Friday 29 June 2012

How to store your dies and embossing folders.

I've been looking around for some storage solutions for dies and embossing folders.

I've found that most people make some sort of binder with pockets to put them in.
I can't say that that looks like something I would like to use.
An other idea I found is a large box with tabs for different brands.
That idea appealed more to my liking but I'm still not sure.

I don't want to spend money on a storage solutions that doesn't work for me.

Could you guys tell me how you store yours?

I'm just trying to figure out what I would like as a storage solution before my crafty-room gets cluttered again... :-S

I'll be back with new projects in about 2 weeks.
Right now we are having some free time to enjoy our summer.
I just wish it would stop raining.. lol!

See you soon!


Monday 25 June 2012

Spellbinders Give-Away Week on Paper Crafter's Library!

I'm a winner!! (bounce, bounce!)

I've been joining the give-away week on Paper Crafter's Library this week because I wanted to know more about the Spellbinders Die Templates and the possible use on a Big Shot.
While I was following the given information anyways I entered myself in the give-away and I won!! YAY!!

What did I win? I won the Day 1 prize : Spellbinders Labels 4 Nestabilities.

I love them! Now I just have to wait untill I can order my Big Shot for my birthday next month!

Short post but I just wanted to share this fun news!!

Paper Crafter's Library Blog : blog.papercrafterslibrary.com
Spellbinders : www.spellbinderspaperarts.com



Saturday 23 June 2012

Glossy, Shiny, Metalic Bright Colours. 

When I say bright, I mean "put on your sunglasses before you look at it - bright"!

I had some metalic cardstock laying around which I bought at the local Dollar-Store (well, it's Euro-Store here but you get what I mean!) and although I really liked it, I didn't know what to do with it.

But, things chance and inspiration came looking around the corner.

We are giving our daughter potty-training.
She's 3 years old (april 28th) and untill recently totally not interested in potty training at all.
I talked to her teacher at her créche and she said : Make it a party! Have fun, Make it fun!

So I did! I crafted a weird apartment building on a big piece of paper with lots of windows and every time she would go on the potty she would get a Dora The Explorer Sticker to put in one of the windows.
She loves it and now she tries to go as much as possible just to get a new sticker!

AWESOME!!! IT WORKS!!

But there is only 1 big window and 1 big sticker left which she will get when she does a number 2 on the potty!

I made it from plain crafting paper and used left-over paper from my scrapbook-papers to create the windows. Once all the windows are filled with stickers I'll take it of the door where it's hanging and I'll put some extra embellishments on there like a big yellow sun, a roof on each building and numbers on the doors.

The idea is to frame it as a piece of art and hang it in her room when she gets a room make-over.




Time to make a new project and get some new stickers.
This time I went for Little Pet Shop Animal Stickers and Zoobles Animal Stickers.
I made a very colourfull and HUGE Tree on which she can place the different animal stickers.
She saw the new project and immediately wanted to het started!



I used the same plain crafting paper I used for the apartment building for the background and the brown tree.
Then I used the metalic cardstock for the colourfull "leaves".
You really can't see it on the picture's but the colours are incredibly bright and that is exactly what my daughter like about it!

After I finished the tree I made something else that will be usefull. This time it's for my husband and myself.


He found this dvd-workout program to get in shape. It's called The Insanity Program.
We are both looking for a way to get back in shape with a program we can combine with our day-to-day live. This should be perfect because we can do it at home, whenever we have the time and space to do it.
In this specific program you have to keep track of your own personal progress.

Now, this all sounds like we are incredibly sporting people but we are NOT!
Since we both smoke and I gained a lot of weight while pregnant (most of which is already gone but not all!) it just seemed about time to get started with something that would get both of us back in shape.

So I bought 2 small basic notebooks and altered them with some of the bright cardstock I used for the tree.







The back of the notebooks are covered with the same paper I used for the background of the front.
Other then that I kept it simple; background paper, 1 tag shape and cardboard alpha's.

Again, you can't really see how bright the colours are on the picture's but atleast on these picture's the reflecting light shows a bit of the patterns of the paper. Each colour has a different pattern on it.
I did find out the next morning that the glue I used fades the colours of the cardstock on the notebook.
For some reason this didn't happen on the tree-project and I used the same glue for both projects.
I don't mind this unexpected effect because it makes it look distressed and I'm a big fan of distressing!!

INSANITY - PROGRAM
GET FIT OR GET OUT!

Sunday 17 June 2012

Simon Says Stamp and Show... Anything Goes! Challenge.
Fathers Day, June 17th, 2012.

Today is Fathers Day, so before I start talking about my latest project I would like to wish all the amazing dads in the world a good day and I hope they've spend it with their families and enjoyed the time together.

I've spend some time wondering what I could give my husband for this special day to let him know I appreciate everything he does for us.
Then, at some random moment I was sitting behind my computer, looked ad his desk and saw the usual mess on the shelf next to his screen and all of a sudden inspiration struck!
I have been checking out a lot of altered trinket boxes (for example the ones from Graphic 45) and figured I could make something to go on the shelf so he can put away his supplies in something pretty, something with a steampunk-vibe.
So, about a week ago I started looking in the stores for something that would fit (size) and that I could alter and I ended up with.. nothing!
Then I figured, if I can't find it then maybe I can make it.. I bought 3 small wooden crates to alter.



I forgot to make picture's before I started but as soon as I started painting I remembered!
On the picture the 3 crates are already glued together I started painting the inside of the first one.
I didn't like to use the light colour for this specific colour so I gave them a dark brown colour.


I used some Bo Bunny - Timepiece paper (6x6 paperpad).
It is the first time I used Bo Bunny paper and I fell in love with it. My absolute favourite is the doorway. I could just put it in a frame and hang it on the wall and it would look stunning!
Other then that, this collection is wonderfull to use with the steampunk style I love so much without using a lot of embellishments to give it the right "look".


With the crates I also bought a small wooden trunk which I altered to match the theme.
I didn't have to change the colour so I just put some more Bo Bunny paper on it and some gears we collected from some old clocks my husband dismantled.

Like I said before, the Bo Bunny paper really doesn't need a lot of embellishments to give it the look I envisioned. It is an absolute perfect match with the gears on it!

I used some K&Company cut-outs, clock-parts, Tim Holtz gears and a Kaiser Craft wooden key to embellish the cabinet, jars and the trays. 

Some close-ups from the clock-parts, the Tim Holtz gears and the tags;








Some close-ups from the 3 shelves/crates :


The first shelf.
The second shelf.
On the left : Denial is my happy place
On the right : You're amazing

The third shelf.
On the left : You're my inspiration
On the right : Life, it happens

 And finally some close-ups from the finished project :





The other items on the picture are some memorabilia he really wants to keep.
For example, the liquor and the flask were a present for his 30th birthday this february.
The little sign is a present I gave him when we just met.
It says :

Sing as if nobody can hear you, 
Dance as if nobody can see you, 
Love as if nobody has ever hurt you.