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January 31, 2013

Sweet Girl


I am finally pulling out of a week's dose of flu and sinusitis, ouch!! So I finally felt well enough to scrap again and wanted to try the Prima BAP sketch for January. I used a sweet photo of my youngest Aisling, a Prima mask and some molding paste, fussy cut birds and flowers and lots of Prima bling, wood embellies and a bit of washi tape snuck in there. This is my first time using Rondelle, such beautiful paper!!!

Here is the sketch it was based on:

I would love to enter this as a second entry for the Inkido black and white photo challenge as well!

January 24, 2013

Believe

I'm excited to say this was featured at Berry71Bleu website for the January challenge!


This layout is a very personal one for me...It is about my struggles with my weight and my self confidence and choosing this year to finally break free from the negative images I have of myself and my abilities and soar. The photo behind the birdcage is one my daughter took of me just before I started to work on this layout, and the photo above is a photo of me at a healthier weight and much more content...I can get there again!  I found papercrafting in 2011 and started really focusing on layouts instead of cards this past summer in 2012. I feel I have improved since my start, but am always doubting myself. This year I choose to ignore those feelings of self doubt and continue to follow my heart and find my own style by exploring!

I have done well this first month with my weight loss, but I could still make better choices. I believe I will succeed, but I have to continue to believe in myself. It isn't easy, but in 2013 I am ready to believe in myself!

Here is the gorgeous sketch from Nadia that I used:
I rotated once to the right...

I have used some gorgeous Ruby Rock It Mother Nature papers, lots of fun metal and other embellies from my stash, fussy cut elements, and lovely chipboard lettering... Thanks so much for taking the time to stop and look!

I am entering this into the Once Upon a Sketch challenge, the Berry71Bleu all about me challenge, and the Zeus and Zoe one word challenge.

January 22, 2013

Magical Moments


My friend Jennifer Snyder told me about the Saturday Sketch challenges at Kaisercraft, and I have loved this month's sketches and am going to try to play along when I can! I have a TON of Kaiser papers, stamps, bling,wood embellies...flowers...so many nice things and it is great to be able to use my stash some more!!
This layout is done with Botanical Odyssey papers from the January 2013 Swirlydoos kit, it didn't get a chance to become stash. I also used some die cuts from Sweet Nothings, some paper flowers and some sparklets! The title is also a Kaisercraft rubon...

The sketch I used for this layout is this one:

The photo is of my two daughters, just love the big hugs and the model pose from my oldest...they are holding up pine cones they found, random, but cute!!

January 21, 2013

Shine

I'm excited to say this was featured on the C'est Magnifique blog for the January sketch!!


Here is my entry for this month's C'est Magnifique sketch challenge. I just love doing these with my current kit! Loving all the goodies in this kit yet again, Leslie doesn't disappoint! My youngest girl with a rare smile (she runs away from cameras more often than not!) I just love this photo!

I am also entering this in the CR84FN final color challenge...so sorry I started doing this challenge on the last week it is running!! Have enjoyed the inspiration for a few months now though!

Bless Your Heart

I'm happy to say this won the Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch Challenge 
and Top 3 at Scrap it with a Song!!


I would love to enter this into the Scrap it with a Song for the first time! I have added lyrics from Adele's Rumour Has It: "Bless Your Soul, You have your head in the clouds"!! I put my daughter in her fairy costume up in the gauzy pink clouds flying around with the fairies on the layout! I used lots of Kaisercraft Lakehouse in this and am also entering this in the Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch challenge.

Prima Ballerina

I really enjoyed doing this layout, it is a great photo of my eldest daughter in her ballerina gear a few years back...She is very serious about ballet now and her teacher thinks she could go further, so she is starting to follow a dream of hers to be a professional ballerina! Now, I know it is a hugely competitive thing, and she is young. I have no need for her to be a prima ballerina, I won't be a pushy momma, lol, but if she loves ballet and this is a dream she wants to follow, we will support her! I think she is a graceful dancer but I might be al little biased!! I hope she achieve whatever dream she decides to follow in life!!



I made this layout as part of the Scraps of Darkness Round Robin,basing it off of this layout by Michelle Mc!  I used the Prima Almanac paper from an SOD kit, and Fairy Belle paper from the SOE kit. The door was from a kit as well as the bling and some of the flowers.

This layout is also done for the Prima PPP challenge and the Inkido black and white photo challenge (the butterflies are cut from an Inkido paper in my stash!), and I used twine for the Scrap for Help challenge.

January 15, 2013

Believe - January Reveal for Paper Mixing Bowl


I seem to be trying out a more modern look from time to time, as this and my layout I am finishing up today will attest to...it is fun to try!!

Here is the recipe for January, hope you will come play with us!!


I decided to do a layout about my resolution to lose weight and the word I chose for the year, believe!!  I keep trying to lose weight but give up too easily when tired or frustrated. Having MS and a thankfully minor case at the moment, I know it isn't good to keep eating poorly...I am drinking more water, eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, and trying my best to improve! So far so good, I am down 7 lbs in the first two weeks of the year, yay!!  I journaled 10 things to believe in doing along the edge of my layout: believe I can lose the weight, believe I can swim three times a week, believe I can drink more water, believe....in myself!!

For my utensils I used mists in the background as my wet medium, the paper clip embellie as my metal element, lots of stitching, some Prima black bling swirls and lots of white space!

I hope I can keep up my good habits and my goal is to be at my goal weight by next Christmas! A long road, but I believe I will do it this time!!

January 13, 2013

Us


I still had a few pages of my Scraps of Darkness kit that I loved, so I decided to do a third layout with the kit! I love that white paper that looks like a cable knit sweater, and had fun using the Fancy Pants banners. I asked my eldest daughter Aine what her favorite photo of me was and it was this one, so this layout will go in her album!

I did this layout using a sketch from Sketchabilities, my first go at trying their sketches!


January 12, 2013

Winter Whispers



This layout I did using the gorgeous December kit and sketch from Scraps of Darkness... I am definitely liking clean layouts at the moment...we shall see where my journey takes me, but right now...this is my style I love to work with! Punching, diecutting a little bling, some stamping and lots of flowers!

I would love to enter this in the Bird is the Word challenge for the word WHISPER.

Thanks so much for looking!



January 7, 2013

Sweet Child of Mine

My gorgeous baby girl Aisling was born with hip displasia (clicky hips!). Her hip sockets were shallow and if left untreated she could have had mobility issues as she grew up, instead of being the wild little girl she is now, running around without a care. This sweet photo of her in her brace she wore for her first 4 months reminds me how grateful I am it was caught early and the problem was solved while it cause no major discomfort to her. I enjoyed doing this layout and was actually able to use a few sheets with my December Scraps of Darkness kit too...


I did this layout as part of the CSI Case 53 challenge and used this gorgeous sketch from Scrap Africa.


Here is the Case File for this week:

I used the color scheme. 
Evidence: flower, metal, pleating, texture paste, scallops and fabric
Testimony: Haiku, Scallops on my journalling spot, inspiration words soft, lovely, quiet

January 5, 2013

A few cards

Here is my Friendship themed card for the Cheery Lynn design challenge: the flower and leaves are from the Cheery Lynn collection.

I did this second card for Unscripted Sketches using their sketch 191:



I need to start restocking the local cafe with non seasonal cards!!

January 3, 2013

Snow Much Fun


I did another of Amarylis' sketches and the January challenge over at Scrap That and used up the last of my BoBunny Powder Mountain papers. This is a photo of Aisling and her bestie out playing in the snow a few years back!


January 2, 2013

Snow Girl


Here is my cutie Aisling a few years back with her cute little snow girl she made. We don't often get snow here in Ireland, and never a ton of it, so we had to take advantage and make some mini snow folk! I used my Scraps of Elegance December Kit and the BoBunny Powder Mountain papers in it to make this layout. I had fun trying some deep tearing and distressing and using many chipboards and stickers from the collection. 

I based the layout on the My Creative Sketches December Sketch here:


I have recuperated from my hideous stomach flu and have been trying to clean the house from top to bottom with my renewed energy...what is WRONG with me lol! OK, so I got a few things done...more on cards tomorrow... The girls are enjoying their Christmas break and are off to Harp and Art camp (only in Ireland!) tomorrow for a few hours...I plan to be crafting those few hours!

I have restarted my constant effort to lose weight and am determined to make it this time. I am ready to eat better, be healthier and get slimmer! Wish me luck!