Making my own stamps

As I can't find the button to upload this to UKS I am putting it on my blog. Had a stamp maker for Christmas and I am so delighted with my first stamp. I can't believe the detail that the stamp has, it's a photo of my great grandparents wedding.

I just need to experiment now with different types of ink etc.

3D Star card

I have been playing around with making things 3D at the moment. I used my shapecutter to cut out a circle in the card and 2 stars in gold to slot together. The stars are stuck to the back using acetate, and the card does fold down flat when it's in a card.

Thank you card

I made this card using Lavinia stamps, for the Fiskarettes challenge.

I wanted the card to be quite delicate so I stamped the floral background first with versamark and then applied perfect pearls. I also used a small butterfly stamp. I fixed the perfect pearls using a tiny bit of water in a mini mister.

Once the card was completely dry I stamped the image in the middle of the card and embossed with gold embossing powder.

I added pearl drops and cut out the letters to spell thank you.

Cute Mini Book with instructions

I saw a book like this in a local shop, went home and spent hours working out exactly how to make it. I like the way the pages explode into a fairly flat shape making it ideal for lots of mini photos. Cut a piece of paper 8” by 4”

Then you need to fold your paper. I used a scoring blade as you can score all the folds accurately. If you don’t have a scoring blade you could use a bone folder.


Then in the middle of the rectangle, cut 1” in both sides, (dark blue line on the picture.)

Then you need to make the 1” square folds in each corner.

The folds in the books are mountains (going up towards you) or valleys (opposite direction) I hope this diagram shows you which direction the folds need to go in.

The pink lines are folds that go up/mountains. The turquoise lines are folds that go down/valleys. The black lines are where you have already cut your paper.

Once you have managed your squished together folds, you need to make a cover for your mini book.

Cut a strip of card 2.5” wide and 9” long. Use the scoring blade for folds at the following measurements. 2.5” then 2” then 2” and finally 2.5”

I glued a piece of ribbon on the inside of the card before I stuck the folded mini book on the top, this makes a nice closure.

I added lots of mini photos, the beauty of this book is that you can place so many tiny photos. They don’t have to be stuck completely to each fold, some of mine come off the edge but fold away beautifully when it comes to close the book.

Im going to try adapting this pattern to make a larger book, and will post instructions as soon as I have worked it out.

Thank you Carmen

I received this award from the lovely Carmen, so thank you for thinking my blog is fabulous. I have to list 5 things I am obsessed with at the moment, and pass the award on to five other people.

1. I have become a bit obsessed with card making, apart from making card toppers and selling them on ebay to make a bit of money I have never really been interested in cards. I think the NEC and some of the lovely stamps I bought there are to blame.

2. Promarkers, I cant believe I have only just discovered them, I love the bright colours and the way the colours blend without damaging the paper.

3. I am determined to find time to properly find out how to use my camera on manual settings, it is a bridge camera but I really want to improve my photos.

4. Scrapbooking, mini books and altering things.

5. Creating a record of memories for my children. I have a number of little note books and scraps of paper all being collected with memories, funny things children have said in work and little things like notes the children left when they were younger.

As I cant pass this award back to Carmen, I am sending it to these people.

Jayne, at http://boringhousewifexx.blogspot.com/
Claire at http://www.curlylockspicsandpieces.blogspot.com/
Eleanor at http://www.paperseaside.blogspot.com/
Andrea at http://andreagourley.blogspot.com/
paper and string looks lovely, I often go to look at the shelves of buttons etc lol.

Combining border punches, School photo layout

Did you know you can combine some border punches to make a new design. I used the fiskars ribbon punch combined with the border lace punch to make a new border. Line the ribbon border with the scallops on the lace punch. The layout is one of my DT projects for Fiskarettes.

Aluminium Tape and leaves

One of the challenges on Fiskarettes was to use a leaf from your garden, I used a bayleaf to make a tag, but when I was experimenting I tried using some herbs from the garden too, They could make really nice lables for Herb containers.

Christmas Cards

I've been making Christmas cards, the first one is for my Fiskarettes design project and uses a masking technique inspired by a post on Its a creative world, and the second picture shows cards I have made with a beautiful stamp and lots of stickles bling.

Astronimical clock

I made this layout for the Fiskarettes challenge. The photos are of the astonomical clock in Prague.

Grungeboard Watch Straps

Have had the most amazing weekend with fellow scrappers, we decided to have a go at making our own grungeboard watch straps, and these are the results.

I love Polar Bears

A layout I did for the Fiskarettes challenge this week. I was really pleased with these pics taken at Berlin Zoo.

Felt Christmas Trees

It's a creative world have a Christmas theme for this month. These are the Christmas tree decorations I made for my first post. They are really easy to make and an ideal way to use up all those little scraps of ribbon and buttons.

Modscraps Crop

Had a lovely time at Modscraps crop yesterday Ellie asked if I would teach a class using bazzil bling templates. This is the layout I came up with. Lovely to see everyone and catch up, can't wait for the next one.

Cute mini folded book

This is really tiny but so effective. Instructions are over on Fiskarettes.

Instructions for funky foam cupcake stamps.

My post this week for It's a creative world, is making funky foam cupcake stamps, so I thought I would post the instructions on here too. They are very simple to make but I think they look really effective.

I roughly drew a cup cake and case onto the funky foam and cut them out. I added extra detail by cutting out rectangles from the cup cake case, and punching holes in the top with a cropodile.

I attached my stamps to an acrylic block using repositionable adhesive.

Stamp the cup case and top and then add a tiny circle stamp where the holes are. I have made mine slightly bigger to give two slightly different colours where they overlap.

Add a button and your message.

First DT post for Fiskarettes

I've had such a lovely time playing with the Fiskars tools that were sent to me. This is my first D.T. post for Fiskarettes, the pictures were taken 20 years ago! They are my dd on the coffee table, (it was the best backdrop I had) Instructions along with tools used can be found here.

Guest Design for Scrapping Out Loud

I was delighted to be a guest designer for Scrapping out Loud, the challenge was to use handmade flower embellishments, the different flowers and pages everyone has made are amazing. Not sure who had the patience to crochet the little flowers, but they look beautiful.

My page has pictures of our holiday in Berlin taken in one of the museums.

Guest Designer

I was really pleased to be asked to make a page for scrapping out loud, the theme was making flowers but they had to be 3D, I had loads of fun playing around with vellum and paper. You can see it hopefully here.

In the meantime, this is another of the layouts I have made for DS's album. Very simple I know but it's got to be quick lol.

Fiskarette challenge

I made this layout for the challenge on Fiskarettes, it was lucky the challenge fitted a photo I had out to scrap of DS, it will be his 18th in two weeks time and I have realised the 12" by 12" album I planned to do hasn't been started!

Fiskarettes Design Team

I am chuffed to bits I have been asked to be on the Fiskarettes Design Team for three months. It's such a lovely blog to visit with loads of inspiration. Excitedly awaiting tools to play with (like I have nothing at home lol)

This is a layout I make with Modscraps monthly kit, all about our daft cat who hides on the wall waiting to ambush dh

Delighted

I am absolutely chuffed to bits I won the Summer competition at Fiskarettes, with my blue mohican layout. It's a fabulous blog to visit full of fun inspiration and lovely people. They have another competition their prizes are always fantastic, if you haven't already take a look here.

Son's new hairstyle

Simon has had his hair dyed red for Reading Festival. I wasn't expecting the leopard type print on the sides but I really like it. (It will be all cut off before he starts back at the 6th form on Monday) Apparently a celery stick was used, all very clever!

Felt keyrings

These are the keyrings I made for my second post on Its a creative world. I love using felt and sewing and you can make them in no time.

Back from my holiday

Just back from Berlin, we went for a week and had a fabulous time. I loved the colour of these jelly fish in Berlin Zoo's aquarium.

New Background

I don't know what happened but I suddenly had loads of pop ups saying photo bucket bandwith was exceeded. So I have changed the background, kind of like these cute owls though.

Making my own stamps

I decided to make my own stamps using funky foam, I am really pleased with the results, I know they won't last forever but I think they create a lovely effect.