Just one Gelato...well 12 actually

Ok, so it's been a while since I posted, and in my absence, I have missed my first anniversary of blogging.

 

 

 

So I really am going to kick my own ass and start blogging again...or at least try.

 

 

So my post today is going back to my basic principles of saving money.

 

I have recently delved into the depths of art journaling and have completed my first double page spread. I'm not ready to show my efforts just yet, but would like to share my inspiration

 

Vicky Papaioannou 

 

This lady is AMAZING!

 

She has loads of fabulous videos covering a huge array of crafting techniques, one of which is her fantastic art journaling.

 

I have watched countless hours of her footage, and I longingly perve over her extensive materials list.

 

I digress...as usual.

 

As usual, my crafting budget is not very big, so I am always looking for alternative materials, or cheaper versions of the expensive products. I decided to look up Faber Castell Gelatos, and my jaw hit the floor...

 

Now I know many of you will think the average of £18 per set of bright's, isn't all that bad, but I can't justify that price, when I have a family that comes first.

 

So they got added to my ever expanding wish list.

 

Then, today, I was browsing through the Lidl (yes, the supermarket, and yes, I'm really that sad) app and came across a pack of children's GEL crayons, and my mind started racing. I read the description and then compared it to the write u for the FC Gelatos.

 

Both a creamy, gel wax, both water soluble, both with the twist holder...

 

 

 

yet miles apart in price.

 

I batted my eyelids at my husband and he smiled and grabbed the car keys.

 

 

I usually miss out on the bargains that can be bought at lidl, and their elusive glue gun with stand, always seems to be just before I get paid, then there are never any left come payday.

 

 

 

This time however I was lucky, and they still ad them in stock.

 

YEY!!!

 

 

they came in  a case, with a proper clip shut lid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 
 

not the best pictorial evidence, but hey, I was so friggin' excited to share this with you all. 

 

 

So how much did this set of 12 bright 'gel wax crayons' set me back?

 

A grand total of £2.99!

 

now I'm crap at maths, but even I know this is a bargain, and a saving of nearly £15.

 

I'll try not to leave it as long before posts next time.

 

XOXO

 
 
 
 
 

Bagain Betty Meets Bebunni

This week has been a week for bargains.

 

Last week, I decided to list my last three 'My Child' dolls on Ebay. Back in the 80's these dolls were the bee's knee's, and most little girls wanted them.

 

Now three decades later, these beautiful dolls are classed as vintage, and very collectable. I had some of them, that-shamefully- were collecting dust. So I brushed them off, combed their hair, and give them new, hair bows. I then popped their pictures on the major league selling page. I didn't want to mess around with auctioning them off, and set them at Buy it Now. Within a few hours, the first two sold, with the last being bought the following day. I made a tidy profit of £85. I couldn't use it all for craft stash, unfortunately, as there were other things that the money was needed for more, but I did have £20 of it.

 

I really wanted to make it stretch as much as possible, but wanted lots of things at the same time.

 

So off I went to browse the web for bargains.

 

My first stop, was to crafting.co.uk

 

The true home of Tattered Lace.

 

I decided to take a chance and purchase a mystery die set. They were all described as being mini dies, but from what I know, and from photo's that friend's have shared, on the crafting facebook pages that I frequent, there's nothing, actually, that small about them. These, when they are delivered, should include a selection of dies, twenty in total, and include sentiment dies, amongst other things.

This bargain cost me a total of £12 with free P&P...£12...for twenty dies!

 

My next stop was Crafters Companion.

 

Crafter's Companion always seem to have a sale on, and sell some pretty awesome stash, for really good prices. I purchased their last Crafters Inspiration magazine. This was filled with free stuff

 

Free goodies:

 

A Sheena Douglas, Fabulous Florals embossing folder.

 

A stamp set, including Bebunni Love, and Angelica and Adam images, with sentiments.

 

A Wirework crochet set.

 

A gorgeous paper pack, and the CD ROM, to be able to reprint them all, once used.

 

And a Video Resource DVD containing over three hours of tutorials.

 

This little lot cost me a grant total of £3.89. Crafter's Inspiration, usually sells for £9.99 per issue, but if you're prepared to wait, until the next issue is due out, they reduce the last edition printed, to-usually- £3.00. Postage is also £1. But if you sign up to their members reward scheme, you get a discount on top. Now this only saved me 11p, but it all adds up.

 

But one of my best buys was bought, from the baking section at Quality Save.

 

I know I now have a die cutting machine, but I am yet to buy a doily die. So I couldn't help but grin, when I found a pack of thirty doilies, in three different sizes, and white, for 49p!

 

The largest size will be too big, but the two smaller size ones are perfect, for anything up to an 8x8 card, or even bigger, should you have means to make ginormous cards.

 

The other perfect thing about these doilies is, because they're white, I can colour them up, with my promarkers, in any colour I want. This means I can colour co-ordinate them, with the colours I use to colour a digi image.

 

So I bought them :-)

 

 

 

My total for everything I bought, including 20 mini tattered lace dies, 30 doilies, a paper pack, a tutorial DVD, a papercrafting CDROM, a stamp set and an embossing folder, came to a grand total of..

 

£16.38!

 

My Crafter's Inspiration Magazine arrived today, and I wasted no time in ripping it open, to find my new treasures.

 

The papercrafting CDROM and paper pack, contains images from The Makey Bakey Mice, Bebunni, the vintage floral collection, Rachelle Anne Miller, Angelina & Adam, Love & Romance and Special Birthdays Card Collections.

 

I have seen so many peeps posting Bebunni Cards, and have found the images totally adorable.

 

So the first card I made had to include one of the lovely images, within my new paper pack.

 

I used my Basic Square die, from Joy Crafts, to cut out squares, from the paper pack, and stuck these down onto a piece of white card, to create a patchwork effect. I then matted and layered this onto some silver mirri card. I wrapped a boarder of pink ribbon, (bought in a sewing shop for pence) around the card, then added a second smaller band, of cream, lacey ribbon, from a ribbon pack from The Works. 

 

I then took one of the smallest Doilies, from the pack, and coloured it, using a letraset promarker, (colour listed below)

 

I cut out the Bebunni image and layered it onto silver mirri crad, then took the same image, but smaller, and layered this onto the first image, using foam pads.

 

I used some of the ivory, Jute Shapes, that I purchased from Poundland, a while ago, and added pink buttons to the centres. The buttons were from a multi-coloured pack from The Works, also £1. I die cut some leaves from green mulberry paper, and added these to the arrangement of flowers, which had been stuck down with hot glue.

 

I made a pink bow, from matching ribbon, on my makeshift Afro Comb Bow Maker, and added a Jute flower, adorned with a pink button, matching the ones previously mentioned, to the centre of the bow, and again, used hot glue to stick it in place. I added a simple sentiment to the bottom corner, and added the flowers and leaves to tie it in with the rest of the card. I finished it off with one, single, pink button in the top right corner.

 

 

 

My finished Card.

 

 

 

Letraset Promarker used:

 

Baby Pink.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by

 

XOXO

 

Just as an added note: I recently found out that the lovely, non other than Sara Davis, from crafters companion, included my card (the one above, that I posted on Instagram) in one of her monthly news letters!! EEEP. XOXO

Busy Bee and Period Pains

Don't be fooled by the name folks, it's just my need for quirky titles, and nothing to do with yucky lady problems, lol.

 

I have been a busy bee over the past month. I've made numerous cards (which I have just donated to our local spiritualist church) and been busy designing more background papers, based on past 'periods of time'...see what I did there?

 

I will start this post, and base it on a card I made yesterday. And will post the others over the next few days.

 

I printed of my little Bumble Baby image a while ago now. I took time to colour it properly and loved the finished look.

 

Then it got shelved, and I didn't get around to using it, until yesterday.

 

The card came about, as a result of a 'duh' moment, of which, I have many.

 

I was looking over my little collection of dies, day dreaming about buying more, and wondering what sort I would choose. I thought about a hexagonal one, so I could make a kind of patchwork background. I was all in favour of this daydream purchase, and the first thought that popped into my head, was that I would finally be able to use my little bumble baby! It was only then that my eyes fell on the small set of Joy Crafts, basic square die, which has the cutest, little stitch detail, which embosses, while being cut.

 

Straight away, I pulled out my cuttlebug, some lemon, and pale grey cardstock and set myself off cutting.

 

I did some basic matting and layering, using the bargain mirri card, that I got 20 sheets of, for 79p, from Quality Save (aka home bargains) and poundland, 200gsm, white cardstock. I made a chequered pattern on this, using the quilting squares, and stuck them down, using Dovecraft, ultimate craft glue.

 

For the topper, I cut out a circle of card, using the XCut circle cutter set, then embossed this with a sizzix embossing folder. Matted this onto more of the mirri card, and stuck my little Bumble Baby onto this. this was then added to the top, left corner of the card, after being backed with a DoCrafts doily, this was coloured, with a yellow Letraset Promarker, to tie it in with the theme.

 

I received a die cut swap, from a lovely lady on facebook, but have unfortunately forgotten the name of the die. This was coloured grey, again, with Promarkers, then stuck it to the bottom left corner.

 

I added three, differing size buttons, (from The Works) and glued them into the bottom left corner, and a fourth, in the top right corner.

 

For the sentiment, I cut out a scalloped edge circle, using the outer die, from a free die I received, when I signed up to the Tonic Gold members club (which was free, to sign up for, by the way). I hand wrote the sentiment, in black ink, stuck this to the card, and finished it off, with a yellow bow, made using an afro comb (another post will be done for this little money saving idea, another day), and some yellow ribbon, bought in Poundland.

 

 

finished card :-)

 

Things used:

 

Generic white card blank.

 

Poundland, white 200gsm card.

 

Silver holo card.

 

A die that I will find out the name of, lol.

 

Yellow buttons, from a mixed colour bag of buttons, from The Works

 

A Docrafts doily

 

A sizzix embossing folder.

 

Yellow ribbon, from a mixed pack, again, from Poundland.

 

Joy Crafts, stitch detailed, basic square creatables.

 

and my own Design, Baby Bumble digi image.

 

Letraset Promakers used:

 

Summer Sun.

 

Black.

 

Ice grey 1,3 and 5.

 

Cinnamon.

 

Blush.

 

Sunkissed Pink.

 

Cloud Blue.

 

Sky Blue

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading.

 

XOXO

Cave to Cove Upgrade

A while ago, I mentioned that I was planning to turn a little alcove in my bedroom, into a little crafting haven.

 

I have spent years, hunched over a craft stash, on floors, at tables, and anywhere else I could get my stash out. I have also had years of neck/back ache to show for it all.

 

All I wanted was a place to set my stuff up, and leave it there, for me to be able to come and go as I please. Not to mention, I had developed 'small craft space' envy, from my travels, trawling through Pinterest. I had been woo'ed by the vintage looking cubby holes, and small compact, but perfectly functional spaces...and I wanted my own.

 

Before starting, I hadn't expected a lot, and was just expecting to still have the red walls, and the two original shelves, that were already installed. I just expected a worktop, and a chair.

 

My hubby (who I love dearly...even more so, for letting me do this conversion) agreed, and helped me bring my dream into fruition.

 

So things started off here (see picture below). With a very useless bit of space, that got filled with crap, as storage. It was a horrid red colour (from back in the days that I was married to a moron, who botched everything he touched, and who thought it would be a GOOD idea, to paint this corner of the room the fore mentioned colour.

 

the task seemed mammoth...

 

(cove, before renovation)

 

 

 

I thought it would take forever to cover the rancid red paint, but it only actually took 2 coats, with Dulux, paintpod, Sand Stone

 

 

 

As per usual, cash was on the short side, but my brother in-law, had a spare piece of worktop, and I recycled an unused small shelving unit, and an IKEA wooden draw chest. I painted them to match the walls, and my 'star of a husband', set to installing them in place, for me.

 

 

(The cove, started to take shape, thanks to the sterling efforts of my hubby, and his power tools...Oh and my painting skills, or lack there of, lol)

 

 

 

I also had part of an old canvas wardrobe, collecting dust, so again, my hubby, cut it down for me, to fit under the worktop, to allow me to store papers and such.

 

 

(We fitted the cut down, shelves, under the worktop, and again, I painted to match the rest.)

 

 

And so I was finally ready, to start filling up the space with my lovely stash of goodies.

 

 

 

we finished it, in just over a day, and had enjoyed our little weekend project.

 

The Space was finally usable, and more importantly...

 

Mine!

 

For ten, long years, I had dreamed of having this space, and I had finally got it.

And the best part?

 

It didn't cost me a penny.

 

The paint was left over from decorating the rest of the bedroom, the worktop, from my BIL, the shelves were already here, and my BIL also gave me a very comfortable, leather, computer chair.

 

I couldn't be more pleased, with how it turned out.

 

I didn't get the mega expensive, perfectly fitted, showroom standard, compact office space, as seen on Pinterest. I got better, I got a functional, practical space, that I could spread my stash out, that looks pretty and perfectly me. And I'd created it.

 

I'm not posh, and don't pretend to be, so a pretentious 'daren't move anything' work area, just would not have cut the mustard, so to speak.

 

I'm very grateful, to my husband, for all of his hard work.

 

But more so, I'm proud of my self.

 

I could have done the minimum work, not bothered painting things, and taken short cuts, as I have tended to do in the past...anything for an easier life.

 

But I pushed myself, telling myself that the only way to get the look I was after, was to not cut corners on the painting, etc.

 

But the biggest thing for me, was to be patient.

 

To wait, and coat the paint properly, and take my time.

 

The result was so very worth it in the end.

 

 

(My finished craft space...My Lindsiloolabell's Crafty COVE. )

 

 

I finally feel worthy of being a blogger, to have 'that space' to blog and shoot tutorials, without the fear of embarrassment, at the pile of crafting stash, covering nothing more, than my dining table.

 

XOXO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Victoria, Jane and Emma

Hey all, Just thought I'd pop a quick post on, telling you all about my new digi designs. I've not designed any for a while, so was in my element last night, when the mood took me. But now I want to design more!!! 

Lady Victoria Bumble

Jane Bumble

 Emma Bumble

These are just the beginning of my new designs. going to be working on more over the next few weeks 

XOXO

Twisted Sister

Ok, so this post has NOTHING to do with Sister's, but thought it sounded better than just 'Twisted Easel Card...Maybe it's just me.

I have spent another night, with no sleep, and this seems to be becoming a common occurrence. So again, I have used this 'normally useless time' to make another card. Not just any card...My very first Twisted Easel card. I really, thoroughly, enjoyed making this card! I love the effect, and the angle at which the finished card sits.

It took a while to decide on which style of card I was actually going to make, and to start with, I had started creating a 'normal' easel card...but I didn't like how it was going, it seemed to be lacking...

So eventually, I changed my mind, and started to do the twisted version instead.

I used one of my own background paper designs, which I named Cherry Lace. I matted and layered this, onto other matching papers, that I created to match the background paper, and printed them off onto 200gsm, A4, white, Poundland card stock. I added two, overlapping strips of purple ribbon, again, from a multi-pack, from Poundland, and created a double bow, which I attached with my glue gun.I made two roses, from scraps of the left over matching papers, and added these to the front of the card, with some ivory paper roses too, to add some contrast. I added a pearl into the middles of the purple roses, and edged the tips of the ivory roses with some iridescent, Dovecraft glitter glue. To create the lacy sides of the card, I used my X-cut, boarder punch, and punched out two rows of the design, in two strips of the matching card stock that I printed off. The butterflies were Robert Addams, All Occasion Dies, 82. I cut these out of the matching card stock, in the deep, cadbury-type purple. Using my glue gun, I added differing sized, ivory beads, down the length of the body, and added a Swarovski crystal to each of them. I stuck the butterflies onto my project with the glue gun.

I created the card blank, out of a generic piece of white, hammered card. 15cmx15cm, folded in half, then folding one side, on the diagonal, taking the top, left corner, and folding it down to the right, bottom corner, to line the edge up with the 'spine' of the card, to create the twist. On the 'inside' of the card, I covered it with the deep purple, matching card. With the card opened up in front of me, i folded the left corner back down, to create a triangular flap, I then added my topper to this, on the bottom half of my topper only. To create the stopper, to keep the card from folding flat, I heat embossed, using WOW gold embossing powder, a simple sentiment, onto a scrap of the white, hammered card, then used the X-cut circle cutter, to cut the sentiment out. I then matted and layered this onto the darker purple card, then again onto the lighter purple card. This was then layered onto more of the white, hammered card, which I had wrapped more of the two ribbons around, and attached to the inside of the card, using foam tape, to create the height needed for the stopper.

 The finished card.

XOXO

A Touch of Pleasantville

Evening All.

Today I spent the day printing off pages of my backgrounds, and matching papers...Then decided I hadn't used my Promarker's in a while. So abandoned the backgrounds, and picked up the pens.

For a while now, I've wanted to try the whole Monochrome stamp look, you know the one, where your stamp is completely coloured, in nothing but grey's, to make it look black and white. So I chose one of my 1940's Girl Power digistamps, as I thought, being back in the era of black and white pictures, that it would be quite fitting. I chose one of the two Land Girl images, that I'd designed, and set to colouring her in nothing but grey tones, apart from her head scarf, belt and shoes; these, I decided to do red.

I did this, because as I was colouring her, I started thinking about the film Pleasantville, with Toby Mcguire and Reese Witherspoon. Where they wind up in a black and white land, and gradually, they bring colour to the people there...

I was also inspired from looking at (and doing my own) digital photography techniques, where a shot is taken, an object cut out, and the rest of the picture's saturation levels are reduced, until the rest of the picture is left in black and white, while the cut out area remains in colour.

Once she was complete, I stuck her onto a piece of white card, to give the image stability (it had originally been printed on paper) then cut out again. I took a standard card blank, and covered the front with generic, black card. I used a sizzix embossing folder set to emboss a panel, with flowers down one side, then used the other folder, to emboss an oval of both black and white card, with an all over flower pattern. I layered the panel onto the black, using double sided tape. I then added a strip of the same black card, added a strip of grey checked paper (my own creation on photoimpact) and added a band of red and white spotty ribbon, which I chose to compliment the spots on the stamp's head scarf. This was layered onto the card, just below half way down the surface. The black and white ovals were layered, and the digistamp added to these. I didn't have the correct colour doily, so took out my trusty promarker's once again, and changed the colour, from a washed out red, to one of a more vibrant hue. I placed the doily behind the image, slightly off center, then added bows; one to the side of the oval layers, and a smaller on onto the images hair, where it would tie together. I added a few ruby rhinestones to the flowers and the corners of the card to finish it off. I was really pleased with how it turned out in the end. See finished card below.

Promarker colours used:

Crimson

Chilli

carmine Red

Ice Grey 1,2,3 &5

Black

XOXO

Butterfly Rainbow

I've redone this as a seperate post

I made this butterfly card yesterday, when I had been hoping to make a card using my background designs (see previous post). But due to feeling rubbish, from a cold Virus, I made this card instead.

 I stuck to a simple butterfly card, made out of die cut butterfies, and a piece of card. I added a sentiment, and some, silver, paint pen details.

Butterly card, I used bog standard, white hammered card stock, scraps of coloured card to cut out the butterflies, then added silver paint pen, to the bodies, and created swirly flourishes. I added a simple, matted and layered, sentiment.

                                


                                 

XOXO

Back To Jane

Hey All.

 The other day, I posted about the background papers, that I designed. So today, I'm blogging about the first one I've used.

I printed out the image, and did a couple of the sheets, of the matching coloured papers too.

But first...

My plan was to make up a card yesterday, using them, but I'm currently in the midst of a cold virus. and therefore, didn't feel like making anything that involved thinking too much. 

However, due to my fibromyalgia, and the lack of sleep it often brings, I found myself, making my way down stairs, for a cup of tea. This in turn, had me 'just sitting' in my craft area...this then led to a finished card, using my background designs...and a very cold cup of tea.

But I was pleased with how it turned out.

One of the sets of papers I designed, was themed around the regency period, and inspired by the likes of Jane Austin.

I cut the background paper (though it was printed on card.)  and matted and layered it on the coordinating papers, that I made to match. I cut a frame for the sentiment, using a spellbinders die (but can't remember what it's called) in cream, green and latte (matching papers again) and layered them up, sticking them with Cosmic Shimmer glue. On the base part of the card, I added bands of the matching papers, then added a strip of red liner tape, which I used to create a glittery stripe, to add a bit of bling. I stamped the greeting on the latte paper, then heat embossed it, using WOW, gold embossing powder. I added it to the card, using foam tape, to add depth, then added the cream flowers, using a glue gun...

 (flowers are available in my little FB shop  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heart-Felt-craft-supplies/437897089700348)

...I added a couple of gems to the die cut flowers, and one each in all for corners, to bring it all together.

I love how the card turned out.

Finished card, using my own designed background papers.

Hope you liked the card, drop me a comment, if you like

Thanks for stopping by

XOXO

Tutorial step up

Ok, You all know that I hate talking on tutorials, right? 

I HATE the sound of my recorded voice, and quite frankly, I sound hideous!

But...

I have finally done a tutorial video with me talking...eeeeeeep.

I had no choice, lol.

I have shared a few of my digi stamps, over on Crafting Ladies, and had comment complementing my colouring, especially of the hair.

A lady commented, saying how she struggled with hair, and wondered how I had managed to get the hair so shiny.

I told her that I had only been colouring in such a way, for no more than five months. I also told her that I had simply watched youtube tutorials, and looked at lots of pictures, that I found on pinterest and FB.

Digi stamp in question.

This seemed to perplex  her a little, and she replied that she must have been looking in the wrong place. She told me she had never found any tutorials, within her personal searching, and had only thought hair to be complicated, and that surely, there was more to me learning than that..

So of course, me being me, I offered to do a hair tutorial, specifically on the digi stamp that she had commented on.

Because of the nature of the tutorial, I decided that I would have to break the habit of a lifetime...and speak.

I needed to be able to describe what I was doing, so set of into the unknown.

I cannot believe how nervous I was.

I also think I waffled on, and a lot of un-necessary dribble made it's way out of my mouth.

I filmed this tutorial, 3 times in total.

First attempt, failed, due to me failing on the camera angle, and missing out half of the image needed to see what I was doing.

Second attempt, didn't actually fail as such, there was nothing wrong with the video...except it was too big a file, to be able to upload to facebook. 

The third, and final attempt, filmed great (bar the addition of my voice).

But the file was STILL too big.

So I gave in, and decided to take the plunge and post it on my youtube channel.

The tutorial was only ever meant for a private FB group...Now it's up there, where everyone and their Aunt can now see it.

So I might as well share it on here too. 

Meh, surely it's not that bad.

Anyway, That's it from me for the moment. 

XOXO