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.

Happy Halloween!

I know that Halloween isn't a very big thing in the UK or certainly not as huge as it is in the US but I've noticed its increased popularity over recent years. I think it was this that prompted me to choose a halloween themed kit for one of Octobers kits.
The feedback so far has been great and I think opting for a subtle paper was part of the reason. I have to say that this weekend we have been surrounded by all things spooky and seen more than a few crazy costumes which have provided loads of photo opportunities. I don't think I'll be struggling for pictures to scrapbook next year!!
We hope today is lots of fun for everyone and that you don't forget your camera!!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Total Papercrafts kit 1 for November

I know that this post is very early as the kits for October have only just gone out but I'm trying to get ahead of myself and organised!! The first kit for November has a rich and luxurious feeling about it, perfect for heritage photos, masculine pics or photos with rich, deep colours in them. The luxurious feel is not only given by the gorgeous shades of red, brown and ochre but by the strokable flocked chipboard alphas, the sparkling adhesive crystals and the shimmering gold embossing powder included in the kit - it really has to be seen in real life to fully appreciate how fab it all looks together!
The sample page uses a single 6" x 4" landscape photo but you could squeeze two 6x4's on there if you prefer. This is another of those kits where everything you see is included except the tiny bits of string in the tags (but thats only 10p a yard in the shop so hardly going to break the bank!). You'll need an embossing pad and a heat gun to be able to get the most out of the lovely mirror gold embossing powder. You'll also need black and brown inkpads and a scoring tool.
A heat gun, die cutting machine plus rosette die, tag die and hinge die will all be available at club for those who are attending in Essex or Kent.
The kit contains; cardstock, 3 sheets of double sided patterned paper, vintage book paper, pack of Lush adhesive crystals, pack of Lush flocked chipboard alphabet, gold embossing powder plus paper hinge template.
I'm off to play with kit 2 for November now - its absolutely gorgeous but I can't say any more right now!!!

Tag swap

We ran the first of our tag swaps at club last night and I was blown away by the gorgeous stamps everyone had! It is lovely to have a selection of stamped tags with gorgeous images that I wouldn't normally be drawn to purchase. I fell in love with Pauline's cat stamp (being a cat lover that was one of the first I spotted!!) and the Tim Holtz quote stamp on Wendy's tag. Sarah had a few requests for her glittery allium tags from some who weren't even taking part - it was so lovely! I have plans for all of these lovely tags, you may spot them on here in the coming months.

Unfortunately the image doesn't show all of the tags as there were more than I could get in the shot. We also have a few swap members who have yet to bring in their tags - so there's even more to come.

The good news is that we et to do this all over again next month at the Kent club - woo-hoo!!