Introducing New Design Team Member - Karen Leonard

We are very proud to introduce our new design team member KAREN LEONARD, well known for her A4 layouts. Many of you may know her from The Scrapbook Magazine.

Karen says:

"Hi I'm Karen and I live in Suffolk, with my husband, two teenage daughters and Bazzil our dog, who all provide a constant supply of inspiration and photo opportunities.
 

I’ve always been busy with some sort of crafty activities or another but when I discovered scrapbooking in 2006, thanks to a good friend of mine, I took to it straight away. I joined the monthly Papermaze crop in Otley Village and learnt a lot from Vanessa, who always produces amazing class kits.

I nearly always scrap in A4 size, or rather the American 8.5”x11” size to be exact, and really love to use sketches as a starting point. I generally have to adapt 12x12 sketches to suit, but that all adds to the fun.

I like to make my supplies work hard for me and to that end I rarely (if ever) buy ready made embellishments, but instead create my own. Of course, if they arrive with a kit, I will use them!

I am lucky enough to be part of The Scrapbook Magazine Design team, and am totally delighted to have been invited to join Scrapology.

Karen x"

Karen's Blog - A Paper Gallery - can be found HERE. Karen is 'Kazy1' on UKS

Here are some of Karen's beautiful A4 layouts:

Welcome to the team Karen and we look forward to seeing what you create to inspire us all through  Scrapology.

How I made my Glorious Queen Page

As 2012 is a big year for Britain, with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee I wanted to feature this in my June Design Team layout.

I love these Portebello Road papers from Papermania and they were prefect for the theme. I googled images of the Queen and picked these two as they were just right being red white and blue. I think they were photographed by veteran royal photographer Arthur Edwards


In addition I used straw, red and indigo Bazzill, Best of British and Vintage union jack ribbons from Crafty Ribbons. The red, white and blue Divine twine is from Papermaze, the heart doily is also from Papermania.

We are scraplifting this layout by Rô Phillipson, and the technique is to use 'white space'.

This is the Page Maps Sketch Rô created her layout from, so we used it too!

Here is what I did to make my layout:

Take the Union Jack paper and gut this to make a 1 ½” frame to save some of the paper for future use.
Cut the Straw Bazzill to measure 11” x 11”, ink the edges and stick down centrally over the border paper.

All the following were prepared and then stuck into place when they were all ready and positioning worked out. Trim the two photos to measure about 3 ½” x 3 ½”, stick to the cream paper. Trim around close to the edges of the photo with stamp effect scissors. Mount these onto the blue polka dot paper measuring about 4” x 8”.

Stamp and punch the Stampin’ Up decorative label onto a piece of Straw Bazzill cut from where you know your photos will cover the gap! Ink the edges and write your details in the centre.
Lightly ink the heart doily with blue and red chalk inks.
Cut letters from blue card and their shadows from the red, glue blue to red, using the Storybook Cartridge and the Cricut.
Prepare four ribbon flags – for each one cut ribbon so you have two whole flags and a small amount of the next flag on both sides. Glue together with DST tucking the ends in so they don’t fray, giving you a double sided ribbon flag.
Now work out where everything will be placed, mark lightly with pencil and remove. Stamp with the Prima brick wall stamp so some of the image will show from behind your items when they are stuck in place.
Run a length of DST across the bottom of the layout about 3” up from the bottom. Lay the ‘Best of British’ ribbon across pleating it randomly as you go, making sure it’s flat where the photo will be. Tuck the ribbon ends under the cardstock at the edges.

For the flag poles - Cut 3 lengths of twine as long as you want them, stick all three firmly to the page under where the label will be. Thread a flag or two onto each length of twine. Bring each length up towards the top and spread them out and thread each one through to the back of the layout with a large needle. Add a button or brad to the top. Stick the ribbon flags into place on the layout.
Now add all your prepared items. Stick the heart doily down then the photos. Add the label with 3D foam pads. Finally arrange and stick down the title.

Thanks for looking and I hope you will take part in the challenge. Pop back to the 1st June post ' W is for White Space' post to learn more about the challenge. More info on my blog too.

Lynn x

BLOG HOP WINNER

Thank you to all who took part in our first blog hop.


We are pleased to announce the winner of the June blog candy hop is number:

and number SIX is ...

KATHY ROGERS

Congratulations Kathy!

Please contact Paper Maze who will send you this lovely candy:

Many thanks to Vanessa and Wendy of Paper Maze for joining in with the blog hop and providing the candy.

Blog Hop Candy

Here is the candy for the blog hop, generously given by Vanessa of Paper Maze. 

This lovely selection of My Mind's Eye Lime Twist 'Happy Go Lucky' items.
Many thanks to Vanessa for this lovely prize. Please go to THIS POST to start the Blog Candy Hop.

A Few Tips On The September Challenge Layout

The sketch

Materials:
2 sheets of  double sided patterned paper
1 or 2 sheets black cardsock
1 Sheet white eyelet cardstock
Black embroidery thread and a needle
Double Sided Tape (DST)
Chalk ink
Foam 3D sticky pads
Card Candy

Tools:
Flower punches
Paper piercing tool
Alphabet dies
Stitching templates (optional)

I used two sheets of double sided patterned paper from Fancy Pants Rusted Sun collection, giving me four different patterns to play with. These were purchased from Paper Maze.

First of all I gutted the black Bazzill so I only needed one sheet to complete my layout. I cut a frame 1" wide giving me a 10" square to use for letters and to mat my photo.  However, you can cut this step out completely and use two sheets of cardstock instead. 

Stick the eyelet cardstock centrally over the black cardstock.  Cut the patterned papers into the wavy shapes. You can use the template if you wish to follow the same shapes. Place the two shapes onto your layout and stick down leaving a small gap between the two.

Now for the fun part -stitching the two shapes together!  I made holes up and down both shapes where they face each other.  You can make more or less holes, I got a bit carried away but love stitching on layouts. You could make fewer holes and have the stitches wider apart and the lace up effect more open. If you don't want to stitch by hand you could use the sewing machine, like Jill did. Alternatively you could use faux stitches in the form of rubons like Jakey, or hand drawn stitches as Linda did on one of her pages. You could also punch larger holes (maybe even use eyelets) and lace the sides up like shoes!

The pleated circle was made by cutting strips of patterned paper about 2cm wide. I worked out where my photo would sit, and made light pencil marks. Then I drew a circle and laid double sided tape down over the circle lines which would show after the photo was put in place. I pleated the paper as I worked my way round the circle sticking it down as I went along. Alison said she cut her strips into small pieces and stuck them down overlapping one another which gave the same effect, much more easily, and much less lumpily! Alternatively you could cut a circle or a ring from the patterned paper as shown in several of the examples.

Mat the photo with a narrow border of black showing around all four sides.  Stick this in place on the layout.

Next I decorated with a few more different stitches here and there.

Ising left over papers and cardstock, I added some die cut flowers with card candy centres (from Craftwork Cards).

My die cut title was cut using the Big Shot and black cardstock, but you could use any die cutting machine or letter stickers.

I challenge you to make a card with the scraps from your layout - just for fun.

Here is mine (for more details of this card see here):

Have fun and don't forget to show us what you create.

Lynn

A Few Tips On The August Challenge Layout

Thought I would do a little bit of a 'how to' with hints and tips in case you want to follow the initial layout done for his months challenge.

Materials needed:

2 sheets of the same double sided patterned paper (Ideally with a pattern to one outer edge of the paper)
1 sheet cardsock to compliment the colours in your paper.

16 brads

1 sheet alphabet stickers

Chalk ink

Foam 3D sticky pads

For my version I used Petals in the Sand, from the Rusted Sun collection by Fancy Pants, these were purchased from Paper Maze. Contact Vanessa at the shop if you wish to purchase the same paper. Fancy Pants have other paper lines which have suitable papers too. I also got the Doodlebug Designs alphabet stickers from Vanessa. I used Bazzill cardstock and this was from Cardinal Colours, but Vanessa sells this too. The brads are from American Crafts, a stock of which I already had in my stash.

 

You can refer to this sketch if it helps, if you copy and save onto your computer you can print this out for easy reference while working.

 

First trim one sheet of patterned paper down to 11.5" x 11.5", this is the sheet you will be working on. Do not attach it to the cardstock yet. Ink the edges of the paper.

You may also find this template helpful, print out onto a see-through medium, I used tracing paper, Jakey used acetate. This will help you to select the right size of photo by checking through the centre circle. You can also use it to work out the placement of your apertures on the page. Once you are happy with the placement use a paper piercer to make a tiny hole in the patterned paper where each petal meets the circle, you should end up with a circle of tiny eight holes. If printed onto A4 this should give you apertures of about 8.5 cm, so 4x6" photos are ideal.

oops gone to get template, back soon!

The beauty of using patterned paper which is double sided means the pattern on the reverse side (blue dots in this case) show through when the paper is cut and folded back. I used two sheets of this paper. The flowers from the second sheet were cut out and layered with 3D sticky fixers onto the first.

This picture shows where to cut, use your craft knife, cutting mat and a metal ruler to join the tiny holes you made, across the diameter of the circle four times.

This is when I inked the edges of the points.

Use the paper piercing tool again to make a tiny hole through each point (where you want the brad to sit), and the paper underneath. Add the brads.

Add some double sided tape or other adhesive to the back of the aperture you have now created. Flip the paper over and lower down over your picture, stick down firmly when you are happy with the picture showing through.

Once the photos are in place you can attach the paper to the cardstock, You should have a 1/4" coloured border.

Add your title using the sticker letters. Cut out some flowers from the second sheet and apply them to the layout using 3D foam pads so they are layered and 'pop off' the page, bringing the whole thing to life. I inked my flowers before attaching them.

That's how I made my layout and I'm really looking forward to seeing yours. Don't forget if you want the same papers they are from Fancy Pants and Paper Maze have them in stock (at time of writing this post).

A is for Apertures

A is for apertures -
or in this case starbursts!

The inspiration for this months layouts was taken from my talented friend Anita.She has made these two stunning layouts based on the same idea (see below).  She kindly agreed to me featuring them on this blog for the first monthly challenge from Scrapology. Please take a look on her blog Inky Blossoms for even more inspiration - you won't be disappointed. Please click on each DT members name to visit their blog where you will find more details about their layouts.

There is a prize on offer for the best layout uploaded, for more details see this post. The prize has kindly been donated by Jill of Cardinal Colours. 

Sketch which can be used in any orientation:

Lynn

  

Jakey 

Alison

Linda 

.

Sue 

Deirdre

 

                         

 Anita

Linda 

Lynn

Please join in the fun and create a layout using these pages for inspiration.  We hope you will let us share your finished layout on this blog. You also need to become a follower of this blog to be considered for the competition.

Don't forget there is a prize on offer for the best layout to be selected by Anita on 5th September. Please see here for details of the prize.

Please uploaded your layout to your blog by 4th September to be considered for the prize.  

If you don't have a blog - no problem just drop us an image attached to an email.
(If you don't have Outlook, simply copy and paste the email address into your normal web based email system.)




OVER TO YOU:

I have moved your entries to a post of their own, so we have more room to play! Please see here.