Scrap Weekly in 2010: Yellow

This week's Challenge on Scrap Weekly in 2010 is to use yellow on your layout. Yellow is my least favourite colour and I cannot remember ever using it on any of my pages. So this week's challenge was harder for me than usual.

I dug out a really old K&Co daisy paper from my scrap box and teamed it with a newer brown one and an orange dot from manufacturer unknown. As I was planning my layout, I heard on TV a quotation that I thought I could use sometime, so I scribbled it down on scrap paper. Then I realised it might work for the page I was making. I debated writing out the quote neatly or printing it on my computer, but in the end I decided to use it as it was, as it seemed to fit the doodled theme.

I also used a Martha Stewart butterfly punch and yellow ribbon from American Crafts.

The page will be going to Jenni and Tom along with a 12x12 wall holder so that Jenni can display it in their new flat when they move in. As she is also a Scrapper, she will be able to change the layout on show whenever she wants.

After doing this challenge I realise that yellow is still my least favourite colour!

Origami Flower Tutorial

I'm having problems uploading to Blogger so my apologies for the quality of my photos today. 

Here's what I have been playing with this afternoon. It's the start of a layout and you might have noticed the paper circles cut from My Mind's Eye papers. There are eight of them and I'll show you how I turned them into an origami flower. I cannot claim this to be my technique. I found it a long time ago and have never attempted it before, but I'm happy with the result, so here goes....

For each circle you need to fold it in half and then again so that it is quartered. The pattern you want to see the most of when completed should be on the outside. (My paper though is only patterned one side).

Fold back two edges as shown, from one fold line to another.

Fold the circle inwards so that the folds you have just made are inside.

Now fold up the bottom edge to the top. Turn the paper over and do the same for the other side to form this shape.

Open out to form this petal shape. Keep doing this to all eight circles.

Finally, the eight petal shapes can be adhered to a scrap piece of card or directly onto your project in the shape of a flower, as below.

Now you can make a centre for the flower from paper, a button, or small punched flower and it is completed.

Here then is my finished layout using the origami flower and some American Crafts ribbon. I wrote the words on my computer and printed directly onto the paper....

So, why not give it a go? I hope I've explained it so that it looks as easy as it really is. If I can do it, anyone can!

WOYWW

Well, you asked for it,Your Majesty,Wondrous Queen of WOYWW!
Here's the whole sorry mess of the table and Sofa, as requested by Julia. It has been worse but this week I had only spent a couple of hours at the table.
Pity my poor husband with his OCD and this mess! He's like a cat on a hot tin roof until I've finished and cleared it away. Only then is he happy, but of course he has to hoover the Lounge before totally relaxing.
You can see the messed-up throw at the far end where I sit, and the rubbish bin in all it's glory. Never let it be said that I don't recycle, because that's a plastic carrier bag in there, which gets emptied after a craft session and eventually goes in the rubbish itself when it's sticky and gunky enough!
On the sofa there's a box under the guillotine that I don't think you've seen before. It holds my supply of alphabet and word stickers. Another new-to-you item is on the table itself with the ruler resting on top. It's a box of brads, another of my loves, along with buttons and ribbon! The box is full of brads in every colour and size, from every manufacturer known to man (and woman). Under the 2010 album is my box of American Crafts white cardstock - yes, that Bargain Buy is still here, and I have half a box to use up! I'm always open to ideas.
If you'd like to join in WOYWW madness, hop over to see Queen Julia and leave a link to your craft-table photo. We'll all be round to take a look.

Getting Ahead

I often try to get ahead with card-making. I've made Christmas cards in July, sometimes straight after Christmas! And I just hate to be caught out and have to make a card in a hurry for someone's birthday. I need time to come up with an idea that's personal to the recipient or in a style they will appreciate.

So what's next on my calendar for getting ahead? Valentine's Day of course!

Am I really going to be sending two Valentine's cards this year?? Does Hubby know about this? No and no.

One card is for me to give to Hubby and the other is for my eldest daughter to give to her boyfriend.

So which one's for Hubby? Would you believe the frilly one? I know no other man who likes flowers and frills as much as my dear husband. He often gives me a bunch of flowers and then proceeds to arrange them in a vase and centre them on the table - you see he's actually buying them for himself but pretends they're for me.

I stamped the card background myself with Tim Holtz distress inks (Faded Lipstick and Shabby Shutters)and a small heart stamp, then sprayed with two colours of Glimmer Mists to get a sparkly finish, which doesn't show very well on the photo. The large hearts are cut from My Mind's Eye paper and backed with cream card. The sentiment stamp is from Graphicus and I also used some American Crafts ribbon.

I just love the effects you can create with the new punches from Martha Stewart, but with my self-imposed ban on buying new stash, I had to dig out my Fiskars border punch instead to make the frilly border.

Maybe I should have made three Valentine cards as my younger daughter has a new boyfriend? Hmmm, maybe not. Something this pink and girlie would probably frighten him off!

Awful Photos

This week's challenge at Scrap Weekly in 2010 is to scrap those awful photos we all have hidden away somewhere. I have exactly the photos they mean and spent Sunday afternoon trying to make a layout with them! They are the sort of photos I would never bother to scrap. To be honest, they would be destined for the rubbish bin, torn into tiny pieces so no-one could see how bad they were! However, I didn't get any decent pictures of the family at Christmas this year - not one single photo! - so these are all I had to play with to record Christmas 2009.

I used K&Co papers and American Crafts Sparkly Thickers for the title. The centrepiece is a paragraph copied from a book I read leading up to Christmas and really enjoyed. It is called 'The Gift' by Cecelia Ahern and the excerpt sums up our Christmas this year.

We spent it indoors!

WOYWW

Not a very interesting craft table this week maybe, but if you want to see others in this Mad Group who post a photo every Wednesday of their work area, hop over to Julia's Stamping Ground where you'll find them in ever-expanding numbers!

Hello All. What an awful couple of weeks weatherwise. Too much snow, not enough grit, no buses, no way of getting home from work etc. etc. Anyway, I did get to craft a little on Sunday, only to have a phone call from work to say there had been a pipe burst on the roof overnight, the roof had fallen in and the scan room was flooded!!! Argh!

Needless to say, this photo was taken very hastily as I packed up my Stash. I couldn't concentrate on anything after a message like that.

Back to the photo.... there's the front cover and first page of my 12x6 album for '52 in 10' in the making. The 'necessary equipment' on the table includes a corner rounder, American Crafts ribbons and Thickers, hole punch and box of Tim Holtz inkpads. And I've caught myself out again by leaving something on the table for all to see! The TV Remote this time.

OK, I admit it. I often watch TV as I craft. Preferably murder mysteries, sometimes cooking shows (not such a good idea as they make me hungry!) but on Sunday it was the news channel to watch the weather forecasts. I had to be sure I would be able to get into work at 7.00am on Monday to sort out the flood chaos. I just can't seem to escape the effects of the bad weather!

WOYWW

What's on my workdesk Wednesday? Actually it was last Saturday. I've been at work since then and not been able to craft, but as I wanted to take part in the first WOYWW of 2010,  I took  a couple of photos that afternoon! Julia runs this weekly madness and you can take part too by heading over to Stamping Ground and leaving a link to a photo of your crafting area.

On my desk there are three purchases made before the end of 2009 and they are the box of ribbons (gorgeous), the packets of American Crafts Thickers (sparkly gorgeous) and a 5inch Xyron (indispensible!). Luckily for me I got the Xyron before I decided to stop spending on craft stash in 2010 as it is brilliant and I don't know how I've managed without it! No more spraying aerosol glue everywhere and the smell that goes with it. No more glue sticks, rolls of double-sided tape, wet glue or tape pens when I need edge-to-edge stickiness, the green machine does the job! It's probably more expensive but I'm as careful as I can be to not waste any of the glue roll, and what matters to me, is that it does what it says on the box.

You can see a few decoupaged images on my desk too. I have managed to eke out my bargain-buy decoupage pack (of 40 cards) and made a total of 78 and I am DONE WITH decoupage now, probably forever! I have bored myself silly with it!

Anyway, it's all done except for the stamping of sentiments and addition of glitter, and I can make my own Christmas cards later in the year when I can face them again.

By the way Julia, I hadn't thought about not spending cash when attending a craft fair in London this year, but with a little lateral thinking I reckon I could probably still get some Stash. Assuming I get to such an event ----- I simply take my husband/daughters with me and ask VERY nicely for birthday presents!!! What do you think?

Brown Eyes Or Blue?

Just finished this layout for the DD Ad Challenge. I've used two photos of Karen taken in 2008 which have been 'processed' in Photoshop so that her naturally blue eyes appear brown!

I used papers and journaling blocks from Hot Off The Press 'Vintage' range, and also used the papers to make lollipop flowers. There's a great tutorial for them on Coventry Ann's blog  http://coventryann.blogspot.com/2009/09/lollipop-flowers-tutorial.html

The layout has 3D elements that don't show very well on the main photo so there's a couple more below. The title is made with Making Memories white alphabet rub-ons. I love these rub-ons as they will go onto just about anything!

Talking of titles, as I seem to be, I would like to try American Crafts Thickers. Haven't got any yet as I'm trying to use up my current stash, but it's a line I really like the look of.

Do you have a favourite stash item for making titles? I'd love to know if there's something you wouldn't be without, or maybe, a different technique to try with items I already have! Also, I'm just plain nosey when it comes to crafting and how others achieve the lovely results they do! I'm a bit reluctant to ask individuals on their blogs how they achieved their title on a layout, and they might not reply anyway. But if I'm asking you here, and you choose to tell me, well, that's a good way of finding out!