Patriotic Pyramid

Hi everyone, as promised I am sharing the photos of the finished Pyramid (not so) Mini I made as a gift for La Rennaisance Gymnastic Club in Chalons France.  It was a gift given by the Erewash Valley Gymnastic Club as a thank you for hosting our gymnast this year (of which my son was one).  I couldn't share the photos until it had been handed over so without further ado......

As you can see I have made an extra tier to this Pyramid Mini to house a second larger album.  I am so glad the French and British Flags are the same colours as it was fun to use the flags in different ways.  I used the club badges as centres for the rosettes and the small drawer has a mini that was signed with messages from all our gymnasts and the bottom album is ready for photographs of all the fun that was had by all.

I made flag embellishments and bottle-cap embellishments.....

I made a little podium for a medal that sits in the centre of the small pyramid and added some nice words to each side.  I hope the translator did the job properly! ;-)

I think you can just about see the words on the other side of the medal!

Two minis sit in the drawers, one for signatures and one for photos.

It took me almost 24 hours to complete this project but I was really happy with it and it is really nice to think that it is now in France celebrating the many visits our Gymnasts have enjoyed over the years.  Two years ago we hosted Raphael, Sebastian and Thomas and this year Raphael and his family kindly looked after Callum.

I am busy working on getting the pattern and video tutorials ready to put this project into my shop. So if you want to have a go at making one then please watch this space!!!

One more day of waiting left to hear if I make it through to the second round of auditions for the Graphic 45 Design Team.  The two weeks has passed surprisingly quickly after all but the nervousness is getting worse!  Keep everything crossed for me please!!!!

Thank you for popping by x

Imagine the Possibilities!

Hope you are all having a wonderful Easter.  I can't believe I haven't eaten an egg yet this year!  I almost treated myself to a giant walnut whip but on closer inspection it was filled with lots of little walnut whips and not the lovely gooey white whip!  So it stayed on the shop shelf and off my hips!

We have had nice Easter Break - one lazy day, one Family visiting day and one day at home with the family and the traditional roast dinner.  We are awaiting the return of our youngest from his trip to France.  The gymnasts and coaches are back in the country and settling down to sleep all the way back from Dover!  I guess that is a sign they have had a fab exchange visit.  Looking forward to hearing all about it.

I am sharing a layout I made this afternoon.  I hope you like it.  I picked some spring photos from 2008 as I wanted to work with some spring colours.  I chose a vibrant yellow to match the Irises in the main photo and two Graphic 45 papers in a green to match the foliage and a blue to match Callum's t-shirt.

I started with Graphic 45 Tropical Tavelogue and the non fishy side of the Oceana Paper.  I am combining that with the leafy side of the Happy Haunting Enchanted Garden Paper.  I am going to ink the edges of all the papers I use with fine line of Black Soot Distress Stain.

I just couldn't waste all that lovely paper so.........gutted!

 Who would know now I have added the yellow?  I think I had a pretty good match of card for the Irises in my stash of plain scrapbook papers.  Those who know me will have spotted it is my intention to put one of my photos at an angle! ;-)

I have framed the photos so that the fine yellow mount draws your eye into the photos....at least I hope it does.

I spent a couple of hours sculpting Irises out of paper and am really pleased with how they turned out.  A pretty sticker made somewhere for the Irises to grow from!

When I was considering where to put my journalling I found a passport cutout on the Tropical Travelogue Exotic Destination paper and it prompted me to make my smaller photo into a little booklet so I could add more photos and journalling about our spring walk.  I used a ribbon to hold the booklet together and looking at this photo I might make the bow a little smaller.

A cute and discreet way to add more photos and journaling to a single page layout. Please excuse the ink stained fingers!!!

.........And here is the finished layout.  Just in time as I have been called to make the gravy!  Mmmmm tummy rumbling now.  Hope what is left of your Easter break is fabulous and full of calorie free chocolate!!!!!

Thank you for popping by.....or should I say hopping???? ;-)

WOYWW 199

Oh My Goodness is it Wednesday already?  This is a very quick one from me as I am up to my eyes in it!  Can you guess the theme???  Last night I received a frantic phone call asking if I could make something that could be given as a gift from one Gymnastic Club to another as the supplier of the original gift couldn't deliver.  So my desk is full of Frenchness and Britishness today and probably late into tonight!  I guess it will keep my mind off my audition for a while (see the sticky post above).  I am making one of my latest designs - The Pyramid Mini - and I am going to add an additional drawer so the smallest album can be signed by all the Gymnasts and coaches here and the larger album (when I make it!)  can be used to hold photos of the exchange visit.

Wish me luck though looking at my photo above the French need it right now - Look who is awaiting the chop on my guillotine right now!!! ;-)

I hope to get finished in time to do some desk hopping tonight!  If you want to see what is on other desks around the world today then please click on this link to join in the fun.

Thank you for visiting me today.

Merci de me rendre visite aujourd'hui.

Tag Tuesday - Letter L

I am so glad I have a yellow tag for my Tag Tuesday submission today - Surely the warm weather will arrive with us soon!  The yellow on the tag is Mustard Seed (Distress Ink) and it works a treat with the black and white Zentangles!

Only two Zentangle patterns this week but it took quite a while to do the background one LOOPLOPP.  It made my slightly cross eyed by the time I finished the whole tag!  The other pattern in the half circles is LOAV IT........... much easier!

I am video editing this week as I have a tutorial I want to share as a giveaway on my blog and other than that I have lots of admin and tidying to do!  At least that means I can stay in warm and cozy today.  The sun is shining today so the snow is melting but we have more bad weather forecast.  At this rate my daffodils are going to bloom in the snow - That would make a nice photo don't you think?  Every cloud!!

So if your reading this in the sunshine somewhere waft a little in the direction of the UK I think we have had enough of Winter now!!

Thanks for popping by X

Shady Lady Scrapbook Layout

Last night I decided to scrapbook and as normal I started by sorting through my loose photos.  I came upon these two photos of me.  I, like most scrapbookers I know, do not scrapbook me much at all.  Most of my scrapbooking is of family events and of my sons with a few historical family photo layouts thrown in for good measure!  These photos were printed for a project where I was tasked with finding 6 photos of me.  It proved to be quite a difficult task.  You try it!  My problem is I tend to take the photos so consequently am not in many and am definitely not in many on my own.  Second problem is that I am in charge of filtering!!!!  If I don't like it it is assigned to the digital scrapheap!  So you see before you two photos I actually like of me (a couple of years ago).  They were a bit stark for the paper I wanted to use so I scruffied them up a bit with some sand paper and Old Paper Distress Ink.

 My next step was to look through my papers to see what I wanted to work with.  Graphic 45 is on my mind at the moment as you know :-) so I picked out some red and black prints I liked from a couple of different collections.  Don't they look nice like this?!

The butterfly print (Olde Curiosity Shoppe - Genuine Article) was my favourite from my selection so I framed it with Le Cirque - Under the Big Top and French Country - Grandure.  When I do this I always save the middles of the papers I am using to frame a layout.  I can't waste my papers!

Next I framed myself and decided to put the photos across the layout on a strip of French Country - Bon Appetit.

Next up - embellishments!  I bought a set of Wendy Vecchi Wildflower Art parts when I found them on sale - lucky me and so I covered them with some of the papers I am using.  I decided on the daisies and I used my craft knife to cut them out once I had stuck them to the paper.  It was a little tricky but I just went slowly and I was really happy with the result.  You must make sure the glue is dry or the paper will be soft and difficult to cut without spoiling the edges.

Because I didn't want floating flowers!!!  I aded the gingham strips top and bottom

This close up shows I have added ribbon and a few pearly buttons threaded with bakers twine.

The rest of my photos were taken in daylight hours hence the colour change!!  I think I finally stumbled up the stairs at 2ish this morning by the time I finished this layout.

I created a little pocket behind my photo and made a tag from some bits and pieces of ABC Primer I had saved.  You can see how I do this here on a video I made for my Graphic 45 Audition.

It took me a while to fussy cut all the butterflies but I liked the effect.  I added glossy accents to make sure they were sturdy enough to fly over my layout.

One title cut with Opposites Attract on my Cricut and I'm done!  Looking at the photo above I may add a bit more Distress ink to my photos.  I will have to think about my journalling  but it is always something I tend to come back to - what about you?

Hope you like my layout and that it give you a few ideas.  Just pick 3 coordinating papers that go with your photos and off you go!  I could print these photos in colour and then try a blue and green colour combination........

Thank you for popping by X

Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Challenge

Take one well loved and used Tattered Florals die.........

And a bit of die cutting, inking, light distressing and layering later!

I just had to join in this wonderful challenge.  It is testament to why the Tattered Florals die is such a hit with us all.  So many beautiful ways to use it.  So many gorgeous flowers to be fashioned.  Hope you like my Chrysanthemum made from many layers of the daisy die (tutorial coming soon to a blog near you!).  It is a labour of love but I think it is worth it.  I used Shabby Shutters Distress Ink, Tattered Leaves and Vintage Lace dies, some Cream card stock and a sheet of Graphic 45 Little Darlings paper to turn my Chrysanths in to a pretty card and a cute trinket box.  I have one Chrysanthemum left and I was wondering if I could spray it with some form of varnish to make it more durable and perhaps turn it into a broach or corsage style bracelet.....watch this space!

If you want to see more fabulous ways to use the Tattered Florals Die follow this link to the Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Challenge.

WOYWW 198

I haven't WOYWWed for a while as I have been up to my eyes in gorgeous Graphic 45 papers.  I am not complaining - loved it totally and utterly.

Consequently I have one desk still looking like a crafting bomb hit it!  This is on my to do list today!!

And one desk where order has been restored....oops forgot to empty the bin!  I have a pile of G45 12 x 12s to file away, some G45 embellishments and a Tattered Florals die as I am going to enter something for Tim's Tattered Floral challenge if I can.

You can also see on my desk what I hope is my lucky tag!  It is one of the projects I submitted for the Graphic 45 Design Team Audition 2013.  I have taken a huge step and have been busy designing and making for days and days and glorious days!  WOYWW is just the distraction I need right now as I am on pins and I only posted yesterday ;-) I have a while to go yet to hear if I get the chance at a second audition piece.  I would love you to pop by and let me know what you think.  I have butterflies like you wouldn't believe!!!!  .......or maybe you would.  Wish me luck.

So one bit of tidying and one crafting project......which should I do first I wonder?  Neither I am off to see what you have all been up to this week.  If you are popping by and have never heard of WOYWW then please follow this link to find out more!!

Thank you for visiting me today x