Discbound Notebook with the WRMK Mini Disc Cinch

I recently purchased the We R Memory Keepers Mini Disc Cinch. After playing around with it making a couple of prototypes, I made this disc bound notebook for a friend. I had seen others make DIY planners using Dollar Tree gift bags as covers, so I tried the same thing.

This is a gift set of goodies including the notebook, a bridge card, and a matchbook notepad. I also made tab dividers for the notebook with my WRMK envelope punch board and some coffee cup shaped paper clips.

You can watch my video walkthrough of this project and some thoughts on the Disc Cinch on my YouTube channel. Just click the picture!

Baby Scrapbook Mini Album from Envelopes

I have a new video to share today! I started this album a year ago. I finished it a couple months ago, but I'm just getting around to filming now because I finally have the two things I need: quiet and sunlight! (Sunlight being the harder thing to come by! Thank heavens for a beautiful day.)

I made this mini album from A6 envelopes cut from heavy gold foil paper with my Accucut Craft die. I put a skinny 1/8th of an inch gutter between each page so they are not totally squished against each other.

I used a neutral colour scheme of browns to go with the gold and accented with some blue-greens. This is a (very late) gift for a co-worker with two little boys. True to my style and since I expect the photos will take up most of the room, it is only lightly embellished. I designed a onsie die cut specifically for this album. I wanted it to be a journalling spot and the die cuts I have are too small.

This is my Ribbon-Bound Triple Envelope Scrapbook Album. I taught a class to my creative crew for it and I've shown other albums I've made in this style. It doesn't matter what size envelope or whether you have triangle or rectangle flaps. It works with all styles.

I put a large tag in each envelope too. That's where you can put some photos in landscape orientation. (One page is not embellished as well as the front and back covers, so a landscape picture could go there too.)

I also put one of my die cut dinosaurs in here, which I had designed for another project.

Want to see the whole thing? Watch my baby mini album walk-through video on my Vimeo channel.

Winter is Coming for 2015

I've been working on some Christmas / Holiday / Winter projects of late. Our last two card workshops were all Christmas / Seasonal cards. But first, I'd like to show you a decor piece I've made for myself.

I've been on an ornament kit this year too (not for the holidays but for another, future, secret project). While working on them, I bought extras to make snow globe scenes. I really wanted to do the ornament version, but I thought, why not try my gable box?

I made an acetate gable box. Then I lined the inside with the blue snowflake paper. I lined the outside with a silver embossed snowflake paper. Inside the box window I created, I spaced out 4 layers of snowy hillsides with Stardust Stickles glitter glue on their edges.

Then, I added my hillside fixings: a stag (Cottage Cutz), Evergreen Trees (Quickutz) and little houses (my own die cut design on my Brother Scan'N'Cut). It was not easy to work with the acetate. This display is staying home with me, as I am unlikely to make another!

I opened the top of the box and dumped in some fake snow. It's like shredded cellophane with a nice sheen.

What holiday crafts have you been up to? What ones are on your bucket list?

BOO! Halloween Decor

Here's another Halloween item I made this year. I found the BOO glitter letters kits at Michael's. They were somewhat pricey but I had big plans for them.

I have an Accucut Craft shape that looks somewhat like a headstone and that's what I wanted to use for this project. I cut them from heavy chipboard, painted them black, decorated them, attached them with hinges at the top and put black tulle in the middle. Then I attached the bottoms with "W" shaped hinges to give it some stability for standing.

I LOVE how this turned out! I made it a double-sided design. It's identical on both sides. At any time, you can click the pictures for a bigger view.

On the "B", the tree is an older Lifestyles Craft die which I covered in black stickles. The skull is a sticker from Michaels Craft Store and the word is a smaller Accucut Craft alphabet die that I have which I cut from red felt.

On the purple "O", I used a Lifestyle Crafts spider die and an Old Island Stamp Company haunted house that I coloured with Copic markers. I also put some green sequins on it that I got at the Dollar Store (either Dollarama or Dollar Tree).

On the orange "O", I used a Recollections witch stamp, coloured googly eyes I got at Michaels Craft Store and a broom from a snowman album die set by Accucut Craft. The bats are my own die cut design which I cut with my Brother Scan'N'Cut out of black cardstock which I covered in purple stickles.

One feature I'm really glad I worked in to this design: after Halloween, it folds up for storage!

If only I had the room to store an Accucut Craft large alphabet, then I would have letters big enough that I could have cut them from the glitter fun foam myself. I could make a JOY or SNOW version for Christmas and a LOVE version for all year round. What home decor pieces have you made with your craft?

Friends Scrapbook Mini Album - video

I'm still experimenting with binding systems! I like the ribbon binding on my "triple envelope" albums. So, I want to do that on individual pages. I did it once for a birthday album and I really liked how that turned out.

I was going to do a video on it, but I found one that was fairly close to my method. (You can see her mini album binding method at about 14 minutes in to her video.) I am not very good with an Xacto Knife though, so I bought a strip making die that makes 1/2 inch strips. I can use 1/2 inch spaces or I can scoot the paper over and create 1/4 inch spaces.

This album is my first try of that binding system. I had to try 3x before I got the measurements all right. The pages turn very easily. I like to line my hinges with Tyvek for an anti-tear enhancement but that sometimes makes them stiff. Using ribbon prevents that.

I used an 8.5 x 11 paper stack by DCWV. (It's taking me a LONG time to get through this stack, I tell you!) The pages are actually no. 10 business envelopes that I cut down. I put the ribbon in the open end. I didn't open the other end to make pockets. The envelopes feel a little thin when you  open them. Leaving it sealed on the outer edge feels like a sturdier page.

I used a whole lot of Accucut Craft Dies in this album. I've entered it in their August 2015 Challenge for Friendship themed creations! I love using die cuts. One of my custom made ones appears in this album as well.

I used to hate stamping, but now I like that too. Just as I started taking a shine to stamping, stamps and co-ordinating dies sets have become popular! Woo hoo! Wish I were the genius who thought of that!

You can see the full video walk-through of my Friends 4 life scrapbook mini album on my Fairycardmaker Vimeo channel.

Dinosaur Birthday Card

One nephew shares a birth month with my dad and one shares a birthday day-of-the-month with him. It was my nephew's 5th birthday this past week and my dad's 65th. I made a card for both of them, but today I am sharing my nephew's.

I used Freshly Made Sketches sketch #185. I kept the colour scheme bright and simple. The balloon is a shape that came with my Brother Scan'N'Cut. I cut it as small as possible and then had to shave it down by hand. I cut the dinosaur on my Scan'N'Cut too, but that one I designed myself on the computer.

I masked off a bigger birthday wish stamp to get just the "birthday wishes". Then I spelled out "BIG" with an alphabet set I have from Close To My Heart.

I had to make this card in a hurry so I was glad to find inspiration in the sketch!

Baby Boy Scrapbook Mini Album 2015

Here's the latest of my custom made scrapbook mini albums. This one features another blue and green theme. On the cover are many of my own die cut designs and my best version of a baby peeking out from behind a birthday present. I designed a new die cut: a onsie. I made all the shapes on the cover, except for the tag, which is an Accucut Craft die, and the baby bottle, which is a Quickutz die.

On the cupcake page, I really liked how the hearts turned out. They are actually hidden tags - as you can see on the far right, where I pulled it up a bit for the picture. They slide behind the cupcakes and the bottom of the hand stamped heart 'clips' them on.

I used a damask embossing folder on this page along the top and bottom border. It's a 5x7 folder, so it was wide enough to cover the near 6.5 inch width of the page mat. I used a pearlescent paper, so it looks really lovely in the light. (You can see it better in the video.)

I devised a ribbon binding technique for this album. It truly helped the pages to lay flat! I will use this technique some more with different ribbons and see how it goes. It did make assembly of the cover a little difficult, but the end result was quite worth it in my book!

You can watch the video of this ** baby boy scrapbook ** on my Vimeo channel.

Baby Boy 1st Birthday Scrapbook Album

I finally finished this mini album! This one is a custom theme. The baby was dressed as a sailor and the party was ocean creature themed. So, I took pen to paper and drew some ocean creatures. Then I scanned them to my computer and created electronic die cuts out of them (.svg files). (Link to video walk-through at end!)

I also used some party themed die cuts like party hats and balloons as well as my hand made wrapped gifts. The balloons on the cover are actually Christmas ornaments turned upside down!

I used a swing tag on this page. The seahorse and the gift move out of the way so that the top flap can open. I also used some 'paper paper clips'. I made the tags so that they could clip on to something. (You can see the rosette one on the page facing the seahorse. That tag slides out.)

My favourite die cuts that I made are the seahorse, the whale and the octopus. Here's the whale:

On the facing page to this whale, you can see the dolphin tag is holding shut two flip-open-sideways photo mats.

I also designed a little onsie die cut for this album. This one I designed directly in Inkscape.

It was very hard to work on. It's the biggest I've done to date with pages 8.5 inches tall and 6.5 inches wide. With the external hinges, I had to assemble the pages first and then work on them. It was tough and I find the pages a little stiff.

To see the album live, hop on over to my Vimeo channel by this link: https://vimeo.com/121417353

Monster Valentine Card 2015

Just a short post today to show you the Valentine's Day card I made for my husband this year. I think it turned out pretty cute. I originally envisioned a big speech bubble on the front. I tried it but I didn't like how it looked. So, I decided to just hand-write, going for a bit of a comic strip type look for the writing.

I like my little peeking monster. It's of my own die cut designs. The inside has another of my own die cut monsters. I made the front monster from pink polka dots (cuz it's me, the girl) and the inside one is grey polka dots (for my hubby).

He thought it was cute. :)

Happy Purple Scrapbook Mini Album from Envelopes

Continuing on my mini album kick, I made this one about a month ago. I was experimenting with the envelope albums when I learned that my long-time co-worker friend had decided to move to the Maritimes. So, I wanted to make her a keepsake that she could fill with things that make her smile.

I had to put it together quick because I was going to be away (for work) during her last week at the office. I was sad to know that I would not be there on the last day for her send off and to be among everyone gathering to share memories and swap stories.

Anyway, here's the album cover. I apologize for the poor picture quality. They are screenshots from the video walkthrough because I finished this album the night before I had to give it away.

I made the pages using paper instead of cardstock. I made the envelopes using a good quality 32lb paper to see how well it would stand up. It is definitely better than regular envelopes but certainly not as heavy as the 65lb cardstock from Michaels Craft Store. I did like how easily the parts folded and the overlap ridges are less thick than with cardstock.

I used a garden theme in this album because my friend likes to garden and she loves the colour purple. So, green and purple are the main colours and the rest are neutrals: brown and grey. I was going for a fairly earthy/natural feel.

You can see this envelope mini album better in the video on my Vimeo channel, (although I filmed it quickly and at night so it isn't totally top notch itself, but you'll get the idea!).

Video - 5x7 Dog Mini Album

A while ago, I posted about a 5x7 dog-themed mini scrapbook album that I made and submitted to the Accucut Craft Grandemark challenge. [Didn't win anything though.] I finally fixed up the video for it so you can see a live walk-through of the pages.

I really like how the pocket pages have the V-neck cut out in the die that I used [A7 Jacket Card #1 from Accucut Craft]. Feel free to click on over to my Vimeo Channel to see this album.

Monster Fun Children's Cards!

There are two challenges posted for the next card run to Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children by Kards for Kids. We've got a "May Monsters" challenge and a June "Sea Sun and Surf" challenge. (Cards must be received by the Kards for Kids founder and coordinator by June 30.)

I have been having a real ball with the monster theme.  I have three young nephews, so monsters work fantastically well for me.  I made this birthday card for my youngest nephew who is born in May to get my monster madness flowing.

The stamp is "Lil' Monster's Balloon" by Annabelle Stamps.  I sprung for the matching die cut to save myself the fussy cutting. I intend to use this one quite a bit.  I LOVE this stamp!  It is so easy to colour and so gosh dark cute!  You can cut off the balloon and put a flower or a sign too.

This one I coloured with Copic markers and Bic Mark-It alcohol based markers.  For budget markers, Bic Mark-Its work very nicely.  They don't blend as well as Copic markers on regular cardstock and they are not refillable like Copics, but they are an excellent foray into alcohol markers and they come in a fantastic array of colours all in a set.  Even the case they come in is cleverly designed for full transportability of your whole collection. I coloured this one on Copic Xpress It paper that really helped the blending.  On this paper, they blended like Copics do.

It definitely got my brain on the monster theme. Over the past three weeks, I have designed three monsters for my electronic die cutter. Here are two of the monsters:

And here is the third:

I made some of the two-eyed ones in girly themes too for the Kards for Kids contest.

For every 5 cards you send in for a theme, you are eligible for a prize draw. Join us and let out your creative monster!

New Cat Die Cut!

Well, I made a new dog die cut not long ago. I used it for a dog scrapbook mini album.  (It's not that mini. It's a pretty decent size at 5x7 inches, actually.) I figured it's only fair that I make a cat album too, and that means - a new cat die cut!

Why didn't I do this one first?  It was way simpler than the dog one!  Anyway - I have used this die cut on my first ever cat themed scrapbook mini album. (Video link at end.) I made this one specifically to benefit animal charity.  35% of the proceeds of this album will go to the Etsy for Animals Charity of the Month in the month it sells and 15% will go to the Southern Ontario Animal Rescue (a local dog rescue and registered Canadian Charity). (Right now, for May 2014, the charity of the month is a kitty charity - how fitting! Want to support animal charity? Click the picture below to go to my Etsy shop and buy this album!)

I really like this envelope album style because it sits so nicely flat.  (My first one was a love themed envelope mini album.) On this one, I reinforced the spine with Tyvek, which is a very thin plastic-like material that is water resistant and tear resistant. The spine allows for a small amount of expansion to accommodate filling the pages with photos. The album pages are made with business reply envelopes, which allow for 4 x 6 inch pages. So, the photo mats are a little bit smaller than a standard 4x6 inch photograph.

In the preceding picture, you can see the small sized die cut cat.

All the inside pages are the same: Two pockets on the left - one larger tag and a smaller tag (for most pages); one large space on the right with a pocket for a double-sided photo mat. All-in, there are a total of 48 spots of various sizes for photos or stories.

The tags are a great size for a wallet photo (2 x 3 inches) and they are all blank on the back for writing down the photo's story, or facts and thoughts about the photo's subject.

I wanted to show you my fish die cut too.  I made it some time ago, but I found it fitting for this album.

 If you would like to see the WHOLE album, you can watch the mini album flip through on my Vimeo channel.

5 x 7 Dog Scrapbook Album

I finally decided to try a ring bound album with eyelets protecting the holes in the pages.  I like this look on the albums I check out but, boy, I am disastrous with eyelets! [I've definitely got to abandon that binding system when the last of my eyelets are gone.]

I started this album with the intention of donating it to the Speaking of Dogs fall online auction. I thought I had lots of time to finish it, but then the Accucut Craft GrandeMark challenge snuck up on me [with a much earlier deadline that I remember last year!]. I like this challenge because it makes me find more ways to use my dies!

So, for the base of this album, I used a 5x7 inch pocket card. Every pocket has a large photo mat that will fit a standard print 4 inches by 6 inches here in Canada) without any trimming needed. Same for the backs of the pages and, on the fronts of the pockets, a little trimming it needed or a 3x5 inch photo will fit just fine.

I put my original die cut dog on the front.

Another of my original die cut designs is the bone.  It's really simple: two hearts and a rectangle welded together. I cut this big one and I also put a couple smaller ones in the album.

I coloured this stamped out dog with my Copic alcohol markers.

I made this dog house on my electronic cutter too. I designed two houses: a 2 storey and a bungalow.  All I did to make it in to a dog house was welded an oval on for the door and cut it off at the bottom.

I recorded a video for this album showing all the rest of the pages [about 5 times]. I outline all the Accucut Craft dies I used in there.  I will upload it another day, because I am limited in the uploads per week that I can do.

I need to make another album to list for animal charity in my Etsy hand made card shop.  I was going to make another dog one but I started realizing how many cat people I know.  So, I decided to make a cat album. Once I made that decision, I realized I don't have a lot of cat embellishments. Well, that meant, I just had to make some.  I already had a die cut fish (which I made for a "Birthday Fishes" card). I also already have a die cut cat, but it's very cartoon-ish.  So, I made a kitty cat silhouette die cut.  STAY TUNED to see it in a future unveiling!

(If you already like my die cut dog, I have some available in my shops!)

Bunny Birthday Card

In the spirit of Easter, I thought I would post this bunny birthday card I made for my sister.  Her birthday is in early April, she loves all manner of animals and she was born in the year of the Rabbit, so I thought it was appropriate for her.

I designed this die cut rabbit on my Boss Kut Gazelle. It was the first step towards designing my custom dog die cut. I cut it out of Bazzill Swiss Dot cardstock. Polka dotted cardstock is so simple but always so cute!

The doily is a Lifestyles Crafts die I got on sale at Michaels Craft Store.  Lifestyle Crafts was previously Quickutz and, more recently, purchased by We R Memory Keepers. We R Memory Keepers needs to re-brand the packaging, so there was a whole stand of 4x4 Lifestyle Crafts dies on sale at Michaels a while back and I picked up a few!

TIP: The sentiment is a machination of stamps.  I used an alphabet stamp by Studio G that I bought at Michaels for cheap to spell "Hoppy" and then I used a "Happy Birthday" stamp from Close to My Heart for the Birthday part. I put tape over the "Happy" part so that only the word "Birthday" would receive ink. I learned this tip from my Close to My Heart consultant, Sheri Ballantyne.

I composed a little poem for the inside too. My sister really liked it. I used papers from a Recollections paper pad I bought at Michaels.  Paper pads are on my "no buy" list, but I really liked how well coordinated this pad was, so I caved and now I feel obligated to use it up!  Do you ever have those days? I think half the fun of any hobby is accumulating all the goodies that go with it!

HOPPY EASTER to everyone too.

New Dog Die Cut!

There's nothing like new machine envy that forces me to figure how to get my old machine to do something close or similar.  I have a Boss Kut Gazelle.  I bought it in 2007, but I'm drooling over the new Brother Scan N Cut. Well, I played with my Gazelle to see if I could mimic one of of the Scan N Cut features with a little extra elbow grease.  That gave me the designing bug again, so I designed a new die cut dog!

And I used the nifty outline feature of my Gazelle to make an outline that could serve as a silhouette on its own.

 Here's the doggy cut from patterned paper:.

I inked around the paws and tails on all of them to provide some more definition - especially on the cardstock ones.

This dog actually started out as a bunny die cut that I designed first.

Then I morphed it in to a dog.

(These will be up in my shops at some point in the future!)

The feature I adore about the Scan N Cut is that it will scan any image (rubber or a printed digital image or my own sketches and handwriting) and cut it out perfectly. I would NEVER have to fussy cut a stamp again or manually make a stamp mask.

Although the newest software of my Gazelle can do print and cut using registration marks, I have never upgraded the software because I don't use the machine as much as I imagined I would. I find I still prefer the finished edge of manual die cuts. Nevertheless, this machine has definitely served me well for YEARS.

While the newest Gazelle Software can print and cut, my original out-of-the-box-from-2007 software can outline.  So, I scanned in a stamped image (with my printer/scanner) and then outlined it.  I can cut the outline and then use my stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp inside that cut out.  More steps, more time, more margin for error, but it does the same job.  So, no Scan N Cut for me.... yet.