Introducing The Queen of Shabby/Vintage that is ...

Hello Everyone
So the farewells are finally over. A few of our design team have moved on and I wish them all the best. Now over the next few days I will be welcoming the ladies staying on. I will so be letting you know how to apply to be on our design team.
First up is Sonia Thomason.
Sonia has been with us for a couple of years now, and I am her biggest fan. I love her shabby chic style and her vintage projects are just beautiful. I was so please when Sonia confirmed she was remaining on the team, I would hate to loose her.

I asked her to tell us about herself.  Here is what she has to say.

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be returning on the Imaginarium Designs team for 2019! This has been such an inspiring team to be part of - the products are absolutely fabulous to work with and the team are just the most delightful and talented group of ladies.

 

So a bit about me, I have been crafting for 14 years after discovering scrapbooking at a Creative Memories Party which I had gone to in order to have a little break from having a one year old at home. Little did I know what that afternoon would lead to! It's wonderful to have a hobby that has enabled me to have so many amazing experiences. I have taught at Papercraft Expo, been part of numerous Design Teams and was a Scrapbook Memories Master in 2016.

I have been married to Kym for 24 years and have two daughters - Alex is 15 and Isabella is 13 (both of whom are growing up way too fast!).
My scrapbooking style is best described as shabby chic with a bit of vintage and mixed media thrown in for good measure. I like to play with new techniques and then use them in a way that fits my style. Pinks and blues are my favourite tones for layouts and you might notice a tag or two - I love them!!!
So here are a few of my favourite Imaginarium Designs projects from the past year:

I look forward to sharing projects with you at Imaginarium Designs in 2019. I can't wait to see what Jane has lined up for products this year and my fingers are itching to get playing!

Happy crafting

Sonia x

As Sonia has said - she likes a touch of mixed media on her layouts and projects. This is a great example of this.

Again another example of mixed media on a layout, what a beautiful photo of Sonia's two girls.



This one is just lovely, Sonia has used textured pastes and mists on her layout.

Stunning photo on a stunning layout - so many techniques  on show here. Sonia is an expert at clustering bits and pieces on her work. Here she has used them to create a frame partly around her photos.

Sonia often does tags  and I always love them. I like miniature bits and pieces and these tick all the boxes for me.



Again another tag, this time it is framed, just waiting to be hung in the perfect spot.

This was my favourite Sonia project for 2018, I just blew me away when Sonia shared it on the blog. Each of these tags are only about 2 1/2 inches high, so many beautiful details on each tag.

 

So not only is Sonia an expert at layouts and off the page projects - she also makes the most amazing cards. Sonia is just the most talented all arounder scrapbooker I have had the pleasure of meeting.

Her attention to detail is amazing and her work is always of a high standard. Everything is beautifully finished off. Her eye for colour is flawless - everything always matches and just looks perfectly balanced. It shows her real skill as this is not an easy thing to achieve constantly as Sonia does.

I can't wait to see what she has in store for us this year.

Thanks so much Sonia for staying with us, I would be lost without your support and inspiration.

I will be welcoming another team member in a day or two.

Jane

 

The Last One

Hello Everyone.
Well this is the last farewell and although I am not allowed to have a favourite I do  Tomoko and I go way way back. In fact Tomoko was one of Graphic 45's design team members on my very first G45 design team. She was on our Imaginarium Design Team the year following,  but was delighted when I asked her to join us again after so many years. I am her biggest fan, and just love everything she does. Everything she creates is beautiful and just stunning. Her attention to detail is amazing and her layouts must take hours to do.
So it is very sad to see her go, but like everyone else who moves on, Tomoko going down another path in her scrapbooking journey.

Tomoko is a beautiful person inside and out and nothing is too much trouble for her. I wish we could spend a day together, I would love to see her part of the world.

 

I have had a few Japanese ladies on our team over the years, but Tomoko is one of my favourite along with her friend Auska. Both are among the best is Japan and my top two favourite designers.

 Tomoko' work is just stunning, so much to look at, but never too busy.

Just look at all the beautiful bits and pieces Tomoko has fitted on her page, just amazing. Gorgeous photo too.

Beautiful layout celebrating the love between Mother and daughter.

Tomoko also goes the most amazing off the page projects and this is one of her mini books. I always love the finish she gets on her titles, the two tone effect is just stunning.'

 One of her more vintage layouts, still beautiful and inspiring.

Tomoko's shabby layouts are my favourite and this one is lovely,  again look at all the work Tomoko has put into her layout.

This is one of my favourite, just look at the shelf and all the stunning elements on this page. Tomoko really has a way with paper.
Isn't her daughter just beautiful - a little mini Tomoko.
I am sure you are all going to miss seeing Tomoko here on our blog, make sure you follow her on facebook and see what she gets up too.
Tomoko my friend - I am going to miss you, please come back to us again some time in the future. You will be so missed on our team. It is going to be hard to replace you.
I wish you and your daughter all the best for the future and may everything you turn your hand to bring you joy and success.
Thanks for being a part of my team and life.
Jane.

So now we start letting you know who is staying and how you can join our team!
I will be back in a day or two with an introduction for you.
thanks for looking
Jane

Two More to Go

Good Morning Everyone.
This is my second to last farewell, and as I hate saying goodbye to the people who have become friends, I will be glad when it is over.
Today I have to say Good Bye to the super talented mixed media artist - Sandi Spinks.

Sandi has been with our team for a few years now and it has been such fun watching her work develop over time.
Quite a few design teams do mixed media projects and our Sandi is up there with the best of them.
She can turn her hand to layouts, off the page and art journals. Whilst I love all her work - it's her mixed media art journals that inspire me the most. Sandi has been a great design team member and her style of work has been a perfect fit with the other members of our design team. She leaves a big hole in the team which will be hard to fill. I  have picked some of my favourite Sandi pieces to share with you and to show you just how clever Sandi is.

This is one of my favourite Sandi layouts. I have never quite got the two elements to a page concept, but this layout of Sandi has convinced me that it does work if you get it right, and Sandi has nailed it.

Sandi loves strong colours and is not afraid to experiment  with colours and concepts. This layout is a great example of the confidence she shows in her work.

This was my favourite art journal page that Sandi did last year. It looks like 8 different pieces put together. But it is only one piece of paper and Sandi has cleverly added  shadows to create the look of squares. Just brilliant and the terra cotta and touch of teal is quite beautiful.

This layout was another favourite, I loved the way she used a piece of  chipboard hexagon as a foundation for her photo.

Another journal page showing Sandi's quirky sense of humour and use of strong colours. There is so much going happening on Sandi page, but she still has created a sense of space.

 This layout was another favourite, I love the soft  colours and layers Sandi has created. She is equally comfortable using strong colours as she is with softer colours.

This layout is a great example of how a to use a bit of your layout to create a statement whilst leaving the rest of the page empty. This is quite hard to do as you have to get the balance just right. Sandi has achieved that with style. She has created the perfect background for her photo.

Thank you Sandi for your time with us, we will miss you. I wish you and your family a safe and happy 2019 and success in your continuing scrapbooking journey.
I am looking forward what you get up to this year.
hugs
Jane.
PS one more farewell to go!

Time to Say Farewell to...

Hello Everyone
Today I have to say Good By to another Family Design Team Member.
This one is also hard as Wendy Duwakin and I go back a long way. Wendy has been helping me at the Brisbane Scrapbooking Expo for years now, and was delighted when I asked her to join our design team. Although she is moving on from the Imaginarium design team, we will catching up again in Brisbane in June and I can't wait to see her again.
She has been my "Card" Design Team Girl and leaves a big hole in our design team.

Having told you about Wendy's cards, the first few projects l have chosen are not Cards!
Wendy has a wicked sense of humour and is great fun to be around. This layout shows her personality perfectly.

I loved this project - so many little mini "cards". Wendy has created a really beautiful vintage piece ready to hang on a wall in pride of place.

This is one of Wendy's cards, I love the way she has clustered everything on her card.

I always like Wendy's simple cards, we don't always want to spend hours on our cards and give them to people who will may throw them in the bin! But if your a card maker you, just can't bring yourself to buy one. They need to be hand made and Wendy's cards are always  perfect for inspiring you to make your own.





 This was a set Wendy made for Valentines Day, so simple but elegant, a good example of Wendy's style.
Thank you Wendy for your time with us, we will miss you. I wish you and your family a safe and happy 2019 and success in your continuing scrapbooking journey.
Looking forward to catching up in June! It is going to be so much fun.
hugs
Jane.

Another Fond Farewell

Hello Everyone
This doesn't get any easier and today I have to say good bye to Karyn Shultz.
I have know Karyn for a few years now and she has been on our team for the past three years. 
Karyn has let me know that her time with us has come to an end and I am sad to see her go.

 

Karyn is a beautiful person inside and out and her work reflects her lovely personality. Nothing is ever too much and she can fit in with what ever is happening and just go with the flow. I admire her very much and love her scrapbooking style. She has a real eye for detail and always creates projects that look simple but seldom are. It's all to do with her ability to mix scrapbooking techniques with mixed media products and still keep it looking simple.



Karyn is one of those clever people who can turn her hand to anything. She does beautiful cards, project life and mini books.

Karyn is not afraid to use bright colours on her work and even do projects that are eclectic and just wonderful.

Karyn has been teaching project life classes for quite a while, this is one of her layouts, but you can see why her project life classes are so popular.

I loved this one Karyn did for us, it is such a classic scrapbooking layout with her magical mixed media touch.

Again another one of her cards which shows just how versatile she is, so different from everything else I have chosen. 

And to finish up, I just had to show you one of Karyn's mini books.  She is an expert at these and when she has taught them in the past they have been a favourite of all attending.
I am sad Karyn that is leaving us as her style is uniquely her, she will be hard to replace.

Karyn, I wish you and your family a safe and wonderful 2019, and every success in your continuing scrapbooking journey. I know we will be catching up from time to time, just not here.
Hugs
Jane
.

It's a New Year So Lets Get Started

Hello Everyone.
Well lets hope this year goes slower than 2018, it just seemed to race past and I felt I was chasing my tail all year.
This is always the hard part of the year. I have to say good bye to the Ladies leaving our design team.
Most of them have been with me for a few years now and some even longer. They have become good friends and it is like losing a Family member when I have to say good by. I have to keep telling myself that change is good and people need to move on. This also gives us the chance to invite some new ladies onto the team.

So the first fond Farewell is for Natalie May.

Nat has been with me the longest, I first met her when Jess was still a baby in a stroller. She came into my scrapbooking store quite a few times until one day I asked her to bring an album of her work  for me to see. I asked her straight away if she was interested in teaching for me and it all went from there. Not only was she my main teacher, she also worked in our store, taught at events and pushed me to create a design team for Imaginarium. She was also one of our best chipboard designers along with Louise Nelson and Denise Boddey. Without Nat's  support and her push none of this would have happened. A few years ago she took over the Design team for me and did a wonderful job, she was so much better at this than me.
Last year we closed our scrapbooking store and since then Nat has gone from strength to strength.
Now Nat has decide to move on and I wish her all the best in everything she is involved in.

Nat is an expert in all forms of scrapbooking and has really come into her own as a mixed media teacher and designer.

 I still really love her layouts, her use of mixed media products and scrapbooking techniques are perfect. 

 

Nat loves bright colours and is not afraid to use them. These tags are a great example of her creative style.

 

This layout shows Nat's mixed media skills, I really love this layout of hers which features some of her own chipboard designs.

Thanks Nat for all the wonderful years we have had together. It has been a joy over that time to watch you grow and become the wonderful person you are. I wish you every joy in 2019 and every success in all your ventures.
Please keep in touch with me from time to time, I look forward to seeing up you get up to.
All the best
Jane

Last Post for 2018

Hello Everyone
Running a bit late with my post today, so please forgive me. Just trying to get a lot done before the new year starts and running out of hours.
Decembers Colour of the Month was Gold and today I want to share a project by Sue before showing you the entries I received.
This is the last project I received from the design team and as you can tell from the photos that it is one of Sue Smyth's stunning work. In keeping with keeping the Christmas spirit alive until
January 1st,  I decided that this was the project I wanted to finish the year with.
Here is what Sue has to say about her project.

I saw this kaisercraft wooden angel and thought it wiould be perfect for altering. But I wanted to keep it pretty simple.



 

So I have adhered ID chipboard all over the base of the wood and used a 3d face for the top, the wings I have used liquid pearls to mark out.

 

Once covered I have painted it black and dried it off, then I have covered with layers of Vintage gold Art Alchemy wax, I have also added in a bit of copper to vary the colour and some of the Art Alchemy opals for subltle shine (hard to see here) when I have finished with the mediums, I added a big bit of bling, which is a must for Christmas

I think she looks lovely on my Christmas table this year, don't you?
Yes I do think she looks lovely and to nice to put away, you need to find a special place for her in your home.
Thank you Sue for sharing this with us.

I would like to thank everyone who sent us an entry for our monthly challenges over this year. It was delightful to receive them and see how everyone had creatively used our chipboard.
I did wonder how many of you would find time to do a project for December. It is really a busy time of the year with so much happening.
So, thanks to Annie, Maureen and Robyn who found the time to send me their layouts.
First up is Annie Mckell.

 

Annie has really got into the Christmas Spirit with her layout, look at all the gold and glitter she has on her page, it is really beautiful. She has used some of our stars and one of our flourishes. I love the way she has clustered her flowers and berries around her photo.

Thank you Annie for your Lovely Christmas Layout.

 

Next up is Maureen Wood.

 



Maureen also has done a Lovely Christmas layout featuring her Oldest Granddaughter.
 Maureen used Imaginarium mistletoe pieces, which she inked in gold with green leaves with red gems. The Christmas wish piece, she also inked in green, as Maureen found the gold did not stand out against the gold and white straws. 
Thank you Maureen for such a lovely layout. Your granddaughter is lovely and it really is a beautiful photo of her.

Lastly Robyn Bilyk sent us this lovely project.



It looks like everyone is having fun. I love the touch of gold on her layout. Robyn has used one of our beautiful chipboard flourish's  and matched up the flowers on her page with the flowers in her photo.  The gold doyley is an extra nice touch.
Thanks ladies for sending me your layouts, I will be sending you a bundle of chipboard to play with.
I will be back again tomorrow and the rest of this week saying Good Bye to the Ladies leaving our team. There are a few who are choosing to move on.
They will be sadly missed.
Hope you all have a wonderful New Years Eve.
See  you in 2019!
Jane