Saturday, 30 July 2016

Spread the LOVE!


Hello bloggists, thank you for visiting.

Can you believe that August is almost here?  I hope you’re having a lovely summer.  I wanted to make a summery card for today’s blog post and this paper is just perfect.  In fact, every sheet in the stack that this paper comes from (it’s called Fresh Fruit) is so bright and summery – LOVE it!


It’s an action card today.  This kind of flip action card is so much fun.  I used one of the sweet and sassy thinlets for the “flip” part but you can use any die that’s the right size – a bit bigger than 2 inches at its widest - and symmetrical.  Here's how I made it - 


Don’t forget that Stampin’ Up has a couple of very good reasons to treat yourself coming up in August –the Thoughtful Branches stamps and dies will be available for you to buy for a very limited time, and also if you have Bonus Days coupons you  can spend them in August. (You have until the end of July - tomorrow! -  to earn Bonus Days coupons – you get a voucher code for £4.50 for every £45 you spend)

Hope you're having a lovely crafty time,

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

Thursday, 28 July 2016

Smurf Hands

Hello bloggists, welcome!
From time to time I like to change things up a bit.  I usually show you a project that I’ve been making and tell you how I made it.
Today I want to tell you how I managed to turn my hands blue.
Yes, I have a serious case of Smurf Hands going on here.

This is because I thought “I wonder if nail varnish remover will take the printing off this plastic box?” but DIDN’T think “Perhaps I’d better put on some gloves before I try it”.
The answer to the first part, by the way, was “Yes it does”, and the answer to the second part should have been- but wasn’t -   “Yes, I probably should ”

I don’t always think things through.

If you want to see what I was doing and why, here it is!




Crafty Hugs,
Keren


PS – don’t forget about Bonus Days – buy SU goodies worth £45 in July and get a voucher for £4.50 to spend on MORE SU goodies in August.  There’s still some time left!

Tuesday, 26 July 2016

Yay! It's Your Day!

Hello bloggists and thank you for visiting.
If you’ve visited my blog or my YouTube channel in the past, you may have noticed that I love, love, LOVE kinetic cards and I am especially happy when I come across a style that I haven’t encountered previously.

Today’s project is a pop-out fold card of a type that’s new to me.  

I saw it on Facebook (Thanks, Lynda Shrimpton) and didn’t rest until I’d found out how to make one for myself


Isn't that just amazing?  You really need to see it in action to get the full effect.
Here’s my version of how to go about it –

Here’s the folding diagram - 

It's proportions that are important in this card so you could make it in any size

The card is folded in half along its length and the two outer panels are 1/4 the width of the card. The crossover is found by folding the card diagonally;  the pop-out panel is 1/4 of the card cut lengthwise and folded into 4 panels.

The card as demonstrated uses two full sheets of A4 card but I think it’s worth it for the WOW! factor.  

I hope you like it - I had lots of fun making it!

See you soon,

Crafty Hugs,

Keren


Saturday, 23 July 2016

Simply Sketched 12


Thank you for joining us for another Simply Sketched Saturday Challenge! 

We’re so excited to be sharing this hop with you.  The products used are all available in the current Annual, or seasonal, Stampin’ Up!® Catalogues*. 

Simply use the buttons at the bottom of the post to keep hopping.

This time the sketch has been set by Louise Thomas - 


I will admit to struggling a bit with this one - but eventually my crafty mojo got to work with a bit of inspiration from a picture in a magazine and after taking a few liberties with the layout, this is what I came up with-


It's mostly paper piecing with a little bit of the Labeler alphabet.

I'm not going to waffle on because I know that you'll be keen to visit Angelina at the
Or if you're the rebellious type and are working your way backwards through the hop, you might want to visit  Sam at the

Thursday, 21 July 2016

Post-Its Station

Hi bloggists and welcome.

Well, I’m back at the day job after a lovely three weeks off and it feels as if I’ve never been away.  We weren’t able to get away this year, due to a combination of the OH’s parents being elderly and needing an eye kept on them and his sister having her baby earlier than we expected (a little girl, both doing well) but it was a nice break  nevertheless.  And of course, it meant lots of time for crafting and admiring he lovely things created by others.



I saw a number of versions of a freestanding Post-It note holder and thought it would be a very useful item to make.  We get through loads of sticky notes in the office where I work.  I either have a drawer full of them or am reduced to scribbling on the back of an envelope because all my notes have mysteriously disappeared.  I know I’m not alone in this, so I reckon that something like this would be very popular with my colleagues.

I sized mine to fit the larger notes (3 inches by 5) as those are the ones I use the most.
Here are the measurements - 
And here's how it went together - 
I made a few of these using retired card and paper and I’m going to sell them to raise funds for the charity we’re supporting this year – I think they’ll be popular.  I hope you liked the project and give it a try!
See you soon,

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

PS – Don’t forget about Bonus Days!

Tuesday, 19 July 2016

Origami boxes

Hello bloggists, and welcome!

Just for once, today's project has no stamping at all.  The star box is a classic origami fold and not difficult to do, but I hope you agree that it's very effective. Here's the how-to -


I made two, mainly because when I checked the video the paper rustling made it difficult to hear what I was saying.  I tried voice-over, but in the end I decided to just redo the whole thing.  I hope you'll try this for yourself.  You can vary the size of the finished box just by changing the size of the square of paper you start with.

Back soon with a proper stamped project!

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

Saturday, 16 July 2016

Pet Selfies

Hello bloggists, welcome to my blog!

I've had a lovely few weeks away from the day job but it's back to the day job on Monday- :(

I 've had lots of  time to plan and to craft though, and I've taken the opportunity to get to grips with some apps to help me plan and to keep notes of ideas and inspiration.  

I see lots of great crafting ideas on social media - and I always think "I must try that" - then I go back to try to find it and can't.  I keep a notebook for ideas However, thanks to a tip from Connie Stewart, I've discovered Evernote - it really helps me to keep track of all the wonderful inspiration that I get from others and to be able to give credit where it's due afterwards.  (Yes, I know about Pinterest but whenever I go there I emerge hours later having pinned lots of ideas but never actually having visited my own boards..)  Trello is another great tool that helps me plan my YouTube videos and blog posts.  I am now super-organised (well, for about five minutes anyway!)

Today's cards were inspired by an idea on Splitcoast Stampers -



I do hope you like it!

See you soon,

Crafty Hugs,

Keren


Thursday, 14 July 2016

Tissue box


Hello brothers and thank you for visiting.
Today I am sharing a little gift box which I have used to hold a packet of tissues. Of course, you could use it for anything that you like.
Do you like the little ribbon rose?  It was so quick and easy to make.
Here's the tutorial–
and here are the measurements for the box –
Hope you enjoy trying this out for yourself!

Don't forget about Bonus Days. For every £45 you spend with Stampin' Up! in one order between now and the end of July,  Stampin' Up will email  you a voucher  for £4.50 that you can spend in August.  That can't be bad!

Well I'll see you soon!
Crafty Hugs

Keren

Tuesday, 12 July 2016

By the Shore- Double Slider Gift Card Holder

Hello Bloggists, welcome to my blog!

This is what I've been making this time.  I so enjoy making action cards and this one turned out to be much easier than it looked.


I love the colours in the By the Shore DSP.  The picture makes them look very vivid - in real life they are a bit softer.

Here's the tutorial-



And here are the measurements.

I hope you enjoy making this one!

See you again soon,

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

P.S. Don't forget about Bonus Days - for every £45 you sound with Stampin' Up! between now and the end of July, SU will email you a coupon for £4.50 that you can spend on MORE Stampin' Up! goodies in August.  

P.P.S.Want to get a discount on everything you buy from SU and early access to the new products coming soon?  Then why not join as a demonstrator - get in touch with me for more information


Saturday, 9 July 2016

Long Skinny Box

Hello bloggists, and welcome to my blog! Thank you for visiting.

Do you ever find yourself with left over pieces of card and paper that are too small to make a full project but are just too big to throw away? I must haveboxes full of scraps that I can't bear to throw away.

So I decided to try and come up with ways of using those pieces. Today's box needs a piece of card that is 10" x 3", So it's ideal for using those long skinny bits of card that you have left over sometimes.

Here are the measurements–

And here is the tutorial–

I do hope that you enjoyed it!

Before I go, I want to tell you about Bonus Days, which is a fab promotion that Stampin' Up!  is running during July. For every £45 that you spend  on Stampin' Up! goodies in one order between now and the end of July, Stampin' Up! will send you a voucher for £4.50 that you can spend on Stampin' Up! products in the month of August. Isn't that great? 

Thank you

See you soon,
Crafty Hugs,
Karen

Thursday, 7 July 2016

Well, that was nerve-wracking!

Hi bloggists - thanks for visiting!

Today's blog is not the normal kind, where I share a project I've made.  That's because I had my July Live streaming workshop yesterday - the recording will be on YouTube - and today I wanted to do something a bit different.  So the YouTube video today is a Tuppenny Top Tip.

I get terribly nervous before a Live streaming and I'm preparing this ahead of time so I really hope it all went well!

Here's what I made -

Here are the measurements for the box - 



I wanted to let you know about the latest promotion from Stampin' Up! which starts today.  For every £45 you spend in one order between now and the end of July, Stampin' Up will email you a coupon for £4.50 to use in August, so it's a really good time to treat yourself.  

By the way, a beautiful bundle (Thoughtful Branches) is going to be available only in August - so if you have Bonus Days coupons, you could use them towards the cost of the bundle.  Just saying'!


Back to normal on Saturday.

See you soon!

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

Tuesday, 5 July 2016

Butterfly Spinner

Hello bloggists, welcome to my blog.

It's another kinetic card today, using the Affectionately Yours DSP.  The action happens when you open the card - so I'll let you watch the video tutorial before we go any further!

 
I would definitely recommend pulling the elastic as tight as you can, because with use it does stretch a bit.  

In response to a comment on one of my YouTube videos, I'll post a picture of my notes with the measurements here - I do hope you can understand my scribbles!  Leave me a comment to let me know if you find it helpful.

Hope you've enjoyed this project.

Crafty Hugs,

Keren


Saturday, 2 July 2016

Leaf it out!

Hello Bloggists, and welcome to my blog.

When I get stuck for ideas, the catalogue is always a source of inspiration.

Today's card is my interpretation of one which is on page 131 of the annual catalogue. As you can see from the picture I changed it a bit!




Here's the tutorial-



I hope you enjoyed it!

See you soon,

Crafty hugs,

Keren.

PS - Don't forget my LIVE virtual workshop tomorrow (Wednesday 6 July) - kicking off about 7.30 p.m. BST.  See you there!