Buying with free vouchers!

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I received some vouchers from cashing in my hot-points! Woooo hooo!!!

So a small spend up was in store….

This is my spend up result…

2 left card stock is from – Heidi Grace -only time range =- beautiful!!!
and the 5 card stock from the right is from the – Heidi Grace – day dream believer range…. amazing!!!
I got this card stock and squeeze punch from Eastgate branch of the Wharehouse.

Then I got my funky heart squeeze punch… well over due for one of those. It is replacing my Carl craft heart punch. and then 3 adhesive tape runners. my fav way of using adhesive. No mess. This is different to the one I usually get. (orange 3L) so I hope this is just as good or better. Its the same price. The orange 3L ones are out of stock around town at all warehouse stationery shops so I don’t think they are getting any more of those around. I grieve for my fav product!!!!

Well ok that over and done with I’ll take off and blend all of it into my stash… lol just so hubby knows I didn’t over spend…. yet again. Yes it all cost more than $40!!! lol

Caddies….

I have made these…. totally inspired by Debby’s video… Thanks Debby!

made with odds and ends from my stash.

The star and circle are punched with my Fiskars squeeze punches. All paper/card stock cut with a Fiskars trimmer.

Great for putting those sweets and things in for your neighbors.

Simple Santa – tree decoration

I made up this little fellow after my daughter handed me a triangle of red felt.

After making one I thought. Hmmm could be a simple how to for my blog so here it is….

Things needed:

• polyester filling (stuffing)
• Red felt
• White felt
• Google eyes
• Needle and thread
• Scissors
• Fiskars circle shape template
• Pen or pencil
• Glue gun

Step 1:
Using the white felt cut out a 3″ circle using the template and a pen to draw on the felt and cut out. Then cut from the red felt,  3″ (7cm) on the long side, a triangle.

Step 2:
Take your needle and thread – weave it up and down around the outside of the circle.

Step 3:
Stuff the middle of the circle and pull the cotton so the circle makes a ball type shape. Sew into place.

Step 4:
Sew on the hat by attaching it to the back of the “head” you have now made and sew up the triangle to make a pointed hat.

Step 5:
at the top of the hat make a loop so that it can hang off the tree and tie a knot to finish off.

Step 6:
Sew the rest of the hat into place. (doesn’t matter how messy it is you’ll be covering it up soon)

Step 7:
Heat up your glue gun. And glue on the polyester filling around the hat and at the top of the hat.

Step 8:
Glue on the eyes then some more polyester filling to make a beard.

You are done! Congrats you have a Simple Santa to hang on your tree.

Have fun! If you make one of these post a comment here and a link so I can see yours. Thanks so much.

Celebrations

This card and slip envelope was made for friends that have been married for about 20 years! Wow! what a great achievement!

I used Fiskars Threading Water Boarder punch, and Fiskars ultra shape express with heart template. The light coloured paper is stamped lightly with Inque Boutique – Stephanie Barnards starter pack (swirls) And I also used some Kindy Glitz to bling it up a bit.

Heaps of fun! The size of it is one 12×12 sheet folded in half. A long card for a long marriage.

This is a normal sized card for another friend that had their birthday on Sunday.

All from bits from my stash.

On the small writing it says “Have Fun! Enjoy yourself! Its later than you think!”

Just so him! lol

Hey don’t forget to check out the above links in the events online box here on my blog. There are Silent auctions going on at Fiskars ANZ blog! Great Prizes!!!

Recycling icecream containers.

Hi everyone.

Have no smallish box to put that special present in for Christmas/birthdays?
Never fear you probably have……

1. First eat all your icecream out of your 2 litre container…. the yummy part.
2. Measure the lid and cut your plain cardstock so it fits nicely.
3. Measure the sides and bottom of your containter and cut plain cardstock to fit. (this covers the container label)
4. Take out your stamps and stamp up a decorative paper for the occasion you are wrapping for.
5. And walla! you have your “gift box” !!!!!

The inside view:

Use coloured tissue to pack it up then add your pressie

And with a ribbon and card:

 

looks just fab!

Heaps of fun! Fast, and easy peasy!

Happy recycling

Heaps of creating…

Well I have surprized myself yet again. I throught I had crafted myself out for a while! lol

Well no…..

The above 12×12 layout was done with Heidi Grace – little birds tale range from a layout class at Just Buggin.  I also used the corner boarder punch by Fiskars for the frame of the photo.

The above 12×12 layout also opens up….

I weaved my own background paper (one inch x 12″ long)they were bits left over in my stash that were just sitting around so decided to use them. This was also a layout class at Just Buggin.

Letter stickers were left overs too from various Heidi Grace and Cloud 9 letter sticker sheets. Flower patterned paper is from The Warehouse and is sparkly. Forget the make. sorry.

The above layout is inspired by Donna Salazar. A very talented artist and scrapbooker. If you want to know how to make the paper layered flowers go to see Leah Fungs blog. There is a video there showing you how.

I used cloud 9 yellow vellum flowers, old cut up denim jeans, spritz bottle of red watercolour paint, pulled apart silk flower, kaiser craft wooden flourish, Cloud 9 raindots, Kindy Glitz, Heidi Grace rubon boarder, Cloud 9 letter stickers, and a cardboard box, pages from a readers digest book. And other odd stuff from my stash.

Then there is my sewing…. Above is a bean bag for my daughter. Its made out of fluffy material my mum gave me. Fantastic stuff! I have made the cases for my sons bean bag but it isn’t stuffed yet…. Next weeks thing.

Above is my sons Thomas the tank engine pillow. I was lucky enough to have all the colours. Just the right size for a little 19 month old to hug and hall around with him. 12″ x 8″ in size

Oh my gosh there is more……

the three cards I had done a while ago but I forgot to post them up so here they are. Using cloud 9 vellum flowers, Fiskars scrapboss xmas template, and cloud 9 – Christmas is stamps.

The above was an experiment from the Ultra shape express and Christmas template.

I also have some stuff in a magazine! The banner of the fiskars craft blog is shown on the right hand side, above right…. its mine! something little but I think that is cool!

It was from the right magzine. I usually only buy mags in packs.

That magazine is vol 14 issue 1

big “TOOOT!!!” for me!

I have also added something on the beginners scrapbooking page here. so have a look.

Happy Crafting everyone. Thanks for reading.

The “It” factor

Ok I’m no photographer.
And I haven’t had any training at all in that area. But I do know what I like when I see it….
heance the “it” factor.

The “it” factor is in most fields. In Design, Scrapbooking, Crafting, Internet site design etc….

Here are some do’s and don’ts I’ve discovered today in my own photography.
If you have any suggestions please tell me. I’ve love to learn how to take decent photos especially when its part of my craft – Scrapbooking.

Thanks so much for looking. I hope I have helped you take your own photos. And if you have some advice please put a comment below.

Have a great day!

Christmas cards….

I’m so excited that Christmas is almost here. I just love this time of the year when I start thinking about Christmas projects and the build up is always fun! And extra special now that I have kiddos too.

Here are some Christmas cards I made up with the Christmas Cardstock I stamped up the other day…

Also using some ribbon, glitter glue, 3D stickers, rhinestones

Yes a few more! inspired by Aust Cardmaking mag issue 14 vol 1

Other cards I ended up making too.

Thanks so much for looking and I hope I have inspired you to make some Christmas Cards for your friends and family this year.

Lino and eraser cutting

Hi!

I’ve been revisiting my old crafting skills….. lino cutting….. (and eraser cutting)
I’ve been wanting some bird stamps for a while as as the credit crunch has been hitting everyone. Its also hitting us in New Zealand too.

The craft budget has been put down a notch or too. But never fear! Thats great news to you as I will be making a lot more things instead of buying them! Yea… so? you ask? Well that means if I make it I’ll show you how to make some for yourself as well! Via video or PDF file!

Right after saying that I’ll show you my new creations….

Lino cuts and eraser stamps

 I bought some lino cutting tools (wood cutting tools) from an art shop years ago. did a few lino cuts and didn’t end up doing any more for a long time until now…..

I found at The Wharehouse store some woodcutting tools for under $5! Thats a real bargain! Warning though. Even though they are called woodcutting tools they only cut soft woods like bulsa or lino or erasers. You can also buy from the same place a pack of 8 erasers for $2!!

Now thats Eight home made rubber stamps for $7 initial outlay! And you don’t have to buy the tools again and keep cutting more rubber stamps out of erasers and get even more bang for you buck! cool aye!

Right after all that said. What I did was pour through the internet looking for bird images I could utilise as stamps…….. This is what I found…..

Image used under copywrite permission of Steve Hearn

Steve Hern is a wonderful Caricature artist. visit his blog/website here. I emailed him to ask if I could convert is wonderful birdy into a stamp and he said yes as long as I use it for personal use only. I wouldn’t dream of selling this! It isn’t mine!

I also with the image of a bird in a circle that is from Denise Clendenin. She is a font artist. Very cool. Again this is copywrited and only for personal use. Here is one of her websites….Da font. or you can just google her and there comes up with other font sites with her work on.

 

Various Lino cutsThe flower, and butterfly is my own and the dolphin I think is of a clip art I had on a previous program..... ummm did that in about 2006 so I cannot be sure. But it isn't my original image anyway. Sorry I cannot give proper credit here.

Lino is best cut warm too. I heated mine over a toaster.

Eraser stamps - flowers

I also did the above eraser stamps. Just experimenting here.

Right I think you lot need a video after all that on how to make your own eraser stamps. So here it is…… 3min 45 sec long.

Happy crafting!

Christmas is coming fast!!!

Oh my gosh!!! Christmas is coming so fast! October already…. right some Scrapbook papers are in the shops now but they are scarce what do we do when the right ones are just not there?

Stamp your own with Christmas stamps and stamp pads you already have…..

Stamped Christmas cardstock

I used
cloud 9 – Christmas is… – Clear stamps
Fiskars stamp press
Whispers ink pads
Plain cardstock

Left pattern I swiped the ink pads on an angle to make rough Christmas tree patterns in the background then stamped.

Right pattern I swiped the ink pads from top to bottom of the paper to make the stripes then stamped.

Bottom pattern I “drew” the swirls with the inkpads directly then stamped.

Here is the video on how I did the top paper: about 2min long

 

Enjoy your day…..