An easy sturdy mini album

Excuse the lighting, I promise it will be better when my craft corner is installed....when...

What you will need:

Hoogie board (or something similar)

Scissors

Cardboard

Old coloured paper

ATG gun

bone folder

This took me about 40 minutes and should hold about 20 photos. I made it for a Christmas present so now just need to get the cardstock and cover it but the black makes a good background for it. Bad for tutorials but hey, you live and learn!

To make the cover:

2 pieces of corrugated cardboard (I used an old box) measuring 6 x7"

The inner piece measures 6 x 1 1/2"

Place two sheets of paper (I used a cheap A4 black paper pack) behind the cardboard, with the joining line running down the spine. To attach to the paper I ran a strip of tape down the middle of the join to keep the paper together. Cover all 3 pieces in glue and lay down, making sure there is a gap of about 1/2 " in between each piece like shown in the photo to make sure it can fold over. Cover the edges of the cardboard with glue and mitre the corners

To make sure you have enough room to bend the album, fold over before gluing down to see their is enough give in the cardboard.

Cut an A4 sheet in 1/2 and glue to the inside of the cover, ensuring you push the paper gently into the folds so the cover can open and close.

The finished album cover which can be adjusted to suit your needs and size.

This is the binding which measures 5 3/4"  and scored every 1 1/2".

You will need about 3 of these. When they are scored valley and mountain fold until you have a fan like shown in the photo.

This is all the pieces lined up, a tip I found useful was to use your bone folder on each fold and make it very flat.

When gluing the 3 pieces together I thought

 of it like putting the paper to bed, line it up so you know where the glue should go, attach glue to one side and to get it lined up straight put it on the side with no glue (left side on the photo) ensuring it is positioned correctly, put it to bed and fold the bend over like you are tucking it in. When you are finished you should have one continuous line of fanned paper.

Cut out about 10 pages of 5 3/4 x 6 3/4 " ( I don't get all these 3/4 measurements and my hoogie doesn't do 1/4's so I made it 1/2 instead) Attach one page to each left side of the valley fold, like in the photo.

To finish off the inside album I stuck each piece of the valley fold on the underside together so when it was finished it looks like a little book. Glue the first page to the front inside cover and the last page to the back inside cover and volia :)

Hope these instructions weren't too complicated and if you have any questions just ask me here!

Halloween tag-jibbery jabbery jaw

Oh Charles how you do crack me up :) A tag I made for a Halloween tag swap in lieu of waiting for my craft corner (which has been postponed until next week, I'm distraught :(  ) I stamped two Charles and cut out one of his jaws, adding little hinges to make his jaw move. Believe me when I say I played with this for at least an hour having a conversion that I thought he was a great listener.... it's been a long week.
Using the title from the Doors song, I added a glossy accented name badge to his bow tie (bow ties are cool don't you know). The background is actually awesome but Charles big head is covering it up, I used Dylusions stensils and distress inks. In each corner I pushed modelling paste through the stencil to give it extra texture, loved running my fingers over it!
Once I added the googley eyes I knew it was a keeper and I hope Ann enjoys her time with Charles as I did :)
I might do a tutorial for my next tag, be interesting for me to see what I actually do because I never remember!

Cheer up grumpy britches

Just watch..and don't let the moment pass. PTI clouds and sun die and stamp, dylusions ABC stencil and scraps of paper just fitted into each other

Cheer up grumpy britches... is what I say to a face like this but in all fairness he was mid air when I took the photo after Phil threw him up!

GBCE makes

I was demoing for Create with Kate at GBCE in Athlone at the weekend, I got to play with some Amazing new things and had such a great time meeting loads of new people and old friends who I had never met!

Charles Warhol skull head

My altered bookmark arranged by Aideen Swaps, I swapped with Timi from Crafting Ireland who gave me a gorgeous bookmark

The new belljar die from Tim Holtz and Darcies Halloween stamps, I want Halloween to be longer so I can buy all these stamps

My new stash *strokes it frantically. All from create with Kate and I'm feeling over inspired at the minute so Im going to have a cup of tea with Charles!

Meet the new man in my life- Charles Bonehead

How I feel about Eli's surgery next week but completely ecstatic with my new stamps!

Charles stamped on shrink plastic on the right with a hole in his head and on the left, shrunk down and sooooo adorable

Made a quick little key chain, love the chink of shrink plastic when it's shrunk down

Playing around and making a background with the new dylusions stencils and distress inks

Charles felt a bit fruity

But decided it was a tag for a suit

Prima stamped balloon

Add another layer folded in half

The last layer I cut in half and added a strip of tape to finish off the balloon (can you see Charle's UTEE'd hat, he's so dapper!)

And this is the start of a beautiful relationship between me and Charles...

My double Halloween tag

When I say double I mean it's twice the amount of fun, you might only pay for one seat but you will only use the edgeeeee (I'm reading that in a super trucks demo voice). Inspired by the amazing Shelly Hickox during my semi insomniac nights I saw it and knew I had to try it! 

Using a large sheet of watercolour paper I cut out a tag 9 X 17cm folded in half and then trimmed it into shape, cut back biscuits and fizzy drinks and made it a lean double tag. I embossed, painted, sprayed and tickled until I got the right colour combo (BTW how fricking gorgeous is my crackle embossing folder), G45 clocks just snipped out and a little bottle filled with glitter attached with a string and spit.

When it opens I covered the back piece with the Holiday pack from Mr Tim and added the on the edge die cut graveyard and tree for a lovely gothicy look.

Charles was stamped and placed on a folded piece of card that's a highly guarded secret but I'll tell you if you ask. The happy halloween is from the same stamp set and tags cut out of it. I officially love that skull... thinking how to incorporate it into Amy's wedding invites.
I won the autumn challenge from Crafting Ireland at GBCE at the weekend with this tag, so woooooo!

Craft corner plans

It has come to light that ikea might solve my crafting storage problems, since 11k for an extension wasn't an option! I feel like the one person in Mayo going to ikea with the huge list I have ( for those not in Ireland ikea is nearly 300 miles away) or you know that scene from the movie The Beach where Leonardo DI Cairo gets the list if supplies off the islanders to get on the mainland... Something like that!

I think the besta range will suit my needs with 3 cabinets on top, and one large one running up the right side. I love the clean white look, a blank canvas!

with lots of under shelf lighting and a table light, squinting at my work will not be a problem anymore! I'm soooo excited at the thought of having a dedicated craft space. I had a desk a few years ago but it just wasn't right & ended up storing most of my stuff on the desk top itself. So in 3 weeks I should have it woooooo

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Sneak peak 3 for Create with Kate

A raven came a knocking, knocking at my chamber door... can't get this out of my head! This was meant to be a pumpkin card but turned into a happy accident!

Not my usual style but this fella is so cute :) finished with prima flowers and bling

Sneak peak 2 GBCE Create with Kate

Card and envelope- all stock from Create with Kate

Inside has tags which can be filled with photos or recipes or memories or....

 

Light does this card no justice but it's a very pretty easel card, love the paper!

Create with Kate Demo Sneak Peak- GBCE

Create with Kate asked me to demo for her at the GBCE in Athlone this year and my box of demo goodies arrived today...awesommmme!

Using Tim Holtz on the edge Graveyard die and Dylusions legs :)

 

Stampendous Halloween stamp which is really very pretty and quite versatile...but only a peek

Altered canvas

 

I finished it off today with the title "We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking up at the stars"

Lots of glossy accents on the butterflys and little girls eyes, although D thinks she looks really like Eli!

My new texture paint was used with a stencil for the hombcomb and sprayed with ink!

Tea bag journal

Another piece from my craft day yesterday, a tea bag journal. I never understood why they were called tea bag journals thinking it was what they were stained with! We had no circle tea bags so used squares ones (the dark patch in the middle) and piled embellishments on, covering it in a medium gel. I say cover but smother would be a better word! Sprained with sprays and used the bind it all to make I into a journal. A wedding journal for my sister, suits her perfect :)

 

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Finnabair recreation

My friend kindly offered to recreate the Finnabair class in Newbridge recently. She even made me up a little pack from the class! It has definitely invigorated my scrapbooking and given me the boost I needed! I would have stayed crafting all night I was so in the zone :)

Before I sprayed it, wasn't too sure because I really like this

In real life it's very glistening and shimmery after it was sprayed and glad I did it!

Tri fold wedding card

Something that's not a usual wedding card but it's for an unusual wedding, american influences inside for the bride. PTI shutterbug camera and I think an old G45 sheet!

3 x2 photos

When you have a fussy underweight child whose weight is not even on the charts for his height you are happy when he eats anything....even if it is a coffee mocha cupcake :)

I finally found somewhere in town that prints 3x2 photos, since my kodak printer died I had no way of printing unusual sizes. 

Well needless to say he ate the bun...paper and all

Paper is some old basic grey and echo park and jillybean letters.

Grow up? When pigs fly

Inspired by the recent Finnabair workshops and so disappointed I missed out on it, I decided to try a messy layout today of me and Amy. It's titled, grow up? when pigs fly with acut out G45 pig. The hot air balloon is a Maya Road stamp I got in cardznscrapz for €2.45 and gives a very crisp image when stamped. The photo was actually a mistake as it cut off half my face so I thought by squishing things together it wouldn't be as noticeable!