Birthday Treat!

After weighing up the pros & cons, (or should that be PRO-markers & CO-pics?!) I decided to invest in a selection of Letraset promarkers with my birthday money. I've been admiring some fabulously talented cardmaking blogs recently & quite frankly I could resist the urge no longer... I had to have me a go!

So I've been playing with my pens for a few days now, it takes a bit of practice & I'm by no means an expert but I'm very pleased with my first effort at making a card using this medium. I've also had a go at making my own flower embellishments utlising a variety of punches & dies, some bead spacers & a few pearls. The stamp is 'Dahlia' from the Greetings Farm & the papers are MME Ethan.

Berry nice...

Not only did I get some lovely gifts for my Birthday, I got some inspirational handmade cards too. So inspired was I, that I got straight down to making a card for my niece whose birthday it is next month. The image and greeting is stamped & the flourishes are hand-drawn & stitched with a little pearl popped on the end. Result!!

Happy Birthday to me!!

Well, it was my Birthday on the 21st and what should arrive on my doorstep? Only the most fantastic gift from my amazing, generous friends on UKS. Honestly, there's no other gift that could make a crafty girl like me happier!! But I guess you already knew that? .... Lol!!

A New Do...

Well it was back to work for me this week after 9 months of maternity leave and to 'celebrate' I treated myself to a new haircut with highlights & everything!! The pics were taken while it was all looking Salon-fabulous, why can't I make it look like that at home?? Lol!

The papers are from the Scrap Like You Mean It Kit supplied by A Trip Down Memory Lane plus a few epoxy's from Love, Elsie (finally got to use a few, been holding onto those for a while!!) & the sketch was lifted from something I saw in Scrapbook Trends Magazine.

Oh....being back at work means so much less available scrapping time, how will I cope?!

You don't know why you love them but you do....

This is my submission for The Studio's August challenge where you had to incorporate borders, combine journalling with Stamping & use a non-scrapping item on your page. I used a PaperArtsy stamp for the stamped border & a cuttlebug die to cut the tiny circle frames which make up the lace border. The journalling spot is part of a stamp set by Banana frog. The non scrapping item is a piece of packaging material & book text cut into a scalloped circle.

All embellishments (apart from prima flowers) are handmade & the title is handcut. A technique I've always been scared of because I didn't think my scissor skills were up to it! but this is something I'll definately try again. All other die-cuts are either sizzix or nestabilities, and papers are K&Co (Urban Rapsody - I think!).

Replenishing the Card Stock

Well, with all the scrapbooking I've been doing recently I'm afraid I've had to resort to (gasp!) buying cards for special occasions. Well enough's enough! since I spend so much on stash the very least I can do is save myself the couple of pounds it costs in a card shop & make a few cards ready for use in the future.

So I've made a start with these two made with scraps left over from a couple of projects I've finished recently. They're fairly simple & they would have been quick too had I not spent hours procrastinating over each stage of the process. I really must learn how to speed up. Tips anyone?

My Latest Project

I made this little storage box using instructions from this month's Craft Stamper (Sept 09). Many thanks to Joanne Wardle for sending them in! You've got to take a look at her blog, not only is her work gorgeous but she's multi-skilled too, I'm very jealous, lol!

It is designed to house the freebie stamps you get with each issue of the magazine but I made little laminate squares for all of my tiny acrylic stamps & my little unmounted rubber ones too! (Tip - use another bit of laminate to cover the front of the stamp too, it stops them sticking together!)

I'm not 100% happy with my design though which is the perfect excuse to make another one! The instructions are as follows:

"Cut lots of 2"x2.5" white card. Stamp Images & laminate & store the stamps on the back of these.

To make the box, cut a rectangle of card 6.5"x7.5", score along each side at the A6 gatefold line of any standard scoring board (or 2" in from side), cut along the scoring lines of the long edges, fold up to make box and glue flaps in position. Cut a 2" strip from a 12x12" piece of decorative paper, decorate with stamped images and glue around box. Finish the top of the box with ribbon, affixed with glue or double-sided tape, to cover untidy edges"

Now I found with my box that a 12" strip did not quite go round, I suspect it may be my measuring at fault but I'm just wondering whether shaving a couple of mil off each side might rectify the problem...?