New tools, old tools or a little bit of both???

I've had some fun this week rediscovering some old scrapping tools and techniques I had long forgotten and playing with some new tools recently acquired - isn't that half the fun of scrapbooking???

The forum over at the Dimensional Details class at Big Picture Classes with Nic Howard has been full of chatter about the good old Crimper.  Come on I'm sure every scrapbooker who has been around for a while has one hidden in the back of the cupboard or drawer? you know the thing that you used to feed cardstock or paper through to create a corrugated finish?  Mine had been relegated to a box which had not seen light of day for quite some years.  I fished it out, eager to join in the fun but alas - mine has died no longer giving an even corrugation across the paper :(  I went looking for a replacement but to date have had no success at all - any links or directions to a local one would be appreciated.  Funny how something you had long forgotten has now become a must have item isn't it......

Another such item was a spritzing tool I bought years ago to use with water colour markers.  Recently a friend returned from the Craft Fair raving about such a tool which Tim Holtz was using with his new distress markers.  I have searched high and low but alas - I obviously threw it out in a no longer used purged box at one stage.  Thankfully, said friend found me a replacement so I can again play with this tool with my new Tim Holtz Distress markers (thank you Michele xxx).  My little one had fun creating a layout with it featuring her friends on a recent playdate - simple, easy and no room covered in dye!

When I first started scrapbooking I would spend hours with a craft knife handcutting titles which I had printed in reverse on my computer.  This week, thanks to a reminder nudge from Nic Howard, I again took to this technique for the title of my latest layout - Colours of the Wind

A play with a new stamp from Kaisercraft (the branch) and my new Tim Holtz Distress Markers and of course some flowers (thanks Prima) and the job was almost done.

Again back to my box of old tricks and out came some Ribbon Stiff - thank goodness this stuff keeps for a while as I think my jar has been going for about 3 years and I regularly forget all about it.  Simply paint onto ribbon - wind around a pencil - paint the reverse side and leave to dry.  Unwind from the pencil and you have instant curly grossgrain ribbon :)

Well off to see what else I can discover hidden in the boxes under the bench in my scraproom.  Thanks for stopping by and hope this might inspire some of you to go on a search for those long forgotten tools or techniques too!

Celebrate!!!

June and July are busy months in our family calendar for birthdays.  My brother-in-law celebrated a "big" birthday this year along with the others we jam into these couple of months.  We headed to a local restaurant to celebrate 2 of the birthdays which fell into the same week and thanks to a lesson from Nic Howard in her Dimensional Details class with Big Picture Classes this was the resulting layout

The scan cut the black border on the left hand side off but you get the drift.  Really enjoying Nic's class as always and knocking out far more layouts than I normally would in a week which is exciting.

Now I've just received the new range of embossing folders from Couture Creations so I'm off to the scrap room to play cards :)  Have a couple of Christmas card workshops to devise - wish me luck  and thanks for stopping by xxxx

When all links lead you somewhere it's time to follow

As I browsed the net this week seeking inspiration for my next scrapbook layout I was presented with the same idea from two of my favourite scrapbookers!  As many of you are aware - I am currently taking Nic Howard's Dimensional Details class over at  Big Picture Classes and one of the lessons Nic has presented was using up old alphas to create a background.

Strolling through the various blogs on my reading list and I found Tiff Sawyer demonstrating the same idea.

I figured that obviously it was time I gave this a try as well.

Thanks Nic for the page design - taken from the Dimensional Details class - here is my version!

Dragging out those old punches!

I completed a fabulous class today designed by Nic Howard for Aussie Scrap Source.  Nic's layout was created as a page for a calendar but mine is a scrapbook layout about my little girl lazing on the beach in Cairns during our holiday last year to visit my little brother and his family.

Love pulling out my basic tools (which I don't do often enough) and finding a new way to use them!  The dimensional circle border which runs portrait style down the page is made from 2 different sized circle punches.  So simple and ever so clever!  Thanks Nic.

Because I enjoyed the technique so much I decided to apply it to a simple masculine card as well

Hope you enjoy these as much as I have enjoyed making them - thanks for stopping by!

Back to the classroom

Whilst school classes were sometimes a bit of a bore - there is nothing I enjoy more these days than being back in the classroom - this time however, it is online and it's scrapbooking!  I'm currently signed up for a 12 week course with the talented Nic Howard who is teaching a Dimensional Details class over at Big Picture Classes - www.bigpictureclasses.com.

One of the things I love about taking part in an online workshop such as this is that it makes me scrap regularly.  Although there is never pressure to "keep up" - it does motivate you to at least attempt to complete each of the week's assignments and get scrapping!  and the talent of the others scrappers from around the world sharing their work is inspirational to the scrapping mojo as well.

Here is a layout I've just created for class where we were working on using ink to shade behind the photos.  I love the soft look it gives instead of a photo mat.  Throw in some sanded edges, layered patterned paper strip and build it all up with the embellishments cluster and there we are.  I'm back in the habit of using baker's twine again too I've noticed - enjoying the movement it gives a page as a finishing touch.  As always the journalling has to be included - this time it's hidden in a little pull out pocket behind the central photo.

Thanks for stopping by - hope you enjoy!