Weekly challenge

It was a good challenge this week over on UKS.



Let's create a layout using any three of the ten elements below (10 points for each):

1. hot tropical or warm summer colours
2. ribbons or flowers
3. birds or butterflies
4. sparkle and bling
5. break open your new stash after the holidays
6. use your favourite photo from last year (2013)
7. ice cream
8. sand or water
9. frame the photo
10. scraplift from someone else's work and please do credit them when you post your LO picture

I chose elements 5, 6 and 10.

My scraplift came from The ATDML blog and you can see the original page here.

Weekly challenge

Managed to find sometime to craft this afternoon - between baking, catching up with Homeland and cross stitch.

I had read one of Shimelles recent posts on her blog about using up 6x6 pads (and I have plenty of those) She suggested using them as photo mats for your Instagram photos. I just so happened to have had some Instagram photos printed off from my recent break in Fort William.

This weeks challenge included using a sketch and using Autumnal colours - just up my street. We also had to use a book title on our page and use paints or mists. If you look on Amazon there is a book called On Your Bike but I failed on the last requirement. I do have some mists - but they were the wrong colours and I have no clue how to use them properly!!

Here is how my page turned out -  pleased with it although as per usual everything looks squint! Used my new chevron punch from Stampin Up. The flower and leak die is from Sizzix, the journalling spot is a very old one out of a Maya Road tin, the alphas are by October Afternoon and the papers are Pyrus by Basic Grey.

Weekly Challenge

I have blown the dust off my craft desk and had a go at the weekly challenge over on UKS. We had to use the sketch below, to only use scraps of patterned paper and to use a holiday theme such as holidays or Christmas.

This was the mess on my desk when I started:

And this the finished article. I am pleased that I have used up some scraps of really old Scenic Route papers and piece of 12x12 Bazzill Bling (why did I ever buy it stuff as it really quite nasty stuff.)

Weekly Challenge

I do love a scrapbooking challenge especially when they involve a sketch so the weekly challenge over on UKS appealed to me.

1. use the sketch (10 points)
2. use pink and / or blue (10 points )
3. use punches and/or stamps (10 points)

I finally got around to the page I started several weeks ago using some old So Sophie papers by My Mind's Eye. I just love this colour combo. The photo is a rare one of Sam taken at Benmore Botantic Garden last August while on holiday with my Dad. The swirly leaf die is by Cheery Lyn and a purchase from my very local craft shop (at the end of my road - too close!) I punched some small flowers and added pearls in the centre - please with how it looks. And the numbers are some really old Thickers which I had in a Scrapagogo kit years ago and they mark Sams age when this shot was taken.

I am now the proud owner of a Big Shot and I have to say although I have only used it the once to use the above die I am so please with it - I had resisted buying one for ages until I saw the colour of the new one. Is it wrong that I bought it because of the colour???

UKS Weekly Challenge

I only looked at this weeks challenge late on this afternoon but as I was already at my crafting desk (making a card for a special birthday) I decided to give it a go. I have to say it was a super quick page to do. I used a Crate paper "Random" paper pad I picked up in TK Maxx for £7.99 - I love the grid sheet for the background.



Scrap Apples are pleased to have another opportunity to set the weekly challenge. 

Several of the team have had major events happening in their lives recently, including new homes, jobs, baby news, wedding vow renewals, exams etc so we would like an event to be a feature...whether your own event from any time or linked to an event that happened anytime in May in history.

It is always great to mix things up so rather than standard 6x4 prints please use alternative photos sizes

We all love our embellishments so we have gone for those starting with B...buttons, badges, bows, bling, beads and buttons...please use a combination of at least two from this list. 

So to recap:

1. A large event - 10 points
2. non regular sized photos - 10 points
3. A minimum of two from....bows, buttons, badges, beads, brads, bling - 10 points

My large event was getting my new car - I love her to bits and she is so much fun to drive (also not having to pay road tax and winning £2000 in petrol when I bought her also helps!!) I have scrapped a square photo - an Instagram one I had printed at Photobox. And for my embellishments I used buttons and bling - with a couple of butterflies thrown in for good measure.

Scrapbooking on a Saturday

We couldn't go too far from the house yesterday as hubby was waiting for his new laptop to be delivered. Of course it wasn't - it is sitting in Inverness 30 odd miles away! So a few phone calls and a refund of the delivery charges it will be delivered to his work on Monday fingers crossed.

So after all the jobs were done - and after making my first swiss roll for nearly 30 years (the last time was in home economics under the beady stare of The Soup Dragon aka Mrs LLoyd at school) I disappeared up to my craft room.

This first page was a sketch challenge which I spotted while blog hopping. It is the May challenge over on The Studio Challenges and you can see the sketch below. We only ever go to Baxters when we have visitors - it is obligatory to act like a tourist and go and eat pancakes. You can just about make out the legs of the stag sculpture behind Will, Sarah, Cal and Andy. The papers are from a bargain 6x6 paper pad of Amy Tangerine Sketchbook papers I picked up in TK Maxx recently. I also unearthed my supply of paper flowers - can't remember the last time I used any of them.

The next page is for this weeks challenge over on UKS. The brief was to use the sketch to complete a masuline page comlpete with flowers and an inking technique. This shot was taken of Sam and Andy sitting on the harbour wall at Crail - a beautiful little village over on the East coast. The papers are Origins by Basic Grey from another 6x6 paper pad. The banner stamp was a free gift with my last Scrapagogo kit and some "masculine" black flowers completed the page.

{Inter} National Scrapbooking Day

Seeing as how it is NSD it would have been rude not to craft :)

I broke into my new (and final) Scrapagogo kit "Cloudbursting" and lifted 2 pages out of the inspiration booklet which accompanies the kit. My handcutting of the clouds isn't the best but I like the overall effect. This is also my take on this weeks challenge over on UKS which was to scrap something or someone you are proud of (number 1 son), use yellow and have a butterfly somewhere on the page. I love the GCD chipboard alphas but once they are stuck down they aren't going anywhere!!!

Using the same kit I did this very simple page of number 2 son sitting on the top of a local landmark. I liked the embossed tag which came in the kit - I have a pile of similar craft tags so I am going to have a go at embossing some of them.

Over on the S J Crafts blog they have been setting some NSD challenges and one of them was a sketch - and I love a good sketch. By chance I picked up the latest S J Crafts kit which features Echo Park About A Boy papers which are perfect for this photo of Callum during a very cold mountain bike ride through Culbin Forest on his Dads birthday.

Thanks for looking - have you been up to anything crafty today?

WOYWW 204

Marking a sad day - the arrival of the last ever Scrapagogo kit. I have subbed on and off for quite a few years and have been on a couple of GoGo Getaways which were fantastic.

I am going to try and do this weeks challenge over on UKS with the kit - which calls for the use of some yellow and it needs to be about an achievement or something or someone you are proud of. I have  only scrapped a couple of photos from last years holiday to Devon so before this years holiday is upon us I thought I would scrap these 2 of Sam on a glorious afternoon on Croyde beach.

Pop over and say hello to Julia and see what everyone else has been up to today.

Weekly Challenge

This weeks challenge over on UKS was as follows:

As well as scrapping about parties, days out and family, scrapbooking for me is about documenting the everyday things in life. My sample LO is about waiting for the bus to bring me home from work and is something I do five days a week. I challenge you to scrap something that reflects your everyday life.

It's meant to be spring with gardens and the sky warm, full of colour and happy, but it's more cold, grey and miserable. Therefore, scrap either a B&W photo and a colourful LO or a colour photo and a black, white and grey LO.

Time to document your photo. Use either lots of journalling or just one simple sentence.

In summary:

1. Scrap your everyday life
2. B&W photo and colourful LO or colour photo and black, white and grey LO
3. Lots of journalling or one sentence

What's part of your everyday life? I'm looking forward to finding out.


I really need to get some photos printed (have decided Photobox is the only option as they give far better prints) so didn't have any "everyday" ones. So I chose this photo of Callum taken a couple of years ago while we were walking along Offa's Dyke - I have to look at this face everyday!!!!

I was having a look from some old Doodlebug black and white papers I know I have somewhere and came across these Crate Paper Avenue Collection ones instead - had forgotten I had them - oops!

Journalling was minimal as per usual - so just the one sentence for me.

WOYWW 201

I am enjoying a few days off work - with plenty of reading and baking and as it was such I lovely day I got my boots on and went out for a walk.

I also started this weeks challenge over on UKS. I couldn't find an "everyday" photo so this one of Callum will have to do - well I do have to look at that face everyday!! The challenge also called for black and white papers and these Crate Paper Avenue papers weren't what I was looking for but they seem to work well with the photo.

Another old Simple Scrapbooks open on the desk for inspiration - back to July/August 2008 for this one.

Pop over and say hello to Julia and see what everyone else is up to today.

Weekly Challenge

I like the look of this weeks challenge over on UKS and just so happened to have my Quirky Kit lying on the desk - so it didn't take too long to put a page together.

This was the sketch we were given:

We also had to do some stamping, use buttons and ribbon - all of which I managed. It is another page finished for my US album. I thought it was about time I dug out the album i had bought especially for this purpose and actually put some pages in it. It was only then that I realised just how many pages I had done. I am already up to almost 60 - and still have plenty of photos left!! I have ordered some more page protectors but there is no way I can scrap all the photos I have so I have dug out some of the divided page protectors o put in some extra shots between the pages. Can't beleive that holiday was almost 2 years ago.

Here is my page of Callum enjoying a rather lurid coloured slush puppy at Ober Gatlinburg - just before going on more of the rides!!

Weekly Challenge

This weeks challenge over on UKS was to:

Use 4 pieces of different patterned papers
Use yellow or circles
Photo of food, cooking, eating or a celebration.

The photos are of my first ever attempt at making bread - it actually tuned out OK. The papers are old ones by Cosmo Cricket called Earth Love. Luckily one sheet is yellow and this page was perfect for using up scraps.

The clouds were made using my new Memory Box dies - think you might see lots of clouds appearing on pages in the near future!

My local crop today so I am taking my first ever Quirky Kits kit with me to play with. I have a couple of mothers days cards to make and eldest son has requested a card (for tomorrow!!) for a pal of his - I am presuming it is a girl but maybe I should double check!!

Have a good Sunday.

Sitting still on a Sunday

I feel like I have the arthritic knees of a pensioner today after our adventure up a big hill yesterday (photos to follow) so I'm not planning to do much today. Sitting down will be the order of the day.

Still on my mission to use up old stash and scrap some of the old photos I have accumulated I set to and did this weeks challenge over on UKS. The challenge was to use the sketch provided, scrap somthing, someone or somewhere you love, to use red or a heart and to use rik rak. using an old Scrapagogo kit this is what I came up with. The sketch didn't appeal first of all but I do like the result.

In amongst the kit was another half finished page - which is now finished. I love the colours in this kit - both the kit and the photos are from 2010!

A scrappy Saturday

For some reason I woke up at the crack of dawn today - I do vaguely remember hearing my phone beep some time during the night - a text from hubby at 4am (he has been in the Far East for a week and is struggling to remember what day it is let alone work out the time difference!!)

So I made a cup of tea and make a start on Shimelles latest Scrapbook Starting Point that I had seen the previous evening. Earlier in the week I was looking through a box of older photos and found loads I now want to scrap - including this gorgeous one of Callum taken several years ago during a walk on a local beach. Then I found a bag of scraps of October Afternoon papers left over from previous projects - different collections but they all seem to go together - and this is what I came up with. You can see Shimelles original blog post here.

The alphabet stickers are by Doodlebug (I didn't realise till the other day that this company is still alive and kicking - their papers were some of the very first I bought when I started this hobby.) The leaf is a Stampin Up die.

Then I had a look at this weeks challenge over on UKS - this week it is to use the colour green, use at least 2 pearls and a quote by Shakespeare. I usually avoid quotes on my pages as they often seem a bit contrived - but I did a Google search and came up with "Off with his head" which is from King Richard III, Act III, Scene IV. It fitted my photos of the boys perfectly. They were taken at Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness back in 2008 - their cousins had come over from the US and they had all met up for the very first time. Luckily they all got on like a house on fire but some ill advised adult bought them all a plastic sword each!! I apologise to anyone who was at the castle that day who was subject to their running battles - but they had a ball!!.

October Afternoon papers again, the border is an EK Success giant scallop punch and the title is a Sizzix die set called Go Go Boots.