Some orange (and some graffiti!)

The end of the week of orange.  I love orange, though I have no idea why? I don't like it hugely in real life, but I love it on scrapbook pages.  Just this minute, I have put together a paper layout so I could share it with you. It isn't as blatantly 'orange' as I thought it would turn out, looking at the photo, but there is certainly some orange going on! Here it is, hot off the press.







































On browsing through some older layouts this morning , in the hunt for orange, this one jumped out at me, purely on it's 'orangeness', and coincidentally, happens to be running along a similar theme to the layout above!

(And here's another photo, waiting to be scrapped.....do I have a graffiti issue???)

And do I want to go to this place below? Um...gasp...yes, please?? Sadly I can't, as it's been closed to the public (not that it was ever opened to the public, it was just an abandoned depot, which is now guarded by several large and apparently very aggressive rottweiler guard dogs!)

(Photos by Susan Clark and William Cowan respectively)

Anyway, I have been distracted, and will now return to orange! Will throw you a couple of OLD yet favourite orange pages, these being 12 x 12, a size which I no longer scrap in. I'm a 8.5 x 11 scrapper now, due to it's speediness and ease! These layouts below have some Ali Edwards influence which that circle word stamp - must dig that up out of my supplies!

 

 

See you next week, for a new colour of the rainbow, from which to be inspired!  

PS. Apologies for mid post distraction!

Purple on Friday

The last day of our purple week!

I like purple, and like when I do purple layouts, but I have very few. I have very little purple paper for some unknown reason, and always have to scrounge into the deep depths for purple cardstock scraps or patterned paper. I really have hardly any. Purple seems to have been a challenge for the other Simple girls too.

But today I have, shock and horror, a NEW layout for you, taken with my current favourite type of photos, 'Instagram'!

 

And here is an old 12 x 12 layout that I still haven't put a title on - only 3 years late. Planning, one day, to have a title in white thickers across bottom right hand corner of main photo. Call me lazy. 

This last layout is really really old, about 6 or 7 years, but I love this layout, as it uses 4 photo (one odd shaped) and the colour combo was Cathy Z inspired.  Would do a slightly brighter green if I were to do it again, but it's still one to look back on and be happy!

See you next week!

Week Five | PURPLE

I am a child of the eighties, and this week's layout is proof.

I love this movie, sure, it's never going to win any awards, but that doesn't matter, it's good film.
Escapism; exactly what I like in a movie.

As for purple, well, I use it more than I think, well I did when I used cardstock. I don't have many purple digi pages. Purple is more versatile than you think and I'll leave further explanation and examples to the others, who are more colour cognisant than I.

Purple, love it or loathe it, have you used it on a page recently?

Look at the stars...

I have 2 pages to share that have the colour yellow in them.

Here we have taken the yellow in the school uniform and used just a few yellow accents on the page.(Yes we! Yes I had my friend helping with this page too...love it when she finishes her pages and needs to play with photos!)

In this page I just let the yellow from Livvy's shirt stand alone. It is very bright so I thought that was enough and went with a super simple background.

Now last week I asked what song the line "I see red, I see red, I see red" came from. Come on...please tell me someone knows. I will give you another week ladies.

This week  am going to give you the answer for the line that is my title.

I see red, I see red, I see red

I have pulled out an oldie for my red page.

And I love that I have used these "less than perfect" photos...they tell the real story of us as a family.

Pop Quiz time

Who sang the song with the words of my post in it?

Two Layouts

Morning!

It's the start of the last week of Term One here, I've almost made it with my baby starting school and me returning to work out of the home - phew!
I'm a little behind with showing you my version of the sketches, I was up to Nicole's and have two versions to show today.
I used the 12x12 option, one was quite literal and the other changed just a bit, nothing drastic, but fitting in with my current needs.

I haven't scrapped since I made these two pages and I'm not sure what stories I want to tell at the moment, sometimes everything seems worthy of a page and at other times, nothing feels recordable ... does that happen to you?

Saturday sketch (no. 4)

Hi all!  Here's a sketch challenge for you. After a rainy RAINY week here in Sydney, today is spectacular, so all Sydney readers, get out there and enjoy it!! Scrapping can wait (til tonight, anyway). Saturday night raging consists of cardstock, a computer, and some patterned paper!

So today's sketch can use as many photos as you like really. You can fill those top three coloured blocks with photos, or just fill two of them, and fill the other with paper, or as I did, I got 5 small photos into the two horizontal blocks.

I also have a 12 x 12 version for you if that is your preference. The main vertical photo would be good as a 5 x 7 or even a 6 x 8 in the 12 x 12 size.  The main photo is approx 4 x 6 in the 8.5x11" layout. 

My take on the sketch is below. Every year we have a gingerbread making Sunday afternoon in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and every year it get scrapped. I like scrapping traditions, and seeing how big the children get in basically the same photos from year to year. If you've known me or my scrapping for several years now, you may well be sick of all my ginger bread pages!

If you give the sketch a go, post a link to your blog or flicker page so we can see!!


Nicole xx


And here's a 'gingerbread tradition' layout from 4 years ago. Similar colours, smallerr kids! (but slightly different sketch!)

In the moment...

I have to say I am always inspired by fellow SAG Amy and our good SAGgy friend Alexa. The are both awesome at capturing a moment or a memory with words. I read their blogs and am always inspired to "tell the story". Today I was visiting Alexa's blog and emailing a funny story to Amy and Sharon. So I stopped and told the story on this page.

Template Ali Edwards

I changed some of the title letters to match the colours from the photo.

Connections...

There are lots of things I love about memory keeping. I love photos and the stories,  I do enjoy the creative side of it ( even though I have had to let go of my love of glitter after an intervention by Nicole!) and especially love it when my kids look at their albums.

But for me the one thing I love most is the ability to make connections between my 4 children. I love seeing a photo of Mark on the page with his sisters. And they love to read about him and know they are a lot like him.

I had originally planned to just do a page of the kids on their first birthday but when I went back through the photos I found a common theme...they are all very messy cake eaters :)

 

At the moment this is a digi page. I will print out the photo section as an 8 x 10, then print the title and a journalling on some white Bazzil and mat it on some black or maybe java. And maybe add a brad or 2. I like the texture of the cardstock. I will post the end result next week.

Oh and one quick tip! Looking back at old photos is a lot of fun.

  

Oh to be so young and fresh faced again!!! My boy and me...I love it!!!

Don't forget to leave a comment on Sharon's post to be in the running for an great motivating prize!!!

Welcome 2012

Well, the festive/silly/school holiday/Australia Day season has drawn to a close for us Aussies.
It certainly is a long couple of months for us here in Australia. So much happens in the months of December and January and the weather can hit us in extremes.

February sees the return to school and some sort of normalcy (actually insanity at most places as the homework and after-school activities soon consume our lives)!

But most importantly February brings some renewed enthusiasm to tell the stories of our lives. New ideas and projects can be found on so many blogs. Here at Simple Aussie Girls we will continue to do what we started last year ... share how we record the stories of our lives in a simple way.

I must confess I have not scrapped in a while although I have managed to accumulate more digi products and bookmark lots more inspiring blogs. So fingers crossed this will spark a return to story telling ASAP!!

During the break we took the family to Canada and California for a wonderful holiday. I took over 9000 photos and am working my way through them right now. Here are a few I have popped into a great free template I downloaded here. I am thinking it looks like a great and simple title page!!!

To anyone reading this from Canada...Can I say your country is stunning!
The Rockies are one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen in my life.


I hope you will join us in 2012 and continue to tell the stories that matter most to your family.


Oh, and be sure to check back in on Wednesday when Sharon has an awesome giveaway up for grabs.

First days

Hi all, long time no see!! It's certainly been a while!


Well we are all back from summer holidays and the new year has begun with kids back at school, and the reality of everyday life and rountines awkwardly finding their way back into our worlds.

If you live in our part of the world and if you have kids, chances are you will be experiencing some first days. We just experienced first day of high school this week with my eldest girl, you might be doing first days of preschool, kindy, primary, or university?

My youngest girl is going into year 2, so now that our 'first days of school' are officially well past,  I gathered everybody's first day photos, including my own (most flattering kindy shot ever...) and scrapped them all together on a layout. My mum took the photo of me in the 70's in front of our mail box, so I followed the tradition with my own girls.

Got any 'first days' going on in your life at the moment?

It Is All About The Story ...

When I decided I'd like to start scrapbooking, the decision I really made was, that I had decided to start recording the stories of my life. I have a particular style of recording these memories of mine and the very next scrapper I talk to, has their own unique version of storytelling.

I've found copying and pasting blog entries to be a highly effective way to convert stories to paper. Over the past twelve months I have participated in an online storytelling link-up each month, it encourages, mainly scrapbookers, to write a story on the first Sunday of the month. There is no pressure to scrap, it is simply words and pictures, or, only words if you prefer. The point is, you get a story told.

So, it's December, the kids are tired, the shops are chaotic and you've probably exceeded your weekly alcohol allowance; I know, you're tired - but, if you find a moment to scrap, don't forget the story!


PS: If any of the SAG design gurus can work out a layout design that copes with A LOT of writing I would greatly appreciate their input!

Amy x

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date

that is what it sort of feels like around here, whoever said there was nothing to do in the country was living in a dream land. ANYHOW, I have opened one of the kids albums randomly and selected the first page that it opened at to share with you today.

A very quick, clean and simple page. Like the simple grid sort of pattern and sticking it straight onto the cardstock with no matt, and the nice white space.

And yes, another instalment in the Chronicles of Dodgy Cakes from my kitchen. At least if nothing else I am consistent. 

I also used chipboard heart that had been languishing around my desk for ages. I never know what to do with them.

Do you struggle with embellishments and what to do with them? I'm in the less is more party, but sometimes feel I might be leaning towards TOO minimal! what floats your boat in the embellishment stakes? your favourite go to thing... do share!

its Wednesday again already?!

Its a bunch of crazy happening around here, and hot and windy to boot, which makes the cranky levels crank up a notch. But never fear, just because my desk is drowning under a pile of assorted crap stuff, doesn't mean I will leave you bereft of scrappy goodness on a Wednesday.

I delved into the archives and found these pages, based on the same sketch provided by Nicole. The sketch I cannot locate sadly...

And because I have three kids, the third page....

Admittedly, the first one is a bit turned around, but sometimes I get all exciting like that!

I am meant to be back here on Friday....but we shall see how the crazy goes....

its not that far away

Christmas...a page I did recently, about obviously, Christmas. A quick collage of photos summarising Christmas that year, printed, some thickers, a brad and some handwriting with a white pen that wouldn't really work that well.Which begs the question: please tell me of a good, reliable, easy to get, WHITE PEN? what sort do you use? where did you get it? I would love a pen that just writes well and evenly!

Thanks for stopping by! Please do tell me about your white pens....

Sharon

some oldies (really oldies)

Wow! You know what I love about the simple style?? That I can look back on really old pages and still love them!! Simple is so timeless and doesn't rely on current fads and styles and trends. Well, it does a bit, I guess, especially with regards to colour, but I love that I still love these pages. This baby, and this 2 year old is now in her eighth year!  Oh, she was so cute and yummy, and oh, how I'm glad I scrapped these moments, which are now SO gone!  Lovin' when you've been doing a hobby long enough that you can really 'look back when'.

Lovin' our hobby. You??

You Little Beauty ...

Keeping in theme on a couple of things this week, I have used a template that may be gracing my albums already - a bit like scrapping yourself according to Diane yesterday - and, being very true to myself, this is an 'in the moment' page that is also making the news! Phew .. have all things covered I think.

Ever the patriotic sports loving Australian who enjoys her tennis - this has been a long time coming and very well deserved in my opinion ... but this is a blog about stories and photos, not my take on world sporting events and the lack of exposure women's events receive in this country ....

A Cathy Zielske template with a background filled using the colour picker.

So, get on with it, no procrastinating ... we'd love to see how you dealt with Sharon's double page challenge from last week and while you are at it - lift one of your favourite pages!

Trapped Space - a tutorial

Today I have a little design rule for you, if you care for it. My old students who read this blog will be aware of it, but there may well be many of you who are unaware of it, so I will repeat it for you. This rule has the potential to transform your lives (not really, but maybe just your pages). I'm bringing out some really old pages to use as examples proving that simple is timeless. The girl in the first layout is almost 12 now!

The rule of trapped space involves NOT trapping any space between items on your page. When one DOES trap space the layout can look like the elements are all too separate on a page, and not working together and flowing nicely. We, as scrapbookers, subconsciously might know that it's 'not coming together' but not know why, and try to fill the spaces with more and more embellishments, trying to make it 'work'. Decent design early on, will save you a lot a time and anguish, and embellishments!Though even if you do like a less 'simple' look, you can still design the page well, then go to town with embellishments if that's your style.

For example compare the two sketches below. On each of the sketches, the same five elements have been used (consider them 3 photos, a journaling black and a heading). Which layout looks well thought out, organised, pleasing to the eye. It’s 'B' - hope you already guessed that. There are large amounts of space ‘caught’ between the items on 'A'

  

A

 

    

 B

You can certainly have large amounts of space, but it needs to be able flow OFF the edge of the page. Pretend the blocks of space are water. You want it to be able to flow easily off the edge of the page, not create a puddles or wide rivers in the middle.

It’s a bit hard to explain on paper, but hopefully you are understanding what I am trying to say.

Have a look at these layouts below. This first layout over page titled ‘Be Silly’ uses pretty much just BAZZILL cardstock and have a look at where the blocks of space are. Top right hand corner, a bit in the lower right hand corner, and a strip of space is down the left hand side. All three of these blocks of SPACE flow off the edge of the page. All the items, (the heading, journaling and photos) are kind of grouped together. The ’space’ between the journaling and the photo is only about 2cm wide - about the widest space should be before it is considered ‘trapped’ space.

This next page below is titled ‘the life’.  Where are the blocks of space? Top right corner and bottom left corner - not trapped in the middle. For this page I just drew lines on the page in WORD, then put the journaling into text boxes and moved them around to fit where I wanted them.

There are times when rules can be successfully broken. But it always helps to know the rules before you break them! At least then you are doing it on purpose. I often ‘frame’ my page with a narrow frame or border - this doesn’t seem to create a trapped space issue. Just consider the frame the edge of the page - eg below.

You getting it? Basically, group stuff together. Free the tapped space. That’s it. Have fun.


Nicole x

PS. Scroll down and have a look at where the empty space is in the last few layouts posted, eg 'dance' by Emma, and 'Olivia' by Di.  Why do these layouts work so well? It's the lack of trapped space. My old students... I am so proud! 
(Sharon, yours is lovely too, I just didn't have the pleasure to teach you! :) Though if I had, I bet you would would have been the naughty one up the back with Di, who never stopped talking!
 

a collection of photos

from different times throughout the year:

that when I put them all together in a little pile, started to tell their own story.

  And making myself use some diecuts and stickers that came with a pack of paper.

More of me over HERE. Thanks for dropping by.

but wait ... there's more

Just to show you another example using this same template, this time I left all of the photo areas visible and added two pieces of digital patterned paper and two photos. I also removed the word art from along the bottom and changed the title too - super versatile.