ames designs

I have been creating:

Kreative Team Layouts like this:

and this:

and this:

and this:

and this:


Christmas card challenge cards like this:

and this:


And a few layouts "just for fun", like this:

and this:

and this:



I have been creating the above in between everything else, including putting in my official paperwork to do my Masters by Research next year... eeekkk!!!

And now it's off to an all day crop. Oh happy day!!

Long time, no post... again. I've been busy these past 6 or so weeks working on something big (and non-scrapping related) that I'm not quite ready to share with the world...

I took some time out though to do a layout for the My Mind's Eye challenge. This was a great catalyst for me as lately Mike and I have been having a lot of deep discussions about the injustices of the world, and our role in making a difference. So this challenge was a great kick-start to get some of those thoughts out on paper.


From the Stash: MME patterned papers and diecuts (Penny Lane and Breaking free collections); AC thickers and pen; 2crafty chipboard; MM paint.

And now to get cracking on my DT stuff for this month... I've only managed to get 2 layouts done, and the first is fast approaching!

Wow... it's been awhile since posting. A lot has happened in those 6 weeks or so, the majors being:

• A colonoscopy/endoscopy procedure, the results of which I still haven't got because...
• We had to rush to the US after receiving the news that Mike's brother, Pete was tragically killed
• Spent two weeks in the US with family
  
• Came down with the flu on the way home and spent 4 days in house quarantine waiting to be cleared for swine flu... which we were yesterday (thank God)
  
• Our budgie, Piper, passed away suddenly yesterday morning.
  

Needless to say, we are looking forward to life returning to "normal". Despite the awful circumstances, it was great to see Mike's family and friends, and meet some I hadn't yet met.

Grief is still raw for everyone. I know I'll be exploring it further in some layouts in the near future. I have realised that I have very few layouts of Mike's family, and I need to change that, as I want to be telling both our stories.

I didn't get to complete all my design team duties this month, but had finished a few finished before we went away, and got a few more projects finished in the early hours of Monday morning (yaay for waking up at 3 to 4am the last 4 days!). Go check out everyone's fantastic work in the gallery.

In other scrapping news, I did a little cleaning/rearranging of my scrap area yesterday, particularly my stamp collection. As I sorted through all my clear stamps, I realized there were one or two (okay, 4) sets that I hadn't even opened, let alone used. So I'm challenging myself to 1) stamp something (no matter how big or small) on every creation I make for the month of June, and 2) use those stamps I haven't yet used!

Mmmmm... love me a piece of lime tart. We had our first ever cypercrop last weekend over at The Scrappin Kats. Lots of fun with chat on Friday night, and Tracy set three fantastic challenges - the results posted in the gallery are amazing. Check them out here. This is my take on the sketch challenge.
From the Stash: Bazzill swiss dot cardstock (love this!); Bella patterned paper; RW chipboard circle (painted with MM paint); BG chipboard heart (painted with MM paint and covered in Pink Paislee glitter); MME transparency border; AC thickers; note paper; flowers; assorted buttons; white flourishes cut using mum's sizzix.

I'm on a design team! I was accepted at Scrappin Kats as a part of their design team. I'm so excited! I literally whooped with excitement when I found out and scared poor Mike in the next room.

Here is my second round challenge as part of the selection process:

Yesterday was our monthly scrapbooking morning. Our last one was in June due to a bub arrival, and so I was really hanging out to this Saturday. All in all, it was a productive morning. I completed two layouts, which is about one to one and a half more then I usually get done.



Products: Bazzill cardstock; scrapworks paper; American crafts thickers

This was an ad challenge posted over at The Scrappin Kats. I spent one lunch break at work this week, looking through magazines not for articles, but for ads. It was a simple but fun layout, and a relatively quick one.




Products: My Little Shoebox paper; Bazzill cardstock, Vandoros ribbon,Green Tara flowers, brads, American crafts thickers, zig writer.

And this was using one of the monthly kits at The Scrappin Kats, and tells the story of my cunning swap as a preschooler, to land the role of Mary in our Christmas play.