Buy Handmade in the UK

Buy Handmade in the UK
My Misi Store

Monday 30 June 2008

Want Another Chance To Win?

An extra li'l chance to win a prize (cuz you can't have too many chances right?)

The rules:
  1. Blog about the '40 days' event & include a link to this blog
  2. Post a link in the side bar of your blog to the previous post: '40 Days Starts Right Here'
  3. Post a comment on this post with a link to your blog
I'll add you to the 'Blogs linking to 40 days' link list AND give you 5 entries into the draw to win another great prize.
Watch this space for a photo coming soon!

40 Days Starts Right Here!!

Ooooops! Off to a great start - it got too dark to take a photo of the fabby prize up for grabs today!

40days? Fabby Prize?? I shall explain:
It is 40 days until my 40th birthday & what better way to celebrate (& drag out the festivities) than with all my online friends. Yup! 40 days of freebies & a whole host of blogs to visit. Just check out the '40 Days' links to see who we have taking part so far! This is international folks ... the UK, USA, Australia, Tasmania & there's no telling who else might join in along the way!
Every day there will be a new challenge, competition or good old fashioned RAK with a great prize. Every day, there will be a post here on my blog, with a link to that day's venue - so make sure you come back every day to see what is on offer

Today's Offering?
They say that life begins at 40 & I'm hoping that they are right! LOL. So today, post me a comment with your idea for what I should do to make sure my 40s are fabulous. And just to make sure no-one misses out with the whole time zones thingy ... you have until midnight (BST) Thursday July 3rd to join in!! I'll draw a winner using the random number generator & announce it here on Friday July 4th. AND for every 40 comments ... I'll add another prize!!!
Prize? Oh yeah! The prize huh? I'm still lovin chipboard right now - so each winner will receive 40 chipboard die cuts - ready to ink, paint, stamp & alter to your heart's desire.

Friday 27 June 2008

Scraplifted!

On one of my recent blog-hops I read somewhere about scraplifting one of your own layouts (so if it was your idea ... thanx! LOL). I have never done that before, each layout is totally from scratch (or sketch if it's a sketch challenge - obviously!) so I thought I'd give it a try.
This layout is a lift of the 'Summertime' layout on this post - Hmmmm, I think I like it better than the original. All the deets are over on the Crop 'Til You Drop Blog!

It's almost 30th June!!!

Thursday 26 June 2008

Wow! Look At This Blog Candy!!

I came across this blog candy whilst over at Jo's blog - a seriously fabulous bunch of goodies. Check it out here!
Jo's also got candy up for grabs here
Yay! Let's all go win Candy!!!
Here's my take on this week's card sketch by Di Hickman. Hmmm, I seem to be going through a sewing phase right now. I cannot sew well & my stitches are almost always wobbly - but with the right sort of funky/quirky papers I think you can get away with it! LOL
All the supplies here are Cosmo Cricket: 'Hello Sunshine' cardstocks & Journal card; 'Honey Pie' ribbon. And the whole thing was so quick to put together ... mostly it'll take me hours just selecting the right bits to combine ... which sentiment, ribbon or whatever.
Basically, I had some stuff on my table from my last project & just grabbed bits from the scraps there ... if only it were always that easy! LOL.
Pop on over to visit Di & check out the other DT cards - they are always so fab! & why not have a go yourself - any excuse to make something huh?

Wednesday 25 June 2008

Nothing To Share Today!!

Ha! The clue is in the title! LOL. So I've nothing to share ... but I didn't want anyone to think I'd forgotton to post today!
See that li'l white chest in the piccy? I painted that for Fish before he was born. Funny story that ... I cannot draw (or paint) for toffee but I'm not bad at designing cross stitch patterns (remember cross stitch???) So I marked them out on graph paper, Cut them out to round the edges etc ... and then made stencils to help me paint them on! LOL - there has to be an easier way!!!!
Another yummy cosmo card to come tomorrow ...
in the meantime - can anyone guess what the deal is with 30th June? - go on, post a comment with your guesses - you won't get it you know! LOL

Tuesday 24 June 2008

Not dead yet! LOL

Julie has just updated the Cosmo Cricket Blog with the names of the lucky twelve who go through to round two ... & I'm not there. Sure, I am totally disappointed - but as I did not, in fact, die (Love it when I'm proven wrong! LOL) - then I guess it's all good! LOL. Those of us that didn't make it are all to receive $5 certificates to spend at Miss Paper Jane - how totally sweet is that? So Cosmo Cricket are still top of my faves list - and who knows ... maybe next year?

June 30th is almost here - what's the big deal?? Watch this space! LOL

Sharing The Cosmo Luuuurve!

I finally feel official! LOL. Weeks ago, I joined the DT Crew at Croppinsville USA but as they are in the US & I'm in the UK, there wasn't too much for me to do before the website went live. Happily, it's all up & running there now ... and you can see my first Croppinsville designs up in the Designers' Gallery.
OK, so you may have seen these before & here's the deal: poor Allie was soooo rushed with opening the B&M store, getting the blog & webstore running etc that, to make her life easier, I decided to use product from my store here in the UK ... & we share those designs with both stores - if I can make someone's life a li'l easier & play with paper at the same time .... well I'm up for that.
So anyways, check out that gallery - it's fab!!

What's special about June 30th??? You'll never guess!

This Is Where It All Happens!

I have been asked a few times where I scrap ... & what have I got in there. So this is just a li'l peek at my scrap room. It isn't actually a room at all but the far end of my bedroom; a fals wall made from strategically placed wardrobes. Before Fish had a room of his own, this was his space ... and then it sat empty for a while, gradually filling up with junk.
When I closed my B&M store, I claimed it as my own & I go nuts if anyone tries to dump non-crafty stuff in it! LOL. It's a li'l space - around 7'x12' with a 4'x3' cupboard built in over the stairs at one end.
My table is good & sturdy, with a completely washable surface - it will withstand being scrubbed, bleached and has survived numerous paint, ink & glue spills. Along the back, I have lots of baskets for stamps, pens, brushes etc & I also keep my revolving tote on the table top - other than that, I do my best to keep it clear (between projects at least) as I take up a lot of space when I doing stuff. There's a couple of corner shelves that hold some of my favourite makes - & at the other end (just out of shot) my altered clock & a canvas ... I like to have some of my makes around me (although most get given away!)
Over the table I have a bunch of those plastic shoe storage pockets: clear ones in front of me with a bunch of stuff I might want to use - If I can see it, I'm reminded to use it! LOL. To my right I have a whole one just for adhesives, each li'l pocket is labelled with the type of adhesive. There are two ribbon racks (reclaimed from my store) that house some of my spooled ribbons (all the newest ones & the ones I use most often).
The shelf above holds large storage boxes of pre-folded card blanks, ephemera, raffia & stuff. These are the things that I use less often - or are lightweight, so it's not too much hassle having to stand on my chair to get them down. I have more of these boxes stored under the table at the back (they stack 3 high there). They hold the stuff I use most & that is heavy - my acrylic paints, ink pads, chipboard shapes & alphas, metal embellishments ... & my blossoms ... not heavy but in almost constant use - why is a fabric flower the perfect embellishment for every project??? I also have a large vanity case full of all my heat embossing stuff.
There's a huge window along one wall, which is great for light but not good for utilising the space. I have 3 large drawer units there: Home for all my felt, toy filling & lots of random stuff that doesn't have a proper home! The shelf just rests on the top & is another one of those bits I reclaimed from the B&M store. Just recently I bought an obscene amount of Sizzix/Ellison dies (they had a huge clearance sale on!), so that shelf is now full to bursting! I have 3 large tool boxes next to that, & that's where I store the punches etc that I don't use much. My BIA (never used) sits on the top - I guess I'm hoping if I see it there often enough I'll find time to play!!
The cupboard at the end has 3 shelves. One holds all my 12x12 cardstock in labelled boxes; another holds kits etc in pizza boxes, blank canvases & bigger alterables (I have a couple of wooden art boxes, cigar boxes etc) - as well as the 12x12 themed packs of chipboard & die cut felt that won't fit anywhere else. The top shelf has more of the big, lidded storage boxes - jammed full of stuff to alter! I have spools, books, boxes, CDs, tins ... just loads of stuff!! Under the bottom shelf I've another drawer unit for my 12x12 stuff. Patterned papers by colour in one drawer; another full of paper collections & 12x12 books of papers; & in the bottom drawer a variety of 12x12 kits. I also have a couple of bin bags full of fleece fabrics & foam cubes in there - and all my knitting stuff (there's a couple of feet of space that can't be seen to the right of the door! There's some more storage pockets on the wall there too (inside & out). I took the door right off to maximise the space I have!
On the other wall are the 2 bookcases from the store (we used them to display rubber stamps mostly). These are choc-full of stash!
All my ribbons & buttons are stored by colour in jars, there are li'l drawer units full of brads n stuff, all my HOTP card kits (gradually working my way through them all!) A4 clear boxes full of rub ons, metal embossing, photos, jewellery findings & tools, beads & tons more stuff!
So that's about it really - I have tons more photos of my space, so I guess I'll post a link when I finally put them in my gallery! I hope you enjoyed taking a peek into my li'l piece of scrap heaven, I'll be back with something new to share tomorrow.

Monday 23 June 2008

OMG!!!

Julie updated the Cosmo Cricket blog this morning (well OK, it was probably after 3pm here - with the whole time zones thing). They are going to shortlist around 12 entrants & E-MAIL THEM TOMORROW for the next round!!!
Sooooooo excited - I hate waiting - & what time is tomorrow?? Morning there is afternoon here ... & what if they don't send the e-mails until close of business??? Do I camp out under the computer desk overnight with the sound right up so I'll hear it if I get new mail??? Or do I try to be a big brave girl about it, go to bed at a decent hour and check in the morning???
Soooooo many decisions! LOL.
Send me soothing thoughts guys!

Hello Sunshine!

This layout was really quick to put together using fabby 'Hello Sunshine' by Cosmo Cricket ... and it is just the perfect colours to go with some more of my real ale ephemera.
A few weeks before Sean's birthday bash, he picked up a bottle of Badger's 'Long Days' ale for me to try ... they bring out a new summer ale each year. Obviously, you have to check out the label first! LOL. I knew I'd be saving this one to use on one of Sean's birthday layouts - so that gave me a starting point. The bottle tops squash fairly successfully in the Big Shot - with much less effort than on my old Sizzix machine ... I think it's about time that found a new home! LOL
The journaling reads: Forget the solstice, for us summer officially starts with Sean's birthday barbeque ... The weekend closest to 9th June. Sometimes we'll celebrate ALL WEEKEND!
And as I've used the beer labeles and bottle tops - this is another one that qualifies for the Arty Girlz ongoing Recycling Challenge!

Sunday 22 June 2008

Want Freebies?

Nothing to share today - been working on a couple of bits that I can't share just yet ... but I have news of a few freebies:
Croppinsville USA opened it's webstore last week & there's some exciting stuff happening over on the blog ... Check out the Friday Challenge, Silly Sunday ... & better bookmark this site to keep an eye on all the other fun stuff the Hometown Bloggers are sure to be bringing on soon!
Norma Kennedy also has some fabby Croppinsville loot to give away on her blog ... check out this post to see how you could wins a full set of the new Autumn Leaves Cuteworld Collection Papers, matching die cuts & your choice of either Boy or Girl stamps - just by leaving a comment!

My buddy Pam has a RAK & news of a 20% off coupon for Erica's Craft & Sewing Centre over on her Blog. The coupon is good until July 15th AND you can use it as many times as you want ... Cool huh? The coupon code is: STVSVRY8 & is valid on all regular priced items!!
Link to Pam's RAK here - make sure you follow the rules if you wanna win - Pam's RAKs are always full of lush goodies! LOL.

Saturday 21 June 2008

A Funny Story.

Back in April, Cosmo Cricket were the monthly sponsor over at the Journaling Junkie blog & I had the chance to work with the 'Be Good' line - all for free. The down side of this is that I was instantly hooked and needed more! I kept my cravings under control for a li'l while (OK it was a couple of weeks, max! LOL) and then the Cogsmo line became available. Before long I'd acquired several other yummy ranges and decided to stalk the Cosmo Blog ... so that if a design team call came up, I'd be ready & if not, I could always contact them when I'd a few more samples to show!
Within a week or so - Jon from the warehouse had leaked the news - there IS a DT call ... how spooky is that???
So obviously this is a sign, a twist of fate, divine intervention perhaps? Whatever, it is definitely meant to be!! LOL
The call ends today but I just had to finish this one last layout first. I'm going for quirky & fun (if it backfires I shall look scary & desperate instead!!!) so I hope the guys at Cosmo Cricket have a really good sense of humour (have you ever read their blog - it's hilarious!!)

So - my layout: I'll Just Die (if I don't Make The Cosmo Crew)
The journaling (hidden in the pocket on the left) is on 2 journaling cards. The first is a li'l poem:
I wanna be on Cosmo's Crew
There's nothing I would rather do
Oh! Think of the projects I could create
(I promise submissions will never be late!)
I'll give it my best, I'll give it my all
If you grant me a place from this DT call.
I may be a 'Brit' but I have English style
Give me a go, it'll be worth your while
I'm soon to be 40 and there life begins
So give me the chance (it's the win of all wins!)
I'll cut & I'll stick to inform & inspire
I'm the latest, the greatest, fab scrapper for hire!

The second is inspired by the barcode strips on Hey Sugar! & Cogsmo cardstocks (Hello Sunshine didn't have them), which read in addition to acid & lignin free, 'fat free, sugar free, high in fibre'.
So funny! My version reads:
Hassle Free, Worry Free, High in Energy, Low Maintenance, 100% Committed: Potential Cosmo Cricket DT Member.

I had hoped to finish a few more projects before the deadline but a girl has to sleep sometime. So I still have a whole bunch of Cosmo Cricket stash ... and a whole bunch of ideas, so even tho' the call is over I'm gonna be posting more projects real soon.

Gotta love this sketch!

Many of you will know that I am privileged to be a member of Di Hickman's Card Sketch Team - & I love being a part of it! This is the current sketch and I loved it soooo much that I have made another three cards - all from that one sketch. Essentially all these cards are exactly the same design, with very little variation but I love how just changing the colour scheme makes them all so totally different.
And as I've been using a lot of Cosmo Cricket at the moment - I had plenty of scraps to choose from. Here's what I used:

'Queen for a Day' Cosmo: Fleuriste 8x8 Paper Pad & Blackboard flower. Other supplies: Brad: American Crafts; Gem: A Muse Artstamps

'Be Creative' Cosmo: Hey Sugar patterned papers; Honey Pie ribbon
OtherSupplies: Pin: Tim Holtz; Gem: A Muse Artstamps; Die Cut: Making Memories 5th Avenue

'Oh Baby' Cosmo: Honey Pie 8x8 paper pad & Ribbon
Other Supplies: Brads: American Crafts; Flowers: a '£1 store' find

Pop back later today for a layout or two ... & a full explanation as to what I'm up to! LOL




Got Flowers??

I love flowers but they die too quickly - especially in the warmer weather ... & they play havoc with DS2's hayfever (he's really suffering this year, poor love!) Here is my solution. DS1, being the kind and thoughtful lad that he is, bought & drank this bottle of ale cuz he thought I'd like the bottle. Isn't that just the most thoughtful thing ever? LOL.
Anyway, I decorated it with rub ons & ribbon from the Cosmo Cricket Fleuriste line. You do have to persevere a bit to get the rubs to stick to glass ... but it's well worth the effort I think. It does help if you cut close around the image & tape it into position first. The 'bloom' on the ribbon is also a rub on - they work really well on the gosgrain type ribbons as you get a little of the texture coming through.
Ooooh! Is that a recycled bottle then? So I guess it's another one for the Arty Girlz recycling challenge!
I have finally got the daisy die I've been waiting on - it seems to have been sold out for the longest time. I cut two for each flower (I reversed as they are not symmetrical), inked the petal edges & highlighted the detail with burgundy chalk. Each petal has been curled a li'l bit before sticking them together. The centre is a ribbon knot (Fleuriste again) and I highlighted the petal centres with glamour dust for a li'l subtle bling. The stems are just bamboo canes from the garden (use a hot glue gun to secure the flowers to the stems).
Just a couple more posts to come later today, so watch this space!

Friday 20 June 2008

More Tim Burton Than Tim Holtz ...


That's how I'm describing my current style! LOL. I luuuurve this altered project so much that I've had to get an extra shelf in my scraproom so it can have pride of place. As soon as I had the Fleuriste paper pad & blackboard shapes, I knew just what I wanted to make! The box is also by Cosmo Cricket: the Storybook Cigar Box (OK, I confess I bought it for the box & the chipboard letters were a bonus! LOL) I left the acetate window intact & cut the papers to shape ... difficult to photograph but really sets it off IRL. I added a 'make a wish' rub on (Fleuriste again) - check out the door knob ... another of those real ale bottle tops!

The birds have real feathers & I have quite a collection now ... Love birds!! I created the 'broken' picture frame from a blackboard frame & a journal card from the paper pad - just added Diamond Glaze to the bottom edge & gently pressed in plenty of Diamond Dust. Once dry, it looks just like a pile of glass shards.


I'm particularly pleased with the hanging sign over the garden 'door'. It's just a length of a wooden bamboo skewer, painted black. The sign is hanging on black wire, which wraps along the whole length of the pole. I can almost imagine it creaking ominously in the wind as the crow caws and flies out of the garden. OK, is that too weird?? LOL.
It's almost midnight in the UK, so I guess I should be thinking about sleep. I have a couple more Cosmo Cricket posts to make tomorrow & a whole load of other posts that are starting to mount up ... So I guess it's gonna be a busy blogging weekend! LOL

Cogsmo Cubes!

I might have mentioned once or twice just how much I love Cosmo Cricket right now - so you won't be surprised to see another li'l Cogsmo project today! LOL.
We've been reorganising DS4's bedroom now he's a bigger boy & needs more play space. DH finally got around to putting up a couple of new shelves ... so it would be rude not to fill them, hehehe.
The 3" blocks are from C&T Publishing & I decorated them with scraps of Cogsmo cardstocks, journaling cards, stickers, rub ons & Blackboard shapes - those are from the Cogsmo & Get Happy lines. And if you are visiting from outside the UK - you'll find all those products at Croppinsville USA!

Thursday 19 June 2008

Reminiscing ...

That's the challenge over on the Journaling Junkie Blog this week - & for me it took a surprising turn. While I was looking for a particular photo (which has thus far eluded me!) I came across this piccie of my cat sleeping in a pizza box! Seemed worth scrapping to me! LOL
I've used the Cosmo Cricket 'Honey Pie' 8x8 paper pad & the journaling is on the back. Pop on over to the Journaling Junkie Blog to see the rest of the team's work & hook us up in the comments too - we'd love to see what you've come up with.

Di Hickman's June #3 Card Sketch

Every week, when the Di Hickman sketch goes live, I completely forget to update my blog to include the info. But not anymore! LOL. Thanks to Di's fabby tutorial on scheduling blog posts, I am now able to blog about it as soon as I've e-mailed mine to Di. Now because of the time zone thingy, I've decided to play safe and publish mine on Thursday mornings ... so there's no chance that I'll publish before Di does.
Here's my take on this weeks sketch. Really enjoyed this one & have incorporated a 'button cluster' technique that I found here (thanks Ali!).
I've been having a lot of fun with Cosmo Cricket stash just now - the papers here are from the 8x8 Honey Pie paper pad & the li'l ribbon flower is handmade from the co-ordinating ribbon set (more alterable packaging - YAY!) I used a Bazzil Bling brad in the flower centre & the buttons (Making Memories Buttons & More - Lemonade) match perfectly.
Pop over to Di's blog to have a go at the challenge yourself ... and to see all the stunning cards that the rest of the DT came up with this week.

Wednesday 18 June 2008

Love is like a butterfly ...

I go over to my mum's on days when I know it's gonna be difficult to work at home & this Monday was one of those days. I finished the project I had taken with me much earlier than expected & had a bit of time on my hands ... & the yummy Cosmo Cricket 'Honey Pie' paper pad with me. Mum had the perfect sheet of pink/gold cardstock & the result was this card. I've been carrying this butterfly stamp around with me for ages & still hadn't used it. So I stamped it in brown twice on to pink from the pad, & highlighted it a bit with the Spica glitter pen Auntie Jane brought me back from the US (It's a subtle glitter - which I really love!) - then just layered them & curled the wings. The brown tulip strip is actually cut from the front cover rather than one of the actual papers & the ribbon is Nursery Trim Trimmeree (one of my faves!!) The rub ons have also been hanging around for years but were just right for this card I thought.

24 Hours From Tulsa!

Actually - just 30 minutes from Tulsa! That's where Croppinsville USA calls home & there are tons of exciting things going on right now! The webstore has finally opened its doors & The Creative Crew (that includes me folks!!) have been busy uploading the scrummiest projects to the designer galleries. Allie has big plans to have forums & community galleries to build a fabby li'l place where we can all hang out together - it's gonna be fabulous!!
Check out the Croppinsville blog for deets of the amazing opening offers & more, check out the Hometown Bloggers Bingo - you need to have registered by Friday, Bingo starts Monday.
When you've done all that - head on over to the Croppinsville USA Online Store & check out everything on offer there!
Ooooh! There's tons of scrummy Cosmo Cricket (did I mention how much I love Cosmo Cricket??), Bo Bunny, Graphic 45 (Norma Kennedy does fabulous things with those two brands!) Creative Imaginations, Jenny Bowlin, Coredinations & a whole load more!

Tuesday 17 June 2008

Hey Sugar!

Absolutely fell in love with these papers: Hey Sugar! by Cosmo Cricket. Although they have love-themed journaling cards & Strip Tease titles, they are sooooo pretty you could use them for anything girly ... So I Did - & just in time for Arty Girls 'Hint Of Pink' challenge this week!!
I bought one of the American Crafts D Ring albums a while ago, as I wanted something in which I can house layouts of varying sizes (rather than having an album for each size) - It's the 6x12 layouts that are my biggest problem ... they make no sense as an album purely by size. Anyway, I've been wondering how to alter it & so haven't actually started using it - as soon as I got these papers I knew they were the ones! I had the 'Hey Sugar!' Paper Crafting Kit & I've also used a Buck Naked Button; Nursery Trim Trimmerie, Victoria Ready, Set chipboard & Doodle Rub Ons. & I LOVE IT!!
Next up, another recycled project for Arty Girlz ongoing Recycling Challenge. I bought a couple of slatted, wooden picnic tables & these li'l .75" cubes are the spacers supplied for keeping the slats the right distance apart while you screw them into place. So I made these li'l inspiration cubes for my scraproom. I used some tiny scraps from the Hey Sugar! kit, Elementary & Fleuriste Rub ons. The words I've used are: Love, Life, Idea, True, Play & PINK!!

Back again tomorrow with more!!

Monday 16 June 2008

In Case of Emergency ...

I have been making more of the scrummy flowers from Friday's post (look out on Thursday to see why!) & I finally had enough of struggling along with a blunt tapestry needle ... no good at all! I have no idea what has happened to the plethora of sewing stuff I know I have had at one time or another, so I sent DH down the the local supermarket on Sunday afternoon to buy one of those emergency sewing kits they hang on the ends of the aisles. He returned with a nasty plastic box thingy - seriously hideous and yet, exactly what I had asked for ... Oh dear, that simply wouldn't do!
Cosmo Cricket to the rescue! Trim Trimmeree to be exact. LOL. The tubes that Trim Trimmeree are packaged in are absolutely crying out to be altered (they are clever folks over at Cosmo HQ you know!) and are the perfect size for an emergency kit - mine's for sewing but you could fit mini make up brushes, fave cosmetics, lip balm or whatever in there too! How about an emergency journaling kit with notepaper, decorated pencil, eraser etc - I see some fabby gift ideas here!
So, back to the kit. The tube lid is already threaded with ribbon, so just takes a circle of paper to finish it. It happens to be exactly the right size for a 2.5" circle punch (it's like they knew what I'd want to do & made the dimensions to fit my tools - spooky huh?) I've inked the edges with Chestnut Roan fluid chalk ink - I like a bit of shabby chic - & then just ran a fingernail in the recess to get the paper right in around the edge. I did the same with the bottom, which might be a bit sad as no one can see it ... but I'd know if I hadn't finished it off & it would bug me! I wrapped a strip of the same paper around the tube. Instead of trying to disguise the join, I tore it & inked it up ... made it the front in effect. I threaded the chipboard tag, embellished with rub ons, and initial (which I altered with co ordinating paper cuz it clashed) on to thin chiffon ribbon And threaded them onto the ribbon band around the tube, stuck it all in place and finished off with a sparkly button.
The needle case is a really simple 'matchbook' & the felt is held in place with a fastenater staple, which doubles to keep the matchbook closure secure. I've also made a li'l ribbon band to stop the measuring tape from unraveling. It's just held together with a couple of stitches & a tiny button.
Supplies: Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie 8x8 paper pad; Nursery Trim Trimmeree; Storybook Cigar Box (for chipboard elements); So Precious rub ons.

The best bits for me are that, cuz it's pink none of the guys in my house will borrow it AND it's another project for the Arty Girlz ongoing recycling challenge (for which I'm the permanent GDT) - go recycling ... go me!!

Sunday 15 June 2008

For Fabulous Fathers

This first card is especially for my Dad, who lives in Bulgaria. He doesn't really 'do' cards, so I guess there's an irony there! LOL. So anyway, Happy Father's Day Dad, Miss you loads!!
And just in case anyone was wondering, I've used Cosmo Cricket 'Hello Sunshine' Journal Cards, Button Covers, Hula Hoop & Clover cardstocks; Buck Naked Buttons & More; Vintage Trim Trimmeree; Elementary Rub Ons.

This next quickie card is for DH from the older boys (Fish made his own at playschool). Really simple using a Cogsmo Journal Card, Cardstock Stickers, Blackboard Shapes & Doodle Rub Ons - I used the 'p' upside down to make the second 'd' - just add ink and a few strokes from a red marker ... done!

Saturday 14 June 2008

Love Is Like A Butterfly ...

My sweet baby neice, Lily Rebecca is a couple of months old now - so it's high time I made something new for her. This li'l wall hanging is a page from a Maya Road chipboard book - I kept a couple of pages back from my mini book project to use for exactly this sort of thing.
I used the Cosmo Cricket 'Honey Pie' 8x8 Paper Pad, Storybook chipboard brackets (from the cigar box, which seems to co ordinate perfectly with practically every paper range - how versatile are these????), Nursery Trim Trimmeree & Sweet Mix Blackboard alphas. I painted the blackboard letters with Ranger Crackle paint (Tattered Rose) - really pleased with the result ... the blackboard shows through the cracks soooo well! I added a bit of extra depth with distress ink (worn lipstick), which is the perfect deep pink for these papers - I used the same ink to stamp 'Sweet', (Basic Grey, Too Sweet Clear Stamps).
I'm really proud of the velvet flower - I know you can buy stuff like this ... mine is totally handmade: Gather a length of velvet scalloped trim with a small running stitch pulled tight & secure the ends (there will be a hole in the middle!). Tie a loose knot in a length of elastic trim (both from the Nursery Trim Trimmeree) and then pass the top end under and back through the centre of the knot several times before pulling tight (a chinese knot would look good too ... but I've not mastered those yet!) Secure the elastic flower in the centre of the velvet one & top with a micro gem - Easy!!
So I've blogged every day for three days - another 16 to go until I reach my goal!! Back tomorrow!

Friday 13 June 2008

Fab's Big Christmas Challenge ... May

Fab's challenge for May - at 'Nutter' level is to create five Christmas cards & as I'm proud to own that title (& a couple of others beside), that's just what I've done. I've used Cosmo Cricket 'Be Good' range (last winter's release) as I had some bits left over from a previous project - & you know I'm all about using your scraps! Lots of ink too - these papers are great for a vintage, aged, distressed kinda look.
In the first card, I've used alphabutton fashions. I'd already used the 'Y' (& here comes the clever bit), so used the negative & matted it onto 'peppermint' paper to make a new one. I raised the 'J' & 'Y' on foam tape & embellished each letter with vintage Trim-Trimeree
For the next one, I matted one of the 'just your 'holiday' type' stickers, threaded with trim & layered it over a scrap of patterned paper. The letters are from the 'storytime' cigar box (watch out for the altered box later this week!)
More 'storytime' chipboard on this one - and yep! I did get the sewing machine out! LOL. My mum told me this evening that you can use it to sew fabric too - like to make clothes & stuff!! Gotta wonder what she'll come up with next ... I guess she'll be telling me you can use an iron for smoothing stuff other than paper & ribbons or something - what's that about???
Anyway, the li'l gift there is a chipboard buckle, backed with paper & a ric rac faux bow attached.
Card #4 is a li'l winter forest. Just triangular scraps on a pyramid card (I cut mine from a standard card blank).
This last card also doubles for the ongoing recycling challenge at Arty Girlz - those li'l tags inside the stocking ... they are the paper names from the barcode strips. I hand cut the stocking & raised it on foam tape. I used a black sharpie to add the dots around the edge of the sticker - a regular pen will work but sharpies dry quicker!

Thursday 12 June 2008

Gotta Lotta Bottle?

This weekend was DS1's birthday bash, which means a big BBQ & has done for the last 9 years or so! As the guys are older now, it does tend to mean copious amounts of alcoholic beverages! LOL. We somehow managed to stretch the festivities over two days this year (hence a lack of crafting ... & blogging too!)
So this yummy li'l Cogsmo number is the layout for Friday's class ... I love when I get a chance to scrap my recent photos straight away. Check out the pull out journaling to the right of the photo collage ... & I don't know whether the picture picks it up but most of the blackboard shapes there have been coloured with Inktense pencils (more vibrant than watercolours). Lots of soft inked edges again - Has to be my absolute fave technique I guess! LOL
The best bit of living in the UK has to be the easy access to real ales - my guys are only too happy to drink them, just so I can have the labels ... aren't they just too good to me? Seriously tho' real ale artwork is the best free scrapping ephemera ever (the bottle caps too - & the guys do their best not to scratch them or bend them as they open up!) so look out for some of that coming up soon.
I've been neglecting the blog a li'l bit of late ... it went kind of pear shaped mid-may & posting became kinda sporadic. Thing is, I love having a blog & sharing stuff with you guys ... & I have soooooo many things still to blog about! So this is the month that I'm gonna make a real effort to post EVERY DAY! & If I can do it for a month (or the 19 days that remain!), then I guess that makes it a habit & I can keep it up permanently. All the comments you guys make on my posts make it so worthwhile - so keep 'em coming & I promise I'll post more often! Deal?

Still Loving Cosmo Cricket!