Individual kits on sale in the shop

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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