Messing about on Pinterest

If you want to lose yourself for a few hours online then I can highly recommend Pinterest as a starting point and if you haven't taken a look around the site yet you are in for a real treat!  If you are unfamiliar with Pinterest I'd describe it as a computer version of a noticeboard or the side of the fridge - somewhere you stuff all the interesting/important/useful things you come across during the day.  The only real difference is that the 'stuff' is digital.  You can 'pin' your own things to your own boards and can also pin anything else you may find online.  Other people might like the things that you have found and can re-pin them to their own boards, its a very interactive site.  Virtually anything you might want to look for on the internet can be found on Pinterest - we have discovered great home decor ideas, learnt how to turn a spoon into a bracelet and if you're after a recipe then look no further!!
Of course as a crafter you won't be disappointed as Pinterest is crammed with fab tutorials, scrapbook pages, sketches and loads more.  I blogged a while back that Total Papercrafts has a Pinterest page and we've given it a bit of an overhaul recently, some boards have been removed and new ones have been created including TotalPapercrafts TV!! You can check it out by clicking here
Those of you who are very observant may have noticed the new button under the header here on the blog.  Simply click the button to follow us on Pinterest and check out what we are uploading, its all very exciting!!

Fractured doll angel

I have to admit, I've never really warmed to the Tim Holtz fractured dolls, in fact I've found them a little bit scary looking! However I decided to challenge myself to do something creative with these odd looking porcelain people and this angel was the result.
I decided that one of my main issues was that she was naked and so I set to making some dolly clothes for her. I found a small scrap of cotton lace and sewed a simple running stitch along the straight edge. A simple gather and a few stitches to secure the ends together around her middle and she had a skirt. I found a small piece of nylon lace which gave a nice contrast and repeated the stitching and gathering around her neck. She was now decently attired if not exactly ready to go clubbing!
I created a set of wings by cutting the shape freehand from some grungeboard. I covered the wings with pewter Distress crackle paint and left them overnight to dry and crack. The dry wings were inked with vintage photo Distress Ink and then secured to her back with Fabri Tac (hot glue would also work).
I really like this little angel and she is transformed from her scary former self into a sweet Christmas embellishment - perfect to add to my Configurations box!

Prepping for Moxley

A few months ago we were invited to teach at a crop in the midlands to help them celebrate their birthday. We had such a great time that we were really excited to have the chance to pop up again to see everyone and so we were booked in for a Christmas crop on 1st December!
Things seem to have gone a bit nuts in the interim and I now hear that the crop is completely sold out!! I am so pleased for Lisa and Deb that things have taken off so well and we are so happy to be a small part in helping towards the success of this fabulous crop. If you are anywhere near the Midlands area and want to join this really lovely group of ladies just drop me an email and I'll put you in touch.
So what sort of things do we teach when we travel to crop groups? It can vary wildly but this time we are doing one project and one layout - last time it was three layouts. The project is based on a Masterclass I taught at one of our weekends. It uses a Configurations box and it is altered to become a faux book. The original was very generic but as the Moxley crop is in December, this one is Christmas themed. I was very excited to play with the Tim Holtz woodland trees and happily sprayed and dabbed away to create shimmery green and gold branches, a huge difference from the off-white bottled brush they were out of the pack. So it's not finished but well on the way and I'm pleased with how it's coming along. I don't usually share photos of work that's in progress but I just couldn't resist teasing the Moxley ladies - how excited are you all getting?!
If you are interested in having us teach at your crop or club please feel free to get in touch. We can tailor something to suit your needs and can bring along the shop as well. You can email us at sales@totalpapercrafts.co.uk

Total Papercrafts kit 1 for November

Here we go with the first kit for November using gorgeous Graphic 45 papers.  The soft colour palette is very easy to use and easy on the eye with tones of peach, cream and a touch of black.  There are loads of layers going on here cut from the stunning designs on each of the papers and I won't make excuses, there's a lot of fussy cutting going on here!!

The sample design uses three 6" x 4" photos, two portrait and one landscape but as is usual with our kits, you can use different configurations and sizes of photos.  The papers have images of vintage ladies, flowers, clocks and old letters which will work with feminine, heritage, floral and a number of different themed photos. You can add your own theme/title using the chipboard letters in the kit.

I used a brown and a black inkpad (Distress Ink in Vintage Photo and Black Soot), a decorative border punch and a small flower punch.  I also used liquid pearls in black but you can add tiny adhesive gems or even a black pen to create flower centres. A scrap of ribbon and a couple of brads were used to create a closure for a pocket with hidden journaling which was stamped with a script stamp.

The kit contains; cardstock, 4 sheets of double sided patterned paper, a pack of chipboard alphabet, length of lace trim, small envelope.

Papers for November's kit 1

I'm not very patiently waiting for the deliveries to arrive for the November kits so while my stress levels steadily increase I thought I could at least show you the gorgeous papers! I have a bit of a thing for Graphic 45 and they release at least one line each season that I fall madly in love with. The ones I've picked for this kit were another of those papers I have a love affair with. The soft colours are easy on the eye and very easy to work with, I can see this being a very popular kit!!
I've paired these four double sided papers with a great chipboard alphabet that will give you loads of scope to add a title/quote/journaling.
While I'm waiting for these to actually get here I'd better start planning what to do with them as I won't have long to get the sample design done. Good job I thrive on tight deadlines!!

Our pumpkin recipes

Ok so you went for it yesterday and got a pumpkin, cleared out the seeds and some of the flesh. Your pumpkin looked great outside but now you have at least one bowl full of stuff left and no idea what to do with them. Let me help....

The first thing to do is to pull all the seeds out of the stringy stuff and put them into a colander. Rinse them well under cold water to remove any remaining bits of flesh and tip onto a clean tea towel. Lightly pat the seeds so they aren't dripping wet but just damp. Tip them onto a baking sheet and then sprinkle over a teaspoon of salt. Shake them to mix the salt around and evenly distribute the seeds over the sheet. Pop into the oven at 250C for about 45 mins until very lightly golden brown and crisp. You can eat these warm from the oven or allow to cool completely and store in an air tight container. These are delicious with a cold beer!!

Now to the pumpkin flesh, cut it into small chunks and place into a microwave for 5 mins on high. Remove and stir to distribute the heat evenly and repeat cooking for another 5 mins. Check the pumpkin and if it is still firm repeat cooking and stirring until it is very soft and easily mashed with a girl. Set aside to cool.

Mix together
1 container of double cream or Elmlea
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs plus the yolk of a third egg
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
and add half the cream container of milk. Mix thoroughly together. Mash the cooled pumpkin and add to the spiced milk mixture. Mix with a hand blender to create a smooth batter. Pour into a pre-baked shortcrust pastry case (this will fill 2-3 cases) and cook at 200C for around 50mins or until the centre of the batter is set. Serve warm or cold with ice cream, cream or custard - delicious!!

Happy Halloween!!

After posting a few ideas for pumpkins over the past few days I thought I'd share our one with you today. We go the traditional route and carve ours each year (when we are home to celebrate!) and I usually find a template online. This year we chose Jack Skellington from The Nightmare before Christmas.
The carving is usually something I do but it was a collaboration this year - Dave cut the top off and scraped out the guts, I cut out the eyes and nose and Jack finished off by cutting out the very fiddly mouth. A couple of tea lights popped inside and it was set outside our front door. We've been inundated with Trick or Treaters who have all been really impressed with the orange guy!!
I hope that however you spend today that you have fun and enjoy it x