At Home In The Garden - Scrapping My Stash

Hi Everyone,

It's been a fantastic holiday weekend and I know for many it's not quite over yet ... some are still enjoying the extended Jubilee holiday ... but unfortunately a lot of you had to return to work. It was nice while it lasted :)

Wasn't the Jubilee concert terrific ... loved when Madness were on the roof - the special effects were fabulous :)

When I haven't been glued to the television watching all the celebrations, I've been busy putting together my DT project for the month of June, Homecoming being the theme, for the Scrap Our Stash Challenge.

Sitting here at the computer, I'm very fortunate in that I can enjoy a bird's eye view of what is going on in our back garden/yard. Only a few days ago I spotted the EM chatting to The Boss as she teetered on top of the gate post, undecided which way to go, and just had to take a few snaps for scrapping.

I used the May sketch from Sarah's Cards as my starting point for this simple layout. It's intended for a 12"x12" layout but I've adapted it to fit an A4 layout instead. A4 is a format I've mostly avoided up to now but I think there are several good reasons to create A4 layouts.

One, there are a lot of manufacturers out there that create the most beautiful cardstock and DPs in that size, e.g. KanBan, Hunkydory, etc., two, most of the paper packs offered as free gifts by magazines are in A4 format and, finally, three, A4 folders are not only much easier to find in shops and stores but they are also an inexpensive alternative to 12"x12 albums.

The papers used are a mix from two different magazine's freebie collections - the colours in each compliment the other perfectly. The cat stamp is one I have had tucked away for the best part of a year, never used! I feel chuffed to have finally inked it up :)

Materials used:

• Dark Green textured cardstock from Papermania
• Raspberry Road Designs Luxury Paper Collection - free with Cardmaking & Papercraft
• Serif Spring Paper Collection - free with Scrapbook Magazine
• Walking Cat stamp - Craftfairy.co.uk; Paw Print - Magenta (bought in 1996 in Boston, MA!)
• Ink pads, Memento Rich Cocoa; Tim Holtz DI, Brushed Corduroy
• Alphas a combination of Bo Bunny Combo Stickers, Gabrielle (pink) and Weekend Market (yellow) - from Funky Farm Scrapbook Barn 
• Ribbon, buttons, twine, floral washi tape - all from stash

Short and sweet today ... after yesterday's mammoth tutorial post it has to be :) 

The weather here is as lovely as can be, sunny, dry and nowhere near as hot as it was recently. Makes sitting out in the garden very pleasant indeed. It's a shame that it isn't the same for the whole country - hopefully it will brighten up again for you all soon.

However, whatever the weather and wherever you are, I wish you well and hope you have a happy day.

Happy crafting,