Where flowers bloom...

I've used one of my most favourite quotations to make another maze book page.  It works really well with the May sketch on The Sketch File - it's such a short quotation, but I hope that by putting the words in a column it focuses the attention on the words, with the decorative bits being secondary - if that makes any sense!

.I printed the quotation straight onto the paper then lined up a lacy edged scalloped circle to get the words in the right place.  The second circle is the ring of flowers and the rectangles on the sketch are used for the ribbons and bow and the author.

Materials and Tools:

Papers: MME Indie Chic "Ginger"

Seam Binding in 2 colours (I glued 2 lengths together for the wider piece)

Spellbinders Lacy Circles die set

Various wired flowers

Flat backed pearls in cream and pale pink

I made a flowery facing page using the same papers for some of the flowers

 Materials:

 Some flower cut with Craft Robo from the MME papers

 Small Prima flowers,

 leaf trim, green tiny ric-rac braid,

yellow gems and some Liquid Pearls

Broken China Distress Ink 

If you wander over to the Sketch File BLOG there are now a few weeks' worth of projects using this month's sketch to see - I hope you'll feel inspired to join in and make something to share with us there.

Thank you for visiting today, please come back soon

It's Amazing - part 2

Just a quick blog post before I head off to tackle my "to-do" list. Just when I thought I was on top of it, I remembered some other stuff I hadn't actually noted down - maybe I was just conning myself into thinking I didn't have toooooo much on that there list!


Anyway, Thursday is my day on the Bubbly Scrumptious e-mag (blog for the Bubbly Funk online shop), and I've been filling up the pages in the Christmas maze book I made last week. The September Kit from Bubbly Funk is based around the MME "Colourful Christmas" collection and as always Caroline has worked hard to find all sorts of extra bits and pieces to add into the kit and make it such fun to work/play with.

What with a Bank Holiday last Monday and sorting out the house and guest room ready for MIL's visit at the weekend there's not been as much crafting time available as usual. I've managed to do something on all the pages in the book, but tbh some of them need a little bit more work before they are properly finished. I've not done the back cover or made the tags for the hidden pockets either, so this project will run another week!

As you can see from the photo above, it's already getting quite fat! That's why I always make a good 5cms or so gap between the covers with the ribbon that attaches it all together - the book ends up more of a cube shape in the end!

I love having hidden or extra bits to open within my books and this one is no exception - this photo shows a little book inside the book. I'm not very good at planning what's going inside my books - I usually just have a vague theme in mind (some would say I have a vague mind, actually lol), so my books just sort of grow by themselves! That could be why adding little booklets or fold-outs becomes necessary, but they are fun to find inside the pages, I think.
That's my excuse anyway!

You can find the photos of the pages, and info on how I made them and what I used HERE,
I really hope you like it
Right, to work with me....
Thanks for visiting

It's Amazing

Such a Bad Blogger I've been this week!

Just having one of those times when there's more to do than there is time to do it - you'll all know what I mean, I'm sure.

Anyway, one of the things I've been doing is starting a new project with the September Bubbly Funk Kit (it's in the shop now and it's lush!), and as it's Thursday the first part of it is up on Bubbly Scrumptious as of about 5 minutes ago.

Although Maze Books are one of my most favourite kinds of mini book, and I've made loads of them - some are listed in the Labels section in the sidebar, I've never made one specifically for BubScrump, This gorgeous "Colourful Christmas" Kit is just perfect for a maze book project so that's what I'm making and sharing over the next couple of weeks.


Despite the name this collection isn't so overtly “Christmassy” that you can’t use them for other occasions or projects, so even if you don’t want a Christmas or Winter themed little book, you can still use this kit to make a cute and clever little book for whatever purpose you want.

This week I'm showing how I made my basic book and covers and hopefully by next time, I'll have finished decorating the inside and can share that too - I need to make my mind up as to what to put in there first though! lol



You can find the first part of this project HERE, I hope you'll join in and have a go at making one of these Maze Books, they're really not difficult but they are rather addictive and once you've made one, you won't be able to stop!

Apologies for the poor photos one of the bulbs blew in our little photo studio and replacements haven't arrived yet. plus I took them before the Stickles and Glossy Accents had dried so those bits look a bit murky!

Anyway, thanks for visiting, Please leave a message if you can, it's so lovely to read them and to see where you all come from :)

In the Box

A couple of weeks ago I made a little box using the soon-to-be-released April kit from Bubbly Funk. Today on Bubbly Scrumptious, the shop's own emag/blog I'm sharing the cards I've put in it.
I loved making these, the papers in the kit are so easy to use and the chipboard and ribbons etc work really well with them. I had great fun going through my other stash to find bits that I could also integrate. I think these are going to be a new favourite in my collection.

You can see more photos of these cards, and notes on how I made them on Bubbly Scrunptious and there are loads of other fab projects to explore on there too. Hope you like them.


I've been a tad busy this week and not managed to do much blogging - so still have these last few pages from Izzy's maze book to share: And finally we get to the back cover! Hope you've enjoyed visiting my blog and will come again soon

All About Izzy

I was trying to think of a title for this post when I realised that both these projects have something to do with our niece Izzy, who was 15 last weekend.

She's the one I made the maze book for and I've got more of the pages from that to show today. The other project is a photo frame/board/hanging thingie (technical term lol) I made using stuff from the Bubbly Funk March kit, along with some of my stash.
The stripey and the animal print papers were part of the March kit - I've found it fun to mix the kit stuff in with my own stash - opens out a load of possibilities for all sorts of projects.
The Izzy connection is of course the baby photo - just look at that frilly little bundle - she was like a little doll! Now she's rarely seen out of her riding gear and spends most of her non-school hours at the stables.

I used lots of chipboard and fake chipboard to make this, the photo frame itself is an acetate pocket and the photo is adhered to a tag so a different picture can be inserted for a change.
The non-kit papers are from the Baby Powder collection from Imaginisce.

More pages from Izzy's maze book:



All for now
Have a lovely weekend

Chic Chick

Over on Bubbly Scrumptious - which just in case you don't already know (lol) is the blog for the Bubbly Funk online craft shop and stuffed full of ideas and inspiration just like any of your favourite magazines - its my turn to add a little something to the store of projects.

If you popped by last Thursday you may recall the Bella Bella Box (April kit)I'd been making, and that I said that this week I'd share the contents. Well, I've not actually made them yet (ooops!) - because I got diverted again by the March kit instead.
I realised that Easter is coming and that some of the "Small Wonders" in the kit would be perfect to use for Easter cards.

This is my Vintage Chick (vintage chic - get it? hehe) card

and of course it has to be joined by Chippie Chick (or Hippie Chic)


I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist the play on words, I do love a pun even really bad ones like these make me chortle!

I've a feeling I'll be dipping into the March box of tricks quite often in the future as there are lots of those little things that will be useful for all sorts of cards. In fact, I was even inspired to make a Man's card (and you know how I hate making those, don't you?) using a couple of the great die-cuts that I found in there and mixing them in with some of my own stash.

And, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know, there's even another pun to go with it!


I was sooooo busy yesterday that I didn't get to load more pics from the Bloom & Grow Maze book, so here are the first batch of pages.



The wonderfully talented Beckie Dreyer has just relaunched her lovely BumbleberryCrafts forum - and there will be kits to follow soon too. She's got a fab LO tutorial on there all about using the paper you have left over after cutting a circle from it for another page/project. Now this is not a patch on what Beckie's done, but I did use the circle I punched to make the photo holder in the 2nd pic to make the tag on the 3rd pic. Only drawback is that I then had to cut a white circle to cover the tag with - so I now have a white "hole" left over.
hmmm, that didn't really go as planned, did it?

Bloom & Grow Maze Book

I wanted to make something extra to go with what we'd already got for niece Izzy's birthday present - my first thought was to make a notebook, but then the naughty little fairy who lives in my head and likes to see me panicking about getting things finished in time said
"ooooh, it's a long time since you made a maze book. Why don't you make a maze book? You've got a whole day and a bit of one - that's plenty of time even for you.....Go on, make a maze book - look at these lovely papers you've already got sitting on your desk. Wouldn't they make a fab maze book?....Go on, you know you want to...."

The bad fairy won and I started to make a maze book - and finished it only because I won some extra time by taking Izzy's card and prezzie over the day after her birthday - she was way too busy on the actual day to spend time with her doting Auntie!

I still had the whole pack of fab Bloom & Grow papers (My Mind's Eye) out after making my DCM card - I love these papers and they were just perfect for this project

Here's the front cover (click for a closer look)












This is a quick look at the inside

These are the tags tht hide in the secret pockets

Tomorrow I'll add photos of the inner pages.

Hope you like it

A Maze Book for Ellie

BF Fundraising Auction for the Ellenor Wiseman Trust
- check what's on offer, and find out how to bid here
For more information on Ellie see here



I've finally finished the maze book I've been making for the Bubbly Funk Fundraising Auction (as mentioned in the message header above)
The book has space for adding little photographs, some hidden behind little doors fastened with ribbon etc. There's space for adding the journalling or messages to go with the photos, some on tags peeping out from little pockets. There are also three extra tags which are in hidden pockets within the structure of the book.
I used Basic Grey's gorgeous "Two Scoops" paper pad to make this one, and of course, lots of ribbons, fibres, blossoms and other bits and pieces. it's turned out quite a fat little book!
Here are the photos of the finished maze book, I hope people like it enough to place bids on it! Please check out all the things on offer at the auction, the links are above, with info on how to get involved - there's not long left to make bids one all the fab stash and the wonderful handmade items on offer as all bids must be received by Caroline by 7pm Monday 3 March 2008 - that's tomorrow! Which reminds me that I haven't placed my own bids yet!

I've Been Making Stuff

I may not have been blogging that much, but I have been busy trying to catch up on my crafty "to do list" so here's the first round up of some of the things I've been making.

Last week I showed the card I made for Rosie's "special" birthday but I wasn't too happy with a couple of bits on it, so I did some tweaking before I sent it. It was only a teeny weeny change but I liked the card much better once it was done.

I used: WRMK Vintage Brass Papers, Glossy Accents, Prima flowers, brads, Cuttlebug flower & pot die




I only put a couple of sneak peeks of the front cover of the maze book I made last week, so here's the full view.

I used BG Colour Me Silly papers throughout, plus scraps of Bazzill card and loads of ribbons and fibres from my stash. I read that BG are discontinuing these papers, which is a shame as it's such a fun, cheerful range - I like some of the new stuff, but it all gets a bit same-y, don't you think? They seem to be dropping the really vibrant, textural ones that I go back to time and time again.

I'm busy with a few commissions at the moment. This one is for another of those Ladies with names beginning with "J" who are celebrating their 60th birthdays around now - J must have been the most popular initial for names 60 years back - this is the 3rd I've done in the last month.
I used: BG 2 Scoops Papers, Various flowers, including a chipboard one, Cuttlebug scallop flowers die, beads & Glossy Accents, ribbon from Ribbon Oasis

Daring Cardmakers Team member Saffa is now on "maternity leave" having given birth a couple of weeks ago to twin girls Zaynab and Tasneem. Her crafty creations have always been wonderful and no doubt these latest two are even more beautiful! This is the card I made to welcome them to our world.

I used: Blonde Moments papers, chipboard flowers from Bubbly Funk, Cuttlebug scallop flowers die, Craft Robo for letters, Krylon silver pen, Ribbon from Ribbon Oasis

And lastly for today a few Valentines cards. These will go in the box on Hubby's desk. He tells me "they won't buy pink" so I've done a couple of less obviously girly ones to see if they like those better!
I used for these two: paper from BG Scarlet's Letter paper pad, Cuttlebug heart die, ribbon from stash

Mixed the pink with some red and used up the last of a sheet of cute paper I bought last year for these two - I forget what it is though. The 2nd card uses more of the UTEEd hearts I made for last week's DCM Red & White dare.