Die Cut Envy and Other Fun

I am most definitely going through quite a busy scrapping patch at the moment. Which is great. I only have about ten years worth of family life waiting to be documented! Well, maybe they'll get me through the lean years when the kids are too big to be cute, but there are no grandchildren yet...

And if only the girls could stop being so darned cute at the moment, then I might make more progress. Of course, that isn't to say the lads aren't 'cute'. But they reckon they're teenagers already, so not quite so photogenic. 

Of course it's school holiday time at the moment, so crafting time is a little more precious - not the I craft that much while they're at school, but with them all being home, all the time, the house is just a disaster area. I feel like it'll never be tidy :(

The only reason I'm getting to update my blog now is because the lads are off at computer camp. Oh, the blessed relief.

So, without much further ado...


Here is a layout I did after getting to play with a Big Shot. (Thanks Svjetlana!) So, much fun! I really want one now. I have my Craftrobo - which is great and very versatile - but in the time it took me to cut all the hexagons and other die cuts in the layout below, I'd still be waiting for my laptop to boot. I have a birthday coming up...

This layout took about five minutes... Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Well, it certainly helps with the backlog...
 

A rare double page layout next... I'm pleased with them, and doubly pleased that it used up so much of the paper packs I bought in TK Maxx ages ago. They were amazing value, and lovely paper, but I bought too much. (How was I meant to resist?) I even gave lots of it away. Slowly but surely I'm using it all up. Slowly!

And finally, a nice messy scrappy layout. The photo isn't great, the light is all off, but it was the third time I'd gotten the photo printed so I've just given up. It's a sweet image, even if it's not a great photograph.

So, there you go. I have also been busy making a sign for my craftroom and also doing a bit of Art journaling (really not sure about that, but more on the topic later).

But I will save all that for another post.

See you soon.

Which Scrapper Am I?

It's been scrapping crazy around here lately. I finally, amazingly, finally, finished organizing all my layouts. Every single page has been dated, journaled and filed. It's taken me months and months. Hours on the pc to find the dates of the pictures. Writing all those memories down. Completely redoing some rubbish pages. It took bloody ages, but I'm delighted to have everything finally in it's place. (And I've definitely learned to be a more diligent scrapper when it comes to the little things like dates etc..)

One thing I did notice though was I don't have a signature style. Some pages are very old school ie simple layering of pretty paper. Sometimes I go for the cluttered embellishment look. Sometimes something a little more arty. And I am influenced too much by my latest scrapping crush! (Latest is soaphousemama, she's brill!!)

So, what to do? Search for that special individual touch that makes my pages different, special to me? Or live with a mad mishmash of styles? I worry I'd get bored of doing 'the same thing' if I had a particular way of doing things (though all the designers I love, Shimelle, ScrappyJedi, soapHousemama, are very distinctive) but I don't really want to open my albums and see an incoherent riot of ideas.

Help!

Anyway, here are a few of my recent layouts, you'll see what I'm talking about...

 

 A plain and simple layout. Not too taxing, but pleasing enough :)

 A fussier effort

 Going for something a bit different with the repeated photos.

 It's all gesso and mists and heat embossing here

 Is that a hint of kraft I see?

 

KRAFT! And loads of journaling. Yet another look.

And this layout is a complete copy of soaphousemama's style. I do like it though :)