Total Papercrafts

Total Papercrafts kit 1 for February

2012-01-30T15:23:00.000Z

This year we decided not to go with a Valentine kit, there are only so many schmaltzy layouts that some people can tolerate so we have listened to our customers who prefer more 'everyday' kits that are a bit more flexible. Our first kit for February is a single page layout in muted almost retro colours. All of the papers in the kit are double sided and so there is so much scope for playing with pattern and colours. One of the papers has a strong 'date' print and we decided to use that as our theme for the sample page making it perfect for birthday photos. You could go with the theme and use pictures of anniversarys, birthdays, retirement or any other significant date. You could also use vintage photos as the dates on the paper go back to 1905!!

The sample uses two portrait photos - one 6" x 4" and a 3" x 4" but you could opt for just one photo if thats all that you have. You will need a black inkpad and you might want to opt for a narrow border punch (the sample used the EK Success postage stamp punch). Apart from 3d foam pads and double sided tape plus a few crystals from one of the January kits, thats all you will need to add as everything else is included in the kit.

The kit contains; cardstock, 4 sheets of double sided patterned paper, pack of chipboard alphabet, mini coin envelope, ribbon, braid and a paper template.

We added a touch of black Stickles glitter glue to the chipboard alphabet letters for a bit of extra bling but you might also want to make these glossy with some Glossy Accents - we have some teeny bottles in stock for only £1.99, you can message us to add a bottle to your kit if you want one.

Free scrapbook classes!

2012-01-29T20:15:00.004Z

Have you lost your mojo or need some help with understanding what this scrapbooking thing is all about well how about a free series of scrpabook classes to get you going? Scrapbook.com is offering a 24 scrapbooking classes absolutely free of charge. The syllabus covers everything from creating your first layout to tackling big projects so should offer something for almost everyone.

I signed up and received the first class almost instantly and it was nice and short so don't fret that it will be a huge commitment, its just something to think about or stuff that we might have forgotten. Best of all, its FREE!!

You can find the overview of the classes and sign up here

Scrap your Scraps page 2 is live!!

2012-01-26T16:37:00.000Z

The second of our 'Scrap your Scraps' classes has just gone live on our forum and we love it! This album page includes hidden pockets, folding pages and masses of space for photos and telling your story. We have used the scraps from the Total Papercrafts January kit 2 and continued the vintage feel with inking and shabby chic flowers.
The class can be found by logging onto www.totalpapercrafts.forumotion.co.uk with your username and password, just popping onto the forum won't show you all of the content so you will need to log in. Just as with our first class, this album page can also be made as an unusual greetings card - a perfect way to use up scraps of paper and create something gorgeous! Have fun!!

Distress Ink deliciousness!

2012-01-23T19:46:00.000Z

Be still my heart......Distress Ink is coming in a pen form!! The Distress Marker was announced today via Tim's blog and on the Ranger website and I am so excited! The pens will be available in all 36 Distress Ink colours and also in Picket Fence white. We will be able to buy a set as shown above and also individual pens if that suits your purse better. These will so have to come and live at my house!

They have dual tips - a brush for colouring large areas incuding stamps plus a detail tip for fine work and journaling. What a fab idea and another way to incorporate the gorgeous water based Distress colours into your crafting. Sigh.......

Free printables

2012-01-22T17:56:00.001Z

There are websites that I drop by every now and again and others that I visit every day. One of the every day sites is Write,Click,Scrapbook which offers something different each and every day for all types of scrapbookers. The 'write' concentrates on ideas for creating meaningful journaling. Their prompts cover the what as well as the how of capturing the stories. 'Click' gives helpful tips for your photography including composition and technical advice. 'Scrapbook' covers all sorts of things from using sketches, tutorials, themes - the list goes on. They post each day with a different focus each week. Today they have a set of free printable cards available. They are the kind of thing you can add to all sorts of projects, not just crafts but they will look fab on cards and scrapbook layouts. You can find the printables here

Free journaling cards to download

2012-01-19T14:32:00.001Z

I know that quite a few people have started a 'Project Life' project this month and I have to admit to giving this some serious thought myself but I'm not sure if I can make the commitment. Its something that doesn't fit with my style of scrapbooking but it looks like a great way to document the 'real' side of life rather than the high days and holidays.
If you haven't heard of Project Life, its a year long project by Becky Higgins that can be undertaken with paper and photos or digitally - theres something to suit all styles of scrapbookers. The album kit can be purchased through Amazon here in the UK. You can also purchase the kits digitally through Jessica Sprague or you can complete the project as a photo book through Shutterfly.
Most of the scrapbookers I know tend to have loads of stash of their own and so I was wondering if it would be possible to follow along using stuff you already have and maybe just add in a few bits and bobs. The key thing with this project is its 'pocket' type layout with photos, memorabilia and journaling popped into little pockets in a page protector. I'd have most things but not so many of the journaling cards.
A quick search in the internet reveals there are very kind designers who are offering free downloads to use with project life. I find the cards above here and I'm sure there are loads more!
Even if you don't intend to start a Project Life type of album, these cards are very handy to print off and add to any of the pages, albums or papercrafting you might be working on. Enjoy!

Total Papercrafts January kit 2

2012-01-17T21:19:00.002Z

We have had a few technical issues this evening with uploading the sample page for kit 2 but its finally all sorted out! The papers are the gorgeous new 'Madame Boutique' line from Kaisercraft, all of which are double sided so we get oodles of bang for our buck here!

The kit contains; kraft cardstock, 4 sheets of double sided patterned paper, pack of crystal alphabet (silver or gold tone), lace flowers, loose crystals, a length of narrow cream ribbon and a length of teal cotton lace.

You will also need a beige inkpad (sample used Stampin Up Sahara Sand), brown inkpad (sample used Distress ink in Vintage Photo), a border punch (something lacy would be ideal), small leaf stamps, water spray, fabric glue or hot glue gun .

If you are ateending club we will have the punches used for the sample available for you to use as well as the leaf stamps (Stampin Up Baby Blossoms) so don't worry of you don't have these.

The sample uses three 6" x 4" photos all of which are portrait. It would be possible to work with slightly larger photos or a combination of landscape and protrait. The papers have a vintage, feminine feel and the kit includes 'Memories' title cards. In line with this, the sample uses photos of three generations of women but you could play down the feminine aspect of the papers and use the kit for heritage photos, family shots and a lot more. This kit has been a dream to work with and we are sure that you will love it!

Free digi stuff!

2012-01-15T22:50:00.004Z

If you are on Facebook and like the look of the digital overlays above, you can download them for free for a limited time from Florabella. This company produces gorgeous photoshop actions that can lift an ordinary photo into the realms of extraordinary. But don't worry of you aren't really into the whole digital thing, these are really easy to use and you just use them in your photo editing software like you would a transparency overlay - you just slip a photo in the space provided! There are templates for photo frames and book marks, both of which would make fab little Valentine gifts.

You can find the Florabella Facebook page here all you need to do is 'like' their page and then click to share the news about the download. Its really simple!

Scrap your Scraps is off and running!!

2012-01-12T17:56:00.001Z

Those of you who have attended our clubs this month have already had a chance to see the first page in the brand new 'Scrap your Scraps' album project and I know that many of you are eagerly waiting for the instructions. I am pleased to announce that the first class has been uploaded the the forum today and is ready for you to dip into!
The leftovers from the Bo Bunny 'Snowfall' kit 1 were just too yummy to throw away (and yes, I do usually throw my kit scraps away!!) so its great to have something meaningful to do with them. Don't be misled into thinking this is just an album page though, you could just as easily make this as a greeting card - perfect for the last minute nightmare when you realise you forgot Aunty Mary's birthday is today!!
I hope you have a go at the class and let me know what you think. If you have any problems with understanding the instructions just give me a shout and I can tweak them.

You can find the class on the forum here and then you will need to log in to see the thread.

I have just realised that this is my 500th post on this blog!!! I feel like party poppers should be going off and I should be whooping round the room. I'd like to thank everyone who drops by and I hope you find some of the stuff I post is worth you spending your time on here. I love it when someone I haven't seen for a while comes up to me at a class or crop and chats about something they have read on the blog!! Thanks once again and here's to the next 500 posts!!!

Oooh - new Tim Holtz Sizzix dies!!

2012-01-11T22:20:00.000Z

Be still my beating heart - the first peeks of Tim's new Sizzix dies have been released and I love them all!! I have to admit to falling in love with dies all over again since Tim started designing his range and while I've really tried to resist there are a few of them living at our house! It'll be hard to stop myself from buying these ones when they are finally available because I really love all 3 of them. The branch will be so versatile and how cure would the bird cage look hanging from it?! The tattered floral wreath offers yet more flowers to layer with the original tattered florals die. That sewing room edge die matches in with the sewing room main die - I think he's been looking through my stash as all of these are does I already own! It's a sign, I have to have these new ones too!! What do you think of these peeks?

Masterclass 2 peek

2012-01-10T22:29:00.002Z

I knw there are quite a few people waiting for the peek of our next masterclass which we'll be teaching this month across the south-east of England. The full details will be listed on our Masterclass page which you can find by clicking the link above ^^^
I had a lot of fun designing this class using what I originlly thought were black and white papers but they are actually dark espresso and cream. We'll be using a technique new to the masterclass series with texture medium and Prima stencils - the result is a delicate and elegant dimensional design that will spark your creativity. I'm already thinking of so many other ways that I can use this technique!

Fab poster to inspire you

2012-01-10T00:14:00.004Z

I've been sharing lots of ideas, links and downloads lately to inspire everyone to get creative and when I dropped into a site for one of my online classes today they were sharing this really cool poster by edhall at Deviant Art. Wouldn't this be great to print out, frame and have on your wall near to where you craft?!

You can find the original print here - would this be your list or would you have included different things? I think chocolate would have to be on my list somewhere!! Lol!

Creative Jumpstart 2012

2012-01-08T21:32:00.001Z

I asked a question on the forum the other day about what (if any) of the new classes everyone has signed up for. It got me really curious to see what is available and I came across one in particular that really grabbed my attention. 'Creative Jumpstart' is aimed at inspiring you with daily videos to get your creative juices going. It's completely free to sign up and although it started on 1st January, if you sign up now all of the videos will be available until the middle of the year. How great is that? You'll be able to refer back to the ideas over and over! The first ideas have been really cool, each has been by a different designer on a different subject - we've had creative warm ups and a textured ATC made from toilet tissue to name just two! I'm enjoying this series so much I had to share it - you can find out more and sign up at www.nathaliesstudio.com See you in class!

A brand new Total Papercrafts adventure!

2012-01-08T00:06:00.001Z

I've been thinking about and planning a little something new for everyone for a little while with a view to starting it in January. In the next day or so I will be revealing the first part of what will be a year long project - 'Scrap your Scraps'. I'm so excited about this!!The project will be run on our forum with a new class each fortnight (or so) but in the meantime we have posted the overall project idea in the forum so you can find out what it's all about, get used to logging in and find the thread ready for kick-off!! The project thread can be found on the Total Papercrafts forum at www.totalpapercrafts.forumotion.co.uk and you'll need to go to the 'Total Papercrafts kits' section and look for the Scrap your Scraps heading. One thing to note is that while you can see some of the forum when you first visit it, you'll need to log in to see it all, including this section. I hope you can join in with the fun project, you don't need to commit to doing each and every part of it as its going to be something you can dip in and out of and of course it's totally FREE!

Echo Park free project instructions

2012-01-06T19:52:00.005Z

The Christmas decorations are now down and the shops are beginning to stock up for the next big day on the calendar - Valentine's Day. I know, I know, we need 5 minutes to catch out breath but if you make your own cards you'll probably be waaaay ahead of me already!

Echo Park have released their Valentine line 'Yours Truly' in the traditional colours of red/pink with black and white. They also have a series of free project instructions including the card above. The PDF includes detailed photos and step-by-step instructions - this makes card making a breeze!!

You can find the free download here

Cute free labels!

2012-01-05T16:07:00.000Z

I've had some incredible feedback about the content of the blog of late, in particular the links to fun, interesting and/or free stuff on the other amazing sites out there. I know not everyone has the time to browse the internet for these things but are still very keen to know whats going on.
I found these gorgeous vintage style labels today, not only are they totally free to download but they come in two colourways and also there are instructions for how to alter the font style, size and colour! You can find these labels here Have fun with them!!

Stuck for how to store/use ephemera?

2012-01-04T18:33:00.002Z

I was browsing through 2peas earlier today and came upon a fun new section being run by Shimelle aka 'Glitter Girl'. The feature will focus on a different problem each week and this week she came to the rescue over how to deal with ephemera. In case you're not sure what I'm talking about, its the stuff we tend to save in the hope that we will include it in our scrapbook pages - tickets, brochures, ribbon from gifts etc....
Shimelle has put together a really fun YouTube video showing a number of different ways to store your keepsakes, how to display them and lastly takes you step by step through a layout that incorporates ephemera. You can find the feature and the video here - its a fun and fresh approach to dealing with the 'stuff' of life!!

Back in contact!

2012-01-03T14:59:00.000Z

The engineer came bright and early this morning and after lots of head scratching and testing, he finally found a fault out in the street. It took him a while to fix it but we are finally back in touch with the outside world.

It has been awful to feel so cut off from the outside world, its amazing how dependant we all are on the telephone and internet - the whole family has felt it, never mind the shop! Anyway, thanks to the fab engineer who worked his magic in the howling wind and driving rain. What a trooper he was and his cuppa was certainly earned. We are back in the 21st Century - woo hoo!!

Check out our new box on the right hand side to join our Facebook page - plus the feed of our latest posts. You'll find a link to a free digital kit to download on our page today and we will be keeping you posted with all of our news. Click the 'Like' button to join the page and get our posts!

Total Papercrafts kit 1 for January

2012-01-01T14:50:00.001Z

I gave you a sneaky peek of the kit papers for this kit the other day and I have loved designing with these! The finished sample design uses a single 6x4 landscape photo with a wintry theme. You could fit two photos on here with a bit of jiggling around. The papers in the kit are double sided with fab designs on each side and as you can see they are all glittery. We chose three of the gorgeously glittered papers - this glitter is stuck on firmly so no need to worry about it ending up in the bottom of your page protector! I did notice that the adhesive they have used has a really strong smell but I left my page out for a few days and it seems to have gone.

The kit contains; cardstock, 3 sheets of double sided glittered paper, ribbon, paper roses, pack of paper flowers, pack of pearl beads, floral wire, paper leaves.

You'll also need a brown and a blue inkpad (the sample used Distress Inks in Vintage Photo and Weathered Wood), a decorative corner punch and a decorative border punch - I used the Martha Stewart Iron Fence corner punch and one of the wide punched strip punches. If you have some silver or pearl shimmer spray you might want to pop that in your craft bag and I also added some touches of Stickles in Diamond. The title was created with alphabets left over from some if our previous kits, so go through your stash of remaining alphas and use them up! For those of you attending club I will have the punches I used available for you to use.

I have signed up for Focus52 over at twoscoopz and committed to complete something creative each week in 2012. This layout is also my Focus52 project for this week when the prompt is 'new'. I thought that this would be a perfect layout for this week as it uses a new paper line, was completed in the first week of the new year and includes a new technique where we create snowflakes using corner punches. Thats plenty of 'new' for me!! If you'd like to join in the fun, you can sign up for free at www.twoscoopz.com - you can take a photo a week, create a layout, make a card, the choice is yours!!

Happy 2012!!

2012-01-01T12:35:00.001Z

Everyone at Total Papercrafts wishes you a happy and healthy new year! How did you see in 2012? Did you party your socks off or opt for a quiet night in? However you welcomed this year we hope you're not paying for it today! We have lots of new things coming your way this year including a monthly bonus project that goes hand in hand with our subscription kits. The biggest bonus is that the additional project is completely free!! We'll be announcing the details in the next week or so!Despite my regular blog posts we have been without our phone line and internet for the past week which is making life pretty challenging. Apparently the line is damaged in the street and an engineer will be attending to repair it. Of course it's a bank holiday tomorrow and so we expect to limp along for another few days. In the meantime, the best way to contact us is via email or through our Facebook page. We can collect these messages when drive out to our local wi-fi hotspot. Bear with us but we will get there!!

Delicious chicken recipe!

2011-12-30T19:03:00.001Z

I tried out a new recipe tonight and my guys loved it so I thought I'd share it. I've written out the full recipe and popped it onto the forum under 'Non craft related chat'. Feel free to drop by and grab the recipe then let me know how you get on!You can find the forum by clicking on the link in the right hand column >>>

Back in designing mode

2011-12-29T23:10:00.001Z

With life settling down after the craziness of Christmas here I have managed to take some time to start designing with the 1st of our January kits. We have the absolutely fabulous 'Snowfall' range from Bo Bunny and I have to say that it is stunning! All of the paper we chose is glittered but unusually the glitter stays where it is and doesn't fall off everywhere. The papers are also double sided so you will get lots of mileage out of the kit. I'll upload the sample picture tomorrow but wanted to give you a little peek of what is coming!

Exciting announcement from Tim!

2011-12-28T19:53:00.001Z

The sneak peeks for CHA (the big US craft trade show) are beginning to dribble out and amongst the first news came from Tim Holtz today when he announced that he will be releasing the 2nd volume of his 'Compendium of Curiosities' at the show. There's something about the way he uses his products together that grabs me - none of it is difficult and the effects can be stunning! I for one will be very keen to see what he has in store for us in this new book.

It'll be very interesting to see what else is due to be released in the coming year. The trends seem to be established at these shows, new companies launch and we get to see the newest tools and techniques. I can't wait to see!!

Free download for New Years Eve

2011-12-28T00:07:00.000Z

Check out this fantastic free download from Tomkat Studios! It has so many printable items included that I hardly know where to start! They are intended to decorate your New Year's party with straw pennants, treat bag toppers and a large room banner but how cute would they look on a scrapbook page or in a mini album?!

The black & white colour way makes them do easy to incorporate into any style of project so I see these as being used in so many ways by so many people! You can download this freebie by clicking HERE

Free calendar printables

2011-12-26T20:52:00.000Z

Happy Boxing Day! It's usually the day when everyone takes it easy as they recover from the festivities and we have certainly needed to take it easy after this past weekend. After an emergency appendectomy on Christmas morning, Jack is now home and recovering quietly. It's been a stressful time and not exactly how we planned our Christmas but we made the very best of it.

So, as we start the last week of 2011 feeling thankful and weary, our thoughts are turning to the New Year. It's usual to start the year with a calendar and so I thought I'd share a great site with not one but three printable calendars to download!

As you may know, we stock the brand new UK scrapbooking magazine 'Scrap365'. Hand in hand with the mag is a great website with tons of extras. Each month they add something new and the January 2012 issue has 3 fab calendar .pdfs to download in the 'Freebies' section. You can find the website HERE
We hope you had a wonderful weekend however and whatever you may have celebrated - here's to a good end to the week (and the year!).

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T20:38:00.000Z

It's is Christmas Eve and things have not gone quite to plan in our home as we have spent the day at the hospital with a case of suspected appendicitis. As we have spent many hours waiting at the hospital I have come to realise that while we had plans to prepare veg and set the table there are many people for whom today is a normal work day. Tomorrow will be the same, lots of people will be leaving their family and providing services for us that hopefully we won't need.

I am so grateful to everyone who is working over Christmas - thank you so much x

The carol singers have just arrived on the ward and despite everything it does feel Christmassy!

Merry Christmas to all of our customers, club members and blog readers - we hope your day is filled with love and peace. Take care xxx

Free printable gift tags

2011-12-23T22:34:00.001Z

How is your gift wrapping going? It has got to be my least favourite part of this time of year but I managed to get it all done before 3am on Christmas Day!! One of the usual issues in our house is the sudden realisation that we don't have enough gift tags but for once we seem to be ok!

Just in case this is a problem your end I thought I'd share the link for these super cute free printable tags from Hey Look. They come in two colour ways - mint & coral and green & pink. These aren't your traditional tags but if you love modern retro then they will be right up your street!!

You can find the tags HERE

More free downloads

2011-12-22T18:09:00.002Z

I've had a ton of positive feedback about the blog content this month, it seems yoou guys are loving the ideas, tutorials and downloads I have found for you! It sounds like a good idea to carry on if its working!!

I found these oh-so-pretty library cards created by Shimelle for you today - it makes a nice change from the onslaught of Christmas to see these ice cream colours. She used them with one of her classes originally but I think they would work so well with so many different projects as journaling cards.

You can download the cards here

December Daily - days 20 & 21

2011-12-22T16:38:00.001Z

Things are ramping up a gear now as the big day approaches and its getting hard to find the time to sit down to put my entries together but I am squeeeeeeezing it in!! Here we go with days 20 and 21...

Day 20

The page for today is a pocket made from a standard envelope and decorated with a Sizzix Tim Holtz texture fade embossed card. I inked and glimmer misted the heck out of the card and love the twinkly, textural result!

We put the tree up today and I snapped a pic right as I finished hanging the last bauble (and before I collapsed on the sofa!) so I HAD to include this in my album. The tree was up later than usual this year and its wonderful how it makes the house feels so Christmassy!

The pocket in this page holds cards for the photos from the day including the hilarious Christmas tree pizza we had for dinner! I also made masses of the folded stars from the tutorial I posted on here the other day and strung them on clear string around the walls. After all that folding we had really sore fingers and so this was another thing that needed to be documented!

Day 21

This simple diagonal pocket page was perfect for holding the tags documenting our girls' night out. With two of our group heavily pregnant it was never going to be a rock 'n' roll right but we had the best meal and masses of laughs. I am so lucky to have such wonderfully lovely friends and our nights out are so much fun - thanks girls!

We ate at a terrific 50's style diner where the staff live in this style all the time. Their passion comes through in all that they do and they are so friendly - despite our group being so lively! They have an antique juke box in the restaurant and we just had to have our photo taken in front of it. Thanks for sending the photos out to all of us Lindsey - you're such a love xx

Whichever way round the tags go back into the pocket there are photos and/or journaling to see - that way I can ring the changes if I want to!

Great 'green' gift bows!

2011-12-22T10:40:00.001Z

In keeping with the green crafts theme that has evolved here over the past few weeks, I came across a great tutorial for making handmade gift bows from magazine pages while browsing online the other day. This is perfect timing as its gift wrapping time here right now (oh how I hate this part of Christmas!!) and these bows can cost a fortune!

There's often an expectation that my gifts will be wrapped in some wonderfully creative way with a fabulous concoction to decorate the top but like many people, I just don't have the time or the money to do this at Christmas. I like the simple, honest gift bow with a tag and recycling makes these a budget-friendly option! How fab would these look made out of old film strip?!

You can find the step-by-step tutorial to make the bows here

Mmmmmm.....gingerbread cupcakes!

2011-12-21T10:32:00.001Z

Last week we were spoiled when Lynda brought homemade gingerbread cupcakes to the Kent club. I have to say they were absolutely delicious and really Christmassy!

Yesterday Lynda posted the recipe for the cupcakes onto the Total Papercrafts forum. I will certainly be making some of these as the guys in our family are very partial to anything with ginger. I bet they'll make the house smell amazing too!

You can find the recipe on our forum in the recipe swap section. While you can see some of the forum as a guest, you'll need to log in to gain full access. These cupcakes keep really well after you've made them, that's if you can stop everyone from eating them straight away! Lol!

New Tim Holtz project!

2011-12-20T13:14:00.003Z

Tim posted these super cute trees on his blog today made using the Sizzix rosette dies. He has included a tutorial on how to make them and they are so easy its amazing no-one thought to do this before!
He has included a few tips on how to create the cute ribbon bow at the top and the string wrapped trunk (using a pencil!!). You can find his blog here

Paper stars

2011-12-20T10:50:00.001Z

I came across these gorgeous paper stars on a blog today and was blown away by just how simple they are to make! I love that they can be made from newspaper and so are a totally green idea, just like the magazine trees - plus they are free if you get a local paper delivered! There is a really clear youTube video I tried making these using 12x12 paper and needed two strips of 1" x 12" for each star. We made dozens this evening and they look fab!

December Daily - days 13 to 19

2011-12-19T21:51:00.001Z

Here we go with a few more pages from my December Daily project....

Each year I like to get a new pair of PJs, not just any old ones - I'm very exacting about the sort of thing I'm looking for! Comfort is a high priority but I also want them to look Christmassy, not always an easy find! The left hand page is a transparency so I matched the photo on top of the previous one and added journaling on a circle tag. I included the clothing tag and price label from my PJs on the right hand page, in years to come it'll be fab to have evidence of the prices!

Our Kent club night was held at the Gravesend Salvation Army hall and I wanted to remember how grateful I am that we have this facility and to thank Pauline for her efforts in booking this venue for us. You are such a star Pauline and I am so thankful to have you as a friend xxx
These were pretty simple pages with hand written journaling on strips of patterned paper and photos opposite.

Jack's 6th form college year organised a charity fundraising sponsored walk along Southend Pier (for those of you who don't know, we have the world's longest pier in our town!). They dressed up in crazy costumes and had so much fun, it was a great way to raise money for the Advent Charity Week.

The left page is simple with the title and photo (a huge year group shot where Jack is a tiny speck marked by an arrow!). The right hand side is a skinny pocket page with more photos attached to journaling cards for more details.

Amber & I had a girlie day together in town doing the last of my gift shopping and while we were in the shopping centre we came across Santa in his grotto. The place was deserted and I couldn't resist asking if I could have my photo taken! Who says you can only use photos of kids with the big guy?!
The left side is the reverse of the pocket page holding the journaling about today. The right is a simple photo and title.

Every year Dave takes me on a drive around the local towns to see the Christmas lights at night. I wasn't really feeling it this time but he gently coaxed me into the car and I'm so glad he did! I took loads of photos of the lights and we had such a great time.
The lefthand side is a pocket page for journaling and more small photos. The right side is another corset page holding a concertina mini book stuffed full of photos and more journaling (it actually opens out to three times this size but you get the idea).

The food shopping was ticked off our list as we ventured to the supermarket to pick up the bulk of our Christmas dinner goodies. The local Rotary club were collecting for charity alongside a fab sleigh which was belting out Christmas Carols, the reindeer were great!
A simple left page was paired with a pocket on the right where I popped the receipt and journaling - the prices of food might come as a bit of a surprise in years to come (it was a surprise at the checkout I can tell you!!).

A Christmas coffee is compulsory!! I eagerly await the launch of the flavours each year and then look forward to chilling out with a large mug of whatever takes my fancy!
The left page is simple with the addition of this year's seasonal cup sleeve which makes a free embellishment. The right sode is a mini coin envelope page with more small sized photos and a journaling card.

Webster's Pages free downloads!

2011-12-18T16:47:00.003Z

I am totally in love with Webster's pages products - there, I said it!! I don't think there is anything they have produced that I haven't liked right from the very early days. We have used Webster's products in class kits and subscription kits for a long time and we'll have more from them in 2012 I promise.
They are very kindly offering three free digital downloads including gift tags, digital frames and the picture posies shown above. These would make great additions to Christmas layouts and mini albums if printed off to make hybrid embellishments - and the great thing about digital products is that they can be used over and over again at no additional cost!
You can download these great freebies by clicking here and adding each one to your cart. Have fun!

Paper wreaths

2011-12-17T18:53:00.000Z

It seems that everywhere you look online at the moment there are gorgeous projects being shared, I found these fab paper wreaths on Pinterest and thought they would make a wonderful addition to any Christmas decor. The first two examples are a great way to use old book pages or sheet music - I found a book of Christmas Carol sheet music in a charity shop at the beginning of the month for just £1.99 (such a bargain!) which would be ideal.

The other two are a fab way to use up scraps of paper by making flowers or strips. There are ideas for all styles of decor out there, you just need to take a look - I know it can be difficult to find the time right now but how much better to make something when times are tough?! They are simple and really stunning, I might have to find a wire wreath base and get crafting!!

BasicGrey advent projects

2011-12-16T23:31:00.000Z

At this time of year it seems the blogosphere is full to bursting with amazing ideas and today I thought I'd share a link to the fab advent projects posted by BasicGrey. Each day this month they have been posting different ideas including videos, recipes, free digital downloads and more.

I really liked the simplicity of this bauble project - a polystyrene ball forms the base and its decorated with punched circles and pins. Easy to create and really effective - what more could you ask for?

I've downloaded a couple of the digital kits they are offering and there is a gorgeous set of snowy digital brushes I had to have!

You can check out the BasicGrey advent projects by clicking here

Check this out....

2011-12-15T00:23:00.000Z

I am not known for being a fan of clean and simple design but I couldn't help but fall in love a little with the idea of creating your own flashcard-type gift tags as seen here by the 2gypsy girls. The trick is using the right style of font and the 2gypsy girls were kind enough to share the one they used - simply click here to download it. Just type festive words and print off onto cardstock, round the corners and you're done! I think these would look great as titles on layouts or as journaling cards - how cute would they look in a December Daily?!

Have fun and let me know if you create any!

December Daily - days 9 to 12

2011-12-13T14:08:00.001Z

I have been keeping up with my December Daily through photos but gave myself permission to take a break from assembling the pages over the weekend (particularly as we had food poisoning for part of it!). Having the pages assembled in advance meant I knew how much space I needed to fill which made things a little simpler, its a psychological thing I suppose but its really helping.

Day 9

The 9th was all about work - mine and Dave's. I had the crossover between working from home and being at home to deal with. The daily grind of running a home can only be put off for so long and when there's a run on my work these things tend to get put to one side. This was one of those days where it really couldn't be put off for any longer or I'd have drowned under the pile of ironing!
Thankfully we had a work 'do' to go to in the evening so I could stop being a domestic goddess and have a bit of fun. On both pages I tucked the journaling under the photos and made it part of the title - even the smallest space can accomodate a journaling tag tucked under a layer or two. The sticker border and ruffle rose trims were used as pockets that photos could tuck into - easy and useful!
Day 10

I am invited to the Eastwood crop each month and it was lovely to see everyone and have some time to craft for myself (or rather for a gift for someone special). In the evening an amazing meal ended up making us both very ill so we didn't have a particularly festive night!! The right hand page for today was created with a small coin envelope which the photo and journaling could tuck into, particularly as this wasn't the best of stories for content (no-one wants to read too much about food poisoning). These little pocket pages would be great for receipts or more private journaling too.

Day 11

The X Factor has become an addiction and a tradition in our house. I think the final being in December helps with this and its fun to look back through my albums and wonder where the heck some of these acts are now!! I was cheering for Little Mix through the final so was really chuffed when they won, lets hope they stick around! What looks like a complex page is actually quite simple as its a small page attached onto a larger page just down the left hinge edge. This created an interactive flap section that held the journaling inside. I loved the look of the red ruffled trim for its girlie feel on this page about the girl band and the treble clef charm was a no-brainer!

Day 11

I don't usually make much for myself as I'm too busy but I couldn't resist making one of these magazine trees and then decorating it. Jack saw it as soon as he came in last night (as a typical teenager he doesn't usually notice anything but food!!) and he loved it! Keep an eye out on our forum at www.totalpapercrafts.forumotion.co.uk for a tutorial soon.

The left hand page had an interactive flap for the journaling and the right page was a transparency. I like to include see-through pages in my album as you get a glimpse of what is underneath whichever way you turn it. The evergreen fronds are courtesy of Claire's Tattered Pine Cone die which she kindly loaned me. The pine cones are a little bulky for the album but the fronds are perfect and look fabulous with a touch of Stickles! Thank you so much Claire xxx

January 2012 issue of Scrap365 just arrived!!

2011-12-13T11:52:00.003Z

The delivery guy has just dropped of a big box and I couldn't wait to open it and get my hands on the contents because I knew it would be the new issue of Scrap365 magazine! I happen to be partial to scrapbooking magazines - I would rather have a magazine than patterned paper (shock, horror!!) and so its no surprise that this one would be eagerly awaited and it hasn't disappointed! There's a good mix of styles and projects and I particularly love that they feature lots techniques rather than just page after page of layouts with a certain 'theme'. I also like the fact that there isn't a readers gallery but that they encourage readers to submit their work to be featured in detailed articles - much better than just using it as 'filler' in my humble opinion.
There is also lots of bonus content on the magazine website at www.scrap365mag.com including printable freebies which this month features 2012 calendars!
You can find the January issue of Scrap365 on our website at www.totalpapercrafts.co.uk but you might need to be quick - we completely sold out last month!!

A very green tree!

2011-12-12T15:05:00.002Z

While I was at the Eastwood crop over the weekend, one of the ladies was making a Christmas decoration using a technique I remembered from a long while back. It is such a great way to recycle and create something to decorate your home that I decided to play today and create this tree. Can you guess what its made from - it started life as a magazine!!
With just a few simple foldsI turned a regular magazine into a dimensional tree decoration. It looked pretty good just as it was but the pages had a lot of pink and purple on them and I'm more a modern traditional kind of girl when it comes to Christmas decorations so I had to alter it! I painted a rough coat of gesso to act as a 'tooth' for my colour layers and then added Distress Stain and Glimmer mist to create an ombre effect where the colour faded from dark at the base to light. A few strings of pearls and some Adage tickets threaded with jump rings and word charms added just the right touch. It was tons of fun and I will be adding a step-by-step photo tutorial to the forum in the next day or so.
I have the perfect place for this and I think it might have a few baby brothers and sisters very soon. A tree doesn't get much greener than this one which was saved from the recycling bin and given a new lease of life!

Today was also the last day of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas :(

This was the last of his creations for this year......

I have to admit to finding the broken doll a bit freaky but I love the base layers of stamped text under music tissue paper. He used his new punch to make a hole in the metal snowflake charm at the top and I have to admit to being a bit in love with that tool now I've seen it in action. I have loads of metal embellishments that are hard to use as they don't have holes and this gadget solves that. I will be keeping an eye out for it and also a few rolls of the tissue paper which comes on a roll just like kitchen foil! It feels kind of sad that the 12 Tags are now over but that means that the madness of Christmas is stepping up a gear!!
We are offering a chance to step out of that madness with a 'Finish your Pages' open crop day next Saturday 17th December in Essex. We have details on the shop website at www.totalpapercrafts.co.uk where you can also book - escape the shopping crowds and take some time for yourself!

Echo Park freebie & Tim Tag 11

2011-12-11T17:18:00.003Z

I was browsing the interweb earlier and having a look at a few of my favourite websites when I came across some fab freebies from Echo Park. Over the past weeks they have been releasing a number of e-documents for project ideas and they have added a number of free downloadable instructions to their shop over the weekend. They are all Christmas related projects which would be great with our December kit also features Echo Park paper.

I also popped over to Tim Holtz's blog to catch up on his 12 Tags of Christmas. He's up to day 11 now which means it is coming to an end soon which is really sad. While I might not have loved each and every one of his tags, I love the techniques he combines to create them. Reading his daily posts has been really inspirational, he photographs each tag in progress so you can see each step and I get itchy fingers to get crafting!
Today's tag has fab shrink plastic embellishments made using a melt pot - I haven't used my one in ages! Its a quick and simple way to make your own decorative elements and has planted an idea in my head.....!!

Be sure to drop by Tim's blog at www.timholtz.typepad.com to see his steps to create both this tag and the other 10 previous ones!

December Daily catch up - days 4 to 8

2011-12-08T22:35:00.004Z

First of all - a quick apology to those who have been following my December Daily posts, I have been completing my pages each day but just got too busy to upload with designing and teaching so much this week. Here are the pages to bring us back up to date.....
We go to the Dickens Christmas Festival each year in Rochester and this year we took Jack and Amber as she had never experienced anything like this before. We all loved the characters in costume and the snow machine was great for wintry photos so of course we took loads! The left hand page has a pocket opening along the left edge which contains a photo of the two love birds kissing under the mistletoe but I was banned from showing it here! We had so many great photos that I printed off a number in a smaller format and made a simple concertina mini book to show them off. The book tucks into another pocket on the front of the page.

Monday was all about finishing designs for this month's kit and I was on a roll which became a bit of a frenzy, I just wanted to get as much as possible done as I knew I'd have loads of instructions to write up for everyone's layouts. I picked one main photo of a completed page for the right hand page and then stuck a number of photos of layouts back to back and secured the stack with a large paper clip. A scrap of ribbon tied through the top made something practical into something festive.

On Tuesday night Dave and I had a date night and went to see 'New Years Eve' at the cinema thanks to a pair of free tickets. The right hand page has a fab large pocket that I was able to pop both my journaling tag and the printout of our tickets into. I love these albums as places to store bits and bobs like tickets and such! As we walked back from the cinema in the rain the High Street was deserted and the Christmas lights were on so I just had to take some photos. As we got near to the top of the High Street we came across a camera club taking photos, it seems great minds think alike!

Last night I ran my local scrapbooking club and had a blast! The day of club is usually extremely busy as I prepare, pack and double check we have everything we need to run the class and yesterday was no exception. We set up nice and early as we had lots of equipment as well as mulled wine and mince pies together with our usual offering of a cuppa and biscuits. With Christmas tunes playing on the iPod, the atmosphere was quite festive but despite all that everyone still got tons of work done! We had at least 4 December Daily albums being worked on using my Masterclass kit and loads of prep work for the layouts using the December kit. I was really impressed at just how much was actually achieved, looks like a party atmosphere gets everyone creating!!

I knew that today was going to be nuts from the outset - we had loads of things scheduled in the diary before we had even started the day! Jack had two appointments for tests at the hospital, one directly after the other which took a while. We barely had time for a quick coffee at Dave's parents' before we were off to Jack's 6th form college for a consultation evening. Neither of these things were at all Christmassy but I still think its important to include this sort of stuff - we live in the real world where life can't be festive 24/7. The page on the right unfolds to reveal three spaces for photos and/or journaling which is great for days when you have loads going on. I like that the page closes up so the journaling is hidden away and yet the page still looks pretty in my album. It really has been a crazy, crazy day and it felt good to sit down, get it into my album and then just let it go..... Do you include days like this in your albums or do you prefer to stick to the 'pretty days'?

Claire & Tracey's pages

2011-12-06T23:42:00.002Z

I had two special personal deliveries today - both Tracey and Claire popped round with their pages! Claire produced her usual 'wow factor' designs which reveal more and more layers the longer that you look at them. In the double page she used masks, stamps, punches, border punches, and paint, whew - thats a lot of fabulousness going on in one place! I smiled when I saw Scrooge in her single page as we saw him too over the weekend, what a character he was. I have fallen in love with the tiny tag punch she has used on both pages, I must find out where she got that from as it is so useful. If you look closely at the single page you will see the Tim Holtz pine cone created from a Sizzix die, that looks so cute!

Tracey's layouts feature fab photos, just check out Ellie's face on the double page design, that look says everything about kids on Christmas morning! Tracey used the pearl paint to create a beautiful shimmer spray that you can see around the edges of her double page. The common thread in Tracey's designs is the lovely curved way she has added her letter stickers on all three layouts.

Everyone who receives the December kits will get the step-by-step instructions for all of the layouts posted today and do you know what - I still have masses of the kit left to make even more with!!!

December kit samples - part 1

2011-12-06T13:38:00.002Z

Our December kit is crammed full of goodies and even after creating these pages I still have oodles of the kit left over to make tons more! We gave the kit to Claire and Tracey to play with and I'll be posting their pages seperately to showcase their amazing talent. I came up with three single pages and a double and added bits and bobs from my stash because Christmas is all about excess!! Just to let you know, I found some xmas decorations in Asda for just 37p and took them apart to create some of the fab touches on these pages. They look like a cluster of pine sprigs, leaves, pine cones and berries and while they weren't all that as a cluster I loved the individual parts when I cut them up. What a bargain!

One of my favourite parts of the kit is the bottle of pearl paint. It looks pretty dull in the bottle but as soon as you squeeze it out I promise you'll be cooing over just how sparkly it is! All three of us used the paint in lots of different ways including painting it onto the cardstock and paper, stamping with it and even making our own bespoke shimmer sprays - see if you can spot the paint on the layouts above.
The kit contains; 6 sheets of cardstock, 12 sheets of double sided patterned papers including shimmers, 12x12 sheet of cardstock element stickers, 12x12 sheet of cardstock alpha stickers, paper doily, pack of decorative pins, bottle of pearl paint. We will also include the full step-by-step instructions for ALL of the layouts created by all three designers this month.

There is sure to be lots of inspiration for everyone this month and even if you don't have any photos from Christmas past, get these pages made in advance ready for this year and you'll be ahead of the game!

So rifle through your boxes of charms, ribbons and flowers and get ready to play with this huge kit full of Christmas goodies - if you're like me you can never get enough Crimbo fabulousness!!

December Daily - day 3 entry

2011-12-04T22:54:00.004Z

My 3rd entry in my Christmas Countdown album features two aspects of my day yesterday as it fell into two halves. although the base pages are different, when they were filled with photos and journaling they began to feel cohesive.

I started the day by teaching a bespoke class for a local craft group that included one of my friends and a number of others I had met a few times over the past year. I put together an album class for them and we spent a very happy 4 hours together laughing and crafting.

I wanted to include a number of photos of the finished project together with a pic of some of the group and so I created interactive flaps to accomodate them all. I added my journaling in the space under the flaps and still had plenty of space for embellishing.

We spent the afternoon braving the high street to make a start on our gift shopping. There is a Christmas market in the town each weekend which makes it feel really festive. We had loads of fun browsing through the department store and even bumped into my Jack and Amber who were out shopping too! I added my photos to two tags which slipped into the pocket on the front of the page which is itself a large pocket (more of that tomorrow).

The tags offered loads of space for journaling which is very important to me in this particular album - the photos show a peek of the day but the written word gives so much more depth to each day's entry. How are your Countdown to Christmas albums coming along? I've uploaded my pages to the forum so they are all together - feel free to upload your pages as well!

I loved Tim Holtz's tag today in his '12 Tags of Christmas' which has a gorgeous frosty feel about it. He managed to incorporate snowflakes in so many different ways including stamps, die cut from acetate and in grungeboard - fabulous!

He even die cut his die cut snowman to cut out the numbers from his tummy which were then backed with sheet music and filled with Glossy Accents. I found a great book of Christmas Carol sheet music today in a charity shop.......now where is my Glossy Accents......!!!

December Daily - Day 2

2011-12-03T21:16:00.005Z

The two pages set aside for day 2 are of different sizes which is somethin I love as it keeps the album interesting to look through. The day was all about Dave as he had loads of things planned. He left early to go to Birmingham to attend the 'Loo of the Year' awards for two winning toilets in his contract. I didn't even know they had awards for this sort of thing and I found it hilarious. They had a well-known actor hosting the awards which I found even funnier, I am just grateful that I don't have to display any award here at home! I grabbed Dave's name badge when he got home as that HAD to go on the page too, he was mortified. LOL.

In the evening he had some well deserved 'guy time' at the local karting track. A large group of them spent the evening racing and Dave was really placed to be placed high in the rankings. He loves his motorsport and it was great for him to let off steam - I'm a motor racing widow!

By the end of playing with these pages I was once again covered in ink and paint, I see a theme emerging here but I'm at my happiest when I'm inky and painty!

The third Tim Holtz tag went up today and although it looks relatively simple at first lance, there are some very cool techniques on it...

The stamped words are on one stamp but created in different colours by a fab technique for a coloured stamp pad unique to the stamp that lasts and lasts. I particularly liked the embossing folder that matches the stamp, I think I might need to have one of these sets come to live at my house. The raised letters make the tag look like an expensive engraved invitation or greetings card - very cool!

You can follow Tim's step-by-step instructions on his blog at www.timholtz.typepad.com

December Daily - day 1

2011-12-02T13:07:00.004Z

Here we go then with December Daily! I love this project as it really makes me focus on what has happened in the lead up to Christmas, take more photos and it also encourages us to do more Christmas related things together. My 2010 album has been looked through by lots of family and friends throughout the year and is a much loved record from last year because of the detail. This is real scrapbooking as for me its all about photos and stories and its funny what you can actually find to write about each day!

I kicked off December with a day of designing which left me covered in inks and paints. It was loads of fun and what I love to do so it was a perfect start to the album as well. I was really 'in the zone' and couldn't go to bed until the layout was finished so while my photos were printing I got on with my DD entry as well - before I knew it, it was 1am (ooops!!).

For those of you who took my 'Countdown to Christmas' masterclass I have a folder in the gallery on the forum at www.totalpapercrafts.forumotion.co.uk for you to upload your pages as you complete them. Drop in to see what others have created!

The second tag in Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas is up on his blog today and its full of more techniques....

I have some of the kraft resist paper pads in stock and might be tempted to have a play when I find some time but then again you could probably create a similar effect with stamps and clear embossing powder. The whitewash effect can be created with diluted white acrylic too.

You can follow Tim's step-by-step tag instructions on his blog at www.timholtz.typepad.com

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas - day 1

2011-12-01T20:39:00.002Z

I was really excited this morning to log onto Tim's blog and see what he had created as his first tag in his '12 Tags of Christmas' and I wasn't disappointed! I had thought long and hard about whether I needed the Alterations pine cone Sizzix die and talked myself out of it but I have to say I do love how they come out. Tim has added a great youTube video demonstrating how to assemble the pine cones!
I love how he encourages you to use what you already have rather than rushing out to buy everything to make his example. With that in mind I realised that the spiral flower technique I uploaded to youTube last year would very easily adapt to make the pine cones with a little tweek. Use scallop scissors to cut the spiral and you will make a shape very similar to that created with the die.
The glitter on the title word looks stunning and I have to admit to having a soft spot for glitter and bling and there was a great tip on how to create glitter effects without getting covered yourself. To be honest the whole blog post is technique upon technique which you can choose to use together or take one or two forward to your next project.
Check out Tim's blog at www.timholtz.typepad.com for today's fabulous tag techniques.

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas

2011-11-29T19:23:00.003Z

Its that time of year again when we are ticking off the days until the wonder that is......The 12 Tags of Christmas by Tim Holtz!!

He has put together this fun trailer in advance of the tags starting on the 1st December

You can follow along with Tim as he creates a new tag each day on his blog at www.timholtz.typepad.com I know more than a few people who will be creating along with him, being inspired by his techniques and trying out the products that he uses in new ways. I may even get to play along this year as well!

Bespoke album class

2011-11-28T19:19:00.003Z

We started our second series of masterclasses last week and they have been really well received. As a result of offering these classes we were asked if we could put together a class specifically for a group. I designed this gate-fold paper bag album with faux leather spines for the class and it is full of pockets and tags offering oodles of space for photos and journaling!

This is a service that we can offer for any group of 6 or more and if we can't actually travel to teach it we can include full instructions. If this is something that you would like for a special get-together of friends, a club or just because, simply drop us an email at sales@totalpapercrafts.co.uk for details.

Ali Edwards' December Daily

2011-11-27T16:43:00.003Z

My 'Countdown to Christmas' masterclass came from Ali Edwards' idea for December Daily, a project she completes each year and shares on her blog. One of the things Ali is really good at is capturing stories for her album and she recently posted a fab list of '25 Ideas and Story Inspirations'. I thought that this list might be useful to those of you who are completing my album for the first time as it includes all sorts of things, some of which are easily overlooked in the madness of the lead up to the big day.
If you would like to check out Ali's list you can find it at www.aliedwards.com under 'December Daily'.
I'd love to see your albums and pages as you work your way through each day so I'll create a folder in the gallery specially for these. You'll find the gallery on the forum at www.totalpapercrafts.forumotion.co.uk

Free calendar

2011-11-24T19:32:00.002Z

Last year Paula and Deb from 2gypsy girls created a fab calendar project that was a super gift idea and then they very kindly offered the .pdf of the calendar for free. They have really kindly created a 2012 version and are once again offering this free of charge. All you need to do is email them to request the .pdf document and they will email it back for you to print off.

The email address is contact@2gypsygirls.com if you would like to request a copy of the calendar for yourself.

I have the calendar but haven't yet decided what to create with it, things are a bit busy at the moment as I've had a rash of class requests! I really want to play and create for fun but its just not happening right now. This might be a project for a few weeks time!

If you get the calendar why not share what you create by posting it in the gallery on our forum at www.totalpapercrafts.forumotion.co.uk - we'd love to see what you come up with!

Masterclass Series 2

2011-11-20T17:32:00.005Z

Our first round of Masterclasses was incredibly popular and so we are excited to launch Series 2! We are starting the series off with a Countdown to Christmas album kit using Teresa Collins papers and an A5 landscape album. The kit is crammed full of gorgeousness including a whole 6x6 paper pad, 12x12 papers, cardstock, ribbons, trims, brads, envelopes and an A5 lever arch folder.

In the class we will create a number of different page styles including pockets, flaps and more. We will create decorated pages ready to add photos and journaling to from the 1st December. The key to completing this type of daily album is to have the pages prepared in advance. Once your album is ready all you need to do is add a photo, journaling and/or memorabilia to each page. It should only take a few minutes each day to update and the finished album will become a treasure trove of December memories - last year's album is one of my favourite projects ever!

Series 2 has practically sold out and so we can't offer to run at any more locations but if you are interested in being a part of a future set of classes then get in touch.

Fab advent idea on the forum!

2011-11-17T21:25:00.003Z

Claire has added a fantastic tutorial to the forum to make an advent project and has very kindly included step by step photos. Claire is such a talented designer and her advent calendar is simple to create but has a unique twist.

You can find the tutorial under the 'Techniques' section of the forum (you will need to log in to see this section) at www.totalpapercrafts.forumotion.co.uk

Post a reply on Claire's thread to let her know what you think and you can upload your version to the gallery on the forum too!

Total Papercrafts November kit 2

2011-11-15T14:58:00.002Z

Our second kit for November uses the gorgeous new 'Bonjour' collection from Kaisercraft - totally delicious and very elegant! The colours are drool-worthy in tones of mint, espresso and soft pink and the designs are divine - butterflies, birds, postage marks, Eiffel Towers and oh-so-pretty flowers. I know its not exactly in keeping with the season but we can all do with a touch of elegance and prettiness regardless of the time of year.
I have indulged my love of fussy cutting to create the pretty spray of flowers and the butterfly embellishments. I have paired these with border punches and flower punches to create this layered design to showcase four 6" x 4" photographs (three landscape and one portrait). Lots of us will have visited Paris or some other city in France and this kit would be perfect for photos of this but it can also be used for baby, wedding, romantic or nature photos - its a lot more adaptable than you might initially think!
The kit includes; cardstock, 4 sheets of double sided paper, a pack of adhesive chipboard letters and numbers, chipboard lamp post, cameo, tickets, bakers twine.
To recreate the sample design you'll also need border punches, light and dark brown ink pads (sample used Vintage Photo and Old Paper distress inks), a script stamp, water spray, 9 brads or adhesive gems and a few charms.

A brand new UK scrapbook mag!!!

2011-11-14T11:16:00.005Z

We have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this new magazine from the first whisper that is was on its way and it hasn't disappointed at all!! Scrap 365 fills a huge gap in the craft magazine shelf after so many scrapbooking mags have sadly closed and this issue hit us right between the eyes!!

The 82 pages are crammed full of great ideas and creativity and its not all 12x12 scrapbook pages so there is something for most crafters. A quick flick through has already got our juices flowing and we are so excited to stock this magazine in the online shop because we know its going to be hugely popular.

You can order your copy online at www.totalpapercrafts.co.uk and Total Papercrafts monthly kit subscribers will receive free P&P as we can pop it in the package with your kits. Grab your copy now before they fly off the shelf!!

Free class!!!

2011-11-05T17:11:00.003Z

How do you like the idea of a completely free class?! Check out the 'Techniques' section of the Total Papercrafts forum for a link to an amazing class that is available free of charge for this weekend only!

You can find the forum at www.totalpapercrafts.forumotion.co.uk and will need to register to be able to see the techniques section. It's very quick and super easy!

You'll need to be fast as the class is only available until midnight on 6th November.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T08:11:00.001Z

I know that Halloween isn't a very big thing in the UK or certainly not as huge as it is in the US but I've noticed its increased popularity over recent years. I think it was this that prompted me to choose a halloween themed kit for one of Octobers kits.
The feedback so far has been great and I think opting for a subtle paper was part of the reason. I have to say that this weekend we have been surrounded by all things spooky and seen more than a few crazy costumes which have provided loads of photo opportunities. I don't think I'll be struggling for pictures to scrapbook next year!!
We hope today is lots of fun for everyone and that you don't forget your camera!!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Total Papercrafts kit 1 for November

2011-10-23T00:33:00.002+01:00

I know that this post is very early as the kits for October have only just gone out but I'm trying to get ahead of myself and organised!! The first kit for November has a rich and luxurious feeling about it, perfect for heritage photos, masculine pics or photos with rich, deep colours in them. The luxurious feel is not only given by the gorgeous shades of red, brown and ochre but by the strokable flocked chipboard alphas, the sparkling adhesive crystals and the shimmering gold embossing powder included in the kit - it really has to be seen in real life to fully appreciate how fab it all looks together!
The sample page uses a single 6" x 4" landscape photo but you could squeeze two 6x4's on there if you prefer. This is another of those kits where everything you see is included except the tiny bits of string in the tags (but thats only 10p a yard in the shop so hardly going to break the bank!). You'll need an embossing pad and a heat gun to be able to get the most out of the lovely mirror gold embossing powder. You'll also need black and brown inkpads and a scoring tool.
A heat gun, die cutting machine plus rosette die, tag die and hinge die will all be available at club for those who are attending in Essex or Kent.
The kit contains; cardstock, 3 sheets of double sided patterned paper, vintage book paper, pack of Lush adhesive crystals, pack of Lush flocked chipboard alphabet, gold embossing powder plus paper hinge template.
I'm off to play with kit 2 for November now - its absolutely gorgeous but I can't say any more right now!!!

Tag swap

2011-10-20T14:59:00.002+01:00

We ran the first of our tag swaps at club last night and I was blown away by the gorgeous stamps everyone had! It is lovely to have a selection of stamped tags with gorgeous images that I wouldn't normally be drawn to purchase. I fell in love with Pauline's cat stamp (being a cat lover that was one of the first I spotted!!) and the Tim Holtz quote stamp on Wendy's tag. Sarah had a few requests for her glittery allium tags from some who weren't even taking part - it was so lovely! I have plans for all of these lovely tags, you may spot them on here in the coming months.

Unfortunately the image doesn't show all of the tags as there were more than I could get in the shot. We also have a few swap members who have yet to bring in their tags - so there's even more to come.

The good news is that we et to do this all over again next month at the Kent club - woo-hoo!!

Tag swap samples

2011-10-18T15:39:00.003+01:00

We are running a stamped tag swap at both our Essex and Kent clubs over the next few weeks. The idea is to share our stamp images by stamping them onto a standard size 8 shipping tag so that we end up with a selection of different tags. These can be used to embellish our scrapbook pages, added to a card or tied to a gift just as it is.
Each person is stamping a tag for each member taking part using white or cream card and then brown or black inks. We are writing our name on the back in pencil together with the make and name of the stamp(s) used. This way, we'll know who made what and also be able to source any stamps that we fall in love with!!
So, I've taken a pic of my tags for the swap, anyone who knows me will know that I love layering images and so I used a number of my favourite stamps together with a couple of shades of brown and black. I am really happy with the finished tags, they could be used for so many different projects and I really hope the Essex ladies like them tomorrow!

Total Papercrafts October kit 2!

2011-10-15T14:05:00.002+01:00

Tracey has designed a fabulous single page for our second kit this month that is full of details. We chose the brand new 'Oct 31st' line from Fancy Pants which has a subtle Halloween theme. Don't be misled by the fact that this is a themed kit because this design and these papers will work with all sorts of photos as the spookiness is very understated.
The design uses two 6" x 4" portrait photos - Tracey chose black and white prints but the colours of the papers are very neutral (cream, black and grey with a touch of blue) and would work with colour photos too.
The kit contains - cardstock, 3 double sided patterned papers, a pack of chipboard alphabet letters, a pack of black adhesive crystals, 3 skeletons.
You will also need 3d foam pads, black permanent inkpad (sample used Stayzon in black), dark brown inkpad (sample usd Distress Ink in Walnut Stain), 4 medium black brads - thats it!

Creativity Escape booking open!!

2011-10-11T14:04:00.003+01:00

We have opened booking for our next Creativity Escape weekend!! You can reserve your place now through our online shop at http://www.totalpapercrafts.co.uk/ with just a £25 deposit.

Full details of the weekend can be found on the Creativity Escape page above and on our forum.

Recipe swap on the forum

2011-10-09T16:23:00.003+01:00

My recipe album from the circle journal has attracted a lot of interest, so many people have been in touch telling me they love the idea. With that in mind we have launched a brand new swap on the forum which is open to anyone and with less commitment than a circle journal.

To find out more details and to sign up drop by the forum at www.totalpapercrafts.forumotion.co.uk

New tutorial on the Forum

2011-10-07T18:48:00.003+01:00

The forum has started to gather interest and we have our first tutorial on there courtesy of Claire Bell. As soon as I saw this fab coaster mini book in the gallery I fell in love and was desperate to know how she had made it. Claire very kindly offered to upload a tutorial and within minutes we had full step-by-step instructions complete with photographs - you can always tell the experienced teachers!!

If you haven't joined our forum yet, I think its well worth it just for this tutorial. You can find it at www.totalpapercrafts.forumotion.co.uk or by clicking onto the link in the right-hand panel. We are adding new chat topics all the time so its always worth dropping by to see what everyone is up to!

Announcing our new forum & gallery!!

2011-10-05T23:05:00.003+01:00

We are really excited to announce the launch of the new Total Papercrafts forum!!

You can find the forum at www.totalpapercrafts.formation.co.uk but will need to register before you can see all of the fun things we have on there. Registration is really simple and quick and once you have signed up you can join in the chat in our range of different topics as well as browse our gallery.

The forum is open to anyone with an interest in scrapbooking. We have forums for Total Papercrafts kit subscribers, club and for each of our events plus general chat. Our gallery is a great place to browse and also to share your own projects.

We have a direct link to the forum over on the right of this blog, so no need to even remember the web address!

Feel free to drop by and check it out!

Total Papercrafts kit 1 for October

2011-10-04T11:10:00.003+01:00

There's something about bright colours that just makes us smile and the first Total Papercrafts kit for October is packed full of colour and fun! The shades of deep teal, red and green are mixed with splashes of cream and white to tone them down a little and the result is a fresh and fun kit that will work with so many different types of photos!

The kit includes; cardstock, four sheets of double sided patterned paper, corrugated card, a paper circle template, a whole pack of fabric flowers and a pack of flocked adhesive words.

The sample uses three 6x4 photos - two landscape and one portrait, plus a 4x4 photo. The theme is really flexible as the flocked word stickers include those shown in the sample plus 'home', 'cutie', 'party', 'secrets', 'groovy' and 'lucky'. I think you'll agree there is plenty of scope there!

You'll need teal, red and green inks (the sample used Patina Glimmer Mist, Distress ink in Barn Door and Stampin Up ink in Old Olive), a distress tool or scissors and something for the centres of your flowers such as brads, gems or buttons.

Get ready to start October with a shot of colour!!

Individual kits on sale in the shop

2011-09-30T14:47:00.003+01:00

We've just done a stock take and have uploaded some recent kits to the shop today - perfect for anyone who wants to pick and choose from our kits. The numbers are limited for some of these so once they are gone thats it!
Buying the kits on an individual basis allows you to try them out without the commitment of a subscription and they're also perfect as a gift for anyone you know who is interested in trying out scrapbooking. Our kits are great value for money as they include great tools and/or embellishments plus full step-by-step instructions. We include fab techniques so that you are learning with each kit and they are ideal for those times when you are stuck for your own ideas!
You can find all of the kits on our online shop at www.totalpapercrafts.co.uk

My completed Circle Journal

2011-09-26T14:04:00.005+01:00

I thought it would be a good idea to share all of the entries in my circle journal now that I have it back so you could see what everyone did for me. This is a very image heavy entry as I have photographed each and every entry in the album! Thank you to everyone for your efforts in creating this fab recipe book......

Cover
French apple & ginger cake

Fireman's chicken

Christmas Pie

Chocolate mug cake

Rice Krispie treats

Banana & Walnut cake

Rocky Road - divine!!

Cup cakes - Melissa makes the BEST!

Total Recipes - a fab selection!

Lemon cheesecake

Norweian apple cake

Nanaimo bars

Bonfire bangers & beans

Lemon curd & banofee pie

Yoghurt cake

Sign in tags

There is a great selection of recipes here for me to play with and I'm really looking forward to creating some of these. I'm really excited to have Lindsey's recipe for Rocky Road which is to die for!! If you are a fan of cup cakes then you have to try Melissa's - they are the prettiest and most delicious I have ever tried!! I loved Wendy's entry in the shape of an apron - so creative and fun, you really bloomed during the cj's Wendy! Tracey O has a fan in my Jack and so he particularly wants me to make her banana and walnut cake! My guys are already encouraging me to try out some of the savoury dishes in here for dinner so I think this will get a lot of use.

My absolute favourite part of the album are the sign-in tags at the back. I printed off a series of eclectic questions along with the usual 'name & date' details. The responses to these questions have been really revealing and fun, they have really given me an insight into the members of the circle. I think I'll treasure the tags as much as the recipes!

Once again, I'd like to say a huge thank you to each and every member of the circle for sticking with it for such a long time and getting all the way to the end - it was so worth it!

Circle journal swap night

2011-09-23T19:37:00.002+01:00

This week at club we finally swapped back our circle journals to the starting point. Its been a long undertaking and I'm so proud that we made it through to the end - the last circle journal I took part in, my journal took 2 years to come back to me!! There have been a few hiccups along the way and one or two people missed making entries in a couple of journals but have arranged to contribute to them later.

I am so pleased with my finished journal which is crammed full of fab recipes. I see a busy winter ahead as I try out the dishes everyone has shared with me! I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who created an entry in my circle journal, there's a real mixture of styles, colours and creativity - exactly what I was hoping for and I'm so grateful. I didn't get much of a chance to look through some of the other completed albums as it was a busy night but they certainly looked crammed full!

I've had a number of emails thanking me for running the circle journals and all I can say is that you are very welcome. We wanted to offer something that would give everyone to get to know each other a bit better and this mission was absolutely accomplished! Thank you once again everyone!

Last circle journal entry - Barbara's

2011-09-22T22:33:00.002+01:00

The epic circle journal adventure is finally over and here is my last entry in Barbara's album titled 'Music from the Heart'. I had two smallish pages and as usual I wanted a little more room and so I created a concertina slide spine so I could add two further tag pages. I was really happy with the end result which offered lots of space for photos and journaling.
My entry was about my piano and the role music has played in my relationship, both really personal subjects but thats what these journals have been about - getting to know more about each other. I included lots of journaling together with photos because this was a subject I had lots to say about!
I used my Tim Holtz Sizzix die to make the tags from cardstock and an assortment of papers in browns and creams. The Tim Holtz adage tickets are some of my fav things to use and so I managed to incorporate a couple into the title for my entry together with some Echo Park alpha stickers. I had just about enough ruffled rose trim to complete this entry - talk about cutting it close but I had to do it, it was practically my signature!
We exchanged the circle journals at club last night and took loads of photos of the completed albums with the owners who managed to make it to club. Pop by tomorrow to get a peek at the finally finished albums!

Total Papercrafts kit 2 for September

2011-09-19T21:28:00.002+01:00

One kit, two options - how cool is that?! Our second kit for September uses the brand new 'Etcetera' line from Bo Bunny together with a stunning flocked chipboard alphabet and a whole pack of ribbons.

Tracey played with the kit first and created a dramatic page with five 6" x 4" photos with a gorgeous stitched border. I couldn't resist the kit and had to have a play too! The second option is shabby and layered with ruffled ribbon and rolled paper using three 6" x 4" photos. The good news - we will be offering both sets of instructions so you can choose whichever design you prefer!
The kit contains; cardstock, 3 sheets of double sided patterned paper, set of flocked alphabet, pack of three decorative ribbons, embossed cards.

To create Tracey's design you'll need cream embroidery floss and sewing needle (or pricking tool and gel pen), Black Diamond Stickles or black glitter, brown ink pad (sample used Distress ink in Walnut Stain), assorted flowers and centres, border punch.

For the second option you will need a hole punch, a scallop border punch, brown and green inkpads (sample used Distress ink in Vintage Photo and Glimmer Mist in Patina), water spray, flower centres.

The papers are pretty neutral colours in mainly beige, brown and black with a dash of patina green and will work with all sorts of different photos. The designs on the papers include music score, tickets and bingo cards, script and ledger lines. Tracey was able to use the papers really well with her equestrian theme while the alternate design highlighted the 'music' aspect with the song themed title. Don't you just love it when you get a really flexible kit you can use for so many different photo types - we did, thats why we have two designs with it!!!

Back from the Creativity Escape

2011-09-12T23:08:00.001+01:00

My fears about the Internet connection at the venue were bang on and we had no phone signal either in the main! Today has been about recovering from the whirlwind weekend and resting.
The venue had an ideal cropping room with tons of light and space so everyone could have an entire table to themselves - perfect for scrapbookers like me who need oodles of workspace! We set the shop up in the conference room which gave loads of space to display everything and was the perfect excuse to get up from time to time and stretch your legs. It was nice and secure so we were able to leave it set up the entire time and just lock up when we were done - ideal!! The rooms were basic but to be honest I don't think anyone spent much time sleeping, there was too much scrapping to get done!
We were very fortunate to have two gorgeous make and takes designed and run by Pauline and Sue throughout the weekend. It gave everyone the chance to have a break from scrapbooking and work with some new products. The first project was a gorgeous birthday card that mixed patterned papers and stamping and the second was a stunning pillow box created using a Sizzix die, stamps and embossing folder. I made the time to do the second project and ended up with a gift box that matched my Kath Kidston-esque PJs!! I loved it so much I made two!! I can't thank Pauline and Sue enough for their work on these make and takes, everyone LOVED them and learned a lot more about Stampin' Up and their products.
The five Masterclasses were just the right number and were evenly spread over the weekend to give lots of time to work on them. I think most people got at least one thing completed - Maria completed them all!! We had a good mix of styles, techniques and colours to offer something for everyone. I've learned that it's impossible to please everyone all the time but if there is at least one class that each person loves then my objective has been achieved. We incorporated stitching (real and faux), die cutting, punching, masking, inking, painting, art mediums, spraying, ink dyes, distressing and even ironing in the classes!! No wonder I'm feeling so tired now it's over!
Having someone else do the cooking and washing up was a lovely treat, the food was good home cooking and tasty. We had unlimited tea and coffee all weekend and had access to a fridge for our own soft drinks and the odd bottle of wine! I certainly didn't go hungry at all over the weekend and the staff were really good at finding fast alternatives if something wasn't to anyone's taste.
Our suppliers donated products for everyone to receive a gift bag, the quality was a bit hit and miss so I thought it would be fun to run a tag challenge over the course of the event. Almost everyone created a tag using predominantly their gift bag contents (and even the bag itself!!) and we entered them all into a draw to win a tote bag full of supplies. Sarah won the draw and was stunned - have fun with your goodies hun!
With lovely sunny weather on Saturday and Sunday we were able to get some group shots so I'm sure we will see some of those photos being scrapbooked very soon. I don't think I've seen anything funnier than my Dad and darling hubby weighed down with cameras - everyone wanted a pic on their own! Thanks guys, you were so patient with us all!
The feedback has been amazing and I'm already planning when to run the next one. If you're interested in joining in the fun then just drop us an email to sales@totalpapercrafts.co.uk to be added to our retreat mailing list. We are thinking the next one will be about March next year, what do you think?

Creativity Escape class kit bundles update

2011-09-08T23:20:00.002+01:00

We have been inundated with requests for the class kit bundles and unfortunately they have now sold out. We may have a few single kits available which I'll upload to the shop next week after I've recovered from the weekend away!

The connectivity at the venue is a little iffy but I'll do my best to post during the event to let you know how we get on. I know there are some very excited ladies this evening - I've had so many texts telling me they're all packed and ready to go! I have the feeling that this is going to be a really fun weekend with some really lovely people, what more could you ask for?!

Creativity Escape peek - project class

2011-09-07T15:59:00.004+01:00

As many of you know, I have a thing for chunky, dimensional projects that have lots going on and the project class for the retreat has allowed me to indulge to my hearts content! This class takes albums to a whole different level as you create it in the round on a goreous replica vintage spool. As soon as I had this idea I commissioned the spools specifically for this class and was so pleased with the finished product! This is something you can add to over and over again and it will look fabulous on display as it has oodles of charms, ribbons and fragments dangling from it. You can choose to highlight the vintage pinks in the papers using pinks and browns or go along the blue route with blues, browns and green so this project can be pretty and feminine, vintage or masculine - whatever suits your personal taste.

The kit contains; a wooden spool, a whole pack of 6" x 6" patterned papers, corrugated card, a whole pack of Anna Griffin ribbons, a selection of Tim Holtz charms, fasteners, tickets and tags, paper clips, film strip ribbon, wire coil

You will need to bring along a paintbrush, wet adhesive (the sample used matte medium), border punches. You probably won't get to the photo stage in the class but it will take 3" x 4" photos in both portrait and landscape. You will need 24 medium brads - silver, pewter or black would work best with the kit (the album can be assembled without but we have a cool technique to show you using them!). You will need brown, pink and/or blue inkpads (the sample used Distress Inks in Vintage Photo, Weathered Wood and Tattered Rose).

Also required and available to use in the classroom are Sizzix On-the-Edge dies and cream paint

I have had loads of enquires about these kits from people who could not make the retreat and I am pleased to tell you that I have a few sets of all the class kits for sale. Numbers are VERY limited so if you are interested I would suggest you email sales@totalpapercrafts.co.uk - it will be first come, first served.

I hope you like what we have shown you so far, we love the classes and are so excited about teaching them this weekend!!

Creativity Escape peek - Kaiser class

2011-09-06T22:02:00.002+01:00

Our fourth scrapbook layout class features the gorgeous Kaiser 'Blae & Ivy' line with its soft and pretty colours and patterns that have a soft vintage look. The rich cream, powder blue and soft sage colours are really lovely and will work really well with colour or sepia pictures. This single page layout has dimension in more ways than one and our technique will show you just what we mean!!

The kit includes; cardstock, three double sided patterned papers, a 12x12 sheet of Blae & Ivy stickers including borders, embellishments and alphabet, a pack of Blae & Ivy rub-ons, a pack of Kaiser adhesive crystals and pearls, a pack of Thickers alphabet stickers, acrylic wadding, crepe paper.

You'll need two 6" x 4" photos (one portrait and one landscape) and you have a choice of two themes 'Friends' or 'Moments'. You'll also need 3d foam pads, double sided tape, pale blue and beige inkpads (sample uses Distress Inks in Old Paper and Weathered Wood), a pale brown ink spray is optional (your beige inkpad could be used - sample uses Glimmer Mist in Bronze), a selection of border punches (a selection of border punches will be available in the classroom).

The last peek should be up tomorrow - what do you think so far?

Creativity Escape peek - Prima class

2011-09-05T11:29:00.004+01:00

I have an ongoing love affair with Prima!! I don't think there's any Prima product I don't like so we were really spoilt for choice when picking this contents for this class kit. We went with this year's 'Botanicals' release for the papers, the soft pastel florals in powder blue, sage reen and cream are given a lift with a touch of burgundy. The theme of the single page layout class is 'Memories' so anything pretty much goes as far as photos are concerned. The sample is very pretty and floral, a perfect match to the soft feminine papers.

We'll be creating a faux background effect and use art mediums to alter a simple print into a fabulous feature embellishment. You will also have the chance to play with spray colour to alter flowers in a number of ways

The kit includes; cardstock, 3 patterned papers, a pack of Prima flowers, a Prima stamp set, a pack of adhesive crystals, cream lace, wire, a paper doily, an oh-so-sweet bumble bee charm, water colour paper and paper templates.
You will need two 6" x 4" landscape photos, green, dusty pink and burgundy inkpads (sample uses Distress inks in Bundled Sage, Milled Lavendar and Aged Mahogany), 3d foam pads, a decorative border punch, clear stickles or glitter, a paintbrush and a clear stamp block at least 1" x 2" in size.

Also required and available to use in the class are gesso, Sizzix dies and machine, Glimmer Mist

There's one more layout class peek to come and then we have the project - pop back and take a look!!

Creativity Escape peek - Bo Bunny 'Timepiece' class

2011-09-04T10:48:00.005+01:00

I fell in love with the 'Timepiece' collection when it was released earlier this year, I adored the clocks, cogs and natural colourway - no surprise that this line has sold out virtually everywhere so quickly!! In this class we will be creating a double page layout that plays up the 'time' theme to the max and that features an easy and stunningly effective textured background technique!

The sample design uses four 6" x 4" photos - two landscape and two portrait and the theme is 'time' You could choose to show the passage of time with a progression of photos through the years or choose a moment in time that deserves special treatment. The colours of the layout are natural and neutral - cream, beige, black and brown with a punch of green.

The kit includes; cardstock, two double sided patterned papers, a diecut patterned paper, a pack of laser cut chipboard clocks, handmade flowers, silk leaves, a roll of masking tape, brads and a Prima flocked iron-on title.
You'll also need to pack 3 foam pads, beige, brown and black inkpads (sample used Distress Inks in Old Paper, Brushed Corderoy and Black soot), Distress Stickles in Rock Candy or a clear glitter glue and a decorative border punch.

Also required and available to use in the class are; alcohol ink in Latte, cream paint, heat gun, iron.

In the class we will create a textured background and learn a rusted chipboard technique.

Creativity Escape peek - Crate Portrait class

2011-09-01T17:14:00.003+01:00

This single page layout kit features the Crate 'Portrait' paper line, a super elegant selection of soft greys, black and warm beige. The patterns are small and easy on the eye and so are perfect for all sorts of different themes of photos. We will be creating our own version of the stunning Prima raffia flowers in the class, a super simple and very effective embellishment for any paper project! We will also be masking, distressing, painting and sewing!!

The sample design uses three portrait photos - one 6" x 4" and two 3" x 4" and the theme is very generic, you can emphasise whatever theme you like using the adhesive chipboard alphabet included.

The kit includes; cardstock, 3 sheets of double sided patterned paper, a pack of Jillibean Soup chipboard alphabet, Prima ruffled rose trim, cotton twill, Prima crystal flower centres, raffia and embroidery floss.

You will need to bring; a sewing needle with a large eye (to fit embroidery floss), a black journaling pen, a paper pricker, strong wet adhesive (sample used FabriTac), 3d foam pads, black inkpad, brown inkpad, distress tool - plus you'll need your basic tool kit.

Also required and available to use in the class will be: a butterfly punch, punch-around-the-page sets, distress stains, cream paint

Total Papercrafts kit 1 for September

2011-08-29T20:23:00.002+01:00

Our first kit for September uses brand new papers and embellishments from Authentique and we LOVE them!! The gorgeously thick papers are double sided but the double sided action doesn't stop there - the title is too and so are the strips. Thats loads of options from this fab kit!
The sample design includes lots of techniques and you can choose to include some or all of them as suits your own personal scrapbooking style. Our featured technique is creating paper beads which is super easy and incredibly effective - plus its a low cost way to create co-ordinating embellishments for all papercrafting projects.
The kit includes: cardstock, 3 double sided patterned papers, a pack of Noteables, a pack of Headlines, a pack of Petite Type adhesive letters, wire and lace.
To create the sample page you'll also need pink and yellow inkpads (we used Distress Inks in Scattered Straw and Tattered Rose), a bone folder for scoring, decorative border punch, brads or crystals for flower centres and a sheet of plain white A4 paper.
The sample used three 6"x4" portrait photos - the title options are 'You make life Blissful' or 'Always Smiling'. The edges were distressed with cream paint, you could choose to do this or sand the edges to define them. The warm yellows and creams of the kit are lifted with a little kick of hot pink and will match with all sorts of different photos, you'll be surprised!

Total Papercrafts kit 2 for August

2011-08-16T19:55:00.002+01:00

Our second kit for August is fresh and summery in modern pastel shades of pink, cream and teal. The sample includes lots of technique including paper pleating, fussy cutting, layered borders and punching. The choice is yours as to how many (or few!) you opt to include in your own page. The sample design is for five photos - two 6x4 and three 3x4 (see picture for orientation).
The kit includes: cardstock, 5 double sided patterned papers (including 2 pearlised and 1 embossed), punch, ribbon, paper template and crystals.
To complete the sample design you will need; pink, yellow and pale blue inkpads, scallop border punch, a decorative border punch, stickles or glitter and glue.
For those attending club I will be bringing along an assortment of border punches, flower dies and a range of single word stamps as used on the sample (three were used but there will be lots more to choose from on the night).

A Week in the Life - my first entries

2011-08-09T14:37:00.003+01:00

I decided to do my 'Week in the Life' project from 1st to 8th August as it made more sense for me in both activities and in dates. The idea for this came from Ali Edwards who completes the same project each year at different times and offers ideas and inspiration throughout the week. Once I had chosen my week it was just a case of remembering to take photos throughout the days (not easy when you're in the moment I can tell you!!). I think I managed to get a good flavour of what my week was all about and have made a start on the album.
Melissa and I dropped into Sugar & Spice last Friday during a girly day out together and I saw these gorgeous summery papers which were perfect for creating the album. I love the hot red and slightly vintage look to the colours in this range and so I bought one of everything!! I'm having loads of fun now just sitting quietly putting the pages together, I HAVE to do it now before I forget what happened and when!
I love creating mini albums like this one as I get to scrapbook purely for myself and I have the chance to get out my stash and actually use it! Don't get me wrong, I love designing for kits and classes but its not often I can get let go and do whatever I want to with whatever I have. I think this will be one of the things I take along to our 'Finish Your Pages' day this Saturday.

By the way - we still have places available for the Finish Your Pages' crop day this Saturday 13th August. If you are interested you can book through our website at http://www.totalpapercrafts.co.uk/ or email sales@totalpapercrafts.co.uk for information. We hope you can join us for a relaxing day of crafting!!

New circle journal entry - Pauline's

2011-08-02T13:24:00.004+01:00

Pauline's circle journal theme was 'Nature' and it was another single page entry which is always a challenge for me. This one came together very easily as I was on a designing roll after the last album and had two at the same time! Pauline had loved the new K&Co paper I had used in a recent kit and so I decided to collage virtually a whole 12x12 sheet onto the single page in her album. It worked really well and I loved the finished effect which was cohesive and soft.
I added a photo of blowing a dandelion clock which is one of my favs as Dave caught the seeds in flight (if you knew just how many dandelions I had to blow to get that shot!! LOL!). I made a pocket behind the photo for hidden journaling on a tag and embellished the page with some brand new velvet & lace trim in a goreous green and of course some scrumptious ruffled rose trim too!!

As Pauline adores them so much, I decorated the page with a small wire and tulle butterfly and a large diecut paper butterfly (I've fallen in love with my BigShot all over again!). This one was fast to put together but I love it - hope you do too Pauline!!

Total Papercrafts kit 1 for August

2011-08-01T13:29:00.002+01:00

Our first kit for August is in the fun colours of raspberry and teal - these colours just make us smile! The kit is jam packed full of stuff to play with including beads and wire to make fab wired flourishes to highlight your photo. We also have a gorgeous chipboard monogram letter 'I' which you can choose to paint, ink or cover with patterned paper and there are four gorgeous sheets of double sided patterned papers to choose from in this kit.
Two of the papers have punched edges - the iron fence used for the railings and the scallop and dot for the ruffled border. No need to worry about finding the exact punches with this one!
The kit contains; cardstock, 4 double sided patterned papers, chipboard monogram, beads, wire, ribbon, paper templates.
You'll also need teal and red inkpas, a single hole punch, some 3d foam pads and it might be helpful to have a pair of pliers to hold the wire while you are making the flourishes - we have some in stock for just £1.99 a set!!
The photo used for the sample is 5.5" x 5.5" and it would be a good idea to have the focal point over to the left of the pic to leave space for the flourishes of the monogram. As the monogram is an 'I', we thought this would perhaps encourage you to step in front of the camera and use a photo of yourself. All to often we can be invisible in our albums so hopefully this will be a push to get yourself in there!! If you really are too shy to use your wn photo then the 'I' can be used to create a host of other titles that start with an 'I' - for example, "I remember when...", "I love this photo because...." or "I love my kids". I think you get what we mean?
If you want to know how to get the teal colour on the sample monogram, we mixed together blue and green acrylic paints from a set we found in the 99p store - super cheap and very easy! You could also use a teal inkpad - as a tip try the ink out on a scrap of the chipboard first to see how it dries, some chipboard can go very dark when inked. If this is the case then try painting the chipboard with white acrylic paint or gesso first, your ink colour will come out a lot brighter. If you aren't into etting messy with paint or ink then you could cover the chipboard with patterned paper and sand the edges to create a clean finished edge that will look like you bought it that way! Whatever you choose to do, we are sure you'll have fun with this kit.

Another circle journal entry - Bry's

2011-07-29T15:21:00.002+01:00

I've had such a blast with Bry's circle journal and her 'Magical Mystery Tour' theme. We were given free rein to make an entry about a place we have been or somewhere we'd like to go. It was really cool to read the preceding entries and read the journaling about where the others have been and why they loved it so much, there are more than a few ideas for holiday destinations there!

I decided to make my entry about the holiday of my lifetime - our trip to Mauritius! We have quite literally thousands of photos from the trip so I was spoilt for choice but I managed to find a few themes. I created a file folder with three files inside and added photos and journaling to each side - the whole lot closed nice and slim so it was a neat fit in the 8x8 page protector. I was on such a roll after completing this entry that it was great that I had another album to get stuck into right away - watch this space....

Hope you like this one Bry!

Circle Journal entry - Sharon's

2011-07-24T17:45:00.005+01:00

I've just passed the latest circle journal I've completed on to Barbara after it was left on the kitchen table while we were prepping for club last week! The album was Sharon's and her theme was 'Movies that Move Me'. It was quite an easy theme to work to but I found the 6x6 single page we were permitted was a bit limiting - I've really loved the journals where I had at least a double page and sometime up to 4 sides to complete as they really gave me something to get my teeth into.

I found a fantastic image from my featured film and printed it quite large and then mounted it onto some sparkly paper to highlight the sci-fi theme. I found the font that the film title used and hand-cut the title (something I haven't done in a very long time!) before I added Stickles to make it pop off the page - a flat colour just looked wrong. Because I was limited for space I created three hidden pockets behind the page, two vertical and one horizontal which hold the movies background info, my journaling about the film and a photo. Hope you like the entry Sharon!

Finish Your Pages crop day!

2011-07-23T21:32:00.002+01:00

We have arranged another Finish Your Pages open crop day for Saturday 13th August and we are taking bookings right now! These very popular days offer an opportunity to create in peace and quiet for up to 10 hours - start a new project, complete your unfinished layouts, its completely up to you.
The full details are on our website at www.totalpapercrafts.co.uk under 'Crops & Classes' and you can book online to be sure that you have your place (space is limited!). We are so looking forward to this crop day, crafting and friends - what more could you ask for?! See you there!

A week in the life

2011-07-22T16:22:00.004+01:00

If you've been following my blog for a while you may remember that throughout last December I was inspired by Ali Edwards to create a 'December Daily' album which documented the excitement in our family in the build up to Christmas. I was so pleased with the finished result, most of all because it was a real challenge to complete daily entries during this really busy period in our lives. I was really excited to see Ali's latest inspirational project - 'Week in the Life'!!

Ali has chosen next week as the week she is focussing on and is already posting creativity prompts on her blog at www.aliedwards.com and I've almost decided to join in along with her. The day to day normality of life is really important to capture and I find it easy to find the 'big' moments like birthdays, days out and holidays in my scrapbooks but not so much of the ordinary. How cool would it be to find a book where your Great Grandparents shared the details of an ordinary week? That is what is pushing me to document a week in our life. The only issue, like most people have is finding the time - I have circle journals to complete and a number of projects to design but thats my 'normal' anyway!! What do you think about this idea, could you document a week in your life?

The circle journal adventure is nearing its end and its been quite a long journey! We have a lot in our circle and I'm so pleased and proud that the journals are still merrily making their way on their rounds. They may have moved a bit out of sync and some of us might have been handed 2 at a time but its still moving and thats the most important thing. The main drive behind this circle journal was to offer everyone at our Essex club the chance to get to know something more about each other - some of them didn't know each others' names while others are close outside of club. Another great driver behind this idea was that it offered a chance to be creative in relation to a wide range of topics and we are all about creativity! I have loved seeing some of the club members really blossom and find their style and really explore their creativity, one or two have blown me away!!

There have been a few down sides to this experience for me, there has been a bit of negativity around the process which is a bit sad as this is primarily supposed to be fun. Despite this, the main aim of running this has been more than met - its most apparent by the way in which everyone is a lot more fluid about where they sit. The albums are looking full of gorgeous entries and I'm sure they will be very much appreciated when they finally return to their owners in just a few more rotations. I have a couple to work on over the weekend and am really looking forward to doing them before making a start on 'A Week in the Life' - do you want to join me?!

Circle journal entry - Tracey O's

2011-07-19T14:09:00.002+01:00

I loved the theme of Tracey's circle journal - 'Guilty Pleasures' as it offered so much scope for imagination! I have to confess that I have spent more than a few minutes drooling over Daniel Craig in his role as the new James Bond, who can deny that he looked scrummy as he emerged from the sea in those blue swiming trunks?!
I included a few of my favourite photos from Casino Royale and the blue trunks HAD to make it into the circle journal!! I documented my guilt on a pull out ta hidden behind the photo on the left page together with a story from our honeymoon that also featured those famous blue trunks!!
Despite this being a masculine page, I was able to incorporate a bit of my favourite ruffle rose trim in black as it looked so elegant and understated (and its my signature on most of these entries!).

I hope you like it Tracey!!

July kit 2

2011-07-15T21:29:00.002+01:00

This gorgeously serene single page kit was designed by Tracey for us a while back and as soon as I saw it I was blown away! Tracey is really clever at combining papers and layering products and this is very much in evidence in this stunning page.

The kit contains cardstock, 3 sheets of patterned paper, a pack of Thickers glittery chipboard alphabet, embroidery floss, pearl strand, book paper and a paper template.

You'll need two 6" x 4" photos - Tracey used portrait ones but landscape would work just as well, blue and green inkpads, decorative border punches, a single hole punch, a corner punch and a black journaling pen. The punches aren't essential, you could very easily hand cut the corners and borders or even tear them for a more rugged look. A lot of the flowers that Tracey used were punched out of the paper in the kit but she also added a couple of larger white flowers and some tiny paper roses. You could choose to do the same or add flowers from your stash. We have a delivery of mixed white flowers coming in next week and we had loads of tiny white rosebuds arrive today (so we really need to et cracking and add them to the shop tomorrow!).

I'm sure you'll agree that Tracey has really come up trumps this month and we are sure you'll have no problem finding photos to match the soft blues and greens of this gorgeous kit.

Entry in Val's Circle Journal

2011-07-11T21:33:00.003+01:00

This was one of the more tricky themed circle journals, Val chose 'Grandchildren' for her album and I'm not yet in the realm of Grandchildren (and hope that we won't be there for a while yet!!). We don't have any young children in the family so it was really hard to think of something to fit Val's alternate suggestion of a special child in our life.
In the end and after some thought I decided to journal my own experience as a grandchild. My extended family is very large and I have lots of aunts, uncles and cousins but both sets live a great distance away from us. We have been fortunate to stay in touch over the years and I have many happy memories of family gatherings. I really wanted to share a few of my memories in this cj along with some pictures and I am really pleased with how it came together.
The tag behind the photos of my grandparents pulls out and has journaling letting Val know about my relationships with each of them and on the last page there is more journaling hidden under the main tag.
I used lots of basicGrey papers, 7gypsies tags, Tim Holtz tickets and journaling labels. The gorgeous velvet flowers are Petalloo and of course I had to add some of the gorgeous rose trim that has almost become my signature in this round of albums!
I hope you like what I have created for you Val x

Total Papercrafts kit 1 for July

2011-07-04T21:14:00.004+01:00

The summer is finally here and warmer temperatures call for warm, summery colours - thats certainly what you'll find in our first kit for July! We are really excited by this kit as it includes a full set of wood mounted alphabet stamps, perfect for creating titles, journaling and more. We also include instructions for making gorgeous crinkled ribbon flowers using the vintage seam binding - very similar to one of the new Prima fabric flowers!!

The kit includes cardstock, 4 sheets of double sided patterned papers, a length of rwine, a length of vintage seam binding, a set of wooden alphabet stamps, a doily and a paper template.

You'll need orange or ochre coloured ink (the sample uses Distress Ink in Wild Honey), a water spritz bottle, sponge ink applicator, a 1" circle punch, 10 mini brads or eyelets, 3d foam pads and stamens or brads for flower centres.

The papers in the kit are in tones of cream, peach and ochre with some soft green included. If the warm orange tones aren't to your liking, you can very easily play up the green by using a sage green inkpad. The resulting pages would be perfect for leafy outdoor pictures whereas the orange version works really well with hot summer photos. You'll need three 6" x 4" photos - any orientation will work with this design and you could use more pictures if you prefer, its so flexible!

And the winner of our album giveaway is.......!!!

2011-06-30T14:51:00.004+01:00

Today we entered all 62 subcribers into the random number generator and it drew the number 34 which means that the winner of our free album is......

CAROL BRAZIER!!!

I have messaged you Carol so that we can send your new album out to you - I hope you enjoy it!!

We will have another album to give away on here when we reach 75 followers so tell anyone who might be interested in winning - the sooner we reach our target, the sooner we will be able to give away another mini album for free!!

Giveaway album 2!

2011-06-21T21:41:00.002+01:00

Check out these pics of the next giveaway album we have in line for our blog subscribers!! This handmade album has a canvas spine and five signatures that hold masses of space for photos, journaling and more. The album is beautifully decorated and ready for your memories.

Each set of pages houses either a mini book or a set of pockets complete with tags or file folders. There is oodles of real estate here for you to add anything you like! The papers have subtle sewing pattern images on them so we added a canvas dress form to the cover and tape measure paper tape protects the edges of the covers to keep with this theme. The end result is a very girly but still elegant vintage style album - and whats better, it will be FREE to one of our blog subscribers when we reach 60 followers. If you aren't following this blog already just click on the box on the right hand panel and you are in the draw!! Good luck xx

Another circle journal - Jackie's

2011-06-18T23:43:00.002+01:00

I received two journals in the post this week and had a matter of a few hours to complete at least one to pass on at club later the same day. With that in mind I picked the easiest one to complete which was Jackie's 'Love to Scrap' journal. She asked us why we loved to scrapbook and that was a pretty basic question that I could answer very easily - its because I love to teach my passion! My pages in her journal both had flaps on them so they obviously became pockets to hold the tags for my journaling. I had been experimenting with making roses with some jumbo

ric-rac and as I have had them around for a while I decided to add them to my page as an embellishment - I was really pleased with how they came out even if they are a little on the bulky side! My journaling explains how I feel no-one can ever know everything there is to know and how we should be open to learning new things which goes hand-in-hand with my love of teaching and passing on the ideas and techniques I have had the opportunity to develop and learn!

I have been working on the next subscriber giveaway album and its looking really great - I have a bit of time on my hands after my surgery as I am laid up so I need to do something! As soon as we get to 60 subscribers we will be giving this one away. If you would like to have the chance to win simply click on the panel on the right and subscribe and every subscriber will go into the draw. We are nearly at our target so there shouldn't be long to wait to see if you'll be the lucky recipient of a fully decorated mini album - good luck!

Total Papercrafts kit 2 for June!

2011-06-10T16:26:00.005+01:00

Tracey has designed a stunning double page kit for June using the gorgeous Gabrielle line from Bo Bunny and the fab vintage lamp from Dusty Attic. This kit has loads of gorgeous embellishments included together with a template to create a really pretty folded flower!

Kit contains - cardstock, 3 sheets of double sided patterned paper, Dusty Attic chipboard antique lamp, pack of paper rosebuds, length of vintage seam binding, paper template.

The design uses four 6" x 4" portrait photos although the page is flexible enough to accomodate different numbers, sizes and orientation - Tracey is clever that way!!

Tracey used a Walnut Stain distress inkpad, 3d foam pads, double sided tape, metallic rub-on creams or metallic inks, a decorative border punch and added some additional paper flowers together with letters from her stash for the title (these can be cut from leftover paper though). There is also a touch of Stickles glitter glue on the design - and why not??!! Lol!

We hope you like what Tracey has designed for us this month and we are very lucky to have another stunning design from her in July - watch this space!!

I have the best friends!!

2011-06-07T15:26:00.005+01:00

I think I must have the kindest, most caring friends possible - Tracey C made me this stunning cupcake with a hidden card inside it. She remembered that the hospital doesn't allow flowers and so wanted me to have something pretty to cheer up the place, how lovely is that?!

Lindsey brought me a fab bag full of goodies to take in with me - everything was perfect!! I had a knitting mag together with yarn and needles, a puzzle book to keep mymind occupied, a novel, a bag of sweeties, tissues, raspberry shower gel (that smells divine), Cath Kitson body lotion, lactose free choccy bars, sachets of my fav coffee and a super cute giraffe that makes me smile each time I look at it!! Wendy sent me a great novel, I do love my books!!

Thank you so much for my fabby gifts and for all the good wishes I've been sent over the past few days, they are really appreciated xxx

And we have a winner!!!!

2011-06-07T13:43:00.004+01:00

We reached our target of 50 blog followers this morning - woo hoo!!!! To keep the draw fair we used a random number generator which came up with '33', we counted through our list of subscribers to find our 33rd follower who is......

SILVANA!!!

Congratulations hun, you have won the first album giveaway on our blog! We will get the album out to you right away so you can start to play.

A huge thank you to everyone who subscribed this month, you are still in with a chance to win as we launch our next target of 60 followers. We will have a whole new album to give away and every subscriber will be in the next draw as soon as we reach our new target. You have to be in it to win in so if you haven't already subscribed then just click on the button on the right to follow us! Good luck xx

Creativity Escape class peek

2011-06-06T20:55:00.003+01:00

The first of the class kits for our Creativity Escape in September has been delivered and its gor-gee-ous!!! This kit is for our project class and has a beautiful soft vintage feel to it, perfect for all sorts of different photos and memories.
The kit includes an entire pack of 6x6 patterned papers, a whole pack of matching ribbons on four colourways, a vintage inspired wooden spool and a pack of all sorts of Tim Holtz goodies including trinket pins, hinged clips, film strip ribbon and oodles more!!
We have already started work on the project sample and its looking so fab, we are really excited! We have some of the other classes in transit and the great thing about this event is that everyone will get all of the classes, no mad panic to grab classes quickly this time! We will have a few extra class kits available and will publish details of how you can purchase these in a short while.

We are oh so close to drawing a name to win our giveaway album - just ONE more person needs to subscribe and you could win the fully decorated mini album!!