TiaraHelen

Doing a lampworking taster for the WI...

2012-02-25T05:35:00.001-08:00

...this morning. Everyone got to watch a bead being made, then practised together, then made one each. I think my guests had a good time, I certainly enjoyed talking and doing craft with like minded people. Really looking forward to the next WI class very soon.

Here I am dispensing "wisdom"

And the finished articles with their new owners, well done ladies!!!

And finally, a shot of what inspires me most - all those lovely colours!

Would you like to learn how to make glass beads? I offer an "Introduction to Lampworking" half-day session in the relaxed environment of my workshop (aka kitchen), for £29 per person (for two people), or £55 for one person. You will take away all the beads you make, all Helen's demo beads, and a set of coordinating spacers. Courses can be during the day or at weekends, give me a call to book, 01737 762078.

Charity marathon...

2012-02-19T11:04:00.003-08:00

...my other half, Ed, is currently raising money for "Help the Hospices" by doing the London Marathon in April.

Funnily enough, for at least as long as I have known him, he has said things like "it's a crazy thing to do" and "you'll never catch me doing one". And yet... here he is slogging through his training miles; must be a mid-life crisis!

He's pledged to add 10% to whatever's given, so with tax relief that means for every £1 donated, Help the Hospices receives at least £1.38. He has already made a downpayment in suffering - some serious chafing went on today after his 15 mile practice. (am I oversharing!?). If you would like to support "Help the Hospices", please visit www.justgiving.com/EdHJWhite .

Thank you,
Helen x

Help the Hospices "Light up a life" campaign

Runners at last year's London Marathon (not including hubby, obviously, because he's not run it yet...)

Green and Gorgeous...

2012-02-19T02:12:00.002-08:00

...was the name of a wildlife event my family went to a LONG time ago, that I ended up scrapbooking this weekend, and here's why...

For the first time ever last week, I premade a layout - in pale purply pink and lime green - and it has been sitting around for a few days waiting to be put to use. That's when I was put in mind of a shirt my hubby used to have, and I went on the search for photos. After several hours of nostalgic procrastination over the photo boxes (obviously!) I found these piccies of an outing to Godstone's Bay Pond, which matched the layout perfectly. I also remembered the rather large stash of embroidery silks that I showed you earlier in the week and resolved to use some on this layout. I managed four times, can you spot them? *

Bright photo courtesy of this morning's beautiful sunshine! I'm slightly surprised but very pleased about how inspiring it was to make a "blank" page and add to it. If you do the same, do post a link! Hope you like it, ttfn. x

* I made pretend baker's twine by twisting a green and a white and tying it round the pictures, wrapped pink round a scalloped circle to make a sort of starburst effect embellishment , made a pompom out of a collection of greens, and used green to tie on the little yellow buttons at the bottom of the page.

Three new classes for you...

2012-02-16T11:46:00.000-08:00

Join me on one of the following RIDICULOUSLY good value workshops, please call in advance to book, as places are limited - 01737 762078.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28th 7:30pm - 9:30pm CHRISTMAS CARD WORKSHOP
Yes! I cannot describe the joy of getting out the box of already-made Christmas cards on the first of December. All sorts of ideas for you to go into production. Make 8 cards for £8, and take away a kit at cost price to make more.
(postponed from last month due to an unfortunate lack of electricity in my workspace!)

TUESDAY MARCH 6th 7:30pm - 9:30pm, at my place! BUTTERFLY PICTURE
Would you like to make a butterfly picture like this one? The workshop is £8, bring your own frame to embellish. I also have some of these frames available for £9, but do let me know when you book if you would like one.

TUESDAY MARCH 20th : EXPLORE SCRAPBOOKING AND JOURNALLING 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Enjoy two gentle hours exploring the craft of scrapbooking. There will be plenty of examples for you to look at and to consider what styles you like. Bring a photo and get into the scrapping habit using some of Helen's scarily big stash of scrapbooking materials and tools. £8 each.

All workshops are free if you order at least £40 of StampinUp products.

I'm very pleased to welcome...

2012-02-16T09:58:00.000-08:00

...to my crafting space, a 90 slot storage unit!

It doesn't have 90 drawers yet because I couldn't afford them all at once, and didn't know how many I'd need. The answer is, definitely more than I thought! I am going to have a big de-stash very soon so keep an eye out...

I have only had time to load up a few drawers, but it has been a very satisfying day:

Now, how can I take advantage of all those lovely colours?

Happy Valentine's day ....

2012-02-14T03:44:00.001-08:00

...to everyone, but especially dedicated to lovely Olive, member of a local church craft group I go to. She is devoted to her husband who is sadly very unwell, and visits him every day. A true valentine!

Olive has a special birthday soon (I don't think she'll mind if I tell you it starts with a 9 and ends with an 0). Yesterday, she had us all in stitches doing a full action-replay on the carpet of how she fell over under a (parked) car last week in the snow - including how she managed to get up, (difficult when you're not allowed to kneel on your replaced knees) mainly by rolling over and over until she got to something she could pull herself up with. I wish I'd had a camera, she was brilliant!

PS the card is made with the designer paper "Sweet Blossoms" (hostess set) and the versatile floral stamp from the new "Charming" stamp set in Rose Red.

I've been busy with the day job...

2012-02-14T01:24:00.001-08:00

...over the last few weeks working with a lovely group of ladies planning to go back to work after a break looking after their children. It's very rewarding work, but doesn't leave much time for blogging or even crafting, especially given that I'm re-learning how to commute. Hopefully this week will leave more time for both as it's half term and we're all taking the week "off" to look after our little angels.

I have a craft group at the Harlequin Theatre Redhill on Mondays, which is part of a project for the over-50's called Hi Days. Here's the felt pot project we made this week - it's surprisingly simple.

You cut a U shaped template, cover both sides with three layers of felt, alternating the direction of the fibres, decorate, wet down with soapy water and then abuse it for all you're worth for about 20 minutes! I'm not sure if you can see but mine's a bit sparkly due to some Angelina Fibres I trapped in the wool. This template also makes a pretty bag shape, and Jenny in my group made a bag beautifully decorated with vibrant spring flowers. Hi-days is open to new members: there's an exercise class 10-11, then from 11:30-1 a choice of activities like calligraphy, silk painting, craft (that's me), antiques or computers. Last week we did the picture behind the pot, next week it's cards, the week after, it's paper bunting all ready for the jubilee! Contact 01737 219809 for more info on Hi-days or follow this link for an article about the group that was in the Surrey Mirror recently.

If you'd like to learn how to make pretty things out of felt (beads, corsages, hairslides, bags, bunting...), I run workshops for groups all year round - at my place or at yours - just get in touch on 01737 762078!

Why do I leave it till the last minute...

2012-01-28T09:40:00.000-08:00

... to complete my accounts and my tax return? Can someone tell me how to make myself do the FYE 2012 one this April and get it over with?

Just sayin'.

Stampin'Up's "Sale-a-bration" is here!

2012-01-24T03:53:00.000-08:00

Being quite new to StampinUp I haven't been through a Sale-a-bration before and I have to tell you it's not at all what I thought...

...First: it's not a sale - it's loads of FREE stuff - much better!

...Second: it's not stuff already in the catalogue - it's NEW - also much better!

...Third: it's not stuff that wasn't good enough to go into the main catalogue - it's really GREAT. What's not to like?

What IS it then?
It's four gorgeous limited edition stamp sets and an exclusive set of truly lovely designer paper (see below). They can't be bought outright, you can only get them by buying SU supplies: for every £45 you spend from the main and mini catalogues, you get one of the stamp sets or a full pack of the designer paper from the selection below FREE. What's more, for every hostess order of £300 or more, you get another extra set free (in addition to the usual benefits of a half price product and money to spend on goods). I want them ALL! The offer only lasts till 31 March, so what are you waiting for, get in touch to order or book a party today - 01737 762078 or helen [at] tiaratiara.co.uk.

Don't miss out on the best promotion of the year and this great opportunity to check your wishlist, stock up on supplies and get free stuff!

Hello, it's been ages...

2012-01-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

... I have been off-colour and low in energy since Christmas Eve and less and less inclined to blog, but I am happy to say that I feel much better, invigorated even, following a trip to the Stitch and Craft show at Sandown, with my friend Jen-down-the-road. We had fun and spent too much money, but you only live once, right?

Now that I have got my camera back from my mum's where I left it last weekend, I thought I'd show you my new low-tech gadget, our family meal planner. I made it using StampinUp's "domestic goddess" papers, which has a lovely vintage-y feel. I've hardly seen this anywhere in the StampinUp community, and I feel it's been rather neglected. But it has pride of place now on my fridge and is helping me keep my new year's resolution of planning more. In fact my "one little word" for 2012 is PLAN. (If this sounds like gobbledegook to you, take a look at Ali Edwards' site here, it's very inspiring).

I made a large patchwork of the papers, laminated then made little meal labels by writing on a cut up a magnetic sheet. All I have to do is stick a meal against each day at the beginning of the week. And, reader, I'm using it! I thought having a planner would make me feel restricted but in fact, it makes me feel in control! Who knew????

What's your favourite family meal, maybe I could add it to my list?

Thanks for looking,
Helen x

Re-using Christmas cards...

2012-01-05T00:50:00.000-08:00

...I do love to re-use my favourite Christmas cards, and this year I have the Big-Shot at my disposal. I have the perfect die for making gift tags (the top note die from su) but I was having trouble getting the picture in exactly the right place and ended up cutting off part of the message, or santa's boots etc. I thought you might like to see my simple solution to this prob!

Just wrap your die in a piece of cardstock, taping the card onto the back of the die on both sides. Run it through the bigshot and remove the cut out piece. Now you have a frame for your images! Slide the card in, position carefully within your "frame", run through your machine. Voila! Why didn't I think of that before? The pic quality is terrible (that's my work desk underneath btw), but I hope it gives you the general idea.

Would you like a free big shot? Check out the special offer page for how to get one!!!

Have you seen the new mini catalogue from SU ? ...

2012-01-04T03:52:00.000-08:00

...it's got some very cute stuff in it! Here, take a look !

Here's what's at the top of my wishlist. I am going to put up images shortly, in the meantime, why not have a look at the catalogue on line?

Charming (Page 6)
OK, so I already have this one! This is a very versatile set and I have a particular card in mind just waiting for a moment to show you, but I can tell you already, it will be used a lot.

You are loved (page 12)
This is a valentine's set, but I can see it being used for all sorts of occasions, especially that glorious heart!

Trinket keys (page 8)
I'm going to be making some jewellery out of these at the first opportunity! There are all sorts of new jewellery options in the new catalogue, including lockets and charms. This whole "simply adorned" charm range will work brilliantly on a special card as it can then be removed and used on a bracelet or necklace - like a card and a gift all in one!

Create a Cupcake (page 22)
A series of incredibly versatile elements to build a cupcake and more, including the cutest little cherry to go on top (I have plans for this one). So quick to make a really cute cupcake, and it even comes with the coordinating cupcake builder punch so you can create 3D cards really easily too. Watch out for a personal special offer on this blog soon or contact me for details!

Now you're cookin' (page 23)
A single stamp, and how cute are those knives and forks going to look embossed in silver?

Even more journal, days 9 - 12 Dec

2011-12-31T01:59:00.000-08:00

I have just re-done this page as the previous version really jarred, I'm much happier with it now.

We had some friends round to supper on the 10th and it was very nice so I journalled it here:

Shimelle urges us to remember Christmas disasters, so I philosophised a bit about why really quite little things seem so much more disastrous at Christmas:

Running a bit late on cards this year, even though I'd made them all in January, due to dithering about the photo update we send:

More Christmas Journal...

2011-12-30T11:42:00.000-08:00

I did a lot of my shopping on the internet this year, and felt I had to send those responsible a little thank you!

I had a super evening with my girls, having their christmas haircuts and generally larking about, so I sent them a postcard to say thank you.

Although they've grown out of the nativity plays, I felt suddenly nostalgic for the ole' nativity play, and I'd found an old cd of one of their performances. I've now rubbed the pencil marks out, by the way!

Now then, I have a glorious secret that I can't even tell you about yet, dear blog-reader, but I wanted to remember loving having it over this christmas, so I wrote a little postcard to-whom-it-may-concern!

Christmas Journal #2...

2011-12-30T11:34:00.000-08:00

My daughters have made me a personal advent calendar this year with gifts and chocolate, so I included day one's note and journalled on the back of the note to put in the pocket about how sweet they are!

My craft space is also the spare room and it gets into the most awful mess at Christmas...

My cotton reel ran out this day and I realised that between us my daughter and I have used 1km of thread since the spring when I bought it!

I remember when my brother woke me and my parents at 5:35 one Christmas morning, thinking it was 7:25 so I've done a postcard to him in the pocket, with a photo of the two of us when we were little:

My Christmas Journal 2011...

2011-12-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

... is progressing! I thought you might like to look at the first section. It's called "Hot Chocolate", named after the range of paper I used, because I thought it also fitted what I want out of my journal, so I explain on the cover why:

I always start my journal on advent sunday which fell early this year, and always do something a bit religious. This time I took a line from a carol that we sang that day in church:

I made a pocket for all our christmas present lists, in the hope that I'd get going early buying presents. (It sort-of worked!)

I often remember the day's events in my christmas journal and this was an important and sad day that I wanted to commemorate.

Shimelle encourages her "posse" to consider the weather, and here in Surrey it has been so mild, so I decided to illustrate this with a fuschia that's still hanging on in our garden. I especially like this page, I think it's partly the way it gets you humming that song, that's it's a nice colourful photo, and it's also "lift the flap" !

I'll be back with some more pages tomorrow...

Would you call this Georgian?...

2011-12-26T02:53:00.000-08:00

...the fabrics are from the American Civil war but I guess the same styles were going on in England as well?

I finished this one on holiday last week. It's made with a moda jelly roll called "Hope", backed with my favourite fabric from the same range, and bound with a fabric from another of the moda civil war ranges. The wadding is a very lightweight fleece.

Merry Christmas...

2011-12-24T15:12:00.000-08:00

...lovely reader! I have been very quiet as we've been away on holiday, but now I'm back and have several projects to show you. But not tonight, it's too late. So in the meantime, I hope you have a brilliant Christmas and look out for lots of new projects in the new year!

Helen xxx

Gareth Malone will you marry me?...

2011-12-10T02:43:00.000-08:00

..if I and you weren't married to other people already, and I were not far too old for you!

What a difference this man has made to so many people, I have enjoyed watching all his shows, and if you haven't seen the current "Military Wives" series, I recommend it to you, whatever you feel about going to war. This is their live performance at this year's remembrance day service and this is the single they're going to release on 19th December, "Wherever you are". I so hope it's number one, something rich in meaning for a change. Remember these women are not professional singers, just a choir that sings with heart.

I am working on a christmas journal entry about this, I want to try to find a poppy to go on it to, and when the CD arrives I'll slip it into the pocket too. I will show you when I finish it!

Green is the colour...

2011-12-08T02:26:00.000-08:00

...of the week over at less is more. Here's my entry; why don't you have a go too?

Some birthdays coming up in December...

2011-12-04T04:58:00.000-08:00

... so I have had fun making these two pretty pretty cards using the paper set Cheerful Treat (only available to hostesses and ridiculously good value at £8 hostess pounds!).

I couldn't resist using the button papers from the old oh sew suite as the hot pink (melon mambo) coordinates so well. And I love that birthday sentiment (from the hostess "happiest birthday wishes")

It's a special birthday ...

2011-12-01T01:43:00.000-08:00

...for my friend Rita tomorrow and a bunch of us went out for the day recently to celebrate. As a mum of five, she doesn't get a whole day off very often, and I thought she might like a memento of it so for her birthday I have done a mini scrapbook page instead of a card; hope she likes it!

In loving memory...

2011-11-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

...of Jo Rohrer, well-known and very well-loved lampworker, who died this month, after several battles with cancer over 25 years. A wonderful lady and an inspiration both personal and creative to me and many others. RIP Jo x

How Christmassy is this...

2011-11-24T11:59:00.000-08:00

...little bauble? And how easy! Here it is:

It's just about 20 1/4"x 3" strips, with holes punched in both ends (I used the smaller hole in my cropadile) and joined with two rather beautiful antique brads, then fanned out. This was not my own idea, I found it at this blog. Well worth a look and some very good instructions for this project too. Lots of creative potential for this project, go on run with it!

Squeak...

2011-11-23T15:11:00.000-08:00

... Stampin Up have done it again. You are going to love the new Salebration products AND the SU Spring Mini Catalogue. I have just seen the preview of these new products and they are FAB! Can't say anything else, it's a secret, but I will be letting you see stuff as soon as I get my hands on it, I promise. Subscribe or become a follower of this blog to make sure you get to see the new products soon as....

Penguins are so cute...

2011-11-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

...and my local "cards for good causes" sale has hardly any this year. So I decided to make this little card:

I used the scallop circle die with my BigShot to cut the igloo from a piece of folded cardstock, embossed it with the polka dot folder to suggest snow, and cut the door and speech bubble with the oval punch. The penguin is made with the owl punch. Hope you like it.

You know I said I needed Christmas greeting stamps...

2011-11-21T08:01:00.000-08:00

...well, I got loads from StampinUp - 16 to be exact - and I only paid £8.50. How did I achieve this? I cut up the Christmas jumbo roller stamp, Oh Yes! It's not that I don't like the roller, but it's just brilliant for on the front AND inside the card. Here it is, gently peeled off the jumbo wheel:

I started cutting it up before I remembered to take a photo, oops. Some of the words are very close together, so if you do do this, try to use some good small, sharp scissors. Samples coming up soon!

Jolly Jingles 120864 £8.50

Been busy, busy, busy ...

2011-11-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

...this week: my daughter organised a fashion show at her school this week, my mum visited, all the usual stuff, plus getting ready for Friday/Saturday's Open Studio at my house. Thank you so much to all who came to say hi and also to those who were kind enough to buy something. As usual I LOVED having you call by, doing glass bead-making demos, taster sessions, and catching up with your news.

Joe and Tessa were great colleagues and I think a good and successful time was had by all. Just in case any of my family are reading my blog, "you were brilliant with all the disruption and thank you too".

There was lots of interest this weekend in the Christmas Journal workshop that I will be running starting THIS TUESDAY, and I understand that there is a feature on the Christmas Journal by Shimelle in this month's Mollie Makes magazine - I will be back with news as soon as I get my hands on one tomorrow. If you want to know more about creating your own Christmas Journal, get in touch on 01737 762078, and if you decide to come one or more (only £8 per session), I promise you will not regret it - you will end up with something precious and totally unique to you, whatever you decide to make.

Christmas journal workshop...

2011-11-18T16:04:00.000-08:00

...In a fire, after making sure my family is ok, I'd rescue my journals! There is something so special about this unique record of my family, thoughts, events and feelings. And favourite of all are my Christmas journals. Lots of people have admired them and expressed a desire to make one for themselves, but I can tell it is a daunting prospect for many. So... I have decided to run a christmas journal workshop over the next four Tuesday evenings (22nd & 29th November, 5th & 12th December). The sessions will include, in roughly this order depending on what people what to achieve:

Preparation: Deciding on a format, getting a foundation ready, planning, putting a kit together

Getting Started: First steps into journalling, using photos, gathering your thoughts, creating foundation pages, cover and introduction page

Moving Forward: Getting some daily pages under your belt, thinking about style, using photos, additional ideas for pages

Keeping going, considering conclusions.

The workshop will be at my house, 64 Fengates Road, Redhill from 7:30 till 9:30, cost £8 per session, and will include light refreshments; you're also welcome to bring a bottle! You will have full use of all my non-consumables like stamps and die cutters, and I will help you to chose a small kit of basics (like glue etc) and of course, paper, which I can supply if you like either direct or through Stampin Up. If you order more than £30 of Stampin up goodies, that session will be free! The evenings will be very informal and I'll be sharing all my christmas journal and crafting know-how and supporting you to learn new skills and create heirloom journal pages that you and your family will love forever.

Spaces are limited so get in touch as soon as you can; I hope to hear from you soon (tel 01737 762078).

You're invited to my open studio...

2011-11-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

...this Friday 18th November (from 5 till 8 pm) and Saturday 19th November (from 10 till 5pm).

There will be three rooms full of craft and christmas loveliness all made by our own fair hands including

TiaraTiara (that's me!) : Glass bead making in progress, jewellery, silver clay, cards, papercraft kits and quilting items for sale

Leaded Line (that's Joe): Stunning stained glass creations including lampshades, mirrors and christmas tree decorations.

Colours and Textures (that's Tessa): Beautiful painted silk including pictures, scarves and pendants.

Perfectly priced for christmas gifts or treating yourself, at my home

64 Fengates Road, Redhill

We hope to see you there!

Pockets in my christmas journal...

2011-11-13T03:41:00.000-08:00

...are an essential part of the design this year. About every other page is going to have a pocket for a postcard. My plan is to do my journalling, wherever I can anyway, as a postcard to a named someone. I have tested this plan by making a page which is a postcard from me to Santa telling him what I would like, and then I just slipped the postcard into the pocket. Well, plans often evolve, so if the postcard idea gets a bit awkward I will just snip off the pockets, as they are only folded. The other side of the postcard below is an off cut of the paper collection I'm using, but I guess it could also be a photo.

I am using the postcard and franking stamps from my Stampin Up set "Winter Post" which also includes a stunning snowflake and four other very versatile stamps. I embossed the snowflake in silver on Thursday having never used it before, during a christmas packaging demo at a workshop and I couldn't believe how beautifully it came out!

My Christmas journal will definitely have a date on every page because...

2011-11-13T02:03:00.000-08:00

1) it speeds up making a page because you can do it in advance, and can get away with not much more than the date, a photo and some words, if you're in a hurry

2) it helps me mark pages that I want to fill in later

3) it adds a kind of coherence to the whole thing, but I like how you can still vary each date a little

4) I really wanted to use my new stampin up ornament bauble punch and tim holtz alphabet

5) I have never used luggage labels before and I want to use them on this project

And that's why I was knee-deep in paper yesterday deciding what to do.

This is how I intend to use the plain date tag (the right-hand page is a sort of practice page to make sure it works and help me get going on christmas lists nice and early! Left hand page is just a draft) :

And this is the more ornate label tag for the non-pocket pages:

I expect the various tags to look different, but the same tag base and the same bauble.

You can order the Bauble punch from me if you like! It costs £15.50 + postage, but you can collect locally for free.

There's a Christmas crafting bonanza...

2011-11-12T00:41:00.000-08:00

...going on at Shimelle's blog this weekend! She's hosting a preparation session for her fabulous "Journal your Christmas" class. There's blog candy of all sorts, masses of christmas crafting ideas and fun challenges. One of today's challenges is to upload a christmas paper project you made earlier, so here's mine, a tag garland inspired by Shimelle's blog last year. Sorry that the photo's a bit cluttered, hope you can see it ok. I used fancy pants' "Christmas Magic" range.

The oldest filofax in town?...

2011-11-09T07:11:00.000-08:00

...I love my filofax, and I've had it about 15 years (none of that iphoney stuff for me). The problem was, it was a very boring black colour. So I decided to cover it with a piece of StampinUp's designer paper. It's turned out great, very "orla kiely", and I tied it with some narrow grosgrain ribbon to finish.

I'm considering more embellishment, what would you add?

If you'd like some paper to cover your filofax or any other important book, check out the website (link in the sidebar), and get in touch! 01737 762078.

Cheerful treat DSP - £8 for 12 double-sided sheets

Finished the quilt at last...

2011-11-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

... and very pleased with it! It's the same jelly roll as the last one, but quilted and bound in blue, it gives it a completely different look.

I hand quilted it using anchor embroidery thread and really big running stitch in a sort of wave-y pattern which ended up looking a bit like an hour glass. For my next quilt (am I really saying this?) I am going to invest in a walking foot and quilt by machine.

A Christmas card from left over paper...

2011-11-04T01:40:00.000-07:00

...I have been making a little christmass-y book out of scallopped circles and I couldn't bear to throw the left over squares away. Yesterday I thought again of the LiM "stars" challenge this week, and came up with this simple card which uses the beautiful "Dasher" stamp.

Hallowe'en a bit early...

2011-10-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

... a couple of pics from my sister in law's hallowe'en party:

The hostess with the mostest:

and your friendly neighbourhood fortune teller (me) (complete with enhanced wrinkles I may add, although I'm sorry to say that they have only been slightly exaggerated at this stage as most of my makeup seems to have worn off)

Less is more

2011-10-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

I made this christmas star for the less is more challenge using the large medallion stamp and lovely gold embossing, then using the pattern as a guide to cut a star. The card is made by folding the navy paper then running through the bigshot with the "topnote" die, making sure the edge of the fold doesn't touch the edge of the die. Now that I've done this design, it's a very quick one to reproduce! I realised I don't have any SU Christmas messages, best have a look in the catalogue smartish before it's too late! Hope you like it.

A Hallowe'en shadow box...

2011-10-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

...was not my own idea, I got it from shimelle, but I feel I've made it my own with Stampin Up "Frightful Sight" papers and punches and some found bits and pieces.

I used the owl punch to make the ghost, the devil and the hanging bat (spotted here) and the witch was an inspired combination of all these punches: owl, pennant, ornament, scallop circle, word (also copied from someone who had copied from someone else, you know the story...) I'm especially pleased to use the Bacardi bottle top that I've had for ages after picking it up on a walk, and the little glass pumpkin that I made with my glass torch. The trusty signo gel pen was used to draw the white spider web on acetate.

Hope you like it; do please post a link to your hallowe'en creations!

Hallowe'en is coming...

2011-10-24T01:48:00.000-07:00

...so I turned my mind to ghoulish things. SU has a great hallowe'en paper series with really neat iconic designs but we haven't got long to use it this season. I'm going to have jelly beans in my basket by the door this year and was wondering what I could do that wasn't a) expensive and b) time consuming. And "Voilà" I have found it.

I used my pillow-box die with the bigshot to create cute little boxes out of plain/patterned paper ( you can get at least 4 out of a 12x12 sheet) and the leftovers to trim the boxes. Because the paper's double sided you get loads of options. Then I used the owl builder punch to make some little ghosties (just cut off the feet, it doesn't hurt them I promise) to hide the join in the wrap- around paper. They each took about 5 minutes to make, were easy peasy and cost very little. The only challenge now is getting the jelly beans into the boxes without eating them!

I've entered these for the inspiring Simply Stampin' Challenge blog.

Deck the halls...

2011-10-24T01:20:00.000-07:00

...oh, I'm sorry, really, but we paper crafters have to get going with Christmas earlier than most, and I have got all these lovely new papers to be playing with! Plus I was inspired by margaret's post (again) to create this really quick pre-breakfast card.

I used 3 designs from "Mocha Morning" Speciality designer paper from my new catalogue sample pack, and the ornament cutter which has got to be worth its weight for christmas crafting (more of this ridiculously useful crafting item soon). The baubles are flocked paper for a bit of extra texture, and the strips of paper are both shimmery gold. Yum.

Look what I got yesterday...

2011-10-23T04:46:00.000-07:00

... I bought a full set of the SU! 2011-12 designer paper collection, just look at this:

That's 14 collections, 6 pieces of 6x6 in each set, by my calculations that adds up to a staggering 86 pieces of beautiful paper, nearly all double sided*. I had a terrible job photographing them because there are SO MANY, this was the only photo that didn't have my feet in it as well!
Would you like a set too? It would cost £145.50 to buy a full collection of this year's papers, but you can have a piece of every one to experiment and create with for only £18! Or you can own a half page of each (6"x12") for the special price of £35, or a whole page of each for £69! Once I have 8 paper shares, then I can order them and send them out to you. This offer is unlikely to be repeated, so get in touch as soon as you can to let me know of your interest. In the meantime, I'm off to play....

Happy Sunday, thanks for looking.

Hurray for my Big Shot...

2011-10-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

...I blogged before about using a big shot die to make a stamp using funky foam, and I've always regretted that the foam is too thick to go into SU's lovely punches so that I can make stamps out of them too. But today I found a way! I just ran it through the bigshot with a die in it turned the wrong way round, and added a few sheets of paper as a shim, just to give the foam a bit of a squeeze. The funky foam became JUST thin enough that I could fold it in a piece of thin computer paper and slide it carefully into the die. So now I have a stamp made from my bird and owl builder punches. Here's the bird punch and a quick test:

They are quite thin, so I am going to repeat the process and then stick the two pieces together for a thicker stamp.

If you want a Big Shot (and who wouldn't, really) but you're worried about the cost, here's a solution. Have a hostess party at your house and invite lots of your crafty friends. If they and you spend a total of only £300 or more, you'll be entitled to a Big Shot (or any other product) for HALF PRICE= £44 which is a brilliant bargain however you look at it, and ALSO £50 of hostess pounds to spend on any goodies in the catalogue but including exclusive access to the advantageously priced hostess products. Christmas is a great time for crafting, so why not organise a christmas crafting party with me today!

Getting in the mood for Christmas crafting yet?....

2011-10-21T04:30:00.000-07:00

...I'm nearly there, if you watch this is might help:

The most beautiful birthday card ...

2011-10-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

... came through my letterbox today. It is from Justine, who recruited me to Stampin'Up, and it's reminded me how truly delightful it is to get a hand-made card... but not any old handmade card, or a "hand-finished" one that was still made in China, no! This is a queen amongst birthday cards, with generous and beautiful embellishments and care and time and flair. I love it, thanks Justine!

Been busy with the day job...

2011-10-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

...this week, but very pleased to report that over the weekend I finished a project that I've been working on for a few months on and off, in fact I blogged about starting it here and here. It was originally going to be the back of a quilt made with the same jelly roll, but I decided I'd rather have two. Here it is on my spare bed, about to be occupied by our French exchange student:

A close up of the quilting, done using coton a broder to match the colour of the binding, more or less. I love love love how this has come out, thanks so much for the idea, Jen-down-the-road!

And showing the backing:

This was made almost cost free! I used two old duvet covers rejected by the family, the leftovers of a jelly roll and some wadding peeled off an old king sized duvet that we can't use because we have gone to super king sized duvet & covers. I only bought the binding and the coton a broder, together about £9. The other quilt from the same jelly roll is also in progress and I hope I'll be able to show you that as well before the end of October.

Happy making!

Do you want craft supplies at RIDICULOUSLY low prices?...

2011-10-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

...then go to

ST FRANCIS CHURCH, BALCOMBE RD, HORLEY (near Redhill)

on SATURDAY 22ND OCTOBER

from 12 NOON - 2pm

where there will be lots of lovely paper crafters selling off all sorts of gorgeous goodies including retired SU products. Technically they're second hand but of course loads of it is as crisp and perfect as the day it was bought first time.

And there's cake!

You'd be mad not to.

Spread the word ...

A scrapbooking coincidence...

2011-10-04T00:28:00.000-07:00

...happened this weekend. I have been puzzling for a few weeks over some photos from DD's birthday - one close up and 8 group ones. They wouldn't all fit on one page, it looked too busy. And then - Shimelle to the rescue! She actually featured a way of scrapping 1+8 photos this month on her blog here. Off I went, and this is the result:

I used red riding hood red card stock for the base and the retired love letters double sided papers and I might add a few bits and pieces more, like some more washi tape. Oh, and I stuck those papers down better after I took the photo! Thanks Shimelle!

My StampinUp wish list ...

2011-10-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

...is always pretty long, but I thought I'd let you know some of my favourites out of the lovely new products SU has just launched:

5 yummy new in-colours (ok, I admit, I already pre-ordered the mixed 12x12 paper pack and pens; page 90)

Five trios of FABRIC which coordinate with designer paper and accessories and of course with the SU colour families (won't be able to resist Candy Cane Christmas, see page 105, it will go beautifully with the Baja Breeze seam binding, methinks)

Lots of new punches (my two personal favourites: the double bunting punch which cuts out a plain triangle and a scalloped triangle IN ONE and the wonderfully ornate lace ribbon border they're on pages 119 and 116 respectively.)

Masses of new BRAD styles (that's paper fasteners to the old fashioned brits among us). (The ones I fancy are the really gorgeous antique style brads - every one's a winner! - see them on page 109)

Obviously lots of new stamps, paper designs and ribbon (definitely hoping to put the Christmas jumbo wheel stamp (p24 ) on my order, it looks extremely versatile, and as far as papers go, probably Domestic Goddess (p98)
Hopefully some samples of this loveliness will be on their way to me soon (yay!) once I've counted my pennies. Some could be on its way to you too, and if you order before 15th October you can piggy back on my order and get FREE postage* because I'm ordering for myself then so it arrives in time for my BIRTHDAY. Would you like to see the goodies in real life before you buy? Pay me a visit, come to a make and take at my house, or get some friends together and I'll come to yours, Just call me to find out more, on 01737 762078!

* Free Postage applies if you can collect from me in Redhill. Otherwise couriered postage direct to your door is only £4.95

It's world card making day today...

2011-10-01T01:22:00.000-07:00

...so you know what you have to do!

Also, she says nonchalantly, the

New StampinUp catalogue and ideas book is out today, hurray!

It is STUFFED with new ideas for papercrafting on practically every page and also full of new products. If you'd like to get your hands on one, I am offering them at a discounted rate of £4.95 including postage (they are RRP £5. 95), just contact me by email. In the meantime, you can enjoy its loveliness on line by clicking on the sidebar icon to the right ============>

The hostess gifts and benefits have all been refreshed BIG TIME, making it much more appealing to host a party. AND, to take advantage of some great demonstrator discounts, the special offer this month is extra in-colour products when you buy the starter kit. This means you get over £270 of crafty stuff for only £119, which also opens the door to more fabulous discounts. Have a look at the deal on the right and then give me a call to discuss it!

LOTS of new product features coming up over the next few weeks....

Butterflies everywhere...

2011-09-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

...it must be the time of year?

I saw a beautiful colour sampler on In Love with Stamping last week made by this lovely lady, and have copied it shamelessly "with a twist" to make a mirror. I'm only partly joking when I say that being able to make this piece alone makes the Big Shot and that Embosslits butterflies die worth having!

Sorry for the rotten lighting, hope you get the idea!

Only three months till Christmas...

2011-09-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

...so sorry to mention it, I'll say no more about it and get on with the show and tell!

Well now, this morning I couldn't close the drawer I keep my stash of ribbons in, so I had to sort it out. Truth is, this is not something a grown woman should really spend her time over, but I confess I had a lovely hour untangling and winding. I ended up with an enormous pile of very short (= less than 50cm) pieces. And I remembered a ribbon wreath that I saw in the current (soon to be old) stampin'up catalogue. So I picked out all the red, green and gold, and while I was visiting my friend Ruby today, I made TWO christmas ones (I was there a REALLY long time). I'm very pleased with them; they even have little bells on salvaged from Lindt chocolate easter bunnies [other bunnies are available].

Hope you like them, they will be in my etsy shop the minute I work out how to do it, or if you're interested in buying one, do get in touch. They will be £15 for the smaller one (the upper one) and £18 for the larger one. Thanks for looking!

A nostalgic visit to Lille...

2011-09-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

... with the friends I met when I lived there over 25 years ago. (can it really be that long?).

I have been wanting to scrapbook these photos for ages, but have been looking for the right paper, which I finally spotted this week. There are several techniques on it that I've been meaning to try: doodling (top right), bordering photos with paint (I used white gesso), and using the cute Postcard stamp from Stampin'Up's Winter Post stamp set for journalling. I used Red Riding Hood ink to stamp and do the writing, which I was hesitant about as there is very little red in the photos, but I think it's ok after all. Finally, I also used the gesso to knock back a bit of the writing that was on the original 12x12 page, as I didn't want it to look like I'd written it as part of the journalling.

I've got some very nice "early espresso" satin ribbon, I'm wondering whether to add it down the left hand side, or maybe a rosette or two, what do you think?

Folding card stock so it doesn't crack...

2011-09-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

...is not something I always manage. Turns out, it depends whether you have the card the right way round! Yes - cardstock is made with long fibres all going in the same direction, and if you fold with the fibres, you'll get a better fold; if you fold at right angles to the fibres, you're more likely to get cracking! You can tell which way the fibres go by gently bending the paper between your hands in both directions - the easier one to bend is the bend that goes in the direction of the fibres, and the one that will fold better.

Here's Katrina Werner explaining it very well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMdnv3uht10&feature=player_embedded

You really do learn something new everyday!

I love the birdcage...

2011-09-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

...stamp in the Nature Walk stamp set, and I'm very pleased to see it HAS made it into the new catalogue. However, the lovely springtime vintage paper hasn't (snap it up while you can!). I found this card in my card stash and realised I hadn't shown you, so here it is. I used Marina Mist and Old Olive cardstock to mount it, and stamped the cage in Staz-on for a change in texture. I have to say I have never fiddled so much with a card before I was happy with it, but I was pleased to rediscover it today.

A pinafore card...

2011-09-20T02:34:00.000-07:00

...was on Margaret's blog and I loved it so much, I've used it as the inspiration for this card, which is made using the delicious new "Calypso Coral" from the new In-colour collection available from 1st October.

And I just realised I didn't put a greeting on it - never mind, I'll add one when I know who I'm sending it to!

Stripey borders...

2011-09-18T05:42:00.000-07:00

...are the order of the day over at shimelle.com. She's created a "starting point" this week which allows scrapbookers to make bold stripes useable, by layering a plain on top. Here's my attempt:

I was out and about...

2011-09-16T13:40:00.000-07:00

...today at the Creative Crafts Show at Sandown with some chums, and it was fun; I treated myself to a few bits and pieces including a new jelly roll and some cute washi tape from Superlovely that I'll definitely be using in the next few days. The show's on till Sunday 18th September and well worth a visit for fans of paper, fabric and wool crafts. BUT my favourite part of our trip was on the way back: we spotted a sign for "Fire and Iron Gallery" and called in there. What a surprise treat it was. Although it's only minutes from Junction 9 of the M25, it feels like the deepest countryside, and is in the outbuildings of a gorgeous house built in 1346. With a blacksmith's and blacksmithing school on site, a lot of the work on display for sale is metal in the form of jewellery, furniture, wall art and sculpture. A series that made us all smile was art from chocolate wrappers by Joanne Tinker, who also has some work on permanent display in the Science Museum. We felt we were definitely up to the challenge of sourcing materials for another project like this!

If you're ever nearby, don't miss the opportunity to go there. Whatever your art or craft, you are sure to be enriched and inspired by the experience - and it's free!

Garden Sculpture (above)

Quality Streets are go! (below)

See also facebook name "Fire and Iron Gallery" for lots of examples of the work available.

More of the new collection...

2011-09-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

...in this lovely floral combination of lime and bright pink (melon mambo). Available from October.

Happy Birthday...

2011-09-14T06:14:00.000-07:00

...with the retiring "Elegant Soiree". This lovely paper collection is not in the new catalogue, so if you want some, you need to order it smartish!

Something old, something new...

2011-09-11T03:17:00.000-07:00

Today's card has some things from the retiring collection and some things from the brand new catalogue.

Brand new:
I'm not even allowed to show you the collection the paper came from until October 1st (it's a hostess set, and beautifully fresh). the bright pink Melon Mambo card stock is ongoing but the green is one of the new in-colours: Lucky Limeade.

Retiring:
The "friendly" stamp (110528) is currently in the retired list at 40% off, but may not be available much longer...click on the link to the right to check. And in the background, a sheet of DSP from the lovely Springtime Vintage Designer Paper from the Mini Catalogue p 17 Code 121782 £8.75 for 12 doublesided sheets, sadly also retiring, so snap it up while you can.

Hope you like the card.

Latest cards...

2011-09-08T03:51:00.000-07:00

...which are an improved version of something I have shown you before. I originally did these on white card and said I would try them next on coloured card when I got the chance. Yesterday I got a new SU delivery which included the boho blossoms punch and stamp (in the pot pourri hostess set*) so I got going making these:

They're not the quickest card to make but they are a lot quicker than you might think, and only take scraps. I like them better stamped onto the coloured card (here's the previous post for comparison!), what do you think?

* by the way, the hostess set "pot pourri" is not going to be available after the end of September and could well sell out before then, so if you love it, you need to get together an order of £150 asap. You will also get an additional £15 to spend in the catalogue, and of course, you can make up that order with orders you take from your friends, plus you will get an advance copy from me of the NEW "catalogue and ideas book" (rp £5.95) for FREE. You can also take advantage of all the discounts in the retired list products at up to 40% off. Contact me on 01737 762078 or helen@tiaratiara.co.uk today!

Shimelle Laine's blog...

2011-09-06T00:57:00.000-07:00

... is bursting with good ideas and I was interested to see her latest inspirational layout here. It's part of a series of starting points for scrap book pages, and this starting point is to take lots of your scraps in one colour scheme, cut them into oblongs and arrange them into a page. I never throw anything away, so I set to with the leftovers from my "brilliant" card. I have a place where I keep some pictures I'd like to scrap, so I picked one out, added a few embellishments, and ta-da!, the quickest scrapbook page I ever made. I'm very bad with hoarding my paper, and layering can feel like a "waste", but using scraps meant I didn't hesitate to overlap etc.

If you give this method a try (hope you do!), might I suggest that you use some sort of REPOSITIONABLE glue to start with - I did a lot of shuffling about before I was happy with the result, and tore a few pieces by mistake. I guess if you're more used to this style you're probably better at getting it right first time.

Anyway, here it is (just over 13 years late, but who's counting?). I might add a few more embellishments, and will definitely take a better photo when we get some sunshine here (it's still the summer but you wouldn't think so). This is actually on a lovely yellow card from SU called "so saffron".

I liked it so much that I immediately used the rest of the scraps on a matching one for her sister:

You are brilliant...

2011-09-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

...really, you are!

I follow this card-making blog by Kristina Werner, and if you don't too WHY NOT????

She has come up with a beautiful design that I just HAD to have a go at even though I really have my hands full with my Learn something new every day project. It's a folding card with some words of encouragement. Usually I choose my own sentiments for a card, but I so loved Kristina's choice that I just plain copied:

And to make it into a card that can stand up on your dressing table or sideboard, I added a little stand.

Do leave a comment if you like, it's always great to know who's dropped by! If you're having trouble lately, see my note to the right, it seems to be a bug in blogger.

StampinUp's retirement list is here!...

2011-09-01T01:18:00.000-07:00

This is an exciting month for StampinUp fans because it's the month that they release the new annual catalogue, and therefore the month they "retire" a load of products to make way for all the exciting new stamps and other creative products. They call it their retirement list, lots of products are discounted heavily and here it is: : http://204.228.150.61/docs/lastchance/en-GB/Availability_en-GB.pdf. Most of the products from the Mini catalogue will also be withdrawn and the hostess gifts. The retirement list evolves every day, so if you want to check something, check at www.stampinup.co.uk or give me a call.

If you had your eye on any of these, or want to snap up a bargain, you need to order DOUBLE QUICK!. I will be putting in an order on FRIDAY EVENING and you can piggyback on mine for FREE P&P, or if you don't want to risk waiting, order through me ASAP with £4.95 P&P. Orders over £150 qualify for a hostess gift and a percentage to spend additionally on the catalogue. Here's a link to the catalogues: http://www2.stampinup.com/gb/eng/543.asp

This month is a great time to shop with SU, and we have the new catalogue to look forward to next month!

Looking forward to hearing from you soon xx

We all scream for...

2011-08-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

...ice cream! I made the icecream topper and then my lovely daughter came up with the greeting.

I used Crumb Cake card and ran it through my big shot using the square lattice embossing folder (119976), making sure there was a bit sticking out that didn't get embossed, which I lined up with the top of the cone shape. The "flake" is chocolate chip cardstock scored to give the flakey effect. The background paper is rose red from the DSP Patterns Stack (subtles).

A set of thank you cards...

2011-08-22T05:43:00.000-07:00

...always comes in handy. I love the damask-y effect of these especially on the textured cardstock and they are very quick and simple to make with the very versatile and enormous Medallion stamp (115223). You can get 4 out of one piece of 12x12 if you cut them all 4"x 8" which makes it good value for a set!

I was challenged yesterday to a painting competition...

2011-08-22T04:01:00.000-07:00

...by my youngest daughter! It had to be painting and not crafting because I don't do painting at all, and so that would be fairer. We spent far too much of yesterday sitting in the kitchen with the french windows open painting and chatting - it was a really lovely mother-daughter day. Suddenly 6pm came round and it was time to stop, and this was the result:

There is a steward's enquiry at the moment that mine might be disqualified due to the fact that I blatantly copied not just one but two rather well known works of art...

Learn something new every day...

2011-08-22T03:07:00.000-07:00

...is a great on-line scrapbooking/journal/lifelearning class run by a lady called Shimelle Laine. It runs through September and you get an email prompt every day encouraging you to think what you might have learned that day. You also have access to a forum where some amazingly creative people show their work on the project and support each other. When I did this class two years ago it changed my life! I learned loads about what I wanted from my life and lived life very intensely that month. Not to mention getting to grips with lots of principles of scrapbooking! The book I created is a huge source of joy and pride, and I'm going to be doing it again this year with a twist. Shimelle describes it much better than me here.

If you're thinking "I don't have time", you only have to give it the time you want to; you could always do a couple of pages and pick it up again next year, just keep a journal, read the prompts or make a summary scrapbook page.

Here's a couple of pics of the journal I made in 2009, the front cover and an example page.

Hope to see you on the LSNED forum!

xx

Congratulations...

2011-08-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

...may well be in order for some of your teenage friends and relatives (hope they are!). Even if the expected grades weren't achieved, hopefully a place in FE is still possible. This one says happy birthday but replace it with "congratulations" and a wise old owl is very appropriate...

I used the famous owl punch for the little owl, and drew in the tree trunk markings with my signo gel pen. A sponged sky/cloud background means you can write on the inside as well: take a piece of white paper the size of the inside of the card, create a mask by cutting out a loose cloud shape from scrap paper, and sponge your blue ink on top of the mask to create "clouds".

Pastel patchwork...

2011-08-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

... was the result of this afternoon's lovely crafting session with Jen-down-the-road. Whilst Jen beavered away and created 7 beautiful and original cards from a recycled calendar, I faffed and managed to create 2 (count them) cards like this one:

Although it took ages sticking the pieces together, I love how the basket-weave embossing folder creates a unifying texture across all the squares. This is a great design for using up scraps of your favourite paper.

Lots of man cards to make...

2011-08-19T02:53:00.000-07:00

...in September in my house, so I settled down last night to come up with a suitable design. I love the single Sail Away stamp from SU! and have had a piece of crinkled up binding ribbon hanging around on my desk for ages needing a home, so off I went.

I used a simple step card in baja breeze, picked contrasting cajun craze cardstock to make the overall effect a bit less pastel-girly and decided to have the greetings on the outside (mostly because I couldn't think of a image to add on the right hand side). The baja breeze seam binding ribbon is from the mini catalogue. You just take a few threads from the middle of the ribbon and gently pull until the ribbon is as crinkled as you want. Remember to anchor the threads by folding over the ends and glueing.
I was going to say I hope they like them, but wait, they're MEN so all they will do is shake them. So I'll say I hope their female family members like them!

Funky spots in the background from the Love Letters collection, which has just arrived, I'll be doing something with it shortly, for sure...

A blissfully long lunch...

2011-08-16T00:59:00.000-07:00

...on holiday is "immortalised" in my first proper scrapbook page for ages.

I used bashful blue cardstock for the base (after trying the photos with at least 10 other shades!). I matted and raised the middle picture because it's the most evocative even though it's way too dark, and used the same green card (garden green) cut out with the top note die on the Big Shot. I managed to get the chestnut leaf all the way home from Greece in-tact, and couldn't resist the paper flowers (coloured with Pretty in Pink marker) to balance the blossom and suggest "petals" for Petalidi. That ol' white gel pen came in handy again. [seriously, you would not regret investing in one of these pens at only £3.75 code 105021]. I used some lettering from my stash because the colour picked up the splashes of red in the pictures and matting so well.

Hope you like it!

The perfect scrapbook embellishment...

2011-08-15T03:01:00.000-07:00

...and you make it yourself whenever you need one!

I made this page about spring following a post-operative drug- induced sleepless euphoric night! But I never finished it (maybe you have one or two projects like this) because I wanted a photo to jolly it up. Then today I had the idea of letting the words be the focus and jolly-ing it up with some flowers cut with my super-duper daisies die (from SU!). I used a daffodil delight (yellow) ink pad to vary the tone of the flowers and filled in the centres of the flowers with some micro-beads.

Have you got a project you have nearly finished but haven't quite got round to it? Maybe today could be the day you actually complete it!

Thank you...

2011-08-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

...if you made it to my craft day yesterday! I had a great time, met some new crafty friends, and you kindly donated nearly £10 for Cancer Research on the refreshments. I hope you had a lovely time too. Tessa my silk painter guest has blogged about the day here.

I'm now surveying my craft room that looks like there was an earthquake and wondering how to transform it into the spare room for my guests who are arriving in two hours...eeekk.

But let's get our priorities straight! Here are a couple of cards I made today; do not adjust your set, they are out of focus, sorry. I made the stripey lolly by swiping stampin'spots from the brights collection across the paper, and the fruity stamp is from the tangy stamp set. I had to actually eat a lolly in order to be able to make these, but, reader, I did it, just for the sake of the card, of course...

A Special Guest for Thursday's event!

2011-08-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

...Silk painter, Tessa Spanton, will be offering a fabulous and varied introduction to silk painting at my craft event on Thursday including a free make and take as well as a series of workshops!

11.30am         Make a scented sachet or a card (free)

2.30pm          Make a silk necklace or a flower to use as a pendant, hair or hat ornament or
                      corsage. Silk, beads, paint and a bit of glitz are all included (cost £8)

4.30pm          Make a ‘splash’ scarf and wear it home. A blank hemmed silk scarf and paints or dyes are included (cost £10)

Treat yourself to an original silk scarf for yourself or a silk painting for your home. Cards, silk necklaces and prints are also available. You can also watch a silk painting demonstration as Tessa will paint a scarf and have a flower painting on the go.

Find out more about her work by visiting us on Thursday or going to :
www.saa.co.uk/art/tessaspanton

http://www.coloursandtextures.etsy.com/

With great knowledge...

2011-08-07T05:14:00.000-07:00

...comes great responsibility! Now that I know it, I feel I have to share this delicious recipe, the best I have ever tasted, with thanks to Marie, and it's so easy to make!

Carrot and Banana Cake

Ingredients:
8oz SR Flour
2tsp Baking Powder
5oz Muscovado Sugar
2oz Raisins
4oz grated carrots
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
5 fl oz (150 ml) sunflower oil

Blend all the ingredients together and pour into a 8" tin. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 for 50-60 minutes. Cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out. I understand this improves with age but it's never had the chance! You can frost it if you want but it really doesn't need it.

Announcing a summer craft day...

2011-07-27T01:37:00.000-07:00

...at mine on Thursday 11th August!

 Try your hand at glass and felt bead making (free!)

 Make a card (free!)

 Kids’ craft kits and crafting supplies

 Treat yourself to some unique jewellery

 Sample papercraft products

 Stock up on special occasion cards

 Catch up with friends and neighbours

10am – 7pm @ 64 Fengates Road

--- children welcome, bring friends ---

An apple...

2011-07-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

...for the teacher!

We needed a nice big card for my daughter's teacher so that everyone could sign it so I made this apple card, in old olive paper and using the owl punch to make a little teacher-owl.

If I did another one, I think I'd use a square card and mount the apple on as it looks a bit odd on the left...

Woodstock weekend...

2011-07-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

With apologies to my crafty readers who won't recognise anyone!

Most people would probably use facebook but I admit it leaves me very confused, so I've taken the liberty of using this blog to publish some pics from this weekend just gone.

Great weekend everyone, so lovely to see you; so brilliant the way the children all mucked in and were friends from age 1 - 23. No names or captions to protect the innocent! Already looking forward to next year. Big thanks Richard and Sue xxxxx

More flowers...

2011-07-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

...that look almost like real ones (well, at a distance anyway).

This isn't a new idea but it's the first time I've made them. I used the brilliant Flower Daisies #2 die and cut three of each medium and large blooms in the three reds, then 4 little ones in brown for each flower, then stacked them up around a stalk.

This is what the die looks like:

When you get it, it's all black, but it makes it much easier to use if you stick some white sticky labels over the die, run it through your Big Shot, and then just peel away the middle of the flowers. Then you can see exactly whether you've got the paper lined up over the flower you want to cut. It works on felt and fabric and card and you get beautifully perfect crisp flowers every time. StampinUp Code 114520, £16.95

A flower made of flowers...

2011-07-15T03:21:00.000-07:00

...and a therapeutic session stamping and punching. (Sounds like a Combat workout!)

I had fun stamping lots of little flowers using the hostess Pot Pourri set and then cutting them out with the matching punch. I stuck them round the edge of a circle with glue, then the next layer with Dimensionals, then used two layers of dimensionals for the last few petals. It's mounted on torn Certainly Celery then Baja Breeze cardstocks. I just coloured the leaves and stalk with my certainly celery marker and built up lots of layers for a stronger colour. Next time I'm going to stamp blue on blue instead of blue on white, and remember to colour in the leaves before I stick them on!

Serendipity...

2011-07-14T03:56:00.000-07:00

...struck last night, twice! I was experimenting with the enchanting daisies 2 die cutter and wondered whether it would be able to cut foam sheet (I think the brand I tried was called funky foam). The answer is YES, beautifully. So then I wondered if it would make a stamp if you mounted it on perspex. The answer is YES, beautifully. So I experimented in Rose Red ink, which was nice, then decided to do it in Baja Breeze (my favourite colour), but I forgot to clean the stamp. So it started purply-blue and then progressively more baja-ish. And this is what I ended up with. There are a couple of smudges, but I think these two ideas are definitely something to work on!

Have you had a moment where a new idea has come to you by mistake? Do put it in the comments!

I believe in saving money where you can...

2011-07-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

...so you have more money to spend when you want something special!

That's why I decided to make three grunge-style background stamps: Polka Dot, Harlequin and Mosaic patterns instead of buying them. If you want to know how, read on...

You'll need:
A piece of funky foam any colour
Hole Punch (for the polka dot)
Craft knife, pen, ruler (for the harlequin)
Perspex pieces trimmed to size or similar rigid plastic or wood - I used a piece of trimmed broken playhouse window
Good glue
Geometric patterned paper for a template

Polka dot stamp:
Use an office hole punch to punch lots of little dots out of the funky foam. If they get stuck and don't cut properly, fold a piece of scrap paper around the foam (use a different colour to the foam or you'll be picking up paper instead of foam). Take your piece of perspex round off sharp edges with a file if necessary. Tape a suitable geometric paper to the perspex, then get to work sticking your dots to the perspex using the paper as a guide. The more space you cover, the easier it is to use as a background stamp. Done!

Harlequin stamp:
Cut lots of diamonds of the same size. (You can use this method if you want: Cut a strip of foam , say 1.5cm wide. Draw a line at an angle across the strip, measure the line, then mark that length all the way along the edge of the strip, both top and bottom. Cut with the craft knife from each mark to the opposite one, parallel to the first line. Repeat.) Stick the foam diamonds onto your perspex sheet. Done!

Mosaic Stamp:
Chop your foam into random straight-edged fragments. Glue them as closely together as you can onto a block in a roughly square shape. Done! To use, first create the image you want to turn into a mosaic, finish and dry, then stamp the mosaic block over the top of it with versamark, emboss with clear powder, melt with your heat tool, then when it's set, rub all over the image with a contrast ink - this will colour the "grout" lines. Wipe the ink off the embossed areas with a baby wipe or very lightly damp cloth - ta dah! I confess that I spotted this idea on this blog, and there's a great video showing how to make the stamp and get the mosaic effect with this stamp.

If you have any stamps you've made, why not put a link in your comment? I'd love to see them...

There's a bit of the collector in most papercrafters...

2011-07-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

...don't you think? I was just thinking how nice it is to have every colour of SU plain paper from all four of the standing SU collections since my last SU order! Not in a smug way, but just that it was exciting to have everything available for me to use...

So I wondered if you might like a set too...

I have put together a limited number of sets of 6"x6" papers (total 40 pieces) including every one of the SU standing collection (subtles and neutrals are textured, regals and brights are smooth and it does not include the in-colours). I have carefully cut and wrapped these in a whole metre of new certainly celery grosgrain ribbon , for the bargain price of £5.75 for 40 sheets. That is a seriously CHEAP way of getting all the colours. If you're in the Redhill area, you're welcome to collect, otherwise, I'll charge postage at cost. If you'd rather have a set of 12"x6" pages, that would be £11.00 + postage.

Just contact me to buy a pack (or anything else of course!).

I know it's too late for mother's day...

2011-07-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

...so this one's for NEXT year! This is another example using the lovely Springtime Vintage DSP collection, so pretty and nostalgic. The tearing worked out pretty well - I wasn't sure and the first go was all over the place, but I just kept on tearing little bits away until I liked it, hope you do too. If I had the bird punch I would probably have used the branch from that for the bunch of flowers but as I don't, I had to improvise with curly leaves which turned out ok, I think. How would you improve this card? All suggestions welcome!

Got a headache?...

2011-07-10T23:26:00.000-07:00

...get a packet of Panadol!

I saw this idea in Craft Stamper a few years ago and have been using one for postage stamps since then, it's a great shape and pretty sturdy with a built-in fastener. I thought I'd make a new one, using my current favourite Springtime Vintage DSP collection. Just take a Panadol folder packet, and pull out the tablets in the inside. Rough up the surfaces a bit with a nail file, and use double sided tape to attach pretty paper to the cover and inside, and trim down. I used some grosgrain ribbon and cut out a few flowers from the same paper that I used on the inside. Then I used a sponge to edge the whole lot with my top colour, Baja Breeze. I used the "just for you" stamp from Just Believe but didn't ink the "just". This little folder will hold postage stamps, post it's, business cards... all sorts! And it only takes scraps of paper! Hope you like...

Springtime Vintage Designer Paper from the Mini Catalogue p 17

Code 121782 £8.75 for 12 doublesided sheets

I'm loving these butterflies...

2011-07-10T23:12:00.000-07:00

...they're so versatile and great for using up scraps. I used it in yesterday's post, and here's another example. This time, I cut up a Coke can and ran that through the Big Shot with the embosslits die. It works a treat, though you do have to be careful when you're initially cutting the can with scissors as the edges are a bit sharp.

I'm very happy with this simple design. I used glue dots to stick the little butterflies on, I don't think anything else would have done it. I love the contrast of the "night of navy" card stock with the matt silver.

Stampin'Up! Embosslits butterfly die (118138) - a bargain at £10.50

Embosses and cuts 5 butterflies in one easy big shot pass

3 very different window cards...

2011-07-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

... that have come out surprisingly different considering the layout's the same. I'd love to see what they inspire you to create - just put a link in the comments.

First I cut the holes using the extra large plain square punch. Then ran the Daisies die through my big shot, and used Welcome Baby from the current hostess set Something to Celebrate (except I didn't manage to mask the comma grr). The silver elastic gives a really neat finish, don't you think?

I used the embosslits butterfly die to cut out the three butterflies, edged everything in Rose Red ink with a sponge dauber and finished with the rose red binding that I scrunched up a bit first.

A bit out of season I know, but the little chicks are sooo dinky with their funny little eyes and I got the squares wonky so it needed to be something cute. I made the chicks in seconds using the BRILLIANT owl punch. Finished with ric-rac from my stash to continue the wonky theme.

I love the natural look...

2011-07-01T05:37:00.000-07:00

...of the nature walk set. This card was inspired by the cards on this blog, thank you Arlett. I just love this shabby chic effect, easily achieved by building a background using a sponge and a ruler to apply the ink, and quickly inking stamps with the lovely stampin' write pens for a slightly more watery effect.

The paper in the background of the photo is from the gorgeous Very Vintage set, so pretty, it costs £8.25 for 12 sheets of double sided paper, just contact me to order.

My first deliveries...

2011-06-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

...are about to go out and I found a lovely design here for a little thank you gift for the ladies who are about to get their orders. Brenda used something called a Ghirardelli Square but I have no idea what they are! I used After Eights instead (yum, had to test some. Obviously.) and Elegant Soiree paper. I kept embellishment to a minimum because the paper's so pretty I didn't think it needed much else.

Elegant Soiree Designer Series Paper

12 12"x12" double sided sheets - £8.75

You will flip...

2011-06-28T03:26:00.000-07:00

...for this piece of simple but incredibly fun paper engineering. When I saw this one I COULDN'T WAIT to have a go! I take no credit except for finding it, it's on a YouTube channel called stampwithtami and also on her blog.
And here is my first attempt.

Can you believe they're all the same card???? When I have worked out how to film myself with no hands spare I will do a video! You just fold it to get from one little card to the next. It's a card, it's a game! This is a grown up one for my mum using elegant soiree and the just believe stamp set, but kids will love it too with their favourite characters, and it would make a really dinky photo album. LOVE IT!

Will someone please help me stop...

2011-06-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

...with the owl punch already?????

I dug out my circle cutter for this card, then cut out three owl bodies with the owl punch, trimmed the owl ears to make them a bit more catty and used my new hostess set "Something to Celebrate" to make a simple anniversary card for my stash. I like the way the hearts go off the page, hope you like it too. xx

Did Christmas come early or something?...

2011-06-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

I had a very happy day today. My first Stampin'Up! order came through, with loads of goodies for people who've ordered stuff, and a rather large order of lots of irresistible stuff for myself. In fact, SU offer lots of great incentives for new demonstrators, so it was really super value and I am amazed just how much I ended up with, including a hostess stamp set, hostess credits and introductory bonus commission. (Do you want a bit more for your money? All you have to do is get a starter set and share what you do with some friends - contact me for details)

Here's a picture of what I got (but please don't tell my DH!)

The paper on the left is the Springtime Vintage DSP and I am pleased to say I like it even more than I do in the catalogue - the colours are even more appealing irl. Tomorrow morning the lovely Justine is coming over for a paper swap so then I'll even more delicious patterns to choose from. LOTS of new ideas coming up!

Had a hoot last night...

2011-06-24T01:12:00.000-07:00

...playing with my brand new and brilliant owl punch from Stampin'Up. What a versatile product, and the characters it produces are amazing. It will be great for christmas cards, easter, graduation/exams, you name it, it's such a great investment. I could go on, but I'll try to hold back and just show you the results of my playing last night:

The little eyes give them such character don't you think? I cannot take credit for all of these, some of the designs I found on the web, and my daughter came up with the horse.

The punch is available to order from me, it looks like this and normally costs £15.50 + postage. BUT if you order with me by 26th July 2011 with at least one other SU product, and you could collect from me, it will only be £14 and no postage.

As you can see from the design, you can also use it to cut three different sizes of circle and the dinkiest heart too. This is the most versatile punch!

I like little boxes...

2011-06-16T01:37:00.001-07:00

...and I came across a really neat box design yesterday that I just had to have a go at. It's so clever, the lid is built in to the design, and I found it on this blog. This lady is truly commited to papercraft - she must have been cutting and folding non-stop for months to achieve these amazing displays for her wedding and I think she and the decorations looked gorgeous. My first attempt's on the right.

I thought I'd adjust the instructions to convert them to cm and so that you can fit two of the rectangles onto a 12"x 12" page (they measure 14cm x 18cm each). Once you've watched Catherine's video the diagram below will make perfect sense! You just score and fold at the cm lines marked in the circles, cut out the blue shaded bits and use tape where it says.

Hope you find it useful, I'd love to hear how you got on.

It's not an exaggeration...

2011-06-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

... to say I'm passionate about recycling.

Much as I dread my trips to the local dump, I am very good about separating plastic, batteries, tetrapaks, you name it. Quite often I even come back with a little something (in the past, Laura Ashley curtains, a wicker log basket, two reams of A4 paper, wrapping paper, a small wooden table, a metal trunk...).
Today with all the other bits and pieces I had to take a small circle die cutter to be recycled as it has got stuck and no amount of persuasion would loosen it. A helpful attendant agreed to take it to the metals section while I was busy with the batteries and light bulbs. "What's this?" he asked. As I started to explain, he was fiddling with it, and suddenly "pop" and he's only managed to un-stick it. What a star! So, next time you want something fixed, try Scott at Earlswood recycling facility. Thanks Scott, that's what I call service!!!!

Inspiring Art & Craft in Surrey available to all...

2011-06-14T08:54:00.001-07:00

...through Surrey Open Studios.

Did you know there are over 200 artists and craftspeople's studios open to all for FREE over the next fortnight?
I went today with my friend Ruby to artist Barbara Westwell's beautiful cottage in Buckland (near Reigate) which is literally full to the brim with truly gorgeous textiles and mixed media art. To top it all, complimentary homemade elderflower cordial can be enjoyed in her beautifully landscaped garden. A trip not to be missed! You can check opening hours and see some more of her work here, but the photos don't do her lovely work justice, it's worth going if you can.

I can also recommend the Red Lion pub down the road for an excellent lunch.

Taking stamping a bit far...

2011-06-13T23:25:00.000-07:00

..maybe!

I should explain: I had a hostess party at my house yesterday for Stampin'Up! with six lovely ladies who know each other through a knitting group. I made shortbread to fortify us and just couldn't stop myself stamping my shortbread with the round "just believe" stamp...

Does anyone know of a good therapist in the Redhill area?

Slightly fixated on ...

2011-06-11T04:11:00.000-07:00

...Wimbledon colours, apparently!
I stamped this lovely flower again from the Nature Walk set but was really struggling with how to mount it. Then I came across this design on Amanda Mertz' blog which was for a man-card and has a great layout. I thought I'd show how a sketch can really help even when the style is completely different.
If you have an example of using a sketch to create a completely different design, why not put a link to it in the comments?