It's a Creative World

Stamps, stamps everywhere

That was me before I finally sorted out my unmounted stamps.  I  had a fair few but they weren't being used as they were all over the place.  I don't know about you but if I can't lay my hands  on it I forget I've got it.

Then I spotted a fabulous storage idea on the big ole www.  I must apologise as I have no idea where I spotted it to give the proper credit.

Anyhoo, the simplest ideas are usually the best and this one works for me.  My stamps are now all stored in individual cd boxes and labelled with my Dymo Letratag.  I love my labelling machine and when I first got it labelled everything that stood still.

What I love about this storage idea

* I can just flick through and see the designs without pulling everything out.

* Acrylic stamps stick straight onto the plastic.

* Rubber stamps that are attached to ez-mount stick to the plastic.  Or, my absolute top tip for unmounted rubber stamps is  ...... Stick and spray from Crafters companion.  This amazing spray can be applied to the back of your stamp and is  repositionable fifty, yes FIFTY, times.  Go buy some if you love stamping!!!

The best bit of all is when I'm not using them they are hidden away in their basket.  I can also fit my acrylic blocks and my super fabulous Crafters companion rocker blocks in there.

The larger basket contains unmounted stamps.  One day I will get them organised but at the moment they are just shoved in there.

Dolly *D* sits on top and while she is a tad scary she was my dolly when I was little and she is wearing an outfit that was Charlotte's

I love my newly organised stamps and it's so much easier having everything to hand.

As always we'd love to hear from you and if you'd like to share any organisation tips we will feature them sometime in the near future.

Toodle pip

Maria

A to Z Journal - the R page

The minuscule (lower-case) form of r developed through several variations on the capital form. In handwriting it was common not to close the bottom of the loop but continue into the leg, saving an extra pen stroke. The loop-leg stroke shortened into the simple arc used today.

Here are a few ideas for the letter R:

Book of me/you: Raunchy, Riotous, Righteous, Rigourous, Radiant, Respectful, Ruthless, Retrobate, Rugged, Ragged, Relaxed 

Book of baby: Rosy (e.g. cheeks), Roll, Routine, Relaxed, Rusk...

Book of everyday:  Rain, Rough, Rotten, Rosy, Rich (LOL), Rage, Roster, Rusty, Rubbish...

Occasions/ Life:  Retirement, Remember, Retro ...

Tools and Techniques: Rub ons, Robocraft, Ribbon, Ruler...

Knitting: Ribbing (knit one purl one)...

Caz

Without showing Respect, I can't expect to receive it.

Lemon - Growing up

My daughter comes out with the most Random of comments. She has a word documnet with over 14 pages of them. I decided to just use a few!

Di Book of my life

For the fiRst time in my life, life in my RetiRement is RELAXED, ROSY my life is RICH, and I have a RetReat. I have time to think, and I do. I have time to cRaft and I do. I have time to be and I am. This week I have "tRied" digital LOL.

Thanks for visiting!!
IACW girls.
xx

PS. Don't forget to leave a comment on this post before midnight tonight to be entered into a RAK give away lucky dip draw! The draw will take place on Sunday and the winner will be announced on Monday the 1st September :)

Keeping it simple

I love Cathy Zielske's style of scrapping but it's not one that I can really pull off.

Although that doesn't mean I don't try :)

Here are two examples of pages where less is more.

The first is simply die cut basic grey tags layed on a piece of white cardstock, with some stitching around the edge. I love these colours but only had about 3 sheets and the tags. So it made sense to use the tags and make the most of the different patterns. And of course I got to use up a sheet of die cuts!

 

And the second, which is actually one of my favourites, incorporates keeping it simple and also a good idea for scrapping those old photos. One on a page would just look silly! BUT I love these photos of me and HAD to scrap them :)

 

Keeping it simple doesn't just mean using very few papers or embellishments. It can also mean using loads but also making sure you leave some 'white space'.

And to celebrate it being Friday, I have a little RAK give away. Everyone who leaves a comment on todays post, you have until midnight on Saturday to leave your comment, will be entered into a luck dip draw. The winner will be drawn on Sunday and announced on my post on Monday the 1st :)

haPPy dAy!!
Caz
xx

Running out of steam?

Hi, it's Maria here and I hope that you're enjoying the Summer holidays.  If you're running out of steam or pennies in my case here are a few ideas to keep your children busy until School starts again.

Have you tried speed drawing?

You will need a timer and some slips of paper.  Simply write a word on each piece of paper and pop them in a lucky dipper.

The children then get a minute to draw a picture that is inspired by the word.  Everyone else can then guess the word..

The word in this picture was ice-cream and drawn by Charlotte on a rainy afternoon earlier this year.  I think she cheated a bit by using her stamping pen!!!

 

Why not put together a time capsule? 

You will need

* A plastic container with a lid that seals

* Photos of the family and any pets

* A newspaper

* Drawings

* Messages from family members

* A family factsheet - You could compile a questionnaire and the children can interview other family members

Simply pop anything they fancy in the box and label it with the date.  Tape the box closed and either pop it in the loft or bury it in the garden to be discovered some time in the future.

How about a Teddy bear's picnic?

A lovely treat for younger children.  Simply make up a small picnic and pack them and their teddies off to the garden or the local park.  A lovely way to spend the afternoon with family and friends.  And, if it rains a rug picnic indoors is just as great.

Or, a treasure hunt?

Simply, hide a small prize and then write a series of clues leading to the treasure.

Sometimes the simplest things provide the best memories.  You really don't have to spend lots of money to have fun with your children. 

Have fun making memories.

Toodle pip

Now why do we actually bother to...

...make cards when:

• there are zillions in the shops
• there are more than 1/4 million sources of FREE electronic greeting cards?

Well, because we can; because we love paper; because people still love to receive a hand made card; because it's personal; because we care enough to make them, because they are special; because we can say exactly what we want to say; and just because ...

"Discovering" card making has been a revelation for me. When I have no inspiration, I sit and play with cardstock and PP and just have fun. If I mess it up, I throw it out and start again.

Today I have a "thank you" card to share with you:

 

This is a personal card (as all my cards are LOL) made for my darling daughter Caz and my darling son in law Stu. I made the card before I left South Africa cos I KNEW I was gong to have a great time with them and wanted something a bit SPECIAL.

This is what I did:

• I cut a piece of cardstock 12" by 7" and folded it in the middle for the basic card.
• I cut a piece of 'tartan' fabric 11" by 6" and stitched it to the outside of the card.
• I frayed the edges of the 'tartan' just a bit.
• I cut a piece of cardstock 11" by 6" and attached it to the inside of the card (to cover the stitching.
• Then I just added my 'thank you' and my embellishment.

My embellishment is actually a little gift for Caz, a brooch which belonged to my late mum, Caz's Gram.

Finally, just a little trivia from MadDi:

Greeting card: A folded card bearing a message of greeting, congratulation, or other sentiment, usually sent or given on a special occasion or holiday.

I think that says it all. So, thanks for visiting IACW and happy creating :)

Love from MadDi XXX

Stamping made easy!

I was scrapping with friends recently when I spotted one of them using something I hadn’t come across before…..and it was pink so therefore warranted a closer look! Instead of a regular acrylic block my friend was using something called a Rock-a-Block and very kindly gave me a demo (and then I pinched them for the rest of the weekend ;) )

 

I am the first to admit that a tool like this wouldn’t normally catch my eye at all, but one rock and I was hooked. To me stamping is something that looks easy but doesn’t always give the results you want, the rock-a-block gives such great results everytime – it sounds too good to be true but it is! You just stick your stamp to the block, start at one edge, rock forwards using normal pressure until you reach the other edge, lift away and voila!

I now have a set of my own rockers so whilst I was up at my Mum’s this weekend I thought I would really put them to the test and give them my Mum to try. My mum has NEVER stamped before!

 

Here is Mum demo-ing the blocks:

 

  

 

 

 

 

My Mum’s verdict was that they were “really easy to use”, “foolproof” and “gave successful results everytime”, she really couldn’t believe what she had achieved J

Mum also tried with this cute little butterfly that I had lazily cut out from a sheet of stamps – you can see that when she inked the stamp she caught the corners with the Staz-on. Normally I would faff about wiping that off but seeing as we were in testing mode we left it as was and stamped anyway. There was no sign of the excess ink – the design of the actual rockers means that only the raised image ever touches the paper. To me this will save SO many tears and also save a lot of fiddly cutting out!

 

 

 

 

 

The Rock-a-Blocks can be used just like a normal acrylic block with clear stamps, and rubber stamps can be used with just a quick spray of Stick and Spray or some other removable adhesive, even Pritt Stick.

Rock-a-Blocks are made by Crafter's Companion  – you can buy them from their website and lots of other crafty shops are stocking them now too.

Happy stamping!

Charlotte x

Lavender Scented Fabric Boot

Hiya, today I have done a step by step of my stuffed fabric boots, I have filled this one with a combination of dried lavender from my garden which I showed you  HERE. 

First I drew a boot shape on card and adjusted it until I was happy, then cut the design out.

I folded the fabric I wanted to use in half, right sides together and drew round the card boot with a fabric pencil and pinned it together, also pinning a ribbon for hanging it, inside the boot.

I then stitched round the line using my sewing machine, you can do this by hand if you prefer, leaving the top of the boot open to turn it the right way out.  Then cut out the boot shape leaving approximately 1cm as a seam allowance.

Then I turned it the right way out and pressed it, also pressing the open top over to make sewing up after filling easier.  I then used polyester toy filling and lavender to fill it, pushing the stuffing down to pack it tight as I went. When it was as full as i could get it I used my sewing machine to stitch the top closed.  I chose 6 pink buttons to match the floral design as boot buttons, stitched them on spaced evenly either side of the front seam and wound ribbon around them as a lace.

These make lovely gifts for friends and smell beautiful.

Trish xxx

Sew Easy - Tie-on Chair cushion covers

Hi again from MadDi

I am on a sewing roll right now and am taking advantage to brighten up my home. Here is one of my finished cushions:

 

These are my dining room chairs. They are called 'riempie chairs' and as you can see they DEFINATELY need cushions.

Definition of Riempie:

South Africa leather weaving strip: a strip of leather used for weaving chair seats

[Mid-19th century. Via Afrikaans< Dutch riempje "small thong" < riem "thong"]

I made these covers a few years back but needed a change! I feel they are a bit boring now!!! LOL

So first things first - what you will need:

• Fabric for the cushion - I like to use upholstery fabric for the top and cotton for the bottom. Both MUST be washable.
• I bought 1 and 1/2 metres of fabric (140 cm wide)  for the top of the cushion to give me 50cm by 50cm squares for each of the 6 cushion covers. (The leftover piece was 40cm by 1 1/2 metres and I thought I could use that for a table runner for the centre of the dining table)
• I bought 2 metres of heavy duty cotton (purple) for the bottom of the cushions and for the ties. 
• Fabric for the ties - I use the same fabric as I use for the bottom of the cushion - but use something different that co-ordinates if you like!
• Inners

This is the fabric I chose:

Instructions Cutting (see photograph):

• I cut 6 pieces of fabric for the top of the cushions 50cm by 50 cm
• I then cut 2 pieces of cotton for each cushion each measuring 50 by 75 cms
• I then cut strips for the ties - you will need 24 ties ( 4 for each chair). The ties measure 10 centimetres wide by 30 centimetres long. Now depending if you want to tie knots or bows you may want to make the ties a little longer!

 

Instructions for sewing (see photograph):

• Sew the ties, turn them inside out and iron flat. 
• Sew the edges of the underside
• Now the tiny tricky bit: Place the fabric for the upper part of the cushion wrong side down, then place the 2 pieces of fabric for the underside right side down. Insert the ties. Pin everything together and sew all the way around
• Turn your cushions inside out.
• Now you can topstitch all the way around IF you like.
• Insert your inner.
• We are done!!!

Finally my sew easy tips:

• Measure and cut carefully.
• Choose fabric that you really like!
• Iron the ties before you attach them to the cushion.
• Position the ties carefully BEFORE you stitch, They have to be in the right position to tie on to the chair.
• Do not make the cushions too small - let them hang over a bit!
• When you turn the cushions inside out make sure that the corners are just right - square!!!
• Check your bobbin BEFORE you start to top stitch - I HATE running out on the top stitching!!!
• Enjoy!

Almost forgot - here are my tips for creating the 'ties:

 

Woo Hoo, what will we be sewing next???

Thanks for visiting IACW

Love from MadDi

Stamps

Now i'm sure there are hundreds of us crafters who are addicted to rubber stamps?

But where do you get them from? What are the best brands and websites to look at?? Read on........

Stamping Bella

Funky and whimsical, these stamps are what i would describe as linear and not too fussy.

They also have a fabby blog here.

Also check out Bella t-shirts :)

Magnolia

These stamps come all the way from Sweden and are just the cutest. They are ideal for colouring in.

Sugar Nellie

Fabulous british based company who make amazing stamps, again, great for colouring in.

Check out the Sugar Nellie blog.

Whipper Snapper

A US company who have a very extensive range of mounted and unmounted stamps.

Inkadinkado

A huge array of stamps and a pretty fabulous website with loads of tips and ideas!

And i have to finish with my favourite....... Stampin Up!

I just love the fact that they do everything to co-ordinate. Papers, inks, crayons etc.... and they make loads of accessories too!

Some stamping forums:

Stamping Mad

Rubber Stamp chat

Split Coast Stampers

Stamping friends

Some useful links:

Rubber Stamping Techniques

Close to my Heart

Scrapbooks etc..

I hope that has given you a glimpse into some of my favourite stamping companies although i haven't even scratched the surface!

Have a fabulous weekend

Cath xxx

Renovating Furniture with our Guest Designer Debbie

It's with huge pleasure that i introduce our guest to IACW today, Debbie Nicholas(some of you may know her as mumof4boys!). Here's what Debbie did for us:

A big thank you to the girls for inviting me to show some of my renovations :)  I was going to do a before, during and after of one piece but thought it nicer to see more than one piece and just the before and after pics.  It kind of shows anything is possible and everyone is different so things turn out different ways if you know what i mean. 

 

I am a stay at home mum of 4 boys who is married to the most supportive husband ever (yes even when he is climbing over half painted furniture!)  Most of the items i make over are bought from either Ebay or carboot sales, i dont see the point in paying a fortune for something im going to change and if i can get it for next to nothing and make it look good then i enjoy what im doing :)  

 

The dresser i bought from ebay for £45 and IT IS HUGE!  We only had one wall in the kitchen where it could go and we had to rejig some bits first but i just knew how much potential it had. 

 

The key to starting the work is in the preporation.  I always sand the items down to give a key for the paint. A wipe down with a damp cloth and dry paintbrush gets rid of all the dust.  Sometimes the wood will need priming, other times it wont but after a while you can guage what the piece will work like.  Usually 2 coats is sufficient to give enough of a coating to look like an aged piece of furniture you have always had around! :)    A good wax or varnish for the piece that is left to look like wood and a sample tin of the paint incase of chips or scratches and you now have an heirloom piece that wouldnt look out of place passed down from generation to generation - how will they know you bought it second hand for pennies if you dont tell them! LOL

 

It does get addictive though and my family now joke that they darent stand still long enough otherwise they will be painted......... now wheres my brush!!

 

Thank you so much Debbie for showing us your works of art. You're a very talented lady!