Clare Curd Crafts Blog Party

  Over at Clare Curd Crafts we're having a party to re-launch our design team blog.  We have been joined by some fabulous new design team members and today they are showcasing their talent.  Hop on over and take a look, and if you sign up to our newsletter you could be in with a chance of winning these fabulous goodies:

  You can find all the detail on how to enter here.

 For my project I decided to make a little notebook with the Boy Crazy range by My Mind's Eye.  I love this range - it's so bright and funky - just perfect for boys!

  I wanted to make some sturdy covers for the notebook, so I cut some cardboard (I used cereal boxes) to fit inside a c6 envelope, and then sealed the envelope shut.  I love this method of making covers for notebooks and mini albums, its so much easier and quicker than trying to cover chipboard.

  I used layers of the patterned paper taken from the 6x6 pad to decorate the front cover.  Then I added some of the felt stickers - these are fabulous:

  I used the alien sticker to draw around and make a template, and then sewed two aliens out of my stash of felt (the yellow one is hiding) and attached them to the spine with a clasp.

  For the inside I wanted to create pockets that the recipient could store things in.  I sealed an envelope shut again and cut it in half to create two pockets, all I did then was to cover them with the patterned paper and pop some sheets of white paper inside:

  To create four more pockets I used some clear plastic bags - the type that you buy to store or sell your cards in, and simply cut off the adhesive strip at the top.  You can just about see it on the left hand side below - I've put some paper inside it so that it shows up:

  I hope you like my little notebook and I hope you have a go at making one yourself!

 Here are the products that I used:

Clare Curd Crafts Blog Re-launch!

  On Monday August 19th Clare Curd Crafts will be holding a party to re-launch their design team blog.  All design team members old and new will be taking part and sharing their latest projects.  Starting at 10am Clare will be offering a fabulous 10% off everything, free delivery AND a free gift with every order!  Plus:

  Clare is offering this amazing  smash prize (RRP £23.99), to be in with a chance of winning it all we ask is that you help us to publicise this exciting event.  You will need to share this image via facebook, blogger, or twitter and for each share you will gain one entry into the draw.  Just let us know that you have done so and leave a comment on the DT blog!

  The winner of this prize will be announced at the blog party - good luck!

A Charming Giveaway

  Hi everyone, I'm holding a little giveaway over on my youtube channel, it's for some of my charms (I have quite a few).  If you'd like to win pop on over and leave a comment!  Click here to be taken to the video.

  Check back here next Friday (14th June) to see if you're a winner!

A SIMPLE JOURNAL

    Hi I'm back again with another project that I've made for the Clare Curd Crafts DT blog.  Once again I've used one of Teresa Collins' paper collection kits.  This time it's the Fabrications Linen pack.  You get nine double-sided 12x12 patterned paper sheets (I say paper but it is more like a thin card) and a die-cut accessory sheet for £7.49.

  The journal measures 6 x 4 inches and to create the cover I simply took a sheet of  6 x 8 1/4 inch cardstock and scored it at 4 inches and 4 1/4 inches.  This creates a 1/4 inch spine.  For my inside pages I folded sheets of cream and kraft paper in half and stitched them to the spine using a pamphlet stitch.  I used a waxed linen thread but you could use anything to do this.  The stitch is so easy to do and I love the effect. I attached some beads to the ends of the thread but you could just simply tie a bow with them.

  I used two sheets of the patterned paper for the front and inside cover and I inked the edges with Tim Holtz's black soot ink pad.  I added one of the pieces from the accessory sheet to the front cover but left it blank as this journal is for a swap that I'm taking part in, the recipient can add their own title later.

  I decorated the inside pages with some border strips, banners and some of the circles from the accessory sheet which I stuck to the edges of the papers to create some tabs.

  This picture shows the middle of the journal - here you can see the stitching that holds it all together:

  I hope you have a go at making one of these journals - they are so easy to make - they take no time at all to put together.  I will be posting a video on my youtube channel soon of my journal, but in the mean time if you have any questions on how to make one please leave a comment. 

New DT position

  I was delighted when I was asked to be on the Clare Curd Crafts design team.  Clare's shop is relatively new but stocks an assortment of fabulous goodies including many lines by my favourite paper designer Teresa Collins.  Her new collections are gorgeous - she has developed a whole range of stunning co-ordinating embellishments including garlands and file folders, I want the whole lot!

  For my first post I wanted to create a card using one of Teresa's older lines: Spring Fling.  Clare sells the collection pack, paper pad and chipboard elements.  Joanne created a fabulous card with the paper on Tuesday, but I thought it might be a nice idea to create another card and show how versatile this paper line is. 

  To make this card I just used the 12x12 paper pack which includes 9 sheets of double sided patterned paper and a die-cut accessory sheet.  This paper pack is such a great price too - £5.75!

  At the minute I am obsessed with making mini cards, they are a great way of using up scraps, this card measures 4 3/4 by 4 3/4 inches.  The card blanks that I used are by Craftwork Cards - Clare sells the larger sized blanks here.  I love the scalloped edges!  

  Firstly I embossed some white cardstock with a hexagon embossing folder and then placed the paper on top.  I edged all of my paper with Tim Holtz's pumice stone ink pad to get rid of those horrible white edges.  These are currently on offer with 10% off the whole range making them only £4.05 each.  The ticket, sentiment and large butterfly are all from the accessory sheet, and I cut the smaller butterflies from one of the paper sheets.  Then I just added a bit of bling to complete the card. 

  If you want to see some more projects that I made with this paper pack check out my youtube video here.

  Thanks for stopping by!

Melissa.

APRIL SCRAP MAP AT CCW

   Hi, it's the first saturday of the month again so that means that it's time for another scrap map challenge over at Creative Craft World.  It would be great if you could join in and create a project using the sketch, and don't forget you could be in with a chance of winning a fabulous prize.  Here is the great sketch:

  I decided to use the sketch to create a page in a Simple Stories snap album that I'm creating for my sister for her birthday.  I used their range of "Fabulous" papers, anyway here it is, I think I need to add something else to it, but I'm not quite sure what yet!

  Once again we are running in addition to the challenge a blog hop, so if you've come here via Lydia's page  you are on the right track.  Remember you need to leave a comment on every DT member's blog post to be in with a chance of winning.  The next blog that you need to visit is Sarah's Little Snippets.  Good luck!

MARCH SCRAP MAP AT CCW

  I can't believe a month has flown by, but here I am with another great sketch for you to follow from the talented Sue at Creative Craft World.

  I decided this month to show how versatile the sketches are and make a card, in fact I'll probably be doing this from now on as I do tend to struggle with layouts.  

  The card measures 6 x 4 inches and has been made using Prima's Almanac papers.  The edges of all the papers, and the black card itself have been distressed, and the papers have been edged with both a vintage photo and an antique linen distress ink pad.  I hand sewed around the edge using a thick crochet cotton.  Then to make the three circles stand out more I added glossy accents to them.  

  We've decided to have another blog hop this month, so you have two chances to win a fabulous prize.  You could either upload a photo of a project that you've made using the sketch or follow our blogs and leave a comment as you go.  If you'd like to join in the next blog on your list is Sarah's Little Snippets.  And if you've arrived at my blog after visiting Lydia's blog then you're on the right path!

Feb Scrap Map at CCW and a Blog Hop

  Hi everyone, it's the first Saturday off the month and that means that it's time for another scrap map challenge over at the Creative Craft World blog.  Once again there is a fabulous sketch to work with:

  This time you get two chances to win some great prizes.  You could either create a layout using this sketch, post a link to it on our blog , and you could win a guest DT spot, a generous discount and one of our kits, OR join us for a blog hop.  Simply visit the DT's blogs and leave a comment on each one and at the end it could be your name that gets drawn to win a fab crafty prize!  
  
  If you are joining in on the blog hop you will have arrived here from Sue's blog the next blog on your trail is Sarah's Snippets, good luck!!!

BEAT THE CHRISTMAS RUSH AT CCW

  As usual last christmas I had loads of homemade gifts and cards that I wanted to make, but once again I ran out of time.  So when Sue suggested that each month us design team members make at least one christmas card to be posted on our blog on the 25th of every month I thought it was a great idea.

  So here are my cards for this month:

  So that's two cards done!  I hope you will join us and  post your christmas cards on the Creative Craft World blog.  Every month each of the design team members will be picking their favourite cards from the entries and featuring them on our blogs, and if you post at least one card a month until November you could be in with a chance of winning a fabulous prize.

  And don't forget we have two other challenges running this month, you could either enter our scrap map challenge or enter our mini kit challenge where all you need to do is upload a picture of a project that you've created using Kraft cardstock, there are some great prizes on offer!!!

MINI KIT PROJECTS FOR CCW

  Every month at Creative Craft World a new mini kit is available to purchase.  They're perfect for creating layouts, cards or other small projects and this month I was lucky enough to receive one to have a play with.  I decided to make a small mini album and a matching card.

  The album measures 3x3 inches and the base is made from one piece of 12x12 cardstock.  You can find the tutorial here if you fancy making one.  For the front cover I cut the top from one of the tags that I received in the kit and adhered it to the left hand side of the cover so that I could thread a piece of ribbon through the hole. The ribbon then follows underneath the paper on the front and back cover to form the closure for the album.  
  I then decorated the front cover with a piece of ribbon, a chipboard butterfly (the glitter is cinnamon stickles) and some black pearls.

  On the inside there are 7 internal pages so there's plenty of room for pictures or journalling.  I added a little pocket to the front cover to hold a small tag.

  
 Please visit our blog to see what the other design team members made with their kits, and if you'd like to buy your own you can purchase it and previous kits from here.

 CCW'S SCRAP MAP

  Here is my first layout for Creative Craft World's monthly scrap map challenge.  All the design team members were given the same sketch to work with and it's a corker!  

  Now I'm not a scrapbooker - layouts scare me but I was determined to have a go and see what I could come up with.  One of my new year's resolutions was to finally get around to using my smash books (I have quite a few) so I decided to use the sketch and "smash" my first page.  Here's what I came up with:

  I used Kaisercraft's rock pool papers and some photos of two of my boys on the beach at Southport from last year.  There is some hidden journalling underneath the top picture.
  
  Thanks for stopping by, please check out Creative Craft World's challenge blog to see how the other DT members interpreted the sketch, and also if you fancy having a go yourself there's a fantastic prize up for grabs.

Countdown to Christmas

  I was so chuffed when Lou from Creative Craft World asked me to take part in her "Countdown to Christmas".  Every day in November she and her design team share on their challenge blog a christmas make to get us all in the festive mood.  
  I spotted this on youtube and thought it would be a perfect project to use for my countdown creation!  All you need is five 3x3 inch pieces of card or paper, two 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches pieces, some  narrow ribbon and a bead.  The full instructions can be found here.
   

  The ornament starts off looking like this - you could use it as a cute tag on a present, you pull the bead along the ribbon and the tag pops open.

  Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a go at making one!
  

Craft Island's Blog Hop

  Hi everyone - this is your first stop on Craft Island's christmas blog hop.  We were all given BoBunny's mistletoe collection to work with - the papers are so bright and cheery!

   I decided to make a simple mini album with the 6x6 paper pad - it was so much fun to make and would be great to give as a gift.  For the base I used a piece of bazzill cardstock measuring 10 3/4 inches by 5 1/2 inches.  I scored it at 5 inches and then again at 5 3/4 inches (along the 10 3/4 inch side) to create the cover.  

  On the spine I used some eyelets and ribbon to make a handle, and then on the front I used one of the cutouts from the Santa's List 12x12 sheet and used glossy accents on the letters.

  Then inside I made a little accordion pullout which has room for 7 photos.  The little book is held shut with a velcro dot.
  

  Then on the other side is space again for 7 photos, or for some simple journaling.

  Lastly I made a cute 3x3 inch card and matching envelope.  I decorated the card with some of the matching flowers from the collection.

  Thanks for visiting and remember to leave a comment if you want to be in with a chance of winning one of the 12x12 collection packs!  Next up is Katy's blog where she has made a gorgeous 12x12 layout.

Xmas projects using MME Lost and Found

  This time for my Craft Island design team projects I decided to use My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Christmas collection and make a card and a small mini album.  This is one of my favourite MME collections - the glitter is gorgeous!!  The card that I used throughout is bazzill's java cardstock which I find compliments a lot of MME's collections.

  I decided to make a 6x6 inch card and attached a piece of card at the bottom to turn it into an easel shape and ensure that it didn't fall over once displayed.  I used one of the chipboard pieces from the collection on the front and back of the card, and used cream card to line the inside and hide the joins.

  Then I made a box for the card.  I am useless at making boxes - the lids are always too big for the base, I get round this buy cutting slits in the lid box and attaching this to the base with tape.  This time I used two die-cuts from the accessory sheet to decorate the box.

  The mini album is 4x4 inches square and each page inside has two side pockets and a pocket in the middle for tags.  For the front cover I simply used one of the die-cuts from the accessory sheet and some safari bazzill cardstock.  The whole thing is bound with bead chain to which I've attached some christmas charms.

For further details and a closer look at both projects check out my youtube video!

FIRST CRAFT ISLAND DESIGN TEAM CARDS

   I decided for my first project to make a few cards with the "On The Sunny Side" collection by My Mind's Eye. The papers and embellishments are perfect for summer layouts and mini albums but you can also make some fun cards with them.

Both cards measure 6x4 inches and have been made using bazzill's lava cardstock as their base. In the first one I've simply layered papers from the paper pad and used my Martha Stewart scallop punch. I've used a die-cut from the accessory sheet, and have matted this using the cardstock and then raised it up with foam tape. The little flower in the corner is from the chipboard sheet. I've added glossy accents to both although it doesn't show up too well in the picture.

On the second card I've used a Tim Holtz on the edge die (butterflight) and added blue pearls to the centre of the butterflies. I've used papers again from the 6x6 paper pad. The flower is from the chipboard sheet and I've added glossy accents again to this. I've also added glossy accents to a line of the butterflies on the paper for added detail.

Fab News!

  Okay I know I have been neglecting my poor blog for a while, I set up a youtube channel last year and have been using that to show my "creations" off instead.
  Well I've recently had some fabulous news - I've been chosen by Jacqui to be part of Craft Island's design team along with Debbie who will be making some great mini books and altering things and Katy who will be producing stunning layouts.  My role is cardmaker!!!!  We are all joining Kirsteen who is taking a is taking a break from blogging at the minute as she has just had a baby.   I am really excited and nervous at the same time, wish me luck!!!!

I'M STILL HERE!!!!!!

  I know I haven't been around for ages but family life has got in the way of my blogging and crafting. My little princess Tilly is just a monthish from being 1 - I can't believe it - the months have flown by!!!  She's just started walking - she looks adorable wobbling about!

 

Elliot has grown too - he's 2 1/2 now - he is obsessed with dogs and crawls about the house barking!

 .

  Since I've been away from blogland I've developed a new addiction - felt!!!  I love how simple it is to create cute things with no sewing skills whatsoever!!  Anyway I thought I'd show you a few of my makes!

  This is a cute little owl that I made for my Mum for xmas.  The pattern came from this great book - its got loads of ideas for xmas makes - they're releasing a second book in June and I've already pre-ordered it!

Here is another xmas decoration that I made - the pattern is from the same book as the owl.

And here is my scary zombie - I got the pattern for him from this fab book.

 

I also stitched some felt flowers and layered them to use for the centrepiece of a card: