Tuesday 31 August 2010
Blog Candy Giveaway...
Leave a comment on this post before 6pm on Thursday 2nd September and we will draw one at random to receive a box of new goodies :)
Sunday 29 August 2010
Those Paper Bag Books...
My camera battery was dead and by the time it was charged the light was appalling so forgive the poor photos but here is the book that I kept for myself. I made 10 more the same for the onboard swap and the people i spoke to from the swap really liked them. We got some really neat gifts in our "Fish Extender" too :)
Saturday 28 August 2010
Stapled Paper Ribbon Frame
I used the strip on the left cutting across the stripes to create lots of short stripes rather than going along the stripe creating long stripes.
With some of the remaining paper I cut a variety of small pieces a couple of inches long and between 0.5 and 1 inches wide utilising the different patterns and colours.
The small pieces were then folded over and stapled to the mounted photo to frame it and to tie it in with the section of paper on the left hand side of the layout.
Of course this style of frame can be done with folded ribbon pieces as well and is a great way to use up those odds and ends of ribbon that exist in the bottom of your ribbon box!
Friday 27 August 2010
A Sketch For September
Thursday 26 August 2010
7 Gypsies Receipt Holder
Wednesday 25 August 2010
Crafting Away From Home
Without exeption I plan to be sensible and pack light and EVERY single time I get this overwhelming panic that I will need something that I know I have left at home so I keep on adding stuff to my tote or the many boxes I end up with. Usually by the time I have finished the car is full and I spend half the time unloading and then packing it all back up!!! I suspect this is the reason why I have never regularly attended a crop.
So anyone have any good tips for mobile scrapping that works for them?
Monday 23 August 2010
New Graphic 45...
Saturday 21 August 2010
The Holiday Mini Book Class Is Now Online
Friday 20 August 2010
And the winner of the Multi Photo Layout Challenge is...
Patty a £25 voucher is heading to you through cyber space!
Thursday 19 August 2010
A Confession!
So Random dot Org selected comment number 12....
lemon said...
because ive just spent the last 8 days decorating and ive got about another 3 to go and then i just have to finish clearing out the tat
14 August 2010 22:40
Lemon a box of goodies will be on it's way to you in the next day or so and we hope it will help you celebrate the end of your decorating!
Wednesday 18 August 2010
Hello *Waves*
Big thanks to those who have done such a great job while I was away keeping the posts coming - your efforts really are appeciated!
Night night!
Tuesday 17 August 2010
Frame It!
Below are three layouts that feature a different type of frame to add interest and draw the focus to the photo or photos.
"Summertime"
The layout above features a chipboard frame which has been painted and given an aged wood effect. I started by painting the whole frame with a green base colour. Then, using the edge of a scrap of cardstock dipped in brown paint I added diagonal lines in the corners of the frame to look like mitre joins. Add further lines of brown paint with the edge of the card to look like grooves in painted wood. Finally finish by inking the edges with brown ink and aging the whole frame by applying chalk ink to the dried painted surface to grubby it up a little.
"Olivia - Growing and Changing"
In this layout again I used a plain chipboard frame. To jazz it up a little I embossed the whole frame with American Crafts Copper Glitter Zing! Start by applying a clear ink such as Versamark Watermark ink. For the more awkward areas to ink I used the Versamark Watermark pen which makes it easier to get into the corners. Then over a folded piece of clean paper I applied a liberal amount of the embossing powder so it covered the whole frame. I carefully removed the frame and placed it on a heat proof mat and used the folded paper to tip the excess embossing powder back into the pot. Then, using my heat buddy heat gun I embossed the frame to give the lovely copper glitter effect.
This is one of my favourite layouts, I just loved the zingy colours and it was fun to do. This was the easiest of all the frames shown as it is a pre made acetate frame cut to size. However you could create a similar frame with a piece of plain acetate and a slick writer. To make the frame feel part of the layout rather than a last minute after thought I overlapped embellishments onto the frame and when doodling the dots to illustrate the path of the butterfly I drew them to look like it had flown around the frame.
Monday 16 August 2010
Wanted - Guest Designers
You can see our galleries here.
If you haven't yet left a comment for our giveaway later this week, the post is here and you have until 8pm on Wednesday.
Jill
Sunday 15 August 2010
Storage Solutions
Saturday 14 August 2010
Just For You...
To receive a box of goodies courtesy of ATDML including some new summer releases just leave a comment on this post telling us why you deserve a lovely surprise in the post!
When I return from holiday on August 18th we will read through all the comments and announce the winner on Thursday 19th - so make sure your comment is posted by 8pm on 18th.
Good Luck!
Friday 13 August 2010
The August Gallery
If you are still seeking inspiration after you've been through the gallery don't forget the ChickenSoup challenge at 7pm this evening. Have a crafty weekend everyone!
Thursday 12 August 2010
Mmmmmmmm Prima!
Wednesday 11 August 2010
Use your stash...
Tuesday 10 August 2010
Return to the birdcage
Monday 9 August 2010
Journaling - Love Your Handwiriting?!
Now I will hold my hands up and say that i have always thought my handwriting is ok, not great but ok. So in many ways I can't really empathise with those of you who hate your handwriting however I am still going to try to persuade you to use your handwriting, even if it is only in small amounts or only on some of your layouts.
These two photographs are the main pieces of evidence I am going to use in my case for using your handwriting. Photograph one is a photo of me on my wedding day in 2002 with my Gran, the second photo is a page from the guest book we had at our wedding. Two of my ushers went round and took a polaroid photo fo the guests and the photo was added to the book there and then and the guests wrote their comments next to them.
My Gran died in January 2003 so 6 months after my wedding. We were very close and as always when you lose someone close to you it is a time of great sadness. When we were sorting through Grans things we all took some small items that held precious memories but even now, 7 years on, this little piece of handwriting in a book seems like so much more of a tangible connection than an ornament or other keepsake.
Your handwriting is so personal to you that even if you don't like it, it is as much a part of you as your physical appearance and your personality.
In much the same way as I hear people say they can't have photos of themselves in their albums because they don't like photos of themself, we commonly hear, "I don't like my handwriting in my albums as it is not nice enough." But like it or not it is a part of you - and one that will remain when you are no longer here. So morbid though it sounds adding your own handwriting adds a little bit of you as a personal legacy for those who will look at your albums when you are gone.
I hope that one day my children enjoy the handwritten comments as much as I love that single entry in my guest book from my wonderful Gran.
Sunday 8 August 2010
Just a quick post
We have almost got all of the stock in its new home just before all the deliveries start tomorrow -we have two scheduled for the early part of the week and another two mid to later on. Heaven knows how we will find space for it but I am sure we will, it will be mainly paper this week though from four different companies unless there are any hitches with Customs.
Saturday 7 August 2010
August Class Sneak Peak
Maya Road Mix-it up Chipboard album
Pink Paislee 365 Degrees Paper – Think Big
Pink Paislee 365 Degrees Paper – Be Free
Pink Paislee 365 Degrees Paper – Imagine
Pink Paislee 365 Degrees Paper – Daydream
Micro Spool White Twill
White acrylic paint
Stickles (Platinum used)
Adhesive (including foam pads)
Friday 6 August 2010
Scrappy Birthday!
About 18 months ago when I was setting up my new craft area I set aside a cube in my expedit unit and one of the large boxes that fit inside it just for scraps. Previously I was rubbish with scraps, it wasn't that I threw them away or was wasteful with the paper I just didn't really have a system for dealing with them. I tried putting them in baggies with the un cut sheets of what ever they went with which seemed like a good idea so that when I worked with a paper I would have some co-ordinating off cuts to hand but in reality it didn't work for me.
Instead I now have a large deep box and all my scraps get chucked into it. I then rummage through it for just the right piece when creating a layout or especially when card making. It has helped me move away from only ever using papers from the same range together and it has made card making much more fun as I was always put off by having to cut into a whole 12x12 sheet to make a card. Now I have plenty of options and feel very good about using up my scraps rather than guilty for "wasting" a sheet of paper on a card!
Thursday 5 August 2010
Alter that!
I then painted them a dark brown colour on both sides, I used a brush, though the dabber ‘end’ of a paint dabber would work well too…
Once the paint was dry I assembled the birdcage with PVA glue and found that just a small amount of glue applied in the right place and a little bit of patience was very effective! The instructions were a little hard to see when trying to work out where to put the little round hinge part, but I think this is right...
Before attaching the roof I decided to continue my paint effect work and the next step was to completely coat the birdcage with a crackle medium. I think Ranger make a version of this, but I still have a lot left in my container that I bought years ago in Do It All so I used that...
If you feel that the whole crackle medium technique is a bit taxing, you could always use Ranger’s Tim Holtz crackle paint (I would still paint a different colour underneath to show through the cracks). Alternatively you could paint your cage in a plain colour then cover with Crackle Accents to give a cracked glass effect all over.
I’ll be back on 10th August to show you what I did with my birdcage next.
Oh – and cat supervision is not recommended, though generally unavoidable in my house!
Wednesday 4 August 2010
Sketch Inspiration Number 13
The layout accompanying this sketch is an older layout but I love the different elements and the placing on this so hope you will enjoy playing along too.
Tuesday 3 August 2010
More journalling focused pages
When I look at my layouts now, I have journalling on almost all of them, at the very least dates and names. Sometime I go into more detail with my story, othertimes not. Here are a couple of pages from me where I journalled more than average. I hope, along with Mel, that you will be inspired to make journalling the focus on a layout you create in the near future.
Monday 2 August 2010
Journaling - Making It The Focus Of Your Layout
If you fall into the first two categories your desire to journal is likely to be stronger however all too often we crete a page and then work out wha we will journal and where we can fit it; it becomes the final addition, an after thought.
The two layouts below were examples I used in a class I taught about making the journaling the focus of your layout and using it as a feature rather than added around the other elements.
We discussed ways of making the journaling more interesting. For example by combining hand written journaling with key words added using stickers or stamps.
This layout uses entirely hand written journaling. It isn't perfect, some of the text flow is broken up by the central circle and photo however I love the layout and the effect I got with such a large amount of hand written journaling. To add interest and a little humour I included some little simple child like doodles such as the little boat and the waves. I hope this has been of interest and maybe will inspire you to really put the focus on the journaling for some of your layouts.
July Challenge and Sketches
We are having a great time on holiday but I realised yesterday that we didn't announce the challenge winners for July - I am very sorry that I didn't do that before I left - you can count on it being top of my job list when I get home!
Apologies.
Mel xx