New Catalogue

Hi Folks,


Beautiful day here in Northern Ireland.  Beautiful day all round as look what I got this morning my new Stampin'Up Catalogue, so I spent my morning with a cup of tea browsing through it.  Oh My, my bank account will definitely be in the red this month.  There are so many things to buy, new stamps, new colour ink pads and cardstock.  There are quite a few bargains where you can buy designer paper and matching cardstock, or cardstock and ink pads.   I just purchased a new Big Shot Plus so I was looking at the framelits and dies.  My demonstrator sent me a lovely bookmark along with it as a thank you gift and I had been telling her that I have broken my finger on my left hand, so my crafting is curtailed a bit as you don't know how much you use your left hand until you can't, so she has sent me a lovely get well card which you can see to the right on the catalogue.  Isn't it pretty.

I can't really praise Stampin'Up enough as I have only started to buy their products in the last four or five months.  I have to say that their products are first class and their service is so good.  The fact that you can stamp and punch at the same time is so good, and their demonstrators are first class.  They are so friendly and they teach you so much.  I absolutely love them.  In the catalogue they also give you pictures of some of the things that they have made themselves with their products to give you an idea of what you can do, so I will be CASing some of them.    That's all for the moment, hope you all have a wonderful day.    Will have some pictures up soon of cards which I have seen on Pinterest.  God Bless.      Theo.

Tea Caddy Concertina Box.

Hi Folks.

This is a little box that I made and the idea is from Linda Parker who has a page on Facebook/Papercraft with Crafty.  It is called Tea Caddy Concertina Box, and this is my version.  

Measurements are:
Cardstock - 11 5/8" x 3 1/8",
 scored @ 1 1/2",  3",  6 5/8", 8 1/8"
1 piece of cardstock - 2 7/8" x 1 1/4" this is for matt for front flap
2 pieces of cardstock - 3 5/8" x 4 1/2" 
scored @ 3/8", 3/4", 1 1/8", 1 1/2", 1 7/8", 2 1/4", 3", 3 3/8", 3 3/4", 4 1/8".
  These pieces are concertinaed for the sides of the box.
5 pieces of cardstock - 3" x 3 5/8". 
 These are for the inserts. 

Supplies are:      * Stampin'Up
Cardstock - Coastal Cabana
Ink - Coastal Cabana
Stamp Set - Clearly Besotted
Punch - Petite Petals 
Embellishments - Basic Pearls,  Ribbon from my own stash.
Magnets for closure

Linda is also on YouTube and shows how to make this.

This little box holds six packets of tea bags (the kind you buy for little gifts.)

Hope you try this as it is a really lovely little box in real life and would make a lovely little gift.      Thank you for stopping by.  Love Theo.

Tea Caddy Box

Thank You to all the talented Crafters

Hi Folks.  


It can be assumed that most of the cards you can see on this blog have been CASED(Copy and Share Everything).  I copy a lot.  I copy from friends (thank you friends).  I copy from things I see on blogs and websites (thank you, talented, creative people!) and I copy from books.  I collect ideas from lots of blogs and websites and I am not very good at keeping track of where that idea came from.  I sometimes change the layout, colours or stamp, but sometimes the card is copied exactly.  Please know that if I have copied (and shared) an idea that was originally yours I do thank you for your original creation and the fact that you shared it on the web.  Hopefully you will consider it a compliment and a sincere form of flattery.

Cards CASEd on Pinterest

Hi Folks,

These are some cards that I seen on Pinterest that I liked a lot and so I have made them with the products that I have in my stash.  Pinterest is a great place for picking up inspiration and the people who make the cards are brilliant.   So these are my cards

Card No 1.
                                  
The base is my own cardstock and is 41/4" x 51/2."  The labels are punched with Stampin'Up Artisan Label Punch using Cardstock, Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush, all from Stampin'Up.  The image is on Whisper White cardstock  and is a stamp from my own collection, as is the sentiment.

Card No. 2.

The base is my own cardstock and is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2".  The matt layer is basic black and is 4 x 5 !/4".
The top layer is the same cardstock as the base and is  3 3/4 x 5".  I have drawn three lines in pencil and punched the hearts with my Itty Bitty Accents Punch from Stampin'Up in Baked /Brown Sugar, Strawberry Slush, Coastal Cabana, Pistachio Pudding cardstock.  I have used jewel gems from my own stash and the sentiment is also my own.


Card No 3.

The base is my own cardstock and is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2".  The matt layer has been embossed with the embossing folder Fancy Fan from Stampin'Up.  The butterflies have been punched out of paint colour charts from my local Homebase and the gems are Basic Jewels also from Stampin'Up. The sentiment stamp and label are from my own stash.


Card No 4.

The base is my own cardstock and is 41/4 x 5 1/2".  The small labels are punched with my Curly Label Punch and the hearts are punched with the heart from Itty Bitty Accents, there little buttons are from the Accessory Pack In Colour SAB all supplies by Stampin'Up.  The sentiment is one I got free in a craft magazine.


Card No 5.

I think this card is my favourite.  This is made from my own cardstock.  The base is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" The matt layer is 4 x 5 1/4"  and is stamped with the sentiment from Painted Petals from Stampin'Up the butterfly has been made by Sam Hirst. She has a page on Facebook and she makes the most beautiful flowers and butterflies among many things. facebook.com/Samaflora

Card No 1.

Card No. 2

Card No 4

Card No 3.

Card No 5

Motorbike Racing and crafting

Thursday 14 May 2015.

Hi Folks

This week in Northern Ireland is the week of the North West 200.  This is a road race held on the fastest road circuit in the world.  The bikes go round the course at an amazing speed of 200 mph even in the rain.  Our riders are the best in the world for wet road racing as most of the time here in Northern Ireland they are racing in wet conditions.  My family are all into motor bike racing and for most of my husband's adult life he has worked at the races as a Road Marshall and my girls have been brought up with bike racing.  My eldest daughter has her own road bike, and my youngest is a photographer and takes the photos at all the races along with her dad, and now my granddaughter has been roped into it as well.  So this week I am on my own with my grandson who isn't into racing (yet).  We are having a nice few days doing our own thing.  I am crafting and he is watching his transformer movies and playing with his transformers.

So this morning I made a little box, the tutorial for which you can find on Pootles.co.uk

The dimensions when finished - 4 x 21/2 x 2" ( 10x 6.5 x 5cm)
Cardstock for box - 8" x 11" (20 x 28cm)
Score on the LONG side @ 2," 41/2," 61/2," 9" (5, 11.5, 16.5, 23cm)
Score on SHORT side @ 2," 6" ( 5, 15cm)

Coloured Panels
1 of  3 3/4" x  2 1/4" (9.5 x 6cm)
2 of  3 3/4" x  1 3/4" ( 9.5 x 4.5cm)
2 of 1 3/4" x   2 1/4" ( 4.5 x 6cm)

White Panels
1 of 3 1/2" x  2" (9 x 5.5cm)
2 of 3 1/2" x  1 1/2" (9 x 4cm)
2 of 1 1/2" x 2" (4 x 5.5cm)

Products used
Whisper White, Pistachio Pudding, Crumb Cake cardstock
Stamp Set -Painted Petals
Ink - Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cantaloupe
Ribbon - Coffee Seam Binding from wildorchidcrafts.com .
Thank you for stopping by.  Love Theo

Little Surprise

Saturday 18th April 2015


 Hi Folks.


 This is a photo of my little arbour that my husband made for me last year.  He bought me a swing for my birthday, but as I have had cancer I was afraid to go out in the sun, so he built my little shelter and now I can go out whenever I like and enjoy the heat from the sun but not the full rays and I have a little bracelet which changes colour so that I don't stay out too long, about 20 minutes each time.  I usually go out in the morning with my breakfast cuppa and just have a quiet half hour before I start my day.  This morning I was sitting drinking my tea when I noticed that my little bush at the bottom of the garden has gotten quite big and has flowers on it.  When I went to look it is a lovely peony rose bush (I think).  It is so long since it was bought that I can't remember if I bought it or my daughter bought it for me, but isn't it beautiful.    My little shelter also has blue led rope light going round it which we light up on Autistic Awareness Day as my little grandson is autistic.  We also light it at Christmas to decorate the garden and as we live in a corner house everyone can see it as they drive round the corner.  The empty space in front of the boot is now filled with my lovely toadstool which my youngest daughter bought for me last Christmas.  I seen it at my local garden centre which is also my local craft store every time I went in and I kept saying to her I'm going to have to buy that and the next time I went it was gone, I was so disappointed, but it was a lovely surprise on Christmas morning when she wheeled it into the living room on her father's little trolley wrapped in tin foil as she couldn't get wrapping paper to fit it.  Isn't it beautiful.    Be back again soon as I have some lovely photos of things I have made and I have discovered a new craft to do BOOKFOLDING  oh I just love Pinterest.  See you soon.  Love Theo.

 

Hi Folks.  Hope you all have had a lovely week and are looking forward to the weekend.  The weather here in Northern Ireland has been fair to middling.  Thankfully the snow has stayed away so far.  I'm afraid when the snow comes I hibernate until it goes away. Lovely to look at through the window but not to go out in, and thankfully I have retired so don't have to go out unless I want to.
As you can see from this blog I have been crafting with vintage and altered art but I have just found a company called Stampin'Up.  Now I know all you crafters will already know about them, but as I have never really been into stamping because any cards etc that I have seen the images have all been coloured in and blended for light and shade etc and as my colouring in well let's just say my grandson could do a better job.  Now with Stampin'Up I can stamp (without colouring in) using their different coloured ink pads which co-ordinate with their cardstock, punches if necessary, and if an image requires colour their beautiful blendabilities pens and markers are all I require.  The blendability pens come in sets of three of the same colour.  So you have light, medium, dark all in the one colour.
The names of their inks and papers are so imaginative, Crisp Cantaloupe, a beautiful pink/peach colour, Coastal Cabana reminds you of the sea on a beautiful day, Pistachio Pudding a lovely ice-cream, Baked Brown Sugar sounds very Jamaican holiday, Strawberry Slush a lovely cool drink.  See very imaginative and their Designer Series Paper is just the same, makes you want to just gather them all up and start crafting.  I have three demonstrators that I follow, Papercraft Button who is my Stampin'Up Agent who I order from.  She is a very clever lady she makes the most wonderful 3D projects and the thing about the demonstrators is that they work out all the paper sizes, dimensions, where to cut and where to stick, they are great for a cluts like me who can't work out 2 + 2.  Seriously they are wonderful and as I am someone who learns by seeing (I make a great forger) they are the best.


This is a project that Elaine taught me.  It is ans Expander File/Card Organizer.
Now the card stock and paper, ribbon etc are from my own stash as I haven't got all the Stampin'Up Products I would need to make this and I couldn't wait to try to see if I could make it.
If you click on to Papercraft Button and go to her blog or You Tube channel you will see her making this

The measurements and materials are listed below:

Cardstock/DSP required

2 pieces of card for the front and back @ 8 1/4" x 5 3/4"
2 pieces of Designer Series Paper for front and back @ 8" x 5 1/2"
1 piece of card for the base @ 8 1/4" x 4 1/2"
4 pieces of card for internal pockets @ 8 1/8" x 4 1/8"
2 pieces of card for side concertina @ 10" x 4 1/8"
2 pieces of card for ribbon panel @ 5 1/2" x 1 1/2"
2 pieces of DSP for ribbon panel @ 5 1/4" x 1 1/4"
Two lengths of ribbon @ 12" each

The picture below shows you Papercraft Button  version in blue and how it looks in the inside ( also how it looks when down by a professional).  Although I didn't do too bad with mine.  I use it to store my cards when I make them ready to be sent out . This is a lovely exercise in crafting and can be done by a newbie crafter or an experienced one.  Also if you go to Elaines blog everything is there for you also there is a link to her shop if you want to buy any materials.   That is all for today and thank you for stopping by.  Theo.

 

Inspiration for this card came from Pinterest.


The base card is from plain card from my stash and measures  41/4" x 51/2"
The second layer measures 4" x 51/4" and is punched with a Decorative Label punch.
With the piece of card punched out with label the insert is computer generated in brown ink for a softer look and stuck down behind the aperture.  Flowers are stamped with the Petite Petals Stamp Set and inked with Crisp Cantaloupe.  The pearls are Basic Pearls from Stampin'Up.


Supplies from Stampin'Up:

Punch:                       Decorative Label, Petite Petals
Stamp Set:                 Petite Petals
Ink:                            Crisp Cantaloupe
Embellishments:        Basic Pearls
.

Inspiration for this card I got on Pinterest

It is made with plain white card from my own stash.  Top layer has been punched out with a Decorative Label Punch and the insert stamped in Baked Brown Sugar ink.  Stamp is from my own stash.  Leaves and scrolls are diecuts and the beautiful butterfly is from my friend Sam Hirst at Samaflora on Facebook.  The four pearls are from Stampin'Up.


Supplies from Stampin'Up:-

Punch:          Decorative Label.
Ink:               Baked Brown Sugar
Embellishments:     Basic Pearls.

Other:         Butterfly from Samaflora
Leaves:       Spellbinders Floral Dies
Scroll (small):     Joycrafts
Scroll (large):      Free in magazine

Inspiration for this card I got from Pinterest.

The base is made from white card from my own stash, with a mat of Marina Mist Cardstock and a top mat of plain white card.  Flowers are Petite Petals stamped in Coastal Cabana and punched out with a Petite Petal punch.  Saying is computer generated.  Bottom saying has been punched out with a Word Window Punch.

Supplies from Stampin'Up:-

Cardstock:     Marina Mist
Stamp Set:     Petite Petals
Ink:                Coastal Cabana
Punches:        Word Window, Petite Petals
Embellishments: Basic Rhinestones

Hope you like it.




                                                                                                                         

Hi Folks.  I have just started this blog and to be frank I really don't know what I am doing,but here goes.  I just thought I would let you see some of the things I have made over the last year.  This is a pair of book-ends I made from a tutorial by Anna at  anna's paper creations    She is a wonderful teacher.  They are made with chipboard.  I have added lace, ribbons and Wild Orchid Crafts flowers.  The little bottle is filled with gold beads and there is a little pen nib.  There are little hanging charms and the pearl flowers I made from silk ribbon.  The streamers are lace and seam binding.  The little drawers open and you can keep little bits and pieces in them.  They are big enough to hold a corner bookmark. 

My next project was altering a bottle which I bought in Ikea.  I made my own texture paste and covered the bottle.  I then daubed the paste with pink acrylic paint when dried I added crocheted lace, flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and some pearl string.  Hope you like it I certainly loved making it.  This I learnt from Wendy at lolly dolly  crafts

This one is something I really wanted to do.  I had seen so many on Youtube and I wanted to give it a go.  This originally was a purple teapot, cup and saucer, unfortunately it had a bit of a mishap and lost the handle of the cup.  So I decided it was a good candidate for altering.  As I have a passion for lace the more fancy the better I had great fun doing this.  First I painted all the items with pink acrylic paint.  Then I covered the saucer first with two crocheted doillies.  The cup was then covered in cream muslin and various different laces.  The teapot I was really able to enjoy myself with.  The body was covered with the cream muslin, then various lace trims and a handmade flower on the front with feathers and pearl strands. The handle and spout were trimmed with diamond bling.  Unfortunately I can't remember the video I saw this on, it may have been Sacrafters, not sure.

This is a book made from pink material and covered in laces and trims.  The picture is surrounded with a beige crochet trim and a peach/pink rose trim.  The ribbon is a lovely peach picot trim and the pearl buttons are from Wild Orchid Crafts, and ta-da...  Inside are handmade stick-pins.  These are made from beads from old necklaces with spacers in between.  The actual pearl pins I got from WOC.  I would like to thank Fiona Jennings Jennings644/Youtube for her wonderful tutorials which got me on the track for making anything vintage.  She is a wonderful, generous lady both with her time and her products.

This project I learnt from Claire Charvill at www.MyCreativeSpirit.com.  She makes the most wonderful 3D objects and she makes everything seem so easy and indeed if you follow her instructions step-by-step they are easy.  This is a box project.  It is made from chipboard and decorated with papers I got free in a craft magazine.  The rose is a handmade felt rose and paper leaves and ribbon.  The decoupage around the outside and inside all came with the free papers.  When you take the lid off...  Inside is a candle which you can decorate with whatever you like.

Finally this little project I made for last Christmas.  It is an old novel which I folded all the page in half and used as a type of filofax for my Christmas cards, then when Christmas was over I decorated it with a flower arrangement and it now sits on my hall table.

That is all I have for you today.  I hope you have enjoyed this blog, even with it being my first attempt.  Thank you for stopping by.    Theo.