A Wee Bookie

Hello lovely bloggers,

The dilemma today was what to do on the first sunny day we've had for ages, well the answer of course is to stay in and faff about making a mini book for this week's Out of A Hat Challenge.  (Actually I did have mother over in the morning then my daughter had an Orthodontic appointment so I haven't totally been lazing about all day! ahem!).

Here's my wee bookie made out of one sheet of 6x6 paper.  My daughter actually showed me how to fold it.

the front

showing the folds

Cut the 6 inch paper into quarters then fold each one in half horizontally, then vertically, then once diagonally, then you push in the diagonal folds and it folds up into a little square.  I then inked all the edges with a touch of distress ink.  The edges of the paper also look a bit distressed too but that's cause I need to put a new blade in my cutter.



You then glue the four folded pieces together, back to back, making sure they're all pointing the same way.

the back

I then glue dotted a piece of ribbon to the front and back and covered up with a little stamped and inked piece.  Theaded a button onto the ribbon using an embroidery needle, this holds it together nicely.





Each section opens up individually

who stuck the cover on the wrong way!

I then realised it could be hung up by the ribbon but of course I hadn't stuck the covers on the right way for that had I!


Okay, that's it for today, time for tea.

Thanks for visiting.
TTFN
Suze xx

An Experiment

Happy Monday Bloggers,

I'd like to start off by saying a humongous thank you to the ultra lovely Debbi Glennie (Promarker Queen) for the huge box of goodies I won in her recent giveaway.  As I said to Debbi, it'll keep me busy throughout the summer holidays when my teenage kids are lying in their beds for half the day!  Check out Debbi's blog for great tutorials on using your Letraset markers. She's also got another giveaway at the moment too.




Okay now on to the 'experiment'.  I really wanted to use the metallic markers which I received from Debbi.  I did a couple of things - first I silver embossed some Hero Arts butterflies onto black paper which I then coloured in with the markers.






I then swiped the markers onto a piece of acetate which I then dabbed with a baby wipe to soften the lines.  You need to set this aside to dry as the markers are water based, hence don't dry as quickly as alcohol markers.










And here is the finished card (sorry, the photo is a bit 'glarey' with all the embossing, bling, miri card and acetate!) ...

I'd like to enter it into three challenges:

Addicted to Stamps Challenge #1- "Make your Mark" ie use any kind of markers.  This is a new challenge and there's still a day left to enter if you fancy!
Fashionable Stamping Challenge #24 - "Nature", and
PanPastel Challenge 24 - "Anything Goes"

Okay, must go and put on a washing and tidy up the breakfast dishes.  (Well you have to get your priorities right, don't you ladies - crafting comes first!)

Thanks for stopping by.
See ya
Suze xx

Memoirs of a Geisha

Hi everyone,

Enjoying the lovely weather (not), well, nothing for it to stay home and do some housework craft!

The challenge this week over at Less is More is to "paper piece".  I quite enjoy paper piecing, it's exactly the same principle as doing applique - cut out the different pieces in paper/fabric and adhere with glue/bond-a-web!

So this week's challenge didn't really faze me but I did have to search through all my stamps four times until I decided on the stamp to use and of course I didn't use StazOn on the metallic paper and ended up with black smudges all over the place and had to completely start again! Anyway, here's my card ...

Whilst on holiday in Malaysia last year, I came across a Japanese pound store.  Wow, it was fab and I bought heaps of stuff, although I'm embarrassed to say there's lots of it I haven't used yet - including some packs of Japanese paper, which is what I've used here.  The stamp is by Personal Impressions. I coloured the teapot and did a bit of 'ground shading' with promarkers.

My card also fits with the challenge over at the DYSU blog (my first time of entering here) which is "Inspired by a Movie". I've gone for Memoirs of a Geisha, based on the fab book by Arthur Golden. My last post would also have fitted with this challenge (thanks Diane) but I'd posted it before the challenge was announced, very spooky.

Okay, a bit too much waffling from me today. Have a great week everyone and thanks for dropping by.

Take care
Suze xx

Buttons and Bows

Hi Bloggers,

I'm here with a late entry for this week's Out of a Hat Challenge which this week is to incorporate BUTTONS into your creation. Well, I'm not much of a button girl (except when it's the chocolate variety) but I've given it a go.

I was really struggling to find an idea though until I did a bit of googling and came across this YouTube video from the film "Son of Paleface".

Jane Russell's dress became my inspiration ....

I've used Tim Holtz dress form, mini rosette and filmstrip dies, a Stampin Up embossing folder, some ribbon and two buttons!

Okay, thanks for popping by, see ya later!

Suze xx

Cowboy Card

Hi everyone,

Well it's not a very 'sunny' Sunday in the north east of Scotland, hope it's a bit better wherever you are.

The challenge this week over at Less is More is to add "SOMETHING SHINY" to your card and over at the Artful Times Challenge the theme is "MEN".

Even though it is Father's Day here in the UK, I've made a card which is suitable for a birthday too ...

There's no missing my 'something shiny' - a clip on Sheriff's badge, which is stuck on with a removable sticky dot.  Cowboy stamp is Waltzingmouse and sentiment is Woodware, inked in Versafine Vintage Sepia.

Thanks for coming to visit, wishing you all a lovely week (hope the sun makes an appearance at some point!).

Suze xx

Stitching for a Change

Hi Bloggers, how are you all today?

A week or so ago I went to a sewing class where we were making postcards and bookmarks.  I'm not an expert sewer but I can get by and I enjoy doing 'small projects' which don't take too long to finish.



The class was all about having fun and using up scraps.  I got my postcard finished on the day - it turned out to be a bit of a surreal landscape - think I had my 'arty farty' hat on!

We used a firm interfacing for the base, which was sprayed with inks. Then scraps of fabric, bits of foil and some stitching.






I only half made the bookmark on the day but I finished it yesterday.

The central panel is made of batik scraps, ribbon and some gold lame, with again some gold stitching on top.  The dangly bit is made from a necklace.







I'd like to enter these into the following challenges ...

Crafty Cardmakers - No Cards, Tags or ATCs
Let's Craft & Create - Anything Goes



Okay, that's it for today, I'm off to the supermarket, wonder if they sell sunshine - isn't this weather miserable!

TTFN
Suze xx

With a flourish

Hi lovely bloggers,

I don't know where this week has gone - I haven't done a post since last week's LIM challenge and I am so behind in my commenting - I will try and do catchup tonight and tomorrow!

On then to this week's Less is More Challenge - it's a one layer week and the added requirement is to "use a flourish".







I have used a Tim Holtz stamp which is called "Flourish" - I stamped it with Archival black then masked it and inked on top with Shaded Lilac, Squeezed Lemonade & Peacock Feathers DI's. I then added a touch of white gel pen for highlights then gold embossed a sentiment over the top.

a better pic of the embossing

Okay, I'm off now to have a peek at the other entries.

Thanks for coming to visit and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Suze xx

Red, White & Blue

Hi there everyone,

Hope you're having a nice weekend wherever you are.  I'm sure most of you will know that it's a holiday weekend here in the UK in honour of our Queen's Diamond Jubilee and this week Chrissie and Mandi over at the Less is More Challenge have picked up on this celebration for their challenge which is "Red, White & Blue".

First I made this card but I'm not happy with the stamping - the ink really seemed to soak into the card ... (sentiment is Stampin' Up)

 so I made another ...

This card is for a friend who phoned me out of the blue from Switzerland on Friday, we haven't seen each other for 8 years, it was such a lovely surprise, we could have talked all day!

Sentiment is Stampin' Up, flower is made from free Craft Stamper stamp and TH floral die, lacy punch is Stampin' Up.

Okay, that's it from me, I'll be round to visit you all tomorrow, my daughter is heading off to Paris at 11pm tonight and she's only half packed!

Thanks for visiting!
Suze xx