Altered photo album...

Ahh! Much better!

...this has been kicking around in an old drawer for aeons and it had a really boring, plain, black cover on it, so I thought before I start putting some photos in it, it needs a little something, a little lift to make it a bit more inspiring. Not every photo you take will be worth spending the effort scrapping - especially if you're as bad at taking photos as me, but, that doesn't mean that those photos have to live in an old shoebox under the bed gathering dust. So, I have "decopatched" this cover within an inch of it's life and then gone to work pimping it into a thing of beauty using bits and pieces from all sorts of places - there's Anna Griffin in there, Martha Stewart punching, recycled ribbon, twine, all sorts of stuff happenning. Phew, I actually feel like putting some photos in it now. Whilst I was working on this I was a bit side-tracked and got carried away making some paper flowers - you know the kind - the circular ones that have a cut that spirals into the middle, which you start by rolling the outside and work your way into the centre. Anyoo, once I'd got the knack, I ended up with quite a little stash of them which will more than likely find their way stuck to a 12x12 layout sometime soon! The one I stuck to the photo album has been painted with sparkly Mod Podge - a new investment which I'm just loving! Watch out everything if you stay still too long, you will be Mod Podged too!
Thankyou for stopping by to take a look,
keep creating!
Jak,
xxx

Close up of Mod Podged flower. Sparkly!

One more hug for the road...

Thought I'd messy things up with this layout. The photo is Sadie's first day at school and I am the proud mummy wondering where on earth that last few years has gone and how my baby got to be 5 years old already! Phew! This kind of messy, less structured layout is always a bit daunting for me as throwing paint/ink at cardstock is always a bit worrying - what if you don't like the results? Anyway I pressed on and it came together so quickly... and the bits of patterned paper were all leftover scraps  so that's always a bonus! Oh and I used some washi tape for a bit of interest too. Yay! Washi Rocks!
Might do a few more this style! Oh and I just noticed it kinda matches the mini book I made just a few months back - not sure if subconsciously that was intentional!
Thanks for popping by - have a cool, crafty weekend everyone!
Jak
xxx

 

The Gingerbread House...

...was a case of style over substance if ever their was one! It looked really good but was totally rubbish to eat and went out to the garden for the birds, who themselves were distinctly "meh" about it too! But hey - The Girlz enjoyed making it and were really proud of it and I took advantage of a photo opportunity... Millie, typically couldn't wait to get her sweet tooth into it - Sadie as usual will do anything her sister does as she hero worships her and always looks to her to lead the way. (That's when they're not squabbling and squawking...)
     So, The gingerbread bit of the title is hand cut (- ohh how I would love a Silhouette Cameo/Portrait). I kinda struggle a bit here for supplies of alphas so I try to find a way to customise what I've got or print out stuff from my Mac. I'd really like to rattle off a few 12x12's as I have neglected my scrapbooking duties of late, plus I could do with sorting out some photos for various albums and get on top of things. Who am I kidding - does anyone ever get on top of scrapbooking, ha ha those photos opportunities just keep coming atcha!!
Keep on scrapping!
Jak

A few more cards...

...don't know why but I have a bee in my bonnet about getting on top of the card making... thankfully, I'm nearly at the stage where I actually like some of the ones I've made... my theory being if I wouldn't buy one why would anyone else want to? So these ones are just about there...I think! For me it's about finding the best way to make a card look like a lot of work has gone into it without spending too much time on each one. And like anything it's a learning curve just building a repertoire of layouts/design elements that you know work well together. So, cardmakers out there, I salute your art! What you make look so easy is actually harder to nail than first meets the eye. One big lesson learned - tape adhesive reigns over the lowly glue stick which just makes your cardstock buckle and look wonky!!! Plus - don't you get through a lot of adhesive while cardmaking, compared to scrapbooking?
Happy crafting folks!
Jak
xxx 

Quickie gift envelopes....

....you know the kind of thing - when you want to give a gift but just aren't sure what to give! A lovely envelope with cash or a gift card to spend - always a winner. My mum asked me to make some of these and she knows what her ladies like so, no harm in making a few for the troops. Haven't gone too crazy with decorating but I did make up the sentiments in adobe illustrator which took a while to source the right kind of typefaces. These have been cut out with my sizzix framelits and are kept on file ready to print, resize anytime I need them! Job done!
Happy Sunday folks!
Jak
xxx

A Kitsch Christmas mini...

...using some cutsie/kitsch recycled xmas cards, ribbons, packaging etc.! You see, it's all my sister's fault as she gave me the glittery skull Christmas card - and it was just too awesome to put in the recycling bin and too large to make into a tag, so inspiration led me to indulge in some non traditional, Chrimbly colourfulness and yep, it just had to have the starring role as the most excellent non-christmassy minibook cover!  Ok so, it might not be to everyone's taste but, you have to admit - it's a very festive skull! And as it clearly states - Christmas Rocks!!!! Soooo true!!!! I have managed to use quite a variety of papers ranging from Papermania Happy Days to some old Brenda Pinnick stuff that's been kicking around for a while. I also snapped up a bargain in Hobbycraft - they had these dovecraft 12x12 papers called Merry Magic which were a snip at £2.99 and the cute colours were such a perfect match to the other cards I was putting in there, I couldn't pass them by... really I couldn't! I thought I'd carry the glitter theme throughout with some diecut Tim Holtz alphas which I'm hoping ties all the kitschyness together without overdoing it too much... Have any of you crafty peeps done anything creative with your christmas recyclings yet?
Thanks for popping by
Jak
xxx

Glorious glittery cover

Back cover

lots of tiny tags!

And pockets for secrets!

Good Sunday morning...

The basic model - excuse the glare of the cello bags!

Deluxe! A bit more to this one with layering and stamping going on!

Well, what a horrendous week for weather that was! Everywhere! I used to love snow but now I have to take a car to work it's just a pain in the you know what! I have given up counting how many times I've had to scrape the windscreen, shovel snow, move my car etc... We live in a particularly steep part of town - legend has it that not only is the hill that our house kinda nestles on the side of, the site of a pictish settlement but also a volcanic plug from a long long time ago... History lesson for today over with, it is in fact the hill with the steepest gradient that hardly anyone's handbrake tolerates. Result being - you really don't want to be stuck on it when it snows or ices over! Ah well on the plus side we have amazing views both up and down the Tay! So that aside, it has been super busy at work and most of my crafting time this week I've been prepping stuff for a photoshoot. However, last night I found time to make a few cards... hope you like them! Tell ya, that £1.95 book the illustrations here come from was a scoop and it just keeps on giving!
Have fun!
Jak
xxx