Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Scrap It: PinkFresh Studio

Today I'm stopping by with two pages using the PinkFresh Studio line 'Up In The Clouds', that was added to the shop this week.

Lately I have been scrapping a lot of photos from my childhood, and the PinkFresh designs are working perfectly. Fun and bright, they blend graphic patterns with hand drawn designs for a vibrant, youthful feel.

Picture Perfect by Tracey Kinny | Dizzy Izzy Scrapbooking

My cousin and I are in our matching Cabbage Patch Kids dresses to celebrate my 6th birthday. I decided that the Dear Lizzie 'Daydreamer' stamps would work perfectly, so I used watercolour pencils to make her match, then did a bit of fussy cutting.




It's not all 80's glam for this line though, as you'll see it also lends itself to more recent photos, like these photos from my friends wedding. The touches of watercolour and gold foil journal cards and rub ons certainly add to the romantic feel.

Live & Love by Tracey Kinny | Dizzy Izzy Scrapbooking

I'm very into watercolour at the moment, but I'm even more into it when I don't have to clean up the mess and wait for it to dry!  Plus, I just LOVE their metallic washi tape, don't you?

Happy Scrapping,

Tracey xx

Supplies for 'Picture Perfect' layout: PinkFresh Studio Papers: Bird House/Star SprinklesColourblock/FeathersDiamond Cloud/Cofetti; PinkFresh Studio Foil CardsStudio PuffsWashi Tape; Dear Lizzie Daydreamer Stamps; Misc: foam tape, sequins & stamp.


Supplies for 'Live & Love' layout: PinkFresh Studio Papers: Matchstick Geo/Live and Love, Triangle Blocks/Circle AbstractDiamond Cloud/Confetti; PinkFresh Studio Foil Cards, Fresh Drops, Metallic Rub OnsWashi Tape, Misc: foam tape.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Guest Post: Human & Hope

At many of our events, we have collected donations of unwanted craft supplies that are sent to Cambodia to be used by my friend Sally at Human and Hope Association with their children's programs. Today we have a guest post from Sally, talking about their very successful sewing program. 

Breaking Down Barriers to Sew

When Saney was in her early 20’s, she dreamed of being a seamstress. However, for someone living in poverty and only having enough food to eat twice a day, this dream was out of reach for her. Fast forward to when she was 28 years old, Saney’s neighbour told her about a new sewing program at an NGO she had just graduated from. Eager to study, Saney asked her husband for permission. He said no. She asked again. He said no. She continued to persist until her husband eventually agreed for her to study in the year long sewing program at Human and Hope Association in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Saney’s story is not unique. A big challenge we face in recruiting students into our sewing program at Human and Hope Association is their families. Coming from families classified as the ‘poorest of the poor’, our students’ relatives (and also the students themselves) often don’t understand the benefits of education. It is a hard concept to grasp, that studying for a year will enable them to gain a skill that can move them out of poverty when all but one of our sewing students never even finished primary school. Our students’ families see the program as a waste of time, especially when they need money immediately to pay for basic living costs.


This is where our daily stipend comes in. We provide our students with 1kg of rice a day in return for them studying with us three hours a day, five days a week. Our sewing students also have a patch of land at Human and Hope Association which they are responsible for taking care of. We assist them by teaching them chemical-free farming techniques (unusual for Cambodia) and when the vegetables are ready they receive them instead of rice. Fully involving our students in our program, from feedback sessions to life skills workshops to bringing back successful sewing graduates is what is needed to engage them and retain them in our program. I am not going to lie; it is tough going. We have lost very promising sewing students due to the pull their families have over them, the need to move to Thailand to earn an income (as they see this as the only option) or health issues.



However, our team don’t give up. This is because we have seen first hand how our sewing program transforms lives. The students who complete our program have increased confidence, the ability to earn an income through machines they borrow through our microfinance program and a better understanding of how to overcome personal issues they are bound to face.


Our most outstanding students are chosen to be our seamstresses and make products for us, earning a fair wage and also reaping the benefits of employment with Human and Hope Association, such as constant development, even after they graduate. Their confidence continues to increase as they learn how to make new products, apply their creative flair to existing products and see the photos of happy customers who buy their work.



It is a long journey these marginalised villagers face, but with our support and their commitment, they will reach their end destination; moving out of the poverty bracket and ensuring a better future for their children.


To purchase Human and Hope Association’s products please visit our online store. All income supports the payment of fair wages to our seamstresses and funds our education, vocational training and community support projects. 



To keep updated with what we are achieving in our community, please like us on Facebook 


For further information on how you can support the empowerment of Cambodians, 
please contact me at 

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Scrap It: Heidi Swapp September Skies Page 2

Another September Skies page today - this one was done with leftovers (and a few additions) from my last post.

Even though the photos on this page are pretty ordinary, this was definitely a moment that I wanted to remember, with a story to record. I was lucky to meet Heidi Swapp in 2013 at the Paper Crafts Festival, where she demoed her Color Shine skills practically straight off the plane from a 14 hour flight! The ease with which she handle the Color Shine, and the amazing results, blew my mind!


I was lucky to be able to take one of Heidi's demo samples, which she kindly signed before posing for a photo. The combination of the terrible lighting/bad photographer (my otherwise lovely husband) have lead to photos that most people might choose to delete. But I'm a fan of candid shots, and if they are the only photos from the event, I say, scrap them anyway!


I used Teal Color Shine  on the white cardstock before a layered the September Skies paper. I thought it would be really neat to use the piece of resist paper that Heidi signed as one of the layers, and because all of her products coordinate, the colours matched beautifully!


I fussy cut a few elements from the patterned papers, and used foam tape to mix them in with the die cuts and acetate pieces from the September Skies Ephemera pack. After adding a sticker from one of my Buzz Words packs, and a few carefully placed drops of Georgia Peach Color Shine and Black Marble Dylusions, and the layout was complete!



Happy Scrapping

Tracey xx


Supplies for this layout: Bazzill Cardstock 'Lily White'; Heidi Swapp September Skies papers Midnight Shadows, Mountain Trail, Afternoon Breeze; Heidi Swapp 8x8 Resist Paper; September Skies Ephemera Pack; Black & White Buzz Words; Heidi Swapp Color Shine in Georgia Peach & Teal; Dylusions Spray in Black Marble;

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Scrap It: Heidi Swapp September Skies Page 1

I've been scrapping a lot lately, making time here and there to get pages done and tell my story.

I just love Heidi Swapp's September Skies collection - the lime green and navy blue combos just pop against a white background. And I love how Heidi makes her new releases to interchange with her previous releases - your possibilities instantly increase!

For this layout, I wanted to capture the vibrant energy of the group of scrappers from Camp Mojo. I used Gold, Chartuese & Cherry Color Shine on the base paper, using the inner spray bottle tube to create droplets and streaks for movement. 
  
'Amazing' - Layout by Tracey Kinny for Dizzy Izzy Scrapbooking
'Amazing' - Layout by Tracey Kinny for Dizzy Izzy Scrapbooking

I'm always in awe of how Heidi can combine geometric with floral patterns, its something I find really out of my comfort zone. So I let the September Skies papers inspire me, and used quite a lot of patterns grouped together. I love the results!

Detail from 'Amazing' - Layout by Tracey Kinny for Dizzy Izzy Scrapbooking
Detail from 'Amazing' - Layout by Tracey Kinny for Dizzy Izzy Scrapbooking

The Amy Tangerine stitch template camera was a perfect size to sit inside the one of Heidi's frames from the earlier 'Serenity' collection. And I finished the page off with a freckled Fawn arrow paper clip and some Studio Calico enamel dots (I just love enamel dots!)

Detail from 'Amazing' - Layout by Tracey Kinny for Dizzy Izzy Scrapbooking
Detail from 'Amazing' - Layout by Tracey Kinny for Dizzy Izzy Scrapbooking

Stay tuned for another September Skies layout later this week!

Tracey xx

Supplies for this layout: Heidi Swapp September Skies paper Afternoon Breeze, Open Air, Midnight Shadows, Mountain Trail; Serendipity Frames; Color Shine in Gold, Chartreuse & Cherry; Studio Calico Enamel Dots; Freckled Fawn Arrow; Amy Tangerine Embroidery Stencil Kit 'Hello'; Bazzill Floss 'Sunshine';