Sunday 29 June 2014

Travel with a twist layout - 12 X 12 using the May Scraptastic Kit

Well hello there and happy Sunday to you all !  Summer has definitely arrived here in Southern Quebec - it did keep us waiting a little this year, but it is here in full force now - it is about 30 deg C today, with bright sunshine.  Unfortunately, when it gets hot here, it also tends to get muggy - but oh well, it is such a short season, I won't complain !!

I thought I would pop in today with the 8th layout I did with the May Daylight kit from Scraptastic.  I have almost killed the kit I think LOL.  I will get one more layout in for sure, with scraps and bits of die cuts, but that is probably it.  But I really, really (did I say really?) enjoyed my first kit and am so happy I subscribed.  I am certainly scrapping more and spending less time choosing product.

So now... this layout gave me trouble.  I love the end result but it is nowhere close to the idea I had in my head when I started.  It all started with a layout my friend Roni did (Ronisuescrapper on You Tube - check her out, she does great layouts).  It was a grid type layout and I really find that I am loving them lately.  It seemed perfect timing to also do a grid type layout since I was starting to get into the scraps with my kit.  So I cut a few 3 X 4 cards out of the scraps with the intention of making 6 mini layouts on a cardstock background.  But then I got side-tracked by one of Nicole Jones layouts where she cuts up scraps and glues them to the page to create a background .... so, well here is the background piece I made : 


Now the photo I had selected for this layout was a 4 X 6 but once it was matted on a piece of  yellow-gold cardstock, I just couldn't find placement for it  on this background - no matter which way I turned the photo, or the background LOL.  So  off I went to get a series of small photos I had printed (mainly 2 X 2, or a little larger) from one of the Will Craft for Supplies Day in the Life days that I had participated in.  Well, the colours were all wrong - so that didn't work either.  So I had to change my idea completely.  I found three 4 X 6 photos that worked wonderfully with this background, so I cut them down into smaller pieces and made 5 photo blocks with them.  Here is the resultant layout :


Would you call that grid style ?  PL style?  Collage style?  I don't really know what to call it but in the end I actually like it LOL.

So, on to why I call this "Travel with a Twist" ...

The story behind this page:  My l'il sister and best BIL love travelling as much as I do and three years before I embarked on my one-year backpacking trip to Europe, they went on a 15 month sailing trip!  They took a sabbatical, sold the house and off they went.  They bought a small (really small for that kind of trip) sailboat - a 26 ft Tanzer (BTW, my BIL is 6 foot 5 LOL) and left from Valleyfield here in Quebec, did the intercoastal for part of the way through the States - went to Florida and then crossed to the Bahamas where they spent their 40th birthdays (that was in 2002).  In 2012, when they were turning 50, I asked them what kind of party they wanted.  They asked for a virtual return trip to the Bahamas.  So that is what we did - a full menu of Bahamian food (sweet potato salad, pigeon peas and rice, particular Caribbean coleslaw, tomato dip, Bahama Mamas of course), I decorated the house in Bahamian colours of turquoise and yellow, we had to wear those colours as well, played Bahamian music, I made little party favours .... the whole nine yards!!  We had a wonderul day and they were so happy.  Part of their present included a scrapbook layout of photos from when they were in the Bahamas.

Oh my, I do go on, and on, and on.  If you are still reading, my gosh thanks so much!!  I will be back during the week, with my last layout and a sort of kill the kit blog post.  I hope you have a wonderful Sunday and a great start to the week.  I must just take a minute to thank you all for the sweet comments.  You Tube, our Facebook groups and this blogging world are just amazing - well actually I think it is the Scrapbooking community that is just amazing.  I have made so many lovely friends here - thank-you so so much.

Hugs xoxo   

Sunday 22 June 2014

Scrapping some more of my "passions" with the Daylight Kit from Scraptastic

Happy Sunday to all !  What a glorious day here.  The sun is shining; it is lovely and warm, but not hot and muggy ... so all in all a YAY day.  I spent a lot of time outdoors yesterday so today will be more of an indoor day, but with all the windows open and the occasional few minutes sitting outside to take full advantage :)  Hope you have, or are having, a wonderful day!

I wanted to pop in today to share my 6th and 7th layouts using my augmented May Scraptastic Kit.  This time we are moving away from travel layouts for just a bit to focus on a couple of my other passions - my animals and the garden !!

The first layout is of my cat Chopin, relaxing and snoozing on my craft table.  It is one of his favourite spots.  There are two warm and bright lights above my table; and he seems to think that it is a kitty spa, or tanning salon LOL.  It also keeps him close in the event that any fun strips of paper fly of the paper trimmer, or any flowers, flair, wood veneer or buttons become all of a sudden within chasing and playing distance :) :).  You will also notice that is head is resting on the trimmer.  He loves to sleep with his head slightly elevated - at night my legs seem to be the perfect pillow.


I really like this layout, except for the misting that I decided to add at the last minute.  I should have left well enough along (sigh)... Because of the colour of the cardstock and the mist I used, it just looks dirty and stained.... oh well !

The next layout is going to be the final page in my 2013 garden album; the transition page to this year's !  I love spending time in the garden and once the chores (weeding, harvesting, transforming ....) are done, I love just sitting and gazing out at the view. It is so peaceful and relaxing.  This year I will have a little over 3 weeks there, from mid July to the 7th or 8th of August. 


So that's it for me today - I am working on another layout using some of the patterned paper scraps.  I am cutting them up in blocks a la Nicole Jones, or grid style, to create a background and then... well I have a couple of ideas.  I'll be sure to come back and show you the result.  There are a few cards in the making as well.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful, restful Sunday.  Hugs xo

Sunday 15 June 2014

Two "throwback" 12 X 12 layouts using the Scraptastic Daylight Kit :)

Good morning and happy Sunday !  Happy Father's day to all the wonderful fathers out there, particularly to those who encourage their wives'  and children's scrappy passion LOL.

Sorry that I missed a couple of weeks on here; last weekend we finally got the garden planted.  It was a long, painful (my muscles are still groaning a bit) but glorious weekend.
The garden is a joint effort between myself, my l'il sister and best BIL.  My l'il sister hates gardening and working outside, although she loves the fruit of the labour so the agreement we have is that my BIL and I do all the "hard labour" and she waters and feeds us all weekend.  We can ask for all sorts of special treats and she will make them.  We had scones for one breakfast, the best Indian food for dinner one night, a couple of great cocktails after the days were done and yummy lemonade and iced tea during the days.  Ahhh!  Lots of photos were taken and lots of pages to come.

Now on to the two pages I made this week.  They are of course made with my augmented Scraptastic Daylight kit.  I am really loving the kit idea.  I pull product so much faster as it is  half assembled already.  So I spend a lot more of my free time just scrapping. Yay!!

Both pages are from the mid-90's, and both are in Spain but they are not really travelled related, rather people and friend related :

Here is the first that I posted on my Instagram as this week's Throwback Thursday (btw if you want to follow me on Instagram, I am "mooreilly") :


The background paper I used here has to be one of my favourites from the kit :)

The story:  this photo was taken in the autumn of 1994 and is of me pretending to drive my friend's motorcycle.  We had used his motorcycle as transportation during the week because the traffic was even more horrendous than usual  (it was quite hilarious to see me on the back of a motorcycle in suit, heels and with a briefcase LOL - the second layout of this two page spread is to come).  So after a relaxed dinner one evening, I just hopped on the bike, made motorcycle noises (so mature!) and Pedro snapped the picture.  Can you believe that I still own that sweater, that I still wear it regularly and it is still one of my favourites.  Hmmm, should I even admit to that; should I be proud or ashamed LOL?  Proud I say!

The second photo was taken a few months later - in the Spring of 1995 :


There seems to be a little glare on that photo, sorry !.  The title came from the "smile" die-cut and the Ampersand wood veneer.  I put the background down and wanted the photo in the lower right-hand corner.  The photo is of myself and great friends all with goofy smiles ... so I just put the die-cut there above.  Then thought, OK now that has to be part of the title.  Next came the ampersand wood veneer and the rest just fell into place :)

The story:  The travelling I did in those days was mainly for business, I was in the aircraft industry for many years.  That is certainly what gave me the travel bug, particularly since during business trips, I rarely could do any sightseeing or touristy things.  This was a fun exception.  We had worked very hard for three solid weeks in Madrid and Albacete, Spain.  Finally, we decided that we deserved a weekend off.  So we flew to Sevilla for a weekend and arrived just in time for the Good Friday night procession.  What fun (a page will come for that).  This photo is just the story of how I made such wonderful friends, that I still have to this day through my job at the time!  We are just relaxing with a drink after a morning of exploring the city !

So there we have it for this week.  I will be back soon.  I have a few posts already ready in my head LOL.  In the meantime, have a lovely Sunday, spending time with your father if you are lucky enough to still have him around, and/or with your sons and grandsons.  I hope the sun is shining wherever you are :)  Hugs xoxo