Tuesday 22 December 2015

Merry Christmas ...

All of us here at Pixels and Paper Challenge Blog would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who played along with us during 2015.  Without you we would not be!


We hope you have a wonderful Christmas.  Please stay safe, recharge those batteries and come join us again in 2016 for fantastic inspiration and challenge fun.  We will have more terrific prizes for you and monthly guest design spots on offer.

Our first challenge for 2016 will go live on the 4th of January.

Sadly the end of the year also means the departure of some of our wonderful team members.  We bid a fond farewell to Tone-Lill Angelscar who has already left us due to work commitments and also Anna Uhras who will leave us here on Pixels and Paper but still be part of the design team over on ARTastic Challenge Blog.

Our 2016 team will be ...

Deb McCleary - Australia

Rebecca Daly - Canada

Lynne Joncas - Canada


Di Hasthorpe - Australia

Jane Howden - Australia

Regina Chandler - Australia

Karen Brierley - Australia


Have fun !!

Tuesday 15 December 2015

Welcome to our December guest ...

This month we welcome our guest designer Shazza Bishop with her delightful layout based on our image for December. 



I took my inspiration from the white frosting on the Christmas cookies and the Santa cookie. My page is mainly white with a photo of me standing next to 'Tall Santa' (a huge blow up Santa!). I really enjoyed putting this together as I love all things Christmas!

Hi!

My name is Sharon Bishop, but I'm known as Shazza! I have enjoyed scrapbooking, card making and putting together off the page projects for about seven years. I am also a folk art painter, and I love to sew. Lately, I have enjoyed getting messy with mixed media, (I think from the mess I make I'm still working on my style)!! I am always inspired by the work of others and often troll blog sites for new ideas and techniques that I could use on my own pages.

Thank you Jane for having me as your Guest this month, I look forward to viewing the entries in the gallery.

My blog can be found at shazzacraft.blogspot.com.au

Here are some more examples of my work ...




Thank you so much for guesting with Pixels and Paper this month Shazza - I love your style.

You have until the end off the month to play along with our Pixels and Paper challenge.  We'd love to see how you are inspired by our photograph.  

We are having a little break from Team Training this month but will be back again with more team inspiration in 2016.

Tuesday 8 December 2015

November winners ...

Many thanks to everyone who joined in with us for our November challenge.  

We were working from this delightful photograph ...


While two of our monthly prizes are selected by creative team vote, one of our monthly prizes is completely done via random draw so anyone, regardless of style or years of experience can be a winner here on Pixels and Paper - you just need to have an entry in :)

Our MAIN winner for November is Helene.




We would like to invite Megan to guest with us in January and will send her a small prize for her efforts.

uno-copy1

and our random draw winner is #12 - Monia

Ladies, please email me @ jjjustjane@bigpond.com
 with your address and I will make sure your prize gets away to you.

Please pop back on the 15th when we introduce you to our guest designer this month, Shazza Bishop.

And don't forget you have until the end off the month to play along with us with our challenge.  Just a quick reminder about combining challenges - we are happy for you to do this but ask that you only combine with two (2) additional challenges - so ours plus two (2) others please - so if you are on another DT and you use your layout for that DT submission you can then only enter ours plus one other challenge.   A full description of the Pixels and Papers rules can be found on the right side or under our Rules page at the top.

We'd love to see how you are inspired by our photograph this month. 

Tuesday 1 December 2015

And finally it's December ...

And the year is nearly done !!  Welcome to December and a new challenge here on Pixels and Paper.  This one is easy - we had to celebrate the silly season!!   As always please find inspiration for your entry from our inspiration photograph.  

Lots to play with here - the bright and happy colours, the Christmas theme, the stockings or Santa or making of Gingerbread men.  Maybe a tree or two ...


Whatever your inspiration we would love to see your take on this photograph - please share your work with us this month.

Our team has some really creative takes on the inspiration this month ...  


ANNA
 I was inspired by the red and green and the Christmas trees and the striped candy canes.

REGINA
 I had some very busy bright Christmas paper which was difficult to use, some I punched it into squares and mounted them onto a plain panel. This technique would work with many other busy papers too. Looking forward to see your December entries, and enjoy the festive season.

REBECCA
I was inspired by the cookies and colours (red, white and green)

PHILLIS
Christmas is what this inspiration photo screamed to me when I saw it! Finding a photo is what I was screaming about. I wanted to use green and red on my page. I found this wonderful photo of my mom from Christmas 2005. My mom hates having her photo taken. Thus this page in my photo album will be a real treasure.

DEB
I was firstly drawn to the beautiful bright green and red colours, and to the chocolate and the gingerbread. I also wanted to incorporate the overall Christmas theme of the bikkies into my layout!

KAREN
 I took inspiration from the Christmas theme. I don't have a lot of 'special' Christmas photographs, but I found some shots from a 2012 Christmas gathering at our local fire brigade and created a photo montage. I bought the felt ornaments at a sale last year, and finally got around to using them!

LYNNE
I was inspired by the Christmas cookie theme because every year when my kids were growing up I baked a bunch of small gingerbread houses and had a decorating party for them and their friends.

JANE
In spired by the red and green (naturally) and the overall Christmas theme.  


NOW IT IS YOUR TURN ...

Please upload the DIRECT link to your actual entry to the link tool on the LEFT by 11.55pm on December 31st.

You are welcome to submit traditional paper layouts, art journals, divided page protectors, smash books (etc). Digital entries are welcomed and encouraged.  All entries must be new for this challenge and no back-linking please.

  I am happy for you to combine with two other challenges but the essence of the Pixels and Paper inspiration must be clear in your work. Combining with a sketch and technique/product challenge would be preferred. Please include our inspirational picture as well as provide a link back to Pixels and Paper on your blog post and don't forget to tell us how you were inspired. International submissions are welcome.

This year we will have two main prize packs - one will be selected by Creative Team vote and the other purely by random draw - so anyone could be a winner, no matter your style or your level of experience.  All these prizes will be available to anyone, no matter your country of residence.  We will also offer one entrant a chance to guest with us for the following month and they will also receive a small prize.



Please come back on the 8th when we will announce our winners for November.


Sunday 22 November 2015

Team training for November ...

Welcome to our November edition of Team Training brought to you this month by team member, Anna Uhras.

Each month one of our team will inspire you with a little tutorial, tip or trick to help you in your scrapbooking pursuits. 

.
Using your Punches and Dies in a different way by Anna Uhras

Today I'd like to challenge you to think negative :)  Sometimes that can be positive, believe it or not.
This might be old news for some of you but maybe it can be a reminder then.

Mostly when we use our punches and cutting machines the small cut pieces is all we use, eh?
And so do I, and that's beautiful , BUT today I, as I said, will challenge you to turn NEGATIVE ...

Give those lovely left over darlings a chance to sparkle instead of being thrown in the trash bin.
I use them in my layering on my layouts. 

I think it is a great way to give dimension without being too heavy if you see what I mean.

I will show you some of my layouts using the negative part of  the paper...

Here I have used both the circles and the "holes"

Here I didn't want to cover the background work too much so this piece fitted perfectly.

On this page you can find a piece of Vellum with some "holes" of stars.

I know this isn't a revolution but I think those negative pieces of papers deserve our attention.
 Sometimes they can be the feature of your entire page :)

I hope I've inspired you to think one more time before you just throw the "holes" in the bin :)

Have a scrappy day everyone!

Thanks Anna,  I certainly need to stop and think before I reach for my rubbish bin.  These negatives certainly are a huge positive.

Don't forget to have your entry in for our challenge this month.  Some lovely prizes on offer - one prize by vote, another completely by random draw and a guest designer spot with RAK to offer one lucky entrant.  You have until 11.55 on the final day of the month to have your submission linked.



Sunday 15 November 2015

Welcome to our November guest ...

This month we welcome our guest designer Hayley Hamblin from the United States with her wonderful layout based on our image for November. 

 
 I was inspired by the bokeh style dots - used on the letters in Fair and the background. I chose a seasonal theme. I also loved the contrast of the bright art panel against the neutral room decor. I brought that into the layout by using the white background with the colorful papers and elements.



I am a busy mother of two boys. I am graphic designer by profession, but enjoy scrapping in any free time I manage to find. Most of my scrapbooking right now is about my boys and family life. I love including stitching, buttons, and cut outs I create with my silhouette machine. I love color and patterned paper.
I believe that scrapbooking helps me have a more positive attitude and count my blessing. Taking the time to preserve and highlight those precious moments that may have otherwise got lost in the blur of everyday life. I love being able to flip through my books with my family and remember the special time we have together.



Here are some more examples of my work ...



Thank you so much for guesting with Pixels and Paper this month Hayley - seeing your work has been an absolute pleasure.

You have until the end off the month to play along with our Pixels and Paper challenge.  We'd love to see how you are inspired by our photograph.  Thank you for your continued support.

Next week we have something special to share with you from a member of our design team.  Please call past on the 22nd for some Team Training.

Sunday 8 November 2015

October winners ...

Thank you to all those who played along with us for our October challenge.  

We were working from this wonderful photograph ...


While two of our monthly prizes are selected by creative team vote, one of our monthly prizes is completely done via random draw so anyone, regardless of style or years of experience can be a winner here on Pixels and Paper - you just need to have an entry in :)

Our MAIN winner for October is Debi Clark with this delightful page.  The team loved how you incorporated so many elements from the inspiration photograph onto your page.



We would like to invite Shazza Bishop to guest with us in December and will send her a small prize for her efforts.


and our random draw winner is  #9 Kat
with this very cute page.

image


Ladies, please email me @ jjjustjane@bigpond.com
 with your address and I will make sure your prize gets away to you.

Please pop back on the 15th when we introduce you to our guest designer this month Hayley Hamblin.

And don't forget you have until the end off the month to play along with us with our challenge.  Just a quick reminder about combining challenges - we are happy for you to do this but ask that you only combine with two (2) additional challenges - so ours plus two (2) others please - so if you are on another DT and you use your layout for that DT submission you can then only enter ours plus one other challenge.   A full description of the Pixels and Papers rules can be found on the right side or under our Rules page at the top.

We'd love to see how you are inspired by our photograph this month. 

Sunday 1 November 2015

November rolls on by ...

Welcome to yet another month and a new challenge here on Pixels and Paper - Christmas is just around the corner and summer is knocking on our door.  As always please find inspiration for your entry from our inspiration photograph.  


So what do you see?  Are you drawn to the colours, the composition, the design?  Are you inspired to document a story about trees, the changing seasons or perhaps the furniture is your inspiration?


Whatever your inspiration we would love to see your take on this photograph - please share your work with us this month.

Our team has some really wonderful and varied takes on the inspiration this month ...  

This month we welcome a new team member to our group - say Hello to the lovely Rebecca Daly from Alberta province in Canada.  Rebecca was our guest designer in January and is replacing Tone-Lill Angelskar who has had to step down due to work commitments.  We are so sorry to see you go Tone-Lill  - you have been a wonderful inspiration to us all and we wish you all good things in your creative future.

REBECCA
 I was inspired by the colourful art on the wall and the plain living room

ANNA
I was inspired of the blocks of the lovely colors and the circles/leaves in the blocks. I even was inspired of the composition of the picture and pasted it on my LO a bit...

LYNNE
The tree theme jumped out at me as well as the idea of seasons, but the image I chose reflects on seasons of our lives rather than simply the change in the weather. To me spring is hope fulfilled and I think it's good to have a bit of that springtime in our hearts every single season of the year!

PHILLIS
I really struggled with creating a page from the inspirational photo this month. My first instinct was to do something with trees and possibly Fall. I just was unable to find any photos that I liked. I kept coming back to the inspiration photo and would sit at my scrap desk contemplating what I would create. Nature is what kept popping into my head. I finally decided that I would scrap photos of nature.....our trip to Alaska I had photos from our cruise and these photos were beautiful. So used a background paper that had the various colors from the inspiration photo and then went from there.

REGINA
I was inspired by the colours and the frames in this month's image. I chose the p/paper for its colours and the flower pattern to compliment my outdoor photos. Looking forward to your entries and seeing how you interpret this month's image!

KAREN
When I saw the inspiration picture, I knew exactly what I wanted to create. I made a double page layout, using up lots of old stash bits and pieces.

DEB

My November piece is focused on a single tree and it's changing seasons. I've created a canvas using Gelatos for the base, which I've sealed using Micro Glaze, and then using Dylusions paints on top. I've also incorporated some of Tone-Lill's ribbon flowers into the spring tree... 

JANE

I was inspired by both the use of four panels and the colour combination found in them to create my page about my son's dedication to his swimming pursuits. 



NOW IT IS YOUR TURN ...

Please upload the DIRECT link to your actual entry to the link tool on the LEFT by 11.55pm on November 30th.

You are welcome to submit traditional paper layouts, art journals, divided page protectors, smash books (etc). Digital entries are welcomed and encouraged.  All entries must be new for this challenge and no back-linking please.

  I am happy for you to combine with two other challenges but the essence of the Pixels and Paper inspiration must be clear in your work. Combining with a sketch and technique/product challenge would be preferred. Please include our inspirational picture as well as provide a link back to Pixels and Paper on your blog post and don't forget to tell us how you were inspired. International submissions are welcome.

This year we will have two main prize packs - one will be selected by Creative Team vote and the other purely by random draw - so anyone could be a winner, no matter your style or your level of experience.  All these prizes will be available to anyone, no matter your country of residence.  We will also offer one entrant a chance to guest with us for the following month and they will also receive a small prize.



Please come back on the 8th when we will announce our winners for October.

Thursday 22 October 2015

Team Training for October ...

Welcome to our October edition of Team Training brought to you this month by team member, Tone-Lill Angelskar. 

Each month one of our team will inspire you with a little tutorial, tip or trick to help you in your scrapbooking pursuits. 

Lace Flowers by Tone-Lill Angelskar

Hello everyone, today I want to show you how to make flowers of trims of laces. By stitching in different places you get different looks.


On the first lace I stitched at the bottom with narrow stitches.



and then I pulled tight together... 


...before securing the thread and I finished the flower off with a button.


On the second lace I threaded it in the middle ...


.... and when pulling it together it looks like a carnation flower or pom pom if you like. Flowers like these can be used hanging loose on tags or on OTP (off the page creations) just as much as on regular pages. 


The third lace I stitched through the holes about a quarter from the edge... 


... so when pulling it together you get a small Rosetta on top of the flower.


This one was finished of with a tiny "blingy" gem.


And here they are,  three different flowers made up very quickly just by using trims of laces.


I used all the flowers on small vintage tags.




I hope this will help you to make your own flowers and it is a fab way to up-cycle short unwanted cuts of laces. 

Wish you all a Happy Scrappy Week :)


These are just gorgeous Tone-Lill - thanks for sharing with us all.

Don't forget to have your entry in for our challenge this month.  Some lovely prizes on offer - one prize by vote, another completely by random draw and a guest designer spot with RAK to offer one lucky entrant.  You have until 11.55 on the final day of the month to have your submission linked.

We'd love to see some more entries this month.