THE CHRISTMAS LIST ~ ANOTHER FREAKING SCRAPPY CHALLENGE

I am sure we are all asking ourselves where this year has gone ? seems like only yesterday it was Christmas 2014 !
But a new month means a new challenge over at Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge. This month we are asking you to scrap a Christmas memory and add journalling to your layout.
This is my Memory 

The Christmas List

Because I have added the grocery list to my layout ( yes I actually kept it)  I have added my journalling to the back of my layout , which is

I changed my photo's to black and white to go with the lovely Kaiser PP . I have just realized I have made a spelling error in my journalling , Oh well not to worry.
I hope you will join us this month with a favourite Christmas Memory.  It's nice to have them documented 

Love, Peace and Kindness
Mary x

HAPPINESS IS ~ ARCHISCRAPS CHALLENGE

Hello lovely people,
Today I would like to share a layout for the challenge at Archiscraps ( you still have time to join in ) the theme is transport

Happiness is

My husbands favourite thing to do when he was growing up was to spend most of his spare time at his Grandparents farm, riding horses. He used to ride around the paddocks pretending he was a cowboy. 

I am sure you have photo's of a style of transport or a story to tell that needs to be documented , hope you join in the challenge

Love, Peace and kindess

Mary x

LIVE, OPEN EVERY DOOR , RIGHT NOW~ WORDS AND PAINTERY

Good afternoon,

Today I would like to share my layout for the challenge over at Words and Paintery 

I thought I would like to document another of my travel photo's and was originally thinking a snow photo, but ended up going with a photo from the Isle of Skye Scotland

The PP looks very different from when I started,it had a pattern of ships sketched over it, which seems to have gotten completely covered in the creative process.
I have used gesso, mists, inks, kindy glitz ,texture paste and masks and stamping. With the kindy glitz, I took the top off and used a paddle pop stick to spread it on my page.
Photo tab and flair Paper pin from StudioFourteen40. Thank You Jo for the clouds. I have also ripped up a silver doily and added here and there.
Oh and after taking the photo I realized I had left the "e" off Isle of Skye, which I have rectified.

Thank you for calling by
Love, Peace and Kindness

Mary x

ARMOUR ~ SHOW US YOUR STUFF

Good Evening,

It's been a heat wave in Australia today, so I hope you are keeping cool if you are experiencing high temps. It's days like this I wished I listened to my husband and let him get air conditioning!
I noticed a lovely mood board on face book for show us your stuff and straight away I was inspired to do a layout and couldn't wait to get started.

 When I had finished my layout and was quite happy with it, I checked back over at the blog and realized you are suppose to use all the prompts ! Oh dear, so I carefully pulled the layers up and found some Kaiser Travel map paper in a 6 inch pad, tore it up and added some map paper in the side of my photo and and at the bottom left hand corner and a little down the left side. Where there is a will there is a way.

Amour 

I wish I could turn back the clock, I'd find you sooner and love you longer

 My hand made item is the flower . I had the circle of old lace , cut it in a spiral, then layered it around , stuck a staple in the centre to hold it, (as I was to lazy to find a needle and thread) and then I added a brad.
I used some stamps that a lovely lady sent me as a gift .Thank you Kerri Smith .I have also used Masks , texture paste and mists. The Tim Holtz shattered glass mask is to signify the shattering of peace, the brick stamp is for uniting and building stronger in love and peace. Sorry I don't mean to get all deep, but thought you might like to know my process of thought and reason for adding these steps.
The city of love is feeling so much sadness at the moment, as are many people /places in the world,lets hope the world can unite for Peace and kindness .

Thank you for calling by

Love, Peace and Kindness
Mary x

JENNIFER GRACE FROSTY FESTIVITIES

Hello !
Today I would like to share some of the projects I have been inspired to do by the Jennifer Grace Festivities for the month of Nov
First was a tag, with torn paper . I have added mine to the front of a three fold pocket I am making for a pen pal

Lizzy thanks for the cookie cutter idea, as you can see I made a Christmas tree :)

I have used quite a few of the projects in the three fold pocket, such as the sign post made from paddle pop sticks, which then inspired me to also paint a peg in Christmas colours as well. The star was also a template from the projects.

I also used the sign post in my 2014 Christmas album, which Yay I have made a start on !

and finally a layout recipe  using stash with buttons, word stamps ,twine (I used satin seam binding) paper scraps and Ephemera 

Used some papers etc that I have had for ages and those are my two boys, now all grown up. I had to improvise with the Noel chippies from Scrapmatts, as of course there is always one letter that you don't have anymore and I have had these for ages and want to use them up, so as you can see I had to make a L from a I 
Thanks for calling by, I know it is a long post.

Love, Peace and Kindness
Mary x

HAPPY WANDERER ~ ARTASTIC CHALLENGE

Hello! Today I would like to share my DT layout for the challenge at ARTastic . This is the gorgeous inspiration art work by Emma Uber called weeds. Criteria to use flowers on your layout

Happy Wanderer

I was influenced by the yellow and red colours and  flowers in the art work.

My husband took this photo of me wandering down beautiful alley ways of Casole d' Elsa Tuscany. I endeavoured to make my layout like a little scene of the alley way , with a window and lace curtain with flowers outside the window sill.

The cute little brass rabbit at the top of the gate is from Craft Queen ( he is like a Alice In Wonderland character

Thank you so much for calling by, I hope you can join us and be inspired by the gorgeous artwork. Please Pop over to the ARTastic DT girls blogs and leave them so love .

I think we are all hoping for more Peace in the world today. 

Love , Peace and Kindness 

Mary x

EMBRACE THE WONDERFUL MESS THAT YOU ARE ~ SCRAP AFRICA

Hello and welcome, Today I would like to share my take on the current challenge at Scrap Africa, which is this really gorgeous sketch . Love this so was inspired to join in.

Embrace the wonderful mess that you are

The gorgeous girl in the frame and the embellishment of the girl with wings were sent to me from my Pen Pal in Ireland, I loved them so wanted to use them on a layout. The flowers I fussy cut ..... Lizzy :) and the film strip is a stamp that I stamped onto Transparency . 

The quote without getting to deep and meaningful I liked, as I need to be happy with who I am and be OK with that. To stop wishing I was smarter,  stronger, not be so sensitive,that I had accomplished something to be proud of ( I am very proud of raising three amazing human beings though)  I am doing the best I can .

Pop over to Scrap Africa and I am sure you will be inspired by the gorgeous creations from the DT.

Wishing you a beautiful week and don't forget to be kind .

Love, Peace and Happiness

Mary x

WINTER WONDERLAND ~ JENNIFER GRACE FROSTY FESTIVITIES

Hello and welcome. Today I would like to share my entry for one of Jennifer Grace Frosty Festivities. The challenge is to use three different textures on your layout, ink around the edges and use a photo with a dominant colour and use the same background colour for your layout.

Winter Wonderland

Because my photo is of the snowfall we had this year ( the biggest we have had in a long time) My predominate colour palette is white.
I started with using a mask and texture paste to make little dotted lines to simulate snow falling. I then went over the texture with kindy glitz for sparkle

I am loving this die, so pretty. I did not have enough of the letters of course for my title, so I used smaller white ones and added kindy glitz and for the date I used a exclamation mark for the number one. Its good to use up and make do with what you have I think.

I used a couple of my punches ( need to use them more) 

I punched out my snowflakes and used kindy glitz for sparkle. I also used ripped up silver doily to add sparkle and a few sequins here and there. I inked around my edge and also added some silver washi here and there around the edge. The Kindy Glitz has a pink tinge in the photo's but is actually just clear sparkle and does not look pink IRL. 
I have to say I am not a fan of winter, but there is something magical about snow.
Thank you for calling by
Love, Peace and Happiness
Mary x

JENNIFER GRACE A CHALLENGE TO BE INSPIRED

The month of November seems to be bringing lots of fabulous challenges to be involved in ( I hope I am not overloading myself) .Thanks to Lizzy who seems to find all these wonderful challenges, I have decided to join in with the Jennifer Grace Challenge for Nov, because it just looks so darn good .
First of Nov challenge is to be inspired by Jennifer's card. Stamp around the outside and use gold.
Jennifer Grace's gorgeous card

and this is my take on the challenge

I made mine as shaker cards & added gold sequins and stars inside . I wanted to keep a vintage feel to go with the lovely vintage images

I accidentally used  the wrong green on my second card and I wasn't happy with it. So I then went over the stamp again with gold ink and that toned it down and I was happier then.

If you are interested in joining in with the challenges and there is also an Amazing Give Away for someone to win, pop over and check it out.

Love, Peace and Happiness 

Mary x

A WOMAN SHOULD BE TWO THINGS ~ ANOTHER FREAKING SCRAPPY CHALLENGE

Hello ! 
Gosh another month has flown by, dare I say it will be Christmas before we know it, yep I can , because it will !
A new month means a new challenge. The new challenge at AFSC is to close your eyes and pick up three things on your desk and create a layout. Well I didn't really close my eyes as I would probably stab myself with a pair of scissors or something , but I have used three things from my desk.

A Woman Should Be Two Things

This is my Aunt, my Mum's sister.  The three things from my desk are ~ The round material piece under my photo is from a old vintage hat that was covered with flowers ( I actually wore the old hat on my daughters Christening day ) and the flowers on my layout are from that hat that I unpicked them one by one. There were quite a lot of little flowers on the circular piece , but I have gradually used them. The old thread was on my desk as was the old pink button. Oh and the 6 x6 vintage Paper under the photo was also on my desk.

I hope we have inspired you with this challenge to create a layout from bits and pieces that you have sitting on your desk just waiting for a home.

I will leave you with a photo of the old vintage hat, (it belonged to my Aunt) I think my daughter was mortified that I actually wore it on her christening day. I wish now that I had a close up of the beautiful details of the hat.

Love , Peace and Happiness

Mary x