MAGNOLIA BUY

Hi All

I hope you all had a truly fab christmas with your family and friends and are now building up to New Year! 

As I have a few days off I'm in decorating mode and have been busy stripping, sanding, painting and wallpapering the lounge as it needed a bit of face lift.  However, I can't stay away from my little craft room for long and thought I'd share one of my makes with you.  My best friends daughter is getting married in July next year and she has asked me to make up all her wedding stationery which is I am just over the moon about.  I've made up a load of samples for her and will share once she has made her choice but to get me in the mood though I thought I'd use a new stamp I purchase recently from Magnolia.

The DP has been rubbed around the edge to soften the pattern a bit and the image coloured with Copics.  I just added a bit of glitter to the image and around the white background layer.

All cardstock and DP used on this card is from PTI.

The second card I made is A5 sized.  Here I used some Martha Stewart Punch-around-the-Page punches to make the a base for the image to sit on, a little buckle with ribbon and some flowers.  Again I glittered the image a little.

Now... back to that lounge!

Catch up with you soon, thanks for stopping by!
Zoe
x

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

It's here, its finally here!  Christmas Day and what, you might ask, am I doing in front of my PC writing this... Well I could well ask the same of you, sitting in front of your PC READING this!

I just had to log on for a sec and wish you all...

A VERY

MERRY CHRISTMAS DAY!

I do hope that you are having a truly great day and are getting all that you wished for.  We've opened all our pressies and been down the pub for a drink with some mates.  I'm looking forward to my dinner (we've got a massive rib of beef with my superb yorkie puds and homemade gravy, even if I do say so myself!)

Enjoy it and be happy!
Take care
Zoe x

SUCH A CUTIE

Hi All, hope you are having a good day. 

I never really make cards for boys so thought I'd share a card I made today using a stamp from Whipper Snapper. The sentiment is from PTI, as is the cardstock.  I've also just invested in some Prismacolor pencils and have coloured him in with both Copics and Prismacolor to try them out.  I think I love my new tools!

This is for a friend who's little chappie turns two this week.

Thanks for stopping by.

Zoe x

POOP and MORE poop!

It's all about poop today... Reindeer poop that is!  More bits for the Christmas tree or stocking today.  Again these are clearly tried and tested ideas but as I've never made any before, why not have a go!

I filled a glassine bag with Cadburys choc covered raisans and some Cadburys choc covers flakes, which come out to form nice, poop like clumps (sorry to be so basic, but that's what they look like!). 

I punched out a double sided paper border strip with a Matha Stewart border punch and added a strip of Aqua Mist  & Berry Sorbet PTI cardstock to it before I mounted with my little reindeer image.  I have no reindeer stamps yet (can't seem to find anything I really like) so have used a free clipart image here to which I added the 'Reindeer Poop' text using Word Art in PowerPoint.  I punched out some leaves and added a brad to complete my project. 

How these ever got finished I will never know.  I bought several bags of chocs to use and probably ate half along the way... I am a choc-o-holic just in case you have not realised by now and it is totally unheard of for me to have chocolate in the hosue and be able to resist a nibble or two EVERY * SINGLE * DAY!  Anyway, back to the project folks - here is a small sample of todays work.......

Don't ya just LOVE this hobby - I KNOW I do.

Not long now guys... the big day will soon be here!

Have a good one all.
Zoe x

ABOUT A BOY

A very quick one today which I just had to slot in amongst all the Christmas bits I'm working on and sharing with you.

My father-in-law kept hundreds of slides from my hubby's childhood and luckily for me I have a scanner that can convert these into photos.  My parents used to have tons of slides too, must have been the thing back in the day I guess.  I found some super adorable ones of him as a baby and a little man and had to make a page out of them.   The page size is 8x8.

He's still a cutie to me now that he's all grown up and just passed his 51st year! The cheeky smile is still there but the hair has definitely thinned out a bit.  This page is dead plain and some might say a little stark but I like this sort of layout.  All I've added is some buttons. I want to focus on the pictures not a load of embellishments.  Anyway, it works for me.

Hugs Zoe x

LOVE THE BOX

Hi all

Today's card is using a digi stamp from Mo Manning called 'I Even Love The Box'.

I fell in love with this image and I coloured it with Copics and Primsacolor pencils.  I added fake stitching around the edge of each layer and once I'd added the ribbon, mounted onto my blank card.  I glitter the bobble and hat trim to finish it off.

I am still getting the hang of using my new pencils so the colour on the box and the wrapping paper could have been darker with a bit more depth but didn't want to mess around with it some more in case I really messed things up!

Catch up with you soon.

Zoe x

CURIOUS KITTIE

I so miss my cat Jessie.  We had to re home him as he didn't get on with our other cats (except for one) and it was a nightmare to live with all the fights.  He even started to spray over electric sockets and the like which apparently is a sign of stress so we had to come to a really hard decision to let him go somewhere he'd be happy.  He was my absolute favorite and I really do miss his cheeky little face around the place.

He adored climbing trees and we have several in our garden.  He was only happy with the biggest one in the front garden and climbed up there all the time to catch the birds, he never managed it though, he was far to noisy!

He was a cool dude and just loved a cuddle.  His favorite spot was under my chin when I was in bed at night.  He used to keep me warm in the winter I can tell you.

For this page I drew a line around in black ink and then punched some squares of patterned paper which I rounded on the corners.  I printed his pic and trimmed the same way then laid it all out on my PC.  Added my journalling and printed it off.  My one and only embellishment is a little pink brad.

Sorry if you're not a scrappy person but there will be some more crafty bits coming so come back soon!

Take care all
Zoe x

PAPERTREY DELIGHT!

Hi All

I just had to share a snapshot of my christmas pressie from hubby which arrived yesterday - I had goosebumps and bubbly tummy when I opened this little lot I was so excited.

There were a few things I've been after for a while which have been out of stock as well as a load of new releases I wanted and here they are!  I can't wait to get started playing with all my new stuff so apologies so short and sweet, I'm off to get cracking!

Take care

Zoe x

RED WINS, BUY A NOSE

Hi All

Christmas is getting ever closer, as the TV ads are really keen on reminding us all! and I am acutely aware of what little time remains for me to get myself sorted for the the various craft fairs I will be trying to sell at this year.  Its a lot of work, as anyone who does these mad things will appreciate, BUT the upside is that you get to see people who really like what you're doing and even better than that, want to BUY what you're making!  Every penny helps as it all goes towards a truly great cause.. more craft bits for me to play with!

I've have been making some little tree presents or stocking treats the last few days and as I have a fair this weekend, I have made up some ready to sell.

These are pretty popular, judging by the blogs that I frequent - so made some myself.  These are just filled with Maltizers and a chocolate covered in red foil for little ole Rudolph!  Dead simple and totally delicious - I know, I've eaten quite of a lot of them whilst making these babies up!

To pretty them up a bit when I put them on my table, I made a little box from one sheet of 8.5x11 kraft cardstock and then added a strip of green around each side followed by another strip of kraft around the top with the corners rounded.  To make it even prettier, I added some red ribbon, a button, some bells and a bit of twine.

If they don't sell at least I'll be all set on the chocolate front for a few days!  My waist line will not agree with me however, so lets hope they all go.

Hugs

Zoe x

SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT

I came across a web site recently called the Clipart Fairy and took a fancy to some of the things she'd made.  You can buy papers and designs to print off and make up as cards as well as some clipart files for all sorts of things so thought I'd give it a try, something a little different for me.

Here's what I made with the kit I bought..

Once you've purchased the kit and downloaded it, you just print out the papers and cut them out.  I added glitter to each of the three levels with a Zig glue pen and Martha Stewart glitter and mounted it all onto an easel card.  This comes out at just short of an A5 card.

All I've added to this is some ribbon and few flowers and it was done.  There are lots of things on her site for just about every occasion, baby, anniversary, birthday, Christmas so if you want to have a look its HERE.  .

Have a great day.

Zoe x

COMPLETED 'SNOWMAN SOUP'

Following my previous post a little while ago when I shared my new box for this year's Snowman Soup, I have now filled them with the goodies so wanted to share the COMPLETED project with you...

They are now filled up with two Cadburys hot chocolate sachets, two Matchmaker choc sticks (1 orange and 1 mint) and a glassine bag filled with mini marshmellows... totally YUMMY!

I've made up thirty for a craft fair this weekend and have another thirty ready to fill for the next one I have later in the month.

If you want to find details of the boxes I made etc, see my previous post for links.

Have a great one all.

Hugs

Zoe x

ALL TAGGED OUT!

After making up a load of tags for the kiddies to colour (see earlier post), it was the adults turn and I've been making little tags for my Christmas Fair which will be run over two days this year.  I needed to make sure I had enough of everything and have been punching like crazy on my BigShot - I have to admit I am pretty fed up looking at them now!!!

However, thought I'd share them with you as I am sure I will love them again once my arm recovers from all that stamping and handle turning I've been doing (I must invest in an electric one some day!)

I've made up five different designs using the Label's die from Spellbinder. 

All stamps and sentiments used here are PTI.

In each 'pack' I've included three different ribbons to attach the labels to gifts and each are 60cm long.

I printed the 'contents' label on my PC and mounted before attaching.  I've made a tons of these and this is less than half of them.  I sold so many last year so have made plenty extra this time.

Take care and thanks for stopping by.

Hugs

Zoe x

ADMIT ONE

Boy doesn't Monday's come around quickly!! The weekend justed whizzed by.

I've been working so much on Christmas bits and I was in need of a change of scene so today I'm sharing a card using a stamp from Stamping Bella called Baby Carriage Bella.  I've coloured her with a mixture of Prismacolor pencils (my new toy) and Copics.  I mounted it on to PTI cardstock and DP and then cut out the 'Admit One' ticket from some PTI paper and attached to the ribbon.  The punched strip behind is using a Martha Stewart edge punch.

I finished it off with some glitter on the pressies and carriage.

Hope you enjoyed, thanks so much for taking the time to pop over.  Enjoy your week - Only 33 shopping days to go!!!!

Hugs

Zoe x

MY WISH LIST FOR SANTA!

Happy Friday all!  So glad the weekend has nearly arrived, its been a mad week. 

I have a craft fair tomorrow so wanted to share another project that I finished last night.  I've come up with a little book for the kiddies amongst us who still make a list for Santa hoping to get all we wish for!

I started by creating a little label on my PC which they can sign with their name.  I cut and mounted onto cardstock and then attached to the front of a white square card which I have mounted a piece of patterned cardstock.

For the insert I trimmed up some coloured paper and stamped with a 'Wish Big' sentiment in Momento black ink and a star image (Both PTI) in Versamark ink on each side and then stapled at the centre to the card to form a book.  I wrapped some ribbon around and tied off in a bow at the front.

I punched some leaves out and fixed with a red brad on the front of each.  As these will be filled and then posted to Santa, I included an envelope which I printed out with his address on it and his very own special postage stamp (on my PC).

Super Cute!  I've made quite a few so we'll see how well they go tomorrow. 

Have a great day and enjoy your weekend!
Hugs
Zoe x

CHERISH

Hi All

Just wanted to share a quick scrapbook page today. I will be seeing my best friend Ruth this weekend so wanted to share a page with you as she's on my mind at the mo.  We have some fab times together and we share everything.  I love her so much and could not image life without her.  We live at different ends of the country now, which is better than it was before, she was all way round the world in New Zealand before moving back home last year, so any time we have together we cherish.  I made a little page to reflect this.

I used a rub-on for the title wording (American Crafts), which as you can see, I did not make the best job of!  However, the page still works so its going in the album with all the others, wort's and all.

My husbands nickname for her is 'slopping' as in slopping roof (Ruth)!  I'm pretty sure she's not keen on it either, we all call him Victor, as in Victor Meldrew!   Life is all about your family and friends and I would not be the person I am without Ruthie in it.  I just LOVE that girl.   

Have a super day.
Hugs
Zoe x

COLOUR ME!

Hi All

I've finally finished some gift tag labels that I've been working on recently which I've made up for the kiddies to use.   I thought it might be a nice idea for them to have labels they can use on their gifts or for mum and dad to put on theirs. 

I started by punching out the labels on 300gsm cardstock and then stamping each with a design (or in some cases printing digi images and them punching out the labels).  The idea here is that they can colour the images themselves, make them a bit more involved in the whole Christmas build up.  I've included two lots of ribbon for them to use to tie them to their pressies too and there are 5 different designs in each pack. 

I created the 'contents' labels on my PC, printed and and punched out.  Once they were all bagged up, I closed them up with a folded strip of PTI's Aqua Mist cardstock which I stamped with an image using Versamark ink and added some holly leaves and a red brad.

The ribbons are both 60cm long and I've just wrapped them around the left over cardstock from the punched labels (waste not, want not!).  I am now on the hunt for some mini colouring pencils which I will sell separately as I know most will already have something to colour the images with but best to have something with me just in case!

Let's see how well they go down, I've made enough of them!

Once again, thanks so much for popping over to see what I've been up to. Your comments really do make my day and are always gratefully received.

Take care

Hugs

Zoe x

DOGGY TREATS

I ADORE my dog and what better than a little treat for him.  I've totally cased this from a design by Taylor Van Bruggen over at Taylored Expressions because it was such a fab idea.

Super cute!  I hand drew a template and inked the edges a little.  I made a box and handle from brown cardstock and stamped with a little paw stamp I had with versa ink and in black ink on the front.  The sentiment I used is from a PTI Halloween set but I didn't ink up all of the text just this part.

I filled a bag with some bone shaped dog biscuits and tied with ribbon.

This has spurred me on the make something for the feline fraternity, will post once completed!

Zoe x

SNOWMAN SOUP IS BACK – AND ITS BIGGER THAN EVER!

You may remember from one of my very first posts last year that I made some boxes up for Christmas for Snowman Soup. Well this year I decided to use a bigger and better box, as it was a little tight to get everything in last year.

I used a template called ‘It’s on the House’ from the very talented Lauren Meader to make these up and they are adorable!

Inside these I will put a Cadburys hot chocolate sachet, some mini marshmallows and a Matchmakers stick as before. I made up the labels on my PC and printed these off. As I did not have a stamp that I liked, I used some free clipart images for the pic on the front of the tag.

I’ve made 20 so far but as they were so popular last Christmas at a craft fair and I want to make at least another 30 so I’ve got a lot of work to do and a bit of shopping for the ingredients!

I’ve used all different coloured cardstock for the bases of these and just a bit of acetate for the window section. The pic just shows one I made in Dark Chocolate cardstock. Its been stamped with a star stamp in Snow White ink (all PTI) and then to add a bit of bling, I’ve popped a blob of red stickles glitter glue in the centre of each star. I punched a couple of holes on the top and threaded through some ribbon to keep the lid closed and the contents secure (ribbon being no. 1 on my list of favourite embellishments… buttons being my number 2) and all finished.

This is one of most favourite makes at Christmas, (1) because I always loved building snowmen and still do even in March which is when we seem to get all our snow these days! and (2), because I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE chocolate so this is a definite, guaranteed winner for me (I’ve made several to give to myself over Christmas just to make sure I get my fix).

If you want the template, its available via the PTI website :-

http://www.papertreyink.com/timeless_templates_download_here.html

More Christmas gift ideas to come, working on loads of bits so will post once I have something finished and ready to show you.

Hugs
Zoe x

WAY AHEAD!

I normally end up running around trying to get my Christmas cards done at the last minute, which usually means sending them the week before the big day!  This year I have finally managed to get ahead.  I've kept my cards in the same design but just changed the colour scheme. 

Using PTI Berry Sorbet (I LOVE this colour!)

Using PTI Ocean Tides cardstock

Finally, PTI Kraft.

Card insert

Box for the card to go in

The patterned paper is a gorgeous raised glitter from Dovecraft's Let it Snow Collection. The image, sentiment and ink used is all PTI. They were fairly quick to put together.  I made a box for each of them to go in to keep them looking pretty and make them that little bit more special to receive.