Garden Junk Journal - Helmar Creative Team

Since starting my potted veggie garden I have found myself frequently looking up the same information for my plants and I felt I needed a notebook with quick references to this information.  I downloaded various printable Garden Planners but couldn't find one that was just right.  After Jeanette's Easy DIY Two Hour Planting Journal post I found myself really inspired to create a Junk Journal style notebook/garden planner for myself.  So I started collecting various free printables, sorting through my stash to create a Garden kit to play with.

I printed out the printables I liked, some I printed on nice thick paper and other's I printed on standard 80gsm copy paper.  The tags and library cards that I printed on 80gsm paper I decided to back onto a manilla file folder.  I simply ran some Helmar Acid Free Glue onto the back of each tag and Library card, adhered them to the file folder, cut them out once dry and then touched up any gaps in corners or edges with a drop of Helmar Acid Free Glue.

Once they were dry I distress the edges of the printables and the back with a variety of Distress Inks.  While I had the inks out I distress the edges of all the printable pages and the papers I had cut and distressed the backs to if they were blank.

Some printables I didn't want as pages but rather I wanted to glue them onto pages that I had given a Tea Dye look using Distress Inks.  I simply glued them where I needed them with Helmar Acid Free Glue.













I have been really concerned in the Junk Journal groups about the safety of the methods some are using to adhere napkins to paper so I wanted to share how safe and easy it is to use Helmar Acid Free Glue to do this.  Great minds think alike and Jeanne recently did a post Decoupaging Napkins with Helmar Acid Free Glue, our method was very similar but I will share mine too.
I simply squirted some Helmar Acid Free Glue onto my work surface, spritzed some water onto the glue and mixed it with a old brush.  I then brush it on evenly to where I was decoupaging my napkin, placed the napkin down and then gave it a coat over the top with my watered down Helmar Acid Free Glue, set it aside to dry while I worked on something else.  It was very quick and easy to do and much safer than melting cling wrap or ironing plastic backed paper.  Please, please don't melt plastic in your craft room, Helmar Glues are much safer.

When cutting my cover I cut it a fraction too short, so I cut a strip from the left overs and ran some Helmar Acid Free Glue along the strip and used the strip to hold 2 pieces together.  Bonus it gave me a little bit of contrast on the busy paper I had chosen for my cover.   Sorry I didn't get a pic of the process but here is the finished repair.

I decided to use the left over paper from my cover to make a pocket inside the cover.  I ran a bead of Helmar Acid Free Glue around the bottom and 2 sides and adhered it inside the cover, once dry I had a great pocket for my tags, library cards and embellishments I want to have on hand to use when needed.

As I add information into my Garden Junk Journal I will give finished pages a coat of Helmar Crystal Kote Matt to ensure if it gets wet no ink will run.

I want to try protecting my cover using Jeanette's method of upcycling cereal packaging and using Helmar Silicone Sealant to seal it, it is a brilliant idea, check it out.

I am really happy with how my Garden Junk Journal has turned out and I have been using the information I have added regularly to remind myself of when to water which plant, what plants I want to use in companion planting and what fertiliser needs each plant has.  It has been so handy. 
I am looking forward to printing out some photos of my garden and adding them in as a way to document how the garden is progressing and the things I am learning.

A Covid-19 Easter

I was invited to a online scrapping session a few weeks ago.  It was a great way to get myself crafting as I have been struggling to get back to crafting since the move, I have just fallen out of the habit, if that makes sense.
Anyway I scrambled for what to scrap and decided to scrap our Easter during Covid-19, I had been collecting a variety of free printable Covid-19 Scrapping supplies (link at the bottom of the post) so I printed them out and created a Easter during Covid-19 kit for myself with these, the Easter Wishes Collection Pack from ColorPlay (ordered from CraftOnline) and some Poppy Crafts Cardstock.

During the scrapping session I started my usual way of prepping everything that needed prepping, so I short listed what I might use, fussy cut out assorted items, coloured my virus characters with some Distress Ink and a Aquabrush.  Once everything was ready I started figuring out my layers, cutting papers, adhering down and then embellishing.







I adhered my papers down with Helmar Acid Free Glue and used Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots to adhere some of the words and my virus characters to give them some pop.
Once it was all down I remembered I had this planet earth glass flair from Kaisercraft in my stash so grabbed it, it was perfect for this layout.

I decided to use a lot of words to tell the story of how we adapted a family tradition by using Facetime to have Hot Cross Buns with our adult kids & Granddaughter, the kid's Grandparents and Aunt, Uncle & Cousins.

I love how the layout turned out, the various printables worked really well with this range from ColorPlay and the cute bunny and egg stickers were perfect for hiding mistakes ;)

Have you scrapped your Easter 2020 yet?
What products are you planning on using?
Here is a link to the post that I found most of my printables on.

Frozen Mini Album - CraftOnline Creative Team

My granddaughter loves Frozen, so much of her conversations are full of Elsa, she loves Elsa so much so with her 3rd Birthday coming up in November I thought making her her a Frozen themed mini album for her Mum to put some precious photos in would be a lovely gift she could treasure.
 
I set to work building a Frozen themed kit.  I wanted a large variety of snowy/winter items to get that Frozen feel so this became a great way to use those winter products that are geared to people who live in areas with snow.



I started by selecting a range of snowflake dies to create die cuts for my album, selecting some gorgeous Bazzil Bling cardstock and then searching for some papers in blues and that perfect shade of purple.  I added a Kaisercraft purple cardstock to my kit and then some gorgeous flowers and I called my kit ready.  Here is what I ordered (I will put a asterisk next to items I used).

Poppy Crafts Snowflake dies set of 2
Poppy Crafts 5 Different Border dies
Poppy Crafts Snowflake #6 die
Poppy Crafts Ornate Flourish Corner die
Poppy Crafts Snowflake Frame die
Find It Trading Jeanines Art Frosty Ornaments Frame die
Find It Trading Amy Design Christmas Wishes Snowflake Border die 
Poppy Crafts A4 White Cardstock (the 250gsm has been replaced by the 240gsm which will work for this project).
Bazzil Bling Cardstock Glass Slipper 
Bazzil Bling Cardstock Shimmer
Universal Crafts Teflon Bone Folder
Universal Crafts Magnets 
Poppy Crafts Ribbons Blues
Kaisercraft Jewel Cardstock
Disney A5 Build A Scene Frozen
Prima Marketing Moon Child paper flowers 12 pack First Eclispse
Graphic 45 Bloom from the new Bloom range 
Echo Park Winter Wishes Snowy Trees paper
Graphic 45 Kaleidoscope Fantastic Fantasy
My Besties 6x6 paper pack French Blue 
Bo Bunny Double Dot Lace French Vanilla 
Hambly Screen Prints Mini Brocade Overlay Antique Teal
Paper Doilies White Lace 6 inch
Echo Park 6x6 Stencil Winter Night
Fabre Castell Glass Bead Gel
Dorland's Wax Medium 4oz (I used this to seal any glitter covered items on my project)

Items from my stash used.
12 inch Trimmer
EK Success Score Mini Board
Dress My Crafts Sequins Green
Poppy Crafts 6x6 textured cardstock
Poppy Crafts Ribbons Purples
Old Fiskars Border/Edge Punch - This Martha Stewart Frame Border Punch called Daisy Petals matches the punch I used nicely, just follow the straight guide on the design plate to get a stragith edge, you will need the Starter Set to use this punch; or this Martha Stewart 2 in 1 Deep Edge punch might be a nice alternative; or this WeR Memory Keepers 2 Edge Punch Loop; or for something lovely and simple this EK Success Edge Punch Dotted Scallop.

I started by working out sizes to cut the various pieces needed to create my interactive pages, so my finished page would be 6 inches high and 4.5 inches wide.  Once I had figured this out I cut a set and assembled my prototype adjusting any measurements as needed.  I have included the measurement in the video.

Once I had my prototype page set put together I wanted to see how it would look with papers on and I had this idea of creating a journey to Elsa's castle with the Disney A5 Build A Scene paper pad.

So I started by selectively cutting the pieces for my top and bottom flaps so you would enter through them on your journey to Elsa's.
I used this winter forest paper from the pad.








When you open the top and bottom flaps you find yourself at this beautiful mountain scene.
I added the snowflakes to the inside of the top flap to hid my magnet as I forgot to add them on my prototype page before adhering my papers down.






























Then when you open the side flap you find yourself at Elsa's Castle. 
I wasn't thinking at the time and I didn't cut the paper, I just spread it over the flap and scored it, this has caused the page to not open properly, so if you are wanting to do something like this I recommend cutting the paper where the page folds out from.

Here is the video showing how I created my mini album.

Some other features in my album include a Shaker Pocket, which I added to the top flap of what became the front page set.  I really wanted to include a Shaker pocket in some way into this album so that Ev would have some snow to watch fall.
I decorated the front of the Shaker Pocket with some of the gorgeous Poppy Crafts Snowflake Dies.  And I added a border to the inside with the Find It Trading Amy Design Christmas Wishes Snowflake Border die.



I love how the album looks when you first open it.  I think Miss E will love the interactivity.

Here is how the third page set opens out.  I used the Hambly Screen Prints Mini Brocade Overlay Antique Teal on the side flap, it looks pretty cool in person.

And how gorgeous is that B side paper from Graphic 45 Kaleidoscope Fantastic Fantasy?  Isn't it just perfect for Anna?











After calling my project finished I decided to go back and add some snow to the front cover using the
Echo Park 6x6 Stencil Winter Night and Fabre Castell Glass Bead Gel, I love the results.  It looks like Anna is reaching up to the falling snow now.

I hope this project has inspired you to create something.  If it has please let me know, I would love to check out your work.

Mary Poppins DIY embellishments and layouts - Helmar Creative Team

Post number 2 about recording my memories of the 2018 Mary Poppins Festivel, to read post number 1 head here.

This post is about the pages I created with DIY embellishments I made using Helmar Glues.

Items used

Helmar Acid Free Glue

Helmar Quick Dry 450 Glue

Helmar Premium Craft Glue

Pocket Page Notebook from The Stamp Spot

Scrapping Fun Kits August 2018 Mary Poppins Inspired Kit

Kaisercraft Magnolia Grove paper pack

Kaisercraft Wandering Ivy papers and collectables

Kaisercraft Romantique sticker sheet
Kaisercraft Rose Avenue papers

Assorted free printables found online.

Paper doily and toothpick

Distress Inks Walnut Stain.

I started by making 2 paper doily parasols, I knew I wanted to use one of these with a particular photo I took on the day.
I folded a paper doily in half, and that half in half and so on until when folded out there was 16 segments.  I cut this in half, I folded the outer segments so they folded in. 
I grabbed a toothpick and used Helmar Quick Dry 450 glue to glue the toothpick to the inside of one side of the doily half.  I then added some Helmar Quick Dry 450 to the very edge of the back of this and glued the other side to this.  I ran a small amount of glue to the inside on the toothpick and glued the top section of the doily down onto the toothpick so it looks like a parasol.

I also cut out parts to make a paper kite to use when needed, and selected a twine to use when I adhere it down.  But more on that later.

Now that I had my parasols and pieces of a kite I started scrapping my memories.

As you will see in the videos I created many pages so I will just share a couple with you so the blog post isn't too long.

For the layout with the paper doily parasol I started by choosing a lovely vintage looking paper from a very old Kaisercraft Magnolia Grove.  I layered the backside of the left over piece behind the photo and added a section of vintage crocheted doily along the bottom.  I adhered the doily to the papers with Helmar Premium Craft Glue and adhered the papers together with Helmar Acid Free Glue.  I know my memories will last thanks to Helmar.

I aged my typed journaling with some Distress Ink in Walnut stain and adhered this to the crochet doily piece with Helmar Premium Craft Glue.
I then built a small cluster with the carpet bag charm from my Scrapping Fun Kits August 2018 Kit and a butterfly sticker from the Kaisercraft Magnolia Grove paper pack.  

Helmar Quick Dry 450 was the perfect glue for adhering the charm down to the paper.

I love how this page turned out.  The paper doily parasol was the perfect embellishment for it.

When adding the kite to the page I used Helmar Premium Craft Glue, I simply applied it directly to the page in a wave and added the twine to it, then I added 4 dots on the twine to adhere the bows to and some to the top of the twine and the page to adhere the kite shape to.

I matted my photo with a journaling card from a free printable I found online and my background paper is from Kaisercraft Magnolia Grove.

I have loved getting these memories recorded like this and using Helmar means they will last a lifetime.
I will have a flip through of the finished project up on my YouTube Channel shortly.

Mary Poppins Memories in a Pocket Page Notebook - Scrapping Fun Kits DT

Living in the town PL Travers was born in means I have a lot of Mary Poppins memories to document in addition to my memories of enjoying the movie as a child and again as a parent with my children.  I really wanted to do a mini album for all these memories but I couldn't decide on a size so I thought a Traveller's Notebook insert would be perfect for this project.  I love TN Scrapping it is a great way to get memories down quickly.

So Today's post is about documenting this year's Mary Poppins Festival, I left several pages in the front of my insert for documenting my childhood memories and taking my kids to the festival when they were younger to the Festival.

The boys weren't up to attending this year but my 20 year old was visitng so we went down together which was a lovely nostalgic time for us as she hasn't attended since she was in Primary School.  Despite her not wanting to have her photo taken she did post for a photo when buying a ice cream from the oldest operational Mr Whippy in Australia and a quick selfie with me when eating the ice cream.

There was so many wonderful costumes and so much going on, we could have taken hundreds of photos and not captured all the wonderful things.

So let's get started with some of the pages I created.  












I started with decorating the cover of my Pocket Page Notebook (the one I bought was a seconds and is great, just some crinkles in the pocket pages) from The Stamp Spot.   You may have seen this already if you follow me on Facebook and Instagram.

You can find the Process Video for this here.  (sorry  no voice over as I am still learning to use this new software)

I used Distress Inks to blend a sunset background.  My distress tool had gone missing so I just used a dry baby wipe and it worked really well for getting the ink down and blended.

I then glued the London Cityscape die cut from the Scrapping Fun Kits August 2018 kit along the bottom of my cover and a die cut of Mary Poppins to the front.

Perfect for all my Mary Poppins memories.


For this layout of my daughter buying a icecream I used the adorable kite paper along the top and added a scrap of paper from Kaisercraft Rose Avenue to the bottom.  To hid the join I used the lace from the August 2018 kit that I had left over from creating my White with 1 Challenge layout.   To finish hiding the join I created a cluster with stickers from Kaisercraft Romantique collecion and a die cut from Kaisercraft Wandering Ivy collectables.
I coloured my typed journaling with Distress Ink Walnut Stain using the same technique I used on my Butterbeer layout last month.

I love how this page turned out.  The kite paper coordinated so well with my scraps and the lace was just perfect for pulling it all together.

Some photos on layouts are covered due to my forgetting to ask permission to share them.

The kite and spoon from the cut apart combined with one of the cute wood veneer tea cups in the August 2018 Kit were the perfect little accent for this layout which is some photos of people costume.
I loved seeing people of all ages in costume, from young children and teens to adults of all ages including many elderly people.  It was fantastic to see everyone having so much fun so a large part of this project is photos of people in costume.

The Penny Farthing chipboard from Memorymaze that was in the August 2018 kit was perfect for documenting my search for the men who come with Penny Farthings each year.

I used the left over piece of kite paper for the background and added a Mary Poppins clip art I found online, a tag from the printable I made and some bits from Kaisercraft Wandering Ivy Collectables.


You can download the printable I made here.

I was getting towards the end of my supplies but the clock and carousel horse from the cut apart in the kit and one of the wood veneer tea cups were perfect for this layout of a pic of the Mary Anne (a old steam train that runs in Queens Park every Thursday, at Sunday in the Park and at the Mary Poppins Festival).
I also added a label from the printable I made myself and used some paper from Kaisercraft Wandering Ivy for the background.


























So there are a few of the pages in my Mary Poppins Pocket Page Notebook.  I will share more pages in another post at 3pm up on my blog and the Helmar blog and I will have a flip through up on my Youtube channel shortly for you.
I hope it has inspired you to create.
If you would love one of these kits I have a couple left so head to the Subscription Tab and fill in the form, as it is the end of the month enter August into the promo code box so I know you want the August kit.

Grungy Kaiser Fusion Holder Helmar DT

I picked up this Kaisercraft Fusion Holder on clearance for $12 as it had damaged packaging and the shop owner was retiring.  As my boys love drawing Anime I thought it would be perfect for storing their alcohol markers in.  We got C a set of Ironlak Striker Tri Grip Markers last year which are just gorgeous to colour with and since E has joined him in loving this style of drawing we recently got them 2 of the Aldi sets to add to their colour range. 

I put this together with Helmar Craft and Hobby Glue as though it is slow drying it gives a much better hold.  Between waiting for the paint to dry and waiting for the glue to dry this became a ongoing project that say on the end of my dining table, which was great in a way as I had something crafty waiting for me to do so whenever I had a crafty urge I would do something on it.  You will notice that my marker dividers have 2 shades of paint on them, I mixed a custom colour with some silver, black and white to paint the half that will be to the front and then painted the back black as you can't see it but I wanted it to be dark.  Some other parts I had not painted after assembled I decided they needed pain and so added black pain, again it is internal and to the back so it works really well.

I wanted to give this Fusion Holder a look that would suite being on the desk the boys use when drawing and colouring.  I selected this old single sided Pink Paisley paper from their Fetching range called Rugged and used a scrap from Kaisercraft Factory 42 for the drawer front.   I glued the papers down with the Helmar Craft and Hobby Glue, I squirted some around the edge and a squiggle in the middle and then spread it with a brush before adhering down and smoothing out any bubbles.  I did adhere the paper to the outside pieces before assembly however as it has been 4 years since I put a Kaisercraft item together I did this incorrectly so after assembly I had to cut new paper and glue it over my original pieces, so glad I had 10 sheets of this gorgeous Pink Paislee paper.

I wanted to embellish it with cogs and gears but I needed it to be flat due to future storage needs, I know I am going to need to have things butted up against it and maybe even on top of it in a few months so the Kaisercraft Factory 42 Collectables were the perfect way to add interest without bulk.  I adhered these down with Helmar Acid Free Glue.

E chose the word I was putting on the drawer, he wanted it to say colour since this is their sketch and colour station so I used some very old rub ons on another scrap from my Kaisercraft Factory 42 papers and created a cluster that says colour on the left of the drawer.  The rub ons no longer rub on so I fussy cut them from the sheet and stuck them down with some Helmar Acid Free Glue.

I love how my clusters have turned out, the fact they are die cuts meant I could fold them and adhere them over the sides so it flowed to the top.

And here it is on C's desk with all of their alcohol markers and other drawing and colouring supplies in it.  I am hoping since their supplies are now out and visible instead of tucked away on a bookcase they will create even more wonderful drawings.

I love the results and I love knowing it will last thanks to the use of Helmar Glues.

Paw Patrol 1st Birthday Pop Up Box Card - The Scrapbooking Emporium DT

I apologise this post is low on photos and the photos I took are not good quality, I was having issues with taking photos at the time.

My granddaughter loves Paw Patrol so I wanted to make her a special card for her 1st Birthday on November 23rd (born to be a Whovian this girl is). 

When my November DT Kit from The Scrapbooking Emporium arrived I felt the ombre side of the Fish paper from Summer Splash by Kaisercraft was perfect for representing the sky on my card.  I used the middle section to create my sky pieces

I used my Silhouette Curio to cut the words Happy Birthday, the number 1 and a balloon from blue glitter cardstock and some balloons from red cardstock. I also used my curio to cut the Paw Patrol characters, they are so cute.

As I was unable to film this here is a tutorial on making a Pop Up Box Card.  I did not use these measurements as I wanted mine to be slightly wider.  And I only did a half inch tab as I felt it didn't need a inch.

I put my sky on the back and side flaps so that when it is folded flat it has a nice sky but the paw patrol logo is on the same paper  on the front right, it was the perfect paper for behind that.




This card was quick to make once I had all my components cut.  They are really fun cards to create  and give, so if you haven't tried one why not give it a go.

Travelling - Scrapbooking Emporium Design Team

Today I have a layout I created for The Scrapbooking Emporium Design Team.
I have a process video for you that I hope helps inspire you to record your travels.

When I saw Open Road from Kaisercraft I was really concerned I would have a creative block using it but as soon as I got my hands on the Australia Map die cut I knew it was perfect for recording my Childhood Travels.  I love that it was perforated and I could just use the States I needed.

The only photos I have of my Childhood Travels are 2 photos on London Bridge at the 12 Apostles in Victoria, one of which I scrapped for my time as a Guest Designer with Counterfiet Kit Challenge.  So I have a similar plan to my Christmas memories in that I am Google Image searching the places and printing photos of parts I remember to record the memories but this Map was perfect for recording the places I went as a child.

I used the geomarkers from the Sticker Sheet to mark the places I went with our best friends the Schumm's and marked the other places with my old CM pens using a different colour for different stages of my childhood travels. 
My memories of travelling with the Schumm's and Uncle Des are incredibly important to me even though they are faint since I was so young so it is really important to me that I record them.
Since finishing I realised I forgot to mark Philip Island with a geomarker as our families went to see the Penguins together when I was very young, so I will have to fix that.

I cut some gum leaves with my Silhouette Curio and used a stylus to put a vein in them and then inked them with Distress Inks, using Old Paper on the leaves and Walnut on the branch section.

In the clusters of die cut gum leaves I added gum leaves from the sticker sheet.

I added in the gum leaf stickers from the sticker sheet to both clusters in my title and 1 Kookaburra to the cluster with they word Travelling.

I trimmed some of the sticker leaves and added a Kookaburra to them to hide where there is a small gap in the map.

I love these Kookaburra stickers and wish the sheet had more than 2.

Up the top right to balance the page I added a Geomarker and leaves to the word sticker that says we were here.

I love how the layout turned out.  I think it is so important to record our memories whether we have photos or not.

I  went with A4 as I want to try mixing up my layout sizes in my album and I cut 2 tags from the same background cardstock.  I have not edged them or decorated them as I want them to blend into the back so so the map is the focus.

Make sure you check out The Scrapbooking Emporium.

New Trampoline - The Scrapbooking Emporium Design Team

Today I have my take on The Scrapbooking Emporium's November Sketch for you.

This was such a fun sketch, I selected my unopened pack of Kaisercraft Take Note papers and cut triangles form each paper, I cut some extras in case I needed to vary things.

I only used items from Take Note and these cute wood veneer triangles form a old Rainbow Splendour kit called Origami Rainbow Flight.

The sticker sheet from Take Note had a few bits that helped finish off the layout and a alpa that was perfect for my title.

The Scrapbooking Emporium has bookings open for the May Retreat so if you are looking for a retreat for next year why not check it out.

Friends - Scrapbooking Emporium Design Team

Today I have a layout for the Get Crafty/Scrapbooking Emporium Design Team to share with you.

Kaisercraft Rose Avenue and the gorgeous flowers, ribbon and metal filigree from The Scrapbooking Emporium were just such a lovely combo for a spring layout I knew they would be perfect for this selfie taken when I was catching up with a friend I haven't seen in 22 years who kindly offered to drive Mr C, Mr E and myself to where we needed to go that morning.

The blue organza ruffle ribbon was perfect for making a scrunchy flower.  I wound it around my fingers and then stapled it together, added some Helmers Professional Acid Free glue to the centre and popped this blue flower from my stash in the centre.

First I created my layers of papers behind my photo.
Then I started building my embellishment clusters using the flower I had created, the lovely pale pink roses and metal filigree that was included in my DT kit and some of the gorgeous white lace I received last month combined with a assortment of wood veneer from my stash and some small pink roses, some blue paper flowers from my stash.

The filigree has lovely delicate details.  I just love it.
Once the page protector is on the ribbon flower sits down really nicely.

The film strip wood veneer my friend Shay gave me was the perfect way to ground the cluster and help it all come together.

I do love how this layout turned out.

Have you created anything with Rose Avenue?  I would love to see it.