Indian Summer is in store now

Yes, it has arrived and beautiful it is too. I can't wait to use it, look out for some examples coming soon.

Basic Grey Indian Summer due in store soon

Due in store around the end of August/beginning of September.

18 Papers

Woolies(Felt embellishments)

Brads - Glazed and plain

Alpha Stickers

Element Stickers

Take Notes (printed die cut tranparency and matching die cut journalling block)

Wide eyed innocence

This is my oldest when she was around 9 months old.

To capture her wide eyed innocence, I have used the Daisy Bucket Playful Petals range.

The first step was to take a sheet of Gracy, cut away the flowery section at the top to provide the partial frame for the photo. Next, I took a sheet of Gabby and trimmed one of the border strips and adhered this approx 7cm from the bottom of the cardstock. The photo was mounted on turquoise cardstock leaving a 8mm border, this was then placed directly above the border strip. Then the green patterned square with the white circle was cut from a sheet of Libby, the square was trimmed to 12.3cm and placed next to the photomount leaving a 2mm gap. The flowery section cut out previously was then placed along the bottom of the photo and the green patterned paper. Journalling was written on white cardstock, cut into strips and placed in the white circle. Any gaps were filled using flowers and leaves cut from a sheet of Lucy. Another border strip was cut from Gabby, and trimmed to 12.3cm x 2cm and placed above the green patterned square, leaving a 2mm gap. A further strip was cut and placed above the photomount across the width of the page. Finally the letter stickers from My Little Shoebox were used to form the title.

Kindergarten

This is my youngest, taken whilst she was still at Kindergarten. That seems so long ago now.

For this layout, I used the A Little Birdie Told Me range from My Little Shoebox. Take a sheet of paper 2 and using the reverse side, cut out one of the border strips, I have used the scallop design. Place this 3.5cm from the bottom of a sheet of white cardstock. Next take your photo, (mine was 9cm x 12.5) and adhere this 4.5cm from the right hand edge so that it butts up to the border strip. Using paper 3 cut a piece 12.5 cm x 4.5cm and place this to the right of the photo, cut another piece from the same paper 12.5cm x 1.5cm and place this on the left hand side of the photo. Take paper 2 and cut a piece 12.5cm x approx 15cm and place this in the remaining space. I have further defined my photo by cutting two very thin strips of cream cardstock and applying them either side of the photo to make it stand out. I also used a ruler and the thick end of a Zig Writer to outline both top and bottom edges of the patterned paper. I used a journalling card, flower and heart from the diecut sheet to finish off the layout. The lettering stickers are also from My Little Shoebox in Mint.

Extras from my stash

Brown Zig Writer

Happy Family Memories

This takes me back, my Grandparents garden in London in the early 1960's, even though I was very small when they moved from here, I can still remember the kitchen so well.

I have used the Peony paper again from My Little Shoebox.

Take a sheet of paper 7704 and cut to 16cm x 24cm and run the top and right hand edges through a border punch to create the scallops. Adhere this to brown cardstock, 1cm from right hand edge and 1.5cm from the top. Place two smaller photos in a staggered position on the bottom edge of the patterned paper, finish this of with a length of FTI stitched ribbon and a bow. Next take a piece of cream cardstock and trim it to 30cm x 14cm, mount your photos and place on the cardstock filling in the gaps with scraps of patterned paper (I have used paper 7705). Next take a green piece of cardstock 30cm x 2cm and adhere the scalloped edging from the Peony overlay sheet, tuck this just under the right hand edge of the cream cardstock, I also added a title and flower from the overlay sheet. Adhere this whole piece to the brown cardstock 1cm from the left hand edge. Apply rub on lettering (I have used Luxe Designs - Whoa Nelly) to cream cardstock and cut randomly around them, define the edges with a fine liner. Next to finish the title, apply My Little Shoebox Mini Alphabet Stickers in Cream to rust coloured cardstock. More mini stickers are used to complete the journalling.

Extra's from my stash

Stampin Up scallop punch

A little birdie told me

How did your New Year celebrations go? My oldest daughter went up to Melbourne with friends and had a great time.

This is her in the layout, when we went to the bakery at Marysville, with some very friendly King Parrots who couldn't wait for us to finish our cakes so that they could have the crumbs.

I have used, appropriately enough My Little Shoebox - A little birdie told me - range of papers and die cuts.

To start with I trimmed paper 1 to 25cm and adhered it to brown cardstock. With the leftover piece, I ran a strip through a scallop border punch, turned it over to show the reverse (green patterned) side and butted this up to the patterned paper. To cover the join I added a length of ribbon. The main photo was first mounted on green patterned paper ( from Daisy Bucket - the reverse side of "Katy" from the Playful Petals range), then brown cardstock and finally the green paper again on just the top and right hand side. The photo was the placed on the layout 1cm from the top and 1/2cm from the edge. The three smaller photos were placed in a descending arrangement under the main photo. The swirl die cut from the 12 x 12 sheet was cut into three pieces enabling the swirls to be placed separately. A journalling tag, flower and leaf ( all from the diecut sheet) were added. Finally three photo anchors and small flower, were secured with brads.

Extras used from my stash

Photo anchors, brads and small flowers - Queen and Co

Scallop border punch - Stampin Up

All good wishes

I hope you all had a good Christmas and are currently thinking up New Years resolutions you intend to keep. Personally, my usual one is to take up regular exercise, I have never yet managed to keep it up long. I start off with good intentions, but these quickly disappear because I can always think of so many better things I could be doing with my spare time than going to the gym for an hour of puffing and sweating. I know, I know, it is good for me, it will keep me healthy in the long run but that doesn't make it any more appealing. Perhaps this year will be different...... Yeah, right!!!!!

This layout uses the Peony range of papers by My Little Shoebox. Paper 7705 was trimmed to reveal just the green stripe with the flowers attached. Extra flowers and stalks were cut from the remainder of the paper. Two 10mm wide strips were cut from paper 7704, one was placed 11cm from the base of the white 12 x 12 card stock. The green flower stripe was butted up to this. The other 10mm strip was placed 6cm from the top of the cardstock and the extra flowers placed randomly within the area between the two strips to create balance and interest. A piece of green cardstock was cut to 5 1/4 inches x 10 inches ( I have swapped to inches as it is easier when working with a 7"x 5" photo), all four corners were rounded. Using the remaining paper from 7705 a strip 5" x 1 1/8"th was cut, two corners were rounded and adhered to the top of the green card stock leaving a 1/8"th gap top and bottom, next the photo was added. Another strip of paper 1/4" x 5" was adhered under the photo leaving an 1/8"th gap. Finally the title was added, for a finishing touch a few left over flowers were applied to the corner of the green cardstock.

Extras used from my stash

Doodlebug pink letter stickers