I Love You!

Happy Saturday morning to everyone! I hope you are having a nice weekend so far. I had a friend round for a girly night in last night and I'm teaching a card class this afternoon, then I have a boring night in on my own tonight but tomorrow I'm going on a photography class with the fabulous Kirsty Wiseman which I am super excited about!! So hopefully a good weekend all round for me. My husband is however away on a stag weekend so is highly likely to be hungover and therefore in a mega bad mood when he gets home tomorrow...oh dear!

Well as it's Saturday today I have another Sketch Saturday card to share with you today.

Here is this week's sketch which is sponsored by The Craft Barn and they have a fabulous £10 voucher for this week's winner:

and here is my Design Team entry:

I absolutely love this image by Kenny K and as soon as I saw it I knew it was perfect for this card. I made this one for my daughter to give to her Daddy for his birthday - and he loved it!

I didn't have a fitting sentiment so printed 'Happy Birthday Daddy' on my PC which was then obviously perfect.

I'm going to enter this card into this week's challenge over at Kenny K's Krafty Girlz which is 'It must be the Music' i.e. the card must be inspired by a song: mine is Stevie Wonder's 'Isn't She Lovely' which is about a father's love for his daughter which I thought was quite fitting.

I'm also going to enter this one in this week's Fab n Funky Challenges which is 'Cute and Girly' - very fitting for this card!

Hope you like it - thanks for looking!

52 Layouts Step-by-Step #4 Hard at Play

Morning all

Are you enjoying this amazing weather? I generally don't do well in the heat but I must say I'm enjoying this sunny spell, let's hope it lasts.

I've got another installment of 52 Layouts Step-by-Step for you today. We're making a single layout this week and here are the supplies you need:

2 x plain card - one will be the background. I've used white and blue.

2 x patterned papers - I've gone for a heavy/bold pattern and a much more subtle pattern (the pink). You will also need another pattern, also quite subtle. I've used the reverse of one of those sheets but you could use an entirely different sheet if you want to...

One large and one small set of alphabet stickers. My large ones are white glittery Thickers and the small ones are pink October Afternoon.

Some border stickers

some embellishments - Ive used just two circles with buttons in the centres.

Two photos - one 6x4 and one 4x4.

Step 1:

Choose  your background. I've gone completely plain white.

Step 2:

Cut your bold pattern to 8x11 3/4" and stick to the left side of your layout.

 

Step 3:

Cut your more subtle pattern to 9 x 9 1/2" and stick down, about an inch in from the left side.

Step 4:

Cut another patterned paper to 8x4" and stick down. I've used the pattern on the reverse of my bold pattern but you can use a different sheet of paper altogether if the patterns on the reverse don't work for you.

Step 5:

Mount your two photos onto blue card. My photos are 6x4" and 4x4" so I have mounted them onto blue card 6 1/4 x 4 1/4" and 4 1/4 x 4 1/4". Once they are mounted stick them to your layout.

Step 6:

Add on some border strips. I've used three different ones: the long red one at the top (9 1/2"), the diamond shaped one under my large photo (6") and a short floral one above the small picture (4 1/4). I've used border stickers but you could create your own with strips of paper/card and edger punches if you don't have stickers.

Step 7:

Add your title using your large alphabet stickers...

Step 8:

 ...and a subtitle using your small alphabet stickers

Step 9:

Then add in some embellishments. I've gone for fabric circles with buttons sewn into the middles but any sort of circles, flowers etc would work too.

Step 10:

Finally handwrite in some journalling and doodle round it if you like.

Here's the finished layout - I hope you like it! If you play along please link your layouts at the bottom of this post so I can see what you've been up to!

What will you need to play along next week?

3 patterned papers

1 card

a scrap of plain white or vanilla

Alphabet stickers

String or twine

Buttons - large and small

A few flowers

A small envelope and a small tag

a 6x4 colour portrait photo

Thanks for joining in and see you next week!

Cardmaking Corner - Nature themed class

Morning All

I have cards to show off today. I made these for a cardmaking class I ran at the weekend. I decided to go for an overall nature-ry theme so every card features flowers or butterflies or leaves.

Here is the first one. I used the gorgeous 'Simply Soft' stamp set by Stampin Up - it's a hostess set but is just so lovely.

I'm entering this card into this week's Digi Design Challenge which is 'Spots & Dots'. I've used polka dots as part of the background and dotted pearls around too.

This one also features the Simply Soft stamp set and I cased this card from Teneale Williams. I changed the colour scheme and the design a bit but just loved the ripped and distressed corner feature she had used - so cool.

This one was a little notelet. I used to include a box as a 'bonus project' as part of my cardmaking classes but people kept commenting that they had too many boxes so I reverted to notelets! I always try and keep them clean and simple style so that they are quick and easy to make whilst making maximum impact.

I am entering this card in this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge which is a Clean and Simple style challenge blog and their challenge this week is 'Pretty in Pink' - fab!

And this one I think is my favourite - I can't claim a scrap of credit for it though as I've cased it from
Holly Melanson. Unfortunately I can't find her blog as I actually found this card here on Pintrest.  There is not supposed to be that pink bit at the top left corner - unfortunately during the class it fell in an ink pad, D'oh!! I knew I should always photograph my cards BEFORE the classes as accidents always happen!

This one uses the stamp set 'Precious Butterflies' (another hostess set). I wasn't too keen on this one but everyone in the class seemed to like it.

I'm entering this one in this week's Sweet Stampin Challenge which is 'Ribbons and Bows'.

Hope you like them and thanks for looking!

New Kit Reveal: June Week 4 'Reflect

Morning All

Time for another weekly kit release and this week we have a gorgeous kit featuring some of the lovely 'Chapter 1' paper range by Kaisercraft, it's called 'Reflect':

This kit contains:

3 x 'Chapter 1' patterned papers

2 x co-ordinating cardstock

a few Hero Arts flowers

a few My Mind's Eye brads

2 x trims

Here is the layout I made using this kit:

The selvages on the Kaisercraft papers are just fab - they are all decorative on one side and can therefore be used as embellishments - I love little things like this! 

I added a title using a couple of different alphabet stickers from my stash.

This layout was quite simple in the end - I particularly loved the background paper, it's just so pretty!

The Hero Arts flowers go perfectly with these papers and the black My Mind's Eye brads finish them of nicely.

I also managed a 2nd layout with this kit. I didn't have any whole sheets left so I added a sheet of blue card and then used up the scraps:

I also added some extra felt flowers and the clouds plus that little cute piece of paper with the bee on it! (at the top).

And here is Kirei's layout. Check our her blog for more details on how she made it.

The kit can be purchased here for £6.60 or you can subscribe monthly and save some cash!  Thanks for looking!

PLEASE NOTE:
Please note the online shop website is currently down whilst I change the name from 'Pages of Memories' to 'Be Scrappy'. It should be back up within a few days but in the meantime if you would like to purchase this week's kit please email me on Nikiclaire2082@hotmail.com and I will sort this out for you. Many thanks and apologies for the inconvenience xx 

Only Scraps Allowed - Forever Blowing Bubbles

Morning All

I'm using up my scraps again today and this week I had a sweet photo of my Little Miss and my hubby having fun at a birthday party where there was a bubble machine - I have never seen so many bubbles! I therefore raided my stash for anything bubble-like. Quite a few pieces were turquoise in colour which I matched with some pinks. Here is what I ended up with:

I then chose a background sheet which ended up simply being a sheet of light pink cardstock and here is the layout I came up with:

After settling on the layout, I added 'bubbles' cut out of the different patterned papers and also added the turquoise bubbles border strip over on the right.

I finished off by adding a title - I went for, guess what, bubbles again for the first part and big silver Thickers for the last word as I wanted it to stand out a bit more.

Please join me this week in using up those scraps - link your layouts below!

Layout to Share

It's a bit dull and dreary here today which totally sums up English weather huh? Very boring.

I have a layout to share today - it's one I made for this week's UK Scrappers challenge. There were four elements to this challenge:

To use a patterned paper with either a delicate or strong feel

To use a cluster of embellishments which reflects our personal style

To use blue on the layout

To use a swirl.

Here is what I came up with:

This is a photo of Ben and Sophie on our first holiday as a threesome in Setember last year. Sophie was only 4 months old and Ben was trying to feed her ice cream - she wasn't too keen though!

The two patterned papers I've used both have very small and delicate patterns which satisfies the first part of the challenge.

Here's my cluster - I think it sums up my style quite well, flowers and butterflies. The flowers are stamped which is something I do a lot of, as is the journalling circle. I've also added in a couple of swirls here too which takes care of the last part of the challenge.

I finished off the layout with a title in a couple of different fonts. The layout is mostly blue which takes care of the third part of the challenge.

Hope you like it!

Sketch Saturday Card

Morning All

Time for another challenge over at Sketch Saturday and as always there is another fabulous sketch for you all to follow this week:

I really liked this one - lots of scope with that circle in the background. I made a card for Ben's birthday and used a digi image from KennyK:

and here's a close up of my colouring - I think I'm getting a bit better, it must be all that practice I've been doing!

I finished off the card by adding denim ribbon and the most manly brad I could find!

This week's challenge is sponsored by Digi Doodle Shop - pop on over there for a peak at their lovely images. They are kindly offering a $10 prize to this week's winner.

Thanks for looking!

52 Layouts Step-by-Step #3

Happy Friday Everyone

It's time for another installment of 52 Layouts Step-by-Step and this week we're back to a single layout (methinks doubles are not as popular...!) and here is a refresher of what you'll need:

Two sheets of plain cardstock plus some smaller pieces of plain in a couple more different colours

A full sheet of patterned paper - a small pattern would probably be best as this will be the background.

Two others patterned papers - I didn't have whole sheets so smaller pieces will work too

Washi Tape

Ribbons - a few different ones

Small Alphabet

A few embellishments - I have gone for a ticket, a few chipboard shapes and some leftover layered stickers I had in my stash, anything that goes with your papers really.

Step 1:

Choose your background sheet (a very easy first step!) I've gone for a small checked pattern.

Step 2:

Cut a piece of pattered paper to 5 3/4" x 10" and mount onto plain card 6 x 10 1/4". Position and stick to the left side of your layout.

Step 3.

Add a small piece of plain card in the middle - 3 1/4 x 7 1/2"

Step 4:

Add a couple of strips of plain card and patterned paper.  The grey one (bottom right) is 6 x 2" and the pink patterned is 11 x 2" I've tucked the plain grey one under the pink one which is why it looks a lot smaller than 2".

Step 5:

Add another strip of plain card to large patterned strip - it needs to be 9 x 1" and also give it a decorative edge with one of your many edge punches. I used a wavy one as it went with my photos but any pattern would work here. (Photo error: I forgot to take a picture of this stage D'oh!! so please ignore the washi tape that's there and focus only on the blue strip - washi tape is next!)

Step 6:

Add some strips of washi tape. You can see where I've added mine and I've just simply torn it off the roll but if you like things neater than that then please feel free to use scissors here for a nice clean edge.

Step 7:

Add your ribbons. I went for a long piece of pink ric rac along the bottom which is 11" long and a piece at the top where the washi tape is - that bit is 2 1/2" long. I've also added some blue ribbon at the top too - that bit is 4 1/2" long.

Step 8:

Time for your photos: I've used two photos both trimmed to 3 1/2 x 4" and I've mounted them on blue card 3 3/4 x 4 1/4". Once mounted, add these to the layout.

Step 9:

Add some embellishments.  I've added a layered sticker at the top. A cluster in the bottom left corner (see below) and a circle and rose on the bottom right corner of the lowest photo.

 Here's a close up of that little cluster. I cut a rectangle of patterned paper to 2x3", added a strip of ribbon which is 3 1/2" long, then added the ticket, chipboard arrow, a couple more layered stickers and a rose.

Step 10:

Add your title and journalling/date.

Here is the finished layout:

I would really love to see what you make using these 10 easy steps so please link your work below using the linky tool.

So on to next week. I have another single layout for you and you will need the following:

2 x plain card - 1 will be the background. I've used white and blue.

2 x patterned papers - I've gone for a heavy/bold pattern and a much more subtle pattern (the pink). You will also need another pattern, also quite subtle. I've used the reverse of one of those sheets but you could use an entirely different sheet if you want to...

1 large and 1 small alphabets. My large ones are white glittery Thickers and small ones are pink October Afternoon.

Some border stickers

and some embellishments - Ive used just two circles with buttons in the centres.

Oh and some photos - one 6x4 and one 4x4.

See you next week!