*Festival*

You saw the sneak peeks, now here they are in full, my designs for the the SBK Club Festival kit which is now available for purchase.

In addition to the kit I’ve used a couple of buttons from my stash and some SBK “Fusion Patch" flowers. The flowers are just a fabulous quality – really thick paper, which meant they didn’t tear when I used them. I hate think paper flowers, I just don’t have the patience for them. Maybe I’m just too rough!

You can find more designs by the design team here.

Birthday {blog} bash!

Firstly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY REBEKAH, whose blog bash this is.

Secondly, WELCOME to my blog if it’s your first visit, and welcome back if it’s not. Hope you’ve enjoyed your blog hop so far!

I sat and thought for ages about what I could do for you. As I’m a card maker and a jewellery maker I thought about doing something there, but most of us have made a card at some point and if you don’t already make jewellery sharing a project with you could prove hard on your pocket if you wanted to have a go. So, instead after much pondering I went with a 12x12 layout. Highly original huh!

There is a birthday theme to it though. Well, sort of. That photo, it’s me when I was a mere ten weeks old. Feel free to go “"awwwww” at this point, or as I did “wow, a face only a Mother would love!” LOL.

I love a distressed look, and thought it suited the age of the photo (which is a copy not the original) so having chosen the papers I set about inking and curling the edges.

The cream 7Gypsies paper was screwed up and sprayed with a small amount of glimmer mist. Once dry it was flattened out and then I went over the crease mounds with distress ink using an inking tool. A little spritz of water to wash the ink and then a quick dab with a cloth, and it’s ready to add to your page.

The flowers are just small lollipop ones made from scraps. I used 1.5”, 1” and 5/8th’s” punches. The edges have been inked and then glued together with good ole glossy accents. The centres have been done with small beads. I added glossy accents then dropped some beads on, once dried I added a second layer so that they pop out a bit.

The leaves were hand drawn, in my case using a fine sharpie pen, and the cut out. I wasn’t precise when doing this at all, either in the drawing or cutting.

Once everything was suitably shabby I stuck all the paper to the cardstock background and then, in pencil, drew where I wanted my “vine” to go for the leaves and flowers. Following that line, and again I wasn’t accurate (I’m far too impatient) I went along the line with a paper piercer and then stitched the vine/stalk on.

Now the fun part, adding the flowers and leaves along it’s length with glossy accents. I tend to keep going until it feels right. You may want more or less.

Then it’s just the addition of a few butterflies with beaded bodies and you’re done.

If you do do a layout based on mine, or using any of the techniques please let me know. Leave me comment as I’d love to come and see it.

Supply list:

• glossy accents
• black pen (I used a sharpie)
• Distress Ink (a brown one) & Inking tool
• Bazzill Cardstock
• Patterned paper: 7Gypsies –Karma, Staastburgh & Requiem ; Basic Grey – Garden Party & Waffles; Giraphic 45 – Domestic Goddess.
• Tim Holtz frame & ticket
• Embroidery thread or scrappers floss in dark green
• Small beads
• Date stamp
• Circle punches
• Butterfly punch (Martha Stewart in my case)
• Border punch
• Paper piercer
• Lace

Thanks for stopping by and joining in Rebekah’s birthday {blog} bash! Your next stop is to the very talented Nicola Booth, so go get yourself a nice fresh cuppa and enjoy the journey.

If you want to go back to Rebekah’s blog you can click here .

A little test

I’ve decided to give Windows Live Writer a go as I get soooo frustrated with blogger when I’m trying to do posts that contain more than four lines, and God forbid a couple of photo’s!

So, this is me, testing it out with a little ramble and a stock photo of some flowers for Mothers Day tomorrow.

Now I just need to figure out how to upload it. Probably did that if you are reading this, and then if I can add a blog so that I can do it for The Mill Pond as well.

Joy Ride anyone...?

Last week Steph over at Indigo Mill sent me a box of Cosmo Cricket Joy Ride papers..... swoon. I love them and thought I'd share a sneaky peek of the layout I have created with them. You can see the full thing over on The Mill Pond.

Where to start...

It's only Wednesday but this week seems to be flying by and I've had lots of fun as well which has led to one abandoned blog... sorry about that.

I just wanted to share a couple of things with you that are getting me excited. Firstly a question though. If you're on a stash diet do you just apply that to pretty paper, or to all things crafty? I'm finding it hard not buying stuff, especially when I keep bumping into Steph over at Indigo Mill on Facebook and she keeps telling me about the new stock she has coming in. You're not being fair lady!

Talking of Indigo Mill though, have you seen some of the goodies that are on the way. Pretty, but not paper (fits in with a stash diet nicely I think), and oh how I want these.... Gillian Gladrag felt making kits....swoon.

I know Rosie would love this Ickle Pickle bag.

Now I don't have a tea cosy, I don't have need for one, but I lurve this one. I may even buy a teapot for it...LOL.

Just because I want to have a go. Another hobby on the cards? I think we need a bigger house.

Bunting... well, we are at the point of Rosie's room needing to be redecorated. She is three soon and needs a more "grown up" room. I think this would look super cute along her wall.

The other thing I am excited about is; Rebekah Brumby is holding a birthday {blog} bash which starts on Friday 19th March. She has a huge list of designers involved and there will be prizes along the way. Check out her blog to get the details and join in the fun!

Now I must dash. The geocaching bug has caught me and there is a GPS with my name on it that needs to be ordered and something for another hobby of mine that needs to be ordered, this time for my jewellery making, that and a box of goodies Steph sent me the other day that keep winking at me. Now all I need is peace, quiet, time and an extension!

I'll be back to share some crafty stuff soon!

Red sky at night

I felt so tranquil when I looked out of the window this evening and my eyes met with this sky. I immediately felt the stress of the day melt away.

Oh sooo tired

I went to bed last night feeling like pooh and have woken up this morning with a stiff neck courtesy of swollen glands. I now have hot eyes and a runny nose. It's beyond funny, I've only just got rid of the last "cold" which lasted the best part of six weeks.

I'm weak, and this confirms it.

Onwards and upwards eh.

On Saturday I'm teaching a class and between you and me, I'm a tad nervous. I have 10 ladies making a BIA 4x4 mini book, all of them new to the world of mini books (I know - imagine that!) so that also means they have never had a go with a BIA either. I gave a mini book demo - well, lecture really, last month with lots of question and laughter along the way. The crop organiser came back and asked if I would put a kit together and teach a class. I feel very honored to have been asked. I must have done something right!

I already have everything packed and ready to go. I've chosen the lovely 7Gypsies Notting Hill papers for them to use. I do hope they like them. Fingers crossed my BIA will come back in one piece and nobody will lose any fingers along the way (there are a couple of care in the community amongst them...LOL). Either way I'm sure there will be just as many laughs as last month.

That's my in progress version in the middle. Not the wire it will have on it as I'm recycling one I used to demonstrate how the BIA works.

I've also decided that today is as good as any day to start my "Week in the Life" project of Ali E fame. I was sat flicking through my copy of Life Artist last night and thought - why not, what are you waiting for? It's not as if life is going to change much and it is all about recording the day to day things. I've taken a couple of photo's so far for today and my diary will serve to take notes. Then all I need to do is get an album sorted out, a scrummy AC one with lots of those new page protectors they do to hold photo's in.

While I'm sitting here uploading images and typing away, Rosie is downstairs watching her latest obsession. That is her obsession for today, to which she was introduced by Chris last night. Danger Mouse! Love it, after all he's fantastic, he's amazing, where ever there is danger he'll be there......

Got the theme running through your head now...LOL. I have.

It'll stick

but only if the wind blows!

I've had a copy of this photo of Rosie pinned to the wall by the PC for ages and keep meaning to scrap it, so with a the kids free day disappearing faster than I care for, I printed out a copy and did a fast scrap. When I say fast it actually took me just over an hour.

Lots of distressing and inking going on, some Maya Road pins and an idea pinched from the extremely talented Rachael - a little piece of lace tucked behind a rip in the paper (hers is much nicer though).

Right, that's it from me for today. I've been a right little blogger the last few days. There will probably be tumbleweed rolling by next time you visit!

Thanks for stopping by.

Feeling a bit sneaky today....

I know it's irritating for some, but hey, I thought I would share two sneak peeks with you this morning.

First up, it's CJ time again. This month I have Sarah's journal, "If I were"... a chance to fantasise about who or what you would be if you weren't you right now. Does that make a word of sense? LOL. Answers on a postcard if you can guess what fantasy I have.....

Secondly another sneak from the SBK Club layout which I've now finally managed to get a decent shot of. I know once the summer comes I'll be complaining about light reflections on the photo's. Ah but we complain so well, and as I always say; have talent - use it!

Oh - and don't forget, you have until Saturday to join in the challenge set by Nicola over on the Indigo Mill blog!