Funny Face

Hello!

I'm back with a Quirky Kit main kit/lite kit mash-up to share today. I took these snaps of DS3 just the other day, he looked so cute clutching his teddy with his fingers in his mouth! I printed the picture off in black and white so I had total freedom with my colour scheme. I used ILS pops of PP for the base from the main kit & stenciled a chevron border in mustard seed to tie in the yellow photo mat which is a journalling card from the EP PP in the lite kit.

Here is a closer pic so you can see the layering. Theresa Collins for the ripped paper, a kraft tag, a little EP mint stripe and more of the EP journalling cards cut up and used in various different ways, including for the title. I couldn't resist dipping into a previous kit for the star punchinella, it really helps the photo stand out I think! The punched out circle is a scrap of ILS paper I had left over from a previous layout.

You can see here how I used the Studio Calico letter stickers,die cut arrows, cirles and stars from scraps to embellish along with a few drops of weathered wood distress ink. The way I tend to work is I design my photo mat first and stick it together without sticking it onto my base. I then ink and spatter the base after I have decided where I want to put the mat. After the mat is fixed to the page I can add any other embellishments I want.

I have used the fabulous ScrapFriends sketch to make this layout here...

Thanks for looking!
Nikki xxx

If the cup fits...

Hi there!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. So are you feeling rejuvenated and ready to papercraft your way through 2013? This is my first project of the new year, may it be the first of many!

I LOVE hot chocolate, but it has to have all the trimmings or it just isn't the same, and that includes a pretty cup to drink it out of! For the base of the layout I used ILS 'pops of #3' paper and a strip of AC 'cozy court' along the bottom. I stippled blue distress ink over a chevron mask and spattered brown ink over the stippled areas.

The clouds are die cut out of 'cozy court' and punched with a little star so that you can see a glimpse of PP underneath, they have been raised on pop dots for a little dimension. You can also see I've used little dots of perfect pearls here and there for an extra touch of sugar!

I used glitter foam to make brackets to frame my photo and for my title. Whether you're using a die cutter of craft knife, this foam cuts like butter! You can see also how I added a little touch of scrapping floss and a few sequins.

Here's a closer look at the title and you can just see the star embellishment with a diamante flat back in the centre. You can also see all those layers, lol!

The sketch is taken from ILS

So, I hope this layout hits your hot spot and I will be back with another page soon, Happy Scrapping!

Nikki xxx

The Brother's Grin

Hiya!

Another quirky kit DT layout for you to look at today. I was so pleased when I saw the flip side of the snowflake Studio Calico PP was a nice christmassy red. I had been hoping to scrap this 2011 picture of my OH and his brother with the kit because I had the title all figured out and you can't photoshop Santa hats! I would also like to credit this tutorial over on Scrapfriends for the inspiration for my page.

With the scrummy Theresa Collins woodgrain as my base I laid out the basic design of the page before I decided where I wanted the ink splats. I put a mark where I wanted to splat and then removed the basic layout before applying any ink. I used bingo dabbers to make mine but you can use distress ink stains too. I added a few drips of red to tie in the red paper. As you can see I'm very into layering at the moment and I was able to use up lots of scraps as the photo is quite small.

Love this banner technique, I think it will appear a lot on my layouts as will the star burst punch! I'm also lucky enough to own a badge maker so I'm able make to flair badges of my own design, so much fun!

I placed the camera veneers over the ink splats as I think it helps them standout on the page. I adhered one of the Echo Park journal cards to a Kraft tag and made a pocket behind the photo mat for my journalling.

As a final touch I added a Kraft die-cut man icon with pop dots and the rest of the snowflake trim. To make the title I used the mini letters from the Twinkle Twinkle kit as well as the duotone alpha.

That's it from me today but I will be back soon and this time it will be with Twinkle Twinkle which I really can't wait to get my teeth into :)

Bye for Now! Nikki xxx

Mum & Me

Hello Everyone!

As promised, I'm back with another offering from the Northern Lights main Kit. I really wanted to show how this kit doesn't have to be for winter layouts and I had the perfect photo to demonstrate. It was taken in the summer of 1974 when I was only a few days old. Check out Mum's funky glasses!

For this layout I started with a sketch as I am playing along with the UKS challenge too this week. First I misted the cardstock with Lilac & Aqua and placed the distressed PPs over the top cutting the centre out of a few of the large doilies to make a ruffle along the bottom. A few die-cut banners form the base for the title and one of the EP journalling cards cut in two add more dimension & layers.

To form the mat for the photo I used the Pizza-box packaging, ripped and brushed with white acrylic. You might also be able to spot the TC 'Now & Then' tab which is actually the name of the paper range fussy cut from the bottom strip of the paper. A little more fussy cutting of the 'Pops of' paper made a cute bunting style border embellishment.

To make a flower you need 2 large and 2 slightly smaller die cut glitter organza circles. Make sure your 'sandwich' goes 'plate','die','organza','THIN CARDSTOCK', 'plate' or the Organza won't cut. With each circle, wave your heatgun carefully over the top until it starts to shrivel & curl slightly. Too much and it shrivels up to nothing! You'll need somthing to hold the circle in place too, I used a wooden coffee stirrer. When you have 4 curled circles glue them together starting with the large circles and place a gem in the middle for the centre. I also backed the flower with a little circle of pale blue felt to help the white of the organza stand out more, but you could use paper instead. They didn't as long to make as you would think and I got such a sense of satisfaction when I finished. Why don't you have a go? they would look so pretty on a wedding layout!

Thank you for coming to visit, I hope you found this post informative and I will be back soon with more from Quirky Kits. Will it be Northern Lights or Twinkle Twinkle? Decisions, decisions, Lol!!

Nikki xxx

Larking about with Northern Lights

Hiya!

It was my great honour to be asked to be the November/December guest designer for Quirky Kits. This is my first layout using the main kit 'Northern Lights'.

It's been a few years since I went skiing, but this picture of myself, my sister and our ski instructor has been patiently waiting for exactly the right papers to put with it!

I started with the Fig swirl cardstock and randomly scraped and dotted white gesso with a credit card all over it, including the edges. I then had lots of fun cutting, distressing and placing all the lovely PPs I had chosen to go with my photo

I popped a small doily and the small bag behind the photo and made a pennant look like a banner with a bit of folding. I placed a journalling card inside the bag which explains how the instructor told us all stand in a line for the group photo, and just as the shutter went, he pushed us all over! No wonder we are all laughing our heads off!

I cut another journalling tag in two and poked it in between the layers and wound single strands of the embroidery floss around my fingers to create thread circle embellishments.

I cut some of the triangles out of the ILS 'Pops of' PP and placed the photo inside. I used a paper ribbler and bracket border punch to create the Kraft border behind the PPs and to finish stamped some little snowflakes in lemon acrylic paint.

I hope you enjoyed looking at my layout, I certainly enjoyed making it! I will be back with more from this lovely kit.

I would like to enter this layout into The Studio's 'Lots of Layers' Challenge

See you soon!

Nikki xxx

Inky, Arty, Ambitious!

I think those 3 words acurately describe my latest layout!

I totally fell in love with the sketch at Scrapfriends this month. It turned out to be a lot more challenging than I thought it would be, but that's OK, it's good to be challenged every once in a while. To make things even more difficult for myself I was determined to use an only very recently aquired skill, machine stitching. My heart was pumping as fast as the sewing needle! but it came out pretty well.

See what you think...

An eclectic mix of papers for an absolutely gorgeous and fun subject, my lil' halloween batkid, Sam xxx

I used lots of diecuts so I would also like to enter my Layout for this month's Studio challenge

Thanks for visiting! Hope to be back soon with more...

{hugs}

Nikki x

See me at the NEC!

Hiya!

Phew, it's been a busy week or so with a half-term caravan holiday, halloween and our annual bonfire party. To cap it all, just before the holidays my friend asked me to make a few pieces for the company she works for as she is exhibiting at the NEC. "Don't worry" says she, "the deadline's a while off so you've got plenty of time." So when I casually texted her on Monday asking when she needed the stuff by I was somewhat panicked when she replied she needed them for set up on Wednesday at the Crafts for Christmas show!

Cue 2 frantic evenings feverishly colouring, cutting and creating and this is what I managed to rustle up... (PHOTO HEAVY)

The company makes frames and other products that are just brilliant for putting your own stamp (or whatever your paper persuasion!) onto and could be used for gifts or personalising your craft space..

The products here are the mouse mat, coaster, notes block, penholder and ruler, prettied up with Graphic45 and Stampin up products...

A closer look...

Some frames joined together with ribbon and decorated with Squiggle stamps and Cosmo Cricket PPs

One of my fave magnolia stamps made into a 'shaker' hanging ornament

Magnolia minis on fridge magnets and keyrings

So if you're at the NEC this week why not pop over to the framecraft stand, say hello to Maria (the loud one with pink in her hair :D) and say Nikki sent you... ;)

TFL!

Nikki xxx