UK Scrappers Blog Hop Layout

Hello!

Each day throughout December (up to the 23rd) UK Scrappers have been featuring a different project on their home page - kind of like a blog hop but one blog to visit each day! 

Today it's our turn!

UK Scrappers are offering a prize to one lucky winner who comments on all the participating blogs! More on that at the end of this post.

With just a couple of days to go now until the BIG Day, I thought we would have a little break from "full-on" Christmas themed crafting and so I've made a layout which focuses a little more on our day to day activities at this time of year. 

I wanted to document how we enjoy visiting our local coffee shop to warm up and sip coffees (me) or hot chocolate (her)!

I've used supplies from Echo Park "Keepin' Cozy". The papers in this collection are lovely for winter seasonal scrapping as they're not heavily Christmas themed. 

B sides of the papers!

 I kept the design very simple as at this time of year it's difficult to find the time to scrap so when I do get chance, I want to make fairly quick and easy pages. Less than hour from start to "in the album" is ideal!! I'm sure some of you are the same during the busy festive season.

I chose a piece of kraft bazzill cardstock as my background and two sheets of patterned paper. I started off by trimming .5" off two sides of the patterned paper (green) so that I would have a .25" border to my layout and I "gutted" both the patterned paper and the kraft to make the papers go further and also to use for punching shapes for embellishing later.

I also cut the other paper (red one) to a 12" x 7" panel. 
The edges are inked with distress ink and a blending tool.

Next I layered them all up and adhered in place so that the red strip was about 1.25" up from the bottom edge.

I'm loving instagram photos as the moment and picked one out, featuring my daughter enjoying a hot chocolate, for this page along with one of the journalling cards and adhered them into place.

Three clusters of embellishments using some Glitz heart washi tape, which I tucked just under the edge of the photo, a few punched scalloped circles, some stickers (from "Keepin' Cozy" and Simple Stories "Girl" Sn@p Stickers), wood veneers and enamel dots and my title (using letter stickers from Simple Stories December Documented) is all this page needed before I called it finished!

The supplies used on this page can be found in the S J Crafts Shop!

Don't forget if you visit each featured blog or project each day, leaving a comment (with your UK Scrapper user name) and then go back to UK Scrappers after you've visited the last project tomorrow and leave a comment on the "Blog Hop" thread over there you will be entered into the draw. The full list of projects and details can be found here.

We are currently on the look out for 1 or 2 talented crafters to join out Design Team. Details of our DT call is here and the call is open until 6th January.

All the S J Crafts team wish you a very Happy Christmas and Best Wishes for 2014!

UK Scrappers Blog Hop!

Hello and welcome! 

Today we are excited to be participating in the UK Scrappers Blog Hop. If you are following the hop you should have arrived here from Sir Stampalot!!  To be in with a chance of winning the UKS Blog Hop prizes you will need to comment on this post (and on all the blogs in the hop) and remember to mention your UKS user name in your comment. Finally be sure to reply in the UKS thread on the forum when you have completed the hop.

After your visit here hop on to That's Crafty and if you lose your way or you want to start at the beginning of the hop you can find the complete list here!

We are also offering 20% off all orders placed via our online shop with the code UKSBLOGHOP entered during checkout.  The code is valid right up until 11pm on Thursday 5th July.

Our project for you today is a fairly quick layout - it took me just over an hour (excluding drying time!) to complete! We'd love you to have a go too!!

"Summer Days" Layout

This is the kit of supplies that I gathered together:

2 x patterned papers - Try to pick one bold and and one more subtle pattern. My patterned papers are from Echo Park So Happy Together

1 x bazzill cardstock (12 x 12) (for your background) and 1 scrap of cardstock - (I didn't use the green on this layout in the end so just ignore that in the pic!)

A sheet of journalling cards (mine is "jot it down" by Echo Park)

Selection of Stickers - I picked out the alphas and stickers from Echo Park's Hello Summer and So Happy Together. I love how these two collections work so well together.

Stamp Set - My stamps are from My Minds Eye, Miss Caroline. You will need a stamp for the background and this set also has a "date" and "place" stamp but you can leave these out if you don't have them.

Paint Dabber - I used Jenni Bowlin in speckled egg. 

Pink Gems - Mine are by Hero Arts. 

Washi Tape
Photograph- 1 x 6" x 4" Portrait

So, onto making the layout:

Choose your back ground cardstock (I used a sheet of kraft bazzill) and cut 2 panels from the patterned paper and scrap cardstock (or you could use another pattern instead of cardstock if you prefer). The sizes were approx 13cm x 17cm and 12cm x 16.5cm but if you are using a different size photo just adjust the sizes appropriately. 
Choose and cut out a journalling card from the 12 x 12 sheet.

Mat your photograph onto a piece of patterned paper (a more subtle pattern works better) and adhere to the other 2 panels. Don't put adhesive on the edges of the paper so you can slightly lift the corners to give some texture and also if you want to tuck anything under later.  

Position on your background cardstock (but don't stick it down just yet) and lightly mark with a pencil where your photo mat will be and then put it safely to one side whilst you apply the paint in the next step!

Stamp your background stamp using the paint dabber to apply paint to the stamp (instead of ink) and then take the lid off the bottle and dip a paintbrush into the paint and gently flick onto the cardstock. You might want to practice this on scrap card if you've not created paint splatters like this before!
Use you pencil marks to help you get the paint where you want it to show!

Once the paint is dry adhere your photo mat to the background and add a title. I used the "Summer" sticker and the small blue alphas so I could raise it with foam pads.

Choose a border sticker and tuck this under the bottom edge of the photo mat with a strip of washi tape to soften the edges a little. I tore the tape but you can cut it if you prefer a neater edge.

Apply paint to the date and place stamp and stamp onto journalling card. If you don't have stamps for this, handwrite them onto the card or you could journal onto the card instead.

Cut small strips of patterned paper and layer up on the top edge with a small piece of tape and add a punched butterfly (or a small embellishment). I used my Martha Stewart punch.

Add the journal card tucking it under the photo mat and tuck a small piece of border sticker and washi tape under the card.

Add few more stickers, raising some up on foam pads and scatter punched butterflies and gemstones to finish.

I hope you've enjoyed our step by step instructions and if you do make a layout using them do let us know if the comments so we can come and see!

So, if you're following the blog hop, your next stop is That's Crafty

That's for stopping by!

Simple Recipe - For Uk Scrappers!

Each month over on UK Scrappers a sponsor is setting the Simple Recipe Challenge.

S J Crafts were delighted to be invited to "cook up" the recipe for April!!

The aim of Simple Recipes is to give you a starting point to kick off your creative time. Often, when we sit down to scrap, actually getting started is the first hurdle we come to, so the recipes are designed to give you a helping hand to pick out your papers and get started.

Each month's recipe has a colour scheme and some "added ingredients" to help you put your supplies together. There's samples and sketches too and of course you can take as much or as little from each recipe as you like.

As Spring seems to be here (hopefully!) I came up with a colour combination full of spring colours!

The added ingredients for April are:

To use stickers as part of your design and feature twine, wool or thread!!

April's recipe can be downloaded in full from here - it has lots more ideas for using up stickers and twine, a sketch to work from and shows how my layout came together!!

Supplies: kraft cardstock, MME Miss Caroline papers, Echo Park This & That Chipboard, twine, Cosmo Cricket yellow tiny alpha stickers, Prima pearls, AC thickers letter, brads.

If you do use the recipe to create a layout we'd love to see .... upload your layout to your blog and link us up in the comments so we can stop by!!

Celebrate with 15% off!!

We are celebrating our first week as a new sponsor over on UK Scrappers.

To get a 15% discount off your total order enter the code UKSOCT in the discount code box in the shopping basket!

Hurry as this offer is only valid until 11pm on Wednesday 12th October and is for UK delivery only.

Don't forget P & P is free when you spend over £15!

Click HERE to go shopping now!

Uk Scrappers!!!

I am very excited to be able to announce that S J Crafts are now a sponsor of UK Scrappers!

 UK Scrappers is a fantastic on line crafting community full of inspiration and ideas and a chance to communicate with others who share your love of crafting! If you've never visited them pop over there now!

I'll be back with a special offer very soon to celebrate our new sponsorship, but in the meantime don't forget this week's Thursday offer on stickles!!

 ~ Buy one get one half price!! ~ Details here! ~

Have a great weekend!