WOYWW & It's My 1st BLOGOVERSARY TODAY!

HAPPY WOYWW and HAPPY 1ST BLOGOVERSARY TO ME!

It's so exciting, I can't believe it's been a whole year since my I put my first post into cyberspace (the only followers I had then were more 2 daughter's.) Now look, 86 followers, people I don't even know, but I adore them all (none of my friends or family know I even have a blog, they are not into crafting at all!) I Love visiting like-minded people's blogs and sometimes I can waste a whole day from drop off to pick up just browsing!!

I HAVE BLOG CANDY FOR YOU!!! (in honour of this momentous occasion!!!), but I'm afraid you'll have to work for it!! In order to win thegoodies in the top picture (+ other bit's I'm going to add) just complete this birthday greeting: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, PAPER, GLITTER AND GLUE, (you now finish the next 2 lines,leave as a comment and these goodies can be on their way to you!!)

I will pick the winner on Friday, when I will also be posting the first "FFFF" (Friday's Five Featured Followers) check out the older post to see how you can be a part of it! I have been very busy this week, playing at new techniques, making the WOYWW gift for the celebratory edition (got that all done now!), I have been busy making scrapbook pages as I feel it's been some time since I did that.(I've photographed a few I've done after I cleared the blog candy off my desk.) I was also busy at the O2 Arena on Friday seeing the gorgeous Enrique Iglesias in Concert. Oh my, he is just soooooo HOT!!!!!!!! It took me nearly the whole weekend to get over it!!! I don't know if he's your type but boy he sure is mine!! (Gather, Gather, Gather!!!!)

Make sure you pop over to Julia's blog at Stamping Ground http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ to take a look at every one else's desks or to join in. I'd reccomend it - though you can go a bit insane ensuring you leave comments at everyone's desk!!!

Handmade Monday

I have been quite busy this weekend, finishing off small projects and stuff!
I made this thank you card a while ago but thought I'd pop it up here to show you, I have also quickly made a fabric envelope for an album I'm doing, I just stamped the fabric with a Love stamp and added a paper flower I made. I also made another page for another album, I haven't quite finished this yet, it needs more. The inside will mainly be just journalling.
Well this is quite a quick post, but please check the post below to WIN some blog candy, winner to be announced this Friday, 1st April 2011!
Also pop along to Wendy's blog to view other wonderful Handmade Monday Posts by other crafty and creative bloggers!
http://www.1stuniquegifts.co.uk/blog/2011/03/handmade-monday-8/

BLOG CANDY - Come & GET IT !!!!

Wednesday 30th March 2011 is my first Blogoversary, and as I said before I am celebrating it with Blog Candy to give away, and here it is:-

All you have to do to win is finish this birthday greeting for me, leave it as a comment, and the best will be sent the goodies;

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, PAPER, GLITTER AND GLUE,

(you add the next 2 lines, GOOD LUCK!)

I will announce the winner on Friday 1st April 2011

Also don't forget Friday 1st April is the 1st FFFF (Fridays Five Featured Follower's) if you are a follower you could be feaured on my blog!

Lola would like to introduce you to:

Yes my little helper this week wanted to get involved (can you imagine how many takes that took to stop her from gobbling up all her food before I managed to take a clear picture!)
If you didn't know already WOYWW is the brainchild of Julia at Stamping Ground.

This is quite an exciting WOYWW for me today because next wednesday is my 1st blogoversary and I wanted to let you know that next week I shall be having a lovely blog giveaway. Also, in order to mark my birthday I am starting a new blog feature called "FFFF" FRIDAY's FIVE FEATURED FOLLOWERS, where every Friday, from 1st April 2011, I will pick 5 of my followers to feature on my blog - I can put links to etsy, folksy and e-bay stores,you may even want to try a tutorial, aswell as obviously showcasing the 5 featured follower's. I'm really quite excited about it - let's just hope I don't get any technical hitches along the way! So to be featured in "FFFF" just become a follower and you can be involved.

As for my workdesk, well as usual it is complete chaos, so much so that yet again I have moved onto the kitchen table!!
I have been trying out "distressing" methods after having borrowed a friend's TH Compendium of Curiosities.

I stamped the first piece of paper with embossing ink and just left it to dry. After 10 minutes or so I used distress inks and gently blended in the colours - I love the way the distress ink resist the embossing ink so that you can see the stamp pattern still. I then did the same on a smaller piece of paper but after stamping with the embossing ink I sprinkled clear embossing powder over it and heated it. It was a bit thick and splodgy but the distress inks still resisted nicely.
Thirdly I did the same again using the stamp and embossing ink but whilst still a bit wet I sprinkled Cosmic Shimmer Pearl powder over it, tapped it off again and then used a kitchen towel to wipe off the excess powder. This was a lovely effect butI learned that you cannot rub distress ink over this (you end up rubbing the stamped image off!)

After playing with this I thought I better not waste the bits of paper so I made a card. The main card background has the Shimmer Pearl effect stamped on it, the flower in the centre is just using a stamp with the embossed ink and distress ink - as for the embossed powder one - well, that was a splodge so I did bin it!!

Have a wonderful WOYWW and remember if you want to join in "FFFF" just become a follower!

Handmade Monday

Another Handmade Monday has come around - brought to us by the wonderful Wendy at : http://www.1stuniquegifts.co.uk/blog/ and I thought I'd post a few pic's of what I have done so far of my "True Stories" Journal.
A while ago I signed up for "Shimelle's" online class entitled True Stories. It's a way of keeping a record or diary of things about you and your family and friends that can then be passed down the family when I am old (and decrepid!!)
Anyway with this class you were told to find a notebook and the first lesson was to decorate the cover - I love doing things like that so I just had to go out and find a blank sketchbook (Infact I got it from Sainsbury's for £3.) As you can see I had great fun decoratingit with stamps, old music papers and I made some paper roses again out of old music papers and threaded pearls, glass beads etc to make each one a "stamen". I'm pleased the way it turned out. Anyway the problem is making the inside pages look as good (which they don't - but it's fun anyway). I've posted the pic's of a few pages I've done so far - It's definately "work in progress, as it's going to take me forever to fill the book!
If your interested Shimelles link is : http://www.shimelle.com/

Also I thought I'd mention that it's my 1st blogoversary on Wednesday 30th March - take a look at my earlier post "FFFF" to see how I'm marking the occasion.

Have a Happy Handmade Monday!!

One Man's Trash !

IS MY WONDERFUL TREASURE!!!!
One of my many loves (other than crafting, of course) is rummaging around car boot sales. I have found some fabulous things in the past and as this morning was such a beautiful day I wandered off (on my own, no children or husband - just a bit of me time) to our local car boot sale. It's really big and today it was packed!!
I'm always on the look out for craft storage and any boxes and frames I can alter. Today I found all these bits and it only cost me £2.50 in total!
I managed to find 2 stamps, 2 ink pads, a box of old dominoes, some lovely wooden cotton crochet reels, a huge tin of old button's, a broken brass pocket watch and a rusty old lock!!!! Bliss!!!!!!
Some people may think I'm mad, like my husband, but the watch, a couple of the dominoes and lock I thought would look good in an altered box frame (similar to the Tim Holtz ones I've been glued to on You Tube, and there's always loads you can do with button's aren't there!)
Have you found any great finds at Car Boot Sales - I'd love to hear about them?

Don't forget "FFFF" see post below - starts Friday April 1st!!

"FFFF" (Fridays Five Featured Followers)

Cauliflower Cupcake’s
“FFFF”
“Friday’s Five Featured Followers”

Just a note to introduce you to my new weekly blog feature, starting April 1st 2011

(I promise this is NOT an April Fool!)

To celebrate my 1st Blogoversary, (I’m so excited!) I am starting a weekly blog Feature :-
“ FFFF”(Friday’s Five featured Followers).

Each week I will randomly select 5 fabulous followers to feature on “FFFF” All you need to do to be in with a chance of becoming a “FFFF” is just to become a follower!! (You don’t even need to be a blogger, you can always just e-mail me photo’s and info and you can be featured that way!
It doesn’t have to be papercrafting that your into - (anything handmade goes) – jewellery making, wood sculpturessoap, candles – we can link to e-bay shop’s and etsy etc.)
My actual Blogoversary is Wednesday 30th April 2011 (no doubt there’ll be a party going on here, pic’s will be posted and most certainly some lovely blog candy will be on offer!!)
“FFFF” will therefore start Friday April 1st 2011

Come on Join in and become a follower!!

WOYWW & A Crafty Trip Out (with PARTY BAGS!)

How quick a week goes!
I wanted to post what's on my desk, something I've just finished this week. I made a mini book each for my friends and I that started a book club about 18 months ago. We've read about 26 books and I managed to find thumb nail prints (from Amazon) for each book as well as a short synopsis of each book we read. Each page was embellished with stamps, flowers, embellishments, tags hidden pockets etc. (Too many photo's too show!) We have read some great books (& some RUBBISH ones!!) The great thing about a Book Club is that you take it in turns to choose the book and you find that you are being introduced to books that you yourself would NEVER have picked up!) It's great fun - we meet for lunch once a month - spend 10 minutes talking about the book and the rest of the time just catching up and having a good laugh together. You don't even get kicked out if you haven't had time to read the book!!! (I could never say "Sorry, I preferred crafting to that book we chose! - normally, the excuse would be, I was on the waiting list at the library and by the time I got the call to say it was in - I only had 3 days to read it !!)
Also - yesterday I went out with my scrapping friends to the Craft Barn in Lingfield. 7 of us went together and we decided to each spend £10 on some items that we could then split between the 7 of us as "surprise" goody bags. Look what i came away with - it was so exciting when I got back to see the different array of goodies we had all bought. It was so much fun! (Oh, as you can imagine we all spent a lot more than £10 today - the remainder was to add to our own stash!!!)
Take a look at Julia's blog at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com

ATC Swap

This is the first time I've joined in an ATC swap and am really looking forward to it. When I heard the theme was "wild" I knew immediatley I had the perfect picture I wanted to use. My teenage daughter was actually drying her hair and turned it round so the dryer was blowing in her face and made her look I think (WILD!)
I'm looking forward to receiving 4 different ATC's next month to replace these. Sounds like fun - if you want to see what it's all about - go visit Ali at
http://alisatcswapstop.blogspot.com/

WOYWW

Good Morning WOYWW(er's)
My desk is still as messy as last weeks I just pushed away some bits to make way for this quick project I did on last night. I was tidying up my kitchen when I noticed a very boring looking candle which I had never used. It smelled nice but was hidden away, probably because it didn't look very pretty. Anyway I knew I had some free paper's from Simply Homemade magazine which I have to say "I love!" Anyway I decided that this candle needed more TLC than the dirty pots and pans so set to work making this candle look pretty instead! Some people may think I have my priorities wrong but I can assure you that the kitchen will get a lot more attention when I have that lovely candle lit and smelling beautifully than it would have done without it!!!
Can't wait to pop over and see what everyone else has been up to. Have a great day.
If you want to join in just pop over to Julia's blog to take part.http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/

Handmade Monday

Well, I've decided to take part in a few more blog challenges as it really makes me feel like I'm not the only person who is insanely fiddling with paper, fabric, beads glue and glitter all the time. So I'm warning you now you could well see my name popping up on other people's blogs. If you do I hope you'll come visit and leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by.
I found this blog and thought Handmade Monday sounded quite fun so thought I'd join in. If you want to take part pop over to http://www.1stuniquegifts.co.uk/blog/2011/03/handmade-monday-6/ and give it a go.
I originally made this tag for another blog challenge but then realised I only had one day left to post - never mind I'll have to be more organised next week.

SIMPLY HOMEMADE ....... Cupcakes!!!!!

Have you got your hands on Issue 1 of the new Homemade magazine yet??? OOOOOOOhhhh it's lovely. It's full of loads of ideas and projects that will get your creative juices flowing. (I used to get Simply Handmade and loved that but then it dissappeared off the face of the earth) well, now this has come to save the day!
It even inspired me to make the cupcakes above as the recipe looked quick and easy - it also gave me the chance to use the cupcake stand I made from cardboard and pretty papers. They didn't last very long but then I think that's a good sign. If you haven't got your copy I would take a walk down to your newsagent, come back, make yourself a nice cup of tea, put your feet up and enjoy the read - I think you'll love it!

Huge Thanks to the great "Graphics Fairy"

I'm sure most of you have heard and visited this wonderful site but I just wanted to "thank" the Graphics Fairy for the most wonderful free vintage clipart and blog backgrounds she offers to us on her website/blog - http://thegraphicsfairy.blogspot.com . I have spent many hours searching through all the lovely images she has which you can copy and use for your own projects. I have loads saved in a special file and use them for all sorts of things. As you can see here I have printed a few off to decorate my boring old "food jars" where I store my buttons, ribbon etc. I know I appreciate staring at these labels far more than boring old Dolmio labels etc. Go visit her and enjoy the choice of labels and loads of other things for you to use on your craft projects.

Thanks again "Graphic's Fairy"

WOYWW (March 2nd 2011)

WOYWW (March 2nd 2011)

Well as you can see I am in a right mess, as usual, but I am actually TRYING to get organised as you can hopefully see. I am trying to organise some of my alphabet stamps and have decorated a large box to store them in. Obviously this job would have been done and dusted in about 5 minutes had I not insisted upon decorating the box!! (Signs of a true papercraft addict I suppose!)

Anyway just thought I'd show you that, as always the mess is not just on my workdesk but underneath and beside, not to mention the bits of scrap paper trailing from my craft room through the kitchen, dining room, hall and into the living room. Never mind, it makes me feel like home - It would be a bit like me going to the Supermarket without ink smudged finger's or without a great dollop of the latest glitter all over my face!

Make sure you visit Julia at http://www.stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ and enjoy taking a nose at everyone else's work desks - It's amazing what everyone get's up to.