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Hi Lynne here
I wanted to share with you a Wreath I made using the gorgeous Samaflora paper roses.
I started with an MDF blank, which I painted cream and then stamped silver leaves using a hand carved stamp I'd made :
I added clusters of roses and leaves with florishes and butterflies inbetween:
A close up of a cluster of roses:
As an alternative to a hanging wreath you can use it as a table centre:
Thanks for looking.
Lynne x
Hi Debbie here with my version of hot air balloons.
My original idea (before I realised how difficult it was going to be to make what was in my head) was hot air balloon type bunting, but its now a solitary balloon to hang!
I cut out about 40 balloon shapes from book paper. I folded them in half and glued the halves together.
I was frustrated that the sections weren't spaced evenly so I used a needle and beads to space the pages, however when I had finished I realised I didn't like the blue beads (this was the second time I had started again so decided to cover the beads.
I used a zig zag piece of paper and a hot glue gun to go around the balloon and cover the beads. I could then stick the paper roses around the outside.
The top of the balloon was covered with petals cut from book paper.
I covered the edges of the balloon with glitter glue of varying colours.
Thank you for stopping by It's A Creative World.
Debbie xxx
Hi everyone! Lisa here to share with you not one but TWO cards today. I have the terrible habit of not being able to make up my mind when it comes to all things artsy, so I wind up creating the same thing in more than one shade. That's what happened here.
I hadn't made a clear card in so long, I forgot how much I liked them! These cards have white die-cuts inside to write on, and everything on the card was created by hand rather than using a purchased embellishment. I die cut the front panels and used stencils and paste to create the leopard or zebra print background. The ribbon and flowers were dyed by me, and I stamped on the ribbon for the greeting as well.
Thanks so much for looking everyone. Happy Crafting! --Lisa Bedigian
is the title of the first of a set of 2 mini albums; this one contains photos of just my older two children, before the third came along. Yes, it's Eleanor here, mini mad still.
These are the pages (photographed before punching for bookrings)
Front cover (6in x 6in):
Inner pages (varying in width and height) (the background cardstock is just that, for photographing without revealing a hideously dirty messy desk, so distracting, lol). This page is a 6" x 6" photo, taken over 20 years ago! However, the album is random, not chronological, as you will see.
This next is my favourite page, cut each tag by hand, mounted on popdots:
And the back cover:
Wonderful inspiration from Sandra Charbonnel.
Just a few little details to add, such as dates, and here it is, on book rings, standing:
Made from papers (old and, well, less old), alphas, journal spots, chipboard, eyelets, brads, epoxy stickers, buttons, tags and stuff.
So, I wonder, can you guess what the title of the sequel mini album will be?
Maybe you have to be an A A Milne fan to work it out!
I'll be back soon.
x
Hi everyone and it's Erika here back with something completely different for you this month. It's crafty but not as I know it.
A while back a good friend of mine asked me if I fancied going on a Corn crafting course with her. I have to admit at first I wasn't so sure but then I thought why not, you might even enjoy it, and I did.
We visited a lovely lady called Elaine from Somethingcorny. It was a beautiful day and we set to work in her garden shed. Now this wasn't any garden shed. There was four of us in the class for the day, a nice small group so we learned a lot. This was our classroom...isn't it fab?
It was a beautiful sunny day and it made it feel like we were crafting outside. Elaine has a beautiful garden which we even had our picnic in at lunch time. It was heaven.
We made a practise item with the wheat and then four other items. I have decided to show you my simple corn dolly.
A little bit of history for you....corn dollies have been made for thousands of years and are thought to date back to pagan times. The last sheaf of corn from the harvest was used to make corn dollies which were believed to then hold the Corn spirit in the plait and were usually hung in the kitchen. Next spring the dried seeds would be planted again and were believed to encourage a good harvest for the following year.
Nowadays they are believed to bring peace and prosperity to the home, in other words they are thought to be good luck charms.
Here is my dolly.....
The wheat is worked whilst it is damp, plaited and shaped and then left to dry, holding it's shape. I like the simplicity of this shape and have added a wee heart and halo for now. I am still thinking whether to add wings? I quite like her simple design.
We also made a heart, a lavender dolly and a country glory plait. Needless to say I came home with more wheat to practise with. I think the lavender dollies would make nice presents to hang on the Christmas tree as would the hearts. I can feel another craft starting!
The Heart
The Lavender Dolly
Country Glory plait
I was quite happy with my first attempts. My glory plait is a bit wonky and my Lavender dolly needs to be squarer at the bottom....but practise will make perfect. As you work whilst wet the corn does shrink as it drys. Once it is dry it will stay in position so it is best to pin it whilst wet keeping the shape you want.
Elaine had made some beautiful items in her workshop. I personally loved the flowers, butterflies and dragonfly but the wee mice were cute too.
If you are interested at having a go contact Elaine on the Something Corny link above, she runs classes and has kits/supplies plus more information for corny crafting!
That is all from me today, enjoy the sunshine and happy crafting, Erika.
Hello Everyone - Happy Friday!
Well, hopefuly the sun is shining, the birds are singing (although I'm not happy they're nesting in our roof!), and it's got the makings of a great day - because I've something summery to share :)
It's a quick card that I prepared whilst hoping the weather would work out, using punch art, or in my case die art, where you make your own embellishments or characters from cut shapes.
I simply cut out pieces of blue card using a hydrangea head style die. I inked the edges in yellow, green and pink, to try and get a more natural colour, as I love the variegated petals, and then added a little sparkle to the centres (Clear gems, coloured with a yellow marker).
I used another die to cut a frame, which I raised up on foam for dimension. The branches are from my bird punch, and I thought they added a little interest. Finally, a stamped greeting on a few foam pads to curve it finished off the card nicely.
I hope that this - and the gorgeous weather inspires you - Keep crafting, and don't forget to keep checking back all weekend with more from the girls :)
Bye for now, and thanks for dropping in!
Leanne x
www.beautifulimpressions.co.uk
Hi Debbie here with my version of a little basket I found on line. The original basket and instructions are here. I loved the sewing version but decided to make mine to sit on the side in my craft room with things I want to use.
I finished my basket with a decorative border and a little book paper rose.
My handles won't move as they are not attached with brads.
This was so quick and easy to put together and could be used for a variety of things, I am thinking of little gift boxes for birthdays and a Christmas version. I am also going to try different sizes, this works with 9" square card and 12" squares, you just have to divide your square into thirds.
Thanks for stopping by It's A Creative World.
Debbie x
Eleanor back, with some bright and cheery mini book pages; these are approx 6in by 5.5in, before binding.
(I did trim that overlong tag tie! It looks ridiculously leggy and unkempt)
A closer look at that front cover, on which I glued 3mm flatback (non sticky) pearls, all 84 of them. That took some dexterity and patience, and I was beginning to wonder how I could still call these pages 'clean and simple', but the pleasure of the recipient made the effort worthwhile.
Cheerio
x
Good Morning!
Felicia here today to bring you a little Christmas in July theme. Now I know we don't want to think that it's just around the corner, but it will be here sooner than you think. Today I present a one page layout.
I started out with the background green and red 12x12 paper. I then cut the paper with Christmas words at 3x12, and 1x12. The images of the mouse, ordaments, notes, and title "Noel" was cut from the Cricut cartridge Winter Frolic. The mouse and music notes were cut at 3 inches, and the ordaments and title were cut at 2 inches. I will then place wallet size photos on the page. I will also put my journaling above the mouse, and to the right of the top wallet photos.
One of my favorite parts of the layout is the little mouse. He is so adorabe, so I had to put an up-close photo of him! I wish I could tell you where I got the paper from, but I actually bought it a while ago and it didn't have a company on the back of it.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hello from a very hot and sunny Hertfordshire! It's not exactly the weather to talk about blankets but as this one is heading to sunny South Africa it isn't your typical blanket. It's made from cotton that was sourced, by the lovely Anita Mundt, from The Netherlands.
There was much excitement when the kits landed on our shores and lots of project planning discussions going on over at Facebook. There were quite a few of us that opted for the fab hexagon pattern on the lovely Lucy's blog, over at Attic24.
Lucy's patterns are well written with plenty of photographs to help a newbie. I opted to copy the join as you go method as the thought of putting all the finished hexs together at the end brought me out in a cold sweat!
The blanket grew quickly and using the join as you go method meant I was able to visualise the finished blanket as it grew. It was great fun picking the colour combinations for each hex.
The dimensions are 70cmx 90cm, so it can be used in a crib, a pram or simply laid out on the grass for baby to enjoy some sunshine and fresh air.
I edged the blanket with two rounds of trebles before blocking. There are no instructions on Attic24 for the edging so i'll tell you how I did it. Join the yarn to any stitch and chain three, this counts as 1 treble. Then treble into each stitch along the straight edges. For the corners do two treble into the chain space and for the inside corners (ie where the two hex's join) treble two together. As always crochet is not an exact science so your tension may dictate how many stitches you use around the edge. Keep trying until you are 100% happy.
I do love some hooky time in the sun!
I just adore the vibrant colours and feel of the soft cotton of this blanket. Thankfully I have plenty left to make another blanket for my Goddaughter although I have chosen a differnt pattern.
Do you crochet? We would love to see your work, so please leave a link to your online gallery for us to come over and visit.
Also don't forget, you can now see us on facebook too!
Ciao Caz xx
