It's a Creative World

Inspiration Books

 

I know I should be posting about the jubilee as it is soo close, but I thought I would give you a little break from that so I could show you my inspiration book.  This a book I created a while back using my bind - it - all and scraps of paper, old tags and some woodgrain sticky plastic from poundland.  Lately I have been using it as a little sketch book to help me get started with my pages.  Sometimes I find I have lots of ideas for pages and a page gets created really easily, and there are other moments where I spending a long while pushing pieces of paper around trying to make it look nice.  So to prevent me spending too long pushing paper when I have that abundance of ideas I sketch them out, and I love it as I just have a flick through and find something I like and go with it, as I always find I go a bit quicker with a sketch as the basics are there for you to create from.  So here is a peak at my book - the sketchs aren't really detailed but they are enough to get me creating.

 

JUBILEE

 

Hello, Eleanor here, and I'm here with my everlasting paper chain, ready to party. We will be enjoying Jubilee celebrations up here in the Scottish Highlands with a fun day at the Loch, and I wanted to make something from fabric, yes fabric, now there's a surprise!

Do you remember I made red white and blue bunting a few years ago:

and also trimmed a skirt with mini bunting:

Well, time for something different, so I made a red white and blue paper chain. Except I made it from material, so that I can bring it out again and again. 

I started with strips of fabric, ideal for using scraps - at the time when the Queen was crowned there was much make do and mend still going on, rationing was still in place and everything was used and re-used.

I folded each strip down the length, and stitched all the way around.

For speed you could just stitch the one long raw edged side. Fraying is good, in fact, fraying is desirable, so if you like the well worn shabby look, pop each strip in the washer and dryer when you've finished them.

Next I tried out the buttonhole foot on my sewing machine, and was very pleased with the result. 

(but ideas for non buttoned strips follow below)

Finally I sewed on a button,

buttoned up my chain,

and stored it safely in a cloth bag, waiting for its outing this coming weekend.

Think it would take too long? No problem, try one of these alternatives:

1. Sew on light plastic poppers

2. Or velcro dots

3. Or a loop and a button

4. Or ribbon at both ends to tie together

or even

5. Simply stitch each strip to itself to close the circle as you add it to the long length (not a choice for me, as I want to be able to switch out the blue for green and use my everlasting FABRIC paper chain at Christmas time).

As it is the Diamond Jubilee, I've made 60 strips! 

And unlike 'PAPER' paper chains, if a playful puss cat pulls it down,

it's not spoilt, you can simply hang it back up. 

That Mango is such a funny boy, I lay down with him for a while and we looked up at my chain (which admittedly looks tiny strung on that enormous tree, but it will be hung round my front door, and is more than long enough for that!)

Think it's too much effort? Take this short cut, and you'll make 60 in one hour:

However you are spending this long weekend, have a wonderful time.

I made the fabric page below for a round robin a few years ago.

Cheerio

x

 

 

 

 

Home is where the heart is

Hi everyone

Dolly here.

I love making quick and simple things for our home and thought I would share this one with you.

I bought this papier mache heart from Hobbycraft for £1.39 because I figured I could do ‘something’ with it. It stands about 6” high.

I guess it is no secret that I love cats – and not really much of a secret that our cats are Bengals and so spotty like little leopards. Consequently it was no surprise that I had some decopatch paper that was leopard print.

 

I covered the heart in PVA (I figured Mod Podge and PVA were the same but one was cheaper!) and then layered the paper on. It is really easy paper to work with and very forgiving when going round corners and odd shapes like the heart. Once it was all covered I gave it a top coat of PVP which makes sure any edges are bonded in to the whole surface and gives a resilient finish.

 

I wanted a banner for across the middle and so used a digital journaling scroll I had I am ashamed to say this was one of the first digital files I had going way back, and I haven’t kept the file that tells me who created it so huge apologies to the creator for that. That’s a mistake I never make now. Digital designers do such fabulous work and deserve the credit for their designs.

I added the text I wanted and then printed it on card and mounted it on chipboard before cutting it out.

 

I couldn’t find chipboard letters that worked so used ‘naked’ letters, painted them cream and then used UTEE to make them like enamel. I added a few crystals on each letter.

 

I stamped a heart onto chipboard using a Hero Arts stamp, cut it out, painted it cream and then re-stamped over the top of it with black ink before covering it in UTEE and adding a  crystal.

 

All I had to do then was assemble the elements on the heart using Glossy Accents.

I also added a beaded trim round the edge of the heart to complete it.

 

It is now hung in our hallway underneath a minute of a cat I painted years ago.

 

Diamond Days

 

Unless you live on Mars you cant have failed to notice the party atmosphere gripping the nation! The Diamond Jubilee! Not all of us are Royalist's but it's definitely hard to not be swayed by all the events and shopping, eating,crafting delights available for us mere subjects. So I thought I'd point you in the direction of some pretty things to try, buy or do over the weekend and half term week.Apologies for a lack of picture but my laptop isn't playing nice. But plenty of pretty pic's to admire on the links!

Kicking of on Saturday the 2nd, this site provided by direct gov tells where it's all going down! Which has this link for the pageant.I'm lucky enough to be a 30min journey from London so may well visit the flotilla on Sunday the 3rd. This is going to be a sight to see with approx 1000 boats on the Thames!

Next on the list is crafty ideas- none of which are mine but something I'd love to have a go at this week! First, you can't have missed Ifa's gorgeous buttons on IACW on the 23rd! Divine! Next stop is Its all fiddle fart for some very cute pinwheels my daughter would love, badges to put a smile on every ones face and some scrummy looking favours!

Would love to be able to make soap but can't so may have to just consider some of the lovelies here as a treat instead! They do look good enough to eat. Finally, eating! Plenty of that will be done I'm sure. In my house, I'll be giving some of these gems a whirl!

So that's my whistle stop tour of all the lovely jubilee things to be found! Sometimes it's nice to just mooch around and drool at all the clever things other have done. Will have to get round to it myself. Enjoy the festivities whatever you do! Cheerio, Laura xx

ATCrazy!

I have a confession! I absolutely love ATCs. To the uninitiated ATC stands for Artists Trading Card and it is always  3.5" x 2.5" and can literally be made from anything - card, wood, fabric - you name it! Then it is decorated to suit your mood or style so think stamped, painted, inked, collaged, with or without embellishments... you get the idea!

So what is so special about these pretty small things? I love that they are a prescriptive size and that the size itself creates a reall challenge. Should you clutter up the whole space like I did here:

(Studio 490 stamps on grungepaper with Distress Stains)

Or should you keep it pretty clean like this one and let the image do the talking? (Studio 490 Stamps on mountboard with PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paints and grungepaper)

Don't just think that ATCs need to be portrait - they can be landscape too!

(PaperArtsy stamps and paints on grungepaper)

Then of course you can start to link them together to make a hanging, or mount and ATC on a larger board  - the ideas are endless! I would love to see what ATCs you make.

Sadly I am hanging up my IACW spurs and this is my last post. I would like to thank the whole of the IACW DT for their incredible love and support - you are an amazingly talented bunch and I have really enjoyed my time with you! And also a big thanks must go to you, our followers - every comment really means the world to us so thank you!

I'm off to do new projects so if you want to follow my adventures and exploits they will be here: http://gabrielle-price.blogspot.co.uk/

Again, thank you all and hope to see you soon x

 

Jubilee Buttons

Hi Everyone.  It is Ifa here with you today.

I have been making some self covered fabric buttons.  I am hoping to have a lot of Jubilee celebration photos next week where I can use my buttons.  Even if I don't, I am sure they will work for the Olympic photos too.  We are so lucky to have so money wonderful events this year.

Here are the buttons I made.

I was in Hobbycraft at the weekend.  They had a Jubilee themed bundle of 6 fat quarters for £12 that my dearest husband found and waved under my nose.  I was sorely tempted but as I tend to buy fat quarter bundles and not use them, I decided to have just one cut off the bolt.

The minimum cut at Hobbycraft is 25cm so this is what I bought.  There are plenty of cute motifs that I can use.  I also got a pack of 22mm plastic buttons and a pack of 29mm.

1)When I got home I got to work straight away. There are circle templates printed on the back of the pack. I cut the appropriate size out. Using the circle template, draw around a suitable motif with a pencil.

 2) Sew running stitches  on the inside of the circle mark.  I have used embroidery floss because the thicker weight makes gathering the fabric easier.  Cut out the fabric circle just outside the pencil mark.

3) Turn the fabric circle upside down, place a button face down on it and pull the running stitches to create a gather around the button.

4) Place the bottom plastic cover over the gathered fabric, turn over and this is what you end up with.

Look out for these buttons on my work in the next few weeks.  See you next month.

Blogged with love by Ifa.

Waxing Lyrical

Good morning

 

Today I am going to share a cool technique with plain old candle wax, I used a tealight but any colourless candle will work

 

 

The floral background above was created using an embossing folder through the Cuttlebug, then,  whilst the card is still in the folder ( this will prevent the design flattening back out when you start to rub), take your candle and rub all over the raised pattern, make sure you cover all areas.

Now you can apply your chosen inks, I used a mixture of chalk and dye inks, applied with blending sponges, once you have applied your inks you can 'buff' off the excess with a paper towel and the wax will resist the ink on the high spots of the embossing.

 

On this second card I used a blue ink over a blue cardstock to give a tone-on-tone effect.

 

I love the way this technique adds a whole different look to the embossed panels, so, what are you waiting for - go grab those tealights !

 

Happy crafting

Tracey xxx

A Lovely Surprise...

Hello! It's Leanne again, or Leanie as most of you know me.

I wanted to talk about those times when inspiration strikes, but we don't think it might be appropriate - you know the times, don't you?  Sometimes you'll want to create a layout for a moment that hasn't happened yet, for many reasons - it might be the perfect motto for an upcoming family event, or the fact you've just bought papers to match a 12mth size dress for your 6 week old... And you feel so inspired to create something right then, even though the photos aren't going to exist for a while!

I had such a moment over 3 years ago - and it's finally come to fruition, and I really wanted to share:

I attended a breast cancer fundraiser crop, which I now help run - many of you will have heard about Pink Booby on UKS and beyond! - where we had to bring a 12x12 layout kit.  Literally a couple of sheets of paper, a piece of card, a few blooms, brads, buttons, blingy bits and ribbon.  Everyone's kits then got swapped around in secret, and I ended up with one that I was dreading using the second I opened the packet.  Don't get me wrong, everything was good quality, but nothing that I was into at the time!

Eventually, after adding some stash of my own, pushing things around, and letting my train of thought wander (believe me, the tracks are a maze!) I went from wondering what I would do to frantically working.  I believe I was able to cut right in and stamp onto the main piece without fear, because it wasn't my stash, and that gave me freedom.  I started to create a page for something I knew I would get around to, rather than for right now.  My table partner was bemused, but went along with my scheme.

I realised I could ink everything to tone it down, which then gave me vintage, and reminded me of my grandmother.  Then I got thinking of all the wonderful stories she and my grandfather had shared of their life over the years, some of which were hilarious - and they'd known eachother since they were 4, so there were quite a few, I can tell you! I wanted to create an envelope page to collect them all in. I bought some gorgeous journaling cards, fitted the pocket around them, and planned on taking the cards next time I visited so we could talk and Grandma could help write a story on each one (Grandpa was no longer with us by then). Here it is, in it's anticipatory glory:

Of course I never got around to it, the cards stayed in the layout, in the back of my album, where it was forgotten.  Fast forward 3 years and we were having to move Grandma to a home for 24hr care after several severe falls, operations, strokes, and vascular dementia.  It was so hard going through her house, clearing it out as if she was gone.  But then I found these in her bedside table, in a little brown paper bag:

Pages and pages of love.  Letters, some long , some short, poems, cards, clippings... all from Grandpa, professing his love for her, referring to incidents I'd hear about many times before.  We cried our loss, laughed with them, smiled over the innocence of it all back then.  Priceless, utterly priceless, because I thought I'd lost half of them with Grandpa in 2006, and the rest when Grandma became ill.  

They did make our task a little easier that day and, when we were done, I took them home, knowing that I had the perfect spot to keep them safe. They're not acid free, but I don't care.  I'll remake that layout a hundred times if I need to - the important thing is that the letters will last, and the love will endure.

The (near) finished article.  I still haven't found the perfect picture of them both for the front yet, but I know I will when I go through the boxes and albums of photographs we found that day.

So when the inspiration strikes, take it, use it - Because you never know when you'll need that page, that cardigan, that necklace, that canvas... You won't jinx things, you won't be foolish - you'll simply be prepared, and that's a rare gift for a crafter, right?

Thank you so much for reading, and I'd love it if you would leave a comment if you have done this - and links to your work, whether finished or not, please? I know I'm not alone in this!

Leanne x

www.beautifulimpressions.co.uk

www.craftaholicleanie.co.uk

Tiled card

Hello. I hope you are having warmer weather than we have been having in the Highlands of Scotland lately. Brrrr!

I was thinking of warmer climes while I was cardmaking today and it got me to thinking of of the lovely tiles that you get in the Mediterranean.

I saw this image on Pinterest...

...and decided I could use my paper punches to make a tiled card.

 So without further ado, here it is...

The large square punch is from Woodware, and all the other punches used are from Tonic Studios.

I hope this inspires you today.

Doda

x

Tag or flag book

Have you ever tried making a flag book? There is a really comprehensive tutorial here.

Its really important to get your creases accurate.

I cut out all my tags from the same card stock.

I added lots of pictures and ephemera to the tags, and some scraps of my very favourite paper.

The nice thing about these books is you can alter the size of your tags, and it is a way of getting lots of photos into a minibook.

Debbie xxx