FREE YOURSELF ~ OFF THE RAILS SCAPBOOKING

Hello visitors,

Today I would like to share my layout for the Off the Rails Scrapbooking  current challenge.
The colour palette really appealed to me

Isn't it a gorgeous mood board?
This is my take on the challenge

The keys are to signify setting free. Gold sparkly Washi is from StudioFourteen40. I have cut out some gold butterflies from PP.
I am making an effort to use stash, so I dragged out the ribbon basket and added some gold and blue ribbon

Raided my Mum's old button tin and added a couple of gold buttons. The Rosette is actually a gold button. Painted the chippy gold. Stamping and rub ons.

I found the cool clip in the button tin , Finding little treasures :)
I added the little bits of ribbon onto the layout that I had trimmed from the ribbons.  Of course my layout is not complete without a beautiful StudioFourteen40 Flair, this one is from my fave range "Dali"

Thank you for calling by, I love to read your feedback.
Love and Peace 
Mary x

MISS YOU ~ ANOTHER FREAKING SCRAPPY CHALLENGE

Happy first day of Spring for those of us here in Oz :) I am looking forward to warmer weather and to start walking again.
The start of a new month means a new challenge over at Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge , and the challenge is......

Scrap some memories of your parents, guardians, whoever raised you. Suggestion: How did they meet?
What did they do that you remember the most? Good or bad memories, whatever you wish to scrap or art journal about

This is my take on the challenge

Miss You

This is my Mum and Dad, all dressed up to go to a wedding. 

My parents met at school when they were only young in the village they grew up in , Borenore. My parents and their parents before them lived at Borenore their whole life. My three brothers and I were also raised at Borenore until we got married and moved into town. Two of my brothers moved further afield to different cities and at times other countries.
Dad was a wool classer in his younger days. Mum could grown anything and was a good cook and I believe and excellent horse rider.
Dad a smoker from about 12 years of age , I remember car trips with his hat on the side , smoking his Benson and Hedges and me getting car sick ( I am sure the cigarette smoke didn't help). As we got older Dad stopped smoking while driving and also didn't smoke in the house. He gave up smoking several times, the last in his nineties. Mum Hated it and it wasn't worth Dad smoking around her. 
Dad was a quite man, but when he spoke you took notice. 
Mum was tiny , but feisty. If you upset Mum you knew! She was very clever though and like I said, cooked , had a beautiful garden with very little water at times. We always had to save the washing up water and bath water for the garden. Mum was a lovely sewer and knitter. She made some beautiful clothes for my children. I have kept the special things she made to hand down to my children for their children. She preserved fruit and made amazing apple, blackberry pies and beautiful Pavlova's . My poor husband thought like Mother , like daughter, boy was he in for a shock ! I don't particularly like to cook.
I have lost both my parents in the last five years, Mum less than two years ago. They both lived till in their nineties and I miss them.

Gorgeous Flair is from StudioFourteen40's new "Always" range . It truly is a special range of flairs and I would encourage you to check them out.
I have used lots of misting , masks , texture paste rub ons  and stamping to create the background.

I always try and include a bird on the layout for Mum as she loved birds.
Thank you for calling by . I hope you can join us over at AFSC , we are an easy going lot, that just want to inspire you to get those memories down.
Love and Peace
Mary x

YOU ARE IN MY HEART ~ HOME AND SCRAPPED CHALLENGE

Hello ! 
Today I wanted to share a layout for a challenge at Home and Scrapped to use strips of Pattern Paper ( which is a great way to use left over Paper). Home and Scrapped is a lovely friendly group that I always want to join in more. It is much more than just a challenge site, they share recipes & tips, have a chat thread, play word games etc,  but I need to find more time in the day or win lotto to give up work!
Here is my take on the challenge

It may be a little OTT, but like Dory keeps swimming, when I am not liking a layout I keep Adding!
I have used bits of left over PP to layer under my photo, plus a couple of PL cards.
This is me with my middle child. When I found this photo the other week when it was my son's 33 birthday, my husband said he always liked this photo and always liked me in that dress ( only taken him 33 years to tell me that ) so I thought I best scrap it.

Pulled some bakers twine out that I haven't used in awhile. Some lovely green thread that was my Mum's ( going to be sad when I have used all the old threads up) The little green squares are mosiac tiles , I saw them at Spotlight and thought they might look cool on layouts. Lots of stamping, Texture paste and a mask for the blossoms and then I painted with watercolours.

More texture paste with circles that I have gone around with a charcoal pencil. The little chippy hearts and arrow are from Craftqueen, I think they are Cosmo Cricket . Lovely red circle chippy is from the Trinket Track . Heart washi tape is from Marally Craft. 

Thank you for calling by. I hope your enjoying some sunshine

Love and Peace
Mary x

TO THE ARTIST EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE ~ PIXELS AND PAPER AUGUST CHALLENGE

Hello , hello

It has been a lovely day here today and I was lucky enough to have the day off work. 
I would like to share my layout for the challenge over at Pixels and Paper at the moment. This is the inspiration

and my take 

To the artist, everything is possible

Now you are probably wondering the connection between my Beautiful Grand daughter and woolly colourful sheep ! But the colours were my inspiration :)

the lovely button is from Craftqueen. The beautiful blue gem is from a friend. I modge podged and stuck mica flakes to the chippy and then added some colour with paints.

I have stamped here and there. Stamp from Craftqueen.

Thank you for calling by. Please let me know you called

Love and Peace
Mary x

YOU AND ME ~ SUGAR CREEK HOLLOW CHALLENGE

Morning !

Today I would like to share a layout for the Sugar Creek Hollow Challenge #93 ~ Let's Celebrate

So this is my wedding day nearly 35 Years ago!

You and Me

Yes the days of the big blue velvet bow ties :)

Gorgeous flair from StudioFourteen40 's New "Always" Range. Love the softness of the flair. You should pop over and check this very special range of flairs out.

Rosettes, Satin Seam Binding and Loopy Pink Braid all from Craftqueen.

The Teal Washi that I just love a win from Scrappy Canary . Pink and black Washi from Craftqueen.

 Little Pearl flowers and Manor House Die Cut are from Craftqueen.

Thank You for calling by
Love and Peace 
Mary x

TOSCANA ~ SCRAP AFRICA TRAVEL CHALLENGE

Morning !

Over at Scrap Africa the new challenge is Travel Adventures. Now I love travel pages. I find when I am scrapping them it takes me right back to that place and time. The memories , the smell , the people. It is like reliving it all over again. 
My page is of Tuscany. My dream to travel began here , as I had always dreamt of going to Tuscany. It was everything I dreamt of and so much more. Tuscany opened my eyes and heart up to the wonders of travel. Now there are so many places I am in love with and wish to return and so many more to see.

As Lizzy would say I went a little OTT with this. It started as quite a simple layout, but I just can't walk away. I was enjoying the process though, so I guess it doesn't matter if it is a little OTT.

I have used the gorgeous Studiofourteen40 flair from the Happy Life Range and a Amy Tangerine heart chippy which I have altered and added the Prima chippy Key. I really like Kaiser's boarding pass range which I have used for my PP

I got playing with texture paste and a mask, gold silks,  pan pastels and stamps.

Prima Bird & key chippy and 2crafty flourish from Craft queen. I embossed the flourish and then also inked it . The heart chippy was a win from Scrappy Canary Cyber Crop.

Thank you for calling by. I hope you get a chance to join in at Scrap Africa, they are a lovely bunch and a very talented DT
Have a wonderful day
Love and Peace 
Mary x

LEARNING LESSONS ~ CHALLENGE YOURSELF

Hello there,

I have to say like the challenges at Challenge Yourself, because they are um challenging ! This challenge I found the journalling particularly challenging , as I guess one doesn't want to sound anything but happy. The challenge is to do a layout and journal about the age you are right now. Yikes!
Well if I was still 18 it would be a breeze as I was having the time of my life. But time has indeed marched on and with it comes responsibilities and life changes.

Learning lessons at 56 

The pattern papers I have chosen reflect me. They may not be on trend at the moment, but it is what I am drawn to. I guess you could say vintage.

I have added beautiful old lace and thread that was my Mum's . The black button was also among Mum's craft tins. I have it used to represent the dark moods & sadness I sometimes experience.

  

I have used PL cards to layer behind my photo 

The lace up the top is from my going away top when I got married and the little ceramic flower is a earring of Mum's, the gold pin was also amongst her things. Butterflies are Prima chippies from Craftqueen.

Lizzy did you notice the little touches of Paris ? I added these as I love to travel and I need to go back to Paris one day.

I have journalled and typed it out to add to the back of my layout. I won't bore you with it, as it is 2 pages long and quite personal . Lets just say I am a work in progress. I am grateful for the wonderful life I have, my family, my friends and health. But the last few years have been emotionally challenging . I have learnt some lessons lately and that is good, even though it was hard. I wont let it happen again. I am working on me now, I am getting there.

Love and Peace

Mary x