Make your own pins

Hi! If you have come to take part in:

click HERE.

Last Thursday there was a pin feature at Practical Scrappers, and we were asked to try and create our own pins, instead of using a ready-made one. I visited the jewellery section at my local crafts store and found some lovely beads and gold pins to decorate. 

I really love the special touch they bring to my layout, so I am already thinking of making a new trip to get more beads. Here is the complete layout, a page showing some pictures of my daughter "riding" a lion statue in Stockholm. She looks so little in them!

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Remember I will be having a big giveaway in March to celebrate my blog's new look with this fantastic prize so don't forget to come back once the contest starts and leave a comment for a chance to win!!!

A Martha Stewart bundle which contains: 12 neon glitter (4.4 oz. each),12 hexagonal glitter (.3 oz. each), 12 iridescent vintage leaf glitter (.14 oz. each) and 12 glittered flocking powder (.077 oz. each). The retail value of the bundle is around $80. 

Olivia party!

Hi! If you have come to take part in:

click HERE.

One of my daughter's friends, Rosario, is turning 7. She is such a sweet child and she has been so nice to Mia ever since we moved here. Even though she is a year and a half older than her, which at that age can be a lot, she never bosses Mia around, she is happy to play with her and I have never ever heard her say an unkind word. Her mom is preparing an Olivia the piglet party for her, and she is making some fabulous things, but I wanted to give her my little special touch, so I prepared these Olivia drinking straws.

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The Lilly Bee patterned paper looks like they made it especially for Olivia, as those colours are used in the invitations, paper plates and cups. I also used Bazzil cardstock and ribbons from February's Really Resonable Ribbon kit. I think they turned out cute! 

Remember I am sponsoring this week's challenge at Sketch Inspiration, and giving away this lovely prize to a randomly picked winner. You have time to play until midnight tomorrow!

Also, I will be having a big giveaway in March to celebrate my blog's new look with this fantastic prize so don't forget to come back once the contest starts and leave a comment for a chance to win!!!

A Martha Stewart bundle which contains: 12 neon glitter (4.4 oz. each),12 hexagonal glitter (.3 oz. each), 12 iridescent vintage leaf glitter (.14 oz. each) and 12 glittered flocking powder (.077 oz. each). The retail value of the bundle is around $80. 

Pinterest challenge and Happy Go Lucky card

Hi! If you have come to take part in:

click HERE.

I have a couple of projects to share with you today. The first one is a card I created using Let's Scrap's sketch from last week. I have been meaning to create a crowded and layered banner for some time, and this was the right sketch for it:

The second project is a double layout. Oh, I find double pagers soooooo hard, but I need to finish my sister's album; I've been working on it for too long and I have just a few pages left, so I started going through my favourite sites for some mojo. I ended up playing with Club CK's February Pinterest Challenge, using this image for inspiration:

Here is my layout, I'm not sure if I love it or hate it, it changes every time I look at it (does that happen to you, too?), but at least it is done! 

I tried to re-create the frames using cardboard, gesso and inks. There is some journalling space for my sister to complete, and a couple of tiny frames add an extra touch to the title. And only 8 pages to finish now!

Remember I am sponsoring this week's challenge at Sketch Inspiration, and giving away this lovely prize to a randomly picked winner. You need to go and play!!!!

Also, I will be having a big giveaway in March to celebrate my blog's new look with this fantastic prize so don't forget to come back once the contest starts and leave a comment for a chance to win!!!

A Martha Stewart bundle which contains: 12 neon glitter (4.4 oz. each),12 hexagonal glitter (.3 oz. each), 12 iridescent vintage leaf glitter (.14 oz. each) and 12 glittered flocking powder (.077 oz. each). The retail value of the bundle is around $80. 

Sketch Inspiration

Hi! If you have come to take part in:

click HERE.

I haven't had a giveaway for quite a long time, and all of a sudden I am having the blog hop, and the new look giveaway starting on March 1st. 

A Martha Stewart bundle which contains: 12 neon glitter (4.4 oz. each),12 hexagonal glitter (.3 oz. each), 12 iridescent vintage leaf glitter (.14 oz. each) and 12 glittered flocking powder (.077 oz. each). The retail value of the bundle is around $80. 

Now, I have a new giveaway going on!!! This week I am sponsoring Sketch Inspiration's sketch #8. This is the fabulous sketch created by Trisha:

And this is my take on it. There is a fond memory in those photos. We went to London's Little Angel Theatre to see one of their amazing plays; it is a tiny theatre with very small productions that are really fantastic. For a long time after we came back, Mia and Daddy would put on a caterpillar show for me, just like the one we'd seen. I cropped the photos for this layout, but in the background the photos showed my kitchen in Tripoli, which doesn't exist any longer, and it made me feel nostalgic. So many good memories in it!

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Here is a picture of the prize you can win if you post your take on the sketch before midnight Saturday 26th (CST) at Sketch Inspiration's gallery.

Hope you find time to play!!!! And before I leave I am happy to announce one of my layouts was published in this month's SNR magazine. I had never actually peaked inside the magazine until now, and I am so glad I did. There are tons of fabulous layouts, cards, and mixed media projects, plus lots of tutorials, techniques and product reviews. I really enjoyed reading it and couldn't leave my iPad until I had finished it all up even though it was already VERY late. I recommend it to you if you are looking for crafty inspiration!

Candy wrappers?

Hi! If you have come to take part in:

click HERE.

This week Practical Scrappers challenged designers and readers to create a project using candy wrappers. Perfect for this month, right? Who doesn't have candy wrappers after Valentine's day? The fact is we don't have any candy at home as my daughter suffers from acid reflux and candy is a big acid trigger for her. So I had to go and buy some candy just for this project (yummy!!!!). Can you guess where the wrappers are in this card?

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Yes, you've guessed correctly, I used the wrapper to cover the heart on this tag I got from the Silhouette store. I then used some leftover ribbon and metal embellies to decorate the rest of the card. Love the way it turned up, so I may have to buy more candy for other projects in the future!

Remember I will be having a big giveaway in March to celebrate my blog's new look with this fantastic prize so don't forget to come back once the contest starts and leave a comment for a chance to win!!!

A Martha Stewart bundle which contains: 12 neon glitter (4.4 oz. each),12 hexagonal glitter (.3 oz. each), 12 iridescent vintage leaf glitter (.14 oz. each) and 12 glittered flocking powder (.077 oz. each). The retail value of the bundle is around $80. 

Scrolled banner card and an announcement

Hi! If you have come to take part in:

click HERE.

Today's feature at Practical Scrappers is scrolled banners, and I created a shaped card. It was very easy to make, I just drew the banner on the back of the patterned paper, folded it, and the used that as a stencil to cut the back of the card. Added a sentiment and some embellies, and it is ready!

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I love how happy and bright it turned out to be. Shaped cards are so much fun! 

I have just heard I will be a Guest DT for Unique Crafters' Challenge Blog in the month of May. I am so happy, they have just started this blog and it looks like it will be so much fun! I am looking forward to getting my goodies and starting work already!

Remember I will be having a big giveaway in March to celebrate my blog's new look with this fantastic prize so don't forget to come back once the contest starts and leave a comment for a chance to win!!!

A Martha Stewart bundle which contains: 12 neon glitter (4.4 oz. each),12 hexagonal glitter (.3 oz. each), 12 iridescent vintage leaf glitter (.14 oz. each) and 12 glittered flocking powder (.077 oz. each). The retail value of the bundle is around $80. 

Amigos - Double pager using Let's Scrap's sketch

Hi! If you have come to take part in:

click HERE.

Still working on my sister's wedding album. She has been patiently waiting for it, and I have finished 3/4 of the pages, which is a good number. Unfortunately, the time has come to scrap those pics I don't like and have left for last :). People and more people, many of them people I don't even know, sitting or standing by their tables. It is hard to make the mojo flow with them, and I have decided to make use of Let's Scrap fabulous double page sketches to ge them done once and for all! After that, I will only have the honeymoon pics and those are very nice, so it will be a breeze. This layout is based on this week's sketch at Let's Scrap:

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It was a very easy sketch to work with, I just moved things around a little to have some more white space. I used We Scrap's January kit, Astoria, which I won in Let's Scrap's random draw some weeks ago, and added some stickers from the Simple Stories Yearography collection I got with my Scrap Room January kit. The papers in that collection are so well designed you just need to add a few pics and embellies and you have a fabulous looking page! I used two different coloured patterned papers, I know I've read somewhere a line from a scrapbooker saying she liked using different colours and then use some other elements to give the two pager continuity, and I thought it was a fab idea. I just wish I remembered where I read it. If you happen to know, let me know!

Back to scrapping now, my head's full of projects, more than my hands can put into practice!!! Remember I will be having a big giveaway in March to celebrate my blog's new look with this fantastic prize so don't forget to come back once the contest starts and leave a comment for a chance to win!!!

A Martha Stewart bundle which contains: 12 neon glitter (4.4 oz. each),12 hexagonal glitter (.3 oz. each), 12 iridescent vintage leaf glitter (.14 oz. each) and 12 glittered flocking powder (.077 oz. each). The retail value of the bundle is around $80. 

New look and giveaway announcement!

Hi! If you have come to take part in:

click HERE.

Unless this is your first time visiting my blog, you have probably noticed its fab new look! I have been wanting to do this for a long time, but thought it would be hard and would mean having my blog down for some days, so I was not sure about it. Finally, when Chriss gave her blog a new look and it looked so nice, I decided to give myself a new blog look as a Christmas present and contacted Designer Blogs. It was hard to have to wait all this time, as I was patiently "standing" in the customer line, but boy, was it worth it! My new look was designed by Lauren, who understood what I wanted really quickly and didn't mind having to add those extra touches I asked for (i.e. "Can I have an extra embellie here?" - What else could a scrapbooker ask for???). I really love the design she came up with, and I am ready to celebrate!!!! Since I am hosting the blog hop during the whole month of February, I have decided I will celebrate having this fantastic new look during the month on March. And this is the prize I will give away to one lucky winner:

A Martha Stewart bundle which contains: 12 neon glitter (4.4 oz. each),12 hexagonal glitter (.3 oz. each), 12 iridescent vintage leaf glitter (.14 oz. each) and 12 glittered flocking powder (.077 oz. each). The retail value of the bundle is around $80. 

Are you ready to win this prize? If you are, come back as soon as March starts, it will be very easy to participate, and I will be thrilled to have you visiting me and enjoying this new look!!!

February sketches - Scrapbook Supplies Online

Hi! If you have come to take part in:

click HERE.

I promised yesterday I would take pics of my projects as soon as the sun started to shine, and here they are. I like the card picture better than the one I took last night because it shows the card's real colours. I'm not very happy with the layout pics. Every once in a while I have a photography crisis with layouts and cards, and then things seem to get better, so I'm just waiting for this one to pass and for me to feel better about the pictures I take of my projects!!! 

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I got the sketches for the card and layout on Tuesday night. On that day, my wonderful grandfather turned 90. I rarely miss home as I keep in touch with the people I love and I accept that moving, changing, and being away from home is part of the lifestyle we've chosen, but I really wished I could have been home to give my grandpa a big hug on that night. So when I got the sketch, I looked at the papers on my rack and saw the empty chairs, and I immediately knew what I wanted to do! I am really happy with how the grey and yellow work in this card.

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I promise you this layout looks much better in real life!!! These are pictures of my daughter in Stockholm chasing some "ducks". They were not actually ducks, as you can see in the pictures, but that is what they were for her, and she loved it. I thought this Amy Tangerine paper was perfect for the sketch:

However, there was a problem.... the heart was not pointing the right way for my layout! I just cut it, sewed a circle of patterned paper on top of the hole, and then re-placed the heart and camera on top!

Instead of the butterflies in the sketch I used hearts, and I remembered I had a little duck left from some October Afternoon patterned paper, and it was the perfect touch for this page!

And remember, one random winner will be picked from among all the people who post their projects made using these sketches, and will get a 25$ GC to spend in the shop! You can post your layouts and cards by going to the GALLERY, registering, and uploading to this month's challenge folder. Hope you are the lucky winner!

February Challenge at Scrapbook Supplies Online - 25$ prize!

Hi! If you have come to take part in:

click HERE.

As I told you earlier today, I am now part of the international DT for Scrapbook Supplies Online, a fabulous Australian shop full of yummy stuff. Every month, Scrapbook Supplies Online is running a card and layout sketch challenge. The sketches this month are these fantastic sketches:

February card sketch

February layout sketch

Don't you feel like jumping to your desk and scrapping right now? I know I did, I finished both a card a layout last night, quite a lot for this slooooow scrapper!!! Unfortunately, by the time I got home to take the pictures today it was rainy and dark, and when I went to use my new lightbox, I dropped one of the lamps and it stopped working, but I promise I'll show you my card and layout early tomorrow morning, when I get some sun light to take the pics.

But I haven't told you the best part yet. One random winner will be picked from among all the people who post their projects made using these sketches, and will get a 25$ GC to spend in the shop! You can post your layouts and cards by going to the GALLERY, registering, and uploading to this month's challenge folder. What are you waiting for? Get to your desk and start scrapping right now!!! :)

Let's Scrap Blog Hop

Hello, my friends, and welcome to stop 30 in the

Are you a bit tired after so much hopping? Don't be! There's still so much fun to have! If you came here from Sue Down @  http://4scrappitite.blogspot.com/ ,    then you are in the right place! If you did not, stop number one, Mindi Brown @ http://scrapchat-n-coffeetalk.blogspot.com/ has the hop order to help you find your way.

You know I've been a member of Let's Scrap for a very long time, and I love the friendly and warm atmosphere in the community as much as I love the inspiration I get from their sketches, so I was thrilled when the opportunity to host a stop in this HUGE blog hop came up. This is the sketch I am showcasing for the hop:

I love this sketch and I've used it often so I wanted to create a card using the sketch that was a bit different from the other ones I've made, and going on with my current gesso love, I made a gesso background for it!!!! Here is my card:

And here is the prize you can win by playing along:

Here is how easy it is to enter for my random draw:

*Be or become a member of Let’s Scrap which you can do by clicking here. It is free, easy and fast! Once you get there, I am sure you will love

it!

*Become a follower of my blog

*Leave me a comment telling me you've done both. Please leave your e-mail or blog address so I can contact you if you win.

And if you would like a second chance in the draw:

*Make a card from the sketch I have posted and upload it to the gallery at Let’s Scrap. Please tag it as such 5-18-11, LEAP30. Please note there is no spaces and that LEAP is all capitals.

*Leave a comment with a link to your card on Let’s Scrap. The hop ends at 11:59 pm Central Standard time February 29th, which you would be able to track using the clock on the main page of Let’s Scrap.

Thanks for visiting and taking the time to read this LOOOONG post. Your next stop will be the talented Rachelle Seierlein @ http://crafti.blogspot.com/.

If you get lost along the way or have joined the hop in the middle, Mindi Brown @ http://scrapchat-n-coffeetalk.blogspot.com/ is the beginning of the hop. You don’t want to miss any of the fun!

Woohoooo again!!!!!!!

Woooohoooo!!!! I've just found out I've been selected to be part of the international DT for Scrapbook Supplies Online. It is their first DT and I feel so honoured to be part of the team!!!! If you have some time, click here to like their shop on Facebook and please, let them know I sent you to say hi! They have also just started monthly layout and card challenges, if you want to play, you can join the fun here. Coming later with the blog hop post!!!!