WOYWW - 28/07/2010

Hello WOYWW-ers, hope you are all doing ok, I've missed the past couple of weeks as things have been a bit hectic! No workdesk today as I forgot to take a picture (what a doofus!) instead I have a picture of my home made clip it up.

I had been bugging Mr Paper for a couple of years about buying me a clip it up and the silly, silly man, instead of parting with the cash said "why buy when I can make you one", of course I bugged him for weeks and weeks to make it and it never materialised, eventually I was resigned to the fact that I would never get one and would have to continue raking through a large cardboard box to find my supplies.

One day, many months later, he came home from work and placed a large object wrapped in a bin bag on the table with a heavy 'thunk', imagine my delight when I saw what he had made! I am lucky that he works in a manufacturing plant where he has access to lots of tools, metal, paint and such like. The only change I made was to spray it white. I bought lots of clips and hooks from Ikea and now have my very own rotating, albeit and bit heavy, clip it up!

So, here is the card I made today on the workdesk I forgot to photograph!

If you haven't seen it yet, have a little look at the post below which has a tutorial on how to make a rolled spiral flower wreath.

Have a great week!

Use Those Scraps! Blossoms and Butterflies

I have entered the weekly challenge on the Fiskarettes blog entitled 'Blossoms and Butterflies', as soon as I heard the theme I knew what I wanted to make and this is a great way to use up those scraps.

I am terrible, I keep the tiniest scrap of paper and in all honesty I don't know how I would use it but I just can't bear to throw things away, it's the pack rat in me!

For this project you need:
Thick chipboard, twine, paper scraps of all sizes, hot glue gun, butterflies. I also used a quilling tool which is optional as you can just use your fingers but I find it makes the task a little easier and helps make tighter flowers.

Cut a ring out of thick chipboard, you can use a plate as a template if you wish, I used a compass.

Tie the twine in a knot to secure then glue a portion of the ring and start wrapping twine around to cover the ring, this is a nice job to do whilst sitting in the car or watching TV. I used a glue tape runner to secure my twine. When you get to the back tuck the twine underneath the last loop and tie in a knot.

Using a fiskars shape cutter, fingertip knife or scissors cut circles out of paper in varying sizes, I did not have a set size of circle, I just cut them as big as the scrap I was using would allow.

Take your circle and cut into a spiral. You can also use paper edger scissors to get a pretty fluted or raggy effect.

You can use your fingers to curl the paper into a spiral, I like to use a quilling tool as it allows me to get a tighter coil in the centre. Once coiled you can then loosen the flower to get the look you want to achieve. I then add a dab of glue to secure it in place.

Make as many as you think you need, be sure to make some smaller ones to fit into the little gaps. You can use any colour theme you like, as I was aiming to use up some scraps I went for a rainbow affair!

Using a hot glue gun, glue the flowers to the ring, the twine allows better adhesion. I started by gluing the larger flowers down then filled in the gaps using the smaller flowers. I did need to make an additional 10-15 flowers from what I had originally made to fill the gaps.

Using a hot glue gun, glue a length of ribbon on the back to allow you to hang the wreath up. I then coloured in some digital Hero Arts butterflies from the Winged Friends digi kit with promarkers, added stickles and  covered with glossy accents. When dry I cut them out and mounted them on a thin strip of acetate which I had creased into a Z shape and glued to the wreath, it allows a little bit of movement so the butterflies look like they are hovering over the flowers.

I had so much fun making this and it only took a few hours to do and you end up with a pretty piece of home decor! I hope you like and are having a wonderful week!

Island Bliss - July Crafty Templates

Well, it's been a while :) I have been so busy just lately and I hate the fact that I have neglected my blog a little, I hope to make up for it in the next few days!

Here are some cards made with the Crafty Templates July card making kit Island Bliss along with this months templates. Leo really knows how to put together a fabulous kit, gorgeous papers and lovely embellishments. She also makes Crafty Bales mini kits which sell out quickly, I encourage you to visit her shop and have a browse!

My favourite this month is the guitar, perfect for a music loving teenager or for a more hippy chick vibe

I added some music paper, polka dot paper from last month's kit and thread to make the guitar strings.

This fun cocktail glass coloured with promarkers and glossy accents. The umbrella is made by folding paper accordian style, glue a strip around the top then fluff out and add a cocktail stick.

This one is using the versatile tropical flowers template

and finally using the hot air balloon template, I had fun adding on faux stitching to create a patchwork effect.

That's all from me for now, be back soon with more creations to share!