Documenting December - Catching Up - Scrapping Fun Kits DT

This year for my DD I was returning to what worked best for me, combining my DD with my journal the way I did in 2016 but this time I had my photos printed at the shop instead of on my $30 dodgy home printer and that impacted my staying  on track as I struggled to get to the shop to print and I would get home, sit down to scrap and find I had missed a photo. 
Today is January 6th and I just got my missing photo for December 1st and December 4th printed on Friday so I am hoping to sit down and finish my DD over the next couple of days.  I did however skip ahead and got a few days done so I wanted to share one of them with you Today.  I haven't used much of the DD 2018 kit as since I am combining it with my journal it is mostly using memorbilia until Christmas, when I get my Christmas Day memories in I will use the DD 2018 kit.

For December 8th to the 11th I had only one photo and a small amount of journaling so inspired by a spread Shay did that used frames and numbers for a list of days she had no memories she wanted to put in her DD I created pockets with some frame and added my journaling to tags.

The red and white striped frame and numbers are from the cut apart that is in the DD 2018 Kit.













I always like to include some of the wrapping paper I am using each year somewhere in my DD, so I used it as my background for this spread and it coordinated so well with the frame and numbers from the cut apart..
As my photo had purple in it I matted it on some purple and then pulled purple in by creating some tags with it and using the bottlebrush stickers from the November 2017 Kit onto to of the pockets to pull it all together.  For the twine for the tags I grabbed out the silver and white twine from the January 2018 Kit, it was perfect.
Other bits in my layout are some frames I got from Morgyn, a tag I got from Shay and some scrap Christmas Music paper I had in my stash.

I love how this spread turned out.

I will be back soon with more layouts for you.

How is your DD going?

Wiggles Card - Scrapping Fun Kits DT

My Granddaughter's 2nd Birthday Party was Wiggles themed so I just had to make her a Wiggles card.  I decided on a pop up box card with the current characters but I needed a fun background paper.  The yellow paper with brightly coloured stars from the Gaming Kit was the perfect background paper for a Wiggles themed card.

I created my base from a A4 sheet of red cardstock from my stash.  I scored it not quiet half way along the width so that I had 1 side that was 4 inches and 1 side that was 4 1/4 inches.  I then turned it 90 degrees and along the length I scored it at 1/2 inch and then every 2 3/4 inches.

I then cut the 1/2 x 4 inch section away and cut along each of the 4 inch lines.
I glued the 1/2 inch tab inside to form a box.

I used some scraps to make 3 internal pieces which I cut to 3 3/4 inches long and scored a half inch on each side.  I folded the 1/2 to a right angle and glued them in with Helmar Acid Free Glue.


For the characters you could fussy cut them from packaging or wrapping paper, etc, whatever you have or if you have a Silhouette you could use the Pixscan to cut them for you.













I cut my star paper into two 2 5/8 inch lengths of paper and then cut one of these into 2 3 3/4 inch piece and the other into a 4 3/4 inch piece so it would go down into the card a little; which left a scrap that was too short to fully cover the front panel but that was fine as I was covering the top of that panel with the Wiggles sign anyway.

I added a red glitter number 2 from my stash to the front and called this card done.  I love how it turned out, so simple but so effective.

I love how the card turned out and I can't wait to see Miss E's face when I give it to her.

Timey Whimey Scrapbooking - Helmar Creative Team

I wanted to share Dr Who Scrapbooking layouts with you today.
Being a nerd family who loves all things Science Fiction especially Dr Who and having kids and hubby who love all things science I am always on the look out for science and space themed scrapping supplies so when I spotted this awesome space themed paper pad I just had to grab it and get some scrapping happening.
I pulled out my left over bits from my Who Kit from Scrapping Fun Kits and got to work scrapping photos of my boys cosplaying the 10th and 11th Doctor at FraserPop 2.0 and of our trip to Brisbane Supanova 2018, Mr E got his photo taken with John Barrowman and he cosplayed the 10th Doctor and I went as his companion Donna Nobel.  
I started with the photos from FraserPop 2.0
I selected a paper from the paper pad as my background and then  trimmed my photos where needed and matted them on some shimmery dark navy paper from my stash with Helmar Acid Free Glue.   From my embellishments I selected the TARDIS from the cut apart, the word WHOVIAN from the cut apart and the bow tie and Cyberman head die cuts for this layout.

I adhered the matted photos and TARDIS down with Helmar Acid Free Glue and I adhered the Cyberman head and Bowtie die cuts down with Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots to give them a bit of lift.  

I finished my layout by adhering some wood veneer stars randomly around the page with Helmar Acid Free Glue.

For my second layout I decided to scrap the photo my husband messaged me of Mr E holding his photo with John as I was unable to make the photo session and he wanted me to see how happy E was.
I started by picking a background paper and then mounting my photos on the same shimmery navy paper with Helmar Acid Free Glue.  I needed something light to do my journaling on so I adhered the matted photo onto some light paper from the paper pad, added my journaling and trimmed.
I then adhered this with Helmar Acid Free Glue to a piece of Union Jack paper from the Scrapping Fun Kits Who Kit on a angle.  Added some Starry Night washi behind this. 

For my embellishments I decided to use the metal Sonic Screwdriver charm and Converse Charm I adhered these with Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive. For the Sonic I put some of the Helmar 450 Quick Dry down directly onto the page and then sat it in it and for the shoe I applied it to the back of the charm and then put the charm where I needed it.

I then added a small amount of the trim from the pack to look like it was tied to the charms and topped it with the  WHOVIAN word from the cut apart which I inked the edge of with a very old navy mini ink pad, adding some Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots on the right side of the word so it would be popped up at the same level as the left which is on top of the charms and trim.

I love how this layout turned out.  That background paper was perfect and meant I really didn't need much more.

For my third layout I scrapped the photos of taken with John Barrowman
I trimmed them a little so they would fit better and journaled on a page I took out from the TN insert I used for my October Daily and November journal.

I matted my photos on  a scrap of the light paper I had used in the second layout and matted my journaling with a scrap of the shimmery navy paper.   I adhered them down with Helmar Acid Free Glue, added my title  and built my simple embellishment cluster using a TARDIS from the cut apart and a trenchcoat charm which I adhered with Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.

I think the background paper feels like a time vortex.  What do you think?

And for my final layout I scrapped the photo of my son and I at Supanova in our cosplays.
This one I started by building my layers behind my photo and decided on my background after doing this as I kept changing my mind about what I wanted as a background.
I matted my photo on a scrap of the shimmery navy paper and layered it with the scrap of light paper and this other cool paper from the paper pad.
I added some nebula washi to my layers and decided on a white cardstock background so adhered my layers down to the cardstock with Helmar Acid Free Glue and then add some of the nebular washi and starry night washi to the corner.  I added some starry night washi behind my layers.


I added my title and then added the charms to the layout using Helmar 450 Quick Drive Adhesive.  I used the trim again on the Sonic and shoe charms but this time I added a piece of the London washi to a scrap from the cut apart and added it on top of the charm cluster with Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.




I covered my photo with some plastic packaging, splattered some ink sprays around the page.  Then I added some journaling to under my layers and finished with a doodle/scribble border.
I love how it turned out.

I have a Process Video for you so you can see how it all came together including my mistakes and changing my mind due to positive feedback from viewers regarding how they find this helpful. 

Upcycled box Fireplace and Pool Noodle Centrepiece - Helmar Creative Team

I hope you are having a great Christmas Eve.  Today I have 2 Christmas Decor projects to share with you.  But first I wanted to start by sharing how I came to be creating my project.
I originally started created the word MERRY from large wooden letters that I was decorating with various papers and embellishments, I was in the middle of my first letter when I thought to myself this decoration really needs to be on a mantel but I don't have a mantel.  So I decided to make a box fireplace.  There are so many versions of this on the internet but I wanted to make one that was kinder to the environment and stronger thanks to using Helmar wherever possible.

So I collected 6 identical wine boxes and 2 laptop identical laptop boxes and assorted non-recyclable clean plastic rubbish and foam packaging that was't recyclable to fill the boxes to give them stability and strength, I sealed the boxes with packing tape, this was the only time I used tape in this project.
I set to work constructing my Fireplace.   I glued my boxes together with Helmar Hobby & Craft Glue at first but later switched to Helmar Premium Craft Glue as I thought it would give more strength and it definitely worked better when I experimented to add texture with fibreglass tape.


I created my base by cutting down a box from a fan and adhering my fireplace to it with Helmar Premium Craft Glue.  I also cut multiple strips from the fan box to use for adding details to the fireplace.
I stacked some boxes of books on top while it was drying to ensure enough pressure was applied to both sides while the glue dried.  And I was hoping it would help my laptop boxes straighten out as they were a little warped.

I added a back to the fireplace and then I added details to the front with the strips I cut from the fan box earlier.










I decided to try covering my fireplace in crushed packing paper and then a coat of beige paint to give it what I hoped would be a rendered look.
When adding the paper I found it best to work in small sections to ensure the details came through.
I used Helmar Premium Craft Glue where the packing tape was to ensure a strong hold.  Adding the glue then applying the paper here first.
Then I used my Helmar Craft & Hobby PVA for the parts that didn't have tape on.  Again working in each detail section at a time.

Once these front sections were covered I applied the paper to the sides and inside as far as it would go.

Now it is ready to be painted.

I was hoping my sample pot would be enough to give me a good coating but still allow my details to show through and that the overall effect would be a rendered look.   However I ran out of paint after 1 coat and my back was not happy so I decided to love it the way it is.
Here is a close up of the top.  What do you think?  Did I get a rendered look?







During one of the breaks I took while making the Fireplace  I saw a post about creating a pool noodle table centrepiece in a Mum's group and there were so many Mum's who had burnt themselves using hot glue to create this, I knew I had to make one with Helmar so people would know they could avoid the burns by using Helmar for projects like this.
I wanted to be as environmentally friendly as I could be by using old/damaged decorations a friend gave me and a damaged pool noodle.  I wound up buying the green pine tinsel on sale for 50% off and some extra red and gold decorations as there wasn't quiet enough in the box my friend gave me but I tried to keep my environmental footprint for this as small as possible so I only bought what I needed.


I first experimented with doing a all gold one just to see if it would work.  I looped the tinsel garland and bead garland and applied Helmar Premium Craft Glue in sections to add these garlands to my pool noodle.  This was a great way to get it on quickly.  I would wind up removing this before it was dry so I could instead use green pine type tinsel garland and a mix of red and gold decorations.






So the LED candles could easily be turned on and off and fit where they needed to go easily I cut the packaging they came in into 3 and added it onto my pool noodle where I wanted them to be with Helmar Premium Craft Glue. 

I added some of the gold bead garland to the candle packaging as it is clear and I needed to hide the pool noodle when the candle is in it.
I then started adhering the green pine tinsel around the bottom and cutting some pieces off the end to fill in the top between the candles.

I then started adding decorations, just adding them where I thought they looked best and keeping in mind when putting them near where the candles would go that they should help provide stability and support to the candle packaging.
When adhering each decoration I would put some Helmar Premium Craft Glue to the parts that would be touching something else, I would hold whatever it was touching together until dry, whether that was the tinsel and another decoration or 3 decorations.

I used Helmar Premium Craft Glue for the entire pool noodle decoration.  It has been great for this project.  This was my first experiment creating anything like this and next time I will experiment with Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive as I think this will give me a even better hold.

And here is the finished Fireplace and Pool Noodle decoration all set up with LED candles and LED wire lights ready for our Christmas celebrations.  I love how they turned out.

Gift Ideas for the Scrapbooker/Papercraft List 2

My friend Shay asked in her Scrapbooking Group what scrapbooking related thing were people hoping to get for Christmas so I commented that time is what I need and mentioned my Gift Ideas blog post listed ways you could provide time.  Shay and I started chatting about my list and I told her I had had a couple of extra ideas and that lead to us discussing all kinds of wonderful ideas so it was clear a second list was needed and here it is.

Professional Family Photos are always something to treasure.  I do advise finding a local photographer rather than a chain as the local photographer is usually cheaper and has more qualifications, etc.

Vouchers for Experiences so they can get more photos and memories recorded.  This could be anything from a movie to a theme park or a wildlife experience like feeding dolphins at Tin Can Bay, visiting the turtles and Mon Repos, a Museum trip, Whale Watching, visiting local landmark, etc.

A Ancestry Membership or even a Ancestry DNA test is a great gift for the Scrapbooker who is into exploring and recording family history.  

Digital Photo Storage and Organisation.  I know many are not tech savvy including myself or have trouble being organised so anything that helps with organising and storing our digital photos safely is appreciated.  It could be something as simple as helping them find the cloud storage that is right for them, a photo storage and sorting program, a external hard drive that you then set up folders for each year and each month of each year in, etc.

Physical Photo Storage and Organisation.  Most of us have huge piles of photos from before we had digital cameras maybe you could give the gift of your time to help them scan and back up their photos and album pages and maybe even help sort their photos into photo safe storage so they can find things easily to scrap.  When looking for a photo storage box look for one that isn't cardboard or PVC, you want polypropylene or mylar plastic for archival storage.

A gift basket full of scrappy goodies.  Shay had a awesome idea for a gift basket full of scrappy goodies, many of them are in this list, so why not look through this list and the previous list and create a gift basket for the scrapbooker/papercrafter in your life.  You could use a basket or a cute bag or tote to present it in.

A nice pen for their journalling.  Years ago I emailed some pen companies to ask which pens are archival, Pilot said all their pens are as did Uniball and Sakura said their Pigma Micron Pens are so a pen from these brands would be a awesome gift for their journaling.  

Supplies for clean up when doing mixed media so some paper towels (you could even get some with a cute design on them to make them a bit more fun), baby wipes or head to the op-shop for some face washers and hand towels for a reusable clean up option.

Scissors.  A crafter always needs scissors.  I have a pair for fussy cutting, cutting fabric and ribbon, non-stick for cutting tape, multipurpose for cutting plastic and other things that may damage scissors.

I did mention a cup or mug in the previous list and this falls into that category a Travel Coffee Mug, they are less likely to spill so are great for crafters.

Sweets to munch on while crafting to keep their energy up while they work.

Spray bottle for a nice spritz of water when doing mixed media.  You could even get them one with a cute decal on.

Paint for doing mixed media, even the cheap stuff from the local cheap shop can be fun to play with and experiment with, it doesn't have to be expensive.

If they haven't tried Gelatos or Scribble Sticks yet then a set of those as they are a lot of fun to play with. 

Paint Brushes, either a set or a nice silicone one.

Photo Printing Vouchers.  We do print a lot of photos so if they don't have a printer at home and getting one is out of the budget a voucher to get photos printed is great.

A 12x12 frame to display their work.

Albums to put their work in.  Try and suss out which type they prefer.  Some prefer D ring and some prefer post-bound or the old style strap hinge albums.  If you aren't sure don't worry, we appreciate the thought and albums no matter the type are always useful.  

If buying a post bound album consider also ordering  a snapload kit  to replace the posts with, especially if they have hand issues like I do.  I find using post-bound albums very difficult due to my hands and I wind up having to ask someone to put pages in for me so the snapload kit is awesome for me as it allows me to be independent when using these albums.

I hope this list and the list I created earlier this month are helpful to you in your gift giving.  And don't forget to save both lists so you can come back to it for those upcoming Birthdays, Mother's Day and Anniversaries.

Childhood Christmas Memories album - 2 more pages - CraftOnline Creative Team

When creating the Trifold Card in my Simple Christmas Cards video I felt that the papers from Simple Vintage Christmas by Simple Stories were perfect for my St Nick and Decoration pages in my Childhood Christmas Memories project so I decided to do a second video for you this month and share my process of creating these 2 pages for you.

Items used in this project include.

Simple Stories Simple Vintage Christmas 6x8 paper pad  

Simple Stories Simple Vintage Christmas chipboard stickers  

Dina Wakley paint in Peacock 

Tim Holtz Poinsiettia Stencil  

Previously I left myself 2 pages short so I added a page in earlier but I still needed one more page in this section as this time period in my memories needs 3 pages so I used 1 of the papers from the 6x8 paper pad to become a large tip in that folds up from the top.

For the page that will be behind my tip in I added the top half of another paper from the paper pad over the join so it would look like it belonged.

I needed to pull in the colours from my previous page so I stenciled with the Tim Holtz stencil using my Dina Wakley paint in Peacock to pull part of this design over while also having the more traditional look needed for these pages.

I made sure my stenciling went over the bottom of the piece to pull it together and make if feel like it was meant to be that way.

I matted my photos in a cluster on some red cardstock and fussy cut the holly on the paper so it could sit on top of my photo.

For the front page/tip in this was going to be my St Nick page so I just matted my photo and added a couple of chipboard stickers to finish it off.

I needed these pages to be fairly flat as I didn't want to add anymore chunk to it, the chipboard stickers gave a little chunk but didn't over do it, they were perfect for my needs.

I love how these pages turned out and I have the back side of my St Nick page to add in my journaling when I am happy with what I have written.

I hope this project has inspired you to record some precious memories.

Simple Christmas Cards - CraftOnline Creative Team

Today I have some simple Christmas cards to share with you that I created for a kids Christmas card making class and the CraftOnline Creative Team.  The kids Christmas card making workshop was going to be for ages 6 and up so I wanted to have quick and simple cards and something a bit more advanced for the older kids.

Items used in this project include.

Simple Stories Simple Vintage Christmas 6x8 paper pad  

Simple Stories Simple Vintage Christmas chipboard stickers  

Poppy Crafts Wreath die  

Poppy Crafts Merry Christmas script die (no longer avaiable)

Universal Crafts Double Sided Adhesive Paper

Poppy Crafts Card Bases pack of 50 

Simply Creative Gems  

Theromoweb Deco Foil  

Find It Trading Jeanines Art Paper Christmas Classics  

I decided to create a wreath card and experiment with foiling using the double sided adhesive paper from Universal Crafts for one card.  I had a idea about how I wanted to do this but did some quick research to see if anyone had used foil the way I was thinking and found this video from Jennifer McGuire, she has 5 ways she uses it and the one using adhesive paper was exactly what I was thinking about so it was good to know it could work before I started playing with the technique.

I keep forgetting to order a replacement bone folder (mine went missing a few months ago) so I had to use a brayer for this technique and I got a kind of grungy foil look that I really love.

I then experimented with creating a watercolour background and paper background for my card.








For the second card I went with a design that uses up paper scraps.  I made another version of this card a few years ago for another children's card making class.  I do not remember where I got the inspiration from as it was so long ago but I do love this technique for creating a quick card that uses up your scrap stash.

I then decided a trifold step card would be cool.  To make it easier I used a cut file and my Silhouette Curio to cut the base and then I just decorated it with Simple Vintage Christmas paper and chipboard stickers from Simple Stories.  I love the results.

Inspired by some of the papers while making this card I created 2 more pages in my Childhood Christmas Memories album, you can find the process video for them here.

I love how the kids took what I showed them and created these cute cards.