She's Got Style

I've created a little layout this week using almost only patterned papers from the new Cosmo Cricket line "Upcycle". You'll find it up on the Aussie Scrap Source blog at the moment.

Look at those bright vintage colours. Love 'em!

I've taken one of the patterned papers from the range for the background. Because it was ever so bright, I toned it down by dry brushing it with white acrylic paint and then sanded it back a bit.

The frame for that cute little focal photo, the flowers, the butterfly, the heart and the word panels have also been cut from the Upcycle patterned papers.

The only other elements I've added are bright felt flowers from BasicGrey Olivia, some bright ribbons and Cosmo’s letter stickers.

Have a great weekend. It's the last weekend of the school holidays here, so we're heading out to enjoy it as much as we can!

Kathie xx

Another giveaway

It's raining Scrapbook Trends magazines around here!

This time it's the contributor's copy of March's Create: Quick and Easy that has arrived on my doorstep. And I'm giving one away. So if you missed out on last week's give away, and want to try again, just leave a comment on this post by midnight (EST) Saturday 7 May 2011. Aussie residents only, sorry.

Kathie xx

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all my blog readers!

Give away winner

LOL, this is the second time I have started this post. Talk about trying to do things in a rush... this morning I posted a winner in a mad scramble before visitors arrived for hot x buns. Only to realise that I'd used the wrong post to pull the commenters from. Doh!!

So... start again. This time I've got it right.


Congrats Shazz. If you can email me your postal address, I'll send you the magazine in the mail. (My email is in my contact details in my profile up on the RHS)

Kathie xx

Recycled vintage books

Aussie Scrap Source is running a series of daily posts during the school holidays on upcycling items for scrapbooking purposes. This is my little project which is up there at the moment:


It's no secret that I love text papers. A while ago my parents were clearing out their study and gave me a few old old books. I had started to alter one of them, and then left it because I got too busy with other things.

But while researching another scrapbooking project recently, I stumbled upon a whole pile of quotes from Brian Andreas. They were so delightful and they conjured up wonderful imagery that I decided to make an illustrated book featuring them. Some of you have mentioned to me that I should try making illustrations, and I thought that this gave me the perfect opportunity to try it!

Her umbrella was filled with rain she had collected in her travels & on hot summer days she would open it up for the neighborhood kids & we would splash in the puddles. Brian Andreas

To start, I adhered layers of pages together in my little book to form sturdy sets of text backgrounds. I have just finished an online course in mixed media by Christy Tomlinson. I was so busy while the course was running, that I didn't even get a chance to make any art, so I decided to try out some of Christy's techniques in my little album.

I only do this until I get dizzy & then I lay down on my back & watch the clouds, she said. It sounds simple but you won't believe how many people forget the second part. Brian Andreas

I've used paints, mists, masks, stamps, rubons and doodling to create fun backgrounds for my illustrations. I just added layer upon layer upon layer of paints, then mists, then stamped and added some rubons. There are probably a dozen or so layers on each background.

Diluted paints and mists allow the beautiful vintage text to show through.

To create the illustrations I went through all the little pieces of patterned papers I had lying around in my stash. I sketched my designs on spare paper to start with, then went to work building my images using different papers.



I said I could not see her eyes under her hat & she smiled mysteriously & said she liked it that way. Brian Andreas

I tried making some little She Art girls, featured in Christy's course. I don't know if I've done them justice, although I'm pretty happy with them for a first time effort.

I have a renewed commitment to elegance, she said,in case you think I'm just spending money for the fun of it. Brian Andreas

She wasn't sure where she'd been and she wasn't sure of where she was going, but she was on her way. Brian Andreas

But I think that I prefer the little whimsical scenes. Here's a close up again of the album cover. I painted it with mushroom colour paint (it was red to start) and then added my favourite Tim Holtz splatter stamp.


I have heaps of sets of pages prepared and ready to work on, and a whole series more quotes. Can't wait to get some more time to play :). But for now it's school holidays and Jamie and I are busy planning outings for the days I'm not working. We have movies, visits with friends, playdates, plaster fun house and toy library trips. Oh what fun.

Kathie xx

Somerset Memories Summer Evenings

I was thrilled to receive a request for one of my layouts for Somerset Memories magazine (US) a while back.

This layout just appeared in the magazine:

Journaling: On Australia Day we went down to the beach after tea. Up until now you haven't really liked the beach. But this time you surprised us. It was a perfect summer's night. You and Daddy played in the sea and kicked your ball around in the water. You enjoyed it so much you keep asking to do it again.

It was a bit of a change for me, making this layout. I created the background by using masks and glimmermists to represent the sky and sea. The clouds were made by lightly applying texture paste to the cardstock background. Likewise, the sand was made by layering some texture paste on the background, then painting it. It was such a simple layout to create, but very effective.

I am still waiting for my copy of the magazine to turn up. It was supposed to be here by yesterday. I am crossing my fingers that it will arrive this week and then I can have a new magazine to look at over Easter :).

Kathie xx

Give away

I received in the mail today my contributor copies of the January issue of Scrapbook Trends. Congratulations to Nicole Pomeroy, another Aussie scrapper, who is in there too with her gorgeous page. Nic, as soon as I saw it I knew it was yours!

Northridge Publishing is always super generous and send two copies. So I'm giving one copy away.

These magazines can be pretty hard to come by in Australia and they are a superb magazine. The thought that goes behind the photography of each layout is amazing, and the photography is always stunning. They are quite a treat to sit and read.

To be in the running, all you have to be is a follower of my blog and leave a comment below by midnight (EST) Thursday 21 April 2011.
(Due to postage costs, only Australian residents are eligible for this. Apologies to my overseas readers!)

And speaking of Scrapbook Trends, one of my layouts is featured on a video on their blog at the moment.



From http://create.northridgepublishing.com/creatv/creatv-make-it-your-own-with-lori-allred

See the layout on the lower RHS of the screen there? That's mine :). It appears in the April issue of Scrapbook Trends that is out currently. In the video Lori Allred takes the little flowers on my page as her inspiration for creating the cool scarf she's wearing in the video. How fabulous is that?

Thank you so much for your comments recently in response to my grumbles about my routine/working life. I tend to think of scrapbooking as being the domain of the SAHM. Which of course, as you showed, is not necessarily correct. I guess it's just that women who don't leave the home for eight hours a day to work in a job totally unrelated to their creative pursuits have more flexibility to create and probably do more of it. So they tend to be more visible in the scrapbooking industry. I have been comparing my output to them and feeling like I'm wanting. Which is ridiculous and I shouldn't compare. I know.

In my ideal life I would have unlimited time for exercise, coffee with friends, and being creative. But that's all dreaming. As I realised when I read your comments. And on reflection I don't think I would be happy if I was a lady of leisure. I actually like to be thinking and contributing and feeling that I have a purpose, and all that goes with having a professional career. Really :). Even if it doesn't sound like it some days ;). So thank you. I am once more grounded in reality.

Kathie xx

His alphabet

I had a page published in Creating Keepsakes' Aussie Reader Gallery recently. I just received my cheque a few weeks ago, so I figure it must be OK to share it with you now:

Journaling: I adore the way you sing the alphabet song: “abcdefg...hijk ella in a pea”. Please keep singing it just like that for a very long time.

I am so very glad that I am mindful to record these little snippets of our boy learning and growing up. He's about to finish his first term at school and he has learnt so much, it's astounding!

I think I am used to our new routine. I do not like it one little bit, but I'm used to it. I feel so busy and struggle to keep all my balls in the air. It shows as my scrapbooking and my blog are suffering. I feel that I have withdrawn from the scrapbooking community at the moment. Partly because I don't have the time. But also because I'm so very very envious of those scrappers who get to create everyday. Sad. But true. I guess I'm not so used to my new routine as I like to make out, huh?

Kathie xx

Lullaby Lane cards

I confess to being no great card maker. But I'm more than happy with these cards that I created from the Webster's Pages Lullaby Lane collection for Aussie Scrap Source this week.





The beautiful papers really did all the hard work for me. Only problem is... I like them so much I don't think that I'll ever want to give them away!

So... would you like to be on the gorgeous Webster’s Pages blog as one of their guest dt this year? Create a layout or project using Webster’s Pages product, email it to Aussie Scrap Source by Sunday 4th May and you could be the running to win this coveted position. Check out the fine print here.

And congratulations to Kathleen Glossop who won a spot as a guest DT member for Sassafras in last month's competition!

Kathie xx

Digging Fun

Oh, I seriously love this next page I'm sharing with you. It was published in the US edition of Creating Keepsakes recently, in the article on using torn paper to add texture to your layouts.

I tore up an old dressmaking pattern to create the "substrate" for my layout. Just tore it up into strips and mashed it across the bottom of the page. Then I cut out various elements from some Webster's Pages papers and built up my illustration.

The butterfly is from a sheet of Graphic45 paper. I do love these butterflies!

Pennant flags. I still love them. They are so good for boys pages :)

Lace and gingham. Love the combination.

I am so rapt at being picked up again in Creating Keepsakes. It is an honour!

Kathie xx