Scrapbook Kits With A Difference

Fun Boy Layout Kits!!

2012-02-17T06:03:00.001+10:00

Looking for some fun cute boy layouts? Well here ya go!! Here are two great boy layouts that just scream fun!! Lots of great bits an bobs that are just perfect on boy pages!!

"Smile " and "So Cute" - 2 single page layouts by Design Team member Erin Reed.
Included in this kit:
2 x cardstock; 3 sheets patterned paper (Fancy Pants and My Mind's Eye); 1/2 sheet Creative Imaginations die cut paper; Bella! chipboard alphas; Bella! rub-ons; Daisy D's hinges; tags; Happiness card; felt strips; Glitz rhinestone arrow; Teresa Collins brads; Twiddleybits chipboard shape; buttons; and Petaloo felt flowers.

Instructions also included.

Additional items required:
Adhesive of choice; black paint; red paint; circle template (or similar); black journalling pen; brown (or black) ink; paint brush; paper trimmer; and photos.

Erin R.
http://scraps-of-reflections.blogspot.com/

A Fool-proof Way to Improve your Photography!

2012-02-15T05:00:00.001+10:00

That's something we all want to do, right?

But how do we find the time to fit it all in??
People are always telling me about groups & forums I can join

and challenges I can take part in, but honestly, often I don't

have the time, and I'm sure I'm not the only one!

So what do I do?

Just not bother to try and take great photographs??

Oh no! I happen to LOVE photography & be fortunate

enough to own some great equipment that I have been

purposefully acquired over the years.

What I do is "stumble upon" some very good "professional"

amateur photographers while I am blog-hopping

scrapbooking blogs!

There are some exceptionally good photographers

out there who also happen to be great scrapbookers.

Well it goes hand in hand really...or rather it should!
Although this isn't always the case...

When I come across a blog with really good photos

I OFTEN find that they have a "photography" page/tab

somewhere along their navbar at the top of their blog

or down their sidebar, and when I click that,

Hey Presto!

All their photography-related posts show up!

I bookmark the link & set aside some time

(often over the course of weeks)

to read up on their "tips", the lenses they use etc,

and this way I am acquire some non-biased information

from someone who I know for sure KNOWS what they

are talking about BECAUSE I have already seen that they

are capable of taking fantastic photos!

To get you started here is a link to

Karenika's Photography feed.

Bookmark it & take a read whenever you have a

moment to devote to improving your photography skills.

I can tell you from experience that with everything

you read, you are bound to pick up more & more little "tidbits"

of useful information & slowly but surely you will become

a better photographer as you put each newly acquired

piece of information to the test.

Hope you found that helpful :)

Helen

1,2,3...go!

2012-02-12T13:28:00.004+10:00

One, two, three...layouts in my inbox for the February Challenges.

Here's what I found to share:

Pauline Salomo - Inspiration Challenge

Ann Murphy - Inspiration Challenge

Amanda - Sketch Challenge

Wow Ladies! These are gorgeous. Love your takes on the challenges.

Such beautiful colours and designs.

So who else is going to join in the fun?

You have until the 29th February to send in your entry.

January's Winner Is...

2012-02-11T22:42:00.004+10:00

Congratulations to Nicole Dorion. You are the lucky winner of the January Sketch Challenge. Those punched strips of papers, and folded strips of paper, just made this a gorgeous layout full of texture.

Please email your address details to me (scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com) and I will get a lovely prize out to you as soon as possible.

Thank-you to everyone who entered our January Challenges. Your work was amazing, and I cannot wait to see what you will share with us for February.

Cover it

2012-02-05T08:00:00.003+10:00

If you have a photo that you really like but there is something in that photo disturbing you, you can either get rid of it in Photoshop or just cover it with a nice embellishment.
That is what I did on my page. I cut up a doily and simply sewed it on to the photo to cover the pillow in disturbing colors in the background. Easy - peasy

I added a second piece of doily to get balance and this is the page when finished.

Hope you like it ♥ /Petra

February 2012 Inspiration Challenge

2012-02-01T16:45:00.004+10:00

How delicious, sweet and yummy, is this February Inspiration Challenge photo? There is so much to be inspired by - the colours, the flowers, the layers, the circular elements...

February 2012 Inspiration Challenge

(found on Pinterest via favanything.blogspot.com).

Erin Reed has used the inspiration to create a "Precious" card - how stunning!

Juanna Sia - Dear - Isn't this just a fabulous design and colours?

Kirsten Casey - Pure Sunshine - look at all those glorious layers!

Nick Knopke - Princess- Wow! Beautiful colours and beautiful flowers.

Helen Tilbury - Cherish Your Love - Just love those bright, bold colours and the design.

Annette Gearside - T42 - How precious is that photo? So darling, and so sweet.

Lisa Kamphuis - You Are One Of a Kind - such gorgeous pink papers, and look at her big blue eyes! Such a sweetie.

As you can see, our Design Team was inspired in many different ways. What about you? What inspires you the most? You have until the end of the month to create a layout using that inspiration. Please share it with us by sending the completed layout to scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com.

Competition closes at midnight 29th February 2012.

The lucky winner will be announced early March, and will receive a bundle of scrapbooking goodies.

February 2012 Sketch Challenge

2012-02-01T16:26:00.004+10:00

This month, our February sketch has been designed by design team member Amy Bender. It's a great fun sketch with that banner!

Let's see how our Design Team members have been inspired:

February 2012 Sketch Challenge - designed by Amy Bender

Petra Offrel - Sweet Dreams

Don't you just love that misting?

Annette Gearside - Cherish

What beautiful colours and layers!

Nick Knopke - First Tooth

Love the bright colours and paint splatters!

Michelle Wallace - Sweet Baby

How cute are those photos? Love the borders.

Now, it's your turn. Let's see how the sketch inspires you. Have the DT used a technique or element that you admire? Well, now's the time to try it. :-)

Please send your completed layout to scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com.

Entries close at midnight on February 29th (it is a leap year, isn't it?)

The lucky winner will be announced early March and will receive a bundle of scrapbooking goodies.

The Last Of The January Sketch Challenge Entries...

2012-02-01T15:58:00.004+10:00

Wow, is it me, or did January just fly past?

Time's up for the January Challenges, and I have two last Sketch Challenges to share:

Debbie Eustace - Delicious Sweet Memories

Pamala Casey - Happy Birthday

Thank-you to both ladies for their wonderful entries, and thank-you to all the other ladies who have entered January's Sketch and Inspiration Challenges. I will post the winner's name in the next couple of days. Good luck!

Card Organizer with tutorial

2012-01-27T05:51:00.001+10:00

One of my scrappy friends was making these little albums the last time we met together (thanks Kim)!!. I was just dumbstruck that had never seen this before, and kicking myself of all the cards I had thrown away over the years that I wished I would have saved, but had no clue how to organize or keep them. Just think of all those baby cards, wedding cards, anniversary cards, birthday cards, and Christmas cards - not saying you need to keep everything, but some moments we must treasure and keep!!

This super easy and cute organizer is so simple - and you can make it any style, shape, size that suits your needs.

Card Organizer Tutorial

1) Supplies you need - chipboard (I save the inserts that are put into the packages when I order paper) or cardboard, paper, ribbon, embellishments, and hole punch .

2) Cut your chipboard to be just a bit larger that your cards. If you have some really odd shaped cards or ones that will just not work, then there is no need to put them in your book unless you want to. Cut both a front and a back section. Mine measure 8 x 6 inches each. Punch a hole in the top corner - this to to string your ribbon though, so be careful that you punch with the book to open and close the way you want it to.

2) Cover your front and back sections and decorate as your like. This book is made for my son Morgan who just turned 6 years old. He loves Star Wars, so that is the theme I used. I placed his name and the years the card are from. You can cover both the inside and outside of the book, or just one side - all up to you!!

3) Punch a hole in the top corner of each card your wish to go into your organizer. The order is up to you.

4) Starting with your front cover starting stringing the cover, then the cards, then the back cover and tie together with a simple knot. Make sure you can undo the knot in the future if you have more cards to insert, this can be an open ended book if you wish it to be. Also be sure to keep enough slack in your knot so you can open the book to see the cards in it.

I hope this has inspired you to keep those cards. Maybe a fun little activity you can do for Valentines Day this year!!

Enjoy!!

Erin R.
http://scraps-of-reflections.blogspot.com/

Slow Down January...

2012-01-22T21:07:00.005+10:00

Seriously, January has to slow down. I'm not ready for February! There's still so much that I need to do first. How about you? Are you ready for February and an overdose of "love is in the air"? Well, until then, you have exactly 8 days to get your challenge layouts in, because then we start all over again. While we wait for the end of the month rush for challenge submissions, I have two more challenge layouts to share with you:

Pamala Casey - January Sketch Challenge

Nicole Dorion - January Sketch Challenge

(combined with the January Inspiration Challenge).

Come on ladies, I know there are more of you lurking out there - I want to see what you've got!!!! You can't win a prize unless you enter. And I've got some lovely stamps to give away this time. Do we have any stamp addicts amongst us?

Then this one is for you...lol!!!

Project Life

2012-01-21T07:39:00.001+10:00

Finally I have this to share with you, with Gary being home for 3 weeks I have been VERY VERY slack on this blog, but hey its the summer holidays and so why not spend it together right?

So I'm not sure if you have heard about Project Life before but i finally decided to join in this year, in fact i couldn't wait to get started so once my page protectors arrived i started straight away, so mines went from Dec 1st. I am so glad i did start then as i have all of Lucy's first summer holiday documented, and so much happened last week of school etc, its so nice to have a place for it all.

So you may be wondering why i have it in here, well i will tell you :) Its an awesome project to take on and use up all of your kit scraps and things you have lying around left over from layouts. That's what i am using for mine, and i LOVE it, no more chucking out for me it all goes in here. Anyway i thought i would share my most recent week i shared on my blog and if you would like to see more of what i have done so far please go here

Left hand page

This one has most of the journaling in it and it covers the following

A conversation with Lucy
Date night with my amazing hubby
Lucy's first sleepover
A visit to the cinema
Lucy's fave game of the week (we are still playing this daily)
Christmas dinner on the 28th once Gary got home from being off shore

Right hand page

This one is self explanatory really, it is just a page full of pictures of Lucy opening up her 2nd lot of presents with daddy, and a picture of us at Christmas dinner. we had an amazing day and it was so good to have Gary home, though he is back off shore , i had to drop him at airport today :( this of course means i have a ton of stuff to catch up with, Laundry, housework, scrappy work, me time lol

The 12 Tags of Fall Series by Nancy Burke {teaching you to work confidently with mists}

2012-01-18T05:00:00.003+10:00

Last November I followed a fantastic series

of tutorials over at Nancy Burke's blog, called

"The 12 tags of Fall."

You can see the first post here and thereafter there are

another 11 consecutive posts, each one showing,

step by step,through photos and easy to understand text,

exactly how to make a little tag full of interesting detail.

I have learnt so much just from reading each post,

even without actually trying out any of the tags as yet!

That's why I'm blogging about it here, because I really

believe that it's a series all scrapbookers should take

a look at, especially if you are like me & love your mists:)

Some years ago I followed a similar series on Tim Holtz

blog but found the techniques a bit intimidating for me

& also that I didn't have all of the materials required on

hand in my stash already. Personally, I found Nancy's tutorials

easier to follow & loved that I already had everything
required to make the tags already "in stock" in my stash!

While I am generally a "layout" girl I definitely see the

advantage of making these tags because, not only do
they make for fabulous gift tags & give us the

opportunity to play with & use up our ever-growing

piles of stash BUT also because they allow us to experiment

with new techniques, which is like taking a free online class!

Gotta love that!!

Experimenting on a little tag is also a great way of

building your confidence so that when you are working on

a layout & want to achieve a similar effect you know
exactly how to go about it!

If you haven't got into the whole "misting" trend yet

you really should! It is SUCH FUN & the mists seem
to last forever - I've had some of mine for over a year now
& I mist on loads of my layouts!!

They are readily available in stores now & my advice would be
to grab yourself a couple & give Nancy's tutorials a go!

The tags are also great for using up some of your older stash too!

I'm sure we all have little bits of braid, buttons, stick-pins left

over from other projects or still waiting to be used :)

I hope I have inspired you to experiment with some of

Nancy's wonderful tags!!

Helen

Someone Has Been Busy...

2012-01-16T21:23:00.003+10:00

I recently found these two gorgeous creations in my inbox.

Someone has been busy, scrapping up a storm!

Amanda January 2012 Sketch Challenge

This is just so sweet!!!!

Amanda January 2012 Inspiration Challenge

Isn't he cute? He looks like he is really enjoying that ice-cream!

Fantastic work Amanda! Thank-you so much for sharing your creations with us.

So who's next? Come on, my inbox is empty and waiting...lol!!!

Big apologyl!!!

2012-01-16T21:06:00.005+10:00

I need to apologise upfront for not getting these layouts up sooner. I am really, really sorry. You ladies work so hard to create these layouts and share them with us, then I forget to put them up because life (and moving interstate) gets in the way. So I owe you all a BIG apology!!! But without further delay, here are all the challenge layouts for December 2011:

Gillian Hume - December Sketch Challenge

Georgia Heald December Sketch Challenge

Amanda December Sketch Challenge

Ann Murphy December Inspiration Challenge

Amanda December Inspiration Challenge

Thank-you Ladies for sharing your beautiful creations with us.

Unfortunately, we have not received enough layouts to award prizes this month. But it's not too late to get your entries in for January. Did I mention I'm doing up new prizes for the New Year? Yes, I am!!! Maybe some stamps? Maybe a craft mat and knife? Maybe a Doodlebug mini-album? What do you think? Well, if you want to win one, then you had better hurry and get your entries in!!! (-:

Store Updates...

2012-01-08T19:25:00.004+10:00

Life never goes as planned, lol! My dear customers, I have not forgotten you. There are new kits coming to the store soon, but getting them uploaded has been unexpectedly delayed. My internet service provider has suddenly decided it is going to take up to 10 days to get my service up and running. And until they get it up and running, I cannot access the back-end of the store (on my main computer). So, as it stands, we have our fingers crossed that all will be working by Wednesday 11th January. Please be patient, and please forgive me. I will send out an email to all subscribed newsletter readers once the kits have been uploaded. If anything else goes wrong, I will post again on the blog. Save Now

Less is more Layout by Petra

2012-01-05T08:00:00.002+10:00

I really love making simple layouts with just a little amout of decorations and a beautiful background pattern paper. Do you?

On this page I just used a small photo mat, added a swirl stamped using a mask, a title, some twine and a few small paper and stickers decorations. I also added a few paint splashes. That's it - very "Less is more".

Do you make "clean & simple"or "less is more" pages? I would love to see them!!!
If you do write a comment and if you have a blog please add a link also :)

Have a great and scrappy day

//Petra - I would love to see you at my blog

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T00:01:00.002+10:00

Well here it is!!!!! ... 2012 ... can you believe it !!!!! ..

on behalf of Julianne & the team I extend warm wishes of good health & prosperity to all our visitors & customers ....

Tony & Julianne & the girls are at present
travelling to Adelaide to establish their new home

I am sure you all join me in wishing them a safe journey & may their new venture be all they want it to be ...

there are two great challenges on here this month

first is the INSPIRATION CHALLENGE
gathered from Julianne's favourite spot "Pinterest'

here are the various takes from members of the team:


Self Portrait

Too Tired Too Care by Lisa Kamphius

Sports Carnival by Kirsten Casey


Refreshing by Annette Gearside Delicious by Leah Schaeffer

I think you will agree they are terrific takes on the 'inspiration'

the Sketch for January

was designed by our very own bling princess, Julianne

A super sketch to get the creative juices working


by Helen Tilbury

Time Flies

By Petra Offrel

By Kim Kendall

By Juanna Sia


By Kirsten Casey

By Annette Gearside


by Caroline Hancock

Congratulations team on your takes on the challenges< i am always amazed at the different ideas & twists that are shown

WE would love for you to play along for your chance to win a kit from our store, please email your entries to scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com or add your direct blog link in a post below.

Competition closes midnight 31stJanuary 2012

Winners will be announced early February 2012.

Sunburst Tutorial!

2011-12-28T08:00:00.009+10:00

Hello there! Juanna here! How was Christmas for all of you? It seems like December came quickly and is about to end quickly as well. I do look forward to a brand new year though and am thinking about resolutions now. I am hoping to come up with 5 realistic ones and really focusing on that. Would love to hear about your resolutions, let’s encourage one another as we enter a new year together. (:

For today, I will be sharing a layout that I recently finished as a gift to my other half. I would like to call this the sunburst effect!

Firstly, you will need to determine the size of the sunburst that you would like on your layout. For mine, I chose to do the sunburst on the bottom half of a 12x12 layout.

On another piece of cardstock (half), I drew the sunburst using a pencil. With all the lines in place, I label each shape with a number so that I don’t mess up on their positioning. Next, I cut the different pieces.

Using the shapes that you have cut from the sunburst design, trace the shape on your preferred pattern paper and cut it out.

Do the same for the rest of the shapes from the sunburst. You can now form your own sunburst with the patterned papers of your choice.

Give it a go! (: Have a fabulous holiday season!

Christmas Tag Sets

2011-12-25T04:00:00.002+10:00

On behalf of Jules and the entire Scrapbook Kits DT we would like

to wish you all a VERY Merry Christmas!

We wish you and your families all the happiness

that this day could possibly bring!

Hugs, the Scrapbook Kits DT!

Well it's Leah here today and I have these glass honey jars that I am giving to my sisters and my Mom for Christmas presents. I created a tag for the jar as well as a matching tag for the gift bag. I have to say that these were really, really fun to create! I hope you enjoy these as well!

These are all Sizzix embossing products that I got recently on sale for 75% off! Woot Woot! I've hand cut this handsome reindeer and added some Stickles Glitz, I've also embossed the background. All pieces inked with Distress Inks in Vintage Photo and Brushed Corduroy (which is the same for all tags).

The matching gift tag with some added punched snowflakes.

You can see it better here but all tags have also been sprayed with Tattered Angels glimmer mist so they are lovely. This is de-bossed and watercolored accents and clear bling.

The embossed tag, with more watercolor and lots more brown colored bling.

I'm so in love with these! LOL! This embossed snowflake was just taken from the center of the embossing folder..you'll see in a second what I did with the remaining piece. I've added more Stickles Glitz and a lovely jeweled brad.

And another snowflake only half embossed so I had space for the To and From.

And what did I do with all those left over scraps..but made them into a card! I got the idea when my craft sheet was covered with still useable glimmer mist so I took that embossed card and rubbed away using up that left over mist...now a shimmer here as well! There is some good dimension to this card but I don't think that photographed. Still pretty though...

Thank you all SO much for coming by...and I hope you all had just a wonderful, magic filled day!

Lots of love, Leah

Adding some "Christmas" Sparkle to your Layouts!

2011-12-14T05:00:00.001+10:00

Not all scrapbookers like the idea of "blinging up"

their pages,but with Christmas just around the corner & lots

of festive layouts to think about I thought I would show

you some subtle & sophisticated ways to use some

{{{{Sparkly Products}}} on your pages :)

Can you see that I've added a big bling rhinestone

in the centre of the chipboard flower at the top left?

You can buy similar rhinestones in most scrapbooking

stores so that you can create the very same effect

- mine is from Glitz Design.

Another way of adding bling without your page looking

OTT is to use a beautiful flower with a bling centre

like I have done. Mine is from Lily Bee but there

are some absolutely gorgeous ones available all over

the place, from companies like Prima & Maya Road.

So think about adding a bit of festive sparkle to

your pages now that the silly season is here!

To inspire you further I've included a few more
examples on how to work that bling! Enjoy!!

Hope you are all having a wonderful week :)

Helen

Three different techniques to use with the same stamp

2011-12-12T13:24:00.000+10:00

For these tags I used various blending, spraying, and water techniques...but to day I am going to show you how I used the same stamp on all three tags, but in a different way.

All the papers were Kraft or manilla color to begin with before I stamped and ink distressed them.

1) I used distress ink to stamp the tag (before adding any other colors) to create a background print - the butterfly in stamped in purple

2) I stamped in Staz-on ink in black, then blended in red distress ink over the top of the stamped image, cut the image out, and then added some red stickles to glam it up.

3) I heat embossed with red glitter embossing powder, blended with red distress ink over the embossed image, cut the image out, and added orange stickles to glam it up.

Enjoy!!

Erin R.
http://scraps-of-reflections.blogspot.com/

November Drum Roll Please...

2011-12-06T22:39:00.002+10:00

After much consideration, and tearing my hair out because this was NOT easy, I am pleased to announce our two winners for November:

November Inspiration Winner - Leila

November Sketch Winner - Gillian Hume

Congratulations ladies, and thank-you to everyone who entered. Your work was amazing and I look forward to seeing more of it in December.

Ladies, please email (scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com) me your address and I will get a kit sent out to you as soon as possible.

The Last Of The Batch...

2011-12-06T18:29:00.004+10:00

Unless I've totally missed an email or link, then these are the last two entries for the November Challenges. If I have missed your entry, please send me an email and let me know, lol!!!

Gillian Hume - November Sketch Challenge

I just love those polka dots and cute animal stickers.

Kimberley - November Inspiration Challenge

More polka dots! Are you ladies sure you didn't use the same paper, lol???

I will announce the winners within the next 24 hours. Stay tuned...

Using up your scraps

2011-12-06T07:01:00.003+10:00

Hi there its Caz again back to share some of how i scrap.

Since i found kits i have never looked back and I'm one of the few scrappers that actually have no stash, now i do have a ton of tools and inks/mists etc but these are things we use on a daily basis. For me i just can not have a TON of papers lying around, it always makes me feel as if I'm behind in my work somehow.

Anyway when i first got into scrap booking i bought everything lol then i became aware of always getting stressed because i just had way too much. Then came kits and OMG i love them, i don't have to have a stash i just work from my kits, I'm also lucky enough to be able to finish kits every month so i don't have a build up. Right now i have 1 half used kit sitting and this will no doubt be done before next months :) i think that's good going, don't you?

I love to use my kits down to every last scrap, sometimes i think my kits are finished but i will just get all my scrap papers out and stick them down and before you know it i have an extra few layouts, good huh!

So i thought today i would share a few layouts i made entirely from scraps and i LOVE every single one of them. I'm not kidding i was about to pack this kit away ( i tend to give the absolute scraps to Lucy) when i saw the amount of scraps i thought hey I'm not wasting them lol and down to work i got.

I hope i have inspired you to use up some scraps, its amazing what you can do with some card stock and scraps, I think these are my favourite layouts from the whole kit i was using lol

How to use washi tape

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000+10:00

Hi it is the 5th and it is time or my blog day and today I would like to show a few ways of using washi tape.
Are you all familiar with washi tape? It is sort of a paper tape that comes in millions of colors and zillions of patterns.

These are a few ways of using washi tape:

As a pattern on a gift bag made from an envelope:

With Twine to make a banner:

As a decorative border:

As a stripe (the green and red narrow stripes are tape):

On top of a pattern paper:

In the edges of the PP cluster:

Hope you enjoyed and got some new ideas

/Petra

Christmas Sale!!!

2011-12-03T21:49:00.006+10:00

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas... so I have decided it is time to celebrate. I am having a 20% off sale over in the Scrapbook Kits Store. This includes all kits (except the current December class kits and the Limited Edition Christmas Kits). All you have to do is type in the word JINGLE in the voucher/coupon option when you checkout. This sale is on now, and will run until the 15th December 2011. You might want to come back and check occasionally, as I will be adding more new kits between now and the end of the sale.

December Inspiration Challenge...

2011-12-01T00:02:00.006+10:00

This has got to be one of my all time favourite Inspiration Challenges. I found this beautiful piece of inspiration on Pinterest. I'm not a traditional green and red kind of gal, so the moment I saw this, I knew it would be perfect for our December Inspiration Challenge.

I hope you feel the same way. (-:

So, how does this inspire you? The colours? The grid pattern? The flowers and branches?

Or maybe the glitter? (sorry, just had to put that in, lol!).

Let's see how our design team was inspired: Are you ready?

Annette Gearside (Off The Page Project)

Kristie Taylor (Off The Page Project)

Kristie Taylor

Nick Knopke

Kim Kendall

Card by Leah Schaeffer

Juanna Sia

Holly Connors

Helen Tilbury

Erin Reed

Caroline Hancock

Aren't these just amazing? What I love the most, is that although the inspiration piece was Christmas inspired, these layouts are not all about Christmas. It just goes to show, you don't have to interpret this "literally". Anything is possible.

So, if you would like to play along for your chance to win a kit from our store, please email your entries to scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com or add your direct blog link in a post below.

Competition closes midnight 31st December 2011.

Winners will be announced early January 2012.

December Sketch Challenge

2011-12-01T00:01:00.003+10:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - unless you're in denial like me!!! Seriously, only 25 days until Santa arrives. For those of you who need a distraction from the Holiday Season craziness (like me), we present "The December Sketch Challenge"!!! Let's have a look at what amazing creations the Design Team have whipped up to inspire us:

December Sketch by Amy Bender

Caroline Hancock

Annette Gearside

Holly Connors

Kirsten Casey

Michelle Wallace

Nicole Knopke

Petra Offrell

Once again, amazing work by my incredible team. So many styles, and so many different interpretations. Fabulous inspiration!!!

This competition closes at midnight 31st December 2011.

The winner will receive a kit from our store.

Please email your entries to scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com, or post your direct blog link below. Winners will be announced early January 2012.

Make a Christmas present topper

2011-11-30T09:00:00.002+10:00

Hello Everyone! Since it's only 25 days to christmas, I thought I'd show you how to make a present topper. They are super easy to make, and only use small pieces of patterned paper and ribbon. So they are great for using up some of those scraps that we all have in our stash.

Materials needed
hot glue gun
black ink
6 cm diameter circle from hard cardstock
4 pieces double sided christmas patterened paper 18cm x 2.5cm
4 pieces red cardstock 14cm x 2.5cm
4 pieces double sided christmas patterned paper (different colour) 18cm x 2.5cm
8 pieces christmas coloured ribbon approximately 12cm long x 1cm wide
8 pieces gold ribbon approximately 10cm long x 1.5cm wide
4 pieces of red cardstock 15cm x 0.5cm
4 holly leaves (or leaf punches)
1 red paper flower
1 christmas tag

Here is a picture of the end result

Lets get making

1. Ink the edges of all the strips of patterned paper and cardstock with black ink

2. Using the hot glue gun, glue the short ends of the four strips of ONLY ONE of the patterned paper strips, the red cardstock and all the ribbon pieces together to make a tear drop shape.

3. Glue the patterned paper shapes to the circle piece of cardstock AS SHOWN

4. Then glue the red cardstock shaped pieces, overlapping some in the middle to make it even, as shown

5. Now glue the 8 pieces of christmas ribbon as shown. Each piece is glued on each side of the red cardstock.

6. Do the same with the 8 pieces of gold ribbon, laying it evenly around the inside.

7. With the 4 thin pieces of cardstock, using a needle or a skewer, roll the card down leaving a 5cm straight piece not curled. I glued the curled piece so it didnt unravel anymore. Bend the end of the straight piece and glue these down evenly, with the curled piece sticking up. As shown

8. With the other patterned paper strips, gently roll these using a pencil, and glue the rolled bit so it doesn't unravel and layer these as shown into the centre.

9. Layer the 4 holly leaves over those rolled pieces of patterned paper, so that you can still see the patterned paper. Glue the flower in the centre and then bend the bottom of the christmas tag and glue this on top of the flower.

Give it a try. It really is so easy. Here are some others that made, changing the length of the strips to make them smaller.

HAVE FUN!!!!!!

Kirsten

Time is Nearly Up...

2011-11-28T20:31:00.005+10:00

If you would like to join in our November layout challenges, you still have two more days to enter. Here's what I have recently found in my inbox:

Sketch Challenge - Rachel Funnel

That brick background is awesome!

Sketch Challenge - Gillian Hume

What fantastic colours, and isn't she a little cutie!

Sketch Challenge - Madeylim

How sweet are those photos?

Inspiration Challenge - Pam Casey

That cluster of orange flowers is beautiful!

Don't forget, you have until midnight 30th November to join in the fun. Otherwise you'll just have to wait for the December challenges...and I cannot wait to share those with you!!!! Here's a hint - we are not being traditional this year. (-:

Cute and Fun Kits!!

2011-11-26T02:49:00.014+10:00

Are you looking for a cute and fun kit for those great pictures of your kids, pets, or fun adventures? I have created some great pages with those wonderful bright colors for just that, plus you get and added bonus card!!

"You Shine", "Beautiful" and "Tooth Fairy" - 3 single page layouts by Design Team member Erin Reed.

Included In This Kit:
3 sheets cardstock; 4 sheets Bo-Bunny papers; Twiddleybitz chipboard shapes; Bo-Bunny rub-ons; Ruby Rocket ATC transparency; Doodlebug glitter alphas; rhinestones; mixed flowers; assorted ribbons.
Additional Items Required:
Adhesive of choice; paper trimmer; various paints in co-ordinating colours; brown pen; brown ink; ruler; paper piercer (or needle); foam mat (or old mouse pad); photos.

Head on over to Scrapping with V to get your kit before they are gone!! These kits would also make great presents!!

Enjoy!!

Erin R.

Adding Texture With Embossing

2011-11-25T00:00:00.001+10:00

Hello friends! Leah here today! Yesterday was Thanksgiving and all I can say is...thank goodness for leftovers! LOL! Because just only one meal like that isn't enough! I am excited to come by today and talk about adding texture to your projects by embossing.

Embossing is not only easy but it can be an inexpensive tool as well. For example for wet embossing we are talking about a heat gun, a watermark ink pad and embossing powder. Now dry embossing means a machine and buying embossing folders but those can be relatively cheap and there are a ton of machines at many price points.

Either way, the details are incredible!

Here are some examples..

I love this example of embossing pattern paper. Like the stripe behind the die cut.

Here is another example with embossed pattern paper. The swirls are subtle but are brought out more by the inking. Edged in Stickles, it's gorgeous in person!

White on white wet embossing adds a neat effect by adding a shining pattern but very subtly.

A watermark stamp provides the pattern but something tone on tone. Embossed with a clear embossing powder.

Again stamping with clear powder but this time, I embossed on vellum. The look is just beautiful!

I think what I like the best is the shine. However there are embossing powders with texture, like distress powder or tinsel. Then with the embossing folders and ink, inking the plastic folders themselves or inking the paper. There really is more options and ideas then you would ever think!

Thanks so much for coming by today! Remember, click on the photos for more details if need be!

Drawing + Scrapbooking

2011-11-23T08:00:00.005+10:00

Dear all, this is Juanna here with another blog post for the month! Hope all of you are doing well so far. I have been under the weather lately and still trying to get myself back up and better. Weather's pretty erratic all over the globe so please take extra care yeah? (:

So, for this post, first things first, have anyone of you experienced this like me: “why do they not produce certain die-cuts in this particular design or why is that pattern not in season now when I need it?”

Recently, I was give the privilege of assisting a friend to make a gift for a colleague who was only staying in Singapore (where I come from) for 3 months and she wanted something that would highlight the things that represent my country. It was quite clear that there weren’t scrapbook materials that would fit what she wanted. I tried to look at brochures with images of Singapore tourist attractions but they were either too big to be cut to fit or too small to make out what the picture was.

So I decided to draw the pictures I need!

So how did I do that: I sketched on a white cardstock first using a pencil and outlined it using a black scrapbooking marker. I did some light colouring using colour pencils and then trimmed the images for use on my art/ layout.

That solved the problem of not being able to find materials that suits my theme. You can also try doodling directly on your layouts or craft. I will be attempting more doodling and will definitely be back to share. It sure adds that personal touch. (:

(close up of hand drawn images showcasing the different Singapore tourist attractions.)

Have a go at it, will be fun! (: God bless!

november sketch challenge

2011-11-22T11:46:00.001+10:00

I finally had a little time to do both the November sketch and the November inspiration challenge!
I love the sketch , it was simple yet elegant, and also, I wanted to do some boy pages, since both of my boys always say that I make more girl pages.. but I feel weird putting flowers on a boy page,,,ya know?I went with some paper from Bobunny, and started building some layers. and what is that "grid" stuff you ask...... well that is "rug skid stop" you place it under your rug to keep it from slipping. looks pretty awesome on there huh?

The inspiration photo was so warm and inviting with all those reds and oranges,, so I tried to incorporate some warmth with my color choices. I used some papers from various companies, and added chipboard,leather,re purposed buttons,feathers and lots of brads.I printed the phrase with Duetica fonts.

Working with Wire

2011-11-21T08:39:00.000+10:00

Hi Everyone

Sorry my post is a little late this month i have been sick the last week, but feeling better now.

Helens post was just amazing... what a great idea of using doileys to spruce up your pages.
They add a nice feminine touch.

Along with Helens idea, for the Nov sketch, i decided to try wire on my layouts.

So heres the NOV sketch with the wire i did :)

You can see here i placed the wire below each photo to give it a border

This is working with wire in a somewhat more detailed way. The wire is threaded through the lace.

Close up of threaded lace with flowers..

This is another way to use wire as well. As you can twist it it lends itself to creating shapes and this is twisted amongst the flowers. It is there LOL!

So theres just some quick ideas to help your girly layouts.
Sticking it down? Well theres a few ways.. thin ds tape, glue dots, (what i use) and staples.
Wire is so versatile.. see what you come up when you have a go.. The beaded wire is fabo!
Once you see what you can do with it, you will keep going back to it.. i do !
Happy Scrapping !
Bek xx

How to Use Doilies on your Layouts

2011-11-16T23:42:00.001+10:00

Hi there everyone!

It's Helen here again and today I'm going to be showing

you some ideas on how to incorporate doilies onto your

layouts and where to buy them. Here are a few of my own

layouts where I have used various different types of doilies.

Quite a few manufacturers have doilies for sale now,

I have seen them available by Kaisercraft, Maya Road

& Cosmo Cricket, just to name a few...

Of course, if you are able to crochet then you

can even have a go at making your own!

There are also Etsy shops where you can find them.

My 2 favourites are here and here.

If you can't find doilies in the colour that you want

don't despair! Remember that you can always use mists

to recolour them to whatever colour you want, so if you

are not yet sure of what you are after then buying

some in neutral colours is a good idea as you

can always custom-dye them to suit your project!

I hope you try them out on your pages soon...

Doilies are really trendy right now!!

Making our own Polaroid frames

2011-11-11T08:27:00.000+10:00

Well i don't know if you are anything like me and just love all the Polaroid stamps out there, i myself have 2 different ones that i use ALOT

The first one can be seen in this layout here

and the second one i used on this layout here

As soon as i saw the sketch for this month i new i was going to dig one of the baby's out

So i got my stamps out and was looking out some paper to stamp them on, i love the look of patterned paper as the Polaroid background rather than plain. I dug into a kit i was working with and came across 2 little squares that were 3x3 so i thought hey i will just make my own and use up my scraps at the same time. I cut my pictures down to 2.25x2.25 as i wanted a good border round them to give the effect of a real Polaroid. Once i stuck the pictures down i went round them with my journal pen then i inked the edges of the patterned paper. I really love them and think they look as if they have been stamped.

And if you remember my last post this is not identical to the sketch, i rotated it to make it fit my papers
Hope you like my unstamped Polaroids and hope you try it out yourself, it really makes a change from plain old matting.

See you soon
Caz :)

And We Are Off!!!!

2011-11-09T19:12:00.006+10:00

We are off the mark! The November entries have started to roll in.

Let's take a look at what I found in my "inbox":

Cherished More Than You Know - Amanda - Inspiration Challenge

Such a sweet layout - those mushrooms are just too cute!

You Made My Life Complete - Leila Inspiration Challenge

Love the bright colours and design. Absolutely gorgeous!

You & Me - Ann Murphy - Inspiration Challenge

Love the border on the circle - it is so pretty and unusual.

Brothers In Arms - Amanda - Sketch Challenge

Love the pop of bright blue and orange - gorgeous colour combination!!!

So, who's next? Come on ladies, show me what you've got!

Entries close 30th November.

Drumroll Please...

2011-11-08T22:34:00.006+10:00

Ladies, you are making this harder and harder every month. But that is a credit to you all, and the amazing work that you produce.

Without any further delay, our October Challenge winners are:

October Sketch Challenge: Rachel

October Inspiration Challenge: Agnieszka

Thank-you to everyone for all the beautiful work that you have submitted. I look forward to seeing what November brings (and so far it is looking fantastic!!!).

Could the winners please email your postal address to me at scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com

Your prize will be posted to you shortly.

The Final October Layouts...

2011-11-08T22:16:00.003+10:00

I have two final October Challenge layouts to share with you.

Both have been created by Rachel.

Inspiration Challenge.

Sketch Challenge.

Thank-you to everyone who has submitted entries for the October Challenges.

The winners will be announced shortly.

Plaing with paint

2011-11-05T08:00:00.001+10:00

Hi there,

Petra here and yoday I will talk a little bit about paint. I love paint :) According to me there is never an excuse to not use paint on a page. It gives the page a unique look and lifts up pale papers.

On the page below I have used paint in three different ways.

1) I have painted the pattern paper with paint mixed with water, not the entire paper but parts of it.

2) I have used paint on a mask and then pressed the mask against the paper to get a partial print. After letting dry I have used a pen to highlight the shape

3) I have used paint (again mixed with water) and splashed on the background.

You can use most types of paint; acrylic, distress ink, mist, etc., depending on the looks you want and how dark your paper is to start with. Om this particular page I used Acrylic paint as I had a black background.

Supply from YouDo, Canvas Corp, MakingMemories and Tattered Angels

Now go and play with paint!

Bye /Petra

Come visit my blog

November Sketch Challenge...

2011-11-01T12:16:00.019+10:00

For November, we have a fun sketch for you to work with. It has room for lots of photos, or for just one photo (see Nick Knopke's layout for ideas on using a single photo).

November's sketch was designed by Jules The Bling Princess (yep, that's me!). Now, let's see what the Design Team have created this month:

Juanna Sia

Helen Tilbury

Caroline Hancock (done as an 8.5" x 11" layout)

Annette Gearside

Leah Schaeffer

Lisa Kamphuis

Nick Knopke

Petra Offrel

Michelle Wallace

Rebecca Lynch

Well, I hope you like November's Sketch Challenge. I would love to see how it inspires you, so please send your entries to scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com

Aletnatively, you can post a direct link to your layout on this post (but please make sure it is a direct link to your layout, not to your blog).

Entries close at midnight 30th November 2011.

The winner will be announced shortly after,

and will receive a Limited Edition kit from the store.

Happy scrapping everyone!!!

November Inspiration Challenge...

2011-11-01T11:42:00.009+10:00

Have we got a fabulous inspiration challenge for you this month! For November's Inspiration Challenge we have a beautiful, bright, colourful palette from Elizabeth Anne Designs.

You can use the colours as your inspiration, or the pictures, or anything else in the image. Whatever you choose, just have fun with it. Now, let's see what the Design Team have been inspired to create:

Lisa Kamphuis

Kim Kendall

Kirsten Casey

Annette Gearside

Erin Reed

And a card by Leah Schaeffer.

So, what do you think? How does November's Inspiration Challenge inspire you?

Please send your entries to scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com

Or alternatively, you can add a link to this post.

Competition closes midnight 30th November 2011.

The winner will be announced shortly after,

and will receive a Limited Edition kit from the store.

Spooky Grungy Halloween

2011-10-31T00:31:00.004+10:00

Halloween is a fun spooky day....so why not let your pages feel the same. Embrace the colors - orange, black, purple, and yellow. Have fun with the dark and grunge feel of a page.........enter the dark side, lol.

The ghost in the picture is my oldest son Morgan. He was having a blast with the sheet over his head making "boo" sounds trying to scare us a couple of days ago. As luck would have it i had my camera in my pocket and I was able to get this fun picture of him. Since then i have been mulling over how to create a layout this for this picture.

I love to create layers, it adds so much dimension to a page. Layers of papers, colors, embellishments, and textures gives so much depth and intrigue to a page........it keep you looking for more. In this page i was playing with the idea of the hard and the soft. The hard dark edge of the colors and Halloween, but the softness of the flowers, ribbon, and swirls make a great juxtaposition to each other. I also just love getting dirty playing with my distress inks, mists, and glitter.

I hope this inspires you to get dirty and to have fun playing a bit on the dark side of scrapbooking!

Come visit me at http://scraps-of-reflections.blogspot.com/
Enjoy!!

Erin R.

Long Overdue...

2011-10-29T23:48:00.004+10:00

I know this announcement is long overdue. I am so sorry for making you all wait but my life has been a little crazy and hectic (and it doesn't look like slowing down any time soon...sigh!). But without further ado, the winner for the September Inspiration Challenge is...

CAROL THENG (with her layout Cupcake).

Congratulations Carol!

Could you please send your mailing address to scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com and I will get your winner's kit out to you, as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, due to insufficient entries, there will be no sketch winner for September.

Ladies, thank-you for your participation. Without you, this wouldn't be possible.

And don't forget, you still have 2 more days to enter the October Challenges.

Sewing threads & Scrapbooking?

2011-10-28T16:27:00.001+10:00

Hi all! Juanna here! How's everyone doing? Just got back from a company retreat hence the mid day post. Today, I'm going to be sharing with you a little tip that I thought might interest you.

Okay, ladies (and gents!), if you sew, do you sometimes accumulate threads left over from sewing a button and you throw them away because they are neither short nor long to do anything else with it? Hold your horses! You can now keep them aside for scrapbooking!

Let me give you a little demostration on how I used some of those sewing threads on a layout.

(As I haven't been sewing, and jus for the purpose of this tutorial, I used some new sewing threads. You can do the same if you don't have threads to be recycled.)

Here are the colours of threads on this sample layout:

Next clump the different threads together. Mix them up, mess them up, tug them gently until you get a shape you desire with the messy mass of threads.

I used tape glue on the spots I want the threads to stick. *Just a note, for tape glue, I used really tiny bits on the different spots to get the threads to stick and not come off. It is ok for some part of the thread pile to be left lying without tape, as long the whole pile stays on the paper. So you may get straying bits but I guess, that is also a form of creativity on its own yeah? (:

Once you have done that, you can go on and complete your layout with all the photos and materials you desire. Here's my layout using a mix of sassafras, DCWV, Kaisercraft, Mister Huey's and Tattered Angels mist (for the tiny splats).

Have a blessed weekend ahead and get scrappy! (:

Playing With Chipboard

2011-10-25T01:07:00.000+10:00

Hello everyone, Leah here today! I hope that everyone is doing well on these last days of October! I can't believe the time has flown by so quickly! Another month past and almost time for Trick Or Treating (well I guess that all depends on where you are at...it's a definite here in the States!)

I wanted to come by today and share my kits for October. The kits are loaded up on some unusual goodies, like great, different papers and amazing ribbon. Plus some other goodies and...chipboard! Lots of great chipboard in this kit. So today I'd like to share with you what I did with the chipboard and hopefully that will give you idea's for your kit, or for the chipboard we all know we've got stashed around! LOL!

So here, I've used the letter chipboard pieces as is but have done many techniques to the raw chipboard flowers.

Using different shades of brown Distress Inks, I have colored some of the flowers, used different colors as well to stamp on as well. They all have inked edges as well, some brown's, some white. Then each flower center filled up with Bronze Stickles, very pretty in real life! I love how all these pieces turned out!

On this page I went to town inking these pieces! I used foam to add some purple and pink but then also took the Distress Ink pad and pressed it directly into the chipboard adding some more graphic color (which can also be seen on the floral background paper.)

The letters...well, I pulled off that brown finish to reveal the raw chipboard and then inked, and misted with a shimmer mist. Behind the hearts I've added dry embossed paper (from the kit) for some extra detail and texture.

And lastly and simply using the chipboard right from the package!

I certainly hope this gives you some ideas for spicing up the chipboard you have at home...It's an easy and inexpensive addition to your scrap stash and there are many uses for it! Can't wait to hear what you all did!
You can find my kit and the others by going HERE!

~Leah

Looking for a kit with a difference.....

2011-10-24T20:26:00.000+10:00

Looking for a few fun layouts to do up this month...

Then head over to Scrapping with V and check out my Design Team kits for this month.... there is only TWO kit left... selling like hot cakes...

Here's the layouts you can create with this months kit.

Layout 1 - Friends

Layout 2 - Home Sweet Home

Layout 3 - Just You

Included in kit:

2 sheets card stock, 3 sheets Graphic 45 papers, Twiddleybitz chipboard borders, Creative Imaginations Epoxy Rhinestone alphabet, mixed flowers, rhinestone brads, rhinestone buckle, Bo-Bunny trinkets, doily, lace and various ribbons. Instructions also included.

Additional Items Required:

Floral stamp, script stamp, inks (as desired), template for dress form and tree trunk, Glimmer mist (if desired), journalling spot stamp, mini alphas, scraps of Kraft card stock, small piece of white ribbon, journalling pen, adhesive of choice, photos

Why not head over the Scrapping with V and check it all out.

TFL, Michelle W xxx

10 Days To Go...

2011-10-21T23:10:00.005+10:00

Ladies, you are amazing! I have 3 more challenge layouts to share. And if you haven't joined in the fun yet, you still have 10 days to create a layout for the October Inspiration Challenge or the October Sketch...better get moving!!!

Pam Casey - Inspiration Challenge

Libeeti - Inspiration Challenge

Leila Cassimira - Inspiration Challenge

Obviously the Inspiration Challenges are a hit with everyone! That is a relief, because I can't wait to share the November and December Challenges with you. (-: I have some exciting stuff heading your way... but now you will have to wait until November...hee! hee! hee!

october inspiration challenge

2011-10-17T07:40:00.000+10:00

Well I finally had the time to play with the october challenge. the peacock palette challenge
after choosing papers and stareing at the photo for a while here is what I came up with

I used some bazzil cardstock with lots of distressing,paints and inks. I made some bronze embellishments with the melting pot and some UTEE and then added some real feathers. well what do you think?

Using Medical Gauze on your Layouts {it looks really good!!}

2011-10-17T07:00:00.002+10:00

Hi there ladies!

It's Helen again, from Durban, South Africa, sharing a recent page I made using some

Medical Gauze I bought at the pharmacy here!! Yes, you read that right! Sourcing the latest
& greatest scrapbooking products is a challenge for me here & I have to buy
most of what I use online from overseas, but there are a few things I manage
to source locally& medical gauze is one of them....

Obviously the gauze comes in white but it is
very easy to dye it to any colour you like

by spritzing it with glimmer mist or even paint mixed with water in a spray bottle.

The best way to do this is to lay some plastic on the floor
(I do this inside to avoid the fine gauze getting blown in the wind)
then spray the mist on from about 40cm away - at about a 45% angle -

this helps the mist to spread more easily rather than pooling in dark blobs!

No need to buy expensive plastic sheets - simply slice open a large refuse bag -

down the side and across the bottom - open it up and there you have it!

And for another - totally different effect - using exactly the same gauze -
you can actually paint it -
for a stiffer, more masculine look, like I have done here on this page.

The gauze I buy is HEALTHEASE by PLASTERMAN and comes in packs of 100 sheets

folded into 10cm squares {but when opened up are roughly A4 size}

and only cost me the equivalent of AUS$4 for ALL THAT!

So head on down to your local pharmacy & have a look around in the
First Aid Section - who'd have thought hey!?!

For more ideas on how to use gauze on your layouts visit my blog at

http://helentilbury.blogspot.com
and if you decide to give my ideas a go pop in and let me know so I can come & check it out!
Have fun!!

Mini Rose Stems

2011-10-16T13:14:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone,
It's Holly here. Today I wanted to share a simple technique I like to use sometimes when creating with small roses on layouts. Often the smaller roses are too tiny to stand out on a layout on their own, and a lot of us end up with so many of these tiny roses in our flower stash for that reason. So sometimes I like to create a stem of several of these mini roses at varying heights, such as in the layouts below:

To create these rose stems, twist the wire stems of the roses around each other at varying heights. I have also bent some of the spare wire stems into spirals to give a more natural foliage look, such as in the close up below.

You may even wish to add other items, such as leaves, twisted into your stem for another different look.

This also look great on cards or even twisted around OTP items. You can make them as long or short as you wish and are limited only to your imagination as to what you wish to add to the stems.

Hope you're having a great weekend. Don't forget to pop over to my blog for a visit :)

Holly xo

Flower ideas for Scrapbook Layouts..

2011-10-15T21:13:00.001+10:00

Hi Everyone

Rebekkah here.

I have been increasingly inspired by all the lovely layering everyone is doing at the moment and have incorporated it into my style at the moment. I love flowers and i love layering so i combined this technique called clustering and i will show you how it fitted into this layout.

Clustering :
As you can see i have started with a crystal bird flourish, followed by fabric doily for a base, a material flag, then started the flowers with the one prima paper flower, added the green flowers randomly and then added the smaller flowers into position.
Some people do their layering differently. Some choose to randomly cut into patterned paper (often referred to as fussy cutting) and also then go onto make their flower clusters around this.
What do you like to do ?
I find the easiest way for me personally as i dont have alot of hours to spend on a layout with two small kids is to start with one flower and work around the edges as shown here but other ideas can include :

1) Start with one flower randomly placed in the bottom left corner of the layout and working to the rule of threes in scrapbooking design, place two other different sized flowers on the diagonal on either side.

2) Place about 5 small flowers randomly all over the layout and then working to the rule of threes, cluster each group.. it looks very effective.

Well i hope i have given you some ideas on clustering .. i always find little ideas such as these very informative for my layouts and its always good to try something different and new to keep your scrapping fresh and to keep the mojo alive.

Until next time
Happy Scrapping
Rebekkah xx

More October Challenge Layouts...

2011-10-15T11:25:00.010+10:00

Oh my goodness! We are only half way through the month, and the challenge layouts are rolling in. Let's start with the October Inspiration Challenge:

Mitra Pratt

Amanda

And three more entries for the October Sketch Challenge:
Pam Casey

Lynn Shaffer

Ann Murphy

Fantastic work ladies! I am so happy to see that our Inspiration and Sketch challenges are providing wonderful starting points for your creative endeavours. Keep up the amazing work!!!

Our First October Challenge Layouts...

2011-10-10T16:29:00.007+10:00

Ladies, you have been quick off the mark this month. I already have 5 challenge layouts to share, and it's not even half way through the month. Way to go!!!!

Agnieszka - Inspiration Challenge

Lynn Shaffer - Inspiration Challenge

Gillian Hume - Inspiration Challenge

Gillian Hume - October Sketch

Amanda - October Sketch

Considering the response to the Inspiration Challenges, I am guessing that they are a hit? (-: That's a good thing because I have a lot more where they came from, lol!!!! Happy scrapping everyone!

Interpreting a sketch

2011-10-09T17:01:00.001+10:00

How do you work with a sketch?

Do you keep identical
Or do you end up with a layout nothing like it in the first place
Or kind of in between

These days i seem to be mostly number 2 and definitely not number 1

Anyway the reason for this post was to talk about how i came about my layout using the October sketch

Here is the sketch again

So my first thought was just to use a few different sized sheets of patterned papers to make it look like a border, but what i have been doing recently is trying to think outside the box so instead of my first thought of the papers i thought ' I will sew the border instead '

This is what i came up with and i just LOVE how this layout turned out, I'm just so glad i thought about it first before just jumping in with my first idea

Hope you like what i did, and try this when you are doing your next sketch, I find it really helps us grow as scrapbookers and help develop our own style

See you soon
Caz :)

Keep Them Coming...

2011-10-06T14:14:00.004+10:00

I am totally blown away with the amazing entries that have come flooding into my inbox, following our first ever, Monthly Inspiration challenge. I have another 3 gorgeous entries to share... Gillian Hume

Cassandra Chen

Carol Theng

You ladies rock! I just love how you have interpreted the inspiration photo. I can't wait to see what you all do with October's photo. (-: And yes, those entries have started to come in already. You ladies are quick!!!!
I will announce the September winners in a couple of days. Stay tuned...

Ribbon flower tutorial

2011-10-05T08:00:00.002+10:00

Hi and welcome to my ribbon flower tutorial. I am sure many of you have seen it before but I am also sure there will some of you that havent tried this before.
I will show you step by step how to make the pink and white dotted ribbon flower in the left lower corner of my layout that also is a part of one of the September kits:

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Now we will make a flower .
I recommend that you try to make one flower first before adding the glue dots for practice. This also let you see if your paper circle has the right size of the base circle.

Cut out a circle from a piece of paper.

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Staple one end of the ribbon to the centre of the circle and add some glue dots or similar to the rest of the circle. Be careful so the ribbon does not stick.

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Holding the circle with the attached ribbon in one hand, twist the ribbon until it is all twisted.

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Start from the centre mounting the twisted ribbon in circles.

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Mount the edge of the ribbon on the back side of the circle (with a glue dot) after cutting off any parts of the circle sticking outside of the ribbon.

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Add the flower to the page.

Have fun creating!

October Sketch Challenge

2011-10-01T00:02:00.004+10:00

It's time for a new monthly sketch. So without further ado, here is our sketch for October.

October's sketch has been created by our very own Amy Bender. Let's have a look at what the Design Team have created:

Juanna Sia
Kim Kendall
Caroline Hancock
Annette Gearside

Kristie Taylor

Leah Schaeffer

Lisa Kamphuis
Don't forget to get your entries in to me before the end of October. Please send your layouts to scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com

All entries will be in with a chance to win a Limited Edition kit from the store.

October Inspiration Challenge...

2011-10-01T00:01:00.006+10:00

I found this lovely picture on Pinterest (via Color Seeds) and just couldn't resist. I decided it was perfect for the October Inspiration Challenge. Use it as your inspiration - you can take the colours, picture, design, or any aspect you want, to inspire your creativity.

So, let's see how the Design Team was inspired:

Michelle Wallace

Helen Tilbury

Annette Gearside

Kirsten Casey

Lisa Kamphuis
Petra Offrell

Now, it's your turn. You have until the end of October to get your entry in. Please send your layout to scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com
All challenge entries will be in with a chance to win a Limited Edition Kit from the store.

And The August Winners Are...

2011-09-29T18:57:00.004+10:00

Finally, a decision has been made, and I am pleased to announce the winners of the August 1st Sketch and August 15th Sketch: Gillian Hume - 15th August

Samantha - 1st August

Ladies, please send me your mailing address and I will get your prize out to you. You can email me at scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com

Thank-you everyone who participated. It is always wonderful to see your creations. And don't forget, you still have one day left to enter the September Challenges. The prize for September is a Limited Edition Kit.

Watercolour Fun!

2011-09-28T11:02:00.002+10:00

Hello! This is Juanna checking in here with my first blog post! How has your week been so far? Been up to any scrappy “mischief”? Haha!

I do hope that I may be a source of inspiration or motivation for all your scrappers and that we may enjoy this adventure together and learn from one another. So please do leave your comments or feedbacks! They mean a lot to us! (:

Today, I will be sharing with you a simple technique that I have always wanted to give it a go on my project. Just a little background, I love watercolours. I love to paint and draw. These interests probably spark off when my grandmother signed me up for art classes at the age of 7. What would be better than to marry painting/ watercolours with my love for scrapbooking?

So let’s get started shall we? (:

You will need newspapers or your craft sheet to cover your table, so you don’t get paint on them. You will also need some water, your watercolour palette in the colours you desire, a paint brush and a normal drinking straw.

First, wet your paint brush and work on the first colour you would like. Wet your brush until you are able to get that watery colour blob on your cardstock.

Next, using the straw, blow on the blob until it spreads out like branches. The bigger the blob, the more you get to blow and the longer your “branches”. If you feel that your branches are still not spread out as much as you want it to, you can work your wet brush on the paint colour and gently add a bit more to the original blob or a little on the end of your branch and blow again.

Repeat this process for each of the colour you would like on your project. I did one in rainbow colours. My rainbow watercolour forms the background of my layout.

I splat some black acrylic paint on the layout as well to give it some character. Just to add, I dip a smaller brush with a small tip into some black paint. I positioned my brush vertically on the spot I desire and I tap the peak (topmost part) of the brush to release the paint drops. I did not tap very hard because I wanted smaller paint drops.

I finished the whole layout by adding washi tapes, embellishments, my photo, alphabet thickers and journaling using my trusty black fine pen.

Have fun coming up with your own project using watercolours. And please do share by giving us a link to your project or blog post through the comments. We would love to see it! Thanks for coming by and for your support!

P.S Just something random. I tried to dry my paints using a hair dryer (my heat gun’s not working right now.) and realized it kind of helped me in extending my watercolour “branches”. HAHA! So if you wanted to try, you can use your hair dryer just to experiment. Although I think you will have more control with your “branches” using the straw. (:

Stamped Focal Images on Layouts

2011-09-25T06:00:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone, Leah Schaeffer here today! I hope that everyone has enjoyed their weekend so far! I know I will as I'll have been away to the gorgeous and world famous Napa Valley wine country in sunny California! So beautiful! So while I am enjoying a weekend away I wanted to post for you my layout for the September sketch challenge.

You will certainly see a lot of stamping from me on my layouts and cards. But since we have put so much money into our stamp collection, we should use them even more often. And a great way to do so it to add more stamping into our layouts. So I wanted to show here how you can take some of those images and have them as the focal points for your project.

The sketch shows a wonderful banner and though there is a ton of ways to go about that, I thought it would be fun to do shapes instead of a traditional banner. And seeing as I wanted to do something school related, I grabbed my Imaginisce Snag Em' stamps and created this. Using them as focal images and as details around the page.

The primary colors of this layout were softened by the white background and white photo mats. In coloring my images I wanted the colors to remain very bold so I chose to color with markers. Accented some of the stamped images using Glossy Accents and added some bright flowers as well. I also used Glossy Accents to lay down the twine banner string. Since that is such a strong and fast drying adhesive it was a perfect choice to hold down that string.

I hope that this has inspired you to think about adding those great stamped images to layouts, not just as backgrounds and such but as the actual focal points in layouts! Thanks for coming by!

Challenge Layouts to Share...

2011-09-24T18:59:00.007+10:00

We have several challenge layouts to share today. Firstly, we have two entries for the September Sketch Challenge.

Ann Murphy

Gillian Hume

And you have all been very busy, because we also have 3 layouts to share for the September Inspiration Challenge.

Ann Murphy

Amanda

Pamala Casey
Hopefully I haven't missed anyone this time around. But if I have, please send you layout to scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com. You still have 6 days to join in the challenge.

Where to start.....

2011-09-24T08:00:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone.

Michelle here... **waving madly**

I am most excited as this is my first post on this design team.

Let me first start by tell you a few little secrets about me and how I scrap...
Firstly when I sit down to scrap I often have a sketch in mind to use as a starting block... mind you in the end it looks NOTHING like the sketch.

Secondly I mostly add the photos AFTER I have finished the layout.. though do have a photo in mind when creating the layout.

and

Lastly I love things to have dimension and am a fanatic when I come to hand cutting (just ask my crop classes.. I think I drive them nuts with all the hand cutting I get them to do!). And YES I do own several cutting machine but love the relaxation of cutting things out by hand.. YES I know, I'm nuts!

Okay... enough about me.

When my design team pack came it in the mail filled with all this yummy stuff, I just couldn't wait to play.
Included in kit was :
Harmonie papers, card stock, various mixed flowers, Creative Imaginations epoxy stickers, mixed ribbons, Bella! chipboard alphabet, Kaiser craft rhinestones and a paper doily.

Here's the layouts I created for you.
Layout 1 -

a fun way to reuse the packaging your kit comes in and paint !

Layout 2 -

cute pleating paper technique with a few hand cut butterflies for a girly touch

Layout 3 -

lots of fun with ink and glimmer mist - don't worry if the colours of you flowers don't match, colour them!

Unfortunately the kits sold out fast...Which I was most chuffed about.

HOWEVER there are still plenty of other Design Team kits for choose from in the shop.

So why not head over the the shop to see all the rest of the rest of the kits that are available.

So many to choose from they suit every scrap booking style.

Can't wait to show you what I have created with my next Design Team kit.

Stay tuned!

TFL, Michelle x

Customer Creations...

2011-09-17T21:38:00.006+10:00

Would you like to see what our very talented customers have created with one of the Limited Edition kits? The following paper bag mini albums were created by Sandie and Celeste. They are absolutely AMAZING and the full details can be found on Sandie's blog.

These albums were created using the "Timeless" Limited Edition kits available from the store.

I can't thank Sandie and Celeste enough for sharing these beautiful creations with us. I don't often get to see what people create with our kits, so this was such a wonderful treat for me! Don't forget to pop on over to sandie's blog to view the rest of the pages.

And if their are any other customers out there that would like to share their creations, please send an image to me at scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com.

Coloring Blocking with Black Mats

2011-09-17T00:43:00.003+10:00

Hi everyone!! My name is Erin and this is my first post with all of you, and I am so happy to be here!! I would love it if you came by my blog Scraps of Reflections, I have lots of fun tutorials and tips that I post, so I hope to see you pop by soon!!

Today I want to share with you a fun technique to me, color blocking with black. I have seen this technique where almost every paper layer is matted in black, and I thought I can do that!! It is really simple, all you need to do is create layers with your papers (cardstock or patterns) and mat them in black. If you have fussy cut embellishments you can ink them in black to make it easier rather than cutting them all out again with a black mat. It really creates a striking fun layout when you are done. I love the black with all the bright colors, it really makes the whole layout just pop!!

As you can see here, I also triple matted (2 times in black) my main photo to really make it stand out in the layout with all those bright colors. I also created a journaling space below the picture to help keep the same length from the 3 square photos on the side.

I also used fun little letter cut outs and instead of matting them individually I matted them as a block for each word. This made it not only easier to put on my layout, but it also connected the individual letters together to make the word more unified especially with each letter being a different color. The black help the letters stand out from the page instead of blend into the background with some many different colors.

Thanks so much for taking a look and I hope you try this technique some time!!

Enjoy!!

Erin R.

Getting that "Shabby Thang" happening on your Pages!!

2011-09-15T23:58:00.004+10:00

Hi there!

Helen here today all the way from Durban, South Africa, by the sea!!

Today I thought I'd give you some guidelines on how to create a SHABBY CHIC layout.

It's really not that difficult but many people shy away from it as they don't know how to go about it or where to start.

So this is what you need to do!

12 STEPS TO SHABBY CHIC BY HELEN TILBURY

1. Find your photo. Once you have that (I use mainly 9 - 13cm photos so that they are not too small but there is still plenty of space around the photo to add all your shabby bits!

2. Add a strip of patterned paper down the side of your page. Here mine is 10cm & that's a good measurement to go for as it divides the page into 3rds. 1/3 for your print & 2/3 for your plain cardstock. That's a pleasing balance on the eye - 3rds are ALWAYS better than halves!

3. Choose some bits & pieces from your stash - to match your colourscheme. Doilies are really trendy right now, as are stick pins, and you don't have to spend a fortune on these items. A friend gave me the doily & the stick-pins I used here are from my sewing stash!

4. Add a strip of cardstock,co-ordinating print or a border sticker strip so that the top of it sits 4cm above the bottom of your cardstock & it extends from the END of your patterned paper all the way across your page, just like mine does.

5. Stick down your print and your strip then position your photo to sit on top of the strip just like I've done but DON'T STICK IT DOWN!

6. Tuck your doily under the top left of your photo (or if you don't have a doily trace around a side-plate or any household item the size of the circle you are after).

7. Start tucking in all your bits & pieces, making sure to vary your sizes as I have done on my layout. Glitz Design offer a great selection of precut "What Not's" (yes, that's really what they're called) which make things quick & easy as they all co-ordinate.

8. If you don't want to buy anything new thought think about using playing cards, tickets, old book or dictionary pages and even downloading images off the internet & printing those out directly onto cardstock -
just cut your card to A4 size & feed through your printer. There's a great site called"Found in Mom's Basement" that has LOADS of free vintage images that will be just PERFECT for this type of page!

9. Now flip your photo over & adhere at the BOTTOM only then carefully lift up each item behind the photo & squeeze out a bit of glue (just make sure it's not the type that will show through the front & no need to use loads!}. You can even use double-sided tape or glue-dots to get everything stuck down. Yes - it's a bit tricky but it's worth it! Use your awl (that pointy thing you use to make holes in your pages for brads!) to push things further down - tweezers are also a good option but I work better with my awl :)

10. Don't worry if everything is not stuck down completely. IT DOESN'T MATTER! You're going for the shabby look remember?! So if you have some corners up it just adds to the 3D layered effect.

11. Add a strip of ribbon along the bottom of your photo (layered slightly over the border strip as you can see on my page) then use some little alphabet stickers to spell out your title.

12. Almost there! Lastly you need to add a few bits & bobs around your photo to soften the edges. Webster's Pages have beautiful vintagey looking flower sprays that look lovely but any flowers will do! Butterflies are always a good option & if you fold their wings up a bit they look even better. You can buy them ready made or use a punch to punch them out of your offcuts. Add in your journaling, handwritten or printed using your pc & printer & that's it. You're done!

If you would like to see close-up shots of this page you can find it here on my blog.

If this inspires you to try your hand at a SHABBY CHIC layout then link up to THIS POST right here so I can take a look at your pages!

I hope you enjoyed my step-by-step tutorial & will try out a SHABBY CHIC page soon.

WARNING - They are addictive!!

2011-09-14T23:13:00.000+10:00

Hi there! I am Rebekkah and this is my first post too ! I am so excited to be a part of a DT team that have all such differing and inspiring styles so thanks for having me !!

So are we all inspired by the Sept Colours and pallete.. or is that plate?? he he.

I KNOW i was when i saw it and created my layout for September with the colours in mind.. I love vintage colours at the best of times and my inner shabby chicness came out, so i just went with it.

When i think of vintage - i think of prettiness and softness. I think of soft muted colours and pretty papers, and flowers and spring ! When this is applied to scrapbooking - it means FUN ! It means layering with pretty embellishments, papers and mists, thoughtful photos, children and love.

For this one Joy, i have used the colours that were in the pallete as my complimentary colours. That is colours that compliment each other .. In this case, the muted pink the light blue the white and darker pink and the darker blue. I have repeated these colours for effect and for consistency on the layout. I have used a large photo to empahasize the dramatic effect of my daughter Trinity in posed thought. I have also used misting to add softness to the photo as well as the prima floral bling. A Jenni Bowlin flower appears in the corner as i love butterflies and its a little ode to her as she loves to chase them..
I hope you like what i have done with the photo and hope you can take away at least a technique or two, scrapbooking i feel is all about sharing - sharing the memories and your ideas with others..

In this September Layout, i have misted yet again.. (see a re ocurring theme yet- lol?) this time i have used a mask, but i often use doilies and lace patterned paper, think KI Memories or Creative Imaginations, over and over again.. i love shapes especially..but for this it was a mask.

I have used my photo again - i liked this photo so much i have done 3 layuots so far using it, lol. I figure if you on a good thing.. the flowers at the top of the corner of the photo on the left are actually coloured rubons i had lying around and i love the effect. I have an addiction to my friend Charmanes lollipop flowers at the moment, and my friend Sues home made buttons. I like the personal touches these add to a layout and its something unique as well. I am starting to include quotes on my layouts now, as i feel it describes the mood i want to convey sometimes better than i can journal. I love to write in general so sometimes i will come up with a quote or two of my own, and i am starting a file with them now, so maybe if Jules will let me we can use one later on.. I just wanted to tell you about the above layouts little journey as well and what i was thinking of when i did the layout. The one above, the photo was taken at the zoo. Shes looking pensive as shes trying to look at a closure, where there were a few people. Constantly i look at my daughter at these times and think of how hard she was to get here at all and how blessed my partner and i are to have her, even if she is a little devil at times..he he.. I just know that when i look at her i feel immensly proud as he is, that she is becoming a nice little girl and is quite considerate of people and the things around her, as thats the quality that i love most in my partner and i am glad she has inherited his nature.

Maybe you can try this when doing your next layout, think about the things that matter the most to you and really try to capture the feeling you want to remember in 20 years time, rather than just jotting down the memory to record the layout.

Thanks for reading if you got this far..
Rebekkah xxx

Technical Error No. 2!!!

2011-09-14T21:20:00.004+10:00

Yes, I know! I'm on a roll today, lol! Oh well, these things happen (usually because someone lets me near a computer!!!). I have found two more layouts for the 15th August sketch. This means I'll be giving out another RAK. Stay tuned...winners announced in a couple of days.

Pam Casey

Gillian Hume

Technical Error!!!

2011-09-14T09:15:00.005+10:00

Due to a technical error (namely me and a computer), we have found several more entries for the 1st August sketch challenge. Guess what this means? I get to give away a RAK!!! Yay!!! Here are the entries and I will announce a winner in a couple of days.

Linda

Gillian Hume
Amanda

Pam Casey

Challenge Layouts to Share...

2011-09-11T20:50:00.004+10:00

My apologies that these have been posted so late. Life has been a little crazy and hectic since I broke my finger. The doctor says the swelling should disappear in a few months (oh, joy!!!). But I've finally managed to share these layouts from our August and September challenges. Rita Rusello - September Inspiration Challenge
Amanda Taylor - August 1st Sketch
Amanda Taylor - 15th August Sketch
Lynn Shaffer - 15th August Sketch

Ladies, thank-you so much for participating. I really enjoy seeing what amazing creations you can create with our sketches. These are fantastic, and I just love the colour combinations that you have used.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of entries, there will be no RAK awarded for our August sketches. So, come on everyone, let's see what you can do with out September Sketch and Inspiration challenges!!! There's still time - it doesn't close until the end of the month.

Reverse Applique Technique

2011-09-09T14:37:00.000+10:00

This is what is called a reverse applique where you sew around the negative space of a shape that you've punched out instead of adding a shape to your layout and sewing that on. This is a technique that I learned from Davinie Fiero on the Studio Calico blog! I used this technique on my "a good day" layout around the star shapes!
First I pre-punched the shapes that I wanted to use on my layout to see exactly where I wanted the real punches to go on my layout. I used the Martha Stewart anywhere star punch for this:
After figuring out the general area, I lined up the punch and punched the stars out of my layout

For filling in the star shape I wanted to use brown paper bag that I had, so I punched out some shapes that were large enough to cover the stars on the backside of the layout. I used a punch, but you could just as easily just cut a piece of paper out with your scissors.

I crumpled the punched shapes up, then straightened them back out and lightly spritzed them with some Maya mist.

I then attached the shapes to the back of the layout so that the star holes were completely covered.

This is what it now looks like on the front of the layout.

I then used my sewing machine set on a tiny zigzag and sewed around the edges of the stars. You could also handstitch around the edges if you preferred. (Click on photo to see sewing up close!)
Hope this inspires you to do some stitching on your layout!! Have fun creating!!

Circles and Sewing

2011-09-06T07:56:00.000+10:00

Hey ladies and welcome to my first ever post here, I'm so excited.

Today i wanted to just talk about one of my favourite things right now and that is circles, mainly stitched circles. I never used to sew on my layouts but now i just think that a simple bit of stitching can add so much dimension and really just change a layout so much.

When i saw this inspiration picture for September i knew straight away that i would be using sewing in there, though please don't tell anyone that it took me two attempts before i liked it lol, I'm not kidding i did all my stitched circles then decided i didn't like where they were and chucked it in the bin (i do this a lot lol) Another thing that i love about stitching is that it is so relaxing, i tend to mark it all out then sit in front of the TV and just work away while i watch a fave show, honestly try it out.

To get my perfect circles i use my Fiskars circle template and i just hold it down on the paper and take my paper piercer and poke holes all the way round, remember not to do them too close in case they rip but i normally do every 5mm. Now if you don't have a template circles are so easy to do as our house is full of them, just grab a cup or glass, or if you have a circle punch just use the cut outs. so easy.

Next stage is to dress the circles up and this is fun too, i normally use stamps, patterned paper, embellishments, for journaling or just leave them empty. Just choose whats good for you.

So here is my finished layout and I'm really happy with it

Here is another one slightly different that i did last month, this one i decorated the circles by wrapping mini alphas around the circles, I really think this is a fun touch.

So go on go get your circles out and have some fun!!

happy scrapping
Caz :)

Dress it up

2011-09-05T08:00:00.004+10:00

Sometime when I have made a layout I find it a bit boring and so was the case with the original layout I did for the September 15 sketch. I decided to dress it up a bit.

This is the original layout:

I wanted to add some paint stains but I did not want to get paint on the photo and decorations so I made myself a simple mask:

I then cut down the size of the page and rounded the corners, added a frame , moved the mini alphas and added some machine stitching. I like it so much better dressed up like this:

What do you think?

Visit my blog

September Inspiration Challenge...

2011-09-01T00:31:00.003+10:00

We have a new monthly inspiration challenge for you. (-: Something a little different. I have an addiction to Pinterest, and thought I would share a favourite photo with you each month. Use the photo as your basis of inspiration - colour, design, ideas, themes, shapes.

Anything is possible. Here's the photo for our first Inspiration Challenge. I hope you like it as much as I do. Are you inspired by the colours? The round shapes? Maybe a vintage theme? The flowers?

(Found on Pinterest via girlyme.tumblr.com).

Let me share what our design team came up with:

Caroline Hancock

Petra Offrell

Lisa Kamphuis

Annette Gearside

Holly Connors

Juanna Sia

Kirsten Casey

Kristie Taylor

Now, it's your turn. How does this photo inspire you? Please send your layouts to Julianne at scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com. You have until the end of the month to get your entry in. A winner will be randomly drawn and will receive a RAK prize.

It's September!!!!!

2011-09-01T00:06:00.010+10:00

Are you ready? September is finally here. We have new challenges for you, and a whole new design team. Let the fun and excitement begin!!!

First up, we have the September Sketch Challenge. Here's a fun little sketch that I have designed. You have until the end of the month to complete this challenge (there will no longer be a sketch challenge in the middle of the month). A winner will randomly be chosen, and will receive a RAK prize. Please email your entry layouts to Julianne at scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com.

Let's take alook at the inspiration the design team has created...

Michelle Wallace

Caroline Hancock

Annette Gearside

Kirsten Casey

Leah Schaeffer

Helen Tilbury

Raissa Costa Carvalho

Rebekkah Lynch

Kim Kendall

Kristie Taylor

How amazing are all these layouts? So now it's your turn. Dust off your scrapping supplies and join in the fun! Happy scrapping everyone!

Executive Decision...

2011-08-28T21:36:00.004+10:00

I've made an executive decision about the Scrapbook Kits store, and since I am the boss, no-one can tell me I can't. I do not enjoy running the scrapping suplies store side of this business, so I am going to close it down as at the 1st September. From then on, the store will only sell class kist and limited edition kits. Which means, if you want to get any last minute goodies (still 40% off), you have 3 days left. So I'm guessing you all want to know what I'm going to do with all that stock I have left over? I've got a plan. In addition to Scrapbook Kits (kits only) I'm going to open an Etsy Store and sell mixed media canvases, pre-made layouts to which you add your own photographs, and possibly some Off The Page projects too. I don't have a choice - the thought of doing stock-take every year, and uploading thousands of images of products for purchase, just does my head it. It's no fun for me, and it's interfering with my scrapping. So it has to go. And if a kit hasn't sold within 3-4 months, it will be recycled and re-used for a new project. No kits will be wasted!!! (-: As a result of this, my next Design Team will consist of 12 members. Let's just say we are using this first DT term as an fun experiment. I need to find out what works, and what doesn't work. (-:
And not only that, with the 1st September, we are going to introduce new inspiration challenges, new sketches, and new Design Team tutorials and blog posts. Are you counting down the days? I am - only 4 days to go!!! :-)

Tutorial- stamping on die cuts

2011-08-23T02:15:00.003+10:00

Hello there bloggers!

I wanted to share a tutorial today on adding some interest

to store bought die cuts.

Die cuts come is so many shapes and sizes and colors these days.

They come in alone or in packs, with or without other matching products.

But either way, we've all got them!

So when I was looking at my stash, I started thinking about how to make these more interesting.

And the first thought was- stamps! Stamps are one of the most versatile craft products on the market

with the ability to transform a project. They can be used in card making, scrapbooking or just

for altering embellisments.

Here is a handful of die cuts I pulled out of my stash to play with today.

On the first one here, I stamped a background stamp in a very light pink (which I don't think will

show up on camera), the blue ruler and the word Enjoy. The second one with a flourish stamp and then a text over that. Think layer and layer. The more you later, the more interesting it will be.

The yellow piece had the white flower so I simply stamped a couple flowers over that one. Simple but much more interesting! The next has a text stamp and a cloud stamped in Versamark. Want something subtle? Try stamping in Versamark.

The fun journaling prompt was great alone. But I added another fun sentiment and then a grid background stamp. Both in neutral shades. The bright scallop circle was brought to even more life with the large red heart, small hearts and flourish (though that may be hard to see). I accented it even further by adding a white gel pen and matching the white distressing of the paper.

And here is a finished card. I happened to have needed something for my Father in law and when I saw those pieces together I immediatly thought they could look good together on a card. I stamped the card base with a woodgrain stamp, layered the stamped die cuts and added a die cut sentiment which I covered with Stickles. Very cool! It wasn't the fastest project because of all the stamping but putting it together went together very quickly.

And thank you so much for coming by today...

Don't forget the sale going on!!!!!

The Overhaul Sale!!!

2011-08-20T23:33:00.004+10:00

It's SALE time!

Starting Sunday 21st August 2011.

Get 40% off everything in store.

(Except August Class kits and Limited Edition Kits).

But hurry!!!

Stocks are limited.

And the sale is for a short time only.

Just enter the voucher code "OVERHAUL" during checkout.

Scrapbookkits work

2011-08-18T20:53:00.000+10:00

These kits are so much fun, and so easy to work with! The papers and embellishments are all coordinated and mesh so well, that you cant help but make something lovely! This kit has some gorgeous papers by Teresa Collins the paper line is called "Posh", and it is so pretty! We also added in some stunning glitter paper, some a2z scraplets, and lots of bling. I made two layouts and stull had paper left over for a few small cards.

The kits comes with everything you need to make both of these layouts plus instructions that are super easy to follow! Even a novice scrapbooker can put out some stunning work! The kit can be bought here
in the scrapbookkits store.

15th August Sketch Challenge.

2011-08-15T16:16:00.009+10:00

Have you got the "middle of the month" blues? Or the "it's only 4 months until Christmas" blues? (Yes, I just said that - 4 months until Christmas - shock! horror!). Well, we have the answer for you. A lovely sketch by our very own Lisa Kamphuis, to help cheer you up and keep you distracted. Would you like to see what the team did with this:

Holly Connors
Eve Sheppard
Juanna Sia
Kim Kendall
Kirsten Casey
Leah Schaeffer
Lisa Kamphuis
Erin Reed
Petra Offrell

Rebekkah Lynch
Jodi Dolbel

Kristie Taylor
So, are you all inspired (and distracted from Christmas???)? I certainly hope so, and I can't wait to see what you create. The challenge closes at midnight on the 31st August. The winner will be randomly drawn, and announced, on the 4th September. Please email a copy of your layout to Jules at scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com.
Happy scrapping everyone!!! xxx

And The July 1st Winner Is...

2011-08-05T16:26:00.004+10:00

Congratulations to "AMANDA". You are the randomly drawn winner for the 1st July Sketch Challenge. Please email (scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com) your name and mailing address to me and I will get a prize pack out to you shortly. Unfortunately, we did not have enough entries to draw a winner for the 15th July Sketch Challenge.
Thank-you to everyone for participating. It was a pleasure to see your creations, and your interpretation of our sketches. I look forward to seeing what you do with our August sketches. But come September, I have a few changes in store. We've found new ways to inspire you. (-; Want to know more? Well, you can't, lol! You will just have to wait and see...

One Last Entry...

2011-08-01T16:46:00.003+10:00

We have one last entry for the 1st July Sketch, from Samantha Young. I will announce the winners in the next couple of days. (-:

1st August Sketch Challenge...

2011-08-01T09:06:00.014+10:00

Here's the 1st August sketch challenge. (We've had a minor issue with scanning and uploading this sketch, so please forgive me as I am not a computer expert, but I am working on it, lol!!!). Now, are you ready for some AMAZING inspiration? The DT (both new and returning members) have been busy creating these incredible layouts for you:

Petra Offrell

Juanna Sia

Caroline Hancock

Rebekkah Mitchell

Annette Gearside (done as an 8.5" x 8.5")

Kristie Taylor

Kim Kendall

Nick Knopke

Amy Bender

Holly Conners
Michelle Wallace

Raisa Costa
Lisa Kamphuis
Kirsten Casey
Jodi Dolbel
Aren't these amazing? Yes, I've been blessed with a wonderful team. But now it's your turn. The team and I would love to see your creations. You have until midnight on the 31st August to get your entry in. The winner (random drawing) will be announced early September, and a RAK full of goodies will be sent out to that person. So now it's time for you to go and have some scrappy fun, and get those entries in.

Look What's Coming!!!

2011-07-30T00:08:00.004+10:00

I thought I might tease you with a glimpse of this fabulous creation by our designer, Lisa Kamphuis. Lisa has been busy playing with an August kit. Only a few more days until they are released...

And what's a kit without some bling? Oh, so pretty...

Limited Edition Kits...

2011-07-22T23:01:00.004+10:00

I have 8 new limited edition kits up in the store. And by limited I mean between 1-3 available only. These kits will not be repeated again. Once they are out of stock, they are gone. So in this case, if you want something in particular, it's first in first served. Here's four of the new kits:

TIMELESS
IN BLOOM
ROCK STAR
PRETTY IN PINK

And here's the link to the store: https://scrapbookkits.com.au/index.php?route=common/home

Meet The New Design Team...

2011-07-21T06:00:00.009+10:00

Wow, this was so hard! I had well over 40 applications and had to narrow it down to 16 positions (but that didn't work, and I've taken on four extra team members). The quality of work sent in from scrappers all around the world was totally amazing. And that's what made it so hard to narrow down the list. If I haven't chosen you this time, do not be disheartened, and please submit for our next call. (-: I've made an executive decision to limit all design team members to two consecutive terms of 6 months. After that, they are required to take a break for 6 months before they can reapply. This way, there is always new talent and fresh scrapping styles available for the customers. And it allows everyone to get a turn on our team. Sound fair? I hope so.

But without further ado, and in no particular order, please meet my new team for the next 6 months:

CAZ HANCOCK - NZ
HELEN TILBURY - STH AFRICA
RAISSA COSTA CARVALHO- BRAZIL
PETRA OFFRELL - SWEDEN
JUANNA SIA - SINGAPORE
YVONNE SHEPHERD - AUS
HOLLY CONNORS - AUS
LISA KAMPHIUS - AUS
LEAH SCHAEFFER - USA
KIM KENDALL - AUS
ERIN REED - USA
PAM PRITZL - USA
AMY BENDER - USA
KRISTIE TAYLOR - USA
KIRSTEN CASEY - AUS
REBEKKAH MITCHELL - AUS
MICHELLE WALLACE - AUS
NICK KNOPKE - AUS
VALERIE BISHOP -USA
ANNETTE GEARSIDE - AUS - CARD KIT DESIGNER
JODI DOLBEL - LIMITED EDITION KIT DESIGNER

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful, amazing international team. Congratulations ladies, and welcome to the Scrapbook Kits team. I can't wait for the fun to start!!!

Another Sketch Layout...

2011-07-20T21:48:00.002+10:00

Lynn Shaffer has created this lovely layout using the 1st July sketch. What a fantastic interpretation of the sketch!

And be sure to come back tomorrow for the announcement of our new Design Team...bet you can't wait to see who the lucky gals are!!! (-:

15th July Sketch Challenge...

2011-07-15T08:40:00.005+10:00

We have a new sketch for you today created by our very own Leah Schaeffer. To join in the fun, and have the chance of winning a RAK, please send in your completed layout to scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com (or post a link at the bottom of this blog post), before the 31st July. And to help you along your creative path, we have some amazing inspiration for you, from our design team:

Leah Schaeffer

Kim Kendall

Nick Knopfe

Kristie Taylor

Annette Gearside

Sneak Peek No.1

2011-07-14T18:38:00.004+10:00

Come August, if all goes as planned, I will have 10 different kits up for grabs. Those kits designed by my International Design Team members may be a little late in being added to the store due to tight time constraints. But they will be added - better late than never, I say!!! So here is your first peek...

What do you think? Yummy?

I'll be back in a couple of days with a sneak peek of two more kits.
And next week I hope to add a few limited edition kits to the shop. These kits won't have instructions, but they will be packed full of co-ordinated goodies to make your scrapping easier. So make sure you pop back next week to check them out.

And don't forget, tomorrow our new sketch goes up!!!

See you tomorrow...(-:

Who Wants A Sneak?

2011-07-13T22:20:00.003+10:00

Now lets see. We have a new store owner, a couple of new paper ranges that have just come in, and lots of kits ready to send out to the Design Team. Who is dying of curiousity to find out what sort of kits I design? Who wants to know what colours? Come on ladies, how badly do you want this? I can't hear you!!!!!! Make it loud and a sneak will go up. Make it even louder, and it might be 2 or 3 sneaks...(-:

Getting In Early...

2011-07-07T20:42:00.008+10:00

Wow, we have our first two entries for the July 1st sketch challenge already. You ladies were quick off the mark, lol!!!

Our first layout is from Amanda. Such beautiful bright colours, and a lovely clean design.

Our second layout is from Kirsten. So gorgeous and sweet.

So who's next? You have until the end of the month to send me your layout at scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com.

1st July Sketch...

2011-07-04T17:09:00.009+10:00

Helloooooooo, everyone!!!! I'm still here (buried under boxes, lol!). I've got the July 1st sketch here for you, designed by our very own Valerie Bishop. Isn't it a great sketch? I think I might have to find time to play with this one myself. (-: I will follow in the tradition of Ness and offer prize packs each month, but until I finish unpacking, I can't tell you what that prize will be. But I will update this post once I have that issue sorted.

And I am not yet completely organised, so we will have to make a couple of changes in regards to Mr Linky. Instead of attaching your entry to Mr Linky, please email it to me at scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com. If for any reason the email does not work, then please link your layout directly in the comments section of this post.

Here's some inspiration from our Design Team: Valerie Bishop.
Amy Bender.
Annette Gearside
Ann Lanvin

Kim Kendall

So, come on, show us what you've got! I can't wait to see all your amzing creations. Happy scrapping everyone!!!!

Let's Get This Party Started!!!

2011-07-04T16:18:00.005+10:00

So, who wants to know who the lucky Bo-Bunny Blog Candy winner is? And who wants to know who the winners are for the 1st June and 15th June sketches? You? Really???? Well, each winner was randonly chosen from names in a bowl (picked out by my two lovely daughters). So, just scroll down the list and see if you were one of the lucky winners...

Drum roll please!!!!!!!!

The winner for the 1st June sketch is.....
PAM.

The winner for the 15th June sketch is.....
AMANDA TAYLOR

And the winner of the Bo-Bunny Blog Candy is.....
LINDA B

Congratulations ladies!!! Please email your mailing address to me at scrapbookkitswithjules@gmail.com and we will get those prizes posted out to you shortly. And I want to say a big, big thank-you to all the ladies who participated in the blog candy competition and the sketch challenges last month. I hope you will all join us again this month with more sketches (to be posted very soon) and some new challenges coming to the blog.

My Secret Is Out...

2011-07-01T00:57:00.007+10:00

Hi Everyone. I thought I would pop in and introduce myself now that my secret is out, lol! Now, you will have to bear with me, because while I have run a business before, I have not run a scrapbooking store. So undoubtedly, my life might be a little crazy for the first few months, lol! But Vanessa has promised to stick around and show me the ropes (phew!!!).
Which leads me to my next announcement...
I need a new Design Team!!!! Design Team commitments will include working with a monthly kit, and posting on the Scrapbook Kits blog on a rostered basis. The term will be for 6 months (September 2011- February 2012), with the option to extend at the end of the 6 months. Are you interested? Would you like to join my team? To apply, send me a short paragraph about yourself, and 3-5 images of your best layouts, cards or off the page projects. And if you have a blog, please include the link. But don't stress if you don't - a blog is not essential. Please keep each image to 200kb or less.
Send email to julianna@powerup.com.au. This call is open until the 10th July 2011. I will then try to announce the new Design Team within a week. So, now I have turned my life upside down, are you ready to join me? LOL!
PLEASE NOTE: This call has been extended until the 20th July.

Scrapbook Kits With A Difference

Fun Boy Layout Kits!!

A Fool-proof Way to Improve your Photography!

1,2,3...go!

January's Winner Is...

Cover it

February 2012 Inspiration Challenge

February 2012 Sketch Challenge

The Last Of The January Sketch Challenge Entries...

Card Organizer with tutorial

Slow Down January...

Project Life

The 12 Tags of Fall Series by Nancy Burke {teaching you to work confidently with mists}

Someone Has Been Busy...

Big apologyl!!!

Store Updates...

Less is more Layout by Petra

Happy New Year

Sunburst Tutorial!

Christmas Tag Sets

Adding some "Christmas" ***Sparkle*** to your Layouts!

Three different techniques to use with the same stamp

November Drum Roll Please...

The Last Of The Batch...

Using up your scraps

How to use washi tape

Christmas Sale!!!

December Inspiration Challenge...

December Sketch Challenge

Make a Christmas present topper

Time is Nearly Up...

Cute and Fun Kits!!

Adding Texture With Embossing

Drawing + Scrapbooking

november sketch challenge

Working with Wire

How to Use Doilies on your Layouts

Making our own Polaroid frames

And We Are Off!!!!

Drumroll Please...

The Final October Layouts...

Plaing with paint

November Sketch Challenge...

November Inspiration Challenge...

Spooky Grungy Halloween

Long Overdue...

Sewing threads & Scrapbooking?

Playing With Chipboard

Looking for a kit with a difference.....

10 Days To Go...

october inspiration challenge

Using Medical Gauze on your Layouts {it looks really good!!}

Mini Rose Stems

Flower ideas for Scrapbook Layouts..

More October Challenge Layouts...

Our First October Challenge Layouts...

Interpreting a sketch

Keep Them Coming...

Ribbon flower tutorial

October Sketch Challenge

October Inspiration Challenge...

And The August Winners Are...

Watercolour Fun!

Stamped Focal Images on Layouts

Challenge Layouts to Share...

Where to start.....

Customer Creations...

Coloring Blocking with Black Mats

Getting that "Shabby Thang" happening on your Pages!!

Technical Error No. 2!!!

Technical Error!!!

Challenge Layouts to Share...

Reverse Applique Technique

Circles and Sewing

Dress it up

September Inspiration Challenge...

It's September!!!!!

Executive Decision...

Tutorial- stamping on die cuts

The Overhaul Sale!!!

Adding some "Christmas" Sparkle to your Layouts!