Party Time

I love October Afternoon papers.  They have such a nice vintage feel to them and the papers are a great weight.  Even though I have enough patterned paper to keep me scrapping forever I couldn't resist adding a sheet of Sugar Stix from the Cakewalk collection into my latest basket from A Trip Down Memory Lane (okay and some letter stickers to go with it).

I had in mind that I wanted to scrap a photo I'd recently found which was taken at my 8th Birthday Party.  I wanted to use the star part of the paper but I didn't want to use the whole sheet of the paper and that was really all I knew I wanted to do with it.  So it sat like this on my desk for a few days:

It was just too square and I didn't really know what I was going to do with it.  Luckily Ann Freeman came to my rescue with this post on the ATDML blog which I spotted as I was uploading my final cyber crop projects.  I love what she had done with the paper and decided that was what I was going to do with my sheet.  I've added some other October Afternoon chipboard bits which I had left from another project and I'm much happier with the page now.  

Thanks Ann for the inspiration.

ATDML Cyber Crop - Debbie's layout class

I'm clearly on a roll today with finishing off the ATDML cyber crop classes.  My last kit class was one designed by the gorgeous Debbie Jewell, a wonderfully talented lady and just one of the nicest people you could ever want to meet (and you should want to meet her - she is that lovely).

Her class used very busy October Afternoon papers which I probably wouldn't have chosen and I did wonder whether I would do this layout when I first saw it.  However having done the class, I love the finished product.

My not very good, taken late at night with an iPhone photo is below.  Check out Debbie's original layout and the class instructions here.

ATDML Cyber Crop - Ann's mini book class

I had put together the fab mini book created by Ann Freeman on the first day of the Cyber Crop but hadn't got round to decorating it.  Making the last layout I used a photo from a day out with friends a few years ago.  Looking at the photos from that day made me think that they would be great together in Ann's mini book.

I've attached a photo of a couple of the pages.  It might look like the weather was sunny and bright but it's Scotland and even in July the sea was freezing.  It didn't stop the boys going in the water or wanting ice cream when they came out.  And it didn't stop them having a water fight when we got back to our friend's house.  It really was an amazing, awesome day.

ATDML Cyber Crop - Jane's Class

Today I've been working on Jane Hewitt's amazing hidden journalling layout.  When I started working on it (using up the bits left from Ann's 7-Gypsies class) I didn't think I had any hidden journalling that I'd want to add and I planned on adding more photos to the ingenious pull-out pages.

However as I worked on the layout and looked through photos to use I decided to use a photo of my friend, Van, and that I did have some special thoughts that I wanted to record somewhere private.  

Here's what I came up with.  It's maybe not quite finished but I'm happy with it so far.

Thanks Jane for another amazing class.

ATDML Cyber Crop - Jubilee layout

I'm still working on finishing the ATDML cyber crop classes.  This morning I finished the Jubilee layout created by the wonderwoman that is Ann Freeman, who packs so much into her life I'm surprised she ever sleeps.

I loved this layout which used 7 Gypsies Postale papers.  I really like 7 Gypsies products but sometimes am stumped as to how to use the papers.  Ann solved this problem brilliantly.  I had the kit from ATDML and there's enough product left over for at least one more layout.  Fantastic value for money.

Anyway here's my interpretation of Ann's class:

The inspiration I needed

I have been a hoarder of paper ever since I discovered scrapbooking, particularly paper collections.  I just couldn't bear to cut into those gorgeous patterns for fear of messing them up.  Despite knowing it was a complete waste to have them lying on the shelf in my scraproom, sealed in their original wrapping, I still couldn't take that first step to using them.

All that has changed though.  I have chopped up all the sheets of the Crate Paper Portrait papers I was intending to use for an album of our wedding snaps but which I hadn't done anything about for over a year.

How have I managed this?  I took an online class from Shimelle called Perfect Collection and I cannot recommend it enough if you need a virtual bravery pill to start using up those piles of beautiful papers you have.

It might seem a back-to-front way of approaching making layouts but it is effective.  I've made all my foundation pages, put them in page protectors with the photos I'm planning on using and I'm now starting to make those pages up.  And even better, it took no time at all, once I got into the groove. 

If you've got the time, and the piles of paper, take the class.

Here's some of the pages I've completed and some that are works-in-progress: