TUTORIAL TUESDAY - Mixed Media Tag

Hi all

This week's tutorial shows you how to make a mixed media tag. This tag is something I made for the More Than Words May Mini challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

A New Layout

Hi all,

I was suffering a bit of crafter's block this week... not because I didn't have any ideas, but because I had so many! 

So, what I did was write every idea down and number them. I got to 18, and used a random number generator to choose which project I would start next. 

One of my ideas was to make another layout with the Quirky Kit from Jan/Feb this year. I still had a pack of Heidi Swapp sitckers unopened, along with some other bits so I put together this layout. 

I took the picture in the zoo in Fuengirola, I told Nathan to stand under this huge building that was in the Asian area. One of the many things I loved about Bioparc was how each area had authentic looking landscaping and architecture. 

This layout uses project life cards. I love how they can be used as backgrounds as well as pockets in a pocket book.

Thanks for stopping by!
Emily xx

Feathery Flamingo Layout

Hi all,

A layout to share today using a picture I took of a flamingo at the Bioparc in Fuengirola.
As you probably know by now, I love flamingos so when I saw them at the zoo I got really excited!

Originally I had a square photo with feather laid on top but I thought it looked a bit much so instead I die cut the edges of my photo. I die cut the feathers and stuck them where I had die cut the edges of my photo. 

To make that easier to understand I've just filmed a video explaining how to make something similar to this so stay tuned in the next few weeks!

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

TUTORIAL TUESDAY - Simple Scrapbook Layout

Hi all,

Today's Tutorial Tuesday is all about simple layouts.

With this I didn't use any fancy tools. I find a lot of videos use specific products and techniques that may be intimidating and difficult for beginners to understand, so I hope this helps and proves you don't need to spend a fortune to make a great layout!

Thanks for stopping by!
Emily xx

Beach Layout Using An A4 Photo

Hi all,

My first layout using my holiday snaps from Spain is something I've wanted to make for a while - a layout using an A4 photo. 

I was worried quality would be an issue with this - the picture I wanted to use, the one I did use, was taken on my mobile phone - I learnt the hard way to never take a camera on to the beach! 

Luckily it printed out great - probably no different to if I printed out something from my camera.

We spent the morning on the beach and then got some lunch at the galleria in Fuengirola, then packed and flew home that night. I sent Nathan to test out the water and I took the picture - it was the perfect shot! The lovely morning on the beach made up for a week of rain. Nathan's sunburn was bad enough with one day of sun so perhaps it was good it wasn't like it the whole time we were there! 

When I started this layout I thought the background looked too plain - but a patterned background paper might have distracted from my picture, so instead I arranged some small clear stamps onto an acrylic block, and stamped repeatedly down the page using a ruler as a guide to keep the line straight. 

Most of the stickers are by Simple Stories 'You Are Here'. The acetate is from a sheet from Crate Paper 'Poolside'. The enamel dots and wood veneers are from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

Seaside Belle & Boo Card

Hi all,

Finally got back into craft mode today after a week in Spain followed by computer woes that ended up with having to get a new hard drive. Luckily my dad is a computer whizz and got it working again so I've finally been able to edit my holiday snaps. I've topped up my stash with summery bits all ready to scrap my holiday pictures. I found some great bargains in Hobbycraft and The Works. In the meantime I put together this card with one of the new Belle & Boo stamp sets.

The stamp set is so nice to use, they feel better quality than *ahem* other companies and the level of detail is stunning on such small stamps. I love using corrugated card on summery/seaside-y makes. 

I photographed this with shells I took from the beach in Spain... the variety fascinated me and I just had to nab a couple.

Thanks for stopping by!
Emily xx

TUTORIAL TUESDAY - Glitter Shaker Card

Hi all,

Something new now I'm off uni for summer.
Every Tuesday I'll be posting a crafty tutorial video.
Any suggestions, please do leave a comment and I'll be sure to address it in a video!


Today I'm going to be showing you how to make a glitter shaker card, using the new Belle & Boo collection from Trimcraft.

Thanks for stopping by!
Emily xx

Humber Bridge Layout

Hey everyone,

The layout I'm sharing today is a really bright one using a picture I took of the Humber Bridge back in February on a visit to Hull. We were driving home and it was a lovely sunny day so we stopped off at the country park next to the bridge and I took some pictures. It's so strange standing under the bridge as it's so tall, just looking at it made me feel dizzy!

I had trouble getting the title to stand out against the bright paper so I painted an area with white acrylic to provide a clearer base, plus another area in the corner for the date, and also to add a bit of balance to the layout.


Thanks for stopping by!
Emily xx

A Steampunk Card

Hi all,

I was in The Works recently and they had the Santoro Willow collection at bargain prices... I bought the A4 paper pack and some metal gears. 

The packaging is really nice and that is what the image of the lady and the paper behind it are cut from. I just added some glitter glue to add some dimension, plus die cut some gears to stick behind. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

Die Cut Cards

Hi all, 

Just a quick post from me today to share some cards I have made recently.

I used a pearlised card blank and embossed textured cardstock with the Xcut dandelion clock embossing folder.

The stamp is from Kaisercraft, I stamped in purple ink and then scribbled a purple metallic gelato onto scrap, picked some up with a wet brush before painting over the stamped image and fussy cutting out. 

The washi tape is (believe it or not) from Sainsburys and it cost about 75p for a pack of 4 rolls on the cheap rack. Neat, huh?! 

Finished off with some letters and adhesive pearls.

(How come manufacturers never have any 'get well' sentiments in their collections? Surely it's a thing, people get ill and people want to send cards to cheer them up or maybe I'm missing the point...!)

The next one is very CAS, I feel like it still needs 'something', but...

I cut the patterned paper the same size as the card blank and die cut the sentiment into it, making sure the die was not hanging off the edge of the paper. After that I marked a point where the sentiment started and cut a line to the bottom corner. I die cut the sentiment from textured cardstock and taped to the patterned paper. The whole thing is stuck on with 3D tape so it is raised up a little.

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

Belle & Boo Cards!

Hi all,

I've been making some cards using the Belle & Boo products I won from Trimcraft.
It's not a collection I'd normally go for when stocking up my stash but this has been a great opportunity to up my cardmaking game and to get some female cards in the bank! It's so lovely to work with and the decoupage is so cute. :)

I love the little paper flowers in this collection.

The decoupage feels quite vintage and it's so pretty! The little embellishments work so well.

And finally using the buttons as little balloons. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

York Layout 'Back To Basics'

Hi all,

Here's a layout I made using pictures I took in York on Valentine's Day... February seems so long ago now. When we went it was a cold day but the flowers were just starting to bloom, crocuses, daffodils, snowdrops and tulips. Beautiful.

I struggled with this layout. I spent an afternoon making a background and I hated it. I wanted to use purple paper but though I've boxes of paper, I didn't have ANY purple. I don't know why. 

So I put the layout aside.

Then I went to The Range and found this... Back To Basics by Trimcraft

They had other colours too and I wish I had got the teal one too but here we are...

I like it because there's a bit of everything in this kit. I don't like buying full packs of the same thing as I never use it all but with this it's just enough to keep the stash topped up. 

I challenged myself to try and use only what came in the pack on my layout, so all I really added was some yellow paper to contrast the purple, plus a button, brads, tag, tape and a 3x4 card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily xx

More Than Words Challenge May 2016

Hi all,

A new mixed media layout to share today, for the May More Than Words challenge.

The challenge this month is to use the word 'moment' and to include some form or part of clocks on the layout.

I had this pocket watch Nathan didn't want any more... I recall I bought him a nicer one for an anniversary, so he gave this one to me and it's been sitting in a box for a while... this challenge was the perfect opportunity to use it. I chose a picture of him and our friend Sam in their steampunk costumes I took at the comic con in Manchester a couple years ago.

The background was painted with white paint. I used modelling paste with a gear stencil on three areas of the layout. I cut up a postcard and stuck it down and then cut up a sheet of deco paper that had lots of labels on and stuck each label down individually using gel medium (I hate PVA glue!)

Thanks for stopping by, and why not have a go at the challenge yourself? You can find out more here

Emily xx