Friday, February 19, 2010

Shabby, Tutorials,Giveaways,&Winners,,,n More


Hello and Welcome to a Brand New Day!...... :)

Just a quick post with lots of different bits and pieces.....
It's "Raining Cats and Dogs" here so
I have been unable to take any photos...:(

So..... I thought it might be a good idea 
to share some Pretty Shabby Finds, Giveaways, 
Tutorials and Crafty Gos... 
That I have found Inspiring...

I found this gorgeous image Here at Cute Pink Stuff
Oh.... and if you feel like some Retail Therapy Shabby Pink Style....
Or even just Drooling..... lol
Then you will love this Blog and Store! :)

Don't you just love Shabby Gates?? I know I do....
I thought this one looks so inviting......
It makes me think....
"Come in.. sit down... relax.... &
  Have a cuppa with me on the veranda"..... don't you think??
But I had better let you know I am much better at making good coffee rather than tea....:)
And how about we share a cupcake with that cuppa???

Yep.... I've discovered that even Cupcakes can be considered "Shabby"....:)


Now.... Speaking of 
"Gorgeous Shabby"

I have to say a 
Huge Congratulations to Deb !!!!
 Deb won Challenge 8 at Lets Get Shabby!
With this shabbyliscious entry.....
 Debs Inspiring Blog -"Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow....."
And can be seen here..... Deb's Blog 
Please pay her a visit she has tons of gorgeous work to share....:)

And I am delighted to share with you my excitement.....
My Layout ....
Received an Honorable Mention!!!
I can hardly believe this myself.... as it was my first time at Shabby!!:)
Congratulations to all the other girls who made the HM List!! 
Well done and soo deserving!!
I cant wait for Challenge 9 to be announced!

Another Layout to share...:)

Q Sera Sera...
Whatever Will Be.. Will Be...
Thought I would pop it in this post as it is very Pink and a wee bit shabby...:)


And how about a 
  "Shabby" Freebie....

The Graphics Fairy has
A Gorgeous Shabby Pink Rose Freebie on her blog
I thought it was just perfect to share with this post... :)

 You can find it here....
Be sure to go and grab it and 
While you're there check out all the other great freebies as well....
There is definitely something for everyone! :)



Inspiring Tutorials To Share.....

I also found this great Shabby Cup Cake Tutorial, 
Made by the very talented Linda Albrecht
On the Melissa Francis Blog and thought you might like to check it out....



On Linda's Albrecht's own Blog you can find another
Great Shabbyliscious Tutorial
on how to make these gorgeous crepe paper roses.....
Aren't they beautiful????
think you may soon see some more of these right here....:)


A Gathering of Thoughts
Has a tutorial on how to make these
Absolutely Gorgeous Strawberry Sachets

You can this one and more here....
A Gathering of Thoughts


Everybody Loves a Giveaway...

Robins Egg Blues
Has a totally gorgeous & inspiring
Vintage White Giveaway
on her Blog....
Oh how I love this blog.....sigh...

You can see it in more detail and enter here....:)
Robins Egg Blues

And while you are at Robins Egg Blues
be sure to check out Linda's
Dress Form Tutorial....
Isn't she just beautiful!!!!


This gorgeous Turquoise and Tangerine.... :)
Sweet Treats Giveaway
Can be found at

Tallulah Belles
You can say "hi" to the lovely Kris and enter here....
Tallulah Belles


Brynwood Needlework is having a
Giveaway to celebrate 300 Posts..
How awesome when I am just starting.....

see it here..Brynwood Needleworks

Well my New and Dear Friends,
I must close for now as I really do need some sleep....
Night Shift can be so bothersome sometimes!!! LOL!!!

Please don't forget to leave me a comment 
To say you have been...and seen...& hopefully liked...LOL
I read each and every one of them and 
They definitely have inspired me to keep going...

And don't forget Every Comment you leave gives YOU 
An entry in my very own Giveaway...
And there is still a week to enter..:)

Even if you don't have a blog... 
could you please leave me a way of contacting you
In the comments sections somehow?

Thanks so very much for your continued support
I am  looking forward to becoming better friends with you all...
Bye for Now,
Hugs
Lou xx

Hope to see you all  again real soon!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

An Apology

OK my second post for today is to apologize to the 
 Lets Get Shabby Challenge Blog 
And Their Wonderful Sponsor  
Ruby Street Designs 
(Who bye the way is now called Tallulahbelles...
and has become part of Etsy)

I accidentally broke one the rules of the LGS Blog
By posting something else in the same post as my entry... 
So I am re-posting my entry here.. and then I can fix the link to my entry....:)


It was an honest mistake, due mainly to my excitement of finally having a Blog
And trying to include too many things my first post....

I am sure that the lovely Kris from Ruby Street Designs 
Knows me well enough to know it was not malicious in any way, 
And I did not mean any harm by it.... 
So please accept my sincere apology....
I am also happy to withdraw my entry if that is preferred.....




sorry_flower.gif
Bling Comments

I tried to find the most "shabby Chic" motif I could find....:)

 I would also like to add that if I should offend anyone by accident....
Please feel that you can tell me.

Thanks for your understanding...
Lou xx

P.S. All in all you I could say I have had a crappy day!
Let's hope tomorrow is a better one!


Faux Pas

I have made not 1 but 2 Faux pas....... 
I'm  sooooo embarrassed...

In my post below I originally had the name of Jill's shop mixed up,
But corrected it as soon as I became aware..:) 
There are two very similarly named shops, A
And somehow I mixed up the initials... 

But I can absolutely recommend 
A MILLION LITTLE THINGS 
With 100% Confidence!

If you did read the post before it was fixed 
I apologize profusely for the mix up,
And you will also think I am a wee bit mad.....
As the other shop doesn't have any new Prima in store yet.....
And will have wondered what I was talking about???

I am a little relieved to hear that mixing up the 2 
Is apparently is not uncommon.....
So I humbly offer
 My Sincerest Apology....
to anyone this affected...

I hope this occasionally happens to others
When they enter this whole blog-land affair....
And I am not the only idiot out there...

Thanks for your understanding and 
Especially Jill's graciousness :)

Lou xxx

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

You will have to be QUICK!

If you cant wait for new PRIMA... to get to Aus... or your LSS, 
Or you need a little "Prima fix" before it does...:)
Then may I recommend an excellent online store....
  A Million Little Things
Jill's shipment of Brand New CHAW 2010 Prima has just arrived....:)
And she is loading the new goodies as I write.... But let me warn you... 
You will have to be QUICK as all the new stuff  is just walking out the door.... 
Man those Scrapping Chickie's over there are fast!!! :)

Not only does Jill have new Prima, but lots of the yummy new goodies from other top companies like..
American Crafts - delightful new Dear Lizzy line,
Scrumptious  Sass Lass, Gorgeous Glitz Designs, 
Cool Cosmo Cricket.. and the list goes on.....
Here is some pics of the new PRIMA Jill has in-store just to wet your appetite....
OK They are some of my favorites.... :)

Flights of Fancy Collection


Pastiche Collection


Shabby Chic Collection


Jill also has the new gorgeous Prima  STAMPS and here's just one example ....

And all the matching Alphas... Here's just an example.. lots of styles to choose from :)


And the most stunning Chipboard Journalling Tags and Pieces


Jill is about to load the Gorgeous New Flowers soon....
You just have to hit the "whats new" button every now and then... 
Like I do.... blushing... lol!
I think I'm glad they are not up yet as I don't think I could choose just one favorite!!! Lol!!

Jill's prices are exceptionally good, actually a bit cheap I think.. lol... and her postage rates are excellent!! She gets you the best rate around and gives you a refund for any extra that shopping cart may have calculated... How is that for excellence in service??

No I'm not on the DT at A Million Memories nor is Jill paying me. lol.. 
Just thought I would share this wonderful little shop with you... 
and a lovely lady I have met thru the scrapping world :)
The link to AMLT is on my side bar under My Favorite Shops..

Happy Shopping and Happy Scrapping / Crafting....

Please don't forget to leave me a comment
to say you've been to visit...
I love reading them.. and I am still terribly excited
re this whole Blog Thing!!!

I just have to share one amazing comment with you...

Hi again :) I found your blog because I did a search 
for some inspiration pictures 
and one of them was on your blog and just ended up loving it! :) 

This totally blew me away.... especially as my Blog is not even a week old!!!
And definitely Inspired Me to keep me going... :)

This comment  is from the lovely Kim Wilson...
Kim makes the most beautiful cards..


Kim's Blog can be found here...
http://offthewallcraftiness.blogspot.com/
And you should see the amazing Storage Item that Kim made from an old lamp....
It is absolutely fantastic! You have to check it out!
Please visit and say Hi to Kim.... 
I am sure she will be a Favorite... :)

What's Up Next?????
Well as my layout should be finished by then....
And I am still trying  to perfect this whole Shabby Chic look.....
I thought.... "How about a little bit of  
Shabby Chick Inspiration??"

So it's
Farewell For Now My Friends....
Hope to see you again soon....
Hugs Lou xx
P.S. There is still time to enter the Giveaway.... See  the post "Hello and Welcome....."

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Tealicious

Firstly, I must start with a 
Heartfelt "Thankyou" to YOU!

For visiting my humble Blog and 
For all of your lovely comments....
Now I know you all have blogs.. 
but this truly has been a big step for me!!
And I so appreciate your encouragement !

 
Tealicious???? You ask??
I guess by now you have got the hint! lol!!!

Yep..... The Colour TURQUOISE (or commonly known as TEAL)
And as some of you know one of my all time faves!!!
Anywhere from Duck Egg Blue thru to the most vibrant Teal..... :)


PANTONE has predicted that TURQUOISE is
THE Colour of 2010! 
And was I smiling when I read that?? Yep you had better believe it! lol
"Turquoise transports us to an exciting Tropical Paradise
While offering a sense of Protection and Healing in Stressful Times....."

I wish I was here right now!!! Dont you??

TURQUOISE is definitely  having an impact  on this season's fashion....


And how about these joggers by NIKE???
Might even be enough inspiration to get me to the gym!!! LOL!!!!



Now I could even go as far as to suggest
 TURQUOISE could be classed as a NEUTRAL..... lol! 
Yes I love this colour that much!!! 
You'll see what I mean......

And if you are ever Stuck for INSPIRATION
and your Mojo has floated off somewhere....
Try surfing around Wedding Company Blogs and Interior Design sites...
(2 of my faves) and you are sure to find some inspiration like this......

 
Turquoise and White
Simply Stunning!




Turquoise and Navy... 
Now I might just have to try this as i loooove Navy Too!




Turquoise and Brown.....
Just plain YUMMY!






Turquoise and Tangerine......
Delightful!



Turquoise and Pink
Totally Delectable!


Turquoise and Black.....
So positively elegant....


Now  you are probably wondering the what is the Purpose of the post????? .... lol....
To INSPIRE YOU to use more TURQUOISE in your art... :) and...
 It is to share a couple of Layouts using these Fabulous Colour Combo's....

Turquoise and Pink....

Scrapping With The Stars

 

Yeah Tanya.... :) I have finally gotton around to scrapping about Create O8 with Heidi Swapp.... :)
Tan and I went to Heidi's event in Brisbane Dec. 08..... Had a great time!:)
Tan has a great blog...." Sweet About Me"...
She is on a few design teams including Kaisercraft
You will find a link to her Blog on the sidebar.....


And some TURQUOISE with BLACK and WHITE.... 

"Today.... A stranger smiled at me... and it made me smile back...."

A TURQUOISE and RED Layout

My Favourite Place


Lou's WHAT'S HOT RIGHT NOW 
in TURQUOISE SCRAPPING PRODUCTS????

From Hambly Screen Prints....
New Rubons, Transparencies, Papers etc all in TEAL as well...
DOILEES... PATCHWORK..... FEATHERS... and the list goes on...



Oh I cant wait to get my hands on some of these! :)

FROM GRAPHIC 45
On the Boardwalk Collection
Hopefully on the next post I can show you an OTP using this very range!



FROM WEBSTERS PAGES
Seaside Retreat








Cant wait for these to arrive either! :) 

FROM CRATE PAPER....
The Brook Collection......


This will be right up my ally with all that cutting out ability I think....


Last.. But certainly not least is....
FROM AMERICAN CRAFTS
I Do Collection





I think this will make some gorgeous Shabby Layouts - Dont you????

I am sure there are more yummy
TURQUOISE PRODUCTS that are HOT HOT HOT
But it is all I can think of right now...



ARE YOU FEELING INSPIRED YET??????

I so hope I have inspired you to embrace this gorgeous Colour or if you haven't tried it or used it for a while to have a go..... and please let me know.. :) and maybe with your permission I can put a  post here....


And the other purpose of the TURQUOISE post  is to give you
a sneek peak of my Prima BAP Sketch Layout.....
It's not quite finished yet.... :)
but I will give you a peek of some of the Brand New TURQUOISE Prima that I am using.....:)

Brand New from PRIMA...
Shabby Chick Paper Range, Symphony Blend Flowers,
Stamps, Cameo Roses... Temple Leaves....
Oh Sooo Primalicious and Sooo Inspiring!!!

I enjoyed the Lets Get Shabby Challenge so much
I thought I might try another Shabby Style Layout...

Oh there will also be some Graphic 45 Goodness coming soon ..... :)

And I couldn't leave without one more gorgeous image......LOL!!!!


Yes I have a thing for gorgeous, sexy, stylish shoes!!!!
And this beauty comes from the House of YvesSaintLaurent.....

I hopeyou have enjoyed reading this post as much as I have enjoyed putting it together!
Take Care my Friends...
Hope to be back again soon.....
Hugs Lou xx

P.S. If this is your first visit here at
Pretty Possies and Paper Trails
Dont forget to enter the GIVEAWAY ...
See the post below.... Good Luck!!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Hello and Welcome to My Blog........

Where do I start???
Finally.... I have taken the plunge and have started a Blog!!!
I guess the inspiration behind this major leap for me has been Ali Edwards "One little Word Challenge" for 2010...... and my word is ART. To see the "ART" and Beauty in Everything around you and my other goal is for me to "spread my wings" and try my hand a little more with some altered art and mixed media projects for 2010..... Of course Scrapbooking will continue to dominate, and I hope inspire..... :)
Another reason is to of course participate in some challenges and finally have some where to post my creations.... :) Well enough of that.... and lets get onto looking at some pretty stuff.......

What are some of the things that
INSPIRE ME??

Pretty, Vintage, Colour - and one one of my favourite colours is PINK, Shabby, Feathered.... yes I am totally into birds and nests atm.... but more of that in another post..... and most definitely FLOWERS:)

As I am a visual person so I thought I would share a montage of pretty vintage pink........ and I found the perfect inspiration to share with you..... :)
As those of you who know me well will know - PRIMA Marketing is one of  my absolute favourite manufacturers for all things paper and floral... and with their 2010 CHA W Release it just got even better! As you know... a huge trend this season is Vintage Shabby..... How cool is that??? And let me you tell you PRIMA has done it to perfection with this season's release!


Now.... This inspires me....... :)


I was going to try and make a Photo Montage.... something to inspire with all my faves....
and then I found this perfect piece of "Lou Style" Inspiration on the PRIMA Blog.....
And I couldn't do it better than this myself..... :)
To find out more just click the PRIMA link on the right side of my blog.....


And speaking of PRIMA
GUESS WHO was a very LUCKY Girl???
Yes..... yours truly won this gorgeous set of PRIMA Flowers
just by entering a giveaway on the PRIMA Blog....
I nearly feinted when I read my name on the winners list!!!!

This was my Gorgeous Prize and it has just arrived... THANKS PRIMA!!!!



Aren't they GORGEOUS???? And let me assure you they are TOTALLY BEAUTIFUL IRL....


LOVE IS DEFINITELY IN THE AIR...... & with
Today being Valentines Day..... 

I thought I would take this was a little opportunity to share a little piece 
of my mixed media work for you to see.....


An Art Journalling Page using lots of my favourite mediums .
And this is another older project to celebrate the gift of LOVE.....

and

A couple of OTP's that I did a while ago (But they work for a Valentines Day post.... :) )

 


I was thrilled when I was asked to teach this project as a class at a Scrapping Retreat due to popular demand..... and this is the version the class made........

 
Using Basic Grey Papers and Embellishments, another of my favourite brands :)



SO DO YOU FEEL LIKE A Valentines CHALLENGE????

Well today I have not 1 but 2 suggestions for you.. :)

Why not head over to the Lets Get Shabby Blog and check out February's Challenge.......
"SHABBY VALENTINE STYLE"
Well it's all about those heart-string tugging letters, child notes, vintage war loves
lost and won etc etc....these are just examples!!
Whatever you chose, your creation must contain a letter/s or note/s that you've
Written or been written by you or others living or passed.

You still have plenty of time... It's not due until the 20th Feb,,,,

Here is my Entry:



This month the sponsor offering the prize is one of my FAVOURITE Vintage Shopping haunts... 
None other than the gorgeous RUBY STREET DESIGNS! :) 
 
http://www.rubystdesigns.com/

I am definitely a "Ruby Street Glamour Girl".. :)



And the 2nd Challenge worth mentioning today is .....

PRIMA's Build-A-Page SKETCH 
Challenge for February.... 
Isn't it just gorgeous???? 
Love is definitely in the air! To celebrate this love-filled month 
Prima’s Build-A-Page
offers a sketch by Anam filled with loving hearts.
Embellishments and journalling will surround your one special photo, while a swirl creates harmonic movement on your page. Are you inspired yet? If  you haven't already checked it out on the PRIMA Blog head over there and check it out ! The DT examples are positively gorgeous as always!
This is my next challenge to complete.. hopefully I will be back with it posted for you to see soon!
.

Now How About a Givaway......
Because you have been so kind and managed to read all the way to end
of MY VERY FIRST BLOG POST..... I can hardly believe this myself.....
I think a little Celebratory GIVEAWAY might be in order...... don't you??? :)

I have put together a little Kit of Vintage Inspiration...... and
As I have been sharing some PRIMA Loooove with you
I thought I had better include some of their Gorgeous Products....
This is the Giveaway Kit....:)


And another view......

Hope You Like It..... :)  Whats included: Prima Papers from Paradise Collection, 1 Creative Imaginations Paper, 2 Pieces of Tissue Paper - Old print and Butterfly's, Prima Flowers you can colour, 1 Bunch Mini Roses, Bingo Card and other Vintage Ephemera as shown. Ribbon and Lace, 3 Cinderella Playing Cards, 2 Paper Doilies, Vintage Buttons as shown, Piece of silk fabric, 2  Wooden Cotton Spools, Twine, and a Pearl Pin....(every thing as shown..)


HOW TO ENTER......

Leave me a comment for ONE ENTRY.....
Become a FOLLOWER of my Blog for TWO ENTRIES and
For a whopping FIVE ENTRIES... :) 
Post a link to my giveaway on your blog... and leave a note to tell me in the Comments Section.
DRAWING of the Giveaway will take place on Sunday 28th Feb.....
Be sure to check back and see if you are the Lucky One!! :)

Thanks Soooooo Much for visiting my Blog.....
Hope to see you again soon,
Hugs Lou xx