Heavenly Crafts

Yesterday, I was supposed to finalise a set of accounts and fun a payroll but oh, boy, I really didn't want to.  after all, it was Saturday  why should I have to work on a Saturday?  Saturday is a time for playing...............so that is just what I did (Ssshh! Don't tell my hubbie ;!) ).

I spent the afternoon messing in Photoshop using the following kit from Armina Designs and Laitha's Designs:

I was actually given the full collection bundle to work with as I fell in love with the accent clusters (shown in the centre of the collection bundle preview below)when I saw them:




But actually, when I downloaded the kit and took a closer look, it was absolutely gorgeous.  I'd not seen any of Armina Designs' work before and I have to say  it is really lovely.  The papers are amazing, truly amazing and really, the preview just does not do them justice. I dream of being able to create papers like some of the ones in this kit, so go take a look, I can promise you that you won't be disappointed!

I knew before I got the bundle that I wanted to make some cards using the accent clusters but I could not resist using the papers too.  So, I made a set of eight cards and have had dreadful trouble trying to photograph them - I actually spent.  less time making the cards than I did taking the photos! Despite photographing some of these outside this morning, I just could not get it right.  Probably the damp, misty morning and using my purple stamping pad didn't help, so I had to discard those.  Then I tried inside my office (100% artificial light :(). I managed to get this one:




However, you can see that these are far from perfect so I tried again just taking a shot of each card....the following close ups are a mixture of the least worst photos!

See what I mean about the papers:





I know it has come up with a purple tinge, but isn't that one of the most gorgeous papers you've ever seen?  All I had to do was add ribbon and the card didn't need anything else.  And take a look at this one:



I used a Stampin' Up! stamp and punch for this although really, it didn't need it as the paper speaks for itself!  

For the accent clusters, all I did was print the cards and add some Stampin' Up! Dazzling Details Silver Sparkle (silver glitter glue in other words!):




It is such a quick and easy way to the clusters and make a simple but effective card.  For the cards made using the clusters, I just added pearls and gems:






Genuinely, it has taken longer to take the photos and blog about the cards than it did top make them!  If you've ever had any doubts about your capabilities as a card maker, then just try doing something similar yourself, it is so quick and easy with a digital kit, and if you have some ribbon, brads and so on in your stash, you can really make the printed card pop!

I have my eye on another kit now, so am off to ban that one!  Have a lovely Sunday afternoon, and if you do make some cards, let me have a look!  I'd love to see them :)

Happy scrapping!

I've been busy with craft fairs again and seriously need more hours in each day to get some Christmas cards made!  Why is it that time just drags when I'm preparing accounts yet flies away when I start crafting?!!!  Hubbie is forever coming into my office to see what I am up to and it is only then that I realise several hours have passed since the "I won't be long" comment I made to him when he asked me what time I would finish.....  Seriously, someone needs to put him in a time warp or something for me so that as soon as I say a time, he goes into the time warp or time capsule or something so that he only comes out when I've finished yet thinks only 5 minutes or half an hour has passed!  That way, I wouldn't get into trouble for saying I'll only be ten minutes and then taking two hours to finish up.......

Anyhow,this is the latest project I have been in trouble with for not time keeping properly:

Please excuse the poor quality of the photos.  I reckon I must definitely need new glasses as they most certainly looked like they were on focus when I took the photos!

This is a one page album made using a single sheet of kraft cardstock and this amazing kit from Digilicious Designs:



Isn't it gorgeous?  I love those colours and that parrot is so cute!  Even better, it is currently on sale at only $9 for the whole bundle - a real bargain ;).

I matted the album with kit papers and, of course, had to use my distress inks too...I don't know how you feel about Kraft card stock but to me it just seems to cry out for a bit of distressing.  I don't think I could use it without getting some ink on it!  The ribbon was added before I adhered the paper to the front and back cover - I have learnt from experience to think first, then stick, as I have been known to leave the ribbon until I've almost finished an album and then have problems trying to cover up the fact that I should have placed the ribbon under the paper, not on top!

Anyhow, this is the inside of the album:




As you can see, I made pockets for all the pages except the first one (but there were also pockets between the album pages due to the way I cut and folded the card stock) and then created some tags in Photoshop (there were none in the bundle).  I made the label using my ever faithful Stampin' Up! round tag punch (unfortunately, this is now retired :( ) and rounded the corners.  I must confess, I did have to trim each tag slightly due to me being somewhat overenthusiastic with the glue when sticking the edges of the pockets down but I take the view that this is a prototype album and therefore I definitely have room for manoeuvre when it comes to making mistakes!

Here's a close up of the tags:




The clock looks really effect (imho) on the tags and I was so pleased with how that brad turned out (on the tag second from the left at the top).  It is actually just cut out and stuck to the tag using 3D foam pads but it looks so realistic in the photograph and oh dear, I've just noticed from the above photo that I've managed to leave a bit from the top of a 3D foam pad underneath the parrot...you just can't get the staff, can you?!!!

Let me know what you think and please, have a go yourself at this as the one page album is really quick (well.....that would be quick in my idea of time, and you only need to ask hubbie how inaccurate that can be ;) ).  Well, I'm off to finalise a set of accounts now and with a bit of luck I'll be able to get some more crafting in later on.

Happy Scrapping!

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I am now on the creative team for Nibbles Skribbles (woohoo!) and the first kit I chose to work with was a mini:

This is the Second Chance mini and whilst it only has four papers and ten elements, I fell in love with the striped paper and, having seen a top hat created by the Gentleman Crafter, decided that the paper would be ideal for a top hat.  I was torn, as I could see the potential for some neat birthday cards with this too, but I decided to go with the top hat as I have made lots of albums and cards recently so felt like a change.

As I mentioned in my last post, I was going to use an empty coffee tin for this but decided to use that old standby, a toilet roll holder.  Very exotic!  I cu the base of the top hat from cardstock and then adhered this to the roll using the printed paper.  I used some lace form my stash to decorate it, and made some flowers using a die to arrive at this:




And this is the other side:





I wasn't quite sure what to do about the top, so I ended up using part of the toilet roll trimmed with paper and ribbon.  I then added a small mini album made using two of the Stampin' Up! Christmas Ornament dies.  I've been longing to use these and this is the first chance I have had!  So please excuse the blurry photos and take a peek inside the top hat  First the top:



The album is in the shape of a Christmas Ornament and fits nicely inside the hat:












For a first attempt, it's not bad but I know I can see all the flaws and mistakes here, especially where the cutting out isn't quite perfect.  I can also see how I could have done the top of the hat differently, especially after my husband very kindly told me what he would have done....after I had finished it!

Anyhow, it just shows that you can do just about anything with a digital kit if you put your mind to it, so why not give hybrid a try yourself?  If you do, I would love to see what you make so feel free to post a link here,

Happy Scrapping!

Well, here is yet another album, this time made from just one sheet of cardstock.  I used this kit:

  
Isn't it gorgeous?  I love the vintage feel of this kit and that is such an adorable bicycle!  It's a collaboration between Aimee Harrison Design Studios, Digilicious Designs and Snips & Snails Designs and they have done such a good job!


Anyhow, I started with the sheet of kraft cardstock which I folded in half length ways and then again width ways.  I then folded each half in again to make the four pages.  Each page was matted with papers printed from the kit, and then decorated using kit elements:








I added the organza ribbon to fasten the album together, and decorated the album using kit elements.  The flowers were taken straight from the kit, I just printed out two or three and cut each out individually before arranging.  the buttons/brads are also form the kit.  I just resized them to fit my 3/4" circle punch to save having any wobbly edges when hand cutting!

The tags were printed to fit the album and then I rounded the corners and added a tag at the top of each one using the Stampin' Up! round tab punch.  

I've been busy making stuff for craft fairs recently and will try and get photos of those posted.  I've made post it note holders, small pencil boxes, seed packet wraps, and calendars (trying to get a start on stocking fillers for Christmas ;) ) and have plans for lots more.  The trouble is, that whilst there is so much you can make and so many free tutorials out there, the one limiting factor I have is time.  There just aren't enough hours in the day or enough days in the week, so if you have any to spare, feel free to pass them along!

Then whilst I managed to take a weekend off to take my daughter back to Plymouth where she is at University, I actually managed to forget to take my camera.  I remembered half way down the M5 but how I managed to leave my camera behind is beyond me because it's like forgetting to take my right hand with me! I always have either a camera or a laptop with me when I am out and about!  It must be old age setting in so I dread to think what I will be like in a couple of years!

Finally, some news!  I am really excited as I am now a member of Nibbles Skribbles Creative Team and I am really looking forward to creating some hybrid items for her.  I have my first kit downloaded, I just need to print out the papers and so on as I have an idea for something I haven't made before.  I'll be altering a coffee tin, so watch this space to see what I come up with!

Happy scrapping!

Well, I am making an early start (for once!) on my 2013 calendars.  I give these as Christmas gifts, making an A4 size calendars for ladies, and a 4x6 desktop calendar for men.  So far, I have made the desktop calendars as I was able to use these calendar grids from Nibbles Skribbles:

These are really so easy to use.  They come as a png file and all you have to do is drag them onto your calendar page for the relevant month and resize as necessary - it took longer to sort out which photos to use than it did to create each page!  If you make your own calendars, then these are ideal.  You can find them at The Studio and the preview above is linked to the store.

This is what I ended up with (you'll have to excuse the poor quality of the photo as the lighting in my office is terrible.):




The cover page was just a photo with the title added, and you can see how the calendar is put together from the side shot.  I cut two pieces of card stock 4" by 8", scoring each piece at 6".  After binding using my Bind-it-All, the short ends were folded over and stuck together to form the base of the calendar so it would stand up firmly.

These are the individual pages - I've just used the jpegs here as I was feeling lazy and didn't want to photograph each page and then make the preview (in my defence, it has taken me nearly 7 hours to make this calendar!):  








I used Scriptina and Calibri fonts.

These calendar grids are so easy to use and it will definitely make my life easier when it comes to making the A4 calendars!  

Well, it's now 10:45 pm here, so I'm off to get a well deserved glass of red wine!  Happy scrapping!

2 solid papers

1 frame

2 flowers

1 star scatter

1 overlay

1 brad

1 tag

1 journaling tag

1 leaf

1 photo and

1 cluster

Later today we are off to see our eldest son and his girlfriend as they have just moved into a new home after several weeks (it probably seemed liked years to my son!) of living with her parents.  So, in honour of their new home, this is the card I have made them both:

In actual fact, this card is slightly different form how I envisaged it, as originally, there was going to be no black matting around the city image.  However, when I stamped a message on the inside of the card, I ended up messing it up (I know, how embarrassing is that?!!!) so decided to just use the top half of the card on a new A6 card and layer it!

It probably looks better layered anyway, so it all turned out all right, and since our son does not as yet have internet connection, there is no chance of him seeing this card before we get there later today......unless he checks on his phone, of course, although I am sure he has better things to do than check what his mum is getting up to!

I have also had the pleasure of working with another new kit from one of the designers at The Studio.  this time is is with Alive Again by jusme digital, and oh, it is lovely:


I love those greens and greys together, really effective and there are some gorgeous papers in the kit too :).  Well, this kit just called out for a card box with matching cards and envelopes.  I saw a pizza box tutorial (which you can find HERE) a while ago and have been longing to use this.  I used a sheet of A4 cardstock and printed 4 different cards on this using elements from the kit (I actually included 7 of the cards in the box) and made matching envelopes using a printed kit paper.  This is the finished box:




And here it is with the cards and envelopes:


I duplex printed two different papers on card stock and then punched out the flowers using to create the flower on the top of the box.  The envelops were basically cut out to fit the card (just rectangles scores on both long sides at 0.5" and then in the middle to fit the card, and 1.5" from the scalloped edge.I used a scallop edge punch on one side of the paper before I cut and scored it.  I left the cards blank inside so they can be used for anything (apart, obviously, from the one that has "happy birthday" on the front!)

I love this kit and Christine's other kits are just as gorgeous so why not pop over to The Studio to take a look?  The Studio are also having Designer and Layout contests, both of which I am entering, although where I am going to find the time I really don't know....still, you have to do something other than number crunching all day, don't you?!!!!

Well, I'm off to take a look at the Designer contest now and the pack for our trip up north so have fun whatever you are doing this weekend!

Happy Scrapping!

Well, this is one of the projects I had every intention of completing whilst we were on holiday but without my scoring tool, I was completely lost!  So, this weekend was an ideal time to catch up and get this finished, so after a couple of evenings work, here it is.  

I was lucky enough to have the chance to work with the July Project 365 kit form Digilicious Designs and it is truly scrumptious:

The polka dot paper is gorgeous, and the tags are just perfect.  I really love this kit.  Mind you, I've said that about the earlier six months' worth too ;)!

Anyhow, this is what I came up with:


I made the cover from A4 cardstock and covered it with paper on the front but inside, I used kit papers printed on card for added strength as the cardstock was rather flimsy for a cover.  The scalloped edged paper was made using a Stampin' Up! punch and the lace was bought whilst on holiday in Wales.  I used two pieces of lace and placed them back to back so the edges overlapped to form a solid line.  



It looks rather effective, doesn't it?

I finished the cover off with washi tape at the top and bottom. I think this may be Tim Holtz tape but can't be sure - I really need to start keeping a proper record of exactly what is in my stash so I don't end up buying the same thing twice, which I have done before (and I know I am not the only one who does this!!!).  I nearly bought a Stampin' Up! die that I already have last week - now that would have been an expensive mistake ;).

The inside pages were cardstock covered with the printed kit papers and embellished using elements from the kit:




These Project 365 kits are really just made for making albums.  They are gorgeous and the great thing with them being digital, is you can print them out to any size you want so can make a large(ish) album like this one or a small one using wages envelopes for instance.  I just love the adaptability of digital kits!

Well, the next album I make I am going to try and remember to take photos in the process as I am keen for as many people as possible to try these out!

Well, a glass of red wine is calling out my name now, so I am off to answer the call.  And before you ask, I do only have the one glass (and no, it is not a pint glass ;) ).

Happy Scrapping!

Well, we had a lovely relaxing time in wet Wales, and actually managed to avoid a lot of the rain, although there were several days when I thought we could be flooded out as the rain was so heavy!  I've transferred the photos to my hard drive now, so watch this space as I am sue to post some as and when I get the chance.  Unfortunately, I am now on a mammoth catch up to get all the work done I should have been doing whilst we were away.  the trouble with being self employed is that when you take time off, the work just does not get done so, of course, that means no fee notes are sent out and no money comes in....looks like I'm going top be extra busy for the foreseeable future ;).


Of course, what I really want to be doing is crafting and I did manage to make some cards whilst I was away.  I would have made more (I had plans to make several albums and some pencil boxes) but I ended up forgetting my score board and was at a complete loss!

This is the kit I had fun with though:

Isn't it gorgeous?  I love Aimee's kits and they just see to get better and better!  Those journal cards are lovely, and I was going to make something with those or the stackables (which are truly gorgeous ;)) but then I saw these:



I originally started off making cards, etc digitally, so did not have a lot of equipment (Big Shot, dies, punches, stamps and so on) to start off with, so I decided to make cards using just the kit and templates (but I did end up cheating and used some antique ribbon on one of the cards though ;) ).  After all, if all you have is the digital kit (which you can print as many times as you like), can you really make cards and stuff without adding anything or having to have all the necessary tools?

Well, this is the proof that you don't have to have lots of gadgets, ribbon,  buttons and so on:




Pretty neat, huh (and modest of me, too!!!)?  The bottom card was created using one of the templates.  I made a digital scrapbook page as you would normally, then scaled everything down to fit an A6 card,  transferred each paper and element separately onto an A4 image and then printed everything out.  I then had the long job of cutting everything out, which is the one thing that always seems to take the longest time!  You really do need decent scissors for this though, especially for the fussy cutting out, and I use the Stampin' Up! Paper Snips.  They are just about the best small scissors I have ever used!

Anyhow, I then used my original scrap page as a guide (although this was complicated by the fact that my youngest son was trying to play Minecraft on my laptop at the same time as I kept checking the scrap page ;)).  The final card is not quite as per the template and I put that down entirely to my son hogging my laptop!

The top card was made using slightly different elements and papers from the kit but this time with no template.

As you can see, whilst my cutting out is not 100% perfect (probably far from it unfortunately), it just shows you can make cards using digital kits which is an added bonus, as you will never ever in out of the digital paper and embellishments provided you don't delete the files form your hard drive ;).

Why don't you have a go and see what you can come up with?  You might even surprise yourself!!!  If you do use a digital kit to make real life cards, please leave a link in the comments so I can see what you have done :).

Happy Scrapping!

I can't believe it is over two weeks since I last posted! The time has flown by and yet again work has been busy, but this time, I also managed to fit some crafting time in, including helping at the Stampin' Up! demonstrator table at the Wrexham Artstamps Fair.  That was totally exhausting but such fun!

Since then I have been desperately trying to get this album finished.  I was using one of Christine's gorgeous Project 365 kits, this time the June one:

Isn't it gorgeous?  Mind you, I say that about every month's Project 365 kit as I love each and every one of them ;)!

Well, this time (just for a change) I decided to make an album and this is what I ended up with:


The above is the front and back covers, the first two inside pages ad some close ups of some of the elements in the album.  Just look at that bird - there is such depth to it, even though it is just printed on cardstock and cut out so is completely flat.  

The flowers on the front cover were made using Woodware punches - I have 3 flower punches (the same basic shape) in different sizes so they were ideal for this.  




And the above photos are of the remaining inside pages.  I used the notecards from the kit as journalling cards and then printed and cut out the elements to add to each page.  The ribbons, eyelets and baker's twine are from my stash and the album is made from kraft cardstock with the papers matted and the edges distressed for effect.  the whole idea for the album came from Kathy Orta at Paper Phenomenom.  That girl is sooo good!  this album was adapted from the Mini Album Canvas Art, although obviously, I only made the album (resized to fit the cardstock I had) and missed the canvas.

Oh, and the curled flowers in the top right of the above photo?  I printed paper in a circle shape (using Photoshop) onto plain white cardstock.  I then cut out the circle and cut it inside on ever decreasing circles so I ended up with one long circular piece of cardstock which I then curled up to make the flower.

Not bad, eh (and modest too as always!!!)?!!! 

I'm actually finding it easier to make these now so obviously, all the practice has paid off!  Plus I have my first commission!!!!  My daughter's boyfriend has requested one for his mum and is actually going to pay me too!  Woohoo!  Only trouble is, I need to find the time to make it now!

Well, that's all from me for now.  I need to crack on with work and also have a kit form Aimee Harrison that I need to get started.  I'm thinking of making cards and printing them out so no cutting and glueing this time around!  I honestly don't know how I will manage it....I'm sure to end up adding ribbon at the very least!

Happy scrapping!