Sunday, 26 August 2012

Made 2 cards this weekend, a birthday card and a 1st day at school card

Finally I've made some cards this week. I've been so busy keeping Carrie entertained over the summer holidays and doing children's craft projects and baking with her and her friends, along with making a couple of scrapbook pages, I've not made any cards since mid July.

One card was straightforward, I used a La Pashe 'Mechanic's Workshop' Framin' Card kit. A framed decoupage card for Andy, my husband's birthday, next month. I sat in my comfy chair and it took about 1.5 hours to cut out and layer up the card. I just need to make and attach a stand at the back so the card can be freestanding (saw how to make one from a show on Ideal World's craft day this last week.)

the photo doesn't show the dimension of the decoupaged tools on the card.


The second card ( & co-ordinating decorated envelope) was a labour of love for a very special little lady.


 Next month my youngest niece Lottie is starting school, so I've made a card for Carrie to send to her cousin to mark this momentous occasion. It took me about 4 hours in total to make this card ( not including the time taken for the silicone glue to dry).



Products used to make this card
Crafters Companion 'Popcorn Bear' twisted pyramage & co-ordinating papers and embellishments.
Dovecraft silicone glue & finger lift DST
'Fired Brick' Tim Holtz distress ink
Habico adhesive pearls
Papermania 12" x 12" red scalloped cardstock (cut down  & scored to make A5 card base)
Papermania red spotted Capsule Collection mini buttons
'Summertime' backing paper (red spotted paper behind pryamage) - free with issue 108 (Sept 2012) of Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine
Wackytac Adhesive sheet
die-cut tags, border & scroll (all from craft swaps on Do Crafts forum)

I decorated a white envelope with co-ordinatingPopcorn Bear embellishments.


Now I'm off for a soak in the bath as I've sat up for far too long today and my back muscles really ache, thankyou for any comments youmay leave, Fi x




Sunday, 12 August 2012

1st page of Mo's 40th birthday album

I made 1st page of Anita's 40th birthday album (previous post) this week, so decided I should also start her twin Mo's album as well. To begin with I will use the same photos, for their shared childhood, but in their preferred colourways. Anita loves, chocalte, browns, creams, greys and blues. Mo prefers pinks, blues and soft greens.

Details:
vintage blue/cream spotted 12 x 12 paper (maker unknown)
satin spotted ribbon bought from Susie D (on DC)
silver glittered chipboard alphas from Poundland
Boofle 'Big Bloomer' flower
handmade rose,die-cut flowers & circles from swaps on DoCrafts
blue pearls from The London Line (bought at The Range)
vintage buttons from my granny's button jar





Tuesday, 7 August 2012

1st page of my little twin sisters 40th scrap albums

In October, my little sisters Mo and Anita, identical twins, will be 40 and  its customary for me to make my siblings an album for their 40th birthdays. I've not scrapped since last November, so its well overdue that I got back into it, also having just 2 1/2 months to finish two 12" x 12" albums, theres nothing like a bit of time presure to get me crafting!

                     This first LO is the first page of Anita's album:


materials used:
12" x 12" vintage newspaper paper (maker unknown)
Dovecraft 'chocolate' floral paper
Vintage lace paper (maker unknown)
Boofle Big Bloomers paper flower
Papermania 'chocolate' brad
diecut flowers 

(journalling will be added later to protect my sisters privacy as it will give their full names date and place of birth)


details:
Poundland bronze glittered chipboard letters
K & Co Vintage Button vellum
metallic pearl paper (maker unknown)
vintage ribbon (maker unknown)

photograph of the day the twins and mum came home from hospital(mum had been in for 6 weeks and in those days children were banned from maternity wards, so we had bnot seen her in that time.
 (from left to right)
Me aged 7 1/2 holding my 2 week old baby sister (we can't remember who was holding who!);
Mum holding Fraser, aged 17 months old
Ian, aged 6 holding our other baby sister
Dad.


Posies Scrapbook kit adhesive journalling stickers (bought from QVC)
                   Hot Off The Press Soft Nostalgia backing paper



die-cut bird on branch, die-cut border & antiqued brad ( all from swaps on Do Crafts forum, details unknown)



I couldn't possibly start Anita's story without Mo (short for Morag) her identical twin. Anita was born just a few minutes after Mo and they are still inseperable.

Dovecraft chocolate paper
Posies kit die-cut letters
Vintage buttons from my granny's button jar (given to me by my mum when I got engaged, as part of my 'bottom drawer' 29 years ago!)

One down, 39 to go!!

Sunday, 22 July 2012

1st blog post for 4 months - May, June & July swap tags

due to increasingly poor health I've barely crafted since April, but
today I finally thought it was time to update my neglected blog with some tags I've made for a monthly themed swap on DoCrafts forum.
May swap theme was monochrome.

This first tag was made with die-cut card and glittered vellum, glittered shoe topper, butterfly charm, die-cut swirl, black glitter embossing powder, black and white pearls and black and white co-ordinating spotted ribbons.


This 2nd monochrome tag was made with die-cut glittered card,paper & fabric flowers, pearl brads, butterfly charm, white pearls & black and white co-ordinated spotted ribbons.

The theme for June's swap was Summertime.

This first tag is titled ' Lazy Summer Days!' Its made from decoupage, pearl card, butterfly & green glittered border peel-offs, pearls, a sentiment & fibres.


This 2nd tag is titled 'Nasturtium Bouquet', its made from decoupage, holographic card, die-cut butterfly, gems and embellished chiffon ribbon.

July's swap theme was 'Teatime'



This 1st tag is made from free 'Celebrations' papers & toppers from Crafts Beautiful, Fired Brick & Tattered Rose distress inks, a doily, pearls, a glittered brad and  2 co-ordinating chiffon ribbons.



This 2nd tag is made from embossed card, Fired Brick and Tattered Rose distress inks, Toppers from Celebrations paper collection from Crafts Beautiful, brad and organza ribbon.

thankyou for any comments, happy crafting, Fi x

Saturday, 31 March 2012

3 swap tags I've made & my new hair style

I've finally made both the March swap tags for Docrafts scrapbook forum monthly swap, the theme was mothers. This first tag is titled . 'Flowers for Mother' .

Websters Pages 'Petite Papers'
Papemania floral sprig stamp, stamped with
Tim Holtz Fired Brick distress ink
all other elements from stash

this 2nd tag is titled 'Mother knows Best!'

Vintage paper designed by Jenny Ellory.
K & Co Mom To Go sentiments, edged with
Tim holtz 'Tatered rose' & 'Fired Brick' distress inks.
Tiny Papermania brads.
all other elements from my stash.

the theme for the tag swap for april is Easter/Spring, this is my first of two tags
title 'Happy Easter'



Papermania Creative Tones 'Olivine Essence' paper
Papermania pearl brads
donated floral die-cuts.
all other elements from my stash.



New hair style 30th March 2012.




Wednesday, 28 March 2012

3 Easter cards Carrie and I made and swap tags I have received from DC forum

I've not blogged for over a month, life has gotten in the way and been way too stressful so thought it was about time to recify that.

This week I made an easter card for an easter card and chocolate bar swap on Docrafts forum
very fiddly decouapage, easter ribbons and flower ribbons on glitter carsd and green card base, all elemtns from my stash, makers unknown.

Last night Carrie (almost 8) made 2 easter cards for her cousins Lottie and Ellie. all I did was give her  ahuge pile of resources and cut the paper on the trimmer, everything else was her design, she cut out all the sentiments, not all can be seen as some are inside the cards or on envelopes, forgot to photograph them before sealing. the stamped images were won in a draw on docrafts from Samantha, she has coloured 6 easter images from Sam already, last night was such fun watching her share my passion for crafting!




Both cards use backing papers and sentiments which came free in April's 'Crafters Beautiful' magazine, (a mothers day gift from my daughter Anne-Marie. she also bought me simply Cards & papercraft mag, Quick cards mag, acrylic stamps and skeleton leaves, so chuffed!) 
host swap tags -

I belong to a monthly scrapbook forum tag swap on Docrafts forum. Each month we make 2 tags one for our swap partner and one for that months host. I was host in February and chose the theme of love, these are the stunning, inspirational tags I received which are displayed  on my wall in my craftroom and are all treasured.

thankyou Kay, June, Lesley, Gina, Donna, Helen, Svjetlana, Kelly and Karen.











got 4 more tags to upload but blogger is playing up, will try later

Saturday, 25 February 2012

My craft room

I finally got my own little sanctuary, my craftroom, 6 foot by 6 foot last February, after our son left home to go to uni and Carrie had his bedroom, leaving the boxroom for me. It will always be a work in progress, but if I wait for it to be perfectly finished and completely organised and tidy, then I'll be waiting a lifetime, as organising doesn't come easily to me, how I wish it did! Here are some photos, that some of you have been asking to see.

My windowsill, to the left of my computer desk, sorry for dark photo .

My computer table and new computer chair, a Christmas presnet from hubby, so comfy! the walls are painted lilac, my favourite colour, so soothing, the carpet is heather.
Far left end of my 5 foot long donated desk, stereo, always have music on - loud! My display wall for swap tags from Docrafts scrapbook forum and some cards from DC friends, and my eclectic storage solution, made up of bargains, donations and recycled gifts. More details in next photos -
Top left my new tiny RUBs, bought with Christmas money, they will go onto floating shelf above desk when hubby gets around to it!

Bottom right, purple storage drawers bought by my sister which store 3D stickers and clear stamps.
Wooden painted drawers which belonged to my late friend Deb, on top of which I store my tiny C& C poly boxes which hold bows and tiny flowers, sorted by colour, as well as a gift box and (on wall) dotee doll from Sue on scrapbook forum, another photo below.
At the back, in the middle of my desk I store my buttons, gems and other tiny embellishments in C & C boxes, Ikea jars and recycled jars including Yankee candle jars, mainly by colour or type of embellishment.
Back left, my A4 papers and card storage, a velvet box which was a Christmas present with a cake in, in front of which are V & A tiny tins, also a Christmas present and my sewing kit on top, & more buttons soeted by size in vertical screw-together tower.

Right, basket bought from asda whcih holds my paper scraps in A5 poly bags sorted by colour, and at the front, my 6" x 6" paper pads.
At far right end of my desk, my 12" x 12" papers and card storage solution. Poly box, 3 pink Dovecraft  upright folders, holding paper/card sorted by colour/design/texture/theme etc. A3 clear folders holding large embellishemtn sheets, unfinished decoupage etc, all kept upright in large RUB.
At back in corner, a corner unit for displaying cards, will go one wall eventually, another job for hubby to do!

First of 2 recycled bedroom wall units, on wall at right angles to my desk, I kept the doors off so I can easily see where everything is.
top left - basket for tags and 3 folders of peel-off stickers
top middle - paper trimmer on top of boxes of donated nesties, diecuts, sorted by shape.
top right - mini tower of drawers holding adhesive stones, pens and scissors'

bottom left - 4 drawers which hold made-up decoupage, words and sentiments and flat images.
bottom right - a recycled Christmas box and another poly box holding card blanks and envelopes, & nest to them, my Big Bite cropodile.
right hand wall unit.
Top left - Tim Holtz distress inks, 2 boxes with inks and embossing powders, basket of oddments, pink craft organiser with decoupage projects inside.
Bottom left - wicker tray with decoupage sheets to cut out. 2 large boxes of ribbon, so far sorted into pastels and brights
bottom right - box of adhesives and boxes of chipboard letters.

Below these storage units are more storage units, not ready to show these yet as they are a long way from being organised.

iI hope you like my tour of my craftroom, this is my sanctuary from all the stresses of life, my own space to craft and create and just to be me, never had my own space before and just love it!