Lets get Shabby Challenge

This is my entry for the "Lets get Shabby" challenge blog. The picture the colours or the titles of the movies are to be used for your inspiration.

Georgia is wearing blue and pink and I teamed it up with peach, pink and green for the layout and flowers.......actually I wished I had time to make an altered fan and matching eye mask for her!!

Recipe: Basic Grey Sugared Charming patterned paper

Basic Grey Porcelain - Windermere birdcage paper

Making Memories - Die cut shape

Kay & Company sentiments

Prima flowers

Pearl strings, pearl beads, dressmakers diamonte's, jewel brads.

Love and sunbeams

Ruth xxx

Julys Bubbly Funk kit has arrived!!

Good Morning let me introduce you to my newest and my most favourite range of papers...well for the next month at least!! This is Verbena from K & Company and is part of another stonker of a kit from Bubbly Funk.

Full of moody purples, murky browns and grungy greens this vintage style kit is perfect for heritage scrappers and altered art lovers alike.

Caroline has very cleverly teamed it with complimentary colours from the colour wheel and I am delighted to have finally scrapped this huge photo of Georgia at last....to be honest I never thought I'd find papers to match and then these fell into my lap from the gods!

Also included in this months kit is a massive chipboard flower....I could have used it a hundred times over but decided to go with an altered project.......the Photobooth images are from Darkroom Door and I have some serious plans for the rest of these ladies!!

To discover all about Magic Mesh and what you can do with it you'll have to buy a kit.....or to satisfy your curiosity click here and see what the other Designers make over the next month.

Note: Julys kit is available to purchase on the first of the month from Bubbly Funk.

TFL

Love and huge flowers

Ruth xxx

Luckiest girl in the world...

Yup thats me!! I am so lucky to have the kindest and most generous crafting friends...where else in the world would complete strangers send you the most beautiful desirable impossible to get hold of papers......but through the internet.



Who would have thought that little stay at home me could make such lovely friends.... I had a debate with a tutor the other day about people with depression needing true friends and I said "does the internet count!!" She said "NO."....I would have to disagree with her because I think in my fantasy internet world that my crafting buddies really are good and honest friends.

A huge and massive hug and thankyou to Toni Kelly who has sent me a stash of the ....OMG my fingers shake just typing the word......Graphic45 papers!!

Toni was the Graphic45 featured designer on their blog recently....click here....and I have long been an admirer of her work through Scrapbook.com. The heart of roses is for you....well it will be when I can get my hands on some more from the secret flower lady!!

To be honest those flowers looked a bit tacky stuck onto a paper heart shape but I couldn't pass them up and I'm so pleased I didn't because they look fab with these vibrant G45 papers.

The cherry pie is from the Webster Pages Family Style range that I was also lucky enough to receive....my only dilema...1920's elegance or 1950's kitch housewife....where to start first arggghh!

anyway........I added a touch of black marker pen on these BG letters to make them match...
I used these Graphic 45 elements with a touch of glossy accents to emphasise the cherries and to make them good enough to eat!
And a close up of Georgia....just because.......!

I also got my layout back from Scrapbook Inspirations today so have re-photographed it, because my only copy of it was taken at 7am on a grey morning and I haven't any detail shots. I know most of you have seen it before but here's the details that you couldn't see in the mag...like my distress paints... ......and a few more distress paints.....
maybe a drop or two of distress paints here.......

..... I think I went into distress paint overdose that month...thankfully it has calmed down now!

TFL

Love and everlasting friendships

Ruth xxx

Happy Daddys' Day Dad!!

So Georgia nags me all week....."Mum can you help me to make something for Dad.?"...."I'm working all week Georgia it will have to be on Saturday afternoon when I wake up!" I said....

7am Saturday morning......me migraine very tired...Georgia "Mum you promised we could make something today" ...sigh....sinking heart.........


Completely non functioning brain suddenly has a brain wave!! 5 minutes later...Georgia is taught how to ink and paint......eg: "Mum shout me when you have finished peeling the cardboard that bits boring and Hannah Montana is on telly!!"

So I get the kids to pose for a new photo in their PJ's at about 7:30am....the last one like this was at Christmas 6 months ago!! I still can't believe how quickly time flies when you have a baby!!

By the time Dad woke up it was prepped and glued and nearly finished.....Daughter happy Mummy no longer has a sinking heart.....job done!!

Happy Fathers Day Mark, Peter and David
From Georgia and Ben xxx

Fridays Bubbly Funk DT layouts

Good morning and happy Friday to you!! Today I have 3 layouts to share all made from Junes Bubbly Funk kit especially for the Bubbly Scrumptious on-line magazine!

Aww bless... look at the little angel!! Bens hair photographs a lot redder than it is in real life.

IRL he has golden sandy hair and when you look at how dark Georgias has turned over the years we often wonder what colour Bens will be.....
.

This layout uses the left over scraps from the first one and has some hidden photos underneath the hinges....I just couldn't bring myself to put 4 photos on one layout but I also couldn't choose between my favourites either!! Do you like my funky flowers?

And finally Life isn't always Black and White sometimes it is Grey is about Georgia and the trials and tribulations she has with her friends....she has very strong morals and would never hit anyone but I often tell her to get out there and stick up for herself which of course gives her a moral dilema as she just couldn't and wouldn't hit back!!

5 layouts 1 mini book and a card all for the price of a monthly kit.....Hows that for value!! Get yourself over to Bubbly Funk on the first of the month and order Julys kit I have a funny feeling it's going to be hugely popular!!

Love and layouts

Ruth xxx

I finally did it!!

No I haven't won a major prize!! But I have finished my PURPLE layout!!...Which was started just after Xmas when I received these beautiful princess(y) papers in a Secret Santa Swop on UK Scrappers. Thankyou Santa xx




I cut out the shapes, distressed them, cut out the chandelier and left it to one side for the next 5 months!! In the mean time I have admired the rise in the number of purple layouts on the net and glanced at my pieces sitting in the plastic bag but sadly dismissed them again.....The problem being a huge lack of purple flowers!!


I nearly resorted to buying a bag of mixed purple Primas from E-bay but in the end I met "My secret Flower Lady" in person who let me delve through her drawers and it was the Scottish thistle on the bottom of the layout that put me in mood again!! That and quite a few bunches of mauve and lilac and spriggy purple that somehow made their way into my purchase!!

> I cut out the photo of Georgia to show the papers behind and in a deperate bid to appear trendy and casual in my scrapping........I know it's so not working!!

The crown was moved a thousand times and didn't look right covering the actual one she was wearing, so I finally settled on placing it above the frame which I am quite pleased with as it looks like those posh door frames at Buckingham Palace!!
By the way it's Melissa Francis.....I love them but I really don't like using them for the fear of never having them again!!!

Chipboard butterfly from My Minds Eye-Laundry Line...yum yum.

Journaling by Mummy xxx

Thankyou for looking and leaving such lovely encouraging comments....

Love and purple power

Ruth xxx

One mans junk is another mans treasure......

I have been watching catch up TV for Kirstys Homemade Home ...gosh I love that programe and now I am kicking myself for not being true to the style I really love....I love home made, hand made, antique vintage collectable painted junk!! Over the years I have become a bit more minimalist , kicking and screaming all the way......that isif you can call hiding clutter in cupboards and the attic minimalism!!

I do feel as if I have lost me somewhere along the way and have made a promise to myself that when we move house I will return to my roots and also pray for a Kath Kidston kitchen!!

Today we went to a jumble sale at our local community church. Last time we went there was nothing... nada..not a thing...however today first glance it looked like all the same stuff but after a little rummage I found a round doyley (I saw this spelling on a packet....so many different ways of spelling doileys that it messes with my spelling fetish!), 2 new lace edged handkerchiefs, 2 metres of this zigzag edged lace stuff...ideal for a curtain pelmet for Georgias bedroom when we move.

Then when we rummaged through the tables outside I spied these Capodamonte figurines....

I have just looked up these fiqurines on e-bay and they are only worth a couple of pounds so I don't feel bad about altering them or removing them and putting them onto a layout. Aren't they just too cute for words!

A plastic plate holder perfect photograping layouts with when it's raining. It's very nicotine stained but a drop of bleach will sort that out although I need advice would you gesso it and paint it cream or leave it clear?

Georgia got a boob-tube dress for" dressing up in only"...because she thinks she is a Rock Star and a game called Upwords a bit like Scrabble to play together on a Saturday night until X-Factor returns!!

Ben got some super cute proper little boys cotton summer pyjamas with shorties!! And in return I am going to take them all of our recylable junk from now on for their table top sale.......all in all I feel like a better person for going to Church this morning!!

love and happy rummaging

Ruth xxx

The Shabby Chic Family

It's not exactly easy to get elegant photos when you are on holiday all bundled up with layers of coats on!!
So for this layout I have kept the photo small and focused on the colours and textures.

Iwent to town with my rub-ons and because they were so intricate I carefully cut them up and used them everywhere! The Bazzil Cardstock is Grey which I thought would be difficult to work with but it goes really well with muted tones.....just ask those French Shaby Chic appartment owners!!
Bubbly Funk always send the most amazing naked chipboard shapes in their kits....thats what Caroline specialises in, as well as loads of other products.....and awesome kits I might add! he he

A little gesso, painting, sanding, inking and rubbing and my naked chipboard is now fully dressed and ready to party!!

If you'd like to see how I made the whole layout and read your daily dose of a free crafting magazine, then pop on over to Bubbly Scrumptious HERE where everyday a designer posts a new technique or project.

Love and getting naked

Ruth xxx

Cupcake challenge and cake plates.....

For this months fun challenge at Bubbly Scrumptious the theme is "cupcakes" and just like the last 2 months anything goes!!



So in a vain attempt to avoid making a card I made these cupcakes...argherm muffins...instead!! The only reason I made muffins was because of the proportion of cake to the decoration on top, yup "thats how fussy I can get about these things!!".

I love my genius idea of using paper doileys as decorations (due to a recent bulk purchase). I lined a tin with one then placed the baking case inside it and put the mixture in. I was praying it would work and I think with the gold elastic they look pretty special!!

I was the girl who wanted a cupcake wedding cake in the days before they became trendy and available to the masses, I didn't get hem though because no one was doing them at the time!!

But now that I am armed with my (secret) buttercream/frosting recipe and I mean "CREAM" when I say that........bring on a wedding or another celebration so I can have an excuse to live the dream and make these again!!

The background papers are from My Minds Eye and called Andrea Victoria. I just thought that they complimented the gold and brown theme...
Can you see the puff paint on the top right hand photo it's the heart shaped one......the photos were taken late at night so not very good but they look fabulous against the gold papers from the Bubbly Funk June kit.

Now when it comes to stands this is the one I want it's cream and pretty and only available in Australia (Mum I'm sure it would fit into your suitcase!!!) And if I luck out on that one then how's this for an idea!!

Make your own from vintage plates and candle stick holders!! See some here and here and HERE

Guess who had some of those candle stick holders and threw them out when they got broken!!duh!! (never fear I have already started collecting them again!!)

Love and frosting

Ruth xxx

A thousand thanks to Carol for her inspiration.....

My lovely sweet friend Carol from Australia sent me the Collections Elements Villages and some beautiful miniature detailed papers also made by CE. Check out her Blog Header to see an awesome example of a village and her latest stunning vintage canvas.

These villages are huge in Aussie and the kits and the workshops sell like hotcakes!! The company also make tiny elements like wings and owls and the trend is to run them through a cuttlebug and emboss them then distress them with paints and rubs. (Sue you would love these!!)

Normally made with lots of altered and grungy elements mine is a bit different in that it's all girly and flowery. Fortunately Carol sent me two packs so I promise the next one will be grungy and cool!!

" If I can't afford to live in the house of my dreams then I'll just have to build a village of dreams!! "

I used a combination of Papermania's new papers and Panduro/Tilda bird-houses and Home Sentiments rub-ons.
I used corrugated cardboard, distress paints and a 12x12 watercolour fence paper covered in rambling roses. (make unknown)
I think on the next one I will cut more windows out and cover the insides as it creates more depth and interest to each house. I was wondering if I could put dolls house chandeliers inside them or is that taking it just a bit too far?


I'm not very happy with this flower in the corner but sometimes you just get stuck and can't change things no matter how hard you try. A bit like the tiles in the bathroom, you liked them at the time but now wish you could change them but you know you will have to wait another 10 years!!


A Melissa Francis resin frame and a touch of Glossy Accents. I used some SEI iron on fluffy borders on this house.

Maxine Hazebroek and Audrey have some asweome examples from the classes that they teach, check out their links if you are interested.

The latest trend of canvasses covered in chicken wire is also very cool and about to be replicated in England as soon as I can get my hands on some!!

I have always loved those French chicken wire linen cupboards but thats another story...... for now I'll just have to love the miniature versions!

Once again with love and gratitude thankyou so much Carol for your generosity.

Love and "all good things come in small packages", especially from Australia!!

Ruth xxx

ps: For those of you who have asked the canvas is 8x8 and the houses are set into the reverse side of the canvas.