It's a Creative World

Christmas Come Early!

First of all I'd just like to point out that this card is not my design, I got the idea from Split Coast Stampers and I based my card on that idea. Apparently it was used at a Stampin' Up! Convention a while ago, but I don't know who the original designer is.

Now, before you all run screaming from the room because I mentioned the "C" word, there is a method to my madness.  As you can probably tell, this card is made up from a series of punched shapes namely circles and scallops. I think this card would be great to make at this time of year, not only so you can get ahead for Christmas but also because it would be great for bored kids to do in the holidays.  Older children would have no trouble putting the cards together, and younger children could help by punching the shapes.  I know my 4 year old loves playing with my punches!

The basic card was made from a half A4 sheet of Stampin' Up! Blush Blossom cardstock to make a C6 size card.  I used some red chalk ink to colour his face a little then his nose and beard were cut out using a 1 1/4" circle punch in corresponding colours. The nose was inked a little in red too. His moustache and mouth were made from 1 1/4" punched circles cut in half.  His eyes are two 1/2" punched circles. 

His hat was made using a 1" strip of red cardstock and a triangle was also cut and stuck upside down at the top as shown.  The fur of his hat was made using a scalloped circle punch cut in half.  The fur trim could also be made by putting a 1" strip of white paper through a ribbler, or quilling curls of white paper or even just cotton wool!  The bobble on his hat was another scalloped white circle. The stamp used is from the Stampin' Up! Perfect Presents stamp set.  All the punches I used were from Stampin' Up!  Highlights were put on the eyes and nose using a white gel pen.

Here's another photo of the card lying flat so you can see the placement of everything slightly better. 

I hope you like this card.  You can now get a little organised for Christmas and if it alleviates the kids' boredom for an afternoon, all the better!

See you soon! Joanne xx

Find a *Star* in your life...

Hi everyone from MadDi

My dearest sister Linda is my guiding star, my HERO, and a legend in her own life time. I made this card for her as a thank you for giving me a new life in my new home in Johannesburg South Africa....

And don't you just know that I used LOADS of stash!

I started with a star drawn in MS powerpoint but it could just as easily be drawn by hand for a different effect. I cut three stars in different coloured cardstock and PP. Then I just mounted them on a basic card made from cardstock measuring 12" by 7"  folded amost in the middle. I raised the stars using sticky foamy bits and made them a bit squiff:

... and added some glitter glue for a little sparkle:

Finally -  on the inside my 'thank you' and:

"This world was never meant for one
As beautiful as you."

Is there a *star* in your life? What can you do with a star for that star?

Thanks for visiting IACW and love from MadDi X

Fabric covered journal

I don't like plain black journals but didn't fancy painting my art journal, so I thought i'd rummage through my pile of fat quarters and make a cover that was bright and in it's own way also a bit arty.

I made the cover as a jacket so I could take it off incase I wanted to open the binding to add or take out pages.

And a little close up of the detail on the cover.

Art journalling is so much more than just filling the pages of a journal, it's a journey from cover to cover. And that means the cover is also important!

haPPy creATing!!
Caz
xx

Sew Easy Wrapping Paper Bag

Hiya all, today I am doing another sew easy post, this time its for a wrapping paper bag, you can buy these from various places, but its cheaper to make your own, and not too hard either, I made this in a couple of hours.

 

 

I started by choosing a fabric that was pretty without being too girly; I didn’t want the boys of the family to feel left out.  I cut three pieces of the fabric, the main body then two pockets, the main bag is 70x90cm, the pocket for scissors (upright) 25x35cm and the tape and ribbon pocket is 37x28cm.   You don’t need to follow these measurements, just cut pieces to a size you are happy with.

 

Then I ironed and pinned a hem around each pocket piece on all four sides of about 1cm, mitring all the corners, then sewed using a machine.

 

 

The main piece I only hemmed one edge, which will be the top, again 1 cm, once I had sewn it I turned over a larger hem of about 3cm, this will be used to thread ribbon through at the end.

 

 

I decided I wanted some lace on each of the pockets mainly to look pretty, I sewed this on the top edge of each.  I then pinned the pockets to the main piece, moving them around until I was happy with the placement, sewed each one on and also sewed down the middle of the wider pocket to give an opening for tape and one for ribbons.

 

You then need to sew the bag up, fold it right sides together and pin down the edge and bottom.  I sewed a few stitches at the top of the hem, about 1 cm, then from under the large hem at the top (so you have a hole for your ribbon).  When this is done turn it right side out and iron your seams.  Using a safety pin or large paperclip attach to ribbon and thread it through your hole at the top, you then have a draw string closure to keep all your wrapping paper clean and dust free.

 

See you all again soon

 

Trish xxx

The ultimate crafter's companion

Hi, it's Maria here and I hope that you are well and enjoying your weekend.

I have been lucky enough to get my grubby mitts on the The ultimate from Crafter's companion.  Having had a play I couldn't wait to report back to, you, our lovely readers.

This really is an amazing piece of kit and if you haven't seen it I would urge you to go and investigate.  Whether you are a card maker or a scrapbooker you will find a use for it.

It's a complete wolf in sheep's clothing as this, at first glance, simple plastic folder can .........

*  Trim your card and paper to size

*  Score your cardstock to make cards the exact size and style you want.  This is fabulous for a newbie cardmaker like me.  I was really fed up of either wasting expensive card blanks as I'd messed up the design.  Or, measuring and cutting cardstock  to the wrong size for my envelopes.

*  Score your card to make gift boxes or bigger envelopes to fit those thicker cards.

*  Make your own matching envelopes.  How lovely to line them with pretty paper from your scraps box.

  
 

* Using the embossing tool you can emboss shapes and patterns onto your cards, envelopes or boxes.  I'm a tad ham fisted and always struggled to cut a decent circle.  I found that by scoring the circle shape before cutting it out gave me a much cleaner cut.

You could even use the scoring tool and lines to get the perfect fold on your exploding boxes.  You'll need to measure your box yourself but if you want a really crisp fold it's totally worth it.

The instruction are clear and easy to follow and even a beginner like me managed aperture cards, envelopes and boxes.

 How lovely not to have to worry if you have the right size envelopes at home.  It's so simple you can make your own and you can even by the special *lick and stick* gum  if you make cards to sell.

The possibilities for the Ultimate are really only limited by your imagination.  Everything stores away in it's own compartment so it's easy and safe to transport.

The Ultimate retails at £39.99 but will soon pay for itself and it has got me using my scraps to make gift boxes, cards and envelopes.

The best bit of all is that it is designed and manufactured in the UK.  Now, you can't say that about many crafting products.

If you would like to check  out The ultimate in all it's glory just visit www.crafterscompanion.co.uk/default.asp apologies for the lack of a posh linkie dink but Typepad doesn't want to play nicely today.

I'm back on the 8th August and I'll be sharing some cards and gift boxes that I'm making for some special people.

Toodle pip

A to Z Journal - the O page

Oh my are we really on the letter O already?  

Our regular guest Willow has created another beautiful page:

The page is called 'O' is for Oak King. It is a page dedicated to the wonderful Oak King..King of the growing summer light. At Midsummer the Oak King gets defeated by the Holly King, who will reign until Midwinter, when the Oak King will rule again!

Caz

I am One of a kind :)

Di: Book of my life:

Oops, another easy one cos my life is OUTRAGEOUS as an OAP ( Old Age Pensioner). I get discount at the shops, cheap hair cuts (on special days), reduced rates on buses and insurance, AND can do what ever I please - even have PINK hair...

Lemons Book of Growing Up

I struggled with this one and after a few false starts i ended up going with Out of Sorts and documented my daughter being ill with the chicken pox.

Are you keeping up, or are you ahead of the game LOL! Lets see your pages!!!

OOPS almost forgot.....

Here are a few ideas for the letter O:

Book of me/you: Open, Opulent, Obese (aagghhh), Outrageous, Ostentatious, Obsessive, Old ...

Book of baby: Oops, Oh dear, Overtired, Observant...

Book of everyday:  Oblivious, Outing, "Oats and beans and barley O" OMG...

Occasions/ Life:  Outing, Obscure, Omnipotent (?), Occasion, OAP, Old age (Hee hee) October...

Tools and Techniques: Oops, Offcuts...

Knitting: Oops, odd...

Love from the cReative giRls X

Quick and cheap mini tag book

Hi all - Jakey here!

I'm just back from my holidays and I have hundreds of new pictures to scrap!

The first thing I made with them was this cute little mini tag book, using a kids alpha book I bought in the pound shop. As I'm feeling the pinch along with many of you, I decided to use nothing but old papers and stash I've had kicking around for ages, and I'm quite pleased with the way the book turned out considering it cost nothing to make - and was put together in a couple of hours.

Raid your old stash boxes and see what you can come up with - we'd love to see your creations :-)

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Scrapping Y'all!

xx Jakey xx

A month in my life, mid month catch up.

I hope you are all managing to do your pages daily!

I have been doing mine either last thing at night or first thing the following morning, while the thoughts are still fresh. There have been days where I really have nothing much to write about, and these days have been difficult. But then there are days where I have receipts, ticket stubs or photos to add. Um or sometimes all three!

Here are a few of those days...

On the 6th, we went to ASDA, and the movies and I added a separate page of journalling and a photo of Josh's 'grass seed in his eye' saga.

On the 13th it was our villages open gardens, so I have a page of journalling and 4 pages of photos.

And on the 15th I have my train ticket to London, a business card from the restaurant we went to for lunch, my journalling and a happy birthday!! announcement.

I doubt I would have coped with this project, had I not pre cut and punched all my pages. It's made the whole process easy and i'm really enjoying it!

And from MadDi

Well I decided to bind my book up front. MISTAKE. And as only Robert Burns, our SCOTTISH poet, could say it, “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.” There was so much I wanted to add that I 'unbound' it and have already added loads more pages! this is some of the stuff I wanted to add:

 

My problem now of course is I will have to find a BIGGER BINDER!. I am so enjoying creating my little 'time capsule' of my life in 2008. I know that in 20 years (hopefully) I will look back and think

• "MY how cheap everything was"
• "Was I really so busy creating stuff?".
• "Oh how I remember the 'good old days'" LOL

As always thanks for visiting and haPPy creATing!!
Caz and Di
xx

A special 'Wedding Anniversary' card...

Hi folks from MadDi

"A wedding anniversary is an anniversary of the date on which a wedding took place. Married persons who regard the day of their marriage as important may mark the occasion in some special way. In the Commonwealth realms one can receive a message from the monarch for 60th, 65th, and 70th wedding anniversaries, and any wedding anniversary after that."

By the time you read this post I will be almost on holiday in the UK. One of the special occasions I have planned to attend is the 60th wedding anniversary of my friends Reg and Lily.

This is my card for Reg and Lily - no diamonds just a little bling!

 

It is based on one of my favourite designs from a previous post:

This is what I started with:

• 1 sheet of ivory cardstock
• 1 sheet of patterned paper
• Photographs of Reg and Lily for the inside of the card
• A pile of ribbon
• Florist wire and florist tape

I made some flowers by:

• Folding the ribbon
• Attatching some florist wire
• Wrapping it up with florist tape:

For the card:

• Cut the cardstock 7" by 12"
• Cut the PP 6 " by 12"
• Ink and attach the PP to the cardstock

For the vase:

• Cut 1 piece of cardstock 4 by 5 inches and 1 piece of PP 3 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches.
• Attach the PP to the cardstock and score 1 cm from each side.
• Fold back. Use this fold to attach the vase to the card. Create a 3D effect!

I used the photographs on the inside:

I think that these days it's a once in a lifetime experience to be attending a 60th wedding anniversary!!! I am truly blessed...

Thanks for visiting IACW!

Love from MadDi

 

Homely Blogs

Are you a budding Martha Stewart or maybe Anthea Turner??

Do  you love anything homely and strive to be a domestic goddess?
Well i do and i'm always blog and website hopping trying to find ideas, designs and recipes. Some of these blogs feature everything from crafting to baking, photography to Interior design.
So if you love stuff like that then have a browse through some of these websites for inspiration!
They're just a few of my favourites!

Desire to Inspire

The Wednesday Chef


At Home at Home




From Desperate to Diva

French Garden House


The Cottage


Cherry Hill Cottage


Hostess with the Mostess




My Yellow Farmhouse


Homespun Living


Country Heart and Home

I hope you enjoyed looking around some of my favourite blogs!

Have a fabulous day!

Cath xx