Tiddly Inks DT Call

Hi there!!

So, I decided to bite the bullet and put through an application for a spot on the DT over at Tiddly Inks again! Nothing quiet like leaving it to the last minute! At last check there was about 4 hours left to link up!!

So, I have used the gorgeous Fairy Tenderhearted which I purchased when she was 1st released but have only just now been brave enough to colour up!! Haha! But I totally love how she has turned out so much so that I can't decide if I am going to keep her and pop her onto a mini canvas or pop this whole 6" x 6" piece onto a card front, but for now I am calling her done!!

Here is my (as finished as it is for now until I can decide!) finished piece

I really am so happy with how she turned out and probably would never have given her a go without the encouragement and support from Alyce over at Kit and Clowder!

The copic colours I used are as follows:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E04 and R20 (blush)

Hair: E11, E13, E15 and E18

Dress: R00, R11, E02, R20, E95 and E04

Wings/Leaves: YG03, G28, G94 and G99

Branch: E41, E43, E47 and E49

Bird: BV20, BV23, BV25 and BV29

Again, I truly had so much fun putting this together and I am super proud of my little piece of artwork, chosen or not ;)

Thanks for the opportunity Christy to be a part of your team, I totally love your gorgeous designs!!

Whatever you are up to tonight I hope you are enjoying and happy scrapping!!

Melinda

xx

CSI Challenge #162 with Dusty Attic

Hi there!!

Just popping in today to share another layout I have done for CSI: Color Stories Inspiration while Dusty Attic are sponsoring and we all get to be Guest Detectives!

I had so much fun with this little case file as well and as soon as I saw it I knew I needed to scrap this gorgeous piccy of my my big from his 5th Birthday!

So, obviously, I have gone for the stars (no big surprises there!!) but I have also used a solid background (the yellow cardstock way at the back), lots of paint on all the chippy pieces and I have also incorporated some space elements in the form of stickers from an old Bo Bunny range. I chose the journalling prompt of writing in the format of a Q & A - this challenge has given me the idea of doing this with each family member each year around their birthday - I'm so excited at the idea!! And my journalling is actually behind the star panel and takes up the whole back side of the photo and the other side too!

I am trying to work out how to pop this into a 12x12 page protector so the journalling is easily accessible so if you have any ideas please do share!!

Here are a few close ups

All of the black chippy has had a coat of Dusty Attic's clear varnish over the top of the black paint and I LOVE the way it has turned out!!

The Dusty items I have used for this layout are as follows:

DA0933 - Stars #1

DA1040 - Mini Stars

DA0861N - Mini ABC Upper

DA0993 - Chevrons Small

DA1187 - Word Pack #6 - I totally, totally love this pack!!

I really had so much fun playing along as guest detective this month and if you like the looks of these challenges you should head over to check out all the other inspiring pages and play along - especially with such an awesome prize coming from Dusty Attic!! You will find CSI here on Facebook and here is their website.

Melinda 

xx

April with Dusty Attic

Hi there and welcome to my Dusty Attic share for the month of April!

A little different this month as I am so far behind in our PL album and have lots of things buzzing around in my head!!

First up a 12x12 layout that I have put together as Dusty Attic are a sponsor this month over at CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration. I have used the Case File #161 to document my personal weight loss journey.

Here is the Case File

And head over here (you may need to sign up for a free account) to see mine and all the other designers who have played along using this file for inspiration! I personally cannot wait to play along again, stepped me out of my comfort zone but it was so much fun and made me think a little!!

I absolutely loved the colours in the inspiration image and here is my take 

I have used a wet medium (modelling paste and mists), triangles (the background paper), ombre (the background paper again and I've also played with 2 colours of mist going from light to dark) and something that flies (the feathers that I have stencilled on and also the DA chippy feathers).

The yummy Dusty pieces I have used are:

 Mini Feathers

 String Frame Set

Live Beautifully

Word Disks #1

Dusty In Bloom - Bridal Veil. 

I have applied a coat of gesso to all of the chippy pieces and then used my Heidi Swapp Colour Shine mists in coral and sweet cherry as both mists and watered down as water colour paints. I have also used those 2 colours and the Navy watered down (2 lots, 1 with more water than the other) as water colours to add colour to the flowers.

And just a few close ups of some of the details on the page. I seriously adore those mini feathers and will have to stock up on them since I have run out!!

My journalling says "Remember how far you've come not just how far you've got to go. 1.2kg to goal!!" as this layout was exactly about the journey and not so much how far I have left.

My 2nd project for the month is a card that I made for hubby who's birthday is 14th March :)

I started a mixed media class last month so thought I would have a bit of a play and this was the result!. I totally love it! I have used almost a whole pack of the Mini Cogs from Dusty as well as some of the chevrons from the Chevrons Small pack.

And just a couple of close ups. This card was so much fun to make and I seriously cannot wait to get messy again soon!

And onto project #3 for the month :) Our week 8 in our Project Life album.

I have used a combination of the Maggie Holmes Open Book PL kit and the Maggie Holmes Flea Market 6x6 paper pad paired with the gorgeous Dusty Attic pieces and some bits and pieces from the Open Book ephemera packs.

First up, both pages as they sit in our album :)

The left hand side.

It's difficult to tell clearly in the photos but all of the chippy has been painted gold and I just love how it turned out!! You can see more the colour clearer in the close up shots :)

I absolutely love those little hot air balloons!!

And onto the right hand side :)

It's  not often that I have a space for a "filler" card but I was so excited to have one this week!! I very simply layered some washi, some pieces from the ephemera pack and then topped that with another of those gorgeous gold hot air balloons!

And I think this is my most favourite card for this week. I love the way it come together and as soon as I picked out that 3"x 4" card it just worked!!

The Dusty chippy I have used this month are as follows:

Mini Number Set

Mini ABC Set Upper

Heart Arrows #1

Page Pebbles #4

Page Pebbles #8

Mini Words #1

Word Disks #1

Word Pack #2

Well, that is it for me for April! I can't actually believe how quickly the time is flying!! I hope you have enjoyed my shares for the month, happy crafting and make sure you take advantage of the free shipping at the Dusty Attic store this month!!

Melinda

xx

Life Zesters April Challenge!!

Holy smokes Batman!! April already?! Where on earth has this year gone?

This week brings about not only Easter but the start of Term 1 school holidays here in Western Australia!! I am both very much looking forward to it but I know by the end of the 2 weeks (well, I expect!!) I will be over it! But who knows, perhaps me and my little people will surprise me!!

So, I am here today sharing my 2 page PL spread for our April Challenge over at Life Zesters which is a fun sketch!!

I personally have NEVER done a sketch in my PL before so this was most certainly a challenge for me!!

But first, our sponsors for the month!!

First up we have Freckled Fawn with a $15.00 voucher to their store :)

And our 2nd sponsor this month is Imaginarium Designs with a $20.00 prize pack up for grabs :) 

And here is the sketch

And here is my take on it :D

I turned the sketch and also changed the size - I was working with a design E page protector and thought this photo worked well within the sketch. I am super happy with how this turned out! This little guy of mine is so serious yet so funny! He totally has his own style, not to mention his Mummy wrapped right around that little finger of his ;)

Here is the card in the page

So, this is the left hand side of our week 4 2015.

And the right hand side.

I have used the "Dreamy" PL kit by Heidi Swapp, some labels from my stash, some alpha stickers and some veneer pieces throughout. You can't see it very well (ok, well not at all!) in the photo but I actually went over the "life is beautiful" text with my clear wink of stellar brush for a beautiful shimmer to that card!

That bottom left hand photo is actually a flip :)

And here are both pages together.

I actually really loved the challenge aspect for this month - took me right out of my comfort zone and got me creating!! 

Make sure you head on over to the blog and to the brand new Life Zesters Challenge Group over on Facebook to keep up to date. The FB group is brand spanking new and with it will be a few changes to the rules for the challenges!! 

Thank you for stopping in and happy, happy scrapping!

Oh, and to all of you have a fabulous Easter break, whether you have had all 4 days or none, enjoy what the bunny brings and stay safe. I know we will be making another cartoon style "trap" for him ;)

Mel

xx

It's been a card type of month!

Hi there!

It has been a couple of weeks since I posted anything here and that is mostly due to a crazy busy personal life! March has another of those full on weeks with 7 birthdays in 7 days! And this year we had a friend give birth on day 7 which makes 3 birthdays on the one day!

I am just dropping in to share some of the cards I made. And I say some because a) One of them is for an upcoming DT post with Dusty Attic and b) I often forget to take photo's of the cards I give out!!

First up is my Mum's birthday present which was a set of 10 cards that she asked me to make for her in lieu of buying her a gift.

So, here is the set of 10 :) They are all very different and not so much a "set" really but lots of fun to put together!!

Had so much fun with this one! Stamping, heat embossing and a type of water colouring using ink pads and an acrylic block. Here is where I found inspiration for this card :)

Some more stamping, gesso and a few layers of ephemera along with a Charms Creations heavenly heart and a chippy sticker by Pink Paislee :) This was inspired by this card.

A paper layer, some hand stitching, a die cut and more stamping :) And of course, some sprinkling's of Heidi Swapp Navy Colour Shine. Inspired by this card here.

A very simple card here and inspired by this card I found on Pinterest.

I am so happy with how this one turned out. And my inspiration was found here.

Again, inspiration was found on Pinterest, here. This was about the 4th of this style of card I made and this one I used a stencil with some matte medium after I did some background stamping.

I am totally loving watercolouring at the moment. I seem to use it ALOT! And here again you will find my inspiration. 

Masculine card! I find these so hard which is surprising considering I have 3 boys to make cards for!! Again, another pinterest find and you will find it here :)

Playing with mixed media! And loving it!! Some random chippy pieces, some torn paper and some modelling paste with stencils. Oh, there is also some stamping, some alpha stickers and Heidi Swapp Citron, Teal and Navy colour shine. The black border was done with a paint pen.

Last but not least :) Pretty simple in it's design but I LOVE this card too!! I think I shall even duplicate it so I have some in my own stash! Stamping, paper scraps, washi and some chippy stickers and all done :) My inspiration came from this card, again on pinterest!

Mum loved them and I just hope whoever she gives them to loves them as well!!

The only other card I have taken a photo of that I can share is a card I made for our niece's (hubbys side of the family) 2nd birthday which has crept up on us so quickly! I can't believe she is 2 already!!

The image is from Scrappers Delights and can be found here :) This was the first card I made inspired by this card on pinterest. The above card linked to the same image was then inspired by this....

The copic colours I used are as follows:

Mane/Tail: R81, R83, R85 and R89 and BG10, BG13, BG15 and BG18

Body: W3, W5 and 0 (colourless blender)

Wings/Horn: Y00, Y02, Y04 and Y06

And, yep, I actually fussy cut her!! Doesn't happen often but it does occasionally ;)

Well, that's it for me for today!

I am slowly catching up on our 2015 PL album, I can very happily say that 2014 is DONE!! Complete. Finished. Yay!! I started work on Week 5 on Sunday afternoon. I have a title card done, photo's and journalling cards in and just need to make it all pretty ;)

Oh, I have also handed in my completed final class image for the Clothing Class over at Kit and Clowder!! Awaiting (perhaps not so patiently!!) feedback but I had so much fun with this image!! Will share it here when I get feedback and find out if I passed ;)

Thanks for dropping in and happy scrapping :)

Mel
xx

March with Dusty Attic

Hi there!!

This post is a wee bit special, it is number 100!! Wow! I'm impressed with myself for getting 100 posts done! AND there are even a couple in draft format!! So, I am celebrating just a little!!

Today I am here to share with you my projects for March for Dusty Attic! I have 3 to share today, a PL "end" page, an 8" x 10" canvas gift and a mini holiday PL spread! I hope you enjoy and I will warn you, there are a few photos!!

Here is my 1st layout for the month

As the "title" of the page suggests this is our final page for our 2014 Project Life album. Pretty simple but that was how we spent New Year's Eve and I thought a simple, yet effective "end" to the album fitted perfectly!

My little family and I headed away from home on the 27th December for a much needed mini holiday in the beautiful Margaret River, approx 4 hours from home. Wine, cheese, the beach and a beautiful little "home" for the 6 days we were away. We spent NYE in our little cabin. The boys went to bed around their normal bedtime and hubby and I enjoyed a local bottle of rose along with some local cheese and crackers. This photo was taken from our porch while we enjoyed the quiet and each others company.

A close up on the embellies on the title card - an arrow from Heart Arrows #1 and numbers from Mini Number Set that I have spritzed with pink and mustard colour shine by Heidi Swapp. After that was all dried I did a little bit of stamping with a watermelon colour inkpad. Somehow that "permanent" ink didn't stay where it was put when I applied the clear varish but I am happy with the effect it has given! I stuck those pieces down to the 6" x 4" transparency and added 3 sequins and voila, a closing page for our 2014 album!

Oh, and if you love the idea of big photos in your PL I highly recommend popping over here to see the tutorial that I used to learn how to crop my pics in PSE the quick and easy (and cheap!!) way!!  

Onto my 2nd project for the month!

This is an 8" x 10" canvas that I created for a family friend that I have known since childhood. After all we grew up next door to each other!!

As usual I used my copics to colour up this gorgeous stamp "You and Me" from Tiddly Inks. This is the 2nd time I have coloured up this cute couple and I had a heap of fun testing out all my "new found" colouring skills!

I have used the "no lines" technique here and the colours I used are as follows

Skin tones on both: E000, E00, E21, E11 and E04 R20 for blush

Bride

Hair: E21, E25 and E29

Dress: C0, C1, C3 and C5 Also I have used the clear wink of stellar marker all over the dress

Groom

Hair: E71, E73, E75 and E79

Suit: W1 W3, W5, W7, W9

Shoes: C3, C5, C7, C9 and a white molotow marker

A close up of the chippy I used. String of Hearts Frame Set and again the Mini ABC Set Uppercase. I originally had all the chippy sprayed with the seafoam colour shine spray but it all blended a bit too much together so I sprayed straight over the top of the alphas with the primrose colour. I was so impressed by how well the chippy pieces took the extra layer of colour and am very happy with how they turned out!

And a few close ups!! A heap of the flowers have come from D-lish Scraps and some others are from my stash that I had thought I would never use!!

I had so much fun stepping out of my comfort zone for this project and super happy how it turned out! Even better, the bride loved it!! Winning!!

Onto my last project for this month. Another spread in our PL album. Again this is still our 2014 album (yep, I did the end page before the album was completed!!) and I have used a "panoramic" page protector design in Design A which looks something like this. 

I have photographed my spread all the way open, both front and back but as you can see, the right side (when looking at the front!) folds back over so it fits perfectly into a standard 12" x 12" album!

That is both the front and back of the page. As you can probably work out I have documented the 2014 part of our mini holiday. We returned home on 2nd January 2015 and the few photos from those days are included in our 2015 album.

I used a disk from Word Disks #1 which I have coloured with citron colour shine spray and then coated with clear varnish. Which I have done with all the pieces on this spread.

On this card I have used the citron and teal colour shines together for an ombre greeny to teal colour. I have used Mini Words #1, again the Mini ABC Set and the Teeny Tiny ABC Set.

Here I have used the Mini Mason Jars which I painted white and coloured the lid silver with a silver sharpie marker. I then cut out the glass shape from vellum to give the "right" sort of look to the glass. Used my Copic multi liner to add in the lines, added the enamel heart sticker and stuck it to my card. No varnish here ;)

The cheeky from Word Pack #6 which again I have used both the citron and teal colour shines on.

One of my favourite things about PL is I can just run with the photos I have. Yep, my big little guy has his eyes closed but that is ok. That is how it happened. The lighting is pretty terrible but again, we were in a cave so yep, that's how it happened! I have used the word memories from the Mini Words #1 pack and again, citron and teal colour shined!

Here I have used an arrow from the Love This, Love That Arrows pack and yep, you guessed it teal and citron colour shine again.

A pebble from the Page Pebbles #8 set. Colour shine, yep! Then I again used my copic multi liner to trace the words again to make them pop and then varnish over the top of the whole thing.

Last but not least another word from the Mini Words #1 pack, colour shined and varnished!

Make sure you head over to the Dusty blog and have a play with this months inspiration board for your chance at a $100 voucher to the store!! 

As always, thank you for stopping by and happy scrapping!! 

Melinda

xx