Isolation Mini Album

I found creating this little album quite cathartic in the midst of the chaos that was 2020.

sadly (there may have almost been some tears.....)  a cup of coffee was spilt on it, post production by a well meaning DH....but really what more can we expect from 2020?  It is stained, but it still represents the year that was and sits happily on the bookshelf in all its imperfect glory!

I created a memory album about being in lockdown last year.  There are lots of memories I wanted recorded, so we can look back to these strange times we have been currently living in! 

The True North Creative kit and Paper Collection was a great choice for this project.  I also created the Lockdown Cut-apart Sheet for this particular project!

Here's a quick video walk through.....

 
 

And a video on how I made the sweet tassles on the spine!

 

what I used....

Uniquely Creative Products  TRUE NORTH COLLECTION
Uniquely Creative True North Kit, Isolation Cut-a-Part sheet, Doily Elements Die, Small Lower Case Alpha Die, Cork Alpha Stickers, Lacey Tabs Die, Little Lace Die

Other products used
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Black Soot, Bind it all machine and metal binding coil, beads and jewellery findings, clothing tag, metal key, black string, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher (stapler)

so with that enjoy your day!

Lydell x

Helmar Fun......

I posted this over at Helmar this week.

I made some clay using Helmars Tacky Craft Glue.

Its a great one for kids,  Both mine tore off chunks and started forming their own sculptures!

I used to make tiny bread dough flowers from PVA white glue and white bread with the crusts cut off.........

YES!!!!  You heard right!!!!!  

It works.

It is very messy, cause you have to mix the dough in your hands until all the white glue is incorporated into the bread and it no longer sticks to your fingers.

Not totally appealing to me any more!!!!

There are recipes all over the place for making your own clay.

Some contain allum and plaster and all kinds of wonderful products.

I had played with corn flour before, but had never made a recipe for others to follow.  Kind of a one time deal each time I played!!!!

So I had a look for other recipes to see what measurements people used and decided I wanted to try to make a smaller batch that did not need storing.  Just enough to make a few things, and have had enough by the time the clay ran out.  This amount was perfect for that.  I am not certain how this will store, I put what I was not using in a zip loc bag and it sweated a little,  I dont know how much more it would have done so if it was stored for any length of time

ANYWHOO.....

I came up with this, using stuff from your fridge and cupboard.....I included things that others used just in case they were beneficial. (LOL)

so the oil (makes it more manageable) and the lemon juice were included.

Ok.

That's enough talking.....

1/4 cup of Helmar Tacky Craft Glue

1/3 of a cup of Corn flour (adding up to, another 1/4 of a cup, to get the correct consistency)

1 Tbsp baby oil

1 tsp lemon juice

Mix this altogether in a bowl (it does wash out fine, just do it straight away)

This is perfect.  All my goodies are drying now.....so I will post again with what I did with the finished creations, next time!!!!  

Be sure to stop by the Helmar Blog to see what all the amazing Designers are doing each day over there!

HELMAR HOLIDAY HOP

Almost there Girls.........On the home stretch now!
Welcome to the next in line for the Helmar Hop.
You have just come from Jing-Jing's Blog and this is your last stop before heading back to the HELMAR blog.  Ok  lets get to it.........
 I have a short and simple Video on a quick and easy gift idea for one of those last minute giifts you didnt expect you would need, or one for a neighbour or teacher/bus driver!  ( We are just winding up the school year here in Australia!)  What ever the occaision, little gifts like these are cheap and simple, but look really cute, and are great to give away in the Holiday Season.  I have been saving all my containers all year, and have quite the stash, all different shapes and sizes. I something like this created last year by one very clever Mel, and made many myself last year..... All you need is a little Patterned Paper, a few embellishments and some great Adhesive.....HELMAR is your one shop stop!!!!  There is something perfect for every purpose.......In my Project the Adhesive runner, Zap dots and 450 Quickdry did the trick!

Ok.....here we go.....

 

Hope this gave you some ideas for some quick and easy gifts for Christmas!  It will work for containers of all different shapes and sizes......Just get inventive and you will create something unique and easy!!!
Now remember there are FACEBOOK GIVAWAYS so go 'LIKE' Helmar on FACEBOOK!
AND......Be sure to leave a comment at EVERY stop to be in the running for some prizes!!!!

Ok ladies thanks for stopping by! xx

Time to head back to the HELMAR BLOG to finish up for the day!

Lydell x

EASTER CREATING.....

 

 

You can tell I had a migraine doing this one above.  Firstly there is no
5.....just jump straight to six.  you can finish quicker that
way....secondly, it was around the time I was photographing these things
that DH was lovingly scrubbing -almost half, a HUGE tub of Modpodge out
of our dining room (cream coloured) carpet.  I so wanted to go back to
bed.  BUT I had a deadline!!!!!

 

 
So that's the Easter roundup!  It was all featured on Scrapz.biz for 2 weeks of Easter Challenges on the site!  Lots of fun!!!!

New Challenges up at Scrapz.Biz....

The ladies who design for Heike are one talented group of people.  This weeks challenges, (found here) like the ones before are really inspiring.  There are four challenges running each week simultaneously, you get to choose what you would like to create.  You can download the tutorials of the projects, to keep for later, or just go on a creating frenzy and take advantage of someone else giving you some great ideas and inspiration to create something great.  There is always a Sketch, a Colour Combination, a Card and an Off the page project to do, so what ever you feel like creating, there is an idea for you to get you going.  You can then upload it into the members gallery of which ever challenge you took part in and be in the running to win a voucher to use next time you shop.  Well worth your while.  That does not mention all the lovely feedback people are so forthcoming with, which makes you feel great about your accomplishment! 
Here is mine for this week.....The theme this month is spring, thus the flower frenzy!
The detailed instructions and the flower template can be found Here.

I am in love with this garland satin leaf ribbon.......I could use an entire spool I think!  See it here (scroll down to find it)  If you have some time, head over and joing in the fun.....creating something along the way!

Hey...again.
Mid january already!
2009....wow.

I am enjoying NOT getting ready for school every morning.
I am loving staying far too late in my pyjamas.
Very laid back....very relaxed.
I read 4 books last week.
Glorious.
I love to read, but I have not read books like I used to since Denver was born 6 years ago. 

I made many christmas presents this year......so I have not been scrapping much of late.  Christmas scrapped me out real good.  I did not even get photos. 

I did some canvas' for a class at Scrapbook Station that I can share.  They were actually very therapeudic to do.  I love getting my hands messy in arty stuff.  Impasto medium (texture paste), mod podge and paint.  I stamped with bubble wrap, and the lid off a mousse bottle, a toothpaste lid, a cork and the eraser end of a pencil.  I modpodged napkins.  I tore pages out of an old book from a local second hand store and painted over and over.  Lots-a-layers here! They now have pride of place, and look very cool against our brown wall in the lounge/dining area.

I am someone who tends to make lots of stuff for other people, and rarely for myself, so there is not always a lot to show for all the scrapping....so It is nice to have something I can say, "yep there it is"

My lovely girl Janine nominated me for a blog award.  

Now I am required to nominate 7 others.....Mmmm 7.  Janine did 3, maybe I will follow her lead.  Maybe 'lovely' could incorporate 'inspirational'  Then these ladies will be nominated for all the amazing things they create and I visit to see!

Louise

Kathie

                               Steph

That done, I must go to bed.  Kids are recharching as I type, so I had better catch some zzzz's  Or I will be in trouble!

I will be back!

Tell me it's over!

That pretty much says it all I believe.  Sounds a little anti Christmas I guess....We have just finished off Christmas in our emalgamated family.  Honestly...I have had a migraine since Christmas Eve.  It's January 2nd, and now we can get back to 'normal life'  I even took down the tree and got the christmas out of the house yesterday....moving on!  We had 3 BIG family Christmas get togethers.  Which was nice in theory, but each of these required food, christmas presents for at least 15 + people ( each party) and in one, motel stay.  There are several things I could have done to alleviate stress, but chose not to......

1.  'Purchase' presents for adults instead of dreaming up interesting things to hand create...May have needed to remorgage the house, but I wouldn't have had to sit for hours upon hours creating the night before EACH party.  This would have required more shopping though, and with 1 attempt to go shopping with two young children, under my belt, (vowing NEVER to undertake that particular endeavour again in my lifetime) I had already organised John to take a day off while I went shopping for the bulk of just 1 of these parties,  any more and he would have had to take holidays.  I came home slightly frazzled!  Not nice.

2.  NOT try to make special little nicities for the dinner table, to make Christmas a bit more special.  I made a Christmas tree cake, (which was cute, but needed to be done Christmas morning, which made us late, and added more stress to an already rushed morning) and cute little decorated star biscuits with each persons name piped on, which doubled as place seating thingies.  Very cute, but again just something else to get done!

3. NOT agree to a time Christmas morning which does not allow for a casual relaxed Christmas breakfast with my own immediate family.  This is one I regret most.  I want to start our own family traditions, not just race off here and there and not get our own time to celebrate Christmas.  11.30am at a destination more than an hour away ( as it turned out -1hr 20mins with 19 traffic lights.....trying to balance a melting towering Christmas tree cake piled high and held together with only wooden skewers on my lap....mmmm!)

4.  Suggest that all these family get togethers start a fortnight before Christmas, and finish a fortnight after christmas.  Create space between parties!!!

5.  Try to minimise travelling.  We spent 10 hours travelling in the car over less than a week.  For us...that is excessive! (especially being in a confined space with two kids that don't like travelling!)

6.  Start now for next Christmas!

In saying all that...It was lovely catching up with people we hadn't seen for a long time, even though at the final party we were on a farm which recorded the temperature out in direct sun at 50 degrees I believe.  EWWW.  It was extremely hot, but.... we got a motel in Loxton and it had VERY good air conditioning, so when we could retreat to our room for the night each day over the weekend, we were cold, instead of sweltering!

Here are some pics.....

An advent Calendar I made for the kids for the month of December.  It was a hit.  I got the idea from a family craft website and a link to an ETSY shop.  someone had made a calendar from toilet rolls.  Very cute!

Our Christmas cards for people who live away from us.  It included a letter about our year 2007.  I have tried to do this for years now, and never actually got to it.  They were sent AFTER christmas, as a holiday card, but they were sent!!!!

I made a coupon booklet for some couples (with kids mostly) for the couples to use to give each other 'space' or 'mental health time'!!! (well that is what we call it in my home!!)  I dreamt up all the things I like to occur in my house for me to get relief here and there.  'A coffee out with a friend', or 'a meal You did not cook', or ' put your feet up with coffee and a biscuit for half an hour -child free'  'Pizza and a movie tonight - when kids are in bed!"  There were 30 coupons in each booklet, and I got to use my perforating tool for the first time ever.  I like it a lot!!!  Made them look very professional!

                                                               That cake!           

And our family Christmas photo. One of the better ones!  Man, that was a mission!       

Well That's it.  Now I just want to do some creating!  Lots of new stuff to use,  Lots of fun ahead,  as long as the kids will allow it!!!

Till next time....

Lydell x

A little slow on the uptake....

but this is the challenge that was set on the Scrapbook Station forum.  Taking photos of things you love in your home.  There will probably be another one up now ready to do, and I have just gotten around to this one.  I know...SLACK!  I have been sick, so I have a semi excuse.  Anyway, I glanced around this morning and snapped these pics of things I love around my home.

I am in the process of eliminating things that are of no use, or have been around for ever without a reason why!  I am just starting to buy things that actually tie the decore together.  We really have had no time to actually do this.  We get married and were both working, then within the first year we had our first bub, and then sold and bought houses with a 1 year old.  So things just got put where they got put, and nothing had changed since!!!  I am getting there.  Sorting through unneeded stuff when you are a 'keeper' is a big job!!!

I love my coffee and our coffee machine.  It grinds, brews, froths, Just doesn't make toast.  (Someone should think of that)

These flowers just make me Happy.  Have no idea who dreamed up the idea to make a rose out of feathers...yep feathers, but they are awfully pretty and I don't need to water them!

And this is my embellished monogram.  It was actually my entry for scrapbooking Masters last year.  It has soooo much work on it.  All the design on the paper is stitched over.  My name is handwritten in silver a million times around the inside of the letter and the mini book was a project in itself. 

(I liked it, even if they didn't!!!)

Well that is done now.  Now I have to get going on my own challenge!  Now that one really is just slack.  I have had plenty of time to do this one, and I just haven't!!!  I have the 'April' challenge to set to.  It will be done soon!

Try try again.

I thought maybe I should get right out and open up Typepad again.  Lets see if I am allowed to upload any pics now! 

Just a few pages from the calendar class I am teaching at scrapbook Station.

The calendar is a desk sized calendar.  !0 x 15 cm so the pages are not too big.  Just a nice size to scrap away and get it done relatively quickly!  Great to get the creativity flowwing, if there is a blockage!!!

This one is one of the LO's in the class I am doing using Scenic Route Chip kits.  The other LO uses the other half of the kit.  Can't seem to locate a photo at this point.  Will update at a later date!

Anyway after all this effort, I am ready to call it a night!  If only things could be easy!

TFL!

Lydell x