’ts into cans, and her dreams into plans. Celebrate her goals.




• She ignored people who said it couldn’t be done. Celebrate her independence.




• She had a way of turning obstacles into opportunities. Celebrate her magic.




• She went out on a limb, had it break off behind her, and discovered she could fly. Celebrate her faith.




• She discovered she was the one she’d been waiting for. Celebrate her self-reliance.




• She added so much beauty to being human. Celebrate her presence.




• She walked in when everyone else walked out. Celebrate her friendship.




• She just has this way of brightening the day. Celebrate her radiance.




• She made the whole world feel like home. Celebrate her warmth.




• She decided to enjoy more and endure less. Celebrate her choices.




• She decided to start living the life she’d imagined. Celebrate her freedom.




• She colored her thoughts with only the brightest hues. Celebrate her optimism.




• She was an artist and her life was her canvas. Celebrate her brilliance.




• She ran ahead where there were no paths. Celebrate her bravery.




• She crossed borders recklessly, refusing to recognize limits, saying bonjour and buon giorno as though she owned both France and Italy and the day itself. Celebrate her joie de vivre.




• She held her head high and looked the world straight in the eye. Celebrate her strength.




• She not only saw a light at the end of the tunnel she became that light for others. Celebrate her compassion.




• She designed a life she loved. Celebrate her joy.




• She took the leap and built her wings on the way down. Celebrate her daring.




• She said bye-bye to unhealthy relationships. Celebrate her happiness.




• She remained true to herself. Celebrate her authenticity.




• She made the world a better place. Celebrate her.

Every single one of these quotes make me want to punch my fist in the air and yell 'hell yeah' so i really encourage everyone to take the time to read them and try and feel the message that they are getting across to women.

Find one that really speaks to you and do a layout featuring the quote.

I can't wait to see the pages you make encorperating those words!

Photography Challenge

ok well this month's photography challenge has a theme - TRAVEL.

You might like to share a special photo of where you have travelled to in the past. Or somewhere that you would like to go. It may be modes of transport or think outside the square and take a creative travel shot.

This is my example but i will also do a newer one. From Meredith and my great Melbourne adventure.

There will be more fantastic challenges popped up as the month ticks by - keep checking back!

Tiff - recycle and reuse

Tiff says -

I have had the Heidi Swapp mask sitting in my stash for so long, rarely used. Such a waste really.So last night it came out. Instead of using it for it for its original intention, I cut it up and used the flower mask as an embellishment.

I really like the result.

This looks great Tiff. Love what you have done with those masks. A great example of layering here too! Black and red = striking as always.

Photo by Amanda Hall Photography ;-)