London Pages

Next up are two pages for this year's annual album. I'm doing a reasonable job of keeping on top of this as I go along, and these pages mean everything has been scrapped up to mid-March with no gaps. 

We live just outside London and had made two social trips into the city this year at the time that I started this post:

(The numbers are my page count for the year. I count doubles as two pages.)

36. London Meet-Up

This is a page from February, dinner with friends and then a walk along the Thames by night. I didn't feel the need for it to be two pages but I did want to separate the two parts, which I did with Sketch 9 from Shimelle's Start with a Sketch Class.

Supplies: Cardstock - American Crafts; Paper - Echo Park It's a Boy, Glitz Design Sunshine in My Soul; Letters - Rosie's Studio, Basic Grey; Washi Tape - Vicki Boutin; Glitter Tape - The Works; Stickers - Maggie Holmes, 49 & Market; Enamel Dots - Carta Bella

37 & 38. Nomads in the City

Our running club, Thurrock Nomads, turns 40 this year and we kicked off our celebrations with a run through London. I'm trying to cut back on double pages, but there were too many photos that I wanted to include and I couldn't go much smaller as then you wouldn't be able to see people's faces clearly in the group shots.

Supplies: Cardstock - Bazzill; Paper - Simple Stories Safe Travels; Letters - Rosie's Studio; Puffy Stickers - Vicki Boutin

Moor Tors

I'm turning my back on the Scottish album for now, and returning to my 2023 album. Before we went away I was scrapping our previous holiday, a week in Devon in April, and last published the first page of three from a walk we did on Easter Sunday - Off We Go! In that post I described the start of the walk with photos of Fernworthy Reservoir. 

From there we moved onto Dartmoor and walked up to Thornworthy Tor. I printed a couple of 4x6 photos for this page and used a sketch from Shimelle Laine's Start with a Sketch class. The paper-pieced background is a repeat of something I did a few pages ago, so that repeats in this set of Devon pages. Looking back, I noticed that I used a filmstrip on the first page from this holiday, but not since, so I've made sure to repeat that too.

Supplies
Paper - Simple Stories Safe Travels, Crate Paper Sweet Story
Letters - The Robin's Nest
Die-Cuts - Simple Stories
Puffy Camera - Freckled Fawn

Washi Tape - Dovecraft

Enamel Dots - Simple Stories

Ink - Ranger

Tools
Silhouette Portrait & Filmstrip Cut-File

Big Shot & Little B Arrow Die

X-Cut Scalloped Border Punch

X-Cut Circle Punch

Make Your Mark

This is one of those pages which I kept putting off making. I'd printed the photos, chosen the papers (Simple Stories Awesome) and picked a page design (the 'On the Angle' sketch from Shimelle Laine's Start with a Sketch class from this time last year) but I had no ideas for the title, and for a long time I let that stop me from starting.

My photos are from January 2018 and if I'm going to complete that year's album then I need to make this page rather than put it off any longer. The occasion is my daughter and her fellow scouts receiving achievement awards from our mayor. I wanted something encouraging without being schmaltzy but nothing came to mind. 

Starting work on the page, I spotted that one of the papers had the wording 'Take Your Place, Make Your Mark, Live Your Life' printed on it. I earmarked 'Make Your Mark' as my title, initially intending to use letter stickers, but then decided to use the paper itself.

Supplies

Paper - Simple Stories Awesome, Pink Paislee Portfolio

Word Stickers - Tim Holtz

Washi Tape - Unknown

Enamel Dots - Freckled Fawn, Echo Park 

Ink - Ranger

Tools

Big Shot & Dovecraft Label Die

Fiskars Postage Stamp Border Punch

Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch

A Day of Two Halves

We're in Longyearbyen today, the largest settlement on the island of Spitzbergen, one where the danger from polar bears is real so we could only tour the island on an organised excursion with armed guards!

It was a day of two halves as we split up for our excursions. In the morning my son and husband went for a hike on the Longyear glacier and in the afternoon my daughter and I visited the Advent Valley. Both pairs also toured the town in the other half of their day. 

I used Shimelle Laine's 'Kicked Up Quadrants' sketch from her Start with a Sketch class for my page with photos from the town, glacier and valley in three quadrants plus title and journalling in the fourth.

Supplies
Cardstock - Papermania Basics
Paper - K&Company Hannah, Simple Stories Awesome, My Mind's Eye
Stickers - Simple Stories Take a Hike
Letters - American Crafts, KaiserCraft
Enamel Stars - Freckled Fawn
Washi Tape - Unknown
Gems - Simply Creative
Ink - Ranger

Tools
Big Shot
Dovecraft Label Die
Dovecraft Star Die
Spellbinders Circle Die
Woodware Postage Stamp Punch
Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch
Hobbycraft Star Punch
Woodware Small Star Punch
American Crafts/Shimelle Stamps

May All Your Wishes Come True

Earlier this year, I made a series of pages that finished off my 2005 album. I flipped through it several times in the process and, although there were a few dated pages in there and a few that I would have made differently now, I decided to leave them all alone. Starting to re-do older pages is a slippery slope that I don't want to start down. However, weeks later my mind was still being drawn back to one particular page which has so many elements that I really don't like any more (right) and I decided to pull it apart.

I cut the photo away with some of the pink paper as a mat, and I preserved as much of the pink woodgrain background (which I do still like) as possible. My new page is a scraplift of one that Shimelle made from her 'Delicate Explosion' sketch in her recent class Start with a Sketch.

The pink woodgrain reappears on the new page which I made mostly from Amy Tangerine papers which share the same pink. I've used this collection a few times recently and I'm pleased with how versatile it is and the different looks you can get by pulling out different sub-groups of colours and patterns. 

Supplies
Paper - American Crafts/Amy Tangerine Shine On, Pebbles Fresh Goods
Letters - Heidi Swapp
Chipboard - American Crafts/Amy Tangerine
Puffy Hearts - American Crafts/Amy Tangerine
Glitter Tape - Unknown
Ink - Hobbycraft
Mist - Docrafts

Tools
Big Shot
Spellbinders Circle Die
Dovecraft Label Die

Coast to Coast

Last page now for my 2016 album, and it's another long distance walk for my husband. This time he and a friend were walking north to south across Devon from Lynmouth to Wembury.

An eight day walk across glorious countryside yielded a plethora of photos so I made a double page by repeating the 'Half and Half' sketch from Shimelle's Start with a Sketch class. This gave me room for twelve smaller photos in the bottom half of the page plus larger photos, title and journalling in the top half. It's also a good design for when you don't have two identical papers for the background as it can be made by splitting two different papers into 6" panels for the tops and bottoms.

Supplies
Paper - Authentique, We R Memory Keepers Free Spirit, Crate Paper Random, My Mind's Eye Collectable, Simple Stories Awesome

Letters - American Crafts

Journalling Cards - Project Life

Puffy Stickers - Pinkfresh Studio, Freckled Fawn

Enamel Dots - Echo Park, Pretty My Page

Ink - Ranger

Tools

Silhouette Portrait

Big Shot

Dovecraft Label Die

X-Cut Pennant Die

Family Fun & Games

I finished off my 2005 album recently, so I'm now switching from older photos to newer ones as I move to my 2016 album and attempt to finish that one too. I've drawn up a list of missing pages, six of them, and they are all doubles.

I'm starting in the middle of the year with photos from a family barbecue at my brother's house. They naturally fell into four subgroups, which suited the 'Kicked Up Quadrants' sketch from Shimelle's Start with a Sketch class.

Supplies

Cardstock - UK Crafts

Paper - American Crafts/Amy Tangerine Shine On, American Crafts/Shimelle

Letters - Collage Press, American Crafts, SEI
Puffy Hearts - American Crafts/Amy Tangerine
Washi Tape - October Afternoon

Ink - Hobbycraft
Mist - Mister Huey's

Tools

Big Shot
Papercraft Essentials Tag Die
Dovecraft Label Die
Spellbinders Circle Die
X-Cut Bunting Die
Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch

Christmas Play

This is the last page for my 2005 album, and comes from my daughter's school play in December that year. I based my page on the 'Round and Round' sketch from Shimelle Laine's class Start with a Sketch and used a Christmas wreath cut-file from Paige Evans.

I didn't leave myself with enough space for journalling, so it's on a separate card which I've clipped to the top of the page. 

So, 2005 is done now and I'll be moving on to concentrate on a new year. I kept on top of 2019 as we went along, and I've managed to do the same for 2020 so far. Before those, my last completed annual albums are from 2015, so I've decided to look at finishing off 2016 next. 

Supplies
Paper - American Crafts/Shimelle Go Now Go
Die-Cuts - Advent Calendar Swap
Sticker - Teresa Collins
Washi Tape - from Stash
Enamel Dots - My Mind's Eye, Simple Stories
Pearls - Doodlebug
Gems - Love to Craft
Mist - Mister Huey's, Docrafts

Tools
Silhouette Portrait
Paige Evans Christmas Wreath Cutfile

Life on Board

As soon as Shimelle posted the first page from her 'Some Here, Some There' sketch in her class Start with a Sketch, I knew that it was perfect for this trio of photos, and I made the page the same day (although that's a few weeks ago now as I'm posting these in the order of the photographs rather than the order of the pages being made).

This was just after National Scrapbooking Day and I ticked off a couple of challenges with the page. Hey Little Magpie set us a colour palette of light pink, dark pink, sky blue, dark green, mustard yellow and gold. As luck would have it, this floral paper from the pad I am using for this holiday contained all of the colours except gold, and that was easy to add via my lettering, glitter tape and a spattering of mist.

The second challenge was from For the Love of Pretty Paper, and was to fussy-cut some elements for the page. I cut my labels from a free printable and cut a few flowers from the top paper to include at the bottom of the page.

Supplies
Cardstock - DCWV
Paper - Make & Create Moments, Pink Paislee/Paige Evans Turn the Page
Phrase Stickers - Pretty Little Studio
Puffy Camera - American Crafts/Shimelle
Glitter Tape - Hobbycraft
Enamel Dots - My Mind's Eye, Pretty My Page, Echo Park, Stampin' Up!

Tools
Sewing Machine
American Crafts Scalloped Border Punch
Big Shot
Dovecraft Tag Dies
Spellbinders Circle Die

Follow the Tracks

I have another page from our Norfolk Broads holiday to share today. I am blogging them in the order they will come in the album rather than the order that I made them and this page comes from our second day. We moored our boat in Coltishall and took a trip from there to Wroxham on the Bure Valley Railway. 

I used a sketch from Shimelle's recent class Start with a Sketch for my page as its scattering of embellishments matched up with an NSD challenge from For the Love of Pretty Paper to do just that. I tried to combine it with a recipe challenge from Hey Little Magpie but couldn't manage to incorporate all the elements. However I did redirect it to their stitching challenge with a line of machine-stitching along the scalloped border strip.

Supplies
Cardstock - Bazzill, Papermania
Paper - Make & Create Moments, American Crafts/Dear Lizzy
Letters - Studio Calico
Journalling Card - Studio Calico
Washi Tape - Unknown
Dew Drops - Papermania
Gems - Love to Craft
Enamel Sots - Stampin' Up!
Ink - Hobbycraft
Mist - Docrafts

Tools
American Crafts Scalloped Border Punch
Woodware Scalloped Circle Punch
X-Cut Small Circle Punch
Craft Creatives Flower Punch

Dance the Night Away

I've finally reached the last page from my brother-in-law's wedding, but there will be one more bridal page to come from a separate photoshoot as I need an even number to fit the space in the album.

This one features the dancing after the evening banquet and I picked five photos for my own version of 'The Trio' sketch from Shimelle's Start with a  Sketch class, a sketch originally designed for three photos.

The Easter cybercrop at For the Love of Pretty Paper closed yesterday, but I entered this page before the deadline. All the challenges were chocolate-themed and this one was for "Celebrations", to scrapbook a party.

Supplies
Cardstock - Payper Box, Bazzill
Paper - 7Gypsies, DCWV Far East
Letters - American Crafts, Tim Holtz
Glitter Tape - Hobbycraft?
Puffy Hearts - American Crafts
Gems - Love to Craft
Ink - Ranger

Tools
Fiskars Shape Cutter & Circles Template
Big Shot
Dovecraft Label Die
The Works Patterned Circle Die
Woodware Small Star Punch

In the Ballroom

This page will come just before the last one, and sit opposite it in my album. It's the second page that I've made made from the 'Go for the Grid' sketch in Shimelle's current class, Start with a Sketch, but they don't actually look too much alike.

This one is from the evening of the wedding when we had a formal banquet in the Grand Ballroom of the hotel. I've used five photos in a chequerboard with the same patterned paper on all the other squares. I cut a window in the top square to reveal the front of the banquet menu which is tucked into a pocket behind the page.

My journalling is mostly about the food that we ate; I didn't take any photos of the dishes themselves so I made sure to pick a couple of pictures which do have food in them.

The food theme means that this is another challenge ticked off in the chocolate-themed Easter Cybercrop at For the Love of Pretty Paper; "Munchies" was to make a foodie page.

Supplies

Cardstock - DCWV, Stampin' Up!

Paper - DCWV Far East, Teresa Collins Christmas Cottage, Dovecraft Eastern Promise

Letters - American Crafts, Fancy Pants, Creative Devotion

Flowers & Metal Hearts - Advent Calendar Swap

Puffy Hearts - American Crafts

Glitter Tape - Hobbycraft?

Washi Tape - Dovecraft

Gems - Love to Craft

Ink - Ranger

Tools

Big Shot

Dovecraft Label Die

Spellbinders Circle Die

Little B Arrow Die

Fiskars Shape Cutter & Circles Template

Focus

My last two wedding pages have been quite formal and used lots of straight lines; I've gone more casual with this one because the subject matter is also more casual. Rather than concentrating on the bridal couple, the page is about the sheer number of photographers pointing their cameras at them. I picked a quartet of photos and worked with Sketch 5 from Shimelle's current class, Start with a Sketch.

I've also completed another of the chocolate-themed Easter Cybercrop challenges with this page. "Mini Eggs" was all about the little things (like brads, sequins, enamel dots or gems) and I have five clusters of little things spread across the page.

Supplies
Cardstock - Bazzill, DCWV
Paper - 7Gypsies, Pink Paislee Auburn Lane, K&CO Hannah, First Edition, Dovecraft Eastern Promise
Vellum - The Works
Letters - American Crafts
Glitter Tape - Hobbycraft?
Enamel Stars - Freckled Fawn
Enamel Dots - My Mind'e Eye
Gems - Love to Craft
Ink - Ranger
Mist - Docrafts

Tools
Big Shot
X-Cut Camera Dies
Spellbinders Circle Dies
Woodware Postage Stamp Punch

A Different Wedding Ceremony

I'm trying to work my way through my Far East album in order so that the single sand doubles fit together properly, and I've finally reached the reason for the trip - the wedding of my brother-in-law to his Malaysian fiancée. Her family has Chinese heritage so the ceremony was based on Chinese traditions including a tea ceremony.

I had previously made an 8-photo double page for just the tea ceremony but I never liked it and I'm happy to bin it and start again. My new page has eight photos again but only two are from the tea ceremony now, with six from other parts of the day. I went for a grid this time, with alternating rectangles of photos and patterned paper, based on the 'Go for the Grid' sketch from Shimelle Laine's new class Start with a Sketch.

I rescued the embossed cardstock from my old pages and plan to spread it across all the wedding pages I make this time. I used four strips here above and below the grid, with the main background being plain cardstock instead.

Supplies
Cardstock - Unknown Embossed, Stampin' Up!
Paper - Dovecraft Eastern Promise, 7Gypsies
Letters - Webster's Pages
Vellum & Hearts - Unknown
Washi Tape - Dovecraft?
Gems - Love to Craft
Ink - Ranger

Tools
Silhouette Portrait
X-Cut Small Circle Punch
Crayola Flower Punch