2013 goes out with a SMILE

This is truly last minute on my part......but what shall I do......soooo many ideas and so little time! I changed my mind so may times on the sketch and finally this morning took the plunge.

Entering this into:

Black With two: December Challenge ; Candy Apple & Crystal Blue
Lulupu December Challenge : Pattern paper, stamps, embelishments

JOY is in the simple moments

Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.

This is the theme at Show us your Stuff for the December challenge - use the word JOY in your layout. What brings you Joy? What always puts a smile on your face? .



The layout sketch comes from Purple Pumkin's December Sketch Challenge.

Deciding on the subject for my layout was very easy - my little boy. There are so many memories that I want to remember - the way he wishes me in the morning, his naughty smile, cute little phrases he uses.... the list is endless. This layout is my attempt at capturing one such day - a photoshoot in my backyard. The idea was to frame three photographs of my son saying I love Appa ('Appa' means Dad in Tamil) 

The first photograph was easy - I got him to hold the wooden letter 'I' while he went around the house on his push car. Next we tackled the board with 'APPA' on it in the backyard. He looked so cute tucking the board under his chin and running around. Then a pair of parrots swooped down on the lower branches of a tree and my lil one forgot all about the photos and the card and started chasing them :)) I was literally rolling over laughing and enjoying his cuteness. 

I took my own sweet time deciding on what pattern papers to use and finally settled on 6X6 My Minds Eye pad. The strip down the centre is a scrap piece of paper - stenciled some alphabets on it before layering MME paper on it. 

Along the borders and on the page you can spy yummy Tim Holtz tissue tapes. Then I sprayed and used some paint, stamped the arrows and script, added a frame and wooden 'moments'. My favorite part of this page are the banners also cut from MME paper. Then came the journalling and title. Finally I doodled on the page and declared it complete. Whew! This page took me forever to complete..... still learning how to balance different elements and also to know when to stop and not make it too busy! The final layout doesn't look anything like what I wanted it to be, but thoroughly enjoyed creating this page and was all smiles by the end.

Entering this layout into the following challenges:

Berry71bleu for for the December two part challenge over at December Challenge

Lulupu Challenge #22 – Cook It Up! (Stamps, Mist, Pattern Paper, Embellishment)

Purple Pumkin's December Sketch Challenge.

I would love to read your suggestions and comments....

Shiny and New

What's SHINY & NEW ?

That's the question over at Paper Issues for their December Challenge.  Well..... In our house the answer to that is very simple - our lil baby boys. Although one is not all that new 2.5 years is still pretty new isn't it? Anyways, I completed this layout a couple of months ago as I patiently waited for my contractions to stabilize. For those of you who have babies you would know the last few hours from when contraction starts and to when the mid wife declares that you are officially in labour can be quite difficult. I needed a seriously engaging distraction to cope with the pain ..... what can be more relaxing than playing with colours! I had already started this layout, so decided to complete it.

The background is watercolour paper and Fevicryl Hobby Ideas pearl acrylic colour. These paints so so silky and have a shine to them when they dry. I made my own mist by watering down the paint.

I struggle with balancing the layout and also when to stop and not overwork a layout. This layout didnt quite feel complete but I havent the courage to try anything else on the page lest I ruin what Ive done so far..... lol.... Would love to hear your suggestions and read your comments.

Lulupu BlogHop 2013 & my first layout

Sooooooo excited that I'm finally ready with a few layouts to share. So, what better way to connect with fellow scrapbookers than joining a bloghop and a few challenges.

Lulupu has a very generous stash of scrappy yummies to giveaway. Read all about it here and also join the Lulupu BlogHop 2013 to see the amazing creations by their DT. This month Lulupu is running a recipe challenge. For my layout, I chose from the Lulupu Recipe Challenge #22: Image (Stamp), Diecut and embellishment (ribbon, brad). 


There is so much inspiration available on the  net, this has become my fav past time these days and came across this really lovely Mood Board by Zaneta Glowa aka Zanka at Scrap Around The World. The first thing that struck me about this picture is the soft, delicate look and pastel shades. The more I looked at it, more ideas popped into my head - vintage frames, script stamps, flowers, emerald..... but I didnt have any of these in my stash so I stuck with my first thoughts.

The inspiration for the layout came from the AAB-December 1 Sketch Challenge over at Boy Meets Girl. 

Technically, this isnt my first layout - its my 4th but well its the first Im sharing on my blog. Armed with all the inspiration from the net, I dug through my stash and coudnt find any soft pastel coloured background paper! Why not create some yourself :)) 


There is no pattern paper used at all in this layout. The background was created on a peach color DCWV cardstock using acrylic paints and stamps.


I also stenciled a mirror image of the heart shape die-cut onto the top right corner.Then for layering my photograph, transparency sheets were painted using some old alphabet cutouts as stencils. I sewed them onto the page as I didn't want the glue to show through the clear sheets. The ribbons came from gift hampers I received for my baby boy. Finally, some journaling and the title.

Entering this layout into the following challenges:

Lulupu Challenge #22 – Cook It Up!

ScrapAroundTheWorld - December 2013 Challenge 8 - A Graceful and Feminine Mood Board by Zaneta Glowa aka Zanka

BoyMeetsGirl - AAB-December 1 Sketch Challenge

Inspirational - Challenge #46 - Anything Inkspirational Goes

Off the Rails Scrapbooking  - Free for All

Rediscovering the JOY of creating

A couple of years ago I attended classes with some pretty inspiring teachers - Nic Howard and Louise Nelson at the Paper Craft Festival in Penrith. That day was my first real peek into the world of scrapbooking. Although I bought a cartloads of products post the class (& ever since.... Lol) I just hadn't made the time to sit down and experiment.

Then, something changed..... a few months ago I made a silent pact with myself. A layout a fortnight...... the more time spent with my crafty arty products the more ideas flowed and I slowly got my mojo back... or so it feels like right now. Through this blog id like to share my journey - rediscovering the JOY of creating.