Party On

Everybody loves a party and I'm certainly having fun with Crate Paper's Pretty Party collection. It has a nostalgic feel which has me turning to the photos from my childhood. Here is a page I made about my little brother and sister dressing up after they had seen me getting ready for a Fancy Dress Parade

Mixing up chipboard and stickers for some layering..



..and using my Slice to cut some greenery to echo the tree in the background of the photo. It's a picture from Siver Jubilee year - have you found yourself going back to photos from past celebrations as we get ready to - party?

Pretty Party and a Pinata

Anyone else a big Crate Paper fan? I'd been looking forward to the arrival of the Pretty Party collection. It's pretty perfect! I was going to say that it's just right for this time of year - but while I wait for some Spring weather to appear here, I discovered that it looks good with Easter pictures too.

This is our Easter Pinata. We have discovered that teenagers who aren't so interested in the Easter Bunny do enjoy hitting things with a big stick. So we fill a pinata with mini eggs and chocolate limes and chewy bananas, they bash it open and then we divide up the spoils.

I made a fringed flower to echo the theme and cut some yellow feathers with my Slice. The doily was a gift from a friend.

You can find Pretty Party right here

It's Just Scraps

It's been a while since I've done a "scraps" for you. But with a kit as lovely as this, how could I resist? I wanted to use up every last little bit and this is what I made:

My inspiration for this page was actually a sheet of  Bazzill patterned paper. It has a line of labels and tickets done the right hand side and I thought it would be an easy trick to try so I used my Slice and a couple of punches to reproduce the effect. The strip on the left hand side is, of course, simply from the bottom of one of the sheets in the kit and the title is cut from the green cardstock in the kit. Give it a try!

Dear Lizzy..

..we think we love you. April's kit is here and it's a beauty! Dear Lizzy's Neapolitan sounds as good as it looks (or should that be licks?). This collection has been selling out all over the place, so I'd be quick - grab all the best bits while Sandra has a couple of kits left.

I made this one with the kit alone..

And then think about adding in a couple of lovely extras. Maybe the Tile letters? or the Ticket Flowers? So pretty!

...and this one with a few added rubons from my stash and lots of Slice cutting

Girls Allowed

We are completely loving the new Echo Park collection This & That here at Gotta Craft. Clare took Graceful and discovered that it wasn't just for girls. Now I've found out that you don't have to be a boy to be Charming

Choose carefully, add some white and a couple of little extras and Charming goes girly. Girls are definitely allowed.

It's Echo Park and it's Charming

We're coming into my favourite time of the year for scrapbooking. How about you? The light is getting better, we're all getting out and about a bit more - and there is even a hint of Easter holiday in the air. When you put all of that together with the new CHA releases? Perfect.

As soon as I spotted the new Echo Park This & That I knew I had to get hold of some fast. And, of course, Sandra's delivery is always very fast, so it arrived the very next day and I made this: 

It's a layout about my nephew and I chose to use the Charming side of the collection. with blues and greens and yellows. You can see some stickers and brads in there :

and a chipboard button. The silhouette and the angel wings I cut with my Slice as a bit of a joke - they look as much like little devil horns as wings, I think!

..and that's "Charming". It looks like a collection for boys, and I do have lots of other ideas for boy pages; but I also think it will work in a more feminine way. Watch this space.

Times & Seasons - Movember

We all love to check out the latest Gotta Craft kit; but it's definitely worth keeping an eye out for other new additions to the shop. Sandra has fresh stock arriving all the time.Recently she sent me some of the new Echo Park Times & Seasons - and it didn't take me long to decide how to use my pick of the papers, Spiffy Mustache:

I made a layout about "Movember". And because I couldn't persuade anyone else in the family to sport a tache for my photo - I added one to a picture of our hamster. It's silly, I know. But Movember is a wonderful cause and Gary was happy to lend his support.

Beard and hat both cut with the Slice

I used some pieces from the sticker sheet and some scraps of Glitz Vintage Blue which Sandra suggested as a great match. She's right - they go together perfectly!

Making Memories with Memorandum

While we wait for Sandra's lovely Christmas kit, I thought I'd show you my Christmas album inspired by November's kit. I've been using the Lilybee Memorandum to put it togethet:

I didn't manage to squeeze the whole thing from the kit - I ordered an extra 6x6 paper pad which made it very easy to decorate my paper bag album.

Becasue of the bags I have extra pockets for pull out pages, and you can see that I am adding in some of the tags from my last post too.

I'll have more to show you as it progresses and if you are interested in a tutorial for a paper bag album, you can find one here on my own blog (did I tell you I gave it a Facebook page? One of my first "likes"? Gotta Craft, of course!). But what about your Christmas album? Anyone making one this year?



Note to Self: Buy More Memorandum

So there I was, crouched in the wet grass, with no coat on, taking pictures of pumpkins and thinking "Sandra, these papers better be worth it".

And of course, they are. November's kit has Lily Bee's stunning Memorandum. This collection is beautiful! every last little bit of it. Honestly, I have already been back to the shop and ordered a Tiny Tablet because I am thinking about using it for my Christmas album this year. See how it looks with a Christmassy page?

The patterns are truly lovely; but what makes this collection so special is the ledger paper reverse sides. Each one is a winner - very easy to use as a background or cut into journaling blocks or mini albums. Check them all out in the shop. But don't hang around taking notes for too long - just remember, supplies of the Memorandum kit and its lovely add on won't last forever!

And those pumpkins? Here they are.

We faked it this year. These ones came from a shop. You'll find that pretty blue ribbon in the kit, along with some cute things I have even started on yet. I'll be back with more..

It's Just Scraps (But it's Spooky)

Okay, I think I'd better hold my hand up from the start and say that this was one of those projects that seemed like a good idea at the time. You know the kind?

It started out as a pile of black cardstock and some blue and grey Authentique papers. They said Halloween to me. Something sophisticated - my two are too big to dress up now, but I thought a few more grown up decorations round the house might be nice. I had spotted a paper chandelier in a magazine and wondered if I could make it work. I did. Just about. Eventually.

Two trips into town, a plea on UKS and a lot of hunting and I had a Halloween punch and two shapes to glue my shapes onto:

I also used my Slice to cut some pumpkins and stars, and lengths of black ribbon to tie it together. If I made one again, I would wrap the shapes in black fabric first and glue onto that to save the base from showing through. But you live and learn! So, wrap two hoops in fabric strips or black wool, and glue punched shapes all over them. I sewed more witches into banners for a drapey effect (they worked well and would make great decorations on their own) and tied the two hoops together with the ribbon. You could also add buttons, streamers , anything to give a really loaded on effect

It did take a few evenings of punching and glueing, but it's a great way of putting scraps to good use. And if Halloween isn't your thing - what about a Christmas version? Or flowers or butterflies for Spring? Just thinking ahead..

A Paper Bag Album

When Sandra sent me some of the Lost And Found Sunshine papers I laid them out, looked at them carfeully and wondered if I could come up with something special to show them off. A layout or two just wasn't going to cut it. So I decided on a mini album:

The front cover

The back cover

Have you ever made a paper bag album? I have a big stack of brown paper lunch bags my brother brought me home from America, so I thought it was about time I had a go. It's so easy! I just folded up the gussets and glued them together. That gave me an album about 6x7 inches, so I trimmed off an inch. Why? So I could tell you how perfect this size would be for using up a 6x6 paper pad!

After that it was quick work choosing and trimming papers to size and embellishing with all the lovely Lost And Found bits and pieces.

You can see that I chose the heavily embellished sections of paper for my covers, lining them up so they looked like a book jacket. It's a good way to showcase the "best bits". And this is the perfect way to use all the pieces from a collection you love.

I was quite happy working away on this one without even an idea of what I could use it for. As I moved the bits around, though, I could see that it had feminine and masculine elements. The sewing machine reminded me of my grandma; and the grey stripes of my Grandpa and his grey cardigans. So it will become an album about the two of them and I hope you like it.

Six Squared

I've been playing around with some of the Authentique 6x6 papers and I think I like them! Actually, I know I like them. I'm always saving up my full sheets of patterned paper because I love to use them as backgrounds - with a 6x6 bundle I can happily cut away without having to worry about spoiling a 12x12 piece. I'm converted.

I made this page with some of the pink patterns from the Uncommon bundle simply by choosing a few favourite patterns and cutting each sheet into quarters. That gave me squares of 3x3 which I arranged loosely into a grid, roughing up the edges a bit for added texture. That crepe paper flower is from Girls Paperie and if you like it, grab a packet while you still can; they aren't being made any more. The wooden butterfly and the alphabet are from my stash.

So, 6x6: have you tried them? I'm going to make some cards next.

Still Blissful

I'm still feeling the bliss from August's kit, how about you?

This page was inspired by the chipboard banners in the kit. I covered them with patterned paper and then added in a few more cut with my Slice. The buttons came from my stash and the little flashes of pink paper are from one of the new stock Authentique 6x6 paper pads. I added some punched butterflies for dimension and a few paint splatters to make my dark background a bit more lively. And at the end I squeezed in my journaling right round the sides.

Now I'm off to see what else I can make with those pink 6x6 squares. .

What have you done with your August kit? Leave us a link!

Blissful - August's Kit

You've caught me in a reflective mood today. It's all because of Authentique's beautiful yellow and grey Blissful Collection. As soon as it arrived here I looked out a photo of me in a favourite grey shirt and I made this:

These papers are so heavy and luxurious they were easy to distress, so I roughed them up a bit. I thought the raggedy edges would reflect the them of my layout which is really about how much my family means to me right this minute. And how I know they are growing up and will want to move out into the world; so my thinking is a bit rough around the edges too! The little fold up journaling card was perfect for my private notes and I added a little brad from my stash to hold it shut.

Here's a bit of detail so that you can see the little flashes of pink on some of the paper.

The colours really are lovely, aren't they? I don't think this kit will hang around for long - so don't delay, buy one today!

It's Just Scraps: Patchworked Papers

So I came home from holiday and I looked at the lovely bits left over from this month's kit and I thought I just had to do another page.

I gathered up the scraps and decided to make a patchwork effect to emphasize the country feel of my photo, with crumpled up edges and some machine stitching. Here it is:

While it was coming together, this is what I thought:

- the distressed edges disguise the wonky edges from the left over scraps

- this kit mixes well with Crate Paper's Emma's Shoppe. That's where my buttons came from

- to add to the scraps I placed some pages from an old dictionary. Any kind of ephemera can bulk out a page if you are running low on the patterned paper you want to use

- I cut my title from the very middle of the cardstock before sticking the rest down

But most of all I thought - doesn't Sandra put together a pretty kit! This one might be my new favourite.

Odds & Ends - July's Kit

Have you ever not wanted to go on holiday? No, neither had I. Until Sandra sent me the July kit and I realised I wasn't going to be able to fit in all the things I wanted to make! It's Cosmo Cricket's Odds & Ends, and it's absolutely beautiful.

It's a kit for cutting into right away, so that's what I did:

with this page about some retro kitchen accessories from a recent shopping trip. The little paper dolls are cut from one of the sheets of paper. I cut the big doiley shape and the red numbers with my Slice and the lovely cream alphas come with the kit. My favourite piece? I think it's that blue dotted paper, but that could change, I'm not finished yet. In the shop here

I'm just butting into Sian's lovely post, to say that July's kit will be going on sale on Saturday 16th.  And to say a HUGE thank you for everyone's kind words, and cards - it's really meant a great deal to me and my family.

Take One Slice..

I have a quick page to show you today, one I made with my new MM Slice and my favourite sheet of paper from April's kit:

Oh, and Pinterest? I love it, how about you?

(More) Girls Paperie..

...because we love it. I've been making cards with mine:

To make the background for this one I layered Girls Paperie stickers onto a piece of card, trimmed the edges and stuck it onto my card

These star embellishments are so pretty they almost make a card on their own. I blanket stitched round the edge and added a rub on from my stash.

Your May Cheat Sheet

How's it going with that May kit?

It's so windy here today that any ideas I had for layouts about the lovely weather at the beginning of the month have all disappeared. Instead I think I'll be doing a "Cast Ne'er a Clout til May be Out" page!

I'm also thinking about:

• National Scrapbooking Day. Did you play along with any challenges anywhere? Or go to a crop? I think I'll have to simply scrap my intentions for this one! That lovely black patterned paper would make photos of any layouts you did really pop.
• The first thing I thought of when I saw that black crystal swirl was "black tie" - any May Balls or Leavers Proms round your way? I nearly used it for a page about an antique black jet evening bag.
• Of course, if the bad weather keeps up, I'll be huddling indoors " Ah! There's nothing like staying home for real comfort!" said Jane Austen and this month's kit would certainly suit a Jane page.
• Across the Atlantic it's "National Get Caught Reading Month" - I wish that would catch on here. But I'm going to make a page about books anyway.
• If it picks up, I'll be out practising a few closeup photos of the garden - the flowers in the kit have inspired me to make some more from patterned paper and I'll be adding those to a page with a seed packet I've saved.
• Bunting! May is definitely a month for bunting. my method right now is to use a small circular punch, fold the circles in half and hook them over some twine.

That's it for May. Maybe you have some ideas for June? Let me know and I'll add them to the list!

Twine Pompoms

String's the thing at Gotta Craft today. The new MME twine is just as gorgeous as it looks in the pictures! I have been playing around with yellow - but I gotta get some more. Soon.

I've been making tiny pompoms because I love to add a bit of texture to my pages. I thought about how I was going to do this, and then I realised that I had a tiny bowmaker from my dollshouse days. It worked perfectly. Here's how:

Bowmaker, twine and a length of embroidery thread. A bowmaker is easy to make with two nails in a block of wood or maybe a big fork might do?

Wrap the twine round the prongs of the bowmaker about eight times

Thread a needle with embroidery thread and pass it underneath the twine, then tie a tight, secure knot. I used green here so that you could see it. A toning colour would be better.

Slip the twine off the prongs and trim and fluff up your pompom

I turned mine into a sunflower and added it to one of the journaling cards from April's kit to make a quick tag.