Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #259 - Masculine

Hello everyone and welcome to my bloggy space. 

 A very special welcome to my new followers.  I am so pleased you decided to join me on my creative journey.

It's time again for a new Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers.  It is my turn to host this one, and the Theme is Masculine!  

As always, anything you care to create is fine as long as you follow our Theme and, please, link your project to the Challenge post and not to the main CCM blog.  Thanks.

Of course, I created a card.

I used Kaisercraft paper for the base of my design ..  

.. and added some texture paste through a stencil for a little more interest to the background.

I then created the cluster with a scrap piece of Prima paper, fussy cut clocks, die-cut cogs and a small wooden gear.

The Best Wishes chippie is by Scrapmatts.

Would love it if you could pop over to the CCM blog and take a look at the fabulous creations by my Teamies.  You will find some wonderful inspiration there as well as the link to the Challenge.  I sincerely hope you will join in the fun and am looking forward to seeing what you create.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #259 - Masculine

Thank you so much for your visit and for the lovely comments too.
Have a wonderful week.
Take care, stay well and God Bless.

A New Recipe Book

Hi everyone and welcome.  So lovely to have you here for a visit.

I hope you are all having a wonderful day and you are well and keeping safe.  Life is still not back to normal here as yet but, hopefully, we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and it won't be long before things are back to normal.

Okay.  So, I have been a little busy in my craft room of late and I would like to share what I've been working on. 

Yup!  Been making myself a Recipe Book.  Not your usual recipe book though.  This one was made to hold recipe cards and will only hold a limited number of them.  During our lock down time,  when we  couldn't go out to eat, I found a few different things to make for dinner while watching You Tube and had the recipes printed out for reference.  As you can imagine, the paper gets quite messy when it's sitting on the kitchen bench while you're cooking so, this book is meant to alleviate that problem.  Hopefully, anyway.

The base covers are made from chipboard and the spine is covered in fabric.  I used a heavy duty file folder to mat the covers.  They have a plastic type surface which means it will be easier to keep clean.   For the label, I used a Kaisercraft die for the frame and printed the title on my computer.  It was heat embossed with clear embossing powder, again, to make sure it would stay reasonably clean.
Yes, I am a messy cook.  Almost as messy in the kitchen as I am in my craft room.  LOL!

The clip art graphic was fussy cut and coated with Glossy Accents before being adhered to the cover.  Looks a bit blurry here but it does look a lot better in real life.

The inside front cover and first page.   I used papers by Tim Holtz and Kaisercraft and simply created pockets to hold the recipe cards.  Most people I know, keep their recipe cards in a box but, for me, a book is much easier to store.  There are four pages in this book and each one is designed the same.  Just the  papers are different.

So far, I have only added pockets to the right hand side.  If I find I need more, it will be easy enough to add them to the left side later. 

The paper I wanted to use on the left hand side was not wide enough so I joined two pieces of paper together using washi tape.  I found this idea watching a video by Jennifer from JenofEve Designs and I loved the look so much that I have used it on all of the left side pages.  

  The pocket on the inside back cover ..

.. will be used to keep any new recipes I find until I have the time to write them up on a card.

 As you can see, I do have a few of them already.

I created my own recipe cards as I couldn't find any printable ones that were suitable.  I wanted them to be double sided, with the ingredients on one side and the method on the other and, although I can print these out completely on my computer, I decided to hand write them.  Not as neat, but I do enjoy writing them out and, I can certainly use the practice. 

In the pocket on the inside front cover I have place a small, plastic plate stand ..

.. which will be used ..

.. to hold the card when in use.  Another way to keep things relatively clean!  LOL!

I've already used it a few times and it worked a treat.  Even managed not to mess it up.  Not yet, anyway!! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and for any little comment you might like to leave for me to read.  I really do appreciate it.

Enjoy the rest of your day, stay safe and God Bless.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #258 - Weddings

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.  Hope you are keeping safe and having a fabulous day.

The new Challenge is up and running at Crafty Cardmakers.  Jackie is our lovely host and the Theme is  Weddings!!  As always, you may create anything you like as long as it follows the Theme.  Please do make sure that you link your project to the actual Challenge and not to the main blog.

Just another simple little card from me this time.  I seem to prefer the minimalist look at the moment rather than anything more elaborate.
They are a lot quicker to make as well, which is a bonus.

I cut a piece of watercolour paper to the size I wanted, which was 6.5" x 3.5", and attached a piece of lace at the side.

I found some gold twine (part of my Christmas stash), wrapped it around the card a couple of times and finished with the bow at the front.  Then added the flower cluster. 

The flowers are by Little Birdie and the leaves are a die cut by Cheery Lynn.

The greeting was computer generated and mounted on a piece of card for extra dimension.  Although you can't see it very well in these photos, I did edge it with gold ink.

Fairly clean and simple and very easy to put together which really suits me at the moment. 

Would love it if you would pop over to the CCM blog and take a look at the fabulous projects created by my Teamies.  You'll find plenty of inspiration there and, hopefully, will decide to join in with the Challenge.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #258 - Weddings

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I really appreciate your visit.
Take care, stay safe and God Bless.

oxox Marg

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge # 257 - Butterflies

Hello dear crafty friends.  Welcome to my blog and thank you for your visit.

I hope this finds you well and staying safe. 

The time has come for another Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers.   Dr. Monika is our host and the Theme is Butterflies!!    Anything you wish to create is fine but please make sure your butterfly/ies are a prominent part of your creation.

I have created a simple card using some very basic mixed media techniques.

 I started by adding some torn bits of book paper and strips of washi tape to a piece of watercolour paper.

 I added some stamping with archival ink and then used a sea sponge to dab on some gesso and texture paste.

 Once that was dry, I added the colour with Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals.  The colour used was Tears on my Pillow Tangerine.   I sprayed the paper with water first and then, again using the sea sponge, simply dabbed the colour where I wanted it.

The chippie piece was embossed with white Ranger Embossing Powder and, once it was attached, I added the prills.   The Greeting was computer generated and mounted on a piece of cardstock and the fussy cut butterfly is a free printable.

Would love it if you could pop over to the CCM Blog.  There you will find all the details of this Challenge and lots of inspiration by my Teamies.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #257 - Butterflies

Thank you so much for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Take care, stay safe and God Bless.
oxox Marg

Envelope Mini Album #2

Hi everyone!  Welcome to my blog.

I hope you are all staying safe and well and are keeping yourselves busy while the world is in lock down.  Luckily for us in South Aus, our restrictions are starting to ease.  Hopefully people will continue to do the right thing and we will keep moving forward.

I wish to share a little envelope album I've created.  The design for this comes from  Dawn Meadows of The Book Vandal Shop (Here is the link to the video)  and is the same design as my previous envelope album (Here).  I have added a couple of small design changes but it is, basically, the same.

I must warn you that this is a huge post so, grab yourself a cuppa before you start and, hopefully, you will stick with me to the end.

The papers used are by Kaisercraft, from their 6.5" Antiquities paper pad and the finished size of the album is  6.75" x 4.5" x 0.75".

I didn't do much embellishing on the front.  Just a little flower cluster and a fancy book plate.  The closure is a simple wrap around with twine and I've just added a couple of beads to the ends.

 As in the previous album, this one opens both to the right and to the left.   This view from the top will show you what I mean.  As you can see, it's only a small album but you can fit quite a bit into it.

 So, when you open the book from the left (I'll show the other opening later in this post) it reveals a flip page and pocket on the left side and the front of the junk journal on the right side.

 There is photo collage decorating the front of the flip page and a large tag inside the pocket.

 On the back of the tag I just added a few pieces of torn book page leaving plenty of space for photos or for journaling.

 The flip page is one of the design changes I made to the original.  As you can see I've added another photo collage and then on the right is a small poem I found on the net about books.  I love to read and so this really hits the right spot for me.  I love this little poem.  You'll notice that the photos I have added to this album are all about books so, I guess, this will be my Book Book.  LOL!!

 On the right side of the page is the small Junk Journal and this is the other design change.   In the previous album, the Journal was actually sewn into the album but, I wanted to be able to remove this one so the back cover simply slips into the pocket.

 Added to the pocket is another bookish photo collage.

 I won't show you the whole Junk Journal as this post will be way too long already, but I will just show a few of the pages.

 I've added stenciling and torn bits of book pages and washi tape ..

 .. a little touch of lace, an envelope and some printed pages.

 Altered some paper clips to add the flowers ..

 .. and added a few word strips as well.

 Here you can see how it just slips in, and out, of the pocket ..

.. and this is how I finished off the twine after sewing the signatures together.

So this is the page that opens the other way.  There is another flip page and pocket on the left and a diagonal belly band on the right.

Another full size tag inside the pocket ..

.. with the back left practically bare apart from the torn bits of book page.
Can you see my faux pas?   I placed the tab on the wrong side!!  Duh!!  So,  instead of making a whole new tag, I simply added another tab to the correct side.

Open the flip page to reveal another photo collage and another book poem.  This poem is brilliant.  When I read, I totally lose myself in the story and this poem says it all!!  Love it!!

Under the belly band there is a little envelope which holds a bookmark, (are you surprised??  LOL!!) and a couple of tags as well.

I have shown the envelope before in another post so, if you are interested, you will find it HERE.

The back of the album was left plain.

I thoroughly enjoyed creating this booklet and I really love how it turned out.  I hope you have enjoyed seeing it.  I do have two more books on the go at the moment.  They are quite different from this album and I hope to be sharing them in the next few weeks. 


Am entering this into the Mini Album Makers Challenge for May.

Thank you so much for your visit and any comment you may care to leave.  I would love to know what you think.

Take care, stay safe and God Bless.