LINDA TRACE DESIGNS

crafty adventures of a makeup loving Japanophile!

.

.

Thursday 23 January 2014

Simon Says Stamp HB2U

Hi!

Here with a quick-the-baby-is-sleeping post, sharing a card I made using the Simon Says Stamp January Card Kit!

Now I'm gonna be totally honest. When I first saw the stamp (that I used for the sentiment today), I didn't like it much. The rest of the set? Loved it. But I'm not really one for 'text-speak' (you know, CU L8R, WHERE R U etc)...but the more I saw it used, the more gorgeous cards that super-talented geniuses like Stephanie Klauk and Debby Hughes made with it...the more I had to have it.






I used the delightful Wrapped Mailing Label dies for the patterned paper (and a sliver of aqua cardstock), layered them, wrapped twine around and then added my little heat-embossed vellum label.

That woodgrain cardstock?! LOVE IT.

PS sorry for the lousy photo--WHEN WILL MY NEW PHOTO TENT ARRIVE?!

See you soon with more SSS cards :) That kit is SUPER fun to play with!




Thursday 16 January 2014

New Year New Stash: Challenge over at ABNH



Hi there!

It's time for the latest challenge over at A Blog Named Hero, so I thought I'd share my card with you!



The challenge is very easy, to use anything in your stash that's a new Hero Arts product!

I chose the adorable little Thankful woodblock set that I've had for a couple of months but never had a chance to ink up.

So recently, I took an online class with Watercolor artist Angela Fehr (after watching her amazing Youtube tutorials MANY MANY times). She's seriously an incredible artist and so inspiring!


So today I thought I'd go for a watercoloured card.
I'm deliriously happy with the result (and to be honest, astonished that I managed it)






Obviously the sentiment is pretty small in comparison to the images, but that's what I wanted. The font (or is it typography?!) is just perfect for this kind of card. Classic, understated, perfect :)




Ok well that's it for me! Be sure to join us! There's a chance to win a



thanks to our gorgeous sponsors over at
I'll be back again soon, but until then, I hope you have a chance to get crafty!





Monday 13 January 2014

I love you to the moon and back

Hi again!

I'm back with my favourite layout of the group so far!

I saw these photos on pinterest and loved them so much, I had to make a layout based on them--so inspiring!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/10485011605724435/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/10485011606594217/

 I loved the pink bleeding into the gold of the top one (ps can I have that in my house?!), and the layers of fringe in the second.

Here's the layout:

 again, it was hard to catch all the detail in this one main shot, so I took a few closeups for you :)




I used Gelatos to create the background.

Hope you like! coz I love :)


Sunday 12 January 2014

Yet another layout!

Told you I'd been on a layout/scrapbooking spree!!

Here is layout number three.

This scrappy heart of mine.



Sorry for the little bit of glare coming off the photo.  Getting these layouts photographed without a light tent is proving troublesome!

How about some detail shots?

lots of layery goodness :)

Those little camera embellishments?! I need more. Many Many more.


This was an unusual topic for me to scrapbook. I don't tend to scrap about myself (despite the fact that I did that Thirty3 layout. But scrapbooking is such a big part of my life now, I felt it was important to document it. Why I love it, how it makes me feel.

Hope you like this!

I'll be back tomorrow with my last layout (for a few days lol), and it's my favorite!

See you soon!




Saturday 11 January 2014

Thirty3

Hello again!!

I'm back again with another layout I made using the Polly Scrap Kits.

I was very inspired by Janna Werner for this layout. Love her style!



No need for explanation I don't think, but if you have a question, please let me know in the comments!

Love that Navy Hand-dyed Cheesecloth by DLish scraps!!

Hope to see you again soon!

Thursday 9 January 2014

Polly Scraps Scrapbooking Kit: We just knew we were having fun.



Hi friends!

Recently I discovered an Australian Scrapbook Kit company based here in Australia.

I wish I'd found it sooner! Polly Scrap Kits has wonderful kits, both for Scrapbooking and Project Life/"Pocket life" projects.

I immediately treated myself to a couple (happy birthday to me!) and when they arrived, well, I just about fainted. Gorgeous. JUST GORGEOUS.

So I've been making scrapbooking layouts for the past week or two, every night. I'm not that fast, but these came together so very easily! I thought I'd share them over the next few days!

Here is my first one.



My goodness it's difficult to photograph white layouts lol.

I took this paper from the kit: (it's Fascinating Friends from Dear Lizzy Polka Dot Party)


I cut apart several of the frames, and coloured them with my Faber Castell Design Memory Craft Pencils. Had so much fun with this part.


I made sure to shade in the corners to give a nice aged effect.

I took the "sentiment" card (designed for Project Life), and ran it through a diecut machine, with the Mama Elephant Femme Frames die. It gave a gorgeous 'stitched' border edge.  I then cut it in half, before adhering it on either end of the photo, and distressing the edges.


On either end, I added little tags and faux-tags, using the B-sides.


Here's the final version again.


Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back tomorrow with another layout!


Project Life 2014: lets keep trying

Hi!

Although I've almost never blogged about it, I "do" Project Life.


Some weeks, its easy as pie. Print a few photos, stick them in pockets, play with some paper and embellishments. Done.

Some weeks, its a hard slog, and to be honest, sometimes I don't do it weekly, I often combine everything into one or two spreads for an entire month. Sometimes we do the same thing around here so often it feels like Groundhog Day, and to print the same photos over and over (despite the fact we might be wearing different clothes lol), seems a huge waste of time and money.

However, I'm soldiering on. Because looking back over to the weeks and weeks of photos and seeing the little moments in our lives that I'd long-forgotten about. The funny stuff my kids say, the sweet photos they love to take of themselves on my phone (and en-masse!) are worth documenting. Its also worth documenting about me and my loving husband. Noting what we do or like at various times throughout the year, to me, are worth remembering.

I've decided to be very zen but also very Capricorn-like about Project Life this year. I'm going to stay calm about it and not get overwhelmed. If I miss a week, I miss a week. MOVE  ON! However, I AM going to do it. No matter what.

OK onto the photos.


Here's my cover page:


I took the 2014 card I made for ABNH last week as my inspiration. however, the card wasn't the right size to fit into the PL pocket. The size-difference was making me twitchy. So I carefully ripped it off the yellow backing, and adhered it onto some Glitz Designs paper.

All the papers are from Dear Lizzy Polka Dot Party and Glitz Design Finnley 6x6 paper pads.

The alphas on the right hand side are Kelly Purkey (I coloured them with copics), the enamel dots are MME, flair is from A Flair for Buttons (I think!). Other bits and pieces are from my stash.


Here's week 1. I had lots of fun with this.



Washi tape, Kelly Purkey alphas and enamel dots=happy place!


Thickers, wood veneer hearts from SC, Loving This Lately card from Ormolu!

Look at those faces :)

My new "nephew" was born :) (My best friend's baby. I'm so happy I was able to document this!). Olivia is on the right hand side looking rather large-headed lol (which is rare!), wearing the gorgeous outfit my darling friend Steph bought for her.





Flair I made myself, Hello tag is hand-made. I used Hero Arts stamp and the pink 'ombre' is from my Memento Luxe ink pad, I just pressed it onto the cardstock but lightened how I pressed it as I went down the paper (if that makes sense!).


Ok that's it for me! Hope you like it!

I'll be sharing more Project Life this year. Hope you dont mind :)

I'll be back soon with some layouts!




Thursday 2 January 2014

ABNH Challenge One & Four

Hi friends!!

It's time for another challenge over at ABNH today!

1&4. So in celebration of it being the 1st of 2014, we thought it would be fun to incorporate the numbers of the year somehow, so we want you to use 1 of something, and 4 of something else!

It can be 1 stamp and 4 patterned papers, 1 wood veneer and 4 inks, anything you like! But you have to specify what your 1 and 4 items are!


So I deceided to go with 4 ink colours and 1 stamp.


This stamp is SO old but it's still such a goodie.

Remember this one?!

that's what I used for my fireworks! So fun when you can get more uses out of your stamps than their intended images!

So a very easy card to make.

Stamp the 'head' of the flower multiple times over your cardstock, in Versamark ink.
White heat emboss.
Using little sponge daubers, spread ink over the fireworks-bursts, starting from the centre and working outwards (I used a circular motion).
Diecut the numbers (you could easily do this with a word too). The die I used is from PTI.
Mount the panel onto black cardstock, then adhere it to a bright cardbase at an angle!
Trim off any excess cardstock overhang.

that's it!

I hope you like it and you'll join us over at ABNH for our first challenge of the year!

See you again soon!