A Quick Set of Notelets

I’ve never,  ever got any notelets for a quick “Thank You” so decided I ought to get few done, “just in case”

I decided to use a WS Design envelope template that I’ve had for years,  which makes envelopes that measure 13cms x 13cms…..

…. and some A4 papers that I’ve also had for ages, left over from the days when I was brave enough to force my way through the crowds and trolleys at the NEC Hobbycrafts show!

The envelopes were cut out and scored in no time …… and glued down with just a smidge of glue.

…..  I then decided to add a label, mat and layered in either gold or silver mirror card to the front of each envelope.

The notelets measure 12.5 x 12.5cms and are just simply card blanks covered with the same paper as the envelopes.  I will use a couple of narrow strips of double sided tape to seal the envelope when I eventually use them. 

I think WS Designs has since closed and no longer available but downloads of their templates are available for a small charge from Cut and Craft (below)
http://cutandcraft.co.uk/category/24795-ws-designs.aspx

Very Simple Desk Calendar Idea

A couple more ideas today for using one of my Masking Sticker sets from WholePort

The first is a desk calendar I have made for my craft room as I am hopeless with dates and can never find a diary when I need one, so I thought if I one like this,  I wouldn’t lose it  ….

….. all I used was a Ikea picture frame (measuring 14cms x 9cms), the stickers and a couple of coats of clear varnish …. et voila!!

I also covered the front of a small notebook to make a shopping list pad to keep in my bag … not sure about the idea really, it looks better in the flesh,  …. but something very simple that a child could easily make for Mother’s Day perhaps.

http://www.wholeport.com/item/a1m_total-27pcs-blue-masking-sticker-set-light-color-series-multi-function-sticker-tape.html

The Most Beautiful Valentines Day Card In The World

I don’t think anyone will receive as lovely a Valentines card as this one ….. made by my brother, now 50, at his care unit for my mum.  As always we are under no illusion that he did much towards it, but we are sure that he would have sat at the table watching the staff put it together for him, twiddling with his jumper sleeve and perhaps humming ……..

….. We can imagine the struggle they had, just to get him to put his hand flat on the table long enough for them to draw round it….. believe me they must have been quick!!!!!  He may even have had the paintbrush put in his hand for a matter of seconds before he flung it across the room …. leaving a painty trail behind …..

….. but doesn’t really matter how much Stephen put into it, we all love it all the more because we know how devoted the staff are to him and how very much he is loved and cared for …. I cannot express how WONDERFUL these people are, words are just not enough, but on this Valentines Day I shall be thinking about them all at work and thanking them for every tiny little thing they do, not only for my brother, but for all the other adults in his unit, some who have much worse problems than he has and saying “THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVE YOU GIVE SO EFFORTLESSLY EVERY SINGLE DAY FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS” ….. true unsung heroes … THANK YOU”

A Review - Using Masking Sticker Set From WholePort

I thought I would do a little review and have a little play with one of the Masking Sticker Sets (ver. basic) I received in my first parcel of goodies from WholePort.  The first thing I noticed was just how put the packaging was!

Each pack contains 27 different patterned sheets, made up of self adhesive paper 7.5mm, 15mm strips and 13mm dots.  My second impression was that the students where I work would love these stickers to use as page markers, to accentuate key words or just to embellish their work.   I’ve used a few on one of my Smash Book pages to stick down a couple of tickets and as labels.

I’ve used them along with my old faithful Dymo label maker to make these gift tags,

Something very simple but effective, especially if teamed up with a plain wrapping paper.

I added just one strip on the back of the tags and would also be tempted, if giving a card with the gift, to add a few stripes to the envelope to carry the theme through.

http://www.wholeport.com/item/a1m_total-27pcs-blue-masking-sticker-set-light-color-series-multi-function-sticker-tape.html

The Revamping Of My Craft Room ….

My Craft Room has been the tattiest and most battered room in the house for quite some time, it was the children’s room when they were small and has undergone many changes over the years, to suit a variety of purposes,  including,  at one stage,  being painted wall to ceiling in navy blue!!And when I moved in … it just got a cursory and very rough lick of magnolia, which was then hidden by a whole variety of display shelves and pin boards.

So before Christmas I finally decided that enough was enough and that I would have it “done” …. a proper paper and paint job, nothing fancy, just very practical.

In preparation for this momentous event,  I started clearing out like there was no tomorrow, I have been soooooo ruthless, but I am hoping that the local charity shops will be pleased with the mountain of bags, full of bits,  that I decided ….. I didn’t need anymore, will never use again or didn’t have a clue what to do with …… this will now be an on going task,  as my intention is to continue to gradually pare down the stuff I chose, for now, to keep …..

….. because I could craft 24/7 for the next 50/100 years and would still have paper and packets of embellishments left unused!  In away, having so much had become a bit of a burden …..  but now I feel some of that burden has been lifted, if that makes sense?

I have changed my work area round completely, so that I now work  in quite an enclosed and compact space, with everything I use on an almost daily basis like my computer, printers, cutters and the contents of six sets of drawers close at hand.

I have also been ruthless with all the stuff that was on the walls and, for the time being,  will keep them pretty bare, until I decide what will eventually go back. It’s very much a blank canvas, but I want to avoid it looking cluttered and bitty again and becoming a dust trap. I was given quite a few shadow/memory boxes for Christmas …. so I think I am now going to work on finding a few special pieces to put in them.

There are still a few bits to do,  like fitting a blind and a new brighter ceiling light, and this corner (above) ……  where the shelves containing all my "bit boxes” used to be ...……. I think the shelves will go back, even though I have managed to contain the boxes, since my “spring clean”  in the cupboards below. But the work surface and the cupboard doors need some sort of attention as I don’t want to replace them at the moment ….. so I am thinking about Decopatching them …. which will add a lot of colour and a bit more “me” to what is, admittedly,  at the moment a very bland room …… it’s just making the first move and sticking the first piece of Decopatch paper down!!!

Card With A Very Personal Touch!

This card is A5 in size.

I don’t take many “commissions” for cards because in the past I have found that people were getting more and more demanding on what they wanted on a card and they were just too much work, though I hasten to add, they are usually thrilled with the end result.

When I agreed to do this card I didn’t quite expect the number of photos and “favourite” things sent via e-mail to be included to be quite so erm …. plentiful, but felt obliged to use them all …….. Just arranging them and putting them together on the computer (using both Publisher and CraftArtist Professional)  took over two hours ….. but there again I am a perfectionist and for me it had to look balanced.

Once happy with the design I printed it off six times on thin card, so that I could put plenty of simple decoupage layers in for definition.   I covered the bottles with Ranger Glossy Accents and Australian map, and Stampin’Up Dazzling Diamonds round the penguins to add texture and a bit of bling,  and finally a few punched hearts to bring it all together. Not my sort of thing to be honest ….. but I think I hit all the right notes and got the tone right!

Nail Art Meets Poundland Paperweight

This idea was a total, total experiment …. I loved the polymer clay nail art fruit wheel WholePort sent me, the fruit “slices” were sooooo cute,  but I just couldn’t see a way of using them on a card etc. as they were so small ….

…… then I remembered the Poundland DIY paperweights I still have stashed away and wondered what would happen if I filled the bottom with Anita’s 3D Clear Gloss Finish and all the polymer clay shapes (except the strawberries)……half hoping that it might turn out looking like a Poundland version of a posh millefiori paperweight!!!!!

It took several hours to set and until the cloudiness had cleared I didn’t know if it would be a success or not.

Well, it did go clear and it did harden …. and then I got to thinking again … what it I apply a coating of Hunkydory Diamond Sparkles ultra fine glitter to the back to sparkle between the gaps in the fruit ……???  I was so frightened I was just about to ruin an afternoons “fiddle farting” …..

But it worked, and I am so chuffed with the overall effect.  The paperweight set came with a self adhesive velvet backing so all the "gubbings" can't be seen so it looks like a proper expensive paperweight!  I am now wondering if I could try something similar with other small,  thin embellishments …. perhaps some stars on a dark blue background ……

http://www.wholeport.com/item/5r8_lovely-fruit-polymer-clay-mix-color-loose-beads-200pcs-nail-art.html

Doodled Birthday Cake Card

This card measures 14cms x 14cms.

I’ve made another doodled card, it’s very basic I know,  but hopefully,  once I become more confident with my drawing and with all the computer gubbings that creating a download involves, I will get a bit more adventurous.  This is quite a learning curve for me …… but it’s certainly keeping my brain ticking over! 

I’ve created three free jpg. files which you can downloaded and can be resized, printed off and put into whatever project you use them for …. the designs are doodled, so please do not expect that lines are perfectly straight etc.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/h4crica1wfujpg4/Happy%20Birthday%20Panel.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0tcz4w1tvjjzssh/Birthday%20Cake.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ecqicpg41xxcc0k/Happy%20Birthday%20Banner.jpg

I have also created a pdf file that can just be printed off and then cut out, which has an extra candle design on it.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yzpwvefzqev5lw1/its%20all%20fiddle%20fart%20Birthday.pdf

*Although I have created the files,  I cannot really help with any technical problems you have downloading or using them.  I would also ask that although the files are free,  they are not used as part of a competition or challenge without my prior permission*

Jewelled Mirror Progress And A Case Of Too Many Projects …. Not Enough Time ….

Agggh …..  my projects seem to be getting bigger, more ambitious and more time consuming.  I have been slowly redecorating the house because, to be honest, it was all looking a little tired. I haven’t done anything flamboyant, just laid down magnolia and white as a base for each room, which has then given me a blank canvas to add my twiddly bits to, but although I am desperate to get a start on my ideas, I know I need to do one thing at a time, and not begin anything new until another project has been finished, but it’s hard to do as I am such a flitterer!! 

Progress on my matching pair of boudoir mirrors has  temporary drawn to a reluctant stop, mainly because I need some large “signature” pieces of disassembled Primark jewellery to strategically place and then build around with the smaller pieces I already have,

…. but unfortunately stocks of new pieces haven’t yet hit the shops (what with the January sales etc.) so I will have to wait patiently, but once I get the pieces I need, I don't think the mirrors will take that long to complete.

I said when I started that I wasn’t planning on making the mirrors identical, well I am afraid it didn’t take me too long to become quite anal about it …. and now, in all probability  the mirrors will be “almost” exactly the same!!!! Once the mirrors are done, I have two more projects that Tom bought me for Christmas that I said I fancied having a go at …… ….. namely a Decopatch deer head for the top of my landing ……

And …. this mahoooosive 3ft 3ins x 4ft 10ins canvas, because I said I wanted to have a go at painting!!!!  Whatever possessed me?

I adore Collier Campbell designs after I finding them accidently while searching on Google,  and “thought” it may be something that I could try, inspired by the patterns and vibrant colours, to create a “picture” for my dining room, however the size of the canvas is a little daunting ….. so I may try a smaller canvas first!

…… Well,  I think I have got enough bits for getting on with ….. so watch this space!

Almost There …… Tom and Laura’s Wedding Invitations.

Production of Tom and the Lovely Laura’s wedding invitations is about to start, I’d got the designs pretty bang on, it was just a matter of what colours to go for. 

All along Laura said she wanted “a rainbow” wedding, and had already purchased miles and miles of ribbon with which to make her own and bridesmaids bouquets, plus guests buttonholes and table centrepieces, so the obvious thing to do was to link the ribbon colours in with the invitations etc. and as they were vivid rainbow colours, it was a piece of (wedding)cake to find papers to match. 

The plan now is to use both designs, making 45 of each, using either a purple, turquoise or pink coloured ribbon, with silver (punched) dragonflies.  There is a little fine tweaking to do, like matching up the colour of the printing to the ribbon used, but after that,  Wednesday nights will be a flurry of activity as anyone in the family who wants to do a bit of punching and sticking is invited round for “Crafting Night”

Effectively  no two invitations should be the same, because once we start our production line,  it will be up to the individual maker as to which colours they use to put the flowers together …… so each guest will receive something really, really unique.  I still have to order the envelopes, which we will then line with paper that matches the ribbon on the invitation.

We shall also be using the punched daisies as table confetti with a few gems scattered in, and, if it’s possible, for the real confetti.

After the invitations, the place cards should follow …..  but my mock up looks very bland at the moment (above), but in the new revised colours and a different leaf punch they’ll be banging!!  Very HAPPY days!!!

Two Exciting Parcels From WholePort In One Day!

I don’t think anyone could find fault with this careful packaging

There was much excitement last week, when, after a very long wait, my first order heralding the start of my sponsorship with WholePort finally arrived, it seems that after a very detailed search the parcel was traced back to customs control where its contents underwent a very thorough inspection!!!!!

 

http://www.wholeport.com/item/5r8_lovely-fruit-polymer-clay-mix-color-loose-beads-200pcs-nail-art.html

As if this excitement wasn’t enough, my next scheduled order from WholePort arrived at the same day, this time without any further scrutiny from customs!

http://www.wholeport.com/item/4s4_round-lampwork-beads-flower-pattern-12mm-20-beads-per-strand.html

I agreed to the WholePort sponsorship scheme because I am able to choose what I would like each month … which means I can order a specific item for an idea I may have, rather than receive a box of random bits and pieces that I am not too sure what to do with or may not inspire me.  All WholePort ask is that I write a post about a few of the things that I make,  with links to the products used.

http://www.wholeport.com/item/5sc_lovely-baby-bears-wooden-beads-charm-pendant-20pcs.html

I have had no previous experience with the WholePort before, a company based in China, but I did receive this comment from follower Lynda who said:-

“With regards to WholePort - I have bought off them several times through Etsy - unfortunately they have now closed their Etsy store, don't know why. I purchased organza trimmings and 'vintage' type lace from them. They are really good to purchase from, very polite and although the goods are coming from China, I have received them within 2 weeks”

http://www.wholeport.com/item/a1m_total-27pcs-blue-masking-sticker-set-light-color-series-multi-function-sticker-tape.html

All I can add is that the correspondence I have received over the past few months has been very, very thorough and detailed and the second parcel arrived within a week or so after my order was placed.

http://www.wholeport.com/search?kw=cabochons - I think these cabochons will find their way onto my boudoir mirrors and the bunny stickers just scream Easter at me!

Postage and packing appears to be quite reasonable via China Post Air and you can pay through PayPal but as with ordering from any company it is at your own risk,  so please check everything carefully when placing an order.

Anyway, I think there is plenty here to get me thinking …. my first idea for a card using one of the wooden teddy embellishments follows this post.

http://www.wholeport.com/

Disclaimer: I have accepted a sponsorship from WholePort where I receive  free products each month with no incentive to offer a favourable review. The only compensation I receive is the use of the products that I review.  I have not been told what to write and the opinions are my solely own.