Cuttlebug Embossing Folder Storage

Over the years I've collected quite a few cuttlebug embossing folders and have struggled to find an efficient way to store them. I mean, I initially bought one of those bag things cuttlebug sold but I found it far too heavy and clunky and it didnt seem to store all that much considering its size and weight.

So... I decided to try out some of my pockets from Kaisercraft that I've been using to store my acrylic stamp and was ever so surprised to find that two folders fit side by side in each bag which means I coud see everything I own at a glance (with the cuttlebug system the back ones need to either be labelled or pulled out to see what they are). Heres whqt mine looks like ...

I've comfortably fit 12 bags (or 24 embossing folders) into my folder and I'm pretty sure it could fit another two easily before the folder refused to sit flat.

Finally, I've decorated it all so it looks pretty on my shelf ...

I used the kaisercraft folder for mine and found it perfect for the job although I did find that I needed to score/sand the cover first for the glue to adhere successfully as it had a bit of a shine to it.

Sharon

Altered Twidleybitz Book

Recently I went to one of my all time favourite bands who were in concert here in Australia!! I've been listening to them for a very long time so it was amazing to see them live.

The band are a pretty amazing and very humble group who promised all their fans that they would remain afterwards to meet and sign autographs for everyone willing to wait for the chance.

Of course, I had to wait and for it I got my photo taken with the lead singer Stephen Christian who I adore even more now.

To commemorate the occasion though, I created this altered book with my signed ticket and photo inside it ...
I began by papering the entire cover with scraps of patterned paper, some of which I had rolled the edges on. Next, I added sections of Gesso then polished everything down with a ragged piece of muslin that I had dyed with drops of a ochre and brown fabric dye. I then tore that strip into pieces to form the bows on the binding rings.

Here's what the inside pages look like ...

I decided to cut a section out of the centre of one of the pages to show both sides of my ticket since the band all signed the back of it. I covered each side with a piece of acetate so that my ticket was trapped inside a protective window but unfortunately the front reacted a bit to the glue I used - I guess its just another reminder of why we should always copy everything.

Finally, here are a few close-ups of some of the details that I put on the front cover.

Sharon

Stamped Card

I had a great afternoon today - working on this card, just for the fun of it. It wasn't made for anyones birthday or a celebration, just for me to make a little something special for myself.I used a chipboard gate {available from Scrappit} as the centre piece of my card then built around it. Here is a closer photo of each side -

There was a lot of detail on the front but I love having the scenes so I also added that on the inside so that when the gates are opened I could see more -

I hand painted a piece of watercolour paper to create the background of this inside section then stamped and coloured the tree and the girl.

Sharon

Travel Diary and Luggage Tags

I wanted to pop in to share some crafting I have been doing this week. Firstly, I created a set of luggage tags to put on my bags when I fly out for a holiday next month. Here is the front of one of the tags -


While here is the back of the same tag, I intend to write my details inside the brackets -


My biggest issue now isn't whether I can find my luggage at the airport turnstile, it's going to be whether my tags are hardy enough to survive two flights!
I also created a travel diary to take with me. Here is the front cover -


I used a cheap blank page notebook for the base and covered it in papers then continued to decorate from there. Here are some of the inside pages -








My album contains pages cut into steps as well as three pocket pages to store memorabilia!
Sharon

Time To Say . . .

For those of you who have been customers of Scrappit for a while you might know that I've been on the Scrappit Design Team for quite some time - since January 2003 infact!

Scrappit has undergone a number of changes over the years - from new owners, to new Design Team Members BUT I personally have loved each & every moment of being a member!  At the time I joined the team I was a Stay-At-Home Mum and aside from the duties that go along with that, I lived & breathed scrapbooking.  If I wasn't actually scrapbooking, I was browsing the web looking at products OR finding ideas OR participating in forums & sharing my own ideas. My work through Scrappit gave me the confidence to submit and be published in a wide range of papercrafting magazines over the years and I even spent 6 months on a Design Team for one of them too.  To say that I lived and breathed scrapbooking was probably an understatement - *grin* 

With time though, comes change and one of the major changes in my life has been the fact that I've gone back into the workforce this year in my professional role as a Kindergarten Teacher.  It's only 1 day a week but as everyone who is in a teaching role knows, you end up putting in more hours into the job than what you get paid for.  Ontop of this, I also listed myself for relief teaching - something which I've been doing a lot of since we returned from our recent 5 week holiday to Tasmania!  As you can imagine  I'm spending much of my so called 'free time' getting things organised at home before the next day/week rolls around.   There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day!  Not surprisingly, at the moment my crafting supplies tend to spend much of the week sitting idle.
 

So, this comes to the point of this post and you've probably guessed where I'm heading with this anyway . . . this isn't a decision I have taken lightly - Scrappit has been such a big part of my life for the past 8 years BUT the time has come for me to say goodbye and resign as a member of the Scrappit Design Team.

I would like to thank everyone at Scrappit for their friendship, support, encouragement & inspiration over the years . . . I hope that I am able to continue the many friendships that I have developed with so many of you into the future!

For those who may be interested, I will be continuing to blog - yes I know it's a little out of date at the moment BUT I will get back to it and share some of my life and my creativity a little more regularly . . . I'd love for you to stop by and keep in touch - http://shirleyfyfe.typepad.com/

So, before I sign off on my last Scrappit Design Team Blog post, I would like to take the opportunity to share one last papercrafting creation with you . . .

This particular card has been adapted from one that my dear friend Jan showed my local crafting group how to do.

The background features an embossed image that has been heavily inked with Tim Holtz Distress Inks and then mounted onto a black greeting card.  I had thought about adding a hand stitched - yep, you know what I'm like with my hand stitching  - LOL - but I decided to just leave it as it was - I think you call that restraint don't you?  LOL

The butterflies have been triple punched and mounted on top of one another - I can't take credit for the idea, but I do love the layering effect!

I decided to lightly ink each of the layers to give them a somewhat rustic feel to tie them into the background, before each butterfly was finished off with a little bling strip down the centre of the body.

Simple ideas but I think they work well together!

Well - there you have it . . . my very last post on the Scrappit Blog!

Thank-you everyone for your friendship and inspiration . . . and to Paula & the Scrappit Design Team - I wish you every success into the future . . .

Shirley

http://shirleyfyfe.typepad.com/

Motivational Monday

Well - here we are at another Monday - I don't know if it's just me OR do you find that they seem to come around so very quickly too?  No sooner does one week begin then another is just around the corner!

I recently set about prioritising a number of unfinished papercrafting projects that I have sitting around and that I'd like to get completed - let me assure you that there are quite a few of them!  I'm not sure why I didn't finish them at the time BUT none-the-less, I can finally say that I have finished this one!

This page is one for my 'Macro Album' - an album which focusses on a large selection of macro photos that I thoroughly enjoy capturing.  I particularly love the detail that has been captured in this bee and the pollen on the flower - apologies for the indifferent colour - the colours are a little more harmonious in real life!

I've actually printed the photo of the bee twice - once in a 4 x 6 size and again in a 5 x 7 size.  I then simply added some double-sided tape to the reverse of the smaller image and adhered it over the larger one to create some added dimension and size to the overall image.

So - what have you been up to with your Papercrafting?  Do you have unfinished projects that you need to get completed too?  I'd love to hear what projects you have stashed away and that still need completing!  I'll be back next week to share another of the projects that is on my To Do List and that I have promised myself that I WILL get completed!

Have a great week!

Shirley
Scrappit Design Team Member

Easter Gift Giving

Here's a quick Easter Gift Giving idea!

Take a half 12 x 12 sheet of double-sided pattern paper and score a line horizontally through the centre.  Also score 4 diagonal lines to create two triangles - please see the diagram below.  Punch small holes in the four corners.

I find it easiest to decorate the front triangle before going any further, although you may like to leave this step to do once you have filled and tied your Gift Box.

Fold in half & tuck the sides of the box inwards - hold gently and fill with your chosen chocolate or confectionary - don't overfill though!  Thread through a co-ordinating ribbon and tie to enclose your goodies!

So very simple BUT so versatile because you can make them any size you like!

Happy Easter!

Shirley
Scrappit Design Team Member

October 'ScrappIt Now' Kit

The gorgeous October ' ScrappIt Now' Kit has been released!

This month our 'ScrappIt Now' Kit features the Restoration Collection from Crate Paper!  Click on the link to find a complete listing of everything you'll receive in this most gorgeous kit!

As is always the case with any of our kits, there are only a limited number available, so if you'd like to get your hands on this particular one, I urge you to be quick!

Why not order your October 'ScrappIt Now' Kit today?

Stay tuned for the release of the October 'ScrappIt Now' Newsletter with a gorgeous selection of creative projects by Design Team Members - Sharon Jeffs & Shirley Fyfe, coming soon!

September 'ScrappIt Now' Newsletter

The September 'ScrappIt Now' Newsletter has been released and inside you will find a gorgeous array of creative projects from Design Team Members - Penny Ash & Sharon Jeffs - that are sure to spark your creative ideas using this months fantastic 'Echo Park' kit!

Why not head of over and download your copy today?

Also - make sure you take a browse around the new look Scrappit website whilst you are there too . . . I'm thinking I need to go and check out those Copic Markers! *grin*

2 Crafty - Christmas Cards

I always love to get a bit of a jump on my Christmas Cards and when I saw these cute 2 Crafty Retro Christmas Trees - I knew that they would be perfect to use on a couple to use later this year!

Both the cards I made features pattern paper leftover from a 6 x 6 Basic Grey paper pad that I picked up last year and used for most of Christmas Cards in 2009.

As usual, I couldn't resist adding a little hand stitching to define the inside of the pattern paper printed frame.

On the second tree I used my Lyra Aqua Colours and my water brush to colour the tree green and once dry, I simply added some cream KaiserCraft Pearls to decorate some of the branches.

Here's a little close-up of the second card too!

If you haven't taken a peak at the terrific range of 2 Crafty products that Scrappit has in stock, make sure you do - I can't wait to get creative with the Corner Flower Sprays & the Birds in a Tree sets that I recently purchased too!