Saddle up (Scrap lift)

After my long scrapping break I found myself a little rusty: I still have the technical skills, but haven't been into doing my own designs for a while. I'm a big fan of sketches, and have always been, but scraplifting has taken it one more step further: watching designer's details and tecniques is so inspirational!

Paper Issues has a new scrap lift challenge every weekend, and over the next week I'm going to show my take on the April lifts.

Let's start with "Saddle up":

Background paper: Lemon Owl. Rubon & alpha : Basic Grey.
Stickers: Sandylion.

Here is the layout I lifted:

Layout by Kelly Feldmad

I was attracted to the general design and multiple photos, and chose to have a bottom border, too, to keep the layout balanced. Actually, scraplifting is pretty much like using a sketch: you take inspiration from it and make it yours as you feel like. No need to copy every detail!

Details:

Mix of stickers and rubons

I wonder what I was thinking when I bought these themed stickers. Who cares, they turned out to be handy :-)

Lovely old rubond from Basic Grey. It was time to use them, as they don't stick that good any longer when They get old.

Your thoughts on scrap lifting?

Please come back on Tuesday when I have a new scrap lift to share!

Christmas Market in Wroclaw

I have never been to a Christmas marked in any other country than Norway, so I decided it was about time - I was sure a Christmas marked any palce else would be different than at home.

We picked Wroclaw, Poland, for our first "European" Christmas marked, think staring with a not too big one, could be good. Besides, Wroclaw have an interesting, but also cruel, story, and most of what you need is in walking distance from the town hall.

Was the Christmas market different here than in Norway? Yes, as expected. More lights, different food, different merchandises. But we relly enjoyed it!

Here are my two sons in the market square:

Papers, cu outs & rosette: Pebbles. Alphas: Basic Grey (small), American Crafts (large)

Close ups

Glitter & bling :-)

I just cannot let be doodling on my pages

This layout was made at the Paper Issues Spring Crop, using this sketch from the sketch challenge:

I haven't worked with lots of layers in a while, but I love how it turned out.

Do you go to Christmas markets, btw?

New sketch challenge at The Studio Challenges

Today we have this fun sketch by Valerie for you at The Studio Challenges:

My take on it:

Cardstock: Bazill. Patterned papers: MME. Cutouts/tags: Crate Paper. Hearts cut file: Paper Issues. Heart chipboard border: SA Crafters. Fabric ticket: Websters Pages. Alpha: Basic Grey. Stamps: Close To My Heart. Pearls: Kaiser Craft

I turned the sketch 90 degrees to fit my photo better and to give room for the big, long title.

The photo is featuring my DS12, licking the remains of strawberry coulis on his plate. Title says "Simen + strawberry coulis = true". If you don't know about coulis, check it here: it's just lovely with meat, such as veal!


Details:

Stitch stamps, even on the heart in upper left corner

Heart Cut file, chipboard border, fabric ticket, pearls

Come on over to The Studio Challenges blog to see the rest of the DT's loevly take on this sketch and to play along!

Happy campers - not so much (PI Online Crop Sketch Challenge)

Every August, my husband takes the kids camping on one of the nearby islands, together with the neighbourhood dads. No mums are allowed.

Last August their trip was wetter and more windy than normal:

Patterned papers & epoxy stickers: Bella Blvd. Paper stickers: Pebbles. Alphas: Jillibean Soup (red), Basic Grey (orange). Wood weener: Freckled Fawn.. Buttons: unknown

The inspiration for this layout is from the Paper Issues Online crop:

Jen Chapin's Sketch Challenge

It's time to break out those journaling cards! This sketch is perfect for 3x4 cards and embellishments! Or be creative and cut up some die cuts and patterned paper.
Create a layout OR card based on this sketch and you could win!

Layout details:

Cute papers!

Do you ever go camping?

Make Time Fun (Card Week day 6)

A new card for mum, my biggest fan :-)

Patterned papers & stickers: Echo Park. Fabric covered brads: Basic Grey. Dies: Quickutz/Lifestyle Crafts. Other brads: unknown

I had just scraps left of the Echo Park collection Creative Agenda to make this card, but when I dug into my old stash, I found some old Basic Grey fabric covered brads which was the perfect match!

I also pulled out my old Quickutz Squeese and dies, to make some flowers - a great way to use scraps and have matching ambellies

The design for this card is taken from the right part of this sketch at Let's Scrap:

Let's Scrap and Feeling Sketchy has teamed up this  month for International Scrapbooking Day
The twist is to play at both siites :-) Here is yesterday's post where I show my take on the Feeling Sketchy challenge.

Have a happy Sunday and please come back tomorrow for the last card in my Card Week - a Just Because card :-)

Launch! (TSC "Old stuff" challenge)

The Studio Challenges 15th March: Use your old stash. 

We want you to uncover your old stash, we all have papers and embellishments that must be years old, now is the time to use some up! The older the papers and embellishments the better!

Does anyone remember the manufactorer DaisyD? The paper collection used on this layout is one of my favs ever - and luckily I still have plenty :-) I hoarded it when it still was in the shops, like 5-6 years ago. I also have dug out old brads, rubons, stickers and fiber. I belive the only stuff newer than 4 years is the large alpha.
Ahhh, it feels great to have used all these old items!

Patterned papers: DaisyD. Tags: K&Company. Rubons: MME, Basic Grey. Brads: MME, Pink Paislee, LYB, AC. Arrow stickers: Heidi Swapp. Alpha: AC

 Close ups:

I'm sure you have some old stuff around, too! Why not grab it and play with us at The Studio Challenges?

50 is just a number

I'm so happy to guest design at CSI in March - the cases to be solved are always kick starting my mojo!

Here is this week's case:

And here is how I solved it:

Patterned papers: Basic Grey (blue), MME (others). Flowers: Prima (large peach colored), unknown (blue).
Journaling card: Jillibean Soup. Alpha: AC,. Lace: Harmonie. Eyelets: unknown

Journaling says: "In a short month I'm actually 50. I Wonder how you really should feel when you hit that milestone? There is so much that hasn't been done yet, especially when it comes to exploring the rest of the world, but luckily it's plenty more time left. May be the 70s are the New 50?"

How I solved the case:
*colors: all used
*Evidence: Stripes & dots, long title, lace, eyelets, stitching
*Testimony: Jornaling directly on the page

Details:

Feel like playing with us? You have until March 26th :-)

Dude - the Portrait of a 12YO

Hi.

As I told in my Monday post, we had a professional photo shoot while cruising last fall. Here is the portrait of my 12 year old (you find the portrait of the 15 year old here):

Papers: Echo Park (b/w background, LYB (blue), Pretty Little Studio (green/brown). Fabric Star: Charms Creations. Alpha: Basic Grey. Chipboard: LYB. Buttons & washi: unknown. Dymo: Dymo

Close ups:

 I cannot recall the last time I used scraped edges on a layout :-)
Or my Dymo :-)

I found inspiration to this layout in the January Sketch at My Creative Sketches:

Tell me - have you used scraped edges or dymo lately?

Caves - a two pager (!)

Just down by the hotel DS12 & I stayed at in Corfu, Greece, this summer, some locals offered tours to the nearby caves in their small boats. Small boats were great, as we could go into the caves where the bigger boats couldn't. It was so worth it, beacuse the caves were beautiful: beautiful with their rock colors made from minerals in the water over thousand of years, stalagmites and the beautiful light (click on photo for a larger version).

Papers & stickers: Echo Park. Alpha: AC. Washi: Freckled Fawn. Flair: Basic Grey. Buttons & clips: unknown

For details, please scroll down :-)

I have had these photos laying around for a while, but as I wanted to use more than just a photo or two, I hadn't decided how to scrap them. But when I saw this lovely sketch at Let's Scrap, it was obvious.

Details:

I haven't made a twopager in ages, but it wasn't that hard with a great sketch! When was the last time you made one?

Hello Barcelona!

We put in an extra day in Barcelona before embarquing our cruise ship in September.

What an awesome city! It had it all: architecture, culture, sea front, shopping, food markets etc etc. I want to go back, but then I need to stay longer to see and explore more.

Here are me and the kids heading out in the morning:

Patterned papers/die cuts: 4heures37. Wood veeners & vellum geo tag: Studio Calico. Button, words, stamps & brown alpha: Jillibean Soup. Black alpha: AC. Flair: Basic Grey

DS15's pink shirt was a perfect match for these fun papers from French "4heures37".

Close ups:

The design is from this lovely November sketch at SCRaP365:

Thank you for stopping by - you know it means a lot to me :-)
Have a great week!

Older Siblings....

I was browsing around to get my mojo a kick behind - I often start with a sketch, a color combo or a prompt challenge - and a photo (shown further down) at Alt Om Scrap reminded me that I had a picture of my two boys eating Oreo cake laying on my desk.

Papers: Basic Grey. Stickers: Basic Grey/Freckled Fawn. Alpha: AC: Cake buttons: unknown

I wanted to tell another story than just about them eating cake on a ship in July, so I decided to tell tthe truth about older siblings - hence the title and journaling:

Older Siblings

The only people who will pick on you for their own entertainment 

and beat up anyone else who tries.

The photo which inspired me to scrap this photo (and add cake buttons):

Details from the layout:

Layers, penwork. Strawberry button (note the berry on the kid's cake)

Ballon stickers in the right upper part to balance the design

Banner, cake button & pen work.

What do you say - do you agree with the saying about older siblings?