Latest Layouts

I had my monthly workshop over the weekend and managed to mostly finish 3 layouts.  I got them to the point at the workshop where all I needed to finish them was my titles - these I do at home where I can use my Silhouette Cameo.
Well today, I took the time to design, cut and add my titles to my layouts.  I also worked on another cardstock house ready for my Christmas Village at the end of the year.  A couple of weeks ago I made my first building for the village which was the school.  Today was a house.  I might do the church next.

Anyway, here are my three layouts.  Firstly I put together this layout of my daughter taking part in a busking competition at the beginning of the year.  I wanted to do something a bit different with my layout so went for a colour blocking style of layout.  So pretty much the whole layout is covered with different sizes of cardstock and pattern paper cut into rectangles.  The plain Bazzill Calypso cardstock I embosses using a music embossing folder.  I am really pleased with how this page came together.  Sometime working with a landscape photo and a portrait photo can be difficult to find a way to display them creatively on a layout.  I like how these compliment each other without having to be beside each other.

My next layout was when my eldest daughter visited my pen-pal and his wife last year and they visited the Cheesecake Factory.  As big fans of the TV program 'The Big Bang Theory' this was a fun visit.  Apparently their slices were huge and my daughter shared her piece with her best friend that also traveled with her last year.  I am looking forward to maybe making a visit for myself next year - we will see.  For the four small photos in the middle I just cropped two photos and mixed them up together.  I like the use of the two pattern paper circles.  I am also trying to experiment and play a little more with my titles and using more than just one font to give a fun looking title.

My last layout I really stepped out of my comfort zone and created a sun-rays with pattern paper.  This was fun as I just cut some pattern paper and just trimmed  blue each strip then placed those on my cardstock, then measured the gaps between each piece and cut strips accordingly.  I am very pleased with the out come.  I adhered all the strips in place so they hung off the edge of the layout and once happy with there placement I trimmed off the excess.  My daughter really loved this wee little dog.  He was a bundle of energy and morning kisses - what a great way to wake up in the morning LOL!

Well during the rest of this week I am hoping to get some more colouring of stamps done so will do a post on my next colouring project.  Until then ...

Let's get creative!

Title Spacing Trick

I love cutting out my titles using my Silhouette Cameo, but have often found once cut out I can't get the title to look good on my layouts as my letter and word spacing goes out the window.
Just last week, I cut out a title and took it will me to finish the layout at a craft group.  While at the craft group I started using the negative space of my leftover title as a guide as to where to put my letters on my layout.  Wow, it worked and was so easy.  Let me show you how I did.


First take you layout and place the negative space of your title onto your layout and decide where you want your title to be.

Once you are happy with the placement of your title start adding adhesive to the back of your letters and adhere them back into the space where they were cut from.

Carefully remove the negative space cardstock from your layout

Check out your perfect looking title. Here is the finished two page layout.
This has become a favourite way to get my titles looking the way I want them.  It helps to design and cut out your title using your Silhouette, Scan'n'Cut or Cricut so that it cuts the way you want it to look on your finished layout.

Working with Skin Tones with Spectrum Noir and Copic Markers

It was wonderful to get back into blogging last week and I thought it would be fun to share some more things I have learnt lately with my colouring.  As mentioned last week I like to colour with both Spectrum Noir and Copic Markers.  I also mentioned that I have been watching some great You Tube videos by Sandy Allnock about colouring with Copic markers.  I have been able to use what I have learnt and apply them to my Spectrum Noir Markers - as well as purchasing some Copics to have a better variety in skin tones.

Right lets jump right in with two images I have coloured.  The stamped image 1 was coloured solely using Spectrum Noir markers.  I was more interested in the skin tones with these images.  The girls with the brown hair, her skin was done how I always used to colour which was starting with FS2, then adding some shading with TN2 and then blending the two together with FS3, and lastly going over the whole skin areas again with FS2 for a final blend.

Then I tried something different with the blond girl.  I started like I normally would and coloured all the skin with FS2, but then for shadows and depth I add some LV1 (yep a very light purple) sounds crazy, but give this a go. Then I carried on like I normally would with the TN2 next, then blending with the FS3 and lastly blending with the FS2.  It just gives another look for skin that I had not thought of.

The stamped image 2 I used some Copic markers and had a play doing the same thing.  This time I did the blond girl with just E51, E33, E11 and E51 for the final blend.  Then on the girl with the brown hair I used E51, BV00, E33, E11 and back to E51.  Again I really like the extra depth the light purple gives to the shadowed areas. I coloured the rest of the image with my Spectrum Noir markers just the same as in image 1.

Another thing I have learnt is using a white gel pen to add some details.  On stamped image 1 I used a white gel pen to add dots to the blond girls pink dress.  It really adds another great way to add variety to things.  Such as patterned clothes.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below.  I would love to hear from you.

Happy crafting everyone!

Getting Creative

Wow, it has been such a long time since I have even looked at my blog to be totally honest.  Don't think I haven't thought about it, I have.  But my excuse was always, I just don't have time.  But I really wanted to blog, so, if you want to do something, then just DO IT!  So here I am.  The same goes for getting creative and getting out into my studio, JUST DO IT!  So I have been out in my studio a lot lately and loving the time of being creative, but still I wasn't blogging, so tonight I decided to DO IT and hear I am.

I wanted to share with you some things that I have created recently.  I have discovered a wonderful lady who does amazing colouring videos and I have just started checking out her blog as well - Sandy Allnock.  Wow, I have been learning heaps from her videos about colouring with Copics.  I use Spectrum Noir pens at the moment because that is what I have.  But I have been slowing purchasing some Copics, mainly for the skin tones.  Here are the two big things I have picked up from Sandy lately.  1) To use a very light purple when adding shadows to skin and then blending over it with more skin tone colours.  Wow, this looks really awesome.  I will try to do some examples in the next couple of days and share them here on my blog. And 2) To use light greys (browns or greens for ground) to add shadows under my coloured stamped images to 'ground' them.  It makes all the difference.  My images don't look like the are just hanging there any more.

Oh one more thing Sandy has inspired me to do is to colour my stamped images with coloured pencils or water colours.  I need to find some water colours but I am playing round more with coloured pencils.

So here are a few cards I have created recently

One the weekend I had a workshop.  At the workshop I started a few layouts, most of which I could not finish due to not being able to use my Silhouette Cameo or forgetting punches and other items.  Well today I finished one of the layouts and I am really pleased with the end result.  So here is that layout as well.

I love how the layered circles helped to 'ground' my photos.  It also looked like a shield wall that the Norsemen would often practice.  Yes these guys would practice and train in full armor with proper chainmaille, helmets, swords and axes.  Very impressive.  My husband and daughter were very new so all that had to defend themselves with was a large stick (which later would have been made into an axe)  Fun to watch the training's.

I hope you feel a little inspired to raid your scrapbooking or card making supplies and get creative.

See you again soon ...

Changes to Better Scrapbooking Ltd

This is my first post for 2016 so Happy New Year everyone.  Some of you may think I fell from the planet, no I am still here.  There have been lots of changes here and now is the time to reveal my plan for 2016.

As many of you are aware from some of my Facebook posts I have moved my workshop from our home garage to the lovely little room behind the garage.  This was a much bigger task than I thought at the start.  But finally I am at a place where I have a nice place to create and craft.  The only down side is it is to small to display shop stuff or have classes and workshops.

The cluttered workshop stage - eek, I was trapped

Looking from the door of the craft studio

Showing my scrapbooking table

This meant some changes to the way I run Better Scrapbooking Ltd.  Please don't get me wrong, I love scrapbooking and card making.  I love being able to help you with ideas and new products so that won't change.  The online shop and my online presence will continue and aim even higher with more videos and ideas for everyone.  I love workshops so these will continue, just at a local hall (the Oratia Settler's Hall) just round the corner from me.

The ScrapPack Club closed as of the end of last year and the Spectrum Noir Monthly kit will finish when those that are receiving it at the moment finish getting all their Spectrum Noir colour pen sets.  I will continue to bring you new products and ideas which will be available from our online shop.

I am looking forward to having more time to create with new products and to share fun tips, techniques and ideas with you all.  I was lucky enough over the summer break to up-grade my camera which now enables me to create videos.  I am aiming to create my first video shortly (probably once school starts back and a new routine is in place)

I have also started a new little part-time job as a personal carer assistant and have really been enjoying that lately.  I have been amazed that even with my little job I still have time to create and craft, maybe even more time as I reschedule things.  I have been continuing to work on my daughter's school ball album from last year and have almost finished it.

So as you can see there have been some changes but we will be continuing and we plan to bring you some amazing projects and ideas throughout the year.  So please continue to support me, I thank you for all that you have supported me with so far.

First Projects in my new craft studio

It has been a crazy couple of months what with Craft Out West, 21st birthday, 17th birthday, preparations for Christmas and so much more.  Also during this time I have decided to change my working situations and now I have a lovely new craft studio in the back room of my garage.  So now I have a wonderful creative space.  I am looking forward to doing a lot more on my online shop and here on my blog with tutorials and creative pieces.  Well my craft studio is almost finished - there are a few tweaks that I want to do (more one of the tables)  but it is enough completed that I treated myself to an afternoon of scrapbooking and card making.

During my cleaning up and move I found these cute photos of when one of my cats was little (before his eye accident) and just had to scrapbook them.  It was hard to believe these photos were taken 6 years ago.

I also made this card.  It seems sad to be making a sympathy card but it is going to be used straight away.  It was so sad that a friend of ours passed away just before Christmas.  I was unable to make it to the funeral and really wanted to send my love to the family.  I saw a couple of lovely card ideas and Pinterest and combined them to create this card.

On a happier note, my daughter loves baking and so for Christmas she made a really fun gingerbread village.  She has made a gingerbread house in the past and so wanted to do something a little different, so a village it was.

So until next time, happy crafting and continue to be crafty ...

Craft Out West - Card from Die-cut kit

I am so sorry it has been way too long since my last posting.  I so wanted to do better getting things up on my blog this year, but as you can see things really got away from me.

Well to make up for it I have a really fun card that I have created from a little giveaway set of die-cuts that I was giving away at Craft Out West last weekend.  The show was fantastic as usual and I truly loved meeting so many talented people.

I was giving away a set of die-cuts to those that purchased from me or mentioned my newsletters at my table during the show.  One of the die-cuts in this set looked like this:

I am sure some of you looked at this die-cut and thought, "What can I do with this?"  Well I am here to answer that question.  Here is a small card I created using this die-cut as the front of my card.

So to create this card, I took a 6"x 4" piece of cream cardstock and folded it to measure 4"x 3" with the fold at the top of the card.

Next I added a piece of ribbon to the die-cut piece.

Adhere some foam to the back of the die-cut piece then adhere the die-cut to the front of the card.

Using a 1" circle punch I punched out three circle from pattern paper and adhered them through the holes on the die-cut piece.

I hope you enjoy this little project.

I have another card project that I would like to share soon

Let's get crafty this weekend ...

Creativity on the Run - or in my case during the Wait!

Sometimes in the middle of a crazy busy week it is nice to take an hour to do something fun and something just for you.

I did that last week and again this week.  I was frantically getting my newsletter and ScrapPacks done.  It was the last minute crazies.  But as soon as all the ScrapPacks were packed and shipped I took some time to try out a couple of dies.

The first one I tries was the new Teresa Collins words die.  Oh wow, these cut so nicely and look stunning.  I just had to use them on a couple of cards that I made.

The next die I used was the Elizabeth Craft Designs Adirondack Chair Pop It up Die.  Oh I am so happy with how this came together.  They do recommend you cut the top pattern paper at the same time as the cardstock so you know everything will fit together when it comes to assembling the card.

I was impressed that these dies cut and emboss at the same time, very cool!

My daughter things I am really funny!  On a Wednesday night she and I drive out to Onehunga (half and hours drive from home) as she teaches a Zumba class there.  She doesn't quite have her restricted license yet so I need to go with her.  this use to be my time to write my G&T emails.  But now, my daughter is impressed as to how as soon as we pull into the Onehunga YMCA car-park I can turn the car into a mini craft room.  I now bring my Spectrum Noir pens, cut-cut cards, adhesive, pencil case and other bits, and I will set and craft until it gets to dark (being winter it gets dark early now).  Then I read or write blog entries, or newsletter articles.  Hey! I might as well make the most of my time - right!

Where are some of the strange places you craft or create?

Creative Weekend

I just love having workshops and being able to join in and do some of my own scrapbooking.
We had a great night on Saturday night with some scrapbooking friends and here are some layout that I created.

I started off with doing a really simply layout.  Today I finished it by adding the title.

I have been trying to do a layout with some photos for the past few weeks and just got kind of stuck.  On Saturday night, finally, I was able to put together a double page layout.  I am really happy with the way it turned out.

Then on Sunday my sixteen year old daughter wanted to get creative with crayons.  She had seen some really fun projects you can do with crayons on Pinterest (where we all find amazing projects).  We had picked up five boxes of 24 crayons on Friday night, so why not!
I helped her set up but left her to be creative and here is one of the projects.  It is not quite finished yet, she needs to add a girl holding an umbrella silhouette.  But I just had to share how well this turned out.  I love the melted effect.

I hope you have time during the coming week to try something new and be creative!

Set of Four Cute Cards

I came across this idea for these cards from Jennifer McGuire's email that I received a few weeks ago. I watched the video and thought, "Hey, I could do that"  and it was so easy.

I just used some of my favourite little stamps that I have had for ages from Imaginisce and added a little sentiment from an older Inkadinkado stamp.  I coloured each of my stamped images using my Spectrum Noir pens.

Jennifer McGuire used some nested dies with stitching for her cards, but I did not have these, so instead used my Silhouette Cameo and found some stitched nested designs on the Silhouette Design store.

I cut out my designs and then layered them with foam tape.  To add variety I added foam tape to different pieces to put the different frames on different levels.  I really like the result.

Here is Jennifer McGuire's video.  I hope it inspires you too...