1st of the Christmas Cards

So I really am not feeling the Christmas spirit card wise this year or more so because I've put a ban on buying new stash and feel bored with what I have so I have to get inventive!

The stamps are PTI and TH deer die. After teaching the Montessori kids about the northern lights it inspired me to brighten up the sky a bit. Really wish my handwriting looked like that stamp!

One does ponder

 

One does ponder... About ways how he can make us laugh. He's a funny guy always throwing himself about or insulting people by calling them smelly, I think he think its how you say hello. The other day I was at my craft corner, did I mention I got my craft corner *sigh and I heard his snorty laugh. He came running out and pointed at the telly laughing that he had seen something funny and wanted me to laugh too. Reminds me of the time when he came home from hospital after 3 months & Amy wanted to know when he would get humour because he didn't find her funny. Well... The two of them just scream laughing at each other now, funny how something so small can make you forget the bad.

 

Close up, with faux stitching, my gorgeous washi tape and without distressing because Eli hid my distress tool, somehow think its in D's shoe. Well we will find out soon enough!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Graphic 45 Curiosity Shoppe Album video

Graphic 45 Old Curiosity Shoppe album

* Disclaimer*
I am not a fussy cutter hence why the butterflies have no heads and the pigs have no tails but it was such a lovely paper pack I bought from CreatewithKate at the GBCE I knew it needed a special project.
WARNING- Photo heavy post with video to follow
                                   
Tim Holtz Stamps (Hello Charles!) skeleton and Halloween stamp. Cut out bottles from the 12 x 12 pack and glossy accents them. Stamped some Waltzing mouse stamps onto the bottles but don't think it worked too well.

Derek had to nearly pick me up off the floor when I was finished adding glasses to Charles. Frames are cut out of the pack and extras added. 

Pockets on the side and bottom, photos can be added to photo mat 

Double tag embossed with a paper belt (the word escapes me right now..)

These...these bad boys are so fricking cute. I fussy cut some bottles from the pack and cut slits in them, backed on black card and then slid in little insides of the bottles

                               Needed some plain pages to fit larger photos, the left side folds out into a double page. On the right there is a small album inside the pocket made from one 12 x12 sheet

Again I needed more pages for larger photos so made the lady page to fold out into a another double page

Trinkets on the outside of the album

PIGGIESSSS! I felt so sad after cutting off the tails of the pigs but felt worst when I caged them!

I felt the last page needed some empty space so I might add a few

 bits after but right now I like it as it.
I don't think I understood the undertaking of this album and it KILLED me not to be able to finish it in one sitting. Anyone who knows me knows I craft fast so I was nearly shaking trying to get it done. If I made it a larger project and a page a day I would have added more techniques but as it was the album was just on bursting point!

Introducing my new scrap corner woop woop!

Finally got it installed yesterday and still trying to get all my bits straight but ohhh look at it in all it's glory!

I decided to go the Besta range from Ikea, with 3 overhead presses and one tall press. The desk is the 120cm from the Besta range. 

My Helmer which I LOVE it fits all my accessories like all my dies in one drawer, inks in the other etc but it's so dinky. Shame Eli has learned how to open it and so far I've found his bottle and a cow in one of the drawers.

Th presses are very spacious and the flexibility allows me to move the shelves around to suit my needs.

How cute are the spice jars filled with buttons? I did it by colour, I don't even have that many buttons so I have a jar of thumb tacks just to fill it up!

I heard from a reliable source that the desk marks easily so with some oil cloth I had left over from our kitchen table I slapped some on top! (Look at the matching red bin...seriously I'm in love)

With under press lights and a lovely big desk light even at night time I will have enough light so I won't have to squint or temper drag the table under the only light in the room.

So that's it, the place where my heart can settle and create to it's little desire. So so happy :)

Hand made Amy Tangerine inspired Day Book

As part of a swap recently I had to make a Day Book, having never made one and only recently seen one for the first time I was a little unsure but sure if you don't try...and all that mullarkey!

Cover with outer acetate 

inner pages

Close up of some of the pages, the recipient asked for grungey retro, there's always the fear in a swap that you aren't good enough and the person will be like "ehh thanks for this did your two year old son make this?"

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...