San Blas Islands

Good morning!

Today I have another layout that I made a while ago...

Scrapbookers in Greece asks us this month to make a travel-theme layout! Use a photo from your favourite travel or make an art journal for the place you wish you can visit some day! Write about a school trip or a really short trip! Everything travel-related is valid!

I chose to make a layout with my super-duper favourite day I spent at San Blas islands in Panama. Unforgettable day, unforgettable experience...

So come over at  Scrapbookers in Greece to play with us. The challenge is open until June 16th and there is a small twist this month... You get to vote your favourite layout!!! Yes, please, do give a break to the design team, lol! (DT layouts are not valid for voting)

Hope you like it!

Hugs,
Anastasia

The Studio Challenges - Only 5 items (...or maybe 3???)

Good morning!

I'm finally back! I mean both back home and with a layout ;)

So today we have the second challenge of the month over at The Studio Challenges (remember? I'm a guest designer this month!)

This challenge is awesome!

"Create a layout using 5 things only!
For example if you use a sheet of patterned paper that counts as one and washi tape counts as one as well!
(Photo, glue, cardstock for background, pen and stitching counts as nothing)
There's a little twist too, as we are sponsored by the lovely chipboard company Memory Maze please make one of the items is chipboard!"

So let's see what you can create!

And here's what I did:

And the materials that I used:

As you can see, I took the challenge literally. Only five items: a pattern paper, a piece of vellum, a washi tape, a chipboard and a pen. And that's not because I'm brace, it's only because I didn't realise that there were some items that didn't count as one! hahaha

My very first choices were the vellum paper and the pen because I knew they would allow me some flexibility. With only these two I made:
- The title letters
- The arrow next to the title
- The background below the photos
- The camera (with the vellum it was easy to copy another design ;) )
- The black frames on the top and bottom of the layout (yeap! my hand hurt after colouring all this paper!)
- The black circles - I like to think of them as fake splashes

I chose this particular pattern paper on purpose because there were the bubble talks on the other side. I cut off the piece that is covered by the photos and then used several of the bubble talks that would make sense.

The journaling is also from the pattern paper - you know, this additional part that has the name of the paper and the company? The "Why not?" part is the name of the paper actually.

I used washi tape to alter the heart chipboard and cut three arrows

And the layout was ready!

So, what do you think, will you try it out? What I really loved about this challenge was that I had to think creatively!

Come over at The Studio Challenges to get ideas from the design team and play with us. The sponsor this month is Memory Maze

 

Hugs,
Anastasia

Snoopy! (With a little fantasy)

Hello!!!

As I'm writing these lines I'm about to go to Warsaw! But since it's been a while that I've posted on my blog, I thought I should prepare a quick post first.

Lately I have so many things to do that I don't have time at all for papercrafting. I don't even remember when was the last time that "I cut my papers" as we say with some friends of mine. I'm looking forward to my return and start making things again!

However, during the small pauses between my different chores, I picked up something that I hadn't touched for over a year: my crochet hooks! Since I made the two baby blankets for my nephews, I was too tired to crochet anything.

But now, since I didn't have enough time to create something in one straw and since I had an inspiration for a crochet project, I thought it was time to remind myself again how to crochet.

So a friend of mine wants to get a Beagle dog (the crazy dog!!!). It is known that Snoopy is a Beagle (yeah, right, I only found out a few weeks ago when this friend of mine told me ;) ), so I decided to make a Snoopy for him.

Now, whether it's Snoopy himself or a cousin of his or something, I'm not so sure:

The pattern I followed (with some minor adjustments) is generously offered by Reina for free on her blog. You can find it here.

So that's all for now... Hope you like it and see you again in a few days!

Hugs,
Anastasia

The Studio Challenges Guest Designer - Sketch

Good morning and Happy Easter to my Greek friends!!!

Today I have the honour to share with you a layout I made as Guest Designer for The Studio Challenges thanks to my layout that won for the month of February ;)

The first challenge of the month is to make a layout based on the suggested sketch. The layout that I made:

And the sketch:

As you see, once again I followed the sketch quite close - I find the sketches really very helpful and inspiring!

I loved the colours of the photo very much, so I decided to keep the background at neutral colours and use some embellishments to the colours of the photo to bring everything together.

And a closer look:

So, will you play with us at The Studio Challenges; The lucky winner of May will get a $20 voucher from Memory Maze!

I hope you like it,

Hugs,
Anastasia

Addicted to CAS #12 - Rainbow

Good morning!!!

It's Good Saturday today in Greece... but the challenges over at Addicted to CAS continue!

The card that I made:

Based on one of my favourite words: rainbow, chosen by one of my very favourite card makers, Christine.

I'm certainly not satisfied with the result of my card... As for the techniques, first I used swiss dot embossing folder and embossing difusers to keep the centre... not embossed! ;)

Then I heat embossed the sentiment in the centre with black ink and clear embossing powder. I used watercolour pencils to colour the centre in the colours of the rainblow.

Finally I added the twine and the cloud button as I thought it was more suitable to the rainbow.

Come over at Addicted to CAS to see the amazing creations from the design team and to play along with us. The sponsor for this challenge is Clear Dollar Stamps offering the winner of the challenge an amazing $15 gift voucher!!!

Hugs - and Happy Easter to my Greek friends!

Anastasia

Happy 1st of May!

...And what does the 1st of May bring?

...A new challenge over at Get Creative and flowers!

...And if we make them 2-in-2...

...The new challenge at Get Creative is to make a layout with many-many flowers!!!

*zzztoup!* hard landing as we say in Greece, lol!

So yes ladies of Shabby Chic, it is your chance for revenge!

And if you read the Get Creative post, Irini mentions some complaints by the design team (I wonder who they were.... hmmmmm.....)

But just to see that nothing is impossible and that we can bring everything to what we like... here's the layout I came up with:

Many-many flowers indeed, eh?

I have to give credit for the title once again to the title (and not only) guru Eleni! As soon as she mentioned the sentence, I finally got my inspiration for the layout.

Of course the theme of the layout is the minimal - or even non-existent - relationship I have with flowers in general ;) I was even looking for a flower to take the photo and when I realised that a. it is silly to look for a flower within my house, b. it wasn't possible for a flower to come out from thin air and c. I was absolutely in no mood making a flower myself just to take a photo... I attacked a card I made a while ago and took out the 3-d flower I had made! (Not to worry, the flower is already back at its place on the card, hehehe).

And the flower on the botton right corner...

... Is made out of Get Creative Embellishments crochet flowers. These were two separate white flowers which I coloured with mists and made them into one flower. I added a pearl just for the shake of it ;)

So, fans and non-fans of flowers, will you play with us? I have to admit that I did have fun making the layout at the end (although I doubt that I'm going to make something similar soon, hahaha)

Our sponsor this month is Elina Koutsouradi - the winner will get this amazing goodies! Slourp!

 

I hope you like the layout...

So we are waiting you at Get Creative to see what the DT came up with this challenge... (despite the moaning Irini mentions, hahaha)

Hugs,

Anastasia