Have you ever visited Christie, at Grace is Overrated? She is sweet, and funny, and insightful.
She has made a collection of 'free for personal use' journal pages to download.
I love them, I'm sure you will too.
In fact, just the sight of those Sharpies gives me a frisson of delight.
Do go and have a look, there are 50 pages!
If you are looking for a nice easy solution for custom kids party bags look no further. I made these from an A4 bit of paper. All you have to do is print, make a few snips and add some double sided sticky tape...
I'll show you how ...
You can print the guidelines on the reverse of an A4 sized bit of patterned card, or onto plain paper, or you can print your own design on the reverse as I have with the Mad Hatter bag. For the instructions, I just used a piece of white printer paper.
Here are the printable guidelines for you - Download Giftbag
You need a sheet of paper onto which you print the folding guidelines. You will also need a pair of scissors and some double sided sticky tape.
Make folds along all the dotted lines.
Apply double sided sticky tape to the narrow long fold.
Join the bag together to form a tube.
snip the folds up to the crease - this will form the end flaps.
Apply tape along one of the wide flaps and stick the short flaps to it. Then stick two rows of tape the the other wide flap.
Trim the corners off to make a nice neat finish Then stick the flap down.
...and you are finished. Told you it was easy.
Now you can make it as plain or fancy as you like.
If you would like to print the two sided Mad Hatter version,
you can get that here... Download MAdHaTtEr
Hope this is useful for you.
Doda x
Hi, Mandy here.
I decided to have a go at making some toothpick pennants to embellish my scrapbook pages. I really like having a pile of hand-made embellishments ready for when I want to add one to a LO. A pennant is just a long, pointy type of flag. Here are some I made...
At the end of this post I have attatched some free downloads so you can make a pile of your own. Here are some examples of the printouts I did. I chose to print onto kraft cardstock, brown cardstock, white (computer) paper, red and blue pp and some woodgrain cardstock...
You need some toothpicks, scissors, glue and a selection of printouts on whatever paper or cardstock you want to use.
It's super simple. Just cut out the flag (shaped like a diamond on the printable). Then fold it in half to make the pennant shape. I used strong, wet glue. Pop the toothpick where you made the fold, taking care to line up the edges so you don't get a wonky flag and press it closed. My dd (below left) had a friend over and they thought it was hilarious to model the pennants for me...
There are quite a few choices (I did get a bit carried away making these printables!!). If you plan to print onto darker paper or cardstock, select the printable that says 'for dark background' on the end. Otherwise, save ink and print onto white or pale paper/cardstock. The last download has no words, only small camera images.
So please help yourself and as always we'd L-O-V-E to see anything you make, inspired by us at IACW.
Download Free Printable Scrapbook Flags Cameras and bw words same font
Download Free Printable Scrapbook Flags Cameras and bw words same font for dark background
Download Free Printable Scrapbook Flags Cameras and bw words mixed fonts
Download Free Printable Scrapbook Flags Cameras and bw words mixed fonts for dark backgrounds
Download Free Printable Scrapbook Flags Cameras and Colour words
Download Free Printable Scrapbook PINK Flags with Cameras and bw words same font
Download Free Printable Scrapbook Flags Cameras and bw words same font TEXTURED
Download Free Printable Scrapbook Flags Cameras no words for dark backgrounds
By the way, for the 'font junkies' out there, the little camera images on the flags came from a font called 'Kamera Dings' (TT). Seriously yummy little camera images!
See you soon,
Mandy.
I thought it was about time for a new crochet flower design. This flower has seven petals and is called 'Tahiti Blossom'. It would look pretty embellishing a bag, or on a headband, or as a scrapbook embellie, or pretty much on anything you can think of :)
It's not the easiest pattern... I'd say more 'intermediate' or 'confident beginner' sort of level.
Here it is in green...
I have made a free PDF download for this pattern. The pattern download below is in UK stitch terms. I do plan to make a USA version with their stitch terms (this will be posted free on my blog asap).
It would be great if you'd link a photo if you make this flower as we'd love to see it here at IACW!
Download Tahiti Blossom Free Crochet Flower Pattern UK terms
OK folks. Have a fab week,
Mandy :)
Hi everyone, Dolly here.
I want to talk about templates today ... templates to help give your digital scrapping a bit of a kick start and an inspiring helping hand.
Many digital designers make templates, which are easy to use, easy to personalise and make your own. They are layered kick starts which you add your own papers and photos and embellishments to, but some of the hard work has already been done. Someone else has planned the balance of the page, decided where things go.
They are a little like using sketches to inspire you to scrap and, just as you can adapt a sketch and make it your own, so you can adapt a template and make it your own.
The templates that are on the market are very varied. Some are incredibly simple, like the freebie offered today on here. They are a simple photo placement templates that you can use as they are or jazz up as much or as little as you like.
Some are amazingly detailed and also give you things in your scrapping that you might not be able to do without a template. For example, you can't do shaped text in elements but you can get templates that you can use in elements that have the shaped text built right in. Dawn Inskip is one of my favourite digital designers and her templates are unbelievably good and often do have text paths you couldn't make yourself.
I have a couple of examples to show you, using some of Dawn's latest Photo Empasis templates which, as it 'says on the tin', let the photos take centre stage but with such gorgeous layers and elements that you can use. For example this one used a template that came complete with the cute bird and branches that were also layered so you could personalise them. This was from Dawn's Photo Emphasis templates Volume 1 from her store at Scrapbookgraphics.
If you like lots of layers and lots of depth in your digital pages, then templates are a really easy way to achieve this. This French page was made using Dawn's Photo Emphasis Volume 4. It would have taken a long long time to get this sort of depth but was really simple to personalise using the ready made template and then adding your own bits and pieces to it.
You can also use really simple templates to give a very easy graphic look and then flip them different ways to give a coordinated feel. One of my favourite ever digital mini albums was a Journal Your Christmas album from 2 years ago where I used one template - flipped four different ways - for the entire album. It made the album a really easy thing to fit in at a very busy time of year and made it look very coordinated even though each page was different. Below are 4 pages, one from each orientation.
Really simple to do.
So, if you fancy kick starting that mojo have a play with some templates and, just to get you started if you haven't used templates before, here is a really simple one that you can download and have a play with.
Have fun and do share what you have created - I would love to see your pages. x
Hi there, Doda here,
thought I'd share a top tip for all you cardmakers and papercrafters out there.
Have you ever come across the Graphics Fairy before? If not, then you are in for a treat. There are 2,500 or more vintage FREE clipart images to use in your craft projects and there are so many to choose from you are bound to find something you like.
Here are a couple of images I printed out onto pearlised paper, cut around and used to decorate birthday cards for my nieces.
One of my nieces used to collect miniature shoe and boot ornaments so this was appropriate for her.
I used a craft knife to cut around the detail for the teapot. If you are doing something similar, remember to cut out the smaller shapes first and to turn your paper as you cut rather than turning your knife.
I hope you are inspired when you visit the site and enjoy using the fabuous vintage images in your next project.
Doda x
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month
- a significant moment in time.
So many moments in time are special for such a host of different reasons, but I guess today is significant for a lot of people, each of whom have their own remembrances on this day.
As scrapbookers we capture moments and record them; the happy, the special, the momentous, the ordinary, the ridiculous and the poignant. Today, a special day for so many, seemed a good time to reflect ont his hobby of ours.
Scrapping serves so many purposes to each of us. It is a creative art form we enjoy - I mean who doesn't like cutting and sticking. It is a chance to be artistic even if we can't paint or draw. It is a chance to relax, to unwind, to use pretty things. And all of those things are important. But perhaps the most important of all is it is a chance to record a little part of ourselves and the people and times that matter to us and make us what we are. It is a way to preserve memories and feeling and beliefs and ideals. It is a way to remember.
As my post was on this special day I decided to share a page about just that - remembering - and to use colours I associate with the day. the colours of poppies.
It is a heritage page and the pictures are really poor quality. They are scans of tiny little photos which are almost 70 years old, so I guess you'd expect them to be pretty ropey. But in this art of ours, this scrapbooking, this recording, the fact the pictures are pretty poor doesn't actually matter at all. I know when I take photos I frequently look for the best shots, those with the perfect colour balance, the best composition, the right feel and so on. That's great for a shot of a landscape I have enjoyed. But actually, scrapping is often less about that perfect image and more about what the memory is and the feeling conveyed. So dig out those less than perfect pictures that are full of all those memories, and scrap them, warts and all.
The main photo is my Daddy and his mates on active duty in The Royal Signals where he was a member of their motorcycle display team (later called the White Helmets) and yes, he is the madman going through the hoop of fire and doing 'jimmy' on a motor bike. He was, and always will be, a hero in my eyes and this remembrance day page is a tribute to him.
I used various papers including a Jenny Bowlin scallop paper, filled in with some Basic Grey Scarlett's Letter and some old Hot off the Press heritage paper which has the word remember on the top which just shouted out 'use me'.
The flowers were from a kit by Dawn Inskip called Heroes which is available from her store at Scrapbookgraphics here Dawn's designs are always great for hybrid work as they print really well. I layered the poppies on top of each other, curling some of the petals and adding glittered black stickles too.
Maybe you will use this weekend, this special weekend of remembrance, to find some older, less than perfect pictures and scrap them to record those perfect memories you want to remember for ever.
Dolly x
Hello Joy here,
I am enjoying some lovely sunshine here in Oxfordshire. I think Spring is finally here and while Spring is in the air my thoughts turned to Easter. I know it is still a few weeks away but I like to be organised. I thought these printables would help you be organised too.
My first one is Easter cupcake toppers.
Punch out the toppers with a 2" scalloped circle punch. Attach them to cocktail sticks with 1" circle, sticky labels.
I have also done some labels for Easter goody bags. I make them with disposable icing bags. Which I get from Lakeland.
They are easy to fill with goodies and are secured with a ribbon at the top.
These are also great for inexpensive party bags.
Happy crafting Joy xxx
Hi, Mandy here again.
I love using crochet flowers to embellish my scrapbook layouts and have noticed that paper doilies are really becoming popular as embellishments too. I designed this crochet doily for Valentine's day and think it might look good on a page. It's called 'Hearts and Flowers'. The large white and green doily is about 5.5" across and the red and blue one is 3.5" and has an extre circle of crochet in the centre, to make it layered...
Help yourself to a free pattern, choose USA or UK crochet terms and there's a choice of text only pdfs to save on ink if you're printing the pattern out.
Download Hearts and Flowers free crochet pattern UK terms
Download Hearts and Flowers UK terms text only
Download Hearts and Flowers Free Crochet Pattern USA terms
Download Hearts and Flowers USA terms text only
I thought a load of these doilies might make a cute garland too.
Thanks for looking,
Mandy.
Hello, Joy here
I have had a bit of an adventure since last posting. It involved an ambulance and an operation! However I am pleased to report I am fine. My time off gave me time to play on the computer and produce a little printable for you.
It is not many days until Valentine's Day. I love to celebrate with lots of nice goodies for the whole family and of course for my lovely husband. This year I will be making Red Velvet Cupcakes and topping them with rosettes. I am sticking rosettes on everything at the moment. They are quite easy to make and you can set up a bit of a production line.
Cut a strip of patterned paper 1.5" x 12"
Score at 1/4" spaces. Use a scoreboard if you have one. Cut the last 1/4" off and concertina.
Stick ends together.
Squish flat by pressing down quite firmly.
Stick to a circle of card to hold it firm. I use a ring of glue dots as they are strong.
Printout the PDF - see below to download.
Using a 2" scallop circle punch, punch out the toppers.
Stick toppers to rosettes. Put on cocktail stick.
Add to cupcake. Enjoy!
Until next time. Bye xxx
