Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!!!

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!!!

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.