peel off's maybe aren't so bad

No glitter glue, no gems, but peel offs... yes you heard right peel offs. Something that in general is considered almost with destain, and here I quite like the results.

It’s not so shiny in real life (ah the joy of flash!), and really I am quite pleased with it.

The background paper is from Crate Paper (Trendy I think is the style).

I’m trying to really settle into my style, a less is more thing.

shiny stars

I love the look of paper ribbon at the moment, because it matches the colours of your papers perfectly. So whilst I was doodling away I came up with this little number.

I used the Simply Chic papers from American Crafts and Pebbles Inc. duplicates rub-ons.

My mojo is in a rut right now though, I hope inspiration strikes very soon.

its a boy girl thing

 You all must know by now that I love to recycle my ideas, so here are cards for baby boys and girls.

I used American Crafts simply chic papers (a bargain in the QVC sale), along with the Pebbles Inc. duplicates rub-ons and Crystal Ice stickles.

Tool wise I used a scolloped edge cutter (which I got Mum for Christmas) and my new Sizzix Clearlits star cutter.

It’s such a simple card, and I love the repetition of star motif. Scollops are so fashionable now as well and who does not love glitter glue.

tutorial - christmas star

 Papercrafted Christmas stars are all the rage this year, so here is a quick tutorial for those who want it.

My grandad taught me how to do this with old copies of the telegraph!

Start with three squares of the same size, here I have used 3” squares which makes a star a little under 4.5” from tip to tip.

Fold the square in half diagonally. You will need to know the centre point, so mark that too.

Open the paper out again.

Fold two opposing points to the centre as shown.

Fold wrong sides together along the long diagonal fold.

Then fold in half length ways.

Repeat for all three squares.

Stack the three sections together, and staple along the centre line.

After opening out the leaves you should have something like this. Adhere a strip of double sided tape along the back edge of each leaf.

Adhering adjacent leaves together and you end up with the Christmas star.

Papers are the DCWV Christmas stack.

You can also do this with the concertina method, which makes the star less deep.

Hope all this helps.

magnolia - here at last

I had a huge smile on my face yesterday, I was shaking with the shock. Because I won... I won the November Card Challenge on UKScrappers.

There were some great cards, I particularly loved passionflower’s card. More than glory I get a small prize lovingly provided by Julie at Scrapbooking Castle. Thank you. I can’t wait for my little surprise it will be just like Christmas.

On another note I made my first Magnolia card today. Magnolia has been a craze for a  while, but as I’m not really into stamping I’ve not indulged so far. However, I have been stamping a little recently and so got 3 Magnolia stamps (these presents, DIY Edwin (very apt) and Tilda with frog) from Silly Monkey Crafts.

The paper and card here are both DCWV, (I got some stupidly cheap DCWV stuff from Ellison so was please with that), stickles and Pebbles Inc. duplicate rub-on (as usual). Oh and I used a Quickutz tag die too.

I coloured it in with my water colour pencils (from WH Smiths) and my new fabby water brush from Sakura (koi I think it was called, no more RSI for me!)

It’s certainly not your average Magnolia card, but that is the joy of these things, it really doesn’t matter.

thinking of you at christmas time

I was still thinking of the challenge on UKscrappers for using the Prima flowers when I made this page.

The papers are from the DCWV Christmas glitter stack and matching cardstock stack. I added loads of extra glitter to the paisley card.

I hate stickles though (or rather I love making everything in sight glittery and hate waiting for it to dry). I balance bits on top of the radiator to encourage speedy drying.

The message continues with ‘at Christmastime’ inside the card, although the print is not immediately jump out at you Christmas.

I’m still making Christmas cards, why do I do this to myself. I started them in July! July! and I’m still doing them now. I only had 60 to make. It appears that I can even procrastinate my way out of crafting... go me!

recycling rules

Not a card, today I went one better. I recycled.

I sometimes buy stuff because it comes in nice packaging (I use the contents eventually though). Here is what I did with a Bazzill flowers jar.

Pretty boring as it stood (I used an empty one) but a few papers, a die cut or two, a bit of ribbon, some sweets and some very neat folding at the top of the lid, hey presto a Christmas gift.

Not into the altering really (most alterers would not even call this altered) but it is definitely recycled, which is something I love.

I used Rob & Bob studio aqua and orange ticking stripe, along with a couple of shades of orange peel bazzill. My cookie cutter dies, lemonade alphabet and the star from the wand die from Quickutz.

We are trying to have a cheap(ish) Christmas, so this will make a nice little something for someone. I have other hand made gift ideas, but whether I will get round to them I don’t know.

i love you (and i love stripes too...)

Five!

Five cards in 4 days, and a new look for my blog (I hope you like it).

This was just a way to use up a nice piece of green card I found (DCWV). It matched perfectly to my Rob and Bob Mini Juicy Stripes so really it was fate.

I’ve had these big heart brads for ages, I got the in the sale in Lakeland one time. I bought more than one packet (because they were half price) and this is the first one I have used. Never mind. 

get well soon

Get out your winter coats, with 4 posts in 4 days (that’s 4 whole cards) hell must be freezing over right now. It is amazing what procrastination will do for you.

The weekly card challenge on UKscrappers is Prima. Erm, I have a few Prima flowers I can spare so this is what I did. Primas layered with a gem centre, just how I like them.

Doodlebug swimming pool Bazzill cardstock, Making Memories Meg papers (with added glitter), Quickutz scolloped circle cookie cutter, and a sizzlit circle inside finished with my new Papertrey stamps (with KI memories ink in Teal).

Looking forward to my day opening the Lego advent calender tomorrow.

christmas bling

I know that the plan this Christmas was to make cards for my mum to send and her to make my cards. I know that I was going to stick to one design. But I can’t help shopping...

I got the wonderful Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder a few weeks ago, and I just had to make a card with it.

So here you go. Quickutz cookie cutter words, loads of gems, DCWV Christmas glitter stack and some ribbon I got really cheaply in IKEA.

Oh and a pin, just like Monica.

thanks for bling

How minimalist can I go? There is no knowing, however in the bling stakes this is right up there.

I love Pebbles Inc duplicates rub-ons, whatever did I do without them. Post-Christmas thank you cards are so much fun to make after Christmas cards.

Not much more to say. Not feeling my best today but we are going to have a cosy night in...

have a munky-tastic birthday

Recently I have fallen in love with KI memories papers. It started because in the Baby Boy set there was one with a train on it! (Everything here is trains!)

So here I have mixed the KI memories Baby Boy papers with a mamBi monkey sticker (Safari stickers) and a few gems. I drew stitching on with a dark brown pen around the message and outside the brown card and drew a ‘Morse’ line around the monkey sticker.

Finished with some double sided ribbon from Ribbon Oasis (arrived next day and they sent me a wee free gift too!)

thank you for scallops and stripes

It’s a funny thing inspiration. Sometimes you have it, some times you borrow it and sometimes you have none. I am sure I saw something similar to this on a scrapbooking page but I can’t remember where.

A funny sized card here 14.8 x 7.5 cm but I think it is rather nice. Plain white card stock and Rob and Bob Studio Mini Juicy Stripes paper.

I used lovely double sided ribbon from Ribbon Oasis, my favorite Pebbles Inc. duplicates rub-ons and three little gem stones (you’ve gotta have a bit of bling).

The scallops were hand cut usingthe doodlebug paper frills as a template. Little green lines were drawn around the edge of the scallops with my lovely Staedtler pens which I got from the Works.

If you know a good way to cut scollops leave me a comment.

stardust thank you

The card was cut to 10.5 cm square and the Pet Shop stars paper (from KI memories) to 9.5 cm square. All of the stars were drawn over with Star Dust Stickles.

A scalloped band 3 cm wide 10.5 cm long was cut using the Doodlebug paper frills as a template. Double sided ribbon from Ribbon Oasis was tied over the scalloped the scalloped strip.

A Pebbles Inc. duplicate rub-on was applied to a 2 x 5 cm square of white card. A blue ‘Morse’ line was drawn around the edge and 3 blue gems adhere to the top right.

This is the start of the Thank You cards required for after Christmas.

As far as my cards go. I am starting to think that I have found ‘my’ style, not someone else’s. Sometimes ideas don’t come easily though.

i'm dotty about you!

I was playing around with some old DCWV papers and some glitter glue and after a bit of playing had this little number.

Circles and letters both cut from Quickutz (Bottle Top die set and Lemonade alphabet), matching DCWV card. Finished by my own fair hand in my rather small handwriting.

I am so glad I have my craft as a refuge as the house is really getting me down, there is dust everywhere, I have killed 3 hoovers and as the days go on the chance of anything being finished by Christmas get smaller.

ac thinking of you flowers

I started thinking about this card when the weekly challenge on UK scrappers was ‘American Crafts’. I have loads of American Crafts stuff, it is one of my favourite brands.

I wanted a scalloped edge, but had no way of doing one, so for a time the card idea got shelved.

Recently I decided to cut the scalloped edge by hand, and now you see the finished card. AC rub-on (Accents book 2 I think), Pebbles inc. duplicates for the sentiment, and Papermania gems.

I was not aiming for a sympathy card, but think that that is what I got.

pretty gem card

Something a little less bling than before, but still very blingy.

Now, when you buy gems you always get green flower gems. I never use green flower gems as quickly as the other colours, because green flowers are just not the done thing.

So here I have lovingly hand cut the gems into ‘leaves’ there are two different size and slightly different colour green flower gems in  use here. I made the frame around the aperture and the leaves.

A bit of glitter glue (you can’t go far wrong here) and voila 4 hours of my life is accounted for. I hope you like it :-)

In other news, we now have upstairs lights (the lighting did not pass the safety tests) and what lovely upstairs lights they are. Just to confuse us all of the switch positions have changed because we are turning doors. Now all of the wiring in the attic is done so the insulation is going down. We bought eco-wool which, the blister on my finger proves, is no meant to be cut.

Insulation though, all mod cons here  now, lights (upstairs only), 1/3rd insulated (our own fault as we completely removed the old insulation as it was horrid, we had to rewire and it was only 6 cm thick), a cooker. Yay for us...

gem mosaic

The November card challenge on UKscrappers is ‘all about ‘The Bling’’. My gran, being poor of  vision and ‘95 you know’ is also all about ‘The Bling’ because she can see the sparkles and texture so that there is something to feel (interactive cards hey!).

So, here using up just a fraction of my gem collection is a mosaic.

On other news, we have not got far with the wiring, although now the cooker is safe. I stopped using it when I saw the wiring that was there. We will continue tomorrow to  get rid of the old consumer unit (a paradigm of safety and how not to wire), and just patch the old wiring into the new box if it passes dad’s stringent safety tests.

quickutz happy birthday

Just an idea really, but I really wished I hadn’t used ric-rac on the present. DCWV sprink stack papers, DCWV Spring cardstock and blue ric-rac and white chiffon ribbon.

I used the cuttlebug circle embossing folder and the Quickutz fonts ‘lemonade’ and ‘snowdays’. The present was cut by hand.

In other news, the house is a bombsite, however half of the rafters have now been laid to put down our lovely 20 cm ‘eco-wool’ insulation. It took an age to remove all of the old insulation and clean the attic but it is worth it I think.

A measurable quantity of the wiring is now done too. Yay!

retro dad

On a roll with the same bit of paper. This time I made a card for my dad, who is very kindly rewiring our house.

Mix DCWV retro papers, a bit of brown ribbon, glitter (yay!),  and my new Snowdays alphabet. What do you get?

A card which is passably masculine, but has no train on. Alas... and I was so close.

I am always on the lookout for trains, trains this and that. It is never ending.

retro thanks

I have too much stuff. In fact I have so much stuff sometimes I forget what I have. Then one day I might find it...

Today I found a stack of DCWV papers bought from QVC ages ago as a One Time Only. Here combined with a Cuttlebug embossing folder a paper ribbona dn some flowers  made a quick card.

10.5 cm square so difficult to get an envelope!

On an aside I find that using Cuttlebug embossing folders in my Big Shot damages the paper and can tear it. Any hints or tips?

We watched ‘The Squid and the Whale’ last night, good, but sometimes disconcerting viewing. A thinker, but short. One of my thoughts was “where’s the rest of my movie gone”.

you're a star - thanks

I might  have been bad...

I might have bought the new Quickutz Snowday alphabet...

But, I do really love the font and the snowman.

Here I have used it with papers from the DCWV spring stack and plain card spring stack.

Just a little simple card.

baby giraffe

Using my giraffe stamp again, this time for a card. The card stock is mainly doodlebug, as is the ribbon.

The font is Quickutz ginger, and I’ve used eyelets twice in two days.

I have got to stop coming up with good ideas for the house. We are knocking down walls, reversing doors, rewiring, fitting a fixed network, putting tv ariels in nearly every room (even though we hardly watch tv), removing the old insulation and replacing it with new, flooring the attic, completely redecorating, wanting new carpets, new kitchen, insulation in the converted out houses.

I just want to start my scrapbook on what we’ve done so far.

baby boy tag

I got this cute set of stamps from Autumn Leaves because it had a monkey on and it also had this really cute giraffe.

I think he is lovely and very cute on this tag. The tag is cut from Quickutz cookie cutters with the word boy cut from the Baby theme set.

flower thoughts

I got the Quickutz accents set on sale and thought that it would make nice flower stems. Combined with a quickutz flower folded in half and some brads I had a wee vignette.

Layed onto a cream card with some tan ribbon and a ‘thinking of you today’ stamp from papertrey I have a quick card.

Busy with the house at the moment so my craft is in disarray.

birthday jnr

Rob & Bob Studio Red and Orange Party Stripe

Doodlebug Ladybird Stitched Grosgrain

Bright red, green and orange card

Circle die

White Pen

10.5 cm Card Blank

Working on the idea of having a cut down A6 card, I made this one for a kids birthday. I did not have a large balloon die so just used a circle die instead.

baby pram

Why have a good idea and only use it once?

This is a re-interpretation of the ‘Little Monster’ card from a week ago.

The same shrink plastic baby pin, the same DCWV Spring stack. Gingham ribbon, in pink this time. The same Quickutz cookie cutter dies, now with a pram die too. The same Ned Jnr American Crafts rub-ons. A little extra penmanship and there we are.

This card is one of a dozen going to the LIVES charity, someone on UKScrappers is having a card drive. Good luck.

brenda pinnick thanks

A while back, I along with 14,000 other people bought a really cool kit designed by Brenda Pinnick from QVC.

I got it and use the album as storage as I usually scrap in 8x8. Nearly 6 months after buying it all I had used was a few white chipboard letters.

So, as yesterday was craft day on QVC and I took the day off work to watch, play and potter, I thought I would break out the kit.

The ‘cards’ in the kit are not the thickest (thick paper at best) so I cut one in half (and trimmed it down to fit on A6) and used the back of the card (2 for one now).

A bit of glitter glue, a few stick on gems (which you can’t really see here) a length of American Crafts ribbon and a Pebbles inc. rub on and I am really quite pleased with it.

little monster

I’m not really a stamper. Never have been, but when I saw this cute little dino from Hero Crafts I just had to have him.

I only have to use him a couple of times to justify to myself my purchase so here is one such card. Isn’t he cute!

I wanted to write something along the lines of ‘congratulations on your new little monster’ but it is a bit wordy, my handwriting is not that nice and not everyone will like their newborn to be called a little monster... so an American Crafts Ned sidekick and we were done.

Papers are DCWV 2007 spring stack, the scolloped and plain circles Quickutz cookie cutters and a Sizzlits doodle baby nappy pin done with shrink plastic.

wedding dress

Any of you who have seen my cards know that I have a less is best style of card making, clean and simple, geometric patterns.

This card, although it may not look it, is adventuresome for me, because I’ve inked the edges.

The xcut dress punch (not a great cutter), cut from cream pearl card with the doodlebug bazzill in sandcastle and bon-bon ink pad.

american crafts felt flower

So like two weeks ago I got carried away and bought some American Crafts Holiday House and Green House shapes and this is the first card I have made with them (although they are scattered all over my scrapbook).

DCWV sticky ribbon (something that has been in my collection for years), Pebbles inc rub-ons (as usual) and a few small flower gems. That’s it. Simple but me...

boho paisley chic aka making memories challenge

OK previously I have only ever posted on a Saturday, but I thought why not post when I have something to say. So here is my first Thursday post... whoa dude...

First of all a confession. I am really afraid of patterned papers. I buy them, but can never use them. Consequently, I am really pleased with this, because, there are 3 different patterned papers form the Making Memories Boho Chic stack. I always think patterned papers (in my hands) look fussy, but I think this card is still quite me

Loads of stickles, twill I got off a pack of tea towels and one of the fab Pebbles inc. duplicates rub-ons.

halloween thinking of you

So there’s this card challenge on UKScrappers to make a non-halloween card out of halloween colours (purple, green, orange, black and white).

So here is my take...

Bought some ki memories papers today from the Scrapbook Shop (haunted pin dot and haunted skinny stripe) and a box of Queen & Co flowers (cloud 9).

They’re not my usual colours, but I have to confess that I am really quite pleased with it. It is still distinctly me.

Other exciting news... I was left my first comments (thanks Monica :-D) which means someone has actually looked at this here blog. Yay...

thank ewe

Dies used:

sheep

A sheep was cut from black and white sticky backed card. A green hill (4.5 cm wide) was cut and laid upon a blue 4.5 cm square. The ship was constructed centrally on this.

This was laid onto a 5 cm square of white card, which was then mounted on a 7 cm green velum square. This was then attached to a 12 cm square white card centrally near the top.

The words ‘thank ewe’ were added centrally below the image using Doodlebug simply sweet rub-ons.

scrummy vintage

Samm set the challenge on the Scrummy Stash Cafe blog this week, and she wanted us to use vintage ribbons and trims and combine it with a sketch.

I used the remnants of a crop kit (cherry arte papers) from the SSC Morpeth crop to make this cute 6x6 layout. All I added was the Prima flower and the cream card.

dotty birthday

Dies used:

Present mini

Icing starter kit

A pink vellum circle was cut using the die provided in the icing starter kit. A present was cut in two different colours and attached to the centre of the circle. One of the rub-ons provided in the kit was placed around the outside of the circle.

An 8 cm square was cut from the dotty DCWV Nana’s Kids card. A length of pink organza ribbon was attached vertically to this card and a further length tied around it. 

This was then attached to the centre of a 10 cm square of pink vellum. Next, this was laid at the centre a 12 cm white square card using 3d foam.

The circle was attached using 3d foam (behind the present) to the lower right hand corner.

spotty birthday

An 11 cm square of beige card was laid centrally onto a 12 cm white square card.

An 8.5 cm square of spots card was laid centrally onto a 9 cm square of red card. This was mounted onto the beige card using 3d foam,

A 2.5 cm strip of red vellum had the words ‘happy birthday’ printed in white by using Doodlebug simply sweet rub-ons. This was mounted half way down the card using two round silver 5mm brads.

3 brown flowers

A 4cm strip of multicoloured striped paper was adhered to the lower section of a 12 cm square white card.

A brown spot length of (American Crafts) ribbon had a knot tied 1/3rd of the way from the end and attached vertically 1.5 cm from the left hand edge of the card with the knot at the top.

One large and two small brown Prima waffle flowers were attached to the card using bright green brads as shown.

Doodlebug simply sweet rub-ons were used to print a message at the lower right hand corner of the printed paper.

box recipe

Something different this week, did you know you can make a 2” box out of two 6” squares of card.

I have embelished this one with just a piece of ribbon and a tag. Simple folding and four little cuts are all you need. I can’t draw, but you can find the recipe here.