Bloglovin

Hmm, it seems that Google reader will be shutting down at the end of June. So
I've just set things up so that you can also Follow my Blog with Bloglovin <<<<click here
It seems like this is the tool many people are using. I'd love to hear what you will all be changing too!

mmmmm chocolate!

So, who's looking forward to Easter? My family sure are! All of those yummy chocolate Easter eggs!!!!

I really wanted to do some Easter SMASH*ing now so I've had to use a photo from last year. Other than us all getting a year older many of the photos are similar because we always put our baskets in the same spot and the Easter bunny always leaves us yummy Lindt bunnies!

I've used the Happy Easter stamp set from Give A Girl A ... (specifically: so many eggs, yummy, mmmmm chocolate, some bunny loves you, and you're egg-stra special). Remember to use the code KARYN for 15% off your order when you spend over $10.

I've also used the latest release "Priya, Easter Egg Hunter" digi from Angie Delarie. She is so quirky and perfect for any Easter project! I changed a few colours in Photoshop then printed on photo paper.  

I've splattered some pink paint in my Blue SMASH* folio and I've also used Amy Tangerine Yes Please papers and stickers and ribbon, Studio Calico wood veneers, Typo heart sticker, and a tag, twine and flair from my stash.

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

Swimming Lessons!

More fun SMASH*ing for me. This time it is on school swimming lessons - a great way to start the school year. And we had lovely hot swimming weather for the occasion.

I've used some of the fun stamp sets from Give A Girl A ... specifically Best Friends (Best Friends, OMG) and Keen as Mustard (Cool Bananas). Remember to use the code KARYN for 15% off your order when you spend over $10.

I've also used some of the amazing digis and photo embellishments from Angie Delarie - strawberry sweetness, Polaroids Flying, Sammah Season girl, Wynta season girl, and vintage love cameras. These digis are perfect for SMASH*ing, they are so quirky and bright. I tend to colour them in photoshop and print on photo paper then cut out.  

 

This page is in my 365 SMASH* folio and I've also used Amy Tangerine Thickers, Studio Calico wood veneers, The Greatest View sequins, and a tag, doilie, twine and bag from my stash.

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

Back To School!

This year my baby started school.Wow, the time has passed way too fast. She still doesn't really like the thought of going to school (she would much rather stay at home with mum and do craft!!) but I think she does secretly enjoy it when she is there. She is very tired after school and on weekends and often enjoys having a PJ day (in her Hello Kitty PJ's of course!!).

This SMASH* page is of her first day at school - doesn't she look adorable!

This page is in my 365 SMASH* folio and I've used Amy Tangerine "Ready set go" stickers and diecuts, Studio Calico heart stickers and wood veneers, Dear Lizzie roller date stamp, and a tag, doilie, twine and bag from my stash.

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

Beach Holidays!

I've been a bit slow on the SMASH*ing lately, there seems to be too much else going on! Do you sometimes feel like that? Well I really need my SMASH* time ... At times I have been known to get a bit grumpy without it :( I just need that time to myself to be creative and I just love to be creative with the special memories captured in my photos.

Anyway, these pages are from our Annual summer holiday to a local beach. We had perfect beach and swimming weather this year as well as perfect eating out weather, and great shopping :)

I've used some of the fun stamp sets from Give A Girl A ... specifically Endless Summer (summer fun, Sun & Sand, Beach babe) and Keen as Mustard (Photo Op, Love and Insta Moment). Remember to use the code KARYN for 15% off your order when you spend over $10 and you must check out the new stamps for pre-order.

This page is in my 365 SMASH* folio and I've also used Dear Lizzie "Lucky Charm" diecuts, Studio Calico heart stickers and wood veneers, The Greatest View mini doilie, and a tag, doilie, washi, twine and bag from my stash.

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

Yum!

First up I'd like to thank you all for the wonderful response and comments on my last post of my mixed media grungy journal cover. I had such fun making this and will definitely be doing more of it. It was great to hear from those of you that create this way and I've started watching and following lots more blogs.

Back to another scrapbook page for me. I did a few of these a couple of weeks back but havent had time to  blog them. This one is of our silly family moments at Christmas time. I made a delicious pavlova and it was quite a hit.

I've used lots of goodies from the October Afternoon Midway collection (did I mention I'm an October Afternoon fan? lol) I finally got the hang of what to do with the sewn banners (had a blonde moment when I pulled it all apart individually before sewing haha!) and I also tried some sewing on my page yayyyyy!

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

My Grungy Journal!

Last Thursday I had an amazing opportunity to attend a workshop with the talented and well known Anna Dabrowska aka  Finnabair. She is currently touring Australia as part of her "CreARTe tour". She was in Adelaide at my local scrapbooking store Paper Flourish. The workshop I attended was "Overload - Grungy Journal" where we used a heap of fun mixed media techniques to decorate the covers of an art journal. We received heaps of fun products from Anna's new collection with Prima called "sunrise and sunset". I did get a photo with her but forgot to get her to sign my journal ... bummer!! Now I have a big shopping list of paints I'd like to buy for myself (hehehe).

Anna is lovely, she is so talented and is an amazing instructor - very patient with us "overthinkers" haha! It was a very hot day that day - about 37degC (as it has been for the last week) and I think she though she might melt! It is currently winter in Poland.

Our crafty goodie bag!

The journal (about the size of a SMASH* book) is part of her product range and you actually take the covers off to work on them. It was a very messy process with gels, glosses, mists, sprays, stencils, and paints but it was so much fun to learn and try something so different from an expert in the area. The course was 4-5 hours long and we were busy the entire time. We were a bit time limited for each step so you just had to move on and "Dont over think things". I can't wait to try this again at home!

This is the front of my journal. there are so many interesting things to see: a paper clip, zipper, buttons, bottle tops, metal flowers, wooden sprockets, lace trim etc. Anything goes!

And this is the back of the journal.

I had a wonderful time doing this and it has inspired me to try out other courses in the future!! 

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

Blah Blah Blah!

Have you seen the latest March release from Give A Girl A ... ? The "Best Friends" stamp set has such gorgeous sayings that are very versatile. Remember to use the code KARYN for 15% off your order.

I've used some of these stamps on a SMASH* page from our recent Wedding Anniversary (stamps used are: Blah Blah Blah; We were here; Love you; and No matter how serious life gets you still gotta have that one person you can be completely stupid with). It was our 6th wedding anniversary so our gifts to each other were "iron". We follow the traditional wedding anniversary gift list ... how about you?? We also went our to tea at our our regular Anniversary restaurant "Maximilians" ... they make yummy cocktails!  

This page is in my 365 SMASH* folio and I've also used October Afternoon alphas and buttons, Amy Tangerine ribbon, Studio Calico wood veneers, Stampin' Up! heart paper clip and doilie, Dear Lizzie roller date stamp, Basic grey metal flair, and a tag and bag from my stash.

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

Blog Hop Winner!

Thankyou all so much for joining the Give A Girl A ... and Saturated Canary Blog Hop get together. I really appreciate all your lovely comments, it has made my week.

Congratulations to 
 This N That  
you are the lucky winner of a stamp set from the Give A Girl A ... shop
please email me with your address by Friday

Thanks so much for stopping by
Crafty hugs xx  

Give A Girl A... and Saturated Canary Blog Hop

Welcome to the Give A Girl A ... and Saturated Canary Blog Hop!

This hop is full of inspiration from both teams and there are heaps of prizes to be won, from Saturated Canary images to a 3 month subscription to Give A Girl A ... stamp sets, to each designer hosting a giveaway. So hop along with us and enjoy the ride!

If you have come from the amazingly talented and beautiful Krista then you are right on track. If not you should go to the very start with the gorgeous Kellie.

I'm so excited to be part of this hop. I just love the products from both of these businesses and have had a lot of fun using their stamps and images on my SMASH* page.

I just love to SMASH* - its my thing at the moment. Today's page has a photo of my youngest daughter with a yummy pink meringue cookie shaped like a dog. When I asked her if I could share the answer was "no way ... you wish jelly fish". lol!

From Give A Girl A ... I've used the Keen as Mustard stamp set ("Un real banana peel", "you wish jelly fish", "love" and "insta moment"),  Yesterday stamp set ("today", "3", "1", and "August"), and Best Friends stamp set from tomorrows March release ("I love this girl" and "blah blah blah"). Use the code KARYN for 15% off your Give A Girl A... order.

From Saturated Canary I've used the adorable "Jelly Bug". I have loved Krista's images like forever and this girl is one of my all time favs. She reminds me of my youngest (yes, the gorgeous girl in the photo). And she goes perfectly with the "you wish jelly fish" saying! I've coloured this image using my cool grey copics, I love this look!

This is a page in my Blue SMASH* folio. This is one of my favourite SMASH books as many of the pages are quite quirky. I've left the other side blank because i like it as it is and also my SMASH* books get quite bulky when I use every page.

I love to splatter paint on many of my pages and this page was no exception.

I sprayed a white doilie with turquoise coloured glimmer mist and let it dry - just seems to pop on this page! I am also loving using sequins at the moment.

I've also used some of the October Afternoon Woodland Park collection and alphas, Amy Tangerine ribbon, Stampin' Up! bird paper clip, Chalkboard seven seas glimmer mist, Dear Lizzy lucky charm bits, and doilies, tag, bag and twine from my stash.

I'll be giving away one of the fun Give A Girl A ... stamp sets to one lucky person.
to be in the running all you need to do is
- leave me a comment
- participate in this Blog Hop and leave all the other ladies some comment love too!
I will draw a winner on Wednesday March 6th.

Now continue this hop with the lovely Maria Therese where I'm sure you will find some more amazing inspiration.

Here is the Hop list if you get lost
Kellie
Krista
Karyn <-- you are here
Maria Therese
Jodie
Lou
Damaris
Alyce

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

Beach!

I have been enjoying doing some scrapbooking recently. I really should do more of it! I found I used more of my SMASH*ing style and loved having more "white space" on my pages.

These photos were taken on one of our beach holidays last year. I've used lots of the stamps from the Give A Girl A ... "Endless Summer" stamp set. Some of the sold out stamp sets are currently available for pre-order as is the March release which will be out this Friday! Use the code KARYN for 15% off your order.

I've also used the gorgeous October Afternoon Woodland Park collection, Amy Tangerine alphas, Studio Calico wood veneers, some sparkly sequins, and a fabric yo-yo and twine from my stash.

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

It's all about Family!

Yes, more pages using my favourite October Afternoon "Woodland Park" collection. I just love the fresh summery colours and they coordinate with our clothes at the moment too!

These photos were taken at a family Christmas gathering. It is so special for cousins to get together, and even though their age gap is up to 30 years they still have fun!

I've splattered blue paint in my Black SMASH folio and products I've used include the October Afternoon Woodland Park collection, Studio Calico wood veneers and a tag, twine, and bag from my stash.

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

Church Play!

At Christmas time the children at our church do a wonderful play. They have an amazing "Junior Church" leader who brings a modern day twist to the Christmas story and why it is important.

I've used my Black SMASH folio and products I've used include the October Afternoon Woodland Park collection, Studio Calico wood veneers and a tag, twine, doilie and bag from my stash.

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

Home is ... Where Her Toys Are!

My youngest daughter has such a big heart! She has sooooo many toys and they are all so special to her. When I saw this latest release from Angie Delarie (called Just for my Valentine - love captured my heart) I just had to use it on a SMASH page of my daughters toys - doesn't Teddy look gorgeous in his glasses!

I've splattered paint in my Blue SMASH book and products used include  Angie Delarie Just for my Valentine - love captured my heart digi (coloured with Copics) & Strawberry sweetness embellishments, Studio Calico wood veneers, Dear Lizzie papers & stickers, SMASH* roller date stamp, KaiserCraft Alphas, Typo heart, October Afternoon button, and twine from my stash!

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

Christmas Craft!

I love the idea of hand crafted presents at Christmas time. I bought a plain flower pot and my daughter painted it for her dad for Christmas - these sort of gifts are so special.

I've used some of the Simple Stories Sn@p papers and stickers on this page - I just love them! They are so bright and fresh and perfect for these pages. I must stock up on some more of the range!!

I've used my Black SMASH book and other products include Studio Calico wood veneers, and a tag, bag and twine from my stash!

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

Love!

Can you believe it ... I've made a card ... and I coloured the image with my copics! I really enjoyed myself! I havent done much cardmaking for a while but I recently wanted to make a special card for my 6th wedding anniversary. Angie Delarie has released some gorgeous images for Valentines day and this one (called Just for my Valentine - Dinky ride love style) was perfect for my card.

Stamp/Digi : Just for my Valentine - Dinky ride love style digi (Angie Delarie)
Cardstock: Confetti white, daffodil delight, gumball green (Stampin' Up!)
Papers: Amy Tangerine
Coloured with: Copics 
Other :  heart wood veneers (Studio Calico), ribbon (Amy Tangerine), button (October Afternoon), alphas (KaiserCraft), giant Rhinestone (Glitz), twine and fabric yo-yo (my stash)

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

2012 SMASH Journal Finished!

I have finally finished my 2012 SMASH book. I used the orange book and just loved it for a "yearly diary/journal" - the pages are not as busy as some of the SMASH books are. I used about 6-8 pages per month which was achievable for me. I plan on using my 365 SMASH book for 2013! I will probably use less bulky embellishments in my 2013 book because it gets too bulky. Another option would be to have 2 books and only fill about half the pages in each .. Hmm will think about that!

Here is a view of the completed book. I decided not to decorate the front because I find it is harder for me to store.

 I kept the first page fairly plain

These pages have photos from a local Christmas pageant. It was 40degC that day and we almost melted it was so hot. My youngest daughter Jessica was on the Kindy float "under the sea". She dressed as a fairy ... of course! She was so excited! It made me cry it was all so beautiful and special. Rachael and I wrote silly messages on the road using the chalk "Please Santa, I can explain!" we got a few amused looks!

 These last pages are from Christmas day - just the general larger than life excitement!

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

Keen As Mustard!

Today the February stamp sets are released at Give A Girl A ... There are 2 fabulous sets available "Keen as Mustard" and "Yesterday".  Use the code KARYN for 15% off your order when you spend over $10.

This SMASH* page uses "Get out of town", "Awesome", "Say what?", "He said:" and "She said:" from the "Keen as Mustard" set. They are perfect on this layout of my daughter on the phone. I don't even think anyone was on the other end of the line at the time lol! She is so animated.

I've used my Blue SMASH book and other products include Studio Calico tin pin and wood veneers, Amy Tangerine papers, stickers & washi, Dear Lizzie roller date stamp, Simple Stories Sn@p card, October Afternoon Alphas, Typo heart, and a doilie & paperclip from my stash!

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx

Water Fight!

For Christmas my girls got some walkie talkies and water pistols - they have so much fun chasing each other around and squirting everything! "This is Jessica calling Rachael ... come in please ... over" lol!!

On these SMASH pages I've used lots of the word stamps from the Give A Girl A ... "Endless Summer" stamp set (I love these stamps). Use the code KARYN for 15% off your order there when you spend over $10.

Other products I've used include the October Afternoon Woodland Park collection, Studio Calico wood veneers and the SMASH* date stamp.

Thanks so much for stopping by

Crafty hugs xx