By The Thames Layout

Hi all

I love to do layouts with lots of pictures on but it can be hit and miss sometimes whether they work or not. If they're in uniform lines it can look a bit boring but I've found if you randomly place them it makes the page so much more interesting. 

On this layout I used pictures I took on our visit to London in March, I printed off a walking tour that visited places along the river we hadn't visited before along the South Bank. As always by the Thames Nathan and I had such a fun evening following the tour.

(We passed a Wagamama and thought... nah, we're alright)

(We passed another and thought.... mmmmm)

(Then we went over Tower Bridge, by the Tower of London... and there was another Wagamama and we walked straight in.... addicts! We had it again a couple days later near the hotel in Ealing!)

Making this layout was so simple, I used the Windows photos app to crop all my pictures into squares, then I printed them out, selecting A4 and then 'wallet' which prints 9 to a page. Perfect size for a layout with multiple photos. 

The little cards are from the My Mind's Eye Jubilee Tangerine collection, another little gem I found in TK Maxx.

The arrows are hand draw and I wrote the place names on myself too, I think if you have alright-ish handwriting you're good to go if it's just a couple of words.

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

Update :)

Hi all,

With university over until the autumn (PRAISE THE LORD)  I've found myself with more time to craft. A great time to try out new things and increase my online presence.

Therefore I am going to introduce something new.

As of May 17th, Tuesdays will be "TUTORIAL TUESDAY".

Every Tuesday I'll be posting a how-to/process video showing a technique or a layout... any suggestions welcome! (At least I've learned something from uni - how to make videos!)
I'm still going to be posting on a Saturday and what I would have posted on the Tuesday will now go up on the Thursday.

I also want to get back into making art. And knitting.

Now, I need to go order some stash... off to Spain in a week and I need some summery products to scrap with when I get back!

Totally Tropical Cards!

Hi all,

Just stopping by to share some bright, tropical themed cards I made recently.

The first I think is my favourite card I've ever made. Just something simple using embossing, die cutting and using washi tape with the aperture of the feather... lovely!

The second one started with a strip of scrapbook paper I had left over. I cut it at an angle and folded it to create the concertina effect and you can see the other side of the paper showing through - red and white stripe.
I finished it off with some pink embellishments.

And finally, a card made using the flamingo die free with Papercraft Essentials this month, plus papers downloaded from the Papercraft Magazines website. I printed off the paper and covered with vellum. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

ATC Swap

Hi all

We've done an ATC swap this week. We each made four to send and these are mine. I used the flamingo die that came free with this month's Papercraft Essentials magazine.
I used my gelatos on each one and tried to do something a little different on each.

And here are the ones I received.

I really enjoyed this ATC swap and I hope we can do more because they are fun :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

More Than Words Mini Challenge 'Fly'

Hi all

Just a quick post to share my entry for the More Than Words Mini challenge this month. Entry is via their Facebook page but I wanted to share with my blog followers too as this make is probably my favourite thing I've ever made - before my mixed media pieces have fallen short of my expectations but this piece is everything I intended it to be.

The word that had to be included on the piece is 'fly', so to start with I chose this chipboard sticker by My Mind's Eye. I had originally die cut a cardstock tag but I wanted some extra dimension and texture so I also die cut the tag from adhesive cork board and stuck this to the cardstock. I die cut a birdcage from kraft cardstock too and stuck this half- onto the cork.

Then I used yellow, blue and viridian green acrylic paint on the tag. 

I painted a MDF geocluster (from Things To Alter) in yellow, several layers so it was nice and bright. Once this dried I added metallic blue and green areas of gelato, plus some on the background too, before stick down the shape. 

I added flowers, an owl charm and the sentiment before flicking watered down white acrylic paint across the whole tag. I finished it off with three areas of glass beads stuck down with matte medium.

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

Daisy Cards!

Hi all,

I've made a couple of cards using the gorgeous daisy stamp that came free with the April issue of Craft Stamper.

The first one I took inspiration from the ideas for the stamp in the magazine.

The next one I thought was dire but my friend said it was lovely, so it was saved from the trash... maybe if I hadn't used the wood effect stamp...  It looks a lot better than it did and now I understand the technique of layering stamps I'm definitely going to have another go!

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

Together Layout

Hi all,

I lost my mojo a bit last week but luckily it returned and I made a layout using the March/April Quirky Kit.

So it was a lovely sunny Sunday and I was itching to get out of the house so Nathan and I went to Rufford Abbey Country Park for the afternoon. It's a nice park with a lake and woods and a ruined monastery that you can go into. We had a lovely afternoon, it's great to get away and into the countryside especially on a day as sunny as that one. 

Had to take a selfie. We both suit aviators. :)

Think I used a bit of everything in the kit on this layout. The paper was an 'extra' but it was so pretty I had to have it and it works well here. In the kit there was a pack of die cuts by Elle's Studio ad I used quite a few of them on here, I love how the colours co-ordinate and how the sentiments are so modern, perfect for my style. 

In fact the only bits that weren't from the kit is the 'together' title (My Mind's Eye) and the backing papers on my photo which are from the Bohemian collection by Trimcraft. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Emily xx

Adventures In Green Park Layout

Hey everyone,

Today I'm going to share a layout I made using a picture I took of Nathan in Green Park on our trip to London. Each morning we'd walk through St James' and Green Park to get to where we wanted to be (to save messing around changing tube lines). We heard some hammering in the trees and were sure it was a woodpecker so Nathan went off to try and find it. I adore how he has become so interested in nature, just like me.

I used the 'Market Street' collection by My Mind's Eye on this layout, they had papers and lots of embellishments for £7.99 in TKMaxx, total bargain. 

The title is by Heidi Swapp, I love bare wooden embellishments I can paint to match the layout.

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

More Than Words Challenge April 2016

Hi all

A new layout to share today...

It's for this month's More Than Words challenge, which is...

So to use the word 'escape' and be inspired by anything in the mood photo. You can find out more about the challenge here

The day before this challenge was announced I went to Lakeside with my boyfriend. It's the 'nice' part of Doncaster where there's a big lake to walk around and there's a leisure complex with a cinema etc, it's a really nice area and you really don't feel like you're in Doncaster at all. A good place to come if it's a sunny day and you fancy a walk. Anyway, there's a big fountain in the middle and the way the sun was shining, it made a rainbow in the fountain. 

Then I saw this challenge and the picture I had taken worked perfectly - the rainbow and the soft white of the fountain, like in the tree on the mood photo.

To carry on the soft white theme I painted the background of some dark paper and once it was dry coloured it with watercolour pencils, added water, left it to dry and added in some stencilling in the same colours. I also used my March/April Quirky Kit on this layout too - the Pinkfresh Studio sequin stickers work so well.

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

March/April Quirky Kit!

Hi all

Super excited right now as yesterday my March/April Quirky Kit arrived.

If you don't know about Quirky Kits, you can find out more here
I love subscribing to this as I hate spending hours trawling through various sites picking out products... this way it's all put together for you and co-ordinates so well. Leonora packs it all so well too, it's all in tissue paper with adorable stickers - A pleasure to open.

I subscribe to the embellisment kit and here's a list of what is included.
Fancy Pants Attwell Green alphas
Fancy Pants Attwell yellow chevron washi tape
Simple Stories Carpe Diem chipboard stickers
Pinkfresh Studio Felicity sequin stickers
Pinkfresh Studio Life Noted 3x4 cards
OHTO Japan Smile slide clips
Elle's Studio Little Moments die cuts
Charms - swallow, watering can & flower
Whisper Studio twine, 1m in blue, yellow and pink

And I ordered some 'extras'
 - papers -
Pinkfresh Studio Felicity
Maggie Holmes Bloom

and a set of cute little buttons.

Can't wait to get crafting!
Emily xx

Scarborough Layout

Hi all

A new layout to share today, using a picture I took from the top of a hill in Scarborough a couple of summers ago.

I used this layout for a DT application so wanted to make something typical of my style, with lots of layers, colour and embellishments. (I didn't get in, but I enjoyed making the layout for it, so...)

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

Star Wars Layout

Hi all,

On our recent visit to London we went to the Disney store and they had a life size replica of the Speeder from the new Star Wars film that you could climb onto and have your picture taken.
Nathan hates his picture taken but this time he wanted it taken!

I wanted to create a mixed media, grungy look with this layout.
I die cut the title, but it's a bit wonky 'cause when you get the letters perfect... you put the top part of the sandwich down to put it through the machine and it moves the letters! Grrr...
The title is a quote from the new film, I haven't seen it so I had Nathan go through the quotes from the film on IMDb and find me something relevant to the picture...
The background is made by mixing orange and brown acrylic paint and sprinkling cinnamon on top and letting it dry.
(I got the idea from Katie)
I changed the technique a little by adding in copper metallic paint to the top layer of paint, and then when it was all dry I found some teal shimmery eyeshadow and rubbed a little over the textured areas to look like it was oxidized.

For the gears I painted some cardboard copper (I wanted them to stand out) and die cut it. It took a good few runs through my Xpress but I got there in the end...!

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

Belle & Boo Butterfly Layout

Hi all,

Last week I won a competition on Cardmaking & Papercraft's facebook page, to win some of the new Belle & Boo goodies from Trimcraft. To win you just had to say what you favourite type of crafts is, so I said 'scrapbooking & mixed media'. Then I got a notification to say I'd been picked. Just proves you've got to be in it to win it! Yesterday, a parcel arrived with the goodies inside so today I've been having a play and here's an 8x8" layout I made. (I must say fantastic service from Trimcraft, I didn't expect it to arrive so soon!)

I had the idea of using decoupage on a layout and it's worked really well. 

Here's a picture of my prize. 

I've made some cards too so I will be sharing them soon :)
Thanks for stopping by!
Emily xx

Washi Tape Love Blog Hop

Hi all

We're having a blog hop today and our theme this month is Washi Tape Love.

(We are a team of current and ex members of the Docrafts PDT, we have a name for ourselves but it's a bit silly and we haven't thought of a proper one yet!) Anyway....

Here's what I made;

A CAS card:

And a coaster made from lolly sticks covered with tape. The tape didn't want to stick. The coaster didn't photograph well. Still, it alright for using outside in summer!

Check out what everyone else came up with:

Katie http://www.whatkatiedid2.blogspot.co.ukJulie www.newnanny.blogspot.co.ukSarah D http://www.stickerkitten.co.ukThanks for stopping by!
Emily xx

Pimp My Ride!

Hi all,

A new layout to share today.

As some of you may know I passed my driving test 3 days before Christmas and I told myself when I did I would order some graphics and new wheel trims for my car.
So I did, and a couple weeks ago my dad and I 'pimped my ride'.
Afterwards we took it for a ride out to a garden centre where we knew there was some space at the back of the car park where we could take some pictures with a decent background.
I made a layout using the pictures I took.

The background paper is by My Mind's Eye, it was one double side sheet which I cut into two and flipped one side over and stuck both onto a 12x12" sheet of plain paper. I went along the edges of each black stripe with my silver Sharpie so it looks like the stripes on my car.

Just need the weather to clear up now so I can take her on some trips out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx