Scrapped my Blogspot Photo(s)

Just scrapped my blogspot photos using the Scrap 365  Challenge Sketch for April. Don't usually think to use circles so it was a good exercise for me.  Patterned paper is K & Company's Emma Blue Floral. The lace is the Martha Stewart Eyelet Lace punch. Alphabets are Sizzix Monograms and Typeset. With a few gromlets and bits and bobs to finish off.

WOYWW #147

Well here we are again. Thought I'd get myself sorted this week on the Tuesday as, of course, I'll be going to badminton again on Wednesday.

Here's a wider shot of my craftcorner in my bedroom. Whilst I am scrapping, my Cuttlebug changes places with my laptop as I love diecutting. Perhaps you'll notice the boards with most of my die shapes on the wall behind my chair! I did my "Leap Day" scrappage earlier in the week and it is hanging from my shelves on a coat hanger (a great idea I got from a magazine once).

Not sure if you can see the special distress ink shelf under the bottom main shelf which my husband put up for me for Christmas last. My inkpad foams are stored in the little wooden cuttlery tray under the Gesso!

And yes I do use the end of my bed for albums, folders and the like whilst I am crafting. The round light is my SAD light, not only adding to my sanity but great to craft with.

My current pages are of our trip to the Royal Academy of Arts to see the David Hockney exhibition. I always seem to have more photos/memorabilia for my pages than most people but I try to add embellishments where I can.

Hope this gives you all a better insight to my craftcorner, and hoping my badge turns up soon too.

Thanks Julia for doing this, it is great fun.

Altered Book : Part II (lesson 4)

Hi Folks, Well here's the next installment of my Altered Book journey. My book isn't that thick but it was all I could lay my hands on before the course started. My theme is Seasons and they will be getting one signature each of 8 pages! Elizabeth, over at The Altered Book Lover suggested that I did the glued pages for this lesson not consecutively but one per season/signature which is what I have done.

The best thing about this Altered Book lark is that there aren't any rules (save getting a sewn spine book). Jolly good job as one would think I had definitely lost the plot this lesson, but as there isn't a plot - that's fine.                          

I glued my pairs of pages together using the following:- 1) Pritt Stick  2) Anita's Tacky Glue  3) Inkessentials Glue N'Seal   4) Boldmere's Gesso.  My Cuttlebug makes for a jolly useful weight so my book sits under it most of the time.

The tags I used to mark the sections are from clothes/products. I have been saving them for ages and at last, found a use for some of them. I have noted the glue I used on the reverse of each tag.

So for my Seasonal title pages:-

I did Spring first, inking the pages using the direct to paper technique as outlined by Elizabeth in the lesson. I decorated with some previously made ATCs and bits and bobs. I even found the feather on the day I made the page.  

I did Winter next, Gesso was the background to these pages, although as they were quite bare, I stamped the music score first. I also stamped with distress over the Gesso and as it seemed to remain sticky I ran some talcum powder over it - now it is OK.

Then came Summer. I inked the background with distress stains, added a cacophony of diecut elements and then some stamped images too. Vanilla Sands is a make of clothing here in the UK and inspired my beach page.

Finally Autumn, loads of diecut leaves, a few trees and more stamping, with a Cotton Traders Tag.

The only thing I haven't managed as yet is to use glue as the main part of a page and as an element in itself. Might have to save that technique up for later.

WOYWW #146

Hmmmmm, seem to be buying rather than doing these days, although have started on lesson 4 of the Altered Book Tutorial.


Join in the WOYWW fun over at The Stamping Ground (hope this was short enough!)

Mildred and Martha

I was so taken by the canvas workshop by Neil I just had to have a go myself. I didn't have any canvas but did make a card, then decided to reproduce it in my Art journal. I really need some "sayings" stamps and wonder if anyone has any recommendations. I'm still amazed as to how the Tim Holtz reindeer dies can make such cool birds. Thanks Neil.

TH#3 - March Tag

Finally I got round to doing the Tim Holtz - March Tag Was lacking in quite a few in the supplies department but "battled-on" and here is the result.

WOYWW #145

Thought it about time I showed you all my workdesk. I'm off out to play badminton in a minute (reason I haven't played along before) but this week I happen to have my New Year scrappage on the go!
We had gone up on to Epsom Downs for the first year ever to watch the fireworks down in London. We were quite a distance away but we were able to see them along with the 100's of other people there too!      Actual pictures are from the TV btw!!

Altered Book : Part I

I have taken on the challenge of Elizabeth's Altered Book Lessons which will run fortnightly over the next 40 weeks or so! Here is the result of lessons 1-3. Finding a suitable book was quite a challenge to start with. This one is about a cricket commentator! However, the title did spark the theme of Seasons. Here you can see I have removed a good chunk of pages from the front section of the book (under the elastic band). In the back section I will be creating a "niche" so I have glued the pages together and the pegs are holding it in place whilst it dries. I still need an item to go in my niche and will be rummaging around in the loft later for a suitable Christmas decoration which will go nicely in the Winter section of my book!

Well I found a silver glittered snowflake which was shallow enough for my niche so went ahead and cut the hole and pegged with "mini pegs" this time! I then covered the block with snowflake paper from my stash and cut out some additional snowflakes in the niche backing card. I speckled them with white paint and glittered the backing paper too. Couldn't decide whether to cut the decoration's hanging string off or not and in the end just glued it to the outside of the niche. I'm loving my Altered Book :)

Here we go then, reinforced front pages. The papers were the ends of a 6x6 pad so a bit of patchwork was in order, covered by carefully positioned sticky ribbons! I cut up an old card I had made some time ago for Spring and have had hanging on my wall ever since. Added glossy accents, decoupage and crackle to the elements.  For the "bump" on the next page have stuck some mulberry paper. Sort of want to incorporate the book's title somehow??

I have cards already made for the other seasons too and one for all of them which might have to be on the cover (when we get to that bit) one way or another............ Happy Bunny!

Couldn't help myself, just had to do the other half of the back page next to the niche. Had to do a bit more patchwork as I didn't have enough of the patterned/mulberry papers without joins. Shame the white glitter doesn't show up on the photo, but I know it is there. I think lessons 1-3 are done for me now................

Kitchen Roll Tag Book

Keep seeing these cute little tag books in magazines so decided to make one myself. Used my Portobello Road papers and will be adding memories of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee to the tags.

Colours of Spring

Having a bit of a textured tag moment methinks. Not used my embossing folders much before now, so seem to want to emboss EVERYTHING! Getting my new Tag Die doesn't help either as EVERYTHING has to be a tag aswell!

Thought I'd enter this into The Stampman Challenge for this fortnight which is all about the Colours of Spring.

I love the greens of the leaves unfolding on the bare branches of the trees. I especially love all the birds flitting about making nests and laying eggs. All in all a lovely time of new growth.

Sweet Cherub

Gosh haven't crafted for over a week as I've had a nasty cold but seem to be getting over it now. Had a few new goodies for my birthday and have made this "Love" tag with them.

Butterfly Kisses

Thought I'd try a bit of texture and enter The Stamp Man Challenge as I was so inspired by Neil's tag and also my craft friend Julia's tag.

TH#2 - February Tag

Typical, Tim Holtz goes and copies our UKPC group by doing 12 Tags of 2012, i.e. one a month! But hey - we get more to do now! Here's my Valentine tag just completed in time for hubby when he got home from work. Awww.

Childhood Book

For my second Art Journal Page I wanted to use the theme from a SWAP card that I'd done on our craft group UKPC last year. So I made a card then went on to make a scrapbook page and now the AJ page.

The theme was inspired by the various magazines with cards based on "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Wizard of Oz" and it was to make a card based on a book which held a particular memory for you as a child. My book was "The Island of Adventure" by Enid Blyton. I'd found it in my new bedroom when we went to live in Wales from Devon. It sparked a love of reading and I devoured the Famous Five afterwards.

Unfortunately a teacher had said these books were too young for me when I was about 12yrs so I stopped reading all together. Until I was in my twenties, that is, when I was waiting for a train on Blackfriars Station and spotted "The Wench is Dead" by Colin Dextor and as I was a MORSE fan this inspired me again.

What book do you remember as a child?

Filled With LOVE

The Craft Barn Challenge this month is Art Journalling, so thought I'd have a go . Although I think I have just come up with a Scrapbook Page!! The remit was to do hearts and fill them with the things you love so here are mine:- God, Husband and Son, Creation, Our Home, Worship Songs, Birds and Crafting. At least it readdresses the balance after my February Fancy Page!

Spot the Difference

Not wishing to be completely defeated in the Art Journalling department I went out and bought an Artist's Sketchbook (for want of something to do the job). Book is 7"x10" and my page 8"x8" so I chopped off portions from the top and bottom and stuck them on the sides! Voilà - an art journal page at last!

PS Added something I love but forgot initially! and some more hearts.............will it stop there?

February Fancy

Thought I'd try my hand at a sketch from the new Scrap365 February Issue Magazine. It happens to be their challenge sketch this month so I have entered it there too. I mainly used the Radio Times for pictures so I may update as I find better images. Now UKPC members want to get together their "Eye Candy" candidates so who would you put on yours?

Rudolph Day

On the on-line craft group (UKPC) we have what we call a "Rudolph Day". This is on the 25th of each month and in the past it has been the day where we made a few Christmas Cards to spread the load over the year.

This year, however, we are using the day to make the "Tim Holtz 12 Days of Christmas Tags." So I guess it will be more like the 12 "months" of Christmas! As I made all 12 tags of 2011, I am going to be choosing one of Tim's previous year's tag for that particular month. So I made this tag based "loosely" on the January 2008 technique.

I used a Ranger Manila #8 tag and Tim Holtz's compass mini mask (only mask I have!). Distress inks are Peeled Paint, Fired Brick and Vintage Photo and the background stamp is from the Shabby French Collection (again the only one I have!). I used the Vintage Market alphabet, inked and crackle painted. The ink pot and feather stamps are from Dimention Forth's gentlemen set, inked and crackle painted also. The book set is a Cuttlebug Die. So all in all not Christmassy at all.

ADVENT scrap pages

Here's my ADVENT pages where I put the mini tags. I also made the fragment baubles with the foil tops and wire hangers like Tim's extra bits on day #6. Couldn't manage to get the alcohol ink to come off with the archival ink stamp ontop but think they look good anyway.

In Memory of Val

One of my UKPC on-line craft group members died suddenly last Saturday and I just wanted to remember her here. Val always joined in our monthly card SWAPs and this was the card I received from her a year last September and it is still adorning my shelf as I love it so.
She always poured her all into her card making and beadwork and produced some fantastic pieces, she will be sorely missed by us all on the group.
Rest in Peace Val your memory will live on with us all.

Advent Mini Tags for Scrapbooking

To decorate my Advent scrap page I decided to make some mini TAGS based on Tim's 12 TAGS of Christmas. Here they are:-

I used the Sizzix Monogram alphabet for the mini tag's "Noel".

I also remade TAG #1 after getting the Pinecone Die and a snowflake embossing folder.

I used my Quickutz candle die for this mini tag and Tim's Typeset Alphabet.

I combined techniques from Tim's tags #2 & #8 for this mini tag.

Glad I'd printed off more than one "all is calm" when I got to this one.

A very cut down version for this mini tag but just love using a stapler to attach things now.

I also made up some fragment baubles using alcohol inks to colour the backs. Although I was unable to replicate the removal of a stamped image technique as used in TAG #6 - never mind.

Tim Holtz 12 Tags - Complete

Well here are this years tags by Tim Holtz in all of their glory.

The 12 days - Reflections

1) Most featured products - Glossy accents (think I am converted to using as a glue too now). White paint dabber (I only had the pearl white but it did the job of the Snow Cap white and also the Picket Fence Stain!) Hot glue gun - on my Christmas list!!

2) Favourite techniques - Day #5 Acetate/Alcohol Inks/Archival Ink to remove - loved that one. Day #9 Stamp/Embossed/more ink more embossing - luxuriant

3) Things to be careful of - using the metal foil as I cut my fingers!! Ouch!

I'm sure I'll think of a few more to make up the 12 - LOL.

Day #12 of Tim's Tags

I can't believe it, I HAVE FINISHED all 12 tags in the 12 days. What a wonderful feeling.

Didn't possess the main ingredient today so used tissue tape on the background and mulberry paper for the flower instead. No doll either so I handmade my own angel based on some I have on my tree which were made from a kit. I used the tattered flower die on felt for the skirt and just folded in quarters, arms are a white pipecleaner, head a cut down pom-pom from the children's craft box - LOL. Some hair was poached from the kit angel I had and sewn in place. Face was interesting and took on many guises.

This was somewhat of a challenge and quite fiddly but such a lovely one to end on.
Thanks to Tim Holtz for all his hard work publishing these designs daily with full instructions.

Now I have completed my first full challenge, I feel equipped to have a go at some of the previous years tags. Hmmmm which one shall I do first????

Day #11 of Tim's Tags

OK - so it doesn't look anything like Tim's today! Too many "didn't haves", so here is what I did do.
Glossy card tag distressed with water droplets. The stamped elements were also on glossy card using distress inks and I added silver and frosted lace stickles to highlight.
Snowflakes are made with shrink plastic, alcohol inked on back with an extra layer of pearl dabber on back.
I used glossy accents on them to soften them as guess what - no melting pot nor UTEE!
Added some feathesr and fibres in the corner.

Day #10 of Tim's Tags

I Believe! Improvised quite a bit for this one. Loving using the netting (tulle) as a element.