Laura Rumble - Crafter

So this "month" I'm focusing on triangles.  I'm so glad I didn't commit to doing this by the calendar month, I much prefer my free and easy months aka a few weeks and a bit extra or less... whichever.  We've gone up from a one sided shape - circle, to two sided shapes - hearts, to three sided shapes.  I'm not focussing on any particular triangle, I want to play with them all!   My initail stash search showed up a fair few dies, a handful of 'proper' rubber stamps from Skull and Cross Buns and a few patterned papers.  I still need to look through my stencils as I'm sure I've got some triangle themed stencils too.  My main focus is going to be using up my triangular shaped enamel stickers.  I've got a few from various mixed shape packs and I've used them all except for the triangles.  I'm not sure why the triangles never make it to the finished projects but this is the month that changes! As far as sketches and cut files go I ha...

I had a vision for a layout.  I had a tinker around and designed a cutfile in Studio.  In my mind's eye it was cut on patterned paper so I had a long search for 'the one' and eventually picked a Pinkfresh paper I had considered much earlier in my stash dive.  I think it is Shimelle who says when you find something that works stop looking.  I did not listen. *shakes head* As I cut it it dawned on me that it was a perfect two for one cut.  The positive and the negative were equally as striking. So I set about turning them into layouts with the intention of them being very different, although obviously featuring the same cut file design. I kept one simple with ephemera with words plus a few puffy stickers, and went all out floral on the second. I don't often make floral laden layouts as they don't tend to match my photos.  This run of baby Theo photos could take the florals though, especially as the colours of the flowers enhanced the blues and yellows in the ...

I think we are twelve weeks in to the year now and that seems like a good time to do a little review of my goals for the year.  You can find the post here - my messy ramblings straight from my messy head!  The main part I'm interested in this time is: "So what AM I going to do? Make with what I have. Enter challenges. Find an outlet for my cards so they don't build up. File my layouts every five pages. Rediscover what I love and do that more. If something new really strikes me (and I use a set I already have randomly picked from the jar, wait two weeks and still want it, and make the space for it by one in one out) I can purchase it - but it does need to pass The Questions. Do I have anything SIMILAR already in my stash? Can I get CREATIVE with something I already own and make it work?  Do I really LOVE the product or do I love what other people are doing with it?  Do I NEED it" So points 1 and 2 get a big old tick; 3 and 4 do not; 5 is a work in progress and I'm...

Here's a round up of some heart themed makes from the last few weeks. First up is a heart embossed background for a CAS(ish) card.  Coverplate from Time For Teas Designs, bird stamp from MFT, sequins and sentiment from Pretty Pink Posh.  I love the quilt-y puffiness of embossing with a coverplate but I'm never completely sure the best way to capture it in a photo. Now a run of layouts, some more 'hearty' than others.  I really wanted to use up as many of my puffy heart stickers as possible.  It became clear that just a scattering per layout wasn't going to do the job... My cut file, patterned paper from Pinkfresh Studio, bits and bobs from the depths of my stash.  (This type of cut file is great as you get two usable pieces, one the opposite of the other.  Picture where this is blue being white and where this is white being blue.  I'll share the other layout soon...) I changed tack and went all out with the stickers... This is based on an old sketch of...

The batch of challenges that came out at the beginning of the month all struck a chord with me.  I've made a couple of cards to enter it to a few challenges... First up we have a mini slimline based on a sketch from There's A Stamp For That and the Colour Throwdown palette. The ephemera is from Cocoa Vanilla Studio.  The hearts and the heart strip are scraps fom die cutting experiments.  The stamping is from a couple of Alex Syberia stamp sets.  The background stamping is meant to be subtle and just to add some texture rather than be super readable. Here's the sketch and swatch: Of course, I've missed the link up for CTD, doh!  I have very little physical energy available at the moment but a lot of thinking and creative energy.  It's a really frustrating pairing! (But much better than having nothing of anything!)  Also fits Simon's slimline challenge which I may sneak into on time. Then I have this green and gold birthday card...   This one is f...

Some times I want to just scrap whatever I fancy, whatever flows out of my fingers with no rules or parametres; other times I love to get stuck in to a challenge.  Recently I've been all about the challenges.   Hey Little Magpie ran a cyber crop over the weekend and I have managed four layouts so far.  I have a few more planned out in my head too, but we'll see if they get made before the deadline... Concord and 9th watering can die paired with Heffy Doodle patterned papers, rainbow photo corners, old stickers and a little bit of subtle embossing with a scoreboard and bone folder.  Percy, my last budgie was nicknamed Sweet Pea and these were 'her' flowers that bloomed after she passed away.  I feel very sentimental and soppy about them, and her, hence the journalling on the front.  I also added journalling on the back. This is the song the big boys sing to their little brother.  It's the lyrics to Party All Night by Sean Kingston altered to fit ne...