Bubbly Scrumptious update...oh 3~D Christmas tree...

still not able to post pictures...but i have another project over on Bubbly Scrumptious today...just click to here to  be magically transported to a world of 3~D trees!

Bubbly Scrumptious update...a pop~up starcard for Christmas

hi all,

just to let you know i have a project up over on the Bubbly Scrumptious blog today...just click here to see it!

i hope you like it!
alix

Bubbly Scrumptious update...a slice of apple

a very Autumnal feeling project for me over on the Bubbly Scrumptious blog today...i'll add a llink here when Caroline uploads it :0)

30 minute Thursdays...a very simple needle book

hi there Thursday crafters!

a useful 30 minute project for you today...a very simple needle case using leftover felt pieces...another project which is simple enough to do with the younger crafters in your lives...but cute enough to do for yourself or even as a gift for another stitcher :0)

You will need:

2 colours of felt

embroidery floss and a large holed needle

scissors and/or a die cutter

a button

some needles

Begin with 3 pieces of felt layered one upon the other.  I have alternated light and dark for contrast and my pieces are roughly 6" x 3".

Add a simple line of running stitch through the centre to create a spine for your needle book and hold the pages together.  Do a double stitch {i.e. stitch again over the original stitch} at either end and tie a knot.  Trim this fairly closely.  Make sure your stitches do not go right to the edges!!

Close the book up and use big sharp scissors to cut it into a fun shape...this is why you didn't want to stitch right to the edge...you don't want to cut your stitching ;0)

Fill the leaves of your book with a selection of needles or pins of your choosing...

Finally, we will decorate the book.  I've cut two Tim Holtz tattered floral blooms on my Big Shot and layered them with a toning button in the middle.  Sew these together and then sew onto the front to hold the front down and keep your book in shape, and to give it a bit of personality.  If you don't have a die cutter you could cut any simple flower shape by hand and make a truly unique needle book.

Thanks for stopping by and as usual i hope you enjoy having a go at this project...its part of my never ending quest to create a simpler, more organised craftroom!! lol

Bubbly Scrumptious update...step by step starbook!

If you love the look of starbooks and are unsure how to create them...then today's Bubbly Scrumptious post is perfect for you...just pop over here to see the step by step photos!

of course they can be decorated for any theme...but the real stars of my book are the children...love these two angels! xxx

Friendly Plastic Masterclass ~ Day Three

day 3 ~ more ways to play with the pattern and surface texture



Welcome to our third day of Friendly Plastic fun. Today we will look at more techniques for making patterns and playing with the texture of FP. We will also put this into practice making a cover for a mini~book.

Technique five ~ creating pattern with rubber stamps

Those of you who are paying attention will remember that we used rubber stamps yesterday with warm FP to make indentations in the surface texture, but this is not all we can use rubber stamps for. We can also stamp onto the cold FP to add pattern and interest, even text, which is perfect for little messages, gift tags, and scrapbooking too.



In the photo the piece on the left has been stamped with Stazon and the piece on the right has been embossed with black embossing powder. The stamp {just in case you were wondering} is one by the fabulously talented Tim of Holtz.






To stamp onto cold FP it is best to work on a piece that has been flattened smooth and you will need to use a permanent inkpad like Stazon. Simply stamp as you would on a piece of cardstock and leave for a few moments to dry. Just like when stamping onto any shiny surface...be careful not to slide your stamp around and ruin your image.


You might be suprised to know that you can also heat emboss onto cold FP which gives a lovely finish, different to that on cardstock, almost sinking into the surface of the piece . Embossing onto FP takes a few more seconds with your heat gun than you are used to, but is really versatile as you can vary how much the pattern sinks by varying how long you heat the piece for. Cool, huh?

Technique six ~ creating pattern and texture with embossing folders


I love to use my crafty tools in as many ways as possible...value for money and all that...and embossing folders cross over from paper~crafting to FP~crafting perfectly. Cold, slightly squished FP sheets can be popped through the Big Shot {or other die~cutter} and with a little extra ooomph they emboss just like cardstock. {The weedy weeklings out there will need assistance like i do, getting my DH to turn the handle for me!}


If you don’t happen to have a big, strong man to hand, all is not lost however as you can gently warm your FP and place it into the embossing folder whilst warm enough to bend and flex but not so hot that you can’t pick it up. You will need to lightly spritz the inside of your folder with water to act as a release agent, and be careful of your fingers as the edges of hot FP can be a bit like molten sugar and super sticky. When the temperature is right a little cold water on your hands should allow you to manoeuvre it into place. All you need to do then is simply squash the folder by pressing gently on it...and leave it to cool. This technique is a little bit trickier, but with minimal practice you’ll soon get the hang of it. :0)

The photo shows a warm piece of FP {complete with sticky edges so i could remember which was which} on the left and a cold embossed piece on the right.

Technique seven ~ creating texture with through extrusion!

Extrusion is a posh way of saying *pushing it through a mesh* and this is one of my favourite fun things to do with warm FP. With very minimal effort you can achieve a stunning effect.

This technique is achieved by warming the FP thoroughly on a non~stick craft mat and then laying a mesh~like material over it. You can then lift the mat and pull it over the edge of your desk in a curvy motion to ease the plastic through the holes, or you can push with your fingers from behind the mat. As always play around with this and do whichever suits you best.

In this photo you can see that i’ve extruded the FP through sequin waste and bits of left over lace trim, but the number of things you could use is huge...try hessian for example, or the plastic packaging the oranges sometimes come in...again...if you think of anything that works really well...please pop back and share it with us all!

Technique eight ~ creating further interest by embedding items

Our final technique for today is another simple one. By pressing small items into warm FP you can trap them in the plastic making for an interesting surface texture. To trap items it is necessary to push them in far enough that the FP comes up around them slightly in order that it can hold them when its cold. Alternatively, as i’ve done with the small mirror here, you can push the item into the warm FP to make an indentation and then when its cold, glue it in to place.

I have no idea how many tiny things you could try this with, i’ve used glitter, tiny beads, chips of sea glass, buttons...this really is a case of look around you and see what you have that might be worth a try! With the purple and silver piece in the centre of the picture here, i have dropped tiny chips of glass called *Byzantia* into the FP and then flattened it with an acrylic block to make the surface smooth. I love this effect!

Now, to start to put all these techniques together, i've created a little mini~book with a cover made entirely from FP. Do you think you could do this yet?

Of course you could! Simply cut 12 strips of FP and melt to fuse them, squashing with an acrylic block. When this is cool pop it into your BIA machine to make the binding holes {or use a hole punch}, then gently spot heat areas of the cover you wish to embellish with more FP pieces and press them into place {simple heat will join them together there is no need for glue}. Add a bling swirl and bind to create your first FP mini~book!

I do hope you've enjoyed all i've shared so far. Thanks for the lovely comments and do speak up if you have any questions and queries...i'll always do my best to answer them for you!

ok, enough for today...its nearly time for tea! enjoy the journey...xxx

whatever makes you happy...

...who can resist a theme like that??? this is the challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp and Show blog this week...check out all the deets here. My entry certainly fulfils this brief:

things that make me happy include:

handmade gifts *tick*, items that are both pretty and purposeful *tick*, using up those odd scraps of ribbon *tick*...

...stamps by Tim *tick*, painty backgrounds *tick*, glitter and bling *tick*...and flowers *tick*...

...a finished item that gets an "oooooooooh" when i show it to someone {usually whoever happens to pass by at the wrong moment!!} *tick*

so there you have it...my entry for the whatever makes me happy challenge...and a happy me!

because you asked so nicely...

i had a few requests this week to see what i'd been creating with my BIA this week...and because you asked so nicely...here it is!
its a notebook for Shimelle's latest class...just somewhere to jot down my thoughts and ideas from her daily prompts...and hopefully one day get them translated onto LO's...but you know me by now...i don't like to rush these things! lol


i made a closure with some wired ribbon, and a ribbon slide i've had for the best part of forever...the ribbon is attached with the red tape i love on the outside of the back of the notebook {it doesn't show like a wet glue would}, but i used wet glue to attach the clip...i didn't want it falling off and getting lost down the back of someone's sofa when i'm out and about...



the title...like the pp i've used...is from an ancient K&Co. kit and i've simply added glossy accents for a little bit more oomph. the pages are all the plain coloured papers i had left over from my card making history...not acid free...but perfect to use up here...i am scribbling all over them anyway...so i didn't want anything too decorative :0)


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as a little bit of Halloween fun...i couldn't resist cutting a toothless grin out of this pumpkin to replace Uncle Alan at the dinner table as he couldn't make it this week!! lol he was quieter than normal ;0)


sorry alan...what with you being an orthodontist and all...i just couldn't resist it!!

there is a chill in the air...

..and i've decided to make a start on my Christmas gift list!!!! i've started with this photo/scrap album for a friend...an easy make with quite a stunning impact, i think...and of course tying anything with a big bow instantly makes it looks like a much more super glamourous present than it did before :0) the bow here is actually a tie to keep the album shut too...so its functional as well as pretty.

when you untie the bow you can see that i've been at my patchwork metal effect again...and this time i've used silver foil and coloured the patches with alcohol inks. {if you like this dramatic colourway as much as i do, you might like to know its created using 3 colours: raspberry, sunset orange and sunshine yellow} i've then added scraps of ribbon and trim, and covered the inside of the cover with pp to match the back cover...with the ribbon glued firmly between the layers of the back cover...and then accordian pages between the two:

so that is one present down...goodness knows how many to go...but its a good chance to flex those crafty muscles, eh? ;0) now...i wonder if i can find a shop that's selling mince pies already to help get me in the mood even more!!

Friday's Challenge...

i'm taking part in Shimelle's Something from {almost} Nothing class...or i would be if life hadn't gotten in the way this week! anyway...she set us a challenge each day over the weekend...and i've managed to do those...so here is Friday's challenge:

to use plain cardstock {the letters and inside the bookplate}, to use pp {obviously all over the cover inside and out!}, to use metal {bookplate, adore clip, brads and metal tags} and ribbon {brown shaped ribbon on left hand side and giant ric rac below title}...tick, tick, tick and tick!

obviously the book isn't finished yet...hence the lack of binding...but i want to design the pages first and compile all our favourite recipes in one place...the inside cover will be my index when i have decided what categories to use...do you need sections for non~chocolate recipes, i wonder? ;0)

thanks for stopping by, hope you're having a great weekend...we're loving the sunshine here!

spring is in the air...

...actually its still snowy here...but i'm feeling in need of spring...so i decided to finally make the garden book i've been thinking about since the beginning of time!

I've used a linen bound 6x6 ring binder and covered most of the front with a sheet of yummy Basic Grey paper from the Periphery collection. I've stamped my title in vintage sepia Versafine using 2 of my all~time favourite alphabets...the little letters are MoBe *Beatnik* and the larger ones are Leave Memories *Passport*...i turn to both of these again and again...they just seem to go with everything...and i especialy love that the passport one is slightly distressed!

i've then simply edged the paper with two lengths of yummy ribbon/trim that my teamie Suzy sent me as a RAK...so *thankyou Suzy*...isn't that tiny pom~pom trim gorgeous!!

the insides of the covers are also a BG paper from the Recess collection...and i totally adore this paper...so i've been saving it to use on something i'll get to see regularly! the trims are folded around from the front and trimmed at the bottom...

as you will no doubt have noticed, i've not decorated the pages yet...these will be one side for each month of the year with a list of plants that need attention that month...and so as i don't forget what i'm supposed to do {as if ;) } i've cropadiled a hole in the plant tags and added them in by the appropriate season...

and there you have it...the back of the book is covered in the same papers...but with different trims as i wanted the back to be flatter...not to mention that i've now run out of the pom~poms!! lol

i really like making something that is useful as well as beautiful {to me}...and i hope you enjoyed stopping by to see what i've been up too :0)

happy today...and see you soon,

alixx

don't think i've not been busy in the craftroom...

its just that so many things i make at this time of year...i don't want to spoil the suprize by sharing them before the recipient has opened them!!

here are a couple of advent gifts i can share tho...as they have been opened now {at least they have if i've got my numbering system right!!}
they are a handbag/doorknob charm and a little notebook for my buddy katy...she is the queen of handbags and so i made a gift to go on the outside...and one for the inside too!! lol


hope you like them, hon xxxx

happy {belated} birthday goodies!

i missed my good friend Ruth's birthday last week...so to make up for that...i thought i'd better make her somthing extra cute...and here's what i came up with.

the card is made from my favourite embellishments of all time...the daisies {K&Co.}, some ribbon for the stems, the ric rac border and the silver bow...and my new favourite Hero Arts message stamps. the pp is by brenda pinnick. its a simple design, but by keeping the colour palette small i think i think it looks very pretty :)

the little book is...as promised...my first creation using my newly acquired BIA machine! love this machine...so easy to use...so professional...so much fun :)

this little book has blank pages ready for shopping lists or favourite photos...and the chipboard covers are covered in garden themed papers...because ruth's garden is her pride and joy...well...that and her lovely boys ;)

i've cut the pages and cover using my Big Shot and by using a clear die was able to line up the flower so it looks as tho the flower is cut out perfectly...actually it looked quite different before it was cut. remember this LO *how did i get it so wrong?* this is actually the same flower!! its one of the things i love about this hobby...how you can play with things and make them totally different according to your needs!

a green circle, a chipboard R and a few yummy ribbons...and there you have it...a cute and useful gift...and not only that...she seemed to love it!

tomorrow...i've been asked to share some ribbon flower ideas...so if you love ribbon...watch this space!

welcome little Tabitha!!

A friend has just had her baby girl...and called her Tabitha. What a cute name...and deserving of her own rather cute mini-album, I thought to myself...

I've made this with no pictures in, just a few prompts and embellishments, and a pocket on each page so that the proud new parents can slot in their favourite snapshots and not need to spend hours {which they clearly won't have for a while now!!}

So there you have it, a few of the pages for your inspection and hopefully approval :) And if you'd like to do one yourself, I've used a Making Memories pink mini-book, and pastel pps, a sheet of felt stickers from Lakeland, lots of K&Co. letters, a Crafty Bitz teddy and some adorable Sue Dreamer charms. The other embellishments I've made myself {out of paper or Fimo}.

Now all I have to do is meet the baby in person!! Wooooo hoooooo :)

a couple more simple wedding ideas...

this was probably my favourite of all the things we made for the wedding...and many thanks go to Will for his tireless wire-winding!

i had all my friends and family collect empty jars in various sizes and shapes, and we made detachable wire hooks to hang them in the trees, then popped a tea light in each one. by daylight, they were barely visible, but when they were all lit {75 of them!} in the evening, the trees seemed to come alive. They were also jolly handy as we gave them out to people to help them find thier way across the field in the dark to thier cars, or to the road!! Now lots of our friends have a simple lantern or two on thier patios!! :)


This was another idea I really thought worked well. I made my own hairpiece, with an enormous pink rose {originally part of an artificial bouquet), surrounded it with white feathers {to match the feathery fairy lights in the marquee} and then glued the whole thing to a hair slide. Voila...instant flowers in the hair...and no worrying that the petals will fall off during the day!
Finally, because its me...and I'm one obsessive scrapper...I had to have scrapping at my wedding! We set up a table in one corner with all the prerequisite supplies, had an usher take a polariod photo of all the guests and then they were instructed to scrap the guest book at thier leisure!! It was a genius idea, because we had an instant scrapbook to look at first thing the next morning...and it was amazing how much people who don't normally scrap seemed to enjoy it. In fact, we even managed to convert a few people who ended up asking me for lessons!! muahahahaha ;)

it's coming....

i have finished my honeymoon album...and i'll share it tomorrow!!!

its based very loosely on the Donna Downey class from Scrapaganza...but it doesn't really look anything like hers...just that i've used the same stash...and cut up my book the same way.

too dark to photograph just now ;)

I'm doing an online course...

at BPS and I made this rather jolly little journal in order to keep track of my progress :)

The theme is happiness...so I went for a bright, jolly look...even the DH likes it...although he did say it looks like a *psychodelic barcode* lol