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.