More bookmarks and Bootcamp Day 4

One of the parts of today's assignment on Creativity Bootcamp was to go out and photograph things that interest you. Well I didn't get a chance earlier in the day, but after school I took my two sons to a soft play place.  It wasn't very busy, apart from a Birthday Party group and when that group went in to the birthday room to celebrate, the place was pretty empty, apart from my boys who were happy amusing themselves, so I went on a photographic hunt.  The place has been recently refurbished so lots of the equipment is all clean, shiny and very colourful!

Here's the pictures I took, lots of colour and not a child in site!:

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"Picnik Show"

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Love all those graphic lines!  This one was my fave:

The assignment itself was to illustrate/photograph 'Heavy Metal':

This was an old lampost that I think used to be an original gas lamp.  Lots of lovely rusted metal!
(Taken today on the way back from the Soft Play Centre).

I've been watching the launch night of Big Brother, but I really don't want to get sucked in like last year, no crafting will get done!

Today, apart from the above, I also made some more bookmarks with paperclips and beads:

Good, creative day,

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave

Creativity Bootcamp Parts 3 and 2

I know, they are meant to be the other way round but I am not so keen on my entry for Part 2, 'Picnic', I much preferred Part 3's theme of 'Multilayers'. 

I have two offerings, both of which I like, but on reflection (sorry, bad joke!), I will go for this one:

It was a window of a fishing tackle shop in London.  I did take the picture but not today.  Today I altered the contrast to bring out the layers so hope thats not counted as cheating!

The other picture I love, simply because I am really into textures and decay:

 

I reckon Tim Holtz would be proud of me!

As for Part 2, yesterday's theme, I found that tricky.  But then I gave it some thought and I associate picnics with that yucky brown liquid that passes for tea in an old fashioned vacuum flask:

I modified this photo I took of a flask to 1960's style colouring and rounded the corners using Picnik! lol (groan!)

*****

The craft I made today was this paperclip bookmark:

(just need to bend the bottom curve around a little more)

It's just a paperclip bent around with beads and whatever knicknacks you have around threaded onto it. 

Little tip I found useful:

To prevent beads rolling away off your work surface, put them on a cheap bathmat.

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave 

Creativity Boot Camp

One of my good blogging friends, Carmen from Whoopidoo...ings, told me about this (free!) 'Creativity Boot Camp' this morning that is taking place between June 6th and June 18th.  See the details here of the first day's prompt (which was yesterday).

I'm not sure I will be following it religiously, because as you know, I like to do lots of different crafts here on my blog and I don't want to only show work I do for this project.  (Also, today's prompt word was 'Picnic!' How difficult is that?!) 

But anyway, here is my fave picture out of the ones that I took around my house today on the first day's theme, 'Ivory':

It's one of my son's shells/fishbone collection

 I'm tempted to do other day's prompts but maybe I could do it together with another craft?

I also covered the other side of the clipboard I made yesterday with some distressed Basic Grey paper:

I added some more peeloffs to the bulldog clip this side and also some more ribbons.  Looks quite different doesn't it?

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave 

Retro Clipboard

For today's project I've made a clipboard out of thick cardboard that I have covered with retro styled, flower power patterned paper:

I used a bargain pack of book covering paper, 3 sheets for 99p from The Works.  It's title said 'Self Adhesive' but it wasn't! I made sure mine was flat though by using spray adhesive.  When I'd stuck it on I thought it wasn't retro enough so I used an old nail file to distress all the edges.   I stuck some flower and bee peel-offs on the bulldog clip and ribbons were tied on to give it more of a funky feel.  A Big Bite was used to set a grommet into the corner but it won't stay so I may have to stick that on with Superglue.  Finally a  pencil was attatched onto ribbon threaded through the punched hole and there you have it, a funky clipboard.

Seeing my family today was fun, catching up and reminiscing. We still cajole and poke fun at each other, just as we did when we were kids.  It does make me realise that I must start to document my memories though, scrapbook what I have about my parents and give my two brothers and sister a copy.  It would also be something for my children and theirs....

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave

England Flag Magnet

Thank you for all your messages of support yesterday everybody, really appreciate you are  there supporting me.  It really helps to know I have 'fans' ;-)

I have just done a simple craft tonight because I watched the final of  'Britain's Got Talent'.  Quite impressed with the winning gymnastic group but would quite have liked the two boys who came second to win.

For my craft, I have made an England fridge magnet, in preparation for the World Cup:

I cut chipboard to size, painted it with white acrylic paint and then stuck on some thin sellotape for the red stripes.  On the sellotape I poured on some red glitter embossing powder and heated it. I was considering putting some white glitter on the white bits but haven't done so yet. Not sure about that?  A simple magnet was stuck on the back.

As you can see, we have quite a few magnets on our fridge!:

Neither of my boys (or my husband) are into football in our house, but I'm sure we will get caught up in the fever that is the World Cup.  Everybody will be talking about it and flags will be everywhere, there will be no avoiding it.  My brothers are into football and they are visiting us tomorrow along with my sister and her little boy, it will be great to catch up, we haven't all got together for nearly 2 years.  Luckily I won't have to cook, we are going to 'Frankie and  Bennys.'

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave

Recent Makes Collages

Today I have been having a bit of a 'down day' regarding this blogging.  Maybe I shouldn't have committed myself to doing a craft every day, as some days it is so difficult just thinking of something to do and show you.  I made this New Year's Resolution to do this every day and so far (apart from a few days when my internet was down) I have stuck to it, but I have to admit it is a real struggle some days. I'm not even sure what I'm doing is particularly appreciated, I'm getting so few comments.  Sorry to be so down, but I do hope that you still like looking at what I do even if you don't say so.

Tonight I've just made a compilation collage of my recent makes:

I mean, principally, I'm making things that I want to make for myself and my family and letting you lovely people in on the act, but maybe by making such a range of different things I'm alienating others.  For example, the cardmakers amongst you might not appreciate the altered objects, say, or the glass painting.  Most of the craft blogs I see seem to specialise in particular areas, so maybe this is where I'm going wrong?  

I'm still loving actually doing the crafting, I just don't want to start resenting it because I have to do it because I've made a commitment (this blog). 

On the plus side I feel that I am glad that I have this, because it keeps me busy, helps to stop me missing my husband who many of you know is working in China at the moment.  It is therefore useful as an outlet with something to focus on.

It's OK, I'm not going to give up doing this (although it's the most commitment I have ever given to any New Year's Resolution) but maybe I would just like to know that what I am doing is OK.

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave

Storage Labels

There comes many a time in a crafter's life when you simply can't find the very thing you are looking for.  This happens to me many, many, times!  And that is because despite my many attempts to tidy up, my craft equipment still seems to be in one big pickle!  The reason for this is normally because when I am in my desperate hunt to find something, everything else gets 'temporarily' moved out of the way, and then doesn't get put back!  So my craft tonight has been to make and label some of my boxes of equipment.

These labels I got for free online and they are made to look like those drawer labellers with pretend screws on either side.  (The link is here, its called JustsomethingImade.com, but you do have to subscribe (free) to Scribd in order to download the labels).

I handwrote the labels and added dots for character.

On the larger boxes, I have put the labels on the side:

 I use 'Really Useful Boxes' and would like all my stuff to go in them because I like to see what I've got but to have everything in them would cost a fortune (sigh!)

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave.

Thanks very much!

It's nice having the boys back.  They always come back from other people's houses looking 'taller' than I remember and full of new vocabulary, bursting to tell me what they've been up to. Apparently they had a fun trip out to a Steam Railway Rally and to the 'Millenium Point Think Tank'  in Birmingham.

Tonight I've just made a simple craft, a few 'Thank You' notelets to have on hand when the need arises:

Really simple to do. Pretty backing paper stuck on the back, a stamp (which I went over with pen), then stick on a ribbon and a bow. Easy Peasy!

Second one variant.  Think my 'Thank You' was a bit too dark. 

Nice to see the sunshine again this afternoon, hope it keeps up for the rest of the school holiday.

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave

Bargains and Christmas Card

I haven't had a shopping post for ages, and I know how much you we all love shopping! :-)   I have got some great charity shop bargains to show you and one I got today was a MEGABARGAIN!

But first of all, I'll have a quick show of what I did tonight, I made Christmas (yes, I know its JUNE!) Card Number 4:

I decided that I won't be making cards with  layers because the Post Office charge you more  (What a silly rule).  Anyway, this was a simple embossed card that used Seafoam White embossing powder which looks very much like snow.  I used a Versamark pen on the snowflakes and on the writing.

Onto the bargains and this was one of my finds:

Another of those magnetic clipboardy things with bird magnets...  £2

 

Massive box of 3d letter stickers (all letters are there caps & small) £3

These weren't charity shop, but all on sale at Craft-ed. These are the type of cartoons I would do if I was going to bring out a range... reckon they will look good in my kid's scrapbooks.

...and this was my megabargain:

A LOVELY tin with all these paints, pallete and brushes, £8

The tin itself is gorgeous:

(and those borders are punched out of the tin!)

Ooh I do love getting a good bargain!

Back to normal tomorow as my children are back from their grandparents. I'd almost got used to my own company...

See you tomorow,

qwiksave

Embossed Scroll Tiles

Ooh, it has been quiet not having my children around for a few days.  The bonus is not only do I get to watch my own TV programmes, but I also get a lie-in! Bliss!  I haven't been doing lots of crafting which I thought I'd be doing, I've been very uncharacteristically domesticated.  I've been throwing myself into doing a late Spring Clean.  I think its having the place to yourself makes you see things that you've been avoiding need doing more.

For my craft tonight I had a go at making some scroll tiles using my Cuttlebug embossing machine.

I used some wrapping paper for this (I would have used foil but I couldn't find it!)

I did an embossing (raised) one and a debossed (sunken) version but I prefer the embossed one.

The tile, which has my favourite design on it, scrolls, was from Ten Second Studio (I got it from a craft show) and was designed for embossing with hand tools.  Next time I do this, I will do it on foil and add colour to it with some alcohol inks.

See you tomorrow,

qwiksave