Saturday 31 October 2015

Last day of Blogtober!!!

It's the last day of Blogtober and I don't really have anything Halloweeny to share.  Last year, I entirely forgot about Halloween and I shut all the lights off and pretended not to be home.  Not this year though!  I have the sweets and a cute bucket for them and a blinky light headband for my hair and a sign and decoration and bunting.  It's happening here this year.  But no photo yet.


Instead, here's a picture of something Autumn-y.  We have actually had colours on our leaves this year!  Some of the trees actually looked like they were about to burst into flame.  I don't notice that very much around here, but I was born and raised in New England, and they get the most vivid Autumn colours when the leaves change.  So much so that they actually run coach tours around the most wooded roads so people can enjoy all the oranges, reds, yellows and what green is left.

And that's the end of October!  Now focus descends upon the C-word.  Oh dear.... Christmas is upon us. Many crafters have already been working on... that... for months.  I started one project in June, so I can't really comment... but I do not talk about it until November if I can help it.

Happy Halloween!

Friday 30 October 2015

Three Happy Scrappers



The three of us pictured here will be posting our version of this photo in a scrapbook page today!!  So feel free to compare notes and visit Wendy and Karen to see theirs.
We are often referred to by Wendy's husband as "The Three Musketeers." Our Musketeer names, L to R, are Aroma-miss (Karen likes nice perfume), All-Those (Wendy is a collector who has to have the ink in every colour available, and that goes for embossing powders, markers, you name it!) and Portly-- because of my size and because I couldn't think of anything else to be a play on words with Porthos. :)

In doing the journaling for this page, I found out that we have been crafting together for over ten years!!!  Where does the time go?

Thursday 29 October 2015

Die cut Inlay Tutorial

Buckle up, this is going to be a long one.

Wendy had asked me to choose some challenges for her from her Pinterest boards, and while I was there I found a pin where someone had cut out a spray of leaves out of a dark brown piece of paper and another piece that had been streaked with green and autumn colours before being cut in the exact same way.  The streaked leaves were inlaid onto the negative cut in the brown and the result was stunning.

Knowing me and my penchant for using more intricate designs with teeny tiny pieces, I took it upon myself to extend the challenge to using a specific die- a border one from Memory Box that I knew we both had.

When trying to decide which patterned papers to use, I came upon something I had kept with a view to using one day.  They were the front sheets from Basic Grey collection packs.  They had on them small scaled-down samples of the patterns included in each set.  These designs were perfect for cutting into the miniscule size I required!


The first thing I did was to cut down the sample pieces so that they would run through the machine.  I will be cutting the dark brown cardstock and the patterned paper with the same die.


Here's the results of cutting the dark brown.  These will be the frame into which I will inlay the patterned pieces.


Next was the culling.  Due to the layout of the paper I was using for the patterned pieces, some had white borders going through them, so I got rid of the ones on the right.  The left-hand ones were the keepers.  I repeated this process with every sheet and collected all the keepers into a little plastic storage container.   Yes, I also kept the little brown pieces because you never know when they will come in handy!


These leftovers looked interesting too so I kept them.  I have since used a few of them on a multimedia canvas.  I'll post that one soon!


I worked out very late in the game that I would avoid most of the rejects if I laid out the die this way rather than across many colours at a time.  Ah well, a lesson for later...


And the finished product!!  I used a pick-up tool and a fine nib glue for this and it came together quite quickly and easily and it was fun too.  I will be using this technique again because it was really therapeutic... and also I have a ton of those little patterned bits left!!  Waste not, want not.

There's more but the complete design is going to wait until tomorrow, when Wendy, Karen and I will be posting scrapbook pages we made using the same photo.   So stay tuned!!

Wednesday 28 October 2015

Old School


Sorry about the lighting on this one... the editing didn't quite come out as I planned.

Stamps and a die cut title and that's about it for this one... more Brenda Pinnick paper.  These are pictures of my old elementary school in Westborough, Massachusetts.  The three smaller photos are of the front, and the larger one is of a jungle gym (UK: Climbing Frame) that my friend Nikki and I used to sit at the top of... and just talk or sing or whatever until the bell rang to go back in.

It was very strange to stand next to that now, fully grown, and watch my daughter climb on it.  Honestly, I'm surprised it's still there.  This one was called the Spider because there was a larger one nearby that we called the Spider Web.  Not because it looks in any way like a spider.


Tuesday 27 October 2015

Vixie's Cut and Style


I've been posting from my phone almost exclusively this month. As a result I've had to save the double layouts for the end.  Now I have transferred the photos and can try my best to knit the two photos together to get an idea of the full layout.

I've really been keeping it simple lately.  There's nothing wrong with that, especially when you're as "behind" as I am.  This time I used my stamps, a die-cut or ten and two matching pieces of patterned paper for the background.  This one was from a very large pad of Brenda Pinnick paper I got years ago from QVC.  I love the colours and patterns but there's only so many times they can feature in a scrapbook!  200 sheets was too many.

Monday 26 October 2015

Touch Screen Drinks Machine

Please excuse the parallax distortion.  I swear the scraps are put on straight!!

This one needed to be mainly black, white and red due to the coca cola theme.  I borrowed some black and grey patterned paper from a fellow cropper and used up the very end of my red scraps for this layout. 

One day I'll be organised and then watch what I can do!!!!

Sunday 25 October 2015

Minnie Me

The most major craft purchase I adequate this year was a complete set of 36 memento dewdrop ink pads.  I have been lucky enough to find good enough matches for my scrapbook papers, so I have been using them to decorate the pages.  This is a similar scheme to the Subway page I shared ages ago.

I have really been bad this week at blogging daily so I will start again now!! Final week!

Tuesday 20 October 2015

You have been warned!

This page is a classic "me" page.  Die cut title, drawn around in black pen because it got lost on the paper.  Punch Around The Page on the photo,  some die cut floral frippery and voila!

The photo,  in case it isn't showing up, is a sandwich board outside a gym and it says:

Spring Has Sprung
The grass is Riz
Do you know where your
Swimsuit is?

Loved it!  Absolutely had to be scrapped.

Monday 19 October 2015

Hair-did!

Letting the paper and stamps do the work again... this time in lime green!  I kept this one to one side for months because I thought it wasn't finished...  then I added the die cut floral border on the bottom.  I'm still not convinced, but at least it looks a bit fancier.

Sunday 18 October 2015

Dunkin Donuts

Dunkin Donuts is a New England staple.  I used to work there too... this particular branch used to be a pool hall and before that it was the post office!  How things change. 

Another of my quick style pages - a couple of matted photos, background paper from Basic Grey and a die cut title.  It never fails.

Saturday 17 October 2015

The mirror image...

This is the one I made to go over the page from yesterday's page.  It's very similar.  Brenda Pinnick background paper, matted onto card, two matted photos and two journalist spots.  Presto.

Friday 16 October 2015

So simple!

This page takes full advantage of a single sheet of patterned paper with a banded design that makes it look like I did something.  Photos, mats, journalling spaces..  that's it!  I even made another one that's nearly a mirror image of that to go on the opposite side.  You'll see that tomorrow. 

Thursday 15 October 2015

Sketchy page

This one was based on a sketch I saw... er,  somewhere.   It's not exactly the sketch anyway,  even if you could see it.  I changed the shapes involved for a start.  I used some Papermania 6x6 paper for the shapes and good old pen for the title... I think that's all there is... a quick one but I love it.

Wednesday 14 October 2015

Here Come the Girls

This is a great photo.  My mom picked me and Vix up after Rose's wedding and my three Aunties, Iris,  Holly and Sharlene, and Nana Harriet got to see her for the first time in probably 30 or more years.  There was much hugging and catching up.  Here we all are outside the hotel.

I always see photos of scrapbook pages where the creator has really pushed the boat out and made a masterpiece.  I wanted to do this with this photo but I was so under prepared (This one also from the same crop as the others) that all I could muster was this.  I like it though.  It's enough I think.

Are you enjoying Blogtober?  We're nearly halfway and I have missed one day only!  That's not bad going as I am blogging 'live' every day and not scheduling posts.  So a pat on the back for me!  Yay me!

Tuesday 13 October 2015

Feline interloper!

A very stern and a teensy bit sleepy looking Tiggy is monitoring my progress on the crochet throw.  I have 12 rows to do horizontally.  I have gone up the middle to confirm the spacing of the rows and now I'm just working left and right of that line.  Three rows complete, 4th in progress... when the cat allows!

Monday 12 October 2015

Plain... but fancy.

This is another of my efforts from the crop for which I packed abysmally.  Patterned paper was almost nonexistent, but I did have plenty of cardstock in lots of colours... I still had to dip into the crop shop for some better colours to tone in with the pictures but I got there in the end.  Die cuts to the rescue!! I slathered them on all over the page, mostly behind photos.  I like it though... it has a quirky but classic look, which describes my Nana perfectly.  

Sunday 11 October 2015

A late one!

Another page done with Basic Grey stickers, a few scraps and some stamps.  This was my cousin's birthday party that she had on the eve of her wedding at the hotel where we were all staying.  I enjoyed this evening, mostly because of the great conversation I had with my Aunt Iris.  It was great to be with this side of my family after almost 20 years apart.

Friday 9 October 2015

Vixie Knows how to Party!

Just a quick scrapbook page whipped together with Basic Grey stickers... I was at a crop with a box of what I thought would be sufficient patterned paper for the photos I'd brought.  I got stuck in and realised I'd brought the wrong box!  Here's one of the things I made whilst making do.

Here is the obligatory Blogtober link.... :)  it's never too late to join in!

Thursday 8 October 2015

Sneaky peek

This is what I spent the majority of this past weekend making.  It's a technique that I tried for the first time on a scrapbook page, the rest of which will be shown at the end of the month. 

I plan to do a tutorial vid on YouTube as well, or at least a tutorial Web page or a more detailed blog post..  but that will be later.

How's your Blogtober going? Do you want to come in late?  We don't mind!  Add your blog address to the linky here.

Wednesday 7 October 2015

Fifth card...

I made one more card this past weekend,  and here it is.  Another herringbone - style paper quilt background used up, this time I used a Tonic Studios Lattice Square die set with the stamped image fussy - cut and put on top, as I knew it would overextend the border of the solid panel in the middle.

One more hand - cut sentiment banner adds the finishing touch to this one.

My thoughts are that these cards are quite plain and uninteresting compared to the cards I've seen in shops and on Pinterest and other blogs.  I want so much to create those cards with the "Wow!" factor... but I suppose that would be for when I'm home with all my stash to hand,  not just the capsule kits I pack in my weekend bag.

This is part of Blogtober 2015.  To join in, either as a reader or a contributor, check out this post.  Either click on the links or add your own, or both!

Tuesday 6 October 2015

Two more cards

Remember the paper quilted backgrounds I made?  No?  I don't think I blogged them.  I did do a Youtube Video though.

My channel is called Happy Accident Studios.  The logo is a pink handprint.  Go find it if you want to see how the backgrounds were made.

For the cards, I just die cut a panel for a stamped image and hand cut ribbon shaped sentiments..  a simple formula really.  I enjoyed playing with my stamps and dies though.  Long may it continue!

It's blogtober 2015!  If you want to join in, check out the links here.

Monday 5 October 2015

A couple of cards

Ages ago, I made some card backgrounds out of scraps.  This always happens: I make a job lot of backgrounds and forget about them.  Then I make a job lot of die cuts and forget about them.  Then I make a job lot of stamped motifs and forget about them!  Then I remember them all and try to combine them.  I fail miserably.

So I decided to remember the backgrounds I made ages ago and make something that will actually match to go on them.  Here are my first two efforts.

Coffee and Holly Hobbie were the stamps I used for these and a myriad of die cut pieces from mainly Spellbinders and Memory Box.

I made these on Saturday when I was at Wendy's.  Check out what she was up to here.

Like Wendy and a few other friends, I am taking part in Blogtober 2015.  To join, try to post every day in October and add your blog to the linky here.

See you tomorrow!

Sunday 4 October 2015

Finished? Not yet!

This is the photo from the front of the pattern book. I'm nearly finished making this throw and we shall see if it looks like the picture...

Saturday 3 October 2015

Watching you...

Don't they look like eyes?

These are the peacock feather motifs for the throw I posted yesterday.  There's 102 of them!  I need to sew them on now... :)  There's a job right there...

Are you blogging as part of Blogtober 2015?  Do you want to?  Add your blog URL to the linky  in Karen's blog post!

http://kkfantasticplace.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/blogtober-2015.html

(I'm posting from my phone and for some reason I can't link from a saved post... you can copy and paste the link above or click the link from my previous post...)


Friday 2 October 2015

Peacock Throw!

This is a small portion of the base throw onto which I will sew 102 peacock feather motifs.

I have chronicled the making of these motifs on my Facebook page,  Happy Accident Studios.  For the sake of the blog, I will use some of the photos in future posts. 

This pattern has a four - row repeat consisting of a 9dc shell pattern followed by a 9dc decrease offset halfway between , a shell pattern to match up with the decrease and then another decrease offset to match up with the first row pattern.  The result is circles in dc. (For UK crocheters, just replace dc with tr and you too will understand!) 

I am taking part in Blogtober 2015.  To see the others involved, go to Karen's blog.