Top 10 Posts of 2011

I've seen quite a few of these around blogland, and love the concept. I thought it would be really interesting to have a look at my blog stats and see which posts were the most viewed in 2011. So, here we go! Without further ado, my top ten most viewed posts are:
10. Cat Nap - a layout using October Afternoon for my guest spot at ATDML

9. Shh - a layout using Basic Grey for The Scrapbook Garden

8. Smile for the Camera - a layout using Crate Paper for The Scrapbook Garden

7. Natural Beauty - another layout using Basic Grey for The Scrapbook Garden

6. The best things about being Mojo - a layout using Crate Paper for The Studio

5. 10 Things I Love About Summer - a layout using the June kit for The Sampler

4. Mini Book - a mini book using 7Gypsies for the Art From The Heart birthday blog hop

3. Perfect Wedding Dress - a layout using October Afternoon, just because!

2. Mini book with tag pockets - an alternative thank you card using Echo Park

1. By far and away the most popular post this year was my gift card holder for The Scrapbook Garden. I've also seen this one pinned on Pinterest, which makes me very very happy!

A big big thank you to everyone who visited my blog in 2011, especially to those who chose to leave a comment, or become a follower. I appreciate all of your lovely comments, and it's nice to know I'm not just talking to myself! My little blog has grown substantially over the last 12 months, so here's to more of the same in 2012 :D

Noel

It's sketch time over at The Sampler, and I'm a little sad as this is my last one as a DT member :( I love Holly's sketches though, so will definitely keep joining in with the challenge next year, and I can't wait to see what the new team create!I'm still waiting for my December kit, but I have got the handmade embellishments that come with it, as Holly sent me those separately. I pulled bits from the September and October kits to go with them, and was very pleased to be able to come up with a suitably themed layout!

I started with a Kraft background, which I stamped and embossed using a snowflake stamp from my stash, and some white embossing powder. I added some squares cut from the My Minds Eye paper from the September kit, alternating sides. I made sure that the stripes ran in alternate directions too, to add extra interest.

I matted my photo of Mojo in the snow onto white card, and added the stamped image underneath using Cobalt Archival Ink. I also tied the blue bakers twine from the October kit around the photo.

I split the MME pearl swirl from the September kit, and added it to each side of the photo. I used the Cobalt ink again to stamp some small snowflakes, and the 'so happy' sentiment from the MME stamp set also in the September kit. Finally, the 'Noel' embellishment from the December kit works perfectly as the title.

Don't forget to stop by the Sampler blog to check out the sketch, and see what the rest of the DT have made!

Best Christmas Present Ever!

It's my second challenge over at The Studio today, and I've gone for a nice easy one this week! My challenge is to scrap about the best present you've ever given or received.

Last year my husband completely surprised me with a DSLR, it was completely unexpected and such a thoughtful gift - he's definitely a keeper! 

Ann at The Scrapbook Garden is sponsoring the challenges at The Studio this month, and the prize is a fabulous Christmas kit full of papers, alphas and embellishments ready for your Christmas layouts! To be in the running, simply create a layout that satisfies the challenge, post it on your blog or in a gallery, and leave a direct link to your layout in the comments on The Studio blog. Happy scrapping!

Let's Play!

I LOVE October Afternoon. I just wanted to put that out there. So you know. I need need need to get hold of some 'Holiday Style' but Christmas present shopping is currently taking precedence over Christmas stash shopping. I keep telling myself I might be able to get some cheaper in the January sales, but will I want to scrap with Christmas stash then? It's a dilemma. In the meantime my stash of '5&Dime' will just have to do!

I love Mojo's excited look, when you know she wants to play - I had to snap this photo really quickly, before she went into 'pose for the camera' mode. I don't normally see excited Mojo, she tends to reserve that for my DH, I guess he makes a better playmate than I do, but that's ok, cos I get all the cuddles instead :D

I went to town with the shape stickers and label stickers on this layout, and even did a bit of fussy cutting on one of the papers - not normally something I do (I'm not patient enough!) but I had to use the Greyhound Wagon advert!

Mojo has way too many toys, I'm sure she has a better stocked toy box than some children! Yes, ok, that's probably my fault, and yes, I've bought her a new one for Christmas....

Boo! Minibook

It's my turn to post over at The Sampler blog today, and I'm sharing a Halloween mini book that I made from the October kit. 

I loved the Pink Paislee 'Happy Haunting' banner that came with the kit, and decided to use it as the main embellishment in my mini. All of the papers and embellishments that I've used are in The Sampler October kit, except the Tim Holtz tissue tape - after saving it for so long, once I started using it that was it, I can't stop!

The inside pages are a mix of papers from  American Crafts and My Minds Eye, and the cover is made with Amy Tangerine fabric paper.  

When I got to the last page I realised I had extra photos - I printed a lot of them in various sizes as I didn't know what I was going to do with them (I create collages in Picasa and print them through Snapfish, as I don't have a photo printer at home). I decided to use the paper bag that the buttons from the kit came in, and created a pocket to keep my extra photos in.

Thanks for stopping by!

And They Call It Puppy Love

It's challenge time over at The Studio, and this month it's my turn to set the challenges! I thought I'd go against the current trend, and challenge everyone to create an everyday layout using Christmas themed papers. I've got so many left over from last year, that I need to use some of it up before I can justify buying any more! I reached for the Echo Park 'Merry Christmas' line for this layout, as I thought the browns and reds in the collection would tone well with this photo of Mojo.

I even used some of the alphas from the sticker sheet that came with the collection, and teamed them with the gorgeous red glitter thickers from American Crafts.  

I also managed to use some of the Tim Holtz tissue tape that I've been hanging onto for 'just the right project'! I splashed the background with some Snow Cap paint dabber, which I flicked on with an old toothbrush.

This month's sponsor is The Scrapbook Garden, an online scrapbooking store based here in the UK. Ann, the owner, has donated a fabulous Christmas kit full of papers, alphas and embellishments ready for your Christmas layouts!

To be in the running, simply create a layout that satisfies the challenge, post it on your blog or in a gallery, and leave a direct link to your layout in the comments at The Studio. Happy scrapping!

Thank You Tags

The AC stamps that came in The Sampler November kit were perfect for this project. I wanted to say thank you to my neighbours the other day, as they've been really good to us recently, but I thought that a card might be a bit too formal. No problem, the November kit also contains a couple of tags - perfect! I combined the stamps and tags with the Bo Bunny trims and the gorgeous yo-yo flowers to create a couple of thank you tags.

And here's how I gave one to my neighbours:

The Sampler December Kit - a sneak peak and a giveaway!

Head on over the The Sampler blog to take part in Holly's giveaway :D

Autumn Collage

I've been experimenting more with canvases recently, Christy Tomlinson style, so when I was deciding what to do for my fourth project with the Authentique 'Gathering' papers from Ann at The Scrapbook Garden, and all I had left were scraps, I decided to do a mini canvas collage.

I pulled all of my scraps together (including the waste from one of the butterflies that I cut for the butterfly frame!), adhered them to a 5x7" canvas board using matte multi medium, and then got messy with several paint dabbers (Snow Cap, Mushroom, Hazelnut and Cloudy Blue) and two Tando Creative masks (leaves and sequin waste). 

I finished off by adding the rest of the Authentique 'Gathering' Excerpts, some of the MME rub ons, and one of the Tando Creative birds (which was painted with the mushroom and cloudy blue paint dabbers).

The Joy Of Being Lazy

This is a layout that I made with the November kit from The Sampler. I pulled out a couple of the Amy Tangerine papers from American Crafts, along with the fabric stickers and thickers from the same range. 

I cut some of the frames from one of the Amy Tangerine papers and layered them up behind the photo. The two banners are made from the tear off paper strips from the bottom of the two AC sheets.

The fabric sticker fit perfectly with my title, so I added it above the frames and worked the rest of my title around the photo.

I added some texture  underneath the banners by stamping with one of the stamps in the American Crafts stamp set that comes with the kit. I stamped the same image several times to get the length that I wanted. 

The fabric banner sticker fit perfectly across the clouds printed on the paper, and seem to reflect what Donnie was thinking when I took this photo! 
Thanks for stopping by :D

Snap Happy

It's time for the November sketch over at The Sampler - I absolutely loved this month's sketch and will definitely be using it again!

If you want to win a COMPLETE KIT FROM THE SAMPLER, all you have to do is post your take on the sketch in The Sampler's Flickr group! **ONLY submissions entered through the Flickr group will be eligible to win**

The deadline for entries is December 20th. Good Luck!

Bird House

This is going to be a quick post from me today I'm afraid - I've got a week off work and wouldn't you know it, I've spent most of it laid on the sofa streaming with cold :( 
As part of our latest DT kit Ann sent each of us a different chipboard project - mine was this fabulous Tando Creative bird house. Fortunately I managed to finish it before the cold hit, so I'll leave you with some photos!

If you'd like more details on how I made this, let me know in the comments and when I'm less snotty I'll put a proper description together!