SCRAP ADDICT

Hello from the Other Side! Mind the Gap!! I'm Busy Relocating from South Africa to England!!!

2016-02-09T10:14:00.000+02:00

Hello Everyone! After 7 years of blogging I am writing my first post from my mobile!! No idea how this will work!!! I haven't posted in a few weeks so here's an update of what I'm up to. Very soon I will be boarding a plane to England, which is to be my new home.

I can't believe the time has finally come - it has been a long time in the making with a huuuuuuge amount of planning & administration. Living in the UK without a British passport (or an EU passport) is no easy feat to accomplish. The amount of red tape involved is phenomenal. Certainly not the simple process it was in the past.

I will be there for several weeks with just my 2 younger children & we will be looking for a home, schools & of course a source of income. We are hoping to settle in the South West. Really, it was like playing 'Pin the tail on the Donkey' figuring out what area best suited our requirements!

For the past few weeks I have been making plans for the other side as well as sorting through our possessions, which will be arriving in a container in a couple of months. Yet again I have been faced with the task of thinning out our possessions to fit into a smaller home, something I have done 3 times in the last 10 years. While it's an arduous task I am grateful for the opportunity to reassess our priorities & bless others with our excess. I feel lighter already!

Currently I am aboard a coach from the Eastern Cape to Durban. I have spent the last few days settling my son into his very first apartment, close to the university he attends. It has been lovely to be together cleaning, purchasing & styling his place into a cosy home. I'm confident & happy that he will have all he needs for the next couple of years, to complete his education in South Africa.

Of course we would love to have him with us in the UK but he is midway through his degree & if he studies in England it would be as an International Student at over 3 times the price of what we are paying :/. My husband & older daughter will be joining us in several weeks, once the transfer of our house is complete, as we need to take the proceeds :). All in all an exciting time for all!

I have been travelling like a pop star for the las month. We spent Christmas & New Year in Cape Town, fondly known here as 'The Mother Ciry' as it is all round awesome. A week after returning we travelled into the Drakensberg Mountains here to say goodbye to some old friends then the day after returning we flew BACK to Cape Town for the funeral of my Step Mother-in-Law who passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease.

The day after we returned I hopped in the car with my son & embarked on a 2 day road trip! Now I am on my way home again :-D. I haven't switched my laptop on since December!! Creatively speaking I still have a few projects to share but that will have to be from my laptop once in the UK, when I have a moment & have caught up on a fair bit of sleep!!! I am not going to be creating whilst I am waiting for our container to arrive as my luggage allowance is going to be full of winter clothing for the nrxt couple of months.

I am so excited to experience Winter! I know all about air-conditioning but nothing about heating!! I am thinking about starting a new blog to document my journey from Southern Hemisphere living to Northern & my experiences as an African abroad. If I manage to do that I will add the link to that to my sidebar of course. I have resigned from all my Design Teams except for Prima, who have been very understanding of my current situation as I am forced to take a Leave of Absence until my supplies arrive.

I have no idea what the future holds for me from an artistic perspective. I would love to have the time & space to create but at this point I can't place it high on my list of must-haves. Hopefully the next few months will be nothing more of a creative hiatus & perhaps I will find my groove again sooner than I imagine! So for now I'll say Goodbye & talk to you on the flip-side!!

Guest Designer for More Than Words! Challenge Blog - Lover of Life Layout

2016-01-16T07:00:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone! Today I am Guest Designing over at the new challenge blog

"More than Words" started up by 6 of my ex-Scrap Around The World Designers

due to SATW closing down. I am so delighted to have been chosen as their first Guest!

Their first January 2016 challenge is to use a SELFIE! Along with that you need to take

your inspiration from the word PERSONALITY!! With that in mind I created this page

with everything that appealed to me at the time! I love misting the old way, without

the watercolour look, so I grabbed a sheet of white cardstock I had tested some

mist on & started with that, overlaying it with my favourite grey ink & my

current favourite Prima background stamp. I figured using my

FAVOURITE PRODUCTS was a sure fire way to infuse

my PERSONALITY into my work!

I am also crazy about loopy threads right now & flowers are my FOREVER FAVOURITE!

I also added any words that came to mind to describe me, around the photos.

Of course I used my signature staples & my typical double-photo diagonal

design - because I wanted this layout to be a reflection of ME!

And that's my favourite way to design a layout!!

Of course there are loads of unflattering words to describe me too (at my worst LOL)

but that is more for art journaling! For layouts I do my best to focus on the positives!

I really can't remember where I got that cameo above but HOW PERFECT?!?

The woman looking into the mirror really reflects the selfie theme!!

Despite all the words around the page my journaling of "Lover of Life" is what I've chosen

as the title for my page as it really sums me up. I make fun happen out of every day

situations because the truth is my life is not amazing or exciting but I learnt years ago

that it really is the little things that count - so I use my favourite china at each meal

& treat my family as often as I can! Every day is a celebration in our household!

The alphas come from the Royal Menagerie Collection by Prima and are full of fun colours

& different designs, all on the same sheet, which I think is a great idea as it makes it easy-

peasy to get the eclectic look without digging about for various different alpha sheets!

My paper layers are all Prima offcuts from different papers over the years, that I keep in one

bag. I just love creating using what I can get hold of easily, lying about around my desk.

It really takes the "schlep" out of scrapbooking & infuses the creative fun, which makes

the process enjoyable rather than a chore. Now on a more serious note...

Please support these ladies.

They have worked very hard to bring you a great new challenge site.

They were great key players in my administration team at Scrap Around The World

& I fully endorse their new venture. My 2016 is going to be uncertain & I don't know

what it will hold. Moving to a new country as I am doing next month is a very stressful

exercise & that, coupled with working full time & getting my 4 kids sorted out, 2 with us

& 2 away from home, was my main reason for closing SATW down at the end of 2015.

I didn't want to not be able to run SATW the way it needed to be run - with close attention to

details, organisation & presentation, & I can't promise that kind of commitment any longer.

Happy New Year! My OLW {One Little Word} A Scrapbooking Class, Some Vacation Photos & Some Basic Picasa Photo Editing {& Taking} Advice!

2016-01-06T06:00:00.000+02:00

Well Hello there! Yes I know Christmas is over & all that but finally, after 3 weeks offline,

with only my iphone, NO wifi & very little mobile data signal, I am BACK ONLINE!

albeit only for the next 24 hours!! In Africa you have to be grateful for what

you can get LOL!!!

I have chosen STRENGTH as my OLW {One Little Word} for 2016. Although I am not a

fully convinced fan of the OLW it certainly can't hurt to select a word & keep it in mind!

This year I am going to need all the strength I can get!! I have a plane ticket booked

for next month & a busy time after that exploring England deciding where to settle!!

Almost as soon as we arrived in Cape Town {where we still are right now} I taught

a scrapbooking class. I had pre-arranged it months in advance, together with a

very lovely lady called Ann Ledgerwood, & she hosted the class at her home.

There were 8 ladies to teach & I hope they all had as much fun as I did.

It was a mixed media scrapbook page & I taught techniques of misting, how to make

your own, how to keep your paper from warping, balance & composition & how

to successfully achieve a cluster. The ladies achieved some lovely results

& my daughter was kind enough to join us to help clean & take photos :)

I haven't taken a lot of photos at all. I actually go away on holiday to NOT take photos!

I take photos almost every day of the week all year so am happy to take a break!!

I also HATE bad photos & making people feel uncomfortable when we are out

in large groups &, even more than that, I hate photos with ugly backgrounds :/

So here are just a few... along with some basic Picasa Photo Editing Hacks.

So for anyone who doesn't know {that would be ME 8 years ago!!!}

Download Picasa for free HERE then go through your settings to

ensure everything is as you like it.

This is how mine looks - just to give you an idea! What is imperative at the very

beginning is that you spend some {a LOT} of time renaming your files if necessary

{unless you already have a system}. I name my files according to the year {J is for

2015 - A was the year I first went digital - 2005!}, followed by the month. For example -

January is 1, February is 2, etc - up until October, which is 10. Then for November

& December I also name them 10, because if I name them 11 & 12 they come up

after January & before February!! This way I can find what I am looking for with ease.

Once you have a good filing system in place & you can find all your photos you can start

playing with the editing functions. Remember Picasa is downloaded from the web but it

is not web based, so you can use it whenever you like, you do not have to be online.

It is also just a mirror of your ''My Pictures" /Photo Library, etc so you will also

always have your photos stored there too.

Don't bother using Picasa for editing your phone photos. There are plenty of good options for those online that you can use straight from your device. I like to hand my DSLR camera around at family functions & see what people come up with. Takes the pressure off me & makes everyone feel like a professional

photographer. I take for granted the fact that I own an amazing camera but others don't & are

delighted to hold it & click, SO I have to change my manual settings to AUTO, which means there's

not a lot of point using it really, so I need Picasa to rescue the best of a usually bad bunch!

If out at a big family function find a white wall & encourage everyone to use that backdrop

for having some camera fun. At least that way you can play with the sliders in Picasa

& push up the highlights to smooth out the background. Not ideal but the photos

take on a funky, modern look which makes them great for scrapbooking!

Text is another fun option in Picasa. There are plenty enough good options & colours

as well as 2 tone on all of them, & you can pull the text box around, increase or

decrease the size, as well as making multiple text boxes by saving each one

separately as you go along. That way you can have more than one font per

photo. Borders are something else I enjoy adding, as I print my own

photos. {Makes cutting a lot simpler having a line to follow!}

You can also choose your photo sizes, as well as creating your own custom sizes

& saving them under their own name for future use, or simply using the Manual

sizing,with no dimensions. To edit any photos simply RIGHT CLICK & select

VIEW & EDIT (the top option) or DELETE FROM DISK if you don't want them.

Then of course there is the famous Picasa Collage option! To utilise this option

edit all your photos FIRST & crop them down to the right sizes. Choosing similar

sized photos makes for a better looking collage, as well as sticking to 3 - 5 photos,

otherwise the photos end up looking too small. If this does happen you can simply

pull the photos you don't want OUT, as well as dragging the photos around,within

the collage, to re-order them. You can also click at the bottom for the basic grid

structure of the collage to rearrange itself in all the possible configurations.

Black & white is another great photo saver. Everyone looks better in black & white!

Try it & you'll see!! This works especially well when people have wrinkles or

rosacea LOL!! Rather than simply selecting BW I prefer to move the sliders

manually myself & adjust the light & shadows for a bit more drama!!!

When things are really sunny do your best to get the crowd into the shade. If not

possible remember that the character of family photos is more important than

the technology! Notice my daughter's face above, with shadow across!!

Do spend a little time arranging your crowd & trying to get the tallies in

the middle & the shorties at the sides. Also get everyone to squash

together & look out for mobile phones, wallets, etc. Get people to

hide these behind their backs! Arms around each other works well.

I remember when I first started using Picasa 8 years ago & worked through all the teething

problems, someone sent me a Facebook message & asked me to please email them to tell

them how to do it! I replied politely, saying that that would really be impossible but if

they ever needed help with a specific thing they should get in touch. They've never

spoken to me since LOL! Oh well...you win some you lose some :-p

{Can you imagine sending someone an email explaining

how to use a software program?! I could write a book on it!!}

Falmouth Christmas - Studio 75 Winter Morning Collection

2015-12-28T07:00:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone! Finally I've got a few minutes on my son's computer -

using my husband's ipad as a hotspot!! For some unknown reason

it refuses to recognise my laptop which is quite a problem as it means

to get online I must log out of my son's Google account & into mine!

We are away on vacation & we have NO WIFI!!! That may sound

unbelievable to you but it is TRUE sadly!! The place where we

are staying has no wifi - and this is a common thing in Africa!

Hence I am not posting a lot at the moment {I did manage

to preschedule one post before we left!}

SO A VERY MERRY BELATED CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

I created this layout for Studio 75 HERE - you can see my blogpost

there for all the links to the store & the papers I've used. It's my last

post on the Studio 75 blog as my DT term of 6 months has ended &,

although I was invited back for a new term, I have decided to reduce

the number of Design Teams I am on in 2016. Due to our attempt to

move to the UK & start a new life, having no idea what free time I will have!

I didn't have time to create this project before I left on vacation so I had to plan

my page & take with me the necessary supplies I needed to create it - AND

I had to create it on the floor of our apartment! It was pretty uncomfortable

working like this but I'm happy I was able to do it & I love the way it turned out!

I enjoyed creating slowly for a change (like slow cooking...) inking up the edges,

stamping & generally going "old school" - & think this layout will make a good

base for a teaching page as it is quite an unusual composition with various

different techniques to share. I do hope I will have the time & opportunity to

teach classes in the UK. I taught a big class here in Cape Town & loved it!!

I did a lot of fussy cutting on this page as well as tearing, which I always love,

& used the beautiful matching Studio 75 ribbon to create a double bow.

The base paper I used was from the Yummy Collection, while all the rest were from

the Winter Morning Collection. It started out as cream, but I recoloured it by misting

with Prima Color Bloom Sprays & water, then stamped with a chicken wire stamp

from Crafty Individuals in the UK & a flower stamp from Faber Castell.

My alphas are from Tim Holtz for Ranger & my flowers are from Prima - Royal

Menagerie Collection. I also used some white doilies & some dyed cheesecloth.

I muted my embellishments with white acrylic paint for a colder, more frosty look.

The photo was taken during our overseas holiday, at Falmouth Harbour,

where we were VERY COLD!! We have never experienced really cold

temperatures before so it will be a whole new experience for us when

we move & no doubt will involve a whole new wardrobe eventually too!!

Thanks so much for stopping by here today!

I really appreciate it!! I wish I could get online more easily here

but it really is virtually impossible & as we haven't been away all

year I am just trying to embrace the situation & enjoy some family time :)

I do have another project to share so will try to do that sometime soon too!!

7 Dots Challenge for December - Cold Weather Eurodisney 2012 Layout using Yuletide Collection!

2015-12-20T09:00:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone! Today there is a brand new challenge up at 7 Dots Studio HERE,

presenting our final challenge of the year - our December/January COLD WEATHER

challenge! As usual there is a lovely big merit prize up for grabs & always a couple of

features too so play along for your chance to win some more very sought after 7 Dots

Studio Merchandise! Create any papercrafty item - just remember to use at least

ONE 7 Dots Studio product & let us know what it is if it's not easy to see.

HOW AWESOME is the Yuletide Collection!? What a festive delight!! Only once I

actually tucked into it & created this page did I realise that it really does well with traditional

Wintery Christmas time layouts. Luckily I had just ONE suitable photo - seeing as for me,

in South Africa, our Christmases are always full of sunshine! In 2012 my family & I

travelled abroad & spent new year in France! At EuroDisney of all places!!

It was simply MAGICAL!!!

The 7 Dots Studio pattern papers are so detailed that they do half the mixed media

work for you, which is a real time saver! All that was left for me was to flick on lots

& lots of my home-made white mist, as my SNOW then use some Prima soft gloss gel to

apply some Prima micro beads & some LSG fusing for the ultra snowy overload effects!

I used up almost the entire tag sheet from the Yuletide Collection. I have never

known another manufacturer to produce these & why there hasn't been a copycat yet

I just don't know, as the idea is incredibly awesome. They are die-cut pop outs &

layering them around the centre then popping a photo in the middle is a really

satisfying way to get a quick creative fix! With some other stash for good

measure too of course - the more the merrier!!

The grey alphas are REALLY OLD - Doodlebug I think? And the Thickers are from

American Crafts - yes I still have tons of those - they went out of fashion so fast when

the die-cutting machines made their début - but I still like the look of them occasionally!

I used up some of my white doily offcuts on this page too as well as a glorious gold doily

too - did you know that Prima are now making them in packs of 50 FIFTY for doily

freaks like you & me?! Check out YULETIDE here & please join in!!

If you enjoy your visits here please sign up to my Google Friend Connect

in my top right side bar HERE as well as my Facebook Artist page

HERE & my Instagram HERE. It makes me happy!!

Studio 75 Challenge 12 - Mood Board ChallengeGrowing Your Wings Layout

2015-12-08T07:00:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone! How are you this week? I sure hope you are good! Things my side are moving along quite fast right now. For those of you who connect with me on social media you will be more in the know on what is going on my side at the moment. We are enjoying our final GRANDE FINALE CHALLENGE at Scrap Around The World this month as I am closing the site down to concentrate on my new adventure - which is moving home & hopefully starting a new life in a new country - exciting times ahead! So

PLEASE play along if you can - we have 22 prizes up for grabs & a Wall of Fame featuring 20 players!

Today I am here to share the new challenge from Studio 75 in Poland, with you.

You can view the challenge, that went live a couple of days ago, HERE.

This month the challenge is based around the beautiful mood board below.

The rules are really simple - you can create ANYTHING papercrafty based

on the mood board colours & include any elements you like from it too.

I really LOVE this board! The colours AND the elements are all so lovely & soft!

Creating with it was an absolute PLEASURE! You DO NOT have to use any

Studio 75 products, as they can be hard to come by outside of Poland BUT

if you do please let us know what you have used! And remember that the

merit chosen winner will win 30zloty worth of their choice of goodies

in the Studio 75 online store - so you can get some of this sought-after

product for yourself if you win! Please do not back-link - all projects

must be NEW & you can submit up to 3 entries but as separate posts.

I used all the blue Studio 75 Primo papers HERE - all Studio 75 papers

are so easy to use & match with everything! I have a great time stash-busting

whenever I am doing my DT projects, because I always end up using lots of stuff!

To ground my design I used an awesome Prima background stamp with some stone

grey Tsukeniko ink, adding some light texture with the addition of some gauze

tucked in under my photo (that I raised up on some dimensional board first).

I have a tin of bling to last me the rest of my life, but most of them have now lost their

stickiness so I have to tip them out onto my desk & "pick & mix!" The white alphas

are from Crate & the grey are the little Prima ones from a couple of years back -

they are AWESOME because they go on forever! Because they're on 12 inch sheets!

Something I also have tons of are loads & loads of rolls of twine.

There was a time I couldn't walk past one in real life or on line,

without popping it into my cart! Not to worry as I do love the look

of it rolled & scrolled under my photo & peeking out around it!

This one is quite waxy & thick which makes for great loopy circles.

Flairs are one of my FAVOURITE embellishments & I could keep on buying them forever ♥

I've bought them from all over the place in the past so can't remember where these 3 are

from. The flowers are from PRIMA of course (I've been collecting those for YEARS now

but actually get through them quite fast as I am such a flower freak)!!

The resin fairy & the Beauty typewriter key {paper clip} also come from Prima.

The fairy ties in with the "Growing your Wings" title & finally found it's perfect page!

It's been hiding out in my drawer for the last few years :) So there you have it -

a new challenge & some serious stash busting!! I hope you will play along

REMEMBER TO BOOK MARK THE STUDIO 75 CHALLENGE HERE!!

If you enjoy your visits here please sign up to my Google Friend Connect

in my top right side bar HERE as well as my Facebook Artist page

HERE & my Instagram HERE. It makes me happy & keeps

me motivated to stay creative!! SEE YOU SOON!!!

Christmas Sweetie Jar & Tag Using Magic Time Collection by Studio 75

2015-12-06T19:18:00.000+02:00

Hello everyone! Today I am sharing with you a recent project

I created, shown on the Studio 75 blog recently HERE.

I decorated a large jar & made a tag to match.

This year I saved every jar that came into our home, once the contents had been

consumed, so that I would have the basis for many Christmas projects!

I used all sorts of goodies from the new Magic Time Christmas Collection.

If you click into the link above you can take a look at all of them on the

Studio 75 blog, where I also explain how I put everything together.

This was really fun to create & quick & easy too!

The good thing about off-the-page projects is that they

look a lot more impressive than they are difficult to create!!

With a hot glue gun you can rule the world!

I enjoyed adding all sorts of extra bits from my stash,

namely some sparkly tulle, some gauze, some die-cut leaves,

Prima flowers, glass beads & a dangly crystal.

Our Christmas this year is going to be shared with many friends & family

so I decided on the oversized jars & tags as they are quick & easy to

make as well as being inexpensive. I am filling them with chocolates

wrapped in sparkly red, green & gold foil paper & I love that they are REUSABLE

& hope that their new owners will retain them for years to come & enjoy them.

The circular Studio 75 Christmas sentiments fit the lids perfectly

{I first spray painted all the lids gold then adhered a crochet doily

on top of each} Now that the doilies are no longer such a trend

on layouts this is a great way to finish off your doily stash!!

And there you have it!

Red, green & gold goodness!!
I am such a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas!!!

Now onto my tag! Tags are honestly DEAD EASY to make!!

And they look IMPRESSIVE!!! If you have never made your own

Christmas is always a very good time to start. The base of a tag can

be anything...I have used the Prima cardboard backing to the flowers

I used (now that I have finished them off!), cut down the middle -

adhered together then punch cut with a fancy Martha Stewart punch.

If you are anything like me you've always got stray short lengths of ribbon in one

of your drawers {I cut out all mine from newly purchased clothing as I hang my

blouses on hangers & fold everything else} so that's what I've used here -

a simple length of white twill.

I used box cardboard between my layers to add some cushy dimension,

followed by a sentiment card on each side {a blank one on the back

so there is space for me to write a personalised message}.

Embellishing is always the fun part & we all have bits of bling lying about, offcuts

of thread & extra die-cuts so tags are a great way to use up all your itty bits!

Please, please, please!

If you enjoy your visits here please sign up to my Google Friend Connect

in my top right side bar HERE as well as my Facebook Artist page

HERE & my Instagram HERE. It makes me happy!!

Scrap Around The World Grand Finale Challenge! PRIZES!!

2015-12-04T07:00:00.000+02:00

HERE THEY ARE PEOPLE!! PLEASE PLAY ALONG!!!

It's our GRAND FINALE CHALLENGE at Scrap Around The World!

Our VERY LAST CHALLENGE - & it would mean so much to me ♥

1ST PRIZE - 50 Euros worth of products from The MiNi art

{Image shows only part of the chipboard and stencils that you will receive}

The MiNi art is a Polish craft products manufacturer specializing in chipboard,

rubber stamps, masks & stencils as well as scrapbooking papers, plywood,

felt embellishments & self-adhesive buttons. Our goal is to supply our

customers with great quality products, which is why all the MiNi art

products are made & packed in Poland. Customers can choose

products from our collections or request special products based

on their own designs. For more information, please visit our

ONLINE STORE. Find us on Facebook & Pinterest too.

2ND PRIZE - $50 AUS store credit from The Dusty Attic

We love seeing the creations our customers have made & also love to hear your feedback, as this helps us with new ideas. We have an online store

from which you can get all of your Dusty Attic supplies. Visit our store HERE

and our blog HERE! If you are a retail business & would like to stock our

range of unique products, please contact us for details on how to

open up a wholesale account.

3RD PRIZE - Over $50 worth of scrapbooking supplies

also from Design Team member Pamela Ellis {Canada}

This prize includes - Swirlydoos Sun Kissed main kit including Bo Bunny

& Authentique papers, Bo Bunny Double Dot jewels, Prima flowers,

Petaloo flowers, Creative Embellishments chipboard heart, Stickles,

2 die-cut tags, word & alpha stickers, lace ribbon, twine as well as

an extra pack of Prima flowers & Prima wood embellishments!

4TH PRIZE - Over $50 worth of scrapbooking supplies

from Design Team member Pamela Ellis {Canada}

This prize includes - Bo Bunny 'Juliet' 12x12 collection pack,

Bo Bunny 'Juliet' 6x6 paper pad, Dusty Attic stencil,

Prima Color Bloom spray 'Peony' - THANK YOU

PAM FOR YOUR TWO GENEROUS PRIZES!!

5th PRIZE - Over $50 worth of scrapbooking supplies

from Design Team member Helen Tilbury {South Africa}

Huge Prima & Webster's Pages assorted embellishments pack.

6th PRIZE - $50 worth of scrapbooking supplies

from Design Team member Tusia Lech {Poland}

This prize includes - as assortment of patterned papers from ILS & UHK Gallery,

Prima ribbons, Scrapiniec chipboard, 7 Dots Studio stickers & die-cut elements,

American Crafts dimensional stickers.

7th PRIZE - $50 gift voucher from

Design Team member Nupur Patel {India}

{To be used at the online scrapbooking store of your choice}

8th PRIZE - Over $30 worth of scrapbooking supplies

from Design Team member Heather McMahon {Australia}

This prize includes - Manor House Creations flower pack, Bo Bunny acrylic stamps,

2 packs of Darkroom Door photo chips, Graphic 45 chipboard buttons & much more!

9th PRIZE - $30 worth of laser-cut chipboard from 2Crafty Chipboard

{Image is for illustration purposes & may not reflect exactly what you will receive}

10th PRIZE - $30 worth of laser-cut chipboard

also from 2Crafty Chipboard

{Image is for illustration purposes & may not reflect exactly what you will receive}

2Crafty Chipboard is an Australian owned & operated manufacturer & wholesaler

of laser cut chipboard products, located in Sydney, Australia. We have been in

operation since October 2006 & have more than 1 000 designs on offer. We

pride ourselves on quality products that are versatile & up to date with market

trends, as well as offering unbeatable customer service, with quick turnaround

of jobs large & small. Visit our website HERE & our blog HERE! We are happy

to quote on personalized jobs, whether it be a single title for a customer,

or large jobs for retreats, classes, etc. If you are a retailer & would like to

stock our products, please contact us for more information.

11th PRIZE - $30 gift voucher from

Design Team member Pascale B. {France}

{To be used at an online scrapbooking store of your choice.

Please note that this prize does NOT include postage}

12th PRIZE - $30 worth of Julie Nutting Stamps

from Design Team Member Helen Tilbury {South Africa}

13th PRIZE - $25 worth of scrapbooking supplies

from Design Team member Nicole Doiron {Canada}

This prize includes - AC Amy Tangerine 'Cut & Paste' 6x6 paper pad,

rotary phrase stamp, adhesives resin bows, die cut tags & wood veneer tags.

14th PRIZE - $25 worth of scrapbooking supplies

from Design Team member Valia Katzaki {Greece}

This prize includes - Prima 'Julie Nutting' cling stamps, DecoArt Media

black modeling paste, assorted vintage flowers & chipboard.

15th PRIZE - $20 worth of products from Scrapiniec

{Image is for illustration purposes & may not reflect exactly what you will receive}

16th PRIZE - $20 worth of products also from Scrapiniec

{Image is for illustration purposes & may not reflect exactly what you will receive}

Scrapiniec is the first Polish producer of die-cut chipboard for scrapbooking. We make individual orders & fulfill even the most unusual requests. We are characterized by reliability, high quality products & friendly customer contact. You can visit our blog HERE & look at all our amazing designs in our online shop HERE! We are also very present on social media & would love you to join us on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE, Google Plus HERE, Pinterest HERE & Twitter HERE!

17th PRIZE - $15 worth of Prima products from
Design Team Member Helen Tilbury {South Africa}

3 x Julie Nutting Christmas Ornament packs,

Holly, Angel & Starr {Prima Marketing Inc}

18th PRIZE - $15 worth of Prima Product also from

Design Team Member Helen Tilbury {South Africa}

19th PRIZE - $15 gift voucher from The Flying Unicorn

The Flying Unicorn on-line store HERE has an incredible selection of products for all paper-craft artists. Our Kit of the Month is filled is filled with the latest & greatest - including an off-the-page project to keep your creative muse flowing! Be sure to check out Flying Unicorn forums HERE, a hot & happening place which includes monthly challenges, tips, techniques & friendships that last! We also have a blog HERE & a Facebook page HERE where you can find loads of inspiration!

20th PRIZE - $20 gift voucher from Design Team

member Fiona Paltridge {Australia}

{To be used at the online scrapbooking store of your choice.

Please note that this prize does NOT include postage}

RANDOM PRIZE

A prize package valued at over $50 from 13arts

{exactly as shown}

13arts is a Polish manufacturer specializing in scrapbook papers, embellishments

& mixed media, artistic mediums. See our store HERE where we ship worldwide!

Our blog HERE is full of inspiration & we have a monthly challenge where all

are welcome! Please follow us on Instagram HERE, Twitter HERE,

Pinterest HERE & Facebook HERE!

FOLLOWERS PRIZE

$30 worth of products from Studio 75

Studio 75 is a Polish manufacturer of scrapbooking papers & items such as chipboard albums, notebooks, spiral bindings & magnetic sheets. We have our online store HERE, a bustling Facebook page HERE & a highly inspirational blog HERE! Come visit us - let's connect!

The deadline for this challenge is Thursday 31 December 2015.

Friends for Life Layout - Scrap Around The World December Challenge

2015-12-01T07:00:00.000+02:00

This month is the final challenge at Scrap Around The World - my own challenge site -

started in May 2013. Hop on over to the blog to read more about it HERE - I've given
a very brief explanation but I'll be sharing more here very soon so that it is easier for
you all to understand why on earth I would have to do such a thing when things
are going so great over there! But ending on a high is the best way too I think!!

It's SO sad to say goodbye but you can do anything in life but not everything!

I loved the clean, sophisticated look of this mood board so went with a white

background & kept it light & bright, adding some pale stencilling inspired by

the champagne glasses (thinking champagne bubbles...} & a light

spattering of black inspired by the pomegranate seeds.

Oh & of course some GOLD!!! I am gold crazeeey right now!!

I have only used cardstock on this page - no pattern paper.I misted it all in advance

before cutting & punching. This is a great way to play with mists yet keep

your project "clean" & warp free - "Light" mixed media!

This page is a tribute to my daughter's best friend Karryn. My poor girl has had

some very bad experiences with people in her 22 short years but Karryn has

proved herself a good & true friend since they became besties 7 years ago.

The macaroons inspired my circular embellishments & the skeleton leaf was

inspired by the leafy design around the sentiment on the mood board.

I hope you will join us this month & play along with our FINAL challenge!

We have 22 {yes TWENTY TWO} prizes to entice you to play along in our

GRAND FINALE CHALLENGE!!

I will be back tomorrow to share all those wonderful prizes with you!!

Bicycle Made for Two Layout - Prima Marketing Happy Thanksgiving Theme!

2015-11-29T07:00:00.000+02:00

Hello Everyone! Phew it's been a Prima time all at once now hasn't it?!?!!

I'm busy there more than usual at the moment because I am off during December

as it's our annual Holiday Time in Africa! Our version of European Summer!!

{Only much, much HOTTER!!!!} See my post on the Prima blog HERE.

When it comes to being thankful all thoughts turn to family for me.

I am very blessed to have a wonderful husband & TWO pigeon pairs!

I used the Royal Menagerie Collection because it is so vibrant & joyful!!

I used lots of fussy-cut papers & some gorgeous turquoise twine interspersed

between my layers to frame my photo. Then added a couple of lush gold

Vintage Trinkets to draw attention to my focal points – my kids & of course

hubby peeking out at the top! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Prima Products:- Stamps 580087, Color Bloom Sprays Berry Wine 580308,

Glistening Waves 573942, Ginger Coral 580285, Magnolia Trim 583033 & 583019,

Twine 576882, Vintage Trinkets 560072, Silver Glitter 961596,

Alpha stickers 582371, Royal Menagerie Papers 847449

I'm in LOVE with those gold Vintage Trinkets!

Just the PERFECT "little bit" to finish off a page!!

Those Magnolia Trims come in various different sizes (I have 4!)

& they are all white, so they are easy-peasy to dye up to any colour you like!

I dyed up the ones at the back using Berry Wine Color Bloom Spray - my tip

is to first spritz the lace flowers with water before, during & after spraying

- in order to keep the dye colour consistent.

The twine is also lovely & the rolls are HUGE!! I pull off a looooong length

of twine to loop under my cluster & even between my layers, stapling

them underneath my papers to make sure they aren't going anywhere!

I used white cardstock for my base, splattering it with mists then stamping

using the SPLAT stamps set from Prima & some lilac ink. I also

embossed with some silver glitter in some places too & used

some gold dots from the Prima alpha stickers as "confetti".

And there you have it! PLENTY of photos LOL!!

Have you got your hands on some of the Royal Menagerie Collection yet?!

I think it's AWESOME!!!

Have a beautiful Sunday everyone :)

Let me know what you are getting up to today!

Being the last weekend of the month it's a very busy time for me with

the Scrap Around The World new challenge post going up soon, lots of

judging to do there & at 7 Dots Studio & a couple of layouts to do too!!

If you enjoy reading my articles I would really appreciate you checking that

YOU are a follower via Google Friend Connect in my top right side bar

HERE & signing up if you are not - I'd love to reach 1 000

Google Friend Connect ''official" followers!!

You can find my Facebook Artist Page HERE & my Instagram HERE.

I LOVE social media & share a lot in both places :-p

All Hearts Come Home For Christmas - Card for Prima!

2015-11-28T07:00:00.000+02:00

Back again so soon! I know!! Sometimes it just works out that way!!

You can see this card up on the Prima blog HERE - you really should

come over & look at all the fantastic posts going up at the moment!
It's all about CHRISTMAS & FULL of glorious inspiration!!

EVERYTHING I've used comes from Prima of course! Most of it from

'A Victorian Christmas' - a wonderful new Christmas Collection full

of lovely berry colours & gorgeous gold trimmings!

The rolls of sequins work perfectly for cards!

Just enough glitz & glamour for the festive season!!

Prima Products:- Relics & Artifacts Flaming Hearts 941574,

Jamie Dougherty A4 Watercolour pad 980269,

Pattern paper – A Victorian Christmas 990558, Weave Trim {Camel} 577087,

Sequin trim 990589, Bethany leaflet 578411,

Antique Mistletoe Leaves & Berries, IOD metals 583576 & 583545,

Black Cherry Mica Powder 962807, Brush Set 962760, Soft Gloss Gel 961435,

Micro Beads 962562, Dark Rust Chalk Ink

Can you believe this was my first time playing with the Relics & Artifacts ®?!

I quickly learned that the best way to get an aged & “found” look to the pieces

is by a process of adding & subtracting...just like all other mixed-media work.

I applied layers of paint, mica, micro-beads & soft gloss gel, then I used a Q-tip

dipped in Paint Thinners to remove some of the layers in certain areas, which helps

the deeply grooved design at the side & top of the heart to really stand out!

Make Time for What Matters Most Layout - Lost & Found Collection - 7 Dots Studio

2015-11-27T09:00:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. It's that time again...

I'm up on the 7 Dots Studio blog HERE with this layout today.

I used the very beautiful, vintage inspired paper collection, Lost & Found,

that you can see HERE. It's beautifully muted with a touch of grunge on

the reverse side so fantastic for masculine pages too.

This page features my eldest son Jack & is a message to him about slowing down

& learning how to balance life & make priorities. Currently he is a very busy

university student, but I've told him that life is only set to get busier...

That lovely ''Life" die-cut above comes from a pack I bought from K & Co.

Almost everything else is from 7 Dots Studio except the mask & modelling paste.

And the tulle & staples of course! And the green card underneath is actually

from my old Smash book! There are some lovely BIG co-ordinating flairs

that come with this collection too. And I have used a spot of cheesecloth.

The black dots come from the co-ordinating stamp pack.

You can buy a complete collection pack of each collection at

7 Dots Studio online & that is the way I would go about it if I wasn't

on the team. The collections are small so there is nothing superfluous.

It's just like buying a kit only cheaper & nicer, because you have everything

you need right in front of you & you also get to dip a bit into your stash

for those little extras that finish off a page so nicely! Bye bye!!

Home Decor "Trade Secrets"Final Guest Meet Mitra Pratt from AmericaLearn how to alter Found Treasures!Plus a Bonus Glue Review!!

2015-11-23T07:00:00.000+02:00

***Please note this is the personal intellectual property

of Helen Tilbury & Mitra Pratt. Sharing is caring

but please credit me & link back to my blog if you do ***

Hello everyone & HAPPY MONDAY to you all!

Today I am very happy to introduce you to my 3rd & final guest

in my Home Décor "Trade Secrets" Series - Mitra Pratt!!

Mitra is an absolute MASTER of the Off-the-Page project!

She LOVES "treasure-hunting" at second-hand/charity stores -

stores that are a rarity here in South Africa - so I do love to follow her

adventures ''antiquing'' & seeing her fabulous makeovers come to life!!

You can view my last guest post HERE {Featuring Yvonne Yam}

& my original post HERE {Featuring Ingrid Gooyer}.

You can see the very first in the series, by me! HERE.

These "Trade Secrets" posts have been VERY popular so I intend on

continuing with them in the new year. Right now I know you are all

busy organising your holiday plans! Please remember to leave

us a comment & SHARE YOUR OPINION on what you think the

topic for the NEXT TRADE SECRETS SERIES should be!!

Mitra Pratt

Now over to the sweet lady herself...

"Hey Bloggers!! Wishing you a fabulous Monday from Upstate New York!

We will soon be heading into Winter here, which means I get to spend more

time in my craft room! I am always on the lookout for something to

alter. In fact, I have a weekly date down at the second hand stores

most Tuesdays & some weeks I end up there twice!

I'm always searching for something metal, something slightly grungy & funky,

or, even better yet, vintage craft supplies! Most anything can be improved

with spray paint! Flowers make everything better as does glitter & a little

splatter! I can’t bear to spend large amounts of money on impersonal, store

-bought things, so I make a lot of things for my décor & also for gifts!

I'd love you to take a look at my blog HERE & if you're a fellow

crafter I would love for you to friend me on Facebook HERE."

Let's take a look at Mitra's work below & if you are impressed please

sign up to follow Mitra's blog in her right-hand sidebar of her blog HERE.

Wow! Will you look at that!! This mirror has every aspect of gorgeous!!

Mitra's advice to us all is :-

1. Get to know your adhesives! What works best for metal, plastics, wood & stone.
Choose from what is available & local to you. While the brand names usually live
up to their reputation there are often unheard of brands that do a fantastic job
too!! Become a regular at your local hardware store & get chatty with the staff
- any of them worth their salt may have their own recommendations for you!

2. Be patient! Keep paring up your “finds” until you get things that work well together.

No need to rush into anything - keep your hauls in one place & after a while things

should start looking good together & ideas will start percolating in your mind

when you get everything out & handle each item individually.

3. Be committed! If you are fortunate to have second-hand stores or markets

close to home pay them a weekly visit at least. Treasure hunting takes time

& "new" goodies come in at any time so the more you pop in the better...

4. Treat yo-self! When you've really scored a bargain & converted it into a marvellous

Home Décor piece just think of all the money you've saved & buy yourself some

lovely fresh flowers or a coffee out - yup DIY deserves a reward!!

5. Spray paint is your new BFF. There is SO much it can do & with a little practice

you can pull off a good job! Start collecting cans now but test the brand first!

6. Be Bold! Try several spray paints together for a nice spatter...

you can always repaint if you don't like the way it looks first time round.

7. Learn from someone in the know! If you happen to have a partner or

relative who's handy with tools ask them to help you put your piece together

& learn from them. Often only the most basic tools are required & once

you've done it you have a new skill under your belt & can do it alone!

Mitra has kindly also included a GLUE REVIEW for you all - I have added in my

own thoughts too so it's a collaboration - I am also GLUE CRAZY & have an

entire drawer dedicated to adhesives. If you love crafting then it's important

to learn as much as you can about glues. There are SO many on the

market - & for good reason too - because there are so many different

materials & projects... & yes, there is a glue for them all!!

MITRA & HELEN'S EXLUSIVE GLUE REVIEW

HOT GLUE - an absolute MUST - no need for a large glue gun - smaller are

more handleable - only prerequisite is that it gets REALLY HOT! Try to

buy the extra long glue sticks - makes changing the stick less frequent

therefore you can work faster & it's less frustrating!

If you don't own a glue gun yet & are buying one head to the hardware

store - they're hotter & cheaper than fancy crafting ones & work better!

Cordless glue guns can't heat up hot enough & chew through

batteries from my personal experience.

Hot Glue works great for attaching 3D soft/fabric things like flowers & ribbon.

-------------------------

Super Glue - Great for smaller items that are heavy, like metal feet.

------------------------------

Modge Podge - A must have glue for paper & collage. Soft Gloss Gel is

the Prima equivalent & a lovely light medium that also doubles as a

base for adding pigments, glitters, etc so it's an all rounder!

-----------------------------

Epoxy Glue - those are the stinky ones suitable for really heavy duty work!

-----------------------------

Glitter glue - Mitra loves this to use as grouting to fill gaps & add sparkle!

I have a great SPRAY glitter glue that adds a little bit of magic to anything!!

-------------------------------

Staples - staples are fantastic! A stapler should be one of the most used tools

in your arsenal. Long handled staplers are the best but if you can't afford

onejust your regular stapler will take you a long way! Staples can be

hidden really easily under layers & they are flat & residue free.

Staples can also add a really cool, grungy 'industrial' look to your projects

so you don't always need to hide them! Remember you can recolour

them to any colour you want by colouring over the entire set of

staples with your permanent markers once stabilised in your

stapler tracks. That's a tip I learnt a while back :)

------------------------------------

So what do you think of Mitra's pearls of wisdom?!?

Pretty thought-provoking yes??

Thanks so much Mitra for joining me as my guest! Remember to pay Mitra

a visit on her own blog HERE & show her some lasting support by

signing up to follow her on Google Friend Connect HERE.

If you enjoy reading my articles I would really appreciate you checking that

YOU are a follower via Google Friend Connect in my top right side bar

HERE & signing up if you are not - I'd love to reach 1 000

Google Friend Connect ''official" followers!!

You can find my Facebook Artist Page HERE & my Instagram HERE.

I LOVE social media & share a lot in both places :-p

Be Brave Layout - 7 Dots Studio Vintage Challenge November/December 2015

2015-11-20T07:00:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone! Today a new challenge has gone up at 7 Dots Studio HERE.

The theme for the next month - November/December - is VINTAGE!

That's a fun one isn't it?! I always love going a bit shabby every

now & then - I do hope you will play along with us!!

I used the 7 Dots Studio Lost & Found Collection HERE plus loads

& loads of layers! I really had FUN with this one!! Due to a

serious shortage of scrappy time in the last few months

Saturday nights have turned into my creating/treat time!

This page would be DIFFICULT to teach because it came together very organically.

I just kept adding bits here & there & tucking in more & more layers. I added

various metals because they always seem vintagey to me, as well as flowers

(because vintage always goes with shabby in my book!) & some buttons

because they really are kind of old fashioned now...

As well as using Lost & Found Collection papers I also used die-cuts from the

same collection. These pieces come on a 6 x 12 inch sheet & can be pushed

out & glued on. I sanded mine a bit & inked heavily with some dark brown

ink to give everything some vintage grunge.

I also added some sentiment stickers including the ones you see above.

These tied in so well with my story of this page. This was the last photo

taken of our children EVER before we left Zimbabwe, the place of my

birth & theirs. I told them to look sad but, being little kids, they

continued to smile cheekily except my eldest daughter, then 12!

I love how tanned they were back in those days of a big garden & lots of outdoor play!

I went through some of my old boxes of flowers & ephemera to add some

genuinely old bits & pieces, tucking everything in & clustering it down the side.

My background work is done with Prima colour bloom sprays in 3 colours -

Gold Foil, Vintage Gold, Lime Wedge & Vintage Coal plus my homemade

white mist made from white acrylic paint & water & stored in a screwtop jar.

Once I had used a lot of the die-cut pieces I also used the negative area of the 6 x 12

sheet they came on (what was remaining after I had popped them out). I REALLY

enjoy doing this & think it adds a very cool & unusual look to a background.

Of course I also included some paper doily offcuts between my layers for an

extra shot of vintage! My photo was an original, taken on FILM! & not in the

best shape, so I sanded it around the edges to make it look more

''obviously distressed''!

And that's it! I hope you enjoyed taking a peek at my new vintage layout!

I loved seeing my kiddies looking so young! My daughter is now a 22

year old beauty whose lost all that puppy fat & that little boy on the left

there is my youngest son, who now towers over me!

Please take a minute to sign up to my Google Friend Connect

in my top right side bar HERE if you enjoy reading my blog as

well as my Facebook Artist page HERE & my Instagram HERE.

Thanks for your visit! See you all online!!

Remember & Smile Layout Studio 75 November Colour Challenge

2015-11-16T07:00:00.000+02:00

Hello my darlings.

Today I am back with you to share ANOTHER Studio 75 layout!

I had a moment of madness this month where I absent-mindedly added bright blue

to my Colour Challenge Layout LOL - so instead of adding it to the group post

I used it for my post on the Studio 75 blog for my monthly post today HERE.

So being one to not shirk my responsibilities I set straight to work again getting

a new page done!! You can view my past post about the Colour Challenge on

this blog of mine HERE - do play along if you can! CREAM, RED & GREEN

ONLY!!!!! Oh - you can also add a touch of black & white!!!

Yes I have a smidge of brown because I'm naughty like that...

This year my younger son & I had a big argument on Christmas morning & he refused

to be in any of the photos hahaha - just in case you are wondering where he is here!!

I showed him this page & he reminded me about our silly fight - I had forgotten the

details - but it was over his hair - can you believe it?! I used to cut the boys' hair

for years using the Wahl clippers but for the last few years they have insisted

on professional haircuts! Fussy teenagers...pffft...

All these papers come from the new Magic Time Collection from Studio 75, except for the

criss-cross backing sheet - that comes from their "Yummy" Collection. I'm sure you'll

agree that it co-ordinates beautifully. Always the sign of a great manufacturer - when

they stick to the same tones so that all your collections can be mixed & matched!!

I kept my background light & simple by adding stencilling & stamping using chalk

ink-pads only. This is a quick, easy & CHEAP way of creating a mixed media

background with minimal materials, not that I need to worry about that as I have

plenty of gorgeous products, but sometimes it's nice to mix things up for a change!

All the strips you see were pre-cut as they were off cuts. I just tore them off at appropriate

lengths! Another easy peasy way of putting a page together. I had a piece of tulle floating

around my desk so I cut it up & added it here & there between my layers for a Christmassy

touch. Lastly I grabbed my tub of premixed white paint & flicked some all around my page

using a fine paintbrush, after covering my photograph with thick cardboard of course!

Please take a minute to sign up to my Google Friend Connect

in my top right side bar HERE if you enjoy reading my blog as

well as my Facebook Artist page HERE & my Instagram HERE.

Thanks for your visit! See you all online!!

Dreamer Layout Mixed Media Layout Tutorial 7 Dots Studio Lost & Found Collection.

2015-11-14T09:00:00.000+02:00

Hello there! If this is the first time you're seeing this layout here on my blog

please scroll down to yesterday's post where I have all the close ups & content.

WHAT THIS TUTORIAL IS DESIGNED TO TEACH

1. The idea of incorporating/juxtapositioning multiple photographs together

rather than the usual single photo. Also the idea of using a quote image.

2. Using a neutral paper from a collection with a theme different to your

project {here the paper collection is vintage-themed but my page is

modern}. This is achieved by adding a contrast colour as well as

a single bright colour for your accents.

3. The in vogue string threading technique.

4. How to speed up your background work using paints instead

of mists & how to make your own cheap mists using paint.

5. How to accentuate your stencilled designs by using art marker

pens, ie any type of fineliner/koki/brush pens.

6. The simple idea of recolouring embellishments to suit your needs

(in this case staples!)

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial. I know videos are very inspiring for intermediate

& advanced artists but personally I know that when I first started out I found

photo tutorials much less intimidating. Thank you for visiting!

Dreamer Layout - 7 Dots Studio Tutorial Page - Lost & Found Collection

2015-11-13T09:00:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone! How are you?! Today I am live HERE on the 7 Dots Studio blog

with a tutorial {Photographic Step-by-Step} of how I created this page.

Today I am sharing the layout with you here on my blog & tomorrow I have

the Tutorial scheduled so I do hope you will come back to take a peek!

Something relatively new for me is incorporating images of quotes into my pages.

I really love to do this as I am a quote lover as well as a photo taker!

From my days of working at Scrap 365 magazine I really enjoy taking photos of my process

& compiling step-by-steps. It is definitely quite a lot more time consuming than just

creating the page without worrying about setting up nice photographs too but

nonetheless, with my HOPELESS internet here it is something achievable

for me, whereas I've given up on videos until I have a more stable line.

I always make sure to not overcomplicate the project so that the step by step

is no more than about half a dozen collaged photos, so that it's an achievable

project. I also try to incorporate some new ideas for people to try if they

haven't already. For this tutorial this is what I've brought to the table...

1. The idea of incorporating/juxtapositioning multiple photographs together

rather than the usual single photo. Also the idea of using a quote image.

2. Using a neutral paper from a collection with a theme different to your

project {here the paper collection is vintage-themed but my page is

modern}. This is achieved by adding a contrast colour as well as

a single bright colour for your accents.

3. The in vogue string threading technique.

4. How to speed up your background work using paints instead

of mists & how to make your own cheap mists using paint.

5. How to accentuate your stencilled designs by using art marker

pens, ie any type of fineliner/koki/brush pens.

6. The simple idea of recolouring embellishments to suit your needs

(in this case staples!)

TUTORIAL COMING UP TOMORROW!

Thanks for stopping by!!

More CHRISTMAS INSPIRATION at Studio 75! Chocolate Box with Shaker Lid & Tag to match

2015-11-11T07:00:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone! Back today with some more Christmas Inspiration from Studio 75.

Today we are sharing some little creations from the Magic Time Collection.

No layouts allowed - but things we can use to decorate for Christmas

or handmade gifts, so I made decorated a plastic tub then

made an oversized tag to match!

The base of this project is an empty Bodyshop Body Butter tub. I decorated

the base with "Gold Rush glass glitter from Prima then sealed it with spray

varnish... but the real fun came when I started on the lid!

I made a shaker box with it using the molded plastic from a roll of Cellotape!!

Yes I have been wrapping gifts & as soon as I saw the lovely circle of tough plastic

with a perfect 1/2 inch band of flat plastic around the edge I knew it would make

a great shaker box! I had to trim the 1/2 inch edge down about half (to 1/4 inch)

but it was still enough to adhere to a ring of hot glue that I applied directly to the

lid. The reindeer chipboard is part of the Magic Time Collection from Studio 75

& I covered it first with fine gold glitter before adding small amounts of my

shaker box contents loosely on top of it {glitter, sequins & glass beads}.

To cover the hot glue I wrapped some beautiful striped twine around the edge,

VERY carefully hot gluing it underneath - just little dabs at intervals to

keep it in place. I used Magic Time Snowflake ribbon around the side

of the lid, which I placed over some gold die-cut washi tape.

I made a giant tag to match. I do LOVE tags! I had forgotten!!

I used various Magic Time papers. I dipped the edge of the

tag all around in the chunky glitter once it was complete.

I added micro beads & mica, adhered with spray

adhesive. Ho Ho Ho!!!

The little cards you see in the photo above also come from the same

collection. One whole 12 inch sheet of them - you just have to cut them out.

For the tag I added some gauze, tulle & dry wall tape, although they

aren't easy to see in the photos, except on close inspection :)

Next I will be decorating that lovely big jar behind the tag & filling

it up with Ferrero Rocher chocolates! We are looking forward to

a BIG Christmas this year, filled with family & friends from all

over the continent of Africa, so I am getting prepared!!

Please take a minute to sign up to my Google Friend Connect

in my top right side bar HERE if you enjoy reading my blog as

well as my Facebook Artist page HERE & my Instagram HERE.

Thanks for your visit! See you all online!!

Winter Wonderland Layout for Studio 75 Color Challenge 11 - November 2015 Plus MUST HAVE INFO - How to tie a Double-Bow!

2015-11-07T09:00:00.000+02:00

EDITED TO ADD - IF PLAYING ALONG AT STUDIO 75 FOR THIS CHALLENGE

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST FOLLOW THE COLOUR PALETTE EXACTLY,

ONLY ADDING BLACK & WHITE, NOT A TOUCH OF ANY OTHER COLOUR!

IE NO BLUE!! My bad :-p

Hi everyone! Happy Weekend!!

This week has been SOOO busy - missing just ONE day, spent in bed thanks to

the flu, has had me catching up ALL WEEK!!! So I am feeling a little frazzled

as I write this but on my way to run a hot bath once I am done!

We have a NEW challenge up at Studio 75 HERE today.

It is a colour challenge - rules are on the blog but basically you need

to use the colours & can include black & white & perhaps just a

SMIDGEON of another colour as I have done here with the blue!

Studio 75 have a jolly new collection called MAGIC TIME & we have based

the challenge on the colours. It is available in their online store HERE. As

usual it contains lovely muted shades of the traditional Christmas colours

& has outstanding prints of Santa & all the other lovely holiday imagery.

Of course I couldn't leave the paper along & had to attack it with modelling paste,

gesso, microbeads, mica & mists! Oh & glass beads too!! Plus glitter spray -

as you do... All Prima Marketing goodies of course!!

I used some leftover photos from our merry jaunt to Paris a couple of years back

as they are all I have of our Christmas memories for that year - away from home!

Take note of the LÓuest Hotel - very central & friendly, English speaking staff!!

The ribbon also comes from Studio 75 as does the lovely chipboard clock face you can

see peeking out from below it. I double-bowed the ribbon - a must have trick you

need to learn if you don't know already - check out the great tutorial HERE.

I fussy cut some of the images from the Magic Time Collection then also added

some Prima flairs & flowers from their Christmas Collection too! I sponged

over various areas of my page right at the end to add a snowy look...

***QUICK TIP - Remember to cut your flowers in half to make them stretch further.

Not EXACTLY in half as you need to save the precious stamens so cut to the side

of the centre to have one 2/3 piece & one 1/3 piece as you can see above.

Tulle is another great addition to your texture arsenal. It's inexpensive & easy

to store so remember to grab a bit of that next time you see it. White is the best

as you can spray paint it & recolour it - unless you want a perfect clog-free

look - in that case buy it precoloured!

I hope you will join us with our challenge this month! Remember you do NOT

have to use Christmas photos or any Studio 75 products if you do not have,

but you do need to make sure the bulk of your creation follows the colour scheme.

Please take a minute to sign up to my Google Friend Connect

in my top right side bar HERE if you enjoy reading my blog as

well as my Facebook Artist page HERE & my Instagram HERE.

I share EVERYTHING I can think of online!!

Scrapbooking related that is of course hehehe..

Home Decor Projects "Trade Secrets" Guest Post Meet Yvonne Yam from Singapore & Take a Look at her Awesome Off-the-Page Creations

2015-11-06T02:02:00.000+02:00

***Please note this is the personal intellectual property

of Helen Tilbury & Yvonne Yam. Sharing is caring

but please credit me & link back to my blog if you do ***

Hello everyone & Happy Saturday to you all. Nearly November - WOW!!

Well I am so glad you all enjoyed meeting my last guest HERE &

today I am happy to introduce to you another talented & prolific artist

Yvonne Yam from Singapore! Yvonne has been hanging out online

for a LONG time so perhaps she is familiar to a lot of you?! If not...

Not to worry, she will be after today!!

If you enjoy it please let me know by leaving a comment, in which case I will

continue this series of Trade Secrets posts from the best of the best!!

This post is the 3RD in my series about Home Decor/Off-the-Page projects,

& you can see the very first in the series HERE & my first guest HERE

in the 2nd post. Now it's time for Post no. 3 & to welcome Yvonne!!

Yvonne Yam {Singapore}

"Hello there! Greetings from Singapore! *waves* My name is Yvonne & I'm

honoured to have been invited by the lovely Helen to share my love of altered art.

I love to make stuff, especially using unexpected "found" stuff around my house
(or someone else's!) *Winks* Old vintage photos. Pretty trinkets. I love them all! :)

I love to experiment with mediums & play with textures but my projects always

involve some form of up-cycling & loads of colour! :) Other places you can find me...

Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest

Check out Yvonne's creations on her prolific blog HERE & remember to

gadget in her left hand side sidebar!} I know she would really appreciate it!!

Now let's take a look at Yvonne's work & see what we can learn!!

What can we learn from Yvonne?

1. That we need to be on the lookout - SEE THE WORLD THROUGH NEW EYES!

2. If you are going to alter a box, book cover, etc, make sure it's sturdy so that it's

worth the time taken to make it pretty. Now this is a GREAT TIP! I had had

experience with altering cheap items & it is not worth the time unless you

START WITH A STRONG BASE.

3. Go "shopping" in your own home...there are lots of treasures you can alter.

Like the remote control holder in the living room, or that empty honey jar!

This is SO TRUE - every time I want a style update now I just grab the

gesso & get started on a makeover or even a RE-MAKEOVER!!

4. Wrapping tissue from packaging creates awesome background texture...

& it's free! If you have the space start saving - SAVE WRAPPING & PACKAGING!

5. Incorporate OLD objects that have personal meaning to you on you - for example

a belt buckle from a loved dress or a charm from an old key chain.

ADD A BIT OF SENTIMENTALITY to personalise your gifts or home decor.

6 USE A GREAT GLUE! Yvonne & I agree on the hot glue gun for speed &

durability but Yvonne also loves Liquitex products & also uses their matte medium.

Isn't this last transformation incredible?! One thing I myself have learnt from Yvonne is :-

7. If you're on social media DON'T FORGET TO TAKE A BEFORE PHOTO!

Did you enjoy that? Learn anything new?? Let me know in the comments
& don't forget to pop on over to Yvonne's blog & join as a follower if you

love her work! Here's the link again!! http://yyam.blogspot.co.za/

If you enjoy reading my articles I would really appreciate you helping me reach

my goal of 1 000 Followers by the end of this year by checking that you are

a follower via Google Friend Connect in my top right side bar HERE.

You can find my Facebook Artist Page HERE & I'm on Instagram HERE.
If you want to me to continue with my Trade Secrets Guest Posts
please support my social media! I share EVERYTHING I can
think of online!! Scrapbooking related that is of course hehehe...

Happy Place Canvas - Prima MarketingGiving Thanks! Post focusing on Mixed Media

2015-11-05T01:14:00.000+02:00

Hello everyone & welcome back to my blog! I've had a few days off due to the flu,

but with so much to view online I'm sure you all survived just fine without me!

You can view this canvas up on the Prima blog HERE where it went up yesterday!

My initial inspiration came from this very talented lady HERE. I call her "The

Flower Queen" & her work is always soft, tender & very beautiful.

I have great trouble lightening my hand like that but I gave it a try!

I particularly like the way she splatters & tried very hard with that!!

I used loads & loads of Prima Mixed Media (& other) products!

Prima products:- Debutante Sensibility pattern paper 847166, Heavy Gesso 961442,

3D Gloss Gel 961381, Glass Beads Butter 961701, Glass Beads Turquoise 962678,

Mica Powder Black Cherry 962807, Mica Powder 962838, Art Sugar Black 553509,

Prima Paint Brushes 962760, Prima Trim 576882, Mica Powder Iridescent Blue 963545,

Magnolia Floral Lace 583002, Magnolia Floral Lace narrow 583026, Flowers & Leaves –

A Victorian Christmas 583422, Garden Fable Say-it-in-Crystals 579371,

Garden Fable Journaling Note Cards 578954, Royal Menagerie Journaling Note Cards 582593

I really mixed it up with 3 different paper collections here - Garden Fable,

Debutante & Royal Menagerie {definitely my FAVOURITE!}. I've lost my

patience with fussy-cutting so don't look too closely! But I reckon I did well enough!!

The Flowers actually come from A Victorian Christmas - the neutral ones,

& don't you just LOVE the twine?! Now turquoise is NOT my scrapping

colour, although I would say it is THE most popular colour to scrap for others,

but I was sent it & I love it on this layout along with the blue mica splashes!

I used thick gesso on my background followed by Prima 3D gel which is FABULOUS

as you simply shake the glass beads on top & in they go! I gave mine a little help with

a metal palette knife then sprinkled some blue IRIDESCENT MICA on top which

is truly gorgeous in real life although a bit difficult to appreciate in still photos.

The black you see is actually Black Art Sugar & I must say works very well as it stays matte

& archival, so is not affected by all your other misting. It works well to "Ground" some

areas. I have used it in 3 spots around my page to draw the eye around the composition

(the theory of the 3 point triangle - that I incorporate into most of my work).

This piece actually began as a layout but due to glass bead overload became rather

heavy - so I embraced the situation & enjoyed making it really 3D then I adhered

the entire 12 inch page onto a canvas board (which I already had that was slightly

bigger) so I simply cut it down using an NT cutter {strong craft knife} then sealed

the cut edge with some masking tape before gessoing the entire back & sides -

drying off then using my beloved glue gun to strongly adhere paper to canvas board.

It was quite a time-consuming project but I really needed a full creative release & enjoyed

a "craft marathon" in my studio creating it until the early hours of one morning :)

All the papers you see here come from the pattern paper collections

JOURNALLING CARDS so they are really tiny (ATC size) - just shows you

that you don't need 12 inch sheets all the time (except for the backing sheet of course!)

I'm loving all the Thanksgiving & Fall projects that I am seeing online at the moment.

It is always a relief to me to see the end of Halloween - ghastly & gruesome is not

for me! But gratitude certainly is!! See you all again soon with my next OTP

{Off-the-Page} Home Decor Specialist {Trade Secrets!} post...

Scrap Around The World November Moodboard & Prizes!

2015-11-02T07:00:00.000+02:00

Check out all the details HERE!

Now onto our prizes!!

Every month we have 10 merit based prizes, 1 random prize & 1 followers prize.

SO THERE ARE 12 PRIZES IN TOTAL!! 10 of those are voted on by our

Design Team members, that then get featured on our Wall of Fame,

then one prize is chosen at random (so anyone can win!) & yet

ANOTHER PRIZE is chosen from our COMMENTS, which

can be won by ANYONE that is an official Google Friend

Connect follower or Scrap Around The World, even

if you don't play along!! Isn't that amazing?!?
WE OFFER A PRIZE & YOU DON'T

EVEN HAVE TO ENTER!!!

Check in our sidebar that you've signed up to follow us

on the gadget that looks like this (top left)...

ONLY OFFICIAL FOLLOWERS CAN WIN OUR PRIZES

SO PLEASE SIGN UP IF YOU ENTER OUR CHALLENGE

OR COMMENT ON OUR BLOG.

We also offer our WINNER plenty of EXPOSURE with a a

Guest Designer Position & an exclusive side-bar badge!

To be eligible for our random prize, you need to share your project

to our Facebook Wall & LIKE our Facebook page HERE.

You are also welcome to follow us on Instagram HERE

& we'll follow you back if you upload your entries to Instagram

& link up to us with @ as well as #hashtag us as #scraparoundtheworld.

You can also find us on Pinterest HERE.

ALL OUR PRIZES ALWAYS INCLUDE FREE INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE!

1st PRIZE

$50 gift certificate from Creative Embellishments

Creative Embellishments is a family owned company created by

Michael & Nicolle Kramer, a husband & wife team, designing &

manufacturing unique, high quality chipboard, wood,

rubber stamps & flair products since 2013.

We offer fun, inspiring products to add to any project!

We are expanding into other product lines such as acrylic & stencil

embellishments SOON. We also custom cut for individual

orders & have a wholesale store for retailers, kit clubs & classes.

Do your shopping HERE! If you own a store, register for our wholesale section HERE. Be inspired by our blog HERE & follow us on Instagram HERE & YouTube HERE.

2ND PRIZE

$35 worth of chipboard from 2Crafty Chipboard

{image is for illustration purposes & you will receive assorted chipboard product}

2Crafty Chipboard is an Australian owned & operated manufacturer & wholesaler

of laser cut chipboard products, located in Sydney, Australia. We have been in

operation since October 2006 & have more than 1 000 designs on offer. We

pride ourselves on quality products that are versatile & up to date with market

trends, as well as offering unbeatable customer service, with quick turnaround

of jobs large & small. Visit our website HERE & our blog HERE! We are happy

to quote on personalized jobs, whether it be a single title for a customer,

or large jobs for retreats, classes, etc. If you are a retailer & would like to

stock our products, please contact us for more information.

3rd PRIZE

$30 value Goodie Bag of die-cut chipboard from Scrapiniec

{image is for illustration purposes & your prize will be a mix of products}

Scrapiniec is the first Polish producer of die-cut chipboard for scrapbooking.
We make individual orders & fulfil even the most unusual requests.
We are characterized by reliability, high quality products
& friendly customer contact.

You can visit our blog HERE & look at all our amazing designs in our
online shop HERE! We are also very present on social media &
would love you to join us on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE,
Google Plus HERE, Pinterest HERE & Twitter HERE!

4th PRIZE

$25 worth of products from 13@rts

{image is for illustration purposes & does not reflect exactly what you will receive}

13arts is a Polish manufacturer specializing in scrapbook

papers, embellishments & mixed media, artistic

mediums. See our store HERE where we ship

worldwide! Our blog HERE is full of inspiration

& we have a monthly challenge where all our

welcome! Please follow us on Instragram

HERE, Twitter HERE, Pinterest HERE

& Facebook HERE!

5th PRIZE

Prize package valued at $20 from 7 Dots Studio

{prize is exactly as shown}

7 Dots Studio was born from dreams & for dreams.

We are a European scrapbooking manufacturer of high quality scrapbooking

products – paper, stickers, die-cuts, collage sheets, 6 x 6 pads, collection kits,

chipboard, stamps & stencils. Our collections are created by amazingly

talented artists - from clean, graphic designs to mixed-media grunge.

You can always be sure of high quality, thick papers, perfect for mixed media.

We feel so blessed & happy at how much our products are loved by crafters

& artists all around the world! Please visit our blog HERE, our Facebook page

HERE & follow us on Twitter HERE, Pinterest HERE & Instagram HERE.

6th PRIZE

15 Euros worth of products from Scrap-Unlimited

{image is for illustration purposes & you will receive a selection of product}

Scrap-Unlimited is a craft supplies manufacturer from The Netherlands, creating

& selling the most amazing selection of embellishments for the crafting industry.

We offer shabby chic, vintage & steam-punk inspired embellishments, ribbon,

flowers, metals, mini-books & mini novelty items. Check out our online store

HERE for SO MUCH MORE! LIKE us on Facebook HERE & follow our

highly inspirational blog HERE & our Pinterest board HERE.

7th PRIZE

15 Euro gift voucher from Mixed Media Place

Mixed Media Place is a treasure trove of different media for creative minds,

carrying a wide variety of embellishments & tools to get your projects going.

The world of mixed media is a place of limitless possibilities - we are here

to help you to spread your wings & fly! Find our blog HERE, LIKE us

on Facebook HERE, follow our boards on Pinterest HERE

& do your shopping HERE!

8th PRIZE

17.50 Euros worth of products from Danafix, France

www.copicmarqueurs.com is an online store 100% dedicated to all

Copic products. All Copic products made & assembled by the European

importer are available in stock & we offer fast, international delivery!

9th PRIZE

$15 prize from Studio75

{Prize is exactly as shown}

Studio 75 is a Polish manufacturer of scrapbooking papers & items

such as chipboard albums, notebooks, spiral bindings & magnetic sheets.

We have our own online store HERE, a bustling Facebook page HERE

& a highly inspirational blog HERE! Come & visit us - let's connect!

10th PRIZE

Over $15 worth of scrapbooking supplies

from Design Team member Tusia Lech {Poland}

{Prize is exactly as shown}

This prize includes: Finnabair beautiful Glitter set, 7Dots Studio sticker
& die-cut sheets, Prima Antique Mirrors & BBP washi tape.

RANDOM PRIZE

Scrapbook kit from Scraps of Elegance Kit Club

{The random winner will receive the SOE July 2015 kit valued at $36.95}

Scraps of Darkness & Scraps of Elegance are monthly scrapbook kit clubs
that cater to scrapbookers who are looking for an alternative to what other
kit clubs offer. Our kits are designed for artists who wish to take scrapbooking
to a level beyond. We strive to include the latest & greatest items on the market
that will enable you to create not "just a layout", but a work of art. Visit our blog
HERE,our Store HERE & sign up for our kits HERE & HERE! Please LIKE us
on Facebook HERE, follow our boards on Pinterest HERE, subscribe to our YouTube channel HERE & find our tutorials HERE!

RANDOM FOLLOWERS PRIZE

$50 gift certificate from The Dusty Attic

The Dusty Attic is an Australian owned Laser Cutting business that designs
& manufactures craft items & embellishments for the paper crafting market.
We began in July 2009 & are located in Perth, Western Australia. We are proud
to be able to make our mark on the scrap booking & craft industry with our great
range of products. We are continually creating new designs to keep things fresh!
We love seeing the creations our customers have made & also love to hear your
feedback, as this helps us with new ideas. We have an on-line store from which
you can get all of your Dusty Attic supplies. Visit our store HERE and our blog
HERE! If you are a retail business & would like to stock our range of unique
products, please contact us for details on how to open up a wholesale account.

The deadline for this challenge is Monday 30th November 2015.

HAPPY NOVEMBER & THANKS FOR PLAYING!!

African Christmas Layout - Scrap Around The World November Moodboard by Tiphanie Barbreau

2015-11-01T07:00:00.000+02:00

Hello everyone! A pinch & a punch for the 1st of the month!!

Welcome to November's mood board at Scrap Around The World!

You can see the post at SATW HERE along with all the beautiful

projects from the Design Team as well as from Tiphanie herself, who

is sadly no longer on the team as she resigned some time ago due to

sickness. Fortunately she is fit as a fiddle again & agreed to Guest for us!!

Yes it is a Christmassy/Holiday mood board! But we are only in November!!

Indeed, that is true, but with December just around the corner now we are

hoping to a) get you into the holiday spirit &

b) help you get your 2014 Christmas photos scrapped

so you are up to date! You see - there is

indeed method in our madness!!!

Truthfully I created this layout many moons ago! Earlier in the year I worked like

a trojan to get ahead of myself this year & good thing too as since June I've

suffered quite a series of setbacks, so my advance planning really paid off.

I've really enjoyed stash-busting on my SATW projects this year.

That is truly my FAVOURITE part about challenge blogs - having total

freedom to create using whatever you like! My Christmas tree cameo,

rose trim & layering papers all come from Webster's Pages,my "merry"

title from Heidi Swapp & my base paper from Kaisercraft. My flowers

are from Prima & my wood-grain overlay from Studio Calico.

I tucked in some pretty paper from Dear Lizzy by American Crafts

& some really cute Christmas Bauble flairs by sadly defunct 3rd Eye.

I hope you will be able to play along with us at Scrap Around The World this

month! We have all our usual TWELVE prizes - details of which will follow tomorrow!!

Ode to Coffee Layout - Studio 75 - Yummy Collection

2015-10-30T07:00:00.000+02:00

Hello everyone! I'm back today with a new layout for Studio 75,

using their Yummy Collection. These papers are naturally BRIGHT!

But they have some lovely neutrals within the collection & as you can

see I muted down the bright reds & yellows using gesso, paste & inks.

You can view this post up on the Studio 75 blog HERE, where I link

up to all the specific products I used from the Studio 75 store.

I used many of the papers & elements, that I fussy-cut out, from the Yummy Collection,

as my background & layers behind my photos as well as for embellishments

I uploaded the image below to my Instagram account HERE to show how

my page began & how it was transformed through mixed media techniques!

It's a technique I use a lot - cutting various thicknesses of pattern paper, layering & adhering

the pieces over teach other then stencilling over, followed by misting, followed by gesso

applied with an old gift card - the PERFECT tool to spread in different thicknesses

I absolutely LOVED creating this page over the weekend - just relaxing in my studio

for several hours, throwing paint at paper & watching things evolve. Bliss...

As well as Studio 75 products I added some texture through twine & holey ribbon as

well as staples, crochet doilies & a gold metal coffee cup pin, plus a few flairs.

Of course I also added plenty of mixed media too - modeling paste, a few different

coloured mists & some heavy gesso, as well as my home-made white mist &

a couple of ink colours together with some background stamps.

The Yummy Collection is sooo beautiful & so easy to subdue through the use of mediums.

Please remember to play along in my GOLD & SEQUINS challenge HERE.

You still have one week left to play along!

If you enjoy reading my articles I would really appreciate you helping me reach

my goal of 1 000 Followers by the end of this year by checking that you are

a follower via Google Friend Connect in my top right side bar HERE.

You can find my Facebook Artist Page HERE (where have a GIVEAWAY

going on RIGHT NOW!! {it's easy to find as it's pinned to the top of my

page but you can also read about it HERE} & I'm on Instagram HERE.

Prima Off-the-Page Fall Home Decor Project Full Step-by-step Photo TutorialUpcycling Old Mobile Phone Boxes!

2015-10-29T07:00:00.000+02:00

Hi! It's me again - as promised - bringing you something fun & creative to think about

or actually MAKE this weekend {which will it be huh?!}. As I said yesterday I

created this Printer's Tray/Shadow Box Configuration out of

old mobile phone boxes, which I thought was a stroke of genius!

Hubby was "konmari"ing his cupboards & these were on the way

to the bin when I yelled "Woah, hold up there buddy!!"

as a creative vision flashed through my mind!!

And hence this project was born!

Yeah TWO photos because I was completely indecisive

on this one & couldn't come to terms with which one was better.

Off-the-Page projects are notoriously difficult to photograph!

You can view this up on the Prima blog HERE, where my tutorial has been turned into a

Snapguide project for space saving reasons, but here on my own blog I'm just going

to post ALL the photos one under the other to make it easier for y'all to keep my

page open if you decide to take on anything similar & need to keep referencing.

If you want to see more CLOSE-UP PHOTOS please scroll down to Mondays post,

where there is also a PRIMA BLOG HOP & SMALL PERSONAL GIVEAWAY

that closes Saturday! Get to that by clicking HERE & go leave a comment :)

If you enjoyed this post please HELP ME REACH MY GOAL OF 1 000 FOLLOWERS

BY THE END OF THE YEAR by checking that you are subscribed to my

blog via Google Friend Connect in my top right hand sidebar HERE.

I would also love a follow on my Facebook Artist Page HERE,

especially as I have a GIVEAWAY going on right now that

you can read all about HERE. You can find me on

Instagram HERE.