Scrapbooking with your Big Shot!

After a fabulous long weekend in Wales over Easter, I've been dying to scrapbook some of the (many) photos I took. And what a great excuse to play with my new Big Shot and Stampin' Up! exclusive dies..

A couple of weeks ago I treated myself to a set of Timeless Type Junior Alphabet dies from the Mini Catalogue. I really love using die-cut letters for scrapbook titles.. you can cut them in any colour you like, and with the Big Shot you can use a wide range of materials, too!

In the following layouts, I've used these dies for my title letters and have used a mixture of cardstock and 'funky foam' for the lettering.

Here's a closer look at those die-cut letters:

I've used a couple of other dies here - one of the Sizzlits 'Lots of Tags' 4-pack of dies and the 'Top Note' Bigz die:

 The Top Note die is fab for journaling and I just love that ticket die.. so many possibilities!

{The border strips and stickers used in this layout are the lovely Play Date Quick Accents - heavyweight self-adhesive die-cuts which coordinate with the Play Date DSP.}

OK, so here's the other layout..

Again I've used the Timeless Type alphabet dies with cardstock and funky foam - for both the main title and the numbers 1 to 3! I've also used another of the 'Lots of Tags' dies as a label for the date.. here's a close-up:

{The camera was paper-pieced using scraps of cardstock and Designer Series Papers and mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals. Designer Series Papers used on this layout are a mixture of Sweet Stitches DSP and Brights Colour Collection DSP. The journaling boxes were stamped using a stamp from the Sew Lovely set from the Mini Catalogue.}

The Timeless Type set is my idea of the PERFECT alphabet dies... you get upper and lower case letters, numbers and a whole range of punctuation marks and icons, and the font is a classic one which will suit just about ANY layout you might do! Upper case letters and numbers are approximately 2.5 cm high.

Supplies:

Sizzix Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine (includes Standard Cutting Pads and Multipurpose Platform)  £87.95
Timeless Type Junior Alphabet (Set of 12 dies in storage box) £65.95
Sizzlits Lots of Tags (Set of 4 dies including 5 tag shapes. Each die measures 5.7 x 6.4 cm)  £18.95
Sizzix Bigz Top Note Die (Measures 14 x 15.2 cm) £18.95

In case you are thinking about investing in the Big Shot and this gorgeous Alphabet die set.. you could buy both of these from me and receive your choice of Lots of Tags or Top Note die... along with your choice of Hostess-exclusive stamp set... absolutely FREE! If you need more details, or would like a copy of the Mini Catalogue, please don't hesitate to ask and I'll be delighted to help.

Or why not check out my Mini Catalogue Special Offers page for another very special deal? :o)

You can get in touch to place an order by email, by phone or in person.. all the details are on the Contact me page!

Happy crafting!

Sarah x

Scrapbook Club Thursday 28th April - a Sneak Peek!

Hello!

I hope you had a wonderful Easter break.. we had a lovely few days with my parents with LOTS of beaches, sand and picnics.. great fun! But now it's back to work and school.. and there's just time to share a sneak preview of the project we'll be making at this coming Thursday's Scrapbook Club. It's called a tri-shutter mini album.. looks fiendishly complicated but it's really not too difficult!

My album uses papers from the Nursery Suite Specialty DSP, along with a few of the matching Quick Accents (self-adhesive die-cuts).

A close-up of the inside of the album..

I think you can see this larger if you click on the photo.. but it shows you how the album looks when it's standing up.

The class is on Thursday 28th April from 9.30am to 12.30pm and costs £15. I have a couple of spaces left if you would like to join in. You'll be able to choose from a wide range of colours and Designer Series Papers to make your album, depending on its theme. You'll also get to use my lovely new Big Shot and dies, including the gorgeous and so-versatile Timeless Type Junior Alphabet dies (I used these for my title 'baby charlie').

Please contact me by Wednesday morning if you would like to join in with this class.. and expect some extra yummy cakes on Thursday as it's my birthday.. just promise you won't ask how old I am.. ;o)

How to make a monster!

Had such a lovely day yesterday, reading Cath Kidston's latest catalogue/magazine in the sunshine, boys playing happily together.. ahhh, bliss! Then I spotted a reader's letter that spurred me into immediate action. The idea was (sort of) this: get your little ones to draw a monster, then recreate said monster in fabric.. i.e. make a cuddly version of their drawing!

Charlie and Harry loved the idea and were more than happy to play along. So here's Charlie's drawing:

Basically a sausage-shaped creature with wonky arms, spiky hair and a big smile. After choosing a scrap of fabric, ribbons and buttons (free with a magazine).. and a lot of trial and error.. here's what I managed to produce:

Charlie loves it.. and has named it Mr Flowery Monster. Perfect!

With barely time to catch my breath, I was ordered back upstairs to the craft room to find fabric for Harry's monster. He chose a beautiful Melon Mambo-esque pink (to my surprise.. it's normally blue all the way with Harry). This time I thought I'd capture the process and learn from my many mistakes..

Here's Harry's design:

... and here's what to do!

1. Trace the design onto tracing paper, cut it out and pin it to two layers of fabric, good sides on the inside. Cut out the design, leaving a centimetre all round.

2. Sew eyes, nose and mouth (as dictated by the design) on to the front piece of fabric. Remember to leave enough room around the edge for hemming.

3. Turn the two pieces back-to-back again and tack around the edges, leaving the bottom edge open. If you are including ribbons for hair or limbs, tuck these in as you tack around... remember the long parts should be INSIDE at this stage! (Yes.. I didn't do this the first time..). Sew around edges with sewing machine, reinforcing the parts with ribbons sticking out (or just sew round the whole lot twice).

Sorry - forgot to take picture of this stage!

4. Turn monster inside-out and check everything is in the right place. Correct things if, like me, you messed up ;o)

5. Stuff with toy stuffing and sew up the bottom edge, adding ribbon legs if desired.

Voila!!! Meet Mr Pink Monster! I'm delighted to say, Harry loves him.

All buttons and ribbons on this one were from Stampin' Up!

Hope you like my monsters too!

Sarah x

Fun with Stampin' Around Wheels

I really enjoy making cards with Stampin' Up!'s Stampin' Around Wheels - they make it so easy to produce a quick but effective card. Here are a couple of cards I made recently using the Jumbo Wheels 'Very Vintage' and 'Baby Tees'.

This one (above) uses the Very Vintage Jumbo Wheel and Tiny Tags stamp set, along with Love Letter Designer Series Paper and Linen Thread. The colour scheme is Very Vanilla, Basic Black and Riding Hood Red. I also used the Jewellery Tag and Scallop Trim Border punches. To make sure my stamping didn't go wonky, I used the Stampin' Around Wheel Guide - an essential tool for straight stamping with the Wheel!

To see more cards made with the Very Vintage wheel, check out this post.

This card was made using the Baby Tees Stampin' Around Jumbo Wheel. I rolled the wheel along a couple of pieces of Whisper White cardstock, then coloured and cut out two of the little vests. I mounted these onto my other stamped piece using Stampin' Dimensionals foam pads. The colour scheme is Marina Mist, So Saffron and Certainly Celery. The card was for twin boys so I typed and printed a personalised greeting on Whisper White cardstock and stuck it in a strip along the base of the card.

Hope you like them!

Sarah x

April's Card Class: Easter Cards and Gifts

Thank you to the ladies who attended my Easter card class last week! Just a quick post to share what we made:

So here are the cards:

(This one was inspired by a card I was very kindly sent by Scraphappy Jackie to put on my display board.. thank you Jackie, your cards were wonderful!)

..and here are the Easter basket and gift bags:

The toppers on the gift bags were made using the new Top Note die in the Big Shot (I LOVE my new Big Shot so much!!).. the pink one was then embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. The rabbit stamp is from the Forest Friends stamp set.. a perfect Easter bunny I think!

Tea, Cake & Craft Party make and takes

So here's what I got the ladies making at the Tea, Cake & Craft Party last Saturday..

Cards.. using Springtime Vintage Designer Series Papers, gorgeous Seam Binding, the new Four Frames stamp set and coordinating Decorative Label punch:

Scrapbook pages... using all sorts of Designer Series Papers, along with brand-new Beautiful Wings Embosslits - the ladies were able to choose whatever papers they fancied to suit their photos, and came up with some fabulous layouts! Here's my example:

Gift bags... made with a piece of A5 sized cardstock, scored, folded, punched and stuck together, then decorated with punched out flowers and ribbon:

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah x

Tea, Cake and Craft Party update

A belated update on the Tea, Cake & Craft Party (now I've recovered..)! We had 20 lovely people here, drinking tea, eating the most scrumptious home-made cakes (a HUGE thank you to all who made cakes for the occasion), and of course crafting!

 The calm before the storm..

Another massive thank you to those wonderful ladies who helped out by making teas, washing up the mugs and generally making sure everyone was happy.. you truly made the event a success and I could not have coped without you!

 It was a very busy morning but the feedback I've received from those who attended has been really positive so I'm absolutely delighted that all the work was worth it. We raised approximately £85 for The Eve Appeal - pretty good I think!

There were around ten ladies for each session, making cards, scrapbook pages and finally little gift boxes. It was lovely to see how people used my designs for inspiration, adding their own touches.. or totally went their own way.. fantastic!

The winners of the Prize Draw were...

Janette - 'So Happy for You' stamp set
Eve - Set of six hand-made cards in a box (see picture below)
Claire - Body Shop Coconut Shower Cream (courtesy of Helen Ridley, Body Shop Consultant - thank you Helen!)

Here are those cards that Eve won..

 ..and their little gift box..

The butterfly stamp is from the beautiful Strength & Hope stamp set. Stampin' Up! are donating £1 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation from every purchase of this stamp set.

I'll be back soon with more crafty pictures from Saturday..


Sarah x

Mini Catalogue Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to my blog! If you came via the Mini Catalogue Blog Hop, you'll have come from Sharon's 'My Ink Pad'..

I've been crazy busy these last couple of weeks preparing for my Tea, Cake & Craft Party which should be happening right about now! So I thought I'd show you a couple of projects we'll be making today using products from the wonderful Mini Catalogue.

First, here's a scrapbook page I made using the beautiful Springtime Vintage DSP:

Want a closer look?

Love that Seam Binding ribbon! I've also used the new Four Frames stamps plus the matching Decorative Label punch; Strength & Hope butterfly on the background; and Beautiful Wings Embosslits for the tiny butterflies.

I do love that Springtime Vintage DSP - as soon as I saw it I had the notion of making some bunting with it. Here it is in progress..

Note the Seam Binding again.. this one is Rose Red. And here's the finished article hanging proudly on the mantelpiece!

Next is a card I made using the lovely Sweet Stitches DSP along with those Beautiful Wings Embosslits again.. well they are cute, aren't they!

Also using the Sweet Stitches DSP.. a little box for pins. :o) It's actually a little box I bought from Ikea ages ago with the idea of altering in some way.. and at last I've had a go! The button is one of the Big Designer Buttons in the Sweet Stitches range.

OK, that's it from me! Your next stop on the Blog Hop is Jayne at Mad About Stamps... have fun, and thanks for visiting!

Sarah x

At last.. the Mini Catalogue is here!

It's been a long wait, but finally I can show you the brand new Stampin' Up! Mini Catalogue... along with a few special offers... and a couple of the projects I've been working on these last few weeks! To view the Mini, just click on the picture in the side bar.. or get in touch with me and I'll send you a copy.

If you're coming to my Tea, Cake & Craft Party tomorrow, you'll be receiving a copy of the Mini in your goodie bag, along with information on the kits and other special deals I'll be running over the next few months.. details are also here!

Tomorrow there's going to be a Mini Catalogue Blog Hop, in which I and my lovely friends at In Love With Stamping will be showcasing a whole host of projects made using the new Stampin' Up! products. Pop back here tomorrow at around 10am and spend a while getting to know the new Mini and being inspired by all the wonderful new goodies we have to play with!

Meanwhile, I'd like to show you a few things I made at a training event I attended a couple of weeks ago (thank you Natalie - we had such fun!)

This little pillow box was made using the Big Shot and Pillow Box Die, embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. The little butterflies were die-cut with the Beautiful Wings Embosslits Dies (exclusive to Stampin' Up!) - you'll be seeing a lot of these.. I love them! This would make a gorgeous little wedding favour box.. and so easy to make!

And here is a small gift bag made using the SU!-exclusive Top Note Die. The label on the front was made with the new Four Frames stamp set along with the perfectly matching Decorative Label Punch. You know, I'm really starting to enjoy making little boxes & bags!

I took these cards (and 12 others..) to the training day to swap with the other ladies there. We'll be doing a similar design at the Tea, Cake & Craft Party tomorrow! The papers are from the Springtime Vintage DSP pack.. if you like all things vintage and Cath Kidston (and I do), you'll ADORE these! The ribbon is Seam Binding - soft, silky and available in four colours - Pear Pizazz, Rose Red, Baja Breeze and Crumb Cake.. it's lush!

Tomorrow, I'll be showing a couple of scrapbook pages, more cards and some home decor projects as part of the Blog Hop so I hope you'll check back as there're sure to be masses of beautiful work on display!

If you would like to place an order, just give me a call or email me and I'll be delighted to help.

Sarah x