...it was a sketch! Mojo Monday wk 80

I always seem to have too many ideas in my head that I want to get out and so I had never got around to doing a sketch layout yet!! Shame! there are some fabulous ones out there (as I'm sure you all know!) It was a little treat I always said I'd do once I got my stuff out of the way!! well last night I just put it on hold and dove (is that a word?) in.

I started with the fabulous Mojo Monday sketch - I love looking at these and I love Julee Tilman's work, who doesn't!!

The first card I made I was not happy with (see it below) - it fulfilled the requirements but it wasn't 'me', so I set about making the one you see above - used some leftover pattern from the bloghop and changed it to a square and I have to say I really like it - decided to go 'down' instead of up for the circly bit. Do you think she'll mind?

Anyhow, I had fun. Which I think is the aim of the game.

Stamps are letters from the Ambassador monogram set and Beautiful Blooms! PTI. Card is Vintage Cream and Ocean tides. PTI. Ink is Ocean Tides, PTI and Antique Linen, Ranger distress, my current fave combo.

Bottom card is the Alli Miles Wise Owls from PTI (one of my very fave sets ever) and some Basic Grey paper. Ink is Plum pudding - PTI and the poor wee sick green owl is paper pieced!! Lol.

Hope it tickles.

...ahhhh Ireland...

Couple of snaps from around Mayo - top is a wooded path near Cong, middle is the view through a window in Cong Abbey, and bottom are some pebbles on Carrowniskey beach - this stone caused much excitement - my little chicks thought it was gold...

Back with a card hopefully tomorrow - had a go at a sketch this eve - it was not a great success...lol.

Nighty night.

...best laid plans

I was going to do so much this week!! Lol, I had all sorts of plans and then it all kinda fell apart and everyone else's plans took over - you know how it is. Anyhow a couple of folks wanted a peep inside the wee pouch thingy -


So here's inside - sorry 'bout the shockingly bad photo - It was late - there was no natural light etc. etc.


Hope this helps anyone who fancies making it - could do a wee template if you fancy but I bet you could rustle up the wee box bit for the inside - anyhow lemme know if you would like a temp.

Have a fab weekend!!

...March Bloghop!!

I love Blog hop - sometimes I can't stay up for it - it's late here by the time it's officially started but I do get round them all eventually!! This months challenge was a great one - background patterns - love this. It might be the graphic designer in me but I automatically reach for letters - I used some of the PTI alphabets. The card above used the Trajan 'O' with simply stationary elements and Journaling lines. This was my favourite pattern!! you can see my 'also ran' card and other patterns below - love doing this - can't wait to see what you all come up with.

Colours are PTI Ocean tides, Ranger distress antique linen, PTI Vintage cream and Ocean tides cardstock. PTI Vintage cream ribbon.

For this card I used the Ambassador monogram 'E' with journling lines elements. Made a flower with beautiful blooms.




Patterns from the top:

Capital 'O' from Ambassador monogram paired with number '8'

Trajan 'O' Simply stationary and Journaling lines

Ambassador monogram 'E' with Journaling lines elements

Guidelines and Ambassador monogram 'O' and 'X'

Hope they tickle.

...a teeny weeny pouch

I made this teeny weeny pouch using a nestabilities long rectangle label die! It's mini, but perfect for little bits of jewellery. I used one of the die cut tags, which I cut down, for a tag. sentiment is from First Fruits (PTI set). Ribbon from my stash and a cheery big button from Bev!! This is easy peasy and you don't need much by way of embellies etc if you have some scrumptious paper like this!! Must make a dose of these for Christmas...

The yummy spotty paper is from the Bloom paper pack that Bev sent me - get your hands on it here, she's dealing through the blog till the online store is up and running!!

If enough folks seem to want to know, I'll do a how-to.

This is my last Precious Scraps DT projects for the moment - I might have a few more things for Precious Scraps next week but at the moment they are just twinkles in my eye!! Lol - I'll have other things up over the next couple of days tho - hoping to get a bit of blog hopping done this eve - it's the PTI Bloghop tonight and I love to take part!!

See ya later,
Hope it tickles!!

...Thank you Lynn!

Just wanted to say a big thank you to Lynn Mercurio who recently featured a couple of my wee projects on SCS Technique Lovers challenges - I have had such a ball looking at all the lovely things everyone made - the latest was my wee mini basket and I just got through commenting on all the folks' entries - I am so inspired by all the different ways people used my template - I love to see that - I love how we all think so differently!!

So, Thanks to Lynn for asking me and thank you to all the ladies who took part!! I was thrilled to be part of it!

If you like, you can see what I'm talking about here!

...templates!!!

I spent my craft time yesterday making up the template for the baskets I made for my Precious Scraps samples. I am going to upload them to SCS as I usually do, hopefully you will be able to get them there very soon. The quickest way is to follow the link in my side bar under Templates and Tutorials. (Would somebody do the honours and let me know that you were able to download them ok? Ta.)

As usual READ the template before you print it - there might be an important tip that you don't want to miss!! Also, I printed the templates directly onto the patterned paper, I just cut it down to letter size and it went through fine.

The Octagon Basket template is for this basket:


To make one like this, you will need to print the template once onto your patterned paper (print it at 100%), then once again onto plain cardstock at 99% for the liner. Then if you fancy making a wee footer like this:


You will need to print the template again at 101% and cut it down as you fancy - I used a patterned fiskars border punch to get a sort of filigree look.

You will also need a scalloped square for the very bottom - I used a Nestabilities classic scalloped square, 4th from smallest in the Sml set.

The second template, The Mini Square basket is this one. Real easy.


Hope they tickle and I'd love to see what you do with them!!

...Octagonal mini basket for Mum!

Broke open the Grow Paper Kit (My Minds Eye) that Beverly of Precious Scraps sent me - yummy!! drop her an email if you would like some.

It's the ideal paper pack for a Mothers day treat, lots of floral die cuts etc - all the flowers you see in this post, except one, are pre cut in the kit. Finished the flowers with a couple of wee buttons, also from Bev. Paired it up with a little Ripe Avocado cardstock from PTI for a liner, footer and card base.

I couldn't resist another wee basket - this is my Octagonal one, a bit more involved than the simple one I posted a few days ago, this is the one you give to someone who will keep it, at least for a while!! Like your Mum.

Perfect wee basket for Easter, or Mothers day - you can get plenty of wee sweets in it.

Incidentally - it's Mothers Day here today! You folks in the States have a wee while longer, and since I love to draw templates...

Hope it tickles.

...Journaling card

There are a million reasons why I don't scrapbook (yet), time, where to start etc. God knows I have plenty of photos, but I do love Journaling cards.

Wanted to make a quick card with this Journaling card from the Bloom paper kit from My Minds Eye (In stock at Precious Scraps). Angled it, cut out a heart (nestabilities), stamped a simple image (Beyond basic borders - PTI), little bit of sponging and added some sparkle.

Dark chocolate ink and ribbon (PTI), and a bit of matching sheer from my stash.

Hope it tickles.

...Basket in a flash

I am finding that the My Minds Eye papers are a good enough weight to make 'things' with and since I love to make 'things' as well as cards, this is good. The whole basket, including pre die cut flowers and tag were made with papers from the Bloom paper kit.

I made up this wee basket as a quickie, I had already made a mini Easter basket which I loved but sometimes I just don't have time to do the whole stamping, lining thing. I wanted a template for a quick and easy basket that also looks pretty. The My Minds Eye double sided papers are ace for this 'cos I don't need to cut an extra liner!! I just fold over the flap and the pattern on the reverse peeps out!! (yep, she's pretty new to double sided papers...lol)

Of course the double thickness card of the other basket does lend a certain sturdiness but since this one is still quite small I think it's perfectly acceptable. And, I stuffed it full of solid choc eggs and, it didn't flinch!!

This would be the basket I would make to give away in quantities, especially to children, who, astoundingly, sometimes don't have the patience to appreciate every little stamped and folded corner detail...

I was pleased with how easy and quick it was to make but If you know you're gonna want something with more detail, check out my mini Easter basket OR keep your eyes open over the next couple of days for my next basket confection, made from the Grow line of papers that Beverly also sent me!!! If you fancy a packet of the papers I've been using all week, drop Beverly a line, she is operating via mail order on her blog till the online shop is up and running!! Or if you're handy to Dover Tennessee, go see her in her brand new shop!!

There will be news about the template later...

...mini basket template help

I have had a couple of folks who can't access the mini basket template at SCS - as this is currently the only method I have of uploading the templates, I can see how this is a bit of a fix - I have a suspicion that you need to be registered at SCS to be able to download stuff.

If you aren't registered and you don't mind getting registered - go ahead and see if this works for you, if not, please email me (it's in the profile deets) and I will send you a copy, but please do try to get it from SCS first as I am having an issue with my junk mail/spam filter (chuh, who isn't?) and I am aware that a few emails haven't got through to me recently.

Hope that helps. Back later with today's Precious Scraps post.

...a little birdie

Couldn't resist cutting out one of the little birdie images from the patterned paper Beverly sent - It's in the Bloom paper kit pack from My Mind's Eye. Get it from Beverly here.

I inked round the edges in black to tidy it up a bit and then mounted it on papers from the collection, there's a deep green/blue mat that came from my stash but the orange and pink are both in the pack. - I put the whole lot on a black card base (PTI cardstock) after I had run it through the swiss dots folder.

I made up the sentiment from PTI Simple alphabet. And I stamped a tree (beyond basic borders - PTI) under the birdie.

It's a really quick simple card but I think the wee birdie is so cute and I wanted to make him a focal point. There are larger bird die cuts in the kit - great if you're making a larger card or scrap book layout.

Hope it tickles.

...you're a hoot

Good morning folks. Hope you all had a fab St Patrick's Day.

Today's card is a sample I made for Precious Scraps. Beverly sent the delicious papers (this card uses papers from the Bloom Paper kit) and I got very excited at the possibilities of double sided paper (you can tell I'm new to this!! Lol) I wanted to make a card that somehow utilized this so I cut little slits and folded them back to make the little 'starburst window'.

In the window I popped a paper-pieced owl (PTI stamp set - Wise Owl, thank you Alli Miles) and added a sentiment underneath. I coloured his eyes in with a white gel pen. I had fun with the sewing machine putting it together and stitched some flaps down and left others alone. I kinda liked how it turned out.

I am absolutely loving the colours in this kit!! All the papers in this card are from the kit and the cute little scallop border is a die cut - I didn't even have to cut that out - little tip tho - When you pop out your die cuts, take an emery board to the wee paper tufts that remain on the die cut - you probably all know that and are laughing up your sleeves at me being all newlyfangled...Lol.

Anyhow any questions, please feel free to leave a comment and I'll update the post. And do stop by Beverly's place, you'll go far to find a nicer person to deal with.

Hope it tickles.

...Precious Scraps...

Ed- Happy St Patrick's Day, BTW!! if you're after something St Pat's related check out Here and Here. You would not believe how little is happening for St Pat's day where I live - school and work were on as normal - Think next year I'd like to go to the States to celebrate St Pat's!!

Beverly at Precious Scraps is a wonderful lady. Not only was she a good friend to start with, she then gave me my first chance at a Design team - Thank you Beverly. I received my first box of goodies late last Thursday and have been busy since making samples - I'm gonna try to post at least one a day till they're all up.

Beverly recently opened her store in Dover Tennessee and also does a mail order service with an online store coming soon. Check it out here.

This is a nice quiet, gentle start to my design team offerings... lol - I have a few funky things in mind for later. Lol. I made this card with papers from the lovely Bloom paper kit. It's part of the Bloom and Grow line from My Mind's Eye, that folksy birdie print is just gorgeous.

I stamped a sentiment in green ink on a piece of the co-ordinating gold/orange paper and ruched a little green ribbon from my stash across the front and added a few of the die cut flowers provided.

Since I wanted to make the card from black cardstock to make the colours really stand out, I thought I would add a piece of the green dot paper in the inside, couldn't resist another flower and a couple of ribbon leaves ( scrap bits of ribbon arranged to look like leaves).

It's a simple, 5x7 inch card because I wanted to show off the patterned paper. The paper is a nice larger scale - It's gonna be really good for all you scrappers.

Hope it tickles.

...other Gss cards this month

These were my other two cards for GSS this month - I so love that flower set and I'm not really a flowers sort of person - but the graphic appeal of these just grabs me - It's all PTI - Chocolate cardstock, Melonberry ribbons, vintage cream cardstock and ink and melon berry buttons.

You have to pop over to PTI and check out the other entries!!! (this link will take you to the gallery - you can navigate to the winners or other entries from there) WOW!! i love GSS - it's a major source of inspiration, Well done to all the winners this month!!

Hope these tickle.

...March GSS at PapertreyInk

One of my Gss subs this month - will be back with deets later - literally running out the door to pick up kids...

Ed- The stamps are PTI Friends till the end set - I heatembossed the flower in white and then it was a cinch to watercolour it - the colours just drop into place - you gotta try this!!

Did it on watercolour paper and then cropped it and cut it out etc. Embossed a nesties frame and sponged a bit and then spent 10 min hoking in a cupboard to find dark purple cardstock!! Lol.

Anyhow - I love the flower image - it's fab.

If you're not familiar with GS, check it out here.

Hope it tickles.

...Damask with Dawn and a tip

Well - I wish it actually had been some sort of class with Dawn McVey - I could use a little of her colour sense, but alas, I had to make do with her stamp set. And what a stamp set!! - today was the first chance I got to ink up the set - I had an hour to spare and desperately wanted to make something with those gorgeous damask shapes - It won't surprise me if this set turns out to be a best seller for PTI - it is stunning.

Just because I felt like it , I took the damask backround stamp and aligned it incorrectly. This gave me a dinky wee circular 'emptiness' that repeated itself across my card, and which I couldn't resist lacing with a bit of thin ribbon, just to highlight it some more. I also added a wee oval stamped in spring moss inside each space, just to define it a little - I used a circular stamp from Simply Stationary to do this - I just squashed it into an oval shape on the block as my little spaces were not exactly round.

The stamping was done on a piece of Basic gray paper from the Sugared collection - which I got from my friend Beverly at precious Scraps (Happy Birthday Beverly!!!) and the ink and card are plum pudding from PTI. The thin green ribbon was picked up at a bridal shop.

The paper has shades of green running through it which is why I paired it with the green ribbon - apologies for the awful photograph - somebody please put me out of my misery and tell me where I can get one of those light tent thingumies for photographing cards in...

... a tip

Just incase you are in the mood to try threading ribbon through tiny wee holes, I have a wee tip to help you - I use it all the time. I do have a large darning needle for this purpose but I find that it can enlarge and rip the little weeny holes that I prefer to work with. I make the holes using the smallest hole punch on my making memories slot punch tool.

Take a piece of sellotape and wrap it around the end of your ribbon really tight , you want it to look a bit like the end of a shoelace. Use this end to thread the ribbon through the wee holes.



Also - there will be some romantic souls among you out there who will appreciate this pic of the moon as it looks here tonight - when it looks like this it always makes me think of that poem about the highwayman - "The moon was a ghostly galleon, tossed upon cloudy seas..."

...tower box tutorial

I've been bold. It seems I promised a tutorial for these tower boxes and then promptly forgot to do it - Apologies. It also seems there were actually people who were waiting... I'm sorry. I'm always so surprised when anyone actually wants to make any of my projects. Apologies to anyone who was needing this for any reason!! BTW I'd love to see what yours turn out like!!

Here are a few notes to help you if you fancy having a go at a tower box like this one.


1 I made a bottom for my tower out of a piece of card 3.5 inches square - I scored a half inch in all the way round and cut off the corners to allow it to fold nicely.


2 I scored a piece of PTI chocolate card at 2.5 inch intervals - I scored down the length of the card because I wanted a tall tower. This left me with 4 tower sides and a handy half inch gluing flap up one side.

3 I cut four pieces of patterned paper a quarter inch shorter and a quarter inch narrower than a tower side, these are the patterned papers that you're going to use to decorate the outside of the tower with.

4 In one of the pieces of patterned paper I cut an opening for the window. I did NOT cut the window shape out - instead I made a paper template of the window shape I wanted and used this to mark the position of the window on the reverse of my patterned paper. I cut a slit from top to bottom through the centre of my window and cut across the top and bottom, but NOT down the sides. This leave two flaps, or shutters. I folded the 'shutters' back - with a bit of careful lining up I was able to use the scorpal to make the folds crisp.


5 I adhered the patterned paper to one of the tower sides and used the window opening as a guide to cut the window in the tower. I cut the window in the tower slightly smaller than the window in the patterned paper so that it would give the impression of a window frame.

6 I adhered the remaining 3 pieces of patterned paper to the outside of my tower.

7 I adhered a piece of clear acetate to the 'inside' of the window and then the base was attached to the tower on one side only - see the pic below.

I finished the tower by adhering the sides of the tower together and then folded the base flaps up and added a little adhesive before pushing them up inside the tower.

Then it was time to make the roof.


1 I took a piece of card 11 inches by 4.5 inches and scored a line just under 1 inch in parallel to the longest side. Then I scored a line parallel to this 1 inch away closer to the centre of the card.

2 I turned the card so that the short edges of the card were at either side with a long edge facing me and the scored lines nearest me. I scored a line 2 and 5/8 inches from the left hand edge - I scored a further 3 lines at 2 and 5/8 inches intervals. This leaves a small flap just under a half inch wide at one side. I cut away the top and bottom rectangles as you can see in the pic above.

3 I went back to the 2 and 5/8 inch segments and located the mid point of these on the long side away from the previously scored lines.

4 I scored from the mid points towards the places where the previous horizontal and vertical scores crossed each other - have a look at the pic to see what I mean. It makes triangular shapes.

5 I folded along the score lines - have a peep at the pic below of a brown roof I made for help with how to fold. You are looking at the inside of the roof.


6 Can you see where I have cut slits up as far as the first score along the bottom of the card? - These wee flaps will get tucked up inside the roof and cutting slits here makes the roof easier to fold as these become corners. If you want to run the roof through a cuttle bug embossing folder for texture, now's the time.

7 Fold the roof together tucking the bottom flaps up inside as you go - it makes a nice tidy pocket for the glue flap to get tucked into. You will also need to put some adhesive in the actual roof to stop the top from opening out. Slip it into the folds so it's not visible.


Check the pic below to see how to arrange the folds on the inside of the roof - they should form a neat square shape in the centre.


Hope this helps.

...cards at last

Ed - I used the heart shaped nestabilities to cut out 3 hearts for the shamrock.
It's either feast or famine with me - I do aim to post around 4 times a week as I'm not able to craft every day but sometimes it doesn't work out - you know how it is. Anyhow got a few very quick and simple cards made last night after I unpacked my new toys!! (PTI delivery)

I really needed to just stamp something and I didn't want to waste time 'designing' a card first - so I just went with the flow. Heathers new set Beyond basic borders is just great for when you're itching to do something - it creates a style all its own!!

And buttons...yum.

I think these are all easy to do but if you need to know anything leave a comment and I'll edit the post - many thanks for looking.

Also entered these for the current challenge over at A Passion for papertrey, if you're in Europe you might like to check it out!

Hope they tickle.

I used PapertreyInks gold shimmer card for these - I love how the ripe avocado ink looks on it - look at the close-up to see what I mean. Melon Berry ink, Dark chocolate ink as well and of course the Beyond basic borders stamp set.

On the St Pat's card I used the leaf textures tag from 'Tags for Spring' (also PTI) to stamp the shamrock leaves, while they were still in the die. Also used Journaling Lines for the pinstripes, sentiment made from Fresh and Simple alphabet sets.

The wee birdie is also from 'Tags for Spring'