Just a quick one!

Just a quick post to share a sneak peek of my latest DT submission for Memories and More;















For this one I have used the oh-so cool Prima Paintables, metallic watercolours, glitter and bling, together with a few different patterned papers.

I am really happy with how this page has turned out!!! hope you like the look of it too!

Looking forward to Halloween... already!!!

Today I started on my Halloween preparations! Yes... I know it is only the 24th of August!!! But I LOVE Halloween, and could not help myself... I just had to make a couple of Halloween cards! Here they are;



































The first of these cards was inspired by a card designed by Lea Lawson which was featured in the October 2007 issue of Cards magazine. Thanks for the inspiration Lea!!!

The second of the two Halloween cards was based on this week's Sketch This! sketch. It has probably turned out a little different to the sketch itself, but I guess that's kinda the idea LOL!

Anyway, back-tracking just a bit... On Wednesday, I finished the first of two Memories and More DT projects for the month of August. I made a matching gift bag, card and tag. Of course, I cannot show you the finished project in its entirety, but I can show you a sneak peek...














Also, you might have noticed that I have added the Stampin'Up! logo to the sidebar at right. I have been a Stampin'Up! demonstrator for almost one year now, and thought it was about time I started showing the projects that I have made using Stampin' Up's awesome products on my blog!!! I made this card yesterday;














I have used the "Always" stamp set, which features several styles of flowers, a large bird, foliage, and the gorgeous heart image you that you can see on my card above. This paricular set is among several products available for a limited time in Stampin' Up's Spring Mini Catalogue. Until the end of November, I would like to offer to my beloved blog readers a 5% discount off the RRP of the "Always" stamp set. If you would like to purchase this set, please contact me via email (chloeschmitt86@hotmail.com), with "TCPP 5% Offer" in the subject line.

I should also mention that I have used CPS Sketch #78 as the basis for this card. This was my first attempt at using a CPS sketch, and I must say... I really enjoyed it! The most appealing thing about the site for me was the fact that the sketches are really simple which means they can be used to help get you started on a card when you are lacking inspiration, while still leaving the door open for you to add your own spin on the design. I also loved, and was absolutely blown away by, the sheer quantity and amazing quality of the samples and submissions made using each of the sketches posted thus far on the site. Don't just take my word for it... go check it out for yourself!

Well that's it for me for today... I hope you have had a lovely weekend!

This One's for Mum!!!

I visited my "Mother Dearest" yesterday afternoon and she was complaining that I had not updated my blog since returning from retreat. I thus felt I should make a post today, not only to make her happy, but also to tell everyone else that I did indeed have a great time at Just Scrapbooking's Retreat! My goal for retreat was to have lots of fun, complete as many layouts as possible, and to stay up ALL weekend!!! I managed the first two quite easily... I had an enormous amount of fun, especially with my pupils during my class and with the lovely ladies sitting at my scrapping table, and I (very nearly) completed 4 layouts and a card. All bar one of my layouts still need a few finishing touches like journalling etc, so I will wait until they are done before I show you. The finished page looks a little something like this;


















I have also entered this layout into Keep'n the Memories' August cybercrop and at Puzzle Sketches, a brand new competition blog run by my friends, Toni and Nic, from Keep'n the Memories. I strongly suggest you check it out as it is an awesome concept and really fun to participate in, plus there's a prize for the winner!!!

I'd also like to show you a card that I made at Retreat using the scraps from one layout. I gave this card to my partner when he returned home a few days after me from a week long trip to Carnarvon with our daughter. Here it is;














This weekend just gone was Cybercrop weekend at Chook Scraps. Somehow I almost missed it entirely, not logging on until about 7pm last night! It unfortunately slipped my mind between a friend's birthday party, work, and other commitments. Nonetheless, with what time I had I managed to sqeeze in Challenge Four, which was to complete a Christmas card that featured the colour gold and some bling. Here's my entry;












My daughter and I also did the Chicken's Challenge, which is a scrapbooking challenge designed by the DT at Chook Scraps just for kids. My daughter always enjoys doing the Chicken's Challenge, and today was no exception! She made this gorgeous layout with only minimal help from me;


















I think this is her best page yet!!!

So, that's it for me for now. I'll try my hardest to get my remaining Retreat layouts completed so I can share sometime this week!!!

Just Scrapbooking Retreat... here I come!!!

After work this afternoon, I will be heading off to the Just Scrapbooking Retreat, which is being held at the Serpentine Camping Centre this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I am sooooo excited... it should be lots of fun! Of course, it won't be all fun and games. As a staff member I am required to work the shop and teach a class, but I am planning to stay awake all weekend so that I can get lots of scrapping done! Wish me luck!

Check back after the weekend and I will (hopefully) have lots to show you!

Woot!!!

The Full Story

Ok... the time has come to share with you the full images of all the fun stuff I have so far created for Keep'n the Memories. I received a yummy pack full of October Afternoon's Daydream patterned papers (Rain Boots, Garden Chair, Freshly Mown Lawn, and Patio Umbrella) and matching die-cut journalling cards, Bazzill, HS stickers and photo corners, Scenic Route Chipboard Shapes (Plain Flowers), and an assortment of buttons, ribbon, and chipboard. I am yet to use many of the smaller embellishments included in my pack, but I have gone to town using the papers and journalling cards!!! It has been a lot of fun!!!

So, first up is my sample for this month's Criteria Challenge;


















The criteria are;
1. At least two different pps from at least two different manufacturers
2. Machine stitching
3. A shaped photo

Secondly, is my example for this month's Sketch challenge;


















This layout was based on a sketch taken from Becky Fleck's PageMaps book. My newest friend at KTM, Nicole Aspinall, kindly re-did the sketch for me to use for the challenge. Here it is;


















Thanks Nic!!!

Next up is my sample for this month's Card challenge;














This challenge is new to KTM. It came about as a result of a suggestion I made to KTM's Queen Bee, Toni Rugari, who had wanted to scrap the Monthly Themed Challenge formerly held on the forum. I am very excited to be the founder of this challenge! I am hoping that it will become a source of inspiration for all the cardies out there who are too often overlooked!!! Please check out the thread in the forum at KTM for more details.

Here are a couple more examples that also fit this challenge;






























Lastly, I have also created a frame by altering a Kaiser Medium (wood) Canvas. I did this by creating a frame from chipboard, covering it with Bazzill, and then adhering it to the painted canvas with a sepia photo sandwiched in between. To embellish, I cut circles from the OA 'Rain Boots' pp using the 'George and Basic Shapes' Cricut cartridge, then cutting wedges from them to form flowers. To finish of I added a length of ribbon and some buttons. You saw a peek of this yesterday, but here it is in full;

















Well, that is it for now, but keep checking back as I still have many more projects planned using my kit!!!

A Peek of What's to Come...

I have been madly scrapping the last few days to meet my DT deadlines for this month! I have had to complete one project for Memories and More (which should become a Class Handout in the next few weeks), plus I have been creating a few layouts, cards and even an OTP project in readiness for my Guest Design Team position at Keep'n the Memories... which officially begins tomorrow! Altough I cannot yet show any of these projects in full, I can show you a couple of sneak peeks!!!

This is a peek at the layout I have created for Memories and More;

Remember, if you like the look of this, just head to the Memories and More online store and either purchase this handout individually or subscribe to the handouts for 6 months.

Secondly, I'd like to share with you a couple of close-ups of the projects I have created for Keep'n the Memories;

If you are interested to see these projects in full, check back tomorrow morning when I'll be posting the full images of all of the projects I have made thus far using my KTM DT kit. Alternatively, you could check out the gallery at Keep'n the Memories where I will also be posting these images tomorrow.

Time for an update!

Last Sunday was my dear little girl's second birthday! I cannot believe how fast this second year has flown by... but as they say, time flies when your having fun! Every moment I spend with her is a moment spent in heaven... well, every moment besides those when she's having a tantrum, or sneezing in my face, or pulling the cat's tail, or weeing on the floor, or...!!! To celebrate these special moments, we held a Wiggles-themed party at Playzone, which is an indoor play centre not far from where we live. She and her friends had a ball!

With a birthday party comes the fun of co-ordinating invitations, name badges, decorations, activities, etc! Needless to say, I had a ball doing all of this in prepartion for DD's big day! Here's a glimpse of what I came up with;

The best part of all, however, had to be creating her birthday card! I used a card designed my Melissa Phillips as my inspiration for this cute rainbow card. My daughter's reaction when she saw it was so precious and made my entire day! It amazes me the appreciation she has for my work, especially given that she is still so young. Here's the card;

The rainbow is paper-pieced and the clouds are hand-cut from felt. The cool chipboard sentiment is by ScrapFX.

This weekend is cybercrop weekend at Memories and More. As a design team member, I have had a number of responsibilities, most of which will be tomorrow. At 11 am EST I will be hosting a game, then at 2 pm I will be running a class, and then at 3 pm I will post the final challenge for the weekend. Although I cannot yet tell you exacty what the challenge is, I can show you my sample;

I really enjoyed making this card! So much so that I ended up making another the same! I challenged myself to use only scraps... and I did! The card base was made using left-over Colormates from the rainbow on DD's birthday card, the Scenic Route pp and the two Basic Grey Blush pps were from my scrap box, the American Crafts Thickers were left over from one of last year's Christmas layouts, and the Collections chipboard flourish has been hanging around in a half-used pack for some time. I really should use my scraps more often... I have sooooo many!!!

Lastly, I have just submitted my first entry for Challenge Two of the "It's Raining Sketches" competition currently running over at Chook Scraps. This fortnight's challenge was to create a sketch for a card, as well as a sample using that sketch. I created the sketch in Paint as it's the only way I could figure out how to do it besides hand-drawing it and photographing it! Although it's a bit dodgy, I'm sure you'll get the idea;

And here's my finished card, which I have made using pp by Scenic Route, chipboard from MM and American Crafts, green variagated embroidery floss, ribbon, and an American Crafts rub-on sentiment;

Well... will you look at that... I have just realised that I have not scrapped in the last week or so!!! Very unusual for me! That is all about to change... I am working on three layouts using the Hello Sunshine range by Cosmo Cricket for classes at Just Scrapbooking, I am in the middle of completing a single page layout for a Class Handout at Memories and More using the My Dearest line by Sassafras Lass, and I would love to scrap my little girl's party pics using the Cupcake range by Basic Grey... but that may have to wait until my opther projects are done.