Finishing off my paper scrapping

 I've been saying it for the last year at least, I've run out of shelf space to store my paper layouts hence why I switched to digital scrapping this year. But that doesn't mean that my paper layouts were all done yet... I still had a few needing to be finished to complete my last few albums for 2015 and 2016.

I've spent the last few weeks of this year finishing off these albums and getting things organised. Now I can share the last few pages:

and for my 2016 album I've done the last three layouts too but still need the photos printed. I will only be able to do this in the New Year as the photo shop got hit with Covid-19 and is closed till then.

I also finished a few layouts in September when I was on leave but just realised I never actually shared them.  I actually hadn't even photographed them before filing so had to get them out the album to do that.

These three (2014-2016) albums are now complete. I did go through my whole catalog from 2001  up to 2016 and found a few more layouts that still need doing so as much as I thought my paper scrapping days were done, it looks like I might be carrying on for a few more. I think there are 4 outstanding unless I discover a few more in my hunt for photos.

Once these last few are finished I will sort our my huge stash and sell off bits of it. I think I will keep some well loved bit that I am sure I will turn to when I feel like playing again.

Just some fun stats - I have now created 2367 paper layouts since I started scrapping back in 2003.... no wonder I've run out of space!!!

Scrapping with Jow

 Boy oh boy it's been MONTHS since I had a scrap class with Jowilna... way back in January. Covid-19 definitely put a stop to classes and such, but also my digital scrapping has taken over so I haven't even touched my paper supplies since then either. When I was invited to a special class I jumped at the opportunity.

We all scrapped with our own stash this time but did the sketch and techniques provided.... I didn't finish my layout in the class (too much chatting) so finished it today instead. Simply love how my layout turned out.

That is one more crossed off of my still to be completed layouts... hoping to get the last few finished this week when I am on leave.

Being inspired by Jowilna

On Saturday I dug out some of my photos that needed scrapping and packed myself some kits to make it a bit quicker. That evening I started three layout which I finished on Sunday. Then on Monday I attended class with Jow (haven't been since March I think!) and managed to do another page. So here are my four pages all inspired by Jowilna's design work:

Each page that I did is from notes of Jowilna's but with subtle little changes that make them mine (mainly as I am too lazy to do some of the finecky things or don't have the stuff in my stash!). I must still add journalling to two of these but for now they are done.

I am hoping at this stage to do another class with Jow on Saturday and get some single pages done.

Catching up on layouts half done

On Sunday we had a scheduled power outage from 8am to 4pm. This gave me a few hours to be truly creative and catch up on some scrapbooking that has been sitting around for over a year.... yikes! Yip sometimes I don't finish a page in one sitting.... like these two that were started at the Candy Crop in October last year but I haven't looked at since then. Now they are finished.

Both these are Jowilna original designs... I just adapted the photo arrangements to suit but managed to stick pretty much to the layout. Am glad to have them finally done and now they can be added to their albums.

I still have two others that need to be finished but I have to get photos printed for those and am not too sure when that is likely to happen. Hopefully before the end of the year!

Gingerscraps - October challenges

I've had a productive month learning digi scrapping using the Photoscape program. This is really because my tablet and phone both started objecting with storage space issues. Digi scrapping supplies are quite intense in size and each file can be over 5Mb (or bigger!)... with the final jpeg getting to be that or larger. At least on the pc it doesn't get as sluggish or full and I can resize in a jiffy. I am sure I will still do app scrapping on my mobile devices as it is convenient, will just have to do less graphic intense work till I can get a decent upgrade in a few months time.

So to get me going I dove into doing some of the 20+ challenges at Gingerscraps... The goal is to do 10 and then you land a freebie.... and look at that I've managed to get 10 done. Here's what I accomplished:

Font

Scraplift

Pocket Scrapping

Connie Prince Mini Kit

Inspiration

Mix It Up - use torn paper

Daily Download

Mini Kit

Brush

Designer

This last double layout is inspired by a Jowilna original design... I thought long and hard about my scrapping and decided that seeing as I REALLY love Jow's design style I will see if I can translate it digitally. Super happy to say that with some tweaks and a bit of forethought I think I will be able to do a lot of her designs in the future.

Seeing as this was such a successful month scrapping these challenges, next month I plan on doing some more... it is definitely helping me get through my 2018 album backlog.

Off The Rails - June moodboard Inspiration

It's time to share once again for Off the Rails Scrapbooking.

I was inspired by the beach photo in our moodboard and just had to scrap these photos. I pulled out lots of lovely Kaisercraft beachy papers and an old sticker sheer for my embellishments. I also used a project life card leftover from a boy range (just covered up the gun with the big crab!). This layout is based on a Jowilna original so obviously has lots of little touches from her... like the stencil stamping down the sides... love this technique sooooooo much. I even got to use up some sea themed paperclips that have been in my stash for ages.

This month you actually get two moodboards to choose from - Fun In The Sun or Sewing. Pick one and come play along with us on our facebook group.

Whilst there you can see lots more inspiration from our DT.

Off The Rails - April Moodboard - Boys

Wow April sure has rushed past us again. I managed to get a bit of scrapping done all month long (inbetween all my quilling too!).

Here's my super boy inspired layout for Off The Rails this month... all about the accidental side of having a boy!

This layout is based on a Jowilna original page and is used with LadyPatternPaper ranges. I stuck with the blues and browns to pick out the colours in the photos.

Here is our moodboard to inspire you too:

Visit the facebook group for lots more inspiration.

Everyday's An Adventure

I made this layout over the weekend using the challenge 5/19 kit from Scrapbook n Things.

This layout is based on a Jowilna original so I can't actually enter it into the competition but I must say that I really really like how it all came together. I managed to used something of everything in the kit.

Thankfully I still have goodies leftover so I am going to make another layout this weekend and see if I can enter then.... hehehe....silly me!

ScrapPlezier - Farewell

This is my last layout for this team. I've enjoyed designing for ScrapPlezier since March 2017 and have felt that it is now time to step down. Sure hope I've inspired you each month with my layouts. I decided to head out with a double page layout using lots of photos:

These pics are all from Aaron's grade 7 farewell... these were sooooo many pics of the kids but I really wanted to used them all so that we would remember. Printing little photos is definitely the way to go then. I also was inspired by a layout from Jowilna that I tweaked a bit to make work. Her layout only had one word on the bottom strip, but I decided to make my own (splash) and enhance it with a different one (happy)... which is actually a precut patterned paper by Heidi Swapp. The word together I cut on my Curio machine as well as the clock. The other touches are, splats, bling, stitching and washi tape.

The main feature of this page is adding glitter to the two cutout words. To do this I added very strong adhesive tape to a scrap of paper large enough to fit behind each word. Once it was stuck i simply sprinkled the glitter on and pressed it into the tape to stick. Dusted the excess off back into the jar. Hey presto! Glittery words. Besides getting glitter all over me, the floor and my worksurface I am happy with the layout. Don't think I will rush and use glitter again soon though.... not my favourite!

Be sure to check out the blog for loads more creativity even though I won't be designing each month anymore.

I've really enjoyed my time and will miss it, but need to scale back on some of my commitments to give me some breathing space. Still have loads more layouts in the pipeline coming up so don't go anywhere!

ScrapPlezier - March moodboard

It's time for our newest moodboard for the month and it's a lovely red:

I knew as soon as I saw this moodboard colour which photos I wanted to scrap. Yet my layout is more about the red in the photos but I have added some touches of red to the page too. The paper with the planes on it I've had for years... it's soooo cute I didn't want to cut it but I think I'm passed that stage now and am just using what I have. I then cut the thin red strips from the same paper (the back side). The large red strip is actually washi tape. I die cut a heart out of a piece of inked paper that was in my scraps... it's got flecks of gold on it too.The aeroplane is a stamp (I was aiming for a helicopter but don't have that stamp!). Lastly, my title is stamped letters with a flare added for the hastag and some stitiching along the bottom. This layout is inspired by a Jowilna original from a few years back.

Visit the blog for lots more inspiration.

A quick class layout

I seem to be hibernating of sorts lately in my scraproom and not venturing out. Costs have been escalating over the last few months for me personally (car, school, more car, dental, yet more car, etc) so I decided to curb my expenditure on scrappy stuff, stay home and use what I have.

Well that all worked beautifully till last week when Jowilna advertised a class using the new travel papers from Art from the Heart.... one of my fav South Africa designers. So I bit the bullet and went to class.

I truly love how my page turned out... yes I even took the photos with me. Besides the title stickers everything else was done and finished in class... a rare accomplishment for me... hehehe.

Maybe now I will actually be inspired to finish the few other pages from Jow's classes that I have sitting on my to do pile.

Ending off 2018 scrapping

I am sooooooo proud of myself for my scrapping goals this year.... I have scrapped lots (even got all my January 2019 commitments done before Christmas!). Here's one of the last pages I made which was just for fun:

This is a scraplift of a Jowilna orignal page. I used the newish Crafty Girl line from Simple Stories.... love the colours in this one. Just kept the layout fairly close to the original and used lots of stickers in place of some of the embellishments Jow had used.

Now on to some stats on my scrapping:
Total single layouts done: 180
Total double layouts done: 83
Total number of layouts done: 263
this means that I have done 346 pages... that is the MOST layouts and MOST pages I have scrapped in one year and the closest I have ever come to my goal of a page a day! Yes it is largely down to doing the whole of my 2017 album digitally in January this year (69 layouts) and making a start on my 2018 album too... but the majority of the rest of these pages is physical scrapping. I think there are only 3 that need to get photos stuck on to them.

So now what's going to happen with my scrapping in 2019? Well I am on six design teams and so have lots of commitments for next year that will keep me going. Plus I have my 2018 album to do in the project life app.... so I will still be doing lots of scrapping next year!

Off The Rails - Dec Tutorial - Christmas

Christmas has come and gone and now we are heading towards 2019. Have you managed to get any scrapping done this holiday season? I've done a few pages and LOTS of planning for next year.

The theme for this month at Off The Rails has been "anything goes" and I did this layout about seeing out the old year (yes it's from a few years back!) This layout is inspired by a Jowilna original too.

Be sure to head on over to the blog to see lots more inspiration through the month from the whole team.

ScrapPlezier - Dec Moodboard

It's getting closer to Christmas and the silly season sure has set in. I've had such a busy week last week with the end of term for school, my busy week billing at work and then also selling my quilling goodies at the Night Market at school as well as setting up my Mom's new pc and printer. Just been soooooooooo busy that I haven't had too much time to scrap. I managed to carve out a few hours yesterday to put this page together:

This layout is totally inspired by a Jowilna original page that I've wanted to do for the last three years! I finally managed to get it done.

I used two items from the Kaisercraft collectables for the Scrapyard collection... the LOVE words matched my layout theme exactly. The rest of my layout is made from Simple Stories paper and Project Life cards that I've had in my stash for years. The background of my page has also had some mixed media techniques applied to it... gesso, gold paint, stamping, texture paste, inking and then brads and thread as well.

We got to play with this moodboard this month. I was influenced more by the gold than the grey and ended up using more black than grey too... but it is all shades of the same colour isn't it?

So come and play along with us on the blog and get more inspiration there too.

Off The Rails - Oct Tutorial - ReUse

I am sharing my tutorial today on how I created this page inspired by the moodboard and based on a Jowilna original layout.

The moodboard for this month has been all about reusing stuff.... let it inspire you too.

You can read all about my layout on the blog.

ScrapPlezier - Life Is Beautiful

It's been an eventful week in our family this past week... Aaron got made a prefect at school for next year and it was Keith's birthday on Thursday. I also managed to do some scrapping the last two days to catch up a bit on my DT commitments for November... especially as I am busy over the next two weeks with a scrapbooking event and my 50th birthday party that I am having. I am busy doing major planning and decor prep... so am juggling all sorts at the moment.

The nice thing is that I can still get some scrapping done and so share with you some new pages... like this one I made for ScrapPlezier based on a Jowilna original design.

I started this layout by choosing the Kaisercraft paper to determine the overall colours. I didn't want anything too bright so went with the pastel shade as my base and then added the strip of florals. Picking up on the colours in the papers I applied some selective stamping and paint splats in a few areas. Once these were dry, the matted photos were stuck down and then I went hunting for a quote to tie in with my photos. For some layouts where you don't really want to journal, a quote is a nice way to say something without being over the top. My final touches were the stitching, some stickers and buttons. And then I started dithering on the title... it took me nearly three hours to decide on how to title my layout - from diecutting to stickers and finally found three different stamps that worked together perfectly. Some pages just work easily and some take time. Never let the hurdles keep you from finishing a page... put it to one side and come back when you can think freshly again.

Head on over to the blog to see some more  inspiration.

ScrapPlezier - Sept Moodboard

It's time for a new moodboard and what is better than my absolute favourite colour - BLUE

I chose to make my layout about my and by best buddies doing what we love best - scrapping!!! This layout is based on one by Jowilna.

For my layout I used two strips of Kaisercraft paper and then added some washi tape, ink, stamping, stitching and rubons all in various shades of blue.

Check out the blog for more inspiration.

Tough Guy

I am sharing a layout full of wonderful techniques today just for a little inspiration.

I was inspired by Jowilna's original design for my page and of course tweaked it to suit.

I used the Indigo Skies Collection for my page. First up is "Washed Out" which I cut in half for across the middle of the layout. Then I added a strip of "Shibori" below this. Afterwards I added a  few word and washi strips from the "Breeze" paper. Now the fun starts....

I applied some blue Nuvo Mousse through Jowilna's Hurricane stencil... really love this stencil for it's effective and rough circles. I stamped stitching & splats around my layout in grey and then added a few blue & orange bling. Lastly was the two glittered stars, some buttons and my title which I just made on the pc.

Hope this has inspired you to again play with your stash whilst scrapping. I made this layout especially for ScrapPlezier. You can see lots of inspiration each week on the blog.

Off The Rails - Aug Tribe Tutorial

We are nearing the end of the month and it's super busy at work and here at home with all my DT deadlines coming up again. Thankfully I am making time to get things done.

Just on a side note, I am soooooooooo very thankful for water and the luxury of indoor plumbing and being able to have a bath. On Monday a power station in Jhb exploded and it supplied power to the water pumpstation for the whole of the West Rand. We were without water for about 24 hours. It came on at about 4:30 this morning.

Okay, back to the business of the day... I have this layout on the OTR blog and am sharing with you there a whole host of ideas. A big shout out to Jowilna for the inspiration of this page which is based on one she designed.

We are playing with this moodboard all month long.. the theme is Your Tribe.

Go check it out on the blog.