Monday 30 March 2009

Happy bunnies all round...

One very happy little boy who is loving his new Clone Wars outfit (bought with his own birthday money - Thank you Nana Sue!) :) He had to wear it straight away as soon as we got home and had to be wrestled out of it otherwise pjs wouldnt have worked last night! lol He chose a birthday cake covered with smarties, munchies, rolos, masses of chocolate and zero calories so that mummy could have a piece! ;)
On another fab plus note - I have been asked to teach every other Thursday night! How cool is that - it means i can now plan the classes like Im a proper teacher! LOL (i still think of it as playing with paper etc but its nice to have an official role at the shop!)

I managed to get the rest of the Smirk goodies today so all the parcels will be on their way tomorrow - keep an eye out for the postie ladies :)

Saturday 28 March 2009

Birthday weekend...

...a little boy turns 6 tomorrow so we are heading off to Toys R Us so he can pick his own pressies. (He keeps switching his mind on what he would like and he has birthday money from us and both his nana's to spend so he has free reign to pick what he wants) How cool is that, to be let loose in a toy shop at 6 years old!! :D Happy birthday sweetheart :)

Thursday 26 March 2009

So cute!

I forgot to say that ds3 who is 5 was part of a Mothers Day assembly last week, I swear i wept buckets!! All the kids stood up in turn to say why they loved their mums! Jake stood up and said..

I love my mam cos she gives me loads of hugs and kisses

How sweet is that!! They then sang a song about how much they loved their mums and how special we all are! I was almost gasping for air at the end of it all when they produced a handmade daffodil flower, card and cookie in the shape of 'Mum' LOL So cute!!

I did my first workshop tonight and it went really well with lots of positive feedback and questions of when the next ones are :D YAYY!!

Quick sturdy notelet holder tutorial :) Hope you still like them as im really enjoying making all these new boxes! lol

Measure and cut a sheet of cardstock or patterned paper to 11x11 inches.

Measure and score at one end the measurements below. 1/2 inch / 1 inch / 1 inch / 6 1/2 inches / 1 inch / 1 inch / 1/2 inch
In the other direction measure and score the directions below. 1 inch / 3 inches / 1 inch / 5 inches / 1 inch.
Fold all of the score lines. Fold the 1 inch score lines together then the 1/2 inch scored section back on its-self to form a concertina effect.

This will create the lip to secure the side panel.
Make the cuts as shown below, discard the two pieces at the top and taper in the centre fold so that it will fold in smoothly to create a small inner section. The middle sections are snipped in to the final fold and turned in on themselves, these are used as reinforcements for the sides. The bottom 2 sections can either be folded in on themselves or snipped off completely - personal choice depending on if you prefer the front section of the box to be a little bulkier.
Glue all the inside panels which are to be turned in on themselves.
Lift up the small snipped middle section and secure underneath the side panel which is now folded over into the concertina you first made. (below see second pic)

Do the same concertina style fold for the front section.
Both the front and back top sections can now be folded in to give a smoother look and act as the inner lining. The box can be fully lined if you wish and it would be best to do that now.
Fold in the front panel so it tucks neatly into the back panel and punch a whole with the cropodile.
Secure side panels with sticky tape and a brad or other decorative fastening.
Fill with envelopes and notelets to create a simple desk tidy or gift set :)

Stamps are all from Papertrey Ink Tags for Spring set.

Wednesday 25 March 2009

Papertrey blog hop...

Welcome all bloghoppers!! :) This is my first time taking part in the Papertrey blog hop and im too excited!
Ive combined this months hop challenge with the A Passion for Papertrey monochromatic challenge!

Edit to add.... I was in such a hurry to play that i forgot to take a pic of the background before incorporating it into the card - sorry!
Ingredients used...

All Papertrey products except own ribbon.

Spring tags rabbit and duck for background effect.
Spring tag - Mothers day
Spring Rain ink
Spring Rain Bitty Dot paper
Spring Rain Cardstock
Spring Tags - Thanks so much Sentiment


Tuesday 24 March 2009

Tuesday Catch-up........

I won first place on the Papertrey Ink blog for my little tealight tins i made with their heart shaped tins :) Thanks Nichole!! xxx

Here are a couple of pics from the weekend in Scotland.me and my little sis plus the view of the sunset from Dhanakosa.
Ok back on track as i have so many goodies to share and have a few tutuorials i would like to get uploaded this week, my first class is on Thursday plus im heading down to Harrogate on Saturday for the papercraft show...busy busy!!

As promised here is a quick run through on how to make a quick and easy notelet set :)

Cut a sheet of cardstock so it measures 8.5 x 11. (Ideal use for the smaller scrapbook cardstock size as you dont need to cut any away)

Draw lines on the shorter side, starting at the left hand side as below. 1 inch - 1 inch - 41/2 inch - 1 inch - 1 inch.
Turn the cardstock around and down the longer length mark the measurements as shown below. 1/2 inch - 1 inch - 1 inch - 6 1/2 inch - 1 inch - 1 inch - 1/2 inch.
Score all of the lines.
Cut down to the point where both lines cross on either side of the 4 1/2 inch marks.
Fold at the 2 lines to create a small concertina effect. Repeat at opposite side.
Turn the cardstock and fold over the longer sides to create a reinforced panel.
Fold both sides up and the ends in to meet - you will have to cut a small amount from these folds so that it isnt too bulky when you come to fold the smaller side over. Double sided tape is then attached to the end of the small side and it is folded over the panels and pressed into place.
This makes the box a lot more sturdy than the normal cut'n'fold type boxes.
For the lid, cut a piece of cardstock 8 1/2 x 6 1/2 and score 1 inch in from all sides. Score again 1cm in from that first score to create the window marks you will need to cut.
Cut out the window and adhere double sided tape all around the outside. Place acetate or decorate vellum etc as the window.
Cut the corners to a point so that when the scallop are punched they dont need to be exact on each corner - they will automatically line up.
Once the lid is in place secure it even further with a length of ribbon. This will help keep the lids shape and adds a finishing touch :)
I made this in brighter colours too and the notelets to go inside :) They are all Stampin' Up! cardstock colours..........
Finished off with sentiments and punches from the new oval range in the SU April release catalogue :)
Any more details etc just give me a shout and thank you for all the well wishes etc - i think the flu is on the way out of the door and i can get back to crafting up a storm! :)

Monday 23 March 2009

OOPS Sorry!

Cant believe I haven't updated for so long - a combination of flu and a weekend away collided! I will post a tutorial in the morning along with some pics of the weekend - thanks for following and welcome to all the new browsers. Seriously the candle melt box is easy peasy once you have the card in front of you! Go on try it and link so i can see it when youre done :D

See you in the morning
Debbie
x

Wednesday 18 March 2009

Most dangerous chocolate cake in the world....

Found this on a forum and tried it out (see pics - its VERY addicting!).....

The most dangerous chocolate cake in the world


4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

EAT! (This can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).
Why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only ever 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Enjoy
Debbie
x

Back tomorrow with a box set of notecards template and a little desk note set :)

Monday 16 March 2009

Monday catch-up....

I have finished off a few projects over the weekend so thought i would take out a little time now to share what i made.
The first is a picture frame that my Aunt bought for £1 and asked if i could decorate in red & cream. She gave me the saying that she wanted on it and im telling you, if i ever have to cut out and position that many individual rub ons again someone shoot me first! LOL It still needs some little bits adding but overall the effect is better than it was before!

This is a card made using the new Washington Apple Stampin'Up! papers. They are released at the beginning of April and they are so versatile! I used them on the frame above, this card and the layout below too! Theres still oodles of paper in the pack left too so no doubt i will be making more goodies with them :)

This is a cute little set of drawers i have designed I need to work on the template as i wanted to make sure it worked first before i took pics of the process etc but i will post instructions soon :)

Sunday 15 March 2009

Candle Melt present box. - Tutorial.

I adore candles and personally think you can never have enough! Yankee Candles being a particular favourite so you can imagine my delight when i found a store near me that sells the melts reasonably cheap! I have a couple of the burners so bought quite a few melts thinking that i can always pop some in pressies too. The only problem there being that they dont look much where as if you bought say 6 or so you could package them up nicely and have a fab present that is handmade and costs less that £8!! :)

I have made this template so that you can give them as presents too....

Cut a sheet of cardstock so that it measures 11 x 11 inches. Mark lines at each 2 1/2 inch point working from the left hand side - you will be left with a 2 inch strip which is the overlap to secure.
Starting at the bottom, mark a horizontal line 2 inches up from the base of the card. Mark another line at a further 2 1/2 inches. Again mark another line 5 3/4 inches from your second line and you should be left with a 3/4 inch strip at the top which will be the folded in top to rest the lid on.
Notice which sections i have drawn on and do the same to yours - these sections need to be cut out and discarded.
Remember to cut along the 2 bottom sections to allow the base to fold and adhere to the sides.
Score down all of the drawn lines and make sure all of the sides fold without problem.
Cut out the window which is in the front section. Leave a 1cm gap around the edge so that the acetate can be attached on the other side. Decorate as you wish, its easier to do it now while it is flat :) Adhere double sided tape to all the bottom base and reinforcement sections.
The lid is simply a 4 1/2 inch square which is scored at 1 inch in from each side. The corners are tapered so that when the scallop punch is used you dont need to line up the seperate sections. Adhere DST and fold in the sides. The base is made the same way but is a simple 3x3 inch scallop square - this can either be done using nestabilities or a scallop punch.
Once it is all assembled pop in the presents you wish to give (i have enclosed the melts in mine) and slip on the lid. Fasten some ribbons around the lid and box itself for added decoration.
Hope you enjoy :) *just noticed one of the little scallops on the lid is tucked under!!eek!*


Thanks again
Debbie
x