Have a happy new year and kiss the cook!!!!

I have been cooking so much lately with this 5 day Christmas holiday and 4 day New Year's holiday we've had that I really deserve to be kissed, and hugged, and, especially, taken to a fabulous restaurant to enjoy somebody else's cooking! I have had lots of hugs and kisses so I cannot complain about that part, and I will be lying on a hotel beach chair pretty soon and I will just have to ask for a waiter to bring me something yummy when I get hungry, so I can't complain about that either. So, instead of complaining, I will share with you the projects I have created using Freehand Scrap's A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y S-C-R-U-M-P-T-I-O-U-S January kit: Kiss the cook!

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I got inspired for this one with those yummy Ormolu day swatches, after that it was just a matter of printing the tiny pics and sewing the grid. Easy peasy!

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One of DD's favourite activities at the moment is taking her dolls for a ride in her car. I thought the cute boy, girl and animal figures in the October Afternoon paper were just right for the playful tone I wanted to give this layout.

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Lots of paper strips on this layout, and I love the effect. The kit included a long denim strip that I used in different ways in several projects, and there will be a feature on it at Freehand Scraps' blog coming soon!

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I used part of the denim to create this banner, too. And I also used some more cute little boy and girl figures, I think they make a pretty birthday card.

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These little metal elements are some of the cutest things I've seen in a long time. The funny thing, I would never have bought them myself. First of all, they do not look too good in the online store's picture. And also, I tend to think  lot about whether I am going to use the stuff or not before I buy it, and I'm not sure they would have passed the usefulness test considering the pictures I need to scrap right now. But they are SO BEAUTIFUL once I saw them I knew I had to use them up!!!! And I am seriously thinking of buying a second pack. Don't think I can live without them!!!!Oh, and I forgot to say this card is based on a Let's Scrap sketch.

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This little booklet is meant to hold just a few recipes. Sometimes you have a friend over who likes some of your recipes and will ask you for them, I think it would be so nice to include them in this little booklet instead of just printing them out!!!! The fabulous digi stamp is actually a little tennis player I got for free here and modified a little to turn her into a cook. This is my favourite project from this month, I just love the way it turned out and it was so simple, too! I hope you have enjoyed these projects, check Freehand Scraps if you want a Kiss the Cook kit of your own!

I hope you have a fabulous 2012, full of projects, hugs, and dreams come true.

Sneak Peeks!

I know I say I love Freehand Scraps' kits every month (and how could I not?), but January's kit has to be the one I like most so far.  A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y Y-U-M-M-Y! Have a look at these sneak peeks to see what's coming:

Looks scrumptious, doesn't it? If you are feeling like giving these wonderful kits a try, click here. And if you'd like to see some gorgeous layouts, Practical Scrappers has asked all the DT to choose their favourite layouts from 2011. I have to say there are tons of inspiration in that feature!!! My favourite layout from 2011 is this one, based on a Pagemaps sketch, and using mostly Doodlebug supplies. 

It is still a holiday here, so everything's been slooooooowwww.... two days to get back to normal before the next holiday begins! As my husband and daughter have been saying (a million times) these days: "A vivir la vida linda!!!" (Live a good life!!!). See you soon!

Ten Fabulous Christmas Ideas

Just wanted to share a couple of things with you today. The first one is a picture I took when trying to take a photo of my pop-up tree card. The weather here keeps changing all the time, but that day was worse than ever. It was a little windy, and the clouds kept covering the sun every few minutes. Every time the sun started to shine I went out, put the fabric on the table (I can't leave it on as the birds would be happy to come and play on it... and leave their mark!), set the card, sprinkle snow on it... and the sun was gone, replaced by very dark clouds that would ruin any picture. Finally, after several attempts, I put the fabric on the table, set the card, arranged the little gifts sprinkled the snow, and shot:

Oops, a little elf popped up from behind the fabric and I had to start all over again!!! Sometimes it takes longer to take a decent poto of a project than it took to make the project itself...

The second thing I wanted to share today is that I have a new post at the Freehand Scraps' blog called "TEN FABULOUS CHRISTMAS IDEAS TO INSPIRE YOU". I have picked my favourite ten Christmas ideas for layouts, cards, and projects so you can get inspired and, why not, lift some of them to make your projects stand out. Click here to have a look at them, and if you feel inspired and create a project using any of these ideas, please leave a comment with a link so I can have a look at it and leave you some love. Merry Christmas to all of you!!!

Chubby Penguins

The beginning of the month always brings with it a reveal! This month I am happy to share with you the projects I have created using Chubby Penguins, the absolutely fabulous December kit. 

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I love this picture we took when we were staying at the Disneyland hotel in Disneyland Paris. The rooms were not as good as we expected, they lacked that Disney feel, but the Hotel Lobby was magical. It was also a very cold holiday, so these papers were just right for the picture.  I created a tree using the tags in the kit and my sewing machine. It is one of my faves from this month. Those glitter photo corners were a great addition to the kit, too!

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And what can be better than starting Christmas morning by hugging Mickey Mouse? This was a very easy layout to create using the die cut strips that came with the kit, but I felt it needed a special touch, so I doodled a string of Christmas lights all around the page using my white marker.

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For this layout I fussy cut the ornaments in one of the patterned papers in the kit, and made shaker boxes with them. They were a very easy way to make the layout stand out.

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This folded tree card was very easy to make using this folded tree template: http://inkspiredtreasures.com/cards/stamping-411-folded-christmas-tree/. And the Christmas lights in the kit can make any tree look fab!

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Love, love, love the extra touches that always come in Freehand Scraps kits. This month's included this textured paper that brought a ton of possibilities to my mind. In the end I decided to leave it unaltered and use it as a snowy background, but I sure wish I had had more to experiment with!

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Last, but not least, Christmas tags. These are double tags, they have one of the kit's tags in the background and a patterned paper tag with a punched out (actually hand cut, my tree punch was not big enough) Christmas tree on the front. They were an immediate success with my daughter, who asked to have them for the Christmas gifts she is preparing. I haven't seen them since.

Hope you enjoyed looking at these projects, you can visit Freehand Scraps to have a look at all the projects in the gallery and get yourself one of these fantastic Chubby Penguins kits!

Fa la la

Christmas is now in the air everywhere. In Trinidad it means Parang sounds anywhere you go, and you can't help getting into Christmas mood. This kind of mood made working with next month's Freehand Scraps' kit SOOOOO easy! It is a yummy kit full of the most fabulous Christmas papers, die cuts and embellies, plus some extra details you'll enjoy for sure. Here are some sneak peeks for you to have a look at it:

For a look at the projects, come back on December 1st. I will have a little Christmas giveaway, too. Now, off to sewing Christmas pijamas for the whole family. Considering that I had never even threaded the needle of a sewing machine until last week, they are turning out pretty fab! And my daughter is so happy she keeps thanking me every time she puts them on. Can I ask for anything else? So I'd like to thank this tutorial, which made it possible, it is easy, clear, and the results are fabulous, don't miss it:

http://mycottoncreations.blogspot.com/2010/07/christmas-eve-pajama-pants-tutorial.html

Create:blog challenge - Cards using wood

Today I'd like to share a card I made for this week's card challenge at the Create:Blog, which asked us to use wood on a card. As soon as I saw it I thought I still had one of those yummy wooden rulers that came with Freehand Scraps' November kit, Sweater Weather. I had so much fun making this card, and I did it really ahead of time, but I then forgot about it and did not mail it :(. Anyway, here it is:

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The badge you can't see says HOME SWEET HOME, which I thought was very appropriate for this image. I am working on lots of Christmassy projects, so there will be bells jingling in this blog very soon!!!!

30 minute photo banner

For my Freehand Scraps altered project this month, I decided to create a photo banner. It was a very simple process that took less than half an hour, and if you'd like to give it a try, I have posted a tutorial here. 

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I am finally working on a layout! And it is a double pager, believe it or not. I used this week's Sketch Inspiration's sketch for the right side, and I am now working on the left one. I will show it to you later on, once I have finished both sides. 

Sweater weather?

Well, living where we do, it is never sweater weather, and I sometimes really miss the feeling of warmth a sweater brings... that kind of feeling is what I got when I started working with this month's kit from Freehand Scraps. There's warmth in the colours and the materials, and you feel ready for a cozy layout as soon as you open the box! Here are the layouts I've created this month:

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This is my favourite layout this month. I used a Pagemaps sketch, and got inspired by my friends Kathy Perry and Betty Anne Orr, who used these circle/squares for a Let's Scrap challenge, with fabulous results. I just had to lift that idea!

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This one was so easy to make, as the paper itself was like a sketch! Just stick the picture and start embellishing. Don't you just love those rulers?

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And you'll have to take my word for this, but this layout looks much better in real life; I couldn't get a good enough picture of it. Just one look at this splashy paper and I realised I wanted to make a layout about the Splashers' pool at Atlantis Hotel in Nassau. And I even made my own letters with cardstock and glitter. I think this was also based on a Pagemaps sketch, but I can't find it right now to confirm... :(

I also worked on an altered project I love, and I will share it tomorrow. If you want to have a look at all the inspiration in the gallery and the yummy things in the Sweater Weather kit, visit Freehand Scraps!

November kit sneak peeks!

I have a few sneak peeks to share with you from my Freehand Scraps' November kit projects. I am still working on some of the projects, and it is a pleasure!!! The papers are gorgeous and I have been having tons of funs with the embellies! 

You can visit Freehand Scraps' blog later today to have a look at more sneak peeks, and if you are planning to get a kit next month, I definitely recommend this one!!!

Halloween layout and card

Today I am sharing with you the Halloween projects I created with my Freehand Scraps' October kit. There are some fabulous Halloween papers in there, so I couldn't miss the chance to work on last year's Halloween pics. Here are the pics I took at my daughter's pre-K Halloween party. I wanted to include lots of them, and they were not great quality pics, so I decided to go with a small pic size.

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I also created a Halloween card with this little witch I found at Creepie Cute Stamps. 

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I also made a Halloween page for Pagemaps' October newsletter, and you can have a look at it here. It was great to get to contribute to Pagemaps, as I absolute LOVE those sketches. And now, I have some more Halloween projects to finish (remember those paper lanterns?) so I'd better stop blogging and start working. Have a fantastic day!

Giveaway winner and new Freehand Scraps reveal!

I am so sorry for not having posted this sooner, but it has been a very busy weekend, and I have switched computers, which is driving me crazy! Every time I need to do something I realise I don't have the necessary program, or the one I have is completely different from the one I had before and it takes some time to adjust. Love my new computer, though, so I can't complain!

I just went through my list of comments again making sure nobody was left out, then used random.org to choose the winner. And the winner is JILL!!!!! Jill, please send me your snail mail addy (click on the e-mail link in the sidebar) so I can mail the prize to you. Enjoy it!!!!!

And now I'd like to show you some other projects I've made with this month's kit at Freehand Scraps. If you haven't seen it yet, click here to have a look at it. The first project is a layout based on a Pagemaps sketch, with one of the pics we took when we had lunch with the princes and princesses at Auberge de Cendrillon in Disneyland Paris. It was a magical lunch and my daughter was ecstatic! Here she is with Philip and Aurora (you may notice the photographer -DH- cut their feet off, but the magic is still there!), and the place was very elegant, so I thought these elegant papers and embellies would do the trick. I am very happy with the result. 

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As I said in my previous post, lots of glitter this month! I used gold glitter on the frame of the picture as well as the swirls below the title. The chandelier was glittered already, and I used a yellow Copic marker to change the colour of the rhinestones. All the materials I have used came with my Freehand Scraps kit, except for the ribbon (Martha Stewart) and the flower trim (American Crafts).

And I have another card to share, this one using the other chandelier that came in the kit, and the swirls again, this time with black glitter. I love how easy to use and neat looking the swirls are. And they look so elegant in black!

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I hope you have enjoyed having a look at these projects, I have more projects to share with you this week and a tutorial coming soon, so come and visit when you have some free time!

October kit reveal: read.

Today I'd like to share with you some of the projects I made with Freehand Scrap's October kit. The first one is a layout of my daughter Mia reading to her dolls. Ever since she started reading, she enjoys reading anything and everything, all the time. Since I can only listen to so many stories, she sometimes needs new audiences, and the dolls provide a very well-behaved one. The layout is called LEE: READ, and it is based on a Pagemaps sketch.

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The kit also has a fabulous wooden tree accent by Kaiser crafts, which could be turned into a spooky Halloween one, or be blooming with spring flowers, like the one below:

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And if you want to see this tree in fall, take a look at Suz Mannecke's blog here. Another project I'd like to share today is this canvass:

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It is a very simple project, but I love that quote. I am not a person with a million friends, but I have been blessed a with a few very good ones, and they are a very important, if sometimes ver far away in actual distance, part of my life. The actual quote is longer and reads: 

"A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world".  ~Lois Wyse

It was too long for this canvass, so I chose my favourite part. It is a very easy project to put together, and there will be a tutorial for it some time this month.

If you took part in the Freehands Scrap's giveaway at the beginning of this month and woud like to know who the winner is, please be patient with me as I am having a very busy Saturday today, and I would lik to double check all the entries to make sue I am giving everybody a fair chance. I will draw the names and make an announcement tonight.

Guess the guestie and win!

It seems I have a new contest to announce every day... guess that's good for you, so many prizes to win! Freehand Scraps is having a "mystery" Guest Designer this week, and Suz Mannecke, DT, is having a guessing game! It's very easy to take part in the giveaway, just post a yes or no question here. You have time to play until Thursday (or until there's a correct guess!), so hurry up!

October sneak peeks and giveaway winner!

If you want to take part in the Freehand Scraps GIVEAWAY, click here.
If you want to take part in Practical Scrappers' BIGGEST CONTEST EVER, click here.


If you want to know the winner of the "Guess what I've been working on?" GIVEAWAY, scroll down.


I can't believe September is about to end! This week was our one year anniversary in Trinidad, but to me it feels like I've just arrived here. I love this island, so I hope we get some more anniversaries here. And in this anniversary week I have some news to share with you: I will be designing with Freehand Scraps in the months to come, and I am thrilled about it! I loved working with their kit again this month, the October kit has so many possibilities. It is a very versatile kit and it has some great Halloween stuff but could easily be used for non-Halloween projects. Here are my sneak peeks: 

Lots of glitter in my projects this month, with those yummy chandeliers, the glittery alphabet, and the swirls that can be customized with any glitter colour -first time I try them, but they are so easy to use and look so neat that it won't be the last one for sure! If you would like to get this kit and play at home with this great stuff, visit Freehand Scraps today! 

But, before you go to visit Freehand Scraps, I'd like to announce the winner of the "Guess what I'm doing? giveaway", Kathy Perry, who had the closest guess. I am making Halloween decorations for DD's classroom! Have a look at how the project's going: 

Looking more like a Halloween project now, right? Thanks for visiting my blog and remember you have four more days to take part in the Freehand Scraps giveaway.

GIVEAWAY!

I am so happy to be guest designing for Freehand Scraps this month. I love their kits, their choice of papers just suits my style, and there are so many embellies to play with! And I'd like to share a bit of my happiness with you, so I have prepared a very special giveaway. I have included flowers,  stickers, alphabets, chipboard, lace, die cuts, buttons, tons of stuff. But also, I used what remained from my kit (after making three layouts, two cards, and two altered projects, it really has TONS of stuff!) to make some unique embellies for you. I have made flowers, tags and other embellies, and they are my favourite part of the prize! 

If you'd like to have a chance to win this pack, all you have to do is visit Freehand Scrap's blog and leave a comment on my post: "Ten Ways to make your projects unique". Then come back here and let me know you did (I have had some messages from people who've had trouble commenting. If you are having trouble, try this: just right click on “add comment” and click on “open in new tab” or “open in new window”. If you still have trouble leaving a comment at Freehand Scraps' blog, please leave one in their Facebook Page instead).

If you'd like to have extra chances you can:

1)become a follower of my blog and leave a comment here (or leave a comment saying you already are).

2) advertise this giveaway in your blog, Facebook and/or twitter and leave a link to where you advertised (one extra chance for each  link).

3) "like" Freehand Scraps on Facebook 

(and leave a comment here to let me know you did)

4) subscribe to Freehand Scraps' 

newsletter (and leave a comment here to let me know you did).

The deadline is September 30, the winner will be randomly picked and announced on October 1st. Good luck to all of you!

Freehand Scraps reveal 3

I have two more Projects created with Freehand Scrap's yummy September kit today. The layout shows a mom and daughter pic in Tobago, and I wanted to emphasize the sun, because most of what we did that weekend was enjoy it! I used yellow and orange as a background, add sunny splatters and included a big sun embellishment made with dyed wooden buttons and clothespins that came in the kit. This one is also based on a Pagemaps sketch.

There will be a tutorial showing how to make this sun at Freehand Scrap's blog next week. 

I also created a card with that delicious typewriter. Loved the typewriters everywhere in the kit!

And the last one is this altered notebook, which would make a great little gift, it is elegant and a bit funky at the same time. 

 

Visit Freehand Scraps if you want to get this fabulous kit to play with, see some tutorials or more inspiration. Also, remember I will announce a giveaway next week, don't miss it!

Freehand Scraps reveal 2

It's time for another reveal today. This layout shows my daughter Mia trying to talk to a giant leatherback turtle which was laying her eggs on Grand Rivière beach in the north east of Trinidad. It is one of the most amazing things I've seen in my life, and if you ever have a chance to come and see it, I recommend it!

I used a Pagemaps sketch again, I loved this one because the semicircles on top of the pictures reminded me of the turtles's backs. Again, all the products used (except for the tiny letters on the girl -do you remember the girls I cut out form my card yesterday?) came with my kit.

I loved that yellow ribbon, so much texture in it. 

I used my Silhouette to cut this turtle. So easy and so effective as a title!

The next project I'd like to share is the cover of an accordion mini-album. It is a crazy design, but sometimes I like to go crazy, and I couldn't stop piling things on top of this one. So much goodness in this kit! 

If you are thinking of getting this kit for yourself, visit Freehand Scraps and order one! You won't regret it! And remember I will announce a giveaway next ...!