Tuesday 26 February 2013

Is this really a playpen?


Good morning!

Another layout today, again with my godchild, so his face is blurred. I wish I could show them to you, I'm really in love with him! ;)

The layout:




It is based on  Sketches in Thyme sketch #103 - it is for a double layout, but I made a single one:




The story is that I have a pouf with two pillows in the middle that can be taken out. So when the family gathered at my place for the Christmas lunch, his father took out the pillows and put Nikolas in the hole. My sweetie stayed there calm, looking at us with his pacifier in his mouth. Sooo cute! So of course his aunt/godmother (i.e. myself) kept snapping photos.

A few close up photos:

For the frames I actually used different colours of buttons. However, I didn't like the white background, so I coloured that area with Distress Inks:



Lately I keep using my washi tapes - I've always loved them, but now I'm finding ways to use them as well!, so I added a row of banners following the colours scheme of the buttons above:




I decided to highlight part of the title with some doodling:





Finally, in order not to cover the buttons that I really liked, I decided to write the journaling on a small tag and put it in an envelope behind the photos:




That's it for today... I hope you like it!

Hugs,
Anastasia






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Saturday 23 February 2013

Addicted to CAS #7 - Masculine


Is the word for the new Addicted to CAS challenge!

The card that I made:


So Sue this time asks us to play with the word Masculine:


hmmm... not my strong point as the card came out very serious I think! lol! But I really wanted to use one of the moustache stamps that I have that I like so much (the stamps, not the moustache itsel!)

So come over at Addicted to CAS to get inspired by the amazing creations of the design team and to play with us. The winner will get $10 for the online store Annabelle Stamps!



Hugs,
Anastasia




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Thursday 21 February 2013

Love you from the core of my heart


Yeah, the title sounds a bit too much, doesn't it? But what can I say, this is what this picture is bringing to my mind... It is about two persons I love very, very much, my cousin and her son/my nephew/godchild. This photo is from his christening last October.

I really wanted to make a love layout for the double challenge of Get Creative και του Scrap and Grab. As soon as I saw The Studio Challenges' latest challenge, which asks us to make a layout without any pattern paper and to get creative with washi tapes, I got an idea that I put into action right away... but took me two days to finish the layout, as I really, really enjoyed it!

Here's the result:



For a while now I wanted to make a "burst" layout. Whenever I was looking for the Burst mask of Studio Calico, it was out of stock - in several online stores. And the irony is that now that I've managed to order it, but I got the idea of making the burst design by myself with washi tapes. So I found the spot where I wanted my photo to be, I spotted where the two persons that I wanted to focus on were going to be and used that point as the centre of the burst... and I started adding washi tapes.




I got my sewing machine out and I put it into good use... I sewed all washi tape lines to add some subtle effect but also to secure them to their place. I also sewed around the vellum papers I used as layers below the photo. And since I had the sewing machine ready, I also sewed the title ;)




Then I got in my hands my micron pen and started doodling. I love the effect that doodling adds, but I was a bit afraid of it to tell you the truth. I thought I could start by doodling around the stamped signs. Then I couldn't stop, I doodled around the wood and chipboard embellishments and around the beams to bring everything together.




Recently I discovered some amazing embellishments in Europe, like this speech bubble I have used. It is made of chipboard but looks like wood and is by the Hungarian company Scrap Fellow... I'm really in love with them! I added a red/orange washi tape behind the heart - just used three layers so that it wouldn't be transparent. The white little hearts you can see on the vellum paper are heat embossed with white powder.

So.. that's it for today

I hope you like it!

Hugs,
Anastasia





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Wednesday 20 February 2013

Get Creative Card Sketch Challenge - 20 February


Hello!

Are you ready for another card sketch challenge with Get Creative?

The card that I made:


And Irini's sketch:



I feel quite awkward... because the idea of stamping multiple times the same stamp to give the impression of movement is not my own, I saw it in a card a few weeks ago... and now I cannot find it to give credit to the card that inspired me! If I manage to find it, I will update this post :S

So... what I did was that I stamped my stamp on a post-it note and cut it all around to make a mask. Then I stamped my image on my paper, used the post-it cutout to mask my image, stamped a second time next to it without adding ink, masked this second image and stamped for a third time without adding ink... Then I decided that I was going to paper piece the first image ;)

And a closer photo:


So we will be waiting for you over at Get Creative, where you can get amazing inspiration by the design team and play along with us. The winner card will come back as a Guest Designer for April!

I hope you like it!

Hugs,
Anastasia






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Saturday 16 February 2013

Born to Crop Not to Mop & Skissedilla #197


Good morning!!!

Have you heard? There's a new creative team in Facebook that will be challenging and inspiring us every month! Born to Crop Not to Mop is the new team of the super-talented AlikiErinaRania and Gogo. The first challenge is up, so come over here to see the first challenge and play!

I used the name of the new team as the title of the layout and got inspired by Skissedilla sketch #197 for this layout:


Born to Crop Not to Mop that should inspire our creation:


And Skissedilla sketch #197:




I so enjoyed this layout... since I re-organised (yet again!) my craftroom, I know what I have where and I'm really happy. I used many different supplies - modeling paste, acrylics, mists, new supplies I received this week and old stash that where forgotten and got into the light again with the reorg...

And my new love is my Fuji Instax Mini 25 that was the present to myself for my birthday and Christmas. It has made really easy for me to scrap and to finally start a mini project life - there will be a separate post in a few days.

As soon as I saw BtCNtM's theme and Skissedilla's sketch with the three photos, I knew what I wanted to make. Actually, the second of the three photos is of this same layout when I started making it. Just a click and you have the printed photo! Not that Instax can replace the "normal" cameras, but for our hobby it is just great!

Oh yes, I'm happy... after days of being sick, I can finally create without problem!

Hope you like it!

Hugs,
Anastasia




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Thursday 14 February 2013

E is for Enfado (=anger)


Good morning!!!

Today I want to show you another page I made for the The Craft Barn's Alpha Challenge. It is quote "darker" than what I usually do, and this has to do with the theme that I've chosen and what I was feeling when the idea came to me.

So for this fortnight the letter is E and I chose the word Enfado which means anger. And the page that I made:







You see the previous day before we got the new letter, I was boiling with anger. An old man in the neighbourhood had decided to park his car in front of my private parking space for as long as he needed to - and given that last winter he didn't move his car for months, it could well mean that I couldn't use my car for months. I won't give you the whole story as it would be too long, but the thing is that he showed a number of characteristics that really super-duper frustrate me... racism (he had assumed I was not Greek), complete lack of respect, arrogance, thinking only what suits him without caring how this affects the others.

So when the letter came out the following day and I was looking at the dictionary to find a word, the word Enfado - Anger just popped out and stuck to my mind. That's how this really strong page came out. From one hand I don't like it, as it seems to me quite violent and aggressive...  on the other hand I do like it, as it expresses how I feel when I am really, really angry (luckily, this is quite rate these last few years...)

I'm telling you, this Alpha Challenge is therapeutic!!!

Now I'm waiting for the new letter on Sunday to make something more cheerful!

Hungs,
Anastasia




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Monday 11 February 2013

Winter in Warsaw


Hello!!!

It's been while - since December actually - that I wanted to make a layout from my trip to Warsaw for my "business trips Amelie style" album. I kept delaying it so I got to visit Warsaw two more times, getting more photos - and stories to tell. At the end I didn't know how to include all the photos that I wanted, because each had its story. Finally an idea came to me... The first page:


Oh yes... my second visit to Warsaw was only 5 days after the first one and both the weather and the scenery were so different!!!

But I went back in January and then I realised that the snow I had seen the previous months was nothing compared to what I was experiencing in this last trip. To use all the photos, I added two more "half" pages below the first one. I kind of thought of that as a combination of layout and mini album ;)


The two photos above are from my hotel room, before leaving for work... everything was beautifully white, except the main roads that must have been cleaned during the night or early morning, as the previous night were still full of snow. I added a small glassine envelope with zloty coins I still had in my wallet.


And this is Warsaw from the train on my way to Poznan, and from the airplane when I was leaving. I told my colleagues there that they have to get me a project in summer as well, for the chance to see Warsaw in more colours than white ;)

To give you a better idea of the three half-pages, here is how they look like from the side:


For the layout I chose the colours of Poland - white, blue and red. I sewed the three pages together at the bottom to make sure they stay where they are. And I did my journaling below each of the photos.

For the top part I used a sky-with-clouds paper from October Afternoon, but the colour was more intense than what I liked, so I used to vellum papers on top. Behind the vellum papers, I added snowflakes.


If I could play along, I would participate at Get Creative's challenge that asks us to use snowflakes on our layouts... But since you can play, come over, we'll be waiting to see what you'll come up with!

Hope you like it!

Hugs,
Anastasia




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Saturday 9 February 2013

Addicted to CAS #6 - Candy

Good morning!

Wow, the response at the previous ATCAS challenge was really amazing!!! So many wonderful and inspiring cards!!!

Today we have a new challenge! The card that I made:


...and the code word is Candy:


So I made lots and lots and lots of candies in different pattern papers, cut them out and then added Glossy Accents. I stamped this cutest Paper Smooches monster, opened its mouth and positioned two candies as if it's eating them. Then created the sentiment with the Paper Smooches alphabet which I really love!

Yeap! A lot of detailed work which I really, really enjoyed as it helps me relax...

So, we will be waiting for you at Addicted to CAS to play along with us. The sponsor of this challenge is the very talented Beverley from Uniko Studio!

I hope you like it and that you will join us.

Hugs,
Anastasia



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Wednesday 6 February 2013

Scrap and grab - February card challenge


Have you heard the news? Scrap and Grab will include from now card challenges in their monthly challenges! Yoohoo!!!

You see, I've said before... I may be doing a number of things lately, but I'll never forget that my papercrafting journey started with card making and this will always be my first love ;) So I was so happy and honoured when Chrysa asked me to prepare the card monthly challenges for Scrap and Grab for the next six months!

So for February, what we want you to do is to make a card where you will create your own background. You can use whatever you want - stamps, inks, markers, stencils, mists, whatever makes you happy when you play with it. The only limitation is NOT to use pattern papers at all for the card!!!

As you can imagine, the choices are really endless. I have prepared some examples with materials that I usually use for cards, but you can let your imagination guide you!

So I made a number of cards using the same background stamp, the same sketch, the same (almost) colours, to show how different the results can be with different techniques. So let's start (be prepared for many photos!)

First of all, all five cards together:



1. Tone on tone stamping: I simply used my stamp with brown ink on kraft paper:



The result is quite discrete. For a more discrete result you can use Versamark or any similar colourless ink for embossing. And a close up:




2. White heat embossing on kraft paper:


The result is brighter than the previous card. And the close up:


3. White heat embossing on black paper - to enable the comparison with the previous card:



You see how stronger the contrast is. Here I've kept the embellishments in red colour.



4. Distress markers - or any stamp markers as long as they are not alcohol based! I used my markers directly on the stamp, then I misted it with a bit of water - not too much as I didn't want to mess it all up - and finally I stamped on watercolour paper.



And a close up. Just be careful to cover the whole stamp, especially if you use light colours that are more difficult to see on the stamp, or you'll get a blank area as it happened to me below the sentiment! ;)



5. Finally, by far my favourite technique: resist technique with white heat embossing and distress inks. I really don't know why I haven't used this technique for so long!



And the close up:



I hope you like them!

So what don't you come over at Scrap and Grab and play along with us? Get your supplies out of their drawers and enjoy creating! The winner card will get a present from Chryssa!

Hugs,
Anastasia



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Tuesday 5 February 2013

Get Creative - February 5th card challenge


Good morning!!!

It's the 5th of month, which means a new card challenge over at Get Creative. As I said in my previous post, February is the month of love, love is in the air etc... so for the first card challenge of the month, the requirement is to make a card for a loved one. Easy? Piece of cake! Oh, wait, there is a twist... No use of red colour - or any of the variations of the colour of passion! ;)

The card that I made:


Lawn Fawn stamps made it a bit easy for me ;)

And a closer photo:


I heat embossed the sentiment - it makes it pop out more and I like it this way. I also like very much adding twine to the buttons and then I use glue dots to stick them to the card, to make sure that they will stay there. Paper piecing for the adorable pears... and of course faux stitching around the card.

I really wish I could participate this month... because the sponsor this month is our very own Puccarina, one of my very-very-very favourite Greek crafters and the shop she has with her sisters The 3 little pigs. She offers to the winner these super-duper adorable felt embellishments that she made herself, and which are a bit larger than a euro coin!!!! oh, the cuteness and the cards I could make with these embellies!!!


So why don't you come over at Get Creative to see how the design team managed to make love cards without using red, pink or similar colours (they rocked it!)... and to play along with us!

I hope you like it!

Hugs,
Anastasia




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Friday 1 February 2013

Scrapbooking in Greece - Love is in the air!


Good morning and good month!!!

So... December is Christmas' month (and my birthday month)... January is the new beginnings' month (and my name day month, hihihi)... Guess what February is all about... well, love of course!!! (Although I think I've celebrated San Valentine's day only once many years ago... and even then I was forced to, lol!!!)

So at Scrapbookers in Greece this month we would like you to make whatever you like, be it layout, card, art journal, a canvas... whatever you prefer. As long as it is inspired by the theme of love - love for your other half, your family, your children, your pet.... or even for an object or habit that you love... Whatever inspires you!

Many hearts lately in my creations... so I thought I would prepare another card with a heart:


I used my Silhouette to make the card with the small stars, arrows, hexagons and circles. I wanted to upload the file to this post, but unfortunately couldn't and don't know how to do it, so if you want the file, just drop me an email and I can send it over to you.

So, will you play with us this month? I'm sure we all have a soft spot for love and hearts!

Hugs,
Anastasia



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