Friday 27 November 2015

Christmas Cards

Hello my beautiful visitors.  A very warm welcome to my blog, so nice to have you visit!
So, here I am, back again to share another Christmas card.  I have to give you fair warning, I will be sharing quite a few Christmas cards with you over the next week or so, I hope you won't get too bored.  (I'm really hoping you'll keep coming to visit regardless.  LOL!!)

This one is the very first one I made this year.  It was actually completed at the beginning of November!!!!  Shock!!!!  Horror!!!   Yes, I actually started making my Christmas cards  early this year.  Well, early for me anyway.  Some of you may remember that, last year, I started making them in mid December.  Talk about a rush!!  Anyway, got myself sorted this year and have made quite a few already .. Sweet!!!


The papers used are from Kaisercraft's Holy Night 12 x 12 Paper Pad.  I don't usually buy the 12 x 12 as the patterns, I feel, are usually too big for card making, but this one was ideal.  Traditional colours (which I love) and fairly basic designs.


Sprayed a bit of watered down acrylic paint on the base paper  (it actually is green although it doesn't look it here) and added a touch of texture with a stencil and some texture paste.


Layered some labels from another KC paper line and topped it with the lovely little word circle from 2Crafty Chipboard.  The chippie was coloured with Fired Brick Distress Ink and then covered in Glossy Accents.


Coloured a small piece of gauze with Distress Inks, my flowers with watered down acrylic paint and wrapped some twine around the top layer and finished it off with a couple of twine bows.


Decorated the inside with my usual strips of paper.  The chippy on the side (I have no idea what brand it is) was coloured with VersaColor stamp pads and then coated in Glossy Accents.


Can't believe it is less than a month till Christmas.  Where has this year gone??  Hope you are all staying on track with the preparations!!  We're actually going to our older son's house this year for Christmas and our oldest grandson is cooking the dinner!!  So looking forward to it, going to be awesome!!!

Thank you so  much for visiting and do enjoy the rest of your day.

Happy Christmas crafting!!
Take care and God Bless.


Tuesday 24 November 2015

Christmas Cards for Megs Garden

Hello everyone and a very warm welcome to my blog.  So pleased you dropped in for a visit.

Christmas is nearly upon us again (where does the time go??)  so I am here to share some Christmas cards with you.
Megs Garden has some wonderful Christmas papers in the store which are perfect for any Christmas items you may wish to create.  There are Mini Paper Packs, Mini Papercrafters Packs, 12 x 12 Scrapbooking Papers, Collage Sheets, and so much more.  All of the papers are available in printed form but some also come as downloads, which means you could buy them, download them and start using them the same day!!  Awesome!!
These cards were created with Megs Garden's Mini Paper Packs.  These particular papers only come in the printed form but they are so gorgeous, I absolutely love them.

Card #1 made with 'A Musical Christmas'  Mini Paper Pack.


The paper I've used here is my fave from this pack .. love the stripes and the lush purple grapes in the corners .. stunning!!


The large bloom in the cluster and the small white flower are also from Megs Garden.  As is the lace.  All of the red flowers, and the lace as well were originally white.  I simply sprayed them with  some Dylusions Cherry Pie Ink Spray to change the colour.  It reacted differently on the lace but still came out quite pretty I think.


Added some Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paste through a stencil and, once it was dry, I used some diluted acrylic paint to enhance the cracks.


Cut the label shape from another sheet of paper from the pack and then edged it with gold embossing powder.  The '25' comes from a collection by Kaisercraft.  I used a circle punch to cut it out and then mounted it on some thick card for dimension.



The 'Merry Christmas' gold sticker came from my stash. 


 Decorated the inside with more of the same paper.


Once it was all assembled, I dabbed on some gesso in random places and then, while it was still wet, I sprinkled over it with glitter.  I also splattered the card with white ink to simulate snow.  We don't have a white Christmas where we live, but I just love the look.  On the Frilly & Funky web site there is a fabulous step by step for a snowy Christmas card by Pamellia Johnson. I didn't go as snowy as she does but I did use part of her technique.

Card #2 made with 'Tis Christmas Time' Mini Paper Pack.



Used my fave paper from this collection.  It has a gorgeous tartan pattern and I love the roses in the corner!!


Stenciled again on this card but this time I used Jo Sonja's Translucent Texture Paste.  I love that you can still faintly see the paper through it.


The leaf chippy is from 2Crafty Chipboard and the lace is from BoBunny.  Used another '25' circle as an embellie as well.


The flowers in this cluster are also available from Megs Garden.  They are from the Fantasy Flowers range and, once again, were originally white and sprayed with Dylusions Cherrie Pie to colour.


The word 'Noel' comes from a sheet in the 'A Musical Christmas' pack.  I simply cut out the letters and mounted them on card stock for extra dimension.


The inside decorated with the same paper as used on the front.  The quote is a cut-apart from Kaisercraft.


Added some 'snow' again on this card.  I did say I loved it didn't I??  LOL!!  I think I will be doing that on all of my Christmas cards this year.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing my Christmas cards.  I urge you to go and take a look at the Megs Garden Christmas shop.  You will find so many wonderful items to use in all your Christmas crafting.  HERE is the link to the Christmas shop, and do take a look around the blog at all of the fabulous creations by my Team mates.  HERE is the link to the Blog.

Megs Garden products used

Papers
'Tis Christmas Time Mini Paper Pack
A Musical Christmas Mini Paper Pack
Flowers
Puffy Paper Flowers
Cherry Blossoms
Fantasy Blooms
Lace
3.5cm White

Thank you so much for visiting and enjoy the rest of your day.
Happy Christmas Crafting.
Take care and God Bless.
 0x0x  Marg

Saturday 21 November 2015

Christmas with Feeling Sketchy #133

Hi everyone!!  Welcome, and thank you for dropping by, so nice to have you visit.

I started making my Christmas cards for this year a few weeks ago.  Haven't made very many yet but am totally stoked that I actually managed to get them started this early.  Well, early for me anyway.  It's usually December before I even start thinking about them and to have actually started making them in November is amazing!!  I am so proud of myself!!  Anyways, I thought, seeing as I was making cards anyway, why not make one for a Challenge, and so the card I am about to share with you was made for the Feeling Sketchy Challenge # 133.
I saw the sketch thanks to Lizzy Crust at Crumbs of Creativity (love her work!!) and thought it would be perfect for one of my cards so ..

This is the sketch  ..
 .. and this is my interpretation.



I have used papers from Megs Garden's  'A Musical Christmas' Mini Paper Pack and turned the sketch upside down ('cos I could!!)  LOL!!


This large bloom was white originally.  I simply sprayed it with Dylusions Cherrie Pie Ink Spray.


I've had those gold 'Merry Christmas' stickers in my stash for years.  Found them again while I was cleaning up and they came in very handy!


The tickets to the North Pole are from an old Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet and the little bauble spray was pulled out of a Christmas decoration which was bought specifically for use on my cards!


Created a pocket for a Gift Voucher by fussy cutting one of the paper sheets.  The quote at the top is a cut apart from another Kaisercraft collection.


Created a bit of 'snow' on my card by adding some spots of gesso and then, while it was still wet, sprinkling it with some glitter.  You can't see it too well on these photos but it looks really pretty!!  Pamelia Johnson did a fabulous tutorial on the Frilly and Funkie site.  Her card is a lot snowier than mine but I did use some of her technique!!

So, another card done, and a Challenge entered!!
At the beginning of the year I had intended to enter at least one Challenge each month.  Well, that never happened so, I'm thinking, maybe next year!  Maybe!!  You never know!!

Thank you so much for visiting and here is the Link again for the Feeling Sketchy Challenge.  Why not have a go??  It's really fun and so easy to make a card following a sketch!

Thank you so much for visiting and enjoy the rest of your day!!
Happy Christmas Crafting!!
Take care and God Bless.


Tuesday 17 November 2015

An Anniversary Card

Hello again everyone!!  A very warm welcome to my blog, so pleased you came for a visit and I hope you are all having a wonderful day!  I have some new followers as well.  A very warm welcome to you and thank you so much for joining me.

I am quite busy making my Christmas cards at the moment and really enjoying the process.  Will start showing them soon but not just yet.  Gotta keep you in suspense just a bit longer.  LOL!!

My oldest son and his beautiful wife celebrated their Anniversary a few days ago and so I am here to share the card I made for them. 



The papers used are from Prima's 6 x 6 Timeless Memories Paper Pad.  I  simply tore it at the top and bottom, rolled the edges and added a small piece of black lace behind the openings ..


.. then inserted my flower clusters along with some stamens and bits of twine.


Added some Prills, did a little doodling and splashed a bit of white gesso and black ink over the paper.


The flourish was cut with Die-namics Framing Flourishes die.  I actually cut two and glued them together for a bit more dimension.
I'm really enamored of this staggered style of card at the moment.  That extra bit at the side just makes it a little more unique!!  I think so anyway.


The inside edged with strips of  the same papers.


I really liked this colour combination .. will definitely have to use it again!!

Thank you so much for coming to visit. For my South Aussie peeps, hope you keep your cool over the next few days, it's going to be HOT!!!

Take care everyone and I hope you have a very enjoyable week.
God Bless.

Saturday 14 November 2015

Step by Step Tutorial for My Simple Christmas Planner!!

Hello you lovely visitors and welcome to my little blog.  Hope you are enjoying your day.  A very special welcome to my new followers.  Thank you so much for joining me on my crafty journey!!  Hopefully, I can give you some inspiration now and then.

So, as promised, here is the step by step for the Christmas Planner I shared in my last post.
If you've been to have a look at it you would have seen it is nothing fancy .. I wanted to keep it simple because it's going to be used quite a lot over the next couple of months and, hopefully, in years to come as well.



This is going to be a very long post so, grab yourself a nice cuppa and a comfy chair and here we go!!

The Inside Pages

You will need:
Two sheets of Card stock 8.25" x 10".  I actually used two sheets of A4 and simply trimmed the length down to 10".
Designer paper to decorate.
Double sided tape for adhering your papers.
A small amount of wet Glue.



 Score your card stock on the long side, at 7".


To create the gusset, score on the short side at 4" and again at 4.25".  If you're using an A4 sheet like I did, it will be the tiniest bit wider than 8.25" so, simply find the center of the short edge ..


 line it up on your score board (I lined it up on the 5" mark) .. 


.. and score 1/8th" on either side so that you have a quarter inch scored section running down the center of your sheet.



I rounded the corners on mine but, of course, that is optional.


 Fold along the score lines


Run a line of glue (I used Glossy Accents) along the gusset in the 3" section ..


 .. fold up the bottom and press it down to create the pockets.   You can glue the outer edges down as well but I didn't bother because it is much easier to insert your lists and receipts if the outer edges are left open.  It will still hold everything in place.



I would suggest that you decorate the inside of your pages at this stage.  You can do it once the book is assembled but it is a lot easier to do it now.  Don't decorate the outside as yet though. 



Repeat this process with the second sheet.

The Cover


You will need:
2 pieces of chipboard measuring 5" x 7".   Cardboard is also suitable or anything really that has a bit more strength to it.  You could just use cardstock but it wouldn't be as sturdy.  
1 piece of chipboard measuring 5/8th " x 7" for the spine.
Cloth tape.
Elastic -  3" for the pen loop and 10.5" for the closure.  I used two different widths of elastic but the same width could be used for both.
Designer paper to decorate.
Double sided tape. 
A small amount of wet glue.
Lay all three pieces of chipboard flat on your work surface (as shown) lining up the edges and leaving a small gap (about an eighth of an inch) between each one for movement.


Then, tape the three pieces together.  I used Cloth Tape (available at Hardware Stores like Bunnings) but you could use Duct Tape, Cardstock, fabric, anything that will hold the cover in place and still be flexible for opening and closing the booklet.  Whatever you use needs to be at least 2" wide.  This is enough to cover the spine and give you just over half an inch on either side.  Turn the cover over and also tape the other side in the same way.  On the inside, run an embossing tool between the cover pieces  so that the tape sinks into the crease.  This will help to ensure that it will open and close properly.


To add the pencil loop, take the 3" piece of elastic, loop it around the pen or pencil you wish to use and sew the loop closed.  Then use a hot glue gun to tape the ends to the cover making sure the loop sits in the center of the spine. I staggered the ends of the elastic so it wouldn't be quite as bulky under the inserts.


This is how it looks at this stage.


To add the elastic closure .. on the outside of the cover, mark where you would like it to sit ..


..   and glue approx. 1.5" of the elastic to the top of the cover using your hot glue gun.  Run your elastic around the back of the cover making sure not to get it twisted and glue the other end 1.5" to the bottom of the cover.  As you can see, I had already started putting on the double sided tape ready to add the papers before I remembered to take a photo of where I stuck the elastic.  Got a bit over enthused I think!  LOL!!


Here it is, all closed up and ready to decorate!!


Now, I know you are all well versed in how to adhere your selected papers to the cover of your book, but I thought I would show you how to glue it down around the elastic closure.

Turn the elastic to the inside of the back cover and then adhere your paper to the outside.  As you can see I only took my paper to the edge of the cloth tape.  I didn't bother trying to cover the spine.  I did say this was clean and simple didn't I??  Wasn't kidding!!  LOL!!


Turn the book over.  You now need to slit the paper so as to accommodate the elastic.


I've drawn a pencil line showing where you need to slit the paper .. from the edge straight down to the center of the elastic.


Turn the book over again. and make a tiny slit on each side of the cut to the width of the elastic as shown.  Sorry for the blurry photo.  I didn't realise how fuzzy it was until after I had already finished the book, but I think you get the idea.


Turning the book back again (getting repetitious isn't it??  LOL!!)  place double sided tape all around the edge of the cover.  You need to stick down the top and bottom edges of the paper first.  On either edge (doesn't matter which one you do first), start folding the paper over, gently ease it around the elastic (being careful not to tear it) and stick it down. 


 Then do the same for the other side.


Once the top and bottom edges have been stuck down, turn the elastic back to the outside of the cover.


Before folding the end edge over you will need to trim the corners of the paper so it will sit neatly.


Once it's stuck down you can round your corners if necessary.  As you can see, the paper doesn't sit flat once you've done your corners but I simply stuck it down with some wet glue.


 And here is the cover, all finished!!


Now to add your pages.
Adhere double sided tape on both sides of the inserts.  You need to decide how you want this planner to open up.  If you are doing it the same way as mine, the closed end of the insert needs to go to the outside edge of the Planner.   Adhere your selected paper to the front of the insert.


Remove the backing from the double sided tape, center the insert on the cover and stick down. You can see that it leaves about 1/2" of the cover showing on both sides of the insert.  It doesn't really matter how far in from the outer edge you glue your insert, but you must leave at least that 1/2" on the inside to accommodate your pen or pencil when the cover is closed. 


Adhere the other insert to the opposite cover and, that's it.. your planner is finished!!  You can, of course, add any other decoration you wish.

About the lists, I created my own in excel but, unfortunately haven't yet worked out how to convert them to PDF so I can't offer them to you.  I am still working on it though and hope to get it done (with a little help from a friend) soon. 

I hope I have made these instructions reasonably clear but, if you have any questions, simply leave your query in the comments section with a way for me to contact you and I will get back to you with the answer.

Thank you so much for taking a look at my little step by step and sticking with me to the end.  If you decide to create your own planner based on these instructions, please let me know as I would really love to see it.

Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care and God Bless.