Sad news...

...to come home to.

As I walked in from work this evening, the Ansafone was beeping. There was a message from our cousins in Yorkshire to say that Aunty Lily had passed away this morning. Aunty Lily was my FILs sister and it is strange how she has passed almost two years after my FIL (Beginning of Oct 2008).

Aunty Lily has been suffering from Alzheimer's for a number of years so has not really 'known' the family for some time. However it is still very sad that she has now gone as this leaves even fewer of that generation within the family.

Rest in peace Aunty Lily.............................

Christmas Blog Candy...

...over at Scrapology (thank you to Jules at Scrapping Mojo for bringing this to my attention)
Just look at all this lovely Christmas stash up for grabs - you really should go take a look..................

More of a...

...boy thing.

I remembered to get some pics of the boyish colour schemed mini-book that I had already handed over to Helen.

Without making it too bulky this can be decorated by using border punches & and 'round the page' style punches so that it is still reasonable to pop in the post - possibly containing the latest pics of a grandson for grandparents (a change of colour scheme would make it suitable for any occasion).

Red/White/Blue - colours that easily adapt for a boy theme.
Some contrasting CS matting ready to have pics attached.
More matting and some pockets for tags and the odd little note that the sender may wish to include.

The book is very easy to make and uses very little by way of materials.

2 sheets of 12x12 doublesided PP (light CS weight)
Co-ordinating CS for matting/layering/tags
Self-adhesive gems
Narrow co-ordinating ribbon

Take each of the 12x12 sheets and decide which design you want showing on your pages. Place that side face down on your work desk. Measure 3 inches down from the top and score right across the sheet - fold down towards the middle of the sheet. Measure 3 inches up from the bottom of the sheet - score and fold up to meet the top flap. You now have a piece 12x6. Fold this in half so the two short ends meet - you now have a piece 6x6. Repeat with the other sheet of 12x12.

Making sure the side where the two flaps meet stays on the outside of the 6x6 folded piece, slot the two sheets together to make a four-page book. Open out flat and punch a hole on the fold 1 inch from the bottom edge and another 1 inch down from the top edge (these will be used to thread ribbon though to hold the whole thing together).

Before you put the book together you need to seal the flaps on the outside of the book - I did this by cutting a 12 inch piece of CS and punching the long edges both sides with a loopy border punch (you could use ribbon if you prefer). The ribbon can now be threaded through joining the two folded sheets and tied in a knot on the outside.

You will still have the inner sheet with the flaps un-sealed - I folded back each side near the outer edge to create a 'lapel effect' which makes it easier to slot tags into the pockets and sealed the remainder of the flap with a mat. The basic book is completed by adding some more matting and a bit of decoration - already for the photos to be added.........................

More demo...

...items.

I mentioned a while ago that I had been asked to make some demo pieces for Helen's shop, Craftily Creative - it's the place I attend a crop every other Thursday.

Helen wanted a selection of sample items that she could display around the shop to show customers the variety of things that can be made with cardmaking/scrapbooking stash. I have already done the Girlie friendship journal that has been posted on here. I also did a boyish brag wallet that I forgot to take pics of (I will try to remember tomorrow when I go to drop off the latest items).

With Autumn hitting us hard & fast it brings home the fact that Christmas is not far away and preceeding that there will be the school & church bazaars...

I decided to make something that would be quick and easy and not very expensive - ideal for these events. I have made a notelet wallet.
This really is very easy to do and when I get a spare moment I will try to make one taking pics at each stage of construction. The wallet is a sheet of A4 card (I used white 290 weight), scored and folded to create the pockets to hold the notelets. A bit of gold card and some Christmas paper decorate the front and some pretty striped ribbon holds it all together.
The envelopes were shop bought (there are so many places where you can get good quality ones at very little cost, it wasn't worth the effort of making them from scratch) and decorated with seasonal peel-offs. The notelets were created from smooth white card - A5 folded in half - and again decorated with Christmas paper and straight border peel-offs. My set can be used as thank you notes after Christmas but any theme could be used.

The second item in this post is a pretty BIA bound mini-album.
I have only photographed the outside as the inside is just plain white bazzill pages that the owner could decorate however they want. The frame effect was adapted from a class project created by Annette West/Voodoo Vixen (link to the right at the top of my fav blogs). The frame is ideal for decorating - I have used a piece of a paper doily, hand made paper roses, paper rose buds and some ribbon, along with some nested punched ovals that a title can be added to.

I hope Helen is pleased with them.............................

All tattered...

...but not torn.

I was very lucky today - I managed to get both the Tattered Florals and the new Tattered Leaves dies. I have wanted the 'florals' since they came out but had almost resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to get when...ta da!!! What was hanging on the wall in Pinnacles but both these very sought after dies. Not sure what I'm going to make with them right now as I think a period of package stroking is in order - well, at least for a little while LOL...................

Help for Heros...

...concert.

We have family in the forces - my cousin's son and my niece's husband. Both have served out in Iraq for more than one tour of duty and their safety is always foremost in our thoughts when these postings occur.

Tonight's concert for the Help for Heros charity was a wonderful event to see - and great that it was supported by so many celebrities, young & old. The work that the charity does is amazing and it was fabulous to see so many servicefolk & their families at this event. I have to admit to shedding a tear or two throughout the evening and a fair few more when Robbie Williams brought the evening to a close with "Angels".

It was great to see everyone wearing the Help for Heros wristbands - I have had mine for over a year and I wear it with pride.

A very big thank you to the charity for all they do but an even bigger thank you to all the lads & lasses who put their lives on the line on behalf of this Country...you are all Heros to me.........................

It's a...

...girl thing.

Helen who runs our Thursday night crop asked me if I would consider making her some mini-book samples for the shop so that folk could see that the materials she sells can be used for other things than just card making & scrapbooking.

This is the first one I have completed.
Although a bit "Little Princess", the idea was to make it 'girly' so it could be used as friendship journal - somewhere to hide those little treasures and pics that girls collect.
The cover has been kept fairly simple so that it could be used for a variety of purposes.
Inside thare are plenty of pretty journal cards for recording events, thoughts, whatever...
The pages are a mix of CS in co-ordinating colours and envelopes to create pockets for containing more treasures/secrets.
The decoration was kept fairly simple - some pretty PP and some stamped images but the idea is for the owner to actually decorate as they add to their journal.

The covers were made from heavy chip/grey board and all the PPs used were from Best Creations inc. The CS was Papermania scalloped 12x12 from a stack and the stamps were images by John Byars. Envelopes used were the straight flap style rather than the pointed style. Book rings were used rather than the BIA so that the owner would be able to add to the journal. Some pretty co-ordinating satin ribbons and a bit of Tim Holtz distress ink and there you have it.

Now I've got to think of something 'boyish' - thinking cap on....................

Another class...

...making Christmas cards.

Dawn (Bareham) was back doing her cardmaking workshops this week so off I went on Wednesday for a bit of 'playtime'.

Although we knew we would be making Christmas cards we didn't know that the theme this time was...Construction.

The first card we made was a theatre style card and although we used it for a Christmas scene, it could so easily be used for any occasion. The card is constructed like a box and you open the 'doors' to reveal the scene inside.
The tree was cut on the Cricut - green card for the top layer and gold mirriboard for the background. The cuts in the green layer were curled outwards then decorated with polysnow & stickles.
The church & the trees inside the card were cut using one of the newer Cricut Christmas cartridges (can't for the life of me remember which one - doh!!!)
This side step card was to show how easy it is to create a scene just by a bit of careful cutting of some scenic card. The trees are staggered to create depth...and of course everything was stickled to give it a frosty glint.
This card was not easy to photograph (hasn't helped that today is really pants as far as light is concerned). Rather than decoupage the layers of the winter scene they are used, concertina style, to extend the dimension of the card...oh and yes, more stickles LOL
This card was probably the most basic as far as construction was concerned but is goes to show that even simple matting & layering can look very stylish - especially when you add a bit of real goldleaf. The stain-glass window was printed onto acetate and then the rear was covered with a sheet of goldleaf before being adhered to the card. The goldleaf gives a depth to the image that the colour printing alone did not achieve.

Another great day (and lunch LOL) and a few more ideas for playing with here at home.

Next month Dawn has said it will be more Christmas cards but the techniques will be 'back to basics' with more emphasis on stamping, embossing and colouring-in (oooooo, I love a bit of colouring-in) can't wait...........................

Award time...

...look what I got from the lovely Winnie.

As a recipient of the award, I have to:

1.Thank the person who gave me the award - thank you Winnie, it was lovely of you to think of me. Winnie & I have been lucky enough to be teamies on a couple of CCs over on UKS and we have always had lots of fun.
2.Place it on my blog - you will need to scroll down a bit but you will find it with the other awards I have been lucky enough to get.
3.List 3 things about myself. This could take some thinking about...

◦I am English born & bred but am of German/French decent...Granddad - paternal - was German, Great-great granddad - maternal - was French (think that's the right number of 'greats' LOL)
◦I am trying to be more organised with my crafting (some hope).
◦I am slightly addicted to craft classes - I love to try new things and I am quite a social crafter.

4.Post a picture that I love.
I found this pic some time ago when I was browsing the 'net and just fell in love with it. I could gaze at it for ages and imagine I was there strolling into the blue......
5.Pass the award on to 5 deserving bloggers. Right, I'll pass the award onto:

Kristy - my lovely niece who has so taken to crafting...it is great to see the things she comes up with.
Annette - the lovely lady who must be held responsible for my obsession with mini-books LOL Anyone who has seen Annettes work will know that it is addictive.
Andy - never short of ideas and great at encouraging folk to move outside of their comfort zones...I will now play with 'messy' techniques (as long as I have a pinny & gloves LOL) which is something I would not have done before attending some of Andy's classes.
Lucy - Lucy & I have had great fun at a number of classes/workshops...especially Andy's messy ones LOL
Eleni I 'met' Eleni through UKS when we were on the same CC team. Her blog is always full of fab things either connected to her family or her love of craft.

Enjoy your awards folks.................................

Happy 7th Birthday...

...Pinnacle Crafts.

The folk over at Pinnacle Crafts are celebrating their 7th birthday this weekend so they decided to have a sale of a large selection of their paper/card - sheets & stacks. 40% off to celebrate and for those of us who belong to the members club our normal 10% could be added making a huge reduction of 50%.

Thank you so much for such a bargain...

As a result, I was able to add to Kristy's goody box and as the pic shows...there are just a few goodies about to wing their way to Germany (hope the postman doesn't strain himself LOL).



I hope this little lot will keep her busy for a while and allow her to put together a good selection of cards.

There are clear-stamps, wooden stamps, stickles, CS, PPs, alphas, stamped images, ink pads, embossing folders and magazines. Should keep her occupied for a little while.....................