Sweet | Sheena Rowlands | Sewing

Hi there UK Scrappers x Sheena here again x

This months challenge is sewing. I know this isn't something everyone likes to do but it can be a great way to add some texture and interest to your scrapbook pages.

Sweet.

For this page featuring my new Nephew and a crocheted horse I've just made him I decided to use both machine and hand sewing as I know not everyone has access to a sewing machine.

I used the sewing machine to firstly sew my cardstock to a patterned paper border leaving enough of a gap to bend the cardstock edges slightly. Also for the first time I stitched my photo to the matting layers behind and I really like how this looks so will probably do it again.

From the Pink Paislee - Little Adventurer range I die cut a number of circles of different sizes. I added interest to some of these using complimentary coloured thread, either by chain stitching around the edge or by adding french knots to the circles with animals on, adding to the border that was already there.

Adding sewing to embellishments in this way is less scary if you are new to sewing than adding directly to your layout. If you are not familiar with some embroidery stitches there are some good you tube videos you can watch whilst you practise. 

I finished my page with a die cut title and some wood veneer from the Little Adventurer range.

I hope you feel inspired to try sewing on your creations and please do share them with us over on our Facebook page or if you have any sewing related questions we would be happy to help x

Till next time x

Baby Boy Blue | Lou Thompson | One 6x4 photo

Hello scrappers and welcome to my 2nd piece for UKSA. This month's challenge was to make a layout using one 6x4 photo, so style wise, this was very much open to interpretation.

I had this gorgeous blue  and white coloured wooden board page I have been dying to use and remember this cute photo of my nephew I took when he was little. Has has the most amazing blue eyes  and a cute blue fluffy coat on so just goes great with this paper.

I have a few favourite mixed media items currently; Prima Impasto paints and Ranger Oxide inks. I chose a few paints and mixed them with modelling paste. I also took a few oxides in matching colours and used these along with the paste to add stenciling to the background. I am just loving blues and greens at the moment so really love the results.

From there it was fairly easy as I didn't want to loose all this lovely texture so kept it simple. I added die cuts and a journalling card, washi, a wooden circle, a resin flower, some stickers and chipboard alphas, a tassel and a perspex camera and word.

Here are some close ups and please so visit my YouTube channel to see the process. If you enjoy the video, please give me a thumbs up and maybe a comment so I know you like what I am doing :)

Youtube link:

https://youtu.be/beqAvtROCZM

Main Paper, star embellishments, Bramble Fox perspextives, Doodlebug stickers and other similar items available from:

http://thompsoncraftsupplies.co.uk/

The smallest things.../ Sheena Rowlands / Choose a shape

Hi there Sheena here again x
This month on the blog we have been challenged to choose a shape and use it as a focus on our pages either in a large way or as embellishments.

The smallest things...

I decided to use one shape to make another on my page so using scraps from Pebbles Lullaby paper range I cut 2 inch squares which I then halved diagonally and arranged in the shape of a heart.

If you try this just be aware of the direction of some of your patterns as initially I had stocks flying upside down on one of my triangles!!

When I was happy with their position I machine sewed them down to add texture. I then embellished with die cuts and stickers from the same paper range and matted my photo on papers from the 6x6 pad and added to the right of the heart. I tried not to cover too much of the stitching as it was a bit of a labour of love!

I finished with a few splashes of watercolour paint onto the cardstock.

I hope you get chance to try this for yourself x

Till next time.

Baby Girl | Kirsteen | Sketch

Hello, Kirsteen here with my take on this months theme: sketches. I LOVE a sketch, esepecially when the crafty mojo has up and left. A sketch helps you to get cracking, stop obsessing (that you're not doing anything) and usually produces something pretty awesome. What's not to love? And you can totally interperate a sketch which ever way you choose. It's a great place to start, creativity on hols or not.

I picked this sketch. It's a huge leap from my recent projects (circles and filling pages full of embellishments is my current bag) but I wanted to challenge myself to try something a little different.

I picked a photo of my neice (I have a scrapbook on the go for all eight of my neices and nephews and my own two little men). I cropped it down to 4x4. With scrapbooks for ten little people all under the age of nine, I'm not short of a baby collection or two. I went with Crate Paper's Little You. I can't tell you how much I love this collection. The chipboard is so thick, the quailty is really impressive. I've bought this collection about five times! I'm not kidding. It's so pretty.

I decided to go for a busy patterned paper for my background. I'll admit it, all that 'white' space was making me quite feel uneasy. I picked this gorgeous grey star print called Perfect. It matched the black and white image of my neice 'perfectly'.

Then, I set about adding embelishments, keeping them close to my photo and all at the bottom of the page in line with the sketch. I didn't stick anything down too much, pressing a little on a corner here and there to hold it in place so I could still move bits and pieces around.

I've used chipboard, stickers and one of the diecut pieces from the collection. I wanted to cluster them around the photo but didn't want too many to go over the photo as I really wanted the photo to stand out.

The chipboard in all it's goodness! Finally, once I was happy I stuck everything down. I'm really chuffed at how this page turned out and I'm in no doubt that had I not used a sketch I'd still be sitting here at my desk shuffling papers. And as it's (Inter)national Scrapbook Day that would've been a tragedy!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all had a great National Scrapbooking Day (I'm off to have a sticky beak at all of your creations).