Project Life Seasonal Snapshot

Yesterday I had a self indulgent afternoon of Project Life using the new Seasonal Snapshot (SS) card kit & co ordinating accessory pack. I'm a little obsessed with this new kit as it has a rustic kinda vibe about it thanks to the Kraft cards & stickers. 

I used the white letter stickers for the date, (top tip: stick them onto the plastic pocket over the card to see if you like the lauout first, that way you can peel them off and move them if not!). 

It looked a little sparse, so I grabbed my Moments Like These (MLT)  stamps and stamped Friday in black on a one of the stickers from the SS accessory pack.

I trimmed this photo along the top so it fit neatly underneath the spots. I then used the black peel off letters for #NCT and again grabbed a MLT stamp for Moments. It fits perfectly in the SS sticker don't you think? 

I absolutely love this photo. Ellie's face is hilarious, with the boys in the background who look like her bodyguards. Had to think of something to capture that look, think "s'up" nails it!

I used my Project Life Day to Day number stamps (but you could use the SS number stickers that come in the accessory pack) and the 'today is' stamp from MLT stamp set (again you could use stickers).

I wanted a camera image, but as I don't have one I simply googled Stampin Up Camera Stamp and printed it off, cut out and stuck on. 

I finished the page with some journalling typed out on Word and cut out to fit the 6x4 card. You can print direct onto the cards, but I didn't want to attempt it with this tricky shape.  You can use the PL journalling pens to hand write it, but I like playing with different fonts too much!! 

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Sleigh Ride in August

This week I've been playing with the new Sleigh Ride edgelit dies from the Stampin' Up! Autumn/Winter catalogue (available 1st September).

These are so simple to use, and look so effective, they're a must have for any crafter this Christmas. 

I wanted to create real hand crafted, classic Christmas cards. The edgelits create such beautiful intricate designs I felt they didn't need much stamping or embellishing. 

I cut the edgelits in calm, Christmas colours; Whisper White, Soft Sky, Mint Macaron, Sahara Sand and complimented using gold/white shimmer paper and vellum.

 I created soft, snowy backdrops using one of the 36 beautiful  designs from the Winter Wonderland Vellum Stack.

I then had an idea of creating a tri fold card using the edgelits. I wanted an all white effect to showcase just how beautiful and effective the intricate hand cut designs can look.

 I used Real Red for the Merry Christmas stamp (a hostess gift earned last year, my first stamp set in fact) and backed the card onto Sahara Sand for a finishing touch. I love how it looks opened out fully too, a very simple Christmas card that is easy to make, but sure to impress.

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How does your garden grow?

This week I'm going all floral with the Garden in Bloom stamp set (on loan from my partner in crime, Kate Denyer). 

As my lovely friend is away on holiday this week she has kindly let me play with these bloomin' marvellous stamps. There's two types of stamps in this set, the main parts of the flowers & leaves, and then the outlines, which is great as it means you can create so many different colour combos!! 

I decided to use the very juicy Watermelon Wonder for the main colour, as it is bright and summery. The outlines are stamped in Memento black ink, and the leaves in Mint Macaron, which comes as part of the In Color 2015-2017 ink pad collection.  I used a tiny bit of Daffodil Delight for the bumble bee, complete with his little trail dotted behind him using a Project Life journaling pen! 

I cut a 3"x 4" piece of Watermelon Wonder card, curved the edges with the Project Life corner rounder punch (one of my favourite punches!) and stamped the cute little phrase " Friends are kind to each other's hopes & cherish each other's dreams". I finished it using the butterfly outline in black, and attached it to the card using dimensionals.  I thought the recipient could always take the little card off as a friendship card keep sake, pop it in their purse or even better, their Project Life album! 

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Who says dinosaurs are extinct?

This week I've been on a crafting rampage using the 'Rawrsome' No Bones About It stamp set.  I've really enjoyed playing with this set, and even my boyfriend was coming up with suggestions for possible cards to make with it. 

The card I'm showcasing today is a special 3D Jurassic Shadow Box Frame, inspired by the tutorial on The Craft Spa blog. 

                         

This card has taken me all week to create, but it was definitely worthwhile.  I started by creating the front Jurassic scene using Cucumber Crush and Soft Suede as the background.  I then layered leaves around the top corners using a mixture of Pear Pizzazz and Cucumber Crush, and did a bit of fussy cutting around the edge of the leaves. 

The inner part is a small square of Whisper White with 'RAWR! means you're awesome in dinosaur' stamped in Delightful Dijon. 

The dinosaurs are stamped using neutral inks, then painstakingly cut out by hand (!!), this way I could play around with them on the card to find the best spot for them.

                                                

Inside I kept it simple with a T-Rex party goer and some subtle Dino footprints. I used the happy birthday stamp from Boys will be Boys stamp, but you could use one of the three phases from the No Bones About It set.

  

I made a Box to pop the card in (as per Amanda's tutorial) using trio of squares in Sahara Sand, Basic Black and Delightful Dijon.  The last finishing touch was the T-Rex bones stamp and Beware of Dinosaurs using my trusty Rotary Stamp.

I'm really happy with the finished result, not bad for an artistically challenged new crafter.  Just goes to show how easy Stampin' Up! make it for anyone to create bespoke, handmade cards for special occasions.

Everybody walk the dinosaur

This week I'm playing with Stampin' Up! No Bones 
About it photopolymer stamp set.

I've been very excited to get my hands on this set, as my little boy loves dinosaurs (which little boy doesn't?), so I thought I would use them to make him something. 

My friend showed me a Dinosaur Bingo game that a fellow Stamper Upper had made. I took the concept and changed it to Dino Snap, as my boy is too young for Bingo. 

Here's one I made earlier..

I took a 12" x 12" piece of Whisper White card, chopped it into 3" x 3" squares.
Then I simply stamped a dinosaur onto each square. 

     

I chose Dino colours, and added a bit of texture using the spot stamps.  This was fun for me as I tend to stick to one colour, I used the spot stamps to layer on darker colours to add detail.  Just goes to show how the easy the stamp sets make it to add depth to your creations.    I decided to back the cards & round the edges to make them more toddler friendly. 

RAWR! Means you're awesome in dinosaur

I finished the cards with the RAWR stamp on the reverse side using white emboss powder on black card, just for fancy! 

It certainly got the thumbs up from my son who has been playing with it already. Saying "dinosaur" and "T Rex" when pointing to the cards. Now just to laminate them, so he can't destroy this fab creation. 

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"Perfection is so.... boring"

I've never cared much for perfection.  My body is far from perfect, my hair is always a mess, my make up is on slap-dash, and our home is certainly not perfectly tidy or colour co-ordinated in any way, shape or form.

As I sit here in my craft den (again a dishevelled mish-mash of bare white concrete bricks, a 1950's workbench filled with junk, my modern printer in the corner, and some fairy lights strung up here and there) trawling through a sea of perfect Pinterest cards, I find myself becoming more and more frustrated.  Creativity isn't about perfectionism, nor is it about trying to please other people. It's about exploring, thinking 'outside the box', looking at things differently, experimenting, trying, failing, succeeding. It is whatever you want it to be.

For me, being creative in my craft den is about sitting down quietly, background music on, and enjoying the freedom  to make whatever I wish to make.  I have no natural artistic talent, I can't draw, I hate my own handwriting and I'm pretty rubbish at co-ordinating colours.  But does it matter?  I'm enjoying the therapeutic value it holds; the calm it brings, the focus on something in the present, the distraction from the daily monotony, the comfort of being in control of something for once, the pride of making something, and the happiness it brings (even if it's just me who likes it).

Stampin' Up! is the craft equivalent of a recipe.  Once you have the right ingredients and equipment, you can create whatever you like.  Of course, there's the all important ingredient of 'time', and the other of 'energy'.  Most nights I collapse on the sofa in some kind of Zombie state, watching another episode of Grand Designs and cursing at the annoyance that is Kevin McCloud.  Then there are the 'motivated' evenings, those where I WANT (key word here) to do something, and THAT'S when I love Stampin' Up!  Okay I am very lucky to have the use of a basement, full of SU goodies, but I started with a Project Life card kit, photo pages and my kitchen table.  Being creative doesn't mean having the perfect space, or the perfect set of colour co-ordinated inks/card, it's about having YOU TIME.

I love the the nostalgic feelings it brings out; the memories of being a child and just getting messy.  That's probably why I let my child get so messy, it encourages creative independence.  I used to love lying on the floor with my colouring book and quietly colour in the outlined pictures.  It's an escape from reality, it's a moment of childish fun.  A responsibility free time of ignoring the bills, the housework, even the kids.  It's back to basics, away from the TV, computers, iPads, and phones.  It's a simple life.  Well, as simple as you make it (depending on your creations).

And so I ask myself, "What do I want to achieve from posting photos of my creations?"They're not perfect, and they're certainly no where near up to the standard of other crafters.  Honestly..... I don't know the answer.  I like the 'likes', I love people's positive comments, and of course if I make a sale it gives me a huge confidence boost. I guess ultimately, I just want to inspire others to have a go, because if I can do it, anyone can.

So, when you next see a photo of one of my creations.  Don' think it was made perfectly from my own head, it wasn't.  It was Made with Love, and for me that's all that matters.

Yummy Mummies Guide to Project Life

Today, my babe went to sleep at 11am, and I quickly popped the kettle on, grabbed my Project Life album, Little Moments card kit, and fired up the Mac.  I needed to whip up some pages quickly, taking advantage of the 'quiet' time.  Here's my quick guide to making the most of the little time you have to Project Life quickly.

Choose your photos  (small pocket photos customised to 7.5 x 10.1cm) 

Cut photos using Stampin' Up! guillotine (scissors are fine but take longer!)

Pop photos in the pockets, and add journalling cards or decorative.  (Separating your cards into piles beforehand helps !)

Fill in the gaps using more photos or the larger cards from the kit. 

 Know when to stop (you can come back to it later!)