Jolly June is almost over....

I just needed to share with you all the last of the entries (well, I presume they're the last..... but there is still 9 more hours according to my clock to get your entries in.....) to the Jolly June Challenge.

First up is this bright sunshiny layout (one of her first can you believe!!) from Shazza.

Third time lucky from Kelly with this one. It seems once she started she couldn't stop!

Two lovely entries from Mama J. This peary beautiful layout (snicker).

As well as this... (got your sunglasses ready as she says on her blog!)

And last, but certainly not least. Drumroll......... The scrappy debut of Karen B!!!

Edited to Add:
I did just receive a last-minute entry. Way to go Jen... .just in time....! And it's wonderful :-)

Awesome and stunning work girls.
And thanks to everyone who entered the challenge.

I'll be back tomorrow with the winners.
(yes, that's right. She said winnerSSSS)

Kreatorville Week (+1) Day Four

Aaahh February - the month of love.
I could tell there was going to be a lot of soppy, lovey, mushy, romantic layouts coming out of the Kreatorville February kit straight away. For a start, all I had to do was look at the title and embellishment choices.....

I had a heck of a time trying to decide between the cupid, the love birds and the dove!  And the title choices were just as hard. I could easily see myself making a layout with every single one of these :-)

And the papers were just as gorgeous too.

I knew the first thing I would do would be to use my handmade Title and Embellishment. So I quickly got to work and whipped out this:

These were pictures of Munchy meeting Moodle for the first time. Yes, they shook hands!! It's a little hard to see, but can you tell I blinged up my brown cardstock by spraying it with Irridescent Gold Glimmermist? It seemed appropriate! And how much did I love that Sassafras sunbeam paper.... the answer is.... a LOT! In fact, I loved it so much I couldn't waste any of it behind my photos, so I cut out that sqaure, and used it on another layout!

I can't show you the whole layout yet though because it's for an upcoming Guest DT spot (it's not too far away - come back in about a week or so and it should be up!)

And then I used my lovely dove on this layout. The journaling is a quote from The Man when he said "I see the Drool Angel has blessed our child again". Hhhhmmmm...... I guess it's just one of those things - both our daughters were dribblers! So even though this wasn't a 'romantic' layout, the dove still seemed appropriate with the whole angel vibe of the page.

And can I tell you something else that I love about the Kreatorville kits? See those red glitter mini-alphas from Making Memories that I've used on the two layouts above? Never in a million years would I have bought them for myself.... but you know what? I ended up loving them! What I think is great about these kits is that 3/4 of the contents I instantly feel a very close affinity for and know straight away what I'm going to do with it, and the other 1/4 which initially makes me go "ummmmm......" eventually makes me go "ahh hah!" I love that it broadens my horizons, makes me reach beyond my own limitations, extends my creativity.
:-)

And lastly today, this funny layout that is a bit of a mixture of the December kit as well as the February kit. But I love that I was able to recycle the packaging from the Prima bird (in December's kit) and the Jenni Bowlin buttons (from this kit) and use them as stand-alone embellishments! Bonus :-)

Ok.
Time for some exciting news for you all.
I sent Keandra a little email asking about whether the past kits were available, and whether they might be available at a special price (can't hurt to ask!) so guess what she did?
She's offering the November, December, January and February kits for 50% off. Now she hasn't given an exact price but I'm pretty sure that's going to be US$18.75 each. And if you're worried about postage (especially if you don't live in the States) then imagine this..... she can fit all 4 of these kits in one package if you want!!! WHAT A DEAL!

All you need to do is head over to the Kreatorville blog to remind yourself of all the goodies in each kit (or just back-track through my posts over the last couple of days) and then once you've decided on which kits you want, drop Keandra an email on: keandra@kreatorvillekraft.com
and she'll hook you up. Don't forget to mention my name when you order :-)

Leave your comments today to go in the draw for the fabulous prize.

And stay tuned for tomorrows kit.

Kreatorville Week (+1) Day Three

Happy New Year!

At least, that's what I thought to myself when I saw the January kit from Kreatorville Kraft. The papers were full of lovely greens and oranges from some of my all-time favourite manufacturers. And then there was the woodgrain alphabet, and the kraft envelopes. Yummy! And in January Keandra introduced two new staples to the Kreatorville repertoir. That was the die-cut paper (now there's one in every kit...... there was 2 in June's kit!!!) and Buzz and Bloom (go Aussies!) became Kreatorville sponsors so now we're lucky enough to receive some of their products in every kit.

Why don't I just show you what the January kit looked like so you can see for yourself?!!!

And of course, that doesn't include the cardstock or the handmade Titles and Embellishments.

The very first project I did was to put that gorgeous die-cut paper from Pink Paislee to good use!

 Then I very promptly cut up that retro Cosmo Cricket paper and turned it into dimensional flowers. You can see the tutorial I gave on how I did this here. This was another one of my Year in the Chair pages. And yes, I really did fill up that envelope with a heap of journaling.

Ooooh, a masculine layout. I don't do a lot of these so it was a little difficult for me. I stayed very plain and simple, and made it even easier on myself by scraplifting a (digital) page by Karla. The background paper from Basic Grey didn't come in the kit and was something that I've been hoarding for such a time as this :-)

Again for this layout below, these papers didn't come in the kit but I was really just trying to get that Buzz and Bloom acrylic shape onto an appropriate page! I really loved those woodgrain alphas on this page too, not to mention the chipboard arrow, and if you look closely, I've even used one of the Pink Paislee stamps behind my title. Yes, that's right.... we got a whole set of stamps. How cool is that!!

And look - I even whipped out some cards too! I'm really not sure why I don't have more of those Jillibean Soup buttons featured on layouts - I loved them :-)

OK, that's all for January.
Don't forget to leave your comment(s) below to win the awesome Kreatorville prize.
And come back tomorrow for February's kit, you know it's going to be lovely with just a dash or two of romance.

Kreatorville Week (+1) Day Two

Yes, it's going to be Christmas in June today as we celebrate the December kit from Kreatorville Kraft! A totally brilliant seasonal kit, perfect for scrapping all things Christmassy.

But first, let me tell you something special and unique about the Kreatorville kits.

Every single month Keandra gives you a choice of a handmade title and a handmade embellishment! Who else does that??!! Now these aren't something she just quickly scribbles down..... she sells them in her Etsy shop Aptly Titled (which you really should go and check out - you can even order your own customised bobble-head!! how cool!). But subscribers get two of them for 'free' every month in the kit - and you get to choose what suits you! They are totally brilliant and add a fantastic handmade look to your layouts. People will think you've slaved over the finer details for hours :-)
These were the embellishment choices for December:

In fact, it was seeing this amazing Reindeer that cinched the deal for me. I immediately emailed Keandra and asked her to sign me up as a subscriber, and while she was at it could she please turn back time and sign me up starting with the November kit (see yesterday's post for why I said that!)

And once I got my beautiful reindeer I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. It became the focal point of my Christmas album cover and looked absolutely PERFECT!

I have to admit, this mini-album is the one time I have matched the kit contents up with lots of other paper and embellishments. But that's only because I was on a quest to scrap as many of my Christmas papers as possible (since they're generally so hard to use at any other time of year). If you're curious you can see the inside pages of this album here.

And here's my December kit title put to good use too (although the rest of this layout isn't actually made with kit contents - sorry). The photos don't do these justice - they have a subtle glimmer to them that just screams Christmas!

Here's one layout that is made entirely from kit contents......

Yes, we got amazing Prima flowers! And yes, we got luscious velvet ribbon! And Shimmerz spritz! And perfect papers and cardstock for scrapping Christmas photos without it looking too overly 'themed'.

Compared to the November kit I haven't done a lot with it I'm afraid, but you know what Christmas is like.... who has time for scrapping?! 

So instead let's talk about that prize!

There's a few things here, but it includes at least one thing from each of the 8 Kreatorville kits. Let me break it down for you.

1. Woodgrain Dymo tape from the November kit
2. 3 x chipboard snowflakes from the December kit
3. 2 x Buzz and Bloom chipboard arrows from the January kit
4. The Aptly Title "Renew" from the January kit (how I haven't used it already I'll never know!)
5. I really struggled to find anything left over from the February kit apart from some scraps of paper, so I've punched a whole bunch of shapes from a few of them (a bit of a cop-out I know!)
6. A yard of green silk leaf trim from the March kit
7. 1 x Buzz and Bloom chipboard diva (I thought at first glance this was from the April kit, but it's actually from the May kit - so apparently I don't have something from every kit..... sorry)
8. A complete set of Sassafras Lass chipboard alphas from the May kit
9. An un-opened bottle of Shimmerz Spritz in Olive leaf from the June kit

I'll remind you how to win it.....
Leave me a comment on this post, and on any (or all) of the Kreatorville Week (+1) posts that are coming up. That gives you 8 chances to win.
Next, if you are a follower of the Kreatorville blog (go and sign up now if you like) you can leave another comment on this post (and every other post coming up). That gives you 16 chances to win!!

Get ready for the January kit tomorrow :-)

Kreatorville Week (+1) Day One

I'm so excited about this!
I've officially declared this week "Kreatorville Week" (except it's actually going to be running for 8 days, so it's really Kreatorville Week +1), and I plan to show you how awesome these kits are, and how wonderful being a subscriber is  :-)

Every day for the next 8 days I'm going to share with you each kit in turn, and the projects I've made with them. I've very rarely ever had to mix other products into the kits to make a layout, as I've always had everything I need to make lots of pages. So everything you're about to see is nearly always 100% kit products. And as far as I know most of the old kits are still available for you to purchase, so you can get yourself a piece of the action! You can browse all the past kits here.

And of course, there is going to be an amazing Kreatorville prize for you to win too. More on that later. And perhaps a special guest (or two).

But first. An anti-disclaimer:

Keandra is not paying me, bribing me, coercing me, or sponsoring me in any way. I'm not part of her Design Team (I wish!!!) and I don't get a commission from the kits! She didn't donate the prize, that's from me. I'm doing this because I just love her kits. Plain and Simple.

Ok, now that's out of the way let's get on with the show.

Let's start at the very beginning with the November kit. This was the very first kit, and is still my all-time absolute favourite. And you're about to see why. It's filled with some delicious Cosmo Cricket and Jillibean Soup and if you count how many projects I made with it you're going to understand how much I loved it.

I'm a bit partial to this layout for two reasons. One - it was the first layout I did with banners/bunting/whatever you want to call it, and so began my obsession! And secondly, it was the very first layout I ever had picked up for publishing.

This layout (which features both the handmade title and embellishment that came in the kit, plus all four of the Prima pebbles..... talk about extravagant!) became my first Guest DT submission for Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenges.

And this one became my first DT submission for Dotty Divas (unfortunately Dotty Divas no longer exists).

I also managed to get two layouts done for the Year in the Chair album.....

This one for Moodle's December photo (yes, I know it says January, but that was before I realised I had included the wrong photo. Obviously this layout no longer exists in this form any more. It's kinda destroyed in fact *lol*)

And this one from the January photo-shoot.

This is a more recent layout I did for a sketch challenge on the Cosmo Cricket blog.

And lastly, even a couple of other projects.
A quick card I did just the other day.

And one version of the Tree Incarnations.

Phew!!! That's it. Unless you include this layout where I used all the left-over alphas as a photo mat......

Ok Ok Ok, enough already!! And don't worry. I haven't made this many layouts and projects for any of the other kits (yet!) so they won't all be this long.

But I will leave you with a photo of the giveaway prize.

This little parcel of goodness is actually filled with genuine Kreatorville Kraft kit products. I've managed to put together this prize with at least one article from each of the 8 kits. I'll go through them all properly tomorrow (since this is already getting ridiculously long), but this is what you'll win.

Now, the way you win it is like this.......

Leave me a comment on this post, and on any (or all) of the Kreatorville Week (+1) posts that are coming up. That gives you 8 chances to win. Tell me what you liked about this kit, tell me what you think of the layouts, tell me something fantastic about your day. I don't mind!

Next, if you are a follower of the Kreatorville blog (go and sign up now if you like) you can leave another comment on this post (and every other post coming up). That gives you 16 chances to win!!

Ok, that's it for now. I promise!
Come back tomorrow for the December kit.

I'm dreaming....

certainly not of a white Christmas, but more like sunny days, warm weather, trips to the beach, going barefoot, sunscreen and big hats.

Even though it's winter here, we had a reasonably nice (cold, but sunny) day the other weekend. So all 4 of us had a day at the park. It got us all outside, and Munchy had a ball on all the play equipment.

I cracked out the Hipstamatic on the i-phone for the first time (ever since I was inspired by Shimelle's blog post to try it out) and so I also had a fantastic time following all of my family around snapping photos with my phone. It was experiment time as I had to try out all the different variations that come with the application.

This is my favourite shot out of the many many MANY I took that day. I love the way the sun is making her (uncontrollably messy) hair glow golden, and the way she's turning around to tell me to stop taking photos while she's trying to play.

You'll be seeing this photo on a layout very soon I'm sure!

Some more super fantastic and jolly entries

It seems the end-of-the-month rush is happening and I've been receiving quite a few new entries into the Jolly June Yellow Challenge! I'm so stoked... check these out.......

A lovely soft and juicy card from Jen. Loving the cherries - they definitely remind me of summer!

This bright and funky layout from Judy. It's a brave woman who attempts the 6x12" I think! And this is awesome!

Another super-summery entry from Kelly. Hey - there's no reason why you can't enter more than once!

This dreamy and gentle (not to mention beautiful) card from Deb.

And this bold and fresh layout by Adrienne. I'm totally digging those misted clouds!

Great work everyone, and the best of luck to all who have entered so far.  There's still 4 more days left to get any last-minute entries in to me. See all the details here.

And stay tuned because starting tomorrow I've got a week-long extravaganza coming your way. It's so exciting I can hardly wait. And yes......

there will be a giveaway!

These are a few of my favourite things

So now that I've got my Studio Calico kit in my hands, you think I'd be crafting up a storm hey?
Well I am!

Although I must admit, most of my energy has been focused on some other crafty adventures. There's something exciting brewing for next week I tell you - and you won't want to miss out!

But in the meantime, here is the layout that I created that very first night I got my kit. It packs a punch in the colour department doesn't it? And it's actually another perfect example for my Jolly June Challenge (not that that's what I was thinking).

I've used some of my favourite techniques here. You may have noticed them time after time in my layouts. And that's misting and masking, and most especially sewing. Lately I can't seem to finish a layout without pulling out the sewing machine. Of course, it surely helps having a brand-spanking new machine with lots of lovely features :-)

And I've also used some of my favourite products from the kit (and add-on) such as those Making Memories metal flowers, the washi tape, and the Buzz and Bloom clouds. Not to mention the Studio Calico stamp, the K&Co alphas and the Basic Grey kraft border stickers. And then there's the yummy papers, the Jenni Bowlin buttons and the October Afternoon label stickers.

Hhhmmmm, did I just mention every single thing on this page?

How about drawing your attention to the cute photo of my daughter lying in the grass?

:-)

Can you believe it?

I just received not one, or two .... but three gorgeous entries into the Jolly June Challenge in the last 24hours!

This super-cute digital layout by Jane:

This arty-licious layout from Irit:

And this lovely (De-lovely that is) card from Chloe:

Thanks so much girls for playing along.

And for the rest of you, there is still a week to get your yellow creations into me. Show me something new, something old... I don't care! As long as there is yellow in it!

See all the details here.

Things I am happy about

1. Meeting up with a new scrappy friend for the first time yesterday. So awesome! Not to mention she delivered into my hands my very first Studio Calico kit. And yes, I have already made a layout. More on that later :-)

2. The Pink Ninja Addict's blog hop is on again, and it features on of my scrappy idols Debee Campos (see my post below for more Debee love)

3. Birgit Koopsen's paper range is out and it's fabulous. Revolution.com is full of bright and summery blues and oranges and looks amazing. Go and visit her blog and not only be filled with inspiration but have the chance to get your hands on this collection.

4. The chance to win a Silhouette at Oh, Hello Friend

5. Happy mail landing on my doorstep today, all the way from France. Thanks Leila :-) And if you swing by her blog, check out how you might win the next kit she's giving away.

6. Other exciting and mysterious things are happening around here, but I can't share them yet! All I can say is that there will be some Guest DT spots for some amazing shops and clubs and blogs that I'll be filling in the next couple of months. I can't wait!!!

7. Not too much longer to go on my Jolly June Yellow Challenge. You better jump in soon if you want the chance to win some scrappy goodies. Here's another one of my older layouts featuring some yummy yellow Crate Paper to prompt you!