Valentine Cards

It's almost Valentine's Day again so I have been making cards.  I always think buying a card for the man in your life harder, either they are too girly or too mushy.  So with this in mind I have made some just for the men, but first some pink.

I added faux stitching after I took the photo, see above.

These cards have been cased from Pinterest, don't we love this site?  And of course all my envelopes get a special treatment too.

Take care of you.

Pauline x

ABC Primer Photograph Album

This is an album I have made using the amazing ABC Primer collection from Graphic 45.  I used chalkboard paint on the front cover to mimic the old type blackboards and slates.  I have a video of this on YouTube, just click on this link:  http://youtu.be/iGRWjfRFXos

This is an 8 x 8 album.

 

For the front cover I used chipboard pieces, cut outs, I Am Roses flowers, Bakers twine and layered them all around what is meant to replicate an old blackboard.   

  

The back cover is one of the pages from the 12x12 pad.

  

The spine I left the black card showing and added cut outs and a chipboard piece on the bottom.  I then took a working globe charm on a long chain and added more charms to it.  The theme was 'Knowledge'. Some ribbons have then been added in complimentary colours.  A piece of chalk held on with a coiled piece of red jewellery wire is also attached to enable you to write any message on the front cover (you need to provide your own duster though x).

 

The inside front cover has again been layered with chipboard pieces and cut outs with the number pieces being raised on pop dots to enable a journaling card or picture to be placed behind.

Page 1 allows for a photo mat to slide behind the main picture and is held down with a Basic Grey magnet, the picture flips up enabling more opportunities for photos underneath.

Pages 2 & 3 I have created more layering, places to put favourite momentos behind the 'ABC' cut outs and created small booklets for each page with photo mats inside.  Many of these I have also used a photo corner punch for ease.  The pages also have additional photo mats in the shape of a notepad inside the body of each page, you can see one sticking out here.

Pages 4 & 5 are great fun.  The picture of the child measuring another child is a small booklet with additional photo mats inside and is held on the page using a a Basic Grey magnet. It also flips out when you disengage the magnet, which you can see in the photo below.   In my albums I love creating lots of wee hidyholes to keep the magic going enabling people to keep exploring in the hope of finding more and more.......

Here is a picture taken prior to binding the pages and shows how the inside booklets fold out offering opportunities for journaling and additional photos out with the main photo on the body of the page.

Pages 6 & 7 have more flip out pockets, again held using magnets.  Here lots of layers were achieved using cut outs, chipboard pieces and pop dots to create interest taking the eye around the pages.

Inside the flip is a bellyband with a small booklet, either for journaling or small photos.

This bellyband technique has been used on both pages for rhythm and continuity.

I try to have every layout different, not just because it keeps me entertained, and sometimes at a loss how to create something unique and unusual, but also to maintain the excitement and interest for the person looking through the album.  Can you just image all the amazement and smiles discovering all the pockets?

A bellyband and pocket with borders have been added to create interest and again the same use of the alphabet, albeit in different fonts, help pull the two page theme together.

Within the next pages are more places for treasures, layering and places for tags, photo mats and of course larger photos.  On page 11 I have created more booklet type places, which once removed offer large spaces for photos.

The final page and back cover.  I created another bellyband and adhered different cut outs from the collection layering also to add dimension and interest.  The girl with her arms raised is similar to how I constructed it previously in that it is held in place using a magnet and can be easily lifted off the page.  On the back cover behind the 'pondering child' is a pocket for wee keepsakes.

I hope you enjoyed this and have found some inspiration to complete some crafts yourself.  I am entering this in a blog challenge over at Country View Crafts where Novembers theme is 'Letters', I hope this qualifies?  Without our ABC's where would we be?  Click the link below and it will take you straight over to their page where you can see lots of other  inspirational crafts.  http://countryviewchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/challenge-9-november.html

Before I go here are some other ways to use this collection.  Post it holders I made, great gift for teacher, which we did and I also have one on my office desk, which everyone always comments upon.

Pauline

X

Graphic 45 A Ladies Diary.

Recently I had the greatest pleasure to be asked to make a photo album for a customer who having seen a previous album I made using the amazing Graphic 45 paper collection A Ladies Diary, wanted something similar for a wedding present.

This is the front cover.  As the album was travelling to South Africa it had to be fairly flat for transporting so there were some limitations in the amount that I could use to decorate the cover.  Here I did a lot of fussy cutting and used my sizzix Eclips machine both here on the front and throughout to accessories with die-cuts.  Here I used a die-cut of a hand mirror and adhered a fussy cut lady from the collection.  I also die-cut a frame and added one of the stamp cut-outs from the paper.  I have used a Tim Holtz embellishment, a Graphic 45 button to act as a closure and two button charms on a ribbon.  A clock charm was also added as a necklace around the hand mirror.

On the outside spine I use my Decorative Doodles Shapes and Alphabet cartridge to draw this manikin .  I love how the silver pen has drawn this out it looks really stunning.  I then cut around the shape and adhered it down.

In the inside cover I used the same cartridge and on my 5th attempt was happy with the drawing and also the writing inside.  

With page I cut around one of the borders on a page and adhered it to two sides of the page.  I then fussy cut flowers and two of the ladies.  The lady in middle was adhered only on the  stop and bottom and I used Claudine Helmuth multi-medium in matte to add some strength  to parts of the cut out that were particularly fragile.  I also used Ranger's Glossy Accents to add to her hat and fur trim around her dress.  Throughout this album there has been extensive fussy cutting, which I love to do.

In these pages once again there has been a lot of fussy cutting of flowers and my Eclips cartridge making the hand mirror and perfume bottles.  Both ladies have been cut from the paper and with +Basic Grey magnets attached them to the back to ensure they close. 

These pages were a lot of fun.  The art deco type borders were die cut from the Decorative Doodles cartridge as was the manikin.  The left hand page also has a place for adding either a photo mat or some memorabilia.  The right hand side page has a booklet tied with a ribbon and places for photos or journaling inside. 

Here is a picture of the left-hand page which opens up and has a place for pictures on the flap and also a tag placed under a band, which has been cut out and mounted on black card stock for additional strength and design.  Again lots and lots of fussy cutting.

These pages again have places for photos and for journaling both within the tag and the lift up page underneath the tag.  7 Gypsies metal embellishments have been used on the blue cut out on the right-hand page.  On the left page the Eclips cartridge was used again using a doily template where 4 were cut out and then a brad attached to allow the pages to fan out.

A view of the page with the flap lifted up.  There is also a small wallet type booklet with small photo mats inside, which have had the corners punched with a photo corner punch to enable the easy insert of photos.

 This page was lots of fun.  I used the Holiday cartridge to make the picket fence then fussy cut the lady out and made a booklet and used embroidery thread to bind the pages together. Tags and cut outs were used on the left side page and again 7 Gypsies metal embellishments adorn the band, which has again been adhered to black card stock.

I loved making these pages.  On the left  I again die-cut the manikin out and then made a cross over page, which is meant to emulate a corset.  This has been secured down and allows a photo mat wallet, above in picture, to be placed behind.  The manikin I used an darning needle and embroidery thread to zig-zag and make corset ribbons.  On the right I had seen other crafters make similar pages where the page is reinforced behind and then slit with a craft knife.  A tag is then added.  I think this has a fantastic effect for the page and it looks great.  The tags also have a place for photos on a mat or for journaling.  A ribbon was also added.

This is another view of the pages with the booklet removed and the flap page exposed.

These are the final pages and for me the Grand Finally.  I love them so much.  I had seen Anne Rostad first use this in one of her albums.  You can follow Anne on Youtube, xannero1 or follow her blog annespapercreations.

I hope you have enjoyed this run through and if you wish to see the album in more detail below is the video I made, which is also available to see on my Youtube site Scottishcrafter or click the link:

http://youtu.be/D1uej5V_R1w