Saturday 31 January 2015

Winter Photography Scavenger Hunt

I've been playing along with Eileen and Joy's Winter Photography Scavenger Hunt, which is running until 21st March. 

The end of the month seems like a good time to check in. I had five items last time, and I've managed to add a few more (plus one that I missed out last time).

10. A letter shape in nature or in an object
11 January - An 'O' in a fence post (North Woolwich)


13. Stained glass window
11 January - St Andrew's Church, Plaistow



14. Partly built new building
20 January - New flats on the Greenwich Peninsula




17. Texture
13 December - Frost on the car roof



That's eight of the twenty items done (plus one of the substitute items). There are a few (like the collection, or my breakfast) that should be easy but I haven't done them yet, and some (like the silhouette or shadow) where I'm thinking about an interesting way to portray them. Most of them are do-able, but I do wonder where I will see my ornate door knocker.

ETA (1 Feb): Eileen's posted a link-up now, so I can share my progress and see how far other participants have got. There's still time for you to join in too. Meet us In Eileen's Playroom.


Thursday 29 January 2015

Tower Bridge

Final challenge of the month, and it's the third one I've done from Sketch-n-Scrap for January.

I was still dithering over which page to make next, which photos to scrap, which papers to use, which sketch or challenge?

Finally I decided to start filling in the gaps in my 2014 album (before we get too far into 2015) and do those in order, at least until some other form of inspiration strikes. 

The first 'missing page' is for our visit to Tower Bridge in London last February. I had one large photo of the bridge and two smaller photos to accompany it, which took me to Sketch #72 from Sketch-n-Scrap on 1 January. 



I've already scrapped the photos of the views from the walkways - East & West ... from Tower Bridge and I used the Teresa Collins floral paper there, so I pulled those papers again for this page. I have just a few bits left now, so I need to kill that collection sooner rather than later.

Supplies
Paper - Teresa Collins Daily Stories
Letters - Jillibean Soup
Washi Tape - Trimcraft
Enamel Dots - Teresa Collins
Ink - Docrafts

Tools
Fiskars Shape Cutter & Circles Template

Tuesday 27 January 2015

1st Gig

There's just time for another challenge or two before the end of the month. This page uses the January Week 2 sketch from Let's Get Sketchy. I adapted it for two photos and made the paper panels larger.

The photos are from the O2 last October, when my husband went to see Caro Emerald. Both photos are strongly (and differently) coloured which made the choice of papers more difficult then usual. I shuffled quite a few collections before hitting on paper from My Mind's Eye. I also took the opportunity to clear out my remaining wood veneer musical notes.




Supplies
Cardstock - Bazzill Dotted Swiss
Paper - My Minds Eye Now & Then, My Mind's Eye Cut & Paste, Echo Park Yours Truly
Letters - American Crafts (Thickers & Dear Lizzy)
Wood Veneer - Freckled Fawn
Washi Tape - American Crafts
Mists - Docrafts, Maya Road
Circles - Anita's Glitterations
Enamel Dots - Teresa Collins

Tools
Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch
X-Cut Corner Punch

Sunday 25 January 2015

Stick It Down - Pony Camp

I'm coming to the end of my first month on the single page design team at Stick It Down, and it's been a productive month. They publish three sketches each month - for single pages, double pages and cards - and I've used them all (one of them twice).


My final page is from the double sketch which I used with photos of my daughter on the cross-country course at her riding stables. She stays there at Pony Camp for a week each summer and they always finish with a mini-gymkhana.




I used a couple of papers from my September/October Quirky Kit for this page; the birds and stripes are from KaiserCraft and the floral is the reverse of the stripes. The other papers in the kit were brighter and didn't match the feel of the page so I pulled a 6x6 pad from the same manufacturer for the other papers. The title circle covers the joins where I pieced them together for longer strips. I made my own embellishments with punched circles and clear epoxy stickers (from Ebay).

Supplies
Cardstock - DCWV
Paper - KaiserCraft Honey Chai, Kaisercraft Secret Bird Society
Letters - Basic Grey
Chipboard Frame - American Crafts
Pearls - Mark Richards

Tools
Template for Bracket Shaped Square
Fiskars Shape Cutter & Circles Template
Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch
X-Cut Small Circle Punch

Friday 23 January 2015

Stick It Down - Hide & Seek

I have been working on my Harry Potter album for some months, an album with limited choices. I had one set of photos, printed in certain sizes, and one kit of papers and embellishments.

Once I had finished it, I was overwhelmed with choices for my next page - any paper, any photos, any embellishments - and to a certain extent I was paralysed by that choice; I didn't scrapbook for several days. (You won't have noticed as my blog posts are usually scheduled days (sometimes weeks) in advance.)

I made a few cards, and eventually my thoughts cleared and I decided on another page based on this month's single page sketch from Stick It Down

When I originally saw it I had thought of using Project Life cards and 3x4 photos, but I was deep in my Harry Potter album at the time and didn't want to be distracted. I actually made a page with 4 photos of the Hogwarts staff (Teachers) for my DT page this month.

However the Project Life card/two photo idea stayed with me, and I've finally done it. My only set of PL cards are the summer themed pack based on Crate Paper's The Pier collection, and I also have the 6x6 pad and a few 12x12 papers that match. I chose summer photos - the family in a maize maze last August - and laid out my cards and photos on one of the 12x12 papers. The page was looking a bit plain so I spattered some paint, and didn't leave it long enough to dry! Aagh! I managed to make a big paint smudge below the bottom photo and I thought that I'd ruined the page. Later on, I realised that I could add another card to the page, cut in two and placed at the top left and bottom right. In fact, none of the cards would actually work like that but I mocked one up from the 6x6 pad. Phew! Layout saved.



Now I think that this more than saved the page. It was looking a little dull before, and the additional card running off the page adds some interest and breaks up the symmetry of my block of cards/photos. All in all, it was a happy accident with the paint.

Supplies
Paper - Crate Paper The Pier
Cards - Project Life SummerTheme
Letters - Jillibean Soup
Flowers - Prima
Brad - American Crafts Dear Lizzy
Ink - Ranger 
Paint - Stencil Collection
Washi Tape - Trimcraft

Tools
EK Success Corner Punch

Thursday 22 January 2015

Snowflake Christmas Card

A Christmas card? In January? Yes. While clearing up my desk from the Harry Potter scrapping marathon, I came across a leftover Christmas star, then a few snowflake stickers, and I decided to turn them into a card now rather than lose them or forget about them by the end of the year.

I used this month's card sketch from Sketch-n-Scrap with the colour palette from ScrapMuch?

                 




Wednesday 21 January 2015

The Making of Harry Potter

This is the final page of my Harry Potter Studio Tour album, but also the first, my title page. I had three things that I wanted to be in this page -  the picture of the Great Hall doors from my email booking confirmation, our tickets and a piece of film chipboard - but I wasn't sure how to combine them so I kept putting off making the page. At one point I had the idea of a patchwork of scraps behind the main photo, so doing it last was my best course of action.

However, once I saw the Twistback Thursday challenge at Sketch-n-Scrap, I knew if would work perfectly with my picture and tickets. This new challenge combines an archive sketch with a twist. This month the twist is to use something old and something new on the page. 

All the papers and cardstock on this page are new, bought for this album, and the chipboard and brads are old.



So now that I've finished all my Harry Potter pages, I will look back through them as a whole. I'll add things where they're needed and change things that I don't like. There is one page that I may re-do. I also hope to do an album share video or slideshow soon.  

Supplies
Cardstock - Colorset, Bazzill
Paper - October Afternoon Witch Hazel
Vellum - from Stash
Letters - Tim Holtz Idea-ology
Chipboard - Creative Embellishments
Die Cuts - OA Witch Hazel
Wood Veneer Stars - Studio Calico
Bards - Papermania

Tools
Fiskars Postage Stamp Border Punch
Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Jubilee Greenway - West Ham to North Woolwich

Last time out, I walked from Bethnal Green to West Ham along the first part of the Jubilee Greenway, a 60km trail around London which commemorates the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics.

Nine days later, I returned to West Ham to pick up The Greenway where I left off. It was a pretty tedious bit of walking, straight on and on, following the Northern Outfall Sewer across East London


  
with views west towards the offices at Docklands, which were going to be in sight for most of my walk:



The path mostly goes through residential areas, but it also passes the back of the East London Cemetery,



and I detoured inside to look at the war memorials, those for the soldiers and sailors of two world wars





and those for civilians, World War II air raid casualties buried in mass graves, including 10 people who were never identified.




Back on the Greenway, I was heading towards the Barking Creek Flood Barrier in the distance, but not going quite that far.


The Jubilee Greenway shares its route with the Capital Ring along this stretch,


and both paths turn off the Greenway in Plaistow, wending their way through residential streets and over the A13 before entering Beckton District Park. The route's well sign-posted with Capital Ring logos on the lamp posts and Jubilee Greenway markers set into the pavements, though they're made of metal here rather than the stone of earlier markers.


Into the park, and the guide says it's worth detouring to see the lake. It isn't.


The 'park' continues across the road, but here it's really just a winding path running through a narrow wooded area


which opens out to a grassy area, with those skyscrapers again, and Newham City Farm in the foreground.


I popped inside to see a pig and a few chickens enjoying the sunshine, but most of the animals were sheltering from the cold wind. 



More park, then playing fields, then houses and a main road which took me to Cyprus DLR station. I pondered stopping here, and wandered through to the waterfront at the Royal Albert Dock while I assessed my options and looked at the views. 

I was standing in the campus of the University of East London, 


looking west to Docklands and the O2, 


and south to London City Airport. 


Somewhere on the opposite side of the airport was George V DLR station, and I decided to push on.

I crossed the Royal Albert Dock via the Sir Steve Redgrave Bridge (apparently he used to row in the dock), 


and watched the planes landing as I walked.



Then a modern housing estate, where the path finally reaches the Thames, though not an inspiring bit of Thames, just a row of tower blocks on the other bank.


Three paths coincide here, we've met up with the Thames Path, and all three head westwards along the river, towards North Woolwich.


I detour into the Royal Victoria Gardens to investigate a steam hammer, a relic of the old shipyard at the Royal Albert Dock (where the airport is now).


I leave the path after Victoria Gardens, and make my weary way to George V DLR station. Next time I'll need to cross the Thames. Should I do so via the Woolwich Ferry 


or venture through this portal, and use the foot tunnel?




Monday 19 January 2015

Creature Workshop

One of the areas of the Harry Potter Studio Tour was the Creature Workshop, full of body parts and animatronics. I took quite a few photos, but only four made it to the page. These were three portrait and one landscape in orientation, so I started by laying them out on the page and moving them around until I was happy with their positions. Once I'd done this, I quite liked the way the photos looked on the cream cardstock, so I decided on a grid page, just filling in the remaining three areas with remnants of the plaid paper, embellishing on top, and running polka dot paper strips across the top and bottom of the page.



Supplies
Cardstock - Colorset, Bazzill
Paper - October Afternoon Witch Hazel, First Edition Noir et Chic
Vellum - Crate Paper
Letters - OA Daily Flash
Numbers - OA Mini Market
Washi Tape - OA Woodland Park
Wood Veneer Stars - Studio Calico
Mist - Docrafts
Ink - Docrafts, Ink It Up!

Tools
Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch
Woodware Tag Punch

Saturday 17 January 2015

Mullpeppers Apothecary

Almost there. Thanks for sticking with me over the last few months.

It's my final page from Diagon Alley today, with photos from Mr Mullpepper's Apothecary. Once again, it's a large photo of the shop front and a smaller close-up of the window display. This time, I started out from the papers that I have left, and decided to base my page on this wide band of polka dot paper. I played around with various scraps and off-cuts before deciding to run lines of punched squares above and below it. 




Supplies
Cardstock - Colorset, American Crafts
Paper - October Afternoon Witch Hazel, OA Holiday Style, OA 9 to 5, OA 5 & Dime
Vellum - Crate Paper
Letters - OA Witch Hazel
Twine - Unknown
Staples - Making Memories
Mist - Docrafts
Ink - Docrafts

Tools
Woodware 1" Square Punch
Fiskars Postage Stamp Border Punch
Big Shot & Tag Die

Thursday 15 January 2015

Quality Quidditch Supplies

With just a few pages to go in this album, I have to tackle the last two pages from Diagon Alley. I was struggling with these before Christmas but I can't leave them much longer. The first one is Quality Quidditch Supplies and I have two photos, a larger one with the whole shop and a smaller close-up of the bats and bludgers in the window. 

You may remember that I was using tile stickers on die-cut tags for all my shop names, so I laid out my photos and tag on the page, and moved them around a bit. I hit on this configuration, which suggested a circle to me. Then I just added a couple more papers (cut and stretched to look wider) behind  the circle and embellished each side of my main photo.



Supplies
Cardstock - Colorset
Paper - October Afternoon Witch Hazel, OA 9 to 5, OA Woodland Park, OA Midway
Letters - OA Witch Hazel, Tim Holtz Idea-Ology
Wood Veneer Stars - Studio Calico
Brad - OA Witch Hazel
Ink - Docrafts
Mist - Docrafts

Tools
Fiskars Shape Cutter & Circle Templates
Big Shot & Tag Die
Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch

Tuesday 13 January 2015

Ford Anglia

My kit of papers for my Harry Potter Studio Tour album is looking rather depleted now, and this page was driven by the pieces I have left, rather than a sketch or scraplift. I took three of the larger pieces to form the main background area, added a strip across the middle, and tucked in a few extra strips along the edges.

The photos are of Mr Weasley's flying Ford Anglia; there were two on the tour - one 'flying' above the entrance hall, and one in the back lot which you could sit in for photos. I wonder how many more were used in the making of the films?



Supplies
Cardstock - Colorset
Paper - October Afternoon Witch Hazel, OA 5 & Dime, OA Midway, OA Campfire, Bazzill Basics
Vellum - Crate Paper
Letters - American Crafts
Die-Cuts - OA Witch Hazel
Washi Tape - The Range
Wood Veneer Stars - Studio Calico

Tools
Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch
X-Cut Small Circle Punch

Monday 12 January 2015

Stick It Down - Birthday Card

I have loads of female birthday cards made and ready to go, but I really struggle with cards for older boys and men. I suppose that the problem lies with the patterned paper that I have. It's easy to make pretty cards from paper with flowers and butterflies, but there aren't any interesting repetitive patterns for males. Male cards can have cars or football or golf, but these have to be tailored to the recipient and his interests.

I'd like to have a stash of male cards ready and waiting, and I'm going to try and make them with the aid of Stick It Down's card sketches this year. 

This is the January sketch and we shared Alison's version at the beginning of the month. Today you can see the cards that the rest of the team made. (I'm not on the card DT, just playing along at the same time as their reveal.)

I rely on 6x6 paper pads for making cards; I pulled out the remnants of Basic Grey's Archaic collection for this one and set to work. 



I changed things slightly from the sketch, dropping the dark horizontal paper and the rectangle around the central panel, while I mounted both my banner and my stamped sentiment panel on contrasting paper. I used foam squares under the ends of the banner, and also under the sentiment.