Friday 26 September 2014

" Magical "

Hi everyone this is my layout for Case File 140 at CSI (Color,Stories and Inspiration)
This case file had such a pirate theme to it and I just happen to have these great photos.
My son Jake decided a couple of years ago to have his birthday party at our home and went with a pirate theme for the evening. 


                                               This is the Case File image at CSI that I based my layout on.

Now for some closeups and the elements of the challenge.

The Scheme: Scarlet, Ivory, light brown, Dark brown and Grayish Green... all present and accounted for.
The Evidence: I used the following, Stripes, Woodgrain, Hearts, Flag, Branches, Wet medium, String, Anchor and other nautical elements.
The Testimony; This is the journaling that I included on the back of the layout and I used the Inspirational words of  TREASURE, EXPLORE AND OVERBOARD: 

Jake my eldest son decided that he would like to have his birthday party at our home (he doesn't live at home anymore) With the location secured he then went about EXPLORING different themes for the evening. We threw around heaps of idea for a theme but the Pirate night won the final vote. Jake was to organize the decorations and the games and I would organise some of the foods and the birthday cake. I decided that the appropriate cake would be a TREASURE chest. It was fantastic. I made a huge slab of chocolate cake, sliced it in half so I had a top, iced it, then filled the bottom half with all the lollies that you could think of. There were candy necklaces, gold money, snakes, lolly rings and so on and so on. 
For the decorations we made the back yard into a Pirates lair ( to speak) we had a graveyard with names on the crosses like "Peg leg Sam" Boozy Bertha" and heaps more. You can see some of the crosses in  the background of the photo. We had the pirate flag, pirate red lights and all the pirate decor hanging up that you could imagine.
Jake organised heaps of games with a pirate theme. One of the games we had was walk the plank. Which was a piece of wood on the ground, blind fold the person, spin them around and then let them try to walk across the plank. Most times they went  "OVERBOARD" but it was hilarious to watch considering that most had been drinking alcohol of some description. Jake had integrated a cocktail party into the night as well and some of the drinks names were sensational but not the type of names that I could publish here, sorry..
It was such a great night and everyone got into the spirit and dressed up. Yes we did go OVERBOARD especially as he doesn't actually live here but I do miss those kids parties that I used to throw for my children when they were oh so little so in a way Im glad that at least one of my children still loves to have  birthday parties and especially with a theme night so we can get dressed up and play games and be kids again.




I love the way the tearing of the paper made it look like a treasure map, quite unintentionally I might add.  
I think putting it on corrugated 
board made the page pop.
Crafted the Pirate flag myself to. 


Used my new Prima Color Blooms on the background  and love the subtle colour that it added to the background. All the chippie pieces I painted and the colour, which is Kaisercraft Sage was just perfect. Lots and lots of layers and the hessian was a late addition but I think it looks so good. Had some small pieces of chain in my stash so that went on to as did the little coins. 





















Thanks for taking the time
to stop by 

Carol xx

Saturday 20 September 2014

" Beauty is ..."

Hello everyone on this gorgeous Spring afternoon.
This is my take on case file 139 at CSI (Color,Stories and Inspiration)

This week I had to incorporate not only the case file requirements but also the sketch
 by Emma Stafrace.

This time I decided to scrap our gorgeous little girl " Charli Girl " I used the following story as my journalling which part of it is on the front of the page and the rest I have recorded on the rear of the layout, I hope you enjoy a look at our special family member.
My journalling (Testimony)
Born in November 2010, Charli Girl came into our home as a 6 week old puppy. Since then she has filled our lives with so much laughter and happiness that now we could not imagine our home without her.
Being a pure breed Pug she has all the behavioural problems and issues of a pug. She is obsessed with food and will bark at me if I have some and won't share. She hates to be left alone, she hates exercise but when we do take her for a walk she dictates where we go and if we try to go on another path she will stand firm and you can actual pull her out of her harness. She loves to sleep which is usually on my pillows even when I am in the bed, she is more an alarm dog than a guard dog, she would open the door for a burglar especially if they had food. As soon as you sit down she will be on your lap as she craves affection and will jump all over you till she get comfortable and then she will go to sleep. She drops hair like no other breed, her teeth are crooked and her eyes are cross eyed. She loves a hot bath and will lie down in it while your trying to wash her. She sits and waits near the gate for me to come home and won't play or have anything to do with anyone else till I do, just mopes around. If I don't feed her at exactly the same time every afternoon she will harass me until I do by jumping on me, standing on my legs if I'm sitting down, squashing her face into mine and she now has learnt to sneeze on me to get my attention and its always about 4pm But even with all her bad behaviour and pushy personality we wouldn't trade this gorgeous girl for anything.



Scheme: All colours used.
Evidence: In this case file I have used, stripes,flowers (of course), butterfly, two of something (arrows), other animal and flourish.
Testimony: as above.







Case File 139 at Color, Stories and Inspiration (CSI)



                     The sketch by Emma Stafrace http://www.pagedrafts.com/ that I based my layout on.


Thanks for taking the time 
to stop by

Carol xx







Friday 19 September 2014

Dads Day Card


Hi everyone,
just thought I would share a Fathers Day card that I did this year. I don't do cards as a rule only for special occasions for family and friends and only when needed.
This card was for my Father-in-law he has kept all the cards that I have given him. This year I decided if he was going to keep them all I was going to make this years extra special and include a photo of us on the front. Having a few "steampunk " bits and pieces lying around I figured that they would just be wonderful with this photo and give a real masculine feel to the card.


Lots if misting and stamping on the background paper which I love. The metal checkerplate look is such a great male paper. Bit of fussy cutting and a couple of flowers and finished off with some embossed cogs and " voila " I love it and so did he.

Thanks for taking the time 
to stop by

Carol xx 

Monday 15 September 2014

" A Special Time "

Hi everyone well this month I came across a new challenge site for me to play with and this month is my first entry for 

Off the Rails Scrapbooking


I loved the colour palette for this months moodboard, the richness of the gold with purples, blues and greens was just the perfect combination for my wedding photo album. Having decided a little while ago that this would be the colours that I wanted to do our whole wedding album in this is the perfect challenge.


 I added the feathers in white to symbolise the white and the flow of my dress.

I embossed all my chippies frame pieces in Gold and added Gold Inka paste to the purple title for something special.
As you can see I have spent a lot of time working on the background with           gesso and  texture paste.  I love adding the gold just to the masked areas to make them stand out.  Heaps of  Dylusion spray on the background,  I just love the intensity of the colours in this range.









This is the Off the Rails moodboard that I used to 
get inspiration from  so I could  create my layout.
                                       


Thanks for taking the 
time to stop by

Carol xx

Friday 12 September 2014

" Family "

CSI (Color,Stories and Inspiration) 
Case file no 138

Another case file at CSI and what a case file it is. When I first saw the colours I started to do a modern school page but the more I got into it the page started to transform into a vintage layout  LOL. Funny how that happens.

This is a photo of myself, my hubby and my youngest son Wade. 
In 2007 on a family holiday to visit my Mum and Dad we did a slight detour to a place that I absolutely love, Sovereign Hill in the beautiful city of Ballarat, Victoria  As a child growing up in Victoria all the schools that I went to would have their  school excursions to this place, so I have been there many many times.
Sovereign Hill is a historical township set in the gold rush days which is what Ballarat historically famous for, the gold rush. Thousands of men, women and families flocked to the goldfields in the hope of finding their fortunes either in the alluvial veins buried the rocks or in the gold nuggets that were littered in the river beds. Panning for gold was the easiest way to find these precious little nuggets in the rivers beds and was an activity we all undertook whilst on our school excursions. 
I as a child learnt so much about Australian history on these school excursions. Going back as an adult was wonderful. The volunteers that work at  this attraction dress in the period costumes, bake food in the traditional way, make candles, build and repair all the exhibits in the old fashioned way and you can watch them go about their work. 
They have school children taking classes in the same way the children of the gold rush would have with their little blackboards and chalk. Learning the three essentials, reading writing and arithmetic. You can stand at the back of the class rooms and watch the kids in class having their lessons with the very strict school mistress. The kids in these classes are actually on a school camp and usually are there for 2 weeks at a time learning in a very unique atmosphere, dressing in period costume, sleeping on site and eating on site. Weather permitting they can also live EXACTLY the same way, in tents and 
cook around  the campfire. basically for the 2 weeks they live as the kids of the gold rush era. What an amazing learning environment.



The Scheme; Bookish blue, Busy brown, Beige, Pink, Dark Teal - all colours used.
Evidence; I have used the following, wood grain paper, grid pattern (is texture pasted on the background) damask, ruler, key, buttons, paint.
Testimony; My testimony is my story above and I have documented some of it on the tags behind the photo and finished the story on the rear of the layout. I wrote about a school excursion and used a couple of the prompt words being work and learn




                                               


                                                     A COUPLE OF CLOSEUPS









CASE FILE 138 AT CSI


Thanks for taking the time to stop by

Carol xx

Thursday 4 September 2014

" Mummy my pigtails are to tight "

WHITE... with I  
September Challenge

Hi and welcome, 
this is my take on the September challenge at White with 1. When I saw that the "other" colour this month was marshmellow I was so excited. I love doing girly layouts and this one is no different. I love this cute photo of my little granddaughter Eliza. This is the day that Mum realised  that she could put her hair in pigtails. Little misses eyes are so big it just fits the title of the layout.



          I have used the new Prima Color Blooms on the background mixed with Gelatos and love that they blend so well. Heaps of  different textures with Impasto and then colours.  I love the actual mist that these give its really sheer with a beautiful coverage. I played with putting splotches of colour with the Color Blooms and I think that it came out well. No taking the lid off the nozzle lets you do either. Very happy with my new acquisition and can't wait to use them more..  


                                             NOW FOR THE CLOSEUPS......


A side on shot to see
the layers
Title on a speech bubble, I thought
this was a cute way to make the title
part of the embellies.


    
I am using the Kaisercraft
cutouts on most layouts now.
I can always find somewhere
to poke them in.




















Thanks for taking the time to stop by

Carol xx