Autumn

Here's my layout for Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #47 - Weather forecast.  We have beautiful Autumns in Cambridge, New Zealand - they don't call it the 'Town of Trees' for nothing!

I had some great photos of my son playing in the leaves.  I don't have twin boys but I do have Photoshop!  I also wanted to incorporate some photos of the beautiful trees and colours of autumn so I made some small photo tiles to showcase that.

The tree is cut from cartridge 'Graphically Speaking' and the leaves from 'Wild Card' and 'Accent Essentials'.  I popped some of the leaves on 3D foam and used the large leaf for journalling.

I threaded fibre through holes at the top of the page for added interest.

The best Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I got this recipe from a friend of mine who is a total domestic goddess in the kitchen (thanks Anna!).  So if you want to make a moist, delicious cake with to-die-for icing and have excess zucchini to use in your veggie garden, then this is for you!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Makes 2 small or one large cake

125g butter, softened

1 ¾  C sugar

½ C oil

2 eggs

½ C milk

1 t vanilla

¼ C cocoa

2 ½ C flour

1 t baking soda

1 t mixed spice

2 C grated zucchini (more if you have lots!)

1 C chocolate chips

¾ C chopped walnuts

Beat butter and sugar till creamy. Beat in the oil and eggs. Add the milk and vanilla and beat again. Stir in dry ingredients. Fold in the grated zucchini, chocolate chips and walnuts.

Bake at 180°C for 30 mins (the more zucchini that is added , the longer it takes to cook).

Cream cheese icing (for 2 cakes)

125g butter, softened

250g cream cheese, softened

500g icing sugar

1 t vanilla

¼ C cocoa

Love

I wanted a red monochromatic layout to emphasise the 'love' from the photos of my son with his new baby sister.

I welded hearts in Design Studio using several cartridges, to make 'lace cardstock' and placed 3D foam underneath it to pop it up from the base cardstock (see close-up photo). 

I also cut out lettering from cardstock and debossed it.  I placed the letters on top of the layout, turned it over and used an embossing tool to go around the edges.  So, part of the title (Big love, Big hugs), is very subtle across the left-hand side of the layout (see close-up photo).  I popped the remaining part of the title (Big brother), onto 3D foam on the right-hand side of the layout.

This layout is for the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge 'LOVE' theme and is also linked to Passionately Artistic.

Big love, Big hugs, Big brother

Close up of Cricut-cut lace cardstock



Debossed lettering



February Challenges from Better Scrapbooking

Here are the latest challenges from Better Scrapbooking.  Give one or all a go and post your challenges here.

Layout challenge - Back to School

All our children are starting or started back at school this week.  What a fantastic excuse for a layout.  Take a photo of your child/ren in their school uniforms and school bags outside of their school (how embarrassing, but it's for scrapbooking so it's ok) and create a layout.  If you children really object what about a layout of you back in your school days.  Have fun with this.

Photo Challenge - Natural Frames
Take a photo with the subjects framed by something, like a child in a field framed by the long grass.  Here a chance to get creative with your camera

Project Challenge - Valentines Day Gift
Valentine's Day is coming up, why not make something for someone you care about.  Take a photo and upload it for this challenge..

Card Challenge - A card to cheer someone up.

Make a card that you think would cheer up someone.  Then take a photo and upload it.  Then give it to someone you think needs cheering up.

Upload photos of your challenge to the online gallery before the end of February to go into the draw for a RAK prize from Better Scrapbooking. 

Here's my layout challenge for 'Back to School'.  My kids aren't at school yet but here's one of my mother-in-law.

Steppin' Up

Had fun with sketch #5 from GYSO.  I have been wanting to scrap these pics of my daughter 'steppin' up' for the first time.  So thanks for the inspiration GYSO!

I flipped the sketch around 90 degrees and here's my take on it;

DCVW Doodlin' Around stack pack, Peelcraft letters, brads, 3D foam, black pen

Ticket to Ride

Here is my layout for the Cooking with Cricut Shadow Challenge - to use a shadow somewhere on your project.

The tickets from the train ride were my inspiration for this layout and have included them on my layout.  Here I have used the 'Mickey Font' ends cap ticket and shadow for the title.  I have also used the shadow feature of the train and carriages from 'My Community' for the photos to sit on.

I turned the journalling strips into railway sleepers and attached 7 Gypsies metal photo turns for added interest.

Buttons

I'm a big fan of buttons.  I totally rate them up there with brads and 3D foam tape.

I had some beautiful paper left over from the Better Scrapbooking December ScrapPack which I was not going to waste but not enough for another layout.  So I decided to make some cards - with buttons.



Card 1



Card 2 - Flowers & buttons

Card 2 - Close up view

Card 3 - Just buttons