Where is home?

The Merly Impressions October Challenge is about what home means to me.  Home means many things and I've previously scrapped about my childhood homes.  I still plan to scrap about my current home but I'm waiting for it to be finished; it's currently evolving and is a work in progress.

http://www.merlyimpressions.co.uk/blog/project-portfolio/scrapbooking/merly-impressions-october-challenge/

 

So I scrapped about my second home in Australia.  I am not fortunate enough to have two properties across the world but I have my very best friend who lives far too far away in Australia.  Whenever I visit her I am astounded at how 'at home' I feel.  I am as much at home in her house as I am in my own and I am so thankful that her family accept me.  I can stay up late, I can lie in late, I can make my own drinks and cook meals and most importantly she shares her scrap stash with me (that's true friendship!)

I even enjoy chores in her house and work my way through piles of ironing and actually love hanging out the washing.  For some-one who claims to hate house-work it is a wonder that I love doing the laundry.  It seems strange to scrap about chores, but the simple act of hanging out washing brings us together across the miles. My second home, my second family ... I love them and miss them!

 

My journaling reads: I love my second home with Sue, Jim and the boys. Even the chores are a pleasure. I love to peg out the washing knowing that it will be dry in 2 hours. I love the shoes by the door. Mine, Sue's? It doesn't matter, just slip a pair on and out you go.  I always think of you when I'm pegging out laundry.  You are with me around the world under a different sky.





Feeling Blue

Looking at the latest CSI challenge I wanted to go with the 'feeling blue' theme and had some ideas, but some-how it didn't come together.  I needed to use a photo that I actually had in the house ... and that led to our new Grandson; which then led to blue for boys.  After 18 months of pink for girls it had to be blue for boys. 

That led to gathering supplies that fitted the colour palette demanded by CSI:

 

www.colorstoriesinspiration.ning.com

 

I searched my stash and laid out everything I thought might fit:

 

 

It's funny how things come together and my predominant colour turned out to be brown, thanks to Kaisercraft Praire Lane collection.  I needed to sneak in a little grey so made a heart which evolved into the title.  Not a strikingly clear title but it will suit.  Moments - the moment that we met our first Grandson Mason.

 

 

For the evidence I used flowers which I made from felt, I tied ribbon through a metal key and metal buckle.  Not sure if inks count as paint but in my world they do!  I did distress the edge of the patterned paper but it isn't very noticeable.  I wanted to tear something but am a bit of a tidy freak who struggles with tearing.  I did recycle though and used the off cuts from my border punch as an extra trim in top left and bottom right corner.

 

The journaling described the details in the photo, and is partially hidden on the tag:

Meeting Mason for the first time: my adoring gaze absorbing every detail. Beautiful lips, tiny fingers and sculptured nails.  Perfect in every way.  Our first Grandson wrapped in the blanket I knitted, wrapped in our love.

 

The rub ons add more detail and the small photo captures the magic of a newborn baby.

 

Scrapbooking gives me the opportunity to record the special moments that a photograph only glimpses.







 







 

Once Upon a Time

I have been thinking about the combined challenge with CSI and Scrap 365 for over 3 weeks and it has taken this long to come together.  Although I knew what photo and theme I wanted to use I struggled with the colour palette. 

 

www.csicolorstoriesinspiration.ning.com

 

Searching my stash I came across the beautiful Websters paper and then decided it all had to fit together.

 

 

A photo of my gorgeous twin granddaughters was a must and from there I cut circles from a book page and added a little sheen from pearlised mist. I used some Kaisercraft bird rub-on and a bird / heart sticker.  I used a chicken wire stencil with chalk for a little extra texture; and also added chalk to colour the tag that was also made from a book page and contained my journaling: 'When I realised I'd never have children of my own I was devastated, but God heard my heart cry and he blessed me with double the joy'.  I thank my step daughter for this wonderful gift.

 

 

I love the Kaisercraft roses and they add to the soft magic of the layout.  Who needs fairies at the bottom of the garden when you can have these beautiful creatures?





Blooming as a Scrapper

I have shared my layouts on blog challenges and with my friends on Facebook and of course in huge albums at home!  However this blog will now serve as an up-to-date record of my creations (not necessarily creativity!)  I enjoy looking at other scrappy stuff and hope that others may gain something from seeing my attempts ... even if it's a demonstration of what not to do.  I may branch out into cards and beyond the page projects but at heart I am a scrapper.  I do not have my own style and am often astounded that I manage to create anything.  As a basically messy person in life I am constantly surprised that I am naturally drawn to scrap in straight lines.  I devour other sources of inspiration in magazines, blogs and crafting sites and make repeated attempts to try new styles and techniques, and to get away from straight lines.

 

Before starting with all my new creations I am posting a few layouts that I have previously enjoyed making and which say a little about who I am.

 

 

Life makes us who we are and from my childhood to the present day I am proud to be the person that I have become.  Thank you to all my friends and family who have contributed to that process and to those that do not understand me I say that it takes all types to make the world go round.

 

 

Even bad photos can be scrapped and this was really outside my comfort zone, I don't like really bold colours and rarely stamp but this old photo of my Mummy who died shortly after the photo was taken is very special in reminding me of happy memories.  Even if it doesn't 'win' in competitions it is a winner to me and that's what scrapping is about.

 

 

So many important things in life and for me the love of books was engendered in my childhood.  I have never kept a record of the books that I read in a year until last year when I was astounded to realise that I had read 24 books. This year has been fewer ... perhaps due to the amount of scrapping I've done and also to the arrival of three grandchildren.  I am still growing and changing and hope that this blog helps the process.

 





 

Branching Out

My next discovery was the enormous community of CSI.  They provide a wealth of inspiration and techniques and are so  supportive of each other. www.csicolorstoriesinspiration.ning.com

If I thought that a monthly challenge was demanding, my life was set to change when I found a weekly challenge!  I started out with drive and enthusiasm but could not maintain the momentum.  However I learned from watching others, and decided to mix both challenges and this proved sooo rewarding that I won the September Challenge with www.merlyimpressions.co.uk.  Now I have a second badge to display ... just as well I've created this blog!

I can't believe my luck and the buzz that it gave me.  To play with paper and pretty things and to be rewarded is too good to be true.  The photos of my granddaughter sleeping on my lap are a reminder of the special time that we spent and now it's extra special because it is immortalised. I even moved out of my comfort zone by using pearlised spritzing mists and inks.

 

 

The journaling reads: At 6 weeks old you spent 2 hours asleep on my lap. You fitted so well and I loved to watch you.  It was fantastic to have that special time with you.  Who knows what the future will hold for you ... But I will always treasure the time you spent on Nanna's Lap!

 

This was for CSI challenge # 89, and for Merly Impressions the challenge was to use no 6x4 photos. 

 

 

Germ of Creation

The driving force to start my blog was to enter the challenges on www.merlyimpressions.co.uk  so I thought that my first entries should be to celebrate their inspiration and my recent entries.  I entered the June challenge with a collage of photos showing my godson playing in the garden.  He is obsessed with construction vehicles and can name them all ... most of which I'd never even heard of.

 

To show how many vehicles he can name I jotted them all around the layout and detailed the fun that he had on a hidden journaling tab to pull out:

 

 

And I'm thrilled that this earned me my first Top Act Award and I'm proud to display my badge

 

Virgin entry

After months of debating whether I wanted to create a blog I have finally taken the plunge ... with the help of my sister. I'm not sure that anyone will want to look but at least I now have a venue to post my scrap layouts for challenges.  I'm not that great with technology so there will be many hiccups, but here goes ...