Hand Crafted Memories

This morning I got up all prepared to catch up with the classes from the  A Trip Down Memory Lane's cybercrop and then it happened. Rachel posted her class, and that ws it. All that cutting has taken me most of the day. All of the papers that were needed just happened to be in my box of leftover kits and all of them were from the Scrapstars retreats I attended. I just had to find one sheet for the background. This means that I am even further behind with my classes but oh so worth it. Its not the best photo of the page and I haven't added a title because I think I'm going to switch out the photo I used.

I'm playing along with A Trip Down Memory Lane's cybercrop, I am planning to make all of the scrapbook pages and skip the mini books. I have so many of them without photos I didn't want anymore kicking around. I have to say though I do keep going and looking at them because they look so lovely. I may have to reconsider. Class 4 was set by Karen Cole and it was to make a set of note cards. I decided to make a set of birthday cards. I needed a few more because about a third of our  company have their birthday in July. This was the perfect class for me to make a batch of them all the same, here is my take on the class.

A Trip Down Memory Lane are holding another cybercrop over this weekend, and as the weather is lousy it seems the perfect excuse to get some crafting done. Last night at 7PM the first class was posted and there I was ready with all my snacks and papers. I'm using all my own stash, its a bit daft to go and buy more supplies when I have enough of my own to supply a chain of craft shops. The first class was a layout by Mel Hand and it can be seen here . So there I was off and running and created my first page, the biggest challenge is getting a halfway decent photo to post. Here we go

I've been following along with Shimelle's classes over on UK Scrappers , I gathered all my supplies and waited patiently until the 20th for the reveal. Guess what, I was working in Kingston hand had to wait to get back home before I could make my page. These photos were just waiting for this class.

I was lucky enough during my late twenties and thirties to be able to travel a lot, it was during this time that I learnt how to use an SLR camera. The camera was a film one and until the films were developed you never knew if you'd got that perfect shot. I have spent quite a lot of time scanning these pictures so that I now have a digital version. I have for a long time wanted to make a page that would include some of my favourite pictures all together, but there were so many it was difficult. This year Heidi Swapp has released a new idea and product using file folders to make more interactive pages. I was a bit sceptical at first but it did inspire me to have a go at making my own. I'm really not sure about the file box, this one will go into my scrapbook as normal. As the front and back pages are not interactive, I will split a page protector along the side and bottom and sew it to the page. Here it is   the inside page     the double layout with the ext...

Just after Christmas I went to a cup cake making and decorating class, following this class I saw a beautiful wedding cake and thought in my head I bet I could do that.  I do this to myself, I think something then go out of my way to try and do it. So I booked myself onto a 10 week sugar craft course. Over the course of the last 7 weeks I have learnt how to take blobs of sugar paste from this to this then the leaves and finally last week I built it up to a lovely topper for a cake Its only about 4 inches tall and 6 inches in diameter but I was really pleased with it. It is also 3 weeks ahead of schedule, so I'll be learning ivy leaves next. I can now completely understand why wedding cakes are so expensive, it takes weeks to make all of these flowers. They are so fragile that you have to make extra because it doesn't matter how careful you are there are breakages. Do I need another hobby? Not really but I am planning to do the next term as...

Everytime I put the TV on at the moment its football. I get it, there's a major competition on, but it does make it difficult to keep up with my favourite programmes, you have to hunt down the new timings. I thought that as we had football everywhere I'd continue the theme. Again this is one of the lovely Lili of the Valley stamps that I bought recently and another excuse to practise my colouring techniques. I think this was my favourite of the stamps that I bought

The European Cup has started and that means the TV schedule has gone to pot. The advantage for somebody who has no interest whatsoever in football is that it means I can do more crafting, who needs anymore of an excuse. I have a few more male birthdays coming up in July and with football all around us at the moment , I inked up another of my Lili of the Valley stamps and made up this on topic card.

I recently bought a few stamps from Lili of the Valley and this week I got around to stamping and practising the colouring techniques I learnt at their recent workshop. I have fallen in love with this little stamp, so much that I ended up making four cards up with him. The thing that surprised me was how each card looks so different but the main difference is only the colour combination.

Yesterday I took my friend Theresa with me to my other friend Caroline 's house, where Lesley taught us four fabulous projects. Its always great to get together with friends for crafting and especially when they have generous spirits like Caroline and Lesley have. I took a couple of sweet thank you with me, Chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and my favourite was a Victoria sponge, we were treated to a lovely plate of sandwiches at lunchtime. Here are the lovely projects we made, mostly from Stampin Up products, they really are lovely products to use, I was a bit naughty and tinkered a bit more with the cards when I got back home, I just can't help myself! and here were the cakes it really was a fabulous and inspiring day.

I was looking through my photos today and realised I hadn't posted this. The recent Scrapstars retreat I went to had a pre-retreat challenge to decorate a match box, we then has to fill it with crafting goodies. The boxes were all judged and then swapped. I can tell you this was a real challenge for me I ruined two boxes before I came up with one that I thought was presentable. I knew I wanted to use a crackle effect on my box and this was my first attempt. It looked like a big dog poo and went straight in the bin. I used a mushroom coloured paint and then painted it with crackle glaze. I didn't realise it was a top coat that I had bought and I really wanted one that would go in between two layers of paint. I gave it another go and bought a crackle medium this time and came up with this

With a lovely long weekend to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee, predictably the gorgeous weather has gone. Its not going to stop the nation celebrating and I can now say I am ready to relax and watch them all on TV. with the Olympics in London this year and the Olympic torch going through my town next month I can see a patriotic page coming on.

I had another leaving card to make this week. I had this Tim Holtz die sitting on my desk since it fell in my basket last week at the Craft Box . So I needed no other excuse I could use it on a mans card. I  laughed at myself when I made the leaves, I guess I was hooked after the project we made last Sunday.This is currently going round the office  So now to think of something to do with the other goodies that fell in the basket.