Real Life Scrapped RSO October 26th

Yesterday's RSO post. I am never disappointed when I take a look through the gallery. There is always lots of inspiring layouts. The theme was scrapping the photograph. Inspired too? Check out all the other layouts in the gallery too :)

Real Life Scrapped RSO October 22nd

Things have been busy recently, so not so much scrapping time :( So here are some of the layouts which can be found in the RLS gallery to check out. I hope to have a quiet weekend soon to catch up on a few projects of my own. Check out the Post.

Real Life Scrapped RSO October 15th

Check out Tuesday's real standouts at Real Life Scrapped. Loads of great pages - RSOs. I do love travel pages and Renee's travel page of her trip to Australia is amazing. There is lots more to see in the gallery too :)

Real Life Scrapped RSO October 12th

More RSOs from me today at RLS. To check out today's selection check out the Post. Shayna has a great challenge page for All About Me, with a lovely painting of a geranium which she has painted. There are lots more great pages in the gallery if you have time to take a look.

Real Life Scrapped RSO October 5th

Check out today's great layouts for Real Life Scrapped RSOs. Lots of great pages, great photos and great scrapping!

Real Life Scrapped RSO October 1st

More real standouts from me today at Real Life Scrapped, RSO's. Lots of great pages and photos in today's selection, especially the really cute dog in Suzie's page, The Nose! It's not to be missed!

Gentle Touch - Algera Designs

These two pages were created with the beautiful kit, Gentle Touch, by Algera Designs.  The elements and papers within Algera Designs kits always recolour well, and in the layouts below I have done this on the butterflies. It makes her kits very versatile to use.

Kew Gardens

When I saw this kit I knew that it would work well with sepia coloured photos with a soft look. To create the effect on the photos I used the old photo effect in the PhotoLab part of Craft Artist. The font is Vladimir Script.

Whose Table

Gentle Touch contains a mix of soft coloured elements and papers, lovely floral based clusters, individual flowers, ribbons, bows and lots of other embellishments to play with along with a number of frames.

Check out Algera Designs in the E-scape and Scrap Boutique: Algera Designs. 

If you like Gentle Touch I can recommend also taking a look at Recollection, Romantique, Smitten and Tranquility, along with her other kits :)

All of these kits are available in png/Jpeg format as well as a pack file for use with Craft Artist.

Real Life Scrapped RSO September 28th

Lots more great layouts in yesterdays real standouts post, RSOs. All topics covered, blending, portraits, pets, nature and travel. Lots more lovely kits too, but I've been more restrained this time!!! Inspired, why not join Real Life Scrapped and upload your your layouts :)

Real Life Scrapped RSO September 26th

Today's RSO is a mix of different themes and styles, take a look at: Real Life Scrapped. I love the page by Anja and I couldn't resist buying the kit! It is called Autumnal Days and is by Paula Kesselring. There are also lots of great layouts in the gallery so if you have a spare 5 minutes check it out - RLS Gallery.
I also couldn't resist and bought the kit Woodland Autumn by Kristin Aargard, used in Christine's layout, really cute.

Real Life Scrapped RSO September 24th

Lots more great pages in today's RSO post. Having been away a week there have been lots to catch up on!

The latest RSO :)

E-Scape and Scrap "A Layout a Day" Team Reveal

The team reveal, chosen this time by Lorraine, who heads up the creative team I am in for this, was quite different. Turn a photo a day project into a layout a day. From the list given I created layouts for leaves and flowers. A great project idea.

I used the lovely kit Remember Moments by Mamrotka.

I added an oil on canvas effect to the acer photo and a texture to the photo of the rose. I felt that this softened the photos so that they blended in with the kit. Both photos were taken in October 2012. The Acer turns this beautiful red for a few days before the leaves fall and surprisingly I still had roses flowering at that time of year too!

Autumn Leaves

Autumn Rose

Real Life Scrapped RSO September 14th

My latest post for Real Life Scrapped, Real Standouts. It's a long post today, lots of fabulous layouts, and as ever there are lots of great layouts in the gallery too. RSOs

Real Life Scrapped RSO September 12th

More fabulous layouts in the gallery this week and check out today's Real Standouts for a quick look at some of the highlights. Today's post is a mix of layouts, so lots of different styles and topics.

E-Scape and Scrap September Team Reveal

This months team reveal was Natures Beauty. I have been scrapping lots on this topic recently and I included a couple of layouts from these. Follow the link to see the other great layouts from the team: Natures Beauty.

For the first layout I used the lovely kit, Beautiful Day by Mamrotka Designs. The photo was one I took a few years ago of the bluebells in spring at Cowleaze Wood.

The second layout was created with the lovely bundle Garden Notebook by Courtney’s Digiscrappin’. I took the photo in the garden earlier this year when the St. Johns Wort was in flower.

My two layouts:

Cowleaze Wood

He who plants a garden plants happiness

Some more layouts created with these kits:

Avery - Chichester

Bees at "The Brambles"

July in the Garden

Real Life Scrapped RSO September 10th

Lots more great layouts in the gallery this week, to see today's real standouts follow this link: RSOs. Following on from the last challenge Bold, I have included a couple of bold layouts and in contrast some subtle ones. Finishing with a mix of other inspiring pages.

Tattered Wings

I love this mixed media page, which I have created with my own background paper, created from a photograph, a photograph of a butterfly with tattered wings and the poem I wrote inspired by the photo. The poem can be found written separately on the Tattered Wings post at The forget-me-not blog.

Tattered Wings photo and poem © 2013 Natasha Forder

I love being able to mix my creative loves together and this layout is a mixture of three of them, photography, writing and craft. I created the page in Craft Artist.

The background paper I created for my little kit, Natures Beauty. It was created from a photo of a rose that I had processed to give a drawn effect. The paper was pink but I recoloured this brown to fit in with the photo.

I used white chain stitch short from the embroidery brushes in craft artist to edge the photo. I created a transparent square with a brown edge to add a "frame" towards the edge of the background paper.

The photo was taken in my garden, The Brambles, and if you are interested in finding out more check out The Brambles blog.

I couldn't stop thinking about this butterfly with its tattered wings and it didn't take me long to write the short poem based on it. A butterfly once young and flawless, now with its tattered wings, but no less beautiful.

Blending - Portland Bill

I created these two pages with the lovely kit, Sea Passages, by StarSongStudio.  I love the paper I used in the Portland Bill layout, a mixture of peeling paint, rust and sea. I used the colour burn blend on the photo of the boats with it and I love the effect. A few elements finished off the layout and I was very pleased with the end result.

Portland Bill

I use the colour burn blend a lot and with the right paper and photo I am never disappointed with the effect it creates.

Before deciding on this combination for the St. Michael's Mount page I tried a few different papers and blends with the photo with varying degrees of success. The final combination was to turn the photo black and white and blend using the darken mode.

As the photo is not bold like the one of the boats above, I have highlighted the main part, the castle,with the frame. Adding elements to finish off the page.

St Michael's Mount

Real Life Scrapped Challenge - Bold

It has been a while since I'd last entered a Real Life Scrapped Challenge, a few half finished layouts! So this time I was determined to make sure I had completed it in plenty of time!

The challenge is BOLD, and I used the free mini kit by Crafty Button Designs being given away on the challenge page to create my layout with, along with a couple of my own photos from a trip to Paris a few years ago.

BOLD

I don't usually create such "way out" layouts, so a good challenge for me!!!

For more information see the Get Real Challenge post.

Real Life Scrapped RSO September 3rd

Today's real standouts post is all about a story to tell... There were lots of great layouts in the gallery and to see the ones I selected visit the post. As always lots of great pages to choose from :)

Real Life Scrapped RSO August 31st

I uploaded my latest Real Standouts post to Real Life Scrapped today. This post is a mix and match; memory pages, people, travel and birds. Lots of gorgeous layouts, and to see more layouts on RLS check out the Gallery.

How it all started...

I started crafting many years ago now.  First a little bit of cross stitch and sewing and then I discovered rubber stamping and I was hooked.  Luckily a craft shop opened up in Fleet near where I live and from that point on until the current day has been/and is a great source of crafting materials.  Even better is that if you need any information or help either Carol or Mick are on hand to help :)  Authors and Artists Craft Shop

My first query was about a technique used on a demonstration card, and that day I signed up for their course on rubber stamping to learn about it.  This was when I discovered embossing!  And was so long ago now I really can't remember how may years ago it was!

Over the years I have done lots of papercrafting, scrapbooking, a little bit of parchment craft, encaustic art, beading, knitting and crochet as well as the cross stitch and sewing.  And I am sure a few more things I have probably forgotten along the way, with some being more successful than others :)

I am teaching myself to draw, but I don't practice nearly as much as I should.  But each picture is nearly always an improvement on the last!

Then of course there is the world of digital crafting and I love it.  It is a great way of combining my crafty interests with photography and writing.

This is the digital version of a card I created for a Quick Cards magazine (issue 105) competition for a travel themed card. I created it in Craft Artist using all my own photographs, elements and frames. The finished card was layered for a 3D effect, I cut out the framed photos, roses and Paris and used foam pads to mount them onto it. I was selected as one of the winners :) and won a copy of Craft Artist 2 and lots of digikits.

Paris card © 2013 Natasha Forder

The great thing about digital crafting is that it is quicker.  So even if I am pushed for free time I always manage to fit a little bit in!  But there are times where I want to do something more hands on practical.  And this is when I grab my rubber stamps, double sided tape and pens!!!

Since March this year I have been part of the creative team for E-scape and Scrap, an online digital crafting store.

And this month I have started to write blog posts for Real Life Scrapped and become part of Algera Designs creative team.

As you can guess I always have some sort of craft project on the go.  Well actually more this two, three or four!

Real Life Scrapped RSO August 10th

I've not long posted my next Real Standouts post on Real Life Scrapped.  This time based on people layouts.  As expected lots of great pages and ideas.  A great mix of photos and styles too.  Click the link to see the RSOs: Real Standouts.

Favourite Memories Card

I created a card for the Quick Cards Magazine, Favourite Memory card competition (April issue 112), back in March.  I missed the post person last Friday and arrived home to find a card telling me I had a sign for package waiting for me at the post office.  I wasn't expecting anything and with half an hour before the post office shut dashed down to pick it up.  It was very exciting and a lovely surprise to find out it was a prize for being one of the winners of the Quick Cards, Favourite Memory card competition!

Here is my entry and winnings!

Favourite Memeories of California

Memory Card

Memory Card

The first page of the card incorporates an element from each of the five places shown on the card.  The main photo is Mono Lake, the pelicans are from the Big Sur, and then the three small photos in the filmstrip are Yosemite, Bodie and San Francisco.

• Stuck two 6x6 inch cards together to get six sides
• From photographs digitally created the six parts of the card
• Selected six photos to use, one for each side of the card
• Grunged or vintaged the photo and added a frame
• Imported them all into Craft Artist and added my favourite memory for each place (I had a lot and it was difficult to choose!)
• Blended photos of flying pelicans with two of the photos to create a silhouette in each case
• Printed out and stuck onto the six sides of the card
• Selected three more photos to use with the filmstrip and printed to fit
• Printed out extra photos from which to create the flower layers, die cut them and attached the parts together with fastners
• Used dark blue pearlesceant card with the filmstrip die and stuck the three small photos behind
• Attached the extra items to the card

I haven't had my sizzix big shot for very long, it was a present for Christmas.  I have quite a few embossing folders and a few dies and I'd not long bought the Tim Holtz Alterations dies (Filmstrip Frames and Tattered Flower Garland) used in this project and after I'd come up with my idea I knew they would be the perfect complement.

I won four lovely Stephanie Weightman Tattered Lace dies (Double Fuchsia, Dragonfly, Wondrous Wings and Beautiful Buckles), a shim and two sets of magnetic storage sheets, from: Crafting.co.uk or visit Tattered Lace.  I've been wanting to try these dies for a while so this was a perfect prize :)

The photo I used for Capturing the view at Mono Lake I'm currently using as the background and banner on The forget-me-not blog.  When I did the makeover on this blog I knew this picture would be perfect.

E-Scape and Scrap August Team Reveal

Since March I have been a member of the E-Scape and Scrap Creative Team and each month as part of a smaller team within this I create layouts for a Team Reveal.  This months was How I Spent My Summer, and the post can be read here: Team Reveal.  Stop by to see the great layouts the team has created.

This summer I have started a blog about my garden, called The Brambles - a tale of a garden and I've been "Photographing my garden and all things in it..."

To create these pages I used the lovely kit, Art Blends 3, by Butterflies and Bluebells (available from E-Scape and Scrap).  All photographs my own.

My two layouts:

My Summer - Squirrel

My Summer - Bumblebee

I created four pages in total; here are the other two:

My Summer - Blackbird

My Summer - Flowers

Real Life Scrapped

Yesterday I uploaded my first post to Real Life Scrapped, where I have just become part of the blog team.  It's a lovely place to be part of and it was really nice to put smiles on peoples faces because they are real standouts :)  It was, however, really difficult to choose because the gallery is full of fantastic layouts.  Click the link to see the RSOs: Real Standouts.

Blending - Stourhead

This is not the most eye catching of the three layouts I created with the lovely kit, Smitten, by Algera Designs (available from E-Scape and Scrap), but it is my favourite from a blending perspective.  I love the effect of the blending of the two photographs. The flower and butterfly elements complemented the layouts perfectly to finish off the layout.

Stourhead Garden through open doors / Photos © 2013 Natasha Forder

In Craft Artist:

• On layer 1 I enlarged a photo of trees until it fitted the page and cropped the excess.
• For the background selected a dark paper with a faint pattern.
• Selected the photo and applied the soft light blend mode.
• On layer 2 I enlarged the photo looking out of the doors until the doors just fitted on the page.
• Selected the photo and applied the lighten blend mode.
• The frame above the doors was distracting and using the scissor tool removed it, because of the blend on the photo it was easy to cut out as not all of it was visible.
• On layer 3 I added the elements and recoloured the butterflies.
• The text used is Edwardian Script ITC.

For Inside Stouhead I used a gold coloured lightly patterend paper for the background, enlarged the photo to fit the width of the page and applied the hard light blend mode to create a warm and bright effect.  Finishing off the page with a few elements, to add interest and hide the hard edge of the photo.  The font is Piranesi It BT.

Stourhead Garden is a more traditional page using frames for the photos, to which I had applied a sepia effect.  The font is Edwardian Script ITC.  No blending here!

The photos are my own.

Inside Stourhead

Stourhead Garden

Inside Stourhead was selected as a reals standout on Real Life Scrapped: Real Standouts August 1st :)

Blending - Yarmouth, Isle of Wight

I love the effect of photos blended into papers and there are several papers in the kit I've used for the layout below for that are perfect for this.  The kit is Sea Breeze by Wisteria Moments which can be purchased from E-Scape and Scrap, and not only has lots of lovely papers but lots of great coordinating elements too.

Yarmouth, Isle of Wight / Photo © 2013 Natasha Forder

I use Craft Artist by Serif for creating my scrapbook layouts.  I love it as it is easy to use and doesn't take long to get the hang of!  I create all my pages 12"x12" size and scale down to 8"x8" if I want to print.

For this layout:

• On layer 1, I enlarged the photo so it fitted top to bottom of the page and aligned it to the left.
• Selected a pale but textured paper for the background layer underneath.
• Selected the photo and applied the colour burn blend mode.
• On layer 2, created a border along the right edge of the photo to hide up the hard line and create interest.
• Added in the postcard as this was the perfect way to detail the location of the photo, the font used is Annie BTN.  

I created the following two layouts in a similar way, from the same kit, using the colour burn blend mode as for the layout above.

The photos are my own, which I took during a trip to the Isle of Wight, a few years ago.

The Needles, Isle of Wight

Yarmouth Pier, Isle of Wight

Natures Beauty

Natures Beauty © 2013 Natasha Forder

As much as I love to use kits designed by all those great designers out there, from time to time I like to have a go at creating my own papers, elements and alphas.  I create them from my own photos and sometimes my partner's, Steve's, as well as a few drawings I have done.  I use the tools that are available in Craft Artist too, for things like creating textures on papers and adding effects.

I've created this page from the largest kit of coordinating items that I've created and was really pleased with the outcome :)

Hello :)

forget-me-not craft has been a project in progress for quite a long time and delayed by all sorts of distractions from actually crafting to not quite finishing the design for my banner and background!

But it is finally here!

I created both with elements and papers created from photographs I'd taken, the squirrel from a drawing and the little circle element created in craft artist.

The blue tit I cut out from a photo and converted it to a drawing.
The duck is from a photo, I cut the duck out, turned it to a silhouette and then changed it to pale blue.
The forget-me-not flowers were cut out from the photo used as the backing for the header.

I am teaching myself how to draw and the squirrel was copied from How to Draw Anything by Mark Linley. I then scanned it in and cut it out.  This is my favourite drawing I've done so far!

forget-me-not craft banner © 2013 Natasha Forder

forget-me-not craft background © 2013 Natasha Forder