Are we nearly there yet? Recipe Book

Hello Crafters

The question is for the Christmas Craft Fairs.  I feel I have been making things for these Fairs forever and yet keep thinking that I do not have enough stuff yet, nor have I finished some of the projects I intended to have done.  Then to top it all off I suddenly realised that I had yet to make a sign for my stall!!!! Eeeeeeek!!  I left my Hubby this morning painting a canvas, varnishing 4 cork coasters (had planned to do more and even bought a  new ink pad to do purples ones!), as well as making a display board (your fault LLJ!), and if he had time after going to Cardiff to register his car (had to have "different" number plates transferred) he was to carry on decorating the dining room!  Poor thing. 

However, one of the projects that has been on my desk for what seems like an eternity is this one......

I wanted to make a Recipe book using my Cupcake die as the front decoration. 

As you can see it has glitter and glimmer mist.....

And I could not resist using the mini Cupcakes on the reverse of the book.

Inside I have put pockets in there to act as dividers and also any snippets of paper can be held in there.

If it doesn't sell on the weekend, I know just who I will probably give it to for Christmas.  I must just hope she doesn't see this post, but as I know she doesn't go on a computer other than for work, then chances are she won't!!  Even the base of the cupcake is recycled... Thanks Coffee #1.  They are the corrugated card sleeves that go round your cup so you don't burn your fingers.  Perfick for this project!!

Off to play with some candles, cards and price tickets now.  I might even see if there are any chocolates left over after I have finished filling the tree boxes!  For quality purposes you know!!

See ya soon!

Hettie

Something non-Christmassey

Hello Peeps

Well today is the first Sunday in Advent.  Wow!  Where did that last 11 months go?!  It will be time for the Advent Calendar on Thursday but does anyone remember a time when they did not contain chocolate?  I used to love opening the windows on my Advent Calendar and getting excited as to what picture was in there but not these days.  Kids wouldn't get excited about Advent Calendars which did not contain chocolate in them.  I do still have the last one I had as a child (I am still a child I know!!).  It is a little delicate now but I still get it out and hark back to the days when toys and gadgets were not run from electricity!

Right! Rant over.  Here is why I am posting tonight.

My Buddy Rachel is expecting her second child next month and she left work on Friday on maternity leave.  As we know that she is having a second daughter, I set about making her a small album in which she can either put photos of the new baby in or of both girls. 

This is a Sizzix die which I bought some time ago when Sizzix had a sale (and when even with the postage it was worth ordering).  I cannot for the life of me work out why it has taken so long for me to use this die.  I love it. 

As Rachel's little girl was poorly on Friday we did not get to go for lunch with Rachel so a few of us are meeting up tomorrow for lunch and I will give her this album.  It has become a tradition now that I make small albums for new babies that are born.  I have punched out a few spare butterflies so that she can pop them in once she has put the photos in.

I hope Rachel and Hubby like it. 

Thanks for looking and please feel free to leave me a comment.

Have a great week and Keep Crafting!!! (Can't believe they booted Anita out tonight! :-()

TTFN

Hettie

Ingredients:-

Die Sizzix; Cardstock Bazzil; Patterned paper, DI Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain; Stamps - Tim Holtz; Punches Martha Stewart; Ribbon Hobbycraft; Embossing Powders.

Grungy Monday 28 - It's a Cracker!!

Sorry Guys - I couldn't resist the title!

Well, here we are today on a miserable windy day in November and the race towards Christmas is galloping away.  Scrary thought for today is that it is now less than a month to Christmas!! Yikes!!

After having a few days to think about this week's Grungy Monday Challenge set by the Lovely Linda over at 3Ls and having gone to the post on the Tantalising Tim Holtz's blog, I woke up this morning with the intention of completing the challenge before I set out to my Scottish Dancing class this afternoon (and before I was even dressed for some of it but we won't go into that!) and here it is.  I hope you like it!

Those of you who have visited before will have seen some crackers that I have made using my Silhouette.  Well each Christmas Hubby and I buy each other a small gift, both in value and size, which will fit in a cracker which we open at the Dinner table on Christmas Day.  We don't buy those expensive crackers as the gifts are usually a bit naff and end up in the bin and so I usually  make some sort of crackers.  When I was making the other crackers I thought that these would be great for our table. 

With this challenge were were to cover something with the foil tape and then alcohol ink.  Tim used a fab pumpkin, I have used a cracker. 

I cut out the cracker on the Silhouette with bazzill (twice as the first one went walkabout as it was cutting - grrr!), then cut the foil to size and run it through the Big Shot with an embossing folder (my neighbour's daughter bought me this one as this is the one she and I used to make her Wedding Stationary - isn't it gorgeous!).  I stamped the diamond stamp up the edges and embossed with a white sparkly embossing powder then masked with post-it notes and stamped my lovely flourish stamp and embossed with silver embossing powder. 

Then I inked up the foil with a mixture of Wild Plum, Espresso, Snow Cap, Cool Peri and Rich Black alcohol inks and a little blender.  I carefully peeled off the backing from the foil and adhered it to the cracker.  Then I cut out the leaves using foil tape and card (stupidly I cut the leaves out of the foil before I had adhered it to the card!! Doh!!).  Then I used Clover, Juniper and Citrus alcohol inks to colour the leaves. Hubby and I spent yesterday evening making pine cones (and swearing! Those glue guns hurt!) so I used one of those and adhered them on with glossy accents.

A little black and white ribbon and glimmer mist on the pine cone and hey presto one cracker.  Now I just have to make another one in a colour more suited to Hubby for the Dinner table!  I might even make another two more so that they actually match the Christmas table!!  I may put a gift voucher in this one for my Mum :-)

Right, off to shower and get ready for my dancing lesson.  I am lucky enough to have a friend picking me up so I don't even need to drive. 

Stay warm and healthy and in this wind, upright!!

Please leave me a comment.  Love comments.  When I come back I shall have a look at the other Grungy Monday entrants to see what inspiration I may get.  It truly is worth going and seeing what the other participants do in these challenges.  There are alot of talented peeps amongst them!

TTFN

Hettie

P.S.  Alcohol ink on your PJs is not the "In" look - trust me on this one!!

Happy Rudolph Day!!

Hi Guys and Gals

It is the 25th of November so according to my friend Sandra it is Rudolph Day!!  Yeay!  Only one more month to the big Day!!  Or Yikes!! 

Here is my card which I have made to celebrate the day.....

It was before midnight (just) when I started this posting to I just about qualify for Rudolph Day!!

You may spot that I have used the lovely new Lamp post die here.  I bought it because I thought it would be useful for my Prague layouts too.  It is not just for Christmas you know.  The Bingo folder is having its first outing tonight too, depsite having it for absolutely ages.  I used the brayer technique to colour the embossed images.  Ink a brayer up with ink and then gently run it over the top of the embossing.  It is so much cleaner inking than using the inkers.  Wish I had discovered it before. 

The DIs used are Barn Door and Forest Moss.  The ribbon came from Wilkinsons!!  Yep!  3 yards for only £1!!  Bargain so it "fell" into my basket!!

Well, think I will clear a few more bits of my desk before retiring to bed.  I finished my handbags and I will show you in the next day or two. 

TTFN and thanks for looking.  Have a great crafty weekend!!

Hettie

WOYWW 129 - A Haaandbaarg!!!

Sorry guys - I was trying to say it like in The Importance of Being Ernest!!

Happy .... Hump Day or WOYWW or Wednesday whichever you would like it to be.  Today's the day when a lorra Crafters show off their desks on their blogs and all link in to the Desk Jockey - Julia Dunnit. 

Here's mine......

And here is Supervisor Monkey in the hot seat......

BTW - when Mandy was up at the weekend, she reminded me where I got this lovely stamp from, it was Hobbycraft and it was half price!  Now I know why I really like it!!  If you are lucky you might be able to get one. 

The lickle handbags are little gift bags in the making for my Craft Fairs which are only next week - eeeeeeek!  These I just have to put some velcro spots on the flaps and add a decoration of some sort on to the fronts.  There are little gift tags hanging from each of them, which you cannot see from here.

If you take a look at the last few posts you can see some of the other stuff I have made.  On the left corner of my desk I have some more pillow boxes cut out ready to put together as well as some more of the little square cubes which need to be stamped, acetate windows put in and then assembled.  For the assembling you need at least three if not four hands.  Monkey has tried but he has no working thumbs!!

I am really starting to panic about the Craft Fairs as I do not have many cards ready yet but hopefully by the weekend I will have finished the boxes so I can sit down just to do cards.

Off to work, Dancing and then I will try and catch up with you all later today or in the week.

Whatever you are doing have a lovely Crafting week and keep warm and away from these nasty bugs that are going around.    Don't forget to pop over to Julia's once you have kindly left me a message!

TTFN

Hettie

Frosty the Snowman Book is finished.

Hello there Peeps.  Don't feint - I know it is two posts on consecutive days but........ If you must know I haven't been in work today and yesterday as I took a couple of days off!  Back to work tomorrow though!

Remember this on my desk recently?

I finished it off today so it is in the box ready for the Christmas Fair which is now only next week - eeeeek!

Here it is.............

It appears to have little yellow specs on the photos, but I assure you they is a gold shimmer over the whole book with Glimmer Mist though you cannot see that I am afraid.

Here is the back of it........

Hope you like it.  I loved doing this one and am loving the papers I used.  So much, in fact, I may just make one for myself!!

Better get on and tidy my desk now ready for the weekly WOYWW inspection tomorrow!!

 

TTFN

Hettie

What a busy day yesterday was!!

Hello there Peeps

My friend Mandy came up to my Craft Room yesterday and we sat like busy lickle beavers working away on Christmas crafting.  I was supposed to be making cards but I did not get round to making one!  However, I managed to finish the two pink mini books that were on my desk last week, and I all but finished the blue album too (had to leave it alone for stickles and enamel to dry without sticking my thumbs in them before they dried - oops!!). 

Once I finished those I started to think about the boxes I wanted to make.  Here is the first one....

A bit fiddly trying to get the acetate to stick and manhandle them but I really like these.  I think it would be better if I had the patience to let them dry properly before trying to fold them into shape!!!!  Patience Missey!!

Here is number 2........

I really like these.  I can see me making more of these for my stall and for Christmas presents for family.

But my favourine ones are these..........

I really enjoyed making these and who can resist a cracker?  I ended up cutting out another 5 of these (including two minature ones) once Mandy had left. 

So all in all, a good day was had by all, though Mandy was left very much to herself as I was trying to get as much done as I could.  I am so sorry Mandy if I neglected you but I know you did have fun cutting out various embellishments using my dies!!    And I did feed you with some lovely home made Brownies!!  Mmmmmnnnnnn! 

Right guys, off to finish decorating all the other boxes that I cut out last night.  Those Craft Stalls are getting closer at a galloping pace!! Yikes!!!

Hope you all had a productive weekend and are not having this yukkey weather that we are having in South Wales. 

TTFN

Hettie