Graphic Christmas Cards

I must confess to watching the very last episode of 'Big Brother' tonight so again didn't leave myself a great deal of crafting time but I managed to do some:

A couple of Christmas cards to add to my collection. 

I'm pleased I decided to do a few throughout the year, then I won't have that mad panic (the one I had last year!) having to do 30 handmade cards all on one night in order to beat the postal delivery times.  I've also decided to do 'simple' designs (as in flat) so I won't get caught out paying extra for that added thickness charge.

The picture above makes them look gold, but they are silver:

Simple lettering, straightforward mounting.

Thanks for looking and for any comments you may leave,

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave

Down Memory Lane

I would like to say that ALL the pictures you will see on my post today were created WAY before my time - but I can't, because most of them *ahem* weren't.  I was VERY, VERY, little at the time though, honest!

I haven't done a specific craft, but I have been scanning some wonderful, I think you could call them 'vintage' images from various magazines and knitting pattern catalogues I found in the attic.

To start with, we have this:

What strange poses they got models to get into in the 1960s!

Recognise the name? Those flowers look similar to the ones we use in our craftmaking today!

The pictures above came from these old magazines, dated 1968 and 1969.  I wonder how many of you  recognise this magazine? Is it still going?

These jumper designs made me laugh! They were originally from Canada and are from the 1950s.

Finally, this image is great, so colourful.  Think I'll be framing this one!

Thanks for looking and any comments you may leave,

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave

Motivating Myself

Tonight I have done an inspiration page for myself - of myself!:

The reason its inspirational is because its a picture that was taken a few years ago when I was a bit healthier (and slimmer) than I am now.  I thought it would be useful as a reminder to myself that if I make more effort I could get to be more like how I used to be.  I'm not one for dieting (been there, done that MANY times!), I much prefer the 'live a healthy lifestyle for life' way, which at the moment isn't happening.  I am treating myself just a little too often and could do with making more healthier choices.

I liked this picture because it was taken in the Autumn and I'm even wearing autumny colours myself! (yes, even that waistcoat!! :-)  )   I've stuck the photo on appropriately coloured paper and gone wild with my rubber stamps. I'm thinking that I might add a touch of journalling on the right hand side.

Thanks for looking and for any comments you may leave,

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave

Leaves and Fudge

Here we have it - the finished Late Summer 'Winter' Tree:

Can you spot the little burdie? :-)

I thought I'd made quite a lot of leaves for my tree wallhanging yesterday.  I came to put them on the tree and there were nowhere near enough - so today out came the production line leaf make with one worker - me!  And I made another enormous page of green leaves.  This time I was much more efficient with the space, I wouldn't have got even one more (double) leaf on this page:

Here is an 'in progress' shot taken earlier today when my children were in school (yep, back today - now in Years 4 and 6!): 

This time I put each leaf on with painter's masking tape - the easily removeable type, this was a much cheaper option than the temporary sticky dots I used before. 

* * * * *

The other 'crafty' thing I did today was to make chocolate fudge with my elder son.  I have never made it before and was amazed how much sugar, butter and chocolate the recipe called for!

 

Am not sure whether we made it right, but all it tastes of is sugar!  Think I'll be sticking to healthier recipes in future.

Thanks for reading and for any comments you may leave,

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave

Graphic Bookmarks and Autumn Leaves

When I was looking at the picture of the journal I covered yesterday with the wallpaper samples I decided that the design lended itself to making bookmarks.  The designs were even bookmark shapes, so that is what I have done tonight:

Just need to add some ribbons.

Long term followers of my blog may remember a Winter tree wallhanging we have in our sitting room and one of my projects this year was to add leaves to the tree, appropriate to the changing time of the seasons.  Well, the last time I updated it was in May when the blossom had just fallen off. 

My younger son reminded me the other day that I hadn't done Summer - with its abundance of green leaves so tonight (a little late!) I set about making some.  I printed (rubber stamped) lots of blank leaves - and a little birdie:

Then I stamped the leaf colour inside - green

...and because the leaves are starting to change colour again now I overstamped some of them with orange, yellow and brown:

I haven't cut all of them out (there's stacks!) but I've put some on the tree:

...and will be showing you the completed tree soon.

Thanks for looking and for any comments you may leave,
See you tomorrow,
qwiksave

MSE Decorating Idea

Today's craft is a frugal one - using a free resource - very mse - that's moneysavingexpert for those of you that don't know - its a very useful UK website with a fab forum that lists lots of bargains and has a fantastic crafting community on the Special Occasions board.  The resource I'm talking about is wallpaper sample books that you can pick up for free from decorating shops.

I used a sample wallpaper sheet to cover a sketchbook that I will be using as a general day journal:

The wallpaper sample book I used for this particular project wasn't free, I bought it from a charity shop for £2, but I went in a decorating shop recently and they told me they were getting rid of their current selection of wallpaper sample books in September (I went in August) and that I could come and help myself.

This is the book I used. It's ginormous and has very posh papers in it..

Some are foiled...

and lots of them have very BOLD prints.

These books are very useful for crafting. You just need space somewhere (very large!) to keep them.

Thanks for reading and for any comments that you may have made,

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave

Scrabble Tile Necklace

This is me, wearing today's craft:

(Recognise me? lol ) 

Whilst in Argos yesterday I glanced at the Clearance Section (as you do) and they happened to have a Rotary Tool Kit reduced from £30 to £10. So I was able to make this necklace today.  Dead pleased I was because I've seen these in a fancy boutique for £15!

I was nervous about using it, but it was really easy to use and I successfully managed to make a hole in the scrabble tile and also in a domino that I have previously altered with alcohol inks:

(here on the right)

What else can I make into a necklace..?  I have this urge to drill holes in all kind of things now! lol.

Thanks for looking and for any comments you may leave,

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave

Baby Clothes Frame

Tonight's craft is only at the preparation stage because I got sucked into watching Big Brother tonight! because I'm still working out what I'm going to include in my final piece!  This idea, although not new, was also in the book I mentioned yesterday, 'The Homemade Home'.  It was to frame your baby's first clothes:

..along with other memorabilia.

Sorry this picture isn't the best quality. This is a 12x12 box frame.

Another idea the author suggested was to take out the glass of a regular frame and just hang your clothes on the wall inside the frame:

A group of several frames together would look particularly effective.

This shirt was a particular favourite of both me and my husband and we couldn't part with it!:

But I need a bigger frame...

Thanks for looking and for any comments you may leave,

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave

 

Button Heart

Today's craft was unusual for me - jewellery making, well, kind of anyway.  It was a heart made of buttons:

I had got a book out of the library called 'The Homemade Home' - 50 Thrifty and Chic Handmade Projects by Sania Pell and I was looking in it for something to make.  As I was going through I kept finding sewing projects so I was thinking, 'no, no, no...no..' and then I spotted this.  It's jewellery making but the kind thats so easy peasy that even I could do it!

You just cut off a length of wire and thread the buttons onto it.  Tie or twist knots at both ends of the wire and bend it into the heart shape.  To make a hanger tie an additional piece of wire to the back.  

I've done this craft late at night thinking I've picked out all the white buttons, (the top picture makes them look grey which they are not and this picture above is a Picnik cheat!) I'll look at it in the daylight tomorrow and they'll be pale beige, pink, cream..

Never mind, it looks the part! :-)

Thanks for looking and for any comments you may leave,

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave

Fabulous Dubai

This is a photo of an incredible waterfall in a shopping mall in Dubai:

I love those diving figures!

My husband sent me some photos that he took on his last trip on the way back to China.  Apparently his first flight to Dubai was late so he missed his connecting flight to China and had to spend a night in Dubai.

He was able to take a little trip around the sites and took a few photos that I would like to share:

The World's Tallest Building

Another shopping mall -

with a giant aquarium that goes through all the floors...

..with sharks in it!

This is a 'posh' hotel called the Burj Al Arab..

...and this is a 12 lane motorway :-O!:

* * * * *

I also did a little photo manipulation myself today, I found out about a program on the web that you can change ordinary scenes like this (taken at Playmobil Fun Park in Germany):

into a model village:

using a program called tilt-shift.  Clever huh?

One more, also taken at Playmobil Fun Park:

From this:

to this:

What fun!

Thanks for looking and for any comments you may leave,

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave