Monday 21 March 2011

March White With One

This month's challenge at White With One is white (of course), bright PINK and artisan shapes...do you think I could resist that one??? LOL Here's my take on it...


I started with a yummy sheet of American Crafts 'Taffy' cardstock, and the piece of Paper Inklings doiley left over from my last LO. I also used some Kaisercraft 'Bubblegum Hills' pps and coordinating printed chipboard pieces, along with some gorgeous Kaisercraft 'Fuschia' Paper Blooms. The alphas are Pink Paislee 'Cushies' (currently on sale at 40% off) - of course, everything came from Handmade By Suzanne!

Sunday 20 March 2011

March 123 Challenge

I had one gorgeous sheet of pp from the Kaisercraft 'Bubblegum Hills' collection left, aptly called 'Blue Lemonade' when I remembered that the March 123 Challenge was something to do with blue. I checked the criteria and sure enough it was light / medium blue; the word to / too / two; and to use doilies...how could I resist? Here's what I came up with...


Besides the Kaisercraft pps, I also used a Paper Inklings 12x12" doiley, which I cut the centre from (can you believe you can purchase these from Handmade By Suzanne at the moment for only $0.56? they're just awesome!) I also used a stunning Dusty Attic chipboard decorative frame; Kaisercraft Paper Blooms; a flattened bottlecap, which I filled with a punched circle of coordinating pp (these are only 4 for $1.00!) and of course, the obligatory sprinkling of pearls & Bakers Twine (I know, I know - I have a problem right? LOL) The alphas are Sassafras Lass 'Blue Linen' cardstock stickers and foam Thickers 'Delight - Cherry'. (The only thing on this LO I used that didn't come from HBS was the pen I used to journal with, but I could have used one from there if I wanted to - the store has EVERYTHING!)

Friday 18 March 2011

Out of the Hat March Challenge

I love playing along at Out of the Hat, as the challenges there are usually great! This month's challenge is right up my alley - use twine, a handmade journal spot and a number in the title. I couldn't resist the 'Bubblegum Hills' pps that were still beckoning from my desk...


To start, I slapped a bit of white paint and a flick of 'Tiger Lily' glimmermist on my Kraft cs, then added the 'Orange Pop' pp, a doiley, 'Niki Riki - Grapefruit' Thickers and some Bakers Twine. For the little cluster, I cut a journal spot from Kraft & sprayed with mist, and teamed it with a Scrapware butterfly and a gorgeous coordinating bottlecap. I used a standard bottlecap, a 1" circle punched from paper and then covered with an epoxy dot - SO EASY!!! (It took about 1 minute!) Check out the DIY bottlecaps and accessories now available at Handmade By Suzanne HERE


(I actually went to post my March OOTH entry and found out I won the Feb challenge there...woo hoo!)

Bubblegum Hills Goodness!

This month I was sent the aptly named (coz it's soooo yummy!) 'Bubblegum Hills' collection from Kaisercraft in my DT kit from Handmade By Suzanne. The hoarder in me came out as soon as I saw the pps, coz they were so pretty I didn't really want to cut them up! LOL I did get over it though, as was soon happily cutting away...


For this LO, I actually used the reverse side of the 'Berry Surprise' sheet, as I loved the patchwork look of it. (I just added some machine stitching to make it look more authentic.) The cute flowers were handcut from the 'Calipso Punch' sheet and then layered with foam mounting tape. The larger layered flower is one of the coordinating printed chipboard pieces, which even have the button already attached for you - gotta love that! The alphas are 'Cushies' from Pink Paislee (you can snap them up now at 40% off!) Of course the LO wouldn't have been complete without my beloved Bakers Twine and a sprinkling of coloured pearls - can't get enough of either of them! I also snuck on a bit of green spotty washi tape.

I also made this card...


I love how the orange / pink combo came out on this card! I used the 'Orange Pop' pp for the base, and the sentiment came from 'Berry Surprise' (the top side this time). The gorgeous butterfly (as with the one on the LO above) was cut from the stunning 'Fruity Galaxy' specialty glitter paper (and was the sheet I most wanted to hoard...LOL) I also used a Queen & Co felt 'Doodle' border, more yummy pearls, an old Kaisercraft epoxy brad and a chenille button from my stash.

If you haven't shopped with Handmade By Suzanne before, pop over and register, as everyone receives 15% off their first order. The store is always bursting with new stock as well as lots of 40% off sale items and even 60% off sale items to tempt you! In other exciting news, ALL orders are now sent via registered post at no extra charge (so still only flat rate $5), with orders over $50 being posted for free. Significantly reduced express post rates are now also offered - so if you just can't wait for that parcel, ask for a quote when you order! :-)

Wednesday 16 March 2011

HBS March Sketch Challenge!

First up, sorry to all my friends in Blogland as I haven't been around to visit much over the past couple of weeks - time has gotten away from me. But rest assured I am back in stalker-mode and will be around to visit you all again as soon as possible! ;-)

This month's sketch challenge at Handmade By Suzanne has again been designed by our uber-talented DT member, Michelle Fowler. You can see Michelle's fabulous sketch HERE. And due to the awesome response we have been getting to the sketch challenge each month, Suzanne has now increased the prize to a $30 store voucher!!! (Even more reason to give it a go!) Entries close at the end of the month, with the prize being randomly drawn so everyone has equal chance of winning. :-)

Here is my take on the sketch...


I had a bit of a dig through my stash for this LO - I used some photos of my dad & I that were taken back in 2008 (when I was 30 weeks pregnant). I used some older Basic Grey 'Olivia' pps (which you can get really cheap at HBS right now!) and an (even older) BG sheet for the base. The gorgeous flowers are 'Charm's Creations' Fabulous Flowers, which you can purchase for yourself via the SBT50 Crafters Market HERE. Of course, I also snuck on some Bakers Twine (I just LOVE this stuff), which you can now get in 11 FAB colours from Handmade By Suzanne (AND for only $0.40/m!)...check out the range HERE And yes, that is hand-stitching on my LO too! :-)

Wednesday 2 March 2011

March Monthly Challenge!

March already? ARGH! Where is the year going???
New month means new challenges, and my March monthly challenge at Scrapbooking Top 50 is a style challenge - GRUNGE! I love grunge, (mainly coz I love to get messy! LOL), but also because it provides me a way to scrap pics of my DP (that he seems reasonably happy with). In addition to creating a grunge style page, challenge criteria also includes a one word title and book or newspaper.
Here is my sample LO...

If you would like to have a go at my challenge (and maybe win yourself an awesome prize), or see what the other challenges on offer are, pop over to the SBT50 forum HERE (I promise we won't bite! LOL)

I'm still here!!!

Yes, I'm still here and although the past week hasn't been as scrappy as I would have liked, I did manage to get a bit done. (Unfortunately some of it is secret squirrel stuff though, so will have to wait!) A couple of things I can share though is this card, that I did for the February 'Dare' challenge at SBT50. The criteria given to the DT were edge punching / tearing; red; something fabric (of course I used one of my own Lovelybug Bits n Bobs buttons) and something 'shimmery'. I took the opportunity to create a card for my BIL's 40th next week...


I also managed to complete Vicki's February Challenge @ SBT50, which was a sketch challenge. Besides using the sketch, we also had to include lots of journalling and at least one heart. I decided to use the sketch and turn it into a 8.5x11" LO, and instead of journalling a story, I included a recipe...


I decided to keep it simple and created the LO using some left-over Imaginisce 'Cottage Christmas' pps, my fave 'Patchwork' fabric Thickers, a My Minds Eye brad and a machine stitched a border. And although I usually hate to look at my own handwriting, I figured Brielle will treasure this LO more in years to come if the recipe was handwritten.