Take My Advice ...

My recent Bloggers Retreat was a chance to meet up with several blogging friends and exchange ideas, learn new techniques, share supplies as well as eat a lot of cake.  One blogger generously shared out piles of blank mini-book pages as long as we promised to decorate them using two colours of Distress Ink and share the results on-line.  I didn't have time to start during the weekend so I took my blank pages and cardboard covers home and got to work with two of my four shades of Distress Ink ...

... along with some rather tongue in cheek quotes and printed in Type-Ra onto some pages from an old stamp album:

I incorporated a clear page to include a joke that makes me laugh every time:

The pages weren't all exactly the same size so some needed some washi-tape to cover up the joins ...

... while others were fine as they were:

I loved the mix of colours tied together by the repeated font on scissor-distressed and inked stamp album paper:

My embossing folders were a quick and easy way to perk up some plain cardstock too.

Sometimes I could use both sides of the patterned paper for a quote ...

... and sometimes I simply stuck a single-sided piece to another sheet:

Do any of these quotes speak to you? If you do want to take my advice then I'd suggest that:

Fifty-Five Bags - Week 8

Another week of minimal de-cluttering for me ... and a photo fail with what little I did manage!

As part of the preparations for last weekend's Bloggers' Retreat (organised by Lizzie) I have been setting aside patterned papers, embellishments, mini-albums and stamps that I have no intention of using.  I stuffed a deep pizza box full with assorted papers as well as filling a bag with extras to give away or sell ... including two Clippy-Kit bags.  I had bought three at once to save on postage and have yet to finish decorating one!!!

The front pockets of the bag were completed late in 2006 I think, but the back of the bag still has nine empty pockets!  There's a matching 12x12 layout about my shopping addiction for my new (at that time) hobby.

Spiral, stamp, Corner, chipboard, Rub-on
Alcohol ink, Punch, patterned paper
Photo {Pete (Duel)}, Eyelet, embossing, Ribbon

That's a real working mini-pizza box in the centre ... and it opens up to reveal journalling and some miniature bills from my early purchases (sadly quite a few of those shops have now closed)!

I was not the only person to arrive at the Bloggers' Weekend with unwanted stash and, on the basis of one scrapper's tat being another scrapper's must-have, we enjoyed a good root through each other's cast-offs.

My thanks to Julie for these photos

There was still a fair bit of stash left afterwards (see the bottom right photo), but Sandie has connections with Brownies and took all the papers and stickers that nobody wanted ... so everyone managed a great deal of de-cluttering despite picking up the odd sheet or two of paper to bring back home again!

Something For The Weekend?

I haven't posted here for a couple of days, despite having prepared several posts in draft.  Trouble is that they are for later!  BUT I don't want you to go away ... so in the meantime here are a couple of things I can share with you:

These splendid trees are just 15 minutes walk from my house

Not quite the rich colours of Autumn that I love from across the Atlantic ... perhaps this is more in tune with the season?

Wall Art inspired by a poem about a Sparrow's Nest
published in Simply Stamping Issue #3

Things will get chillier this weekend when Jennifer's Frosty Festivities Blog Event kicks off - I'll be there with something pre-prepared - and did I mention?  There are prizes! 

Jingle Bells

Just one more sleep to go ... are you ready for the big day?

I'm nearly there with my preparations (although I'm woefully behind with Journalling my Christmas) and have just enough time to share a little something I made for a colleague at work.  She had been admiring the anti-pickpocket dangly bells on purses (apparently handed out by the local police to victims of theft) but had been unable to find where you could buy them.  She was understandably reluctant to go down the getting-your-purse-stolen-so-that-the-police-will-give-you-a-free-one route and I thought "I could make one of those" ... so I did.  A few bells and some beads attached by wire to a clasp ... and hey-presto:

Naturally, having bought a whole bag of bells and clasps, I had to make a few more!  Turns out they are the perfect size to go inside my Mum's Christmas cracker too!  My colleague was chuffed to bits (she was too curious to wait until Christmas day to open her gift)!

I'd like to offer one as a seasonal give-away to one of you lovely (anywhere in the world) readers - just leave me a comment below and I'll pick a random winner on New Year's Eve.

Merry Christmas!!!

Home-Made with the CKCB

Welcome to November's Counterfeit Kit Challenge Master Forger Blog Hop With A Twist: we're joined this month by members of Scraptastic who are sponsoring the hopping!  Leave a comment or take part in one of our two monthly hops to be in with a chance of a prize!  You may have joined me from Helen's blog in which case you are on track, but if not then you may want to pop back here to start at the beginning and see all the wonderful home-decor projects that have been created from this month's Counterfeit Kits.

I was so tempted to do something Christmassy as I have several projects in the pipeline, but I thought you might have overdosed by now ... plus the colours in my November kit didn't lend themselves to the forthcoming festivities at all!

Colourful Original by Maxine

I spotted the clear instructions for this button and bloom bouquet over at Truly Madly Crafty's Blog although mine is much smaller than theirs as I was using scraps of paper from my kit (2½"-3" squares rather than 4").   The Basic Grey paper wasn't double-sided so I daubed over the back with some toning ink.  I think I'll add to my bouquet whenever I have toning scraps.

Check out the tutorial - no special dies are required, though a pair of Tim Holtz super scissors came in very handy for cutting through 8 layers of paper!

Now please hop over to Jen who has also made something lovely for you ...

Extreme Scrapbooking

Ever tried scrapping beyond the page?
I've made cards, a canvas or two, some mini-books and the odd bit of wall art.
Child No.3 has recently excelled herself with my scrap supplies ... completely off the wall page ... in the name of Halloween fancy dress!

Normally she looks like this ...

... well actually that isn't completely normal as she generally uses a little bit of mascara and wears her hair loose. However, after borrowing some Rhonna Farrer swirl stamps, some black ink, green face paint and a sprinkling of glitter, she looked like this ...

A few punched leaves attached with glue dots to a hair-band and the application of some red false eyelashes and an even brighter wig and she was transformed into ...

... her version of Batman's enemy and eco-terrorist, Poison Ivy! 

Fifty poses in front of her camera later and she had a new Facebook photo :D

Of course I had to make a scrapbook page about it, just in time for Halloween!

I've used a Pagemaps sketch (twisted onto its side) with some more of my October Counterfeit Kit and also scored some points over on UKS for the Weekly Challenge to use some printed journalling, 10 embellishments and something free (the font, Satellite, and those eyelets ... yes, I know that they're probably maple leaves, but I am so glad to get rid of them as they've been hanging around in my original hand-me-down stash from 2006).
Oh and while we're challenge combining, this page fits in with H for Holidays over at ATDML's Thirsty Thursdays.

What's your craziest use of scrapbooking supplies?  Are you dressing up for Halloween ... or Facebook?

Advent Origami

I have been folding paper over at The Studio as part of their Advent Projects.  I took a simple little Origami folding technique and after making hanging decorations and a garland I worked out that these shapes would be perfect to construct a Christmas tree

If you fancy having a go, pop over there to download a step by step guide.
ETA 28/11/11 - I've also shared the method directly in a blog post over at It's A Creative World here.

Scoubi Doings

Whilst queueing at the bar at a concert recently I nudged my friend and gestured towards a girl standing nearby.  Said friend is a fellow scrapbooker and understood immediately ... we'd spotted a crafty item that perhaps we could recreate!  Using existing stash.  Without costing a fortune. Creating something unique and personal.

And so this week I decided I'd have a go at making a similar bracelet to the girl in the bar - a bracelet made from buttons.  Only I didn't have the right sort of buttons.  Not enough four-holed, equally sized, tonally pleasing coloured buttons. Well I did have enough buttons for one bracelet, but it was immediately snaffled by Child No. 3 - "Buttons are IN right now" she informed me!

So what to do for a bracelet for me?
I have lots of chipboard, I have loads of scraps of patterned paper, I have a 1" circle punch and I have a Silent Setter which punches tiny holes, so I set to work once again.

Of course paper-based jewellery won't last forever, despite a couple of layers of PVA glue, but then these are so cheap and fun to make that I'll make more when they wear out while I'm looking for decent real buttons!

My prototype bracelet used wool to string the buttons together, which works fine; I'm sure thin ribbon would also work well enough.  Of course there are proper jewellery making supplies of waxed cotton thread or leather thongs that are meant to be used for these things, but, again, I didn't have those.  Instead I have used some scoubis - remember them?  Scoubi heyday was back in 2006 and it seemed like the whole world was busy weaving and knotting and plaiting ... the children (teenage boys included!) and I made necklaces, animals, bracelets, key fobs, coasters, ... "Buy more please Mum", "I've run out of pink!", "Rachel's asked me to make her a green sparkly bracelet" ... and then suddenly, almost overnight, they lost interest, leaving hundreds (possibly thousands) of the things rotting in a bag at the back of the cupboard.  Except that they aren't rotting - they're plastic and will sit there forever, waiting, abandoned ... :o(

Anyway - three scoubis have now been put out of their misery and pressed into service ... just 1397 to go!

Sleep deprived!

I am back from a FABULOUS crop with the 54 other ladies attending the 5th Pink Booby Crop in aid of Breast Cancer Research.  Five other very talented class designers helped provide plenty for everyone to do, though I doubt very much if anyone did every class - there was just so much going on, including Irish Bingo, stash shopping with 4 different and well stocked shops, a Chair Raffle, chatting with friends, old and new, yummy meals laid on, a visit from the Soroptimists collecting unwanted bras (!),  naughty cakes and, most deliciously, I managed to get a little slice of heaven, a.k.a. Malteser Cheesecake.
A big THANK YOU to all the organisers on the committee (the Pink Marigolds) for all their hard work - I hope you've raised LOTS of dosh for charity, and here's to the next one LOL!

I think I'm seriously too old for the loop crossing at Go Ape!

I taught a technique class called "Ways With Chipboard" about various ways to make grey chipboard more interesting.  One technique was to cover alphas in patterned paper whilst maintaining the pattern.  Today I took it a step further for the demo and matched the title to the rest of the page as well.

The elements for this page have been ready and waiting for the class for ages - apart from the alpha sanding it's super quick to make - can you tell which of the "O"s started life as a "Q"?

I also gave a demonstration of various Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE) techniques and supervised the ladies experimenting afterwards - we managed with only one finger in the super-hot UTEE, poor Roxy!  I bought my class supplies from Imagination Crafts, who kindly knocked £10 off the bill in aid of the fundraising.  I have to say that I was really, really impressed with the qualities of their own brand "Magi Boss Chunky" UTEE - a lovely range of colours, and very reasonable priced, especially considering that it seems to cover in fewer layers and has a built in flexibility compared to another well know brand, so no cracking once it cools!

Canvas for M - don't you just love the mini CD!

Despite all the inspiration on tap I took time out to finish a canvas inspired by Sarah Carrington's class on the Green Buttons House Mini-CC over on UKS.  Funnily enough it's covered in all sorts of decorated chipboard, including the "M" which was used in a demo for my class.

The colour photos had been stripped from the instructions for my class instructions in the interests of printing economies, so for those that fancy a peek I have uploaded them here.  Have fun Pink Boobies!

Some, more sensible?, people went home for a sleep, and some, completely mad? ladies stayed up ALL night.  I was somewhere in between and managed to grab a couple of hours sleep (on the floor of the separate bedroom) during the 24 (well 26 by the time I left) hours.  I'm now feeling definitely sleep-deprived and my comfy bed will be very welcome tonight!

Bunting for the Boobies

For the next 24 hours I will be in Golborne, attending the 5th Pink Booby Crop in aid of Breast Cancer Research.  There are 55 ladies attending the event and I am really looking forward to taking some free classes with some very talented scrapbookers and joining in with the fun and games that the very hard working committee have put together for us all.  For my sins, I am also teaching a class on decorating chipboard, but not until I have been thoroughly sleep-deprived on Sunday morning!  Here's a peek and one of my demonstration pieces ...some Bunting for the Boobies!