Once Upon A Sketch

 Good afternoon all...or good morning depending on where you are :)

My Internet is giving me some grief at the moment so hopefully I can share this layout I've created for the challenge blog Once Upon A sketch.

I loved the sketch it was right up my alley!
I did make a couple of changes though just to suit the photo I wanted to use.
Instead of using 2 portrait sized images I used 1 landscape.
I also did my major journalling on a tag I tucked in behind the photo on the right hand side and placed some smaller journalling where it says too on the sketch.
*PLEASE NOTE* - My white journalling pen died on me so I will have to go over the journalling on the tag when I get a new one!

To be honest this layout almost made the garbage bin as I just wasn't happy with the way it was turning out but by leaving it for a few hours and coming back to it refreshed I was able to see it from another angle and I managed to salvage it.
I'm really happy with the way it turned out. See what happens when you walk away and come back with a fresh mind?

I've used lots of different mediums for added texture and dimension. The foundation of the page was started with stamps, stencils, texture paste, gesso and Gelatos before I added my photo, patterned papers and little embellishments.

This photo I took just after our little grandson was born. In my husbands line this is 4 generations of Thomson males so a really special photo for our family.

As you can see by this detail shot there really is a tag with journalling on it LOL
You can also see the layering going on with the page. Just love how adding a few stamps, some texture paste and gesso really adds visual interest to a layout.

Here's the sketch:

Why not head over to the Once Upon A Sketch site and give this one a go?

Chat soon,
Sharryn xx

Markets and photos and scrapping....OH MY!

Hey all,
Hope this post finds you all well.
All is good in our little world with hubby still home on holidays until Monday and a house full of kids (well young teens and young adults). Never a dull moment around here that's for sure!

Half way through last year I decided to put all the things I've been hoarding for rainy day projects to good use and start making and upcycling things for a market stall. Between that, family commitments and my photography business...some days I truly didn't even know what day of the week it was. It was head down, bum up for months.
Finally I managed to get a table of stuff ready for my first market stall and I had an absolute ball on the day.
I find repurposing and upcycling things that would normally be thrown away such a great way to expand and learn creatively and there wasn't much around I didn't slap a coat of paint on.
To have people actually buy what I made was an awesome feeling! Knowing that some of the things I'd created were being given as Xmas gifts made every single moment of being yelled at for neglecting everyone in the house well worth it! (Oops...LOL)

Recently Michael and I attended a local garage sale and to my absolute delight I found not one, not two, not three...but FIVE antique sewing machines! I'd been after one for years but I really want one in a proper cabinet so I made the decision to repurpose these ones. *shock...horror*
You have to admit though...this repurposed antique Singer sewing machine into a tractor is pretty cool right?

 So this year I have more markets on the agenda which means making a lot more fun stuff...can't wait!

I also have some great photography packages in the pipeline which is all secret squirrel at the moment and again, time is a factor. Really need to manage my time a bit better...;P

As for creating...I've done 1 layout for the year! Go me!! LOL
I actually started a second but that's about as far as I got with it. Hopefully I can finish it over the weekend.

Did you check out the last Inspired Blueprints sketch? Well you best head back on over as there is a NEW sketch ready to be printed and scrapped! Sketch 117 is now up and running and can I say I had a lot of fun with this one!

I'm loving all the brights in the scrapping world at the moment so I thought I'd give this style a go. Not really being a 'bright colour' scrapper...I'm really happy with how this turned out.

So make sure you give this sketch a go...it's a great one for all styles!
Have a great weekend and chat soon,
Sharryn
xx

Happy New Year

Hi everyone!
Welcome to 2014!
How did you see in the New Year? Watching the fireworks, partying or, like me, something a little quieter?

My husband and I and a couple of our kids spent Xmas and New Year in the NSW outback on a sheep station one of our sons is working on. To say it was an amazing experience is truly an understatement!
Unfortunately they are in a drought up there at the moment and the 15,000 sheep and cattle are being manually fed at the moment. To see the land like that is really heart breaking however it gives a deep appreciation of our farmers and what they endure season to season.
This property also has wheat crops but due to the drought this year there were none.
Here are a couple of photos of our stay:

  These sheep are following my son in the feeder ute who is dropping food for them as he drives. If you look right back past the dust you'll see just how many sheep there were in this particular paddock. Just amazing!

 This photo shows just how dry the land is at the moment. It is a river that runs through the property and is absolutely bone dry right now. Very sad.

This is me on Xmas day. Out feeding with my son and had the privilege of cuddling this little lamb.

This is my son who, of course, I got heaps of photos of :)

 As you can imagine I took heaps of photos and I'm sure it'll take me 10 years to catch up with scrapping them all! Thank goodness for Project Life!

Speaking of scrapping, I hope you had plenty of time of the Xmas break to fit some in. I've completed one layout so far hehe...
We have some great changes over at Inspired Blueprints this year and of course our AWESOME sketches!

This was the layout I created for Sketch #115:

 Sketch number 116 has just been revealed on the blog this morning as a matter of fact so be sure to head over to play!
Here it is...a fabulous sketch to get those creative juices flowing!

Be sure to head over to Inspired Blueprints to check out the DT's awesome interpretations of this sketch and also to find out all the exciting news on the changes we have going.

Chat again soon,
Sharryn :)

First DT layout for Inspired Blueprints!

Hey all,
As promised, here is my very first DT layout for Inspired Blueprints plus the sketch so you can have a go at it too.

Here's the sketch:

It's a fab sketch and very versatile.

Here's my interpretation:

As you can see I've used only one photo and moved the middle embellishment to the right of my photo.
I left the flower clusters in their original spot but used flourishes instead of twine.
I also added the butterfly at the top left of the page to balance my design.
The photo is of my beautiful niece making her Debut last year.

Why not head over to the Inspired Blueprints blog to see how the other girls interpreted the sketch? And while you're there...don't forget to grab a copy and have a go yourself.
Looking forward to seing what you come up with,
Sharryn
xx