Wednesday 25 April 2018

Easy ANZAC Day cardstock Poppies

In addition to what the kids are learning at school about the ANZAC's Today we searched Ancestry for the ANZACS in our family and the Discover ANZACS website, there is a lot of information that I have previously not been able to find.

I wanted to make some cardstock poppies with the kids to use when recording these memories and the stories of the ANZACS in our family. 

Roughly trace the bottom of a glue bottle to get 5 circles that I then roughly cut the circles out just inside the lines.
Draw a yellow circle and colour it in in the centre.
Draw a scribbly circle over the yellow and then do lots of dots around it.  You can do this at any stage before shaping.

As I was out of red and lilac cardstock I decided to used some inks to colour some of the circles.
I just dabbed the ink pad on my craft sheet and added water.
Some I coloured with a brush and some I just dabbed the cardstock directly into the colour.
If you make them with coloured cardstock it will affect the hint of yellow in the centre so just do a black centre.

To shape them I ran my large stylus in little circles all over the flower and then pressed down hard in the middle so it popped up and created a fold.









These poppies are a great activity for children to create for ANZAC Day. 























I love how they turned out and will add them to my stash I am collecting to record the ANZACS in our family.  There is no photo of Grandma's brother so hopefully I can get my cousin who has his Medal to take a photo of it and I will scrap that.

Tuesday 24 April 2018

Scrapping memories of Connor - Scrapping Fun Kits Design Tea

Today I wanted to share with you a layout recording my memories of some of Connor's love of all things STEM/STEAM using the April STEM/STEAM Kit.

I prepared for this layout by typing up the 3 memories I wanted to record and printing them and then sorting through my photos to find pictures of him around the ages that each memory is from.

I knew I wanted to have his name at the top and I wanted to use the awesome STEAM wood veneer from Corbett Creations but I didn't have any other plans for how this layout would come together, here is the Process Video so you can see how it all came together from a messy pile on my desk to being a layout I absolutely love.


I loved what Lisa did with the wood veneer so I had to do it on this layout, unfortunately I wouldn't realised until I was taking photos of the layout that my words are upside down, oh well adds to the quirk.






I just love how this cluster came together.
How cute is the wood veneer compass?







This Robot washi was just perfect to have near 4 year old Connor, cute little cartoon robots to enhance my memory of the first  time he said he wanted to be a  Robotic Engineer when he grows up.


I have absolutely loved this kit, I have loved creating it and recording memories with it.
If you would like one there are just 2 left so head to the Subscription Tab at Scrapping Fun Kits and fill in the form.  Enter STEM or STEAM into the promo code box so I know you want one of these kits.

Friday 20 April 2018

Autumn Leaves YouTube Hop

We have another YouTube Hop for you, this one is a lovely Autumn theme.



I am not participating in this hop but I do have the hop list for you.
Remember to enter the Prize Draw you must watch each video and leave a comment on each video.  
Aunty Vera Scrap and Craft is sponsoring this Hop so make sure you enter the Prize Draw.



You can find a Playlist for the Hop here.

Morgyn from For the Love of Paper
Suzanne Johnston
Amy Lane
Silvia from Aussie Scrapper
Amira from AmirafromOz
Jessica from Scrappy Sisters
Lauren from Scrappy Cheeky Lauren

Have you joined out Facebook Group for our Hop Fans yet?  

I hope you enjoy this Hop there are so many wonderful projects from these talented ladies, some lovely crafty inspiration in it.  

Thank you for supporting our Hops.

Monday 16 April 2018

Earth Day Upcycled Mini Album - Helmar Creative Team

I am so excited to be sharing my first project with the Helmar Creative Team with you.

I wanted to do something with my boys for Earth Day and decided I needed a mini album to record the memories in but I wanted it to be as environmentally friendly as possible so I decided a upcycled album was the way to go.

I love making mini albums but haven't made one in a long time because no matter how high quality the tape is I use due to the climate here the stick gives way due to the weight so I have wanted to experiment with using Helmar Professional Acid Free Glue to create a mini album and it was not only easier to do but the hold is much stronger than the strongest tape I have used in the past.

Supplies needed
5 Toilet rolls
1 sheet of Kraft cardstock
Helmar Professional Acid Free Glue
Digital Papers Earth Day and Embellishments from Pixel Scrapper printed on 160gsm paper
Earth Patch from the Scrapping Fun Kits April 2018 Kit
Assortment of Burlap trims and twine
Green Lace from the Scrapping Fun Kits St Paddy's Kit
Trimmer
Hole Punch
Score Board
Assorted green alpha stickers

As there can be a variation in toilet roll sizes I have included instructions for getting the best sizing for your rolls.
Flatten out your toilet rolls, you can do this with a iron, running them through a Big Shot or similar die cutting machine or with a bone folder and then put them under something heavy.


Measure the inside measurement of your toilet rolls, cut a strip of Kraft cardstock slightly smaller, this will form your Hidden Hinge Binding.


Cut 5 tags from Kraft cardstock slightly longer than your toilet rolls and punch a hole in the top.  Tie twine in the holes.

Cut 4 cover pieces to be long enough to cover your tags and slightly wider than your toilet rolls.
Save your scraps you will use one of them for the outside of your binding but we will wait to cut this once the binding is attached to the covers to be sure of the measurements.

For the Hidden Hinge Binding System piece make your first score mark at 1.5 inches then do this pattern - 1/2inch 1/2inch 1/4inch 1/2inch 1/2inch 1/4inch 1/2inch 1/2inch 1/4inch 1/2inch 1/2inch 1/4inch 1/2inch 1/2inch  leave a 1.5 inch flap and trim off the excess.

You need to glue the 1/2 inch sections to each other, this will form the flap you attach your pages to, leaving the 14 inch sections with no glue on.  Once glued together fold the flaps in each direction to ensure easy turning once the pages are attached.

Attach a cover piece to each 1.5 inch piece ensuring the line up with each other.  Then apply glue over the inside surface of the cover and attach the other 2 cover pieces on top with the 1.5 inch flap sandwiched in the middle.  This will give stronger bond for the binding and a thicker cover.  Note my flap is smaller in the second pic due to a error I made on that side.

Now for the spine.  Measure the finished width of your binding and covers and add 1 inch cut a piece of scrap the the height of the covers and this measurement your just made.  Score .5 inch in from each side.  Apply glue to the spine, attach the .5 inch flaps to your covers and the middle part to your binding.  You will need to press the various spaces together until things are holding well.  Set aside to dry.
Now work on your pages (toilet rolls) measure the length of the rolls and the width, double the width and add 1/2 inches.  Cut papers to these measurements.
Apply glue to the back of the paper, lie them down glue side up, put the toilet roll in the middle, fold the top and bottom of the papers over the toilet roll to cover.  Repeat for all 5.



Once your cover and spine are dry, cut papers chosen for the covers a 1/4 inch smaller than the cover and adhere with Helmar Acid Free Glue.  Make sure you are working on the outside of your covers when using what you want to be your cover, I got muddled and my front cover became my inside of the back cover.
Use the Lace or Ribbon you have chosen to cover the spine, adhering with Helmars Professional Acid Free Glue, this helped strengthen my spine.


Attach pages to your binding starting with the last page and working forward, by applying glue to both sides of the binding flap and sliding the page over the flap, apply pressure for a few moments until it is holding well.

Decorate covers and pages with printed embellishments, alphas, Earth patch and burlap trims.

Insert tags into your pages.


 Now your album is ready to add photos and journaling.

Monday 9 April 2018

Bunny Eggs - Scrapping Fun Kits DT - Moodboard Challenge

Today I am sharing my layout for the Easter Moodboard.

I decided to scrap photos of my boys with their eggs from a few years ago.











I started by using 2 of the papers from the March Embellishment kit to create some layers across my Kraft TN Insert from the Basics Kit, ten added the photos to the purple egg paper.
I added the bunny washi from the March Embellishment Kit and this lovely autumn feeling washi from the Autumn TN Kit to the top and bottom of the layout so there wasn't so much brown showing.
I then added words from the cut apart, eggs fussy cut from the journal card and the gorgeous bunny charm to finish off my layout.
This was a very quick layout to create which was really important as I only had 20 minutes of craft time on the day.

Here is the March Embellishment Kit, that I used for majority of this layout.
There are still a couple of these kits available so if you would like one head to the Subscription Tab and fill in the form.  Enter March in the promo code box so I know you want a March kit.









If you would like to enter the Moodboard Challenge just head to the Challenge Tab at Scrapping Fun Kits for details.

Monday 2 April 2018

April Challenge List

Welcome to the April Challenge List.  
I will continue to update the Challenge List as more challenges go up throughout the month, so please check back regularly and see what wonderful challenges have been added.

Due to positive feedback I will continue to split the list into Australian based challenges and International challenges, so make sure you scroll through and check out all the wonderful challenges as many allow entries from all over the world.
Please if I have put a challenge into the wrong catagory let me know, I worked hard to be correct but we can all make mistakes.

Please if there are any Challenges you are aware of that I have missed let me know.I am really loving participating in Challenges, it is getting me to craft more often, to do projects I may otherwise save to do later, and some there is the added challenge of completing them when I have limited supplies that meet the requirements but that just adds to the fun.
So now for the list, I will provide a link to each challenge that has a direct link for it and either their Facebook page, website, shop, whichever is appropriate so you have all the details you could possibly need.
Those that are in a Facebook Group I will link to the group, please contact admins of the group to let them know you are joining to participate in the challenges or look at the challenges as some admins have requested this due to the waiting list. 

White with 1 is a fun shade of brown this month and a sketch to help inspire you.  Here is their Facebook Page.

















Scrap the Girls has a fun Moodboard this month.















Scrapping Good Time - Scrapbooking Group Australia is a Closed Facebook Group that has multiple Scrapbooking Challenges and sometimes a Card Challenge each month.  This month they are having a special giveaway and to be in the draw you need to enter every one of their Challenges and participate in some other things throughout the month.

Scrap the Boys has a fun prompt this month. Here is a link to their Facebook Page.  Make sure you check their blog for the rules of their Challenges.












Show us your stuff has a fun sketch this month.

Kraft+ Challenge has a wedding theme this month, make sure you head to their blog and read the requirements for this one. Here is the Facebook Group.













Aussie Crafters is a Closed Facebook Group that has a monthly challenge and swaps.  Please pm the group owner when you request to join. 

Off the Rails Scrapbookinhas a fun moodboard this month.  Here is their Facebook Group.  Make sure you check their blog for the rules of their Challenges. 










Aussie Scrappers Society is a closed Facebook group that has challenges.


Scrapping Fun Kits has a brand new Bi-monthly Challenge featuring a lovely Spring Moodboard for their first challenge.  This challenge is for all sizes including nonstandard, Traveler's Notebooks,Junk Journals, small albums, etc.  And this month has opened up to traditional sizes such as 12x12 and 8.5x11






Archi-scraps has a fun prompt this month.















Scrapping Clearly has a fun sketch and moodboard this month.







Sketchy Boards Challenge has a great Sketch and prompt this month and a fun prompt this month.  Follow the link for inspiration and rules.


ARTastic has a lovely artwork on a plate this month.  Here is their Facebook Page.











Scrapbooking Top 50 Australia has a fun prompt this month.  Head over to the blog for inspiration and details













Use Your Stuff is a great weekly challenge that is all about using the stuff you have.  






Anna's Craft Cupboard has a gorgeous sketch this month which you enter either via a Online Gallery or their Facebook Community.

Mystical Scrapbooks has 2 new challenges on their blog for January.
Sorry this 
has been missing from the list, somehow a couple fell off my radar when I lost my hard drive with my base list.


Scrapbook Boutique has a gorgeous moodboard this month.















Kaisercraft has a lovely moodboard this month that is my favourite colour.  Here is their Facebook Page.


Jot Magazine has a fun moodboard this month.  Here is their Facebook Page.  


International Challenges

Stuck Sketches have announced they are closing but Laura has provided a list of some other sites that provide sketches.  I will miss her wonderful sketches.

More Than Words has a great prompt this month.  Here are the Rules for their Challenges. Here is their Facebook Page.











Crafty Creations Challenge is a bimonthly craft challenge.  Make sure you read their rules as entry closing dates are different to most challenges.

Pixel Scrapper is a Digital Scrapbooking community that has a monthly challenge.  I am so glad I found this wonderful community. 













Lasting Memories Scrapbooking Challenges have multiple challenges each month to inspire you.

Creative Inspiration is a online forum/group that features multiple challenges throughout the month.







Stick it Down has 3 Challenges a month, a card sketch, a single page sketch and a double page sketch.  Head to their blog for further details. 

CSI Challenge - Color, Stories, Inspiration is a fun challenge formatted as a case file for you to do.  I look forward to giving this challenge a go. 




Counterfeit Kit Challenge is a great concept where you take inspiration from a new kit that is out and create a kit from your supplies using that inspiration and so create layouts with your own kit.  They do a blog hop with their team showing each person's kit and layouts.  Well worth checking it out. 

Craft-Dee Bowz is a monthly challenge that involves using a bow.  Head to their blog for more details. 

Challenge YOUrself has a fun bingo this month. They also have a Facebook Page. 


Maja Designs also has a beautiful moodboard to inspire us this month.












The ScrapRoom is a bimonthly challenge starting with their Sketch Challenge this month. 













Rochelle Spears has a new Scrappy Friends Challenge. for a bonus prize combine her challenge with Grand Diva's challenge.   













13arts  has a beautiful moodboard to inspire you this month.


Scrappy Land is a bimonthly challenge that is all about getting out those dies and using them.  Make sure you list  the brand of die you used and that it is one their store stocks.


Scrap Our Stash has a fun prompt this month.















Project Life

Here is a list of Challenges that would suit creating Project Life layouts.  Note I do need to check the challenges that are new to the list and update this sublist.  I will update shortly.

Scrap the Boys have said they will accept PL layouts.
Scrap the Girls have said they will accept PL layouts.
Kraft+ Challenge accepts tradition layouts, art journalling, tags, etc so this challenge would suit PL I think.
ARTastic Challenge Blog accepts all forms of Scrapbooking as entries.

Scrapbooking Top 50 Australia accepts PL entries.
Show us your stuff accepts PL entries.
Scrapbook Boutique accepts scrapbooking, off the page, etc so I think it would suit PL.  The new challenge is posted on the 10th of each month.
Dusty Attic states in the August Moodboard Entry Rules (so assuming it is the same) that your project can be anything you desire including layouts, cards or off the page so it sounds like PL will be accepted.

Previous Lists


My scrappy friends who only scrap when at a crop, or who have stopped or reduced their time scrapping for any reason I think you will love some of these, have a look at each one.