Sanctuary

There have been some gorgeous Mood Boards out this month that tie into serenity, beauty, inspiration and solitude. Lucky for me I live in a very tranquil place, a small tourist town in Northern Ontario Canada. What some people pay good money for I have right up the street! I couldn't help but scrap my favorite place to be. 

Welcome to lake Muskoka. Pull up a chair, grab your favorite book and a glass of wine and you're all set! Of course to scrap one of my favourite places I had to use one of my favourite paper companies Maja Design! Vintage Summer Basics 1946, Vintage Spring Basics 2nd of March, Vintage Spring Basics 4th of April, Klippark Bokstaver.

I used my silouhette to cut out the infamous Muskoka chairs that you will find on every dock in the area as well as a huge one at the entrance to Gravenhurst, the gateway to Muskoka. I also used lots of Dusty Attic in this layout! Here you can see the chicken wire panel, Birds a Field and Grass Border#1. Of course a Prima resin fits perfectly!

 

 I used the letters from Maja's Walking in the Forest line (Klippark Bokstaver). Sadly my alignment is off (just got new glasses and believe it or not I am getting used to seeing again lol!) but you get the idea. I tried to fix them but paper started ripping and I decided it wasn't worth ruining the layout for.

 

A close-up of a flower cluster. I used Dusty Attic's Grass Cluster #2 for this side. I added gold microspheres from 13 Arts to the tops. A little stamping with the Prima's Seashore stamp and a few blooms from Prima & Petaloo.

 

 Close-up of the micorspheres.

Close-up of my second Muskoka chair.

Last photo showing my Dusty Attic Mini Bird #3. I love how well Dusty Attic goes with Maja papers. The little stamp says it all Breeze St.!

 I decided to enter this in both the Dusty Attic January Mood Board

 as this is my tranquil place on the water and Maja Design's Mood Board as this is the ambience I am searching for this year! Calm!

Much to do, more layouts, work and a special little girl has a Birthday coming up so shopping! Have a great day! All the best! :)

Lost in Time Scrap Around the World Mid Month Reveal

This month we have another stunning Mood Board at http://scraparoundtheworld.blogspot.ca/ designed by the very talented Karita Vainio (http://www.karitavainio.com/)

 

And this was my interpreatation of it!

 When I saw the Mood Board my first thought was of vintage and I immediately remembered a photo I had seen of an old Parisian apartment that had been literally lost in time. The apartment belonged to a wealthy woman Mme Marthe de Florian. De Florian, a socialite and actress of some note, abandoned the apartment at the onset of WWII never to return. She left behind a trove of treasures unseen for seventy years until 2010 when an audit was conducted of the apartment.

One of the treasures found in the apartment was this painting done by the artist Boldini!

I used the gorgeous Thoughts Keeper papers from 7Dots as well as the stamps and tags from the same line. I inked my background to pull out more pink from the background papers then went around with some stamps and randomly stamped all over my page. I also added some flourishes with a mask and moulding paste in keeping with the decor.

I misted the flowers with some Lindy's Stamp Gang mist in Salt Water Taffy to match the soft pink in the photos and on the paper. I used Lindy's embossing powder on the fleur de lis and some crackle paint on the chipboard flourish.

For the first time ever I used Prima's new Glass Beads in plum on the leaves. Loving these!!

I did a little journaling on the page (I hate my handwriting have to print from now on!) and used Prima Alphas for the title. I loved working with these colors!

And now for the rules 

Better yet on to our prizes! :)

1ST PRIZE

OVER $50 worth of product from 7 Dots Studio!
EXACTLY AS SHOWN BELOW

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, 6x6 pads, collection kits &chipboard.

Our collections are created by amazingly talented artists - 

from clean, graphic designs to mixed-media, grungy collage look. 

What you can always be sure of are high quality & thickness

 of our papers, which makes them perfect for all kinds of media.

 Among our products you will also find clear stamp sets coordinating 

with our collections to make them even more interesting & versatile.

We are amazingly happy & feel very blessed to see how much

 our products are loved by crafters & artists all around the world!

If you would like to see more awesome inspiration from our design team

please visit our blog HERE, our Facebook  page HERE & follow us on

Twitter HERE, Pinterest HERE & Instagram {7DOTSSTUDIO}.

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2ND PRIZE

$35 worth of CHIPBOARD from 2Crafty Chipboard
{not necessarily exactly what is shown below but a GREAT selection!}

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.

We are happy to quote on personalised jobs, whether it be a single title for a 
customer, or large jobs for retreats, classes etc.  If you are a retail business 

& would like to stock our range of unique products, please contact us

 for more information.  Please see further details on our blog HERE!

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

3RD PRIZE

$30 worth of product from 13@rts
{A selection of the products shown below}

13arts is a Polish manufacturer specialising in scrapbook papers, 

embellishments & 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!

Follow us on Instagram HERE, Twitter HERE & Facebook

 HERE & remember to follow us on Pinterest HERE too!!

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

4TH PRIZE

$25 gift certificate from Creative Embellishments!

Creative Embellishments is a family owned company created by

Michael & Nicolle Kramer, a husband & wife team who design

 & manufacture unique, high quality chipboard, wood, rubber stamps 

& flair products.  We have been in operation since September 2013. 

It is our mission to offer fun & inspiring products that can be added to

 any project to bring out your inner creativity! In the near future we will 

be expanding into other mediums such as acrylic & stencil embellishments.

 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.

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

5TH PRIZE

$20 worth of product from UmWowStudio!
{based on a good selection of the goodies below!!}

UmWowStudio is an innovative embellishment company located in

 Las Vegas, Nevada.  With chipboard, flair & stencils currently in

 their product line (& more fun things on the way!) they span across

 all bits of paper crafting, including memory saving, card making,

 tags, stamping, mixed media, art journaling & more!

Shop with us HERE, follow our blog HERE & LIKE us on Facebook

HERE!  Follow our boards on Pinterest HERE & Youtube HERE!!

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

6TH PRIZE

15 Euros worth of product from Scrap-Unlimited
{you will receive a surprise selection of BEAUTIFUL goodies!}

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 & steampunk 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 Euros gift voucher from Mixed Media Place

Mixed Media Place is a treasure chest 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. 
{Exactly as shown below}  Ciao 5+1 set “Vampire Knights”.

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 worth of product from Studio75
{Exactly as shown below}

Studio75 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 product!!Courtesy of our design team!
{This month from me - Helen Tilbury}

Prize consists of a full pack of 5 inch doilies, airmail washi, a Prima stamp set,

K & Co. brads, Purple Pumpkin flairs & giant button, embroidered flourish,

Basic Grey bling rub-ons & Wycinanka Chipboard Christmas set. 

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

RANDOM PRIZE

Scrapbook kit from SCRAPS OF ELEGANCE KIT CLUB
Random Winner will always receive the previous month's kit
from Scraps of Elegance, valued at a whopping $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!!

We would LOVE to connect with you!!!

Wow that was a long post! I hope you come visit us at Sc rap Around the  World and join in the fun! Have a great weekend! All the best!:)

Missing You Sketchabilities Challenge

This year I made a few realistic resolutions. One of them being completing more layouts each month then I did in a month last year. It is my goal to reach a healthy five or six! I have the terrible problem of being easily distracted and at times allow my family to hijack too much of my time. It is my hope that with focus  and by putting my foot down I will overcome these distractions and reach my goal! So for my first entry this year I decided to try the Sketchabilities Challenge #130.

and this is my layout.

This was a difficult layout for me. This is my youngest daughter Jessie visiting her father's grave to introduce her new son to him. Her fiancee managed to snap this photo from the car. We lost her father at the young age of 42 and Jessie was only 8, the same age her dad was when he lost his mother to cancer. Sadly there was so little time. From the discovery of his cancer until his passing there was only six weeks. They were dark days. Jessie has come to terms with her grief but misses her dad terribly and I know that she was deeply saddened that she couldn't show her beautiful little boy to her dad. She visits his grave regularly and always keeps it up with fresh flowers. In his honor she named the baby Jaxon James, James after her dad.

I used Blue Fern papers from both the Ombre & Montage line that I got in a Swirlydoos kit. I did a little inking with a Prima mask, some stamping with stamps from Srapbook Diaries, Prima and 7Dots, and a bit of masking with moulding paste. I didn't want to overwhelm the photo with too much mixed media as I really wanted the photo to be the centerpiece. The arrows are from Dusty Attic.

A close-up of a photo of Jessie with her dad at Wasaga Beach while on holiday. She was only three at the time. I loved the new Prima Stamp-N-Add sets! This one allowed me to add a heart to some eagles wings which are significant as both Jessie and her dad are avid Harley Davidson fans (eagles being the logo for Harley Davidson). Ever since her dad came home with his new Harley she has been addicted and strives for the day that she gets her motorcycle licence and a Harley Davidson of her own! Me well I have my concerns about that but that is a layout for another time! 

A last close-up of my flower cluster and the title. I used many petaloo blooms with a few prima roses thrown in for contrast. The title says it all. It's what's in Jessie's heart everyday. She happened to come over while this layout was sitting on my desk and the tears started immediately. I firmly believe that scrapbooking should include the tough times as well as the happy, shiny people photos. This was one of the toughest times in our lives. I know as does Jessie that the people we lose are never truly gone but are with us always. This gives me courage to go on.

Now while I have you here I have a little teaser for this month's  challenge at Scrap Around the World!

Gorgeous Mood Board isn't it?

And this is a little peak of my layout. . .

I hope you visit the blog http://scraparoundtheworld.blogspot.ca/ and join in the fun! We have some amazing prizes this month so make sure you take a look! Well that's it for me! I am exhausted. I have returned to work as well so my days are hectic. Ironically with all that I have undertaken my Rheumatoid Arthritis has flared up and my back is screaming but I am happier!? Amazing what a few "realistic" resolutions can do for you! See you soon! All the best! :)