How to make paper flower embellishments and split personalities

Digi and paper tag - one side for each side of me

A plethora of flowers

I needed to create a tag book for my uks group and I created a tag that reflected my split personality scrapping - one side digital and the other paper with a huge paper flower. Excuse the photos - the daylight was rapidly going as I made the flowers.

I cut out rough flowers shapes in three sizes of coredination card and three  sizes of circles from  an old dictionary.

I used a mix of pva and acrylic to coat both sides of dictionary paper and left to dry and then crumpled the disks

I then placed a blue disk on top of a flower shape and cut into the card to make more defined petal shapes - ending up with three blue circles and three orange card layers.

I took an emery board to the card to create a more distressed look

I fastened them together with a small flower brad

Finally I pinched all the petals to create a more petal shape

Soon I had a pile of flowers and it cost me little but time.

Double Trouble using the Helping Hand Collaboration

One of the CT members of Owl Tree Studios has just lost her 17 year old daughter and a group of digi designers have created a kit to raise money for the funeral and hospital expenses. You can find out about it at  http://www.owltreestudio.com/news/helping-hand-charity-collaboration I created this layout using elements from the kit and one of the OTS October Calendar templates. If you get a change to buy the kit please do as it is a great kit for a good cause. This is another photo of my brother and me, aged about 8 and 6 I think.

Cheeky Monkeys layout using Owl Tree Studio's You Look Like a Monkey Kit

This layout is all about a photo of my brother and me taken when I was 7 and he was 5. I always think it looks as if we are bursting to get out of the picture and were secretly plotting something mischievous. When I downloaded the new October kits from Owl Tree Studio the "You Look Like a Monkey" kit designed by Jen Balding of GBGD seemed ideal. I used papers and elements from this kit and the alpha came from another OWL kit by GBGD called "SUP".

Wild Blueberry Ink Anniversary Giveaway

Check out the Wild Blueberry Ink blog here and enter yourself multiple times and in multiple ways to win some fab goodies. Although I really covet them so don't tell too many people about them ;-)

Photo Mosaic- floral inspiration

Not much time this week but I saw this idea on Ali Edwards' blog and went to the Mosaic Maker at Big Huge Labs and had a bit of a play. I think it's a fun way to present your photos and there are lots of options that just scream out different layouts. I found it interesting looking back at old photographs in iphoto and noticing that I do seem to have a fondness for taking close up pictures of flowers.

Having fun cutting out paper and random thoughts on blogging and life

Who knew carefully and neatly (well depends on your definition) cutting out flowers from card stock could be so fun. This double layout did begin life  as a basic digital layout. It's part of my economy drive - it is cheaper to print out photos, background and some detail and add more than print out photos individually. Plus as I cannot cut a straight line to save myself it means the photos are all neatly lined up! I decided to record this process as some people like to see that, although as Diana as Just Add Glue To muses you do wonder if anyone reads this. I know I am digressing but I was asked the other day why I do this if no-one reads this and I was trying to explain that for me it is an outlet and very much a modern diary and a way of exploring my crafty side which is very different from the day job (teaching teenagers to appreciate English literature and grammar). Anyway back to the project...

1. Print out digital page

2. And the other one...and try and cut it out of page without too many wobbles.

3. Cut a piece of 12 x 12 to 8 x 8 and then cut out the centre of the square leaving about 3 cm border.

4.  Cut out flower shapes from mount and fold up, make sure you leave at least 2mm of border not cut through.

5. Using one of the square insides cut out from mount, carefully cut out details from card. I found this very difficult and it is not that neat - really admire all those who can do this well.  Arrange these on the layout to suit. I added to border effect and emphasized the digital element swirl element from Peppermint Creative.

Next I found a variety of different alphabet stickers... I used Love Elsie one for the "wanted for", Stuntman was a digital font from Peppermint creative, the "punting" was from a DCWV set and the numbers  on the small photos were in a my random box. I also used a rub on for "little known facts".

Finally I hand wrote journalling on both pages, on the second page I used the swirl as a guideline. As always when I write on LOs I just go for it and don't pencil out which is why words end up a little messy and squashed.

Digital to hybrid take 2

Continuing with my Oxford album and my experiments taking digital layouts to hybrid. I created the basic layout in iScrapbook and once I printed it out I set to work making it my own. I used the Stacy Marks "Courtship" papers from Two Peas in a Bucket as background and layering papers and the ticket embellishment. The first pic is the digital lo and the second shows the final lo. First I inked round the edges using black and red Stazon ink.

Yellow and red pastels were added to ink layers

Red and black ink added to edges and page

Crucial element - smudge with fingers

 Next I used pink elastic and ribbon to create a ruffle that I stapled on and then added some brads to. Finally I created a ribbon flower with a button at its centre.

ribbon and elastic to create a ruffle

Ribbon flower with button centre

Ribbon ruffle

Window Shopping page 2 in Oxford Album

I created this the other night using iscrapbook - so far so good - then the software asked to be updated and I did this and now it won't ****** work! I managed to access it through iphoto and here it is. Sorry if you are not a computer person and wondering what on earth I am blathering on about it.  The layout is based on a sketch from the Bo Bunny blog Friday Challenge.  What I liked was the idea of having the journalling all round the page. I  love this site as it has lots of great demos and info and the sketches are fab.  What did I use? I had a mix of digital kits that I have purchased and some that were free and bits and bobs from software application. In no particular order these are:

Bird from Wilna Furstenberg's Fly Away Kit from Two Peas, Bottle cap from Betsy Tuma at Two Peas, metal lettering font on software, paper from Sweet Sprinkles at Shabby Princess, arrow from software, circle motif stamped over photos and on orange paper from Vinnie Pearce punch elements at Two Peas. The stitching came from Queen of Quirk. I am printing out some of the elements onto white card and I will layer these up onto the paper elements to give a decoupage layered effect.

Monday mutterings, ethical dilemmas and forums

Musings would be a prettier title but after a long day I feel my brain can mutter a little but musing would just tax it too much. Driving to work was stunning as the snow was still on the hills and the sun was just rising and turning the fields and hills a shell like pink. The sky was a vivid blue with a few wispy clouds and the sheep huddled in a corner of the fields. The traffic slowed to a crawl, the snow disappeared as we drove down towards the city and it became a bit dark and dismal - but luckily I had seen that initial pretty view which sustained me as I didn't get the chance to look out a window again till it was time to slog home.

So what is the dilemma? Well I have been dipping my toe in the scrapping forums and have found out about a crop fairly near home and have been offered a lift there by a lovely lady. I had decided to go when I was reminded at work that I should be campaigning against government cuts in education at the rally in Glasgow this weekend (probably shouldn't say anymore as Big Brother may be monitoring...). I am not fit enough to walk the length of the rally but should at least show face.  But I also want to go to the crop. Worthy, cold rally that needs all the support it can get versus warm crop playing with paper and meeting new people?

Today's pic is a digital LO showing youngest daughter at Alnwick Gardens. Just looking at it makes me smile and I still remember her standing looking up at the top of the steel tube with a "Who cares, this can't be bad" expression and the next second screaming and becoming an excited little girl as the water shot up from under her feet. I will need to check what supplies I used but those who pay attention will notice that Peppermint creative heart makes another appearance but in its original form this time. I was pleased with the way the patchwork effect worked out and liked mixing pretty florals with more grungy papers.

Too late for Sketchy Thursdays - digital layouts and milestones

I didn't manage to submit this sketch in time to Sketchy Thursdays but I still like it. I wanted to use this sketch to challenge myself and really use white space. I tried out numerous colour backgrounds but kept coming back to white. I used iscrapbook to create the layout and the digital elements were all from Peppermint creative. The heart was from Pop Rock Graffitti and I made it negative and added stitching. The flourish was from April Morning and the title is Vintage alphabet. Not sure where the other elements came from.  The picture is of my brother and his youngest daughter and this is the first picture I have scrapped of him since he died on 17 April 2008. He adored Lily and I think the picture is just beautiful. This is the most restrained layout I have ever done but I think the pictures needed this.

DIY in the house and playing with Scraphd and turning hybrid.

Lens Guy's brother was round today doing some diy for us. If you have been following this you will realise that whilst LG may be fairly domesticated he hates diy with a passion so his brother who is good at it comes and does stuff for us. We look after his youngest whilst he works. Our nephew is super cute but believes he can do whatever his dad does. I took some pics of him today - some a little shaky as he was not posing and I was trying to catch him naturally and yes... his dad thinks it's fine if he plays with the tools. layout created using scraphd. I have been enjoying using this site and so far it has all been free. You can sign up and not become a member of the club and it lets you use lots of free papers from some great designers and companies. I think what interests me most is that you can print and create hybrid projects. I am going to try that next.