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)

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)

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

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

Come and join me in February!

Hi there!

Fancy joining me for a card-making class or scrapbooking session in February? If so, now's the time to book your place.. I've just updated the Class Dates and Details page so you can see what's happening from now til June.

February's Card-making Classes take place on Thursday 10th and Saturday 12th February. These classes will be showcasing two more of the Sale-a-bration stamp sets - Bliss and Punch Bunch - along with the chance to make a Valentine card using the very sweet Love You Much stamp set!

Scrapbook Club this month takes place on Thursday 24th and Saturday 26th February.. and we'll be continuing with the Love theme by making a chipboard album dedicated to someone (or something) special. You will be able to customise your kit using any of the colours from the delicious Subtles Collection - and use the fabulous Stampin' Up! Colour Coach to help you devise your perfect colour scheme!

Just a quick reminder, too, that Sale-a-Bration is now half-way through! You have til 28th February to earn yourself a FREE stamp set.. if you'd like more information, please check out my previous post here - and then click on the Sale-a-Bration label in the side-bar to see plenty of projects made using the sets on offer. If you would like a Sale-a-Bration leaflet, email me with your address and I'll send you a copy!

I'll be back tomorrow to announce the winner of January's Prize Draw.. good luck everyone!

And finally...

A birthday card for a friend's little girl.. happy birthday Rosie!

Colours: Pear Pizazz, Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Pretty in Pink.
Stamps: Punch Bunch (Sale-a-Bration), Party This Way, Just Perfect alphabet
DSP: Brights Designer Series Paper Pattern Stack (Daffodil Delight)

Thanks for your visit!

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

January Scrapbook Club - Sneaky Peek

Well, the first of this month's Scrapbook Club sessions is tomorrow morning.. and the project is at last (more or less) finished! I really do struggle with 'quick and simple', no matter how hard I try..

So here are a couple of pages from my mini tag book on my crafty goals for 2011.

 

I will post pictures of the whole book very soon, along with a few details on the materials and techniques I used.

Bookings are now closed for this month's Scrapbook Club, but if you'd like to join in next month, we'll be making a mini-album loosely based around the theme of Love.. more details to follow. Dates for February are Thursday 24th and Saturday 26th Feb, 9:30am to 12:30pm. Book early to receive a discount on the class fee..Click on Scrapbook Club and Class Dates and Details in the side bar for more information.

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah x

Another scrapbook layout

 

This page was made using the Sale-a-bration stamp set 'Bliss', along with 'Notably Ornate' which is another vintage-style set that I'm loving at the moment. I'll just show you a few details..

 

The flowers were from the retired Pretties kit but similar ones are available separately. I coloured them pink using a sponge dauber and Blushing Bride ink, then layered them up. The leaves were cut using the Two-Step Bird punch. The metal frame is from the Hodgepodge Hardware kit - love those frames!

I made the journaling tag using a piece of white card stamped with the tag stamp from 'Notably Ornate' using Blushing Bride ink. The photo was matted on Blushing Bride cardstock punched with the Scallop Trim Border and Corner punches. The patterned papers are all from the Neutrals DSP stack.

The butterflies were stamped on the black cardstock using white craft ink, then I did three on Blushing Bride cardstock using Basic Grey ink. I cut these ones out and stuck them on the layout, adding adhesive rhinestones for a bit of sparkle!

Scrapbook Club is on this coming Thursday 27th and Saturday 29th January and we'll be making a mini tag book to record our goals for 2011. It's not too late to join in! Call me or email me to book your place as soon as possible if you'd like to come along.

Thanks for looking!

Sarah x

Some more Sweet Summer cards!

Well it's hardly Sweet Summer at the moment! So here are a couple of bright and cheerful cards to make up for the gloomy weather..

This first one was totally inspired by a set of cards by GOLDCATS2003 on the fantastic In Love With Stamping forum. The greeting is from 'So Happy For You', another very lovely Sale-a-Bration set that's only available until the end of February. I coloured the flowers using Stampin' Write Markers in Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive.

The next one was inspired by a lovely card by pegcraftalot on ILWS, although I did change it by adding the ribbon and the butterfly. The colours are Pear Pizazz, Regal Rose and Rich Razzleberry (with a bit of Pumpkin Pie and Tangerine Tango for the butterfly!).

Do you like the background these cards are sitting on? I just received the 'Brights' Designer Series Paper Patterns Stack with my last order - you get 40 sheets of 12x12" paper in the stack - 2 each of 2 double-sided designs in all ten colours in the Brights Collection - for £15.50... that works out at an excellent 39p per sheet. I can't stop flicking through and gazing at the beautiful colours and patterns... they are SO yummy! :o)

We'll be using these gorgeous papers and coordinating cardstock in Scrapbook Club in two weeks' time.. that is, if I can bear to part with them! We're going to make a mini tag book on our 'Goals for 2011'.. if you'd like to join in, there's still time! Check out all the details on the Scrapbook Club page and then get in touch. I'd love you to join us!

Scrapbook Club - undaunted by snow!

Well, it was touch and go this morning... should I call off Scrapbook Club or carry on regardless of the white stuff? In the end, thanks to a few quick phone calls, we decided to go ahead. Thank you ladies for braving the elements - we had snow, hailstones like marbles and the occasional blizzard, but nobody batted an eyelid!

So this month's project was a Birthday Planner, to help us keep on top of all those birthdays and other occasions throughout the year which call for a hand-crafted card to be made and sent with love. Here's my creation:

It took me a good couple of weeks to get this project finished.. and a lot of trial and error.. but I'm pleased with how it turned out - and even more thrilled with how the ladies managed to create theirs today in under three hours! It was pretty intense work but worth the effort I think.

Here's a peek at the first two inside pages, showing the calendar for January on the left and a pocket for holding a couple of cards on the right...

 

...and the little pocket at the back - for storing envelopes or maybe a little address book..?

I've made a few changes to the class schedule from January onwards... full details can be found on the Card-making Classes and Scrapbook Club pages in the side-bar... take a look and do book early to benefit from early-bird discounts and to secure your place!

Details of class projects for the next few months will be available soon.. or at least as soon as I've finished my Christmas cards and thought about what we're eating one week from today..!

Merry Christmas everyone.. and I hope to see you soon! :o)