It's a Creative World

12 months= 12 projects October/November 2009

Hello, Eleanor here again with my latest monthly mini-book. This month I have used lots of random photos, the ones which don't really fit into any other categories, but which tell stories about family members, pets, our allotment, and dressing-up fun, and which document autumn/harvest time/Halloween, and so are ideal for this month's minibook..

This is my pumpkin mini-book, it's about 6 inches across:

and opens out into a pumpkin shape:

 

and even stands up on its own:

I painted, embossed, and inked the covers, but the pages inside are mostly quite simple, just patterned paper on cardstock, with a photo, but no embellishments. The reason for this is that sometimes I find a minibook incredibly time-consuming for its small size, and I've realised that I am trying to make each small page a miniature scrapbook layout. That is rarely necessary, and journalling isn't always essential either. Here I have just used the photos, interspersed with cutout pages, and I asked family members for short pithy comments/captions, which I then wrote on the pages. Exactly as they said it. Oh my, for some reason I found that hard! ;)

Five of the pages have a cut away section where I have used a die cut shape in keeping with the theme.

The tree:

 

The skeleton (the bat is a pipistrelle who flew into our kitchen one evening)

The owl (that's my dear little Buffy, who died suddenly recently)

The haunted house (my eldest with his tarantula, Dude)

and finally a spider on a web.

My favourite photo is that one of Richard with the first pumpkin he grew at the allotment. He was so proud. So was I!

The remainder of the pages (one has no caption, collective inspiration had run dry, but should you find it, it's Snowy  the cat, with Richard the tiger, now why I didn't put just that I have no idea):

 

 

My little paper pumpkin now joins the other minibooks inside the tote.

See you next month.

Hi from Caz!

I can't believe we are showing our month 10 work! The other day I sat and did my November and December 2008 layouts, all ready as the year gets busier. Although I wanted to start this project last year, I just didn't get around to it, but thankfully i've been able to do 2008 and 2009 side by side, and i'm really glad I did. I've put both years layouts into one album, that is all fat and lush and filled with some great memories.

Next year and hopefully the year after, and quite possibly the year after that I will be able to grow my library of yearly albums.

 
  
I'm not sure if i've mentioned before, I love this photo of my mum and Roz. Although i've never met Roz, i've heard so much about her and I know what she means to my mum, that she's kinda like part of my family. So it seemed very natural to include the photo of the two of them on this layout.

 

haPPy haLLowEEn!
Caz
xx

Christmas Organiser

Kel here - isn't autumn just flying past?!

Earlier in the month I started my Christmas card address book. Well, here's how it's looking at the moment. 

I decided that I wanted to make it into more of a Christmas organiser. I used to have one of these and I loved it, but it only had five years worth of pages. Over the last few years since I was doing working full-time and studying evenings, my Christmas organisation has flown out the window. This year I really want to regain control, so that it is the relaxed and happy season I know it can be.

I've made green and red plain lined pages to make my sections (you can download them below). I used green tabs for the letters in the address book section, so I'm going to use red tabs to label my organisation tabs. I'm going to add titles to the pages with letter stamps. Some section ideas:

• Cards 
• • Christmas card list
  • Last posting dates
• Gifts
• • Who you exchange with
  • Ideas
  • Shopping lists
  • List of what you've already ordered
• Food
• • Menus
  • Recipes
  • Shopping lists (mark what you can buy ahead of time)
• Budget (& an envelope for receipts)
• Entertainment
• • Ideas for outings (include details of addresses and opening hours)
  • Calendar pages with booked events written in

Do comment with any ideas for sections that you would use, and if you get an organiser made this year, show us!

Download Christmas pages green

Download Christmas pages red

Festive Napkin rings

Hi from Jo!

I hope you've been enjoying this month of Christmas projects as much as I have - there have been some inspirational ideas from everyone!

My project was originally going to be something else but halfway through making it I changed my mind and it became the felt napkin rings here.

I found some Queen & Co felt poinsettia border that I had bought for scrapbooking/cardmaking but thought it would work just as well on a sewing project. I started by placing a sheet of green felt in my embroidery hoop to hold it taut and then cut a short length of the die-cut felt and placed it on the green base.

I then used a fine Kreinik gold thread to the felt to hold it on the base and also embellish the holly leaves and add beads to the holly berries and poinsettia centres. I then used a long running stitch on either edge of the design as a border.

 

The next step was to remove the felt from the hoop and cut it down to the correct size before turning it inside out to sew the 2 edges together.

(Unfortunately I had no clean napkins to use in the photo so had to make do with a roll of paper but you can get the idea LOL!) 

I now have plans to make a set of these and also some in lilac, white and silver.

Thanks for visiting us at IACW!!

Jo x

Gift Wrap Inspiration

By today, I had hoped that I would have all my Christmas shopping done and all wrapped. This unfortuantly has not quite gone to plan. Oh well!

But I do have two presents, one homemade and one that I bought a while ago (one of those things that had to be bought in case they sold out, never to restock again!)

 

I just love this paper. It's the brown paper effect that I want to have, with a little colour :) I try steer clear of shinny/plasticy papers that can't be recycled or burnt.

 

I have a few tags for the main presents, and the rest just have the names hand written on. There is always so much rubbish at Christmas time that i'm doing my little bit to try cut down.

It's my hope that my gift recipients give back the ribbon to be used again. or take it to use themselves again. It's pretty and far too good for the bin!

I hope your Christmas plans are on track!
Caz
xx

Christmas Wreath Cards

There is a very clever technique doing the rounds at the minute using your favourite leafy or botanical stamps to make wreaths.  It's really quick and easy.  Here's how it works:

You can use any type of "leafy" stamp you like.  These two are from the Stampin' Up! set Pocket Sillhouettes.  I've used both of them on these cards to great effect.

All you do is take your cardstock and attach a punched circle of scrap paper to the centre using repositionable adhesive.  You then use your stamp to stamp all the way round as shown.  I did this one black for a really dramatic card.  Just keep stamping round and round until you're happy with your wreath and it looks nice and full.

Remove your little circle of scrap paper and there's your wreath.  I decorated mine with a few rhinestones for sparkle and a matching ribbon.

 And here's the finished card! Very quick and easy and yet extremely effective.  Here's a few more I've made using the same technique:

This one is the same stamp as above, but this time using Stampin' Up! Lavender Lace ink and cardstock.

 This card uses the other leafier stamp, which is also from Pocket Sillhouettes and is on the right of the top photo. This card has a completely different, more homely, "country" feel to it.  This wreath is stamped using SU! Sage Shadow ink on Very Vanilla cardstock with a sentiment mounted on Sage Shadow cardstock and the whole thing mounted on Kraft cardstock.  Everything Stampin' Up!

Hope you enjoy having a go at this.  TFL! Joanne xx

Christmas layout

In keeping with this month Christmas theme I have made a very simple Christmas layout. I have used just one sheet of lovely My Mind's Eye Colorful Christmas paper, die cuts from the MME The Merry days of Christas Accessory sheet a large brad and some buttons. I wanted the focus to be the photograph and have left plenty of white space. The large Die cut flower was cut out using my Slice machine and then had some stickles added for a little bit of bling. Oh and the little christmas trees were cut out from some KI  holiday collection gorgeous pearly paper.

Hope you enjoy making your Christmas layouts when the time comes. 

Bye for now

Julia

Following Yonder Star

Of all the images at Christmas, the Three Kings, or Wise Men, are my favourite.

Last year I saw some super cards by Lythan, here, and lifted them, thanks again Lythan.

Take one, with rubber stamped and gold, silver, and bronze heat embossed crowns (similar available here), matted and raised up, with ricrac and sheer ribbon:

 

Interior

and take two, hand cut from patterned paper, edges inked, and crowns mounted up on foam dots:

I might try a different variation this year, I fancy making simple crowns from 3 colours of wire and a few beads.

Anyone else fancy a variation on Lythan's card? If you do make some, we'd love to see them.

See you soon,

Eleanor

Just a simple Christmas Layout

Hi all from Di, basking in the sun in Durban Kwa Zulu Natal South Africa. Phew this humidity is a killer.

I love getting ready for Christmas and I also love Christmas wreaths,  so I have a layout all ready for some Christmas photos. Here it is just waiting:

And here is a closeup of my crackled simple title....

OK this is what I started with and what you will need

• 2 sheets of cardstock for backing
• 2 sheets of cardstock for Matts
• 2 sheets of PP
• Buttons ribbon, etc for embellishments 
   

Step 1:

 

I used my favourite Tim Holtz mask:ur

How cool does it look???

I then cut a circle for the wreath - you can use any old CS or paper I only used it as a guide!

Now what to do with it??? - NOT flowers

NOT just buttons

But just maybe....

And this is what I ended up with for the wreath...

 Now go and get ready for Xmas, get a layout ready with NO thought of the photographs you will use. It will work!!!

Thanks for visiting IACW and love always from Di XXX

Just what you knead for Christmas

Whether you are three or seventy-three, there is something appealing about squishing dough between your fingers, rolling it flat or making sausages.

I've been making homemade playdough, and thought I would share my easy recipe with you.

It makes a great stocking filler for the small person in your life, or a party bag gift, or even just something to pass the time during the holidays when you find that the playdoh you bought months ago has dried up and gone hard.

In a large bowl, place

Then

Next

When the beeps sound, take it out...

So next you

Once more, when the beeps sound, take it out...

 

Then you

 

I use the paste colours, such as you buy in a cake decorating shop, as the colours are more intense and not so wet as to make the dough sticky. I use 25g tubs by Sugarflair, they cost about £1 a tub and last for absolutely ages, as you only need the smallest dab, about half the size of a 5p piece.

I bought some very inexpensive lidded tubs from the Tesco value range, about 20p each, and,  together with a few cookie cutters, these can be packed into a gift bag or box.

Hands that do dishes...

Hi everyone, Deanne here with a christmas gift idea, handcream!

Its so easy to make your own handcream and there are so many sites that offer free 'recipes', in fact did you know that those gorgeous body scrubs you get, you can easily make with the main ingredient being 'brown sugar'! How lush is that :)

Today I have a simple recipe for you

Materials needed -
Clear pot with screwtop lid (I got mine from here)
Bowl and spoon

Ingredients -
200ml baby lotion (I used Simple soothing lotion)
100ml petroleum jelly
100ml moisture cream (I used vaseline with aloe and cucumber)

Method -
Pop baby lotion and petroleum jelly in the bowl and mix together, this may take some time as can be quite lumpy to start off with (especially if you are doing this by hand) I found that adding a couple of spoons into a smaller bowl worked better
Once they are mixed together nicely add the moisture cream and again blend together well
*At this point if you wanted too, you could also add about five drops of lavender oil*




Believe it or not thats it! pop in your clear pot and put aside for your first gift.
 Of course you'll need to test it first and you'll be amazed how soft your hands feel :)
This amount made two 150ml pots for me with a little left over in the bowl

 


I also added a quick paper note to the top of the lid and a sticky label to the bottom of the pot with the ingrediants on, package in an altered paper bag and voila :)

I'd love to know how you get on :)