Hand Crafted Memories

Yes folks there are still more Candi/Spellbinder projects, I seem to have gone a bit over the top with them. Today its a card, the flowers are made from upside down Candi. I turned one upside down, filled it with PVA and gently lay more Candi into the 'cup'. Then I put a coordinating single Candi the right way up for the centre .

I still have lots of ideas that I created for the CHA stand, if I keep going at his rate it will probably run into the next one! I loved the doily dies that I received and while looking at them I thought somehow I must be able to pleat them the make a more dimensional circles. I had a play and hey presto, dimensional doilies. I think this was probably my favourite project. I'm dying to see if they were used on the stand and how they were displayed. I imagined them in a tin planter with lots of shredded paper around. Here I just stuck them into my raised flower bed. The detail and while we are on the lollipop theme another picture from Sunday

Here is another reveal from the projects I made for the Craftwork Cards , stand at CHA. This time its a scrapbook page, I had no idea what the final look was going to be for this page, I just pulled out the Tres Chic papers and cut some squares, laid them out and voila, the idea popped in my mind. I really like the simplicity of this page, in my head I saw doilies at the top and bottom of the photo but as I was trying to use the Spellbinders dies, I switched in the Floral Doily Motifs and Fleur de Lis motifs dies.  I really love how it turned out. I had a great day yesterday in Leeds with 5 lovely ladies, revisiting my photography. My feet were throbbing by the time I got home, I was shattered. Here are a some of my favourite pictures of the day, not one shot in automatic        Go here to find out how you can improve your photographs and get out of using your SLR camera in automatic.

One of the things I loved most about the recent cross promotion between Spellbinders and Candi was to make a stack of men's cards using the Sprockets dies. I love them, it really makes men's cards so easy. Just throw in a bit of my favourite Anglomania paper and it has to be an instant hit. I made a stack of them, so won't need to come up with a design for mans card for a while now. Today I will be wandering around Leeds with a group of ladies and being led by Kirsty taking photos of anything that stands still long enough, here's hoping for lovely weather.

I'm just completing this page in the nick of time, actually its been finished a week I just haven't got around to posting it. The June sketch for Project 12 over on Scrapbook and Cards Today looked like this   I love these sketches and some of them I've used a couple of time, I know I am going to use all of them a number of times. They are helping me work my way through the holiday photos I have accumulated over the last 20 years. Also they have been a great help to the dilemma of my brothers scrap book where he likes a lot of photos to look at. I recently took part in the Scrap Whispers blog hop challenge and made a kit from my existing stash, this sketch gave me the ideal opportunity to use the kit and here is my page I have plenty left from the kit so I think a few cards will finish the supplies. I think making kits is also the method I'm going to use to do something with my stash mountain. I often craft better with limited supplies, so if I pack up my own kits I s...

Each month I take part in two of the free monthly challenges over at two peas in a bucket . Each month Jen Gallacher releases a sketch and challenges us to stretch it. This month this was the sketch I recently made a page featuring my wedding cake but it really wasn't my style it was too fussy, even though it did win a challenge for me I wasn't happy with it. I used this sketch for inspiration and looking at the end result I've no idea how I ended up here. I am much happier with it now, much more me!

Here is another card that is hopefully gracing the Craftwork Cards stand at CHA in Chicago. This card was made using the scallop circles and circles Spellbinders die, they are pretty much the staple of anybody who uses these dies. I combined this with the butterfly die set that I have had for ages., but look how gorgeous that Candi is and its almost like the scallops were waiting for it.

I had a fabulous afternoon with by scrapbooking buddy yesterday. We visited a garden centre looking for a rose, can you believe they didn't have any? I bought a couple of plants for my garden and they were planted this morning in the pouring rain. Now its time for scrapping, I noticed that Scrap Whispers have a challenge to create a kit. I laughed because I have Sarah's Cards kits coming out of my ears, however I have risen to the challenge. I know which photos I'm going to use but I am waiting to collect them. This doesn't mean I can't have the page ready for their arrival. I started with the blue patterned paper and worked from there. I then picked the co ordinating checked paper and matched the plain cardstock to that. I pulled a few coordinating elements and cut a couple of skulls and embossed a mat. Now I just have to use it and not store it with the others! I may not use everything and I may add to it, but this is a good starting point.

Today I'm revealing another project that is hopefully on its way to America as we speak. I made a few cards for the stand, although I wasn't as happy with them as I was with the other goodies I made. I did like this one though, I love the sprightly sprockets dies from Spellbinders . These were dies I already had but I knew they would work well with the Candi and the Clockworks embossing folder from Cuttlebug. Great for men's cards. Everything on the card is from Craftwork Cards. Visit the  blogs of the DT and Craftwork Cards to see more reveals over the next few weeks. Craftwork Cards Julie Hickey Lynda Morland Kath Stewart Emma Williams  Lisa Baker  Enfys Cashmore Judith Hannington Sue Taylor Debs Pincher Mary Bacon

Today's the Day that I celebrate my birthday, to be honest I forgot all about it until Tuesday how bad is that? So I haven't got anything planned, but I'm quite happy at home in my scrapbooking nest playing with my stash. Today's also the day that my central heating has decided to make crashing noises that would wake the dead in a cemetery 10 miles away, so as a nice birthday present I got to call the plumber, who thinks my water pump needs replacing, hmmm sounds expensive! Most importantly today's the day the Craftwork Cards design team can begin revealing their projects that we have been busy beavering away making for the team to take to CHA. They fly out tomorrow and I am so jealous, can you imagine how much inspiration there will be packed under that one roof? We were all given Spellbinders dies and Candi, the challenge was to come up with cards, projects and scrapbook pages that would show how the two products complement each other.. I can't wait to see wha...

While I was on the 'boy theme' I made a couple of cards using the sail boat stamp, it features regularly on my cards for men. I've used Mementos London Fog to stamp with and I love the 'pastel' effect it has. I have long admired the effect of embossing using the nestabilities , why oh why can't I get it right. I always cut or tear the cardstcok. Believe me when I say these are premium cards that I am using, supplied by craftwork cards . The second card on here is the best effort I have made so far. It looks OK but is a little fragile, I guess more practice is needed.

Time to top up the card box again, I like to make the cards in batches for work and as many of you know its mostly men at work, so when I get an idea or a male themed stamp that I like I'll make a few cards while the mojo is there. This stamp from Papermania has to be one of my favourites, use it with Promarkers and you get a lovely image. 

I have neglected my blog a bit this week, my busy weekend last week turned into a really busy week. Firstly I had made some goodies for Craftwork Cards using the Spellbinders and Candi , but sometimes I don't like what I make. I was not happy with some of my cards. These projects are going with Sue and Julie to CHA in America next week along with all of the projects from the rest of the design team. The stand at the show will be based around all our efforts and I wasn't too happy with everything. Then at the 11th hour I came up with some ideas and two scrapbook pages and I was back in the game.Sneak peeks only I'm afraid at the moment.         I will post everything once we get the go ahead, I'm excited to see what the rest of the DT create and to see what sort of reception the projects get.  I then had to go down to London for three days with work and by the time I got home I was worn out, not a thing has been done over the last couple of days and here we go...

I've had a really busy weekend this week and can you believe I've missed most of the sun today, I was in a classroom all day. It was well worth it though, The Craft Box have the most fantastic classes when Claire of Molly Blooms fame comes to visit. The stamps are just gorgeous and each print is always crisp and clean just right for grown up colouring in with Promarkers or Copics .Here is my shaker card made in class today, this is definitely not being given to anybody it's mine to admire. How cute is Molly sitting outside her beach huts, I can't tell you how much I wish I had been there today. and here is the door hanger I made, again it is staying at my house. The next workshop is to make an advent calendar, already my mind is filling those lovely little boxes.