The Scrap Farm

It's sketch challenge time...

2012-02-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

My Little Shoebox are running a very impromptu sketch challenge which closes February 13th, just in time to announce a winner on Valentine's Day! So, for anyone out there that has some My Little Shoebox products in their stash then this competition is for you... and don't worry that you don't have anything 'Love' themed because I created my sample layout using the My Little Shoebox Winter Wonderland collection and there isn't a love heart to be found on any of the papers. The prize is a fabulous surprise bundle of My Little Shoebox products and if you've seen the new releases then winning this would be the best gift ever.

Here's a look at the sketch I designed for the challenge.

... and here's sneak peek of my sample layout which you can view in full on the My Little Shoebox blog HERE along with further details for the layout challenge.

Good Luck!!!

From farm to you...

Greatest View's first release sale is now on!!!

2012-02-01T04:09:00.000-07:00

Greatest View is a beautiful little embellishment business run by the very talented Gail Lindner and tonight marks the start of her first product release and sale which will be one of two for the month of February.

Gail has stocked her shop with the most gorgeous products, beautifully packaged and all set to be posted throughout Australia and Overseas.

And here is a sample of the beautiful products on offer...

chevron badges

pattern paper bags

glassine bags..

hand dyed seam binding to match the chevron badges

kraft packs and calico hand made flowers

natural twine

expression badges

school badges

Gail has made it incredibly easy to order and the postage prices are extremely reasonable.

From farm to you...

News: Greatest View + Giveaway

2012-01-26T22:27:00.004-07:00

Last year I was asked to be part of the Scrapbooking Memories Magazine creative team and little did I know that it would introduce me to two of the sweetest people who were also part of the team... Gail Linder and Kim Jeffress.

Now our term with the magazine has finished, however I'm really thrilled that the three of us will continue to create together as Gail has put her faith in me to become a design team member of her beautiful embellishing business 'Greatest View'. And I'm also excited because I'm also going to be working with another two crafty ladies who I have admired for quite some time... Kerryn Lawson and Leanne Allison

And here's a little sneak of what's to come in the first bi-monthly release...

Would you like to win?

Would you like to win one of three $25 vouchers to spend at the release?
Gail is going to give three shopping vouchers away and to be in the running you can find all the details on the Greatest View blog which you will find HERE. I recieved my gorgeous parcel in the post today and I must say... the products are even sweeter in person. 'I can't wait to have a little play'.

From farm to you...

Hershey's Kisses Box Card + Giveaway!

2012-01-24T05:10:00.001-07:00

Where do you find your inspiration?
These days I find that Pinterest is my first port of call when it comes to getting the creative juices flowing because I can find inspiration in some of the most amazing pictures that have absolutely nothing to do with the paper-craft industry. Not to mention all the gorgeous recipes and home decorating tips I stumble across! It really is a very addictive place.

My Pebbles assignment this week was to use inspiration from somewhere and show a photo of that inspiration and how the project transpired.

Well this is my finished project... a box card full of Hershey's Kisses for my husband - that's if it lasts until Valentine's Day!

and this is my source of inspiration - a picture of a cork heart that I found quite some time ago on Pinterest...

Now, because this assignment was all about being inspired, I thought I'd share how I created this card and pass on some of that inspiration.

BOX CARD TEMPLATE
(You will need to click on the template to enlarge it for the measurements)

STEP 1.
Cut out your cardstock to the required measurements and then score along the marked lines for your folds.

STEP 2.
Cut an alternative piece of cardstock the length of the box and 4cm deep then adhere to the front of your card.

STEP 3.
Cut out a heart shape - I drew mine on the back of the card and then used a scalpal, however you could just as easy use a cutting machine.

STEP 4.
Add a ribbon and box across the face of the card. I've also added part of my card sentiment to the ribbon using mini alpha stickers.

STEP 5.

I added a stamped 'Love' to complete the sentiment and chalked around the edge. I also chalked around the entire card and also the heart.

STEP 6.

Cut a piece of cardstock the same size as the back panel of your card (I used white) to give your box card extra strengh to hold the sweets. Adhere this to inside of the box card back panel. Using pop dots add your sweets to the entire card or if you want to be conservative you can just put them behind the heart.

STEP 7.

Fold up all your edges and run a strip of adhesive along the 1cm fold to join the entire card.

Product List:

Pebbles supplies used:
With Love I heart You (751203)

With Love So In Love (751205)

With Love Clear Stamps (747162)

Welcome Christmas Mini ABC Stickers (732087)

Welcome Christmas Ribbon (780012)

Pearlescent Chalks Jewel Tones (42005)

Other supplies used:

American Crafts Red Ink

American Crafts White Cardstock

GIVEAWAY

Now, as a Pebbles Design Team member I'm extremely fortunate to recieve a lovely amount of beautiful products and although I try my hardest I can't possible use up every last piece. So, I will have a rummage and put together a lovely package of gorgeous papers, embellishments, ribbons, stickers etc to go to a good home if anyone has the room in their craft space? I'm sure some-one will have a spare corner that needs filling.

All you have to do to enter is:
- Head over to the Pebbles facebook page HERE and become a follower
- Come back and leave a comment on my blog and become a follower if you haven't already.

I will place a pic of the prize as soon as I have had my rummage and will announce the winner on Valentine's Day.

Thanks for stopping by!

From farm to you...

Sweet Cakes and your chance to win...

2012-01-19T06:47:00.001-07:00

Doodlebug have been showcasing their gorgeous new mid-release 'Sweet Cakes' and I have to say that I've fallen for it in a big way. I've always been a huge fan of red and pink together, so much so that I have an entire rose garden dedicated to just those two colours. And with Valentine's Day approaching it is the perfect collection to be playing with.

Mr Wilson is our darling cat who has an incredibly bad habit of positioning himself on my desk and falling asleep whilst I'm trying to do bookwork, this particular day he was sprawled across the desk behind my laptop and had his head resting on my calculator so I couldn't resist taking this photo... darn cat!

Supplies Used: Sweet Cakes cardstock - Valentine Twine; Sweet Cakes 6x6 paper pad; Sweet Cakes - fancy frills, icon cardstock stickers; Crushed velvet cardstock - cupcake, ladybug; Candyshoppe card stock stickers - ladybug, lily white; Shin Dig cardstock stickers - cupcake; Candy Shoppe mini rub ons - ladybug, lily white; Boutique brads - confection, sweet treat, ladybug, cupcake, bubblegum, love, Christmas candy; Mini Jewels - ladybug, cupcake.

The gorgeous Doodlebug Layout Sketch for the month of January was designed by the very talented Aphra Bolyer and each of the design team were given the opportunity to have a play. I love how different everyone's layouts were considering we all used the same sketch. You can stop by the blog HERE to see all the different approaches using Aphra's sketch and the Sweet Cakes collection.

Speaking of Doodlebug Sketches - the January Doodle Card Sketch has been showcased on the Doodlebug blog this week and you can play along and win the gorgeous Sweet Cakes collection. You can find out all the details HERE. You can also leave a comment on each of the posts this week for another chance to win!

Here's my take on the cute little card sketch from Pagemaps.

Supply List: Create-a-card A6 Paisley Bubblegum; Sweet Cakes - Cute Cuts; Sweet Cakes - Fancy Frills Sugar Coated; Doodlepops - Baby Cakes; Mini Jewels - Bubblegum; Jack & Jill Alphabet Rub ons - Ladybug.

From farm to you...

Chocky Monster...

2012-01-17T05:40:00.000-07:00

I have just come home from a very impromptu family holiday which was wonderful at the time but has left me rather behind with my blogging. So again it is time to play catch-up!

Today I'm going to share a layout I created for a Mix 'n' Match challenge on the Pebbles blog where we were asked to put together a project using any product from any range... and seriously, this has to be my favourite type of project because it gives me the opportunity to rummage through each of the Pebbles collections and pick random bits and pieces from each of them.

Now I make no apologies for this photo of my son... he had a fabulous time eating his chocolate paddle pop ice-cream and his expression said it all... yes, this is a face that only a mother could love and I love it dearly. LOL!

Pebbles supplies used:

Fresh Goods Mom & Pop (751194)
Fresh Goods Window Display (751189)
Fresh Goods Simple Joys (751188)
Fresh Goods Rain Check (751184)
Fresh Goods Chipboard Buttons (747152)
With Love Dear Valentine (751207)
With Love Mini ABC Stickers - Red (732087)
Welcome Christmas No Peeking (751172)
Welcome Christmas ABC Stickers - Chestnut (732070)
Welcome Christmas Fabric Brads (744267)
Floral Garden Border Stickers (732077)
New Arrival Girl Dimensional Border Stickers (732060)
New Arrival Girl Rub-ons (735003)
New Arrival Girl Metal Brads (747007)
New Arrival Boy Metal Brads (747009)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Rub Ons (American Crafts)
Border Punch (American Crafts)
Punch (Martha Stewart)
Vellum

From farm to you...

Holiday Cards...

2012-01-05T05:55:00.000-07:00

Holiday Cards are always the hardest cards to make because I seem to always be under pressure making them... the old story of leaving them until the last minute and promising myself every year that I'm going to start early when I never do!

So this year I devised a plan to eliminate making a whole pile of different cards and instead I'd have a few basic designs and recreate each one using different papers and colours. Well what can I say, it worked a treat and I had a nice little production line going. However, note to self... next year do not use the little retro flower punch when trying to save time!

Pebbles supplies used:

Welcome Christmas Santa's Workshop (751176)
Welcome Christmas Deck the Halls (751177)
Welcome Christmas Sleigh Ride (751178)
Welcome Christmas Holly Jolly (751179)
Welcome Christmas Candy Cane (751181)
Welcome Christmas Cardstock White (71801)
Welcome Christmas Cardstock Crimson (71029)
Welcome Christmas Cardstock Spinach (751051)
Welcome Christmas Cardstock Pine (751057)
Welcome Christmas Duplicate Rub Ons (760276)
Welcome Christmas Ribbon (780012)
Classic Candy Dots Black (744237)

Other supplies used:
Punch (EK Success)

The Pebbles blog was jam packed with wonderful Holidays cards before Christmas which you can spy HERE. You never know... you might find some inspiration and start next years cards early... LOL!

From farm to you...

Catch up time!

2012-01-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

I seemed to have been missing in action for a while and sadly the blog has been a little neglected. I have so many projects that I need to post that date back to Halloween through to Christmas so will be making everyone's head's spin for a bit whilst I get back on track with things.

Firstly, I would like to say 'Happy New Year' to everyone and may you all have a safe and blessed 2012. I didn't bother making a New Year's resolution this year because 2011 threw so many curve balls that I thought I'd just go with the flow this year.

Now, my project share today is something I did for Pebbles back in October as a Mix and Match assignment. Halloween is not something that we celebrate here in Australia, however my daughter loves the entire concept and her friend just happens to celebrate her Birthday on October 31. So with this in mind I thought it might be nice to create a Halloween themed Birthday Present filled with spooky chocolates and decorated in Orange, Black and Purple. I didn't have to go too far to find this combination of colours by mixing and matching different collections from the Pebbles range. And how cool are those chocolate eyeballs? LOL!

Pebbles supplies used:

Happy Go Lucky Happy (751091)

Happy Go Lucky Cloud Nine (751090)

The Mr & Mrs Pinstripe (751101)

The Mr & Mrs Love Birds (751102)

Floral Lane With Love (751122)

Pebbles Ribbon Orange

Other supplies used:

American Crafts Thickers

American Crafts Premium Ribbon

Black flower stamens

Martha Stewart leaf punch

Chocolate eyeballs, pumpkins and spooky ghosts

Rolled flowers would have to be my all time favourite paper flower to create because they are relatively easy, take very little time and look great on any project. I've even added a few black stamens in the centres for a different effect... I rescued these from my old cake decorating days.

Well I won't go on any longer as this post is long enough already. However, I will be back tomorrow with a Christmas themed project so moving you through the holidays, one by one. LOL!
Thanks for being so patient!

From farm to you...

Hippity Hop...

2011-12-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

Now I know it's a little bit hard to think Easter and Spring when we are gearing up for Christmas, but Imaginisce are already well beyond Christmas and have just released their latest and cutest collection... Hippity Hop!!! It's full of beautiful Spring colours and patterns with the cutest little bunnies and chicks, umbrellas and bird cages!

All this week on the Imaginisce blog they have been featuring the Hippity Hop collection and today I have my Hippity Hop layout to share.

I didn't have any Easter photos to work with so decided to use these pics I took of my daughter recently when she was enjoying the dandelions in the garden and happily blowing them in the direction of her cat who chased the flying pieces as though he was trying to catch a butterfly.

The white birdcage was created using the Cricut Expression cartridge 'Straight From the Nest' and I added a row of i-rock Glitter Glamrocks using the heat setting i-rock tool from Imaginisce.

Now, you still have time to pop over to the Imaginisce blog HERE and enter this week's give-away to be in the running to win your very own Hippity Hop collection.! Good luck!

From farm to you...

The gift of giving...

2011-12-14T05:01:00.000-07:00

I've always struggled with choosing the perfect gift for family and friends. Everyone seems to have just what they need these days and probably a whole lot more that they don't need. So what do you give someone that doesn't really need anything?

Something edible perhaps, atleast you know they will enjoy your gift and although it won't last forever, it will be appreciated. My assignment this week for Doodlebug was to create a gift and I decided that I would combine my need of a present for my family and the concept of giving something yummy. And I came up with the edible Christmas Tree that can double as a table centrepiece... functional and tasty!

I used a whopping total of 80 Lolly Pops for this creation so I'm glad that I found somewhere that sold them quite cheaply in bulk amounts. Mind you, I totally underestimated how many I would need and had to make two extra trips to town. It was definitely a labor of love! I also made a mental note to myself... next time buy the smallest polystyrene cone and not the biggest!

A little show and tell on how I put the tree together...

Supplies Used: Doodlebug's Christmas collection 'Santa's Workhop' double sided patterned paper - Poinsettias, Little Helpers, Cheery Chat, Assorted Cut-outs, Candy Cane; Doodlebug Sugar coated cardstock - Vanilla. Imaginisce 28mm Brad punch. Fiskars scalloped border punch. Martha Stewart Snowflake Punch. Satin Red Ribbon. 80 Lollypops. Large Polystyrene Cone. Fiskars scalloped border punch.

Using the Imaginisce 28mm brad punch I cut approximately 15 of each pattered paper.

I punched a whole big enough to fit the lollypop handle through each circle.

Poke each lollypop through a patterned paper circle and poke into the polystyrene cone starting from the top and working your way down to the bottom. I used a small screw driver to poke a whole through the cone before positioning my lollypop.

More punching... using the gorgeous Doodlebug sugar coated cardstock I punched a whole pile of snowflakes and attached them to the tree using a hot-glue gun.

I added a scalloped edged punch to create a strip of paper for the bottom of the tree to give it a neat and tidy finish. Add a big red satin bow and it's all done.

It really was such a fun project to make even and something that your kids would love to help with. I hope I've given you some inspiration for a gift with a difference.

Don't forget to pop over to the Doodlebug blog HERE to view all the other wonderful handmade gift items that the design team have been working on this week.

From farm to you...

Bauble Tutorial + Giveaway!!!

2011-12-07T05:43:00.001-07:00

Firstly, can you believe that Christmas is almost upon us and I'm totally not ready.
I haven't made nearly enough cards, haven't picked up the tree, haven't begun to decorate and I'm still procrastinating over what to buy everyone. I guess I'm just not feeling the Christmas vibe yet... it had better come soon or I might be in trouble!

Well, atleast I've started making some new and fun decorations for our tree (when it arrives). So, if you like to get messy and the kids like to get messy then this project might be just the thing to amuse them and to help with decorating the tree.

The full tutorial is featured on the Doodlebug Blog
which can you visit HEREDoodlebug are giving away a wonderful prize so don't forget to leave a comment to enter. Good Luck!

From farm to you...

Cards with destination + Giveaway...

2011-12-06T05:36:00.000-07:00

My Little Shoebox are giving away the entire Destination Collection on their blog today!!!

And I'm excited to say that my cards are also on the blog promoting the gorgeous Destination range of papers and embellishments. So drop by their blog HERE and leave a comment to enter!

And here's a little sneak at two of my cards...

From farm to you...

With Love...

2011-12-01T15:59:00.001-07:00

I'm so smitten by the newly released 'With Love' collection from Pebbles Inc as it has my all time favourite colour combination of pink and red. I've always loved these colours together and filled my garden full of pink and red roses... bliss (except for the weeds).

All this week on the Pebbles Inc blog they have been sharing projects from the design team using the new With Love collection and today my little 'Made With Love' mini album in up for viewing.

Here's a little sneak peek...

If you would like to see the entire album then pop over to the
Pebbles blog HERE!

From farm to you...

It's time to be thankful...

2011-11-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Although Thanksgiving is not a holiday we celebrate officially here in Australia, it doesn't mean that we can't stop and be thankful... actually it would be nice to do it on a daily basis and a great way to start each day.

We are in the middle of our harvest and it's looking like being a reasonable year on the farm after the past 10 years of drought and flood which has certainly taken its toll.

So, I decided to go and pick some of the farmer's wheat crop before he harvests it, and put it in a little frame and hang it in my kitchen as a reminder at how hard he works every year to provide for his family.

So, to my husband 'the farmer'... I give thanks!

(Thankgoodness he never reads my blog or his head would swell. LOL!)

That large lime furry brad was actually made with the brand new i-top 2 tool from Imaginisce and the all new Extra large brad daddy which is excellent for working with fabric, especially recycled face-washers which are a little chunky and usually hard to manoeuvre into the smaller sizes.

Here's a little look at how I put together the project and the face-washer and burlap brads:

Step 1: I covered the backing board in the frame with a natural coloured burlap.

Step 2: Using the Imaginisce i-bond cordless glue gun I adhered the wheat directly onto the burlap backing.

Step 3: Creating the face-washer brad with the new i-top 2.0 and the Extra large brads.

Step 4. When using fabric in the i-top you don't really need to cut out a perfect circle as you will have plenty of opportunity to trim off the excess.

Step 5. Tuck the excess into the centre of the brad.

Step 6. Place the Brad daddy backing onto the free end of the tool and gently squeeze together to create the perfect furry brad.

As for the rest of the frame, I simply embellished it with a big wired edged bow, added a brass journal tag and added a few smaller coloured burlap brads.

This new tool is an absolute dream as it is lighter, has a more advanced ergonomic shape that is easier to hold and use and the best part is the rubber heads which keep the brad daddies nice and firm in their position with no more slippage whilst you are trying to work.

Imaginisce are giving away a fantastic prize package including the brand new i-top 2.0 tool and accessories and today is the final day you can enter head on over to their blog HERE to find out how to be in the running... you don't want to miss out!

From farm to you...

MLS Winter Wonderland Hop...

2011-11-21T06:36:00.002-07:00

Welcome to my blog and the second last stop before you finish the My Little Shoebox Hop. I'm sure you will have gained some fabulous inspiration along the way and fallen in love with the new Winter Wonderland collection.

Now, you should have arrived from Shemaine Smith's wonderful blog, but if you haven't then you can find the start of the blog hop back at the My Little Shoebox blog.

I can never resist the colour pink so I decided to create an all pink Christmas card, which totally goes against the traditional colours, but hey... I'm never one to follow traditions and neither does the Winter Wonderland collection with its soft pallet of pink, aqua, teal, green cream and dusty red.

This adorable Christmas tree stamp is a co-product between My Little Shoebox and Unity Stamps and stamped perfectly onto the vellum to create an overlay for my card. I added a few pink pearls to the stamped image as decoration for my little Christmas tree, a big bow and to finish the card I added a rub-on sentiment to the base of the vellum strip.

Give-Away

To say thankyou for joining the Winter Wonderland blog hop, My Little Shoebox are giving away two Winter Wonderland colletions to a random commentor on one of the participating blogs.
All you have to do is leave a comment on each of the blogs you visit to be in the running.
Prize winners will be announced on the My Little Shoebox Blog on Monday, November 22.

Your final step on the blog hop journey is:

My Little Shoebox

From Farm to You...

A fun little recycled project...

2011-11-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

If you would like to see what I've been up to then you need to head over to the
My Little Shoebox blog
HERE

Thanks for stopping by!

From farm to you...

Christmas cards on the go...

2011-11-15T01:26:00.002-07:00

Can you believe how fast Christmas is approaching?
I decided that I would really try and get my Christmas cards made ahead of time this year to avoid the last minute panic... and I'm pleased to say that I have a nice little pile mounting. This card will be added to that pile!

Imaginisce and Glue Arts are in the midst of a fun product swap so I was able to play with the fabulous adhesives from Glue Arts including the Glue Glider which makes life so much easier when mounting cards... loved it!

Using the Glue Arts Raise n's that came in the 3D combo pack, I took each little square of clear adhesive and attached it to the top of my candle shape and then stretched it to varying lengths and rolled the edges in to give an extra dimension.

I then added some glitter which stuck to the adhesive square drips beautifully, however I never trust glitter to stay where it belongs so I added a spray of hair-spray to set the glitter in place (thanks Lori for the tip)!

I decided to add a hint of chalking to the card to form the basis for the candle flame... I love using Pebbles chalks in preference to inks because I can rub them out if I make a mistake (which happens quite often).

Don't forget to pop over to the Imaginisce blog HERE and the Glue Arts Blog HERE to enter the blog hop give-aways!

From farm to you...

Love... Lights the Way!

2011-11-11T17:55:00.001-07:00

A while ago I was asked by a friend to come up with an idea for an inexpensive light cover for her daughter's room, something bright and fun that didn't cost the earth.

So whilst browsing through some magazines I found a Chinese lantern that was decorated in hundreds of butterflies which looked fabulous and could be easily converted into a home DIY project for very little money. And the ColourWheel collection from Doodlebug was perfect for the bright and girly colour scheme along with all the gorgeous butterflies and flowers.

I picked up a couple of different size lanterns in a local warehouse shop for less than $6 for the pair. They had a huge lantern but the size looked a little bit daunting as I imagined how many embellishments I was going to have to make just to cover it.

Using the two lanterns also gave me the opportunity to split the saying across both of them to create a little bit of added interest.

Just a little tip if you ever decide to re-create something like this... do not attach your embellishments using a hot glue gun as the light will heat up the glue and your pieces might start to drop off. It's best to use a heat resistant liquid glue.

The little butterfly antennae are made from folding in half a flower stamen that you can find in any cake decorating or fabric flower shop.

Supply List: Colorwheel Kite Strings (3093); Colorwheel Evening Garden (3088); Colorwheel Fancy Florals (3087); Petite Prints Bubblegum Dot-Grid (2527); Colorhweel Social Butterfly (3092); Pete Prints Swimming Pool Dot-Grid (2533); Colorwheel Icons Cardstock Stickers (3114); Mini Jewels; Shin-Dig Cardstock Alphas Beetle Black (2075); Black Flower Stamens; Medium and Small Chinese Lantern

Doodlebug have been showcasing projects from the design team all this week using the gorgeous ColorWheel collection so don't forget to pop by their blog HERE for some wonderful inspiration.

From farm to you...

My big announcement...

2011-11-02T05:07:00.000-06:00

YOU CAN READ ABOUT IT
HERE

From farm to you...

Get Picky Inspiration Challenge + Winners!!!

2011-10-30T19:38:00.003-06:00

It's time for my second and final project for my guest designer spot on the 'Get Picky' challenge blog and it is a lovely challenge using the following picture as inspiration PLUS the addition of fabric to be used somewhere on your layout.

I decided to use the gorgeous colours as my inspiration and added touches of hessian and terry-toweling for my fabric elements. And here's what I came up with...

List of supplies:
American Crafts - Kraft and White Cardstock, Pearl Brads
Doodlebug: Pink and White Twine
Provocraft: Cricut Cartridge 'Straight From The Nest'
Kaisercraft - Pearls and Rubons
Imaginisce: i-top 2.0 and medium brad daddies
Pebbles: Chalks
Generic: Paper Flowers, Back Stamens, Hessian, Terry-Toweling

I hand cut the leaves from a piece of natural hessian.

The towelling brads were created using the i-top tool from Imaginisce and the medium brad daddies. I love the furry look it gives the centres of the flowers.

The background was a bit of a 'work in progress' as I started with one idea and then it evolved into a completely different look. I used my Cricut to cut out the filigree piece and then painstakingly lifted it off my Cricut mat. Note to self... don't use a brand new mat when doing something so fiddly and so large. Then I placed it down on to another white sheet of cardstock so it was barely visible which didn't really work, so then I came up with the bright idea to chalk the edges of the pattern.

Unfortunately I used a colour that was perfect at the time, until I came up with my second bright idea of focusing on the pink of my daughter's hat and creating the page theme from the colour pink. So... diligently I reapplied a second coat of chalk in pink! *insert frown*

You only have until November 14 to get your entries into the Get Picky Challenge blog which you will find HERE. Good luck and I can't wait to see all the entires!

WINNERS!

It's time to announce the winners of my give-aways and as always I will use a random generator to select the winners which is the fairest way... I think!

My Little Shoebox Competition

Prize: Enchanted Garden and Sew Cute Collections

Winner:

Tini A. said...

Dear Melinda...you made really wonderful and beautiful works. thanks for all these inspiration!

October 6, 2011 4:39 AM

Imaginisce Competition

Prize: Happy Harvest and Happy Camper bundle
Winner:

Aga said...

WOW this looks so cute :) Really love all the little details you have added... it looks fabulous!!

October 12, 2011 2:00 AM

Get Picky Competition

Prize: Selection of Doodlebug Products
Winner:

Lizzyc said...

Happy Birthday Get Picky! wow! i love this.. the sun just shines on this layout, and all the ric rac looks fabulous! lovely photos too.. i am off to join up as a follower!

October 14, 2011 10:02 PM

MLSB and Unity Stamp Competition
Prize: My Little Shoebox Enchanted Garden Collection
Winner:

Auntie Em said...

Your card is so pretty! I love how you used all the different colours ink and pearls. The layers of scalloped borders is a great design.

Thanks for sharing! :)

October 23, 2011 7:50 PM

My goodness, I didn't realise I had so many give-aways running at the one time. Well, it just means lots of goodies going to lots of wonderful new homes! I would also like to thank everyone for their beautiful comments, it is always very much appreciated and I feel very priviledged to have people stopping by my blog... so again, thankyou! x
Could the winners please email me their details so I can get their parcels sent off.

thescrapfarm@bigpond.com

From farm to you...

What do Monster's eat?

2011-10-26T06:15:00.003-06:00

Get Picky Blog Hop: If you are looking for the Get Picky Blog Hop you will find it HERE

MnM's of course!

Yes, I've been at it again with the MnM cards as I'd had a couple of requests for more boy cards and what better way to get a little boy interested in a card... fill it with sweets!

How cute is the Monster Mania collection from Doodlebug? I just couldn't go past the little monsters and the gorgeous bright colours and patterns.

This just happens to be my very first official assignment with Doodlebug and it was scheduled for Halloween week on the blog... hmmm, we don't 'do' Halloween here in Australia!

However, Doodlebug had a different challenge for the International contingent of the design team... to create projects using Monster Mania that DID NOT carry a Halloween Theme.
Phew, that was a relief and such a fun idea!

So here's how I put the cards together:

I gathered all my Monster Mania supplies, a selection of A6 Swiss Dots cards and a packet of Mini MnM's.

I added a little glitter monster and speach bubble to the top card from the Monster Mania Sugar Coated Cardstock Stickers.

No one was more excited than I was when I realised that my little package bubbles were a perfect fit for the pre-punched circle in the Swiss Dots cards.

I termporarily positioned the package bubble in position and then added a 'Happy Birthday' sentiment using the Doodles Cardstock Stickers in Lily White.

Using the Monster Mania Sugar Coated Fancy Frills stickers I filled the bottom of the cards with a cluster of the frills strips, added a touch of Doodle Twine and a few assorted brads.

Let the fun begin... time to sort out the colours and eat the rest!

Once the bubble container is almost filled cover it with a piece of cardstock that has been pre-cut to the exact size of the card and then gently tip it over without spilling the contents. I use sticky tape to keep the bubble in place on the cardstock.

Mr Wilson heard the rustle of all the MnM's and decided it sounded like his cat bits being tipped into his bowl. He then proceeded to watch over me making sure I wasn't using any of his precious bits. Actually I never thought of that... perhaps my next bubble cards could be for pets and filled with treats... and perhaps not!

Adhere the bubble mounted on the pre-cut cardstock behind the hole and you are done! One yummy card that is waiting for someone to work out how to get the sweets out. Sometimes I pierce a few holes in the back of the white cardstock to allow little fingers to punch through to the candy and sometimes I leave it so they have to work out how to break in. Depends on the age group!

The Doodlebug blog has been busy showcasing the Monster Mania collection all week with some wonderful Halloween and Non-Halloween projects so head over and take a peek at what the new design team have been up to.

From farm to you...

MLSB and Unity blog hop + Giveaway!

2011-10-20T00:16:00.003-06:00

WELCOME
To the My Little Shoe Box
& Unity Stamp Company
BLOG HOP!

Today is an exciting day where two wonderful companies... My Little Shoebox and Unity Stamp Company have joined forces to create a beautiful combination of products and both design teams are showcasing the new wares.

I was really fortunate to recieve the gorgeous Unity Stamp 'Enchanted Garden' Stamp collection which was designed to co-ordinate with my favourite My Little Shoebox Collection 'Enchanted Garden'.

I wanted to showcase one of the flower stamps as much as possible by using it over and over again on the one card but with different ink! And can I just say... I'm now a big fan of rubber stamps because they clean so easily and the image is crisp and clear.

PRIZE HAUL:

There is a wonderful bundle products on offer for today's blog hop which you will find at the end of the hop at the My Little Shoebox blog!

And if you leave a comment on my blog and become a follower whilst you are passing through then you will be entered in my little give-away of the entire Enchanted Garden collection (Pic to come).

Now it's time to head off on the blog hop journey to visit:

Jessica Diedrich

Thanks for stopping by!

From farm to you...

A touch of Autumn in the middle of Spring!

2011-10-19T06:18:00.001-06:00

If you are a looking for the 'Get Picky' blog hop and Giveaway, then you can find it HERE!

Pebbles - Fall theme!

It's always an interesting challenge when I'm given an assignment for the current season in America because it is always opposite here in Australia. So when it's the middle of winter here and we have the fire roaring and I'm wearing more layers than an onion... I will be busy scrapping summer layouts with lots of bright colours and photos of the kids swimming etc. Lots of forward planning is done when I'm storing my photos and I ear-mark them for future projects and wait for the impending assignments.

So this week has been all about 'Fall' and yet here we are in the middle of Spring, surrounded by beautiful greenery and the flowers are blooming and there's not a crinkled dry leaf to be found anywhere. Fortunately I had saved these photos of the kids during Autumn when they had been ever so busy raking their Nanna's leaves and then proceeding to completely ruin the work they'd put in by chasing the dog through all the neat piles.

Since we didn't have any crinkly leaves of our own, I decided to make some for my layout to give it a bit more of an authentic look. So after cutting the leaves out using the Cricut cartridge - Straight From The Nest', I then gave each one a light spray with water and scrunched them up. I waited until they were dry and then gently unfolded each one. I was really thrilled with the effect!

I find there is nothing more relaxing than applying some hand stitching to a project and although it takes 'forever', it is really worth it. I decided to stitch directly through the heading as it needed something a little different and I didn't want to add any more embellishments to detract from the leaves.

Now I do not profess to being much of a 'journaling junkie' and find that I struggle to journal on most of my projects but I fell in love with this wood grain effect patterned paper and didn't want to cover it up with photos and embellishments which left a big panel just waiting to filled with jouranling. I tried to keep it subtle by using a brown ink and running it through the printer so it was neat and straight which is something I could never manage with my hand writing.

Products Used:
Pebbles Floral Lane Collection - With Love Paper (751122)

Pebbles Fresh Goods Collection - Rain Check Paper (751184)

Pebbles Fresh Goods Collection - Signage Paper (751186)

Pebbles Fresh Goods Collection - Come Again Paper (751191)

Welcome Christmas Collection - Santa's Workshop Paper (751176)

Welcome Christmas - ABC's Chestnut (732070)
Provoraft Cricut Cartridge 'Straight from the Nest'
EK Success - Retro Flower Punch
Embroidery Thread

The Pebbles blog has been full of beautiful Autumn/Fall projects all week so don't forget to pop over to be inspired by the designers and their gorgeous works. You will find them HERE!

Imaginisce - Out of Shape Cards!!!

Today's post on the Imaginisce blog is all about 'non-traditional' shaped cards, so absolutely no rectangles, squares or even circles... we had to be creative and come up with a completely different shaped card. Well considering my mind-set was back in Autumn, I decided to continue with the theme and make a leaf shaped card.

Again I used the Provocraft Cricut cartridge 'Straight from the Nest' for my leaves and the gorgeous papers are from the Happy Camper collection which were perfect for the Autumn theme. I also dragged out my i-top and the hessian and added a couple of covered brads to the base of the bow to give the card some alternate texture.

Now this ribbon would have to be my favourite, it doesn't have a brand name, it simply came on a white roll in my local quilting store and I bought every last cm of it. It has fine wires running along the edges so can be crinkled and scrunched in any direction and was perfect for the overall look that I wanted for my card.

I added a few pops of orange glamrocks with my i-rock to complete the card.

Products Used:
Happy Camper Gone Fishing (003025)
Happy Camper Fireside (003024)
Happy Camper Fresh Air (003022)
Imaginisce i-rock tool
Glamrocks - Orange
Imaginisce i-top
Brad Daddies - Medium and Small
Cricut Cartridge Straight From the Nest
Pebbles chalks - Earth tones
Neutral and orange Hessian (Burlap)
Multi-coloured wire ribbon
American Crafts rubon letters

Don't forget to pop over to the Imaginisce blog HERE to spy the other 'non-traditional' shaped cards from the design team crew!

From farm to you...

Get Picky Blog Hop + Giveaways!!!

2011-10-14T17:03:00.004-06:00

Welcome to the Get Picky 1st Birthday Blog Hop and my first official assignment as October's Guest Designer!

For those of you who aren't aware of 'Get Picky' is a wonderfully inspirational blog dedicated to challenges for multiple photograph layouts and is the brain child of two very talented and adorable women... Nikki Antonella and Tanya Tahir.

Today Get Picky are celebrating their very first birthday with their 13th sketch challenge reveal and samples created by present and past designers and I'm delighted to be included in the mix being the guest designer for October.

Now today's blog hop is jam packed full of prizes including the major prize sponsored by Imaginisce in conjunction with a chance at being Get Picky's Guest Designer for the month of November by simply visiting and leaving a comment at every blog in the hop and participating in the sketch challenge #13.

There will also be extras prizes as some team members will be offering prizes along the way so you will want to visit all of the blogs to increase your chances of winning.

Here is the sketch challenge for the month of October!

And here's my take on this super cute little sketch!

The Blog Hop

The blog hop starts today and will remain open until midnight (Australian Eastern Standard Time) on October 28th so this will give you all plenty of time to visit everyone's blog and create a layout for the sketch challenge.

Get Picky is the first stop along the journey where you will find the complete list of all blogs in case you get lost along the way. If you would like to play then simply follow along the blog path in order so you don't miss anyone.

Remember, if you want to be considered for the Guest Designer spot in November, once you have visited all the blogs and uploaded your entry for the Sketch Challenge #13, please make sure that you go back to the Get Picky Blog and leave a final comment on the challenge post.

Your next stop along the journey is:
Christine Rumley

My Extra Prize

Before you head off to Anna's beautiful blog, I would like to offer a little prize pack (picture to come) of the gorgeous Doodlebug products similar to what I used on my layout today. All you have to do is leave a comment and become a follower to be in the running. I will keep the give-away open the end of October and announce the winner in conjunction with Get Picky's winner announcement!

Good luck, happy hopping, and thanks for stopping by!

From farm to you...

Tick tock + Imaginisce Give-Away!

2011-10-06T04:04:00.001-06:00

I've been sitting on this project for such a long time and have just found the opportunity and 'time; to pop it onto the Imaginisce blog and share a sneak with you here... sorry, you have to pop over to Imaginisce to see the entire thing... I know, I'm mean!

Now I've used the Happy Camper collection for this 'timely' piece which is just so darn adorable and I figured that it was no point having so much of it left over from my design team work that I figured it would be better off being in someone elses craft room being lovingly used. I have rummaged through both the Happy Camper and Happy Harvest collections and put together a wonderful stash of goodness, there may be one or two little pieces missing so if you don't mind, then I'd be happy to send this off to a new home with one lucky follower.

All you have to do to enter is:

- Pop over to the Imaginisce blog HERE to see the entire project and leave a comment there

- Pop back here and leave a comment to enter.

I will draw a winner on Halloween and announce it here!

Good luck!

From farm to you...

Sneak Peek and new Give-Away!

2011-10-05T06:56:00.001-06:00

I'm really exited to share that My Little Shoebox and Unity stamps have joined forces to produce the sweetest stamps that co-ordinate with each of the new MLSB collections. And I'm the first to admit that I'm not a stamper in any shape or form and have never ever used anything other than clear stamps so when I recieved my Unity Stamp pack containing the Enchanted collection I looked at them and thought OMGoodness, how do I see where I'm stamping with red rubber... well derrr me! Not only did I work it out but I soon realised that these little rubber stamps clean up much quicker than the clear stamps and the image seems to be a whole lot clearer... OMGoodness where have I been???

And this is the gorgeous pack of Stamps I recieved for the Enchanted Garden Collection!

Sneak Peek Number 1... loved using this floral stamp and went a little crazy using different coloured inks... lots of cleaning but well worth the effort. I added a little pearl in the centre of each just to add a bit of character.

Sneak peek number 2: This image is a bit hard to see but the little butterfly has been stamped with Martha Stewart glue ink and I added some glitter to really make him sparkle.

Final Sneak Peek... something different for me - a stamped journaling tag, however I decided not to stamp on white cardstock and tried using some of the background patterned paper and a similar colour ink and journaling pen.

GIVE-AWAY

Now seeing as I loved using the new Enchanted Garden range from My Little Shoebox I've rummaged in my design team box and came up with a complete collection for someone to give a good home and while I was wading through the box I realised I had just enough of the Sew Cute collection to make up another full bundle to add to the prize. So, if you love these two collections as much as I do then here's how to enter:
All you have to do is pop over to the My Little Shoebox blog HERE to see my projects in full, leave a comment and become a follower of the MLSB blog.
Then pop back here enter!

Don't forget to spread the word!

Winner will be announced on the last day in October... Halloween!

From farm to you...

MLSB and Punky Sprouts!!!

2011-09-29T06:33:00.002-06:00

My Little Shoebox and Punky Sprouts have joined forces during the month of September and I was given the wonderful opportunity to play with a gorgeous Punky Sprouts Teanie-Beanie Mini Album.

Now I don't profess to being very clever at using mini albums for their true purpose so I decided to go for a different twist and create a Spring banner, especially as I was lucky enough to have the new 'Audrey' collection to use which was perfect for the theme.

I had a little play with a fun product from Twinklets called 'Diamond Dust' which is actually crushed pieces of glass so allows your picture to remain visible yet give a sparkly effect that picks up the light from any direction. And I must give credit where credit is due as I learned all about this product from a dear scrappy friend 'Suzanne Sergi'.

The Punky Sprouts Album came with two calico pages which I decided to give a bit of a lift by running them through my embossing machine using a large dot embossing folder. Love the effect it created!

How gorgeous are the new 3 D roll up flowers from MLSB which come with every new collection and have different patterns and colours on each side so you have double the options and double the fun. Perfect and easy to use! It certainly saves having to hand-cut your own flowers!

Products used to create the banner include:

MLS Audrey - My Fair Lady (11542)

MLS Audrey - Breakfast at Tiffany's (11544)

MLS Audrey - Funny Face (11545)

MLS Audrey - Roman Holiday (11547)

MLS Audrey - 3D Roll Up Flower (11541)

MLS Audrey - Cardstock Stickers (11549)

Punky Sprouts - Teenie-Beanie Sprout Album

Cricut Cartridge - Plantin Schoolbook

Martha Stewart - Scalloped Border Punch

Fiskars - Scalloped Border Punch

EZCut - Large Dot Embossing Folder

Twinklets - Diamond Dust

Kaisercraft - Pearls

American Crafts Ribbon

American Crafts Ink

To view more creations from the MLSB and Punky Sprouts partnership then pop over to the My Little Shoebox blog which you will find HERE!

I've also been busy creating more projects using the Audrey collection which is fast becoming one of my favourite collections!
And here's a couple of sneak peeks... you can see the full layout and card on the My Little Shoebox blog HERE!

From farm to you...

Cards, Cards, Cards + Winner

2011-09-21T05:55:00.002-06:00

Well I've done it again, I've left my blog alone for far too long. I wish I could get my life sorted out so I was back in the swing of things but until I start to feel 100% again then I'm going to have to put up with being a bit vague. Sorry! Anyhow, I have a few cards to share plus the announcement of the My Little Shoebox giveaway I had on my blog some time ago.

Pebbles
All this week the Pebbles team have been working on 'Back to School' projects without actually using any school related products... hmmm, interesting concept! Well at first I thought 'how am I going to manage that one', but when I opened up my 'Fresh Goods' collection, it was jam packed with gorgeous primary colours and wonderful prints that were perfect for creating a couple of 'thankyou teacher' cards.

I came across the cutest apple on my Cricut 'Plantin Schoolbook' Cartridge.

I am loving this new velvet ribbon from American crafts and the bows sit perfectly. The only issue I have with it... Mr Wilson (the kitten) seems to love the yellow and hunts it down amongst my other ribbons to use as his new chew-toy! I've caught him with it three times, bad kitty!

Okay, a stamper I'm not... but I had an idea and I didn't want it to get the better of me just because I'm afraid of stamping! I used the Plantin Schoolbook Cricut cartridge to cut out an apple template and then proceeded to stamp the word teacher in diffierent colours within the template. Well it was kinda what I was hoping for but probably not quite as neat as I would have liked. Practice makes perfect I guess and I need some serious practice.

Don't forget to pop over to the Pebbles blog HERE to see all the wonderful 'Back to School' creations from the rest of the design team.

UPDATE: I woke this morning to find my email full of wonderful comments on one of my 'thankyou teachers' cards as it had been selected to feature at Two Peas... now this doesn't happen very often, actually I've only ever been featured once before so I was pretty darn excited. So much so that I couldn't resist taking a screen print of the page just so I could share and be before it disappeared from the Two Peas gallery. :)

My Little Shoebox

Another card using the Cricut for creating a template. This time I used the Wall decor and More cartridge to create the dress form template and then placed the different MLSB patterned papers from the Home Tweet Home and Sew Cute collections behind the cut-outs. Add a ribbon, some bling and a rub-on sentiment and it's done.

Don't forget to pop by the MLSB blog HERE to spy some of the other cards created by the design team.

Giveaway Winner...
Well it's been a while since I posted this give-away so I had better post a picture of the prize pack again as a little reminder of the yummy My Little Shoebox and Imaginisce products up for grabs.

And using the trusty random generator again, the winner is...

Congratulations Leah!!!

Leah, could you please send me your details to thescrapfarm@bigpond.com and I will have your parcel sent out to you as soon as I can.

Thankyou to everyone for our continued support and hopefuly I will be back with another fun give-away or two very soon.

From farm to you...

2011-09-15T09:00:00.002-06:00

Some very exciting news!!!

Aphra Bolyer (LA)

Elizabeth Carney (WA)

Jessy Christopher (Malaysia)

Jing-Jing Nickel (MN)

Kandis Smith (ID)

Kathy Martin (NC)

Lori Allred (Coordinator)

Melinda Spinks (Australia)

Monique Liedtke (Netherlands)

Nancy Damiano (NJ)

Stephanie Buice (AL)

Rosangela Philippsen (Brazil)

Sherry Cartwright (TX)

Tiffany Hood (UT)

Wendy Sue Anderson (UT)

From farm to you...

Where have I been?

2011-09-08T07:12:00.000-06:00

Explanation...
Hello! I must apologise for the total neglect of my blog but life has managed to get in the way of all things crafty for what seems like such a long time. Tragedy strikes when you least expect it and a dear friend has needed support and love to get through the loss of her darling husband and so I felt it was necessary to focus on her, my friends and my family and put things in perspective for a while which has kept me away from my blog. I've also been dealing with health issues for some time and trying desperately to get on top of things there too. Finally I seem to be reaching a point where my life seems to be a little bit more lenient towards my love of scrapping and I'm now able to get back to the craft table and enjoy a bit of fun time. I certainly have missed it.

News...
I am really thrilled to announce that I have been accepted back onto the Pebbles design team for another term and I couldn't be more delighted. Last years team was a wonderful group of very talented designers who taught me so much and I loved being part of the mix. And now we have a new team for the 2011-2012 term and some of the wonderful ladies have returned and there are some new and exciting names to add to this years contingent. So, my first project that I would like to share is from the brand new Pebbles collection 'Fresh Goods'

We were asked to create a layout for our official welcome back to the team that truly showed our style. Well because I'm still a work in progress when it comes to style I decided to just do what I know... start from the ground up and just keep adding little bits and pieces until it feels right.

Two new products to the Pebbles line-up are the super cute adhesive buttons and the new mini alphas. Love both of them!!!

Would love for you to pop over to the Pebbles blog HERE and see who else made the team and also my introduction on today's post.

Thanks for stopping by and I promise there won't be such a huge gap between now and my next post.

From farm to you...

Daddy's Arms...

2011-08-03T19:54:00.000-06:00

I've had these photos of 'the farmer' and our little man stashed away in safe keeping and had completely forgotten all about them until I went looking for something else and stumbled across them. We were at our daughter's pony club event and the two boys were sitting on the top rail of the arena fence and Benjamin clapped excitedly everytime Gorgia road passed on her horse Cisco. It was one of those moments in time that you just want to freeze forever.

Now at first glance it's not that obvious that this layout is all from the My Little Shoebox collections! There isn't a tree or critter in sight. But that just goes to show the versatility of their paper as the flip sides hide lots of wonderful combinations that can be mixed and matched to create a totally different and more subtle look that is perfect for a boy page.

And shock horror... I did some glimmermisting! I thought it was about time I stopped being afraid of the stuff and learned to add it to my projects. It's just a little hint, but it's a start! And the cute little buttons were a wonderful find in my local quilt shop... they matched perfect!

I decided to add a hessian covered brad using my i-top as I've been really enjoying playing with the different texture and look that it creates on layouts. This is just a simple addition to give the layout a bit of dimension.

And finally lots more journalling which is totally unusal for me. I've decided that I really need to focus more on journaling and so have begun a bit of a campaign to make sure I add a little story to most of my projects... for a while anyhow!

Products Used:

My Little Shoebox 'Heartfelt' Angel Patterned Paper

My Little Shoebox 'Heartfelt' Ella Patterned Paper

My Little Shoebox 'Heartfelt' 12 x 12 Die Cut Sheet

My Little Shoebox 'Heartfelt' 6 x 12 Cardstock Stickers

My Little Shoebox 'Sew Cute' Hand Made Paper

My Little Shoebox 'City By The Bay' Golden Gate Paper

My Little Shoebox Glitter Alphabet Stickers 'Toffee'
My Little Shoebox Mini Alphabet Stickers 'Linen'
Imaginisce I-top and medium brad daddy
Kaisercraft Sentiment Rubons 'Father'
Tattered Angels Glimmermist 'Chocolate covered Cherries'
Embroidery Thread
Random Heart Buttons

If you would like to see some more Mix It Up projects from the My Little Shoebox team them head on over to their blog HERE.

From farm to you...

Introducing Mr Wilson...

2011-08-01T09:01:00.002-06:00

He's finally here... the long wait is over and we now get to welcome another member to our family... furry member that is! Mr Wilson, our bi-colour seal rag doll kitten has entered our world and completely taken over the family. We are all smitten... the farmer included.

He really is the sweetest little furball and loves to be cuddled and patted which is the whole reason we went for a ragdoll. So of course, the moment we got him home I grabbed the camera and started getting some cute pics of our little kitten and the first layout has now been finished.

My assignment was for this week on the Pebbles blog was to mix and match different collections and seriously, that couldn't be an easier task with the Pebbles line-up of products as everything seems to blend beautifully and each collection has similar shades of colour. I raided my Happy Go Lucky and Ever After collections and used the tear strips on the bottoms of the 12 x 12 full sheets to create the border panel down the layout, then everything fell into place from that point on.

Pebbles supplies used:
Happy Go Lucky Cheery (751080)
Happy Go Lucky Splendid (751081)
Happy Go Lucky Glee (751082)
Happy Go Lucky Carefree (751083)
Happy Go Lucky Tickled Pink (751084)
Happy Go Lucky Delight (751086)
Happy Go Lucky Embossed Border Stickers (732037)
Happy Go Lucky Dimensional Stickers (732038)
Happy Go Lucky Chipboard Flowers (747071)
Ever After Fairy Tale (751104)
Ever After Princess Tiara (751105)
Ever After Royal Garden (751106)
Ever After Magical Forest (751110)
Ever After Prince Charming (751111)
Ever After Enchanted (751108)
Ever After Blushing Princess (751114)
Ever After 12" Cardstock Stickers (732048)
Baby Pink Candy Dots (744233)
New Arrival Girl 4x9 Rub Ons (735003)
New Arrival Boy 4x9 Rub Ons (735004)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Rub Ons (American Crafts)

Don't forget to pop over to the Pebbles blog HERE to see some other Mix & Match Monday projects from the team.

And, I'm sure this is the first of many layouts to come of Mr Wilson and the kids, they just can't stop cuddling him and I think he is in pussy-cat pamper heaven.

From farm to you...

Puppy Love + GiveAway...

2011-07-30T01:50:00.001-06:00

Last week I shared an Imaginisce project using My Little Shoebox alphas as part of a manufacturer swap for the month of July. Well today I get to share the other half of the equasion, a My Little Shoebox 'Home Tweet Home' layout using Imaginisce glamrocks and the i-rock.

I love this photo of my daughter and her K9... they had been running wild all afternoon and when everything went quiet I found the two of them had curled up in the afternoon sunshine and dozed off for a nap.

The MLSB Home Tweet Home is one of my favourites because it has lots and lots of flowers and critters for fussy cutting so I could create a layout that was very much back to the style that I love to scrap... whimsical, lots of layers, loads of hand cut elements and a few clouds and critters.

I decided to use the Imaginisce i-rock and frame the heart shape patterned paper with a full row of white glamrocks... defnitely my all time favourite from the i-rock range as they go with everything.

GIVEAWAY

I have been so fortunate to recieve a huge stash of product from both My Little Shoebox and Imaginisce so I thought it was time that I spread the love around. I have put together a nice little package of Home Tweet Home Papers, an Imaginisce i-rock tool and a selection of i-rock accessories.

So, if you think you have room in your scraproom and can provide a good home to this parcel then please leave a comment here, make sure you are a follower of my blog, then pop over to the My Little Shoebox blog HERE, become a follower and check out the other projects that combine MLSB and Imaginisce and leave a comment.
Winner will be announced on my blog on the last day of August.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck!

From farm to you...

Another mask for the wall...

2011-07-29T02:57:00.000-06:00

It's Free For All Friday time on the Pebbles blog today which meant I got to let my hair down and go wild! Figuratively speaking of course. LOL! Free for all Friday simply means that we can create whatever we like using whatever products and collections we feel like using at the time. So, I figured it was time I made another mask for my daughter's bedroom wall as she has been reminding me of late that it's been quite some time since the last addition. *oops*

I've had this plaster mask sitting patiently in a box under my desk for months but it had a mustard yellow eye which didn't inspire me in the least. So after deciding the mustard had to go I rummaged through my very small glitter supply and found this gorgeous teal colour knowing it would be a perfect blend with the new Pebbles Floral Lane papers.

I will be the first to admit that I love feathers, especially ostrich feathers and I've had this beauty tucked away waiting for a day where I could use it in a way that gave it maximum impact. I hot glued it all the way around the mask and instantly loved the effect as it fluffed itself out in all the right places and sat flat around the face creating a perfect frame. It also gave me the ideal line for my flowers and leaves as I hadn't really worked out what I was going to do with them until the feather was glued down and gave me the inspiration I needed.

The flowers were really quite quick to make as I used a flower pattern from the Cricut 'Straight From The Nest Cartridge', rolled the edges and then glue them together using a hot glue gun. The leaves were hand-cut from coloured hessian (burlap) and I was really thrilled at how easy the Pebbles 'Candy Dots' adhered to the fabric. I can promise you, once they were on... they were there for the keeping.

And to finish the project I added a row of the Pearl Candy Dots across the front of the plaster mask to add some dimension.

There you have it, my new favourite mask for my daughter's room and when we've finished painting her room and her furniture is moved back in I will take a photo of her mardi gras wall with the masks I have made her so far. But guaranteed by the time we've finished there might be another couple of additions... hope so!

From farm to you...

Love Letters...

2011-07-27T07:35:00.003-06:00

My Little Shoebox asked the design team to focus on journalling for our July projects so I decided it was time to throw caution to the wind and attempt another mini album. Now mini albums are probably the one item that I dabble with least as the concept is something that I struggle with... why? Who knows! Anyhow, I put together a keepsake for my daughter filled with lots of things that I've wanted to tell her now that she is moments away from her teenage years.

The base for my mini album is a gorgeous chipboard butterfly album from Kaisercraft which takes all the guesswork out of preparing your surface... thankgoodness or I just may never get a mini album complete. I used the Home Tweet Home collection from My Little Shoebox as I loved the gorgeous colorscheme and the cute birds and flowers worked perfectly with the butterfly theme.

And how fun is this... I even got to play with my i-rock and white glamrocks as MLSB were swapping products with Imaginsice this month so I got to play with both companies and blog about it!

I haven't included a photo of the back page because it's a very personal journey between mother and daughter. Hope you don't mind.

From farm to you...

So this is Christmas...

2011-07-26T07:59:00.002-06:00

Okay, I know it's only July but it's the only month of the year where people on opposites sides of the world get to experience what Christmas is like for each other. Now, I live in Australia and Christmas at our house is always celebrated around the swimming pool with ice-cold drinks, cold meats, seafood, salad and beautiful cold desserts including the familiy favourites of cheese-cake, chocolate mousse, trifle and pavlova.

So when Imaginisce brought out their Santa's Little Helper collection and asked us to create projects with a theme of Christmas in July, I started thinking about what Christmas would be like on the other side of the globe. Cold weather, possibly even snow, hot mugs of egg-nog, chestnuts being toasted on the fire and definitely a hot meal inside the house.

It really doesn't matter where we celebrate the festive season, what matters is that we are together and that the original reason for Christmas doesn't get lost amongst the hype and commercialism that so often overshadows the whole meaning of the day.

So, instead of doing a layout with photos of presents being unwrapped, or someone who has overeaten and can't get out of their chair, I decided to create a framed keepsake that will act as a reminder of why we have come together on Christmas Day.

And for a bit of extra fun, I got to use My Little Shoebox Glitter Alphabet stickers on an Imaginisce project because the two manufacturers are having a product swap. And because I'm on both teams, I get to have twice the fun when I reveal my projects for My Little Shoebox that use Imaginisce products... confused? He he

A moment of madness!

Every now and again I have a moment of madness where I come up with an idea for a project without really thinking about the consequences of how long it is going to take... A Christmas bauble! You would think a simple little thing like a decoration to hang from a Christmas tree would be a quick and easy exercise... well stop right there! I thought the same and boy was I wrong. Grrr, I'd planned on doing a few projects in the one evening and guess what? I only did one!

I'm happy with it now, but at the time I cursed this little sucker more than I think it deserved! And here's a quick look at how I put this little ornament together.

1. Take one polystyrene ball.

2. Paint it! Put it in front of the fire to dry, then have to repaint it again because it fell off the stand, rolled onto the floor and took half the paint off. Then clean up the paint spill on the floor.

3. While you are waiting for the paint to dry the second time. Start punching out about 40 snowflakes, it's amazing how many it will take to cover such a small ball.

4. Using pop-dots adhere your snowflakes to the ball... be warned, you need to get them in the right place first go because if you try to pull them off to move them you will end up painting parts of your ball for a third time.

5.Add a bow with extra ribbon to hang your bauble. I used a concealed pin to attach my bow. Now, go back and add a step in between steps 3 and 4 because I forgot to put glamrocks on my snowflakes using the i-rock and seeing as I couldn't pull them off without taking half the paint off and having to re-paint my ball again. I had to add the glamrocks to the snowflakes after they were already attached to the ball so they wobbled around, fell off before I stuck them down, drove me nuts and basically caused me to have a slight melt down at this stage.

So, if anyone decides they want to make a Christmas bauble, I sincerely recommend buying them instead. On that note, I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas in July.

Don't forget to pop over to the Imaginisce blog to see all the amazing creations from the design team and to be entered in their give-away for one of three Santa's Little Helper prize packs.

From farm to you...

Winners + Sneak peek!

2011-07-22T07:11:00.001-06:00

Where does the time go... we are suddenly approaching the end of July and yet it seems like only yesterday that we hit July 1. The only consolation in time going fast is that winter will be over and the weather will start to warm up as I'm sooo over being cold.

Now, I was supposed to post the winners of the Snag 'Em stamps competition on the 15th, so I must apologise as I'm a bit late. So, I'd better not ramble on any longer and announce who the lucky winners are...

Jenscrapstoo said...: Wow, love your projects!! What wonderful ideas you have!! Thanks for the chance to win Cheers jendewar at optusnet.com.au; July 5, 2011 6:03 PM

Carol said...: Melinda - I love love the wreath! Perfect for fall! Fabulous layout! The picture placement is awesome. TFS; July 1, 2011 12:04 AM

Congratulations to Jenscrapstoo and Carol!

Could you please email me at thescrapfarm@bigpond.com
with your address details and I will get your prizes posted out.

Now I have been working away on lots of projects but as per usual I can't really share anything just yet other than a few little sneak peeks. So here's a brief look at what I will be sharing in the near future.

Okay, well that's if for now, I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and I will be back in a couple of days with a full reveal of one of the above sneaks.

From farm to you...

30 minutes of madness...

2011-07-13T18:39:00.001-06:00

My design team co-ordinator Lynn over at Pebbles really knows how to push us gals to the limit and she has this particular challenge that freaks me every time. Whip-it-Up Wednesday, where she asks us to create a project in under 30 minutes. Yes, I can already hear my scrappy friends laughing to themselves and wondering how I can manage to do anything crafty in under 30 minutes. You see, I've been the butt of many a joke about time issues when I took two days to make one card at a retreat and because I was surrounded by a table of wonderful and dear friends, they've never let me live it down.

So, this challenge was a way of redeeming some self esteem and proving to certain people (love you dearly) that I can actually produce a card in under 30 minutes. And to really give myself some extra credit I decided to make a three-card set just to prove I'm not a total flake. :)

I used the beautiful Pebbles 'Ever After' collection and saved lot of time by attaching the jewel flourish stickers so most of the work was already done, I just had to pick where to stick my bling. I also added little pops of rhinestones to the corners of the diamond embossing pattern I used and boy was that laugh trying to emboss at a million miles an hour and then stick on those tiny little diamentes.

So there you have it... three cards in 30 minutes and the biggest scrappy mess you've ever seen. I actually took a whole lot longer to tidy my desk than I did to make the cards. The farmer ran for the hills too, because he had no idea why there was product flying from one end of the place to the other. LOL! It was good for the soul.

Don't forget to pop over to the Pebbles blog to see another gorgeous project from Eva that incredibly she did within the 30 minute time frame too - a beautiful layout celebrating turning 30 (oh to be that young again).

From farm to you..

A new find...

2011-07-10T00:54:00.001-06:00

I love CHA time as the internet is all a flutter with new and exciting collections from the manufacturers or even perhaps a new manufacturer. I was browsing away on facebook and stumbled across Authentique, a new paper company just starting out and they are about to conquer their first CHA.

Now, I will be the first to admit... Authentique is not a style that I would usually get excited about. However, the first thing that caught my eye was the 'grey'. I'm a huge fan of grey but never get to play with it in my scrapping because it's not often used by manufacturers. So when I spied a company who was willing to use 'grey' as the new black I was totally intrigued to the point that I made my first purchase and waited patiently for the postman to arrive.

Okay, I know this layout is very different for me with all the florals etc and not a critter in sight, but gee I had fun. And it was so nice to do a layout just for me... no deadline, no theme, no products I had to use... just for fun!

Now, I can honestly say that Authentique products are better in person than veiwing them on-line... the quality is superb, so much so that your paper gives that delightfully crisp cutting sound when you are snipping away with your scissors.

The large alphas are quite thick which made them perfect for cutting around each letter and still have them hold their shape. The mini alphas and words won't fall off your page in a hurry as they peel beautifully from their packaging and stick fast once down.

I decided to re-create the floral pattern by hand stitching larger versions of it on the background cardstock which of course had to be grey. I then added hints of chalk inside the stitched areas just to highlight the pattern.

Well that's it for my project and I must say, I think I'm going to have to down tools on required projects a bit more often and simply scrap for the fun.

From farm to you...

Nature boy...

2011-07-05T09:33:00.000-06:00

My little man is such an outdoor boy that he usually only comes inside when it's time to eat! I'm not complaining because he has a wonderful time and the farm is a never ending source of adventure. I played around a little with the colour on this photo to blend in with the natural tonings of the layout. Especially as it was my sample project for the new Imaginisce monthly challenge which hosts a monochromatic theme.

Yes, it's that time again (I know I say that every month) when Imaginisce post their new monthly challenge and this month design team member Aphra has created a wonderful sketch to be used in conjunction with the theme.

I used a combination of brown tonings from the Happy Harvest, Happy Camper and Berrylicious collections and added Kraft as a backing and also for my embellishments. I cut the leaves using the 'Straight From The Nest' Cricut Cartridge and finally played around with some quilling which I haven't done it what seems like the longest time. I also covered the brads in hessian using the i-top.

Pop over to the Imaginisce blog for inspiration on how with the design team challenge samples and to find out all the details on entering the monthly sketch. Don't forget you have until July 25 to have your project uploaded. The prize is fabulous as they are giving away a $75 i-top package or current collections to the same value!

From farm to you...

Happy Harvest + GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-06-30T23:17:00.002-06:00

Happy Harvest!!! Well I know it's not Harvest time as it's Winter here in Australia. However there are still plenty of Autumn leaves around and today is beautiful and warm with a clear blue sky and sunshine... not complaining about the weather at all! Happy Harvest just happens to be the name of the newly released Imaginisce collection and I have some projects to share that I created for the release party on the Imaginisce blog this week.

I have had a pile of hessian (burlap) in my stash for a couple of months now and when I saw the colours of the paper I knew it would match beautifully with the fabric. So, lots of sketched designs in my little notebook and I finally came up with an Autumn Wreath idea. I've even incorporated some precious twigs from my dearly departed plum tree with keeled over during Summer.

The Autumn leaves were created using my Cricut and the 'Straight From the Nest' cartridge which is fast becoming one of my favourites. I also covered the i-top brads in the hessian to add a little feature.

As much as I love the look of the hessian on the wreath, it has left the biggest mess in my craft area as it drops fluff everywhere and no matter how careful I was it still left its mark on my clothes, in my hair, on the floor, all over the desk and my poor Cricut has had to have a good old vaccuum.

The good old plum tree was very giving as it has graced my layout page as well. I couldn't resist adding some more twigs to the page and I went completely overboard with the leaves but was trying to give the impression that my kids were sitting in a big pile of leaves on the page too!

I've used some of the My Little Shoebox alpha stickers as they just happened to have the perfect colours of brown and teal to match with the Imginisce Happy Harvest collection. And for those of you who know me very well... yes you can see glimmermist. LOL! I never, ever use glimmermist but after recieving a few bottles for gifts I figured I'd better do the right thing and have a go. And the best part... I didn't make a mess like I thought I would, might just have to give it another go - sometime! :)

GIVEAWAY

Who would like to win their very own set of Snag 'Em stamps from the Happy Harvest collection and a set of Snag 'em Stamps from the Happy Camper collection?

I will give two followers the chance to win a set each. All you have to do is leave a comment to enter and I will draw two winners on the 14th of July and announce the winners on the 15th here on my blog.

From farm to you...

Step x step publication and winner!

2011-06-28T07:47:00.000-06:00

It seems so long ago that I put these projects together and I guess it has been quite a while but when working with magazine publications you always work so far in advance that the time between creation and being able to share takes forever! Well finally I can share...

I created a step x step tutorial on a unique way to use stencils that tend to sit in the cupboard feeling all lonely and unloved. I created a layout and card using two different techniques and really enjoyed having a play and trying something different.

This photo of my daughter and her pooch 'Lizzy' was taken in the Canola field when it was in full bloom and was a sea of yellow. My poor daughter is putting on a brave smile as Lizzy is incredibly heavy for such a little dog... she is Corgi x German Shepherd and ways a tonne even though she only stands a foot high.

All the flowers, leaves and butterflies on the layout were created using the Pebbles Stencils and Pebbles chalks... I'm really starting to love my chalks and find I'm using them more and more on projects as I can rub them off if I make a mistake whereas inks are a different matter and boy have I made a few permanent errors with inks!

My Little Shoebox
Give-Away Winner!

I must apologise that this is a bit delayed but with everything that has happened the past week it kind of slipped through the cracks. I didn't even get time to do a random generator selection so had my daughter draw names out of her school lunch box...

Congratulations goes to:

Sue said...: Already a follower of both blogs & have left a comment - MLS is one of my absolute FAVE manufacturers. (I even dared try out for the DT - the only time I've ever done that! LOL) LOVE these cards, they look awesome!!!; June 6, 2011 9:34 PM

Sue, could you please email me with your postal details to: thescrapfarm@bigpond.com
Thanks and congratulations!

From farm to you...

2011-06-21T00:56:00.003-06:00

Although I'm wrapped from head to toe in winter clothing and the fire is roaring away in the background, I've been scrapping about warmer weather. This week's theme on the Pebbles blog is 'Summer Fun' and although I'm not really feeling very summery, I did enjoy grabbing out the pool photos and atleast thinking warm happy thoughts for an evening. These photos were taken over the summer when my niece and nephew came to stay. The kids spent so much time in the pool that I have an abundance of wonderful pictures!

I really enjoyed creating this layout as I did something a little different and not something I can lay claim to doing very often... fussy cutting my photos. I love the look it created but don't think I'd want to do it on all my projects, there's just something about cutting up a perfectly good photo that makes me a little uneasy.

I combined papers from both the new Pebbles mid season release 'Floral Lane' and 'Happy Go Lucky' to create the water wave and splash effect. I must admit, I really love a company that thinks about their colours and shades so that it doesn't matter what collection you use, you can always find papers that will go together regardless.

Gosh, I haven't hand stitched for a while, almost forgot how it was done... well not really, but it does seem like it has been a while.

TIP: To add fun little elements to the layout I decided to fussy cut the clouds from the Cloud Nine paper and run them through my little crimping machine and to create a bit of extra dimension to the sun I mounted different sized circles using pop dots. There's always small little extras you can add or do to your layout that will give it that unique spin.

Don't forget to pop over to the Pebbles blog HERE to see more summery projects from the DT.

From farm to you...

I totally spaced...

2011-06-16T19:44:00.002-06:00

Well what do you know... After posting sneak peeks of my application projects for the MLSB DT submission, I totally spaced on showing you the full pictures. It seems like it's been forever since I was able to share the news that I was joining the My Little Shoebox design team and the excitement hasn't worn off yet. So, although it has been a few months now, I did promise that I would share my submission projects once my official welcome was posted on the MLSB blog which you can spy HERE.

I love this photo of my niece... it's just so her, deep in thought and serious. Don't get me wrong, she does have a fun side but she is a deep thinker and this photo captured her perfectly. This layout was created using the beautiful 'Garden Party' collection.

I really do enjoy using my flower punch to recreate the pattern of the paper and using a pop dot add some dimention to the overall look. I've actually chalked the edges this time to give the piece a little bit more of a lift.

I'm loving the MLSB chipboard alphas as they are fantastic to overlap and because they come inside their own die-cut you can draw a perfect outline on around the edge before popping them out.

Another super fun element are the transparent overlay sheets which I've cut out the flowers and butterflies and layered them amongst the other embellishments.

This is my sweet farm girl in amongst her father's super duper crop (that later got flooded out)! I love the colour tonings from the Home Tweet Home collection.

Now this next project is one that I loved doing but almost sent me blind working on it. I had to put my reading glasses on to do some of the more fiddly bits as it was extra tiny work.

And finally a fun little card with some colourful handstitching. Even managed to do a quilled cloud which is something that I haven't been doing much of lately. Note to self... must get back into the quilling.

So there you have it... my projects. I have lots of work on the go but nothing to share just yet so hopefully it won't be too long before I'm back with another post.

Hope everyone is doing well.

From farm to you...