Saturday 25 July 2015

Collect Beautiful Moments

I am a very quiet crafter, I like the silence around me. I never normally have any music going, the very odd occasion I turn it on but it doesn't last long. So going on retreat was quite an experience with all the noises around me, but in saying that I am very good in tuning it all out. You have to do that when you are a mother to a 7 year girl and 5 year old boy (as I am typing, they are beginning to argue). While taking in all the sounds which included laughter, talking, machines I picked up my art journal to create a page.

Products Used: Art Journal, Black Gesso, White Gesso, Masking Tape, Stampin' Up Butterfly Punch, Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch, Stabilo - All, Faber-Castell Pitt Pen: Big Brush Cobalt Green, Tim Holtz: Idea-ology Small Talk.


The Small Talk from Tim Holtz was just the perfect quote to add to my journal, because that is exactly what I was doing.

Happy Creating

Friday 24 July 2015

3 Firsts

Did my post title catch your attention, thinking how can you have 3 firsts? Well let me explain.

Last weekend I was lucky enough to attend my First scrapbooking retreat. It was organised and run by Julie from Bella Carta Horsham. Thank you Julie for the most fabulous weekend, and I cannot wait to do it all again. The retreat was held in a beautiful setting at Cave Hill Creek - Beaufort. The food was aplenty and yummy. The rec/dining room had the most amazing view, it looked over the lake, that we were told has a platypus that calls it home. I will share with you some photos I took in another post over the coming weekend.

I shared a table with four very talented ladies. Thank you Fiona, Beck, Julie and Deb for providing so many laughs and friendship. But it wasn't just our table that was full of creativity, the whole room was a buzz. There were card makers, scrapbookers, ladies doing traditional scrapbooking, ladies doing mixed media, some used copics to colour and the table behind me were two ladies quilting. It was just one of those weekends that wont be forgotten but will need to be repeated.

Since I had never been I retreat before I had no idea what to take and my way of creating is that I never know what product I am going to use next. I need all my supplies around me. In the end I took a huge list of supplies that filled the boot of my car and my linen was on the back seat. Did I use all of it not a chance, but I am glad that I was able to take it with me, for that just in case moment.

So what did I actual do while I was away. I started 2 backgrounds on artist boards, I completed an art journal page and 3, yes you did read correctly, I completed 3 scrapbooking pages.

The first layout I completed was a kit that had been designed by Fiona. On this layout I decided to scrap a photo of myself. That is my second First, as I had never ever thought that I would do that but my photo was the right one.



 

My second layout for the weekend was a class that Beck Beattie designed and taught us how to do. I can't show you the whole layout yet as Beck is still to teach it to others and it really wouldn't be fair to them. So I am going to give you a little bit of a sneak peek and then when all the classes are taught I will share my completed layout with you.


 

My third First for the weekend was that I created a layout in an hour. Normally I would struggle with just picking a picture or a theme, usually they take me at least a week. Julie was running a competition over the weekend and you could create anything that you wanted to as long as it had a winter theme.

The last morning of the weekend not only was it freezing cold, but everything was covered in a layer of frost. I was out taking photos not really thinking about the competition and once I went back inside. I though to myself I can do this. I did it for the challenge and what a challenge it was. My hands were shaking, how silly really. Lucky for me Fiona had brought her computer and Beck had brought her selphy printer so I was able to get my photo. Thank you again Fiona and Beck, you two are so amazing xx


   

I always claim that I am not a scrapbooker but I guess after the retreat I can no longer claim that as the truth.

Wow this is a really long post, if you have stuck with me and got this far thank you very much, I will share with you my art journal page in another post.

Happy Creating

Thursday 16 July 2015

Embrace The Journey

This coming weekend I am going to my very first scrapbooking retreat. You would not believe how excited I am. With this excitement comes the Oh No what am I going to take with me. I create by looking at my stash of goodies, I don't plan ahead. Going on retreat is sending me completely out of my comfort zone, which is a good thing. I will be surround by so many talented ladies that I am sure to pick up an idea or two.

So what to take, I have a list as long as my arm, lucky I am driving by myself and will be able to fill the car. On the top of my list are my stencils, gelatos, big brush pens, dylusion paints, mega flakes, stamps, inks, gesso, mixed media paper, texture paste etc etc etc.

After talking to a scrappy friend who is also going I went out and brought a couple of art journals to take with me. I don't normally journal in an actually journal, I usually use loose pieces of mixed media paper. But I decided that I need a journal. Off to the art store I trotted thinking now this will be an easy decision, an hour later I finally walked out with not 1 but 3 art journals.

I had a couple of requirements that needed to be met. The paper needed to be thicker 150 gsm, smaller than A4 size, not spiral bound (as I wanted to be to create a 2 page spread) and not cost an arm and a leg.

To test out one of my journals I decided to create a 2 page spread.


If you would like to see how I created this please pop on over to Off The Rails Scrapbooking where I have done it step by step.

Happy Creating.

Wednesday 1 July 2015

The Strength Within

This month over at Off The Rails Scrapbooking there are two mood boards to choose from. 

 

When I first saw the two totally different mood boards I was immediately drawn to the top one as my favourite flower are tulips. But when it actually came down to the creating side of things I was inspired by the pink, grey and white of the second one. Pastel colours are not really my thing so I am not too sure what drew me to it.

I always say that I never know what I am going to create and this time was no exception. I didn't even really thing about what I was doing I just did it. It is way outside of what I normally create. Do I love it unsure, I do like it though.


Happy Creating