it's time for another stunning sketch over at scrapbook challenges this week. i am thrilled with this layout and how it turned out - and it was such a fun sketch to use and interpret. it you want more inspiration head on over to scrapbook challenges to see what the rest of the girls did.and here's what i did with my layout. my photos are really old and ordinary but have special moments captured in time. i think this was taken in the days before i even had a digital (wow)

some pretty elements - those new prima wooden buttons are totally awesome. combined with some old rub-ons and buttons.

gold leafing and distress stains are perfect next to each other! love the colours.

and some sewing - tiny knots using embroidery thread and cut shorter then scuffed up using my fingers. and a fair amount of diamonds used to create that beautiful frame.

products used:

patterned papers by Teresa Collins

Toile paper by Prima

AC Card stock Coffee

Butterfly by Graphic 45

Lettering by Basic Grey

Die by Tim Holtz/ Sizzix

Distress stains by Ranger

Tile by Prima

Wooden buttons by Prima

Rub-ons by Kaisercraft

Other: embroidery thread, buttons, diamante, gold leafing potpourri, old postage stamp

hope you have a wonderful week - mine is hectic. 

then there's also this mountain i have to climb!

i can finally share this wonderful news with everyone. I am so honoured to be a part of this wonderful family called "the Wholesaler". i am their new designer and i get to play with all the wonderful and amazing product they import and distribute so passionately in South Africa. And best of all i hope i inspire you to go out and get some of the loveliness. So to see some of the projects i have made this past month please visit  

http://www.thewholesaler.biz/blog/ 

and leave some love. Each month they will share layouts and some off the page projects to inspire you. needless to say you will want to get your hands on some of the awesome new products. and just to get you in the mood here's a little peak, some sweetness to get you into the weekend mood.

and while you are there - hop on over to their facebook page and like them. here's wishing you a wonderful weekend filled with creativity!

it's time for another challenge over at Scrap Africa. the challenge is to use the catch phrase "keep calm"...then add your own end. the challenge also contains some 'rules' so be sure to check on the guidelines when you play along. i chose not to create a layout this time around. i have been threatening to paint a union jack flag for ages now and this challenge was perfect for it. i used a piece of wood to work on. it originally started off as a black board project but it quickly evolved into something new. a couple of layers of paint later and a flag was created.

i used a Cricut to cut my lettering and adhered it using Tombow glue, then covered it in a layer of gel medium. once the gel medium was dry i added a layer of antiquing liquid to add an aged look and feel.

the antiquing liquid adds an old world look to the bright white and totally changes the look in a few easy steps. the lettering is by no means perfect and that's the why i wanted it. the top was finished off with a crown also die-cut and finished off with a single diamond. the edges was scuffed up with a piece of sanding paper to reveal some of the original wood below all the layers.

so head on over to Scrap Africa to play along - you can win some awesome prizes just for playing along. hope you have a creative week.

and with that being said...there's a new sketch up today and it's again a beauty. i loved this sketch so much i even managed to make a matching card using the scraps from my layout. i will have to post that later when i finally take a photo.

here's what i did with the sketch...

i used my usual white background card stock with some bright patterned papers. this is a great way to compliment the mush-mash of photos used for this layout of my niece. instead of working against the mixture of colours i embraced them and made them work for me. my title is cut using the Cricut machine with a grey shadow.

below my photos i used a strip of vellum as an added detail. instead of adhering the vellum i used my decorative sewing to attach the vellum to my background. let's face it - a bunch of glue showing through vellum is really unsightly - almost - no really just as bad as a 'thong' peeking out from under a pair of jeans! it's a BIG no-no ladies. i love how the vellum adds a beautiful and delicate touch to your layouts. a real feminine touch!
for my title i used die-cut letters as said before - i grouped them together with a stamped Kaisercraft image, some rub-ons, buttons, graphic 45 words, diamante and paint splats. o love grouped elements like this - and remember the closer they are grouped together the better it looks!

thanks for stopping by - and also to those new followers! thanks for taking the time to stop by. i wish you a creative week ahead. and remember to do what you love and make something beautiful!

the secret is out...we are heading to

Bloemfontein 

26-28 July 2012 

for more information and to book your seat head over here 

http://www.scrapbookstudio.co.za/bloem-booking-form.html 

so things are looking up after a bad week!

i have some very exciting things i am working on, and proudly south African so.

then this morning i had a very exciting e-mail - something i have been hoping and believing will happen. and now the time may finally be here that it might happen.
i pray that God will have favor on me in this matter.

i am also in a painting mood. for starters that weak moment i had and painted a wall grey in my living room - i claim temporary insanity on that and i am sticking with that story. but it has gotta go! so that means for now at least 2 coats of white primer. darn it!
insert{me banging my head against grey wall here.