Scrap Weekly in 2010: Yellow

This week's Challenge on Scrap Weekly in 2010 is to use yellow on your layout. Yellow is my least favourite colour and I cannot remember ever using it on any of my pages. So this week's challenge was harder for me than usual.

I dug out a really old K&Co daisy paper from my scrap box and teamed it with a newer brown one and an orange dot from manufacturer unknown. As I was planning my layout, I heard on TV a quotation that I thought I could use sometime, so I scribbled it down on scrap paper. Then I realised it might work for the page I was making. I debated writing out the quote neatly or printing it on my computer, but in the end I decided to use it as it was, as it seemed to fit the doodled theme.

I also used a Martha Stewart butterfly punch and yellow ribbon from American Crafts.

The page will be going to Jenni and Tom along with a 12x12 wall holder so that Jenni can display it in their new flat when they move in. As she is also a Scrapper, she will be able to change the layout on show whenever she wants.

After doing this challenge I realise that yellow is still my least favourite colour!

Living Here

Today I made a layout with some of yesterday's photos. My visit to Hove Seafront made me think about living where I do, and my journaling reflects my thoughts about this city. We've lived here 16 years now and my daughters do not remember very much about Aylesbury where they were born.
Aylesbury was very flat, with little to do unless you drove somewhere else, like the Cotswolds.
In contrast, Brighton and Hove City has something happening all year round, has a Metropolitan atmosphere..... and of course... it's by the sea (or rather the English Channel!) and the chalk cliffs of the South Downs.

I kept the colours on my page to white, blue and green and managed to use up scraps from my scrapbox. A Martha Stewart border punch and Papermania alphabet stamps were also used to make this simple layout.

I will link my layout to the Scrapbook Challenges Blog, the first time I've entered one of their Challenges. They have lots of sketches and challenges every month, all entries are due before the month end, and you can enter as many as you like. Go on over, take a look around.

A Confession and White Space

Firstly, I have a confession to make. I've failed on my pledge not to buy more Stash this year. I couldn't resist the Martha Stewart punches on QVC the other week and bought one set. So, that out of the way, here's my layout for this week's challenge on Scrap Weekly in 2010  The challenge is to use lots of 'white space' on a page. The photo's not that brilliant due to the poor light in the house. It has been raining non-stop all day here in Sussex and a few local areas have flooding.

I've said before that I'm not a fan of 'white space'.  I tend to use more than one photo and lots of papers or embellishments to fill a 12x12 layout. However, I'm fairly happy with this attempt.

White space doesn't have to be white but I've taken the challenge quite literally and used white cardstock for the background. I used My Mind's Eye 'Pretty Please' papers, my new punches and Papermania alphabet stamps, with some doodling and journaling in black ink.

These photos of Summer 1999 make me long for warmer weather and an end to the rain and snow!

Getting Ahead

I often try to get ahead with card-making. I've made Christmas cards in July, sometimes straight after Christmas! And I just hate to be caught out and have to make a card in a hurry for someone's birthday. I need time to come up with an idea that's personal to the recipient or in a style they will appreciate.

So what's next on my calendar for getting ahead? Valentine's Day of course!

Am I really going to be sending two Valentine's cards this year?? Does Hubby know about this? No and no.

One card is for me to give to Hubby and the other is for my eldest daughter to give to her boyfriend.

So which one's for Hubby? Would you believe the frilly one? I know no other man who likes flowers and frills as much as my dear husband. He often gives me a bunch of flowers and then proceeds to arrange them in a vase and centre them on the table - you see he's actually buying them for himself but pretends they're for me.

I stamped the card background myself with Tim Holtz distress inks (Faded Lipstick and Shabby Shutters)and a small heart stamp, then sprayed with two colours of Glimmer Mists to get a sparkly finish, which doesn't show very well on the photo. The large hearts are cut from My Mind's Eye paper and backed with cream card. The sentiment stamp is from Graphicus and I also used some American Crafts ribbon.

I just love the effects you can create with the new punches from Martha Stewart, but with my self-imposed ban on buying new stash, I had to dig out my Fiskars border punch instead to make the frilly border.

Maybe I should have made three Valentine cards as my younger daughter has a new boyfriend? Hmmm, maybe not. Something this pink and girlie would probably frighten him off!