Ali Challenge #11

OK, so I finally got to do the cover page for my new album - Relax 2007. It will be a work in progress - eventually there will be 12 pictures on the page, with an example from each month on how we relaxed that month. Loved working with the red paint! I should be able to post some of the first pages from the album within the next couple of days - the designs are in my head, just have to find time to put pictures to page.

Ali Challenge #13

Ali's Challenge #13 goes as follows:

What are your essentials? If you had to get rid of everything and just keep a modest amount, what would be on your list? The challenge this week is easy: draft up a list of your essentials. What do you reach for time after time?

Well, here is my list of essentials:

1. Camera, Laptop and Photo Printer

Definitely cannot do without the Camera to take the pictures - for me it is a trusty Nikon D70. Love my camera. Also couldn't do without the Sony Vaio Laptop which I use to download my photos onto, before transferring to our server storage. Definitely couldn't live without my HP Photosmart printer - it does 4 x 6 as well as 5 x 7 prints. I tend to print the photos I scrapbook on this printer as I am never organised enough to take my photos to the printers.

2. Black and White Cardstock

Love scrapbooking on black and white cardstock at the moment. If I only had a couple of colours in my stash, these would be the ones. Always buying these babies in bulk (I bought 30 sheets of White in December and it is all gone already!!!)

3. Self-Healing Mat, Art Knife, double-sided tape, metal ruler

The essentials, without these I just couldn't do it. Also love my Guilotine, but hardly an essential as you can do without, just takes longer to cut stuff.

4. Black and White Pens, Stapler, Paper Piercer and Brads

Black and white pens for journalling, stapler for adding ribbon and other emblishments to the page. Couldn't last without the paper piercer for putting holes in the page for brads. As far as brads go, I think it is essential to have a selection of different colours and shapes and sizes.

5. Paint and Ink Pads, Alphabet Stamps

A selection of different colour paints (I like the Heidi Swapp paints), including black and white - which allows you to make an infinite number of colours. I also could not survive without my Chalk Inks - I use these all the time for stamping titles using the Making Memories Alphabet Stamps, I also use the stamp pads to create backgrounds - just by rubbing the ink pad across the page (however, you do use lots of ink this way).

6. Basic Grey Patterned Paper, Chipboard Letters and shapes, and Wholly Cow Rub-ons

Couldn't survive without these at the moment. The Basic Grey paper is just adorable. Could happily use just this patterned paper at the moment. Love also the chipboard letters for titles and monograms - painted or inked using the paints and inks from above. Definitely could not survive without the Wholly Cow Rub-ons - especially the Urban Calligraphy, Lace and Vines ones.

7. Letter and number stickers

Letter and number stickers in a variety of different colours and shapes. A must for titles/sub-titles.

I think that is it. Ask me in another couple of months and list may be completely different.

Ali Challenge #11

Have been thinking about the last Ali challenge which goes as follows:

This week your challenge is to create something, anything, that celebrates your chosen word for 2007. Maybe a layout. Maybe a blog posting or a journal entry or a simple post-it note that you put somewhere you can see it each day. Make sure to journal about why you chose your word and what it means for you - the more you let yourself explore the more benefit you will receive in the end.

I have decided that my word for 2007 is going to be RELAX. Yes, this sounds easy, but not for me - I find it very hard to relax, even when I am no where near work! I really do need to start chillin' out. I found myself tensing up on the way home from work yesterday at the prospect of doing 3 lots of payroll before bedtime. I had to tell myself to relax, so I have decided that this will be my word for the year. My plan is to create a RELAX 2007 album, and to scrapbook at least one example a month of how we have relaxed that month. I plan to put a title page at the front of the album, with 12 pictures on it, one favourite picture a month of us relaxing. I hope to post some examples on this blog soon!

Jasmin has decided that her word for the year is going to be "Love". Isn't she a sweety? She quite often comes up to me and says - "I love you Mum", or "I like you!". We both decided that Eliza's word is going to be Yum! She loves food so much - when we were deciding on our words last night we turned around to see Eliza helping herself to some nerds which Jasmin had put in a cup on a shelf where Eliza could not reach (well now she can reach). She was sitting there eating the nerds, and every so often she would burp and smile! Jasmin and I decided that Daddy's word should be healthy. He has just started the CSIRO diet again to get rid of all the christmas cheer he has been partaking of.

Ali Challenge #6

This weeks Ali challenge was as follows:

This week I want you to take a bit of time to check out your own style. What defines your style? Create a layout shows examples of your own style evolution - write about how you have grown as a life artist/scrapbooker since you first began. These sorts of stories are so important as a part of your own personal history. How cool for your family to see all the layouts you have created AND a layout that talks about how you see yourself evolving as a life artist/ scrapbooker.

Well, I really haven't had time to do a layout for this challenge - too busy trying to finish the last BAS for the Tax Office However, I did take the time to look through my very first album to see how much my style has changed. Yes - quite a bit of the cringe factor looking at my old layouts, but they are so valuable, and even though they don't contain a lot of journalling, they normally do tell you the who, what, where and when. Some things I noticed about all of my first pages was that I used a lot of plain card stock, matted a lot of photos, and used those fancy scissor things on a lot of layouts, and did a lot of hand journalling (especially using that dot lettering style). I started scrapbooking about 6 years ago, and back there certainly was not the variety of products on the market that there is now.

I have grown as an artist, and although I can't really define what my style is my current work is quite simple - the simpler the better, as there is not normally a lot of time to scrap. I still like using plain textured card stock - my favourite at the moment is to use either white or black card stock so that the pictures really stand out and I love using paint, chalk ink and rub-ons. I also journal (normally using the computer) a lot more about thoughts, feelings and memories that I don't want to forget (although the examples below are devoid of any journalling!). I get more and more confident as time passes, and try different things with new products.

Here is my very first layout (it was done at a Creative Memories workshop at my friend Kylie's place - thank you so much Kylie, you started my interest in this wonderful hobby!).

And here are two recent examples:

I really like this layout with Jas on it. I used the Heidi Swapp Fuzzy Rub-ons (took about 10 minutes to get the damn thing on the page though), for the background I rubbed a chalk ink pad on the page.

Ali's Stamp Challenge

Rewarded myself for completing yet another BAS (only one to go now), by doing this week's Ali Challenge - here is the challenge:

Create a layout that uses at least three different stamps - one geometric, one text, and one organic (swirl, artsy, etc.). If you make a mistake, work with it or leave it. Chances are, no one will ever notice except you - everyone else will see it as a totally cool artsy use of stamps. Embrace that!

My first layout is Eliza at six months. It uses one geometric, one text and one organic stamp. The second one just uses organic stamps - thought I should scrap this photo from Christmas last year, before doing this year's Santa pictures.