Scrapbook Mini Book: two more pages

When I was a little girl, my cousin Clare and I were obsessed with horses and ponies. Between us, we accumulated a herd of Sindy and Barbie horses and made them stables from cardboard boxes, showjumps from sticks and bridles from wool. Later on, we went on fantastic horse-riding holidays in Somerset and just had the *best* fun together!

I wanted to record these happy times in my 'This is Me!' mini book.. so here's a double-page spread documenting my horsey phase..

 

Supplies:

Cardstock - Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie (the die-cut heart)
DSP - In Colors 6"x6" Designer Paper Stack (Hostess exclusive)
Tools - Big Shot (£87.95), Timeless Type Alphabet dies (£65.95), Top Note die (£18.95), Lots of Tags dies (£18.95)
Accessories - Certainly Celery Brads (from Subtles Brads collection, £6.25 for 100)

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah :o)

Scrapbook Mini Book Class: Thurs 26th May

Hello again!

Just thought I'd share a work-in-progress with you.. it's a mini-book called 'This is Me!' and was the subject of this month's Scrapbook class which took place yesterday morning. Thank you to the ladies who attended the class.. it was a productive and enjoyable morning, and as usual I was thrilled to see how your ideas took shape.

So here are my pages so far...

First the front cover:

• To make the covers, carefully cut some cardboard (the type that's corrugated on the inside and flat on the outsides) into squares of 8-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches. You'll need a metal ruler and a large cutting mat.
• Cut your chosen Designer Series Paper to 11-1/2 inches square, then place your cardboard square in the centre. Mark all around with a pencil then cut off the corners of the paper just at the point where your pencil lines come together (to form mitred corners). 
• Fold the flaps over the cardboard and secure tightly with Sticky Strip.
• Cover the inside of your cardboard cover with a sheet of DSP or cardstock cut to a tiny bit less than 8-1/2 inches square.
• Punch holes with a regular hole punch or Crop-a-Dile .
• Decorate your cover as you like!

Supplies:

Cardboard
Designer Series Paper: Greenhouse Garden (£8.75 for 12 sheets)
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Chocolate Chip (£6.25 for 24 smooth sheets)
Tools: Big Shot (£87.95), Timeless Type Alphabet Dies (£65.95), Beautiful Wings Embosslits (£10.50), Flower - Daisies #2 (£16.95)

Now for the first two pages of my mini-book:

All the details of my birth are tucked away in the scalloped envelope for a bit of privacy! The pages are cut to 8 inches square.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Regal Rose, Pear Pizzazz, Chocolate Chip, Confetti White
DSP: Nursery Suite Specialty DSP (£9.95 for 12 sheets)
Accent Stickers: Nursery Suite (£7.50 for 2 sheets)
Tools: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alphabet, Lots of Tags Sizzlits dies (£18.95), Scallop Envelope die (£18.95)
Accessories: Linen Thread (£3.75 for 13.7m)

And the second pair of pages...

 

In these pages, I've simply layered three wide strips of Designer Series Papers, along with one of the border stickers from the Nursery Suite Quick Accents pack.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Regal Rose, Confetti White, Chocolate Chip
DSP: Nursery Suite, Subtles DSP stack (So Saffron polka dot) (£15.50 for 40 sheets)
Accent stickers: Nursery Suite Quick Accents
Tools: Big Shot, Timeless Type alphabet, Beautiful Wings Embosslits, Circles #2 dies (£14.50)

I'll share another pair of pages very soon..

Our next Scrapbook class is on Thursday 23rd June when we'll be continuing with our mini books. Don't worry if you missed the first class, it'll be very easy to catch up! The project won't be completed in the next session but once you've got started it's something you can dip into as and when you feel like adding a page or two.

Fancy coming along? Contact me on slpiggott73@gmail.com or call me on 01323 730296 to book your place. I have two places left for this class so please book early to be sure of your spot!

Finally.. if you'd like to purchase any of the products used in this project, please don't hesitate to get in touch (details as above) and I'll happily place your order for you.

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah :o)

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)

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

One week to go til Tea, Cake & Craft Party..

.. and I may be starting to panic just slightly.. There'll be around 15 people coming, a mixture of ladies from my card-making and scrapbooking classes, friends and mums from Charlie and Harry's schools who have little or no experience at crafting. So it's going to be fun, I hope.. and all for a great cause!

I'm afraid I haven't been able to post many projects lately as almost everything I've been making has involved goodies from the new Stampin' Up! Mini-Catalogue, which is under wraps til 1st April. I can't wait to show you.. the Mini is packed full of gorgeousness, it really is FABULOUS!

I will be emailing my mailing list over the weekend about the Mini-Catalogue - how you can get a copy sent to you, a very special offer for the first week of April, news of a Mini-catalogue Blog Hop I'm involved in.. and a chance for you to give me some feedback, if you wouldn't mind.

Meanwhile.. thank you to everyone who attended Scrapbook class on Thursday - I was thrilled to see how you rose to the challenge of making two or three 12"x12" layouts in three hours, each using the same kit of Play Date DSP. The results were beautiful to see!

I eventually finished the layout I was working on too, and here it is:

The layout is a 'scraplift' from Carolyn on In Love With Stamping (thank you Carolyn for the inspiration!).

For the daisies I used the flower stamp from Punch Potpourri (a Level 1 Hostess set), punched out with the matching Boho Blossoms punch. The chipboard letters are from On Board Alphabet Soup - coloured white by pressing into a Whisper White Craft Ink Pad, then covered in Dazzling Diamonds glitter using the 2-way Glue Pen.

Next class is Card-making on Thursday 7th April - we'll be making Easter cards.. although if you would prefer them to be birthday cards, they will be easily adapted! Please see the Card-making Classes page for more details and contact me now to book your place.

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah x

More Scrapbooking with Play Date papers

Here's the second layout I'll be using in this month's Scrapbook Club...

And here's a closer view:

I've used Play Date Designer Series Papers, along with matching cardstock and chipboard shapes from the On Board Mix & Match chipboard shapes set (£8.95 for three 12" x 12" sheets with over 100 pieces). I inked the heart and tree by pressing them into the ink pads, then topping up the colour using sponge daubers.

The blue letters were die-cut using Cuttlebug Red Tag Sale dies and the other letters were stamped using Just Perfect alphabet.

If you'd like to join in with Scrapbook Club this month, please check out this page for all the details.

Also, don't forget the Tea, Cake & Craft Party on Saturday 2nd April - tickets are selling fast and places on the Make & Takes are limited.. so if you'd like to come, please get in touch as soon as possible to book your place and buy your ticket. Tickets include a free Mini-catalogue, make & take, tea, cakes, and chances to win a fabulous prize, so you really won't want to miss out! Click on the picture at the top of the page for all the details.

See you soon!

Sarah x

Edited to add: In case anyone happens to revisit this page, after comments received about the title, I decided to alter the layout to include the word 'tree'. Apparently, at first glance, it looked as if I was being rather rude to poor Harry.. ;o) So I have changed the photos to show the new improved layout!

Scrapbooking with Play Date DSP.. and a very special offer!

Hello!
Here's a quick page I did using a template from Shimelle's 4x6 Photo Love class.

 I used the gorgeous Play Date Designer Series Papers which we'll be using in this month's Scrapboook Club (24th and 26th March). The punches are 5-Petal Flower and Boho Blossoms, and I also used brads from the Subtles brads collection and an Old Olive Button from the Brights Designer Buttons pot.

If you'd like to come scrapbooking on Thursday 24th or Saturday 26th March, check out all the details here and get in touch to book your place.. the price is just £12 if you book by this Thursday or Saturday (i.e. up to two weeks in advance), £15 thereafter.

The price includes enough materials to make THREE 12x12 scrapbook pages using the beautiful Play Date papers, coordinating cardstock and accessories - and you'll have access to a wide range of stamps, inks and tools to help you complete your pages. You'll need to bring at least four 4"x6" photos and your basic scrapbooking kit.

 I am offering a very special deal this month - if you'd like to buy a 12"x12" post-bound Designer Printed Scrapbook Album, in a choice of three patterns, for £16.95, you can come to Scrapbook Club for HALF PRICE! That is, just £6 if you book by Thursday/Saturday or £7.50 if you book after those dates! Check out page 101 of the Idea Book & Catalogue to view these scrapbook albums.

Contact me now to take advantage of this special offer and secure your place. Beginners to scrapbooking are very welcome - no previous experience is needed as I will help you every step of the way!

Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you soon!

Sarah x

Scrapbooking with Greenhouse Gala DSP

Oops! For some reason I forgot to share these scrapbook pages.. I did them back in November for Scrapbook Magazine and they were published in issue 52 last month. Most of the papers used were from the Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper pack - love the colours and patterns in these papers!

Baby Me:

The hearts were stamped on lined paper from Greenhouse Gala DSP using stamps from the Punch Potpourri Hostess set. I coloured the chipboard letters with Baja Breeze ink and added Crystal Effects for a glossy, raised effect.

@ 37:

The butterfly is also from the Punch Potpourri Hostess set (by the way, you can earn this set FREE when you host a workshop).

Chalk & Cheese:

 

The green spotty paper on the left was actually from the Jolly Holiday DSP pack - but it seems to go nicely with the Greenhouse Gala paper! These little birds were punched using the gorgeousTwo-Step Bird punch and decorated with buttons from the Brights Designer Buttons pack (£7.75 for 72 buttons).

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah x

A quest... for the perfect passport photo!

Loved this series of photos we took of Harry last weekend in an attempt to get just one decent picture for his passport! (There were many more.. but these were my faves!).

Supplies:

Cardstock:
Real Red textured 12x12 cardstock (£10.50 for 20 sheets - 2 each in 10 colours)
Whisper White (£7.50 for 40 A4 sheets)

Designer Series Papers:

Bashful Blue from Subtles Designer Series Paper Patterns Stack (£15.50 for 40 double-sided sheets)
Newsprint DSP (£8.75 for 12 double-sided sheets)

Letters & chipboard:
On Board Alphabet Soup (£8.95 for three 12x12 sheets)
Vintage rub-ons (£6.75 for four sheets - Basic Black and Very Vanilla - upper and lower case)
Chipboard arrow - from On Board Mix & Match (coloured with Basic Black marker pen) (£8.95 for three 12x12 sheets)

Stamps:

Dotted Lines Stampin' Around Jumbo Wheel (£8.50)
Stampin' Around Jumbo Handle (£4.95)
Stampin' Around Wheel Guide (which I didn't use.. and should have!!) (£7.95)

Punch:
Word Window Large (£14.25)

Accessories:
Buttons - from Designer Buttons - Neutrals (£7.75 for 72 buttons)
Ribbon - 1-1/4" Basic Black & White Grosgrain (£10.25 for 9.1m)
Badge - from my old stash

If you'd like to order any of the above products (or any others!).. drop me an email or call me and I'll happily order them for you!

Thanks for visiting..

Sarah x

From Clean And Simple to... Messy And Complicated?

My Clean & Simple phase was never going to last!

I got the urge to scrapbook on Saturday night, inspired by a sketch on the Pencil Lines sketch blog, and here was the result:

The layout documents a trip to the beach last weekend to explore the fishermens' huts and boats. Harry was particularly drawn to this bright yellow one. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to add some strandline treasures (including dried seaweed, fishing line and a shell) that I'd been hoarding for ages.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight
Papers: Newsprint DSP
Lettering: On Board Chipboard Letters, Vintage Rub-ons, letters cut from Newsprint DSP
Stamps: Texture Jumbo Wheel
Ink: Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad, So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad
Punches: Spiral, Scallop Trim Border
Other: Crop-a-Dile, Paper Crimper, Distressing Essentials kit, Linen Thread, Sponge Daubers

Feb Scrapbook Club - Sneaky Peeks!

Wow, I can't believe February's Scrapbook Club project is FINISHED.. with just under three weeks to go! I really enjoyed making this month's project - it's a very clean-and-simple chipboard album on the theme of Love. 

The album is dedicated to my very male-dominated family, so rather than going for pinks and reds I've used a colour palette of Baja Breeze and Certainly Celery - cardstock and Designer Series Papers - from Stampin' Up!'s gorgeous Subtles collection.

I've also made use of the Love You Much stamp set, which was perfect for this project, along with the coordinating Heart to Heart punch.

All my photos were edited in Picasa (Google's free and very user-friendly photo-editing software) - I cropped them into a square, converted them to black & white and added a blueish tint to coordinate with the Baja Breeze. I printed four to a sheet of A4 photo paper, then trimmed each one to approximately 4 inches, leaving a white border around each photo.

If you're coming along to Scrapbook Club this month - you'll need to bring five photos of someone or something you love (not necessarily your other half.. could be your whole family, as I did, or your pets, or your favourite foods! Whatever works for you, ok?). You can bring 6"x4" prints and crop them to a square shape if you like.. or try doing what I have described above in Picasa if you're feeling adventurous!

Homework!
It would be helpful if you can have a think about the colours you'd like to use in your album (choose two from the Subtles collection).. and also what album shape you want to use... your choice is Square (as I used - and much the easiest!), Tabbed or Bracket (see below).

 If you can let me know by the end of this week, I'll be able to get your kit prepared in advance so you're ready to start the minute you arrive! I can't promise but I'll do my best to have your first choices here for you.

It's not too late to book your place!
I have spaces available for both Thursday 24th and Saturday 26th February's Scrapbook Club, so if you'd like to join in please get in contact with me today! Book your place by 10th/12th Feb to receive the discounted rate of £12 for the class (click on the Class Dates and Details page for further information on booking).


Finally.. don't forget, we have card-making classes this week - Thursday 10th and Saturday 12th February - we'll be using the Sale-a-bration sets Bliss and Punch Bunch, along with the Love You Much set shown above!

Hope to see you soon!

Sarah x

January Scrapbook Club - Project Complete!

As promised, here are a few more pictures of this month's Scrapbook Club project. A big thank you to the ladies who joined me this morning to have a go at the project.. I can't wait to see your finished books.. next month ok? :o)

So here's my cover:

My colour scheme is Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight and Old Olive. All the patterned papers are from the Brights Designer Series Paper (DSP) Pack and the Newsprint DSP pack.

The 'g' is a chipboard letter, inked and coated in Crystal Effects to make it shiny. The other letters (and numbers) were die-cut on my Cuttlebug. The tiny butterflies are from the 'So Happy For You' (Sale-a-bration) set.

First two pages:

{Eek! Wish I'd not left a 'halo' effect round my hair.. oops!}

I've used the Bliss (Sale-a-bration) set to stamp the background.

Thought I'd try doodling my title letters and the speech bubble (being more adventurous already, see? lol).

Second two pages (I showed you the pair yesterday, so here they are individually):

I used 'faux stitching' around the edges of the dotty paper - used the paper piercing template from the Mat Pack to pierce holes all the way round, then joined them up with a black journaling pen.. simple!

The bunting was made using a stamp from 'Party This Way', strung together with Linen Thread.

Third pair of pages:

 

The background was stamped with 'Sweet Summer' (another Sale-a-bration set). I doodled the scalloped boxes straight on to the DSP, then cut them in half and flipped one side round to show the other pattern (the papers are all double-sided). I used the Paper Piercing Template to help me sew the pieces together.

Fourth pair of pages:

 

The background was stamped with 'Just Believe' stamps.

And finally..(phew, nearly there) the fifth pair of pages:

Here, I made a pocket from DSP, folded over and punched with the Scallop Trim Border punch, for my tags. The colourful strips at the top of these pages were sliced from the cover of a Dulux paint catalogue.. appropriate to the theme, I thought!

Pages were stuck together back-to-back on three sides to form pockets for my tags. I used a circle punch to cut the semi-circles to allow easy removal of the tags. The numbers on each page were cut from a sheet of Newsprint DSP.

I hope you liked my project! Saturday ladies.. now you know what you have in store! ;o)

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask in the Comments box (by the way, anyone should be able to comment now.. I've changed the settings!).


Thanks for visiting,

Sarah x