Challenging Pages

In amongst the doctors visits, the clutter clearing exercises, and the normal weekly tasks, I managed to scrap two pages this week. I made a few cards as well from a not-loved paper. All these from challenges on facebook sites. I like scrapping to challenges. It's like that little set of instructions brings out the creative flow and you have to go in directions you probably wouldn't have thought to go in, without the challenge.

My husband particularly likes this one, and he hardly ever says anything other than, "Mmm, nice," or some other not-really-committing kind of comment. It's not that he doesn't like them, it's just an "Oh yeah, there she goes again doing her stuff," kind of thing. He expects it of me. But now and then one will leap out at him and he pays more attention. Like this one:

It's a black and white photo, taken by my son's girlfriend, of us all on a walk one day last year. Nice job Shanae :-) Perfect for this challenge from Scrapping Good Time, which was to create a completely black and white page, no other colours allowed (except the photo could be colour).

I used my new Martha Stewart punch set to make the background layer - I'm having so much fun with those punches! Everything else came from stash, already cut or made, except the pearl flourish, which I bought last week at the Kaiser shop. The stamped flowers I must have done about 3 years ago, and just came across them again recently. The large flowers were cut with my sister's new flower die set from MFTstamps which I love (it's on my list!). I just pinched up the petals and layered them. The brad centres were also from about 3 years ago. Love that chicken wire stencil and I find I want to use it a lot. Even on flowery pages it looks good and on this page I think it added a bit of needed visual texture.

My second page this week was a challenge I set on Home & Scrapped, to use inked or painted circles in the background. We have some lovely pages coming in from this challenge, all really quite different. Here's what I did:

Just felt like documenting how the inner journey makes me feel. I used a variety of scraps here, from Kaiser and MME mostly, and again, flowers and other things from my, uhhh... he-hemm... large stash.

I don't know why I feel guilty having such piles of goodies to use. I do actually use them. I am surrounded by abundance and nowhere is it made clearer to me than when I need something crafty - I look, and there it is, just waiting to be used. Lucky me :-)

Anyway, back to the page. I used a glass and the lid of a couple of containers dipped in ink and gesso to make my circles, then inked the edges of the background paper in two shades, and then glimmer misted it in two shades, and then stamped it too, for good measure. The word GLAD came from an alpha my friend Jewels sent me years ago, which I am slowly disappearing, the flowers came from my niece Elissa's die set, the little bling flowers are beads given to me by my friend Jemma, the red spotty washi tape from another friend, Josie and the swiggly leaves came from my sister Karen. You have to just LOVE having scrappy friends and family! It's so nice to be able to scrap with such things, it brings out all sorts of memories, other than the ones you are actually scrapping. Pages with layers of feeling: excellent! Oh and don't you just love my little cat? That is my latest purchase from ebay, a sweet set of dies with real cat poses from Impression Obsession, and a great size for cards and little accents. So cute!

I have another page on my desk as well, but I also have a very busy week ahead, with visitors, several very early mornings, repair men, child minding tasks, doctor and chiropractic appointments, etc, etc. It might not be scrapped very fast - or maybe it will, in a frenzy of craft-aholic need, lol.

Have a very happy scrappy week, love Heather.