Fun Christmas Cheer with Heather

Hi there scrappers.

We've had a week of really weird weather this week. I hope it's been better where you are.

The new Christmas kit from Scrappy Chat Designs is out and I got to have a play with it. I've had a blast! The kit includes some gorgeous Simple Stories papers, a Pan Pastel and some Liquid Pearls among other things.

For my first layout, I took the title 'Be Merry' quite literally. Here's my layout:

I seem to keep scrapping layouts lately where I have to explain about my very silly family! Aunty Rita is such a joker and always comes armed with a supply of gizmos to make people laugh. As you can see, she has no shortage of people willing to help share the silliness! Those fake teeth were just gorgeous - not!

The chalkboard look is hot right now and this background paper is a fabulous one. It allows colours to stand out so well. I mostly used the 3 x 4 Journaling Cards Elements paper on the remainder of this layout. I fussy-cut some items from the cards to use as features, then layered the leftovers and other whole cards behind the photo as a mat. I inked all the edges to help define the papers.

Included in the kit is a bottle of key lime Liquid Pearls. This is a bright lime green. Normally I wouldn't associate a strong colour like this with Liquid Pearls but I'm so glad I gave it a go. I've fallen in love with it! To make the strands of 'Christmas Lights' behind the photo mat I first randomly glued down handfuls of cotton thread. They're only glued under the photo mat. I then carefully placed dots of Liquid Pearls over the top of the cotton. I had to hold the cotton down at first, but once the Liquid Pearls dries, it acts like a glue and holds the cotton in place itself. I think the result is really effective and this technique would look great on a layout about Christmas lights.

The 'Christmas Lights' forming the border were made quite differently. There was no way I could get cotton to sit like that while I put Liquid Pearls on it to glue it into place so I just drew the white lines on with a gel pen. This is a lot easier way to create the lights and looks almost (but not quite!) as good as the cotton method.

I hope you get to scrap some fab Christmas layouts this year.

Happy scrappin'

Heather

Merry Christmas to you Kit

Hi Everyone, the next kit is here!  How exciting that this kit will not only include the usual 3 layouts for you to create, but also at least 3 videos again!  YES how awesome is that!  Two of the videos are full creation videos as well!  You will see and learn many different techniques using the yummy product in the kit.  As always the kit is more than a bunch of goodies... it is like doing 3 classes in the comfort of your home learning many different techniques.

So here it is, our new kit.

This kit features some cool less consumable product and filled with LOADS of techniques to learn!  All teamed up with newly released Simple Stories papers.  There is stickers, We R Memory Keepers washi tape, Cardstock, and some fun bits and pieces to play with and use in some unusual ways!  Each kit also has a full Liquid Pearls bottle and PanPastel which you will be learning loads of different ways how to use.   We are getting the spirit of Christmas a little early with this one, getting 2 Christmas layouts done and out of the way.  The third is all about showing you that you can use very Christmas themed paper to create a non Christmas theme layout.  A technique that will come in handy with your left over papers after making Christmas layouts and cards!  

Spellbinders dies have been used in the creation of the layouts, and whilst not included in the kit, are very easily adapted patterns for those that do not own a die cutting machine.  Dies can be purchased with your kit, so advise if you are interested in these when ordering.  

The techniques are quite unique and so I have included THREE videos to help you nail them!   

Kits are still $39 + Postage with LOADS of value for you money.  International shipping available so please enquire.

Here is some more information for those wanting a to know little more information about our kits.

They are self-paced class kits to complete in the comfort of your own home or with a group of friends

We also have some VERY exciting news coming up with this kit so stay tuned!  It will mean even MORE inspiration and techniques to learn!

Each premier kit comes with:

• Video AND written  instructions of the featured project
• Tips (and sometimes additional technique videos) to complete additional projects with the kit contents
• Feature a particular technique or product to be used well after the life of the kit.  (With all of our kits you will have plenty of product and knowledge to add to future projects)
• Photos of each project including close up detail pictures
• All the product needed to complete the project with a list of additional basic items used such as ink/ paint/ gesso/texture paste you will need out of your supplies.

The kits focus on how to use various products teamed up with some pretty paper to compliment them, so there is always less or non-consumable products in our kits, to not only help you complete some beautiful projects, learn many techniques and ways of using the different product as well as taking them well beyond the kit projects.

Kits are $39 + postage and come out monthly

To order e-mail us at orders.scrappychatdesigns@gmail.com

Scrappy Chat Designs Kit club Membership:

This lasts for 3 months is $135 and includes 3 kits at 5% off and postage for all 3 kits (they are released monthly).  I also pop in a little something extra as a thank-you for being a member.  As a member you also get ‘insider’ info on what is coming up in the next kit – sometimes even a pic!  You are also guaranteed the kits which do sometimes sell out VERY quickly.  If you are interested in membership, you need to pay the membership fee by the 15^th of the month prior.  So to commence in December you need to have your membership fee paid by 15^th November.

Current Kit stocks:
Check out the side bar on the right for kits still in stock.  The numbers are now VERY limited on each of these.

Lets go riding with Heather

Hi there.

It's Heather again with my last layout using this month's kit from Scrappy Chat Designs. I based this layout around the gorgeous My Mind's Eye paper "Beautiful Ride".

Firstly, here's the layout:

To make the background, I first cut out the centre of the Beautiful Ride paper. I left the title in the top left corner, the bike in the bottom right plus the border all the way around. I just used a pair of small scissors around the shaped parts and my trimmer along the straight edge in between. I then lay this border on the woodgrain side of the "Hello" paper for a gorgeous contrast.

I had a fair bit of space around the people in my photo so I made it a bit more interesting by cutting the photo into strips in the blank areas but leaving it intact where my family are. I then used a distressing tool to scratch lines around each piece. I really like this effect. I sprayed the Fireworks spray behind the photo to help ground it.

I didn't want to unbalance the layout by adding journalling in a block anywhere so I wrote my journalling in curved lines across the page and 'hung' my banner from it. The banner is made entirely from scraps leftover from making these three layouts from the kit.

To make the flowers, I again attacked my scraps pile. I tore rough circles from the two papers I used on the layout, wet them and scrunched them up. I then dried them with a heat gun and glued them together in layers. These flowers are so easy to make and are great for adding dimension and interest to your page.I then used a leaf punch and punched the leaves from leftover bar code strips from the other papers from the kit.

Here are some close ups:

I hope you have as much fun creating with your kit as I did!

Happy scrappin'

Heather

Scrapbooking memories blog hop

To continue following the blog hop, head to my personal blog for the post :)

www.beckbt.blogspot.com

xxxx

Be Happy kit takes a different spin - layout One

Hi there, Heather here.

I’m delighted to be here for my first post as an Arty Chic for Scrappy Chat Designs! I’m really pleased to be supporting an Aussie business that provides such great value for money. I don’t know of any other kit company that includes up to three instructional videos as well as products you can use over and over plus unique products in almost every kit.

As an Arty Chic, my job is to show how to make three completely different layouts using exactly the same kit. I hope to be able to introduce new ideas and techniques to the lovely Scrappy Chat customers. (I know they're lovely - I've met quite a few of you!)

My first layout is made from this month’s ‘Be Happy’ kit.

This kit includes all sorts of things - including a packet of crayons! I thought of heaps of ways to use the crayons and decided to feature them in my first layout. Here it is:

I had a lot of fun playing with the crayons on this. I'd hate to think how long it's been since I last held a crayon! I used them to write the title, frame the photos, colour the hessian behind the photos and draw the chevrons and arrows. When I finished I chose a selection of colours and glued the crayons to the page after doing a little squiggle with each one.

You could use the crayons in so many ways on your pages. Try framing pics with large crayon circles, colouring in lettering or drawing child-like pictures to suit the theme of your photo.

There is a 12 x 12 Crafters Workshop stencil in the kit and I used a central part of one of the cameras to create my little camera. They're very cute!

Although some gorgeous chevron washi was supplied with the kit, I wanted a different colour so I hand cut chevrons from cardstock. The bar code strips on the papers were very generous with quite a few details on them so I cut the arrows, the strip at the bottom and some banner shapes from these to add to my page. The only things I used on this page that weren't in the kit were the border punch and a pen.

I hope you have fun with your kit!

Heather

New Arty Chic - Heather McMahon

Well how exciting is this!  We will be having Heather McMahon play along with the premier kits, so now, not only do you get instructions and videos from me to create 3 layouts with the kit, you also get to learn different techniques from Heather, and inspiration to create 3 different layouts if you wish!

Heather will be adding a new layout each week for you all to enjoy.

So for those that don't know Heather, here is a little about her:

I began scrapping in 1999 when a friend dragged me along to a Creative Memories class. I was hooked from the start. I have always kept albums of our special times and I loved that I could display those photos in a creative way.

With two young children and helping with our family business, I found it very hard to find the time to scrap. I tried, unsuccessfully, to keep my albums up to date. From very early on I subscribed to the various scrapping magazines and I got a lot of my inspiration from these.

A couple of years ago I realised that with two independent (sort of!) teens I had more time on my hands and I made a conscious decision to devote more time to learning new techniques and experimenting with products. Since then, my style has become more and more arty. At the moment I’m addicted to stencils, texture paste and sprays. It’s rare that any recent layout doesn’t have one or all three of these on it.

I have been lucky enough to have been on the Manor House Design team and currently design for Scrap Everything, an online scrapping store. I write a regular article, “Workshop Secrets”, for Scrapbooking Memories magazine and occasionally contribute articles to Australian Scrapbook Ideas magazine. I’ve also been published in Scrapbook Creations, Creating Keepsakes and Australian Cardmaking, Stamping and Papercraft.

The highlight of my ‘career’ so far has definitely been winning the Scrapbooking Memories Masters. What an exciting year it’s been! An added bonus of this is that I’ve met a lot more scrappy ladies and have made some wonderful friends who I would never have met otherwise. I’ll always treasure these relationships with people who understand my scrapping addiction! And it is an addiction. My family calls me a scrapping junkie!

You can check out more inspiration from her on her blog


Stay tuned for the first of Heather's layouts with the Be Happy kit!