It's a Creative World

All of the things I do

Hiya Claireliz here

I'm still going with my Project 30 (this is a project I started in February to celebrate my 30th birthday) the idea is to fill a chest with mini books & other things from the whole year. This little mini book is dedicated to my hobbies, its a lovely Maya Road chipboard book with a canvas cover...

The flower was cut from fabric using a Tim Holtz Alterations Die & my Sizzix, the fabric was given to me by a lovely lady who attends the local crop I go to. The title is stamped with Banana Frog stamps & Staz-On ink.

The book has been decorated with scraps of stash I had in my collection. For some reason I believe every mini book has to have an introduction page to tell you about the mini book you are looking at ( I have no idea where this notion came from).... here is my intro page

I read a phenomenal number of books & am known for having countless journals, notebooks & sketchbooks ( I also always carry a pen) the next 2 pages are dedicated to my love of reading & writing...

If you regularly stop by here you will know I also love to sew & knit, on the knitting page I have wrapped some of the actual wool I used to knit the shrug in the picture around the chipboard bobbin...

the next page was tricky, as I make cards, scrapbook pages & alter things, obviously I couldn't fit all that on the page so I took inspiration from my lovely DH who calls me "A maker of stuff" hence the title I make stuff. I also grow my own vegetables on a plot I have pinched from my mum & dads garden, my aim is to grow a 50lb pumpkin (my biggest was 36lbs)

I also have a sweet tooth (a very very sweet tooth) so I had to a page about one of my loves in life (nope, not chocolate) I bake... a lot (as a result I also eat a lot of cakes but its a chore I'm willing to undertake :D )

There were 2 canvas pockets in the book, I took one out as it wasn't closing properly & haven't decided what to put in the other one yet.

Well thats all from me for now, Thanks for stopping by to see us at IACW & hope to see you again soon

Claireliz

xx
 

Crochet earings

Hi, Mandy here,

I really love to crochet and as a scrapbooker I can't remember the last page I made without a crochet flower or some trim on it.  However, I decided to have a change & try out an idea I had to make crochet earings.  It was my Gran, Daisy,  (who's 83 now) that taught me to crochet the traditional 'granny square' when I was a child. Since then I've always loved 'granny squares' but never really make any. So, I decided to make some earings inspired by granny squares and my own Gran.  These were the first pair that I gave to my daughter...

...here's a closer look...

I used a 0.75mm metal hook and crochet thread (I think it's size 8 cotton).  I made more in a variety of colours...

The photo below shows the size compared to a 1p

I did put a tiny dab of glue (Glossy Accents) on the metal findings where it touches the crochet, just to make them hang well and added beads to a couple of pairs but also left some plain.  It doesn't take long to make a pair!

Bye,

Mandy

Stretching the envelope ...

Hello, and welcome to It's a Creative World, at the start of a new week. Alexa here, thinking about envelopes ...

I've never been good at card making, but I do like writing notes to people - the sort that go with a stamp and take days to arrive. Recently, I've been trying to work out what to do with the stash of patterned scrapbooking paper I own, much of which I will never use on a layout, but which is striking or pretty. Recently, my DS sent a card to his Dad, addressed simply to "The best Dad in the world", followed by the address, and it made me wonder how many people had smiled when they looked at it on its way here. What else might cheer up the postal service, and the recipient of a note? How about a coloured envelope? There are templates you can buy for envelope making:

but an envelope of the size you want will do fine. First, undo an envelope, and lay it down on the back of a patterned paper:

Trace round it with a pencil: being wonderfully exact is not important. I usually trim the top edge of what will be the flap with a guillotine or paper trimmer, but hand-cut the rest. Fold up the edges, using the original as a model, and use two thin strips of double-sided tape to hold it together:

You can ink the edges if you like:

On the front, I stick a white label, big enough to take the stamp as well as the address. These are also homemade, from white paper, stuck down with double-sided tape, as I'm not quite sure that repositionable Herma will make it through the postal machinery unscathed!:

Other papers are also great for making envelopes, and can be chosen to suit the person you are writing to: newsprint, a page of sheet music, or the cover of a cookery magazine you've finished with can be fun to do:

 

How about a children's book from a charity shop of jumble sale? You might prefer to put the label on the right, to make sure plenty of the card is seen. Something like this ...

 

You can also layer on some additional stamping, if you like:

In fact, if in a hurry, a quick stamp can cheer up an ordinary envelope nicely. Border or roller stamps are quick and easy ...

or lay a piece of white paper part way across the envelope to give a clean edge, and stamp merrily away with stamps of a similar theme. If you notice any 'blank' spaces, ink a stamp, press it onto spare paper first, then use it in the 'blank' space - it will add a faded ghostly look which fills the space nicely without trespassing on the clarity of other images. The envelope below took about 90 seconds to do:

 

You may well have lots of other ideas and have tried this before, so do feel free to share them below! Hoping you have a creative week!

Waffle Berry Pudding

Hi everyone :) Carmen here with one of my very favorite summer puddings. This was actually one of those free recipes you get when you host a Pampered Chef party and over the years it's become a firm favorite with mine and my sister's families, with  both adults and children alike.

Picture pinched off Google - this is EXACTLY how it turns out but mine is never around long enough to photograph ;)

Waffle Berry Pudding

2 packets (240g each) Sweet Waffles
300g Frozen Raspberries
200g Bar of White Chocolate (Broken into squares)
55g/2oz Caster Sugar
15ml/1Tablespoon Plain Flour
570mls Soured Cream (2 Cartons)
3 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Preheat Oven to 200°/ Gas Mark 6
Cut the waffles into small squares and put half in the bottom of a deep dish. Layer ½ the fruit on top and then ½  the chocolate.
Layer remaining waffles and then the fruit and then the remaining chocolate.
Whisk together the cream, eggs and vanilla essence.
Combine with the flour and sugar.
Pour evenly over the waffle mixture.
Allow a few minutes for it to sink in.
Bake for approx half an hour until golden and set in the centre.
Leave to stand for 10 mins.
Sprinkle with icing sugar or grated white chocolate.

Personally I prefer this dish cold (Gorgeous it is!) My partner loves it warm. With the chocolate all soft and melted. However it isn't often I get to have it cold as it is scoffed so quickly. Totally diet destroying but oh my word so totally worth it :)

I do hope you try it - if you do please let me know what you thought. Thank you as always for stopping by a while :)

Art Journal Fairy Door

For this months Art Journal, I decided to make a fairy door.

I wanted the door to look 3D so I cut out an arch way and door from thick card.

I marked out the bricks for the archway, and painted them with brown paint.

Then I mixed some brown acrylic paint with a texture medium, this makes the archway look like stone.

I marked the lines I wanted with a pencil and kept going over until the chipboard was marked to look like stones. I cut a little notch out on the archway where each 'stone' met the next one.

You can build up the texture as much as you like, as long as you leave each layer to dry in between.

I highlighted the stones and panels of the door using gold acrylic paint rubbed on with my finger. The background was then finished with some stamping around the edges using Lavinia stamps.

I really enjoyed making this and would love to see any fairy doors that you have made.

Debbie x

Cupcake Gifts

Hello from my kitchen again.  

But this time I am making gift boxes for my baked goodies.  I love cooking and even more so now that I have a great new oven to play with. I have been making lots of cupcakes with the children and we have been delivering them to our friends.  We are working our way through the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook.  It has the best cupcake recipes ever.  

I am never quite sure what to take my cakes on or in.  I like them to be on something I can leave and not worry about having back.  I was pondering this fact whilst eating my supermarket takeaway curry at the weekend, when my eyes fell on the empty packaging.

I realised it was the right width and depth to house my cupcake gifts!  I decided to cover the sides with patterned paper and make a new label for it.

Then, of course, fill it up.

Then I noticed this nifty 9 space egg carton.

Some patterned paper on the top and sides.

An embellishment for the top was made with a cupcake stamp, fluffy stuff (that is the real name - Woodware), and some beads.

Then added to the top of the box.

This is just the right size for mini muffins.

 

These ones were just a little big - I ran out of mini cupcake cases! But you get the idea.

Hope you have fun recycling your packaging and the recipients of the gift are delighted.

Happy creating.  Off to tell the kids the photos are done, they can eat the cakes!

Joy xxxxx

Creating with digital collage stamps

Today I am going to share a couple of cards I have created using digital collage stamps. The ones I have used are by Hero Arts and are available at Two Peas in a Bucket. At 99 cents each I think they offer pretty good value and a super easy way to get a layered stamped look without having to buy lots of different rubber stamps. The one I used in my first example is the Season's Greeting collage.

After purchasing, downloading and unzipping the stamps, open them up in your Image Editor. I use Photoshop Elements 5. Open the stamp file (the Season's Greetings one comes black or white, choose the black stamp). Press Alt+Ctrl+I to resize the image. I chose 8cm wide and the height automatically adjusted. Save this with a new name as a jpeg file at the largest file size option. 

I then prepared my A4 sheet of smooth cardstock for printing on. I coloured it using a variety of Distress Inks (Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord, Victorian Velvet and Faded Jeans). Working on a non-stick craft mat will make blending onto the cardstock much smoother. The one I use is a non-stick baking sheet from one of the Pound style shops.

 

Put this sheet into your printer and print out a full page of your resized collage stamps (methods for printing will vary depending on the software you use for printing).

 

Cut the images apart and soften the edges with Distress Inks to match.

You now have a batch of images ready to play with as the mood takes you. I took two and for one I simply added a Sakura Glaze pen in purple to highlight certain portions of the image. The other I triple embossed with clear UTEE, adding a sprinkling of holographic glitter embossing powder in the third coat. After cooling, I further distressed the piece by cracking the glaze by bending it backwards and forwards in different directions. A more pronounced effect can be gained by placing the piece in the freezer for a few minutes prior to cracking.

 

I created my final card using this second piece, mounted onto cardstock and then added to a piece of stamped acetate from my scrap pile. It was simply embellished with some die cut cardstock, punched snowflakes, bling and ribbon.

 

Here is another example I made previously, using the Hero Arts Vintage Skyland Birds digital collage, using the same principle of adding the distress inks to the cardstock prior to printing. Note that this stamp comes coloured so you will have to change it black and white first before resizing and printing.

 

If you know of any other good sites for digital collage stamps I would love to know!

Thanks, Suzanne.

Ruffles

(and I don't mean Jamesons raspberry ones, delicious though those are, with the pinkly coconutty raspberryish fondant.)

I mean these:

It's common knowledge that I love skirts, and make them in great numbers:

but, cheery though these are, sometimes it's nice to wear a skirt that's a little, well, frilly.

So when I spotted a ruffled skirt tutorial by Jona, I positively twirled for joy. Out came the 1.5 meter piece of flower fairy material I'd been hoarding and, joy of joys, it was so easy to follow, that I am tempted to add frills to everything I see.

Find the tutorial here, thank you Jona, it's brill. (that's pronounced John-uh, by the way)

Never made a skirt? Can't find a pattern to fit you properly?  Jona has that covered too, here.

Here's hers (that's a single ruffle but look at the fabric, isn't it yum ):

Here's mine:

and because a photo is cuter (and less self conscious!) with something small and sweet in it (hey, it turned out long but that's OK, I'm 50 now you know, time to cover those gooseberry knees):

My next project will be to learn to make a simple blouse, this one ^^^ is Florence and Fred, and whilst I love the colour (and the ruffles) Jona could teach them a lot about making a blouse that fits properly. I'm off to find a good tutorial.

Thanks again Jona!

Bye for now from Eleanor and Pretty the kitten.

My Inspiration.

I'm a faithful reader of IACW, my fellow creative girls {and friends} are my inspiration and a few weeks ago the lovely Jo, jogged my memory and reminded that I had an unused spice rack lurking in a cupboard!

I have been looking for something to store my left over seeds in and these little bottles are perfect! An open packet of seeds doesn't last long, and I never keep seeds, that are open more than two seasons.

And here is how it turned out :)

 

At the moment it's on the shed floor because I am using the shed as a store for my car boot sale stash (that's another post!), and the wall I want it to go on is, unreachable!

 

I had been meaning to throw it out, but now i'm SO glad I didn't! Thanks Jo!!

And thanks to you all for visiting!!
Caz
xx 

Scrapping Hipstamatic Prints

It's Kel again, and I've been scrapping for the first time in ages. It's always such a relief to get back to it.

A few years ago, there seemed to be a real boom in digital imagery - DSLR cameras were now priced within the reach of hobbyists and home editions of photo software were much better quality than in the past. On the back of that wave rose another, retro photography styles gained a cult following.

Hipstamatic. Lomo. Holga. Diana. Polaroid.

Many people are shooting film again, using unpredictable toy, vintage and reproduction cameras. People who shoot digital are using photoshop, other software and websites to vintage up their images. And the iphone has a huge group of retro-style photographers using a handful of very nifty apps. If the any of the words above are new to you, clicking on them will take you to a flickr gallery of images from that camera or app.

 

Whether you are playing with new images you have created, or bringing old family snaps to life, vintage colour photos pose several challenges. The colour is usually off, shifting towards yellows or blues. There can be a hazy dark border, called vignetting, around the edges. The subjects are often blurry and farther away than we are used to now.

 

Rather than avoiding these problems, we can embrace them. For many people, the colour shifting will cause the greatest problem. The simplest solution is to stick with neutral tones like the kraft above, but it is worth playing in your patterned paper and using the actual colours of your old photo like you would with any other. In the "Cooking in Japanese" layout, I tried patterned paper in the same greens and yellows as the colour shift in the photo, but the effect was a bit jaundiced and the photos didn't pop. In the end, peach paper proved the perfect background to those yellow-greens. 

 

The vignetting poses a problem if you try and crop the photos, so it is just best to enjoy it. I had to ink the edges to stop the cut edges glaring white. The vignetting also enhances that sense of distance, so common before zoom lenses were pocket sized. I feel that photos tend to work best in multiples, building up a picture in pieces - a horizon, part of a car and a family group conjure up that picnic all those years ago in a way that no single image from that day may be able to.

With a little imagination and attention to the special characteristics of retro photos, you can adapt almost any style of scrapping to integrate them. One thing I would like to try is using vintage pics alongside new, crisp and shiny ones - no idea whether that will work at all. 

If you've been scrapping pics like these, do leave us a linky and let us see!

xx