#Thursday3 - changing it up...

Hello, how are you?  Keeping safe and well I hope.

Over the past month because of everything going on I have found my self with so much more time on my hands.  One thing I have missed this year is the physical side of memory keeping.  I decided that most of my projects this year would be photobooks and while I love photobooks I desperately miss the touch and feel of an album.  I miss not being about to look back over the year so far, reading about our lives and seeing our faces.  Of course I could always turn on the computer and look at my digital pages but it's just not the same.  With that in mind I am changing some of the ways I am doing projects and I am starting with my #thursday3 project.

To keep things simple (because once I make  them bigger than they need to be I won't finish it) I am using a travelers notebook, two colour ink pads (black and crumb cake), a single photo each day, date stamp and one washi tape.  The only thing that I am going to add to my pages is simple stamped images using only the two colour inks that I mentioned earlier.  Then I just add the words that I shared on IG. 

I have been working on this project for the last couple of days and I am nearly caught up.  I am sharing just a few pages here to give you an idea how it's all coming together.  Although it's repetitive adding the stamped images is giving me just enough creative play to keep the project fun.  I have already enjoyed going back over my previous words as I do each page and I am so glad I have decided to switch how I am going to put it together.  I am also having fun going back to basics and playing with my stamps.

Giving myself permission to change how I want this project to look has bought back the fun and passion that I think I have been missing this year.  So glad I have made the change.

Tracey xo

NSD - Challenge two & three...

Welcome to Kellie Stamps Creative Team 2nd challenge - Use three different ink colours...

I have changed things up a bit for this challenge - 

What if you don't have three different ink colours or you don't have three colours that you think work well together?  The good thing is that you don't need lots of different ink colours you only need one.  On this project here I chose one colour ink (blue) and used a very simple but  effective technique called "stamping off".  It's simple, ink your stamp then stamp your image, then stamp your image again but don't re-ink you stamp.  For my title "May" I inked and stamped the letter M .  Then I inked the letter A, stamped it onto a scrap piece of paper, then stamped the letter A onto my cardstock.  This made the letter a lighter blue than the first letter.  I repeated the same for the letter Y only I stamped it twice onto scrap paper before stamping onto my cardstock.

I was having so much fun with this technique that I decided to create a pattern in a speak bubble using the same stamping off technique.

This is such a simple way to get more out of your stamps and inks.  Try doing this with other colours, have some fun and remember to share your project on Instagram using the hashtag #nsdkelliestamps to go into the running for some fun prizes.

Have fun

Love me :-)

Kellie stamps - January release #4...

Do you ever get a stamp set and think, I love it but I just don't know what to do with it.  Or what about all those stamps you already have, same thing, you love them but don't know what to do with them.  

I thought I would share a little tip that I often use if I am not sure what or how to use a stamp set.  Although I came up with a million ways to use the "looks like summer" stamp set by Kellie Stamps I thought I would pick this set to show one of my favourite ways to use my stamps - use your stamps as journaling prompts!  

For my "Summer To Do" layout I used the stamps as a "to do" prompt.  I wanted to make a list of all the things that we could do this summer, but with a twist.  I created several squares, attached them to a sheet of white cardstock, these will become the mat for each of my photos.  I then stamped several images onto tabs, die cuts and strips of pattern paper then stitched them to my little squares.  By stitching them into place it meant that when we did an item off the list, all I had to do what print off the photo and slide it in under the prompt.  By doing it this way it meant that I could complete the layout then all I had to do was add the photos which was like ticking things off a to do list.

This layout is a "layout in progress".  We have probably done about 2/3 of the prompts so when all the photos are on I will share my completed layout.

This has been such a fun way to document our summer and its also giving us the encouragement to get out there and do some fun.

I also wanted to share another tip:-

Just because a stamp looks a certain way doesn't mean you have to use it that way.  The title of my layout includes the stamped word "summer" which I stamped in one line however the original stamp comes as a two lined image (as shown below).

In one of the photos above you will see the image "summer sunset", again I have stamped it as a one line image, however the original image is a two lined image.

You can just ink part of a stamp using markers or just the edge of your ink pad.

You may have an image that is quite long and narrow, attach your stamp by bending it into a curved line when attaching it to your stamping block.

I have also been known to cut stamps up.

I hope some of these ideas give you some encouragement to get your stamps out and have some fun.

Happy Stamping.

love me  :-)

Kellie Stamps - January Release #3...

When Kellie from Kellie Stamps first designed the "Love your Body" stamp set, she designed it as a clear stamp set only - no digital version.  As you probably know I am doing Project Life digitally this year, so using physical stamps is not an option in the digital world - or is it.

Now I am no expert when it comes to Photoshop, infact most of what I know has purely come about by me playing and doing lots of classes.  When I say classes, I don't necessarily mean "digital scrapbooking" classes.  I have done lots of classes about, photo editing, doodling, water colour paints etc etc and it's while doing these classes that I have learnt little bits and pieces about photoshop and how sometimes, you can turn a physical thing into a digital thing.

(while we are talking about classes here are some that I recommend - Doodle 2 by Brandi Kincaid,  Paint & Pixels by Catherine Saunders, both of these classes gave  basic instruction on how to turn  the physical into the digital)

 I have listed below a very brief (and I mean brief) explanation on  how I added these physical stamps to my digital project life page:-

1. Stamp your image/images onto white cardstock using black ink

2.  You can scan these images however I find it easier to photograph my images.

3.  Edit the images either in photoshop itself or on your phone using your favourite photo editing app.  For this project I used "Colorstory" app.  Your aim here is to make the white as white as can be and the black as black as can be.  

4.  If you have done the editing on your phone you will need to upload it to your computer and open it up in photoshop.

5.  Using the "magic eraser tool" click on the white area somewhere.  You will then notice that you lose the white background and end up with just your black images.  

6.  At this point you can save this is a PNG file so that you can use it again and again.

7.  Now add your image to your digital project.

As you can see, the images are not perfect but I love how they look just like a stamped image - which is what I was going for.  I am so glad I tried this because now the possibilities are endless with what images I can add to my digital projects.

The Love your Body stamp set is now available in digital.

Note: some digital elements used are from Paislee Press and Sahin Designs.

Let me know if you try this and how you went.  If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I will do my best to help.

Have a great week

love me :-)

Kellie Stamps - January release #2...

Thank you for stopping by to check out my second project using new clear stamps from Kellie Stamps.  

I have been using a travellers notebook to document my mantra (OLW) for this year, and I am adding many different things to help me keep on track and to keep working towards "My Fabulous Year" concept.  This new clear stamp set from Kellie Stamps "Love your body" was just what I needed.  It had the perfect words and images to create a mind map, if you like, or brainstorm about the things I need to keep in mind to stay healthy and strong this year.

My main goal this year is to move more/eat well and most of all to Love my Body the way it is now and how it will be along all the stages of my life.  I have been really struggling lately with my body image, shape, size and the fact that i am getting older, really struggling with the getting older thing and that dreaded word menopause!    I have to say that this fun little brainstorm was just that, fun, totally fun, which made me realise that I am getting way too serious about the age thing.  LOL!

... but I have joined the gym and started walking again.  Still need to work on the healthy eating thing because I don't think that a chocolate sundae comes under that category - which is such a shame really because I could eat them all day!

Happy crafting!

Love me :-)

Naughts & Crosses... christmas style

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my next project using the new Kellie Stamps release.

This little project uses a combination of digital and clear stamps and I have to say I am really happy with how it came out.

Naughts and crosses is a childhood memory of mine.  I would play it for hours once I had convinced someone to play along.  Over the years I have made many versions of this game and as soon as I saw the images from the "Merry circle" digital set I knew that I had to make another one.

This is a very simple project and doesn't need much to pull it all together.

I had a calico bag (from an old Studio Calico kit) which I stamped with the "joy" stamp from the "merry Joy" clear stamp set.  I then printed out circled images from the "merry circle" digital set and then punched them out using my circle punch.  I stamped a santa hat on some and a christmas tree (I used a clear stamp here which was from a release last year, however it is now a digital stamp) on the others.  I made a small pad so that you can keep score (stamped with the same images as the circle game pieces).  The pencil is from Ikea - all I needed to do was to sand off the Ikea branding (which came off really easily) and then stamped the pencil so that it all matched.  I finished off my project by adding some red and green M&Ms as little gifts for the winner.

This little project is very quick and easy to put together and small enough to keep in your handbag to keep the little ones happy when you are out or as a fun little stocking filler.

Again, thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment if you have any questions.

Love me :-)

Introducing "Slim Jim"...

Totally love this time of the month!

It's release day over at Kellie Stamps and one of the new clear stamps sets available for pre-order is the "Slim Jim" alphabet stamp.  I am totally in love with this set, totally.

This layout is all about my doodles that I am doing for the #the100dayproject.  I wanted the title to stand out but not overwhelm my page.  This stamp set was just perfect in every way and is so easy to stamp with.  I printed out a bunch of my doodles and stacked them together, then, sewed them to my page like a little flip book.  I used the lines on the patter paper to add my journaling  at the back.

Pattern paper and embellishments are from Felicty Jane - OMG I love their kits.

Be sure to head on over to Kellie stamps to pre-order your stamp set and to check out the other new items being released this month.

Have a great week and happy stamping.

love me :-)

Currently...

When Kellie from Kelly Stamps told me that she was bringing back clear stamps, you could hear me shouting WOOHOO from the top of my lungs.  Don't get me wrong I love the digital stamps but I do miss  stamping and get messy with ink.

This new set AM to PM (avail for pre-order until midnight 19th March 2016 Australian time) is perfect for documenting my here and now.  One of my favourite things to do is to repeatedly stamp in one area to create a place to hold a title.  I have used the stamps to create my background and then used the digital stamp to create a cut in my silhouette.  Having both the physical stamp and digital stamp of the same images just opens up so many more options.  I then typed up my answers, ran it through my printer then stamped the headings.

This layout was so fun and a great way to capture how I am feeling and what I am doing right now.  I may just do one of these every month and just change the pattern paper and embellishments.  It would be great to see what stays the same and what changes.

Happy stamping

love me :-)

Please note:  the AM to PM stamp set is only available on pre-order which has been extended till midnight tonight, 19th March 2016 - Australian Time

all I care about is coffee...

its no secret that I love coffee.  Actually its more than love is more like an obsession.

It's funny though if I think back, I didn't like coffee at all.  I loved the smell of coffee but not the taste.  But I had never had real coffee, only instant coffee (which is no wonder why I didn't like coffee - I still hate instant).  One christmas day my Uncle made an espresso coffee and I couldnt' stop raving about how glorious the smell was. He asked if I wanted a cup.  I laughed at first, but then thought, why not.

... and so begun my addition to coffee.

 I recently ordered some flair buttons from Feed Your Craft and what better way to use them but to do a layout about coffee.  We have an Nespresso Coffee Machine (affectionately called George) and when I need to go and buy new pods you get to have a free coffee.  Its one of the many things I love about my "George" and this layout is all about documenting that little story.

My title was inspired by a wood mount stamp from Kellie Stamps and the cute coffee flair button.

What little story have you documented lately??

love me :-)

Kellies Stamps - August sneek #2...

I have been playing catchup with Project Life and the new stamps from Kellie Stamps are making the job a whole lot of fun.

I used a journal card from Big City Quiet's "Happy Fourth" set then added "yes" which I cut from another journal card from Big City Quiet's "word stamps No 5". I then added stamps from the "seriously" stamp set and used the new alpha stamp set "alpha nut" to add the words "days".  Both these set will be available on the 1st of August for pre-order.

Will be back soon with more sneaky peeks... this is so much fun!!

love me :-)

Kellie stamps - August peek #1...

This is fast becoming my favourite time of the month...

Sneak peek time!!

My first sneak peek is the new alpha set "stand tall" that will be available from 

Kellie Stamps for pre-order in August.

My friend bought me a coffee cup while she was away that what totally perfect for me.  The packaging (which gets me everytime) was the same colour as the cup and had the same wording on it.  Instead of photographing the cup I cut a cup shape out of the box and attached it to a plain white journal card.  Next I added some journalling and a little "doodle" of my friend.  These alpha stamps were the perfect thing to use for my title.

Happy stamping...

love me :-)

Yummy food...

Happy Friday everyone, hope your week has been a good one.  I am finishing up my week by sharing this layout using new Kellie Stamps called "brunch" which will be available for pre-order on the 1st July.

Again I used my stamps to help get me journalling.  I love going out to eat, love it!!  I would do it everyday if I could and this stamp set gave me just the right prompts to journal this little bit about  me.

 For my title I used the "yum" stamped to stamp yum.  I cleaned my stamp and just inked the letter M, stamped onto my cardstock, cleaned my stamp and repeated the last step again to stamp the letter Y.

The word everyday is from the "coffee" stamp set.  The whole stamp reads "everyday I'm hustlin.  I just inked the word "everyday" and stamped onto my layout.  I love how these stamps can be used with previous sets.

Remember stamps don't have to be stamped just as they are.  Be creative and have some fun.

I loved the "nom, nom, nom" stamp and how the same word appears three times but in different fonts.  I wanted to do the same for run, run, run.  The first two were easy because I used Kellie Stamps alpa sets "outline it" (may) and "stand tall" (coming soon) but I didn't have a third one.  But as I went through the stamp images from the "brunch" set I noticed the word run appears in the word brunch.  So I just inked those three letters and stamped onto my layout.

I added some ink splats, sequen stars and a veneer embellishment from Color Cast Designs from her set "foodie"

This has been such a fun week of sneaks for the next release of stamps that will be up for pre-order and July 1st.  I am hoping to share a few more sneaks.

Have a great weekend.

love me :-)

I heart coffee...

So excited to share this layout with you using one of my favourite stamps sets from Kellie Stamps.  Ok, yes I'll admit it - it's my favourite set but how can you help not love this set.

For this layout I wanted to document my love for my Nespresso coffee.  I hand cut a heart out of copy paper and laid it over white cardstock.  I then repeatedly stamped #coffeelover until the whole area was covered.  I also alternated between two different ink colours and "stamped off" to give me different shades of the same colours.

I used the "stand tall" (coming soon) to stamp the word heart and then I cut each letter out then stitched it onto my stamped heart.  I added a veneer letter "I" and a veneer coffee embellishment from Color Cast Designs to complete my layout.

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out an arrow from glitter cardstock.

 To get my little banner of words at the top I partially inked several of stamps and just stamped the word/s that I needed onto pieces of white copy paper.  Cut them out then stitched to may layout.

We are getting close to pre-order (1st July) but I still have a few more sneaks to share.

Be back soon with some sneaks to tempt your taste buds.

Happy stamping

love me :-)