Aug kit 1 contents

Its been a fraught few days but the delivery of the August kits has just arrived and we are so excited by them!  I have the contents for our double page kit to show you today and its a faberoonie.

The colour palette is cream/duck egg blue and chocolate brown, one of my favourite combinations as it can be used for so many different types of photos including the really difficult to scrap ones of the guys in our lives.  We have 4 double sided sheets in the kit so there are still some surprises to come with the 'B' sides.  The journaling tablet has 24 diecut sheets in it and includes words such as 'Family' and 'Memories'.  We have also included a pack of cardstock stickers with clocks, cogs and flowers together with 'Cherish' and 'Sweet Memories' titles and a friend themed quote.  I think you'll agree that there is something for pretty much everyone there!!

I am now getting stuck into designing with this kit so I could very well add a few more bits to the kit as I go along but I love it just as it is and can't wait to start cutting and sticking....

Fab free Prima printables

If you're a fan of Prima then you might want to check out the latest free printables they have on their Facebook page right now.  I love vintage style and so these are right up my street.  I thought they were well worth sharing so if you fancy them too you'll need to 'like' the page on Facebook here

Missing you!

Hi there! As you may have gathered there has been a reason why things have been very quiet on here as late, we've taken a much needed break to rest and recharge our batteries. It was lovely to take some time away from work but being a bit of a workaholic I found it very difficult to leave everything behind. I didn't have much choice in the matter though, we had absolutely NO Internet save for the free wifi offered at a restaurant about 30 mins walk away. I was forced to go cold turkey from work and I found it hard!! Needless to say we have come home to a mountain of mail, literally hundreds of emails to wade through and masses of orders to ship. Back to reality with a bump! Obviously it will take some time to wade through the backlog and get back up to speed so please bear with us, we will try to get on top of things as fast as humanly possible. It has meant that the July kit shipment has been delayed a little but again, we will work on that as fast as we can. Despite all of the stresses that taking some time off brings with it, we had a smashing time. I did miss writing my daily blog posts and hope to be back into some sort of a routine pretty soon. Glad to see the weather perked up while we were away!!

New Tim App!!

 Exciting news today - Tim Holtz has released his own App for iPhone, iPod and iPad!! There are plans for it to be released for Android very soon as well.  This is how the App looks on your iPhone....

How amazing to have all of Tim's inspiration at your fingertips, I love that all the information sources that he uses are on one screen - his blog, Facebook and Twitter.  Having access to all of his fab videos on my phone is a great bonus too and it is totally FREE to download!!

Here is the official release info:

“The journey continues in a whole new way… Now you can keep inventory of your favorite Tim Holtz signature products from Ranger, idea-ology, Sizzix Alterations, Stampers Anonymous, Tonic, and Core’dinations with this interactive app right at your finger tips. Create a wish list of the products you want to explore, and watch Tim’s technique videos right on your device. Keep up with Tim’s many adventures with quick access to his events calendar, blog, facebook, and twitter.”

I'm off to download it now.....!!

Kit 2 for July

Claire has just dropped off the layout she has designed for us for our second kit this month and it is totally goregous - to be honest the picture doesn't do it justice as it is really fresh and summery and full of Claire's usual fab techniques!  The theme of this kit is resist - read on to find out why....

There are a few things that are tricky to see on the sample page, one of them being a fab resist design she has created on the new Bazzill newsprint paper included in the kit.  If you look closely you might see the butterfly image to the right of the laced ribbon, that is stamped and then embossed using the clear embossing powder from the kit.  She has then inked over the embossed image for a delicate resist effect.  There are more images along the bottom edge of the newsprint too, lots of fun to be had here and you can really tailor the stamped images to match your photos.  Claire has also used a 'spritz & flick' technique on the background to create a mottled effect that is unique to waterbased inks - you HAVE to try this out, its simple and oh, so effective!!  There is also a cool resist butterfly in the kit from Prima, you simply add ink and spray with water to reveal the gorgeous resist design within the fabric. 

The stitched border and laced ribbon corset effect add touches of fresh white to keep the page bright and clean - perfect for any Summer photos.  Claire used two 6" x 4" landscape photos but you could use two portrait or even mix one of each, this is a very adaptable design.  The kit includes a whole pack of chipboard embellishments which include the titles; 'beauty & grace', this is me', 'simply you', 'she', 'lively' and 'vivacious'.  At first glance these would tend to lend themselves towards feminine photos but Claire has shown how you can use one of these titles with Summer garden pics.  There is even a blank chipboard block which you could use to create a bespoke title.

The kit contains; cardstock, 3 sheets of patterned paper (one glittered), pack of adhesive chipboard shapes and titles, length of white ribbon, length of embroidery floss, clear embossing powder, Prima resist butterfly.

You will also need; pink, orange, green and blue inks (sample used Distress inks in Picked Raspberry, Wild Honey, Shabby Shutters and Tumbled Glass), black and white inkpads, clear embossing ink, heatgun, background stamp (sample used a sequin waste design but any repeated small design will work), small design stamps to match your photo theme.

If you are attending my clubs the inks colours and stamps used on the sample design will be available for you to use if you don't own these. 

Thanks so much Claire for yet another gorgeous design!!

New in stock at Total Papercrafts

Check out this fab spinner unit by Ranger!  I have lots of blending tools as I like to keep one for each colour family I use and so that means a lot of tools hanging around.  It gets quite messy having them all out and even having them in a drawer together so this spinning organiser is ideal.  The footprint of the spinner is surprisingly small - it only uses around 8" of desk space which is less than the loose blending tools take! 
I already have one of these living in our house and I don't know how I ever managed without it!! I love the retro styling of it and its sturdiness.  The other great thing is that the clips can take more than the blending tools, you can store paint dabbers upside down in them so they are primed and ready to go, pop your Stickles bottles in upside down to get the most out of each one or mix it up with tools and products.
We have the Craft Spinner in stock at Total Papercrafts and to go directly to the site to order one just click here, they are just £19.99 each and kit subscribers get free P&P on all orders.

Free thank you printables

I was in a supermarket today and was greeted at the entrance by a huge 'Thank You' card display aimed specifically at teachers.  I had a brief browse through the cards and was horrified at the price of some of them.  This gave me the idea of searching online to see whether there were any free printables that would fit the bill and the picture above is just one I came across.

The simple graphic style of these cards really appealed to me, they would be quick and simple to create which would make them a project that you could make together with your kids (or not if you prefer!!).  The download prints onto two sheets of A4 card which would make 6 cards, perfect for the teachers, classroom assistants and other staff members you might want to thank as the end of the school year nears. 

If you'd like to print some of these fun simple cards for yourself, you can find the download here

New series of Masterclasses start this month!

I can hardly believe that we are about to start our third Masterclass series since starting last year, its flown by in a flurry of fun and inky fingers! We have fallen into a pattern of starting each series with a project kit and then the remaining five classes are  all scrapbook pages.  I thought I'd share a few peeks of the new project class that I will begin teaching today, its a canvas wall art project that includes an album and some configurations-style boxes for displays.

This project includes lots of Tim Holtz products including the new binder clips, hinged clips, cash register key charms and flash cards.  We have paired these embellishments with loads of nature themed papers and a huge pack of die-cuts together with oodles of scrummy Prima lace! 

My idea was to have a piece of wall art that could be changed up if you were ever to get bored with it which is why I chose to use Tim's ring binder clips.  With just a simple click you can remove the pages and change them for something new or even something to match the season. 

I travel all over the country to run the Masterclasses so if you fancy the idea of having a class at home with a small group of your crafting friends just give us a call or email sales@totalpapercrafts.co.uk You don't need to worry about hiring a hall or advertising - we teach groups of 6 or more and come to you with the kits and lots of ideas to share! Its just £10 per person for each Masterclass, now thats a great deal!!

Another Prima freebie - be quick!!

If you haven't found the weekly freebie from Prima on Facebook then now is a good time to check it out.  Each Friday they have been posting a new freebie dowload or printable to co-ordinate with their new releases. 

This week there is a fab printable book cover together with an envelope and journaling card in the designs from the new Romance Novel line due to be released at CHA soon.  Its super easy to print off and put together and Marion has designed these uniquely for the Facebook freebie.  If you like making your own mini books, love adding pockets for little hidden spaces to your craft projects or simply love pretty stuff then this freebie is for you!

You can find the download the printable here - have fun!!

Total Papercrafts July kit 1

Here we go with the sample page using the double page kit for July.  This is a really adaptable page that you could use for feminine subjects as shown but also for men - just omit the flowers and the lace and its lovely and grungey!  This design would also look great with heritage photos as the colour palette works so well with sepia prints.

We have a really simple and fun technique using glue dots and glitter for you in this kit together with some masking and lots of inky shenanigans!

The kit includes; cardstock, 4 sheets of double sided patterned papers, co-ordinating sticker sheet, length of lace, length of black hemp string, anthracite glitter, large black crystals.

Additional materials/tools required; you'll need ink pads in light beige, black, blue and orange (the sample used Distress Inks in Antique Linen, Black Soot, Weathered Wood and Wild Honey), small glue dots, 4- petal flower punch (optional), background stamp (sample used Tim Holtz Mixed Media set). 

I used two 6" x 4" portrait photos but you could use one portrait and one landscape or even a selection of smaller prints.

For those attending our clubs, I will have the ink pads and flower punch available for you to use - you'll need to bring your own blending tool though! See you there x

July kit 1 contents

Our first kit for July features the fabulous 'Wonderland' line from 7 Dots Studio.  This relatively new company has made a big splash with its gorgeous grungey papers that are double sided - one side is softly whitewashed (shown above) and the other side is dark and moody.  The Wonderland line was designed by the hugely popular Anna Dubrowska aka Finnabair and is so adaptable you could use it for so many different photo themes.  We will be playing with some stunning anthracite glitter too!!

The kit contains; cardstock, 4 sheets of double sided papers, a sheet of co-ordinating cardstock stickers, glitter, lace, large adhesive gems, black hemp twine and calico fabric.

Stay tuned for the sample page and a list of photo details and additional tools required to complete the design.......

Check out Tim's new tag!

I love checking out the new tag designs that Tim Holtz creates each month and despite his frantic recent schedule he uploaded his July tag tutorial yesterday.  He created a great firework effect on this tag using alcohol ink and a can of spray air as used to clean computer keybords.  You simply add 1-2 drops of your first colour onto glossy card and then spray it with the canned air.  The ink will fire out in all directions creating this cool 'firework' effect.  You can add other colours over one another to create more depth and dimension.

Here is Tim's video of the technique...

If you have a go at this technique then be sure to upload it to Tim's blog here to enter his monthly prize draw.