Chinese Whispers Team 1

Tomorrow is the 1st February which means it's Chinese Whispers posting day :) It's the first round so I chose this LO (Smile) from Larissa Albanez to lift and created my version of it 'Life and Soul'. I wanted it to be really simple and to use up the left overs from my ScrapaGoGo January kit (Elementary My Dear)but it did end up getting a bit more complicated. I'm still pleased with it though and look forward to seeing it transforming each month :)

Supplies:
ScrapaGoGo January kit: Crate Paper School Spirit Home Room, October Afternoon Camp Fire Tent Trailer, Maya Road Wood Bingo Markers Calendar Numbers, May Arts Ribbon Brown Linen (18")

Tattered Angels Glimmer mist
Wooden Heart button from craft fair
Bazzil blooms
Jenni Bowlin Calendar Bingo Card

Today on the ScrapaGoGo blog you could win a prize for both yourself and your friend just for spreading the word and leaving a comment :) There are also so sneaks from the kits coming up this summer.

Sunday Challenge at 'The Studio'

Today is my last challenge as a design team member for 'The Studio'. I've loved being part of the team and met some really lovely people too. I'm sad to be leaving, sniff, sniff. So here is the final challenge: The little challenge to go along with your sketch is to use a handmade embellishment in your design. I decided to use some of the October Afternoon that I've been hoarding since their new ranges look fantabulous once again :) I went with 'Seaside' to match the photo but used shaped stickers instead of squares. I made the 3D starfish for the handmade embellishment element. First, I drew around some of the Studio Calico Wood Veneer Stars from the ScrapaGoGo January Kit.
Next I scored from the point of each arm of the starfish all the way down to the v directly across from it.
Then I folded the creases that run from each point of the star to the centre so that the crease came up in a peak. The creases that ran from the v to the centre were creased downwards to create a valley.

Finally I inked te starfish before sticking them on to my LO with glossy accents. There's an odd butterfly towards the top of the page because I got paint smudges on the paper and couldn't come to terms with it :) I know that these things are supposed to come in threes but two starfish and one butterfly equals three in my book ;) Connor wanted to help me stick the starfish on so he put the small one on for me, pushing it down and saying 'it's all flat now!' Great!! Those ink smudges will just remind me of him though. I enjoyed this challenge- thanks Amanda.

The CHA has finally arrived and Team GoGo are there putting together kits for the next 6 months. They've got some sneaks for you on the blog today. 'Grab it' day is on Tuesday and you could win your favourite 'Grab it' by leaving a comment on te blog here and you could win My Mind's Eye products from the CHA here.

And, as I mentioned above, October Afternoon's new lines are added to my shopping list :)

That Friday Feeling

I don't know about you, but I definately have that Friday feeling. It's been a stressful week and I have been too tired to scrap which is most unlike me!

So the GoGo CHA team have jetted off to LA for the CHA where they'll be choosing products for the next 6 months of kits. The design team have already had some insights in to the working of the GoGo Girls' minds and wow they're good :) I'm excited to see what the final choices look like!


More things have have caught my eye in the last couple of days:
Pretty masks from Prima
Ellie's Tale from Sassafras has the cutest elephantWebsters have some irresistable transparencies AND designer threads

Hybrid honey

Each month at ScrapaGoGo, not only could you get a gorgeous kit complete with an exclusive stamp, and have the opportunity to add on to hte kit with even more great products, but you can also download bespoke hybrids to be used. These are what February's look like...


I'm looking forward to having a play with them! There are a number of ways of doing this. You can have them delivered in glossy real life with your kit for an additional cost of £2 (£1.80 if you're a member) OR you can visit the hybrid link on the ScrapaGoGo site each month to download it there. The GoGo girls even offer it in two different formats for those that like to print, cut and stick and those who like to do it digi. These are both completely free of charge! Bargain :)

There were more products unveiled by Prima yesterday. I always have Prima on my wish list but I have to say that I seem to have more products than usual on my list this time around :) These Knitties and Whisper flowers for example...

And longer...

Sassafras have gone all floral on us with their latest release 'Sweetly Smitten'. I'm loving the range but especially this paper:



And they're giving away prizes for the next three days (and yesterday if you didn't already leave a comment) so leave them a comment on their blog for a chance to win :)

In non CHA news, it's member showcase on the new and improved ScrapaGoGo blog today. This is a new feature where we'll be sharing projects and getting to know our members better. If you'd like to be featured, just give the GoGo girls a nudge :) And be sure to pop over to the blog to see which member we're getting to know today :)

The list keeps getting longer...

I knew that I wouldn't be disappointed when Sassafras Lass started their sneak peeks and I'm not. What they've shown on their blog today is called 'Starters' which are the bottom building block on which to build. Now if you know my style, you know I love layers and depth and bits and pieces so these seem perfect for me so far :)
Meanwhile, on the Prima site I'm loving Parfait and Fitzgerald flowers. Yummy, scrummy. And there's another giveaway on their blog today too :)

Another week of giveaways?

It's bright (well sort of grey and dull acutally) and early on Monday morning here in the UK but the giveaways have started already :)

First up is Maya Road and it's selection of flowers and other fabby embellishments. I'm loving the acrylic keys and houses. There are four ways to win here.

Prima's Prize No. 9 is here and GCD are giving away 'Material Girl' Bella Blvd are showing off their Mr Boy range which is up there with my favourites of the season so far here and you could win it.


There's promise of more from other manufacturers later too :)

The Studio Challenge 23rd January: Ambition

Today is my penultimate challenge on 'The Studio'. Amanda said:
'With the new year upon us, a lot of people have been focusing on their resolutions for 2011. With that in mind, we'd like to hear about a LONG TERM goal of yours. Do you have a big ambition? Let's create a layout reflecting on these goals as a reminder of what we one day hope to achieve.'

I'm not sure that you could call mine a long term ambition, it's more of a pipe dream. I'd love to buy a big house or even a hotel and convert it into a Scrappers Retreat. I'd have a shop and a cafe so that people could pop in for the day once the kids were at school but I'd also run retreats with classes running, and weekend crops. The main crop room with be bright and sunny. My idea of heaven :)

I combined the Studio Challenge with Sketchy Thursday's sketch this week.

Materials:
Bella Blvd 'Lovey Dovey-Circle of Love'
Sassafras Lass 'Indie Girl-Eclectic Elegance'
Sassafras Lass Sweet Treats stickers 'Me Likey'
Sassafras Lass Garden bits- blues
Doodlebug 'loopy lou' and 'Shin-dig' cardstock stickers
Butterfly punch
Acrylic paint
Bazill Basics cardstock
Red string
Black ink

And in other news. If you're a Nikki Sivils fan, check out the giveaway on her blog today. You could win the whole 'Sugar Cookie' range. And if you've never heard of Nikki Sivils, a) where have you been and b)keep your eyes peeled for my 'Scrap that' review later this week :)

And finally... you can get to know the ScrapaGoGo design team a little better each month with our 'Meet the team' feature on the blog. This month it's Sheena's turn so hop along to the new look ScrapaGoGo blog to see what WW1 postcards, stained glass lampshades and a guilotine all have in common x

Basic Grey=Clever

Have you seen the desktop backgrounds from Basic Grey? I love this idea! With this, you'll think of BG everytime you turn on your computer :) How cool would it be if they made these scrapbook pages that you added your own photo to and had as desktops? Now you're going to tell me that they already exist aren't you?.... Anyway, how about you get your January and February desktops from here now?

If you go down to the blogs today...

you're in for a big surprise :) Scrapagogo's Kirsty Wiseman has been working hard on given the blog a makeover and today the new look has been revealed. It's been highlighted and chopped up a bit to give a sexy modern look (can you tell I watch too much America's Next Top Model???). And if you pop over today, you'll be able to see my 'Favourite Product' post. Hope you have fun exploring x

But on the other hand...

Yesterday I said that kits are a great introduction to all that is out there for scrapbookers today. They're a way of trying different manufacturers and products to see what you do and don't like and are great for beginners. On the other hand, they are good for established scrappers too. These buttons are part of ScrapaGoGo's February kit 'Happiness is' and they are going to challenge me because I've not used them before. So kits can challenge established scrapbookers to come out of their comfort zone and try new things. Everyone's a winner! Don't forget that you can join us in a discussion about all the new products being released here. What do you love? What's on your shopping list?

Oh Crate Paper, how could you?

I've had an evening of babysitting so have just come home and logged on only to find that Crate Paper have created not one but four amazing ranges this season. I LOVED Toy Story and will be buying that whole range. I REALLY like Emma's Shoppe and will be buying most of that range and tonight they are tantalising us with Portrait and Neighbourhood.
And that Jenni Bowlin isn't helping either with her irresitable pet bingo cards. Tut! At least noone will be hard pushed for birthday present ideas this year I guess (and yes that's a MASSIVE hint to my loved ones!)
Sweet dreams everyone and have a happy weekend x

More ScrapaGoGo reveals

Each month at ScrapaGoGo there are different options. There is the main kit of course but you can add on to that. Here's a little peek inside the main kit embellishments for February. I don't usually buy yellow accents, but I'm loving the look of that alpha and can't wait to have a play with that.

Recently I've been getting lots of emails from people who would like to start scrapbooking but don't really know where to start. I personally think that buying a kit is a great place to start. It gives you the opportunity to try a variety of maufacturers and a variety of products so that you can work out what you like and what you don't like. So, if you're thinking about starting this wonderful hobby then look no further than ScrapaGoGo :)

There are lots of add ons coming up this month but here's a little taster for you

My Little Bit of Whimsy Contest

Good Morning
'My Little Bit of Whimsy' are having a contest :) It's really easy to join in with so I thought I'd tell you all about it. I love Stephanie's new rocket whimsies and the donut ones are a must too. Check out how you could win some whimsies here.

You can see some of Stephanie's products on my 'Preschool Playmate' LO here and my 'Awesome Autumn' LO here too.

Have a great day x

Sassafras lass

I'm always very excited to see the releases from Sassafras lass and have been watching their blog for sneak peeks religiously but today I saw they are going to put us out of our misery in just a few more days- hooray :) I thought I'd take a trip down memory lane with some of my favourite LOs from their past ranges. I use their sweet treats on so many LOs but my favourites ranges are still 'Monstrosity' and 'Bungle Jungle' to date probably because I do so many 'boy' layouts

One of my online friends, TL, has decided to take the brave step of applying for their design team too. Why not go over to her blog and show her some love today?x

Creeeeeaaaaak

That's the sound of my bank balance under the strain of this seasons releases. Crate Paper have released 'Toy Story' and 'Emma's Shoppe' today. I scrolled down 'Emma Shoppe' photos thinking, 'Yum I like this. I'll have to buy some of this' and then I got to 'Toy Story' and OMG, I want it all. It's totally boy-tastic! Wow! Fabulous designs. Love them.

And have you seen these gorgeous colours of Cabachon flowers from Prima? Just right for those sunny layouts that we're all looking forward to creating when the sun finally returns to us :)

And what are Webster's Pages trying to do to me??? I love all their fabric tickets.

This is possibly the best lot of releases across all the manufacturers in my opinion. Well done all you clever people x

Happiness Is...

...February's kit from ScrapaGoGo. The GoGo team have combined Cosmo Cricket, October Afternoon, Little Yellow Bicycle,, American Crafts, Pink Paislee and My Minds Eye to create a kit that is not just for the romantic. In February you can spread a little love and togtherness with beautiful colour combinations of aqua, blush red, muted pink, stunning green and decadent yellow. Over the sneak few weeks Lorraine will be sharing sneak peeks and you can see them all.
This months exclusive stamp has been designed by our very own GoGo DT member Nicola and it's irresistable, don't you think?

I'm really looking forward to getting mine to play with :) It's time to start dropping those Valentine's Day present ideas to hubby and secure yourself one of these fabulous kits I say!

The sneaks keep coming...

Well, my shopping list is getting longer and longer and the sneaks keep coming! Cosmo Cricket have three gorgeous ranges and I'm hard pushed to decide between 'Social Club' and 'Salt Air'. The products that I would buy rather than eat for a few days are these lovely butterflies and doilies and this flower with butterfly.

Prima have teamed up with Tattered Angel to bring out their new (MIST).a.ble range which look fabulous and the design team have created some amazing LOs with them AND these flocked rub ons that I have to stroke :) Bella Blvd create such fab boyish collections that I knew when I saw the dog and dino badges that I was not going to be disappointed. The sneaks today are fabulous and I can't wait to see more from their Mr Boy collection:
Websters are outdoing themselves with whimsys this season. I'm loving them!
So basically I need a small mortgage to pay for everything that I like the look of and that's before Sassafras lass and October Afternoon bring out there new ranges- eek!