More Prima freebies!

Prima has come up trumps again this week with a free printable stamp set for you to use.  I've established that their free images change on a Friday so if you don't grab this before the end of the week I'm afraid it will go forever! 
The Prima Yuki collection is fun and colourful with super cute images - I love the cats and dogs in this free set, perfect for colouring with your Copics or Promarkers for unique embellishments.  You can print these over and over again for your own use, just like owning the stamps.
If you would like to download the stamp set just click HERE

King Edmund School fun day!

We had a fun (if somewhat blowy) afternoon at the King Edmund School Funday this weekend.  We took along our album of kits to promote the Essex Total Papercrafts club as its local for those with children attending the school.  The very windy weather made it difficult for us to make our usual eyecatching display but the simpler layout of the stand still caught the eye of quite a few crafters interested in joining.  We met some really lovely people who were very interested and so I really hope to see them again at club next week.  Fingers crossed that we will have more new members joining us very soon!!



Simple but great idea!

Banners and bunting are a huge trend in papercrafts right now and they don't seem to be running out of steam yet.  I particularly love the look of titles and/or journaling on banners with angled ends, they look really neat and finished.

I came across this great idea on Pinterest here where they used a square punch to create the notched ends on a banner strip.  Its so simple that I could kick myself for not thinking of it!! I don't use my square punches very much as a square is a simple shape to cut and its not as if notching the ends of banners is hard but if I have the punch then why not use it for a cool technique?! I love ideas like this - easy and effective!!

Interested in Pinterest?

Yesterday I posted about a show on My Craft Channel, 'Inspired by Pinterest' and then realised that not everyone may have discovered the joys of the Pinterest - or even knows what it is! So I thought I'd post a little bit of info about the site and what it can offer. 

Warning - the following information may result in you losing hours of your day as you discover amazing ideas online!!

So what is Pinterest?  Its probably best described as an online pinboard - or in our house its like the side of our fridge with magnets!  Anything you find online can be collected and 'pinned' onto your own 'boards' which you can name and arrange however you want.  If you love collecting recipes you can put all of your favourites into one place, if you're looking for children's party ideas they can be gathered together so you can refer back to them easily and all your craft inspirations can be filed in one spot.  You choose what to call your boards, you choose what to add to your boards and you can add your own projects as well for others to repin.   

If you want to get started on Pinterest your first stop should be www.pinterest.com to create your account.  After that just search for the things that interest you and pin them!  To get you started, we have a Pinterest page for you to check out here - repin whatever you like to your boards and have fun!

Don't say we didn't warn you when you realise you've spent 2 hours online checking out cool stuff and pinning!!!

Video inspiration

Have you discovered My Craft Channel yet?  I was invited to check out the site when it launched a while ago and it has grown and become better and better with regular video shows from a great selection of crafters - so much so I thought I'd share the love and let you know about the site as well!

My favourite regular shows come from Teresa Collins and Heidi Swapp but thats probably because of my scrapbooking bias.  All of the short films are really well produced so we aren't talking about a YouTube clip here but a studio filmed show that is slick and professional.  Another of my favs is 'Inspired by Pinterest' which takes trending crafts from the internet and actually demonstrates them in a number of different ways.  Those of us who learn best by being shown a skill will certainly love this and its a great source of ideas of things to look for on the Pinterest site.

If you're like me, you'll probably have an interest in other crafts as well and there are tons to find on My Craft Channel - I love The House of Smiths diy shows with gorgeous home decor ideas on a budget, Books & Crafts features publications across a range of craft areas and lifts them off the page to demonstrate them on camera.  I also love Kara's Party Ideas which is a fab resource for decor and more for hosting unique and personal parties!  There are lots and lots more shows to discover, way more than I can list here - there's even a 'Man Crafters Show'!!

You can find the site by clicking here and let me know which shows are your favourites!!

Total Papercrafts June kit 2 version 2

I finally managed to complete my sample design using kit 2 for this month but it was no easy task as Claire's page is just so good it is a hard one to follow!  I have included a piece of canvas in the kit which hadn't arrived in time for Claire to play with so I felt it would be a good way to include a different technique.  I used the canvas and a piece of the patterned paper in an image transfer technique.  It is very simple but it relies on using a really good transfer medium such as gloss gel medium, matte medium or glue n seal.  I loved the shabby vintage result achieved, the transfer had a few imperfections which only added to the final effect, it is great fun!

This sample uses a 6" x 4" landscape photo, the picture of the Queen is actually a supermarket gift card marking the Jubilee - they are free if you ask nicely!

To complete this sample page you'll need a pale beige inkpad to antique the white papers slightly, I used Distress Ink in Antique linen.  I also used a white inkpad and a decorative border stamp - a chalk ink works really well on dark cardstock.  I added touches of red, blue and green inks (Distress Inks in Barn Door, Stormy Sky and Peeled Paint).  I cut flower layers, leaves and swirls from the patterned paper and created the title using patterned paper and Sissix dies.   As usual there is a lot going on here but thats my style - you can choose to leave some elements out if you prefer.

The instructions for both sample designs will be included with the kit, the last time we did so there was a huge surge in requests for 2 of the kit so that both versions could be completed.  If you would like 2 of this kit please email me and I will allocate the second kits in the order they are requested.

If you are attending club I will have the swirl and flower dies available for you to use together with the border stamp. 

Are you a messy crafter?

Our recent album masterclass was a very inky, messy fun day but I was sure to let everyone know in advance that they shouldn't wear their best clothes.  Another alternative would be to sport one of these beauties - isn't this Ranger apron fab?! We had a lovely big delivery today and included in the order were a number of these.  They are a really lovely thick fabric with the Ranger logo across the top and two roomy pockets on the front, perfect for crafting in style I thought!

I'm uploading them to the shop site so if you fall in love (like I have!) you can indulge yourself!  You'll find them here

Total Papercrafts kit 2 for June

Check out this amazing page designed by Claire using our kit 2 for June!!  She has the most amazing photos and these pics of the coronation street party and VE day are absolutely incredible but even better is how she combined them with the kit for this month - its jaw dropping!!

Claire has created layer upon layer of interest on this page, there is a hidden journaling card at the top right and she has inked the Union flag designs in the upper right and lower left corners - its a really cute trick using the kit contents and we'll show you how in the instructions (wink!!).

This sample design uses a 6" x 4" landscape photo and an 8" x 4" landscape panorama - you could use a second 6" x 4" landscape as an alternative.  Claire tells me that she offered up colour photos to her finished page and said that they looked really great as well - so don't think that this is a heritage only page.  If you weren't fortunate enough to get any good photos from your Jubilee celebrations you could always mark the event in your scrapbook using photos available online, just Google it and you'll find masses of great pictures you could print.  This is such a special year we thought that it deserved a special kit to record it but if you really don't want to use this to mark the Jubilee the papers are double sided with small subtle prints on the reverse that you could use for a great masculine page.  Even the bunting has a great argyle print on the reverse! 

The kit includes; cardstock, 3 sheets of double sided patterned paper, a pack of embossed metal stickers, length of 'Made in Britain' ribbon, length of string.

Claire used white chalk ink, red and blue Distress Ink (Fired Brick and Faded Jeans), a stapler and a distressing tool (scissors would work).  She cut the title for her page using a Cricut machine and the cardstock in the kit.

Free Prima printables

Are you a fan of Prima Marketing on Facebook?  If not, it might be worth your while clicking on 'like' because they are offering some gorgeous free printables to match their Almanac range - the same range we recently had in one of our double page kits.  How gorgeous would these look printed off onto white cardstock and then fussy cut around the edges?!
Prima also recently announced that they intend releasing a few more regular free printable releases so its well worth adding them to your Facebook friend list.  If you'd like to download these journaling cards you can find the page here

Summer Seasonal Distress Inks!!

Pssst....have you heard that the new Seasonal Distress Inks have been released? I have to say that when I saw the picture of the colours on the packaging I was a little underwhelmed, They didn't scream Summer to me but then I watched Tim's latest video previewing these colours and I'm in lurve!!! Check it out and see what you think....

So do you agree?  Are these on your 'must-have' list?  I have to say I was a little surprised to see Tim doing such bright colours but then I thought about how popular the Dylusions spray inks have been since they launched at the beginning of the year and they are predominantly very bright colours so why not?  I think these will bring a real lift to the current selection of Distress Inks and I have to admit to being a bit bonkers over the Picked Raspberry colour, isn't it divine?!

I will be ordering in some of the ink pad sets so if you would like to reserve a set just let me know and I will put your name on them as soon as they get here!  Just email me at sales@totalpapercrafts.co.uk to let me know that you would like the Summer inks - they are due in soon - woo-hooo!!!

Websters Pages are having a sale!

If you are like me you will love a bargain and what better than a fab box of goodies from an amazing scrapbooking company? Right now Webster's Pages are having a warehouse sale where you can can grab a box stuffed full of their products for just $25.  The shipping costs are around $50-60 which of course needs to be taken into account but if you can find a friend to order with you it becomes a lot more reasonable.  The box contains;

12 12x12 diecut papers

2 12x12 alpha storyteller sticker sheets

30 yards of Designer Trim

18 Sheets of NEW 6x6 Perfect Pack Accents Paper

108 Sheets of 6x6 Petite Paper Designs

9 Designer Pins

4 Princess Petals (flowers)

6 Resin Heart Accents

6 Squares of Mini Designer Netting

6 12" Dazzle-me Gem Strips

Thats a whole lot of gorgeousness to play with and will certainly set you up with goodies to play with for a while!  My order is on its way as I write this!!

If you are tempted you can find the sale here

Great Father's Day free printable!

I'm always on the look out for fabulous ideas on the internet and found some great free printables at a cool site called hello!lucky.  They have two printable Father's day cards, some fun sock labels and labels for beer and wine bottles.  I loved the clean retro text on each project and they couldn't be simpler to print off as they are a PDF - just click to print them onto white card or paper, cut out and stick on!!

I love the idea of giving something with a different twist, a simple pair of socks can become a unique and funny gift with these cool label wraps.  A bottle of wine can be raised out of the ordinary to the extraordinary with a retro label added.  Of course a hand-made card is a lot more personal but masculine images can be hard to find so this printable solves that problem and it doesn't have a cheesy image of a golfer/beer glass/sports car!!

If you'd like to download these great printables you can find them here

Inky, messy funday!

Today we spent the day in sunny Swindon teaching the Shabby Chic album class to a lovely group of ladies. It was a pretty full-on day with loads of techniques to get through including making pearl spray, using gesso, stencilling, stamping, distressing and two types of hand made flowers!!
We had two ladies who had never crafted before and oh boy, what a first class to take! I really felt for them and was really concerned that this would put them off forever but Claire's album is so gorgeous that they were willing to do all the techniques to create their own.
By the end of the day everyone had covered every page and had decorated the front cover. That wasn't bad going considering just how much work was entailed! We must have done something right because we were asked to run regular classes for the group. It's such a nice group that we were more than happy to add them to our calendar, it looks like things are getting quite a lot busier lately!!
So by the end of the day we were all feeling a tad weary and quite a few of us had random splotches of gesso over us and very inky fingers. I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday!

My little helper!!

I was doing some photography today in order to finish off the instructions for the shabby chic album class and a nosy someone insisted on getting in on the action!  I wouldn't mind but most of the time Lily scarpers as soon as she hears the camera motor come on but today she was fascinated by the gorgeous album that Claire has designed and just would NOT get out of the way!!

I thought I'd take a few mins to share this pic before I get back to the grindstone - it made me giggle!!

Kitting frenzy!!

This past week has been a whirlwind of kit packing and to be honest, if I don't have to die cut, stamp or emboss again for a while I'll be ok with that!!  In order to have any real chance of getting the project album finished I needed to prep a lot of the kit in advance which meant embossing pages and pages of paper, die cutting literally hundreds of flowers individually and stamping loads of seperate images onto papers in the kit.  Its hard work but so worth it to keep a class moving forward - my pain means no queues in the class to use machines, no waiting for stamps etc...

As the date of the class looms, the pace has increased from steady to a frenzy!! If you bump into me over the next few days please excuse the inky fingers and confetti of cardstock in my hair - its all for a good cause! Whats the craziest you've looked as a result of crafting?! Let me know, I'm sure I'm not the only one............or am I??

Total Papercrafts kit 1 for June

Well as promised - here is the sample design for the June kit 1. Ok so its almost 2.30am as I'm uploading it but some days the process can be slow going!!

I had lots of fun fiddling with teeny bits of paper to create the patchwork but at least there's no fussy cutting in this kit - I know that will please a few people ;o)  The die-cuts are fabulous and make embellishing a page like this a breeze, I had a go at using as many as possible but there is still a huge pile left on my table. 

The kit contains; cardstock, 3 double sided patterned papers, a whole pack of matching die-cuts and ribbon.

To create the sample design you will need pink and prange inkpads (I used Distress Inks in Dried Marigold and Victorian Velvet), decorative border punches, a 1.5" circle punch, a water spray, heat gun and an ink blending sponge.

We have lots of techniques in this kit including creating your own tea dye spray, paper patchwork and more - well, I have to keep you busy!!

I expect that this will be a popular kit so be sure to reserve your kits if you plan to come to any of the clubs this month!

Total Papercrafts June kit 1 contents

I have been away for a few days which has really thrown my schedule off track, I would usually have the sample design posted by now but I am working on it. In the meantime I thought I'd let you have a peek at what I am designing with because it is so gorgeous!!

I ordered the contents of this kit months ago when I fell in love with it at a trade show.  The papers were available immediately but there was a severe shortage of the embellishments and it has taken 4 months to get them in the quantities that we needed!  When you see them you will understand why they were worth waiting for! 

The kit contains; cardstock, 3 double sided Kaisercraft patterned papers, an entire pack of matching die-cuts and ribbon. 

The die-cuts are unbelievably fab, there are almost 60 pieces in the pack and it includes titles such as 'Cherish', 'Family' and 'Love' together with roses, swirls, journaling boxes, tabs and more than I can list.  There will be masses left over for you to play with on other projects so save all your scraps from the kit! 

Happy Jubilee Weekend!!

So what have you got planned for this extra-long weekend? The weather isn't being too kind to us today but the spirit seems to be alive and well.  I was recently away for a few days and was blown away by gorgeous little villages with the bunting out across the streets, flags out on houses and Jubilee related stuff every which way we turned.  It was quintessentially British and made me feel really proud - we don't do this kind of thing enough!!

To top things off, our Olympics tickets arrived this weekend!  I booked tickets as a surprise and was so excited to finally receive them.  This is a great year to be British and I am really looking forward to the next few days for the Jubilee and the next few months with the Olympics! I really need to make time to go over to the Olympic Village and take one of their tours before it gets crazy mad over there.  Has anyone else done this? 

What do you think are the 'must dos' as far as the Jubilee and also the Olympics are concerned?  Are you celebrating being British or do you feel "Bah Humbug" about it all? Share your thoughts....I want to know!!