DIVAS FREE CLASSROOM

On the 12th Day of Christmas

2010-12-12T07:18:00.005+11:00

Well ... today is the last day of the Diva's 12 Days of Christmas for 2010.
We hope you have enjoyed all of the projects.

I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of the store bought Christmas Cracker / Bon Bon.
I don't like the tissue paper hats, the jokes are not funny and the toys are rubbish.

So, the 12th Day project is to make your own Christmas Crackers / Bon Bons.

Today we are going to be turning this:

Into this:

Materials used:
Brown paper
Toilet rolls
Cracker snaps (bought at Spotlight)
Twine
Jokes (Google can help you here)
Lindt Balls
Scraps of Christmas Paper / Ribbon / Fabric.
Christmas stamps

Instructions:

Step 1: put the snap into the toilet roll. I very lightly taped them into place so they can still be pulled & snap.

Step 2: fill the roll with whatever goodies you like. I typed up some jokes that I found on the internet and wrapped these around my favourite chocolate - Lindt balls - yummo....

Step 3: roll up in brown paper & tie the ends with twine. I then used my pinking shears and trimmed the edges.

Step 4: Decorate with paper / ribbons / stamps / whatever scraps to have

That's it - all done!!! (And not a tissue paper hat in sight to ruin your hair!)

On The 11th Day of Christmas

2010-12-11T11:33:00.000+11:00

On The 11th Day of Christmas my true love gave to me some easy Christmas cards to please. LOL

There are no instructions as such for these but would love to see what cards you make. I am hoping to make a few more over the weekend and will post those when they are done.

On The 10th Day Of Christmas

2010-12-10T09:06:00.001+11:00

Well here we are getting towards the end.

How about creating a layout ready for those precious Chrissy photos.

Layout Chrissy Magic.

Supplies: Cardstock: Pomegranite (1). Pattern Paper: Websters: Waiting for Santa, The Delivery, Fa-la-la, Making A List.Websters Floral Bouquet. Websters Journaling Cards. Green Gathered Ribbon Trim. Websters Fabric Wraps.

Layout Instructions:

1: On the top right hand side of the Making a list pattern paper, measure down 1 1/2" from the top edge & 1" in on the right hand side edge, measure down 3" from the 1 1/2" dot on the right hand side. Join up the dots to form a triangle.

2: Next cut out the triangle on the top and right hand side lines:

3: Cut a piece of the delivery pattern paper (red script) 4 3/4"wide x 3 1/2"long, stick this piece to the back of the pattern paper over the cut out section.

4: Adhere the pattern paper to the base cardstock. Then tear down the two sides of green pattern paper, roll over slightly, then stick with some double sided tape to the pattern paper.

5: Adhere the journaling card on the right hand side of the page underneath the green turned piece.

6: Adhere your 4" x 6" portrait photo 2 1/4" down & 4 1/8" in on the left hand side of he page.

7: Cut a piece of the script red pattern paper 2 1/4" x 8", then adhere underneath the photo.

8: Adhere the smaller journaling card on top of the red script on the left hand side of the page.

9: Cut two pieces of music pattern paper 2" x 4", tear along he bottom edge of each piece, adhere one above the journaling card on the left, and the other underneath the photo.

10: Adhere a strip of green gathered ribbon trim, underneath the photo.

11: Remove the red organza flower and the two gold leaves from the bouquet, twist the pieces together. Tie the green & white circle fabric wrap into a bow around the stems. Adhere this piece to the right hand side of the photo.

12: Cut out the birdcage and deer from the pattern paper. Adhere the deer on the bottom left hand side of the photo, & the birdcage in the top left hand side of the page.

13: Place your title across the top of the photo & on the left hand side.

Merry Christmas Everyone and i hope you enjoy the layout.

Marion xxxxxxx

On the 9th Day of Christmas

2010-12-09T06:00:00.000+11:00

This project is more of a craft project using scrapbooking tools and other supplies.

Banners seem to be all the rage at the moment - they are everywhere - so I decided to do a Christmas banner for the 9th Day - the link being 9 letters in Christmas.

Each of the triangles is a page from the Making Memories calico album. These already came with eyelets in the top corners - perfect - no punching required!

At one of my last trips to Spotlight I spotted some coloured hessian which I though would go great in a few Christmas projects - so for this project I cut red and green triangles of hessian and sewed them onto each of the calico pages.

I did this for 9 flags.

I then cut thin strips of fabric and tied the flags together

I cut the C H R I S T M A S letters 3 inches tall using my Slice. (Now don't fall over in shock that I actually used the Slice - I have had it for years & reckon I have used it maybe 6 times in total - how embarrassing!)

I glued the letters onto the flags and decorated the letters with a bit of bling.

and then that's it - ready to hang

If you are not into fabric and prefer paper - this project can easily be adapted to suit your preference.

I hope you have enjoyed the 9th Day project.

Natalie

On the 8th Day of Christmas

2010-12-08T07:00:00.001+11:00

Well... it's not 8 Lords a Leaping... I have made an 8 page 8 x 8 inch album using a mix of different media.

As this album is about our family Christmas in 2010, I have made the pages but will wait until I have the photos from Christmas Day before I decorate them. So the pages are looking a bit plain jane at the moment but I'm sure you get the idea.

Page 1 is the front cover which is chipboard covered in Fabric
I covered one side of the chipboard in heavy duty glue (Pritt Power Gel) and stuck it to the reverse side of the material. I then folded & glued the edges in.

Page 2 is a piece of 8 * 12 inch Fancy Pants Tradition paper, one side of which was folded in to make an 8 x 8 square page with a flap / pocket on one side. The top and bottom edges were decorated using threading water punch.

Page 3 is a paper bag which has the opening on the side. I have cut a semi circle into the bag opening and inside the bag I am going to put the kids letters to Santa.

Page 4 - is an 8 x 8 inch piece of Fancy Pants Tradition patterned paper

Page 5 is a Fancy Pants Tradition flocked transparency.

Page 6 is a piece of green felt

Page 7 Page 2 is a piece of 8 * 12 inch Fancy Pants Tradition paper, one side of which was folded in to make an 8 x 8 square page with a flap / pocket on one side.

Page 8 is the back cover - I have left it undecorated to show you the fabric cover folded over & glued

The pages were really quick and easy to make and once complete, it will be nice to have an album specifically about Christmas.

I have punched holes in the pages & used a couple of split rings - but you could use ribbon / twine if you want to bind the album together.

I really enjoyed creating this album & I hope you have a go at making a Christmas 2010 album too!

7th Day of Christmas

2010-12-07T09:34:00.005+11:00

On the 7^th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, seven swans a swimming. Apparently, this song is full of religious symbolism and the seven swans refer to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. So it’s apt that today’s creation is more of a gift than a Christmas project. It all started when I saw this photo wall hanging in the local photo shop. I was VERY tempted to buy it, until I saw the price: $108.

OMG, I could make one for much less. So here it is – a 7 frame photo wall hanging for day 7 – for under $20!

Step One:

Remove packing and glass from frames and lay them on a desk. Move them around until you are happy with the design/layout. It helps if you have a few long edges next to each other. I couldn’t find any oval frames, so mine is all square!

Step Two:

Lightly sand all the wood, it helps make the paint stick.

Step Three:

Paint each frame in a light colour, leaving some of the dark paint showing through. You can do a few colours if you want. You can also sand them once the paint is dry to get an aged look, or do a coat of crackle median before painting if you want.

Step Four:

Stick them together with really strong glue and I used clamps too. This takes a while to dry, so best to leave overnight. I’ve also used the hanging wires (yah for a K-mart photo hanging kit) to help strengthen the joints between the frames.

Step Five (optional):

Decorate and fill. I've used some Prima flowers, chipboard letters, Kaisercraft wooden flourish and Xmas ribbon.

On the 6th Day .... A Setting for Six

2010-12-06T08:19:00.000+11:00

Welcome to the 6th day of the Divas 12 Days of Christmas

'On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me six geese a laying', well at the Embellees 'table' they will be laying on our plates with these beautiful but, very quick and simple table settings.

As you have guessed by now I love to use up my 'stash', use my tools, mix in a few vintage/repurposed elements and go for simple and quick projects I can actually make happen in my busy life. This year my niece is hosting Christmas lunch and she asked me to 'set the table'. Her only request was to use hotpink as the core colour. So here is sample of what our Christmas table is going to look like...kinda mini version, as I anticipate adding a few other bits of gorgeousness.....

To get started you need to grab:

Chrissy papers (4 sheets of double sided to match your decorations/table scape)
Punches (borders and shapes)
Die cuts for your Cuttlebug/Bigshot
Crochet doily
Cotton String
Dymo labeller

Step 1: Making the Napkin Envelope

One 12 x 12 double sided paper cut in half on the diagonal

Folding into envelope shape (check out the photos and follow the steps)

Decorate to compliment your table scape or your chrissy theme (I wanted a vintage/shabby chic feel for our look this year).

I have used the Tim Holtz birdcage diecut to cut out blue glittered cardstock, book paper for the bird, spiral border punch (Martha Stewart), cotton string (oooh Michelle would be pleased I grabbed this from OfficeWorks), part of my vintage doily (refer to hint below) and not to be forgotten some kaiser bling!

Handy Hint: Using old crochet doilies is all the rage at the moment. I have purchased them from all over... Vinnies, markets, antique shops, but I always look for ones that have a good solid flower shape I can cut out. I also love to use the other bits on projects - so in this one I have used little bits of the crochet on each project to tie them all together - just check out the state of the doily I used... it was a 20 cent one with a hole in it from Vinnies - but I just loved the green as it was unusual... all my 6 place settings will have different doily pieces - they don't need to be 'matchie matchie' gives more of that eclectic/shabby chic feel I want to achieve ....

Step 2: Making the Name Holder

Chose a diecut that will suit, in my case I have used the gorgeous Top Note from Stampin Up - such a versatile die cut. Remembering I wanted to keep this simple.. you could just cut a square 4.5" x 3.5".
Fold in half (I used a bone scorer to give me a crisp folded edge).

Again, you can decorate to match your table scape/decorations.

I used my scallop punch and with a little mist of water damped down my shape to help with the 'scrunching' process. I displayed this with the co-ordinating side of my double sided paper showing.
I added a small piece from my 'tattered' doily edge as a frill.
I couldn't resist another book page bird (cut from my Tim Holtz Sissix Die Cut on my cuttlebug/BigShot).
To continue the vintage feel, I love using my dymo tape labeller and yes my name at home is Elizabeth (for those who know me as Lizzie).

Step 3: Wrapping the Cutlery

I just love this idea and what better way to introduce the very popular paper doily or benders as the catering bods call them. I was just lucky enough to have hot pink ones in my stash (gotta luv those Hot Dollar Shops I frequent).
Wrap your doily around your cutlery and fix in place.
Cut a length off your 12" x 12" paper - approximately 1" wide and wrap it around the doily - finish this by leaving a tail to the left and cutting on the diagonal.

Again, use the same technique above with your scallop punched circle misted and scrunched or if you have a Cuttlebug/BigShot emboss the scallop circle to add texture.
To finish off your embellishment use similar bits to tie in with your name plate and napkin envelope - in my case I added some of the crochet doily, cotton string and dymo labelling!

Although this setting is simple and not loads of technique - that was the idea. When you have to repeat a project to make multiples - you need to keep it simple. In my case I have to replicate 3 items x 6 people - so the KISS principal had to apply .... I also love that this used up my stash, had me using my Cuttlebug/Bigshot and punches (love to get the most out of the expensive tools I have) and, lastly included some vintage finds.

I hope your family will be just as happy when they sit down to Christmas lunch and see the effort you have gone to add that 'handmade' touch to your table - it will definitely give them a better understanding of what you have all that stuff for....

Wishing you all a very merry and safe Christmas!
from Lizzie @ Embellees

On the 5th day of Christmas

2010-12-05T12:55:00.008+11:00

Everyone needs a tag to put on their gifts don't they???
We don't want Uncle Freddy getting the hankies and perfume meant for Nanna do we!!!

Creating home made tags takes next to no time & adds that personal touch to your gift giving.

I feel like I really cheated with these - because they were so easy using the Fancy Pants Traditions Tags and Titles.

Sporting a bit of a hangover thanks to a 40th birthday party last night, I made these 5 tags this morning.

I used coordinating 4 x 6 inch paper scraps for the base of each gift tag.

Tag 1
For the 1st tag I used some coordinating Fancy Pants Tradition - Stars & Holly paper as the base.
A strip of red & white polka dot paper through the middle topped with the Merry Christmas Tag.
Finished off with a green ribbon bow.

Tag 2
For the 2nd tag I used some red & cream paper as the base and corner rounded the edges.
I then matted the Christmas Wishes tag on corrogated cardstock & attached to the base.
A red semi-circle was glued above the Christmas Wishes title with a Christmas tree brad in the middle of it.
Finished off by stapling red leather strips to the top and bottom.

Tag 3
Using green & white polka dot paper for the base - the edges were inked in umber.
Snowflake tag was matted onto red paper and adhered to base.
Using a brown pen stitching was drawn around the snowflake tag.
Snowflake brad was put through the centre of the snowflake.
Finished off by punching 3 holes down the side with green ribbon threaded through.

Tag 4
Coordinating Fancy Pants Tradition Stripe & Scallop paper was used as the base.
Peace Love Joy title was matted on red paper & then adhered to base.
Finished off by punching 2 holes on the side and tying a blue bow through the holes.

Tag 5

Blue paper was used as base.
Used Fiskars threading water punch on a scrap of white cardstock and stuck it to the lower half of the base.
A left over scrap of Tradition Stripe & Scallop paper was adhered to the upper half of the base.
Rectangle flourish tag was stuck on top.
Finished off with green paper twine wrapped around the top which was stapled at either end to secure it in place.

This year my friends and family will receive presents wrapped in brown paper & strung with twine and one of these gift tags.

Much nicer than the shop bought ones don't you think.

On The 4th Day of Christmas Gift Bags & Card

2010-12-04T13:47:00.001+11:00

CHRISTMAS GIFT BAGS

4th Day Of Christmas

Christmas is such a hectic time, so it is time for us to get in and get started on those handmade items for christmas, i know some of you have started already. I can not wait to give these to my family, i hope they will love them. The bags are so easy to find, i got mine from MG & J Packaging at Adamstown, they are so cheap about 35cents each. The ones you buy at the shops are $2.00 or more, they come in lots of sizes, from tiny wee ones to large ones. So head off grab a bundle and decorate.

SUPPLIES USED FOR THE BAGS AND CARDS ARE:

Cardstock: Pomegranite Red at least 2 sheets. French Vanilla.Websters Pattern Paper: Dear Santa: Fa-la-la, Delivery, Reindeer Cottage. Fabric Wraps. Berry Boquet. Journaling Cards. Floral Boquet. Glimmer Mist Red Velvet & Meadow Green. Punches Martha Stewart Deep Edge Floral Vine,Doilie Border & Fiskars Scallop Edge. Ink: Red, Gold & Black. Jute Twine. Red Rhinestones. Stamps Kaiser Dear Santa.

Gift Bag & Card No: 1.

This bag measures 10"wide x 7 3/4" high.

Instructions For The Gift Bag No: 1

1: Spray the front and back of your bag with Red Velvet Glimmer Mist.

2: Cut a piece of the Fa-la-la ( music) Pattern Paper 4 3/4" x 8", ink the edges with red ink, place double sided tape on the two sides and bottom edge ( do not place on the top edge), stick to the front the bag, this creates the pocket for the card.

3: Cut a piece of Delivery Pattern Paper ( roses) 3 1/2" x 7 1/4",ink the edges with red ink, then stick to the music pattern paper.

4: Cut a strip of the red script fabric trim 8" long, and stick underneath the rose pattern paper.

5: Tie some jute string around the Berry Boquet and tie into a bow, stick to the left hand side of the bag with strong adhesive glue.

Instructions For The Card:

1: Cut a piece of pomegranite cardstock 4" x 12", fold in half, flatten the edge with a bone folder.

2: Adhere one of the journaling cards to the top edge of the card front.

3: Stamp the reindeer & sleigh stamp with black ink to the journaling card.

4: Stick a piece of the red script fabric to underneath the stamped image.

5: Cut a piece of French Vanilla Cardstock 1 1/2" x 4", punch through the floral vine punch, ink the edges with red ink. Then stick underneath the journaling card.

6: Place some red rhinestones on the punched piece & on the top right hand corner of the journal card.

7: Pop your card into the pocket on the front of the bag.

Gift Bag & Card No:2

The size of this bag is 6 1/4"wide x 10 1/4"high.

Instructions For Gift Bag No: 2
1: Spray the front and back of the bag with green glimmer mist.
2: Cut a piece of pomegranite cardstock 2 1/2" x 6 1/4".
3: Cut a piece of the fabric wrap ( music, baloon & roses) 6 1/2"long, stick this to the pomegranite cardstock piece, then adhere the edges to the back of the cardstock. Stick this piece the bottom section of the bag.
4: Cut a piece of pomegranite cardstock 1 1/2" x 6 1/2", punch through the floral vine punch, the stick underneath the fabric. Trim off any excess cardstock with your scissors.
5: Cut a piece of the red script fabric & stick on the top of the punched cardstock.
Instructions For The Card:
1: Cut a piece of pomegranite cardstock 4" x 8", & fold in half to form the card.
2: Adhere a journaling card to the front of the card.
3: Stamp Merry Christmas with black ink onto the journaling card.
4: Remove the white organza flower from the boquet, cut off the back long stem piece, then stick with strong adhesive to the top left hand corner of the card.
5: Place a red rhinestone in the centre of the flower.

Gift Bag & Card No: 3

The size of this bag is 6 1/4"wide x 10 1/4" high.

Instructions For Gift Bag No: 3:

1: Spray the front and back of the bag with red glimmer mist.

2: Cut a piece of the Reindeer Cottage pattern paper 5 1/2" x 8", ink the edges with red ink, then stick to the front of the bag.

3: Cut a piece of pomegranite cardstock 2 1/2" x 5 1/2", punch the top and bottom edge with the fiskars scallop edge punch.

4: Cut a piece of pomegranite cardstock 1 1/2" x 5 1/2", punch through the doilie punch. Stick this piece to the bottom of the pattern paper.

5: Cut a piece of the scallop edge fabric wrap, stick to the front of the cardstock, and wrap around to the side edges and stick. Place double sided tape on the bottom and two sides, then stick over the top edge of the doilie punched piece.

Instructions For The Card:

1: Cut a piece of pomegranite cardstock 4" x 8", fold in half to form the card.

2: Adhere a journal card to the front.

3: Adhere one of the berry boquet white leaves to the top left hand corner of the card.

4: Stamp Merry Christmas on the journal card.

5: Pop the card into the pocket.

I hope you enjoy making these, they are so quick and so easy, i am sure you will want to make more, this is actually heaps of product left to make a few more bags.

Merry Christmas Everyone from Marion xxxxxxx

On the 3rd Day of Christmas

2010-12-03T11:39:00.030+11:00

Welcome to Day Three of the 12 days of Christmas with the Divas!

Well I could stay with the traditional ...'On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me 3 french hens...', but as I am not sure a french hen would make for good 'tucker'...
I am thinking I like the Aussie version of the 12 days of Christmas....

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me ..... A kookaburra in a gum tree
On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me ....Two cockatoos, and a kookaburra in a gum tree
On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me....Three parakeets
Four great galahs.......
Five opals black......
Six 'roos a-jumping........
Seven emus running.......
Eight koalas clinging.........
Nine wombats waddling........
Ten dingoes dashing.......
Eleven snakes a-sliding.......
Twelve goannas going.......

but for now ... on the third day this Diva gives to you... Gorgeous Garlands!!

I am definitely not the owner of all ideas 'Garland' and, there are some great ideas out there in 'Blog Land' on making these very popular items.

I know these are a 'bit done to death' at the moment, but I have to say they appeal to me as they have all the elements I love about a craft project.

Quick
Not too many destructions...ooopps I mean instructions
Using up your stash - BIG plus is when it uses up lots of different stash
Shouts out 'handmade' to anyone and everyone
Multiple uses
Functional and pretty at the same time
The 'kidlets' can help
Get to use lots of different tools in my arsenal.. there I go again, I mean toolbox

Step 1

Raid your stash!!! Garlands can be made of just about anything you have on hand.

For the gorgeous fabric and felt garlands pictured here, I loved the idea of using some of my very 'extensive' fabric stash.

Handy Hint: When buying fabric look for ones that have elements you can cut out to applique on projects.

Now cut out your fabric elements using scissors or your Cuttlebug/BigShot (I used my Spellbinder Nestabilities Circles for a nice clean edge on some of my elements). Another good idea is to leave a border around the element (the white rim effect I call it) it gives that outline/border effect that looks so good.

Step 2

As my fabric choice here was quite a 'fine' weave and fabric images are not double sided the next step was to cut out some felt circles to 'frame' the elements. Again, I used my Cuttlebug/Bigshot and my trusty Spellbinder Nestabilities Circles (plain and scallop edges).

Step 3

Next you need to decide on the layering of your elements and the 'path' your garland will take.

I am a creature of habit and like sequence, so 2 x large, 1 x small, 2 x large, 1 x small.

Step 4

Take you pile of elements to the sewing machine and using a medium straight stitch, lay down your first element and stitch down the centre. Run your machine stitching off the edge to form a tail of thread (remembering to finish with your needle in the up position). Move your element towards the back and then add the next one and keep stitching and adding your elements.

You now have a lovely inter-twined length of

all your lovelies ready to hang.

Handy Hint: You can add a loop of ribbon at either/both ends depending on where you are going to string your garland.

But wait there is more ....

In this picture I have used the same technique only I punched out my circles with one of my trusty old punches - using up scraps of paper and then stitching them the same way. I then used these to wrap around my parcel to finish it off with a festive feel ... this is like two pressies in one - the recipient gets to 'repurpose' the garland!

In this picture I used different shapes with my Cuttebug/BigShot - as birds are all the rage at the moment I couldn't resist an all bird garland. Note the snowflake punch I have used on the larger birds to break up the image.

Last, but not least. I wanted to play with different texture and a very 'vintage' feel - so again back to the popular book pages and doillies (can you believe these cost me $1 at Vinnies and I got 60 flowers out of them - bargain)!

Note: These garlands are strung togther with cotton twine. I just cut one length and then using a 'zig zag' stitch on my machine just anchored each element to the string at different intervals. The cotton string added to the vintage feel and gave another texture.

Hope you have enjoyed the 3rd day of the Diva's Christmas!

Cheers from Lizzie @ Embellees

On The Second Day of Christmas

2010-12-02T00:06:00.000+11:00

Welcome everyone to the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two Turtle Doves, no two Christmas Trees.

This is the finished product and I am sorry that the photo is not very good but I will try and take another one in the morning. I got this from a blog and if you wish to see her instructions you can and I thank her for sharing it with us. http://preprostobogastvo.blogspot.com/

But this is the Thomas spin on the Christmas Tree.

Now you will need either a skewer, wooden stick or metal stick of some sort or like what I used a paper spike that are available at all good Officeworks stores for a couple of dollars. You will also need wire, paper circles of all different sizes, glitter, glitter and more glitter or glitter glue or spray adhesive, and some embellishments and bling.

STEP 1

Cut out all your circles first. Now I used my circle set from spellbinders in my cuttlebug machine. It is very time consuming but well worth it in the end. You can put as many circles on your spike as you like. Now if you are not using a spike you will need to set up a base that the skewer can be attached onto.

Here are all my circles cut out.

STEP 2.

Now you should scrunch up your circles before you put them on your spike. you can also distress them, ink them or whatever you feel like doing.

STEP 3

Now once you have done that you can start decorating with glitter, paper roses for the top or stars or whatever tickles your fancy. So I have used glitter, Kaiser bling, red felt balls, wire and stars to finish it off.

I hope you like it and if you have any questions please let me know.

Cheers Michelle

On the 1st Day of Christmas

2010-12-01T06:46:00.001+11:00

Welcome to the Scrapbook Divas 12 Days of Christmas.

It's Natalie here - I'm lucky enough to be the first project in the 2010 Christmas festivities.

On the 1st Day of Christmas Crafting we are going to make a Christmas Bell using a small plain old terracotta pot.

Instructions:

Step 1: Paint the pot whatever Christmas colour you choose. (I painted both inside and out)

Step 2: Thread a few small bells onto ribbon/twine and hang inside the bell.
Fasten using a button on the top. (please ignore the roughness of the inside paint job of my bell - no-one was supposed to see the inside of it)

Step 3: Decorate the outside of your bell.
I used strips and stars from the new Fancy Pants Tradition range which can be found in the Diva's store here
http://scrapbookdivas.com.au/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1231_1234_1236
I also used pom pom ribbon around the top and bottom of the bell and thick ribbon on top.

Step 4: Add a Christmas message - I chose JOY.

And that's it - your Christmas Bell is done.

I hope you have enjoyed this project and have a go at making your own.
Natalie

DIVAS 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

2010-11-30T22:59:00.000+11:00

Welcome everyone to the Divas 12 Days of Christmas.

I hope you enjoy what we have to bring to you over the coming days.

How to make the flowers

2010-05-19T23:12:00.001+10:00

These instructions are courtesy of Imaginisce and Print Blocks

Blindscrap winner is ...

2010-01-31T12:15:00.003+11:00

Congratulations to RENG with her LO from my "blind scrap" instructions. I love how she's used the cogs instead of flowers, good thinkin'!

I will send you a little RAK.

And here's my original LO ... I did say OLD stash didn't I LOL.

Thanks everyone for playing!

Blind Scrap Instructions

2010-01-22T17:41:00.004+11:00

Hi ladies, and thanks for playing along. This is a very quick and easy LO aimed at using up that old stash. Yes, we've all got plenty of it lying around, perhaps hiding behind the new stuff, but I know it's there ;)

You will need ...

* 6x4 portrait-oriented photo
* 12x12 piece of pp
* other pp and c/s to match or co-ordinate
* 1 large and 1 medium flower, or assortment of flowers
* other small co-ordinating embellishments

Let's go ...

All measurements in inches unless otherwise specified ;)

1. Your 12x12 piece of pp is your LO base
Cut a piece of plain colour c/s to approximately 5&1/2 x 10
Place this piece on the LH side of your LO base approximately 1 inch from the top and bottom and approximately 1&1/2 inches from the side

2. Cut a strip of another plain colour c/s (or co-ordinating pp) approximately 9 x 2
Tear a narrow strip off one long side leaving a rough/torn edge
Place this piece on top of the larger plain colour c/s on the LH side approximately half an inch from the top and bottom and LH side -the torn edge should be on the LH side

3. Place your photo on these plain pieces of c/s - try and place it approximately 1 inch down, and in the centre of the first (larger) piece of plain colour c/s - it will overlap the long torn strip

4. Cut a strip of another co-ordinating pp (or plain colour c/s) approximately 11 x 2
Tear a narrow strip off one long side leaving a rough/torn edge
Place this peice across your LO (horizontally) at the bottom of your photo - slide it just under the bottom edge of your photo - the torn edge should be toward the bottom

5. At the bottom RH corner of your photo place your large flower (overlap the photo slightly) and the medium flower on top of this OR arrange your assortment of flowers in this area

6. Place your title on the RH side of the photo, putting some of the letters over the flowers, or as close to as possible

7. Add a few long strips of journalling below the photo

8. Add other co-ordinating embellishments, some on the bottom LH corner of the photo, and near the journalling strips

9. YOU'RE DONE - upload your LO's in the gallery with the title "Blind Scrap 22/01"

I have a RAK on offer for the best Blind Scrap entry ... make sure your LO is uploaded by midnight Monday 25th Jan to be in the running for the goodies :)

On The 13th Day of Christmas

2009-12-13T12:43:00.016+11:00

Santa bought to me a project from the Boss Lady..................................

CARD HOLDER

This project is not just for Christmas but any occasion.

Get yourself some die cut paper whether it be Christmas or any other sort. I have used the Bo Bunny Tis the Season Range of papers and embellishments.

You will need two sheets of die cut paper and it is better that you have a die cut paper that you can cut out the middle or that has an edge that can be cut out.

I have also backed my first die cut piece onto a thin piece of cardboard or you can use a thick piece of cardstock just to give it extra strength and stability.

Cut out the inner piece of the second piece of die cut paper where the red border is and the also cut the top off that sheet to make the opening for the holder

So attach the second piece of die cut to the inside of the first piece of die cut paper.

Now to attach you can use double sided tape, or you can sew or stitch around the edges to make the holder. If you have the stickers that go with the Bo Bunny Tis Season just take the scalloped stickers and put at the top of the holder.

Also use the stickers to make your words and cut out some brackets from patterned paper.

Use Kaiser Rhinestones and pearls in silver, red and green to embellish on the snowflakes.

Make two holes at the top of the die cut paper to thread your christmas ribbon through for the hanger.

My christmas embellishment is just a kaiser stamp on white cardstock and matted on red cardstock and cut out with fancy scissors. Thread your ribbon through your holes and then you are done.

I hope that you like the last project.

12th Day of Christmas

2009-12-11T22:05:00.001+11:00

calendar and card box

was so excited when Michelle asked me to be apart of the Christmas Extravaganza, I immediately set to work thinking up ideas and over time the ideas just grew and grew, in the end I had I just tell myself to calm down and go with just a few things.

with my projects I have used nothing but scraps and old products. The reason for this is simple, the more of my scraps and old stash I use the more new goodness I can buy from Michelle. I am very good at buying new stuff and not using it so I set myself a challenge to use nothing but scraps and old product (over 6 months old) for this project. I now challenge you all to do the same and then we can all shop with Michelle guilt free.

my main idea is a calendar and card box. The idea came about from my own unorganised life, I was at work one day and looked at the calendar and realised that it was friends birthday in a few days and I didn't have a card and there was no time to make one. I thought I would be a great idea to have a heap of cards on hand for these times of panic, so evolved the matching calendar and card box.

for this project you will need:

a clip board - mine is a 6.5x6.5 Bella clipboard that I already had in my stash.
a box suitable for altering and holding cards - I have used a wooden box I picked up for $5 at The Reject Shop
3 co ordinating papers - I have used create paper Lillian rangehttp://scrapbookdivas.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3742
white card stock http://scrapbookdivas.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=72_75_90&products_id=1484
paint I have used white as I was wanting a shabby chic look
letters - I have used thickers latte
prima flowers
ribbon
bling and pearls- I have use Kaiser http://scrapbookdivas.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=808_683&products_id=2807
butterflies - I have used the Martha Stewart punch
fiskars boarder punches
a computer - to create the calendar

how to:

this was a rather easy project to create.

start by painting the clipboard and the box - for me it took 3 coats to get the coverage I wanted so this was the most time consuming part of the project. I left it an hour between coats to allow the paint to fully dry and not get all clumpy by applying the next coat while the coat before had not dried.
while waiting for paint to dry open a word document and search for a calendar template. I used the standard template and then just moved the columns and adjusted the font size till I had the size I wanted, there was a lot of trial and error involved in this. Print off 12 months worth on white cardstock
once the paint is on and dry cut strips of PP to the desired width. I cut the green one 3 inches by 6.5 inches and when used a fiskars punch to punch out a decorative boarder, which I then stuck 9.5cm from the top of the clipboard.
the floral print is 2.5 inches by 6.5 inches and is placed over the top of the green paper leaving a small boarder top and bottom
using the pink PP cut it to size to make a suitable back ground for your calendar, I cut mine out using a die cut in my cuttlebug. now I did not stick this down, rather I have used the clip to hold it and the calendar in place, this way it is easy to remove each month as it passes and also this calendar can be used for more than one year.
now decorate to you liking. I have place ribbon along the middle of the floral print PP. put a flower on the left hand side and tied a bow to place in the centre of the flower. then used bling to decorate around the flower. I have then used thickers to spell out "date" which I have then decorated with a few pearls
my clipboard has a magnetic square on the back so it can be put on the fridge on the side of a filing cabinet at work etc.

this is the calendar done!!!!!!!!

the box is made in much the same fashion

paint the box, following the same process as painting the clip board
I then decorated the box the be very similar to the calendar, I did this because I plan to give this set away as a Xmas gift and thought having them match would be a nice touch. It is entirely up to you of you would like yours to match

the box is full of cards I have made from scraps. I am a big 8.5x12 scrapbooker so I tend to have a lot of strips of brazil left over. I used these strips to make all of the cards in the box, some I just folded in half for a normal size card and some I cut in half to make 2 pint size cards. try making a card with scraps after each LO, you will be surprised how quickly you will use up your stash and build a good supply of cards to have on hand. I tend to keep my cards simple but it up to you how extravagant you wish to get with your cards.

hope you have enjoyed this project and I look forward to seeing what you create.

On The 11th Day Of Christmas

2009-12-10T22:50:00.000+11:00

My True Love Gave To Me....a Mercedes Benz..... HO! HO! HO! .....YEAH! don't i wish.....LOL. Well everyone Christmas Day is nearly here. What wonderful & inspiring projects all the Design Divas have put up on the blog for all you lovely Divas to create, we only have one day left for the Lovely Mandy to load up her projects & i am, sure like me, you are wishing there was more. I have created a few projects with each set of Papers & Embellishments. The first set is using the New Bo Bunny Snowy Serenade, which includes a set of 3 Box Canvas Frames, Recycled Christmas Cards & a Christmas Layout Using the Bo Bunny Snowy Serenade. The Second set using the Little Yellow Bicycle 25days of Christmas, which includes 2 layouts & some gift Lollie bags. I hope you enjoy

1st PROJECT: Box Canvas Frame

SUPPLIES I USED: Canvas: Mont Marte 8" x 10" (3). Paint: Folk Art Baby Blue & White. Crackle Medium: Folk Art. Pattern Paper: Bo Bunny Snowy Serenade Collection: Serenity (1), Snowy Serenade (1). Card stock: White (1).Rub-Ons: Bo Bunny Flurries Snowy Serenade. Brads: Bo Bunny i Candy Snowy Serenade. Glitter: Crystal Clear. Metallic Rub-ons: Purple & Silver ( or you can use ink). Cuttlebug: Die Cut & Folder Christmas Tree Tops. Ribbon: Silver. Hinges: White (6).PHOTOS: Black & White Portrait 3 1/4" wide x 4 1/4"long.

STEP 1: Working on the back of the Canvas, Paint around the Frame with Baby Blue Paint (allow to dry). Then apply a coat of Crackle Medium over the paint ( allow to dry). Next apply the final coat of White Paint over the crackle medium ( allow to dry). TIP: When applying the crackle medium do so in one direction & do not go backwards & forwards with the brush over the previous applied coat of crackle medium. When applying the final White Paint Coat, do this step also. The final result of crackle is easy if you follow the steps to achieve the correct effect. Once

the white paint is dry, create a beautiful highlighted & distressed finish by rubbing with your finger tips the metallic rub-on or ink around the frame, here & there.

STEP 2: Transfer three snowflake rub-ons onto the white card stock & cut out with your scissors,leaving a white border around the shape. Cut a piece of chipboard 1/2"wide x 12"Long. Place double sided tape on the top, sprinkle over the Crystal glitter ( to seal you can use dimensional magic, or spray a Matt coat spray over the top). Place a piece of double sided tape on the back of the snowflakes, cut a piece off the glitter chipboard about 4"Long for each one ( these will be trimmed down later) & adhere to the back of the snowflake embellishment. Affix a brad to the centre of each snowflake embellishment.

STEP3: Cut 3 sets of trees from the cuttle bug tree tops die-cut in the cuttle bug machine, then run through the tree tops embossing folder. Apply Zig 2 way glue or spray adhesive to the front of the card stock trees & sprinkle over the crystal glitter. Cut 3 pieces of white card stock 1"wide x 5"long. Cut a free hand wavy line across the top edge. Apply your glue to the front & sprinkle over the crystal glitter.

STEP 4: Cut 1 piece of Serenity pattern paper, & 2 pieces of Snowy Serenade pattern paper 5 1/8"wide x 7 1/8"long. Adhere to the inside box area of the each canvas. Adhere your photos to some white card stock & cut out leaving a white border. Adhere to the inside box area of the canvas. Adhere the white card stock glitter hills with foam mounting tape to the bottom underneath the photo. Adhere one tree to the frame bottom edge of the canvas & the other 2 trees to the glitter card stock hill also with foam mounting tape. Tear some strips of scrap pattern paper & adhere on the bottom of the box area frame, on the centre canvas around the top right and bottom left hand corners of the box area frame.

STEP5: Adhere a row of snowflake element sticker border on the bottom of the centre canvas, & two snowflake stickers to the corners of the other 2 canvases. Cut the tab sticker in half & place one on the 1st canvas the other on the 3rd Canvas around about the centre of the canvas frame. Cut a piece of silver ribbon for the 1st & 3rd Canvas, adhere underneath the tab sticker, wrapping it around the frame. Embellish the frames with the left over rub-ons. Work out how long you need to have the snowflake hangers & cut each to the length. Adhere to the top of each of each of your canvases with some pritt gel grip. Place a circle sticker on the top of each hanger with foam mounting tape

STEP 6: Join the Canvases together with 2 metal hinges on each or make your own hinges from left over ribbon.

2nd Project: Recycled Christmas Cards.

SUPPLIES: 2 Used Christmas Cards. White Card stock. Pattern Paper: Bo Bunny Serenity. Element Stickers: Bo Bunny Snowy Serenade. Stamps: Kaiser Merry Christmas. Rhinestones: Kaiser Silver. Ribbon: Silver about .5cm wide.

These are the two cards i started with, even though you will probably not have these cards, i am sure if you go through last years cards you will find cards with baubles, trees etc on them that you can cut out from the card. Just use your imagination.

STEP 1: Cut out the embellishments from the cards that you would like to use on your new Christmas Card. For my cards i cut out with my scissors the Lady with the gift bags, then the Christmas Tree in the pot, from the second card i cut out the Fairy & the Christmas Tree all in one piece.

1st Card

STEP 2: For the first card i cut a piece white card stock 5 1/2" x 11" ( 14cm x 28cm) then scored in half. I then cut a piece of the Serenity Pattern Paper 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" & adhered to the front of the card. Then i cut a piece of the Stripe Pattern Paper 3/4" wide x 5 1/2"Long & adhered about at 1 1/2" up from the bottom edge. I then cut a thin piece of silver ribbon & adhered across the top of the stripe pattern paper. Next i adhered a piece of the purple snow flake border sticker along the bottom edge of the stripe pattern paper. I adhered the cut out tree from the used card with foam mounting tape to the right hand side of the card. I embellished the tree & the snowflake border strip with Silver Rhinestones. Stamp Merry Christmas to the inside page

2nd Card

Step 1: Cut and fold white card stock as for the first card. Trace a 4" circle onto the blue pattern paper & cut out with your scissors. Cut a piece of stripe pattern paper 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" & adhere to the front of the card. Adhere the circle to the centre of the card. Cut a piece of purple scallop border sticker 5 1/2" long & adhere 1 1/4" up from the bottom edge. Adhere a strip of Silver Ribbon across the top edge of the border sticker. Adhere the cut out Lady with foam mounting tape to the centre of the circle. Embellish around the circle with Silver Rhinestones. Stamp Merry Christmas To the inside page.

3rd Card:

STEP 1: Once again cut a fold the white card stock as for the previous card. Cut a piece of stripe pattern paper 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" & adhere to the front of the card. Adhere a piece of purple scallop sticker border to the bottom of the card. Then adhere a piece of silver ribbon over the top edge of the sticker border. Adhere the cut out Fairy & Tree to the centre of the card. Then embellish with Silver Rhinestones. Stamp Merry Christmas to the inside of the card. I hope enjoy these & look for cards with silver glitter baubles etc to use on your recycled cards. You could even keep this in mind for next years cards, using your cards from this year

3rd Project: Christmas Layout

SUPPLIES: Card stock: Bazzill Juneberry (1), White (1).Pattern Paper: Bo Bunny Snowy Serenade : Concerto (1) Snowy Serenade (1). Die-Cut: Bo Bunny Snowy Serenade Prelude (1). Element Stickers: Bo Bunny Snowy Serenade. Ribbon : Silver. Glitter: Crystal Clear. Brads: Bo Bunny Snowy Serenade.

STEP 1: Adhere the Concerto Pattern Paper to the Juneberry Card stock. Next adhere the die-cut pattern paper to the centre of the page. Cut a piece of stripe pattern paper 5" x 7" for the photo Matt & adhere your photo to the centre. Adhere the photo Matt 2 1/2" in & 3" down on the right hand side of the page. Cut a piece of blue Snowy Serenade Pattern Paper 1 1/2" x 5 1/2" & adhere to the bottom left hand side of the photo Matt ( this is your journaling block).

STEP 2: Remove the 2 large snowflake stickers from the element sheet & adhere to white card stock, cut out the outside shape with your scissors leaving a white border. Use your 2 way glue pen and fill in the white areas on one of the snowflakes & apply over the other sticker & sprinkle over the crystal clear glitter. Affix a brad to the centre of each one. Cut two pieces of silver ribbon 4" long & adhere to the back of the snowflake embellishments. Adhere the snowflake embellishments to the left hand side of the photo Matt, hanging one higher than the other. Affix the ribbon into place with more brads. Place the tag sticker with foam mounting tape on the bottom right hand side of the photo. Adhere your letter title to scraps of blue pattern paper & cut into blocks, adhere across the top of the photo Matt with foam mounting tape. Journal on the journal block.

Now for the Little Yellow Bicycle 25 days of Christmas Collection.

Layout 1:

SUPPLIES: Card stock: Pomegranate (1). Pattern Paper: Little Yellow Bicycle Silver & Red Snow globe (1), Word Type Stripe (1) Die-cut: Little Yellow Bicycle (1). Chipboard Stickers: Little Yellow Bicycle. Rhinestones: Deep Yellow. Ribbon: .5cm wide Gold. Brads: Little Yellow Bicycle 25days of Christmas. Gel Pen: White.

STEP 1: Cut the card stock to a piece 8 1/2" x 11". Cut a piece of the Snow Globe Pattern Paper also 8 1/2" x 11" & adhere to the card stock. Cut the top of the die-cut piece so you have 16 tips of the die-cut pattern, adhere this to the top of the page & trim off any excess overlap of the die-cut from the sides. Cut a piece of the Word Type Pattern Paper 2 1/8" x 11" & adhere underneath the die-cut pattern paper. Adhere the photo 2 3/4" down & 2 1/4" in on the right hand side. Cut a strip of gold ribbon and tie a bow about 2" in from the left hand side, adhere underneath the photo on the left hand side of the page. Affix a square brad to the bow. Adhere the reindeer chipboard sticker underneath the photo on the right hand side, the Noel sticker to the top right hand side of the photo, & white flourish glitter chipboard sticker across the top left hand side of the photo, & the 25th Dec chipboard sticker to the end of the flourish chipboard sticker. Adhere deep yellow rhinestones around the shape of the circle on the die-cut. Journal with a white pen beside the photo.

2nd Layout

SUPPLIES: Card stock: Bazzill White (1), Pomegranate (1). Pattern Paper: Little Yellow Bicycle Hanging Ornament (1). Clear Cuts: Little Yellow Bicycle. Chipboard Stickers Little Yellow Bicycle.

Rhinestones: Kaiser Deep Yellow. Ribbon: .5cm wide Gold. Punch: Martha Stewart Garden Trellis Deep Edge Punch. Zots: Clear Adhesive Dots. Photos: Black & White Portrait 2"wide x 3 1/4"long (3)

STEP1:Cut the white card stock 8 1/2" x 11". Cut the Hanging Ornament Pattern Paper 8 1/2" x 11" & adhere to the card stock. Cut a piece of pomegranate card stock 1 3/4" wide x 8 1/2" long and punch through the Martha Stewart Garden Trellis Punch & adhere 3/4" down from the top of the page. Adhere a clear cuts red holly leaf to the left hand side with zots clear adhesive dots. Cut a piece of gold ribbon 6" long & adhere to the top of the red card stock. Adhere the clear cuts Merry Christmas to the top of the page in the centre with zots clear adhesive dots. Affix a deep yellow rhinestone on the top. Adhere the chipboard sticker flower to the ribbon on the right hand side. Adhere the 3 photos, 1st 1/2" in & 4 1/4" down on the left hand side, 2nd 3 1/8" in 2 1/8" down on the left hand side, the 3rd 1/4" in & 3" down on the right hand side. Adhere a chipboard sticker circle to the hanging ornament on the right hand side. Wrap & adhere a small piece of gold ribbon around the neck of the clear cuts gold reindeer, & affix a deep yellow rhinestone to the centre of the ribbon. Adhere the reindeer with foam mounting tape between the hanging ornaments on the right hand side of the page. Affix deep yellow rhinestones around the circles of the hanging ornaments.

3rd Project: Christmas Lollie Gift Bags

SUPPLIES: Cello Bags Medium ( you can purchase these from MJ Packaging at Broadmeadow or from Stampin Up). Pattern Paper: Little Yellow Bicycle Christmas Collage Circles. Card stock: Pomegranate (1). Punch: EK Success Snowflake Border, Carl Corner Punch. Brads: Little Yellow Bicycle 25 days Assortment. Clear Cuts: Little Yellow Bicycle. Ribbon: .5cm wide Gold.

STEP 1: Cut 3 pieces of the pattern paper4" wide x 4 1/2" long. Fold in half and punch each corner with the carl corner punch. Place your sweets or gift into the bag and staple the top. Place adhesive on the inside of the folded pattern paper & adhere over the top of the bag. Cut 3 pieces of pomegranite cardstock 1" wide x 4 1/2" long and punch through the snowflake punch, adhere to the bottom edge of the pattern paper. Cut 2 pieces of gold ribbon 4 1/2" long and tie one piece around the other piece, tie into a knot and cut off excess ribbon. Adhere a clear cuts Hanging Ornament to the centre of the pattern paper with double sided tape. Adhere one of the little snowflakes from the punch to the centre, then a deep yellow rhinestone to the centre. Do this for all 3 bags, the advantage of the pattern papers being double sided, you can use both sides on your bags.

Well that is it.....i could have done more, i had so many ideas of what i could do with these papers & embellishments, but there is not enough time. I hope you enjoy creating some of these projects. Merry Christmas & a Joyous New Year to you & your wonderful Families.

Marion xxxxx

On the 10th day of christmas.....

2009-12-10T09:27:00.011+11:00

welcome! If you are like me, christmas has rushed upon us and there are so many last minute things to do including sending out those greeting cards! Nothing is nicer than getting a handmade card but we all know that these take a lot of time and effort - something we don't have at the moment. Don't worry, todays project will take you only 2 hours, and give you 12 sparkly, spunky cards to give out to loved ones this christmas, and in plenty of time to post them!!!

if you click on these images, they will expand bigger so that you can get a closer look at each one. they are all based on 3 sketches....

the idea for this project is to create a bit of a production line. Its made easy using the sketches, and a matching set of papers.

1. begin by choosing 3 double sided papers and 3 matching sheets of 12 x 12 cardstock.

2. cut out all your journal cards and choose 12 that you would like to use.

3. cut your matting from the cardstock. cut 4 from each sheet, measuring 14cm x 9.5 cm. this should give you 12 rectangles

4.cut your patterned background from the double sided papers, measuring 13.5cm x 9cm. cut 4 of these from each of your double sided papers. this will in turn give you 6 different patterns, 2 of each.

5.Now lay out your silver Kaisercraft cards on a table. Next lay out your cardstock matting onto each of the cards. Then lay out your pattern paper backgrounds onto these.

6.Using the leftover cardstock scraps, mat your journal cards. You will probably want to only leave a small border on each and plan out which journal card will match the background papers so that you can have the same matting on your journal card as on your finished card.

7.Now follow the sketches, using the leftover scraps of the pattern paper to add in the extra layers in the sketch. Don't overthink it.... this is the advantage of using the same line of papers because they will all match!

8.Finish off with ribbon, strings and sentiments where appropriate. stick everything together onto the card and add a sentiment to the front of your envelope. FINISHED!! It should only take you 2 hours to complete this. They make a great gift too!

.............................................................

Final word.... if you want to add that extra touch of christmas, glitter and bling is a must!! I've used several different glitters in my project. Some were ultra fine, others more chunky. I have an essential glue inkpad which allows me to stamp images with a glue instead of ink but you can easily dip your stamps into thinly spread out PVA glue and stamp them - just make sure you clean your stamp immediately when you are finished. simple swirls and circles or snowflakes will make the best on these cards. I've used them on the pattern paper....

Here are some closeups:

add chunky glitter - and don't forget those stickon gems!!

Using a clear or white glitter will give a more subtle look but add lots of sparkle

circles are always great for any project. the main thing is to add sparkle!

We interrupt the normal programming...

2009-12-10T08:35:00.001+11:00

...to wish the Head Diva, aka Boss Lady, Michelle the very best of days, to celebrate her birthday. We hope you have a great day, are totally spoilt and treated like a Diva!!!

Please leave a special birthday message for a special birthday diva below.

On the 9th Day of Christmas

2009-12-09T10:03:00.000+11:00

Some quick & simple LOs using LYB 25days of Christmas range.

Now because these papers are so beautiful, I decided they didn't need alot of embellishing, thus enabling me to complete 5 LOs very quickly. And the range also includes wonderful packs of co-ordinating transparencies & diecuts.
So grab yourself some from the Divas Shop , might I add at 20% OFF & come speed scrapping with me!!!!!

Materials List
Little Yellow Bicycle 25Days of Christmas pps -
Christmas Collage, Decorative Edged Circle, Gold Script, Hanging Ornaments, Word Strip & Reindeer in the Air
Chipboard Stickers, Cardstock Cards, Clear Cut Shapes, Glitter Brads
Swiss Dot Bazzill - Sandbox & Kraft Bazzill
Jenni Bowlin Alpha Stickers, AC Thickers, Pink Paislee Thickers
Gold & red ribbons
Pinecone Ink, black stazon ink, d/s tape, power pritt gel, black sharpie pen, journal stamp

LAYOUT 1

1. Take the decorative edged circle & cut it down to approx. 7 1/2" wide. Adhere this piece to the right side of the Gold Script pp background, leaving the white scroll edge exposed.
2. Adhere a 4 x 6 photo in the middle of the circle & add some word strips to the top right corner.
3. Select one of the calendar journal spots & tuck it under & towards the bottom of the circle. Add your title - I have used a mixture of Jenni Bowlin & Heidi Swapp alpha stickers.
4. Adhere the chipboard reindeer above the journal spot & one of the red flower transparencies to the right corner. Add a chipboard circle to the middle of the flower.
5. Cut a scalloped strip from the reverse side of the Word Strip pp & place some under the title & the photo.

NOTE: When journalling on these pps make sure to use a slick writer or sharpie because they are a glossy paper. Also, be sure of where you are sticking your elements because the pps will tear if you are trying to shift something.

LAYOUT 2

1. Mat a 6x4 photo to the red side of Christmas Collage pp,leaving a border of 1/4". Adhere this mat to the top left corner of the Hanging Ornaments pp.
2. Tie a couple of bows in some gold ribbon & adhere with power pritt gel to the top of the 2 largest red balls.
3. Add a scrap of ribbon as a tag under the top left corner of the photo mat. And then a word sticker on the top of this.
4. Add a title under the photo using a mixture of alpha stickers & thickers.
5. Stamp some journalling lines with stazon ink under the title.

LAYOUT 3

1. Mat a 4x6 photo with the gold side of the Word Strip pp, leaving a border of approx. 1/4" around the photo.. Adhere this approx. 1 1/4" from the right side of the Reindeer in the Air pp, in between the 2 reindeer.
2. Adhere the white CB scroll to the bottom of the photo & layer a red snowflake flower on top of this. Add a word sticker above the scroll, across the bottom right corner of the photo.
3. Add a title running vertically along the left side of the photo mat. Use a mixture of alpha stickers & thickers.
4. Journal across the bottom of the LO using a sharpie pen. Ink the edges of the LO.

LAYOUT 4

1. Cut a sheet of swiss dot Bazzill to 8 1/2" x 11" as the base.
2. Cut a piece of the red side of Christmas Collage pp to 7 1/2" x 9 1/2" & ink the edges.
3. Cut a strip of approx 3 lines by 7 1/2" wide from the Word Strip pp. Ink the edges & adhere approx 1/4" from the bottom of the red pp.
4. Tie a piece of wide co-ordinating ribbon around the red pp & adhere it just above the word strip.
5. Adhere a 4x6 photo above the ribbon & into the top right corner of the red pp. Now adhere this whole red pp to the base cardstock, approx. 1" from the bottom & 3/4" from the right edge.
6. Cut a strip approx. 7 1/2" x 3/4" from the gold side of the Word Strip pp, ensuring you get a full width of the circles, so that you can cut around the circles to form a scalloped edge. Ink the edges of this strip & adhere butted against the bottom of the red pp.
7. Adhere a Santa & a green bauble transparency in the top left corner of the LO.
8. Add a title using a mix of alpha stickers & thickers, to the left of & in line
with the bottom of the photo.
9. Add some journalling strips & some sparkle brads above the ribbon.

LAYOUT 5

1. Cut a sheet of Kraft cardstock to 11" x 8 1/2". ink the edges.
2. Cut a piece of the gold side of the Word Strip to 7 1/2" x 7". Ink the edges & adhere to the bottom right corner of the base.
3. Take the remaining piece of the decorative circle & cut it approx 7 1/2" x 4 1/2".
Ink the edges & adhere into the right corner of the gold pp, approx 1/4" from the bottom.
4. Cut a plain green strip from the Word Strip pp, 7 1/2" x 3/4". Ink the edges & adhere across the circle piece approx 1 1/4" from the bottom.
5. Ink the edges of a 4x6 photo & adhere across the pp mat approx 1" from the right edge.
6. Layer a calendar, a santa & a large snowflake transparency in the top left corner of the LO. Fix a green gem brad to the middle of the snowflake.
7. Add a title & some journalling in the bottom left corner of the LO.

Hope you enjoy these quick LOs to add to your Christmas album!!!!!!!!!!!

On the 8th day of Christmas....

2009-12-08T21:11:00.000+11:00

Welcome to the 8th day of Christmas @ DIVA'S!

My project to share with you all is a real simple mini Album. I have used Little Yellow Bycicle 25 days of Christmas range that Michelle kindly supplied me with from the SHOP. It was great to use this range for this type of mini because the papers were so thick and heavy and the added bonus was that they were double sided! So here are the instructions....

STEP 1: Cut a 12 x 4 inch strip of Patterned paper. Fold every inch along the paper (as shown in the 1st photo)

Step 2: Use double sided tape to adhere the folds together (as shown in the 2nd photo)

Step 3: Cut five 4x4inch pices of patterned paper and adhere them into the concertina to make the pages of your album ( as shown in the 3rd photo)

Step 4: Fold a 2.5 x 4 inch piece of Patterned paper in half to create a 1.25 x 4 inch bind for your album. Use double sided tape to adhere it to the spine of the album.

Thats all the hard work done! now the fun stuff.... Choose your photos and embellies and fill the album with memories!

It may look hard but once you start you will realise how easy it is. It took me only an hour from start to finish and that included filling it with all the LYB goodies!

If you have any question, ask away! either here or in the christmas thread @ Diva's and I will be sure to help you out!

Here is my finished Mini Album, I have used all the Little Yellow Bicycle papers 25 days of Christmas range. the only thing I added were Alphas! It was a fantastic range to use... I loved it!

I hope you liked the Mini Album and give it a go its so easy!

Merry Christmas to you all and get SCRAPPING!!

Kell xx

2009-12-07T10:21:00.001+11:00

On the 7th day of Christmas:-

Project 1 Seasonal CD/DVD cover/slip case.

Materials used:-

Cardstock

Patterned papers - Making Memories, Cosmo Cricket and Basic Grey

Embellishments - Making Memories, Cosmo Cricket and Basic Grey

Ink

Cut cardstock 25.7cm wide x 25.1cm high

Fold in half vertically, score and open

Rule a line at 12.7 cm high

Cut with a craft knife to the centre line

Now rule a diagonal line from the centre of this line to the top corner of the paper. This side should measure 25.1

Adhere the diagonal flap by placing double sided tape along the bottom and side edges.

Your cover is now made cover and it's time to embellish.

Project 2 Gift Idea - Bag Blingy Thingy

Materials used:-

Maya Road Sheer Tags

Metal ring

Ribbon

Kaisercraft bling

Prima bling

Papers & flocked stickers - Little Yellow Bicycle

Heidi Swapp alphas

Heidi Swapp verb stickers

For this project I looked through my stash for some tags. You can use all the same tags however I wanted to use all different shapes and sizes.

I hole punched each tag and threaded them on to the ring.

I tied some ribbon and trim to the ring. I opted for all different colours, styles and textures. I also made a small velvet yoyo by simply doing a running stitch along one side and pulling tight to form a circle.

At the front of my bag blingy thingy I have included a chipboard heart which I covered with Prima packaging and sanded. I covered my initial "k" with patterned paper, inked and covered with dimensional magic. I then adhered this to my heart chipboard piece on a diagonal.

Each page of the tag book I decorated differently. As each tag is sheer I was mindful of where I placed the double sided tape, papers and embellishments.

Even though this bag blingy thingy is for me (because I just loved how it turned out) I plan to make more as gifts.

Project 3 Boutique Bows

These gorgeous bows are quick and easy and can be used as present bows or hair bows.

Materials required:-

Ribbon

Ribbon width Ribbon length
1 1/4” Width 4” bow = 28”
7/8” Width 3 ½” bow = 22 ½”

For the examples I have used wire ribbon as the wire holds the bow's shape.

Embroidery floss

Jumbo salon clip

Lighter or fray stop (to seal the ends of the ribbon to stop fraying)

Mark the middle of the ribbon with a pen or pencil. This will not show once the ribbon is tied.

Make the top of the figure 8 placing the end of the ribbon over the top of the middle mark you made. The loop should look like an awareness ribbon loop. If you are leaving tails, leave the desired tail length past the center mark.

Make the bottom loop of the figure 8 just like you did with the top loop. Again, if you are leaving tails, allow them to go past the middle mark for the desired length.

Bring the top of the upper loop down to the center and hold in the middle cross area.

Bring the bottom loop up to the center and place over the middle cross area.

Secure the bow with a jumbo salon clip. Make sure it is a clip with a center opening to allow you to tie the bow in the next step.

Tie the embroidery floss and wrap around the center twice while the clip is still holding the folded ribbon.

Pull the embroidery floss tight and knot the center.

Thanks everyone for joining me today hoping you all enjoyed my projets.

Love Karen

On The 6th Day of Christmas

2009-12-06T20:11:00.014+11:00

POST-IT NOTE HOLDER

~/~ A quick and easy gift for your child's teacher or your work colleagues. ~/~

The completed holder

The cover laying open to show the spine, front and back exterior.

The interior of the cover.

The interior complete with Post-It notes, pencil and loop.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

1 - 4" x 7" heavy weight cardstock

3 - 3.75" x 3" contrasting cardstock or heavy weight pattern paper

3 - 2.75" x 3.5"

1 - 0.25" x 1" cardstock

1 - small pencil (like thee ones used for Keno!)

2 - 5" pieces of ribbon

1 - pack square Post-It notes

Embellishments of your choice for the cover

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Place the 4" x 7" piece of cardstock horizontally on your work space (i.e. running longwise from left to right). Score cardstock 3.25" from each end.

2) Fold the cardstock along the score lines so as to form a 0.5" spine in the centre

3) Mat each of the 2.75" x 3.5" pattern paper pieces by adhering them to the 3" x 3.75" cardstock/pattern paper.

4) Adhere one of the matted pieces to the outside cover of the holder.

5) Adhere the two pieces of ribbon to the inside of the holder; each approx. 0.25" in from the edge and in the centre. One piece will be on the reverse of the front and the other will be on the inside of the back portion of the holder.

6) Adhere the remaining two pieces of matted paper to the inside of the holder so that the ends of the ribbons are covered.

7) Adhere the Post-It notes towards the top of the right side, inside the holder.

8) Use the 0.25" x 1" piece of cardstock and wrap it around the little pencil to make a loop. Now glue this loop immediately below the Post-It notes so that the pencil will run horizonatlly across the bottom of the holder.

9) Embellish the front cover.

All the products used in this sample have been generously provided by Michelle, the devine diva! I have used My Mind's Eye pattern paper; the prints are gorgeous and also it's thick enough to score and makes for a very sturdy holder.

The front cover features a delightful little Jenny Bowlin greeting card too. Catches the eye and is the perfect finishing touch to the gift.

Thanks for joining the Divas Christmas Extravaganza. I'm so looking forward to seeing your creations and your unique interpretations of this project. Hope you have fun with this!

Amanda

on the fifth day of christmas

2009-12-04T12:22:00.032+11:00

Well today we will be looking at the countdown to christmas. I have two perpetual 'Advent' or 'Christmas Countdown' Calanders. Both are quick and easy and can be decorated however you like, using whatever bits and pieces you have available.

Calander One- Clipboard Countdown

Things you will need:
1 clipboard- whatever size you have, just change it to fit
1 patterned paper
2 coordinating C/S
scraps of coordinating ribbons
50cm piece of ribbon
mini letters
numbers- thickers, stamps, rubons or something to trace
spray adhesive

I am not going to use set measurments, so this can apply to any sized clipboard.

Measure and cut P/P to fit your clipboard, use spray adhesive to stick to the clipboard

The 1st C/s needs to be around 2cm smaller in length and width then the P/P. Centre this in the middle of the PP.

Use ribbon scraps to decorate the clip part of the clipboard

To make the number cards I have cut the 2nd C/S into rectangles- again choose a size that best fits your clipboard. You can either do enough cards for all the numbers or use both sides- 12 numbers all up (0,1,1,2,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9).

For the numbers you could use thickers, stickers, rubons, or trace numbers onto the C/S

To hang the cards cut ribbon to fit your clipboard and attach to each card with brads. Each day when you need to change the numbers you just open the brad and put the next card on. Hang the cards from the clip

Add title- days until Christmas

DECORATING the clipboard. I have used pre-brought felt costumes. I got these from Kmart last year. These could be made from felt (by you clever people). Other ways would be with matching embellishments, flowers, a christmas scene. The ideas are limitless.... all up to your imagination. I would love to see some other ways from all you clever people!

Calander 2- Folded Calander

Things you will need

2 C/S 2 coordinating PP (double sided)

24 mini tags and envelopes ( i have an alternative if you dont have these)

24 matching brads

mini letters and numbers

30cm ribbon

Take 1st piece of PP. Measure, score and fold at 8cm from each end of the paper, making two 'doors'.

Meaure and cut 2nd PP- 16cm x 32sm. This will fit onto the middle section of inside the first PP

Attach 24 mini envelopes with tags onto the 2nd PP using brads (4 on each line). Attach numbers 1-24 onto the tags. You could decorate the tags as you wish- I wrote litlle sayings/qoutes for each day. You could attach mini photos, stickers or words.

VARIATION Instead of tags I cut slits into the 2nd PP/C/S and made tags to fit into them. I then added numbers and wrote qoutes to be pulled out each day.

Attach a heading- Countdown to Christmas or 24 Days til Christmas etc.

Attach this page to the middle section of the first PP

On the OUTSIDE I cut CS 27cm x 12. Then cut this in half and attched one half to each 'door'.

Decorate as you wish- I attached chipboard snowflakes to match the paper. You could use matching embellishments, flowers, hand cut a tree etc.

Tie with ribbon to secure closed.

Hope you all enjoy making some quick and easy Christmas decorations

On the 4th Day of Christmas...

2009-12-03T14:40:00.017+11:00

....I am starting to "explode" with excitement!

So, what better way to celebrate the anticipation of the silly season than with a LO that literally "explodes" off the page?

I have long been a fan of using Hybrid or Digi scrapping elements in my layouts, and in this project I have built in a Hybrid element for those of you who would like to include it in your own LO.

In the background of my "exploding" circle, there is some pre-printed Christmas wordart that you can use on your own project. I have saved this Wordart as a .jpeg file so that you can download it here. Simply right click with your mouse on the image and select "Save Image As.." in the pop up menu. Then open up Word and open the file again - ready to be printed :).

Print the wordart onto the back of the Christmas Tree paper (used in this Kit) through your standard printer at home. If you are not planning on using the Hybrid element, then simply leave your background blank, or even hand stamp some letters onto the background.

So, below you will see a series of pictures that correlate with my steps - simply follow them in order to produce your own exploding LO, lol.

Step 1:

If you are printing out the Hybrid worksheet, cut the Xmas tree paper to 8.5 x 11inches to fit through your printer (this is standard A4 size).
Step 2:

Flip it over and feed it into your printer so that it prints on the more "plain" side.

Step 3:

Once printed, leave it to dry for a few moments so that it doesn't smudge.

Step 4:

While you are waiting, trim around the outside of your Glitter musical note paper, as well as trim around the outer edges of the flocked poinsettia paper design (vertically). The music paper will be mounted across the right middle of the LO, and the poinsettia paper down the right hand side overlapping everything else (see below for pic).
Steps 5.1 and 5.2:

Use a dinner plate or large circle template to trace a circle onto the Argyle paper and cut out. Adhere with the Argyle paper facing OUT onto the back of the Die Cut scalloped cardstock.

Step 6:

Use a stencil knife to cut a small cross into the middle of the Die Cut cardstock.

Step 7:

Pull open the now cut edges from the middle of the Die Cut cardstock - be rough, as we will need to be rolling and folding these papers over. Stick some adhesive on the TOP of each torn corner, then fold these corners over and under and stick them onto the base.

Step 8:

Trim some small strips from your Christmas words paper and adhere them to the left edge and bottom edge of your LO. Then adhere your whole torn circle WITH the printed wordart at the back (see pic).

Now it is time to place your photo (I have mounted mine onto a piece of cardstock so that it can remain up off the surface). The photo gets adhered to the base of the LO overlapping the right edges of the torn circle.

Step 9:

The final step is to trim some of the flocked poinsettia flowers from the paper and use these as embellishments. Also add your title, following the curve of the Die Cut cardstock. You can also use your gems as flourishes across the bottom of your page - why not alternate your colours for a really traditional look?

Here is a photo of the LO as a final product:

I know it looks (and probably sounds!) like a lot of fiddling, but believe me when I say it's worth the effort :)

So well done everyone - a wonderful way to show off your photos and bring your page into the third dimension with lots of layering and texture.

Have fun creating, everyone!

Sares x

On the 3rd day of Christmas ...

2009-12-03T07:10:00.002+11:00

On the 3rd Day of Christmas my Diva friends gave to me...

Candles looking very lovely...

These are a really quick & simple gift or decorating idea.

I have used the Making Memories Mistletoe range which is available from the Diva's shop.

I bought some candles (mine are in glass holders so that the paper won't burn!), wrapped them in a strip of patterned paper, and decorated with ribbon, raffia, Christmas trees, chipboard buttons and stars.

They took next to no time at all to make and are a nice little something for teachers, grandparents, etc. - although to be honest I like these so much that I am keeping them for myself!!!

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone.

Natalie

On the 2nd day of Christmas...

2009-12-02T01:41:00.001+11:00

On the 2nd day of Christmas my Diva friends gave to me...

Lots of first Christmas LOs, a digi and a hybrid design too!!!!!

This year I decided to get in early to try and avoid the inevitable disappointment of not getting a decent "1st Christmas" photo of the new babies... THAT was my first mistake! After a flat battery, about 337 terrible photos, chewed and dribbled on props, a lopsided, scratchy Santa hat, a destroyed backdrop, two dropped lips and a screaming match (that was me) I gave up!

Thankfully there WERE 4 or 5 half decent ones among them and so armed with the gorgeous Making Memories Mistletoe range of papers, die cuts, stickers and brads I had an absolute ball creating my little guys' first Christmas pages. I wanted them to have similar but not exactly the same pages in their albums... so here is what I came up with. I hope you like them too.

I used lots of distressing, sanding, scrunching and inking to create a vintage-ish look on these pages. VersaColor Pinecone Ink is my MUST have item for "antique-ing" (is that a word?) papers and embellies. I like lots of layering and clustered embellishments on my LOs and I have been brave and used my own hand writing both for journaling and one of the titles.

My latest favourite little addition to my pages is a little tag / embellie combo in one of the top corners of my LO. I think I stole this little idea from Louise some time back... though it could have been a mish-mash of a few other designs I saw and liked and adapted as my own.

I have also used some Urban Lily rubons and a bit of Heidi Swapp stuff. I also got out the Cuttlebug and cut some acetate heart shapes from old scrap supply packaging. I then added a bit of Dimensional Magic here and there and some German Scrap Borders. I managed to find a few little Christmas type embellies (the postage stamps, the gold tree and decoration) amongst my stash of ephemera. Finally some Tattered Angels Red Velvet Glimmer Mist and paint and Bob's WAS my Uncle (my great uncle in fact but he passed away a few years ago now).

I used the new Embossed Bazzill as the background for this one and I especially love the Glitter Music Note paper.

Now, I am no expert in the field of digital scrap booking but I have had a few tries and I think I am hooked. Just call me a "wannabe" for now! My first foray into this medium began with a visit to pickleberrypop where I found some freebies and a start up pack with some EXCELLENT and very easy to understand instructions for beginners... I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Eidou is another great place to start with some gorgeous freebies to download and some very reasonably priced kits to get you started.

This is a very basic digital LO created using Adobe Photoshop Elements 7. Don't be too daunted... really if you just follow through it step-by-step it isn't all that difficult... trust me, a computer geek I am NOT! If you have any questions please ask in the forum and I will try my best to help.

The red background paper is Strawberry from a kit called "JUICY" from pixel dust designs by Gina Fensterer which I purchased at Eidou. The journaling tag at the top right is a scalloped spot from digiscraps by Deb (Debbie Fisher who can be contacted at debfscraps@yahoo.com.au). The strips of paper above and below the journaling is Paper 2 by Tara Dunstan Designs; the white snowflake-like stamp is Stamp 2 by Kate Fairlie (who can be contacted at katespaces@yahoo.com.au) and the title is word art by Victoria Greenlees at Chirpi Creative (who can be contacted at info@chirpi.co.uk). They are all from a collaborative kit called imagine create share which I purchased from pickleberrypop. I am not sure that it is still available but they have dozens of beautiful kits at very reasonable prices also.

To begin this LO I opened Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 and clicked on Edit. In the top left corner I clicked File > New > Blank File. From here in the pop up box that appears I named the file IMPERFECTLY perfect. I made the Width 8.5 inches and the Height 11 inches and made the Resolution 600 pixels/inch, the Color Mode RGB Color, the Background Contents Transparent. This creates your work surface.

Next I clicked File > Open > then on your computer find the paper and elements you want to use (I have a folder named Digital Scrapbooking Supplies with all my digi stuff in it) and double click on it. You can open several from one folder if you hold down the Ctrl key and click on each and then click open. Open the photo(s) you want to use in the same way. All your photos, papers and elements can now be seen in the bin under your work surface... much as if you had gone to your stash, pulled out your supplies and placed them on your desk ready to use.

Make sure you have chosen Full Edit (top right hand side) so that you can see all the tools on your left. Choose the Move tool (top left of the tool box) that looks like a little arrow icon with an arrow pointed cross next to it. Be sure there is a blue square around your transparent (grey and white checks) background and that it is showing in the main window. Next I simply clicked on the Strawberry paper and dragged it up onto my background, then I just pulled it to fit the space and clicked the green tick that appears to confirm.

Next step was to arrange all my photos to fit the space. Basically the same principle, just clicking and dragging and sizing them to fit. This step might take a bit of time if you use multiple photos as I have done... otherwise if you want to start simple just use a single photo. If you want to improve each of the photos individually do this before you place them on the background. Have a play around with different effects using the Enhance button at the top and see what you like. You can save these or not it is up to you. I usually save as a new file and keep the original as is.

With the paper strips I used above and below the journaling I basically cropped the original image (with the Crop Tool... if you hold you cursor over each of the tool buttons it will tell you what each of the are) then dragged them to where I wanted them on the main page, just as you would with real paper. Just remember DO NOT SAVE CHANGES when you close the original image so you can use it again.

For the journaling I used the Horizontal Type Tool (the icon looks like a T). Simply open a box by clicking and draging the cursor where you want your journaling. Next choose the font, size, colour etc from the tool box that has now appeared at the top of the main window. Then type your journaling.

With the word art I erased (using the eraser tool) the original words but left the curly bracket. I then opened a text box as above and altered the element to say "IMPERFECTLY perfect". Again, I dragged this element onto my background then when I closed it I clicked DO NOT SAVE CHANGES.

Next I dragged the journaling spot to where I wanted it, opened a text box and typed my words and date. This is a bit fiddly to get in just the right position so the words lined up with the lines on the element.

Next step was simply selecting and dragging the stamp where I wanted it and resizing (again dragging with the Move Tool) to fit the space.

One thing to remember as you are choosing and moving elements is to be aware of which tool you have selected. To select the element you want to work on simply click on it with the Move Tool. It will be shown with a blue dotted box. You can also select the layer from the right hand side in the Layers Pallet.

The last thing I did was to add a Drop Shadow to each element by selecting it then in the Effects Box (on the right hand side above the Layers Pallet) I clicked on Layer Styles (the second icon) then clicked Drop Shadows in the drop box. I chose Low (again hold your cursor over each button / icon to see what the are called) and clicked the Apply box (bottom right hand corner of same box). This gives each element a bit of depth and dimension making it look more "real".

Last thing is to save your creation. First of all I clicked Layer > Merge Visible then I go back and click Layer > Flatten Image. Then I clicked File > Save As > I created a folder in my documents folder called Digi LOs... then just enter your chosen name. I prefer to save mine as a JPEG image in the Format box... but you can find more informatin about this side of the process in the Free Start Up Pack I mentioned available at pickleberrypop. As I told you I am no expert and the technical side of digi scrapping is way beyond me! ;) From here I clicked Save and another pop up box appears... I changed the Quality to 12 and clicked OK. Done!

I think the best bit of advice I can give you regarding digital scrapping is to just have a play around with it... click on buttons and just see what they do. You won't break it... well I haven't so far anyway! ;)

I also used that design to create this hybrid LO below by printing the photos, top tag and journaling onto an A4 size sheet of matte photo paper. I then added the Heidi Swapp ghost shape bracket (painted black on the back), Making Memories Mistletoe paper strips and sticker, the acetate heart, Collections icon, some staples and some alpha stickers for the title.

I DO like it... but I like the full digi version better! ;)

I hope you are well and truly in the festive spirit and that I have managed to inspire you to get some pre-Christmas scrapping started!

Lots of love and Christmas cheer to you and yours... AMC xxxooo

Welcome to Day 1 of our Christmas Extravaganza

2009-11-30T11:41:00.010+11:00

Hello ladies and a big WELCOME to the Scrapbook Divas 12 Days of Christmas Extravaganza!!!

Michelle and all the Diva Designers, including our special guests, hope to spoil and inspire you over the next 12 days with lots of festive creations and ideas.

We hope you will join us here on the blog everyday for a new project, and chat with us HERE in the forum too.

So without further ado ...

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me ... recycled containers to put under the tree!

Ok, so perhaps my singing and rhyming isn't so great but I hope you like these ideas for Christmas Gift Giving. They are very cheap and cheerful and something a little different from the usual paper-wrapped box or parcel.

Step 1
* Gather your supplies ... various containers like coffee cannisters, mint tins etc.
* Christmas scrapping papers, adhesives, ribbon, embellishments

Step 2
* Start by measuring the height of your chosen container and cut a strip of your patterned paper to fit
* Wrap it around your container and overlap the paper a little, then mark the join and cut off any excess length

Step 3
* Adhere your paper around your tin using either double sided tape, or a liquid/gel glue. I used PVA with a brush so there were no wet/lumpy spots
* Using a tissue or small piece of cloth, rub all over the paper so it is well stuck on your tin

Step 4
* Embellish your tin - be as simple or fancy as you like, depending on your available supplies
* Here I have simply put a strip of contrasting patterned paper, punched with my Fiskars border punch, and tied some Christmas ribbon around the middle - it is held in place with a couple of little pieces of d/s tape under it. Then I punched a scalloped circle as my tag and stuck on a gold Christmas sticker
* For the lid I cut a circle of matching patterned paper a fraction smaller than the diameter of the lid then used some cord stuck around the edge
* For the centre decoration you will need 4 punched scalloped circles. Lay the circle flat on the table in front of you and, counting around 5 scallops, fold it down. Turn it over so the folded edge is at the top of you. Using your thumb nail as a guide, find the middle of the folded edge and fold down each side to the middle point. You now should have a "v" shape at one end and the scalloped rounded edge at the other. Repeat with the other 3 circles. To make the "flower" put the pointed ends in towards the centre and adhere - it may help to stick them on another small circle as its base. Decorate the centre of your "flower".

You're all done!!! Fill the tin with your gift - it could be something as simple as chocolates or homemade shortbread wrapped in celophane. What about rolling up socks/jocks/boxer shorts for Dad ... or pens/pencils for the kids ...

You are only limited by your imagination and the sizes of your containers.

This would make a great little gift for teachers and the like. It's inexpensive, you're doing your bit for the environment (recycling) and it looks wonderful. It's also a great way to use up your older Christmas scrapping goodies.

PS. Although it doesn't show in the photos, I have run clear Kindyglitz over all the swirls on the patterned paper, just to add some extra sparkle.

***************

Here's another idea ... a little tin of vouchers. I have made this for my children and I to give to their father, but you could adapt it to suit anyone, young or old.

Step 1

* Gather your supplies - these mint tins are just so cute and a great size

* Christmas scrapping papers, ribbon, rubons, embellishments

Step 2

* As with the first project, cut your paper to size and adhere. You will also need to cut a piece for the top of the tin

* To get your edges nice and clean, once the glue is dry, use your file along the edges which will "tear" away any little bits overhanging leaving a neat edge

* Embellish your tin - I have used rubons, kindyglits and ribbon

Step 3

* Making your vouchers - Cut your paper to fit inside the tin (you could round the corners if you like)

* Type and print your vouchers -eg. free hugs, free kisses, free massage, free beer, a night off the BBQ ... be as creative or simple as you like

* Put your vouchers together, embellish if you like, and hold with a brad in one corner

And here is your cute little novelty gift for a loved one. Hope you like it.

Easter Bunny Egg Box and Card

2009-03-26T07:44:00.005+11:00

You will need to right click on the template and save to your computer. You can then print the template out onto cardstock. It should be A4 size when printing.

Cut Egg box out of cardstock. And score along the dotted lines.
Prepare and attach your bunny before folding.
Cut bunny shapes out. For the little pads, eyes and nose I used a normal hole punch. Assemble your feet and ears. Add your ears to your box. Followed by the body, feet and then add your eyes and nose. I used some string for whiskers and added the nose on a glue dot, to give it a bit of dimension. (See picture below)

Fold along all score lines
Add some double sided tape as shown and fold your box up and stick together.

Add further decoration.

For the Card I used the same idea and Bunny Pattern. I cut an egg shape card with a flat bottom.

Have Fun and give it to some bunny special!!!

Quick and Easy Easter Basket

2009-03-22T13:34:00.006+11:00

Supplies:
Cardstock
9” Ribbon
Embellishements
Optional: Craft straw and Easter Eggs

Instructions:
Cut 6” x 6” Square from cardstock (you can get 4 baskets from one sheet)
Score at 1 ½” on all sides

Tip: If you don’t have a special scorer, use your paper trimmer as a guide. Use
the back of a butter knife to get a nice score line

Cut on all four sides as shown

Fold along all scored edges
Put some double sided tape on your box as shown.

Place your ribbon as shown. I put another piece of double sided tape over my
ribbon for added strength

Fold up smaller sides and then fold the larger side with the ribbon as shown.
Press together

Lay your ribbon over onto the other side and fold up as per the other side.

Decorate as desired.

Gift Cone

2009-03-10T07:00:00.005+11:00

This gift cone is super quick and easy and looks lovely to give to someone.

Cut a large circle - I cut a 15cm dia circle. If you don't have a circle cutter use a small plate or bowl as a template. ** Note you can make your circle as big or small as you like** I found this size was a nice size.

I have used my corner rounder to punch a scalloped border around the edge

Gently roll your circle into a cone shape. Unroll and add some glue or very strong double sided tape and roll up again. Decorate as desired.

I have used a ziplock bag and cut off the ziplock section to hold some lollies inside my cone. You could add chocolates, soap, jewellery - anything!!!

Have fun!!!

hanging treat box

2009-01-31T09:53:00.005+11:00

Hiya all, I'm just popping up some instructions for the treat box that I showed over at Divas for our Valentines Samples. I'm really pleased with how these turned out, and its something I will be doing again. I orginally found the instructions over at Splitcoast Stampers however everything was in imperial measurements. I took the concept and made up my own measurements!! You will need to use the image below to help you understand the measurements etc.

You will need to begin by cutting a sheet of cardstock into 2 peices, 15cm x 30 cm. You can use double sided patterned cardstock or something like plain Bazzill. Take one sheet of the cardstock and mark in 2cm and 4cms from both sides. Next mark 10cm and 12cm from the bottom. Score all these lines. Cut away the excess which is marked by the shaded section on the above image. You will also need to cut in the little 'tabs' which are marked with arrows. Next you fold and adhere the box together. Punch a hole in the hanger section. Next - decorate....

I decorated mine by adding pale pink card to both the front of the box and the inside of the hanger. I then added some Maya Road Felt, a large heidi swapp heart outline, a strip of the Little Yellow Bicycle paper. I cut out one of the Teresa Collins journal cards and added a popped up rubon which was also on pale pink card and cut out. Finally a button with loooong string. A great little idea for all occasions... I'm thinking a few movie tickets and some chocolate hanging off a bottle of bubbly - I'd love that as a birthday gift!!! I've seen them also done hanging off waterbottles with altered labels on the bottles - and the box filled with sweets and a thank you card - it was a baby shower gift.

Don't forget to share your creations in the Diva Gallery!!

Chocolate Heart Pouch

2009-01-28T09:36:00.004+11:00

Supplies:

1 Sheet Cardstock

Pattern paper

Embellishments

Ribbon

Button

String

Sewing Machine

Hole punch

Cut two large hearts from Cardstock. Add some strips of pattern paper. Using a sewing machine, stitch around the heart leaving an opening at the top - backstitch at start and finish. Pop some small chocolates or lollies inside. Punch a small hole through the centre, in the in dip of the heart. Thread though some ribbon and tie in a bow. Add other embellishments. Give to someone special.

Quick back to school layout

2009-01-27T21:36:00.002+11:00

Hi all, I wanted to share a super fast and clean lined layout - perfect for those back to school layouts. My middle child, Jack, started Prep today and up here in Qld that means full time school. He wasn't keen to go but I settled him really fast, snapped a few photos and left. I got the photos developed today (of course) LOL.

1. Cut Black CS 8.5x11. Cut white CS 8x10.5 and adhere to centre of black. Allign 2 4x6 photos as shown. 2. I've used Scenic Route Strips paper for this but its not essential, just 2 matching pattern paper will do.

3. Cut 1 paper 8x1.5, the other 8x0.5. Adhere to top and bottom of photos as shown

4. Choose a small journal spot - a sheer, a rubon, a stamp.... I used a Kelly Panaccini Stamp on white cardstock with red ink.

5. Cut out journal spot and mount onto another circle of Cardstock (I've used the scallop circle by Stampin Up)

6. Add the date to the centre of your journal spot - I've used Basic Grey and Making Memories stickers

7. Adhere to the bottom of your right hand photo, overlapping the photo and the paper strip.

8. Add your title - I've used the word prep, created with white Scenic Route alpha stickers

9. Finish off your layout by adding some journalling along the top of the larger upper strip of paper and add a small arrow pointing to your title. The arrow is a felt Maya Road arrow and I've used a clear strip of dymo printed labelling for the journalling.

There you have it - a simple layout, using not many materials and recording a great moment!!

a video for you

2008-11-03T12:40:00.004+11:00

No laughing at my very poor videoing. Especially for Helen and Michelle (and all those beginner sewers out there). I apologise for the video shake too, I was holding the camera with one hand and trying to do everything else with my other hand LOL.

Don't forget, you can do this in any size, just make sure you allow for the extra room when you fold your book shut. Diary covers make a great gift - and diaries are now in the cheap shops for a few dollars each.

Embellish the front with whatever you like, iron on or sew on transfers are cute.

Winners of RAK

2008-10-06T12:07:00.001+11:00

I've decided that both Helen and Amy can have some cityscapes and bats.
Amy, I'll give you yours on Wednesday night, Helen, I'll pop yours in the mail soon.
Thanks for playing!

Faking it!

2008-09-16T14:43:00.006+10:00

I recently posted a card on my personal blog which I got a lot of questions about the technique I used to achieve that card. So I thougth I'd pop the instructions on here for FAKE BRAYERING and simple masking.

I started with a cuttlebug cut out of a city skyscape in black. I also have a small bat cut using the cuttlebug. I've cut a piece of very vanilla cardstock from Stampin Up to the same width as the skyscape and slightly taller. This cardstock will be the background we will be inking and masking.

To create the moon, I cut a small 1.5" circle using my Fiskars shape cutter templates. You will need to keep both the circle and the surrounding cardstock for this project. Place some double sided tape (nonpermanent) to the back of the circle and place it on your background card - double check its where your moon needs to be.

Taking a sponge (a seasponge or soft makeup sponge are ideal), apply dabs of ink to the background starting at the top edge and working your way down to halfway, then continue again with the second colour working from the bottom edge to the middle. Be sure to blend the two colours slightly at the midsection. This process will take lots of dabbing and lots of reinking your sponge. The ink will come out at its darkest colour. I've used Buckaroom blue from Stampin Up for the sky, and Wild Wasabi by Stamping Up for the horizon.

Take your 'circle' moon mask off and then place the outside template so that the moon is only showing through. Ink up your moon, again working from one side and dabbing ink inwards. One side of the moon will be darker than the other.

Apply your cuttlebug pieces over your background and there you have it - a fake brayered and masked background sky. Effective isn't it?

My original card (here) was stamped with the owl and branch, which was then masked separately by stamping onto paper and cutting the images out and sticking over the top of the card. I then followed the same technique as above, creating a mask for the moon, inking the top and bottom of the paper and then using the outside mask to do the moon. I did add more ink around the moon to give a misty feel. I used watercolour paper for that card too - just because it was on my desk at the time.

I want to see your attempts too please! I have some cuttlebug bats and skyscapes here in a little pack ready to send off with some sweet goodies for one lucky person. Leave a comment on this post and I'll draw a winner this time next week. Don't forget to tell your friends about our free classroom blog too - full of great little projects :)

Thanks Helen

2008-08-18T21:28:00.001+10:00

Thankyou so much Helen for a great little gift idea and for doing this for Divas.

Fifth Step

2008-08-17T21:45:00.003+10:00

9. Position your decorated frame where you like on one side of your half circle and stick it down well ... and ... THAT'S IT !!! You're all done.

Fourth Step

2008-08-17T21:33:00.003+10:00

7. Now decorate your frame anyway you like ... I used a left over piece of the pp as a backing, I added flowers in co-ordinating colours and inked around the edges of my frame. I also added some ribbon and a tag plus the alphas.

8. Using your glue/double sided tape or Xyron, stick your ribbons along the bottom of the gift pack - both sides. Be careful at the ends, try and overlap it a little without too much thickness so it looks neat. I used a paper clip to hold the ends in place til the glue dried.

Third Step

2008-08-17T21:25:00.003+10:00

5. Now we are going to make a mini cardboard frame - I traced around the edge of an Autumn Leaves journalling spot which is approximately 8x6cm. You can cut any shape or size you like.

6. To make your shape into a frame, you will need to cut out the middle.

7. Paint or ink your frame in a co-ordinating colour.

Second Step

2008-08-17T20:53:00.006+10:00

2. Fold your circle in half (keep the side of the paper you want to see on the outside).

3. Fold the folded edge up approximately 1 - 1.5cm.

3. Open out the circle and you should have 3 creased lines - smooth out the original centre fold line and stand your half circle up on its base.

4. Pinching the folded edges together, carefully staple each side - this may be a little fiddly to ensure the base of your semi circle stays flat - make sure you push the edge of the original centre crease line up between the folded edges when you staple it

Welcome & First Step

2008-08-17T20:31:00.007+10:00

Hi girls, thanks so much for joining me here. I hope you like this easy little project I've come up with for my first ever online class.

I must give credit though to a Tarisota Designer because I first saw this type of project in their gallery a while back, however I have worked out the design myself for this little gift pack.

So here we go ...

This is what you will need:

* 1 sheet d/s pp - male oriented if you are making this a fathers day gift pack

* piece of thin-ish chipboard, doesn't need to be any bigger than 4"x6" or so as you will be cutting it

* assorted flowers to co-ordinate with pp

*assorted letter stickers/alphas etc - I have used the Carolee's Creation tiny alphas plus AC Thickers

*paint and/or ink to co-ordinate with pp

*ribbons - approx 60cm of 2 co-ordinating colours

*scissors

*stapler

*d/s tape and/or glue (Power Pritt)

1. Using a dinner plate or saucepan lid etc draw the largest circle you can on your piece of patterned paper and cut it out.

distressing technique - paint lines

2008-08-16T08:55:00.004+10:00

Hopefully this little tutorial will help you think a bit outside the square as far as adding texture and layers to your page. Distressing can be very in your face or as subtle as you may want to make it. It is a technique that should be practised first time around as each paint will have a different consistency. I've used mine on a partly finished page, which has already had some distressed paper added and some bubblewrap stamping done to give it a grunge feel. Have fun!!

You will need a ruler or something straight, some paint and your layout.

Dip the edge of the ruler into the paint, be sure there is a fair amount on the ruler.

You should start by making several smaller lines on your page. Dip the ruler in the paint each time you do a line. You may want to move the ruler in a forward motion, dragging the paint in a straight line across your page or add more paint along your ruler so that the line is darker and longer.

Experiment and add lots of lines for a grunge feel or keep it simple with just a few for a more subtle look. You may want to try this on dark paper with white or light paint, or use paint a smiliar colour to your paper for a more subdued look.

Next Free Online Class - Helen's Fathers Day Gift Pack

2008-08-11T21:37:00.002+10:00

When/Where : Monday 18th August @ 8pm - HERE!
Check out the Divas Form here for more information and what to bring.
Here's a sneek peek ...

It will be quick and easy and loads of fun. I hope you will join us.
Instructions will be posted here and all the chat in the Divas Chatroom.

Diva Ribbon Club... June... How to make a marble bag

2008-06-26T13:03:00.003+10:00

I grabbed the red and white ribbons from this months Ribbon Club and immediately knew that I wanted to sew something for my Daughter Alesia with it. I've had the Hello Kitty material for ages and because its only a small cut I didn't know what to use it for.... Well it seems that MARBELS are the in thing at school again - so here is a marble bag for her :) Of course there is still tonnes of ribbon left and when I use it I'll share back in the forum :)

1. Cut top strip 15x2 inches, middle strip 15x3 inches and bottom strip 15x5 inches.
2. Sew with right sides facing, the middle and bottom fabric together.

3. Iron flat and then place your RIBBON PACK lace over the join and sew over several times
4. Add several other strips of trim from your RIBBON PACK to the lower section of your fabric, leaving 2-3 cm at the bottom for seams later.
5. With right sides together again, add your top strip of fabric. Fold the whole lot in half and sew down one side and across the bottom. You may want to zig zag stitch the seams so they don't frey. Adding some clear nailpolish will do the same thing.
6. Turn down the top opening of the bag and sew around it, leaving a 1cm opening at the seam side to thread your ribbon through.

7. Thread through one of the long lengths of ribbon from your RIBBON PACK then tie in a knot to secure. Turn your bag in the right way and iron flat. Don't forget to add clear nailpolish or Dimensional Magic to the ends of your ribbon to stop it from freying. Also add a key tag to the ribbon so that if it gets lost, it can be easily returned.

Thankyou

2008-06-11T20:56:00.001+10:00

Thanks so much Mel for a great class and practical idea.

Thank you

2008-06-11T20:49:00.000+10:00

I hope you have enjoyed making, this quick and easy project. I have enjoyed being able to share my ideas with you.

Mel x

Step 4

2008-06-11T20:39:00.000+10:00

Step 4.

**Note** you may want to do this step after you have embellished your “Hang it Up”

Open the split ring and slip it through one of the holes in your bulldog clip. Slip the open end of the split ring into the hole of your “Hang it Up” shape, and close the ring. Do the same, on the other side.

Well done, you have now completed the basic “Hang it Up”

Now it’s time to make it your own!

Grab those letters and embellishments out and have some fun. The possibilities are endless.

Make sure you upload your completed “Hang it Up” in the gallery by June 30th. I will randomly pick someone and send you out a special RAK.

Step 3

2008-06-11T20:30:00.000+10:00

Step 3.

Time to punch some holes. You need to punch two holes at the bottom of your shape to slip your ‘split rings’ into. Measure 5cm in from your sides and 1.5cm up from the bottom. Mark with a pencil and use your hole punch to make two hole on either side.

If you are hanging your “Hang it Up’ you will need to punch two holes on the top to put your ribbon through. Measure 3cm in from the side and 1.5cm down from the top and punch two more holes. Cut a piece of ribbon or thick string approx 30cm long. Slip into the hole at the top and make a knot. Do the same of the other side.

If you are putting your “Hang it Up” on the fridge. Turn you shape over and find the centre. Measure 5 cm down and glue your magnet on.

Step 2

2008-06-11T20:04:00.000+10:00

Step 2.

Cover your shape with your choice of patterned paper or cardstock. I used a strong Craft glue, to glue this onto my backing shape. Trim off any excess.

Step 1

2008-06-11T20:02:00.000+10:00

Step 1.
Choose a shape you would like your “Hang it up” to be. Simple kids colouring in pictures, make excellent templates for different shapes.

A good working size would be 20-30cm wide and 15-25cm long. Keep in mind this is only approximate sizes and would depend on your shape.

Trace or draw your shape onto your heavy cardboard and cut out.

Materials list and ideas

2008-06-11T20:01:00.000+10:00

Let’s get started.

Materials List:

Heavy Cardboard for backing – Old Pizza boxes would work well.
Patterned Paper or Cardstock to cover
2 x 25mm Split Rings (Available from Newsagents/Office Supplies)
2 x small bulldog clips
Ribbon/String or Magnet to hang it up (any old magnets off your fridge can be recycled as you won’t see it)
Embellishments
Letters
Craft glue

Tools:
Scissors/ Craft knife
Hole Punch
Ruler

Here are some ideas for your “Hang it Up”
- Children’s picture hanger - Look what “insert name” made today
- Bills to pay
- Things to remember
- School Notes
- Grandparents “Special Pictures”
- Things to do

- I made this for My Dad

The ‘Hang it Up’ can be hung on a wall, or you can put a magnet on the back so you can put it on the fridge.

Welcome to Mel's Hang it Up class

2008-06-11T20:00:00.000+10:00

Hello and Welcome to my first ever online class. I am very excited to share my “Hang It Up” ideas with you. This is a very quick and simple idea that can be adapted to suit any age group, male or female. It would make a lovely gift or a cute addition to have around the house.

Here are two examples of what you can do with your "Hang it Up"

2008-06-11T19:47:00.000+10:00

Welcome everyone to tonights class with the fabulous Diva Mel. Thanks Mel

Next free online class - 'Hang it up' with Mel

2008-05-21T14:44:00.000+10:00

Mark your calanders girls. Mel will be conducting her free online class on Wednesday 11th June at 8pm