PageMaps 7th Anniversary Celebration

So Page Maps, the people that bring you many wonderful sketches, are turning 7 this month, and decided to celebrate. Throughout the month of May they are offering many different challenges (most are sketches of course) and each comes with an prize.

I have done a layout based on the first sketch from May 1st:

And here is my interpretation:

 

Materials used:

Echo Park 'Family Man' papers and border strips; Basic Grey 'Archaic' rub-ons; Tattered Angels 'Teal' Plain Jane mist; Other: alphas, journal cards; pen; adhesive.

 



Happy Anniversary PageMaps, and thanks for hosting a wonderful month-long celebration!

Thanks for looking :-)

JessicaT

Week 19

Okay, so I'm a couple of days late with my post this week (first time I believe, so I'm sure you'll forgive me!)

 

I have been very busy, making 60 cards for an order (wedding Thank You cards), which I got finished yesterday. It was my very first sale, and I had creative freedom which was great - they didn't have to match her wedding colour scheme, and they didn't have to all be the same in either colour or design. You couldn't ask for more freedom than that!!! It still took me about six full days - I need to learn to be faster.

 

Also this last week, we celebrated Mother's Day. I was so busy I forgot to photograph the card I made for my Mum. But I do have a photo of the gift I received. Actually I decided to photograph all my Mother's Day gifts, from past and present years, and I'll start on a mini album that I can add to every year, and include my cards in too.

 

2010:

A Michael Hill bracelet (with gold and diamond on the clasp) and a silver and red enamel heart charm.

 

2011:

'Marlborough Sounds' Evolve Murano glass charm - the destination of our first family holiday.

 

2012:

'Manawatu' Evolve Murano glass charm - the region he was born in.

 

And this year, 2013, something to break the trend:

This gorgeous set of three wood and wire baskets

 

Also, a Scrapbooking magazine (that came with beautiful free papers) and lotto tickets.

 

I hope you all had a wonderful day spent with children or your own Mum, and gave/ received some lovely gifts.

 

Until next week - which will hopefully be on time and showing actual craft photos - have a great week!

Week 18 - (Inter) National Scrapbooking Day

Saturday May 4th was (Inter) National Scrapbooking Day. Many craft business and manufacturers were having sales and running competitions.

 

One such Manufacturer was Echo Park paper co., and I decided to play along. Well they held four challenges, and I did one: Layout of Love

 

My love is this little boy.

 

 

Materials used:

Echo Park 'This & That' patterned papers, Echo Park 'A Boy's Life' alphas (outlines), Echo Park 'Todays Story' (Photo Freedom) alphas.

Other: Kaisercraft pearls, Beutron buttons and unknown thread.

 

Thanks for viewing.

JessicaT

Week 17 - Chipboard Mini Album

Welcome to my Week 17 (April 23 - 29) re-cap.

This week I created a simple mini album, using these supplies:

 A Maya Road tabbed chipboard album (I've had for five years, or longer!), Prima 'Nature Garden' patterned papers and some old sheet music.

I covered the album cover in patterned paper, and alternated each of the pages with patterned paper and sheet music.

I then filled the album with photos and made a title. After I have purchased some matching embellishments I will go back and embellish it. However, for now it is functional.

 

I have nothing planned for this coming week, however the new May challenges should come available so I might get them done early.

 

Have a happy, crafty week.

JessicaT

ANZAC Day

Anzac Day was originally dedicated to those Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought on that fateful day in Gallipoli in 1915. However, it is now more widely referred to as a day to remember those who have died, and served for their country, not just those that served in Gallipoli.

Like many New Zealanders, I have had numerous family and friends serve overseas – not just in the World Wars, but also for peace keeping missions and anti-terrorism. I am lucky to only have had one (great-great-grandfather) who did not return. On this day, I think of all of those who have served or are still serving, those who did not return, and those families that were - and those who still are - at home waiting and hoping for the best. We will remember them.

“They went with songs to the battle, they were young.

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.”

 

~ Laurence Binyon, 1914

 

V.F.Toulmin layout, April 2012

 Sergeant layout, April 2012

 

 Here is a link to a post I did last ANZAC Day on the Scrappin' Patch blog, featuring these layouts about serviceman in my family.

Week 16 - Crate Paper 'Maggie Holmes' collection

Week 16 ~ April 16th - 22nd 2013

 

This week I pulled out my Maggie Holmes collection by Crate Paper and got creating. I used sketches from two current April challenges - if I'm crafting I might as well enter a contest at the same time, right?  :-)

 

I love this collection. It is full of wonderful colours and patterns. I've been holding off using it until I felt I was in a good creative space - as I don't want to waste it! After a few weeks away I think I've finally got my groove back :-)

 

For the first layout I used this sketch, for the Artful Crafts April challenge:

 

 

And this is my interpretation:

 

 

 

 

 

The second layout was based on this sketch, for the Scrappin' Patch April sketch challenge:

 

 

And here is my interpretation:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for looking.

 

I'll be back next Tuesday for a re-cap of my crafts for week 17.

JessicaT

 

P.S. With the seasons changing and winter drawing near, the sky is no longer sunny and light but full of dark cloud. And I'm having big trouble taking photos - which is very evident above. Can anyone give me tips, or website/ blog addresses for building a light box? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks :-)

Week 15 - Monogram Decor

Week 15 has been yet another slow week. I'm sure I'll get back into my groove soon. Well I sure hope so!

 

In the last couple of days I have made this monogram décor piece.
I'll decide in the next couple of days if I think I need to add more embellishments.

 

 

I love how the glitter is sparkling with the flash of the camera!

The steps to create this:

1. cover a board (wood, cardboard, canvas, etc.) in a map.

2. paint your monogram in a colour of choice.

3. cover your painted monogram in glue and cover in glitter in a colour of your choice.

4. attached your glittered monogram to the backing piece.

5. finish off with some strips of matching washi tape to frame it.

 

 

I painted my monogram blue. You can see little areas of blue where the glitter is thin or has come off, especially around the pointy edges. I also glittered the inside and outside of the monogram, but you could easily just do it on the top. 

 

 

I used two strips of overlapping washi tape to frame it..

 

I hope this has inspired you to create one for yourself. This one has been a long time in the making!

 

Until next week, take care.

JessicaT

Week 14 - Work in Progress

During week 14 I have been doing more on my Australia mini album I started earlier in the year (for a trip in, ahem, 2011). The start of it can be seen at the bottom of this post here. Then at the bottom of this post is a few photos of my first completed pages.

 

I had decided I would do one day at a time, completely finishing it - photos, diary entry, ephemera etc. But I decided it was much easier, and much more enjoyable, to do all the same things at once (so I did all the photos first, then started on the rest).

 

So here are three 'work in progress' photos.

I do admit to tidying my desk before I took these photos!!!

 

 This photo shows my photo book that I got printed to go along with the album (full of hundreds of photos - where the mini album just has two for each day); a pile of ephemera; the journal I took to Aussie with me to do my daily diary entries; and my incomplete mini album.

 

 This is how it starts.

 

This is almost complete. I have completed the diary entry, ephemera pocket, and photos, but I am yet to embellish.

 

All in all, it's a messy project, quite disorganised, but very fun! I've never been into mini albums, but I'm really enjoying doing this one. Who knows, maybe there will be more mini albums in my future.

 

Until next week, take care.

JessicaT

Summer Home Décor

I have had a few things in my drawer for a while that I have wanted to alter to make into beautiful décor pieces. Then Moxie Fab World introduces a challenge to do just that, but with the slight twist of it having to be seasonal.

 

I have only had the time (and desire) to create items for Summer. They're light, soft, feminine, and a nice edition to my craft space as we're heading into Winter here in New Zealand.

 

This is my Summer Home Décor Challenge entry:

It consists of a beautiful blue wine bottle and a can that I have wrapped with paper, ribbon and washi tape; draped in gold trim; and embellished with flowers, buttons, birds and gold leaf hearts.

 

A little to the left

 

  A little to the right

 

I hope you have enjoyed what you have seen, and that it inspires you to try one for yourself.

 

Thanks for looking,

JessicaT

Week 13 - Card Challenges

Week 13 round-up: Tuesday 26 March to Monday 1 April

 

After lying on the couch for a week using one and half boxes of tissues and two boxes of pain killers, on Sunday I finally felt well enough to sit at my craft desk and do some craft. I only had a cold, but I was just exhausted. Just sitting at the computer checking emails and having a look on Pinterest for a while was enough for me to have to go have a sleep! But I'm back to having some energy now, and enjoying a little craft time.

 

It is my Fiance's birthday this week, so I thought I really should make him a card, and as it happens I know of a few card challenges running over at the Moxie Fab World, so why not enter that at the same time?

 

Card Creations Week wraps up on April 1st (hence why my post is up a day early). I've already made cards for the Chevron challenge and Negative challenge (which can be see here), but there were still three more challenges I had not done - Ombre, Speech Bubble and Washi tape.

I decided because we had purchased a new printer recently, I would do something different and print something to use on a card (I haven't done that before). So I used Microsoft Word to create a background (using the fonts CK Amy Loves Ian and CK Anything Goes). I made each line a different size and different colour. I was pleased with the result.

 

So here are my Ombre and Speech Bubble entries:

 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing these cards, and maybe it will inspire you to give something new a try this week.

JessicaT