Easter treats

Well, I have to say this project has me a little smug and self congratulatory - is that a word?? I planned on getting Adams teachers a small something for the end of term but then I was looking online today at Robocrafts members site and saw these templates for lovely boxes and decided they would make nicer gifts to give - nothing nicer than a handmade gift in my opinion. Much as I'd like to wax lyrical about the effort involved in these wee boxes, they truly couldn't have been easier. cut out box - robos job! bit of acetate in the window, glue down tabs, get Adam to fill with eggs (a few got sidetracked to his mouth :-O ) then tie a bow and let Adam loose with the stickers, I did do the first one and he copied the rest. He then had to write the tags which seriously are tiny and his teachers have loooong names!!! Have 3 more, may stretch it to more :-).

From screen to reality

Now, you're thinking I've lost the plot and am putting the same picture on here but......look closely! On the first attempt I wasn't 100% happy with the title word 'party' so I got out my Kirsty Wiseman cd and printed the dotty paper then using my wee robo cut out a new title. It still looked a little flat so I grabbed a brown felt pen and 'doodled' round the letters. Looks much better than the first one - no?

I'm not sure if I am a boneefido (Victoria Wood impression) insomniac or whether crafting at night is the only time I can therefore I don't get much sleep, but this is why I had so little sleep again last night. This is the 'reality' layout from the Shabby Princess digi one did the other day. I have used my little friend, Robo, to do the word 'party' but I'm not happy with the size so may replace this. I love the My minds eye papers and decoupage on this layout. The embossed dotty papers are adorable. Finally getting round to scrapping some of my treasured pictures of my gorgeous little man and my beautiful niece. Hopefully there will be many more soon.

Oh and a little applause for my camera work on this please, if you don't mind! Have discovered a better way to take pics of scrapbook pages now so there isn't too much 'side' distraction.

Creative week....

...being creative!

Well, I have bags under my eyes Ryan Air would charge the national debt to take on board and a house Kim and Aggie would recoil in horror at to prove I've been very involved craft wise this week! I've had my stash everywhere from the table next to the chair in the lounge, the dining table, the kitchen worktops and even the playroom had a pile of papers hiding and pretending to be toys! Why, oh why a neat freak would choose papercraft as a hobby, especially when she isn't fortunate enough to have a 'Craft Room ;-( . Anyhows, I have been progressing and thanks to a few good friends and a few more great websites I've found things to help me progress and things to enjoy. This page really is one I've been wanting to scrap for such a long time. The day is still so vivid in my mind, playing with Adam on the bed with his teddy which was as big as he was. I can hear his giggles in my mind now! That is one sound that just melts away any stresses, any worries and fears, whilst listening to the giggling you feel your heart expand to rib cracking proportions and wonder if you could bottle the moment to bring out on those rainy 'low' days.

I'm not altogether happy with the page though, I have no flowers so I improvised with curling ribbon I fashioned into a flower but I think it dissolves too much into the backing paper so may change it when I get some lovely blue flowers.

Shabby Princess was one site I was directed to, oh my! what beautiful papers etc to download, and free too! Now were I a whizz on here I would link the site but sadly I'm a technophobe and you will have to Google! I made a fab layout (above) which I intend to make for real using My Minds Eyes papers and embellies, in fact I'm multitasking as i type, I'm printing the photo and some backing papers!!!This black and white one is special! Not only because it is totally gorgeous but because I got to play with my new baby!!!! I decided I deserved my birthday present early this year and bought a Craft Robo Lite! I've been ummming and ahhhhh (more argh really)ing for a while now as to which way to go with a die cutter. The thing that made my mind up was I looking online for a circle punch and it being £10+, and we all know you need more than one size circle punch! So I went for the Robo. Oh my, it's not for the light hearted. OK, if you want circles it's pretty simple, but if you want other things then enrol on a graphic arts night class! I did, with the help of some clever people on UKSrappers site, manage to download a template for the scalloped flowers - the central circle with phrase is all mine though!!!!! And boy am I proud of myself for that. Printing the phrase and then lining it up to be cut was no mean feat, OK I know it's not 'perfect' but give me a break, I'd had the machine less than 24 hours! I looked online today and you can buy the templates which maybe a route I will take as it's hard enough finding time to click 'print' never mind create files in a programme I'm scared of, also if I don't then this wee machine (and it is wee, so great if you've a small craft space) won't work as hard as I'd like it to.

These cards were made when I should have been tidying up! I made the pink/green card from some scraps I'd overprinted a while back. The papers are from Craft Beautifuls website - more freebies!! I totally luuurve them, they are so fresh and cheering that you can't help but smile when you see them. The one above it I also made from some scrap papers - Brenda Pinnick this time, along with an embellishment I'd forgotten I had. Spurred on by this one and finding the Ramblers embellies I'd bought with my sister in law in mind, I decided to be ahead of my game and make her birthday card which is after Christmas - crikey! I'll be making Christmas cards next week :-O Think I made it to bed before 1am that night, just!

Early Days...

and not just for my darling boy. This was one of my first ever scrapbook pages. I invested in an
inexpensive software package which allows you to design 'digital' pages, but you can also print everything individually. I like to use the software to 'mock up' a design idea I am unsure of as it allows you to see flaws that could prove expensive should you buy everything then find it just doesn't work. I have also used the package to print off embellishments for pages. The only thing on the page that isn't card/paper from the cd rom is the fibre on the tag and the initial backing paper. My passion lies in scrapbooking but as a 'novice' I found it could be intimidating when you trawl sites ~ so much to learn when I just wanted to create a page. The software helped me, and still does, to have courage in my designs, although there are always pages that work so much better than others. Again with the photography!!! Must remember to take pages out of album when taking the picture!

A Brrrrrrfect Snow Day!

I've been wanting to scrap this memory since the day it happened, which was the beginning of the school Christmas holidays. The snow was magical, deep and great fun. Adam loved it, Cherie loved Adam loving it and I didn't have to drive in it - win, win, win!

I do think our snowman could have been so much better though and the end result was a little on the scary side.

The crystals are 'leftovers' from the wedding cake below - no waste with a crafter!

You can't really see it but Cherie is sticking out her tongue. That is another scrapbook page on its own!

Still need to work on the photography!

The cards....

I had a few wedding card ideas and couldn't decide which to do for my cousin so in the end I made 3! I 'donated' the 2nd and 3rd to my family.

The net on the dress card is made from the same netting I used for the wedding cake stand.

I really loved the picture I used on the Bride card. It makes me think of when I was a little girl and would dream about what my wedding would be like.

The cake!

Thankfully my cousin was very happy with the final outcome. It did taste VERY nice too!

A late wedding gift - exploding box!

I made this box, the first I've ever done, for my cousin/her husband a month after their wedding. I'd had a thought of making one and thought this would be a great opportunity to play. The rose in the centre was a buttonhole saved from the day. Each page was a pleasure to embellish. Some were a challenge - why do some things just refuse to be glued down? My cousins wedding was a bit of a craftathon for me as for some delusional reason I was asked to make the cake! Now I've made

the odd birthday cake and made Adams Christening cake ~ more of that later ~ but a full on Wedding cake ~ my cousin clearly thought more of my skills than exists!

I have since made another exploding box for another cousins daughters 18th. I wanted to make a card to remember and managed to get photos of her over the years from her mum and it was beautiful even if i say so myself.

I'd like to make the next one with a gift in the middle,

now what occasion could i pick for that I wonder?

There are many sites on the internet with the dimensions required to make a box and the rest is just one huge

craftfest with papers and your craft stash! You can do as I did here and buy embellishments for the occasion but it isn't

necessary, things you have will find a use, a great way to use up those last few things you have.

Strangely enough, they also don't take that

long to create ~ ooops, should I admit that?

For the movie addict in your life. I have a friend who is 'film' bonkers and this was made for his 39th birthday - I made it from a clipart and word text boxes. The popcorn is real. I covered it in wet glue which sadly made it shrivel up but as it was travelling 1st class c/o Royal Mail, I felt it needed some support. The cola is infact an aftereight wrapper scrunched up. Being a card for a man, any design that comes out looking half decent is a bonus, but I was rather pleased with this one. This was followed the next year with the same card but the 'film' showing was 'The other side of the hill'

Mother's Day cards

Oh I'm really going to have to take my photography more seriously if I'm to 'parade' pictures on here!

Well, as it's Mothers Day this weekend, I thought I'd put on a card or two (or even three - what a bonus I've been so organised and had this years one done!) Sadly I don't have that many as I've only been crafting for a couple of years now. I hope you like them. I like the window one as you can personalise it with a picture - doesn't have to be a photo - of a meaningful place, unlike me, who went for a photo of Holy Island and am convinced Mum has never stepped foot on the place. This years one is the middle one, which thankfully Mum won't see on here until after Sunday.

Still unsure what the day will involve in my house. Adam has a recipe stuck to the fridge for 'breakfast' but we are meant to be visiting Mum and Dad. Sadly the car is making some strange noises and needs to go to a garage, the idea of 100+ miles before hand doesn't appeal much - but it's Mother's Day !!!!! Mmmmmmm fingers crossed the car gets fixed in time. If we do manage to get over to the other side of the Pennines then I am insisting my Mother's day will take place the Sunday after - I am so not missing out ;-)

hmmmmm, I'm thinking i may

need to revisit my camera and my scrapbook. Since this picture hadn't

even heard of a blog back then, it's aspirations certainly weren't to flaunt itself on the pages of a blog in all its glory for all to see. Maybe it would have spent a little more time on 'positioning itself', added a little more colour and not stood in the 'limelight' so much and definitely would have gotten rid of the 'hanger-on' to it's left - who might, i hear it cry, be more than worthy of a 'showing' itself! Later though, as for now I need sleep, just like my little man here.

Have I just created a Monster - or has the Monster been unleashed?

Oh dear, well it appears I am now the owner of a 'blog'! Now who would let me have one of them modern fangled things? hmmmmm, now what do I do. Firstly I must start thinking of my typing. Texting and posting on SN sites makes a gal lazy - shamed, truly! Oh goody, just found the ABC button!

So, now what? I guess I should state my blogs intensions. To show/encourage and share this passion I have with card making/scrapbooking and hopefully, later in the year, other crafty things that are nice to 'give'.