Phoenix Inspirations

I have a scrap book page to show you today made using the Summer Silhouettes stamp set - I love it so much! I also have a great fondness for Crumb Cake card stock and so I used that as my base - take a look My banners were actually scrap pieces - I just stamped and sponged them (much better than binning them don't you think?) The photos are of my Grandma and Granddad - no longer with us now, Granddad passed away at Christmas so this was quite an emotional piece to do. I will add some journaling later before I put it in my album. Here's a close up Aren't those flower heads stunning? My little journaling tabs were made by inserting more scrap strips into  the Blossom punch half way so it only partially punches I think it gives an interesting shape and also uses up more scraps! Materials - Stampin' Up Stamps: Summer Silhouettes Ink: Crumb Cake, Gumball Green, Pumpkin Pie Card Stock: Crumb Cake (12" x 12") Naturals Ivory Accesso...

I've recently changed my job description in regards to some local committee work that I do and I handed a huge chunk of paperwork over to a new colleague. Yippee I thought - I will now have more time to get my crafting commitments done on time ..........I've just realised that I should have posted about 12 hours ago the fact that  Addicted to Stamps  has a new  Scrapbook Challenge ! Oh dear. Our subject this month has been picked by the lovely  Karen  and is AUTUMN here is my page My page is some 12" x 12" paper (sorry can't remember where from) with a strip of patterned paper added to the top. I have decorated it with cut out leaves stamped from my French Foliage set in loads of autumnal coloured ink. My title is also stamped and cut out. I added some Very Vanilla card stock in the middle but added my photo digitally. It's one of my most favourite pics but I only have it stored on my computer and my printer does not do colour. What I shall do ...

Time that is to enter the  Addicted to Stamps  monthly scrapbook challenge - here is a little something help you on your way The theme this month is 'Flowers' so I chose one of my favourites - Poppies. The stamped image at the bottom of the page is one of my own designs and is coloured with Stampin' Up markers in Poppy Parade  The punched flowers at the top are made using a couple of S'U punches and have a little doodled edge to them using a fine liner pen. the photograph is of my son and his beautiful girlfriend on the night of her prom - don't they look gorgeous? Thanks for looking and I really hope you can join in - Jacqueline xx

One of the last things I did before I went away was hold my monthly Scrapbook Club and this was the page I made These are a few pics taken 10 years ago at my granddad's 80th birthday party and whilst I was away we celebrated his 90th birthday and I'm hoping to have some photos of that so I can make another birthday layout. For more pics of this page and the sketch I used  can be found over on my Scrap blog found  HERE   - see you soon - Jacqueline xx

That's right folks you heard it here first - more details can be found over on the blog it's self click  HERE  to take a look. The subject this time has been chosen by  Victoria  and it's HOLIDAYS Here's my page These are pics of me, my husband and my two children on the beach at Weston - Super - Mare. Just look at that blue sky  - obviously these photos were taken back in the good old days when we used to have sun! I have used Kraft card stock for my base, some blue card stock on to which I have mounted some Kaisercraft patterned paper. My clouds have been drawn freehand and cut from white paper and my bunting is made from scraps attached to twine. I will be adding this page to my  Scrapbook Blog  tomorrow along with a tip for positioning photos on your layouts. In the meantime please pop over to  Addicted to Stamps  and check out the fabulous work created by my fellow dt friends - Jacqueline xx

It's been so miserable here today that I have taken refuge in my craft room and just played! No cards today but a scrapbook page inspired by the sketch on the  Sketchbook 365  blog The sketch is based on a layout by  Melenia Agapides Here is my page This is a photo of me and my brother from waaaaaay too many years ago - probably more than 30 yikes! I can't believe we are actually smiling as we used to fight - a lot, dad must have caught us on a good day! I used some Bazzill card stock along with some Stampin' Up DSP (Everyday Enchantment). I also used the DSP for my bunting and flowers. The butterflies were die cut on the 'Bug and I found some weird looking paper clips shaped like hearts so I added them as well. Platinum Liquid Pearls were used for the flower centres along with some flat backed gems. I am going to be posting more pictures over on my  Scrapbook Blog  for the ladies in my club if you would like to see more - see...

I held my first Scrapbook Club workshop this morning - take a look at my page For details of what materials were used and a picture of the sketch I used hop on over to my  Scrapbook blog  and take a look - see you soon - Jacqueline xx

It's my first Scrapbook workshop tomorrow and in conjunction with this I have set up a  Scrapbook Blog  to give dates and times of my workshops. It will also showcase the monthly projects, my dt pieces for  Addicted to Stamping  scrapbook challenge and there will also be the odd tutorial posted there too.  You don't have to be a member of the club to benefit from all these updates, in fact if you hop over  there  now there is a tutorial ready and waiting for you. Don't forget to pop over there tomorrow evening to see what we have been up to! See you soon - Jacqueline xx

Over on the Addicted to Stamps  challenge blog our leader Kylie has set up a monthly  Scrapbook Challenge   too. I was very honoured to be the first asked to choose the theme for this challenge 'Celebrations - use Bunting' I am very new to scrapbooking but what little I have done - I LOVE! Here is my page for this month's challenge I really hope you will have a go at this and to help you a little I have a sketch and step by step tutorial  HERE  on my scrapbook blog. I have just started a new Scrapbooking Workshop Club and I set this blog up to help the ladies that come along to this - anyone though can pop over and take a look and hopefully pick up some helpful hints and tips. Happy scrappin' everyone and I hope soon to be visiting your blogs to see all your lovely pages - Jacqueline xx

I've been feeling a bit off colour lately - however I did have a good day yesterday. It was my scrapbook workshop and I had three ladies scrapping around my dinning room table!! I had prepared a couple of layouts for my ladies - take a look The sketches are inspired by one of Heidi Payne's on mycroproom.com - here are my interpretations of the sketches I've used my Stampin' Up Everyday Enchantment DSP along with some 12" x 12" kraft card stock. I cut up a couple of doilies to make a decorative border down the page and stamped and cut out some of the flower images from Everything Eleanor. Here they are side by side Thanks for stopping by to take a look - tomorrow I shall be catching up with all my commenting as I've missed a few days!! See you soon - Jacqueline xx

I have had a lovely afternoon today. My beautiful daughter Briony took me out for coffee and cake and I even managed to sneak into my favourite craft shop and stock up on a few supplies! This did however prevent me from getting all my work done so I guess I'm going to have a busy day tomorrow! I have a scrapbook page for you to see today - I started it last week at a workshop and finished it off tonight. It is inspired by a sketch by Maria Burke and taken from a magazine called 'Scrapbook Trends' The papers and 12" x 12" page were supplied at the workshop but the pale blue is my own - Pool Party. The photo's are of my wedding and the group is my side of the family. I don't have a decent photo of the friends on my husband's side as they all disappeared to the pub! I used a couple of stamped images on my page - the journaling medallion from Everything Eleanor and a little round flourish from Charming - here is a close up My little flowers ha...

I have decided to do more scrapbooking and I was intending to do 12" x 12" - I've stocked up on paper and card stock and I've got next Wednesday set aside for a workshop. The thing is, I found a stash of clear plastic CD wallets and this got me thinking - they would be perfect for mini scrapbook pages. And ................... they are - take a look Using one of my larger 12" x 12" albums as a guide I made this mini album. It holds 10 pages just a little smaller than 5" x 5". Take a look at the front cover It is covered with some Stampin' Up Sale-a-bration DSP and Poppy Parade and Pool Party card stock. The flowers are made using the Boho Blossoms paper punch. Here it is from another angle As this mini album is made with pre-dominantly blue paper and is smaller than 12" x 12" I shall be entering it into the  Creative Craft World challenge Blog  - March Mini Challenge as their theme is BLUE. Thanks for stopping by to ta...

As I mentioned yesterday, today was workshop day. We made Tent Cards - a bit like this I have raided my stash drawer for some 6" x 6" Papermania papers for this one - I love polka dots and this is a particularly pretty one don't you think. I also thought that it matched perfectly with the butterfly paper behind it. I used my Precious Butterflies Hostess set and stamped the flourish in Lucky Limeade. I then cut it out to fit into the corners. The butterflies were inked with Blushing Bride and again cut out before mounting with 3D foam pads. A few teeny tiny flowers were added and a load of bling and pearls! Also as promised there is a free step by step tutorial to accompany this card. Just pop on over to The Craft Club Blog  HERE  to take a look. I am going into scrapbook mode now as I am holding a special Easter Scrapbook Workshop next Wednesday. If you live in the Malvern area and you would like to join in click  HERE  for all the details - spaces are going...

I think I am just in time with this - it's the Blue Jelly scrapbook challenge and the theme this month is 'Birthdays and Bunting' I had a good rifle through all my boxes of photographs and managed to find some taken at my Daughter's 6th birthday party I used Brocade Blue (retired) for the background and stamped around the edges with two star stamps from Wondrous Gift and Hung Up on the Holidays. The photos have Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose mats (I was trying to use up some scraps) and the bunting is Regal Rose. I used Brocade Blue and Night of Navy ink. I also used a white gel pen to high light some of the journaling. I am off now to post this on to the Blue Jelly  scrapbook challenge - see you after the holidays. Hope you all have a wonderful Easter - Jacqueline xx.

Hello folks - hope you all had a lovely weekend. I have had a lovely day today, my husband (who normally works from home) has been away on business and I have been locked in my craft room scrapbooking. As you can see in my side bar I am drawing attention to a new monthly scrapbook challenge. It's set by Victoria over on Blue Jelly Stampin'  and the first challenge is a sketch There were two optional extras - use Black and White and one other colour and have a family theme. Here are my pages - I used mainly stuff from my scraps box but I did use my Stampin' Up Butterfly Punch.   So, my optional colour was Pink and the pages are family themed as they are of my daughter Briony. She was all pink and squidgy when she was born so my husband nick-named her Polly Pinkle and that has stuck although it does get shortened to Pinkie now and then. (Do you think I have embarrassed her enough yet?!) Well anyway that little bundle of pink loveliness turns 19 this Thursday - I can'...

I couldn't resist the sketch on the *SPLITCOAST STAMPERS*   site today - it was so clean and simple. And because of this I decided to go with a simple colour palette too - Very Vanilla and So Saffron . I also used minimal stamping too - just the sister sentiment in the top right hand corner. The fancy squares were created on my Cuttlebug and the flowers were made using the Stampin' Up punch Boho Blossoms. I added a tiny bit of  bling to the center of each flower. My head is a lot better now and I have been doing a bit of blog hopping - may I draw your attention to my side bar please - a new monthly challenge of the scrap booking kind. I'm really looking forward to taking part in this. I am relatively new to scrap booking but with regular layout ideas and colour combinations I think even I will be able to manage something every month! I might be back tomorrow - I might not. I'm off to see my Mum and Dad this weekend - Dad is having some more treatment in hospital on F...

I don't normally do scrapbooking. I've made a few memory books - for myself and for family, but 12" x 12" - I didn't go there. All that space to be filled in just scared me! Anyway I think I mentioned before about the ladies in my craft group setting me a challenge, well one lady set me the challenge of a 12" x 12" scrapbook page, using my own photos, my own colour and decoration choice and a hand cut title. The last bit stumped a little - did she mean draw my own letters and cut them out or use a die cutting machine? I don't have any alphabet dies and I really didn't trust my cutting out to be neat enough so I cheated and ignored that bit! I did however cut out all 18 flowers by hand and hand stamped the background paper. This has been done using Stampin' Up Earth Elements inks and the Vintage Vogue stamp set. The photos are of my wedding - 20 years ago in February and you wouldn't believe looking at those pics that only the week befo...