Pass The Page Blog Hop, Bloggers' Weekend 2015

I was lucky enough to be invited to join a group of other bloggers and papercrafters for a weekend away, to meet up, chat, eat cake (of course!) and craft together.  

We went to the RAU at Cirencester and had a lovely big room to ourselves, for the whole weekend. Before we went, Julie of "JSquared" blog issued a challenge for a Pass The Page.  She sent someone a photo of a scrap page she had made, so that they could create their own page, using hers as inspiration.  That new page was then sent on to the next person in the chain, who did the same - and so on.  It's like a paper version of Chinese Whispers!  

I received a photo from Alison, of "Life in the Slow Lane" - I was number nine in a chain of eleven people.  Below you'll see the page I created, using Alison's lovely layout as inspiration.  

Photo by Keri-Anne Pink of Gingerlillytea Photography.  

The two little girls are my great nieces, on their summer holiday by the sea in Cornwall.  I loved the sunset colours, which inspired my choice of this orange ombre-style paper for the background. 

I passed my page on to Ruth. If you'd like to see what everyone made and follow the whole chain and its progress, go back to Julie's blog and follow the links all the way through! 

Frosty Festivities Blog Hop - Another Make to Share!

Hello! Welcome to my post, which is part of our "Frosty Festivities" Blog Hop.  Our theme is "Winter" and my contribution is below.

You should have landed here from Lisa-Jane's blog.  If you didn't come from there and you want to follow the whole Hop, then it started at Jennifer's blog (and it ends there too!). 

There is also a complete list of every blog, in order, just at the bottom of my post.

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Remember, if you follow the entire Hop and leave a comment after each person's post, go back to Jennifer's blog to let her know.

If you do, you'll be entered in the draw for a great prize of items from these two collections: Basic Grey Aspen Frost and Carta Bella Winter Fun items, worth over £25.
All entries must be received by Monday the 19th of November at 10.59pm GMT.

 * * *

Paper Drops Christmas Decorations

My previous post was instructions for making a string of little paper hearts:

 

 Of course, these could be made as Christmas Decorations too!

Pretty, eh? 

Do you see the little shapes in the middle of those banners?  Sort-of tear-drop or leaf shapes? 

I thought you might like to make some of these too.  They're simple and enjoyable to make and they look very effective, either hung individually,  or in a long string.

 

To Make the Decorations

 

You need a few paper strips.  Mine were about 8" long and 1" wide.

    

Fold each strip in half, as shown.  

Choose two strips that you think look nice together. 

Decide which will be the Inside strip and which will go on the Outside.

 Cut about 1/2" from Both ends of the Inside strip

so it will be 1" shorter than the other

Mark about 1/4" from the folded edge of each strip and make a hanging hole

(I used a tiny hole-punch, but you can use a big needle, an awl etc). 

 

On the Inside Strip, apply about 1/4" deep strip of glue to one end...

...and on one side in the centre.

Fold the strip and press the glued parts together.

 

Now apply glue to the Outside Strip, at Both ends and both parts of the middle, as shown.

Carefully fold the Outside Strip round the Inside Strip, with the cut ends together. 

Press the glued cut ends of the Outside strip onto the same (ie. cut) ends of the Inside strip, as shown.

Now, press the folds together...  

...then press the glued parts at the top as shown.

Gently push the ends in, to curve the strips and open them out... 

...so you get a nice curvy shape like this.

(try not to be too forceful when you push, or they end up wonky!)

 You can put a hanging loop on each shape, using a piece of thick thread, or fine ribbon.

These ornaments look pretty hung on their own.  They can be hung from the Christmas tree too.

Or you can make a long string, like this. 

Space the ornaments evenly - mine are about 4" apart.

I used a medium-weight linen thread to string them together.  

Lay the ornaments out as you go, to get the right spacing.  

Use a dot of glue over each hole, to secure the string in the right place

and prevent the ornaments sliding around.

 

Then hang them up somewhere where you can admire your work!

 

 

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I hope you enjoyed my post and fancy having a go at your own ornaments.  Why not combine them with some of the heart-shapes, for an interesting decorative banner?

 

* * *

Your next stop on the Blog Hop is Louise: www.scrapbook-me.blogspot.co.uk, so remember to "hop" over there - after you've left me a quick comment, of course - so you'll be entered in the prize draw!

This is the entire Blog Hop List, just in case you need it:

Jennifer

Abi

Daphne

Jacky

Jemma

Jenny

Jo B

Jo S

Julie

Kirsty

Lisa-Jane

Lizzie (you are here!)

Louise

Mel

Rinda

Sarah

Sian

Jennifer (don't forget to leave a comment, to let her know when you've been all the way round and left a comment on every blog!)

 

Pass The Page Blog Hop

Hello all Blog Friends,

The fabulous Julie, of Letting The Days Roll By (who I was lucky enough to meet at our Bloggers' Crafting Weekend last November!), came up with a really clever idea for a blog hop,  waaaaay back in September, to celebrate her up-coming birthday.  She thought it would be fun to have a game of "Pass the Page", so asked for people to sign up and join in.

Three months later, here we are, at the end of our list...  Everyone has had their starting-point picture (the previous person's page) and has created their own scrap page, using the photo as inspiration.  It seems ages since I did mine....

Here's a full list of people who are participating (Helen of Beacon Crafts doesn't have a blog yet, so she is a Guest on my post today!) :

Candace: wannabescrapbookaddict

Lea: finallyscrappin

Helen at Beacon Crafts in Sedgley
Lizzie: lizziemade (you're here now!)

Sian: fromhighinthesky

Clair: obstinatepursuit

Helen: craftimperfect

Alison: llife in the slow lane

Ginger: gingerslifeofspice

Jemma: Just-Jimjams

Lisa-Jane: Inside My Head

Deb Clark: Debisjoy

Alexa: trimming the sails

If you get lost - or if you've come in at my blog and want to follow from the beginning - go back to Julie's blog, or use the list above to find your place.

I have heard rumours of a prize draw, for those who have managed to complete the whole "Hop", leaving a comment at each page, so it's worth doing the thing properly!

If you are following the Blog Hop, you should have arrived here from Lea's blog. 

* * *

Helen's Page

I loved the bright colours on Lea's page, it was quite a busy design - not my style at all but none the less I liked it! 

 

I loved the flowers and bunting on Lea's so I decided to go with that.

I used one of my favourite photos which I had been meaning to scrap for ages !

I've loved taking part in pass the page and I can't wait to see all the finished results!

* * *

Lizzie's Page (that's me!)

The photo is my baby great niece, who was 7 months old. 

I made myself a "Scrapping Kit" from various papers and cardstock, which went with two die-cut circles that I had. Then I found this photo in my recent set from Photobox.

It just seemed to go well with the die cut and papers - and I already had the 2 crochet flowers, so I made this!

I am so pleased with it - it was very hard not to publish it on my blog for months!! I had to send a photo to my niece, with strict instructions to not publish it anywhere. 
  

The Materials:

Brown Cardstock - Do-Crafts, Die-Cut Circle "Truffles & Trees" - MLS, card for photo mat & patterned paper - K & Co., lettering - Sassafrass and Jenni Bowlin.
Concertina flower and crochet flowers - home-made, vintage buttons from my collection.

* * *

Thanks for visiting to see Helen's and My pages.  Your next stop is Sian, who makes such fabulous pages - I'm sure you are in for a treat and can't wait to see what she did with her photo of my page!

Ten on the Tenth - Top Ten Crafting Injuries

A post for my blogging, bookbinding and scrapping friends!

We all love to cut, stick, trim, punch, stitch, tear, layer, draw, write, plan, print, photograph and create. 
We all love to craft - especially with paper and fabrics.

But often, our dedication to our Craft can result in personal injury.

We all know the risks involved in our Crafts... yet we bravely go forth and create, regardless of the personal dangers...

Top Ten Crafting Injuries

10) Stubbing a toe on a box of crafting equipment - OW! (Observer Wince) Factor: 1/10

9) Pricking a finger on a sewing needle - OW! Factor: 3/10

8) Papercut... on fingertip - OW! Factor 3/10, on knuckle - OW! Factor 5/10

7) Dropping a box of equipment on your foot - OW! Factor 4/10

6) Banging your head on the desk, while picking up a dropped item - OW! Factor 5/10

5)  Burning fingers on heat tool - OW! Factor 6/10

4)  Trapping finger in die-cutter - OW! Factor 7/10

3) Cutting hand with craft knife - OW! Factor 8/10

2) Hair loss, due to frustration - OW! Factor 9/10

1) EARTHQUAKE!

Speaking from Personal Experience.... OW! Factor - 11/10!

For more 10 Things on the Tenth, see Shimelle's post today!

Blog Party Winners!

Well, I nearly forgot… to make the Draws for the Five Prizes from my Blog Party Pin-the-Tail-On-the-Donkey game!  I know I’m late and I’m sorry…

So, it got a bit complicated.  There are 45 comments on my Blog Party Post.  However, some of these were my response to the comments and one or two were from people who didn’t want to join in with the draw, but did want to comment….

I decided that if I drew a random comment which falls into those categories, I would draw again.  I hope no-one minds, but I just couldn’t cope with any mathematical gymnastics tonight!

Soooooo…. DRRRRRRRR (drum roll – yeah, I know, sad, but what can you do?); With the help of Random.Org and it’s great random number generator…

Prize Number One

The cute little Birthday Stamps

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 45
Result: 19

The Prize goes to Becky!   Congratulations to you, Becky.  Please get in touch to claim your prize.

Prize Number Two

The Pink Owl notebooks

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 45
Result: 45

The Winner is Beverly!  Last but not least, eh? Please send me your details, so I can let you have your prize.

Prize Number Three

Two Teeny Notebooks

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 45
Result: 18

The winner is Deb! Yay for DebTurtle!

Prize Number Four

The Christmas Bauble mini-scrapbook

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 45
Result: 5

Another winner… this time, it’s Nancy!  Well done you – let me know where to send your prize!

And Finally…

Prize Number Five

The pair of Pamphlet Notebooks

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 45
Result: 24

The final prize goes to…. Elizabeth!  Congratulations to you!  Send me your address and I’ll post your prize.

* * *

Some new Blog Friends are in the prize winners’ list.  I love blogging!

Please, all Prize Winners, send me an e-mail (lizziemade [at] aol [dot] com) with your Contact and Postal Details, so I can post your prizes to you ASAP!

A bit of Catching Up

Hello again, all Blog Friends – old and new!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything… I was busy telling you all about our family trip to London – still some of the story left to tell; I’ll post (the final) Part Three very soon. 

Before I carry on with that though, a bit of “housekeeping” and a little catching up on my last two or three hectic weeks… 

* * *

It’s been a very busy couple of weeks, since we got back from our London trip.  J. has been back at school for two weeks now.  D. has been at home, “in between contracts” and has been busy with various projects of his own.

I’ve been doing the usual juggling of household chores (housework, what’s that? I’ve no time for housework!!); trying to make sure the house isn’t too grubby for good health; that we all have clean clothes, towels and bed linen; that the pets are fed and watered, with clean homes/beds…  Then I’ve been taking my mum to her usual assortment of appointments – mainly nurse and dr. visits – helping her with a few jobs, keeping an eye on her. … and trying to make books – lots of them!
 
And, of course, there was the small diversion of a Blog Party to go to last weekend…

* * *

Blog Hop Prize Draw

Firstly, I forgot to put a Draw Date on my blog hop post.  I will make the draw for the Five prizes on Sunday evening, some time around 8pm (GMT).  I hope that will give anyone who’d like to join in, the time to read the post and leave their entry on the Comments.

* * *

Then there’s this:

Ships Photo Album

9”x6” Photo album - Front view

Back view

Binding view

This was a commission order, that I received from a friend on Tuesday morning.  She rather urgently wanted an album, in blue, with a ship design, that she could put photos in and give to someone as a present.

After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, discussing her requirements, I came up with this lovely ultramarine blue paper for the hinged edge and inside the covers, and the fabby travel design paper on the covers.  I also used the travel paper as guards/spacers round each pair of pages.  It added a bit of colour and interest to the bound edge of the book.

I spent a while trying to decide whether to make a Coptic stitched binding, or a Japanese-style stab-stitch, with hinged cover.  I decided that neither would allow room for expansion, which would be needed if photos were being put into the album.  It was to have between 20 and 40 pages, which is quite a lot for a photo album (a paper one anyway).

I decided to make a traditional tied binding, through two holes in the covers and pages, so set about making the album along those lines.  After a while, I worried that a cord tie would be tricky to use for such a thick book. 

A bit more thinking and I came up with these binding posts, which are used for scrapbook albums.  I had a set of K&Co album binding posts, which were brand new and shiny, so I used those;  even so, I’m not sure there is enough room in the album and I’m going to try and find some extra extension posts (I only have 1 extension and obviously need 2!!), which I’ll send on asap.

I was quite pleased to have this completed in two days (in amongst my various commitments for J. and my mum!).  It went off in the post yesterday, with guaranteed delivery by 1pm today.  I’m waiting to hear if she likes it (I hope!!).  Apart from my reservations about how thick it is and whether the posts are long enough, I am really pleased with this album.  I’d have liked just a little more time though, to spend on planning and binding, as it has a couple of small mistakes, which I wouldn’t have made, if I had been able to take more time over it.  But it isn’t too “imperfect” and overall is quite a nice book!

(smiles broadly )

* * *

Going a bit further back in the calendar…

I did my first ever “Craft Fair” last Saturday.  A local lady organised an Art and Crafts Exhibition in the Village; this was the second year that she has done this.  Last year I saw her advert, but didn’t think I would have enough stock for a stall, so I chickened out…

When we went to see the exhibition, there were people with little teeny card tables, on which they were displaying their work.  Even I could’ve filled one of those, so this year I phoned as soon as I saw the advertisement (before I lost my nerve) and booked a table, to have a Handbound Book stall.
 
I also booked a large table to be used by our Scrapbooking Club, so we could give demonstrations and try to drum up a few more members. 


We were lucky enough to be given 3 notice boards and a small table to display stuff on – some of our work.


Two Scrappers hard at work!

My Stall

I spent the two or three weeks leading up to the sale working flat-out to make books to sell.  The organiser thought I should have plenty of lower priced items, since she thought that people would not have a lot to spend.  So I made quite a few of my pamphlet-style notebooks, to sell in pairs; also a number of sets of covered note-pads (ready-made tablets of note paper, on which I put nice “policeman style” flip over covers). 

I made a couple of bigger books too:-


A large Album/ Sketchbook, covered with lovely collage-style paper.  Japanese-style stab-stitch binding in red linen.  Contains ten hand-torn pages of heavy-weight watercolour/print paper, with folded spacers.  Measures 11^1/4” x 8^1/4”


A Journal or Sketchbook, covered with “Pens” paper, with a navy silk quarter binding. Contains 50 pages of sketch paper.  Measures 8^1/4” x 6^1/4”.

So the Big Day Dawned:


My stall, all set out and ready for Business!

I didn’t actually sell a great deal.  I made £24 of sales, which means I covered my costs, but no  more.  There just were not enough people coming through – and many who did come were not really spending any money, they were just there to look at the crafts on display.

However, I think it was still worthwhile, as now a lot of people locally know that I exist.  Quite a few took my business card away with them and some took my phone number.  A few stopped to chat and seemed interested – maybe I will get some orders from them later.

And, of course, the experience was good for me; planning, making, packing, pricing, presentation of books and the stall, putting together a portfolio album, just getting it all sorted out and experiencing a sale – even if a small one.  I may do it again – perhaps at a slightly bigger venue.  It wasn’t a waste of a day, but useful experience. I am glad I took the plunge and did it!

* * *

That’s a quick summary of the last couple of weeks in “Lizzie Land”.  Lots of other things have happened, but now they’ve gone by, it doesn’t seem a good idea to drag them back up again – nothing of much significance in the Great Scheme of things! 

I will post about London soon – probably tomorrow! 
G’night All…