Handmade wrapping paper

In one of my recent posts (Christmas tags) I was talking about how I'm wrapping and tagging all my Christmas pressies this year and I mentioned some wrapping paper I made. Well here it finally is, wrapped around a present for my mum. All I did was to print photos of my mum in 2 different sizes, cut them leaving a white edge around some of them so when it comes to sewing them they overlap slightly. And then I've jut sewn them with 3 different coloured threads. Sew them together randomly until you have a piece large enough to wrap your present. Takes a bit of time but it's very easy and looks pretty I think.

Here is a detailed view of the paper ribbons I used, I added a heart for some interest and that's it really.

Life's balance - Page 2 of my Board Book Journal

I'm a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to journaling in a book. I much prefer being able to start again if I dont like something, but that's a bit tricky in a book. Nevertheless I like a challenge. When I created this page I made a cock up, some paint bits I really did not like, but I simply covered it with a iof card, which I think rescued it and I'm happy with the page. Well, as happy as can be. I think journaling is more about the journey than the result. I like to use quotes that I have come across and would like to keep a note of so what better way to put them in a journal. A nice way of keeping thoughts and quotes in one place I think.

Craft Stamper Christmas Card Inspiration featuring Stampotique

Do you read any craft magazines? Do you keep them or maybe pass them on or throw them out after a while? Well I loooove my magazines and they are taking up a fair bit of space but every so often I find myself going through them again and again. And everytime I find new inspiration. Whether it's a project using stamps that I didn't have before but own now or maybe it's just something that didn't interest me before but suddenly it does. So I found myself looking through a Craft Stamper issue from a year ago and found a christmas hanging Kate Crane made using Stampotique and Tim Holtz stamps. I took that idea and created my own little christmas card collection. I used a different character and sentiment but I re-created the same background following her steps. I love them for their vibrant colours and crazy "Uncle Buck" character, he don't look like he loves christmas too much, hehe.

I am entering this into the "Backgrounds" Challenge at The Artistic Stamper.

Spanish Leather Bracelets

A while back I mentioned some leather jewellery I saw in Spain during my summer holiday, well when I got back from my holiday it took me a while to find all the amazing clasps they had used in the creations. They are made from Zamak, an anti-allergenic zinc alloy. All these pieces are made in spain and I ended up ordering an awful lot of clasps and charms and pendants. And also this leather band in all sorts of really nice colours. It took me until now to make anything worthwhile out of all the bits.

So today I wanna share with you these 3 bracelets, which are really easy to make. Very simple but I think it's their simplicity that makes them so nice. The colours of the leather are really vibrant.

So it goes to show that things don't have to be overcomplicated to be pretty.

Stampotique Designers Challenge - Sketch Challenge

It's been a while since I've played with a sketch so yesterday I created this little Christmas card. I like the vibrant colours of it and the way it turned out. This one is for my housemate. I am yet to make the cards for my family and some friends but have finished the majority of the cards I'm sending. Very organized. In fact I started wrapping presents last night too.
So I'm off to make more Christmas cards.....

This is of course being entered into the Stampotique Designers Challenge.

Jewellery Recycling

I've had these Mikey necklaces gathering dust for ages. I bought them years ago and never wore them. Do you know Mikey style necklaces? Very long and dangly and somehow just too heavy and big and not great at all. But when I found them the other day I just loved all the individual charms and different chains used in them and I thought I can make them better than what they are. So out of two necklaces I made four and a bracelet, I did add some of my own charms too.

The "Flower Necklace"
This is entirely made from Mikey parts. Chunky chain, big green flower and some other dangly bits.



The "Dangly Necklace"
Again this is completely made out of Mikey parts. I just gathered lots of charms to make into a big feature.

The "Wrap Around Bracelet"
This is also made up from Mikey parts. There are different style chains and some ready made beaded bits. I just connected them to make one long chain, added a lobster clasp and a charm. It wraps around nicely and looks so pretty with all the different bits. Probably my favourite out of the lot!

The "Owl Necklace"

I had lots of random leftover bits of chain I made into a long chain, added lots of my own charms including the big owl and a few leftover Mikey pieces and voila another pretty necklace.

I hope you feel inspired to recycle some unloved jewellery, especially with Christmas coming up it's nice to give something handmade. And as most of us really have to watch the pennies these days it is also a cheap way of making something special.

Christmas Tags a la Lynne Perrella

You may remember me doin some crazy coloured things on tags a while ago, a technique I learned from Lynne Perrella using acrylic paints, stencils and oil pastels. Well, when I first saw her demo the technique at Artsy Crafts I fell in love with it and thought I'm gonna make all my Christmas tags like that this year. Instead of writing someone's name I just pop a picture tag of them on the pressie.

So I finally got around to doin some of those tags, here is the one for my dad (right) and my brother, here in a picture with me (I'm the little one).


The one on the left here is for my mum, I think she was 16 or so in that picture. And the other picture you probably have seen before, it's me and my sister. I was searching high and low for a suitable pic of my sis but I always come back to this one. But she's getting more than one pressie so I will have to find another picture to make another tag. Watch this space.

I have also been sewing wrapping paper from a printed out photo, I'll show that once the present is wrapped.

What are your ideas for wrapping pressies this year? Anything personalised at all? I'm always up for new ideas!

I am entering these tags into the Happy Daze "Explosion of Colour" Challenge. The blank Manila tags are available from their shop and so is the black Staz On ink I used for rubbing over the tags at the end.

Vintage Love Notebook

I have been playing with the old glimmer mists for a bit recently and one of my creations is this A5 sized notebook/journal. I used Tim's Kraft resist paper and sprayed it with mists, then went a bit crazy with the butterfly background stamp to create a more interesting background. Add corners. Tattered Angels frame with LOVE stamped on an old book page and some crackled wings. Bind, add fibers and done. Took a bit longer to make than it sounds but I really like it. It's nice and shimmery and vintagy in real life.

Here is a little close up, this might give you a better idea of how nice it shimmers.

I'm going to put this in my Folksy Shop here.

Vintage style photo jewellery inspired by Liberty's

I walked past Liberty's in London the other day, well I work opposite but I rarely go into this shop as it is so stupidly expensive. But these necklaces in the window caught my eye. As I love working with old photos I just had to try and make my own necklaces using photobooth pictures and I think they turned out rather sweet.

I seem to be making one style of necklace, they are quite long and have lots of random dangly bits and charms. It's what I would enjoy wearing myself even though I could never wear all the necklaces I make. In fact I rarely wear any. So these will be going up for sale in my Folksy shop.

Check them out here.

My blog makeover is complete.... and a journal page

Welcome to my newly designed and improved blog. Things have changed a little around here, out with the old tired looking design and in with a new fresh design, all in white with a few splatters of colour around. I have been working hard on the new design and layout and hopefully it'll make it a bit more userfriendly and more pleasurable to read for my followers. I have also improved the presentation of my photos, been a busy bee playing with my camera and photoshop, so bear with me it's work in progress.

To get started I would like to share my first "real" journal page with you. I say real because before I have only done art journaling style things on canvases and decorated mirrors with it, but this one if actually a page in a book. But not an ordinary journal, no, this is a board book. It's chunky and durable and I won't lose interest in finishing it as it only has 10 odd pages or so. I hope to do one page every week - inspiration allowing!

I would like to enter this page into the following challenges:

Happy Daze - Explosion of Colour (Distress Ink and gold Paint Dabber available from the shop)
Stamp Man - Backgrounds
The Artistic Stamper - Backgrounds

So let me know what you think of the new blog. I will try to post every other day from now on, hopefully I can keep up. I still have to overhaul my website too, which is a little more work than the blog was. Laters!

The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge - Week 9

Only a few more calendars to go at The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge. I think this week's one is my favourite so far. I used some Tim Holtz paper which was already in the style of the theme - old paper and red lines.
The photo of me and my sis I used LOADS and I often have some cut out ones lying around my desk so I just grabbed them and the calendar just came together somehow. I added the wire instead of a ribbon, almost like another red line threading its way through the piece.

So there you have it, week 9 completed.

I have also decided that my newly styled blog will be revealed this weekend, I am yet to decide whether its sunday or monday, depends on how much i get done in the next few days. I am currently working on photos of new projects i have done and would like to share. set up a little "studio" in my living room today taking photos of everything, takes much longer than i thought but hopefully they'll be worth it. Until then.....

The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge..... Week 8

Dark colours and circles is the theme at The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge this week. I struggled to find inspiration but went with a dark night/moon theme. And here is the result.

Only 4 more weeks to go but still time to join in the challenge!

Love Poison Bottle for Stampotique Designer's Challenge

Just a quick challenge entry from me. My blog is supposed to be on holiday and having a makeover but there is a few challenges I just love joining. Stampotique is one of them.

So when I saw the theme - Altered Poison Bottle - it scared me a bit. I don't really alter bottles that much. But when I was making some custard tarts the other day I used vanilla pods, which come in these test tube like bottles and I thought that's perfect to alter and small enough to not put me off the challenge.
I kept this one simple and added a few things around the screw lid, I used the Stampotique heart stamp and made a shrinkie poison label using the Alphabitties (luuuurve them!). On the actual glass I stamped heart boy (see below), perfect for my love poison. Love poison in the shape of sugary hearts. Hehe.

As mentioned (a million times) before I am having a blog makeover and I am currently playing with new display options for my makes. Can you tell? So "Woody" here has lent me a hand with my bottle. I bought him yesterday to display mainly my jewellery makes for photos. But I think he did a fab job holding the bottle too.

Also I have just learnt what a flower frog is. Do you know? You know them spiky almost brush like objects people use to display cards sometimes. You may have seen them if you browse flickr. I think it's a fab idea but I had no idea what them things are, until I asked and someone kindly explained to me they are flower frogs, used to hold stems in place when arranging flowers. You learn something new everyday. I'd love to hear of more cunning display options. So feel free to share your ideas below.

I am also entering this into the Explosion of Colour Challenge over at Happy Daze. Stampotique images are available from their shop so do check it out!

Well, so much for a quick post. Laters!

Configurations Box for Alter it Monthly November

The start of another month brings of course another Alter it monthly Challenge. As you may know the blog will be closing at the end of the year so after this I only have one more DT piece to show you. Very sad but the end of one thing is the start of a new beginning as they say.

This month the theme is Drawers, Doors and Scecret Compartments.

I used this configurations box and created some little doors using magnets and 2 of the small square boxes I put in the wrong way round to create drawers. Loads of little bits to discover here.

Now pop over to the blog to see all the other DT pieces and maybe you'll leave inspired to join in the challenge.

I'm off to keep working on my new blog, I'm currently fighting with Photoshop but it just doesn't want to do what I want it to. Mean!