Scrap 365 issue 3 in stock

The February issue of Scrap365 magazine is in stock at Total Papercrafts and continues to inspire us with the gorgeous projects inside.  The mix of international designers featured in the magazine ensures that the quality of work is exceptional and you are sure to find some fab ideas.  You can find the magazine in our online store and order your copy here

Total Papercrafts kit 1 for February

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!

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!!

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!

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

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

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

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!

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!!

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!!

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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?

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!

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

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!!

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!!