Scrapbooking connections - a layout

Over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog today, Stephanie's put up a post all about how very international we are on the team - me in Germany, Jemma in the UK, Julene in Australia, Stephanie in Canada and the rest of the MFs over in the US - Bethany, Lynnette, Leslie, Susanne and of course Margie. You can see the post here

But what's even better than having the whole world (or it feels like it at least) covered in the team is that we are quite intrepid travellers too.

And that means there have been a few meet ups in real life as well.

This year, I've been lucky enough to meet no less than four of my scrappy friends for real including two very special Master Forgers - Stephanie and Lynnette. Lynnette and I not only met up for a day over in New Jersey when I visited NY for the second time, but also here in my home when she came to stay for three wonderful days. Stephanie and I went sightseeing around Cologne and along the Rhine for two days too!

In addition to the joy of meeting these two sweet souls, I also got to go and spend time again with my beloved Pam in NY, this time spending a week together and then Kathy and I met up in London for some fun sightseeing time.

Each of these trips and visits have been covered in my 15 loves so you can see more photos here - March, May, July and August

But tying in with the Counterfeit Kit Challenge prompt #3 this month to be inspired to scrap by the word FRIENDS, it was a no-brainer for me to make my page about how incredibly lucky I am to have met these wonderful people and to have them in my life - in person!

This is layout #1 from my Tripster kit and uses a Kelly Purkey sketch from her Sketchbook #3 class

I added in all the sketches from the KP Sketchbook class into my kit this month as well as the exclusive stamp set that came with it. And then I even stamped with it! It was a bit scary but I like how it turned out.

Just noticed that there is some eraser rubbings hanging around on my layout and the pencil marks under my journalling haven't been erased very well - will have to deal with that

I love looking at these four happy photos.

I am thrilled and honoured to have had the chance to meet these friends and to connect at a deeper level. Ladies - Watch out! I'm coming over to visit you in your neck of the woods as soon as I can!

15 loves {February 2015}

Welcome to the next in the series {15 loves} for 2015 based on the original concept by my beloved friend, Pam, back in January 2013. I shared my loves (mostly late) all through 2014 and now it's time to see if I can continue the series through 2015. I hope you will come back each month to see if there is anything in my list to inspire you. You can see all my {14 loves} {here} and now all my {15 loves} {here}

I hope there's something in here to inspire you or maybe just make you smile.

Yes, another late {15 loves} post for February but I'm writing my March {15 loves} to go up on the blog tomorrow so it seemed right to get this done today, no matter how late it was :-)

one

I am not a shopper. Really, not at all. I have a very boring style in clothes and just don't enjoy going out and going through the process of picking things out, trying them on and then actually paying for them! But that doesn't stop me being inspired by things I see online! Such as this pair of shoes which I totally adore and can totally see me wearing. I won't be buying them, but if I was walking past a shop and they were in the window, I might just go in and take a look!

Available at ModCloth.com

two

I find myself drawn to Ashli Oliver's pages again and again. This one is no exception. I love it. All those layers and "messy" stuff. I think I need to hang out at her blog more often and see if I can learn some of her talent through osmosis. Just gorgeous!

Ashli Oliver at the Purple Mailbox here 

three

Saw this on Pinterest and it just made me smile. I think this would make such a great little joke to send to someone. Available through Etsy but so simple to create yourself. Saving this idea for when I think it is needed!

Pinterest find here

four

One day I'll need this. Another Pinterest find but available through an online printing service. So simple, so perfect.

Available at Sun Frog Shirts here

five

This simple but effective card caught my eye - yes on Pinterest! Cards like this make me realise that I am lacking in the card making department but luckily, inspiration is out there.

Stephanie Berger at Be More Creative

six

In a nutshell... I love you! What a perfect little inspirational idea for an anniversary gift. I definitely want to try this out one day! I will have to look at what the coming anniversaries are and see if I can make a connection.

Pinterest source here

seven

We finally made it to the Museum Folkgang to see the Inspiration Japan exhibition that had been on for the previous four months on its last weekend! It was great to get back to this fantastic museum and be inspired by the incredible art they had on display. I had no idea that artists such as Monet, Gaugin or van Gogh had been so influenced by Japan and its culture. So enjoy learning more about the world of art. Came home with the book of the exhibition for a little light night-time reading (when I'm much older and greyer no doubt!) 

eight

At the beginning of February, I was in full anticipation mode for my trip to NYC and of course, no  {15 loves} would have been complete without something featuring the city. This art from Debbie Powell at The Art Works Inc is something that I could see myself hanging on my wall along with the other small prints and photos I've picked up. The Art Works site doesn't have any sort of print ordering service so I might have to do some more investigative work to track this down to see if it's available anywhere to order.

Debbie Power at the Art Works can be found here

nine

Citrus Twist always have such great sketches and I love to turn to them when I need a little help when I sit down to scrap. I especially love this format for all those square IG photos or even my ancient 1970s square shots.

Citrus Kits sketch from June 2014

ten

February brought LOAD of course and it was a lot of fun. Knowing that I probably wouldn't manage a full 28 layouts in 28 days due to my travels, I set a target of 20 and actually made 24 which made me very happy. A LOAD month is always a good month. It's such a super way to connect with those scrappy friends again and to get a daily dose of creativity!

eleven

We didn't celebrate Valentine's Day this year - with us both being on our travels, it seemed a little redundant, but this card is certainly something I'm saving for another time. We do this type of thing all the time - counting the number of days since XXX and then having a mini-celebration! 

Available from Jenny Collier here

twelve

The countdown was running and my second adventure to NYC was now just a few hours away!

thirteen

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, Pam was trying to freak me out by warning me how cold it was.  She sent me this which made me giggle and I tried to reassure her that my excitement would keep me warm! 

fourteen

It may not have been as cold or as snowy as New York, but after a winter of no snow whatsoever last year (winter 2013/14), I was thrilled to get some this time around. There was never very much and it never lasted very long but this last of the season snow was lovely to see.

fifteen

One to keep in mind at the end of a hard week. I know we shouldn't wish the week away but Friday is so very welcome!

Pinterest source here

I’d love you to share your own {15 loves} lists with me. Why not link up in the comments below?

{15 loves} is a series that will feature on my blog each 15th of the month

Counterfeit Kit Challenge February member blog hop

Hey! Glad you're here today. This is the last stop on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge member blog hop this month.

You should have reached me via the adorable Janine but you can find the full blog hop list at the end of my post as well as finding your way to the beginning of the hop back at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog.

The challenges on offer this month were:

• Challenge #1 - Invisibles and Clear Cuts
• Challenge #2 - Date Stamp
• Challenge #3 - Title Challenge

I decided to have a go at the title challenge - to create an unexpected title and I had a vision in my mind which didn't really materialise, if truth be told! But that's ok because I like the overall effect of the layout and it was fun to try something new.

I almost always turn to my large collection of Thickers for my titles and then might add in mini stickers to add more variety so my challenge was to keep my hands off the Thickers and try my hand at stitching! I had a perfect picture of neat, swirly, sewn title matched up with some October Afternoon Mini Market stickers for something very unexpected for me. Mmmm.... the neat and swirly part certainly didn't work. I think that my gold thread was rather lumpy bumpy for such a small font so lesson learnt.

But the topic of the layout was something I wanted to capture and I certainly don't want to waste that gorgeous My Mind's Eye paper so I'm satisfied to add it to my pile of layouts to be filed away sometime this century...

This is layout #3 from my February Counterfeit kit, Runaway

Thanks for dropping by and please let me know you were here! It's always lovely to see who's been to say hello :-)

And here's the full list in case you've got lost along the way:

CKCB   http://www.counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com

GD Doris http://dorissander.blogspot.com/

Jemma   http://just-jimjams.blogspot.co.uk

Tina   http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com/

Lisa Harris   http://mykreativepursuits.com

Lynette   http://sassyscrapper2010.blogspot.com

Gemma   http://thesteelenook.blogspot.co.uk

Margie   http://scrappinmargie.blogspot.com

Virginia   http://celtichouse.blogspot.co.uk

Julene   http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com.au

Janine   http://rachauscratchpad.blogspot.com

Lisa   http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de

14 loves {November 2014}

Welcome to the next in the series {14 loves} for 2014 based on the original concept by my beloved friend, Pam, back in January 2013. I enjoyed sharing my loves so much through the year that I decided I needed to continue through 2014. I hope you will come back each month to see if there is anything in my list to inspire you. You can find previous posts  {here}

I hope there's something in here to inspire you or maybe just make you smile.

Another busy month, another late posting. But I'm trying to keep up and that's the main thing. September's {14 loves} is still in the works. It WILL come before the end of the year I promise!

one

I saw this layout on Pinterest from Studio Calico (see here) and knew right away that I had to find the supplier for the gorgeous constellation paper. I tracked it down to Studio Tekturek in Poland and ordered the full collection pack as well as the matching flair buttons. The paper is glossy, thick paper so I'm not 100% sure how it will work with my style of scrapping but man, I love the designs! I had to navigate the shop in Polish but their customer service was great and they kindly communicated with me in English! I'll let you know how the collection works when I've cut into that precious paper. Oh yes, and it was SO reasonably priced too, even with the international postage.

Studio Tekturek One Way Ticket collection

two

This year marks 100 years since the start of WWI and a particularly moving Remembrance Day. It's not so easy for me to commemorate this memorial day living where I do, but my best friend sent me a whole set of photos of the incredible ceramic poppy installation at the Tower of London and my very good, blogging friend and fellow Master Forger, Lesley sent me a special anniversary poppy pin which I wore with pride. 

three

This pile of empty packing boxes were the LAST to be unpacked. I'm not saying there's not still a whole lot of chaos going on round here but there are no more boxes at least. 

four

This is the evening we "found" our new home under the debris. Makes me happy.

five

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas and the Weihnachtsmarkt is a coming. It will be opening this week but the preparations of our (new) local market makes me happy each and every year. The Essen Weihnachtsmarkt has always been one of my favourites and I'm thrilled to be able to experience it up close this time around.

six

This pin from the Gossamer Blue team really inspires me. I think I need to make this layout. Isn't is a stunner?

Pinterest source here

seven

The red cups are back. Need I say more?

eight

I had to get my grubby little hands on these Pebbles candy cane beauties as soon as I saw them in the Scrapabilly shop! They are just delightful and can be found here.

nine

I have been monitoring the supply of these Studio Calico vellum sheets in the Scrapabilly shop since I discovered that I could use on them practically any layout I wanted. The last time I counted Sylvia still had five. Then last week, she was down to four! That was the sign for me that I had to buy all of them :-) I think they'll work really well with the Studio Tekturek papers, don't you?

ten

I love vellum pockets and was happy to have the chance to put one to good use to hold a handful of confetti on this wedding layout. I love it when a technique works over and over again. 

eleven

October was of course LOAD2014. This Scrap Happy member-only month of daily inspiration was fantastic as always! Leslie and Lynnette did a great job with 31 School Days based prompts and I followed most of them. In total, I managed 34 layouts in 31 days which was fabulous and filled me with creative fulfilment! My layout pile made me smile and of course, featured on my final layout of the month.

twelve

We have lights! It's taken a while to get around to the little jobs around the new flat, but in the last few days, we have light in all but one of the rooms. It really helps with these dark evenings.

thirteen

As part of LOAD1014, there was a special offer for A Flair for Buttons. I love this shop! Lots and lots of the most gorgeous buttons and you can even mix and match flair from different collections to make up your own selection. Of course, I couldn't possibly pass up on the whole NYC collection. It will go into my mini-kit that is currently under construction for when I finally get hold of my NYC photos off my back-up drive.

fourteen

Our new local café and ice-cream parlour (La Luna) serves delicious caffe latte with a teeny tiny ice-cream cone! Worth the extra pennies from time to time for a treat!

All in all, a pretty good month, don't you think? Full of inspiration and little bits and pieces to enjoy and bring a smile to my face. What have you been loving this month?

I’d love you to share your own {14 loves} lists with me. Why not link up in the comments below?

{14 loves} is a series that will feature on my blog each 14th of the month

14 loves {April 2014}

Welcome to the next in the series {14 loves} for 2014 based on the original concept by my beloved friend, Pam, back in January 2013. I enjoyed sharing my loves so much through the year that I decided I needed to continue through 2014. I hope you will come back each month to see if there is anything in my list to inspire you.

There's an awful lot not to love this month (stories for another day), but with Pam's gentle nudging in the background to try and see the happy around me, here I am for another month of what I'm loving right now.

I hope there's something in here to inspire you or maybe just make you smile.

one

Still haven't quite come down from my NYC high. After 5 years of having the same background photo on my iPhone (a fave photo from Dubai), I decided that this was the month to make the change.

two

Who doesn't love happy post? My sweet baby sister, who has now opened her own crafty business where she creates the most beautiful crochet items amongst others (here), sent me these gorgeous doilies. I can't wait to use them on a layout and have included the cream and blue ones in my Counterfeit Kit Challenge April kit, Growth.

three

I take so many selfies and 100's go in the trash immediately! However, a good hair day should always be celebrated!

four

Scrapabilly has become a home away from home. On the weeks where I don't travel the 45 minutes up the motorway to get my weekly scrappy fix, I really miss Sylvia and all her lovely products. Good for my creativity and deliciously naughty on the wallet.

five

I was inspired to make a December journal and almost instantly regretted it! But I persevered through and finally got it finished two weeks ago. All 31 days. Looking back at the process and leafing through this fat, chunky book, I'm now really happy I did it. An enjoyable Christmas captured. Now where should I store my book?

six

Roast vegetables with feta, balsamic and couscous. My favourite dinner to make when I'm along. I make enough for two nights and scoff it all - just for me. I tried to limit myself to a smaller portion for my reduced calorie intake right now but it still gave me weekend happiness.

seven

Timehop is a new app for me and I love how it pops up some almost forgotten memories. Two years ago, I got to meet up with my best friend from the Philippines and had the delight of showing her and her husband a little of Germany. Such a great weekend to remember. 

eight

Spring is here. Our apple tree is blossoming and so is my hope for apples later in the year.

nine

I'm still cutting back on the calories and reaping results in the form of a pair of jeans, purchased years ago online and then left in the cupboard all that time as they didn't fit. Now they do, and so does a whole array of clothes that have been pushed to the back of the wardrobe for all that time.

ten

Asparagus season has started! Early harvest can be found and we enjoyed our first of the year this last week. Here's to 8 weeks of asparagus scrumptiousness.

eleven

How gorgeous is this lovely card from my sweet Pam. A Kelly Purkey class make and she chose to send it to me! I'm a lucky girl.

twelve

Pinterest inspiration. Still busy pinning and this tone on tone card caught my eye.

Jenni makes the most gorgeous creations and her blog can be found here

thirteen

Just don't.

Pinterest source here

fourteen

And one last scrap stash wish list. I love sequins, I love autumn colours, I love leaves. This has it all.

Available on Scrapbook.com here

I’d love you to share your own {14 loves} lists with me. Why not link up in the comments below?

{14 loves} is a series that will feature on my blog each 14th of the month